.... D: This chapter makes me SAD.

BUT this needs to happen for Roxy to join, so...this will last a few, you'll get what I mean when you read the end (you guys are going to kill me) um...I'll be hiding in the corner if you need me kthnxbai XD

Enjoy!...I hope xD

Darkness or Dawn

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Two days after noticing that strange disappearance from his EVP, Ansem began to see other things.

Ienzo, for one, would seem not a day over twenty-five one day, and maybe seventeen the next. Many of Aeleus's patients were just downright terrified of him, some of which were so scared they would beg nurses to be assigned to another doctor, or would even make a wide-eyed streak for the door within the first four minutes of sessions. And Xehanort? Well, he was just the most peculiar of all.

The room darkened when he walked in, lights toning down and shadows accumulating in the corners, though Ansem was sure it was all his imagination he knew very well that things weren't always as they seemed.

Another little tidbit he was sure to be surprised of- Kairi chose that day to visit him for the first time in a few weeks. He saw the light scars on her arms and decided to keep it to himself- She surely didn't need him fluttering around her like a mother.

Ansem sat with his feet up on his desk, not something he usually did seeing as he found it unprofessional, but it was Kairi. She was sitting in the plush seat across from him, transparent and all, and he had been sure to lock the door so no one would barge in on him talking to her, and then be surprised at the fact that she wasn't there.

Kairi crossed her arms and smiled, "How are things here?" she tilted her head to the side just a bit, hair falling in her face.

Ansem shrugged, deciding he'd share his new discovery with her later, when she wasn't looking so…stressed. "Same as ever, hired a few new doctors, all boring things to you. Tell me about their world."

Kairi giggled just a little, a cute girlish laugh that matched the sunshine pooling through the window. "It's nice, beautiful. Naminé and I are happy, you'd like it. Although…" she looked away, "There are some new issues to deal with."

"Oh?" Ansem brought his feet back down and planted them on the ground, easing forward and clasping his hands together, resting them on the desk.

"There's this new bad guy, Xemnas. He's like…A piece of the bad Ansem left behind. He's got this group of people called "Nobodies" or something…I don't know. They're scary though, they won't leave us alone and we're outnumbered."

Ansem furrowed his brow, "I do hope you're being safe, Kairi."

Kairi bit her lip, nibbling on tender pink flesh, and jumped at the knock on the door. Ansem stood, motioned for Kairi to wait, and moved around the desk to open the door. Kairi followed him, curiousity getting the best of her.

In the doorway stood a tall man, about Ansem's height, in a white lab coat holding a clipboard. Kairi saw Xehanort and froze, and she could've swore his eyes touched hers just briefly before he turned his attention to Ansem. A moment later and he turned on his heel and walked stiffly down the hall, Ansem shut and locked the door in his wake.

When he turned back around Kairi seemed even more pale than before, though he was sure it was just the transparency, before she pointed a shaking finger, "What is HE doing here?!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Who? Xehanort? He's a new doctor I hired."

Kairi faltered, backed up, "I…I have to go now. I'll be back in a day or two- Stay AWAY from him, okay? He's…There's something wrong with this." Before Ansem could say anything, Kairi faded so quickly he barely had a chance to blink and she was gone.

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Kairi all but kicked the glass door to her "pod" open- it was an egg shaped device that laid on it's side, white opaque glass and comfortable leather lining inside. When she slipped inside it was like diving through dreams, on the days when it decided to work for her (she had asked once why the machine would give her a hard time sometimes, Sora had said it had something to do with the amount of energy she was putting forth) and like reaching for something when it didn't. She would grope through hazy figures and slow-walk through space, worlds, places she'd never seen (didn'tWANT to) and open her eyes in complete darkness, wider wider wider, for a tiny speck of light at the farthest point she'd ever seen. And she would run, and she would get there, breathless and exhausted and barely able to stay on her own two feet- she couldn't imagine how Sora and Riku had done it day after day, acted so fine, or even how they had managed it all night when she could hardly manage a good hour and half without flickering at least a little. The only thing she knew was this- direct sunlight was like a shot of adrenaline, and shadows was like having that adrenaline suddenly stolen away, sucked back up through a syringe and thrown away.

She grimaced, grunted, heaved herself over the two inch lip of the machine and landed easily. She took a moment to breathe and then started at a jog that turned to a run, gaining speed even as she shot up the stairs out of the room that she was in, colliding with a very tired looking Sora. He managed to keep them up with an "oof!" and by wrapping his arms around her, squeezing his eyes shut as Kairi's knee accidentally smashed into his groin, and spinning, though faltering slightly. He set Kairi down and she put her hands to her mouth as he went down, laughing a little despite herself.

"Sora! I'm sorry!"

Sora nodded, leaning over, and asked through a strained voice, "What's up?"

Kairi bit her lip, waiting a moment for him to straighten himself up, "I went to see Ansem at the hospital."

He nodded again, wiping a tear from his eye, "Yeah, Naminé told me. I was coming to see if you wanted to get something to eat."

Kairi smiled a little, "Sure but…" she looked away, "But Ansem hired these new doctors and one of them'-"

Sora put a finger on her lips, "Breathe."

Kairi reached up and pulled his hand back down, tracing his veins in his wrist, along the back of his hand. "He hired some new doctors," she took a deep breath, "And one of them is named Xehanort, and he looks just like Ansem- the bad one…I think…I think he saw me."

Sora was quiet for a moment and then, "We need The King."

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Naminé sat on her knees in the grass, fisting her fingers full of lush green grass, she sighed, felt the sun warming her back and smiled. There were a few soft footsteps and Riku sat down next to her.

"You all right?"

Naminé nodded, leaned her shoulder against his, "I'm okay. Stopping to smell the flowers."

Riku rolled his eyes but couldn't help the little smirk he found crawling to his lips. He put an arm around her, "Enjoying yourself then?" Another nod, "Good. Want to have lunch with Sora and Kairi today?"

Naminé grinned, "Okay!" and stood, Riku drawing himself up as well, she laced her fingers with his and tugged him towards the nearest entrance to the castle. She squeezed his hand, grinning wider as she felt him press his palm against hers just a little harder, squeezing back. It only took them a few steps before Vexen showed himself, a tri-colored oval forming from a pinpoint of purple in the air, smoke curling out like welcoming hands. Vexen stepped out with another member behind him, one taller and his hood over his eyes.

Riku halted, pulled Naminé behind himself and untangled his hand from her sudden vice grip. He felt her hands pull on the hem of his pockets, curling around the leather fabric like her life depended on it. He summoned his Keyblade, aimed at Vexen.

"Get outta here. Now."

Vexen smiled, a scary, lopsided, shapeless smile that bared his teeth and brought his brow down in a suggestive kind of look. He gestured towards the member behind himself, a grand sweep, "Oh, but don't you wish to see our newest member?"

The Nobody behind him took down his hood, blinking yellow eyes and brushing blue hair from his shoulders. Vexen grinned, "His name is Saïx, number VII." He gave Saïx a nudge with his arm, the Luna Diviner glanced at Vexen and nodded. Vexen leaned in just slightly and said in a lower voice, "The boy, not the girl." Saïx nodded.

The sword he called forth was large enough that Riku said over his shoulder, "Get out of here. Find Sora."

Naminé shook her head, "I'm not leaving you!"

Vexen laughed as Saïx fixed his grip on the Claymore and started forward, "What makes you think you'll be allowed to leave?" He was gone in a flash, reappearing behind Naminé so fast she barely got away, jumping back all the while avoiding Riku, she tripped over her own feet. It was an automatic response for Riku to take his eyes off Saïx for a moment, he was coming slow anyway, and turn and throw a shot at Vexen.

"Naminé, GO!" He deflected a weak ice projectile (what Naminé would only be able to refer to as a "snowball" later) from Vexen and was about to turn back when the Nobody threw another, and another, Riku tossing them right back just as quickly.

Naminé screamed, "RIKU, NO!"

There was a flash of something like pain, a brief pinch before shock settled in as Riku stopped, Vexen grinned and halted his attack too. Riku looked down at the spike from Saïx's Claymore, barely registering what it was he saw, it stuck out from his stomach coated in his own blood. Naminé's hand came to her lips and she managed to get to her knees, seeing first the animal look in Saïx's eyes, the need for blood, and the grin on Vexen's face. Riku's Keyblade disappeared, he stumbled as Saïx ripped his sword away and red sprayed the ground like paint, droplets on Naminé's dress and face.

"R…Riku?" Naminé made it to her feet just as his face twisted into something similar to fear and agony, she reached out and Saïx wrapped his arms around Riku's chest, just under his own arms, and Vexen opened a portal.

He grinned, "Thank you, Naminé, for the distraction."

Naminé screamed. She screamed as Riku was dragged back into that horrible portal, and she screamed as Vexen faked a laugh for her sake, waving merrily as the door closed, and she kept screaming until Kairi and Sora and Mickey and Donald and Goofy came running out. When Kairi got to her sister, Naminé crumbled against her and watched Sora's face pale as he saw the blood speckled on her.

Behind them, the last wisps of the dark portal were fading, black remnants in the sky.

.......*hides*

Umm....please leave a review on your way out XD

Don't worry, you'll see what happens soon. My other computer is being a butt and decided to commit suicide a week ago, so I wrote this chapter up in two days and well... here XD Update should be about a week, maybe up to the two week mark since I have midterms D:

Um...I'm sorry? XD

Review plez, lemme know what you think, if you see grammatical errors and the like.