"Would you mind telling me what that was all about?" I asked from across the white room. He seemed very mellow now, almost as if his huge revelations about what we were meant nothing anymore. For all I knew, that was the case. It infuriated me, that he wouldn't share his findings with me. Even more frustrating was the fact that I didn't seem to have access to those thoughts, even if he was what he claimed to be. Instead of answering me, he simply slouched against the wall, his head hung low and his arms limp on the floor. Were it not from the gleam of intermittent tears, I may have believed that he was asleep. "Dammit, White! Answer me. Say something!"

"I was wrong," he sniffled, looking up at me finally through glistening eyes, surrounded by soaked cheeks, "Horribly, horribly wrong."

"Wrong? What were you wrong about?"

"It wasn't just me," he continued, almost distant, as if he weren't talking to me, but to himself. In essence, that may not have been too far from the truth. "He was wrong too. Everyone was wrong."

"Wrong about what?" I repeated, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"We're doomed," he trailed off, lowering his head again. After a few more tears, his sobbing slowly turned to laughing. White was starting to scare me.

"Look at me!" I shouted, walking across the room and grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him a bit. I got nothing but laughter in response. Out of any other options, I raised a hand, striking him across the face. Surprisingly, it hurt. My head suddenly turned aside from the impact of my own hand. It would seem that White really was what he claimed.

"Why did you do that?" he asked in a low tone, staring me directly in the eyes as I turned to look at him.

"You were losing your mind. I had to do something to snap you out of it." I backed away a bit, now sitting before him. "Now tell me what's going on. Who was wrong about what?"

"First of all. I was not losing my mind. If that happened, you'd be just as fucked as I was." He smirked, knowing what I was thinking. How did I know that I hadn't already lost my mind? "As for who was wrong, everyone was. They were wrong about what we are."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when the King told you that you belong to neither darkness, nor light? It's the other way around. You, we, belong to both, actually."

"Meaning what?"

"Well, you know what the personification of darkness is: The Heartless. Now, the personification of light is the other half of that: The Nobodys."

"Wait, I thought that both were bad. I mean, the both kill people, right?"

"I wish you would stop interrupting me. Yes, it is true that they both kill people. But who said that the light was good? And why should darkness be evil? Light is light, and dark is dark. The problem with most people is that they see everything in black and white. No one ever sees the universe for what is. In truth, it's very grey. In fact, even 'Good' and 'Evil' are man-made. When your soldiers kill people simply because they were ordered to, they are revered as good, but when a street thug takes a life to protect his family's, he's called a killer, a murderer, evil. Why is that?" White smirked as he found me speechless. "Now, have I answered your question? May I continue with my previous point?"

"Please do."

"As I stated previously, we belong to both Light and Darkness. That said, we are both Heartless and Nobody. The Heartless part is you, and I am your Nobody. Are you following?"

"But isn't that what everyone is? Heartless and Nobody are two halves of a whole, as I understand it. So, wouldn't being both simply mean that we would be merely human?"

"That's a common misconception. You're correct. They are two halves of a whole, but in the same respect as puzzle pieces. When you put puzzle pieces together, they are no longer puzzle pieces, but a puzzle, a picture. The same goes for Heartless and Nobody, when the right two are conjoined, they become something completely different from both. They become human."

"And how's that different from what I pointed out?"

"We are not human. We are both Heartless and Nobody, disjointed, and within the same body. That's the reason that there are two of us here. Were we to become one, then things would be different."

"So, why are we separate? And why is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know why. What I do know, though, is that if we aren't put together soon, then we will divide into our respective beings, and be no better than Organization XIII or the Heartless Knights. Without a soul to control you, your emotions would take complete control of your actions, and you would spread your sorrow and hatred to every heart you could. As for me, I would roam the universe, trying to find a heart to replace you. In short, we would become the very things that we're set on destroying."

"So, how do we connect?"

"I don't know."

The two of us were silent for the next few minutes. I was letting all this new information sink in. He was letting me do that. The concept was over the top, the notion of two separate beings sharing one body, and the idea of combining them to make a new person. This whole thing went against the very laws of the universe.

I looked back to White, remembering my original question. "So, what was all that drama with Larxess?"

"What about it?" he questioned.

"That whole ordeal about holding her close and showing so much affection. For one, she's the enemy. For two, if Yuffie ever found out, I don't think she'd be too thrilled."

"What? Are you the only one allowed to love now?"

"Touché." He had a point there. I hadn't considered the idea that he might develop interests in the same way that I did. "Well, then maybe you could explain some of the things said."

"Like what?"

"Like, what did she mean when she said that she was emotion?"

"Oh, that. Well, Heartless are hearts that have given into darkness. Being hearts, they are the emotion of the people that they used to be, as well as the conscience, the personality, if you will. Nobodys, on the other hand, have no emotion, but are driven by logic, and understanding. As the soul, their purpose is to guide the heart, and make sure that it doesn't get in over its head."

"So, if Nobodys have no emotion, then how come you shed tears, and express anger? How are you able to have love?" I thought I had found a hole in his theory.

"Ah, yes. I've been meaning to apologize. I've found that, since we share the same body, I am able to use you as a conduit, and experience emotions through you. They are much more amazing than I had thought they would be." He smirked, and then lowered his head. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner."

One last question still taunted me, its answer being very elusive. "So, you never told me how you know so much."

"There's a theory, of a collective consciousness, where everyone has access to the anything that anybody else knows. It's actually rumored that infants hold the greatest stake in the well of knowledge. Unfortunately, as they grow up, that knowledge is seen as mere fantasy, and they are told every day that it's all in their head. Eventually, they stop visiting this vast library of information, letting go of the ability to return. Without returning, you can't check out books anymore. In a sense, they forget everything that doesn't hold direct precedence in their daily life. I'll give you one guess as to what this library is called."

"Don't tell me, Imagination."

"Exactly."

"That's one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard."

"Then tell me something. You took algebra in high school, right? Can you remember even half of the theorems and algorithms that you learned?"

"What? Probably not, but that's an entirely different idea. What you're telling me is that everyone who ever exists has the ability to all the knowledge in the universe, but we simply forgot it. That doesn't match up with reality."

"Two months ago, if I had come to you and told you that you were actually only half of yourself, that there are millions of universes out there, with inhabitants just like yourself, or your fellow humans. If I had told you about the Heartless, the Nobodys, the Keyblades, would you have believed me then?"

"Probably not," I answered in a meek voice. I could see where he was going with this.

"And yet, here you are, talking to yourself in the depths of your own head, while your body is sleeping on a different world than your home." He smirked, knowing that he'd proved himself. "We'll talk later. Right now you've got to wake up. Why don't you have a chat with Sora, he seems to be rather down at the moment."

-

My eyes opened, showing me a dark room, lit only by the moon shining through the open window. Getting out of the bed I'd slept in, I left the room, making my way down the stairs, and into the lobby. I had the only room upstairs, while Tidus and Auron rested in one of the ground level rooms. Their door was open, letting the heavy breathing of two men who'd been severely beaten to fill the lobby. Next to that room, was a closed door, where I had assumed Kairi was sleeping. Having not seen Sora, I exited the building. Sure enough, he was sitting on the steps, staring at the night sky.

"Where's Riku?" I asked, taking a seat next to him.

"He's over at the entrance to town, waiting for the others," he said, "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm sure Kairi's lonely."

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Well, I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment. I figured that fresh air would do me some good."

"Maybe."

"So," I let my voice fade off, "If something's up, I'm decent at listening."

"Thanks, but it's more of a personal problem."

"Understandable. But I'll leave the offer open, if you change your mind."

We were silent for a long time. I could see that something was painfully wrong, and in turn, was saddened that I couldn't help. What was going on behind his blue eyes? Why did it hurt me so much that I did nothing but stare at the sky along with him? I hung my head, disgusted at my own apparent uselessness.

"It's just," he finally broke the silence, "I met my other half a few years ago. His name was Roxas. While I was asleep for a year, he made a life of his own. He had friends. When I woke up, I took that all away from him. In essence, I ended his life. Sometimes, I think he hates me for it. What right did I have to do that?"

Was he serious? He was getting depressed about something that happened so long ago? Still, I felt obligated to help him out. "Well, I'm not sure I can sympathize, but I've been in a somewhat similar situation. I'm still not sure what exactly happened, or will happen. All I knew was that certain events occurred, that I didn't have any control over. The only option I had was to accept it and move on." I put a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, if he was a part of you, then he still has a life, as well as friends. So long as you let him share your emotions, there's no way he can be anything but happy."

Sora offered me a brief smile, standing up and opening the door. "You might just have something there." He went inside and, I could only assume, to bed.

"Yeah, maybe," I sighed to no one. Even I didn't fully believe what I'd just said. For the moment, I simply sat on those steps, unable to even convince myself that I was tired. I was still confused from what White had told me. By all accounts, it shouldn't be possible. Then again, by all accounts, this whole universe shouldn't be possible. Maybe, just maybe, I really was insane, locked up in a padded room, ranting and raving about Heartless, and Nobodys, and how Earth got destroyed.

-

"Wake up, dumbass," an unkind voice snorted as its hands shook my head. "We're leaving."

"What?" I sat up, taking a look around. Apparently, I'd fallen asleep on the steps. Riku was standing above me, in the process of walking away. "Leaving? Where are we going?"

"We're continuing our chase after Sin. We should be able to move a little faster with only three people."

"Three? Wait. There were six of us chasing after Sin."

"Well, Tidus and Auron are too badly hurt to continue, so they're going to rest on the ship. Kairi's tending to them." He was already halfway across the plaza. "Come on; get your ass in gear. We're losing time."

I stood up and followed him to another set of stairs that led up to a platform that overlooked a fair amount of Luca. From that platform, there was yet another set of steps, then a long dirt road. At the beginning of the road, sat the ship. Sora gave Kairi one last embrace before backing off as the ship began to lift off. Soon enough, it was gone, leaving just the three of us. It figured. Just when I thought we were going to have strength in numbers, those numbers get cut in half.

"So, how are we going to catch up with Sin?" I wondered, "We don't even know where it is."

"Leon told me that it's sitting in a huge, low lying plains area that the locals call the Thunder Plains. It's not too far from here," Riku admitted.

"And just how do you propose that we make it there before it leaves?"

"Sora, if you would?"

Sora nodded, holding his hands out in front of him. The ground at his feet began to glow a vibrant white. Some sort of circular design, made of the same, pale light, appeared in the air at his fingertips. He pulled his hands back, summoning his Keyblade. Then, he thrust it into the design, the blade aiming at the sky. Twisting his wrist, he spun his weapon clockwise at a very high speed, until the glowing circle was drawn onto the blade. He then thrust the Key upward. The white glow appeared around all three of us, closing in and tightening around our bodies. After a few seconds, it disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, still chasing the spots that the light had placed in my vision. My eyes weren't able to move fast enough to keep up with them.

"There's no time for questions. Let's move." With that, Riku began running down the road, and Sora followed not too long after.

"Dammit! Why don't they ever answer my questions?" I raced after them, catching up rather quickly.

-

We ran for quite some time along that road. Having passed through it, we were now stepping on rock, rushing through what seemed to be some sort of inset in a bluff. I still didn't know how running like this would help us reach Sin before it moved again. They had also never explained to me what that whole lightshow was about. What I did notice, though, is that for the amount of ground we'd covered, I wasn't nearly as tired as I should be.

As if to answer my questions, Sora slowed down, waiting for me to catch up before picking up speed to keep an even pace with me. He pointed out toward the water than rested below the bluff we ran through. I was astonished. Sitting just above the water, was a flock of birds. They were completely motionless, sitting in the air as if they were part of a painting. That's when I understood. We were moving at an accelerated speed, due to some sort of magic. It only seemed that nothing had changed because we were all affected.

Suddenly, the rock stopped, and we were on a dirt road again. This time, though, there was a vast lake, cutting our path to an abrupt stop. I slowed down, hoping that there was some sort of bridge that we could cross on. As I examined the surrounding area, I heard the sound of splashing. Looking back toward the water, I noticed Sora and Riku running straight across the water, kicking up a few droplets as their feet hit the surface. As the droplets began falling away from the feet, they remain suspended in the air, creating a very surreal, anti-gravity sense. Sora was looking over his shoulder, waving me on. I ran after them, continuing our race from the land to what had been reduced to a mere puddle.

-

After clearing the water, there was one final stretch of dirt road that led to the mouth of a cave. We now rested inside that cave, as the spelled seemed to have worn off. The exhaustion was setting in now, as we leaned against the cavern walls. The walls themselves seemed to be laced with tree roots. All in all, it was a magnificent place. However, we weren't there for tourism. We were simply taking a break to catch our breath before passing through.

After we'd rested up, we walked down a steep incline, exiting the cave through a second mouth. Before us stretched a plain of grey rock, littered with strange towers. There was a heavy rain, and constant lightning to accompany it. Plains full of thunder, the Thunder Plains? It looked like we were in the right place. We continued walking, making our way up a hill in the center of the plain. Sure enough, as we came over the hill, we saw our prey. Sin was floating just above the ground, seemingly very placid. Riku gave the signal, and we all summoned our blades, rushing the giant Heartless.

A massive sword crashed into the ground at my feet, forcing me to halt my advance. Sora and Riku kept pressing forward, leaving me to wonder about this new obstruction. The handle was quite long, roughly a meter in its own. The blade was at least three times that long and about half a meter broad. Though, I wasn't quite sure it counted as a blade, as it was at least three centimeters thick on both edges. For the most part, it was rather rectangular. However, the part that was stuck in the ground seemed to form a circle, with a hole in the center.

"I'm so glad you came." A knight crashed to the ground next to the sword. Its armor was a light shade of violet, and seemed rather heavy. It didn't seem bulky, rather, like a slender figure resting inside metal that was as thick as a dictionary. I couldn't imagine that is was all that agile. The helm, seemingly just as thick, had a massive 'X' carved into the faceplate, and a crescent moon symbol, acting as a sort of horn. "I was beginning to think you'd insulted me and ran away."

"I came as fast as I could," I retorted, lowering myself into a fighting stance, "And just who have I insulted this time?" I glanced past him to see the others fighting off a multitude of Heartless that weren't there when we arrived.

He grabbed the handle of his sword, pulling it from the ground and resting it on his shoulder. "My name is Sailess, the Lunar Knight, and one of the highest ranking Heartless Knights. Those that you've already eliminated were my officers, and my friends. Well, as close to friends as a Heartless can have, anyway." He glanced over his shoulder, then back to me. "You needn't worry about them. Sin should have enough energy to summon forth his army for a few years."

"So, it's just between you and me then, is it?"

"So it would seem. It's a shame, actually, since you could have proved to be an exemplary addition to our army."

"Well, then," White spoke, beginning to take over again, "I'll make this quick. Unfortunately for you, it will be anything but painless." My body rushed forward, swinging my Keyblade at the knight. Sailess was able to act with surprising speed, blocking the strike with his massive sword, throwing me backward, and skidding along the ground. "It looks like you've got a few tricks, huh."

The knight came at me, swinging his blade at my chest. His speed was amazing, leaving me with only enough time to hold Gaia's Torment in its path. The impact still sent me through the air, and back toward one of the towers. I corrected myself, coiling up as I hit the vertical face of the lightning rod. Pushing off, I sent myself back at him, swinging at his head. He stepped to the side, letting me continue on my path. As I continued past him, I felt an armored hand wrap around my foot. He pulled me back the way I came, the violent change in direction ripping my weapon from my hand. I dismissed it, watching it disappear with a bright flash as my back slammed against the ground.

As I took a moment to let the pain sink in, his sword rose above his head before coming down on me at an alarming speed. I held my hands out, summoning my Keyblade again, now holding a bright flash perpendicular to his swing. The blades clashed, stopping his sword from crushing me, but sending me further into the ground. Sailess kept pushing, forcing me to push back with more strength that I had. My arms felt as if they were on the verge of cracking. I wouldn't last too much longer.

"Looks like we're in quite a bind, doesn't it?" White's voice rang through my head.

"Yeah," I responded, "At this rate, we won't last much longer."

"Do you trust me?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Good point."

Letting White take complete control, I watched in concern as Gaia's Torment was dismissed. The massive sword slammed into my face, but it didn't hurt. In fact, I didn't feel the impact at all. As I watched it slowly rise away from me, I could see the Lunar Knight's posture change from proud to one of disbelief and rage. Though, something was different. It was almost as if I was looking through grey stained glass. I felt my body rise, somehow heavier. White must have caught on to my confusion and forced me to look at my own hand. It was covered in silver armor. He let me see the rest of my body. I was covered from head to toe in a silver suit of armor.

"Impossible," the violet suit of armor said, "You're only a legend, a myth."

White didn't answer him, summoning my Keyblade again, and rushing Sailess. In his bewildered state, his reaction time was slow, but he still managed to deflect the blow, countering with a quick slap of the broad of the blade. The impact sent my body through the air, but White quickly corrected us, skidding against the ground. I could feel him give me back some of the control, perhaps allowing me to test the new suit. Raising my blade, I lunged at the knight. A bolt of lightning struck the ground, directly in my path, throwing my aim far off target.

I felt Sailess grab my foot again, this time, throwing me into the sky. With a little help from White on the reflexes, I managed to right myself in time to see the violet knight rushing up to greet me, with his giant blade following behind him, ready for an upward slash. I threw Gaia's Torment higher into the air, concentrating on the incoming attack. As the Lunar Knight matched my altitude, and began swinging, I positioned my feet into the path of his swing, wrapping my armored hands around his helmet. As he swung, I flipped over him, using his head as a fulcrum. With my back against his and my hands over my head, still clutching his helm, I threw him over myself, sending him back to the ground head first.

I saw my Key coming back down from the clouds, time seeming to freeze as I reached out for it. White must have known the plan, because the silver armor disappeared. I grabbed hold of the cloth wrapped handle of my weapon just as a bolt of lightning struck it. Plummeting back toward the knight, I held an electrified blade in my hands. I came down on him with a massive amount of force, jamming the lightning laced Keyblade into his chest as my feet landed on either side of him.

All that metal must have made a good conductor, as I watched sparks dance around the suit of armor. Sailess seemed to suffer from some sort of seizure as I stepped over him, leaving my weapon in his chest. Soon enough, the armor emitted a putrid sort of smoke, which smelt of rotten meat being cooked. The Lunar Knight disappeared within that smoke, leaving a black heart to be drawn into Gaia's Torment. I pulled it out of the ground, hearing a thud behind me.

As I turned around, I saw Riku and Sora standing atop the giant Heartless that was once known as Sin. They jumped off and began walking toward me as a huge cloud of smoke smothered the air behind them. That was it, we'd beaten Sin. All that was left was the remaining Heartless army. The three of us began walking back toward the cave that we'd rested in before, in need of doing so again. Apparently, White had more explaining to do.