AN: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I am soooo behind on updating! Like, seven months! I've been playing video games, writing other fics, and a lot of other stuff has been going on. You're going to come at me with pitchforks, aren't you? Well, maybe not. Seeing as how I only have 10 reviews. I feel so unloved! Did I ever tell anyone how much I love reviews? No, well I do, just so you know. T.T. And my TW fic is doing better than this one! It's not the one I'm focusing on, either. Ah, well. Can't be helped. TW is more popular than KH... *sigh* Review people! I need them!

Disclaimer: I don't own Square Enix or Disney. What's your problem? Do you guys really not trust me?

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The next two days passed by quickly in my anticipation to find Sora. Everyone was packed and ready. I was going to miss Axel and Roxas, but they told me not to worry.

"Cheer up, buddy!" Axel had said to me. "We'll see you soon!"

"Yeah," Roxas said, "I checked our Gummi ships, and it turns out that our paths cross somewhere down the line, so we'll see you soon!"

"Thanks guys." I said. I didn't want to part ways with them, for they were all that connected me to home in some way, to Sora. I was going to have to suck it up, though, if I wanted to find him. These past couple days didn't do any good, either.

For the past few nights I had been crying. You wouldn't be able to tell, because I cleared my face of tears by morning. But my heart was really broken. Every night I looked at his face in my mind. I sometimes drifted off to sleep in my daydreams, and when I woke in the middle of the night, I reached out expecting to find him there, thinking it was all a dream. When I realized it wasn't, I silently started crying. I tasted his essence in my tears, so somehow, it comforted me. I could taste his lips against mine, and I felt whole again for a few moments. But I knew that I wasn't whole. My heart was just pulled apart, empty and rigid. I needed to hold Sora to be whole. To tell him that everything would be alright. He was hurting, I knew he was. They were hurting him, making him suffer. They would pay for it, those people. I wouldn't be merciful when I met them.

All these things ran through my head during the night, and now that I was finally going to find him, my heart started to mend. The pain was slowly receeding, and all that I filled my head with was saving him. I didn't think about how he wasn't there, safe in my arms. That would have made the pain come back.

We left early in the morning after those two hard days. As I hugged goodbye to my friends, I felt a surge of remorse, like I had when I had talked to Axel and Roxas. Who knows when I would see them again? Maybe never. I had no way of knowing what this trip would bring for them, for me. They could all die soon, and so could I.

I kept my tears in though, as Yuffie told me not to worry. "I promise we'll see each other again, Riku!" She smiled happily, but I could see the doubt in her eyes. It's like we were saying our permenant goodbyes. I just nodded numbly, and hugged her hard.

I didn't hug goodbye to everyone, as I had only met them when I got here a few days ago. I just waved and said bye to them.

Although, Jesse wasn't having any of that. He grabbed me and crushed me to his chest. I felt slightly uncomfortable, seeing as how Jesse was gay, but he didn't seem to see my uneasyness. But then again, I was gay too...

"Oh! I'll miss you!" He sobbed playfully. "Even though we've only know each other for 86 hours, 27 minutes, and around 58 seconds, I feel like we've been best friends forever!" He was making a skeptical of himself, but he seemed not to mind.

"I-it's all right, Jesse, I'll be okay." I struggled to murmmur.

"Jess, darling, you're going to suffocate him if you don't let go..." Damien said from beside us.

"Oh!" Jesse finally let me go, but held on to my hands, tears still in his eyes. "Be sure to contact all of us, all the time, right?"

"Hmm. Sure." I said. I tried to sound hopefull.

He nodded, and smiled. I moved onto Axel and Roxas, pausing infront of my two best friends.

"I'm gonna miss you guys..." I said.

"Of course you are!" Axel said, hopefully. He walked over to me slowly, and hugged me close. "We'll miss you, too."

I hugged him back. Roxas ran over and joined in the hugging.

We stood there for a few moments. I started crying a little. I dugg my head in the crook of Axel's neck, wishing so hard that we could just all be home, Sora with us, and that all of this was a dream. We'd laugh about it, all of us having the same dream, and go about our lives.

I couldn't hold onto them any longer, afraid I might never let go. "Goodbye." I said to them.

"Bye, man..." Axel said, sucker-punching my shoulder. "Take care."

"Goodbye, Riku." Roxas said. They both started to walk away. Axel went to his Gummi Ship, just like everyone else had, but Roxas stayed.

"You know, they're all counting on us..." He said to me.

"What do you mean?"

"Hana, Cloud, Yuffie, Axel, everyone. They're all counting on us to find him..." He looked up at the purple sky.

"I know," I said. "I'm not going to let them down, are you?"

He shook his head. "You know, remember when you asked me why I had two Keyblades?"

I nodded.

"Well, its because I have a connection with Sora..."

"What sort of connection?"

He smiled. "Remember what Hana said, about Yuna and Tidus? You know, how the ones that are in Spira aren't the same ones as in our world?"

"Yeah, what about it?" I was a bit confused. What was he getting at?

He smirked. "Well, I'm like that with Sora."

I was a bit taken aback. "You mean, you're the same person?"

He nodded.

"But-- but you--!" My eyes widened.

"I may look different than him, but that's because I dyed my hair a while back, and I style it differently than Sora's. I changed my name, too. Roxas is an anagram of Sora, with an added "x". Don't I look like him to you?" He inquired.

Now that I thought about it, and looked at him, I did see a major resemblence. Almost uncanny. "All this time, you were the same person, all along..." I felt a sting come to my eyes, even more tears.

"But I'm not the same person..." He said, trying to comfort me. "Since I came to live with you, in your world, I've started to become different than Sora is. I'm really not Sora anymore. I'm just... Roxas."

I nodded, understanding a little. "You see, everyone on Earth has a counterpart, somewhere in the universe. You have one, too. Maybe you'll meet him sometime..." He said. "It's what makes everyone whole. If one of us dies, than the other one won't be whole. Sort of empty inside, I guess you could say..."

"Yeah." I said. I wiped my eyes.

"See, I have two keyblades because Sora was the original. You're an original, too. One person is born first, and then the other is born the next day, to keep the balance and order in tact. Sora and you were born first. Since Sora was the original Keybearer, I'm merely his double. Which is why I have two Keyblades..." I nodded. "So you see, I'm not the same as him, at all. Just almost. I'm counting on me and you, too." He said. "I miss him a lot. Almost as if he's dead. I know he's not, because I would feel it. I think they're hurting him there." I winced. "But he's holding out alright. He's always been the stronger one, out of the two of us. I know he'll make it through."

I nodded slowly.

"Riku! Come on! We can't find Sora by just sitting here!" Hana called out from the Gummi Ship.

"Coming!" I yelled back.

"So, goodbye... Riku..." Roxas smiled.

"Yeah, goodbye, Roxas." I hugged him once more, feeling another tear slide down my cheek. "See you soon..."

I let go, and ran back to the Gummi Ship as it was just taking off. I didn't look back at him. I was afraid I might not let him go. He really was the closet thing I had to Sora. I had always felt so comfortable when I was with him, and now I finally knew why...

I sat in my seat in the Gummi Ship, and looked out the window, to wave goodbye. But I was too late. Roxas was already gone....

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I slept most of the way. I really hadn't had a good night's sleep for days, and I was relieved when Hana said we'd be flying for at least 7 hours. She said the world we were going to was far away, even too far for Hyper-speed. So I slept.

I dreamt about Sora a little. Sometimes I dreamed about Roxas, and about what I learned earlier that morning. But mostly I dreamt about darkness. There was endless darkness, covering me on all sides. But even though it frightened me, I couldn't scream. I couldn't close my eyes. When I closed them, all I could see was white light, and it hurt my eyes. When my eyes were open, I heard a voice calling out to me. I couldn't tell whether it was Sora, or someone else. I heard whispers, female ones, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. The other voice was far too loud.

I awoke with a start. "Riku! Riku, we're here..." Hana said. I rubbed my eyes groggily.

"Where are we?" I said, but it came out a bit slurred.

"The Land of the Dragons! Of course!" She said. She stepped back slightly, letting the light from the windows fall on my sleepy form. The light was blinding... Just like it was in my dream.

"Come on. We have to keep moving." Cloud said.

"Hmm. Right," I said. I got up, and followed Hana and Cloud out of the Gummi Ship.

When I looked around the world, my immediate reaction to it was that it was a jungle. There were trees everywhere, a small path paved in dirt, leading through the thick wilderness. Among the trees, there were bamboo groves.

"Come on! Let's get going!" Hana strode forth, through the path in the wood. Cloud and I followed silently. It was then I realized that I never really talked to Cloud. He was just there, Hana always talking to him. I wanted to strike up a conversation, but suddenly, Hana came to a stop.

"Shhh!" She said, backing us away from the clearing. "Listen!" She whispered.

I heard a voice, coming out from the trees. It was female, but I didn't know what she was saying. I heard a horse neigh, and a male voice yelling something sarcastically.

"Are they the ones, Hana?" Cloud whispered to his counterpart.

Hana nodded. She started stepping away slowly, into the clearing, motioning us to follow her.

"I don't see you pretending to be a soldier, Mushu!" The female voice said, aggitated.

"Why, I'd be happy to take your place for you, Mulan. If I was human!!" The male voice said, again, sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah, sure. You'd just fit right in, wouldn't you? Ha!" We peeked around the corner, and I noticed the female speaking looked like a man.

A tiny little red lizard jumped from a hidden log, somewhere. It paced back and forth, seeming annoyed.

"This is all just fine and dandy, Mulan, but you ain't gonna go nowhere if you're being excecuted for being a wimpy, wimpy girl! You gotta toughen up! Be a man! Like me!" He puffed out his chest, trying to show off, but failed miserably.

"Uh huh. Sure, Mushu, sure..." That was when Mulan saw us. "Ah!" She ran and hid behind her horse. "Mushu! Help!"

The lizard, Mushu, looked at us, and scurried away. "Bessie! Help!" He seemed to be addressing the horse, sitting on top of it, frightend. So much for being a man. The horse sighed, then neighed.

Hana was the first out of the bushes. "Don't be afraid! We aren't here to blow your cover, if that's what your worried about!" She said. She motioned us to come out.

Mulan, hearing Hana's words, hesitated a little before stepping closer. "Who are you?" She said.

"I'm Hana, and this is Cloud, and Riku." She gestured to each of us. "We're here to help you! Don't you worry. We're on a quest to find someone, and we're willing to help you, if you're in need of our assistance." She bowed politely.

"I-I'm Mulan. This is Mushu." She pointed to the quivering dragon, as I now recognized him as. Mushu straightened up.

"I had this covered." He muttered as he stepped down from the horse.

Hana smiled brightly at them. She clasped her hands behind her back. "Now, tell us your situation. I can see it's complicated, and we're willing to listen.

Mulan hesitated once more. "I'm not so sure about this... Mushu, do you trust them?" She inquired to the red lizard.

"Hmm..." Mushu circled us, hands behind his back, as if interogating a suspect. "They seem... Other-worldly." He stopped infront of Cloud. "Hmm..." He said again. Cloud stood back for a moment. "Intresting..." The dragon jumped up on a twig nearby Cloud's head. He poked one of his spikes, but my superior stayed stock still. Mushu poked his nose, pretty hard, I assumed, for Cloud sneezed. I heard Hana stifle a giggle.

Mushu stared into Cloud's eyes forcefully, trying to see past the blonde's stone cold gaze. From what I gathered from talking to Hana, Cloud only let his mask down for her. It was a bad choice for Mushu to pick Cloud to examine, I thought.

But, out of nowhere-- and I don't think either I nor Hana were expecting this-- Cloud giggled. He laughed, looking taken aback by it, but all the same. He covered his mouth with his hand, but he couldn't stop laughing. Not hystarically, but more like he was laughing at an inside joke. He tried to stop but it was no use. Mushu was laughing, too.

All three of us, Hana, Mulan, and I, had dropped our jaws to the floor. I never thought I would see a guy like Cloud laugh like that. At least, not with anyone besides Hana.

Mushu jumped on Cloud's shoulder, both still laughing. Cloud petted Mushu's head, thoughtfully, as he wiped a laughing tear from his eye.

"You-- Ah ha!" Mushu stuttered, uncontrolably bellowing. "You-- ya just... G-g-go ahead, Mulan! Go on!" He shooed Mulan to begin her story.

It took us a moment to gain composure, Cloud and Mushu especially. After all of us registered the shock of Cloud's outburst, we all sat down, and Mulan began her story.

"My father was in the army a long time ago, and was wounded." She began. "The Huns invaded China not too long ago. The emporer sent an order out, saying that one man from every family was to join in the army. I have no brothers, and my father had to take part in the war. Ever since he was wounded, his health began deteriorating. I didn't want him to die, so I dressed as a man to take his place..." She sighed.

"That's so noble of you, Mulan." Hana said.

"What about you, Mushu?" I inquired. The dragon hopped down from his position on Cloud's shoulder.

"I'm Mulan's guardian!" He said, proud of himself. "I was sent by Mulan's ancestor's to watch over her."

"That's very noble, too, Mushu!" Hana said, patting Mushu's head.

"What's you're story?" Mulan asked Hana.

"Well, why don't you tell yours, Riku?" Hana suggested.

I pointed to myself. "Me?"

Hana nodded.

I hesitated for a moment, but then I thought, what the heck, I might as well. So I began to explain to Mulan and Mushu about our predicament. About how I was in love with Sora, and asked him to marry me on his birthday. I told them how he was taken away from me by Heartless, and being used by Maleficent to take over the Universe. I told them about Hana and Cloud finding me, taking me to Andromeda, and I explained to them what was going on with the signs, and me and Sora being Keyblade wielders.

"So we have to find these signs, and fast, or else Sora might die, and the whole Universe will be in peril." I sighed.

"Will you help us?" Cloud asked.

"Of course! Right, Mushu?" Mulan answered.

Mushu hopped up and down. "Of course we will! We're a team!" He jumped up on Cloud's arm. "Right?"

"Right." Cloud smiled. I couldn't believe those two were getting along, but they were. Cloud patted Mushu's head.

"Let's get going then, what are we waiting for?" Hana exclaimed, standing up. "Let's go and join the army!"

"But we have a mission to complete Hana," Cloud said sternly, more like his normal self. "And besides, you have to be a man to join the army."

"I know that, Cloud, but this is important!" She pinched his nose playfully. "Let's think of this as a brand new adventure, instead of a race against time. Ne?" She grabbed hold of mine and Cloud's arms, pulling us up. Mushu dropped to the ground after sitting on Cloud's arm. "I could always dress like a man, like Mulan's doing!"

"Hmm. I'd like to see that, Hana." Cloud smirked. "You're as much a man as I'm Miss Universe!"

Mushu chuckled, and I could help but stifle a laugh. But Hana looked slightly mad. "Well, what do you suppose we do, Cloud?"

"Why don't you tell the army you're from another country?" I suggested. "Show them how good a fighter you are, and they can't kill you, no matter if you're a woman. They can only do that to women from China."

Hana thought for a moment. "It's slightly risky, but it just might work. After all," She waved back her hair in an I'm-better-than-you-so-just-deal-with-it style. "I am an amazing fighter."

Cloud nodded, agreeing with her, though I couldn't say, as I hadn't really seen her fight. Cloud obviously had. I mean, he had taught her all he knew, right?

"So then it's settled? We go into the camp and sign up!" Hana said.

"Sounds good to me!" I said hopefully. My spirit was lifted a bit, with this new endeavor soon to take place.

"I'm still worried about you, Hana..." Cloud said, stepping towards her. He took her hand gently. "Who knows what could happen? I mean, you could get hurt, like--"

Hana silenced him with one finger against his lips, saying, "Like Tifa?"

He glanced around, making sure no one was watching. Mulan was busy pack up her things, Mushu talking to... a cricket? But I was watching intently. Cloud glanced at Hana nervously, not wanting to have that particular conversation, in case I overheard.

"It's alright, Cloud. I already told Riku." Cloud eyes widened fearfully at Hana's words. "I didn't want him to always be guessing about our relationship, always asking questions. I hope you understand that."

She placed the hand against his lips on his lips on his shoulder. "Yeah," He said, "I guess you're right about that."

She smiled. I backed away a little, sitting down on a nearby rock, pretending to give them some space. I still listened though, watching a beatle crawl on the ground as a form of distraction for them.

"Cloud, you're always too busy worrying about me. You gotta lighten up! We aren't supposed to live forever, you know," She paused. I peaked up, seeing her wrap her arms around him. I looked back down again. "We're only here for a short, determined amount of time. No one knows how long we'll be here. I try to make the most of the time I'm given. I can't have you hold me back... Hold us both back..."

"I know Hana, I just don't want to loose you..."

"If you loose me, you loose me! You'll find someone else, move one, forget about me."

"No! That's not going to happen!"

"You're going to have to let me go someday, anyway, Cloud, whether or not I'm dead," I knew she meant that someday she'd find her husband, Yuki. "We have to do what we have to do. You know why I'm on this trip. You know why I'm helping Riku find Sora," Her voice faltered. She must have thought I wasn't listening. "I have to find him, Cloud. I'll find him."

"I-I know." He chuckled lightly. "You know, another reason why I'm so protective over you, is that, I've got this feeling that if we ever did find him, he'd kick my ass if I let you get hurt."

Hana laughed. "You're right, he would!"

They both chuckled in perfect rhythum. Sometimes it seemed that they were two pieces of the same puzzle. I couldn't picture Hana being with this Yuki. She just seemed so right with Cloud.

I drifted my attention back to the beatle, my thoughts finally going away from the couple. But the beatle was gone. In its place, a creature crawled flat against the hard dirt around my feet.

I sprang up, bringing my Keyblade into my power, gripping the handle fiercly. I recognized this being as one of the things that took Sora away from me.

"Ambush!" I called, seeing more Heartless by the minute surround the clearing. Clearly, Mulan didn't know what to do, and neither did Mushu, so they cowarded around the horse.

Hana and Cloud quickly drew their swords. The next thing I knew we were attacking the Heartless that sprang from the ground. I whacked my Keyblade back and forth, much like I did six days ago. The diffrence was that I knew what I was doing. I let the Keyblade's power envelope me in its knowledge, instead of wielding it in anger and rage. My moves were more precise, my rhythum steady. I didn't realize it, but I was becoming what I was born to be in those few moments. A Keyblade master.

But even though I was attacking quickly and efficiently, the Heartless kept coming. "Hana, I can't- urgh- can't hold them off!" Cloud said through clenched teeth. They were coming much too fast.

Then, a sea of snow and ice hit a Heartless holding me off. I stopped and stared at the writhing beast, a single pink heart escaping from its chest.

I looked to where the blast came from. Two figures stood out against the mist of black monsters. One was short, one was tall.

"Anyone need some assistance?"

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Ooooh! Suspense! Who are they? Of course you know who they are. Duh!

I hope everyone's been enjoying this fic so far. I also need your help. See, I want a bunch of Disney worlds in here, but I can't seem to pick them out. I would greatly appreciate it if you suggest a movie I could take a world from. I want to mix worlds that are in the games, and new worlds that are totally new to Kingdom Hearts. Can anyone help me? And I'm sorry that the last few chappies had very little action in them. There will me more in the next one!

I love the fact that Mushu and Cloud became bosom buddies! (lol!) I didn't think of that until I was writing it. The laughing scene just flew out of my fingertips, and I think it works! I love Cloudy so much! Mushu's cool too... Cloud is better!

So, I've finally updated. I don't know how long it will be before I update another chapter, but it should be soon. Keep in mind, I'm writing this fic, a Twilight crossover with Tsubasa Chronicle (go check it out if you like either of those), a new Phantom of the Opera phic, a book, of which you can check out the first chapter at fiction press, under my same username, betareading a fic of my friends, Kingdom Hearts:RevengeRomance (a Kingdom Hearts *serious* Sailor Moon parody, meaning it isn't one of those funny parodies, but actually a serious fanfic, but it IS funny at times. Go check it out, his username is xeikm. Start with the first one, though), and a new Sailor Moon fic about my otaku, Sailor Sakura. Be patient! Even though this is definately my main fic out of all of them, I am STILL writing them!

Anyway, see at chapter 7! See Ya!

Hana-chan

PS: I got a Cloud plushie! Yayness!