A/N: Late update is late...

I apologise for making you all wait so long! School has been slowly torturing me from day one and now that I have a job to juggle on top of that, my time for writing has been sadly limited... :(

This chapter is for SummonerDagger88 who has harassed me to no end about updating and I guess it paid off because here it is! Of course, this is also dedicated to each and every one of my wonderful, patient readers. Thank you for reading/following/favouriting/reviewing this story! :)

I hope you all enjoy this long-overdue chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters!


Chapter Twelve :: Trapped

Much to her dismay, Roxas kept his word. He stubbornly refused to see reason, even after Palom and Porom emerged from their shared tent a few hours later looking very fatigued and extremely annoyed to see him moving about so soon. Palom had had tried to persuade him — well, he had yelled at him, to be precise — into taking another few hours rest, but the blond wasn't listening to anyone.

Not even Porom's gentle words of wisdom after her brother's aggressive tactic could get through to him.

Naminé did not understand why nobody was trying to stop him. In his current condition, it would be easy to overpower him and force him to spend the next twenty four hours, bedridden. And yet, nobody stepped forward, not even Saïx, who seemed to be the person most at odds with his self-destructive decision to move forward.

Naminé made her feelings known at every possible moment, reverting to her usual tactic of whining and moaning until someone gave in. If anything, however, her objections seemed to make him all the more determined to carry out his potentially harmful plan.

The young Princess was sitting on the log in front of what had once been their fire pit as the tents came down around her and the horses were being readied. She made no move to help anyone, stubbornly continuing with her silent protest as the outlaws moved around her. She spied Roxas every now and then, most often leaning on something while talking with a rather frustrated looking Saïx. Not that she cared. She actively went out of her way to ignore and avoid him at all opportunities.

The log suddenly groaned and dipped as someone plopped down onto the empty space beside her. She shot the newcomer a disheartened glance from under her bangs, her lips twisting into a rueful, yet sympathetic smile. Porom looked exhausted; her bright pink hair was sticking unattractively to her forehead, her skin so pale that it was almost grey. Her breathing, also, appeared to be laboured. Her eyes, however, maintained their lively shine. "There you are! I'm glad to see that you are okay, Naminé. I was worried about you."

The blonde nodded, her smile lessening somewhat. While she was secretly flattered that Porom had thought about her, she couldn't quite understand. Why was it that Porom seemed only concerned for her health, rather than her own? Normally, she would absorb all of the attention people gave her, but lately, she felt like deflecting it.

"What about you? You don't look well." Naminé noted, her words clipped and short, although not with annoyance. She would never admit to it, but she was concerned and not just for Palom and Porom, but for Roxas and their uncertain future. Everything was such a mess.

Porom laughed — the sound was light and unforced, but entirely fake. "I am perfectly fine. I could just use a small break and then I'll be ready to go."

Naminé said nothing, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. She had never been any good at expressing affection or sympathy — mostly because she didn't know how. Following her meeting with Roxas in the forest, she had been left feeling exposed after sharing her thoughts; it was a feeling that she never wanted to experience again. Nobody had ever taught her how to handle the positive emotions such as love and kindness, nor had they shown her how to convey them. As such, it was very difficult for her to show how she felt, even to people she knew fairly well, like Aqua... She had been kind to her, had looked after her, even after her attempts to push her away. Thinking of the young woman, now that she was almost certainly gone from this world, made her stomach twist.

Looking across at Porom, Naminé realised that she saw something of Aqua within the young woman and was unconsciously clinging to her motherly nature. It was for this reason that Naminé was so mad with Roxas. His self-destructive nature wasn't just affecting him, but all of those around him, particularly those injured by the recent battle. Even he himself had suffered horrific injures and yet he paid them no mind, willingly throwing himself and others headlong into potential danger. Did he not even stop to think that he was endangering their lives, too? Or was he so absorbed by his oh-so heroic quest?

Naminé glowered at the young man in question as he walked into view, her eyes narrowed. "He's going to get everybody killed and yet all he seems to care about is this pointless war."

"Oh no, Roxas isn't like that." Porom amended, shaking her head in disagreement with her statement. "He values our lives as much as his own. He's always put us first. It's just that he cares about so much more than that; freedom, peace, the fate of those who are stuck in the middle of all this." She ran a hand across her forehead. "And yet, even I have to admit, despite his good intentions, he is rather self-destructive. He believes that he needs to shoulder it all, to take on Eraqus' burden and save the Realms from being completely destroyed."

Porom sighed, smiling sadly as she watched the young man hobble around camp, shadowed closely by her younger brother, who watched his leader through narrowed eyes. "He just doesn't seem to understand that we're here, too. We're here to share the load, to make his burden easier. And that's his problem." She laughed suddenly. "He has a hero complex."

The blonde frowned, taking in her words and pondering on them for a moment. "I believe that's a rather silly way to handle things… But I suppose you are going to tell me that it's just his way of dealing with it, correct?"

The young woman smiled apologetically and shrugged. "You've just about got it." She rose to her feet, swinging her arms lightly as she glanced around the now very empty camp. "Well, we're just about ready to leave. Shall we go find our horses?"

Naminé nodded once and stood, following her over to where the horses had been moved to the evening prior. Many of the other outlaws were already mounted and it seemed that they were only waiting on Saïx, Palom and Roxas himself. She parted from Porom, finding her designated ride with relative ease, tethered to a tree beside Demyx's. The poor boy looked positively miserable; he was sitting slumped over the saddle, his fingers tapping a steady, disheartened rhythm against the tough leather. He glanced up when she approached, his usually mega-watt smile somewhat subdued.

"Hey Princess." He greeted with a flippant wave, not bothering to move from his position. "How's it going? Hanging in there alright?"

"I'm as fine as I can be." She responded flatly as she swung up onto her horse, glancing around the familiar faces surrounding her. Finally, she met his gaze once more, subtly tilting her head to the side as she caught sight of his wistful expression. "You seem...upset about something."

"Yeah. Things have been pretty rotten lately, what with a lot of people getting injured and stuff." If anything, he suddenly looked even more miserable, his head drooping. He sniffed loudly and for a moment Naminé thought that he was crying. "It was my fault that Zexion got hurt the other day. I don't really like fighting much; I'm more of a musician myself, so the others have always kinda looked out for me. I just never thought that perhaps I shoulda looked out for myself." He sighed, sitting a little straighter, tugging guiltily at his baggy sleeves. "I wasn't paying attention. Some guy ran at me and Zexion jumped in the way. He says he's alright, but I don't believe him for a second, y'know? I'm sure he blames me for not paying closer attention and acting like an idiot."

She blinked. She hadn't even asked him a question and yet he'd pretty much spouted everything to her without so much as pausing to think about just who he was talking to. Perhaps this was what it felt like to be accepted? Or perhaps he was just talking because it was something he liked to do? Either way, she was oddly touched by his seemingly natural admittance to her.

When she realised that Demyx was watching her expectantly, waiting for her to respond, she fumbled for the right words. "I-I don't think Zexion blames you, Demyx. You are his...friend, correct?" When the blond nodded, she smiled uncomfortably. What was she supposed to say now? What did he expect her to say? She really wasn't good at any of this…

She pursed her lips, her thoughts dashing through her mind as she hurried to throw together what she hoped to be a believable response. "Then...then I'm sure he would rather have saved his friend than let you get hurt… It was his choice, after all, and it happened. You shouldn't feel guilty."

The young man seemed to ponder over her words, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "I...suppose you're right. I mean, he did risk his life for me and I am grateful." He slumped forwards again, whining. "I just don't know how to say it. He's always there for me, even if it seems like he doesn't want to be. I'm sure I drive him crazy, but he cares about me all the same. I just never appreciated it till now, y'know?"

Without meaning to, she thought of Roxas and how he had rescued her from Xehanort's lackey, the way in which threatened the man who held her at knife point, the fact that he had stood up for her in front of Lightning, the sight of the arrow embedding itself into his torso, the look of shock on his face when he saw here there, having just saved his life and later, when he had thanked her. The sincerity and warmth of his voice had reflected in his deep blue eyes, his smile genuine. For all that she probably annoyed him, stood against him and generally made his life more difficult, he had looked out for her like she was one of his own and in return she had saved him when no one else could.

He was honourable, perhaps even someone she could one day come to respect. Perhaps it was for that reason that so many people followed him without question.

She should hate him. He ordered her kidnapping, irritated her and argued with her at every chance he got, threatened to kill her and made her life an absolute misery... And yet, when she thought about it, she wasn't exactly miserable. In fact, she was almost happy, or as happy as she could be. She had not been lying to him when she had said that she preferred being with the outlaws. She just wished that he would think before acting for a change.

By the time she snapped back out of her thoughts, Demyx was watching her with a knowing look. "Guess you've figured out whatever it is that was bothering you, huh?" He asked, his smile somewhat brighter than before, looking considerably less burdened.

She blinked, surprised by his intuition. He knew a lot more than he often let on. Hesitantly, she nodded at him, smiling tentatively in return. She didn't get the chance to ask him how he seemed to know that something had been bothering her as Roxas strode past them to the front of the lines of horses, looking rather annoyed. He somehow climbed onto his horse without wincing, turning his dark gaze on the outlaws. Briefly, his eyes met hers and she tried to convey an apology with her gaze, but he was quick to look away. Her shoulders slumped.

"If everybody is prepared, it's time for us to move on." He said, raising his voice so that he could be heard above the mindless chatter. Immediately everyone fell silent. Satisfied, he gathered up his reins and urged his horse to turn around. "We have a lot of ground to cover between now and sunset, so let's try and reach the first village before then."

By this point, both Saïx and Palom had mounted their respective steeds, their expressions equally reluctant, neither looking at Roxas. If the blond noticed this, he didn't pay them any attention, although his face was shadowed with what appeared to be guilt.

"Unfortunately, from here on out we will not be under the cover of the forest. We'll be travelling across the large meadow northbound and as such we may be privy to ambushes." Roxas paused, letting the news sink in. Nobody spoke, not even Larxene, who looked ready to argue. "If we come across any opposition, we dispatch of them swiftly and efficiently. I want everyone to arrive at the village safely and in one piece."

"Stay in your pairs and do not deviate from the path." He quickly turned his horse to face the right direction and raised a fist towards the sky. "Move out!"

The reaction was immediate. The outlaws each urged their horses into a canter, sticking closely to their partners. Palom and Porom, Larxene and Marluxia, Saïx and Axel, Luxord and Zexion, herself and Demyx... Only Roxas appeared to be riding alone, bringing up the front of the group, leaning forward into his saddle, his eyes fixated on the path ahead.

Naminé hastily followed Demyx's lead as he squeezed his heels and encouraged his horse forwards. They eased themselves in front of Saïx and Axel who were bringing up the rear, seamlessly fitting into the line of outlaws heading towards the outer edge of the forest.

A part of her would be glad to be free of the overbearing trees and endless surrounding shadows, but another part of her was dreading being out in the open. After their run in with bandits yesterday, she was worried that they wouldn't be able to handle such a magnitude of violence this time around. What would happen if they were attacked? It did not bear thinking about.

The line of trees suddenly fell away, opening out onto a lush meadow and a mountain range lying far in the distance. Sunlight and blue skies bombarded her vision, but Naminé was too awestruck to care. It was beautiful; an endless field of flowers and grass that stretched out before her like a patchwork quilt, the seemingly never ending blue sky acting as a vibrant backdrop. She tried to take everything in as it rushed past her; the sights, the smells, the sounds... Everything was so alive.

Invigorated by the spectacular sight surrounding her, Naminé tipped her head back and let out a soft sigh. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, imagining that she was soaring high above the ground, her wings spread wide.

She had never felt so free.

····» «····

Surprisingly, they reached the village at lot quicker than originally expected. They came across it rather suddenly. One moment, they were galloping across an empty, never-ending meadow and in the next they followed the sloping land down to the foot of the rocky hills that had been in the distance. To the left, the meadow stopped abruptly to give way to thick, dark forestry. Nestled between the small range of mountains and dense forest was a desolate looking town, which they conveniently came to a halt on the very outskirts of.

Initially, relief spread through Naminé as she spied the remnants of civilization. She had been expecting it to take them many an hour to reach the village he spoke of, but as it turned out, they had arrived in the early afternoon. A village meant proper beds, well-cooked food and perhaps even a bath. She could barely contain her sigh of wistful longing as she stared up at the buildings crammed tightly together, noticing with some amusement that the place looked a lot like the lower town of Castle Oblivion. Even though she had escaped that wretched place, there were still reminders of it everywhere.

Silence fell over the group of outlaws like a shroud. An ominous wind rattled closed window shutters and whistled through the surrounding trees, the branches whispering and creaking against the strain. The village itself was also silent; there was not a soul to be found. Doors were tightly shut, windows closed, curtains or shutters drawn. Not even the light laughter of children or loud chatter of adults going about their business broke across the terrible quietness that seemed to hang in the air like a horrible presence.

For such a large place that should have been so full of life, it was nothing more than a ghost town.

Naminé glanced around at the faces of those surrounding her in turn, taking note of their varying expressions of discomfort and reluctance. Not one of them seemed to be undisturbed by the sight that awaited them. She silently agreed with them. Her heart was hammering almost painfully against her ribcage as her hands trembled, her palms becoming slick with perspiration. Something wasn't right and it went beyond the obviously empty town. She could not quite put her finger on it…

Roxas finally broke the deafening silence, turning to his men with a grim expression. "We need to find out what happened here and whether there is anyone left in this godforsaken town. Split up, but stay close." He jerked his head towards the seemingly empty village, his eyes darting around. He was clearly uncomfortable with the situation they had found themselves in, also. "Meet back here in one hour."

Immediately, people broke off in different directions, heading off down side streets and alleyways, some pausing by houses to inspect further. While she had no real understanding of what she was supposed to do if she found anyone, she figured she should at least attempt to be useful… Still plagued with uncertainty, Naminé decided to follow the other's example and urged her steed towards an empty street, her eyes scanning the rows of houses and little shacks on either side. Abandoned on the front step of one of the many buildings was a bedraggled teddy bear, one of its dark button eyes missing, stitching unravelling. She stopped and slipped down from her saddle, cautiously making her way over to the abandoned toy. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands, staring down at the odd trinket with a mixture of mild fascination and sadness.

For some reason, it made her think of her childhood, or at least, the bits she could remember. The memory of her earlier life was hazy, distant at best. She would remember snippets sometimes; the warm smiles on her parents faces, her mother rocking her to sleep, her father embracing her fondly, the days spent together in the gardens and the sound of her own laughter. To her, those memories were nothing more than the distorted images from her past. She had no way of knowing if they were even real, but she still took comfort in the fact that they were there.

Naminé was brought back to the present with a painful jolt as the sound of something being knocked over filled the air. She froze, the toy slipping through her loose fingers as she took several steps away from the origin of the noise — the house in front of her. When the noise came again, much closer this time, she backed right up to her horse, petrified. The poor creature whinnied in protest, shifting its large weight, but she paid it no attention, her eyes locked on the ominous building in front of her.

All of a sudden, the front door burst open and a small blur rushed at her. She barely had time to let out a high pitched scream as the mound collided with her leg, causing her to stumble back. She pinched her eyes shut, waiting for the horrifying pain but it never came.

Trembling, she looked down, lips parted with shock. All she could see from her vantage point was a mop of brown hair and a pair of small hands fisted in the material of her trousers. It was then she realised that the thing pressed against her leg was not a thing at all, but in actual fact a small boy, no older than five or six, shivering fearfully. Hesitantly, she reached out to pat the top of his head, but he shrunk away, burying his little face even further into her thigh, whimpering softly. Unsure what else to do, she halted her movements, her hand still awkwardly extended.

At that moment, the sound of thundering hooves grew near and Roxas soon careened into view, sword unsheathed. The blond's eyes were wild, his face frozen with evident fear as he searched for any sign of danger. The fearful expression on his face soon faded, however, when his gaze fell upon her and the small boy attached to her side. He vaulted down from his horse with little effort and strode towards her, anger overtaking his momentary fright. "What happened?" He demanded furiously.

Naminé gestured helplessly to the child cowering at her side, deciding to ignore his tone. "He appeared out of nowhere."

Roxas squinted at the pitiful sight and squatted down, peering closely at the little boy. He reached out as if to touch him, but the child shied away with a quiet yell. Roxas immediately retracted his hand, his face flickering with uncertainty.

Experimentally, Naminé placed a delicate hand on the boy's shoulder. Immediately, he flinched and recoiled, hunching in on himself. Hesitantly, she grazed a thumb across his shoulder in comforting motions, something which she had seen Aqua do with Ventus once. Surprisingly, the boy leaned in to the touch, tipping his head back and peeking up at her with wide green eyes from under his mop of hair.

Roxas remained crouched beside the two of them, switching between staring at Naminé and watching the strange boy with obvious interest.

"What's...your name?" The Princess asked, becoming rather uncomfortable with the way the boy all but clung to her, watching her with his impossibly large eyes.

"...Eren..." He whispered, sniffling softly. "Are you an angel?"

When Naminé blushed at the innocent compliment, Roxas snorted and rocked back on his heels, an amused smile playing about his lips.

"N-no, I'm not." She replied hastily, shooting the outlaw a filthy glare over the top of the boy's head. "My name is Naminé." She indicated to herself with an uncertain smile. She jerked her chin towards the smug blond. "That imbecile there is Roxas."

Eren peered over his shoulder at the young man in question, blinking owlishly. Roxas was scowling openly at her at the sound of her offhanded insult. "He doesn't look very friendly." The boy pointed out, wrinkling his nose.

Naminé hid a grin and bent down beside the boy, gently prying his hands from her trouser leg. She liked him already. "No, he's not." Roxas' scowl deepened, but she paid him no mind as she patted the boy's hands gently. "But I promise that he is not all bad. Most of the time."

"You're very nice." Eren murmured, his young face twisting into a frown. "My mummy and daddy were nice, too, before they were taken away."

This seemed to spark an interest in Roxas. He leaned forwards suddenly, startling the poor boy. "What happened to your parents, Eren? Please, tell me."

Immediately, the boy looked to Naminé, as if seeking her permission. The gesture was so small, hardly noticeable and yet she felt her heart twinge. Shakily, she nodded encouragingly, blinking away the stinging sensation behind her eyelids.

Eren looked back towards Roxas, pointing towards the house he had burst out of. "It was a while ago but some men came to the house and took daddy away. They said he had to work in the mines. Mummy was really upset and was yelling at them, but they just took him away." One of Eren's hands found Naminé's, his small fingers clutching at it tightly. "A few days ago they came and took mummy too. I was scared and mummy told me to hide, so I did." A single fat tear slid down his cheek, his lower lip wobbling. "I didn't want them to find me. They were scary people."

Naminé watched as Roxas straightened, staring solemnly down at the now crying boy, grimacing. "Naminé, let's go." He growled, although not unkindly, turning swiftly and making for his horse. At the last second, he stole a glance at her over his shoulder. "Bring him with us."

She pulled away from the brunette, grabbing Roxas' wrist before he swung up into his saddle. "Do you know what happened to his parents?" She hissed, gesturing wildly to the sobbing boy. "Do you know what is going on here?"

Seeing this boy — just a mere child — so badly affected by whatever had happened to the village tugged at her heart. It shouldn't have bothered her… But for some reason, it really did.

The blond easily shook off her hand as though it burned, glaring at nothing in particular. "I know exactly what's happening here." He looked up sharply, meeting her eyes. His gaze was intense, anger radiating off him in waves. She recoiled. Noticing her reaction, his expression immediately softened. "And I plan to put an end to it. So bring the boy; he needs to be protected."

Naminé felt even more confused. He had not even explained anything to her, not really. She could only trust his judgement and hope that what he was planning to do would not get them all killed. With a sigh, she returned to Eren's side, coaxing the young boy's hands away from his face. "Would you like to come with me?" She asked, trying to sound as soothing as possible, another trick which she had inadvertently picked up from her absent servant.

The boy, thankfully, nodded and extended his arms to her. It only took her a few moments to realise that he wanted her to pick him up. Begrudgingly, she crouched down and held her own arms out in turn, allowing the boy to lock his tiny hands around her neck. She lifted him with surprising ease, carrying him over to where her horse diligently waited, forcing aside her knee-jerk reaction to throw the boy as far away from her as possible. After placing him on the saddle and swinging up behind him, she gingerly wrapped her arms securely around him, so as to stop him from tumbling to the ground. The whole while, she wore a frown. She was finding her current predicament less than preferable, but Roxas was right; the boy needed to be protected.

If Naminé had chosen that moment to turn towards Roxas, she would have seen the way his lips turned up into a small yet fond smile.

····» «····

Roxas' first reaction upon coming across the desolate village was relief. Then, the relief was taken over by doubt and worry as he realised that nobody was around to come out and greet them. This worry escalated to full blown panic after he heard Naminé's ear-splitting scream following their separation in search of inhabitants. Upon discovering her with the cowering boy, Roxas began to realise just how serious their situation was; the discovery of the empty town was something that he was painfully familiar with.

It had been a while, but he'd seen it before. Villages destroyed, livelihoods corrupted, families torn apart, lives ruined. The devastation before him was as clear as day. The war, it seemed, had hit even the smallest of towns. Xehanort's influence was everywhere.

He wasn't about to sit by, idly twiddling his thumbs as more people suffered. He was going to make a difference. He was going to save these people and bring peace back to their village. Zack would have done the same.

Roxas began heading back to the designated rendezvous point, leaving Naminé and the boy behind, not at all worried that they would come across any enemies. The village was as empty of Xehanort's cohorts as it was townsfolk, which could either be viewed as positive or negative.

He was only slightly surprised to discover that Larxene and Marluxia were waiting for him when he arrived at the pre-negotiated area, alone.

"We found nobody." Marluxia informed him gruffly, his lips drawn into a thin line. "The streets we checked were empty, completely devoid of life."

"Several of the houses had obviously been broken into." Larxene added with a characteristic scowl. "Some doors were ripped clean off their hinges."

The blond nodded once, silently acknowledging their discovery, or lack thereof. He was becoming more and more uneasy as time went by. The fact that there were clear signs of force being used by the invaders was never a good thing. It usually meant violence and violence meant that death had surely followed. Had not one family been spared?

"Roxas!"

It was Axel. Hope swelled in his chest. Roxas immediately looked up as the redhead approached on horseback. He let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding as he noticed that Axel was followed by a small group of terrified looking women and children. As he had expected, there was not a single male among them, neither elderly nor young, but at least there were some civilians left relatively unharmed. The fact that men and — from what Eren had told Naminé — the more troublesome women had been singled out as targets for whatever was going on only strengthened his theory. Something needed to be done, and fast.

Axel stopped in front of him, gesturing to the cowering people behind him. "I found them all gathered in what seemed to be the town hall. One of the women mentioned that the men who seized their village were flying Xehanort's flag." The redhead's expression became grim. "You know what this means, Roxas."

The blond clenched his hands, barely containing the overwhelming urge to hit something. "Yes. And we can't stand by and do nothing."

The redhead sighed and raked a hand through his hair, smirking slightly, "I get it, I get it. You don't even have to ask; I'm in all the way."

Roxas smiled inwardly. Of course he was. Axel always stood by him.

"We'll wait for the others." He murmured, quietly so that he would not be overheard by the civilians. "Hopefully they will have found other residents. Then we'll decide on a plan of attack." He reached out to grip Axel's arm. "We can't leave these people to suffer any longer."

Axel chuckled darkly, a feral grin stealing across his lips. "That's something we both agree on."

Less than ten minutes later, the rest of the outlaw's filed in, including Naminé and Eren, who had not yet let go of her. He hid a small smile at the sight, finding the extremely uncomfortable expression on the blonde's face amusing.

Palom and Porom immediately went to the group of villagers congregated next to a nearby building, checking them over for any injuries they may have sustained. Only Luxord and Zexion were fortunate enough to discover some hidden residents, most of which were children. The others efforts, it seemed, were fruitless. Both men and many women were missing, only the very sick and weak were spared from the terrible misfortune that had terrorised the town.

Roxas looked over the small gathering of civilians, his eyes roaming over their terrified, horrified faces, his resolve hardening with every second that passed by.

One of the women, an elderly lady with a gentle face, hobbled over to him. "You are here to help us, are you not?" She asked, her voice gruff. She peered up at him, squinting slightly. "You have kind eyes. You are not like the others. So, are you here to help?"

The blond looked down at her, unable to speak. She was desperate for salvation, they all were. They wanted nothing more than to return to their peaceful lives, before Xehanort, before the war. That was something that he felt he had in common with them all. Memories of his life before everything was turned upside down flashed behind his briefly closed eyes. Memories of his brother, his mother and father... Their faces, so full of joy. It was the only thing that spurred him on in his never-ending quest for vengeance. Remembering their faces was all it took to fully convince him. What he was doing was right.

Without sparing anyone else a glance, he climbed down from his horse, completely ignoring the fresh wave of pain that flooded through his chest. He faced the woman and reached out, enveloping her frail hands in both of his. Earnestly, he spoke, "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you and your people will be safe. I promise you, you will be free again. I won't let any of you suffer the fate of countless others before you and your village."

The woman looked satisfied, her eyes shining with newly rekindled hope. "I believe you." She said, smiling.

The woman soon hobbled back to her fellow villagers, holding herself a little straighter, something that didn't go unnoticed by Roxas. He smiled to himself, not realising that Naminé was watching him from where she stood with Eren's arms still wound firmly around her neck.

It took them a while, but eventually each of the remaining villagers had been checked out by either Palom or Porom. Roxas in the meantime had spoken with some of the elder women to find out just what had happened to their village. As it turned out, Xehanort's men had indeed seized the town, using its prime location to pass through the Realm undetected, ferrying weapons and soldiers alike across the border. Eraqus, it seemed, had no idea that such atrocities were even occurring, something that Roxas didn't find too surprising. It was impossible for him to know of the entire goings on within his Realm, especially while plagued with such devastating war.

Roxas also learned that Xehanort's men had taken control of the village mine, which was situated at the foot of the mountain range. It had soon been converted into their base, a place where they forged and stored weapons for the war effort. According to the women, many of their fellow neighbours and family members — although, only those physically able — had been captured and taken there. They were then put to work, either by making more weapons for Xehanort's army or to unearth the precious ores known to reside deep within the mountain. The kidnapping of the fellow villagers also acted as a deterrent to any potential uprisings, keeping the remaining townsfolk complacent and compliant with any demands the invaders decided to make.

When asked why they hadn't attempted to seek help, one of the women said that while they had tried, their riders never returned alive.

He was angry. Oh so very angry. The fact that these men had gotten away with terrorising the village unchallenged for many months now enraged him. It couldn't go on; it wouldn't.

And so, with that thought in mind, he suddenly found himself standing before the remaining villagers, his feet planted shoulder width apart as he raised his voice to address them, "People of Hale, listen well! I know you have suffered and toiled in vain for the past several months, but know this — your suffering ends today!" He looked between the desperate faces staring back at him, a surge of adrenalin and the desperate need to help these people urging him onwards.

"My comrades and I have come here to rid your village of Xehanort's presence and return your loved ones to you. I understand that you are afraid, that you doubt that so few can recover something that seems so vast... But what we may lack in numbers, we make up for in strength! All I ask is that you, in turn, lend us your strength so that we may return to you what is rightfully yours!" He pressed a fist over his heart; a gesture that he was sure would convey just how seriously he was taking the situation. "It may be too much of me to ask such a thing, but please, help us and in turn you will regain what you have lost..."

He trailed off, waiting. He didn't know exactly what he was waiting for, but as the villagers continued to maintain their death-like silence, Roxas found himself feeling slightly disappointed. Just as he was about to give up, a young boy pushed through the crowd to stand in front of him, his hands clenched into fists by his sides.

"I'll help." He declared bravely, jutting his lower lip out into a determined pout.

A small girl scurried forwards, slipping her hand into the boy's, imitating his expression. "Me too!"

"And us!"

"We'll help."

Within seconds each and every one of the villagers were standing on their feet, standing before him, each pledging themselves to him and his cause. He stood before them, bewildered and baffled, but immensely proud. His words, as simple and as short as they were, had inspired every single villager into action.

It was time to reclaim their home.

····» «····

Roxas, she soon realised, was a truly enigmatic speaker. With so few words, he had inspired so many to fight for their home, and — dare she even admit it — he had inspired her, also. She wasn't surprised when every single villager present, including the very young children, stepped forwards and pledged their allegiance to him.

It didn't take very long after this for Roxas to snap into action. He had Saïx and Axel gather up several of the elder villagers and bring them into one of the nearby derelict cottages where they began making their plans to attack Xehanort's forces. All of the other outlaws who were not included in the meeting were left to watch over the civilians. Eren still clung to her, despite having pointed out some of his close friends among the civilians remaining in the village, admitting sheepishly that he was scared to leave her. Naminé figured it would be alright to stay with him until they knew what was going to happen and gingerly held him against her waist as she stared unabashedly at the cottage where Roxas and the others had retreated to.

A small part of her desperately wanted to be included in whatever Roxas was planning, but the more practical part of her realised that this was unlikely to happen. She supposed he considered her to be unreliable and perhaps even saw her as nothing more than useless burden, despite having saved his life just the day before. The likelihood was that she would be asked to stay behind and look after those who weren't included, like herself. While the mere thought irritated her, perhaps it was for the best, no matter how unfair...

Naminé sighed, absently patting Eren's head when he wriggled slightly. Instead of being comforted, the boy jostled even more, peering up at her with his abnormally large eyes.

"Why is it taking so long?" He asked impatiently, his lips forming a pout. "What's happening?"

"Roxas and the others are probably planning their attack." Naminé replied smoothly, pushing his insistent arms down when he tried to claw his way up her waist with a hint of annoyance. She had no idea how to deal with children and Eren wasn't making it easier on her... Pushing aside her annoyance, she forced a smile. "Just wait a little longer. I believe they will be out soon."

As it turned out, they didn't have to wait for very long at all. Roxas and the others emerged from the house not moments later, with the blond barking swift and efficient orders at his men, completely and utterly ignoring her. Irritated by his blatant disregard of her, Naminé urged to Eren wait with the other villagers as she took off after Roxas, weaving through the bustling crowd to keep up with him.

When she finally caught up to him, he was in deep conversation with Saïx, his hands creating controlled, yet hurried motions as he explained something obviously to do with the plan he had yet to share with everyone else. Saïx departed soon after, sparing her a fleeting smile as he passed, leaving her alone with the blond.

He was facing away from her, running a hand through his hair and although she couldn't see his expression, she imagined he would look quite stressed. She supposed that it would make sense if he was, after all he would be in control of a village full of people, all of whom were relying on him to save their families and free their home. That was a heavy burden to bear on his shoulders, especially if everything failed. And now she planned to add to that burden...

She forced her momentary guilt aside and called out to him. "Roxas."

He flinched — whether at the sound of her voice or his name, she couldn't tell — and turned to face her. He looked uneasy, his expression caught between surprise and a grimace. "Naminé. I was about to come and find you."

She shot him a sceptical stare, watching him as he shifted his feet. "No, I do not believe you were." She muttered, loud enough for him to hear. He stiffened and she hurried to continue, "Regardless, I did not intend to fight with you. I merely wanted to ask what is going on."

Roxas sighed irritably and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll be addressing everyone in a short while regarding—"

She cut across him, "I want to know now. I don't like being kept in the dark; I just want to know what I am supposed to do." She dropped her gaze, so as to avoid having to look him in the eye when she spoke the next part. "Even if I am not a part of your group, I want something to—"

This time it was Roxas who cut across her. "You are worried that you'll be left on the side-lines." He stated bluntly, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I'm surprised that you even want to be included."

Naminé pressed her lips together. Truthfully, no matter what she told herself, she wanted to be a part of something — to be more than just a delicate little Princess. Moreover, she wanted to help Eren's family and in turn the whole village, as well as Roxas and the outlaws. Even if she didn't do much, it didn't matter to her; she just wanted to feel useful. Perhaps it was stupid of her to believe she could one day belong — belong anywhere — but it was something she would forever secretly pursue.

"I was hoping to ask you to help the women." Roxas continued, still maintaining the same blunt tone as before. "They need someone to essentially lead them for what I have planned."

Naminé's heart sunk. Babysitting duty. She knew it.

"We're going to create a distraction and ambush." His eyes flicked to her. "Meanwhile, the women will infiltrate the mine and rescue the prisoners..." Suddenly, he was standing in front of her, his fingertips just grazing her shoulders, almost as though he was afraid to break her...or perhaps he was more afraid to touch her. "I want you to help them."

She felt as though all of the air came rushing out of her lungs as she processed the meaning behind his words. "M-me?" She whispered disbelievingly. "Why me?"

It was... Well, it was a fairly large responsibility. She had wanted to help, yes, but perhaps he was asking too much of her... She didn't know if she could handle it.

She lifted her head to meet his gaze, but the words she had prepared died in her throat.

His eyes were smouldering as they stared into her own, filled with an emotion she couldn't quite place.

"Because I trust you."

And just like that, she felt as though her whole world had been turned upside down; all due to four small, seemingly insignificant words. He trusted her. That was not something she was used to hearing, if ever. In all honesty, she couldn't say that she had ever uttered those words herself. She trusted nobody; Xehanort's cruelty had drilled pessimistic views into her head, such as tricking her into believing the whole world hated and despised her very existence, urging her to hate on the world in return, leaving very little room for anything else. And yet Roxas now stood before her, totally unguarded, totally unassuming and she felt the previous misconceptions along with the walls she had built up around her heart slowly crumble.

She nodded mutely as his hands returned to their sides, blinking rapidly as her eyes began to sting. She swiftly turned away from him with every intention of heading back over to where she was sure Eren eagerly awaited her return, but paused at the last second, her ears barely catching the words he whispered after her.

"Just be careful."

····» «····

As promised, Roxas did speak to the whole village regarding his plan to return their homes and families to them. The plan itself was relatively simple, yet it held some small risks. A group of twenty odd children led by Palom and Demyx would run out of the village, making as much noise as possible. When the guards came to investigate — and Roxas assured everyone that they would investigate, as he had several back up plans in case they didn't — the children would flee into the nearby forest. Presuming the guards followed after them, Roxas and the remaining outlaws would ambush them and capture them alive. While this was happening, Naminé and the women would infiltrate the mines, rescue the prisoners and escape. It sounded easy enough.

Of course, there was one fatal flaw to this plan, a flaw that had been brought up and that Roxas had addressed with a ruthless sense of certainty. There was still a chance that the guards would not be baited so easily and if they were, there was a great chance that not all of them would leave the mines unprotected. If Naminé or the other women were met with any resistance, it was unlikely that the plan would succeed. As such, Roxas asked Palom to aid the women if needed, but only after seeing the children to safety. The young mage didn't seem too at odds with this, accepting the task with little grumbling, something that Naminé knew to be quite uncharacteristic of him. She at least felt safer knowing someone would be there to back them up in case something bad happened in the mine.

One other issue that caused quite a stir was the fact that they were planning to use the villager's children in the attack. Many mothers were worried about letting their children lure out such dangerous men who had ruined their lives and threatened to kill any who opposed them, but after much debating, it was agreed that there were no better candidates for such a task. In addition Palom and Demyx both promised to make sure that each and every child made it back to the village safely once their part was over. This, at least, seemed to sate the particularly upset mothers.

Once all other doubts and questions were answered, everyone began splitting off into their designated groups — the children, Palom and Demyx as the distraction; the remaining outlaws as the ambushers; Naminé and the women as the rescuers.

The outlaws disappeared into the nearby forest, but not before Roxas spared her a reassuring glance that rested on her for a particularly long time. It took her a while to shake of the intense sensation he left behind.

The children then took their places by the edge of the village, including Eren, who insisted on giving her a hug before separating with some reluctance. In the meantime Naminé and the women villagers headed around the side of the small town to climb up the side of the mountain to hide out of sight of the guards standing by the entrance to the mine.

They had been given weapons of sorts to defend themselves with from any attackers — trowels, shovels, brooms, sickles and the like — but the idea was that they wouldn't have to use them. Naminé herself clutched at the hilt of the dagger Axel had thrust into her hands just the other day. She had discovered it in her tent upon returning from speaking with Roxas and had been meaning to give it back to the redhead, but had never quite gotten round to it, hence why she currently had it with her. Regardless, she was glad to have something to protect herself with, even if merely looking at the thing made her want to wretch.

Now, as they crouched behind a mound of rocks, Naminé's hand found the hilt. She knew that all they had to do was wait for the signal — the flash of light. Just as Roxas had instructed.

"Once we're in position, you'll see a bright light above the treeline; that is when Palom and Demyx will lead the children out of the village and towards the mine. Once they have attracted a significant amount of attention, they will run for the forest and loop back around to the village while we ambush them. It's then that Naminé and the women will leave their hiding places and enter the mine, hopefully undetected."

Roxas' words were ingrained in her mind as a constant reminder. Admittedly, she had forced herself to remember for the exact reason that she could not under any circumstances ruin this for them — it was more than just her life at stake this time.

She didn't know when she had begun to care for people other than herself, only that within such a short time period, Roxas and the others outlaws had wormed their way under her skin and poisoned her heart, so badly that she was willing to put her own life and freedom on the line in order to aid them. Perhaps 'poisoned' was a harsh way of putting it, but from her position, the description seemed apt.

Naminé licked her lips nervously, balling her trembling hands into tight fists by her sides as she peered down into the area directly below them. Just beyond the rocks she and the other women were hiding behind stood several guards in the entrance to the mine, talking merrily amongst themselves without any care in the world. She ducked behind the safety of her rock and pressed her back against its rough surface, sucking in a deep breath, blocking out the soft murmuring of the small group of eleven or so women to her right.

Truthfully, she had been distancing herself from the women surrounding her on purpose. She'd seen the devastation that had been brought to her village first-hand and was ashamed. She stood there, as a blood relative to the very man who had most probably directly ordered the attack on the defenceless village. She felt tainted, unworthy. Of course she did not voice these thoughts aloud to anyone, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good. She was afraid that if the women knew her identity and her heritage, nothing good would come of it and the operation would be compromised.

She wasn't just wary of messing things up for the outlaws and villagers, however. She was afraid that the men would recognise her and somehow deliver her back to Xehanort. It had come so close to happening before and the fact that there was even the slightest chance of it happening again scared her to no end. It was only now — when faced with the prospect of being whisked back behind those stifling walls where that cruel man and her insufferable cousin resided — that she realised just how much she desperately did not want to return. If she did, she did not quite know what she would do. Perhaps she would be forced to end her own torment... It appeared to her as the only viable option; the only way out.

She shivered and clamped her eyes shut, shaking her head roughly to rid herself of the dark thought. To think that she would so willingly take her own life before Xehanort had the chance to... It was a frightening realisation.

Suddenly the murmurs around her fell silent. She cracked open her eyes and peeked over the top of the rock just in time to see a bright light shoot up above the treeline. A mere few seconds later, a mass of yelling and whooping broke out, ringing throughout the small valley. The children, led by a grinning Palom and Demyx shot out into the clearing in front of the mine, screaming to the sky and pounding sticks against the ground.

The guards standing by the mine entrance immediately snapped to attention, drawing their swords and pointing them at the rabble of children. For a moment, they merely stood there, frozen in their bewilderment and completely unsure of what to do until a fairly large projectile shot through the air and smacked one of them directly in the face. Palom's mischievous cackle rang out across the area, breaking the guard's stunned silence.

Several of the women beside her broke out into muffled chuckles and even Naminé had to hide a smile.

The man who had been hit started yelling, clutching one hand to his bleeding forehead while waving his sword around in the other, his eyes wild. His comrades began advancing on the children, who skirted skilfully out of their path, like they were playing a harmless game of tag. Every so often, Palom would throw another projectile, while Demyx would dutifully pull several children away from the now severely angered men.

This went on for a few minutes, like a cruel game of cat and mouse, until another five guards spilled out of the mine, having heard the commotion. In an immediate reaction, they gave chase after the rampaging children.

Now, Naminé thought, this is where things really begin.

As if reacting to her thoughts, the children suddenly broke away from their lazy patterns and sprinted for the forest, still jeering and laughing. The guards gave chase, cursing loudly at the children, waving their swords about their heads like madmen.

Once the coast was clear, Naminé slipped out from her hiding place along with the other women and began racing towards the mine entrance, skidding down the rocky slope. They would have to be quick, they all knew this; at any point a guard could return, or reinforcements could arrive. None of it was really in their favour as they had no idea what awaited them beyond the cavernous opening stamped into the side of the towering mountain.

Without sparing a glance over their shoulders, they plunged head first into the mine.

The first thing Naminé noticed upon entering the mine was how incredibly dark it was, aside from the odd lantern hanging along the walls, providing minimal light. The second was that it was incredibly damp and smelled...all wrong, like rotten food. The third was that it was completely silent, save for the sound of their feet slapping against the stone floor as they headed deeper into the cave-like mine. Immediately, this caused warning bells to go off in her mind. Surely the prisoners would be making some form of noise? Or were they that deep underground that it was impossible to hear them from the entrance?

Before long, they reached a fork in the path. The women paused and took a moment to compose themselves before breaking off into four groups of three and heading down separate passageways. Roxas had told them that they would need to be prepared in the likelihood that such a scenario occurred and had helped them decide on who should be grouped up with whom.

Naminé's hand tightened on the hilt of her borrowed dagger, her teeth biting hard into her cheek as she, a pretty redhead a mere few years older than her and a middle aged dark haired woman took off down the right most passage. They would begin their search for prisoners together, but if the mine branched off into another set of pathways they would split up a second time and continue alone. If they ran into any trouble or reached a dead end, they would double back and join up with their designated teammates.

She kept repeating this information in her head, over and over like a mantra as the three of them surged down the dark passage. Secretly, she hoped that they would not have to split up. Ever since entering the mine, Naminé felt completely uneasy; her spine tingled, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she could not stop her hands from shaking. It was an ominous feeling, but she refused to let it get the better of her, even if it continuously niggled at the back of her mind. She just knew well enough to heed her instincts and proceed with caution.

"Hey!"

Naminé's head jerked up, her thoughts forgotten, and sought out the source of the voice. She glanced towards the redhead to her left and raised a questioning brow.

In response, the redhead smiled warmly and waved, veering uncomfortably close to her, "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Akane." She then gestured to the sombre woman on the other side of the blonde. "That's Christa. She rarely speaks. What's your name?"

The blonde frowned and looked away. Under normal circumstances, she would merely ignore the woman and pretend she had not spoken, but her earnest introduction partnered with her genuine smile made her reconsider. She sighed quietly and turned back towards the young woman waiting eagerly for her response. "Naminé."

Akane's smile brightened, despite her blunt tone. "That's a pretty name. Say, you arrived with the outlaws, right?" Her eyes flashed mischievously in the shadows, her lips curling sneakily. "So...you must know that cute blond guy pretty well, hmm?"

Naminé's eyes widened and she ducked her head, catching onto her hidden meaning immediately. Her cheeks burned as she scrambled to amend the woman's statement. "We're more like acquaintances. I have known him only for a short while." She sighed internally, congratulating herself for responding so calmly. She didn't quite understand why the thought of her and Roxas in that way made her feel so embarrassed, but decided not to dwell on it.

Akane wrinkled her nose at her choice of words. "That's a shame. You two would be rather—"

"It looks like the passages split off again." Christa muttered, cutting Akane off before she could finish speaking, much to Naminé's inner relief. Her relief, however, was short lived when she realised that the passage indeed did break off into two different pathways. "We should separate here and continue alone, as planned."

"I don't understand how even you can be so nonchalant about this, Christa." Akane protested. "Goodness knows what will happen if we split up. I do not like this."

Naminé pursed her lips, silently agreeing with what Akane was saying, but knowing full well that they could not afford to continue together. Reluctantly, she spoke up, "I do not really like this either but... We need to split up. We cannot afford to be more concerned with ourselves when there could be people down there, awaiting our aid."

Akane grimaced, nodding jerkily. "You are right, Naminé. We can't be selfish." She straightened. "Alright. I'll take the left most passage. If I come to a dead end, I'll come and find one of you, okay? Let's just get everyone out and leave this place."

Both Christa and Naminé nodded in agreement. With a fleeting smile, Akane darted off into the shadows.

"I'll take the right most passage then." Christa declared. She glanced back at the petrified girl, looking her up and down. For a moment, she paused, frowning delicately as she whispered, "Take care, Naminé."

Soon after, the shadows also claimed Christa. Now alone in the dark passageway, Naminé took a moment to compose herself, forcing aside the involuntary fear that gripped at her heart and tried to convince herself that everything would be alright; she just had to stick to the plan. Her hands shook as she pulled the dagger out of the scabbard Porom had let her borrow and pointed it away from her, holding it parallel to her chest.

Cautiously, she headed deeper into the mine, taking the middle tunnel. There were no lanterns lightning the way this time and if at all possible, it grew darker and damper the further she travelled, until large rivulets of water began dripping down from the ceiling, making it difficult for her feet to find purchase on the slippery ground.

Despite her careful footsteps, she still managed to stumble a few times in the dark, her hand shooting out to the wall to support herself. It was then that she heard it— muffled whimpers and soft murmurs. Prisoners. Who else could it be?

Spurred on by a sudden surge of adrenalin, Naminé pushed away from the wall and stumbled forwards, towards the voices.

Eventually, the narrow tunnel widened out into some sort of cave, dimly lit by oil lamps hanging at random points on the wall, casting a harsh glow over a small group of people tethered to a crude looking post. There were at least five of them, all male at varying ages chained by their ankles and wrists to the post. They looked as though they hadn't seen the light of day in several months and their faces were sunken from lack of nutrition. There was one boy in particular, around her age, who looked as though he might already be dead, but she couldn't tell. She covered her mouth and turned away to stop herself from retching.

However, the noise she made must have attracted their attention as one of the men with dirty blond hair and an unkempt beard sat a little straighter and called out into the darkness, "There's no point in concealing yerrself, yer coward! C'mon out and face us! We ain't afraid of yer!"

What other choice did she have? She was here to help them anyway; hiding wouldn't do her any good. Carefully, she stepped out of the shadows, quickly returning the dagger to its scabbard and holding her hands up, palms out as several sets of eyes snapped to her face.

"I'm not one of them." She declared in a strong voice, ignoring the angry and suspicious glares she was receiving. "I came here with a group of out—" She cut herself off and frowned, amending her statement. "I arrived here with a group known as Organization XIII. They— we came to help."

The boy, who she had thought was either dead or dying, suddenly lifted his head. She flinched at the abrupt movement, her entire body stiffening as he scrutinised her. His silver hair hung limply around his face, contrasting against his bright, lively green eyes that stared at her without any hesitation. "Roxas is here...?" When she nodded hesitantly, his expression brightened slightly. And then, "Do you have the keys?" He lifted his wrists to indicate to the heavy duty shackles, grimacing when the metal scraped against the tender skin of his wrists.

Naminé blanched and lowered her head shamefully. "N-no... I do not..."

"Okay. How do you plan on getting us out?" The boy asked, sounding surprisingly genuine and patient.

"I...I do not know." Naminé mumbled. She hadn't thought about this. Saying that she would rescue them was one thing, but actually doing it was another thing entirely. She raised her head to glance around the cave-like area for some form of equipment strong enough to break through the chains. Her dagger would be of no use. Once, she had seen in a book she had sneaked out from the library, a section on mining tools. There was something called a 'pickaxe' that was often used to siphon away at the rock to get to the precious ore that often resided deep underground, but as she had never seen a picture, she had no idea what a 'pickaxe' looked like... Her frustration grew. How on earth was she supposed to help them without the correct tools?

"I think I am right in saying that there's a shovel just behind you. You might be able to break the chains with that." One of the older men pointed out, gingerly lifting his bound wrists to gesture to it.

Naminé wheeled around and saw the piece of equipment he must have been referring to and grabbed the handle, hefting it up, surprised by its heavy weight. Stumbling slightly, she crossed over to where the prisoners were chained up and automatically looked towards the boy with silver hair for assistance.

"Position it over the chains and then lift it above your head...like this." He made a vague motion of lifting his arms up. "And, with a lot of force, bring it down on the chains." He stabbed his hands down towards the ground. "Come over here and try it on mine."

Awkwardly, Naminé stood before him as he separated his wrists and held them to the ground, leaving a small strip of chain dangling in the space between. Her face paled. There was very little room for mistakes. "W-what if I accidently hit you?"

He looked up at her, smiling patiently. "You won't."

Her hands started trembling as she raised the shovel up as he had showed her. She aimed it carefully, pointing the metal edge at the chain links. After sucking in a deep breath, she slammed the butt of the shovel down, stabbing right through the chains. A small cry of elation left her lips, a smile stretching across her face as his hands were freed.

In response, the boy grinned. "Told you. Now you've just got to cut through the chains around my feet and then help the others." He reached a hand up and patted her arm. "You can do this."

And she did. After successfully removing the chains from the boy who introduced himself as Hope Estheim, the two of them continued to free the remaining prisoners after Hope discovered a second shovel in the outer passage. In no time at all, the men were rubbing at their sore wrists and ankles, marvelling at their new found freedom. Unfortunately, Naminé could not afford to waste any more time and was forced to cut the moment short.

"We should leave while we can." She pointed out, gesturing to the passageway. "I do not know how long I have been down here, and I am not sure Roxas intended for it to take us this long finding people..."

The group of men glanced at each other and nodded in a unanimous agreement. Satisfied, Naminé began leading them back through the dark tunnels. When they ended back at the fork where she, Christa and Akane had separated, she paused.

Hope looked back at her and tilted his head quizzically to the side. "Are you coming?"

Slowly, she shook her head, staring back the way she came. "You should go on ahead. Keep following the path and you'll come to the exit eventually."

Hope paused a moment longer, apparently uncomfortable about leaving her on her own, but after she nodded encouragingly at him and reminded him that his family was probably waiting for him, he continued on, albeit reluctantly.

Naminé, in the meantime, didn't know what she was doing. That same ominous feeling from before had returned. Something was wrong. On instinct, she headed down Akane's tunnel, breaking into a run.

She barely made it several feet when she heard a squeak of surprise as someone all but barrelled into her. Naminé lost her footing and stumbled back, instinctively lifting her hands in front of her face to protect herself. The other person wasn't so lucky. They slipped on the damp floor and landed flat on their back with a groan.

"Naminé...? Please say that was you."

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar figure scrambled back to their feet. Even in the dim lighting, Naminé could still see her somewhat sheepish smile. "Akane."

She was alive. She was relatively unharmed. Naminé didn't know what she had been expecting, but she was secretly relieved to find Akane alive and well. The horrible feeling hadn't subsided, however, something she kept a silent note of.

"It is you!" The young woman cried, giggling rather skittishly. "Oh gosh, you frightened me. Did you find anyone?"

"A small group of people at a dead end." Naminé replied simply, smiling slightly.

"Me too! After I freed them, I wondered about that..." Akane hummed thoughtfully. "It's strange, almost like they wanted to draw us deep into the—"

Suddenly, it was as though a massive earthquake gripped the entire mountain, cutting Akane off mid-sentence. Tremors rumbled throughout the entire mine until, entirely too quickly for comprehension, the ceiling caved in, sending tonnes of rock crashing down, directly above the young redhead.

Naminé could only let out a gasp as the girl crumpled from view, flattened beneath the boulders. The Princess threw herself at the misshapen pile, feverishly clawing away at the loose rocks, screeching almost incoherently, "Akane! I'll get you out of there; I'll get you out just hold still!"

Somehow, the woman had survived the initial cave-in and was lying spread-eagled beneath the partially collapsed ceiling, her breath coming out in short, wet splutters. Blood seeped past the corners of her lips and down her already deathly-pale cheeks, dripping off the sharp point of her chin. The redhead stared up at her with impossibly wide, fearful eyes, emitting a noise that sounded something like a whimper.

Naminé's fingers were bloody, the delicate skin torn by the sharp pieces of stone, but she barely registered the pain. She was numb to it as she scrabbled to rescue a young woman she barely even knew. She didn't even pay attention to the fact that Akane was trying to push her away, her feeble attempts falling short of attracting her attention. She wouldn't have listened anyway.

Desperately, Naminé choked, "I promise, Akane, I'll get you out of there, just hold on—!"

Suddenly and without any warning, the rest of the ceiling collapsed, crushing the poor gasping redhead and sending a massive cloud of dust up into the air.

Naminé let out a shrill scream of horror at the sound of shattering bones, reeling back until she slammed into the damp wall behind her. Her face... Her desperate, pleading face streaked with blood and tears. That horrible gurgling, gasping, wheezing sound as she choked on her own inner fluids. The way her crushed chest barely moved with each shattered breath that left her body.

Naminé slammed her bloody hands over her ears and let out a high-pitched cry, scrunching her eyes shut as she tried to force it all out of her mind. Her breathing became laboured, made worse by the dust curling through the collapsed tunnel.

She had to get out. Tears burned behind her closed eyelids, racing down her cheeks as she violently shook her head, strangled sobs tearing out of her throat.

For what seemed like a long time, everything fell silent, punctuated by her quiet cries. Eventually, the dust cloud settled and Naminé opened her eyes, peering out between trembling fingers. And then, almost instantaneously, the ground beneath her feet seemed to rumble and shudder, loose rocks falling from the ceiling and bouncing off the walls.

Was it the aftershock?

She threw her hands up above her head to deflect the falling debris, her chest tightening with panic as she realised what that loud noise was and what was now in the process of happening. It was not over.

Xehanort's men... Whoever they were; they had planned for this, they had expected this to happen. Somehow, they had caused the mine to collapse. Magic? Could magic cause an earthquake? She did not know, but there was no other explanation. What did it even matter anymore? The ceiling was collapsing and she needed to move.

She scrambled to her feet and bolted abandoning the poor mangled body of the pretty redhead trapped under the rubble. There was nothing she could do now, nothing... Nothing... Nothing...

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes but she hastily swiped them away, swerving to the right and heading down what she hoped to be the correct tunnel that would lead to the exit, if she had remembered their route correctly. She had no idea if Christa had been affected by the blast or if she was even still alive, but Naminé hoped and prayed that she had.

A portion of the ceiling directly behind her collapsed, narrowly missing her. Without meaning to, she screamed, the noise echoing and bouncing around the tunnel, ringing loudly in her ears. In her mind, all she could imagine was getting trapped like Akane; crushed and mangled beyond recognition and she was terrified. She pressed onwards, urging herself to run faster, ignoring the way her lungs burned with every breath she took.

When a shaft of light barraged her vision at the end of the seemingly never ending tunnel, she let out a cry of relief and darted for it, running with everything she had.

However, in the moments before she escaped the dreadful mine, she came to the horrifying realisation that she wasn't going to make it. Rocks were falling in quick abundance by now, slamming into the ground mere inches behind her, scraping at her heels. She wasn't quick enough. She was going to be crushed. Just like Akane...

Naminé was so desperate to escape, so desperate to live that she didn't notice the fact that the entrance — now mere feet away from her — was also caving in, with nothing holding it up anymore.

"Naminé! Get out of there!"

Roxas.

She would have recognised his voice anywhere. Her head snapped up, eyes searching desperately for his face, but she didn't have the chance to register anything else as she realised her fatal mistake much too late.

In the moments before her inevitable death, before the ceiling came crumbling down with every intention of burying her beneath a tonne of rock, she saw a brief flash of familiar gold and then something — or someone — barrelled into her, sending her toppling backwards...just as the rocks finally sagged and snuffed out the light.

And she could only form one coherent thought; Roxas had saved her life again.


A/N: I totally was not influenced by Attack on Titan while writing this chapter, nope, no way whatsoever! Amazing anime, by the way. And the manga is even better... I'm kind of obsessed, as if it wasn't obvious enough when you take my current icon into consideration. ;)

So, a lot happened in this chapter! I couldn't summarise it even if I wanted to. Either way, there was some RokuNami developments, some other characters were given some time to shine and I threw a shameful amount of OCs in there... Oops.

Surprisingly, there was no room to put any scenes from Aqua/Terra/Ven/Xion's POV in there, but I'm kind of happy with it the way it is. They'll be in the next chapter though and things are going to be (hopefully) getting HELLA AWESOMEEEEEEEE!

Anyways, sorry again for the shamefully long wait! Between school, my job and new anime obsessions (just to name a few; Attack on Titan, Free!, Psycho Pass) I have had very little time to write. So I shall apologise in advance, as it's looking like the next few months will be more of the same. D:

Thank you again to everyone who is reading this; your support means the world to me! See you next time!

~AusisWinds-13