A/N: 6.16.11: So, in editing this chapter, I took out a lot of extra unnecessary stuff. It was cute at the time but, just... no. xD' I suppose I've never mentioned this, but Marluxia/Larxene is more or less of an implied pairing.

Old: I loved how Stefa was contradicting/getting pissed at the mysterious voice last chapter. I always did that in Kingdom Hearts i, and it was surprisingly pleasing. Due to the death threats from my best friend (or, rather, her intimidation tactics xD) I am updating fast. :D Anyway, in the last chapter, I thanked Kristi and Lily for their support... but I forgot to mention someone else who's stuck with me since the first book. :D' So, thanks, Kitsune-chan. :DD

Disclaimer-Yeah... I still don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I officially own the three official games. :D Although it would be nice to have the Final Mixes...

When they first landed in the Marketplace, Stefa had been prepared to make a remark about how the Radiant Garden didn't look any different, but she realized this was not true; the tiles that had been missing from the ground had been replaced. And, just by glancing around, she could tell that the Restoration Committee had worked hard to fix up the place. Stefa let out a low whistle. "Wow."

Kairi stepped beside her as the others moved on ahead. "They've done well, huh? We better hurry; everyone will want to see you!" She grabbed Stefa's wrist as the two of them ran out of the Marketplace

XxxxxX

"Marluxia has been acting weirdly toward me lately," complained Demyx. It was early morning (although it was hard to tell in the realm of darkness), and he was sitting alone in the kitchen with Reixka.

She rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Isn't what obvious?" he repeated with increased puzzlement.

Reixka let out an aggravated sigh. "Marluxia thinks that you're a threat."

Demyx was still not following, "A... threat?"

She was about ready to smack herself in the forehead, but she resisted. "Larxene. Marluxia. You," she paused to take in her friend's expression. "Do you get where I'm going?"

He was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded his head vigorously. "Marluxia's afraid that I'll get stronger than him and Larxene!"

Reixka did not stop herself from smacking her forehead this time. "Yes, Demyx, that's exactly it..." She sighed and shook her head ; it just was not worth the effort. Demyx smiled, gave her a pat on the back, and left the kitchen.

Lexaeus, who appeared to have been eavesdropping, entered the room with a smirk. "You're not trying to get the Nocturne to understand things beyond what his brain is capable of, are you?"

She realized that this was the first time she had actually had a real conversation with him, and she knew why; he looked quite intimidating. "Sadly so, a futile effort, huh?"

He boomed with laughter. "He's your friend, Number XIV."

She tilted her chair back as she stared at him for a few moments. As she had never spoken with him before, she decided it was worth a shot to ask, "What's the point of us going to different worlds?"

There was a brief suspicious look in his eyes before he shrugged. "No longer do I try to understand the Superior's actions," he answered cryptically. "Besides, we have all been going to the same worlds as you must unlock other worlds for us."

"Unlock...?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Another male voice answered. "Each world has a heart, like a regular person does. When the world's heart is unlocked, it can be easily destroyed. Not to mention, you can send a large amount of Heartless and Nobodies to it." They looked to the entryway where they found Zexion pausing outside of the kitchen.

"So, the Superior wants me to unlock the hearts of many worlds so that he can destroy them?" wondered Reixka.

Zexion shrugged as he joined them. "It's probable. However, for now, I think he just wants to make it easier for us to take care of the powerful forces in each world." She fell silent as she considered this.

XxxxxX

When they reached Merlin's House, Sora threw open the door and announced, "We've dragged someone here to see you guys!" Roxas and Riku stood on either side of him, Kairi and Naminé behind them, and Stefa and Elie were at the tail end.

From the kitchen, Cid replied, "You don't expect us to actually come and look for ourselves, do ya?"

Stefa forced herself to the front of the group, pouting. "Aw. I guess two years later that I haven't been missed as much as these guys have led me to believe."

"Keira!" exclaimed Yuffie as she sped down the stairs and embraced the girl in a bone-crushing hug.

"That's Stefa, Yuffie," corrected Leon.

"Y-Yuffie, you can call me whatever you want; just don't kill me." Stefa muttered in a strained voice, "Can't breathe."

"Oops." Yuffie murmured in her happy-go-lucky voice as she released her. "Sorry!"

Gingerly, Stefa rubbed her arm. "I missed you, too." Cloud and Tifa exited the kitchen, baby Aerith in her arms. Stefa did not give much to holding back her excitement as she ran across the room and knocked right into Cloud.

He managed a soft laugh as he returned the embrace. "You're back," he said with a smile.

"I am."

A new voiced called from further up the stairs. "Jeez. There's a love fest going on down here and I'm not invited?" remarked a girl, who was hanging off the railing, with bleach-tipped brown hair wearing a long sleeved green shirt beneath an orange tee, and a green skirt over a ragged pair of jeans. How long had it been since Stefa had heard that voice? A little over two years, at least, she decided.

She released Cloud and her eyes scanned the room until they stopped on the girl standing on the staircase, "Nalani? What the...?" Both girls stared at each other for a moment before squealing, running toward each other, and jumping around in excitement. After several moments, they managed to become relatively calm. "You're supposed to be dead... heartless. Whatever."

Nalani coughed. "Oh, thanks. Yeah, I noticed when I went to take a stroll in the graveyard."

Then, as if she remembered what was going on, Stefa looked up and glared at Nalani. "Why are you here? I mean... why do you exist?"

Nalani stuck out her tongue before she looked around at the room at large. "You guys wouldn't mind if I took Stefa away for a little, do you? We have some catching up to do. But you can catch up the group of them on what's going on. Thanks!" Nalani said to Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, and Tifa. She didn't wait for their answers as she grabbed the arm of her best friend and dragged her out of the house.

XxX

"I've already heard your story; most of it, at least." With the little munny that Nalani had taken from the local Heartless, she bought Stefa and herself sea salt ice creams. The two of them were sitting on one of the higher cliffs in the Great Maw.

"Then, what's yours?" asked Stefa with a mouth full of ice cream. "I figured the darkness had gotten you, too. Apparently, I was right."

Nalani nodded her head and stared into the distance with a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, it must have been the darkness, but it wasn't the same that you were in. I was drowning in it, and I was confused at what was happening. But then he came along; a boy with really shaggy hair and a longsword. He took my hand and sent me into the light, I guess. That's what the King seemed to have thought."

"A boy?" Stefa asked in a scandalous tone, grinning. "Ooh."

Nalani replied by elbowing her in the ribs. "He kind of looked like that boy from school..." Stefa nodded, needing no further explanation about him. The boy in question was a decent friend of Nalani's.

Becoming serious, she asked, "Do you think it was him?"

"Who knows? Anything is possible, I guess... I mean, if you and Quince were dragged into this - dragging me into it, too, on accident - Who's to say that he wasn't as well?"

"What about the King? What happened when once you got to the light?" Stefa prompted as she licked at the dripping part of her ice cream.

"Well, I wound up in a weird courtyard; the castle behind it was huge. So, I followed my instincts and found a way inside. Actually, I was stopped by this really tall, crazy dog. He said 'Hyuck!' a lot. Goofy, I'm sure you know him," she added. "I tried to explain what happened, but he didn't totally believe me, so he took me to the King.

"The King understood what had happened. He said he had already met you, so this must have been while you were out adventuring. He had that creepy duck, Donald, teach me magic, and it was useful; I can do more than regular magic." Nalani stated with a particularly secretive smile. "After a while, he sent me home, but that was once you were already gone again. A few days ago, he came to Jewel's Grove with Donald and Goofy, and told me that we were going to the Radiant Garden to see the keyblade wielders. Here I am now."

Stefa whistled, pouting, "Geez. Your story sounds a lot more fun than mine. Much safer, too."

"I'm sure it's tons of fun to have lost your heart," joked Nalani, "So, so, so! It's your turn, now. Tell me what's happened since... well... as far as you can remember after losing your heart."

Stefa took another bite out of her ice cream and put a finger to her chin. "Huh. Well, in the darkness... I met Quince, and I have no doubt it was him, whether real or imagined. I thought that he would be my light... but, I guess he couldn't be, because he's... well... you know," she mumbled, not wanting to have to speak the words. "He told me that he would always be with me... Anyway, after that, I met up with my Nobody, Reixka. I must have sounded half-crazy talking to her. I still don't understand how I talked to Reixka. Maybe it was because of our heart, because my mind was certainly in the darkness.

"My memories were going to her, too, and I was forgetting everyone. I tried to warn her that Organization XIII would use her, but she didn't want to listen. She wanted to know if I could give her a heart when I came into being again, and I told her I couldn't, and that she'd have to merge with me. It was strange. After that, I don't remember much until recently. Riku called me back from the darkness... He... was my light."

"I bet you wanted Quince to be your light," noted Nalani, and Stefa did not necessarily disagree, as she thought hard on the subject. Quince was... complicated. She had wrote him off during her previous adventure when he hurt her and her friends, but Riku was something different altogether. "But you do love Riku, don't you?" Nalani asked, as if sensing her thoughts.

Stefa nodded her head vigorously, blood rushing to her cheeks. "Of course! More than anything, but Quince... I've known him since we were kids."

"I understand, don't worry. What happened afterward?" Stefa began to tell her about the mini-fight with Reixka directly following her revival, and Nalani growled, "What a brat." Then, Stefa finished talking of the dragon and awakening.

"Wow, a true awakening, huh?" mumbled Nalani. "And I was in the picture? Cool! Quince too, huh?

Stefa nodded slowly. "Yeah... " she recalled her feelings as she stared at the stained glass, and shook her head. "Regardless, he'll always be with me; if nowhere else, here," she gestured to her chest. "There was something else, though, Nala. Something that didn't fit," the other girl watched with interest, and Stefa briefly explained the black figure.

"That... is weird, but I can't make any sense of it at all. Maybe it was a reference to Cloud's daughter?"

Stefa shrugged because, truthfully, she had no clue. "Maybe," she agreed, even if she did not much believe it herself. Something more probable came to mind. "Hey, maybe it was referencing my anti-form! It's been around so often that it wouldn't surprise me at all." They turned the conversation away from the serious stuff as Nalani began to interrogate her about Riku.

About two hours later, the two of them had long returned, and Stefa told everyone else about her awakening, though no one had thought it was of any significance. At the very least, no one had said anything out loud about it, and she assumed that some of them - particularly Sora - were thinking about it. Her theory about her anti-form was neither confirmed, nor denied.

Following the explanation, she had retreated up to the roof, which she distantly recalled jumping with Roxas once. When she looked down, near the front door, she could recall her first meeting with Quince out of Jewel's Grove. 'It's weird, though,' she thought as she watched the sun begin to set. 'Back then, on the pillar, I remembered that memory from Twilight Town, the one I had of some girl distantly resembling me standing on a beach. Why would that be?'

"You're very secluded," pointed out a voice from behind her, nearly causing her to jump off of the roof. A gentle hand grabbed her to prevent her from falling and she was pulled back down and beside Riku. "You have a nice chat with your friend, with everyone about business-related things, and then you come up here with no regular talk in between. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Stefa managed a weak giggle as she rested her head against his shoulder, surprised at how natural that felt. "Sorry, Riku; I should be ashamed."

"That's what I like to hear," he answered with his usual smirk. Her cheeks flooded with color as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her protectively; her heart fluttered and, once again, she was surprised at how right it felt.

After a moment or so, she mumbled, "How long do you think this calm will last?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "You need to be more of an optimist."

"I'm being a realist," she countered, sticking her tongue out; even at seventeen, she had not seemed to age a single bit.

His face became a little more serious as he answered, "You'll be alright, Stefa. I won't let anything happen to you again. I promise." She looked up, surprised, before a smile appeared on her face as she rested her head against his chest.

XxxxxX

"You probably have an idea of how to swim, right, Reixka?" asked Larxene as she, the aforementioned Nobody, and Demyx, appeared out of a dark portal and into a rather cramped, dark place.

Reixka squinted in the darkness, "Yeah. Where are we?"

"Atlantica!" replied Demyx with a grin she could not see.

"I meant what are we inside of."

"Oh." He answered by standing and pushing something up, and, Reixka took in her surroundings. The world was amazingly bright considering it was at the bottom of the ocean. Different types of seaweed, coral, and other ocean plants surrounded them.

Reixka attempted to get use to swimming and found, with little surprise, that she picked it up with ease. "Whoa. Cool. Is this why Vexen cast a spell on us before we left?" She glanced back at the other two, noticing the differences. "Oh. We're not in our coats anymore, are we?"

Larxene, who was now dressed in a blue bikini, shook her head, "Too hard to move around in," Reixka noticed that Demyx was wearing a pair of trunks with a wave design, and, when she looked down at herself, she was wearing a red bikini.

"I don't want to know how we magically got these on. Oh, no," muttered Reixka, shaking her head. She didn't ask what she was truly curious about: how they were breathing underwater; she simply assumed it also had to do with Vexen's magic. "Where do we have to go?"

Obviously pleased at knowing the plan for once, he answered, "The princess's Grotto." On another note, as he was still clearly pleased at being in the know, he added, "And someone else will be going after your Somebody about now."

'So, she'll finally face the full wrath of Organization XIII,' thought Reixka, grinning briefly, before repeating,"The princess's grotto? As in, a Princess of Heart?" Both Demyx and Larxene shook their heads.

"Nope. It would be inconvenient if she was, anyway, being a mermaid," stated Larxene.

"All we have to do is swim to the Grotto and I unlock the keyhole?"

"Yep! And stay out of sight," added Demyx.

Larxene shrugged. "Not that it matters if we're seen; I can use electric-based attacks after all." And there appeared the sadistic smile that Reixka had come to know so well.

"Fried fish, huh?" Reixka muttered, unable to help but smile.

"You bet!" replied Larxene as she swam forward a little, "Oh, how convenient. We picked a shell right near it." Reixka, looking back, noticed that the three of them had squeezed inside of a shell; weird... and painful.

Demyx seemed to be dreading their mission now. "I hope she isn't in there."

"Where is it?" Reixka asked, following last, and stopping beside Larxene.

Larxene pointed at a rock that appeared to be obscuring part of a cave. "That right there." She swam down first, Demyx followed with Reixka hot on his heels. He pulled aside the rock to reveal the grotto's entrance and re-blocked it once everyone was inside.

With their luck, they spotted a mermaid laying on the rock in the center of the grotto; Larxene and Demyx had seen pictures of the princess of Atlantica and knew this wasn't her. This girl had long black hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and her tail was pink.

The Savage Nymph darted forward first, a joyful look on her face. Demyx and Reixka quickly followed in her wake. Grabbing a handful of her knives between her fingers, Larxene faced the girl. "I suggest you leave unless you want things to get ugly." Her voice was chilling, and, finally, the girl looked up at her with a truly frightened face. As she stared at the fifteen-year-old, Reixka felt... something. It was a difficult feeling to place, especially considering she had no heart.

As if she could sense that Reixka was thinking of her, the mermaid looked to her, You! You look kind of like..." She broke off, terrified as Larxene closed in.

Reixka forced whatever feelings she was having back down as an idea came to mind."No, please, Larxene. Allow me the pleasure." Larxene raised on eyebrow but said nothing as she backed off and Sakura Dawning flashed into her hand. "Melody, right?" Stefa's memories still flooded her brain, and it proved quite simply to call upon the girl's name as she smiled. "Yeah, it's me, Stefa."

"Stefa? I know a Keira, but not..." trailed off Melody.

"Yeah, yeah." Reixka waved her off. "That was my name at the time when I had forgotten my true name. Anyway, Melody," she moved closer and placed the teeth of her keyblade to the girl's throat. "Are you going to leave or what?"

"Why are you here? My mom's at the castle!" Melody suddenly grew suspicious, particularly at the sight of the weapon. Stefa's keyblade was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen, and she would not forget what it looked like any time soon. "You resemble Keira, but to a point; you're not her! That's not even her weapon! You want to use that keyblade thing and unlock the keyhole!" The three Organization members were taken aback. How could such a little girl know about such an important thing?

Larxene strode forward, electricity sparking in her hands. "See, now you know too much... How... unfortunate."

XxxxxX

"Someone looked comfortable earlier." Stefa was blushing terribly and Nalani was antagonizing her; it was just like old times.

She willed the blush to disappear, but it refused. "Why did you have to come call us for dinner?" mumbled Stefa. Nalani was one of the few who would use what she saw to her advantage.

"Because I'm your best friend, remember?" replied Nalani as she slung an arm around Stefa's neck and purposely dragged her down.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she whispered.

Nalani's hold tightened, though she still appeared cheerful. "What was that?"

Stefa's red face was beginning to turn blue. "I love you dearly," groaned Stefa as cheerfully as she could manage without the proper amount of air. "And, I'm going to bed." Somehow, she managed to escape Nalani's vice grip and duck into her bedroom. She wasted no time in locking the door behind her. "She's scary sometimes."

"Sleep with an eye open," sang Nalani as she headed for her own bedroom. Even if Nalani and her violence sometimes frightened her, she was beyond relieved that she had the opportunity to be put into a headlock by her best friend once more. She collapsed onto the bed, sinking into the down comforter as she stared at the ceiling. Even if life would never be the same again, having Nalani back made her feel a little more normal. Stefa did not bother to kick off her shoes and climb under the comforter before passing out in the center of the bed.

XxX

For some reason, her head felt particularly heavy as she lifted it from the ground. Stefa gazed around to take in her surrounds, but there was not much to see. Aside from the thin path she was lying on, there was only a smoky-like darkness surrounding her. Her hand unconsciously grasped the path, expecting it to feel like snow, but it was surprisingly hard. "Ugh," she grunted as she pushed herself to her feet.

She had been wrong after all; there was slightly more to the area. Up ahead, there was a set of large white doors. Though she was sure she had never been here before, it felt oddly familiar. Why? Where was this? Her feet were clumsy beneath her, and she tripped a little as she made for the door. There was something about the doors, some type of power from there was drawing her...

Her clunky white shoes stumbled over a bump in the path, and she fell onto all fours. Without standing, she looked up at the doors in awe. Now that she was closer, she could tell that they were slightly open... And there were people there! There was a boy, his hair spiked in an odd fashion, and, with a gasp, she realized it was the fourteen-year-old Sora! Behind him were the familiar forms of Donald and Goofy.

She tried to call to them, but her voice didn't seem to work. Frowning, she stood back up and drew close enough that she was nearly standing behind Goofy. The doors, which had been a little open, were now closing very slowly. Goofy and Donald moved onto either side of Sora as they pushed the doors closed. The worst part of it all was that they were closing the doors on someone inside, and that person was... Shorter silver hair, brighter eyes; it was Riku. They were closing the doors on Riku!

'Wait!' She wanted to call. 'Don't! Sora, he's your friend! Please, don't!' But then the doors were shut, and her resulting gasp was quite audible. Sure, she could gasp, but she couldn't speak. She turned around as Sora ran off and she followed after. Stefa stopped after a point when she saw Kairi, a younger version with shorter hair. Why was Kairi in the realm of darkness? Why was Stefa in the realm of darkness? Kairi and Sora were grasping hands and obviously speaking. What was happening? She felt so overwhelmed.

And, all of a sudden, Sora released Kairi's hand and she was going downward on her little isle of sand. Sora was shouting comforting things at her, but Stefa knew that the other girl must feel awful. She turned around, wanting to get out, and her whole body stiffened. The doors that Sora had just sealed were opening again! Crawling out were armies of Shadows and several really large things that had heart-shaped holes in their chests. Stefa tried to summon Shadow Heart, but it was no good. This was it.

'Do you know why you're here?' A voice asked, but it was not her own. Stefa looked around for the source to no avail. 'This is where it all began.' A light engulfed the area, and the Heartless dissolved. As she was engulfed, Quince's smiling face appeared briefly and disappeared too soon. Once the light was gone, she was in a completely white area with nothing but a large mirror before her. Out of simple curiosity, she placed her hand on the glass; it was so warm that she should have taken her hand away, but she didn't. Her reflection mimicked her, even as she smiled and placed her other hand onto the glass. Why was she smiling?

The reflection morphed into a person she did not, at first, recognize. Fair hair and pale skin but, before she could get a better look, the glass turned black, like the glass on her necklace. The final thing she saw of the reflection was a cool smile. 'The beach,' she thought, still unable to speak. 'Why does this remind me of the beach?'

The glass returned to its crystalline color as her reflection morphed a second time. Staring back at her with brown and silver-streaked hanging down her back was her Nobody, who smiled in a creepy fashion, a different smile from both Stefa and the second image. There was a dagger clenched in Reixka's hand, and it shattered the mirror, causing pieces to break into Stefa's skin and knocking her backward. Reixka was standing above her, about ten feet taller, cackling madly as she brought the dagger down. Stefa screamed. 'You understand so little,' mused the voice from before.

Stefa awoke in a cold sweat, her eyes scanning the room for hopeful signs that she was still in her bedroom. Her shoes clunked quite audibly as she placed her feet on the floor and rested her elbows in her lap. 'Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.' Stefa managed to calm herself a little although she continued to pant. Distantly, she wondered if she had screamed out loud. After five more minutes of sitting up, she collapsed back onto the bed and re-closed her eyes.

There was a prickling sensation on her right wrist, slowly working its way up her arm. The sensation was beginning to feel like actual pressure on her arm, so she reopened her eyes. She was not ready to face what was clenching her arm. Several vines had sprouted from the ground and were beginning to take over her whole right arm. Briefly, she thought of Twilight Town, the train station, and the pink-haired Organization member... Too shocked to scream, she stared at the vines in horror. "...Ma-Marluxia." Instinct kicked in, and her legs began to kick at the plants, both of her arms wriggled, and she opened her mouth to scream, only to be silenced by a gloved hand.

XxxxxX

Little Melody lay on the grotto's floor, unconscious and unmoving. "I think you two might have gone a little overboard..." Demyx muttered as Reixka swam in the direction of the keyhole. Sakura Dawning automatically tugged in its direction, emitting a light from its tip. There was a clink, and Reixka knew she had done her job. Both females shrugged at Demyx's remark.

I want to hurt anyone that is special to Stefa," Reixka informed Demyx. "And that girl is just one of many." Demyx stared at her with shock. When he first met the Nobody, he was sure she had not been quite like this.

"That a'girl." Larxene patted Reixka fondly on the head before she and Demyx summoned Heartless and Nobodies by the dozen. "Take care of the ruler and his followers."

Demyx appeared nervous. "Can we go before she wakes up?" he asked with a downward glance at Melody.

"She's just a kid. What can she possibly do to us?" Larxene asked, laughing. "But sure. We're done here. The Heartless and Nobodies will take care of everyone that needs to be taken care of."

Reixka stared down at the girl as Larxene and Demyx swam past her. She felt something pull inside of her again. Could it be pity? No, of course not; she had no heart and that would never change. Reixka shrugged her shoulders and headed after Larxene and Demyx, who were already entering a portal.

XxxxxX

"Stefa? I thought I heard you scream. Are you okay?" called Naminé from outside of the bedroom, but there was no response whatsoever. She sighed. 'I don't like this. Even if she is just asleep... I'd rather be safe than sorry.' Chain of Memories flashed into her hand, and a shot of light unlocked the door with a satisfying click.

Naminé pulled on the handle, opened the door, and closed it behind her. When she turned around to look at the room, she gasped. Marluxia was holding Stefa with one hand placed over her mouth. "Oh, Naminé," his voice was pleasant, as if he was talking to an old friend. She quickly turned to reopen the door, but several vines appeared around her. "Lock the door."

She heard herself whimper as she obeyed the orders and turned around to face one of the more sinister Organization members. "Come here." She decided she would not be ordered around that easily and shook her head. With Chain of Memories, she could not be controlled by him. Marluxia's scythe appeared in a flash of petals; he pressed it to Stefa's throat. "Come here." Once again, Naminé whimpered, tightened her grip on Chain of Memories (as if it would help), and walked over to Marluxia and Stefa. Stefa looked into Naminé's eyes; they shared a brief understanding.

Stefa elbowed Marluxia in the stomach, causing him to grunt in mild pain. She ran forward and stopped beside Naminé. "Now is not the time to play hero - I mean, heroine, Stefa," mumbled the once-Nobody.

"What's the plan, then?" Marluxia was drawing nearer to them.

"I need time to summon the portal. When I do, we'll jump in." The two of them barely nodded in understanding before setting in opposite directions.

Stefa summoned Shadow Heart and glared at Marluxia. "It's not very fair when you grab someone from behind, or break into their room." Now that she thought of it, if the Organization could break into houses, why had they not done it sooner?

Marluxia chuckled quietly. "Do not bother fighting me, Princess; we both know how this will end." Stefa pictured her fifteen-year-old self getting choked by vines in the train station.

She shook the thought from her head. "Bite me." Before she anticipated movement, Marluxia disappeared in a flurry of petals and reappeared behind her. Instinctively, she slammed her keyblade into his stomach.

"Stefa!" Naminé called from across the room, a portal beside her. Stefa ran toward it, but she was stopped by Marluxia swinging his scythe at her feet. She tumbled forward a little, but it was still not far enough to grab Naminé's outstretched hand. Her body hit the ground with a particularly loud thud; even if she couldn't get away, all of the noise they were making would certainly get someone's attention. Marluxia grabbed her foot, hindering her from calling, 'Hopefully before it's too late.'

She nearly felt relief when two voices outside of the room called, "Stefa! Naminé!" Even Naminé had been loud enough to grab someone's attention. There was another clink as the door unlocked and Marluxia quickly summoned a portal and began to drag Stefa toward it. Naminé narrowed her eyes into a glare, allowing her portal to disappear as she swiped at Marluxia with Chain of Memories. Though it wasn't enough to do any real damage, it was enough to distract him. His grip on Stefa slackened as he swung Graceful Dahlia at Naminé.

Naminé, surprising even herself, held up Chain of Memories to block the attack. Roxas and Riku burst into the room as Stefa jumped up and swung at Marluxia from behind. Even if they weren't doing much damage, there dedication to beating the Nobody up was admirable. Marluxia's expression turned into an annoyed snarl as he swung at Naminé again and, this time, she did not block in enough time. The blade caught her around the stomach, and she fell quite gracefull to the floor.

When he turned on his heel in Stefa's direction, he found Riku standing before her with Way to Dawn raised. "I don't have time for your heroics, Keyblade Wielders," announced Marluxia as he disappeared with the petals again. He reappeared behind Stefa with little trouble and dragged her as quickly as he could to his fading escape. Marluxia was not anticipating Riku's speed or strength.

In a flash of light, the silver-haired keyblade bearer was before him, holding Way to the Dawn in an offensive manner. Stefa's heart was beating frantically in her chest. Marluxia ran forward, indifferent that he was dragging the princess behind him, and slashed at Riku with his scythe. Having peeled herself off the floor and, ignoring the gash in her stomach, Naminé raised her hands. "Light!" Light shot out of her hands and knocked Marluxia off balance, allowing Stefa to escape and regain her bearings.

"Thanks, Naminé." Riku called at the same time as Stefa while Roxas helped Naminé to her feet. back to the blonde.

They had, momentarily, ignored Marluxia; big mistake. "Riku!" called Stefa as the Nobody ran at Riku, bowling him over with Graceful Dahlia. Once Riku was out of comission, Marluxia fixed Stefa with a brief glare before disappearing again.

...And reappearing behind her. Stefa anticipated as much, and she awkwardly waved Shadow Heart behind her. Marluxia spat a curse as the teeth of her keyblade caught him in the fact. "That's all you can manage? You're getting a tad annoying being conscious." Graceful Dahlia was making her more familiar with her floor than she had ever expected. He reached out to grab her, and a brief light escaped from Shadow Heart, hitting the offending hand. There was another curse. "More trouble than you're worth," he growled as vines begun to drag her toward him, wrapping around her right arm and all of Shadow Heart. Once she was close enough, he wrenched her up by her free arm, nearly pulling it out of its socket in the process, and brought her face closer than she had ever wanted to his.

Graceful Dahlia disappeared as he pushed on the back of her neck, and the room disappeared from around her. With Marluxia disarmed, Roxas used his duel keyblades to knock the Assasin away. Before Stefa's unconscious body could fall to the ground, Riku pushed himself off of the floor and caught her. Naminé used another light spell on Marluxia and, with Roxas, they managed to throw him back through his own portal.

Roxas' chest was heaving as his keyblades disappeared. "She's alright. Marluxia just pressed the pressure point on the back of her neck. She'll probably wake up in the morning."

"It's bold of the Oranization to show up in her room like this," noted Naminé as she joined them and examined the damage done to her white nightgown; it was nothing she couldn't live with. While both she and Roxas were in their pajamas, she noticed, both Riku and Stefa were still fully dressed.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, well... It's a good thing you were around." Riku nodded a little too as Way to Dawn disappeared and he stood with Stefa's limp form. Shadow Heart disappeared in a shower of light.

"I don't want her in this room alone, so..." Riku exited the room and started in the direction of his own. "I'll take her into mine."

Naminé made to protest, but Roxas put a hand on her shoulder. "He doesn't want her out of his sight now, especially if the Organization can just come back," he said with a reassuring smile. "Speaking of, are you alright? That was so brave of you. A little reckless, but-"

She managed a small smile. "What can I say? I learned from you and Axel best." Roxas managed a chuckle as he pulled her into his arms. There was no doubt in her mind (or anyone else's that had been in the room) that she had come a long way from being pushed around by Marluxia and Larxene.

XxxxxX

Marluxia landed in the center of the crowded meeting room flat on his back. Reixka snickered, as did Xigbar and Vexen. "Judging by the fact that you're all alone, Number XI, I'd have to say that you failed."

"Remind me why we don't attempt to recruit Roxas back onto our side, sir?" Marluxia muttered as he picked himself off of the ground and allowed his weapon to disappear. "He's terribly powerful."

"It would be a wasted effort," answered Saïx. "He would never join us. Even if he did, he would be playing double agent for the other side."

Marluxia dusted his coat off. "I sure as hell don't like him on their side,"

"What do you expect from Sora's Nobody? Or is it Somebody now?" added Saïx, if not a little bitterly.

The Superior appeared to be little more than bored. "I suppose that we will have to try to snatch the girl another time. This meeting is dismissed." At his words, the Nobodies dispersed, though most did not do so without first making a witty comment at Marluxia.

Larxene walked over to him and shook her head. "How is it possible for Demyx to execute a mission perfectly while you fail miserably?"

"Because he had you," came the sour reply.

A/N: Ooh, big chapter. Yay. :D That was a fun chapter. The fight sequence actually was something I was day dreaming about last night when I couldn't sleep. Only-Riku was in Naminé's spot which means that Naminé and Roxas never were going to come in. But I changed it. :D I know that Stefa seems pathetic, but she kinda is. xD' I mean, she hasn't truly fought in over two years. Aside from that, she hasn't faced Marluxia for a longgg time. Besides, I wanted to use that fight to show 1) Naminé's strength, 2) Riku's love. Why the second? Because it will be more important as the series goes on.

See you next chapter - please review!