Serenity Angel reading 'How to Survive Freakiously Perky People for Dummies' in beanbag chair. Akimi in couch with blue knit skull cap on. She keeps 'adjusting' the cap.

Serenity Angel (not looking up from book): Stop messing with it. Either leave it on or take it off. (looking up momentarily) You wanted me to do that.

Akimi: I know but… You sure it looks alright?

Serenity Angel: Contrary to popular belief, I am pretty good with a pair of scissors. (Unknowingly Axel slowly rises from behind the couch behind Akimi and in one swipe takes the cap off)

Akimi: Eep! (hurriedly puts on hood)

Axel: Come on! We wanna see it.

Akimi (turning to him almost demonic): Says the one who idiotically went and took off a chunk my hair!

Sora: Come on it can't be that bad.

Serenity Angel (still reading her book): It's not. I actually think it looks awesome on her. Or I would have immediately put it back the way it was.

Sora: I wanna see it! (Akimi looks at Sora then slowly takes hood off to reveal extremely short, up to the base of her neck hair, in loose curls with bangs out and in eyes)

Kairi (shocked): Oh-

Riku (as shocked as Kairi): My-

Serenity Angel (out loud, mostly to herself): Alice? (everyone looks at her, still to herself) How did the Cullen get into this book? (starts looking at the page from every which angle)

Sora (turning to look at Akimi smiling): I think it looks-

Axel (cutting into what Sora was saying): Like S.A. butchered it. (starts laughing. Akimi and S.A. with raised eyebrow, looks at Axel)

Akimi (angry): Hey I wanted this. She couldn't do anything for you baldy! (points at Rasta Cap that Axel still has on)

Axel (getting angry too): Hey listen here 'mini' me-(points at Akimi actually referring to the fact that she looks a little shorter than Sora because of his spiky hair, even though they are actually the same height, but when she looks down it looks like he's pointing at her chest, which is anything but 'mini'. She looks back up at him pissed and cuts him off. They go into a full blown, heated yelling match)

Serenity Angel (sighing and closing book with a 'snap'): Hey boys do the disclaimer. I'll take care of those two. (gets up from beanbag chair)

Riku (over yelling): Uhh, Serenity Angel does not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters-

Sora (over yelling): Except for Akimi and her world of Japan. (hears cloth being ripped)

Kairi: Let's go help her.

Sora: Yeah. (walking over to yelling match)

Riku: Enjoy the chapter (Puts up chapter before walking over to Akimi and Axel.)


The World that Never Was

The dark portal opened in the empty ivory hall of the Castle that Never Was. Four figures walked out, one limping and one with "precious" cargo in his hands, leading the way. Once the last member had stepped upon the threshold, the portal closed leaving the four figures to themselves in the hallway. No one said a word, but just stood their waiting. They didn't have to wait long however.

"Has the mission been completed?" A cold voice behind the one carrying the unconscious girl asked.

They all turned around slowly to their Superior who was walking slowly toward them, his second-in-command not far behind. He walked at a leisurely pace stopping fully in front of II who stood their holding the girl. The Superior smirked maliciously, letting one of his hands ghost along the side of her face and brush her bangs away to get a better look at her face.

"So this is the girl that shares the face of the Keyblade master." He said looking down at her quiet form, letting his smirk widen more. He looked her over and looked satisfied.

"Heal her wounds. She's no good to us dead." He said before turning and walking away. Once he and the second-in-command where gone they looked at each other.

"Who's doing it? Cuz dude… She's a dudette." II said taking a look at her then at the others members who were having a sweat-drop moment.

"Well we have to get the alleviating treatment for the toxin XII placed in her." X said.

"I say we let her sweat it out a little more." Larxene said smirking evilly at the girl. They looked at her and could almost see the plans she had whirring around in her mind for this girl.

"Get- Get her into the holding room. I'll get the antidote from Vexen and get Demyx to heal her wounds." Axel said clearing his throat to go to its original tenor instead of the high-pitched squeak it was a second ago.

Without waiting for an answer he turned around and limped his way toward Vexen's lab. He had noticed that the some of the other members had come out but could really care less. He had actually limped pass Demyx and gave him a curt nod which meant for him to get his ass moving. He did once he saw the look on Axel's face. Because of certain injuries the short trip to Vexen's lab was lengthened a little, even though he was trying to hurry. He didn't even stick around to let Vexen open his trap and start bitching about something or other. He just picked the antidote up off the table and turned around limping back out the room.

He found the walk to the holding room (more like a prison cell that looked like a standard hotel/bedroom) a little faster though slightly more painful as well. He wouldn't allow himself to think just then, just get done with that task. If he had let his mind wander, he'd be thinking about at least 50 ways to get revenge. He paused in front of the door when he had reached the desired room, his hand holding the doorknob lightly. Taking one deep breath, he opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was that she was in the bed, one of the bigger pieces of sparse furniture that took residence along with her. Her hair was left out and splayed across the pillow that currently rested under her head. They had changed her clothing: she was wearing a dark grey long sleeved dress, simple and with a thin black ribbon separating the bust from the rest of the dress that looked like it stopped mid thigh. Demyx had been leaning over her but straightened up and turned to look at whoever walked through the door and it allowed Axel to see her more clearly. There was a white strip on her cheek, one around her neck that almost looked like a choker-necklace, and white gauze peeking out from the right shoulder of the dress. Her right leg (the one she kicked Axel with and the one that had been messed with in the soccer game) was bandaged from her ankle to her knee and it looked like Demyx was just bandaging her left forearm. Axel then moved forward holding the little bottle of antidote out to Demyx, who took the bottle and began administering the contents to the girl.

"How is she?" he asked after a beat of silence, letting Demyx finish up with the antidote.

"She'll be better." He said, nodding, obviously satisfied with his work. Axel was looking at her but then looked up at Demyx who had a funny look on his face. Axel scrunched his nose a little at the sight.

"What?" He asked staring at Demyx. Demyx turned to him and had a cat-like smile.

"She looks so cute!" he exclaimed causing Axel to have another sweat drop moment.

"I just want to squeeze her to death! She looks just like him too." Demyx commented causing Axel's sweat drop to grow larger.

"No shit Sherlock. Quiet down, will you?" Axel said moving closer toward the bed, standing right next to Demyx.

"I was beginning to wonder how Sora would look as a girl… I bet she's much more quiet and innocent than Sora. Bet she gives those cute innocent looks too." He said a little quieter this time but his voice had the same up beat tone to it.

"Don't count on it." Axel said in a dry monotone.

"What, didn't she give one when you two where watching her?" Demyx asked sounding a little let down.

"Nope." Axel answered and as he thought about it, he began to believe she was incapable of such a feat. It was either a thoughtful, smiling, pissed off, serious, or a blank look on her face. And scared that one time…

"Was she easy to catch?" Demyx asked, eyeing Axel's reaction.

"Far from it." Axel said through clenched teeth, remembering exactly what had happened in the alley.

"Hey, it couldn't have been that bad, she's here isn't she? What happened back there?" Demyx asked sincerely curious.

Axel thought about how to answer, the thoughts he had prevented on the walk to the room surfacing. No one and absolutely no one had the guts to be so bold in attack, not even her supposed brother. She was so close too… and asleep at that. Unable to defend her self from a sudden attack of revenge, not even expecting it...

"Hey where are you going?" Demyx asked turning around as Axel suddenly turned himself, walking, or more like limping, away.

"To get ice. Lots and lots of ice." Axel replied, limping out the door, closing it behind him, leaving a confused Demyx behind.

Japan-The Alleyway

Kimiyo Fusaki had always been considered the level-headed one of the group… A mediator of sorts as well. Granted she would be as crazy as they where when they were together, but she was always the voice of reason, and the one that ultimately kept them from ever ending up in jail. She believed in what she could see and feel, only letting the seldom little childish thoughts cross her mind now and again. She had allowed herself to believe that everyone and everything had a purpose and was destined to do something with their life or at least, for something to happen in it. She believed in truth and doing the right thing, as well as the best in people. She had forged all her friendships with trust and understanding, Akimi being her first one.

To this day she could still say it was the hardest one, but the best friend she's ever had. She would never regret their friendship. Akimi wasn't exactly forthcoming, especially around the time Kimiyo came along. Her life wasn't exactly a bed of roses. If anything it was the complete opposite. Despite it all, they became the best of friends, sisters really. She knew anything and everything about Akimi; even if sometimes she had to near beat it out of her and vice versa.

So to stand in that alley, with three people she didn't know and one of them, not only looking like a male replica of her best friend but also for that same male to come out and say that he just happened to be the twin of said friend was just a little too much. Not to mention the fact that she just witnessed as the replica, who said his name was Sora, and his other male friend with the white hair slice their way through a hoard of little black pigmy things that they called shadow heartless. She for one knew that shadows weren't substantial. She also knew that there's no possible way to pull a sword out of thin air or for any sword to be shaped like a key.

Oh and the icing on top of the cake: her best friend was kidnapped by four freaks in hooded robes that looked like they were a part of a cult and they went through a… and she really couldn't believe she was going to say this: a portal. She must've inhaled something at the movie theater and was either higher than the sky or sleeping and her reality-is-based-on-hard-facts subconscious got proverbially bitch-slapped by a heavy dose of fantasy. An extremely heavy dose. So she came up with two suggestions to prove this theory: slap herself in the face, hard and risk (that's if the situation was real) embarrassing herself in front of the strangers or subtly pinch herself, hard.

She went with the latter, and since her left hand was already hanging she laid it flat against her thigh and using the nails of her thumb and index finger, squeeze the skin of her leg as hard as trembling fingers would allow, which was actually pretty hard considering.

She didn't wake up like she planned. Ok now with plan B since reality was making her live this situation and most likely wanted to send her to a mental asylum. Her options where 1) talk to them and get some answers, since this was real, basically interrogate them in an Akimi or better yet Haruki fashion, or 2) scream bloody murder and hope that someone gets to her before one of them knock her out. Ok and even if she was considering the aforementioned option, what was she going to say? Especially after being silent for such a long time with nothing but shock plastered on to her face and being scared out of her wits?

"Liar." She found herself whispering before a thought of a true answer could enter her head.

"Smart." She thought to herself.

"The greatest answer of the year. My Kami, you really should win the Pulitzer for journalism!" She berated herself in her mind. She didn't let her internal mental scolding show on her face, but she knew she kept her face hard, even if it was mixed in with shock and tears that were drying on her cheeks. The male rep- Sora, was looking at her with a determined look on his face, and, she noted, remnants of tears on his own face.

"I'm not. I know this hard to-" He started shaking his head in the beginning, but she cut him off, anger bubbling to the surface again.

"Damn straight it's hard to believe. I've known Akimi practically my whole life and she never had a brother, let alone a twin." She said, stopping short of saying anything about Akimi being an orphan.

She didn't know them and they didn't exactly give any information worthwhile yet, so she would keep quiet on that detail. She saw his eyes widen at the information he received but return to their normal size almost instantly.

"She doesn't know about me." He said looking down.

No shit. She doesn't even know if her birth parents were alive! But before, when they had reached here and Akimi was kicking and screaming, trying to get herself free, when that bitch with the knife stuck it in her neck……

"You sure about that?" She said as a pang of hurt crept into her heart. He looked at her confused.

"I'm not deaf. I heard her call your name." she said, wondering why she let herself dwell on the fact.

Why was she bringing this up now?

There were bigger questions to ask…

But to think Akimi had been keeping something as big as finding a twin brother or even looking for her birth family from her hurt more than anything cruel Akimi could say, and she knew Akimi could say some cruel things, even though they weren't directed at her. His eyes widened again and it stayed that way longer this time. Kimiyo couldn't help but noticed he looked just like Akimi when someone told her something that actually surprised her… or if she was remembering something.

"She must have heard my name… back in the alleyway…" he said in a remembrance tone.

She couldn't help but let the feeling of relief wash over her. It was probably wrong, but she knew Akimi wouldn't keep something as big as this away from her. She looked at him as he stayed quiet after the last comment, racking her brain of what to ask next. It wasn't that she didn't have questions, it was just that she had too many to ask.

"How do you know about her?" she asked, letting him break out of his reverie.

Her voice was a little less loud but she wasn't going to at least pretend to be any less hostile. Jeez, she just wished she did have to be the harsh one and she wished she wasn't facing this alone… But then again Akimi would probably be standing right next to her and talking the boy in front of her down if the whole gang were here. Hell, Akimi probably wouldn't have been able to throw a punch if the boys had it their way. Inwardly she sighed, thinking of that option. She looked at him and realized that he hadn't said anything since she had asked him the last question. He looked at her his face serious, but his eyes lacking the same intensity.

"I- it's complicated." He said and Kimiyo let out a short laugh that sounded harsh even to her ears.

"Yeah, that's the second time I've heard that line tonight and you know what, doesn't get any better. You obviously know about her, and I want to know how." She said.

She was standing her ground on this. Besides, right now, with Sora standing in front of her, the whole world was getting a little less complicated. Hell, quantum physics was beginning to look like kindergartener work.

"You'll more than likely won't believe us." A new voice said. Kimiyo looked to the right were the girl she had ran with was standing. Kimiyo felt her features soften automatically when her eyes landed on the girl. There was something about the girl that couldn't let Kimiyo, or anyone for that matter, feel ill will toward her. But right now, Kimiyo couldn't agree with her.

"Honey, I just saw your two friends over there fight a hoard of little black, yellow eyed, pigmy things. One of them looks like my best friend's male mirror image. At this point everything is hard to believe, shouldn't even be able to be believable, but I'm beginning. I think if you said Santa Claus was real I'd probably believe you. I've seen things tonight that should never be considered real. So either this is a very elaborate prank that's gone too far and all those who are involved shall pay dearly and will feel my wrath or this is real, as much as I don't want it to be." She said, the last part ending quietly.

"So, I really doubt you'd have a problem with me believing you at the moment. If you would please continue." She said turning back to Sora.

"How do you know Akimi?" she asked turning fully toward him.

He looked at her and sighed, noting her determined face, so what else could he tell but the truth? He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes.

"Dreams." He said and he watched as her face went blank and she blinked once.

Then a second time.

Then a third.

Then she actually shook her head a little as if clearing it of something and looked back at Sora.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you right. Are you telling me that you know about my best friend who you say is your twin sister, through mental visions of a slumbering subconscious?" She said.

There went the 'I'll-believe-anything-you-say' statement Kimiyo had made earlier. But seriously. Dreams?!?! He dreamt about her? Isn't that wrong on some level of normalcy considering the situation? He had opened and closed his mouth quite a couple of times trying to find away to answer that. He looked up at the sky for a moment in thought before looking back at Kimiyo.

"You know how they sometimes say that dreams are doorways to other worlds? To another part of you that the rest of the world doesn't get to see? Well, it's a little more than true in my case." He said after choosing his words carefully.

She looked at him blinking again. Why did that oddly enough sound like something Akimi would say? Something that Akimi would try to explain to her? She looked at him sighing, her resolve to be angry ebbing slowly away.

"These dreams." She said addressing Sora.

"Did they happen to tell you that she was gonna get kidnapped?" she asked. She was actually attempting to lighten the mood, even if it was a dark way of doing so, but the immediate wash of guilt over his face almost knocked the breath out of her and set her anger on the rise again.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" she asked after everyone was quier after awhile.

"Because of the dreams, I've had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. But I didn't know they were going to take her away. I didn't even know that they were watching her. The… people that took her, they're apart of this group and none of them are supposed to even be alive. They-" Sora said, practically everything coming out in a rush, but when he had said 'not' and 'alive' in the same sentence, it sent up a red flag.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait just a minute. What do you mean not supposed to be alive? How would you even know that?" Kimiyo said looking at the boy.

"Because… I've seen to the destruction of this group… Most of them were killed by my hand." He said and for a split second, she didn't think he was serious.

But he didn't crack a smile and the corners of his mouth didn't twitch. Her eyes widened and Kimiyo took a step back. Ok, Akimi was bad, but this boy, Akimi's potential twin brother, actually killed people?

"I think we're getting a little a head of ourselves her. Look, your scaring her." She heard the other boy say.

"Riku's right. I think its best we explain everything to her. From the beginning, and I mean the very beginning." The girl next to Kimiyo said.

"Well, which beginning is that?" Sora asked a little confused.

"Where we come from." Kairi answered. Sora looked at Kairi and nodded before looking back at Kimiyo.

So moving closer, Sora explained how the world which Kimiyo was standing on wasn't the only one in existence and the universe was very different from what 'experts' say it was, that there were actually many worlds and those same worlds where connected, though that connection was a complex thing in itself, that Riku, Kairi, and his self weren't from this world, and more likely than not, Akmi wasn't from this world either. He explained about his Keyblade, the King, Heartless, and Organization 13, the group that no doubt had Akimi, even though, he stressed, they weren't supposed to be alive. He explained the dreams and finally their reason for being there.

Kimiyo had miraculously stayed where she stood, letting the boy and his other friend come closer and listened to everything the he had said. She had listened quietly, not butting in once and now that he was finished, she didn't know what to do next, because against her own beliefs, she believed him, no matter how hard she tried not to or how much she told herself that this boy and his friends were nuts. She knew why, even though she didn't want to admit it. She knew it was partly due to the fact that she knew when Akimi was lying or telling the truth: It showed in her eyes. And not only did this boy share the same face, they shared the same intense, cerulean blue, and, at the moment, truth filled eyes.

"Oh, sweet Kami." Kimiyo said looking away from the boy, taking a few steps and putting a hand to her forehead while the other went to rest on her stomach.

"Are… Are you ok?" the girl, Kairi had asked.

"Gimmie a minute." Kimiyo said trying to calm herself down. She took a few deep breaths, letting everything she was just told sink in, and getting over the effect of Akimi's... no not Akimi's... Sora's eyes. When she found herself calm she let her hands fall to her side not looking at them yet.

"And?" she said after another breath. She turned to look at them, each sporting a confused look on their face.

"What happens now?" she asked looking at the three, but her gaze ultimately ending up Sora. He looked between his friends before looking back at Kimiyo.

"We find her. And bring her back." He said with determination in his voice. She looked at him and gave him a sad smile.

She could tell…

She could tell that he would bring her back safely. Looking at him now, he would probably fight to the death for her, though he barely knew her…

There was only one problem and she wanted to know, though she couldn't voice that one question, that one single word that was flashing like a neon sign in her mind……

Where?

To Be Continued


Serenity Angel (holding back Akimi with Kairi, to Axel): Dude seriously, why the Hell did you have to go there?

Axel (Riku and Sora holding him back): Because she went there!!! (trying to break from of the boys' grips.)

Akimi (still struggling in S.A's and Kairi's hold): Oh yeah? Well if you weren't such an ass, I might've kept the comment to myself and not had to take you down a couple of notches. (tries to get loose)

Serenity Angel (getting pissed): Alright that's enough! (everyone quiet's down. S.A. lets go of Akimi and goes between her and Axel. Points to Akimi) You to the beanbag chair! (turns and points to Axel) you to the pillow corner! (Kairi lets go of Akimi and Riku and Sora let go of Axel. Both to their respected corners.) You two are acting like babies! And so help me if someone says hypocrite! (looks around the room and no one says anything. Looks at Akimi) You are to test the new do for a week, and if you don't like it, I'll change it back to how it used to be. (looks at Axel) She's been nice to you with your little hair problem, so you are to be nice, and so help me if you tease her about her hair, I will let Yukina make you her new play toy. Understood? (both look at the wall, but you can tell they understand. S.A sighs) What happened? You two used to get along well. It was like you were friends.

Akimi and Axel (mumbling): Why would I get along with that jerk (Akimi)/brat (Axel)? (Both hear what the other says and go into another yelling match. S.A. sighs shaking her head.)

Serenity Angel (over yelling): See you next time readers. (waves)