Welcome to the seventh chapter of Invader, the most suspenseful chapter yet!

That's right, we are entering the final stages. The climactic battle is almost upon us. This has been an awesome story to write, and I thank you all for the continued support and praise! I'd especially like to give a shoutout to KaNugget, who came in from the WA forum and gave me an awesome, detailed review. Give her a big hand, everyone! :)

Thank you all, and strap yourself in, because it's time to hit the accelerator and go to Chapter Seven…

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Invader, Part Seven—We're A Team

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"Are you sure about this, Saix?"

"I am absolutely certain, Number VII."

"Don't 'Number VII' me now, Saix. We three have a team, and Xion is an essential part of that team."

"She is letting her emotions—which she shouldn't have, by the way—get in the way of the mission. In this Organization, actions have consequences. I've punished Larxene for letting her temper get in the way before. What makes you think I would just let Xion get away with it?"

"Get away with it? Don't put words in my mouth. All I'm saying is that you should wait until after that guy is dealt with before punishing her."

"Xion is waiting out Operation Shadow Key. That is final, Number VII."

"…Fine, whatever. I thought you had changed, Saix."

"I have changed, Axel. I just haven't changed in every way you want."

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Roxas ran over to Axel. "Did you convince him?"

Axel shook his head. "Nope. He's set on her staying."

"Will she be okay? I don't want that guy getting his hands on her."

Axel smiled a bit. "Listen to yourself, Rox. You're talking like a Somebody again."

"What do you mean?"

"You're being all protective of her. Don't worry, she can handle herself. Sometimes I wonder if you like her more than a friend."

"What? You mean I can like her more?"

Axel laughed and patted Roxas on the head. "You'll understand all this someday, Rox. For now, I'll tell you this. Someday, when you look at her, you'll understand. You'll just know. Got it memorized?"

Roxas nodded, even though he didn't look like he understood at all, or memorized anything. Axel shook his head in amusement as the two friends walked down the hall together, ready to take on the Figure and anything else that got in their way.

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Xion sat in her room, head in her hands. This whole thing was just a sign of her stupidity, and she knew it. Why did she have to be such an idiot sometimes? She thought back to the conversation on the clocktower a few days before, but it didn't help. So what if she was good with the Keyblade? Trying to use it was what had caused this mess in the first place. So what if she could sing? The Figure wouldn't be taken down by the power of music.

Axel poked his head in. Xion looked up excitedly, but when he just shook his head, she went back to moping position, this time with her legs tucked in to her chest. Axel hated it when she was like this—he understood, sure, but she had to learn to bounce back up after getting knocked down. It was a basic life skill, and he was determined to teach her someday. Plus, she always looked the sad kind of cute, which tugged on his nonexistent heart pretty hard.

Axel sat down next to her and patted her on the shoulder. "Do you think you can talk to me before I head out?"

Xion dug her head into his arm. "Why am I stupid?"

"You're not stupid. I'd say you're smarter than at least half this Organization. We all make mistakes, Xi. You can't be perfect all the time."

"I feel like I have to be, though."

"Well, you don't. Realize that, and you'll feel a lot better about your life in general." Axel leaned in close. "Let me tell you something. Do you know why I tried to get Saix to let you come on the mission?"

Xion shook her head, digging herself closer. Darn, she was cute right now.

"Here's why. You, me, Roxas, we're a team. We build off each other. We just aren't the same without each other. We're the sea-salt trio, Xion. Never forget that."

Xion smiled. "Sea-salt trio. I like that."

"I like it a lot, too." The two sat together for a few minutes, like father and daughter in loving embrace.

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Twelve Nobodies stood in the Grey Room, weapons drawn. On most days, this would mean something had gone very wrong. Today, it was the entire point. The ambush had been well-prepared, with each member having an assigned position. Xigbar, Xaldin and Larxene covered the doorways. Vexen, Zexion, Luxord and Demyx were all crouched down behind the couch, ready to act as support. Lexaeus and Marluxia were standing in the middle of the room, ready to pounce on the Figure as soon as he came into view. And Saix was right in front of the window, ready to be the first one to face the mystery man.

Saix stood in front of Axel and Roxas. "The Figure should appear soon after you arrive. It is imperative that you catch him and push him through as quickly as possible. He may escape otherwise. We might not get a second chance if he realizes that we are trying a new tactic."

Axel spun his chakrams in his hands. "Relax, Saix. We've got it covered. That guy won't know what hit him."

"That's the plan, anyway. Remember that I choose you two specifically because you're the best people I have. Prove that you're worthy of that reputation. Bring down this man."

"Ah, thanks, Sai. We can do this blindfolded. We're sort of a dynamic duo. Isn't that right, Roxas?"

Roxas looked up. "Yeah, dynamic."

"Axel, he wouldn't know what you're talking about if you plucked all your comic books down in front of him and he read them all."

Axel rolled his eyes playfully. "Like you're a big comic geek."

Saix opened the portal to Twilight Town, already tired of this banter. "I'm counting on you two. We all are."

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Roxas looked up at the clocktower, watching the rays of orange light shine off the bells. "How long is this going to take?"

"Well, given his history, probably not long. Let's just get up there and get this over with. Do it fast, just like Saix told us."

Indeed, the Figure didn't take long to show up.

As soon as Axel and Roxas appeared on top of the clocktower, they caught sight of the signature tattered brown cloak. The Figure whipped around and ran at Roxas—he appeared to have an agenda this time. Roxas tried to hit him with the Keyblade, but as usual, the Figure dodgerolled under it.

But Axel was expecting that. His foot hit the Figure's head, stopping the roll in a quite humiliating fashion. "Not this time, buddy," he quipped.

Seemingly unfazed, the Figure rolled backwards and jumped up, fists raised in fighting position. Remembering the training session, Roxas threw kicks at him with a speed that would scare most. The Figure dodged them easily by jumping backward, but he could only move so far before running into the ledge. Roxas stabbed at him, hoping to push him off, but he rolled under it, moving horizontally now.

Axel threw up a wall of flame on the corner and the edge to box the Figure in. The Figure tried to open a blue corridor (as they had been dubbed), but Roxas managed to shoot off a Thundra spell, hitting the portal and shutting it down.

Realizing that he was running out of options, the Figure opened up with a flurry of punches and kicks, forcing Axel to step back. Then he grabbed Roxas and stuck the Keybearer's head in the flames, setting his hair on fire. The momentary distraction allowed the Figure to strike Roxas in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Axel gritted his teeth and made a flourish with his chakrams. "Oh, it's on now."

The Flurry of Dancing Flames spun wildly, forcing the Figure to duck down. Of course, ducking down allowed him to kick Axel to the ground. Axel hit the stone walkway hard, making a loud thunk.

The Figure stood over the two. As he bent down to pick up Roxas, Axel jumped up and slammed him into the wall, motivated by pure fighting instinct. The Figure grunted with pain, the first real sound that had come out of his mouth since this whole mess had started back in Halloween Town.

Quickly, Axel opened a dark corridor and pushed the Figure through. As the Figure fell in, Axel almost thought he could catch a smile on the man's lips, as if all was going according to plan. It took Axel a terrifying second to realize why.

This was what he had wanted all along. The invasion had begun.

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Done! At exactly five o'clock, no less. :)

This chapter is a little short, because I have to be somewhere soon. Don't worry—the big fight scene is tomorrow, and it will be a lot longer. The climax is finally upon us. It's a very satisfying feeling to know I'm almost done. :)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. The big reveal is in the next chapter, so this is the last day to get those guesses out there. Do you know who it is? If you do, say so!

Thanks for reading, and get ready for the epic climax of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… screw it, SUSPENSE! :D