Hey everyone! It's good to be back with a new chapter update. Enjoy!


Alviss was lying face down on the hard ground with his eyes closed. What had happened? Where was he? Wherever it was, it was cold and silent. His body ached very slightly, almost as though he was getting over a bad fever.

Alviss lay on the ground for some time, shivering slightly from the cold, his ears straining to catch any sound… any whisper.

He tried to think back to what he was doing before he passed out, but his mind was blank. He had no recollection at all of what had happened, but he felt intensely uneasy. He wanted to move, but he felt paralyzed. Not by any force, but by fear – fear that there was some ethereal presence that would sense his movement. He waited for some time, unwilling to move. Finally, and after considerable effort, he opened his eyes. He was in a great expanse of silvery fog that floated in all directions. He pushed himself shakily to his knees, only to be overcome with pain. Alviss wondered what was causing it, and it only took him a few seconds to find out.

Alviss' arms felt as though burning daggers were being dragged up them. He looked down, only to see with horror that his Zombie Tattoo was glowing red hot as it snaked around his wrists and arms, staining his skin red.

"No!" Alviss said, horrified. "It can't be...I thought that I had more time!" Alviss grasped his arms, unable to stop the tattoo that was relentlessly overtaking his body. It was over - all that he had fought for - his hope of ever being cured...gone.

"Alviss," a voice rang out - cold and clear and slightly amused, from somewhere deep within the fog, but at the same time it sounded so close that it could have been a whisper in his ear.

Alviss looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. He saw a human shape materialize in the fog, and it began to slowly walk towards him. Closer and closer it got until all of his features suddenly came into sharp focus. It was Phantom!

"The Zombie Tattoo has completely overtaken your body. You are now my slave," he said, a horrible grin on his face.

"Never!" Alviss shouted. "I'll never serve you! Weapon ARM, Thirteen Totem Pole, Staff!" he shouted, and as soon as the cold steel materialized in his hand he jumped to his feet and sprinted at Phantom, who began laughing evilly. Alviss took a wild swing, but Phantom merely side-stepped. Phantom held out his hand, and a blast of energy sent Alviss flying backwards. He landed on the mist covered ground and immediately leapt to his feet, his tattoo throbbing in pain. Phantom was already standing before him.

"Kneel before me," Phantom said, and to Alviss' horror his knees were pulled to the ground. He tried to lift his arms to strike, but they were glued to the ground. "You shall be finest apprentice, Alviss," Phantom said. "First, you shall kill Ginta, as well as all of Team MAR. Make sure that they suffer."

"I hate you!" Alviss shouted, glaring up at Phantom - but he had disappeared. "Get back here, Phantom!" he yelled, but Phantom was gone. Instead more silhouettes were materializing in the smoke. It only took seconds for Alviss to realize who they were. Ginta, Babbo, Jack, Snow, Dorothy, Belle, Nanashi and Alan were all standing before him, glaring down at him as though he were the scum of the earth.

"Look who it is," Babbo said. "The traitor."

"How could you?" Snow asked sadly.

"I'm not a traitor," Alviss said, hardly believing his ears. "It's my tattoo – it's taking control. Help, please!"

"They all hate you," a mysterious voice whispered in his ear. "They hate you because of your tattoo - because of who you are."

Alviss shook his head furiously, trying to knock the voice from his ear. He could feel something pulling on his earlobe.

"He's already got an earring too," Alan said, his voice layered with anger and disappointment. Alviss, whose hands were suddenly freed from the mysterious force that had kept them glued to the ground, lifted his hand to his ear, where a heavy silver earring was dangling.

"A Knight - that must have been his reward for betraying us," Dorothy said, glaring down at him with the utmost loathing.

"We never should have trusted him," Nanashi said, shaking his head.

"What a complete dirt bag," Belle squeaked.

"Please, you have to help me!" Alviss pleaded. "I'm not a traitor!" He looked into each of their faces, unable to accept the looks of hatred that they wore. His gaze finally fell upon Ginta, who had remained silent. "Ginta, you have to believe me!" he implored. But Ginta was staring at him with a look of complete hatred.

"I'll never help a Chess Piece," he said, and Alviss felt as though he had been stabbed. Everyone – even Belle – was convinced he had somehow betrayed them. Why was this happening?

"Babbo, Version One!" Ginta shouted, and he sprinted towards Alviss, who leapt to his feet, where he was barely able to bring his staff up to block.

Alviss slid back, his arms still raised in defense. What was going on? He wasn't a traitor. How come no one would believe him?

"Ginta, wait!" Alviss shouted, but Ginta was already running towards him, his Babbo Dagger pointed at his throat. Alviss parried the attack, and continued to block Ginta's swift string of strikes.

"Excellent," Phantom's voice rang from the mist. "Kill him. Without Ginta MAR will fall, and you will have served your purpose."

"So you're going to kill me now?" Ginta shouted with disgust.

"No!" Alviss shouted, blocking another strike. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Why should I believe you, traitor?" Ginta snarled. He swung down at Alviss, who blocked again, then jumped back, putting as much distance between him and Ginta as possible.

"You have to kill him to survive," a strange voice whispered in his ear. Alviss spun around to see who was talking, but there was no one there. "Can you do it? Can you really kill Ginta, the one who tried to heal your Zombie Tattoo? Can you really kill your friend?"

Alviss clutched his head and fell to his knees. "What's happening!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the mist. He looked up, only to see that the others had vanished.

"You're alone again," the odd voice whispered in his ear.

"I'm not a traitor," Alviss muttered to himself. He was shaking uncontrollably, and not just from the cold. He was terrified of what he would see next. "I would never... Ginta, why wouldn't you believe me?"

It felt as though he was waiting for hours - alone in the dark - but then he heard footsteps in the mist. He spun around, his heart beating fast. Was it Phantom, or was Ginta back to attack him again? He soon saw another shape materialize in the mist. It walked slowly towards him, and when it spoke Alviss could barely believe his ears.

"Alviss," the voice rang out. The footsteps got louder as the man got closer, and Alviss watched with bated breath as the figure's features slowly got clearer. He was tall and strongly built, with blonde hair and a blonde goatee. He couldn't believe it. It was the Boss.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you became Phantom's slave," he said, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm not...I'm not his slave," Alviss pleaded - he was so exasperated he was close to tears. "Please... Boss... you have to believe me."

"All I believe is that it was a mistake to ever have let a pathetic weakling like you fight for the Cross Guard," the Boss said. "You were a burden during the first War Games and you're a burden now." Alviss couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Boss was always like a father to him - how could he talk like this?

"I thought that I had left MAR in good hands," the Boss said. "When you summoned Ginta, I was so proud. But now I realize, you only did it so you could kill him yourself!"

"No!" Alviss shouted, tears streaming down his face. "We needed his help! I'm fighting alongside him!"

The Boss shook his head and turned away in disgust, refusing to say anything else.

"This is your reality…" the hidden voice whispered."…loneliness...isolation. Despised by your friends! You will forever remain in this eternal hate."

Alviss cradled his head in his hands, completely overcome with emotion. "Please, Boss... don't hate me like the others. I never wanted this tattoo! I never wanted to serve Phantom! I never wanted you to die! I just wanted to help! The day that you died was the worst-" Alviss stopped suddenly. Something wasn't right here. He looked up at the Boss, who was now glaring down at him. He looked real enough, but how could he be here? "You're dead," Alviss said, his eyes narrowing.

"Thanks to you," the Boss snapped. Alviss shook his head.

"You can't be here," Alviss said, much louder than before. He gripped his staff tighter. "I saw you die. I saw them bury you. You aren't real!" he shouted. He got back to his feet, and he saw that the Boss had disappeared, and standing right where he had been was Zexion, a shocked look on his face.

All of Alviss' memories came flooding back to him; The War Games, Organization XIII, and all of his fight with Zexion came rushing back.

"Nice try!" Alviss shouted, and he swung at Zexion, hitting him hard in the chest.

Alviss' eyes snapped shut as they were flooded with an intense bright light. The air was no longer cold - it was now a sweltering heat. Alviss opened his eyes slightly. He was back at the Desert Field. Zexion was slowly getting to his feet.

"That world..." Alviss gasped. He was still shaking from the intense ordeal he had been through. The pain from his broken bones and numerous gaping cuts surged through him, and his whole body ached – but that pain was nothing compared to what he had just endured. "That nightmare... it was all an illusion!" he spat. Zexion opened his lexicon and flipped it open. "I finally see through your lies, and without them, you are nothing!" Alviss shouted, and he sprinted towards Zexion, his staff tight in his hands. It was time to end this!

Zexion rose a few feet off the ground, his lexicon flipping wildly through its pages before it stopped near the end.

"I'm more than smoke and mirrors!" Zexion shouted. He threw open his arms, and massive purple balls of energy began to rain down from the sky. Alviss had no where to run. The energy was raining down all around him, impacting the sand and causing explosions of glass to pelt him, leaving gaping wounds. One of the balls of energy hit him in the chest, and just like before it turned his insides molten. He was thrown back from the impact, directly into the path of another blast, which bounced him into another, and another, and another.

By the time the attack was finished Alviss couldn't stand. He could barely breathe, and his mind was quickly going black. The last words that echoed in his mind where, "-the winner is Zexion!"


Roxas lay on his bed, absentmindly pulling on the silver bracelet ARM that hung limply from his wrist. He was back in the room with most of the other Nobodies, relaxing. They had another day off, and Roxas had feared that Saix would make them spend their day in the Training Gate again. Phantom had even recommended it, but Saix had flat out refused. Roxas had suspected it was because he would rather only wait one day for the next battle, instead of sixty. Saix had given everyone the day off, which meant that Roxas had spent the last eight hours bored out of his mind. Both Saix and Axel had been gone for most of the day, leaving Roxas alone with the others. At least the others had found ways to entertain themselves.

Luxord was busy building a scale model of Memory's Skyscraper out of his cards; Demyx was sitting on his bed with his sitar, his fingers dancing up and down the neck as he hammered out a solo; Zexion, Xaldin, and Xigbar were busy discussing the past match.

"He has quite a store of memories," Zexion said, consulting his lexicon. "Alviss has considerable knowledge of the people of MAR."

"Kind of a boring kid though," Xigbar said. He was upside down and reading over Zexion's shoulder. "Training… training… a fairy… more training. He needs to get a life."

"The question is - can we use his memories to help?" Xaldin asked.

"I've spent most of the day organizing them," Zexion said, turning the page with a wave of his hand. "I didn't have enough time during the battle, so they were pretty chaotic when I got them. But I think I've now got a working knowledge of the different factions of MAR, along with its geography."

"Good," Xaldin said. "At least we won't be wasting time trying to figure out the best areas for the Heartless to attack."

Zexion snapped his lexicon shut, his eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter with you?" Xigbar asked. "I've never seen you close a book so quickly."

Zexion didn't say anything, but moved away from Xigbar. He flopped onto a spare bed and flipped his lexicon back open. Xigbar teleported above him, his long ponytail obstructing the pages.

"You think we're wasting our time here, don't you?" Xigbar asked, grinning. Roxas noticed the other members stop what they were doing and tilt their heads towards the two. Zexion tried to ignore him, but he eventually realized that he couldn't escape from Xigbar.

"The Superior ordered me here, so I will do what he asks…" Zexion said, shifting the book out of Xigbar's hair so that he could read. "…but I am getting impatient. We've been here for weeks, and yet we haven't done away with a single of MAR's warriors - and it isn't like we've been devoid of opportunities. Phantom wouldn't let you kill that princess," he said, nodding at Xigbar. "And if Luxord took his fight seriously we probably would be rid of the farmer. Why did you leave out Jack's ARM at the end of your fight anyway?"

Luxord, who was putting the finishing touches on his model, smiled. "If I was going to be fighting at full strength, it would only have been fair to allow Jack the opportunity to do the same."

"Besides," Xaldin said, folding his arms. "It wasn't like you were able to finish off Alviss."

"I never got the chance," Zexion said, dismissing Xaldin's comment. "The fight ended too quickly, and besides, Alviss still had too much magical power. Anyway, I'm sure that Ginta would have interfered again. These War Games are ridiculous," he said, frowning. "If Phantom would simply launch an all out attack we'd be done by now. I requested a squad of Illusionists and Dragoons, but The Superior seemed to think that Saix's plan was more appropriate," he said, and Roxas could note a tone of disdain in his voice.

"Uh-oh," Xigbar said, grinning more widely. "It sounds like you're questioning Xemnas. Tsk, tsk. You think you'd do better as leader? Perhaps you want to start your own organization?"

Xigbar had gone too far. Zexion's lexicon snapped shut on his ponytail, and Zexion pulled it down, ripping Xigbar from the air and sending him painfully onto the ground.

"I always respect The Superior's judgment," He snapped. He got off of the bed and opened a portal. "And don't ever question my allegiance." He stepped inside just as Axel walked into the room. He glanced around, looking at the scene. Xigbar was getting up from the floor, his eye slightly unfocused, while Xaldin restrained Luxord, whose card tower had collapsed when Xigbar had fallen. Axel shrugged, decided that things looked normal enough, and turned to Roxas.

"Hey, Roxas," he said, waving at him. "You said you were able to get outside before, right? Can you show me how – I've been looking all day. I could really use the fresh air."

"Sure," Roxas said, happy to have an excuse to leave. He leapt up and followed Axel out of the room.

The two trekked down a flight of stairs – Roxas trying to remember what path he had taken, before something clicked.

"Wait, why don't we just use a Corridor?" he said, stretching out his hand. Axel, who appeared to have been lost in thought, looked down at him.

"What? Oh, going outside. Yeah, that was just an excuse to get you out of there. It's been awhile since we've gotten to hang out, and I need a break from the others."

"Oh," Roxas said, a little confused as to why Axel just hadn't said that. "So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"I don't know," Axel said. "I was hoping we could find a big area to spar in. It's been awhile, and I want to see how much stronger you've gotten after the Training Gate."

"I think I know a place," Roxas said excitedly. He had been wanting to show someone his light pillars for awhile now. He rushed down the stairs, heading towards the cavernous room where he had met Rolan. The two finally emerged in the giant hall with the set of giant purple doors.

"This should work, right?" Roxas asked as he checked to make sure that the roof was high enough for his pillars.

Roxas suddenly felt something tug at his hood, pulling him backwards and pushing him up against the stone wall. He looked over at who had pulled him.

Axel had his back pressed up against the wall next to him, his finger held to his lips, his other pointing over at the purple doors, which were only a few feet away. Roxas noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and a thread of golden light was shining out from it, along with a pair of voices. Roxas nodded in recognition and tried to listen to what they were saying.

"-and their strength rivals even our Knights'. Phantom, do we really need their power to take over MAR?"

A long silence followed, and Roxas wondered who the voice was talking about, before Phantom finally answered.

"Tell me, Peta, what is it that you plan on doing once the Chess Pieces have conquered MAR?" Phantom asked. Roxas could hear nervous shifting before Peta finally answered.

"We will cleanse MAR of those unsuitable of existence," Peta responded. Roxas was sick at his callousness. Unsuitable of existence? He had only ever heard people talk like that when referencing Nobodies, but Roxas was pretty sure that Peta meant complete beings.

"After that," Phantom said.

"I shall serve you," Peta said respectfully. "Hopefully in helping to keep the many peoples of MAR under our rule."

"Be more specific," Phantom said. "In detail, what would your daily life be like? After all of the battles are over and won. Tell me, what would you do with your immortality?"

Another long silence followed. Roxas looked over at Axel, who shook his head, indicating that they should keep listening.

"I'll tell you what I foresee, shall I?" Phantom said. "I see myself surrounded by the luxuries of life. Plenty of food, clothes, and the most powerful ARM I can imagine. And let me tell you something, Peta. I cannot think of a more boring existence," he said, his voice slightly maniacal.

"I don't quite understand," Peta said, slightly taken aback at Phantom's sudden change in tone.

"You and I - as well as many of us Chess Pieces – we are warriors. We will not tolerate the tedium of peace. There are always battles to be won – worlds to be conquered."

"Worlds?" Peta asked. "Sir, what other worlds are you talking about? Are you considering invading Ginta's world?"

"Not just Ginta's world, Peta," Phantom said. "For a long time I've wondered if MAR was the only world in existence. It was back with the arrival of the one they call the Boss that I realized that there was another world that was separate from our own. I thought that it might only exist as a mirror of ours, that there were only two worlds in existence. I feared that, with time, I would fall into the immense pain of peace. With no more worlds to conquer, what would I do? Then the Nobodies arrived. They are clearly not from MAR, and I doubt that they share the same world as Ginta," Phantom said, and his voice was beginning to sound harsh. "This is more than just chance, Peta. If there are three worlds, why not four, or five, or a thousand? All worlds that are ours for the taking. The Chess Pieces won't just stop with MAR – we will rule the universe!"

"But sir – that is impossible. Our forces our limited – even I think that this is beyond our scope. Just look at the strength of the Nobodies – surely there are more of them back in their own world. It would take all of our forces to assault them, and even then we aren't assured a victory. And how are we even to travel to these other worlds?"

"That is where the Nobodies come in," Phantom said, his voice back to its soft tone. "The time that the Nobodies have spent here has not been wasted, and I'm close to finding out all that I need. Why else do you think I'd have accelerated the War Games? I've been staling just long enough to learn what I need. Know that I've studied them, we can proceed. The War Games are the first step. We have much more work to do."

"So that means that you've found how to manipulate their powers?" Peta asked.

"For the most part," Phantom said. "I've at least learned that there are indeed a great multitude of worlds, and that the Nobodies are able to travel to them at will. I've almost learned the secret to their power, and once I discover what is holding me back from replicating it, we can proceed."

"And what shall we do with the Nobodies?"

"Once the games are over, we will eliminate them."

Roxas' heart sped up as he heard footsteps approaching the door. He looked over at Axel, who, realizing that their time was up, had opened a portal. He grabbed Roxas by the arm and pulled him through.

Roxas stumbled out into a narrow hallway in a part of the castle that he'd never been to.

"Eliminate us," he said as Axel stepped out of the portal, the Corridor closing behind him. "Phantom's going to betray us!"

"He's just been using us this whole time," Axel said, punching the wall. "I knew that something was up." Axel set off down the hallway at a brisk pace. Roxas jogged to catch up.

"Where are you going? We need to tell Saix."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Axel said. They reached a door at the end of the hallway, and Axel threw it open. It opened onto a large, circular, outdoor balcony. Dark storm clouds were wrapped around it, and Roxas could barely make out some of the castle's many towers silhouetted against them. The sky above them, however, was clear, and the night sky was dotted with thousands of stars. Standing in the middle of the stone balcony was Saix, his arms outstretched as he basked in the light of the sliver moon above.

"Saix," Axel said. "I've finally got some information for you."

"Phantom's just using us," Roxas said. "He wants to replicate our powers, and he plans to kill us all when he's done!"

Saix breathed deeply, and when he spoke it was with his usual calm voice.

"Relax," he said, shocking both Roxas and Axel. "I've been aware of this for some time now. I've realized from the beginning that Phantom would attempt to double cross us. Do you not think that I've taken all necessary precautions?"

"But Phantom-" Roxas said, but Saix cut him off.

"I can assure you that our power far outclasses Phantom's. All of us are completely safe."

"Are you sure, Saix?" Axel asked, folding his arms. "This is a huge gamble. Phantom seems convinced that he can beat us. He's hiding something, too. He's far too confident – he has to have a plan."

"Trust me, the odds are in our favor. Remember, half of our forces are still at the castle, including all of the Lessers. We'll be fine," Saix said. "You two should focus on completing the mission. Prepare for you matches, and make sure to eliminate your opponents. Get back to the room and get rest, you'll need it for tomorrow."

Roxas, whose worries were far from alleviated, knew that it was pointless arguing with him. He opened up a portal back to the room.

"Axel," Saix said. "I need a word with you – alone."

Axel looked over at Roxas, shrugged, than walked over to Saix. Roxas walked into the portal, and he could have sword that he heard Saix mutter 'Zexion' before he was transported back to the room.


Ginta had been prepared for a nice, long break between the fifth and sixth matches. That's why he was shocked when Pozan announced that they'd only get one day to heal, and the sixth match would begin the following day, barely giving Alviss any time to recover and forcing Snow to use her Healing Angel ARM, leaving her exhausted.

"Man, the one time I wanted to have some time off," Ginta complained loudly. Team MAR had gathered in the castle's library (save Snow, who had went to bed early), where they hoped to catch some rest before the following day's match.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Jack said, yawning loudly from a large chair he was reclining in. "We've almost always had a few days off between matches. Why not now?"

"I'm not complaining," Nanashi said. He took a long gulp from the tankard he was holding and smacked his lips loudly. "I'm sure if there wasn't a match tomorrow Gaira would just make us spend more time in the Training Gate. Either way we would be working."

"I'm quite happy with the situation, actually," Dorothy said, flipping to the next page of the book on rare ARM she had found in the library. "The sooner we fight the sooner the War Games will be over. Oh, Ginta look at this one!" she said, shoving the book under his nose and pointing at the Guardian ARM she was looking at. "That one's really rare. Hey, after the War Games you and I should go looking for it!"

"You should take the situation a little more seriously," Alan said gruffly. "This is a lot more unusual than you realize. During the last War Games Phantom took his sweet time, extending the tournament for as long as he could. There's definitely a reason that he's accelerating the matches, and whatever that reason is can't be good for us."

The room fell silent. Ginta knew that the others were all thinking about exactly what Phantom was planning. Could it be an all out assault? Had Phantom grown tired of the War Games and decided to unleash his entire army? Almost all of the Cross Guard had been eliminated in the Preliminary Round. The Cross Guard was the only army of MAR that would openly oppose the Chess Pieces. With the Thieves of Luberia dead and Kaldea in ruins, there would be no one left to fight.

"I know that everyone's thinking this, so I'm just going to go ahead and say it," Babbo said. He bounced over to the center of the room and gave everyone a meaningful look. "This has to having something to do with Organization XIII."

Ginta instinctively looked over at Alviss, who was standing in the corner of the room, apart from the others. He had his arms folded, and he appeared to be lost in thought, and Ginta knew why.

No one knew exactly what had happened when Alviss had been sucked into Zexion's lexicon. Ginta remembered being awe-struck when both of them had disappeared into the book's pages. He had wanted to run over and help, but Pozan (who was just as confused as anyone) instructed that the battle was still going on (to his knowledge, at least), and that any interference would result in an immediate disqualification.

Ginta desperately wanted to know what Alviss had experienced, but Alviss wasn't telling. He hadn't said a single word since he awoke after the battle, and no one, not even Belle (much to her distress) could get him to talk.

Alviss had been acting strangely too. He spent most of his time nervously checking his Zombie Tattoo, and the only time he looked up was when he'd glance at the others, almost as though he was making sure they all were still there, and even though Alviss was usually a loner, he now seemed to fear being alone – he'd follow the group wherever they went, and would make sure that he was never by himself. Whatever Zexion had done had scarred him deeply, and that made Ginta hate Organization XIII all the more.

"…their magical power is quite extreme, too," Dorothy said. Ginta snapped out of his thoughts, turning his attention to the ongoing conversation. "Even Luxord was close to Knight level."

"I just hope that they don't get any stronger than Zexion," Ed said nervously. "There's no way I could protect the princess from one of them."

"Don't worry, I've got your back," Ginta said, slapping the dog on his back. Ed glared at him, causing Ginta to take a few steps back – obviously he hadn't forgiven Ginta for accidentally kissing Snow during their first encounter.

"Well, whatever the reason is, we had better be prepared for anything," Alan said. "Keep your ARM on you at all times, and stay alert. I wouldn't put it past the Chess Pieces to launch a surprise attack."

"But what do we do if there is an attack?" Ginta asked. Since Alan was a veteran fighter and an officer in the Cross Guard, he hoped that he'd have some sort of plan of action, since there was no way that Team MAR could take on the Chess Piece Army and Organization XIII alone in an all out battle.

"I've already got a strategy," Alan said, much to Ginta's relief. "But it'll take far too long for me to explain, and it's late enough as it is. Get some rest, you'll need it."

One by one they said good-night and filed out of the room. Ginta's head was buzzing with questions, but his eyes were drooping and he had a headache. Only himself and Nanashi had optioned out of using Snow's Healing Angel (for her sake), so he was still sore from his battle against Ash. He was going to need some sleep if he was going to be effective the next day.

Ginta made his way to his room (Babbo following behind), and collapsed on his bed, where he almost instantly fell asleep.

He awoke the next morning to a knocking on his door. He half-heartedly opened an eye, and he groaned in response to the muffled voice permeating the door. He was still pretty tired, but at least his headache was gone. Still, his bed was very comfortable – perhaps just a few more minutes?

His bedroom door opened a crack, and Snow's voice drifted in. "Ginta, if you don't get up soon you'll miss breakfast," she said softly.

Ginta perked up almost immediately. Unfortunately, Babbo hadn't realized this, so he took it upon himself to jump onto his back and proceed to hop on it.

"Up you get, servant!" he said. "We need a good hearty breakfast if we're going to defeat our opponent today. Come on, Ginta, people are counting on us!"

Ginta flipped onto his back and grabbed the ARM's head.

"I was about to get up you idiot!" he shouted, and he hurled Babbo at the wall, imbedding him in the stone.

Babbo unstuck himself, and more out of insult than injury pushed back at Ginta.

"How dare a servant treat a gentleman in such a manner!" he shouted. "You should be thankful that I was looking out for your well being! I could have just let you go hungry, but than that would have reflected poor leadership on my part!"

"I'm not your servant!" Ginta shouted.

Snow, hoping to break up the fight early, stepped in between them.

"Um, boys? There's only twenty minutes until the next match. You had better hurry if you want to eat."

Ginta and Babbo looked at each other, silently agreed that food was much more important than their current argument, and followed Snow down to the dining hall.

They ate quickly, but even so they were barely making their way into the courtyard as Pozan tossed the dice for the match.

"The Sixth Match will take place in the Mushroom Field. Each team will be allowed six participants!"

"About time you showed up," Alan grunted as the three caught up to the group. "There allowing six of us to fight. I'm going. Who else is volunteering?"

"I am, definitely!" Ginta shouted, eager to start.

"Me too," Snow said. Alan looked slightly worried, but Snow gave him a determined look, and Alan relented.

"That's three," he said, turning to the rest of the group. "We need three more."

"If Ginta's going you can count me in!" Dorothy said. Ginta could have sworn that he saw Snow's eyes narrow, but it could have just been his imagination.

"I'm ready for another rumble," Nanashi said, stepping forward.

Jack followed behind him, but Alviss beat him to it.

"I'll take the sixth slot," he said calmly, finally breaking his silence. Alan looked him up and down.

"You sure you're ready?"

"Of course he's ready!" Belle said indignantly. Alan stared at Alviss, waiting for his response.

"Positive," Alviss said confidently.

"Well, if everything's settled, we can begin immediately," Pozan said. "To the Mushroom Field!"

The six fighters were engulfed in light as they were teleported to the next battleground.

The first thing that Ginta noticed was that the ground seemed awfully squishy. He glanced down and let out low whistle. The six of them were inside of an enormous hollow tree that was filled with building sized mushrooms, one of which they were standing on now. In the center of the hollow was an even bigger mushroom – at least a hundred yards in diameter. That must be where the battles would be taking place.

"Wow, this is cool!" Ginta said, jumping up and down on the mushroom.

"I didn't know mushrooms got this big," Babbo said, an awestruck look on his face.

"They must have been grown by magic," Snow said.

Alan seemed less enthused about the mushrooms. He was gazing across the hollow, frowning. "We've got a problem," he grunted, and everyone looked in the direction he was staring.

The other Chess Pieces had assembled on a similar mushroom on the opposite side of the hollow. Ginta immediately picked out three black coats among the group.

"There's three of them," he said slowly. "That is a problem."

"We should decide now who's fighting them," Alan said. "Both Alviss and Snow have already fought against the Organization– they shouldn't have to go through that twice, so we can count them out. Which just leave's the three of us."

"You mean the four of us," Ginta corrected. He was eager to test his skills against them, and get his revenge for what they did to Snow and Alviss.

"No," Dorothy said sternly. "It's too risky."

Ginta opened his mouth to argue, but Alan cut him off.

"She's right. You're too valuable, Ginta. Remember, you're the team's captain, meaning that if you lose, we all lose. We have no idea how strong they are – we can't risk it."

Ginta frowned. He knew Alan was right, of course, but he still didn't like the idea of his friends risking their lives instead of him. He should be in just as much danger as they are.

"So that just leaves Alan, Dorothy, and me," Nanashi said. He clearly wasn't pleased with the lineup, but he didn't complain. "Which of us is going first?"

"We have a bit to think about it," Alan said. "They aren't fighting first." He pointed to the middle of the field, where the largest of the Chess Pieces had jumped down to the center mushroom and was looking up expectantly at Team MAR.

"I guess I'll go first," Ginta said, taking a step forwards. Alviss, however, had already jumped down without saying a word, and Ginta, who still wasn't sure that he was back to normal, looked on.

Compared to Zexion this Chess Piece was massive. He had broad shoulders and beach ball sized fists. He wore a large blue gi and large, red, spiked shoulder pads. He had a beige hood, and he wore an oval mask that had a red eye shaped marking in the center.

"The first battle of the sixth match will be between Alviss of the Cross Guard and the Knight Kouga, of the Chess Pieces," Pozan said. "Begin!"

Kouga didn't waste any time starting.

"Weapon ARM: Daimonji!" he growled in a deep, gravely voice. A massive, bladed five-stared weapon appeared in his hands, and he lunged towards Alviss, slashing at him with Daimonji.

Ginta knew Alviss too well to think that this would give him much trouble, and sure enough Alviss swiftly ducked and swayed as he dodged all of Kouga's attacks.

"Weapon ARM: Thirteen Totem Pole, Staff!" Alviss shouted, and his familiar silver staff appeared in his hands. Ginta thought that it looked quite fragile compared to Kouga's giant Daimonji, but it held up against Kouga's massive blows, and Alviss' skill eventually won out – the two locked weapons, and Kouga, unable to free himself, swung upwards, tossing Alviss high into the air.

Alviss reoriented himself and landed softly behind him, and with one quick slash was able to send Daimonji flying from Kouga's hands.

"Alright!" Ginta shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "Alviss is back with a vengeance. This fight sure ended fast – that has to be a record or something."

"I'm glad to see that he hasn't let his last battle get to his head," Babbo said, smiling slightly. "If only my own apprentice was as focused…"

Ginta opened his mouth to argue, but before he could Dorothy spoke.

"Something's off," she said, her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Snow asked.

"I sense it too," Nanashi said, his voice just as serious. "Our man Alviss might have a problem on his hands."

"What do you mean?" Ginta asked impatiently.

"Kouga's magical power is too low," Dorothy explained.

"And his form is terrible," Nanashi added. "He's leaving himself way too open – hell, even Jack has more skill than this guy."

Ginta turned his attention back to the battle. Kouga had pulled himself to his feet, and Alviss was quick to take advantage of his momentary disorientation. He stabbed with his staff, hitting Kouga in the face and sending him flying backwards. He landed hard some twenty feet away.

"Tell me something," Alviss said as Kouga struggled back to his feet. "How was someone with your magical power able to get promoted to a Knight? You're strong, I give you that, but the Chess Pieces have never put too much value on physical strength. What, have you just never had a difficult opponent before?"

"I might have weak magical power," Kouga grunted. "But at least I'm wise enough to realize that an opponent is not likely to show their full strength at the start of a fight. Dimension ARM, Quicksand!" he shouted, and the section of mushroom that Alviss was standing on transformed into a swirling mass of quicksand. Alviss struggled fruitlessly, and his situation was made worse when large brown tentacles erupted from the sand and coiled around him, pinning his arms to his sides and preventing him from moving at all.

"Don't even try to struggle," Kouga said, chuckling slightly. "Even if you had my strength you won't be able to free yourself. I'd let you surrender, but-"

"Guardian ARM: Thirteen Totem Pole!" Alviss shouted, interrupting Kouga. Multiple large totem poles erupted from the ground, and Kouga didn't even attempt to dodge as one of them rose up directly underneath him, tossing him high into the air.

Kouga landed hard enough for the whole mushroom to shake, and Ginta was convinced that the battle was finally over.

"He's got to be beat now! That was a direct hit!"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Dorothy said slowly. Sure enough, Kouga slowly pushed himself to his feet again.

"Thirteen Totem Pole!" Alviss repeated, and more totem poles erupted from the mushroom, and once again Kouga was thrown high into the air, but once again Kouga would struggle back to his feet, apparently unharmed.

Alviss repeated the attack again and again, but much to Ginta's amazement, Kouga refused to stay down.

Alviss, desperate to cause some damage, separated his Guardian into segments before hurling them at him. He got a direct hit, but Kouga resolutely remained standing. Not only that, but he proceeded to pick up one of the sections and hurl it at Alviss, who was helpless to get out of its way.

Ginta could barely watch as the stone cylinder flew towards him. Snow looked away, but Alviss wasn't giving up so easily. He quickly dismissed the ARM, which disintegrated in a burst of light seconds before impact.

"As you can see, I am far too solidly built to be defeated by physical attacks," Kouga said nonchalantly. "You, however, are far too susceptible to them. Weapon ARM: Centipede!"

Kouga's ARM shown with light as it attached itself to his right arm, the ARM itself taking the form of a long, bladed centipede that ended with large, hooked fangs. Kouga proceeded to whip the giant weapon at Alviss, who was unable to do anything other than endure.

"I can't watch," Snow said, turning away. Ginta had to admit that this was difficult to watch, and it took all of his willpower to prevent himself from going to Alviss' rescue.

Kouga finally relented, giving a very battered looking Alviss a moment to breath.

"You should be thanking me. I'm giving you the face of a warrior," Kouga grunted. Alviss cocked an eyebrow. "Would you like me to show you the face of a warrior?" Kouga asked. He reached up and removed his mask, revealing his face, which was heavily scarred and mutilated. "This is the face of a true fighter," he said, grinning. Ginta noticed that he was missing several teeth – this guy had definitely been in more than a few brawls.

"Do you see the difference?" Kouga said as he replaced his mask. "Your face is so fair – so handsome. Yet it takes a face like mine to endure the horrors of battle. And it's not just the face, you see. Ever since I was young I was tormented for my appearance. I grew up friendless. I could only devote my time to getting stronger. But that didn't stop the pain… and after years of neglect, you become used to it. The pain makes you strong. That is why I loathe you so," he said, frowning. "You have never experienced what I have. You, as well as the rest of MAR, shall pay. I will not rest until I have stamped out all of this worlds beauty, for it is only through destruction and pain that you can grow strong!"

Kouga reached back, preparing to strike again.

"Thirteen Totem Pole!" Alviss shouted, and one of his totem poles erupted underneath him, ripping him for the quicksand's grip and throwing him high into the air. He immediately dismissed the Guardian and summoned his staff.

Kouga roared with anger as he lashed out with his Centipede. Alviss stabbed with his staff, and starting from the Centipede's mouth ripped it from head to tail.

The ARM disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Kouga stood, appearing dumbfounded.

"I could have escaped anytime that I wished," Alviss explained as he calmly walked towards him. "I just wanted to measure your magical power level once it had time to charge. Just so you know, it's nothing compared to Zexion's. This battle is as good as won."

"You people and your magic," Kouga snarled. "You rely far too much on what is gained so easily. How about you fight without it, like I do? Let's do away with our ARM, and see who the better fighter really is."

"Not a chance," Alviss said as he gave his staff a twirl.

"That's what they always say," Kouga grunted, holding up a silver ring. "Nature ARM, Fog!" he shouted, and it proceeded to belch out copious amounts of thick, grey fog, which quickly concealed the entire mushroom from view.

"I can't see a thing!" Ginta shouted as he scanned the fog, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alviss.

"Is he going to be alright?" Snow asked.

"I don't know," Dorothy said. "That fog does more than conceal; it also suppresses magical power. Alviss won't be able to use any ARM at all."

"He's supposed to fight Kouga without any ARM?" Nanashi said. "I don't envy him."

Ginta listened hard, hoping to hear something that would tell him how the battle was going. He could hear loud slaps, as though someone was getting punched repeatedly. Ginta hoped that it was Alviss doing the punching…

Ginta waited with baited breath for a solid minute, unsure of how his friend was faring. Suddenly the fog billowed out, blown away by some unknown source. Ginta scanned the field, and immediately picked out Alviss, who was engulfed by a blue aura.

"Not bad," Nanashi said. "Alviss released all of his magic at once, and it was just enough to overcome the effects of the fog. He never ceases to surprise me…"

Alviss summoned his staff and sprinted towards Kouga, who was so overcome with shock he didn't react. Alviss easily overwhelmed him, his speed and strength greatly increased by his magical power. Kouga was tossed around the mushroom like a rag doll, and Ginta was sure that after a while even he would be unable to get up, but Kouga eventually was able to put enough distance between himself and Alviss to have time to raise up a silver pendant.

"Guardian ARM, Kung Fu Frog!" he shouted breathlessly, and the pendant transformed itself into the least intimidating Guardian Ginta had ever seen – a large red a purple frog.

Kouga quickly leapt up onto the frog's back, safe from Alviss' assault.

"You're magic has made you faster," Kouga said. He sounded much more confident now that he was safe on his Guardian. "But this Guardian is the fastest around. There's no way you can win!"

Alviss looked unconvinced, as was Ginta. How could a stupid frog be the fastest Guardian ARM in existence? He was quite surprised then when the frog ran forward at impossible speeds. It was so quick that Ginta had difficulty tracking it.

Apparently so did Alviss, as he was unable to dodge when the frog lashed out with its massive pink tongue, which knocked him back halfway across the mushroom.

"You see?" Kouga roared triumphantly. "When it comes to battle, looks are meaningless. It is only strength that matters, and it is impossible for a pretty boy like you to defeat me!"

"Wrong," Alviss said. He confidently held up a silver chain. "Guardian ARM: A Baa Qu," he said calmly, and the chain flew up into the sky before transforming. The chain emitted large amounts of black clouds, and a massive, grotesque skull slowly descended from them.

Ginta looked up in awe as a dark energy erupted from its mouth, revealing a massive yellow eye concealed within. Alviss snapped his fingers, and a small sliver of light shot from its pupil. It hit Kouga square in the chest, and the light expanded, encasing him and his frog in a giant sphere of light.

"You think that you're the only one who's had a difficult life?" Alviss said coldly. "There are plenty of people who have been through hard times, I should know," he said, and Ginta saw that he wore the same expression he's had for the past day. Ginta knew he was still thinking about Zexion's lexicon. "But you are right about one thing, Kouga," Alviss continue calmly. "Looks don't matter. There are plenty of good looking people who are evil, and there are plenty of ugly people who are good. No, what matters is the appearance of your heart, and your heart is one of the ugliest I've ever seen. Burst." Alviss said, and copious amount of dark smoke filled the sphere, which slowly cracked, than burst with a loud explosion.

Kouga was thrown high into the air, completely off of the mushroom. He landed hard a hundred feet below, and Ginta was sure that this time he wasn't getting up.

"The winner is, Alviss!" Pozan shouted, and Alviss calmly leapt back up to the rest of the team.

"I was going to kill him," he said. "But I think that living with himself is a far worse punishment.

"Either way, you did well," Nanashi said, slapping him on the back. Alviss looked slightly annoyed, and he strode to the back of the mushroom, where he quietly waited for the next battle.

"The second battle will begin momentarily!" Pozan shouted. Ginta turned to the others.

"So, whose up next?" he asked.

"Definitely not you," Alan said. "It looks like the next match will be against someone from Organization XIII." He pointed across at the other mushroom. It looked as though the three members were arguing amongst themselves, with one of them clearly not wanting to go next.

"This one's mine," Dorothy said, and before Ginta respond she had jumped gracefully down onto the center mushroom and waited for her opponent.

"Good luck!" Ginta shouted after her. She was going to need it.


"Get out there," Xaldin said, pushing Demyx off of the mushroom. Demyx yelped loudly as he fell, and he ended up sprawled face down on top of the giant mushroom. Demyx untangled himself from his coat and struggled for a moment to throw off his hood, which had wrapped itself around his face. He looked up at Dorothy, who looked as though she didn't know what to make of him.

Demyx scrambled to his feet and turned around.

"Come on, Xaldin, can't we talk about this?" he pleaded, casting a worried look over his shoulder. "Isn't there someone more – qualified?" he said, his voice panicked. "Axel, what about you?" he added hopefully.

"You're not getting out of this. You will be fighting," Xaldin ordered. "And make sure that you don't hold back. If I see you slacking off I'll make sure that The Superior inflicts the maximum punishment."

Demyx gulped. He didn't want to fight, but he didn't want to be turned into a Dusk, either. Xaldin was unofficially known as the Organization's enforcer, so Demyx knew that his threat was genuine. If he didn't perform to Xaldin's standards he could easily get Xemnas to turn Demyx into a Dusk, or else get the go ahead to perform some other punishment of his choosing. Slowly he turned to face his opponent, who had her hands on her hips.

"You ready yet?" she said impatiently. Demyx didn't say anything, and slowly took his position opposite her.

"The second battle will be between Dorothy of Team MAR and Demyx of Organization XIII. Begin!" Pozan shouted.

Demyx just realized that Dorothy already had her weapon in hand – it was a long silver broom with a large curved blade attached to it. Not wanting to be left completely unprotected, he raised his right arm into the air and focused on his element.

Streams of water began to rise up from the ground, focusing into his hand. Once he had gathered enough of his element it transformed, and Demyx closed his hand around the familiar neck of his trusty blue and yellow sitar.

"A guitar?" Dorothy scoffed. "You're going to beat me with a guitar?"

"It's a sitar!" Demyx said indignantly. "And look whose talking; you've just got a broom!"

"Just a broom?" Dorothy said, smiling slightly. "I'll show you what this broom can do. Wind of Zephyrus!" She shouted, swinging her broom forward and conjuring up a mighty wind.

"Oh no!" Demyx said. He tried to dodge, but the wind caught him in the chest and blew him backwards several feet, leaving him teetering dangerously at the edge of the mushroom.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Demyx squeaked, and he jumped away from the edge, returning to the relative safety of the middle of the mushroom.

"Um, so hey, Dorothy, how about we change the rules a bit? We don't have to fight, right? We could have a music battle, or see who makes the best shadow puppets or something…"

"You're not exactly what I expected from someone from Organization XIII," Dorothy said, ignoring him. "I can't believe I was worried. You're pretty pathetic."

Demyx's face fell, and he hung his head with shame. Xaldin cleared his throat behind him, and Demyx remembered his threat.

"Hey, I can be strong when I need to be," Demyx said with faux-confidence that fooled no one. The rest of Team MAR began laughing, especially Dorothy, who was clutching her sides. Demyx frowned - he didn't like Dorothy – she reminded him of too much of Larxene.

Dorothy finally stopped laughing. She pulled a ring off of her finger and held it up.

"You think you can take me? Let's see then," Dorothy said. "I'll start you off with something easy – a Pawn would have no trouble with this. Guardian ARM: Ring Armor" she shouted, the ring transformed into a short, living suit of armor. Demyx eyed it fearfully.

"Hey, I thought that thing had been destroyed already?" Demyx said, hoping that it was perhaps some illusion and not the real thing. "That blue-jelly-eyeball-thing ate it!"

"True," Dorothy said, smiling slightly. "But Ring Armor is one of the most common ARM in MAR. Do you really think that I wouldn't have a few spares lying around?"

The Ring Armor bent low to the ground, like a runner at the starting blocks, as it waited for Dorothy's command.

"Go get him," Dorothy said, pointing at Demyx, and the armor took off towards him, its metal hands balled into fists. Demyx turned on his heel and ran.

"Not good, not good!" Demyx shouted, the armor clanking loudly behind him. He heard laughter from Dorothy and the rest of Team MAR.

"Demyx!" Xaldin growled, and Demyx could hear the danger in his soft voice. "Stop fooling around. You can either fight her or you can fight me, take your pick."

Demyx didn't need to think very long. Reluctantly he skidded to a halt and turned to face the armor, which was approaching fast. It punched hard, and Demyx blocked with his sitar. He spun around and whipped the large, heavy body of his sitar into the armor, sending it tumbling backwards. It got slowly back to its feet, and Demyx was relieved that it didn't seem too keen on chasing after him anymore.

"So you do have some fight in you," Dorothy said derisively. "Not much though. You really are a weakling."

Dorothy's words elicited the same memories that came up whenever Larxene bullied him, and Demyx knew what he should be feeling, even though he couldn't feel anything at the moment. He knew how his complete self would have reacted, at least – hurt and ashamed. He never did have too much confidence, and it didn't help that everyone was constantly reminding him of it.

"Hey, you don't have to be so mean!" Demyx said, his voice cracking.

"How in the world did Organization XIII ever accept you?" Dorothy said, shaking her head. More memories of Larxene flooded his mind – of her laughing at him during meetings; tripping him in the halls; snapping all of his sitar strings with her knives… Demyx finally decided that he'd had enough.

"Silence, witch," he said, his voice cold. Dorothy's eyes narrowed.

"Ring Armor, attack!" she shouted, and the armor charged him again.

"Dance water, dance!" Demyx shouted, and he summoned more of his water. His fingers danced up and down the neck of his sitar, and the water that surrounded him transformed into large musical notes, which flowed around him.

The suit of armor stopped, its metal helmet looking between the notes that had surrounded him. Suddenly the musical notes condensed, growing sharper, before they spun around rapidly, slashing into the metal guardian and knocking it back and forth between them.

The suit of armor began to chip as the water forms slashed at it, and it eventually collapsed onto the ground under the massive weight of the water. It shown with light before transforming back into a ring.

The water forms set their sights on Dorothy, who looked mildly shocked at Demyx's skill. She raised her broom, its curved blade facing the oncoming rush of water forms.

Dorothy swung her broom, slashing clean through the forms that had surrounded her. The water forms weren't that easy to defeat, though; they simply flowed around her broom, reforming completely unscathed and ready to attack.

"Ugh, these things are really annoying!" Dorothy shouted as she swung fruitlessly at the water forms. Realizing that her tactic wasn't working, she retreated backwards. The water forms turned to follow her.

"Broom of Zephyrus!" She shouted, and she swung her broom forward, emitting a massive gust that blew the water forms away, where they crashed onto the ground into large puddles.

Demyx had been so involved in his music that he had barely realized that his water forms had been defeated, and it was only when he felt the change in his magical power that he looked up, only to yelp in shock. Dorothy was approaching fast, her broom accelerating towards him.

"Uh-oh!" Demyx shouted, and he quickly strummed a chord, sending multiple large geysers of water erupting around him.

Dorothy swerved off course, dodging the geysers and leaving Demyx safe – for the moment. Demyx, however, didn't want to be anywhere near her. He played an ascending series of notes, and a series of geysers lifted him up and propelled him forward.

He landed twenty feet away, but when he turned around he saw that Dorothy was hot on his tail. He quickly played another chord, sending more geysers erupting violently around him, once again causing Dorothy to veer of course.

Knowing that he couldn't keep running forever, he played a series of notes while concentrating on his element.

"Water!" he shouted, and he strummed another note. Dorothy looked up as many large balls of water fell from the sky. Unable to dodge, Dorothy was pelted by the water, knocking her off her broom and soaking her to the bone.

"You got me all wet!" she shouted angrily as she struggled to her feet and scooped up her broom. "Look at me, I'm soaked!"

"I'm tougher than I look, huh?" Demyx said, grinning. Dorothy did not look amused.

"Broom of Zephyrus!" She shouted, swinging her broom forward angrily. Demyx yelped loudly as the gust of wind blew Demyx back several feet, knocking the wind out of him and sending him skidding dangerously close to the edge.

"Not again!" Demyx moaned, glancing over the edge and immediately getting vertigo. He rolled sideways, distancing himself from the edge. He reluctantly staggered to his feet and turned to face Dorothy. Unfortunately, Dorothy still seemed furious at him, and she had taken advantage of Demyx's few moments of confusion to sneak up on his side.

"Broom of Zephyrus!" she shouted, and once again Demyx was tossed sideways before landing painfully on the top of the mushroom.

Demyx quickly scrambled to his feet this time, and he didn't even bother trying find where Dorothy would be coming from. He picked a random direction and strummed on his sitar, propelling himself forward on a stream of geysers. Dorothy, who was still one stepped ahead of him, landed in front of him, her broom raised to strike.

"Broom of Zephyrus!" she shouted before Demyx could react, and he was hurled backwards again. He landed hard and rolled several feet before finally coming to a stop. He felt a few fresh bruises on his legs and arms, and his body ached from getting tossed around so much. This was exactly why he hated fighting – he was never very good at it, and it always resulted in him getting hurt.

"Why did Saix think I was a good choice for this mission again?" Demyx muttered to himself as he pushed himself to his feet. Dorothy was eager to keep the pressure on, and before he knew it she was racing towards him on her broom.

Demyx strummed his sitar, and line of geysers erupted between himself and Dorothy.

"That's not going to work!" she shouted, and she hopped off her broom and swung it, sending out another gust of wind that crashed against the geysers and sent them breaking towards Demyx.

Demyx strummed his sitar again, and the water that was swelling towards him flowed around him, leaving him unharmed.

"You can't use water to hurt me!" Demyx said proudly, strumming his sitar again so that more geysers would erupt around him. "And I can do this all day."

"Do what?" Dorothy spat. "All you've done this whole time is run and defend. How do you expect to beat me if you never attack?"

Demyx thought for a moment.

"I guess it is time for a new song," he said, shrugging. He strummed his sitar, his hands sliding up and down its neck as he played. A spiral of water began to swirl underneath his feet – a slow trickle at first, but as the song's tempo increased so did the water that was swelling upwards, lifting Demyx up until he was several feet off the ground.

"More music," Dorothy sighed. "This is getting ridiculous. So you're on a pillar of water – I'm terrified," she mocked. The rest of Team MAR laughed, but Demyx wasn't bothered – he was too focused on his music.

"Hello?" Dorothy shouted. "Aren't you paying attention? Are you even taking this seriously? Broom of Zephyrus!" she shouted, sending out another burst of air towards him. The pillar of water quickly swelled upwards around Demyx. The water rippled as it diverted Dorothy's wind gust around him before shrinking back. Demyx was completely unaware that Dorothy had attacked – he was still serenely playing his sitar on his water pillar.

Dorothy swung her broom again, and once again the water rose up to protect Demyx from the blast. Dorothy jumped on her broom and flew around Demyx, hoping to reach his exposed back, but the water surged and flowed with Demyx's music in such a way that it always was shielding him no matter where she attacked from.

"Is this all that you can do?" Dorothy said, landing on the ground in front of him with her hands on her hips. "What's your strategy – hide behind your water and hope I die of old age?" Dorothy let out a frustrated breath, before raising her broom, preparing to attack.

There was suddenly a loud snapping noise, like the crack of a bullwhip, and Dorothy gave a shout of pain as she was thrown backwards. She got to her feet, shaking her head.

"What was that?" she said, slightly dazed. There was another whip-like crack, and Dorothy staggered backwards, clutching her side. A large gash had appeared there, and it was already spilling large amounts of blood. The other members of Team MAR had finally stopped laughing. Everyone, even the gathered Chess Pieces, had their gaze affixed on the pillar of water supporting Demyx; two long tendrils of water had peeled away from it and were slowly flowing back and forth to the beat of Demyx's sitar.

The two tendrils lashed forth again, and Dorothy jumped sideways, dodging the first, but not the second, which snapped at her right arm, causing her to drop her broom. The first tendril whipped around and slammed into Dorothy's chest, throwing her backwards. The second tendril swept her fallen broom to the side, where it teetered dangerously over the edge of the mushroom.

Dorothy looked slightly panicked at the loss of her broom, and she scrambled towards it, but the two water whips lashed out, and she was only barely able to dodge them.

"Not bad," she said, and Demyx was glad to here that she had dropped her mocking tone. She was standing just outside of the whips' reach, clutching her injured wrist. "I'm actually pretty impressed. That water can be pretty lethal when it's compressed like that," she said, and she grimaced slightly as she slipped a ring onto her injured hand. "But let's see how good water is against stone. Guardian ARM, Birikin!" she shouted, and the ring shown with light.

The mushroom top shook suddenly, and Demyx was shaken from his trance. He looked up, and what he saw startled him so much that he lost his concentration. The water pillar trembled slightly before it splashed onto the ground, sending Demyx tumbling onto his back. He jumped up and began slowly backing away from the giant stone golem that was standing in front of Dorothy.

"What's the matter, scared?" Dorothy sneered. Demyx gulped. "First things first," Dorothy said. "Birikin, over there," she said, pointing over to her broom. The stone golem slowly ambled over to the edge of the mushroom, which began to fold downwards from the stone giant's weight, forcing the guardian to drop onto its knees and reach out to the edge, where it gently brushed the broom into its open palm. It got back to its feet and walked back over to Dorothy.

"Thank you, Birikin!" she said cheerfully, plucking the broom from its outstretched hand. "Now, back to business. Crush him," she said, pointing at Demyx, who was visibly shaking.

Birikin slowly walked towards Demyx, each of its giant footsteps causing the top of the mushroom to vibrate intensely.

If this had been a regular mission for the Organization, Demyx's first instinct would have been to summon a Corridor right then and there and head back to the safety of the castle. He'd report the giant monster and let someone else – like Xaldin or Lexaeus take care of it. Unfortunately, fleeing wasn't an option. If he did, he'd be turned into a Dusk, and then he'd never be able to play his sitar again – something that he would not let happen.

The stone golem was close now, practically within reach of one of its massive arms. Having no other idea what to do, Demyx summoned more water pillars to carry him out of the monster's reach.

Demyx didn't need to turn around to know that Birikin was following him – the trembling of the mushroom top announced its approach just as well. Demyx strummed his sitar again, and more pillars of water carried him out of the golem's reach.

Demyx suddenly remembered a comment that Xaldin had made during one of the previous matches – about how users that summoned a Guardian ARM were unable to move from the spot where they summoned it. Happy that he finally had a plan (and that he'd been paying attention), Demyx turned his attention to Dorothy, who was standing unguarded at the other edge of the mushroom.

Demyx realized that he probably wasn't going to get a much better opportunity than this. He summoned more geysers of water to carry him over to her. He was about halfway there when he heard great thunderous footsteps close to him. He looked just in time to see a massive stone hand rushing towards him before he was knocked clean back across the mushroom.

Demyx gave a shout of pain as he landed and began to slide. He was moving fast, much too quickly to stop, and the edge of the mushroom - and a hundred foot drop – loomed before him.

Demyx scrambled fruitlessly, his heels digging into the mushroom, but it just wasn't enough. He felt his legs drop out from under him and his stomach plummet as he slid off the edge.

His left hand instinctively lashed out, grabbing for the edge. His fingers wrapped around and dug into the mushroom, and he was jerked back so violently it felt as though his arm was going to be ripped out of its socket. He was barely able hold on as he dangled helplessly by one hand, his other clutching onto his sitar. Demyx reminded himself not to look down, immediately did so and felt sick. He wasn't a huge fan of heights, and he had the very unsettling realization that even his water couldn't reach him from this height. He was completely helpless.

The mushroom shook violently, and Demyx's grip loosened. Demyx hoisted himself up and peered over the edge. Birikin was slowly making his way towards him, the mushroom shaking with each thunderous footstep, causing Demyx's fingers to slide further down.

"That's it, I'm a goner!" Demyx said to himself. As soon as Birikin made it over to him he'd get squashed or tossed over the edge or some other horrible alternative that would lead to his demise. Perhaps he should just let go now and get it over with…

Demyx suddenly realized that the shaking had stopped. He peered back over the edge and saw that for some inexplicable reason, Birikin had stopped about halfway between Demyx and the center of the mushroom. Knowing that he probably wasn't going to get another opportunity, Demyx began swinging back and forth like a pendulum. It was hard work, and it didn't help that his sitar was so heavy, but he managed to swing himself up high enough that he could get his leg up onto the mushroom. He pulled with all of his strength, lifting the rest of his body and his sitar over the edge.

He landed on his back, panting heavily. He suddenly realized that he still had the stone golem to worry about, so he reluctantly got back to his feet. To his great surprise, Birikin hadn't moved from his spot. He had been completely helpless – how come Birikin hadn't taken advantage of the situation?

Something moving on the ground caught Demyx's eye, and he looked down. All of the water that he had used before was slowly trickling past him in tiny little streams that flowed off the mushroom. Demyx looked back over at Birikin, who had remained motionless.

Demyx understood now why the golem hadn't attacked him when he was at the edge. Birikin couldn't attack him – he was too heavy. Birikin was barely past the halfway mark and the top of the mushroom was already bending under its weight.

Demyx had an idea – unfortunately it involved putting himself in harm's way multiple times, but it was the only thing he could think of. Demyx summoned more geysers, which carried him over to Birikin and dropping him just out of the golem's reach.

Birikin swiped at him, missing Demyx by inches. Demyx instinctively leapt back, and it took all of his restraint to prevent himself from fleeing. Birikin took a single step forward and swung again, but Demyx had summoned more geysers, which carried him out of its reach. The golem seemed reluctant to follow him, so Demyx had more geysers carry him over, depositing him just out of the golem's reach. It swung again, but missed, and out of frustration took another step. Its next swing was so close that it grazed Demyx's coat. Demyx yelped loudly and jumped back, but he refrained from fleeing too far. Birikin, however, decided that it had given too much ground, and it refused to move another inch.

Frustrated, Demyx leapt back a few more feet. He needed to get the golem focused on something other than its position on the mushroom. He needed something to annoy it; something that was confusing enough that it wouldn't realize what was going on.

"Dance water, dance!" Demyx shouted, and he summoned more musical water notes. The notes quickly surrounded the golem and proceeded to slash away at it. They didn't do much damage, but Demyx was right in guessing that they were annoying enough to the Guardian to draw its attention. Birikin swung wildly at the water forms, which twisted and danced just out of its reach. The golem took a step towards them, but the forms flowed out of its reach again. It took another step, and slowly but surely the water forms herded the golem farther and farther down the length of the mushroom, which was flexing and bending under its weight.

Demyx waited patiently, his fingers dancing up and down his sitar as he instructed his water forms to lure the golem towards the edge of the mushroom. Dorothy, who had just figured out what Demyx was doing, shouted at the golem in a panicked voice.

"Birikin, stop!" she shouted, and the golem looked away from the water forms. It realized how dangerous its position was, but it was too late.

Demyx waited until Birikin had lifted up one of its massive feet before he attacked.

"Water!" he shouted, and numerous bubbles of water rained down on Birikin. Most splashed off of him harmlessly, but a good portion of them missed, and had now collected underneath the golem in a massive puddle, causing the mushroom to flex even more. The combined weight of the golem and the water proved too much for the top of the mushroom, which began to fold downwards. Birikin teetered backwards, and it flailed its arms as it desperately tried to keep its balance.

"Time to stage dive!" Demyx shouted, and he strummed his sitar rapidly, firing a machine gun like stream of massive bubbles, which hit Birikin square in the chest, causing the golem to finally lose its balance.

"No!" Dorothy shouted as the Guardian toppled off the edge of the mushroom. "Come back!" Dorothy shouted quickly, and there was a blast of light from beneath the edge of the mushroom, and the golem transformed back into a ring.

"I couldn't just let you destroy one of my strongest ARM," Dorothy gasped as she pocketed the ring. The rapid deactivation of her ARM had come at a cost though. She was visibly fatigued, and even though Demyx couldn't read magical power levels, he was sure that she had used up a considerable amount of it.

"You really are beginning to get on my nerves, you know that?" Dorothy said scathingly, and Demyx (who was reminded heavily of Larxene) took a few tentative steps back. He knew how dangerous this witch could get, and he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. Unfortunately for him, that was exactly what she intended to do. Dorothy grasped her broom in her hands, and Demyx prepared himself for another round of getting blown around.

"Let's finish this," Dorothy said, and she swung her broom. Demyx winced as he prepared for the gust of wind that would inevitably slam him in the chest, but it never came. He glanced up, and what he saw was much worse.

Dorothy's regular gusts of wind had collected and formed themselves into a large tornado that was tearing towards Demyx.

Demyx let out a yelp of panic, and he summoned another stream of geysers to carry him out of the tornado's path, but the spinning funnel of wind simple altered its course, once again homing in on Demyx.

"I'm sick and tired of you running!" Dorothy shouted, and she swung her broom again, summoning two more tornados to race towards him.

Demyx looked on hopelessly as the three tornados loomed before him. He had absolutely no idea what to do. He really wasn't cut out to be a fighter. He lacked the strength of Lexaeus, the brains of Zexion and Vexen, the skill of Axel and the adaptation of Xigbar. Demyx's specialty was reconnaissance – he was quite adept at sticking to the shadows and avoiding fighting, so why did the Organization insist on placing him dangerous situations?

The violent howls of the tornadoes fill his ears. Demyx was beginning to panic. Wind types were never his specialty – he always got creamed whenever he fought Xaldin in the Organization's regular checkups (of course, to be fair, most everyone else did too). Regardless, Demyx found that wind was too chaotic and difficult to control – that's why he preferred water – it flowed and grooved to his will just like his music. Perhaps that could be the witch's weakness?

Demyx could see Dorothy smirking triumphantly behind the tornadoes, her broom clutched tightly in her uninjured hand. If only Demyx could get it away from her; maybe then she wouldn't be able to control the tornadoes. It was worth a shot – and by the looks of how close the tornadoes where, he'd only get a single one.

Demyx strummed his sitar, and a line of geysers erupted beneath him and carried him forward. Two of the tornadoes rushed towards him, blocking his path and cutting off his escape. Demyx pulled on one of his still vibrating sitar strings, bending the note and causing the geysers to curve out of the tornadoes' paths, carrying Demyx with them.

Demyx strummed again, and the wave of water he was riding picked up speed, accelerating him past the two tornadoes, which were unable to turn tight enough to follow him. They'd soon be on his tail again, though, so he had to be quick. He still had the third tornado to worry about, anyway, and it was heading right for him.

He pulled on a string again, and the line of geysers curved. Demyx felt the sharp wind tear at his face and neck, but the geysers successfully navigated Demyx in an S-shaped pattern around the tornado.

He was close enough to Dorothy now to attack her. Unfortunately, all of the turning had slowed him down, and the other two tornadoes had caught up to him. He could feel an intense wind that threatened to pull him off the ground and to make matters worse, Dorothy had hopped onto her broom and was riding it away to safety.

Demyx attempted to summon another string of geysers to chase after her, but he was out of time. The three tornadoes behind him had merged into a massive twister, and the wind was so great that Demyx was easily plucked from the ground. Demyx held his breath and rapidly hammered out a series of notes, and a protective ball of water surrounded him just before he was sucked inside.

The wind inside of the tornado was intense, and it ripped and tore at Demyx and his shield, and it took all of Demyx's concentration to hold the sphere of water steady in the turbulent wind. He was getting rather dizzy too – the tornado was carrying his bubble around in circles, making everything a blur of color. His protective bubble held despite the howling wind and the constant turning, and even though it was rippling and flexing violently, the wind from the tornado couldn't penetrate it.

Demyx wasn't sure how long it would hold, and he was quickly running out of breath. He gazed out of the bubble, and even though the wind was intense, he could see a distorted image of Dorothy flying level with him, staring curiously at the ball of water he had summoned. She appeared to be waiting for him to suffocate. She wouldn't have to wait too much longer, either. Demyx's lungs burned furiously, and it took all of his willpower to prevent himself from trying to take a breath. Knowing that he was short on time, Demyx played a chord, and a blast of water shot from his bubble. The blast caught Dorothy by surprise, knocking her from her broom and sending her tumbling to the ground.

Demyx felt his stomach drop as the tornado slowed, dropping him to the ground. He landed with a loud splash, and as soon as he felt the water level drop below his head he began gulping down as much air as he could.

Demyx glanced sideways. Dorothy was slowly getting to her feet and by the looks of things her right arm was broken. Demyx smiled; at least she wouldn't be able to summon any more wind.

Demyx got to his feet, eager to press the assault. He played three notes on his sitar, and three heavy bubbles of water appeared above his head. He spun around, strummed another chord, and the three bubbles launched at Dorothy, splashing across her back and forcing her to the ground.

"You ready to give up?" Demyx asked her. Dorothy frowned, but she didn't say anything. She slowly pushed herself up to her feet, using her broom as a crutch. Demyx launched more bubbles at her, but she halfheartedly swung her broom, which was able to summon enough wind to knock the bubbles away.

"I think I've finally figured you out," Dorothy said, clutching her broken arm. "You control water, but your real skill is in manipulating sound."

"How'd you figure that out?" Demyx mocked as he strummed his sitar.

"You should be a bit more worried," Dorothy said, grinning maliciously. "Since I have the perfect way of shutting you down for good."

Demyx stopped playing. There was something about the way she had spoken that sent shivers down his spine. Demyx didn't know how he knew, but he could tell that she wasn't bluffing, and that whatever she had in store for him was going to be serious.

Dorothy smiled as she slipped a silver ring onto her finger. "Guardian ARM: Crazy Quilt!" Dorothy shouted, and the ring shown with light.

Demyx, who wasn't very eager to face a third Guardian, gulped loudly as he waited for it to appear, but what he saw didn't seem too intimidating. Hovering next to Dorothy's shoulder was what appeared to be a simple rag doll, complete with tattered dress, button eyes, and zipper mouth. The only threatening thing about it was the insane look that it had on its face.

"Hiya Dorothy!" the doll said, speaking very quickly. "Oh boy, you're using me again! That's twice in three battles – I sure am popular! So who's the bad guy, huh? Let me at him!"

Dorothy - whose exasperated look made it clear that she wasn't thrilled about having to use this Guardian - lifted a shaking arm to point at Demyx.

Crazy Quilt's button eyes darted quickly from her shaking hand, to Demyx, to the stream of blood that was flowing from Dorothy, and her zipper mouth opened wide in shock.

"Dorothy, you're hurt again! Why is it that you'll only use me when you're injured? If you would have summoned me earlier I could have kicked this guys butt in three seconds flat and you wouldn't be hurt!"

"Could you just finish this quickly?" Dorothy asked weakly. "I'm not sure how much longer I can last."

"Right-o!" Crazy Quilt said, one of her limp arms snapping to a salute. The Guardian then zoomed over to Demyx, where it hovered level to his face, its zipper mouth open wide.

"Ummmm…." Demyx said, taking a few steps back. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from the ARM, but he didn't like the crazy look in its button eyes. He was beginning to wonder exactly what power this ARM had when the most awful sound he had ever heard filled his ears. His hands snapped up to cover his ears, but the horrible sound forced its way into his head, clouding his senses and flooding his body with pain. He was vaguely aware of words being mixed into the noise, forming themselves into a very poorly written song. It was then that he realized that the sound was coming from the Crazy Quilt, who was singing at the top of its lungs.

"Shut up!" Demyx shouted, picking up his sitar and swinging it aimlessly, but the Crazy Quilt easily dodged, and had now taken to flying in circles around Demyx, so that its song was coming from all directions.

Demyx never thought that music could make him feel this horrible; he felt nauseous; his muscles ached and his head was throbbing, and he found it impossible to think straight. All he knew was that he desperately wanted to escape the sound. He strummed his sitar, but his head was so full of the song that he couldn't concentrate, and he only managed to summon a few weak geysers to carry him a few feet away, and the Crazy Quilt was quick to zoom over and resume its song, refusing to give Demyx a moment's peace.

"Sound's not so fun when its being used against you, is it?" Dorothy called, apparently enjoying Demyx's torment.

Demyx, however, wasn't listening. He had picked up his sitar and was now twisting the tuning keys at the top while periodically plucking different strings on his sitar.

"This is going to completely throw my sitar out of tune…" he muttered, but he really didn't have any other option.

Demyx was never the brightest member of the Organization (a trait that Larxene was always quick to remind him of). But if there was one thing he did know, it was acoustics. He was always ready to make noise, but he was well aware that he could combat sound with sound as well – something that he was hoping to exploit now.

"There, all finished," he said. He then closed his aching eyes and listened intently to the Crazy Quilt's song, memorizing every note that it sang.

"I think I've got it," he said, and he began to play on his sitar, his fingers rapidly dancing up and down its neck as he worked to precisely match the Crazy Quilt's tempo. Sweet silence engulfed him like a blanket of serenity, and he was flooded with relief as the constant noise finally ceased.

The Crazy Quilt looked immensely confused, as its victim no longer appeared to be affected by its song. It opened its mouth wider and sung louder, but it did no good – Demyx was completely unaffected as he jammed away on his sitar.

"That's impossible…" Dorothy said with disbelief. "How could someone with such low magical power resist Crazy Quilt?"

"Sound," Demyx said simply. Dorothy still looked confused (as did the rest of Team MAR), so he explained. "All I have to do is play notes that have the same amplitude - but the exact opposite phase - as that tone deaf doll, and my sound will negate hers. Smart, am I right?"

The Crazy Quilt, realizing that its one power was rendered useless, began to flee, but Demyx wouldn't let it get away. He backed up towards it, and once he felt their backs touch he spun around, slashing at the doll with one of the sharp points on the head of his sitar. He followed that up by swinging his sitar's massive body into the doll, sending it flying backwards, where it landed in a crumpled heap on the mushroom.

"Crazy Quilt, come back!" Dorothy shouted, and the defeated Guardian transformed back into a ring.

"I think I've got you beat," Demyx said as he retuned his sitar. Dorothy, however, looked quite stern.

"I didn't want to use this," she said, her voice tense. "I made a promise that I wouldn't kill anymore, but I've only got enough magic left for one more Guardian, and I'm not going to lose to you," she said coldly. She held up a silver pendant and shouted, "Guardian ARM: Rain Dog!"

Demyx knew exactly what that ARM was, and as it transformed into a huge silver dog he knew that if he could have felt emotions, he'd be terrified.

"Toto is my favorite Guardian," Dorothy said, and she patted it on the head a few times. "Because he's never lost, have you?" she cooed.

"How may I serve you, master?" The dog asked in a deep, booming voice. The dog, noticing Demyx, took a few steps towards him.

"Not yet," Dorothy said, holding up her hand, and the dog froze. "Take a good look, Demyx. This is what you're going to be fighting. Do you really think you can win?"

Demyx stared at the massive dog, his breathing short and fast. His eyes lingered for a moment on the dog's pencil long fangs and massive maw that could easily swallow him whole. He took a few more steps back.

It was true that Nobodies couldn't feel emotions, but that didn't mean that they lacked the desire for self-preservation. His body was still human after all, and right now adrenaline was coursing through his veins as his body prepared for him to fight or flee – and he was seriously considering the fleeing option right now. Demyx had had a very bad experience with a dog when he was younger, and the memory of that incident – and especially of the fear that his complete self had felt – came flooding back into his mind.

He had just turned ten, and his parents had presented him with the best gift he had ever received – a miniature sitar, one that was just his size. He played it for hours, day in and day out. He's sure he'd driven his parents crazy with all that noise, but that sitar became his favorite thing in life. They were inseparable. That was, until he saw his neighbor's dog gnawing on it. He remembered being horrified at the splintered remains of his sitar and at the horrible sound of the strings snapping as the dog's fangs broke them.

He's not sure why he did it. Thinking back, his parents easily could have got him another sitar, but his ten year old self wasn't thinking that. Before he realized what he was doing he had reached for his sitar, hoping to rescue it from the beast. It happened in just a few seconds – a flash of yellow fangs followed by a stream of red. He remembered crying in pain and fear as his parents rushed him to the doctor. He had been lucky, though. The dog's fangs had almost sliced clean through the artery in his wrist, and had been a quarter of an inch from severing a nerve. He hadn't known what that had meant as a child, but as the doctor had explained it to him, he realized that if it hadn't been for that quarter of an inch – if his nerves had been damaged - he'd never have been able to play music again, and that thought chilled him to the bone.

Even now Demyx could swear that he felt fear. Water; music; his sitar – all things that he came to define himself by. As a Nobody the only thing that he had was what he could hold onto from his past life. If he lost the ability to play his sitar… that is when he'd truly be nothing.

Dorothy, who seemed to think she had given Demyx enough time to think, spoke, breaking Demyx from his thoughts.

"I'm giving you a choice, Demyx. If you surrender now, I'll let you live. But if you insist on fighting, I will not hold back, and Toto will kill you. You should be thankful – there have been a lot of people before you who haven't been given this chance, so choose wisely."

Demyx whirled around, looking for Pozan. He had made up his mind – Xemnas could turn him into a Dusk, but that was a lot better than death. Hell, maybe if he ran now, the Organization wouldn't bother searching for him. He could spend all of his time playing his sitar. He'd still be a Nobody, but at least he'd be alive.

"Pozan, I-" Demyx said, but he was interrupted by a purple lance whizzing right by his ear.

"Forget turning you into a Dusk," Xaldin said, his voice cold. "We have no use for cowards, especially Nobody cowards – a complete contradiction, but one that you have managed to complete so succinctly. So let me make this easy for you – either you finish this fight, or I'll kill you here and now."

Demyx's eyes darted between Xaldin and the giant silver dog that was eagerly waiting to pounce. He really didn't know which was the lesser of two evils, but he had to make a decision soon.

"Look, Demyx, you shouldn't give up so easily," Axel said offhandedly. "You've made it this far, haven't you? You've already taken out that giant golem thing, and the way you beat that doll was impressive, to say the least."

Demyx raised an eyebrow. Axel and him and never really been friends, so why was he encouraging him? Was he actually trying to give him advice, or was he trying to get him killed – you never could tell when it came to Axel…

"Demyx, this really isn't that difficult of a decision. We all already know that if you fight Xaldin, you're going to get creamed." Demyx glanced over at Xaldin, silently agreeing. "But the jury's still out on that dog. Who knows, you might actually be able to win this."

Demyx thought that Axel made a good point. Demyx breathed deeply. He knew that he was going to regret this; he knew that this went against all of his memories and every fiber of his being, but he was going to do it anyway. He was going to fight.

Demyx slowly turned around and got into his battle stance. Dorothy laughed.

"After the way you finished Crazy Quilt I was beginning to think you were intelligent," she said, shaking her head. "Oh well, I gave you a choice. Sick him, Toto," she said, and the massive beast took off towards him.

Demyx tapped into all of his remaining magical power as he played the fastest and most complex arpeggio that he knew, summoning a giant waterspout to erupt around him, his fingers twisting and weaving as they worked to sustain the giant twister of water that was his only protection from the beast.

The giant dog slashed at the waterspout, but the water was moving so quickly it couldn't get its massive paw through. It slashed again, but the wall of water held firm, and the beast resorted to slowly prowling around it, periodically slashing with its sharp claws, to no avail. Demyx looked up from his sitar and saw the grotesque face of the dog staring back at him, its teeth and eyes distorted by the swirling water. One of Demyx's fingers slipped, and the water sloshed downwards as it began to cave in. He quickly made up for his mistake, and the water returned to its usual form. Demyx tried to bring his focus back to his music. He was safe; there was no way that dog could reach him. He took a deep breath.

The sound of the rushing water was immensely soothing. All Demyx could hear was the water and his own music. His body began to calm. His mind, being free from worrying about the battle, began to wander, and a very unpleasant voice filled his mind.

"He's so pathetic," Larxene's voice said, ringing in his ears. "Why'd The Superior even let him join? He's so weak – turning him into a Dusk would probably be an improvement!"

Demyx gritted his teeth. Larxene was always putting him down. Sure, he wasn't the strongest member, but he was at least strong willed enough to become a Nobody when he lost his heart, right? That wasn't something just anyone could do. He was a lot stronger than people gave him credit for, and it was time for him to prove it.

Demyx focused on his magic, letting it swell, then finished of his song with a forceful strum, releasing all of his magic and sending the swirling water around him shooting out in all directions.

The force of the water was enough to knock the giant dog sideways, and Demyx reacted quickly. He strummed his sitar again, and a series of geysers lifted him up and carried him past the giant dog and across the mushroom towards Dorothy, who was unable to move.

"Come on, keep to the beat!" Demyx shouted. He spun slashed twice with the sharp points of his sitar, then spun around, upper-cutting her with the sitar's massive body. She gave a shout of pain as she flew backwards, but Demyx wasn't done yet. He strummed his sitar, and a wall of water appeared behind Dorothy, knocking her back towards Demyx. He slashed at her again, then whipped the body of his sitar into her chest, knocking her backwards, only to have another line of geysers block her escape and knock her back towards him.

Demyx slashed at her a few more times, his hits perfectly in time with the beat of the music he was playing, before finally finishing off his combo by hitting her with the body of his sitar again, and following that up by a quick stream of geysers that pounded her, knocking her up in the air.

Dorothy landed in a crumpled heap. She attempted to push herself back to her feet, but the immense fatigue caused by the forced deactivation of her Guardian ARM combined with Demyx's combo left her barely conscious.

"The winner is, Demyx!" Pozan shouted.

Demyx could hardly believe that he had survived – and not only that, but won. A memory of the first time he had ever received applause for one of his songs flashed into his mind. He remembered how his complete self and jumped around on stage in ecstasy, and the Nobody couldn't help but recreate the memory.

He headed back over to the others, leaving Dorothy behind to be helped up by her now somber teammates.

"See, I told you that you could win," Axel said, slapping hands with Demyx.

"I still can't believe I won!" Demyx said happily.

"Congratulations," Xaldin said. "You get to live another day." Demyx's shoulders slumped.

"Man, what a killjoy," he said, pointing at Xaldin.

Xaldin frowned and folded his arms, but Demyx didn't care about his faux anger. He took his place back with the other Chess Pieces, who were now eyeing him with much more respect.

"The match is tied, one to one!" Pozan shouted. "Who's up next?"


So, what did you think? Unexpected, right? I've been really looking forward to writing that last battle, and I've got so much more coming in the future. Please review, so I know what everyone thinks! Oh, and I've created a small forum of my own to answer some of the questions people have been asking me in their reviews. If your interested, feel free to drop by (the links on my profile page). My next chapter won't be nearly as lengthy, but hopefully the battles will make it just as good!