I have finally returned from a long LONG absence. School has been rough over the past few months and I have been working a lot as of late as well. Rest assured I have not forgotten this fic; actually, we are almost at the end anyway. Well I hope you all enjoy the next chapter in Namine's POV.

We continued to travel through the Organization's massive fortress for what seemed like an eternity. The silence that surrounded us made this place even more eerie, considering that we had not encountered an enemy since the one-eyed sniper that Riku, Axel, and Roxas had defeated. I brought my sketchbook to my chest and stole a glance at Riku. His face was unreadable as he continued to remain on guard just in case we were ambushed.

"There should be a door up ahead that will lead to the floor that Xemnas is on," Zexion said barely above a whisper.

"I see it. It's just up ahead," Riku replied as we approached another gray door.

Riku halted to a stop and turned around to look at us. He summoned his keyblade to his hand and looked at each one of us; his eyes locking with mine last.

"Everyone be on guard. We don't know what is going to happen beyond this point," he explained quietly.

The rest of the group nodded and summoned their weapons to their side as well. At some point when this was going on, Riku had turned around and began to push against the door.

Roxas charged in first, followed by Zexion, Axel, and Demyx. I hesitated for a moment, allowing my fear to overtake me. I wouldn't deny that I was scared, even with so many people fighting to protect me. It wasn't the Organization that I was afraid of, I was afraid that I would lose one of them or even worse…Riku.

"Namine?" Riku spoke, causing me to look up to him, "Are you okay?" he asked.

I put on a smile for him and nodded, "Yes I'm fine," I replied. I didn't want him to worry about me after all.

He stared at me for moment as if not believing my words, but shrugged it off a moment later, his hand taking my non-injured wrist.

"Let's go."

I couldn't hide the embarrassment I felt as I looked down at our joint hands.

"Hey Riku…I have something to ask. It has been bugging at me for a while," I admitted and focused my eyes somewhere to the side.

"Yeah what is it?" he asked.

I bit my lip; I know it wasn't the time to bring something like this up, "Right before you saved me. Larxene mentioned something about me being the 'other woman.' Do you know what she meant by that?" I asked, finding it rather difficult to breathe at the moment.

I couldn't bring myself to look at his face, so I kept my eyes fixated at his feet. The silence seemed to last for an eternity, until I heard him draw in a breath. I didn't even realize that we stopped until Riku had released his grip on my arm.

"I'm sorry Namine. Now is not a good time for me to answer that," he replied.

"I-I see," I said and let out a deep sigh. I should've known that it wasn't a good idea to bring up the subject; I didn't understand why I had even asked in the first place. What did I want to accomplish? I myself didn't know the answer. I slowly began to walk past him, making sure to focus on anything but him. Why did I feel so down? It didn't make sense to me.

"Once I defeat Xemnas, Saix, and the other Organization bastards that took you away," he began, making me pause in front of the door, "Then…I'll tell you everything."

I placed my hand against my chest, the weight of that dreadful feeling fading away with those words spoken. I allowed a smile to crawl upon my face as the strange warm feeling returned to my soul once again.

"Okay then…" I said silently and opened the door to the next room with Riku not too far behind.

My mood suddenly changed as we entered, fear replacing the happiness that had welled up inside of me only a moment ago at the sight of what was in this particular room.

"W-What is this?" I asked, backing up slowly.

Objects that looked like tombstones were lying in front of me, there were a total of thirteen of them, and each of them had a different weapon embedded in them. I had never liked cemeteries, something about the aura they had given off frightened me, more than my phobia of lightning. I felt two hands grip my shoulders.

"It's okay. I'm right here," Riku whispered in my ear. Somehow, he had been able to calm me to an extent.

"They signify the life force an Organization member," Zexion stated while walking up to us.

Roxas, Axel, and Demyx were exploring the different rows of tombstone-like objects with grim expressions on their faces.

Zexion sighed, "I've never seen this area before, though I read somewhere in Vexen's notes about this place. The ones that glow blue mean that an Organization member is alive and healthy," he continued, pointing to the one that shined a brilliant cerulean color.

Seven out of thirteen tombstones were blue, four glowed red, and there were also two purple ones.

"The red ones show which Organization members have been killed so far. It looks like we still have five more members to defeat," Zexion explained.

"Zexion's and Roxas's are glowing purple. Why is that?" Axel asked as he looked from Roxas to Zexion.

Zexion pondered on that thought for a moment, as if trying to come up with the answer based on the limited knowledge that he knew about this room.

"Maybe it's because both Roxas and Zexion were on the verge of death recently," Riku chimed in, causing everyone to look at him with wide eyes.

He let out a scowl of annoyance, "Come on it makes sense doesn't it? Both Roxas and Zexion have had near death experiences since we've been here."

Demyx scratched his chin, "Now that you mention it…"

"It makes sense to me," Roxas said, as he leaned against the stone that had six lances embedded in it. It looked very similar to the spears that Xaldin had used.

"Though," Roxas spoke as he looked at around the room for another door, "It looks like this is a dead end, which means we're going to have to find another way to where Xemnas is."

"Um…Roxas?" Demyx suddenly asked, looking to the boy with concern, "Why are you fading?"

I, along with everyone else, turned their attention to Roxas, whose bottom half was disappearing right before our eyes. He looked like he was being absorbed into strange stone. Roxas looked down at his hands, eyes widening as they too had begun to vanish.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed, with a strange fear that I had never heard in the boy's voice since I had met him.

Axel ran up to the boy's aid and attempted to pull him away from where he was standing, but his hands went through Roxas's now transparent figure.

"Something's…pulling me," Roxas said as his form disappeared right before our eyes.

"Roxas!!" Axel shouted as he grasped at nothing but air.

I cringed as the sound of Xaldin's creepy laughter could be heard coming from the source where Roxas had vanished.

Riku ran over to Axel, who was attempting to enter the same way Roxas did, however his efforts were futile.

"It seems like they act as portals too," Riku said, as he put a hand on the red head's shoulder, "It's no use, didn't you notice the barrier that has been placed on the area?" he asked as he touched the portal, his finger being stopped by several clear squares.

"It seems like Xaldin doesn't want us to interfere," Zexion stated, his fingertips on his chin thoughtfully as he looked to the other objects. I watched as Axel's face worried expression quickly change to anger.

I was silent the entire time as I worried about how Roxas would fare. I couldn't take it if he ended up in a condition similar to the one he was in after his fight with Marluxia. Xaldin was no one to mess with from what I have seen, especially since he was able to manipulate those lances with his mind. I hope that he will be okay. Then a thought came to me.

"D-Do you think that the other stones lead to the other Organization members?" I asked.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Zexion responded, "It seems probable."

"Well there are four remaining, so each of us are going to have to fight someone. That includes you Demyx," He explained.

Demyx gave Riku a look of shock, "I'm telling you. I'm the wrong guy," he complained, earning him a glare from the silver-haired boy.

"But then again I can always give it my best shot," Demyx laughed nervously.

I could help but giggle at this; it was funny that Riku could convince Demyx to do anything he needed him to do just by glaring at him.

"Roxas will be fine. If he can handle battling me than Xaldin should be no problem," Riku said to Axel.

"Xaldin's a dead man if Roxas doesn't make it," the red head replied, glancing back for a brief moment before walking away from the portal that separated him from Roxas.

I felt goosebumps begin to form on my arms. I had a bad feeling something was going to happen soon, something terrible. I didn't think it would be a good idea for all of us to separate, especially if someone was double-teamed by two enemies. Though I didn't voice this, I would talk to Riku about this once we were alone again. I watched Axel, Zexion, and Demyx walk to different portals, each waiting to be teleported to the location where they would battle a member of Organization XIII.

"You'll be coming with me okay?" Riku told me softly.

I nodded slowly and smiled at him, I wouldn't have it any other way. We waited in the portal room, as I called it, to insure that the others make through their assigned areas safely.

"Please be careful everyone," I said.

Axel gave me a reassuring smirk, "Don't worry kid," he said to me, "I'll be back before you know it. Just watch."

With that, he disappeared from my sight. I looked to Zexion next, my eyes focused on the rip parts of his dark cloak.

"Will you be able to fight Zexion?" Riku asked as if he could tell what I was thinking.

Zexion nodded, his dark bangs falling into his face, "Yes I'll be okay," he responded.

"Take care!" Demyx said to us before both of them faded away.

I gazed upon those areas for what seemed like hours until I felt Riku's hand on my shoulder. I looked up to meet his aqua eyes and couldn't help but feel confident in our chances of winning.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his grip tightened but not to the point where it hurt.

"I believe so," I replied and walked up to the final portal, looking down to see a claymore engraved on the floor.

'Saix…how ironic,' I thought to myself, I don't know why it came as a surprise to me.

"Riku," I said, turning to look at him, "It looks like you have to fi-", However I could not finish my sentence because I felt something grab my arm tightly, pulling into the blue vortex.

I could barely hear Riku screaming my name as I watched a variety of reds and blues pass me at a rapid speed before clashing onto the hard cold floor. I noticed two pairs of footsteps on both sides of me as I recovered from my not so graceful landing. I gasped when I saw Saix standing above me before diving back to way in which I had entered the room. However, I couldn't get through due to some kind of barrier separating me from my only escape route.

"Riku!!" I screamed his name.

"It's useless to try and break through that force field child," Saix spoke, causing a chill to go up my spine.

The sound of someone walking into the room caused me to turn around; I kept my back against the vortex just in case the seal were to break.

"So you were able to separate them once again?"

Saix turned around and bowed respectfully to the cloaked figure, "Yes Superior, here is the memory witch as requested."

"Excellent work," Xemnas replied as he approached me. I tried to back up even more, but found that I was trapped; no matter where I ran to I would be caught either way.

"Do you want me to kill her Superior?" The scar faced man asked, summoning a claymore to his hand.

I began to shiver; fearful of what I knew was going to happen as I watch Xemnas ponder on the thought of what to do. He looked over to the strange heart-shaped moon that shined brilliantly through the large window of this room.

"No…I have a better idea," He said as he pulled me near him, pinning my arms behind my back so that I would not be able to escape, "It seems that she could be more useful to my plan," He said as I tried to struggle from his strong grasp.

I could hear the sound of glass breaking from the other side of the portal, which caused Saix and Xemnas to look into that direction.

"It seems that he broke through," Saix stated in a calm voice, a smirk evident on his features, "Good my claymore has been thirsting for more blood after our last encounter."

"When you have disposed of Riku, meet me at the Alter of Naught," Xemnas said just as Riku's form appeared in the room.

"Riku!" I exclaimed and tried to struggle free, but my efforts had proven futile.

I noticed him tense slightly as he turned to look at me, his eyes narrowing on my captor as he pointed his keyblade at the leader of Organization XIII.

"You better let her go, or you will be very sorry," he said venomously.

I gasped when I looked to the ground to see black begin to surround us, engulfing me slowly.

"If you wish to fight me Riku and save this girl, meet me at the Alter of Naught…if you can make it there," Xemnas's laughter reverberated around the entire room.

"Riku…" I said, managing to free one of my arms to reach out for him.

Everything was getting dimmer by the second, I watched Riku begin to run towards us. I felt myself disappearing, everything was dark, Riku had disappeared from sight.

'What is this?!' I thought frightfully as I felt the gravity begin to pull the both of us up. It was too dark to see anything in front of me. I began to ponder of what Xemnas had said before Riku showed up.

'What purpose could I serve?'

Well what did you think? Hope it was a good update. So any ideas on what purpose she could serve to the Organization??? Tune in next time Make sure to read Riku's part to get the other side to the story. Make sure to review plz!!!!