L&DH: Welcome, my friends, to the next chapter of Heart and Soul! And boy, do we have a show in store for you! *starts chuckling evily*

Tegan:…I think she's finally cracked up.

Vanitas: Wasn't she always like this?

L&DH: What the, who let you in?! Anyway, no, my sanity is still hanging on by a shred. But I've got some interesting things planned soon, and some even more interesting characters!

Tegan: Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

L&DH: Oh hush. Anyway, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Disney. I just have this story and its characters. Enjoy the show!

"We're looking for the Keyblade and armor that was found when Xehanort first showed up. Do any of you know where it went? Both are made of blue and silver metals."

Tegan sat on a lab counter in the main laboratory of the castle. The others were scattered around the room with the other available Apprentices, seated in chairs or leaning against walls. Even was busy in his meeting with that Angelique girl and couldn't make it. Salem hadn't returned either.

"A Keyblade? Armor? Why would we have any of that?" The shorter of the scientists, Ienzo, asked. Tegan sighed.

"Oh that's right, you were still a kid and probably didn't see it." Tegan ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, so when Xehanort was found, you were asked to grab the armor and Keyblade, right Dilan? Do you know what happened to it?" The dark-haired guard shook his head after thinking for a moment.

"I'm afraid not. When we got back and Xehanort was taken care of, Braig took those items and ran off somewhere. I haven't seen them since." A few pairs of shoulders slumped while Tegan tapped her chin.

Now what?

"Well, he had to have hidden them somewhere in the castle, right?" Riku pointed out. "Why don't we just look for them?"

"Oh, good idea." Tegan hopped off the lab counter and started pacing. "So where do we look?"

"Let's start in the rooms." Kairi suggested. Everyone decided that was the best solution and Ienzo led the group to the living quarters wing of the castle. There were a number of rooms set up on both sides of a hallway, so everyone split into groups. Sora, Riku, and Kairi checked the rooms on the left with Ienzo, while Tegan, Vanitas, and Lea got the right. The first room was one that obviously hadn't been used in a long time.

"What do we have here?"

Tegan was confused as they searched the room. From the looks of it, it had been a little boy's room at one time. There was a small bed with blue and green sheets and a mobile with planets and stars hanging over it. Toys were scattered on the floor and there was a small bookshelf in one corner. Sitting beside it was an old rocking chair and a tall lamp, both of which hadn't been used in years. A thin layer of dust had settled over everything, suggesting that while it may have been cleaned, the cleaning didn't come regularly enough. Tegan picked up a small toy boat and smiled.

"I wonder whose room this was. Ienzo's…or Salem's?" she said quietly. She thought know one had heard her, but jumped when a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Lea silently held up a small picture frame.

In it two men stood in front of the castle gates, one with dark hair and the other with rust-brown. Sitting on the dark-haired man's shoulders was a little boy. He was smiling under a messy mop of black hair and brandishing a wooden sword. Despite the dramatic change in appearance, Tegan recognized the smile.

"Salem…"

"He looks happy…"

Tegan jumped and clutched the photograph to her chest. Glaring behind her, she locked gazes with the black-haired boy starring over her shoulder.

"Dammit, Van! What's with everyone sneaking up behind me?!"

"Wimp…" Vanitas snickered.

Tegan stuck her tongue out at him and put the picture on the shelf.

"You're right, though. He does look pretty happy." She smiled. "But there's something different about him. I can't quite place it…"

"It couldn't be the fact that he dyed his hair purple." Vanitas remarked sarcastically. Tegan sighed and continued looking. Nothing in the closet, nothing under the bed. No secret passages or hidden panels. Just an regular little boy's room.

"Let's move onto the next room." Lea suggested. "I don't think we'll find anything in here…" The two teens nodded.

I'm glad it wasn't here, Tegan thought as she closed the door, placing a hand on the frame. Feels like I'm butting in on something private…

"Hey, you coming?" Tegan turned to see Vanitas staring at her. She nodded her head, gave the door one last tap, and followed.

"What were you doing?" Vanitas turned his head to look back at the door.

"I dunno…" Tegan scratched the back of her head. "Thinking I guess…Hey, Vanitas? How long have you known Salem?"

"A while." The black-haired boy shoved his hands in his pockets. "I was…in the Organization for a few years, I met him there…" He noticed that Tegan's eyes seemed to flash for a second as she looked on ahead. He remembered that it had happened before…Back at Yen Sid's when she knew he was lying.

"Are you sure?" Tegan kept her gaze ahead. "Eh, never mind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She started to rifle through her pockets, pulling out random object and looking at them. They continued looking through the rooms, with no success. Same thing with the room on the other side.

"So we're at a dead end?" Sora looked down, frowning with disappointment.

"They have to be somewhere!" Tegan exclaimed. She ground her fists against her temples in frustration. She knew they had been hidden in the Chamber of Repose, but where was that? It was times like this when Tegan wished she had seen a walk-through of the "Final Mix" version of the game…

"You don't suppose that they got rid of them, do you?" Riku asked. Tegan and Sora let out panicked yelps, fully prepared to freak out. Vanitas, on the other hand, simply scoffed at the idea.

"Not likely. The old man would have kept them, just in case. And if not, Eye Patch would. My bet is that the stuff's just hidden somewhere else in the castle…"

"Hidden is right!" Tegan grumbled. "I just hope that Aqua's things weren't moved…Ienzo. Are you sure there wouldn't be anywhere else we could look?" The young scientist tapped a finger against his temple in thought.

"Perhaps…But I wouldn't be the one to know. Salem was the one who made it his business to know about secret passages and such. If anyone knows their way around this place, it would be him."

The motley crew of travelers looked at each other. None of them had seen or heard from Salem in a good two hours, ever since he stormed off.

"But is that really a good idea?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah. If he's still upset about all this, is it really fair to drag him back here…?" Riku added.

Tegan agreed a little. She really couldn't imagine what Salem was going through. So if he needed space, she would gladly respect that. Especially after feeling like an intruder in his old bedroom…

"…I'll go."

Everyone turned to look at Vanitas. He frowned at them, one eyebrow raised in a definite "Got a problem with that?" manner. "I'll go get him. I can knock some sense into that thick skull of his, and bring him right back. Any of you got a better suggestion?"

None of them said "no", but then again nobody really said anything at all. Vanitas was the last one they had expected to volunteer. Tegan blinked, and then smiled cheerily.

"Well alright then! Van, mind if I come with you then? It would be nice to check out this place, while I'm here…" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and smiled. Vanitas shrugged and turned on his heel.

"Just don't slow me down…" Tegan nodded and bounced on her heels. She followed him down the hall.

…

"Haha! This is awesome!"

Tegan had been running around like a kid on a sugar rush. Everything about the world was amazing! She could almost feel the Light everywhere, and everyone was cheerful and happy.

"Hey!" Vanitas snapped. "What the hell are you doing now?!"

Tegan looked down at him from her perch in a tree. "Scouting, what else? This tree is huge!" She waved down and smiled while the black haired boy sighed in annoyance.

"Why did I agree to this…" he muttered. "Just don't break your neck up there!"

Tegan stuck her tongue out. "Chill out, Vanni. I'm a professional! Besides, up here I can see everything. Hey, come and join me!"

"Why should I do that? And don't call me Vanni!" His eye was twitching erratically while the redhead hung upside down, swinging around and looking like a giant, green bat.

"What do you mean why?" she giggled. "Two sets of eyes are better than one, Van! It will be easier to find Salem if we scope from high up! Plus it's fun!" She began to swing back and forth faster before flipping onto another branch.

"I'll pass."

"Chicken!"

With that remark, Vanitas climbed up the tree like his life depended on it. When he reached the branch just below her, and saw the redhead grin deviously at him, the ravenette swore emphatically. He fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Tegan waved.

"Why're you so serious, man? Lighten up!" She flipped down once more so that she landed next to him. The branch didn't so much as shake.

"We're supposed to be finding Salem, or did you forget that?" He pointed out. Tegan knocked shoulders with him.

"Doesn't mean we can't have fun while doing it. Are you always like this?" she teased. Vanitas rolled his eyes and cast a dry stare her way.

"I thought you were supposed to know everything. Why don't you tell me, Little Miss Game Expert?" he scoffed. The redhead looked at him with narrowed eyes. With a huff, she turned her head haughtily and crossed her arms.

"I would think it was obvious by now, Vanitas. I don't know everything. Like I had no idea about Salem or the whole Anima thing or…" She left the sentence hanging in the air. Vanitas turned to see her frown and mess around with her Wayfinder. She was nervously twisting the chain around her fingers while running her thumb over the gray star points.

"…What's wrong with you?" he asked. Tegan didn't take her eyes off the charm.

"Thinking about how much I really don't know." came the reply. "Things keep popping up that I never had any idea about, like you and Salem. Did you know that the final confrontation with Xehanort hasn't come out? It's supposed to be in Kingdom Hearts 3, but the game hasn't been in production yet. It reminds me that in this, I'm going in blind. And I agreed to it…I suppose I'm a little worried. What if I do something and it totally backfires? What if I screw things up?"

"Why didn't you just stay home then?" Vanitas asked quietly. He really didn't know how to respond any other way. It wasn't exactly like he was the person to go confiding to.

"I want to help. Knowing what I do, I just want to help set things right. All the things Xehanort has done, it isn't right. He hurt people, hurt worlds, messed so much up. It's not fair!" The last part she shouted, flinging her hands up. It startled the both of them.

"…I just…" she said quietly. "Knowing that it's all real, and not just a videogame, I just want to fix everyone. Ventus, Aqua, Terra…Ansem the Wise, Salem. Someone else who…helped me…Everyone who has been wronged by that man."

Vanitas stared at her. The girl really was something, he'd give her that. He had never met someone so willing to throw herself into messes she had nothing to do with, just to help people. She wanted to help total strangers, without a single thought of the consequences. And she was willing to be so open with him about her worries. It was like they had always been friends…

"Heh." He chuckled. "Looks like you really are an Anima. The boss did warn me about the 'righteous sense of justice' you guys have…Still, must be nice…" He stared down at the ground far below them.

"What must be nice?"

"Having someone who really wants to help them…Ven's one lucky idiot…"

Tegan peered at Vanitas from the corner of her eye. There was a bitter note to his voice. He sounded almost…Jealous?

"He is…" she agreed, watching the frown on Vanitas' face deepen. "But you are too, Vanitas." She saw his eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he frowned once more and leaned up against the trunk of the tree.

"Oh yeah? How do you figure that?" his voice filled with venom. "For as long as I've lived, nobody's ever struck their neck out for me. No one even likes me. I'm just a…!"

He never finished his sentence, because a hand suddenly shot out and hit him in the side of the head. Once the stars cleared, he turned in shock to see Tegan glare at him. Her eyes were like steel.

"That's not true Vanitas!" she hissed. "I stuck out my neck! Or did you forget that I saved your ass twice in one day? When I said that I wanted to help everyone, I meant you too, you dumbass!"

Vanitas stared at her open mouthed. She wanted to help him? What?

"W-why? I'm pure Darkness! I'm part of the reason everything is so screwed up! So why would you…" He was stopped by Tegan placing a hand on his shoulder.

"For crying out loud…" she muttered. "It's true, you did help to put everything in motion. But I choose to believe these facts." She held up one finger. "One: you saved me from the Unversed back at Yen Sid's. That alone is proof of the good in you." She held up another finger.

"Two: I know for a fact that Xehanort was using you just to get the X-Blade. You are just as much a victim of this as Ven or Terra or Aqua.

"And three, the most important one: you are my friend." She pointed to him. "I will be there for you. My friends are my family, and anyone who messes with my family will be put six feet under. Okay?"

Vanitas looked at her in pure shock. She thought of him as her friend?

Acting on impulse, Tegan grabbed Vanitas' hand and stuffed her Wayfinder into it. In a matter of seconds, the glass charm glowed brightly and Tegan immediately felt another prsense inside it. Without a doubt, it was Vanitas. Arrogance, suspicion, Darkness and…

"Ha! What do you know?" She looked up at Vanitas. "You're not as dark as you think you are. I just felt Light in this thing. You've got Light, Vanitas." She smiled at him and low and behold, he smiled! Sure it was just a small one, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Light…" he whispered. "I've got Light?" Tegan nodded and there was a bright flash, forcing the two to close their eyes. When it faded, Tegan let out a whoop of joy.

In Vanitas' hand was a star shaped charm. A metal frame of silver surrounded five, petal-shaped pieces of dark red glass. They were held together with black cord and in the center was the symbol for the Unversed. A silver chain hung from the back with a simple clasp to hold it together. A Wayfinder. His Wayfinder.

"No way…" Vanitas held the charm up, not believing that he held it. "I get one too?"

Tegan laughed. "See? We are friends! Wayfinders are like an unbreakable connection, and now you have one too! This is great!" She threw her arms around Vanitas and nearly knocked him out of the tree. The two started laughing, Tegan giggling with joy while Vanitas whooped in triumph. The black-haired boy held his charm high in the air, shouting with joy. When he calmed down, Vanitas stared intently at his Wayfinder.

"It was a long time ago." Vanitas said simply.

Tegan blinked. "What?"

"You asked about how long I had known Salem." Vanitas leaned back against the tree. "I doubt that he even remembers, but I met him once when I was Xehanort's apprentice. Back when I was…Evil. I was still a total creep but Salem, the idiot he is, treated me like we were friends. Even though we had just met and he was only six. Maybe…Maybe he saw some good in me too."

Tegan looked at Vanitas. The boy's golden eyes glowed with the tiniest spark of warmth. There wasn't a trace of the sour frown that usually shown on his face. There was a trace of a smirk, but since this was Vanitas, it wasn't all that shocking. She found herself liking that sly, little smirk.

"Well, there is good in you. A person just needs to see through the grouchy exterior." She nudged his shoulder playfully and gave him a big, goofy smile.

Vanitas glanced over and felt comfort in her words. He understood what Salem had been trying to tell him earlier, about the others being there for him. After being alone for so long, who knows? Having friends could do some good for him after all.

Until they all stab you in the back. A voice in his head sneered maliciously. That's all "friends" do, they gain your trust, and then betray you.

Vanitas pushed those thoughts out of his head. In order to keep them gone, his mind came up with a devious little scheme. Tegan was still smiling blissfully, her guard down. Time for some pay back.

Shifting his arm, he moved it so that his arm was around her waist. Before she could do anything, he hoisted her up onto his lap and smirked at her.

"W-What the hell, Vanitas?!" Tegan sputtered. His only reply was to put his Wayfinder in her hands so he could slide his other arm under he knees.

"The hell you doing boy?!" she shrieked.

"You aren't afraid of falling are you, Freckles?" he teased. Her face lit up bright red, making her skin almost match her hair, causing him to laugh. Looking down, he leaned forward. Tegan got the hint and panicked.

"Oh no. Don't you even think about it!"

"Geronimo!"

Vanitas leapt off the branch and dropped down. While he did so, Tegan screamed and flung her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Damn you, Vanitaaaas!"

Before the two hit the ground, Vanitas used his Dark Void move to sink into the ground. A few seconds later, they shot up out of the ground and Vanitas landed lightly on his feet. Straightening, he looked down to see Tegan clinging to his jacket.

He set her down with a chuckle. "Let's call that revenge for sitting on me earlier…" He peered at the redhead curiously.

Tegan just stood there, starring out in space. She wasn't moving either, which was very odd. When Vanitas waved a hand lazily in her face, she didn't seem to react.

"Hello! Earth to Tegan!" She still said nothing, just starring ahead of her blankly. Okay, now he was getting weirded out. Was she in shock or something?

"Hey!" he started shaking her shoulder. "Yo! Tegan, what's the matter with yo-OOF!" He fell backwards as Tegan shoved her elbow into his chest. He fell down and Tegan stood over her, laughing.

"What the hell?!" he spat. Tegan smirked at him.

"Payback, lad." was her reply. "Not wise tae mess wit' a Scot, ya daft loon."

Vanitas looked up at her, confused by the sudden change in her voice. Her voice had gained a bizarre new accent, thick enough to make it difficult to understand what she was saying. Tegan sensed his confusion and gave him a hand up. She cleared his throat and rubbed her neck sheepishly.

"I'm originally from a country in my world called Scotland." She said, her voice back to normal. "In that part of my world, the people speak with a thick accent. When I moved to another country, I was lucky enough to pick up the accent I use now really easily. Sometimes my old one shows up, like if I'm really stressed or angry."

"Okay, ha-ha.' Vanitas muttered. He was about to snap off some comeback when the ground shook. He jumped out of the way as an object sailed past him. With a crack, it embedded itself into the tree that they had been sitting in.

Stuck a good few inches in was long throwing knife, its blade gleaming. The blade had a purplish tint to it and the handle was wrapped in indigo-colored ribbon. Cautiously, Vanitas pulled it out of the wood.

"Uh... isn't that…" Tegan stared, wide-eyed, at the knife.

"For crying out loud." Vanitas sighed. "Now what has that idiot, Salem gotten himself into?"

Tegan looked in the direction of the Bailey. "It came from over there. Come on!"

Vanitas: So now I have to go pick up the moron's mess?

Tegan: Oh, be nice will ya? There's bound to be some explanation for this, right? *looks at Light*

L&DH: Zzzz….huh, what?

Tegan: *rolls eyes* Not getting much sleep?

L&DH: Eh, what else is new? Anyway, I take it this is the end of the chapter, so thanks again for tuning in and you know the drill! Bye!