DarkFoxKit: Hello everybody! Glad to see ya'll are still surviving and reading the story! I mean, some of you were just DYING to know what happened next since Roxas was apparently dying!

Key2DestNE: *elbows her* You didn't have to say they were DYING to know… It's not even that punny! *huffs, rolling his eyes* ...But yeah, it's time for a new chapter of Roxas's Story. What'll happen here? Heh… Weeeeell, I won't spoil anything for you all~

DarkFoxKit: And you may have noticed Roxas has been sticking with Aqua lately, and well, to be fair, she probably is the most protective one out of the three over him, so that makes it a little hard for Roxas to leave. But just know it's hopefully a sufficient next chapter!

Key2DestNE: Now then, onto reviews… Ah- apparently a lot of you have been saying that this is one of the better KH stories on the site. Well, we're glad you think that, especially since we put a lot of emotion into it! But remember, eventually the story WILL have to end, so you may as well get the pitchforks and the torches ready!

DarkFoxKit: Key, what'd you have to say that for?

Key2DestNE: *shrugs* Hey, they had to know eventually… I'm just reminding them that it WILL happen eventually, so be prepared!

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, but not any time soon. Well anyway, I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. We'll see ya at the bottom!


Chapter 6: Questions

But… wait… where is this? This is… the place in my dreams, right? But… why would I come here if I'm dead?

"You're… not dead… Roxas…" The voice! It sounded so much clearer now! And… it was so familiar…! "Just… sleeping… Trust me… you're… alive…"

I tried turning around, trying to find the voice… but I couldn't find anyone. Please… tell me… who are you? Why do you keep talking to me in my dreams?

"I'm… a friend… I… brought you into… this timeline… to help… you, Roxas."

Help me? Wait, YOU brought me here? But why? I don't belong in this timeline… I'm going to mess everything up! I already got Vanitas and Xehanort's attentions, I was only lucky the old coot didn't see me summon TWO Keyblades!

"You… don't need… to worry… about it… Xehanort's plan… doesn't… involve you… no matter… what."

Well I'm glad for that, but… Do you know what's going on here or do I have to find out for myself?

"I know… all too well… what's happening… here…" The voice sounded… tired? "Be… careful… Things aren't… what they seem… Aqua… fell into… that trap… herself."

That… doesn't sound good… I frowned. Okay, but… could you at least give me your name? I want to know who you are at least.

"You.. know me… My name… is…"


"Roxas… Roxas!"

Roxas didn't respond at first, making the voice sounding more worried. "Are you sure it worked?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure, just give him a minute dearie, he's probably still trying to come to." an unfamiliar voice spoke.

Roxas didn't speak for another minute or two, but he began to groan, his body feeling completely sore. "Ugh…" Again, someone wakes me up just before the voice can tell me their name! Is this going to be a regular thing?

"Roxas!" the worried voice suddenly said with huge relief before a pair of warm hands held his shoulders and a head over his chest. "... Roxas, you're alive!"

Roxas slowly opened his eyes, feeling sore and a bit dizzy, but otherwise he was fine. "Aqua…?" He blinked as he saw her hugging him. "... Ugh… what happened?" He groaned, rubbing his forehead in pain. "Gah… headache…!"

Aqua didn't respond for a minute or two, leaving the second voice to speak up. "Aqua here was quite worried for you- apparently you got badly hurt in a fight, and she tried to heal you even as you slipped away from her! Thankfully I was able to help… How are you feeling?"

Roxas blinked a few times before memories of what happened with Xehanort came back. He was so sure he was dying back there… but it seems Aqua and this… fairy over here kept him alive and saved him. "I'm… very sore and I have a headache… but I'm fine. Thank you, both of you… I probably wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't saved me, Aqua."

Aqua blinked, her head still on his chest, before she pulled her head up to look into his eyes. "...R-Roxas…" She looked searching into his eyes… before she smacked him! "What did I tell you about not acting like a hero!?"

"Ow… Aqua! I'm still injured here!" Roxas grumbled, rubbing his cheek. "And it wasn't like I PLANNED for that to happen, I was just kinda attacked okay?" He then blinked, feeling Aqua hug him again. "Uh… what?" he awkwardly asked, frowning in confusion.

He then tensed up, feeling his jacket begin to grow damp. "I-I… I was so worried you… you were…!" Aqua sniffled, beginning to cry again. "Don't do that again! Please… J-just stay with me from now on- I don't want you to be hurt!"

Roxas sighed, this was going to make his plan to show Ven's not corrupted a whole lot harder if she won't let him leave his side. "Aqua…"

"Please… tell me… what… what happened back there?" Aqua asked him, sniffling in his jacket. "And- and don't lie!"

"I was just ambushed by someone strong." Roxas said, not wanting to tell her it was her so-called Master Xehanort that did this to him, he just had a strong feeling she shouldn't know about that right now. "It just happened so fast I couldn't get a good look at who it was."

Aqua frowned, gripping him just a bit tighter. "And… and they're still out there, whoever they were?" she shakily asked. …That's it… I won't let him out of my sight- what if they attack him again?

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but… Cinderella is in trouble and we must help her before it's too late. She's been locked in her room and Jaq is trying so very hard to bring the key to her." The Fairy Godmother said with some urgency in her voice.

Roxas frowned, confused. "...Cinderella…" He glanced up at a nearby window with the light on. "That's… the woman that Terra helped… right?"

"Yes… she is." Aqua said as she helped Roxas up, having his arm slung over her shoulder. "When I came here for some help, the woman inside refused to give me any herbs or medicine for you, Roxas, but I ran into Fairy Godmother here and her magic helped kept you alive. For that, I owe her by helping Cinderella."

Roxas blushed in embarrassment at having Aqua helping him stand, and he muttered to her, "I-I'm fine Aqua, I can stand on my own… And besides, I owe her too, I'm going to help."

Aqua frowned, but she sighed. Well.. this helps me keep an eye on him better… "Alright, Roxas- Fairy Godmother said she'll use her magic to get us up there when we're ready. How do you feel now?"

"Still a bit sore, but I'll live." Roxas said as he took her arm off her shoulder, bending over a bit but trying to stay stable.

Fairy Godmother nodded, frowning a bit. "Yes, Cinderella's heart is full of light, but where there is light there will be darkness. Her light caused Lady Tremaine and both her daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, to have jealousy of her inner light. So please, hurry. I'll use my magic to help you get to Jaq, but that's all I can do, unfortunately."

"That's fine, just leave it to us." Roxas said with a smile. Then he noticed Aqua wince slightly. …Why is she- …Oh… I guess I remind her of Ven too, huh…? He frowned to himself. It seems I'm always a copy of someone, no matter what timeline I'm in…

"Here we go. Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo!" The Fairy Godmother waved her wand and the sparkling light surrounded both Aqua and Roxas as they flew into the window of the house, shrinking down to mice size.

"... Whoa, everything's so big." Roxas said in awe, looking around. "This is… pretty impressive- I'm pretty sure a simple sandwich would feed one of us for a week, at least!"

Aqua nodded slowly before noticing someone in front of them both, holding a key… It was an actual mouse! "...Um… are you okay?" she worriedly asked, beginning to walk with him.

"Gotta hurry… gotta save Cinderelle… Not much time… Must get key to door before evil stepmother shoos the big men away!" Jaq said as he tiredly carried the key.

Roxas hurried over, frowning in confusion. "Aqua, couldn't you just use your own Keyblade to unlock Cinderella's door?"

Aqua nodded, giving a small smile. "Most likely…" Then she frowned, thinking. "...But if the key isn't there… someone's going to question it, aren't they?"

"... I still say we could just use your Keyblade to open the door, but fine, let's help Jaq get there." Roxas said, and as soon as he did, Unversed appeared out of nowhere! "... How did they get this small?" he murmured to himself.

Aqua frowned, preparing to fight them. "Roxas, Jaq, you both get to the mousehole- I'll help fight these Unversed off!" Jaq gasped, seeing her Keyblade.

"That looks just like Ven-Ven!" he said excitedly. "Are you Ven's friend?" Aqua and Roxas blinked, looking at him in surprise.

"You know Ven?" Roxas asked, looking at the Unversed warily.

"Did he look okay to you, Jaq? Was he wearing a black coat?" Aqua asked the mouse, frowning worriedly.

"No-no, he was fine, in fact, Ven-Ven helped with Cinderelle's dress!" Jaq said with a smile.

The Nobody frowned, glancing around worriedly, before gasping. "We can discuss this later! The Unversed are coming right at us!" Roxas yelled, seeing they were surrounded.

Aqua frowned, holding her Keyblade up and ready to cast a spell. Roxas wanted to help any way he could without exposing himself to her, so he helped Jaq pick up the golden key and tried to help get to the mouse hole faster and away from the shrunken Unversed.

"Hurry Jaq!" Roxas yelled, helping the mouse carry it. "The Unversed are coming!"

"I'm hurrying, Ven-Ven!" Jaq said tiredly but determinedly.

"I'm Roxas, okay?" Roxas corrected him despite the situation. "ROXAS, not Ven-Ven- trust me, we look alike but we're different!"

Jaq shrugged, panting a bit. "If you say so Ven-Ven…"

"Ugh… Just keep going." Roxas groaned, not sure why the mouse didn't get it.

Aqua seemed to be having a hard time keeping all the Unversed away, and Roxas noticed as some of the fatter ones kept stomping down, causing a shockwave and hurting both him and Jaq. Roxas growled, losing his patience with them. He looked over at Aqua to see she was distracted and used this moment to use some magic of his own. "Get back!" He used Blizzaraga to freeze them. "Hurry before they thaw!"

Aqua blinked, noticing a few of the Unversed were frozen despite her not using any ice magic yet. …How the heck…? She frowned in confusion but decided to use this to her advantage, smacking them as hard as she could.

"Gotta hurry!" Jaq yelled as they were close to the mouse hole but more Unversed kept showing up.

"Ugh… Do these guys ever stop?" Roxas growled in annoyance. "Aqua! A little help here!" he called for her, not wanting to risk her seeing him use magic.

The blue haired woman frowned, but she quickly used a Shotlock to destroy all the Unversed around them. "Hurry, you two- we don't have much time left!"

"We're on it!" Roxas called back as he and Jaq hurried into the mouse hole. Roxas panted, his body still hasn't fully recovered from the near death Xehanort put him in. "We… made… it…" Then he noticed the high stairs.

"Not yet, Ven-Ven, we still gotta climb stairs, take key to Cinderelle's room!" Jaq said to him.

Roxas looked at the mouse before he said, his jaw dropped, "Are… you… serious? I… won't… last that… long…"

Jaq frowned before shrugging. "We can always use mouse hole instead… You go back to Aqua, Ven-Ven- I'll bring it to Cinderelle!"

"Thank… you. And… My name is Roxas, okay? 'Ven-Ven' is a completely different person." the tired Nobody said to the mouse, who didn't seem to listen as he was already trying to climb the stairs. "Ugh… right…" Roxas slowly walked out of the mouse hole, seeing the Unversed were all gone, along with the Nobody's friend. He looked around, confused. Where'd Aqua go? She just… disappeared! And here I thought she wouldn't leave my side after that.

Roxas mused to himself before he heard someone talking… It seems the two sisters were trying to put their big feet into the small glass shoe, but of course it couldn't fit them.

"Is there anyone else?" the man in the fancy get up asked hopefully, glancing around the house.

"No, there's nobody else here." the elder lady said with a frown, shaking her head. "My apologies that we didn't fit the quota, sir."

Roxas blinked, peering through the bars to watch before he suddenly felt tingly. "W-wah?" He blinked in surprise. "What the-" His body suddenly grew back to its original size without warning! "WAH!"

Thankfully Roxas was on ground when he re-grew, but he soon noticed Aqua, who wasn't so lucky… She was on the banister post, and when she grew back around the same time she did, she fell to the ground below! "Oww…" She groaned in pain before glancing up at the four people staring at her and Roxas above her.

"... U-uh… h-hi?" Roxas said awkwardly, giving a small wave. C'mon, Jaq, hurry…!

Aqua quickly spoke, standing up. "May I try that glass slipper on?"

"You?" The man in the fancy get up said with familiarity upon seeing Aqua. "I've seen you at the ballroom, so you couldn't possibly be the girl…"

"Still, didn't the rules say to let all girls try it on? Well, I am a girl." Aqua said, gesturing to herself. "I deserve a chance, wouldn't you say?"

Roxas blinked before crossing his arms. So the Prince is trying to find his missing girl with a glass slipper? … What if the glass slipper fits the completely wrong girl? That's not a very reliable way of finding someone. And what if it breaks?

"Very well, you have a point." the fancy man said, stepping forward.

"But she and that boy don't belong here! They just barged in, they must be common thieves!" Lady Tremaine protested with a frown.

The fancy man shook his head, walking to Aqua's side. "Regardless, His Grace said every maiden- and they mean no harm, by any means!"

Roxas looked over at Aqua, "Smart move." he whispered to her, giving a faint nod.

"Yeah, but… if Jaq doesn't hurry…" Aqua frowned worriedly, glancing up at the door above them.

Suddenly someone called from above, surprising everyone. "Wait, please wait!" Another woman was running down the stairs, though she wore a ragged dress instead of anything fancy. "Please… may I try it on?"

The man frowned at the lady of the house before giving the new woman a nod. "Why yes, of course- after this young lady here tries on the slippe-" Aqua shook her head, stopping him.

"Just let her try it." Aqua said, giving a small smile. "Please, I'm sure she's the one you're looking for."

Roxas nodded, agreeing with her completely. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." There's also a good chance Aqua's feet are the same size anyway.

Cinderella sat in a chair as the gentleman walked over to her, but Lady Tremaine ended up tripping him with her staff! It caused him to accidentally fling the glass slipper and causing it to hit the floor, crashing it into pieces. "No! No! NO! That was the Prince's only lead!" He sobbed, grabbing at the pieces of the shoo desperately. "What will I do!?"

Roxas and Aqua both glared at the old lady, they had seen her do it, but they couldn't say anything without proof.

Cinderella just gave a small smile before she pulled out the other glass slipper from her pocket. "That's okay… I have the other slipper." The man smiled with hope again as he allowed her to put it on her foot, and it was a perfect fit.

Roxas and Aqua perked up, hearing a familiar mouse cheering. They both glanced at the top of the stairs and saw him jumping up and down in happiness. Roxas chuckled at that. That's adorable- a little mouse friend did anything to help Cinderella achieve her dreams… If only I could have real friends like that, who would do anything for me… But then… Aqua did just save my life…

"It looks like Cinderella gets a happy ending after all." Roxas said to the blue haired girl beside him as she was being lead outside by the duke.

"The Prince will want a wedding immediately! He'll be so happy!" The duke said excitedly as he was leading her out.

"Uh…" Roxas blinked. I may not know much about weddings but… wouldn't it be better to go on a date first before you wed someone? Ah whatever, she's happy, the Prince is happy, that's all that matters, right? "... Aqua… Where are that lady and her two daughters?"

Aqua blinked at that, glancing around. "Hmm…" She frowned in confusion. "I'm not sure- maybe they couldn't take Cinderella's achievements out of jealousy…"

"But… what if they-" Roxas began to say when they suddenly heard Cinderella's screaming outside! "... That didn't sound very good…"

"You stay here, Roxas, I'll go check it out." Aqua said to him as she hurried outside.

Roxas frowned, crossing his arms in irritation. "And here I thought she wouldn't let me leave her sight- Wait…" a light bulb appeared on his head. "This is the perfect time for my plan to come into play!" He smiled as he took out his black coat from his pocket. I just hope it works.


Meanwhile, Aqua rushed into the forest, looking around. "Cinderella!" she called out, frowning worriedly. "Cinderella!" Then she gasped, seeing the blonde-haired girl laying facedown in a clearing. She hurried towards her and saw a huge pumpkin smiling wickedly at her, its aura was covered in darkness. She noticed Lady Tremaine and her two daughters there, smirking and laughing. "Their jealousy turned into darkness…" Aqua said to herself, frowning worriedly.

Aqua stood up as Cinderella woke up, holding her Keyblade out defensively. "Please, hurry and get to safety!"

"R-right!" Cinderella said as she ran off to safety while Aqua got ready to fight.

Meanwhile, Roxas just got his black coat on and began walking out of the mansion. He was still going over his plans in his head, really worried about the possible outcome. I may have to fight Aqua if things get too rough… But she'll never forgive herself if she finds out I'm Roxas…

Then the troubled Nobody heard footsteps coming towards him- tense and worried it might be another strong enemy, he braced himself. My body's still weak… if it breaks into a fight… I may have to run for it. "Who's there!?" he cried out, frowning in concern. Then his eyes widened, seeing a familiar blonde running towards him. "C-Cinderella!? Are you okay!?"

Cinderella gasped for a bit of breath, shaking her head. "N-no… Whoever you are, please… Help that young woman! She's fighting some… some monster all by herself- she might die from any wounds she takes while I ran!"

"Calm down, she'll be fine. You get into the mansion, I'll see what I can-" Roxas stopped when he saw Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia at the door… Darkness was surrounding their bodies and he could feel it spiking. "... On second thought, that might not be safe either…" He glared as he pushed Cinderella behind him. "What do you three want?"

The three of them were singed, and they scowled, Lady Tremaine pointing at Cinderella. "Give me that scullery maid right now, young man! If you cause trouble, we'll be forced to take care of you as well!"

"No! Not if you're going to treat her so badly!" Roxas snapped, clenching his fist angrily. "She doesn't belong with you anymore, she's now a princess! I won't let you ruin her happy ending!" He summoned his Kingdom Keyblade.

Anastasia scowled, crossing her arms in irritation. "Hmph- such a ruffian! Mother, what're we going to do?!" Lady Tremaine merely pointed at the boy. "...Are you really insisting we use… those?"

"You're going to use the power of darkness, made from your jealousy, to take Cinderella back by any means aren't you? Well you're going to have to get through me to do it." Roxas glared, getting into a battle ready stance.

Cinderella, who was still behind him, said nervously, "Oh please don't hurt them…"

Roxas sighed, shaking his head softly. "I'm sorry, I promise I won't destroy them, but I can't stop this fight or they'll make your life much more miserable than it was before. Do you really want to go back? To be denied for a chance of your dream?"

"W-well no, but…" She hesitated as if not knowing what to say.

"Then let me handle them. You stay in those bushes where it's safe, I'll do what I can to keep your dream alive." Roxas said to her, determination filling him. Even if I can't make my own dream come true, I'll do what I can to help someone worthwhile with theirs!

"Then you leave us no choice, foolish boy." Lady Tremaine glared as the darkness around her and her daughters spiked even more, surrounding the three as if fusing with them.

Roxas frowned, spinning his Keyblade around his hand absently. "Same here…" He moved first, charging at Lady Tremaine herself and slashing at her with his Keyblade.

To his shock, his Keyblade seemed to hit a barrier! Roxas frowned as he jumped back, seeing the darkness that had covered them fade enough to see what happened. Drizella and Anastasia were literally two heads in one body while Lady Tremaine was… on their back. The Nobody frowned at this. They… Axel wasn't kidding when he said Jealousy can create such an ugly monster… I guess the darkness created from their jealousy fused them together to make this deformed creature.

Lady Tremaine seemed to be the brains in this, as she was shooting dark energy beams at him continuously, leaving him little to no room to attack without getting hit. Ugh, it's hard to get in, and they have a barrier around them, how am I supposed to get past that?

Roxas frowned, spinning his Keyblade nervously- he knew he had to do something though, and so he tested his magic. "Fire!" He forced some fire energy to shoot out of his Keyblade, and to his shock, it hit Lady Tremaine! So magic can get through the barrier huh? … But I'll tire myself at this rate, there must be another way… My body is still recovering from that near death, so I shouldn't push myself… Not without Elixers or Potions…

The young Nobody jumped and decided to try his luck with a Shotlock, he remembered doing it before against Dragon Maleficent, but his head was too busy being invaded with memories that he couldn't concentrate that well. Hoping he'll do better this time, Roxas took aim at the evil stepmother before firing some light energies, managing to shoot out dozens of them, but he had trouble keeping a proper lock on her since he was not yet used to the new Shotlocks.

Roxas got lucky, though, and most of the Shotlocks hit Lady Tremaine, forcing her to drop the barrier. Unfortunately for him, the two stepsisters perked up and charged him, beginning to slap him back and forth!

"Ow!" It seems as soon as the barrier was down, these two would attack him relentlessly! Roxas tried to whack away their hands with his Keyblade, but having to parry against four fast slapping hands proved to be too difficult for just one Keyblade. Roxas hissed as he used some of Thunder's magic to electrocute the Keyblade, so as soon as the two sisters touched it, it zapped their hands and caused them to temporarily be paralyzed.

Seeing his chance, Roxas began attacking them in a combo frenzy, using some basic light magic to cause extra damage. But it didn't take long for the three to recover, and both stepsisters pushed him back as Lady Tremaine renewed her barrier. The Nobody groaned at this, realizing it was one of THOSE rinse and repeat battles, how he hated those.

Roxas grumbled, resisting the urge to begin whaling on them like he was used to. I can't use magic or Shotlocks forever- there has to be something… but what? There's not much I can do!

"I can help you!" The boy blinked, hearing Cinderella's sudden call as she rushed over to him.

"What?" He looked over at her, frowning in confusion. "No offense or anything, but how can you help me?"

"Please… use some of my powers to free them from their darkness." Cinderella begged.

Roxas blinked before smiling- he remembered that Cinderella was one of the Princesses of Hearts, meaning she was full of light… and if he could utilize her light with his Keyblade… he should be able to break the dark barrier! "Thanks Cinderella!" He took her hand and channeled some of her light into his Keyblade before firing a bright light at the dark shield, immediately shattering it!

Lady Tremaine yelled in pain, and the two sisters instantly started slapping both Roxas and Cinderella. Roxas growled in irritation, but he swung the Keyblade, which was still full of light energy. "Take that!" The light energy seemed to be burning the two sisters when their hands touched it.

"Cinderella! Take cover!" Roxas quickly yelled to the young maiden, who nodded and hurried back to the bushes. "Here goes…" He jumped and began slashing away at them once more.

Lady Tremaine, deciding not to use the barrier this time, went an all out offense with her magic. She began firing beams of darkness at Roxas, who was hit as he wasn't expecting it! "Ugh…" Roxas fell to the floor in pain, his body was still injured from his previous fight.

"Please… get up!" he heard Cinderella call to him. Roxas gritted his teeth, slowly standing up and using his Keyblade as a crutch.

"HEAL!" Roxas held up his Keyblade and used it to help him used Cura on himself- he didn't have enough energy for Curaga, but Cura was enough to help him get back on his feet. Of course he didn't have time to rest, for as soon as he was back on his feet, Lady Tremaine let out a screech of anger, sending out more dark beams at him! Roxas quickly used Dodge Roll, trying to stay out of the way and hope she would tire out soon so he could get in to attack.

Unfortunately for the Nobody, it wouldn't be that simple, because even though Lady Tremaine did tire out eventually, the two sisters began moving around quickly, making it hard to hit them, and whenever he got close, they would push him away.

Roxas growled in irritation, before Cinderella rushed out and held out her hand. "Roxas, here!" she cried out, waving one hand towards him.

"Thanks!" Roxas took her hand and utilized her light once more, he fire a bright beam of light at them, causing the sisters to yell in pain and stunned them. Roxas, seeing his chance, quickly charged at them and noticed Lady Tremaine's chest was starting to glow a little bit, that's when he realized what he had to do to free them from the darkness their jealousy created. The Nobody focused on his Keyblade until it began to glow brightly and he jumped at Lady Tremaine and stabbed her with his glowing Keyblade!

Roxas gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as a bright light emerged from the newly opened wound in Lady Tremaine's chest. However, it soon faded to reveal all 3 women were laying on the ground, unconscious. Thankfully they didn't appear to be hurt and they were no longer fused together.


Roxas panted, immediately dismissing his Keyblade and fell to the ground in exhaustion. Cinderella was checking on the three before seeing him on the ground, and she quickly rushed over to him. "A-are you okay?"

"Just… tired… Listen… they'll be… fine. Just let them… rest for a while." Roxas said to her gently, trying to catch his breath. "Hurry… get them inside… and… wait for… Aqua to come back… okay?"

"What about you? You're hurt…" Cinderella said, still concerned for him.

"Don't… worry about me. I'm used… to this." Roxas assured her as he sat up. "Now hurry."

"A-alright." Cinderella frowned a bit, but she hesitantly nodded as she headed back to the three.

Roxas, still wanting to go through with his plan to convince Aqua Ventus was not corrupted, he weakly forced himself to stand up. He summoned his Kingdom Key again and, using both hands, lifted it over his head to cast Cure on himself.

"V-Ven!?" Unfortunately it seems Aqua decided to come right when he was trying to heal himself.

Roxas groaned to himself, but he slowly turned back to her. "...Heh- not quite…" He smirked under his cloak, trying to act like Vanitas. "Tell me… have you heard anything about two boys, split in half- one light, one dark?"

"What? Could such a thing happen?" Aqua frowned, blinking in confusion.

"It is possible to do it though… You've heard about a name called Vanitas before, right?" Roxas asked her, trying to sound intimidating.

Aqua blinked a bit, confused. "...No, not really…" She frowned, shaking her head. "W-what's this about, Ven? Just… why are you trying to lie so much to me?"

"I'm not lying to you, moron." Aqua winced at the name calling, and Roxas chuckled darkly. "Can't you tell the difference between your precious Ventus and someone else?" Roxas snapped at her. "Ventus is of pure light, while I'm pure darkness, hence the Corridor of Darkness I used."

"..." Aqua's eyes widened, finally getting it. "Wait… you're not…?" she weakly asked. "Y-you're…" She gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

"That's right… I'm Ventus's darkness, Vanitas, created by that fool Xehanort himself. You were foolish to be tricked by the oldest trick in the book. It's only too bad, I'm sure Ventus would be thrilled to hear you mistook him for someone else." Roxas said, sneering under his cloak. "Well, whatever- my work here is done anyway." With that, he turned and walked away, too tired to summon the Corridor of Darkness. I sure hope that worked…

As soon as Roxas was out of sight, he quickly took off his cloak and winced at all the injuries he had on him. Geez… I got hit a lot, didn't I? Ugh… Aqua's gonna kill me if she sees me like this! I have to get a Potion or something… He frowned, looking around for a Moogle shop.

"Where's Roxas?" said boy heard Aqua called. "Roxas! ROXAS! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Ugh… Why does this always happen to me?" Roxas groaned, rubbing the temples of his head. Before he could move, Aqua already found him. What, does she have some kind of radar on me!?

Aqua gasped a second time, her eyes wide in fear. "R-Roxas!" She quickly rushed over to him, looking the poor boy over. "W-what happened to you!? I asked you to stay here- how'd you get hurt so badly?! O-oh dear… Um…" She began frantically going through a bag she had, pulling out a Hi-Potion. "Drink this!"

Before Roxas could protest, Aqua already had the Hi-Potion in his mouth. The boy grimaced at the bitter taste. As soon as she took the Hi-Potion out of his mouth, he said, looking at her curiously, "I'm sorry Aqua, but Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia attacked me and Cinderella. I think they kinda went insane on us, any idea why?"

Aqua winced, feeling awful. "I… I think so- the jealousy in their hearts became complete darkness… Roxas, we need to find some kind of weapon for you- at least to defend yourself!" She began fussing over him once more. "And some armor, maybe… Hmm…"

Roxas just sat down on the ground- despite the Hi-Potion, he was still exhausted and hurt. "Let's just… take a small break before we leave this world, okay?"

Before Aqua could answer, Cinderella came running towards them. "Oh good, you're both safe. I was so worried… After you went to fight that evil pumpkin…" Then she looked at Roxas. "And you protected me and freed my stepmother and stepsisters from their darkness…"

It was then Aqua blinked and looked at Roxas in confusion, who gave a nervous chuckle, shaking his head. "O-oh, must not have been me… I blacked out for the most it." he quickly said. Dang it, Cinderella!

The blonde maiden blinked in confusion, slowly shaking her head. "But it was you… You looked just like this- just with a black cloak instead… so why…?"

"Wait… Vanitas protected you and saved them from their own darkness?" Aqua said in confusion, crossing her arms in thought.

"I-I didn't get his name, but… I was sure it was him." Cinderella said with a confused frown, looking at Roxas. "See? He looks tired and injured from that fight."

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't in that fight. They knocked me out before you got there." Roxas said lightly. He shrugged, despite the glint in Aqua's eyes reappearing. "Sorry… guess you didn't see me- I woke up around here…"

"Oh… then I apologize for the confusion." Cinderella said, bowing. "If you see that boy in the black coat, please thank him for me. And I thank you too, Aqua."

Aqua frowned in thought, slowly nodding. "Yeah… you're welcome…" She was still staring at Roxas, thinking to herself. "...Come on, Cinderella- let's bring you to the castle…"

"Oh, no, it's okay. The duke is going to take me there himself." Cinderella said with a smile as she gestured to a very fancy looking carriage. "I just came here to thank you for saving me and my step family."

Roxas sighed as he stood up, stretching a bit. "That's great… because we have to get going too, right Aqua?"

Aqua frowned, and she slowly shook her head. "Well… why don't we watch the two of them reunite first?" She smiled a bit. It's going to be sweet to see…

"Sure, I guess, if you want to stick around for the wedding." The Nobody shrugged, to him it just meant more time to rest and think of an excuse for any questions Aqua may have.

But when Roxas looked over at the carriage, he saw the Prince was already in there as if he was waiting for her. The Prince ran over to Cinderella, picked her up and twirled her in happiness. The Nobody couldn't help but smile in satisfaction, knowing he had helped the Princess of Hearts to fulfill her own dream. "... Well… I think we're done here, Aqua."

Aqua glanced over at them, giving a small smile herself. "...Yeah… I suppose so…" Then she glanced at the Nobody beside her. "Roxas… If you were hiding something… would you tell me?"

"Hmm? Why would you ask me that, Aqua?" Roxas asked her, getting a little uneasy at the sudden question. W-what, did she figure it out?

Aqua just frowned a bit worriedly, looking at him seriously. "Please… Just give me a yes or no… I-I'd rather have you be honest about it now rather than later…"

Roxas frowned… He didn't want to tell her 'no', but he didn't want to lie and say 'yes' either, how was he supposed to answer her? "Is this about Ven again? You don't know much about me, Aqua, it's not really easy to have to tell you everything about myself."

Aqua looked away, sniffling slightly. "I-I guess.. Sorry, Roxas- I just…" She trailed off, still not looking at him.

"Hey, it's okay Aqua, I know you're just worried for me. Come on, let's get out of this world, I'm sure our friends are waiting for us." Roxas said with an assuring smile towards the blue haired Keyblade Master. "And… I have a thing or two to say to my look alike, Ventus."

Aqua blinked, looking at him with slightly teary eyes. "...What do you mean?" She frowned worriedly. "A-are you going to attack him or something?"

"No, no, of course not Aqua! I just meant I wanted to ask him why he just ran off like that when we last saw him." Roxas quickly said before frowning. "... You'd… really think I would attack him?"

Aqua winced, quickly correcting her statement. "N-no, no, of course not! It's just…" She hesitated. "...I thought you would be angry with him for doing that… and that you'd…" She sighed, trailing off.

"But Aqua, I can't even fight. You saw what happened to me before… I only wanted to talk to him. Besides, if I attacked him, Ven would just shove that Keyblade in my face, not very comfortable if you ask me." Roxas sighed, shaking his head.

Aqua sighed, glancing down. "I-I know…" she started to say. "But I…" She stopped herself there, shaking her head. "Let's… just get back on track, alright Roxas?"

Roxas nodded as Aqua pushed her armor, and in a flash of light, it came on. She summoned her Keyblade Glider and held onto Roxas so some of her armor could get on him as they fly into the Realms Between. Roxas just watched nonchalantly as they were flying through… But he was not at all expecting it when an Unversed suddenly tackled the Glider!

"WAH!" The armored Nobody yelped as the Glider flipped, causing him to fall like with what happened with Terra. "NOT AGAAAAAIN!" he cried out, the armor flying off him as he quickly summoned a Corridor of Darkness to escape, but not before hearing Aqua screaming his name.

"NO! ROXAS!" she desperately cried out, resisting the urge to jump off her Keyblade Glider and go after him. "ROXAS!"

Roxas was falling, just like last time, and wasn't sure what world he's going to end up in. He felt light… then he became heavier and heavier until… he landed on something hard! "Ugh… ow…" I have GOT to learn to land on my feet!


Rolling around, the Nobody discovered he landed on the rough ground… And looking up, he could see he was in some kind of badlands, not much is out here. Where am I? This place looks more empty than The World That Never Was. Then he frowned, slowly standing up. Wait… isn't this… where Terra and I found Xehanort?

Roxas stood up, looking around thoughtfully. I wonder if… Xehanort's still here… If he is, I'd better hightail it out of here before he finds me again. He was about to summon a Corridor of Darkness before his sensitive ears caught the sound of metal clashing… Two people were fighting? Out HERE?

Frowning and curious, the Nobody ran to where he heard the fighting, but he stopped and hid behind a rock when he saw them moving around. It wasn't until he stuck his head out to see… Vanitas and Ventus battling it out. Roxas's eyes widened in shock… Ven didn't stand a chance against Vanitas! This proved true as Vanitas easily knocked Ven back and to the ground.

"Hmph- pathetic." The masked boy scoffed, kicking Ven in the stomach. "Get up- you're not done yet, are you? If you are, you're still too soft to ever save your precious friend Terra!" Ven could only groan in pain. "So weak… If only you were more like Roxas, then this would be so much more fun. Oh well, too bad- I'd be going against the Master's orders, but you're too weak to be a part of this anymore."

Roxas gasped as he saw Vanitas was about to finish off Ven for good, and he was about to go into there and stop him, but suddenly, a black blur ran past him and grabbed Ven, barely getting him out of Vanitas's dark lightning's way! "Huh? Was that…?" He blinked, looking over in confusion.

"Don't worry, you're safe!" It was… a mouse? Roxas frowned, that squeaky voice sounded very familiar… Before he could think about it, though, the mouse summoned a Keyblade himself! "Heal!" He cast Curaga on Ven, healing the injured look alike.

Ven groaned a bit, looking up at the mouse in confusion. "W… wha?" He frowned, slowly standing up. "Who… who are you?"

"I'm Mickey." the mouse claimed, smiling at him before glaring at the masked boy. "You there! Keyblades are not meant for bullying others!"

Roxas blinked… Where have he heard that name before? He can't seem to remember, even though he and Terra saw this mouse before when they were at Yen Sid's castle. Hmm… Should I join in the fight too? But… if I do, Ven will see me use a Keyblade, and if I go in with the coat, they may see me as a suspicious entity and it would be the same thing with Aqua all over again!

Vanitas growled in frustration before he noticed a bit of color sticking out in a nearby rock and he began smirking under his mask. "Heh… Oh really, pipsqueak? And what makes you think you can stop me?"

"We're going to try! You're not going to bad mouth Terra ever again! And how do you know about Roxas!?" Ven snapped at him.

"Oh? You mean you don't know? Didn't you know that Roxas kid can actually put up a decent fight, unlike you?" Vanitas sneered, crossing his arms cockily.

Ven paused at that, blinking in confusion. "W-what're you talking about? Roxas doesn't even have a Keyblade!" He quickly shook his head, preparing to attack. "And he didn't last very long in our spar!"

Vanitas laughed at that, waving a finger in the air. "Tsk tsk, silly Ventus- do you really think a smart opponent would go all out on a wimp like you? He probably just faked it to make you feel better!"

"What?" Ven frowned, looking down. "I… he wouldn't…" he paused, beginning to think.

"Enough! We're not here to talk about someone else!" Mickey snapped.

"If you were half as decent as Roxas, I wouldn't need to be laughing at how easy this is!" Vanitas laughed.

Roxas glared as he grabbed his coat, he had had it with Vanitas, if he keeps blurting out his secret like this, it's only a matter of time until Ventus starts believing him! Putting his hood on to hide his face, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper into his hand and jumped out from behind the rock, immediately firing a Firaga fireball at him!

The masked boy chuckled, easily dodging the giant fireball as if it was a tiny golf ball. "And here's the boy of the hour himself! As you can tell, he knows more magic than you, little Ventus…"

"I'm not Roxas." Roxas said, sounding so calm it was eerie. "I'm someone from the dark." he said darkly as he slowly walked towards them. Because if I say I'm Nobody, obviously they'll connect it back to me… I shouldn't use that line from now on, really! "And you're going to pay…"

Vanitas merely scoffed, pulling out his Keyblade. "Oh really? You'd better bring some power then, 'someone from the dark.' TAKE THAT, LOSER!" He let loose a Dark Thunder, and Roxas twitched slightly.

The hooded boy quickly jumped out of the way as Ven and Mickey ran over to him. Roxas sighed, wishing they had just left him alone and just attacked Vanitas. "We have a strong enemy, why did you come over to me?"

Ven frowned, looking at the hooded Nobody suspiciously. "...Who are you? I… can't help but feel like you're not as dark as you say you are!"

"Can you sense darkness through someone's heart then?" Roxas asked him, frowning a bit. If he can… this isn't going to be easy.

Ven hesitated, though, slowly shaking his head. "W-well… no, but- WAH!" He yelped, barely dodging a swipe from Vanitas's Void Gear.

"Then shut up and fight!" Roxas yelled angrily at his look alike before casting Aeroaga around Ven, himself and Mickey.

Roxas made to dive at Vanitas- remembering how strong this guy was, he couldn't afford to pull any punches, just that he couldn't summon Oblivion or he'd risk being exposed. He managead to combo Vanitas with two hits, but then he seemed to suddenly disappear before reappearing above Roxas and slashed at his head! "Too slow!"

"Gah!" Roxas hissed but quickly recovered- thanks to Areoaga, the damage didn't hurt as much as it would've. "Deep freeze!" he shot out Blizzaraga at Vanitas, hoping to freeze his feet and slow him down.

The masked boy merely disappeared again, though, and when he reappeared behind Ventus's head, he suddenly grabbed the blond by the neck! "Heh… you're just as good as I remember, if not better. But frankly, you have the odds stacked in your favor… How about we change them, hmm?"

"Wah!? Let him go!" Roxas demanded. W-what the heck is he doing with Ven!? he nervously thought to himself. This doesn't seem good… If Ven's Vanitas's light side…! No… don't tell me he could manipulate Ven's body- he couldn't, could he?

Mickey came charging up and whacked at Vanitas, who easily dodged him. "Stop, what are you going to do with him!?" His ears twitched nervously as Vanitas laughed darkly.

"You don't get it, do you?" Ven's eyes began to dull over as Vanitas explained. "I'm going to change one of the players in our little match… You want to help Ventus, Mickey Mouse? Well then, attack Roxas!"

"What!?" Mickey frowned, looking at the hooded Nobody. "W-what do you mean by that!?"

"I told you, I'm not Roxas! And that's just cowardly, Vanitas, using Ven as a meat shield and have one of us turn against the other." Roxas hissed angrily.

Vanitas merely laughed darkly. "Heh- if you don't care about Ventus, then it shouldn't bother you. But it does, doesn't it… Roxas?"

"Why do you keep calling me that!?" the Nobody yelled, growing more and more irritated with the masked boy.

"Let… let me go!" Ven snapped, struggling to escape from from Vanitas's grip.

"Quiet, idiot, you're going to be useful to me after all." Vanitas smirked from under the mask. "You may not have realized it, but… this is going to be a wonderful partnership…"

Roxas and Mickey glared, both wanting to save Ven. They began charging at Vanitas together, before he swung Ventus around to both of them and they paused. Roxas gritted his teeth, glancing at Mickey. "...Do you want to attack from the back?"

"Don't have to tell me twice." Mickey said as he backflipped behind Vanitas… who disappeared as soon as Mickey swung his Keyblade.

Roxas hissed before jumping and gliding through the air, seeing Vanitas before firing a Thunder attack at his hand, trying to get him to release Ven. Thankfully though, it managed to hit his arm and he released Ventus with a grunt of pain.

Thinking fast, Roxas dived and parried Vanitas's Keyblade, keeping him from getting to Ven again. "No! I won't allow you to take him again." he hissed, his face inches away from the masked boy's.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Vanitas sneered, pushing as hard as he could against the Nobody.

"Fight you!" Roxas snapped as he pushed Vanitas back, who jumped and began firing Dark Thunder around him! "Ven! Get up! Hurry!" Roxas shouted as he began Dodge Rolling, trying to get out of the way.

The look alike groaned but quickly Dodge Rolled himself just before he could hit him too. Mickey was relieved to see the two were able to dodge as Vanitas landed, but… Vanitas quickly went underground!

"What the!?" Roxas frowned, seeing the dark glow on the ground that was Vanitas was coming right at Ven! "Ven! Look out!"

"W-wha?!" Ven blinked in confusion, before Vanitas suddenly erupted from the ground and grabbed the blond boy again. "GAH!"

"You might as well just have Ven fight with us if you keep doing that!" Roxas snapped, losing his patience.

Vanitas merely laughed darkly. "Heh… I'm almost done…" Suddenly, he just let Ventus go. "Here you go- a new playmate, Roxas. Go ahead… Attack him."

"What? What did you-" Roxas's eyes widened when he felt parts of Vanitas's darkness in Ven, not in his heart but in his head. When Ventus looked up, his eyes were dull, like they were in a trance. "V-Ven?"

"What's he done to you?" Mickey yelled, looking the look alike over worriedly, but to no response.

"Let's see if you have what it takes to take on both me and Ven!" Vanitas laughed as he disappeared and was suddenly in front of Roxas, who was caught off guard and was hit back into a rock with his Keyblade!

"Gah!" Roxas yelled as he fell to the ground, injured. I'm… still weak from fighting those witches, how am I supposed to compete like this?!

"Are you okay?" He heard Mickey call for him before he looked up to see Mickey trying to attack Vanitas, only for Ven to get in his way, stopping the mouse from attacking.

Roxas weakly stood up, panting tiredly. Ugh… Vanitas is already tough as it is… Now that he's got Ven on his side, this is even worse since we don't want to hurt him!

Roxas ran with his Oathkeeper in hand, ready to strike. Vanitas shot off Dark Thunder at him, and Roxas blocked before jumping, slashing at Vanitas. Unfortunately for him, Ven quickly jumped too and hit Roxas from behind! Roxas groaned, but he turned around and managed to push Ven off him- however, this distracted him from Vanitas.

The masked boy instantly took the chance and he slashed at Roxas, forcing the Nobody up into the air. "Too easy!" he taunted, jumping up into the air and slashing at Roxas again and again before forcing him to the ground.

The Nobody couldn't do much since he was still badly injured and tired from his previous fight, not getting a lot of rest. Usually in the Organization, he could rest after his missions were complete, but here it's been one thing after another.

"Come on, you were so much stronger last time, I'm disappointed." Vanitas said in what sounded like annoyance.

Mickey suddenly came out of nowhere and slashed at Vanitas. "Heal!" He quickly casted Curaga on Roxas, healing the tired boy enough for him to get on his feet.

"Thanks." Roxas said to the mouse with a small nod, grateful to have a good ally on his side. "I needed that…"

"I don't know who you are, but… we need to free Ven before we can face Vanitas." Mickey said to him, clenching his fist determinedly.

Roxas nodded in agreement, "I know, but how?" Then he blinked, seeing Mickey hold out a hand to him. "...Uh, what're you doing?" he awkwardly asked.

Mickey shrugged, smiling. "Let's work together- you keep Vanitas distracted, and I'll see if the Keyblade can do any good!"

"Right, let's do this!" Roxas took Mickey's hand and the two of them began circling each other, firing off light energy as Shotlocks at both Vanitas and Ven, separating the two apart. When both were a decent length from each other, Roxas shot at Vanitas using his new Shotlock while Mickey went for Ven.

Vanitas laughed, easily dodging Roxas's Shotlock although he winced at the light. "What, you think that could stop me? You really have grown weak, Roxas- I should have expected more from you!"

"For the last time, I'm NOT ROXAS!" the Nobody yelled as he slashed down on Vanitas, his anger making his attack more powerful. "What do you want with Ventus anyway? You're his dark side, so what would happen if you killed your original self?"

Vanitas scoffed, easily pushing Roxas back. "What makes you care, Roxas? Or are YOU related to his wellbeing as well?" He laughed sarcastically. "Imagine- the two of us coming from that weakling!"

"What? You think I come from Ventus!?" Roxas snapped, slashing at him, but the two Keyblades CLASHED, both trying to push back against each other. The two Keyblade Wielders were now face to face with each other, both their Keyblades being pushed against the other. "That's nothing but a joke, Vanitas!"

The masked boy smirked, stomping on Roxas's foot, who yelped and groaned in pain. "Oh really? Then why care so much about him? Hmm? Don't lie to me! It's not mere coincidence that you look and sound exactly like him, Roxas."

"What makes you think I'm Roxas? And I'm not connected to Ventus in any way!" Roxas snapped. "I don't know why I look and sound just like him, but I know where I come from and it's not with Ventus!"

Vanitas laughed, pushing Roxas away while the boy nursed his foot a tiny bit. "Oh really? You just admitted it, Roxas- thank you for no longer shouting out your lies about your identity!"

"I didn't- ugh! Will you just shut up!? I'm not Roxas and I'm not connected with Ven!" Roxas snapped, losing his patience as he held up Oathkeeper. "THUNDER!" A powerful lightning strike hit at Vanitas, and he grunted in pain. "Just stop talking about connections that aren't real!"

Vanitas chuckled darkly, slowly standing up. "Fine… if you aren't Roxas… then I guess there's no reason for me to not destroy you." He suddenly disappeared, and Roxas looked around right before the masked boy slammed his Keyblade down on the Nobody from overhead!

"Ugh!" Roxas yelled as he was thrown into another rock. "... I'm surprised… I'm not dead yet…" He used his Keyblade as his crutch as he slowly stood up. Glancing up to his opponent, he saw Vanitas teleporting right in front of him, but he didn't hesitate to lift himself with his Keyblade still on the ground, avoiding Vanitas's attack before kicking the masked boy in the face, knocking him back. "HEAL!" Roxas quickly cast Cura on himself.

Before Roxas could charge at Vanitas again, though, he was suddenly tackled by Ven! "Ugh… Ven!" It seems Mickey hadn't been able to free him yet. "Ven, please! Stop this!"

The blond-haired boy ignored his look-alike, grabbing his hood and began pulling at it. Roxas gasped as he kicked Ven's gut to get him off. "STOP!" Ven groaned he was kicked off, but Ven had seen Roxas's face before the boy kicked him, it was enough to bring him to his senses.

"R-Roxas?" But then his head began hurting, because Vanitas was still trying to control him. "Ugh!"

"V-Ven…" Roxas slowly stood up and he felt his Keyblade glowing in his hand. Blinking, Roxas decided to let Oathkeeper guide him as he held it up at Ven, who was grabbing his head, and as soon as he did, a beam of light shot into Ven's head! Roxas's eyes widened in shock. "W-what the heck!?" He squinted to see, blinded by his own Keyblade's light.

When the light finally faded, Roxas could see Ventus slowly stood up, panting a bit. "..." He looked at Roxas, his eyes still wide, but thankfully not dull. "R-Roxas… you…?"

Roxas shook his head, thankfully the hood was still up. "No, I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"Fellas! I could use some help over here!" Mickey yelled as he was trying to block Vanitas's fast and merciless strikes.

Roxas and Ventus both gasped, before they nodded at each other. "You go left, I go right?" the boy with a heart asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, why not." The hooded boy nodded, standing up and brushing himself off slightly.

The two 'twins' ran at opposite directions and they came at both sides at Vanitas. They managed to hit him, but Vanitas left an illusion clone of himself before suddenly appearing above and slashed down at them. "Too slow!"

Roxas and Ven jumped back as Vanitas began shooting dark balls everywhere! Mickey jumped away as Roxas quickly began Dodge Rolling, trying to get out of the way. Ven was following Roxas's example as he began Dodge Rolling too. When Vanitas finally stopped, Roxas didn't hesitate to go in and strike! Ven, seeing the opportunity himself, joined the hooded Nobody in comboing the masked boy. Mickey jumped in and striked as well.

Vanitas was a little overwhelmed, but he quickly managed to teleport behind them and fire hit dark Shotlocks at them. Roxas quickly blocked, since trying to dodge a homing attack would be next to impossible, but he wasn't fast enough to block all of them and he got hit a few times, causing him to hiss in pain. I'm still weak from all those hits…! I need to find some way to rest, and fast… he thought to himself, groaning a bit.

Ven frowned in concern, glancing at Roxas. I hope Roxas can withstand those attacks…! he thought to himself, but he also blocked each of the dark Shotlocks with relative ease, getting hit once or twice himself.

Mickey was using Reflect, so he was able to avoid injury at the cost of some of his magic. The three Keyblade Wielders were still coming at Vanitas though, but Roxas was tired, he was staggering a bit. The masked boy took noticed of the weakened Nobody, and he laughed a bit.

"Ha- you all come at me with everything you have, and it still isn't enough! What's wrong, Roxas- haven't told everybody your little secret? I guess you can't recover enough of your energy to be any stronger than your weak copy!"

Roxas glared from under his hood, growling in irritation. "Shut up! Stop talking like you know me! I'm not Roxas! I don't know a Roxas!" He felt his anger rising once more, just like it did against Xehanort. "I'm ME! Not Ventus, not Roxas, NOT ANYBODY BUT MYSELF!"

"Well if you're not Roxas, then who are you?" Vanitas asked him, crossing his arms cockily.

Roxas stopped at that, his anger draining as he realized what he just said… or rather yelled. Wait no… I AM Roxas, I just… ugh… "Enough of your mind games!" The Nobody frowned when he noticed Ven and Mickey were looking curiously at him. "Don't take your eyes off the enemy." he scolded, still angry at Vanitas's mocking.

Ven frowned a bit, but he nodded, glancing back at Vanitas. "You've got it, Roxas!" He held up his Keyblade, ignoring Roxas's groan.

Why does he- oh, nevermind, I'll have to deal with that later. Roxas thought to himself before he decided to do a little trick… The Nobody pierced the ground with his Oathkeeper before he lifted himself and then sliding right into Vanitas! This actually caught the fast masked boy off guard and made him trip, allowing Ven and Mickey to slash him!

Vanitas hit the ground, but he laughed, quickly regaining his footing. "HAHAHAHA! So you CAN put up a decent fight somewhat." The masked boy suddenly made the Corridor of Darkness behind him. "You win again… for now. Consider yourself on probation, Ventus…" And with that, he backed into it before disappearing, leaving the three alone.


Ven sighed in relief before turning to Roxas, crossing his arms in irritation. "Roxas… why are you wearing that cloak?" He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, it doesn't look like you at all!" Roxas blinked at that, and he opened his mouth to object, but Ventus continued to speak, steamrolling over the Nobody's attempt to stop him. "And for that matter, since when could you wield a Keyblade? You never told me that!"

"Weren't you listening to me? I said I'm not this Roxas person everyone keeps calling me!" the Nobody said in annoyance. "I don't know why everyone insists on calling me that!" Then he blinked, seeing Ven shake his head in amusement. "...What is it?"

The blond haired look alike merely grinned at Roxas. "...You don't get it, do you?" Roxas frowned in confusion at that. "C'mon- guess how I know. It's pretty cool, actually!"

Mickey walked up to them, frowning in confusion. "So wait, are you Roxas or not?"

"I'm NOT! And I don't know why this kid here keeps calling me that!" Roxas snapped, glaring in irritation. "I don't want to guess because I'm sure whatever you think you saw was just in your moment of being controlled!"

Ven shrugged, still grinning. "Sure, that's what made it positive… But c'mon Roxas, stop playing- your heart gave it away easily!" Roxas's eyes widened at that, and he took a tiny step back. "...Roxas? What's wrong?"

"N-no, that's impossible…" Roxas murmured to himself before straightening up and looking straight at Ventus. "Because I don't have a heart…"

Ven blinked at that, before frowning in confusion. "What? Sure you do- it's right here!" He poked at Roxas's chest. "I dunno why, but ever since we first met, I could just sense when it was you- I don't know how that cloak of yours fooled me this long, really!"

Roxas looked away as Ven reached for his hood, the Nobody didn't bother to move… what was the point? He couldn't deny himself from this kid- for some reason he could sense he was Roxas, and no matter what the Nobody said, Ven would not be persuaded otherwise. Ven soon removed the hood from the future boy's face, revealing his whole head and surprising Mickey at how much the two looked alike.

The blond boy in front of Roxas smiled, before giving Roxas a big hug. "There we go- ya see?" He pulled back from the hug, shrugging. "Was it really that hard? I still don't see the big deal- it's awesome that you have a Keyblade, really!"

Roxas looked down at his hand, seeing Oathkeeper was still there. The Nobody sighed as he sadly replied, "There's… a reason why I didn't want you to know, Ventus…" Ven blinked at that before Roxas looked up at Ventus, a serious look in his eyes.

Ven frowned in confusion, looking Roxas over. "What, is it because of the cloak? I don't really see the issue- it looks okay on you, after all! What's the problem, Roxas? Why… didn't you want me to know?"

"It's not just you that I didn't want finding out." Roxas said, his voice full of both sadness and tiredness. "I meant what I said before… I'm an outsider. Meaning, I don't belong here, nor should I be able to wield a Keyblade. In showing you, I just caused a chain of events that could greatly impact… the future. You, Aqua, Terra… anyone here really, weren't supposed to know… hence why I acted like I did when we first met. And… I didn't think it wouldn't mattered much to you since… I'm not really a part of your circle of friends, Ventus…"

Ven blinked in surprise, before his eyes softened. Roxas frowned in confusion at that, before his look alike hugged him! "Roxas…" he murmured softly. "I don't know why you think that… but you are one of my friends… When you disappeared on the dwarf's world… I nearly lost it- I looked everywhere for you…!"

"Well… I don't know… you didn't seem to care that much when you saw me again in Maleficent's castle." Roxas said with a small frown. Ven winced at that, looking down. "...What is it?"

Ven sighed, glancing up at Roxas. "I-I thought… Well… I thought you would be going with Aqua… I still need to find Terra- and being with Aqua was safer than with me… You disappeared with me, after all- if it had happened again, I… I don't think I would've been able to keep looking for Terra…"

"Well... Aqua lost me too." Roxas said with a small hint of bitterness. "But it doesn't matter… at least I was able to come here and completely ruin everything."

"What? Why would you say tha-" Ven started to say, but Roxas interrupted him.

"Ven, please, you can't tell anyone that I can wield the Keyblade, especially to Terra and Aqua. They may not be as understanding as you." Roxas said, practically begging his look alike.

Ven frowned at that, but he sighed, slowly nodding. "Oh… Alright, fine…" Then he gave Roxas a small smile. "But now… maybe we can work together- you know, so you don't have to be alone?"

"I wasn't alone before…" Roxas said softly. "Just… in my battles…" He looked at his arm, rubbing it gently. "... And lately it feels like I've been in one tough battle after another with little to no rest…"

"That would explain it!" Mickey spoke up, nodding understandingly. "That would explain why you looked so tired and weak earlier!"

Ven frowned a bit, before he shrugged. "Well… I still need to find Terra… but we can go to another world, find a hotel- you know… Just take a nap for one day… If we both need it, then we need to slow down…"

Roxas sighed before dismissing his Keyblade, looking at Mickey in slight confusion. "... How did you get here, anyway?"

Mickey perked up, smiling. "Oh, well I got here by using this!" He took out a star shaped crystal from his pocket.

Ven and Roxas frowned in confusion, looking at it closer. "...What is it?" Ven finally asked. "It looks like… some kinda star, but other than that…"

"It's a transporter- it's called a Star Shard. I uh… sort of borrowed it from Master Yen Sid while he wasn't looking. Although… I can't seem to control it very well, it just seems to react whenever it wants to." Mickey frowned, looking it over before smiling at the two look alikes in front of him. "But hey, if it hadn't, I wouldn't have found ya fellas! I think maybe the Star Shard takes me where I need to go."

Roxas crossed his arms, frowning in thought. "A Star Shard, huh… That's a new one on me…"

Ven nodded, crossing his arms thoughtfully as well. "Yeah, same here… I've never heard of those before- not from Master Eraqus, at least…"

Mickey smiled a bit before it suddenly shined brightly! "H-huh? WHOA!" The three of them were soon engulfed by the light!


Key2DestNE: Well then, THAT just happened. *chuckles* I'd bet you didn't expect that sort of insanity to come from US, huh? ...Actually no, you probably did. *sweatdrops*

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, the whole boss fight with Lady Tremaine and the two girls was also a surprise for us, but we didn't want Roxas fighting the same boss Aqua was, so we decided to have him fight with another Disney Villain- or should we say VillainS- that we didn't fight before in the series! And maybe we went a little overboard with their… ahem… design, but we think it's pretty fitting since they always say jealousy brings out the worst in people.

Key2DestNE: And considering how they act in the movies, their attacks worked just as well too!

DarkFoxKit: And this is probably one of our longest chapters. As you may notice, there seems to be a running trend with Roxas and Vanitas. And some of you may question why Vanitas was able to control Ven like he did. Well, the two of us think it's a possible power for him to be able to manipulate the mind of Ven, but only for a short time and when he's in contact with him, which also helps with the drama between Ventus and Roxas.

Key2DestNE: Yeah, and you'll have to wait and see if there's any other lasting effects from that little fight. Now then, on to the reviewers! Hmm… let's see, what other possible reviews might we get…? ...Oh- the in-game powers! A lot of you have been asking for Roxas to have a Shotlock. Well, this has all been pre-written, so we certainly aren't changing it now… but you'll have to wait and see about when- or even IF- he gets a Shotlock, a D-Link, or anything else from BBS.

DarkFoxKit: Why is everyone so obsessed with Roxas getting a Shotlock, anyway? I get that it's flashy and cool, but it's not like it's the greatest Keyblade power out there.

Key2DestNE: No, but you answered your own question. *deadpan* It's flashy and cool, and by now we've become a generation distracted by shiny obje- ooh, a penny!

DarkFoxKit: But it's not like you can actually SEE it! Oh nevermind, I'm just glad you guys enjoy it so much. Now we hadn't seen any complaints or questions other than Roxas getting a Shotlock, so that's all we really have to say for now. Leave your thoughts and comments in the review and don't be afraid to ask questions of the current chapters.

Key2DestNE: Seriously, ask questions, even silly-sounding ones! We can't fill up this AN with answers if we don't get questions in the first place!