Hero's Heart

by Canis Cantus

A new mission has sent Sora away from the islands again. What turns out to be a simple mission at first will put Sora in a race to overcome the darkness within him. Is there any hope for the keyblade master?

14. Twilight's Shadow

Chapter 14: Twilight's Shadow

WARNING! This Author's Note is rated T for swearing.

Hi everyone! It's been forever hasn't it? I apologize for the massive delay, but I started university (got accepted to the university I was hoping for too :D), and it has simply been relentless. Crystal too has been buried up to her neck in work, and couldn't beta the chapter until very recently.

As for the results of the previous chapter's trivia, nobody really got all three references but Luna Simetra Moonhowl was the closest so she gets the slice of cake and the party hat. DemonessOfDepartingSorrows and Roxas - kitty, you guys also get some cake don't worry.

Now as all those of you who review know, I like writing personal replies to each and every message I get. Unfortunately, that is impossible when you review as anonymous. For this reason I'll reply to two anonymous reviewers right below.

To Marek:

I'm afraid I can't go spoiling the ending, but for the other chapters I can say that if you are reading this then you at least know that Chapter 14 has (finally) been updated. As for the others, I can't know for sure, but rest assured I am not abandoning this fic. Anyways, thanks for reviewing.

To Zhane:

When I saw your review I really didn't know whether I should get angry or laugh (I did the latter). I am assuming you wrote that review because of how much you like this story and how compelled you feel to finish it. But regardless of the case, there are a few things I would like to point out:

Firstly, insulting an author (and beta) in an attempt to get them to write their story is not really the greatest of ideas. Worst case scenario, you will invoke the writer's wrath and they will react with a 'super effective' HIATUS attack (or even worse, DISCONTINUED).

Secondly, neither Crystal nor I are male or illegitimate childs, therefore we cannot be considered 'bastards' *Crystal nods*. Since we are both studying in institutions of higher learning, we can't really be considered 'idiots' either *Crystal nods again*. If anything, you really should have gone for 'bitch' *Crystal facepalms*.

Third and lastly, I should point out that I am in no way bound or forced to write fanfiction for the pleasure of people all over the world. I do it as a hobby and in no way gain any profit from it. In fact, you should take into consideration that writers also have lives, and all sorts of duties and responsibilities. One of my duties right now is to do well in my studies and get a degree. Heck, this may surprise a few, but my major is related to science, not writing or literature. For those reasons I would like for you to understand that the time I spend writing is really quite a sacrifice, especially now.

Regardless, I would like to thank you for your review. Though I hope next time (if there is a next time) you will take these things into consideration.

Now without further delay, I would like to present to you Chapter 14. This is the longest yet.

Disclaimer: You all know what this thing means by now.

---

The rays of the sun were just barely over the horizon, bathing the island with just enough light to perfectly illuminate every structure in sight. It was still very early in the morning though, evident in the way the sky was still a blue and purple shade, with the last of the night stars blinking out at the sight of the incoming dawn.

Despite the ungodly hour Sora found himself trudging along the deserted streets towards the beach, where the calming waves for the sea beckoned him over to ease his troubles. Normally he was the least likely to wake up early out of the group, instead sleeping in to a more reasonable hour like noon. His ability to sleep like a log didn´t help much either.

Sora stifled a yawn before shivering a bit from the chilly winds that blew through the morning.

The real reason he had woken up was because today, unlike most days, sleep eluded him. No, it was not like he spent the whole night awake. To be perfectly honest he did manage to sleep, if that could be called sleep. It was completely dreamless and it didn´t make him feel like he got any rest at all. Well, he wasn´t tired, but he didn´t feel any rested either, if that made any sense. It was more like lying in bed at night, waiting for sleep´s embrace, only to black out and then 'wake up' like nothing happened, only to realize that hours just went by. Well that, and discovering he was still stuck as a younger version of himself.

Needless to say, Sora DID NOT feel like going back to bed after that. Though he was still getting used to his old voice, he still winced or looked away from most reflective surfaces. He thought about just barricading himself in his room, but instead he ate a light breakfast and snuck out of the house, past his still sleeping parents. He was sure they wouldn't really mind, though they would most likely be a bit surprised.

What he really needed at the moment was to be alone. He needed to find seclusion to clear his thoughts, and though normally the comfort and familiarity of his loved ones would be welcome to help him alleviate his troubles, seeking them out now would only make things worse. For starters, he was really starting to think he was going crazy. He was now convinced that whatever reality this was, it was definitely not a dream. He really didn't want to think that his adventures had been nothing more than a delirious creation caused by some fish toxin, but the way things were going he wasn't sure for how long he could keep it up. And to make manners worse, he felt he was being watched. It was that hair raising feeling you got whenever you felt a pair of eyes watch you from the darkness. Yet every time he looked over his shoulder to check, there was no one. Was this paranoia just another sign he was indeed losing it?

Sora sighed looking down at his white gloved hand and flexing his fingers.

'Even the Keyblade isn't answering.' Sora thought with a frown. Last night in his room the idea simply popped in his head. If his adventures really did happen then as Keyblade Master, he should have been able to summon the blade. But the second he tried…nothing, nada, zip. Just like Roxas, his Keyblade was gone.

Or maybe it wasn't there to begin with.

Sora shook his head. He really didn't know what to think anymore. Even if told his friends, there was no sort of evidence to back up his claims. The only real thing he would accomplish is to make his friends worry for his sanity, and in all honesty he wouldn't blame them.

The brunette ran a gloved hand through his spikes, looking out at the vast sea before him. He could clearly see the island's fishermen ready to head out on their boats, which made him look up and realize that the sun was already up. Sora then let out a small sigh and proceeded to make his way to the small dock where his rowboat was. He knew that it was going to be suspicious if he didn't show up in Play Island, especially since they came almost every day. Heck, they practically grew up on that island.

Once he reached his rather simple but trusty boat, he untied the rope that bound it to the wooden pier, and with a push of his oar, he was off. A small smile graced his lips as he looked down at the old boat and remembered how his dad would take him and Riku on it and row to the island back when they were small, well smaller. Those were quite possibly the best days of his life, looking around for hidden treasure, exploring monster filled caverns and playing pirate with the others.

His thoughts however were interrupted when a feeling, one that he had been feeling periodically since yesterday, invaded him once again: someone was watching him. He was almost tempted to ignore it, but since his reaction was more of a reflex than a carefully thought out action, he was already looking behind him before even realizing that he had done it. He saw nothing ashore except for a brief and almost insignificant flash of blue, accompanied by the sound of fluttering wings.

'Just a bird.' Sora said and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. 'Paranoia is acting up, just calm down and take a deep breath.'

It didn't take Sora long to reach Play Island. The sea was in a most pleasant mood making travel across the watery gap both safe and easy. The weather itself seemed to be just as favorable, and based on how the sky was devoid of any clouds with the wind being nothing more than a pleasant breeze, Sora knew it would stay like that for the rest of the day.

Once he reached the small pier, he quickly tied his boat down and then noticed the boats of his friends already there. With a small smile he stepped onto the sandy beach and made his way over to their usual meeting place to greet his waiting friends. They were both already sitting down on the bent trunk of the paopu tree.

---

Riku woke up to a stiff back and sore muscles the next morning. He couldn´t help but feel disoriented when he looked outside only to see the vast darkness of space rather than a sunny island morning. At first he thought it was still night, but the clock that hung on the wall of his sleeping quarters said otherwise. In fact, it was a bit past noon, meaning he actually slept in. With a small push, he forced himself out of bed and to the ship´s bathroom to get a quick shower. After undressing and turning on the hot water, he felt his sore muscles relax and he even found himself closing his eyes in bliss.

Besides the pain and disorientation, he had to admit that it could have been much worse though. Thankfully, there were no Heartless when they visited Traverse Town, and even the space between worlds was surprisingly empty. It was much like the calm after a bad storm.

'Let's just hope it keeps up.' Riku thought to himself. 'Though I wouldn't really count on that.'

Still, he had to admit they were lucky, and he used the term 'lucky' loosely. Mostly because they were still in a ship being recklessly flown by the gruff, blonde, possibly chain smoking pilot that was Cid Highwind. On the plus side, no one (aside from Sora) was seriously injured or dead… yet.

Riku decided that now was as good as any time to get up. The others were probably already up…again, probably. They were all pretty tired when they got back. Now that he thought about it, they barely even ate anything. All they managed to do was to eat a small meal and plan their next destination before passing out on their respective beds. He really hoped that the next three worlds wouldn't be as taxing, otherwise they would be left at a great disadvantage. Running around, jumping from one world to the next, facing unknown dangers and great foes alike, Riku had no idea how Sora managed it.

It wasn't like they didn't have any aces up their sleeves though. Both him, Kairi, and Mickey were all Keyblade Wielders. Donald and Goofy could also put up a good fight when they wanted to. Cid was probably the fastest pilot out there. But their real advantage came in the form of a blonde blue eyed girl. Yes, even though Naminé had a tendency to fade into the background, Riku realized just how valuable an asset she was. Since she knew the memories within Sora's heart, she probably knew what places were most important to him and was quite possibly the only thing that kept them from taking a wrong turn and wasting precious time in a fragment-less world.

That was probably why her decision had surprised him so much. After they returned to the ship, and were planning what their new destination would be. During the discussion Mickey wondered if there would be any fragments in Castle Oblivion. Riku had to agree to that logic. That was, after all, the place where Sora first met Organization XIII which then led to Sora's year long sleep. Riku didn't even want to think of the consequences of setting foot in that place again. Those that entered were lost to Oblivion, hence the castle's name. He still remembered how long it took him to get through the basement levels alone.

Naminé, who had been previously resting inside Kairi, came forth to tell them that she doubted that there were any fragments there. Instead she insisted that they should head to Twilight Town. This, although relieving him of the thought of having to cross that place again, surprised him greatly. It was the way she said it that surprised him the most. There was absolutely no hesitation in her voice, which was now surprisingly firm, unlike how she had sounded when they first met. She didn't think there were no fragments there. She knew there were no fragments there, but then why Twilight Town?

As far as Riku knew, Sora did become familiar with the inhabitants. That's also where he woke up after going to sleep for a year. As far as he knew, Twilight Town held more sentimental value to Roxas than Sora. Then again, both teens did share the same heart, so maybe both their memories counted. Naminé was also born when Kairi's heart left Sora's body, making her a special Nobody. Maybe that's why she was so sure. Could it be that she too felt attracted towards that light, like a moth to the flame?

Riku would have to wait and see.

The silver-haired teen groaned as he heard his stomach grumble. Deciding that he had wasted enough time thinking about their situation, he quickly finished up, dried himself and redressed in his same old clothes. He would ask Donald if he knew some sort of cleaning spell later.

Riku snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Riku called just as he finished putting on his vest.

"Good morning." Kairi said as she opened the door. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now that those two let me sleep in peace." Riku said referring to how Donald and Goofy (mostly Donald) had a habit of bickering (squawking in Donald's case) like an old married couple at the earliest of hours. "Did you need something?"

"Oh no, I was just gonna tell you that we will land soon, so you had better get some breakfast while you still can." Kairi said, before leaving through the door.

'Guess I'd better get going then.' Riku thought. 'I wonder what awaits us in Twilight Town.'

---

Roxas calmly ate his breakfast with the rest of the HBRC. It was his second day working alongside them and he was already pleased with his progress so far. In such a short amount of time he had already become familiar with the odd individuals that made the committee. He had easily made friends with the ninja Yuffie, learned a lot from Aerith and Tifa, sparred briefly with Leon and had even held a conversation with the reclusive Cloud, which according to Yuffie, was quite an achievement. Roxas silently agreed since he was never much of a social butterfly either. Spending the first years (technically not even a year), of your young life with a handful of 'heartless' beings did that to you. Almost everyone in Organization XIII was either: overly impassive, overly conceited, overly sadistic, overly eccentric, or all the above. It was a wonder he managed to make friends at all. Even getting near Xaldin when he was having a bad day was guaranteed to get you impaled.

"Yuffie, I suggest you put that piece of bacon back on my plate NOW, unless you want to greet First Tsurugi." Cloud said in a calm but dangerous tone, not even taking his eyes from the coffee mug in his hand.

Yuffie pouted, but otherwise returned her stolen loot.

Tifa gave a sigh from where she was drying a mug near the sink. "I thought we already warned you to stop stealing from him. All you will manage is to antagonize him further. And Cloud, I thought I told you; NO fighting at the table."

"What's First Tsurugi?" Roxas asked curiously from his seat, while trying to not laugh at the fact that Tifa was chastising both like a pair of kids. Well, Yuffie was one thing, but Cloud…

"Oh that just the name of Cloud's sword, just like Leon's gunblade is called Griever." Aerith supplied.

"Oh, so do you guys also…?" Roxas said, a bit unsure of how to word his question.

"Fight?" Aerith asked. "Well Tifa here is a Martial Arts expert, if you want to learn anything about hand-to-hand combat she is your best bet. I specialize in magic, especially white magic, you know, the kind used for healing or protection. But that doesn't mean I can't hold my ground." She finished with a wink.

"What about Cid?" Roxas asked again, curiosity peaked.

"Well he may not look like much, but he is not just a great engineer and mechanic, he is also great at using spears and other pole arms. It's a wonder really, especially with all that smoking he does." Tifa said with a thoughtful look.

"Oh." Roxas muttered, curiosity satisfied, before turning back to his food. It really was amazing how mouth watering and delicious it was. Aerith was a really good cook. Though according to Leon, she had a habit of making sickeningly sweet ice tea. Well, we can't all be perfect right? "You know, this food is really amazing!"

"Thanks, it's the least I can do to reward everyone for their hard work." Aerith said.

"Oh yeah, speaking of which. What are we doing today Leon?" Roxas asked.

"Actually, I am going to the outskirts of town to check for damages." Leon said with a rare smirk.

"Then what am I going to be doing?" Roxas asked slightly confused.

Tifa gave a small laugh. "You are coming with me tod+ay Roxas. We'll be heading to the Bailey and clearing out the large boulders and those torn down walls. Some of them look like they will completely topple over with the slightest of breezes."

"So once you are ready meet me outside ok?" The long haired brunette said before getting up and heading out the door.

Roxas just shrugged, finished his meal, and followed the martial artist outside. From there it was only a short way up some stairs to get to the Bailey. Now that he really looked at the place, he could see that every time he passed by, it just got steadily worse. The first large change was after the attack from the MPC that left the place in ruins, but now after the last attack, the place was turned into a giant hazard. Debris littered the floor, and many walls had been completely torn down while others looked like they would fall at any given second. Like the other sectors in Radiant Garden, there were also several feet of metal pipes that stuck out from the walls and ground. For a second Roxas looked down at the bailey and instead of seeing a destroyed mess, he saw beautiful blue tinged stones and a huge sparkling water fountain. But as soon as it came, it was gone.

'What was that about?' Roxas thought and shook his head.

"Well, this place won't clean itself. You may want to stand back." Tifa said as she put on her leather gloves and approached a piece of partially destroyed wall that had stubbornly withstood the attacks.

'But it won't be standing for much longer.' Roxas stepped back and shuddered as he saw Tifa demolish the wall with a single punch. 'Better remember to never get on her bad side.'

After a few more minutes of 'cleaning' out the place, Roxas realized just why he never saw any demolition cranes or bulldozers in town. They just didn't need them. Not with Tifa here at least. He continued to clean off the rubble and gather everything in bags. He was afraid they would rip with all the weight, not to mention the sharp rocks and broken pipes, but Tifa assured him that Merlin modified them especially for this task.

"Hey Tifa, I've been meaning to ask you guys. Just what is it with the pipes?" Roxas asked as he finished off his task.

"Ah," Tifa said as she shook of the dust from her leather gloves. "I thought you would be curious. You see, before the Heartless attack for the first time, Radiant Garden was a really beautiful place. One of the things that made it so unique was the many fountains of sparkling water that could be found all over the place, hence the water pipes. Though a lot of those pipes carried water for irrigation."

"Irrigation?" Roxas asked.

"Yep, it IS called Radiant Garden." Tifa said as she helped load the rest of the bags on one side. "I'm afraid we will have to re-install the pipe system if we want those fountains back, of course once this is all over."

Roxas pushed one particularly heavy bag into the pile, and afterwards sat on it with a tired sigh. "Just who is the one that will carry this? Leon said someone else would take care of it, but I don't see any way a truck could get here."

"Don't be silly, of course it's not a truck." Tifa said only confused him further. "Oh look, here he is."

When Roxas turned his head he was greeted by a small blue blur that rammed painfully into his stomach.

"He really seems to like you." Tifa said with a laugh, Roxas just groaned and got into sitting position.

Roxas was already aware of Stitch, Sora had summoned him several times during his journey. The difference was that Stitch didn't know him. Or so he thought. The blue alien looked quite happy to see him for some reason. Almost like he knew him…but that was impossible wasn't it?

"Stitch this is Roxas, he's a friend of Sora." Tifa told the little alien, and then turned to Roxas. "Stitch here can lift up to three thousand times his own weight. At first we didn't know where he came from or what to do with him, but he seemed very eager to help, so you can imagine our surprise when he easily lifted this huge boulder."

"Rox-sas?" Stitch said, his eyes looking at the blonde in curiosity.

"Yeah, that's my name. It's nice to meet you." Roxas said, lifting the blue koala-like alien off of him.

Stitch however seemed intent on clinging to him. When Roxas put him down, the blue alien just climbed back on, clinging to his back where the blonde wouldn't be able to reach him. After a while, Roxas just gave up, much to Tifa's amusement.

"Are you sure you have never met before? He really seems to like you." Tifa said, scratching Stitch right behind his ear. Stitch's tiny tail seemed to wag, but the blue alien seems more interested in sniffing at Roxas.

"Yeah, Sora met him before he even met me. Besides, I didn't learn to come out until recently." Roxas said in exasperation as Stitch continued to closely study him.

"How odd…" Tifa said. Seeing the blonde's pleading look, Tifa knelt down next to Stitch and spoke. "Stitch, we were wondering if you could take those bags from us. You wouldn't mind would you?"

Stitch stopped and turned towards the dark haired woman. With a nod and a sharp-toothed smile, the little alien left Roxas alone and approached the bags. Stitch grabbed one of the bags but then stopped when the bag opened and a medium sized blue tinged rock fell out. The little alien grabbed the rock and inspected it. Much to Tifa and Roxas's surprise, Stitch began scratching at it with his long claws, seemingly trying to give it a defined shape. After appearing satisfied with his work, Stitch trudged over to Roxas and handed him the stone.

"Huh? Oh, thanks Stitch." Roxas said with a smile as he took the stone.

"Terr-ah, Acuuu-a, Venn, fre-nds, ohana. Sor-ah and Rox-sas too." Stitch replied with a smile and then turned towards the bags, leaving Roxas utterly confused by his words.

He grabbed two of them, and seeing as there were still more, the little extraterrestrial made an extra two arms sprout from his sides, as well as antennae and three slender spikes from his back, and grabbed the remaining bags. With a small wave that was returned by both Roxas and Tifa, the little alien was off.

"Stitch will be able to take care of things from here. We should head back over for lunch." Tifa said and they both made their way up the stairs to exit the bailey.

Roxas's attention was brought back to the stone in his hand. Looking at it clearly he realized that it had been carved in the shape of a rough star.

---

When Kairi and the others landed near the train station in Twilight Town, they noticed that the place was rather deserted. There wasn't a single person in sight, and looking from the tall balcony below, they could see it was the same for the rest of the town.

"Garwsh, what do you reckon happened to everyone?" Goofy asked.

"Dunno, maybe it's because of the attacks earlier." King Mickey suggested.

Riku nodded. "It would make sense. Everyone must still be pretty shaken up from what happened."

'Kairi, I think there's a fragment nearby.' Naminé said from the recesses of her mind.

'Are you sure?' Kairi asked and she received a mental nod. 'How can you tell?'

'I can't say for sure. It's like I can feel Sora nearby.' The blonde girl replied, Kairi just nodded and delivered the message to the group.

"Alright then, we should get moving." Riku said. "If the fragment is nearby, my guess would be the clock tower. Even if it's not there, it may give us a vantage point. From that height we should be able to see the rest of the town, with some luck we might even spot the others."

The group climbed up the steps of the train station, and was about to head in were it not for a voice that called for them to stop.

"Wait, don't go inside it might be dangerous!" The group turned around, except Riku who only faced the speaker, a look of impatience and displeasure crossed his features. "Wait, Kairi? Donald? Goofy?"

Kairi looked at the speaker once more, and it was then that she recognized the teen in front of them as Pence, Olette and Hayner were next to him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Olette asked in surprise.

"Yeah, and where's Sora? Shouldn't he be with you guys?" Hayner asked and an uncomfortable silence settled.

Nobody spoke, but the three local teens could easily notice the somewhat somber atmosphere that settled. After all, how could they explain the three that Sora had fallen in battle? In the end it was Riku that broke the silence. With a sigh he simply turned towards the three. Kairi could see that he was trying very hard to not snap at them.

"Listen, I'm afraid we are a bit on a time limit here, so we can't afford to have a sit down and chat. If you guys could tell us why we can't go inside, or even help us find what we are looking for, we'd really appreciate it. Otherwise, we'll just have to get going." Riku said, and Kairi noticed a scowl form on Hayner's face.

"Riku!" She admonished, even though she had to admit that Riku had a point. Still, he didn't have to be like that. "I'm sorry about that. But you see, he's right, we are in a bit of a hurry. Sora…got hurt and we need to find these fragments of light to help him."

The trio before them exchanged a glance, before Hayner, seemingly forgetting Riku's attitude, just nodded and told them to follow him.

"If you are looking for 'light' I think I know what you came here for." Hayner said as they ran up the long sets of stairs to reach the top. "Just a few days ago these things appeared around town. While a bunch left, some of them started routinely floating around town and stopping at the clock tower. That's why most people are staying inside their homes."

"Then what about you guys?" Kairi asked.

"Well those things never really hurt anybody, not like those black monsters from before-Heartless they were called right?" Hayner asked. "Anyways, we came here to check it out. We had this…feeling that Sora was somehow involved."

Kairi nodded once more and told the three exactly what was going on. The trio reacted by telling them exactly what had been happening with the town, and surprisingly, what happened when Sora last came here. Needless to say, they were all shocked by the information, especially the revelation that they already knew Roxas. When the group finally reached the top of the clock tower they were surprised to find it completely empty.

"Where is it?" Donald squawked.

Kairi frowned, and she could feel Naminé do the same. They were sure that the fragment was around here somewhere. But where exactly was it?

"Guys look!" Pence pointed out and everyone turned to see what the teen was pointing at. Out there, beyond the clock tower and floating in front of them was the fragment they were searching.

"Well now we know where it is." Goofy said.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to reach it?" Riku mused.

"You don't suppose we could use magic?" Kairi asked.

Donald gave a huff and brought out his staff. He tried using magnet spells, but it didn't work. Even gravity spells to bring the light down didn't make it budge. The now-angry duck was about to just zap the stubborn fragment to smithereens when Goofy and King Mickey came to restrain him.

"Donald calm down, we'll find another way!" King Mickey said, knowing Donald all too well.

"Gawrsh, maybe if we asked it politely it will come." Goofy said and he just received looks of incredulity. Completely undeterred by the looks he was receiving, the anthropomorphic dog just faced the light fragment and waved. "Hello there Mr. Light Fragment, would you please come closer, we-"

Goofy would have continued were it not for Donald losing the rest of his already-short patient and hitting him on the head with his staff before squawking out in anger. "Don't be an idiot, saying 'please' won't work!"

"Erm Donald?" The King interrupted. "The fragment is descending."

"See I toldya it would work, Ahy-uk!" Goofy said happily, which left the duck fuming in anger.

"Come on let's hurry!" Hayner said and everyone scrambled for the stairs.

After running up the stairs and then back down again, the group was left panting. Many of them turned to glare at the cause of their predicament; the fragment of Sora's light that was now floating innocently before them. Couldn't it have descended earlier?

Taking a few breathes to calm her racing heart, Kairi took out her charm, and quickly approached the light before it could get away. The group had to look away or else be blinded by the brilliant explosion of light that followed.

Today, you're one of us

Hey, I laughed... I guess we really are friends

Your...friend? Roxas, do you think I could be a friend?

When Axel gets back, let's ask him. Then all three of us can have ice cream together!

I don't remember much from the beginning either

You two do have a lot in common

I wonder what kind of guy I was before...

As long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart. Got it

memorized?

Hey Roxas, bet you don't know why the sun sets red

Today makes 255

Best friends are honest with each other! Who am I, Axel?

I'm forgetting something really important

Xion!

Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I'm glad...I got to meet you

Never forget. That's the truth

Xion…

When the memory finished all there was left was silence. Nobody wanted to talk, yet everyone was waiting for someone to make the first move. In the end the group was brought out of the silence by the barely contained sobs and hiccups emanating from Olette. It was then that Kairi became aware of the warm tears that were sliding down her face. She didn't even realize she had started crying. Around her Riku remained stoic, though it was hard to tell by the way his bangs covered his eyes. Donald and Goofy looked just as confused as she was right now, though both looked remarkably sad. Mickey too looked sad, but there was something about his expression that made her think he knew a lot more than he was letting on.

Meanwhile, the Twilight Trio was doing far worse. Olette was openly crying while Pence was 'rubbing some trash out of his eyes'. Hayner on the other hand, was holding back through sheer will, but seeing the state of his friends, he excused himself and the others for a moment, but not before giving them a look that demanded an explanation once they got back.

Kairi too demanded some explanation, all while her mind was doing flips over what she had just felt. That was definitely not Sora's memories, they were Roxas's. But then, that didn't explain everything. Just who was Xion (or was it Shion?)? Why had she never heard of her? Was she a part of Organization XIII? Sora had told her about the Organization in detail and he had never mentioned such a name. But, she used to be friends with Roxas and Axel. Then if that was the case, whatever happened to her?

'Naminé, you know about this don't you?' Kairi asked and she almost felt her Nobody shrink back. 'Don't you?'

After a few tense moments of silence the blonde Nobody replied with a sad sigh. 'Yes. Most of it is a blur, but… I do know who she was. She used to be the fourteenth member, only she wasn't exactly a Nobody. It all happened while Sora slept so he really had no idea either. Even now it's very hard to talk about it. I'm sure it's the same for Riku and the King.'

Kairi's eyes widened. 'You mean they know too. And what do you mean by not exactly a Nobody.'

'I-'

"Kairi." Riku interrupted. Kairi snapped out of her inner conversation and faced the silver-haired boy. "Hayner and the others are back, we should get a move on."

"Riku, who is Xion? Why didn't you ever mention her? Tell me." Kairi said as she gave the teen a 'I-know-you-are-keeping-something-from-me-and-I-demand-to-know-what-is-it' look. Riku just sighed at the inevitable.

"Xion was part of the Organization. But unlike the others she was created as an incomplete copy of Sora. They hoped to do this so that they could have another Keyblade wielder in their hands. Because she was created using his strongest memories, she looked just like you, only with dark hair. It really surprised me the first time I saw her." Riku said as the two walked over to the group.

"What happened to her?" Kairi muttered loud enough for Riku to hear.

Riku frowned as if trying to remember something. "In the end she…she was defeated by Roxas and returned to Sora. It's hard to remember though, since it was memories that made her. Once she gave them back, there was almost nothing to remember her by. But she was one of the reasons Roxas left the Organization. It was a huge loss for him, and I suspect it was for Axel as well. Nobodies or not, the three of them were friends."

Kairi nodded numbly. She hardly noticed King Mickey explain to an exasperated Hayner exactly what just happened. She was just too caught up in her thoughts. She had never expected something like this. Her heart immediately went out to Roxas. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Sora or Riku. And not only that, but it was Roxas who had to do the deed. She doubted she could ever do the same to Sora or Riku. She still had nightmares with what happened in Hollow Bastion when Sora rescued her by impaling himself, not to mention how she and the two other Keyblade wielders were forced to stop Sora when he went on a rampage in Radiant Garden. She doubted she had the strength to do anything like that again. She simply could not bear it.

"Kairi are you listening?" King Mickey asked, and Kairi turned her attention to the small king.

"I'm sorry…What did you say?" Kairi asked.

King Mickey gave a sigh and an understanding smile. "We wanted to know if Naminé has any idea where the other fragments could be."

Kairi paused and then attempted to contact the blonde.

'Kairi there are no fragments close by. But I think we should head to the mansion.' Naminé said.

Kairi nodded and passed along the information. Deep down she thought it was strange. If this place meant so much to Roxas, then why were the fragments found only in two places? Looking down at her charm, she saw that one of the shells was glowing brilliantly, while another one had only a small section lit. Were there any fragments missing? They couldn't all be in the mansion.

The group ran quickly through the empty town, down Market Street and into Tram Common. It was so eerie to see the usually cheery place so empty. More than anything it gave them all the feeling that they would be attacked at any given moment. It certainly made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.

"Where do you think you are going?" A voice called out, making the group stop in their tracks. Standing there with his two lackeys at each side was Seifer, his expression as smug as ever.

"I don't think that's any of your business. Now why don't you go back to wherever you came from and we'll be on our way." Riku said before Hayner could even blink. He spoke with a deceptively calm manner. His tone however, carried an underlying threat and Kairi could tell Riku was not joking.

Seifer scowled at the silver haired boy, not liking his tone at all. "I don't think you realize who you are talking to silvery-locks."

Riku gave a mock laugh. "Oh, I know who I am talking to. Do you?"

Seifer growled at the teen. "All I know is that you outsiders are the reason the town is like this. And as leader of the disciplinary committee, it's my job to deal with outsiders."

"Well, it's going to get much worse if you don't let us go on our way." Riku growled and Kairi's eyes widened when she saw how his aqua colored eyes flashed gold.

"Is that a threat?" Seifer yelled, completely oblivious to the change, while both Rai and Fu shifted into fighting positions.

"Both of you stop it!" Kairi yelled, and Riku turned to look at her in shock. Kairi then turned to glare at the blonde. "He's right, we need to go now."

Seeing her anger, King Mickey stepped up and turned to look at Seifer. "She is right, things will turn infinitely worse if we don't reach our goal in time. But if it's a fight you want, then I will gladly fight you, as long as everyone else gets to go on."

"Mickey…" Riku said with his eyes wide.

"You guys just head on without me, I'll catch up later." The small king said, but was stopped when a blur of green and blonde ran in front of him.

"That's okay." Hayner said with a smirk. "I'll take Seifer on. He owes me anyways. You guys just focus on helping Sora alright?"

"Yeah and we will make sure he doesn't get his butt kicked." Pence added.

"So just focus on the task. And say hi to Sora for us, once he is better." Olette said.

"Alright then, thanks." Riku said, his smile for once was surprisingly genuine.

"Come on everyone, let's go." King Mickey said, also smiling, while the rest of the group started to move out. Kairi gave Riku one last worried look before following the others towards the far end of Tram Common. She knew what she saw. Riku's eyes had suddenly flashed gold, the same shade as Xenahort, and by extension also Xemnas. Was the darkness also affecting Riku?

'Come on Riku, not you too.' Kairi thought sadly as she looked at her childhood friend.

The group slowed down when they finally reached the forest through the large crack in Tram Common. The reason for this was that it was quite dark, and nobody was really in the mood to trip one the large roots that protruded from the cold damp ground. When they finally reached the bright clearing, they were greeted by the sight of a large, yet abandoned manor, evident by the broken archways and the wildly growing grass. The whole place was kept behind a tall wall with a thick iron gate that was currently open, but did nothing to soothe the atmosphere of enigma that surrounded the place. Yet the most noticeable feature at the moment was the ball of white light floating lazily in front of the gates.

Wasting no time, Kairi approached the sphere and held out her charm, right before the onslaught of memories began.

You seek answers

I can give you purpose

Roxas

That is right…

the new you

Kairi found herself shivering when the memory ended. She had a pretty good idea of who the dark baritone belonged to. But even though that voice was one she associated with nightmares, it was not what bothered her the most. It was the feeling that accompanied the memory that sent chills down her spine, or really the lack of feeling. The memory felt so empty, so emotionless, like a gaping void staring at her right in the face. Was that what being a Nobody was like?

'That was Roxas's birth. Xemnas came to meet him, and he was the one who gave him a name.' Naminé filled in.

'Roxas was born here in Twilight Town?' Kairi asked.

'Yes, most Nobodies are born here. We think it's because of this Town's proximity to the darkness.' Naminé continued.

'So Roxas joined the Organization right after being born?' Kairi asked.

'Well, not at first. Roxas explored the town right afterwards. That's when he met Axel, who then took him to the Clock Tower and convinced him to join.' Naminé said. 'It's all really a blur though. During the first days of his existence, Roxas was in a bit of a zombie-like state. I think it is mostly because Sora regained his heart. That's why unlike most Nobodies, Roxas couldn't remember anything from his past. At least, that's what he told me once.'

"Alright, where to now?" Donald squawked, snapping everyone from their daze. It was a good thing too because they really had no time to lose.

'Naminé?' Kairi asked.

There were a few seconds of silence before the blonde girl answered.

'I-I don't know. I can't feel them anywhere nearby.' Naminé answered and Kairi could tell the uneasy tone in the girls voice.

Kairi frowned. Looking down at the charm, she saw that this world's shell wasn't even half lit. There were obviously more fragments here, but then why couldn't Naminé feel them? And more importantly, where could they be?

"What do you mean you can't feel them?" Kairi asked out loud.

'It's like they disappeared.' Naminé said.

"That's weird." Kairi commented, and when the other looked at her with curious looks, she filled them in.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Donald squawked, his temper flaring.

"Gawrsh, maybe they're on another side of town. There's still Sunset Terrace, and um, the beach, and Yen Sid's Tower too!" Goofy counted off.

"That doesn't make sense, there's a difference between disappearing and being far away." Kairi reasoned.

"Yeah, and Yen Sid's tower has been temporarily sealed off, not to mention the whole place is in another rift." King Mickey added.

"But then what other choices are there?" Donald squawked.

"Actually…" Riku began, his expression thoughtful. "There's another place where they could be."

"Where?" Goofy asked and Riku grimaced slightly.

"I don't know if it's possible, but they could be in the other Twilight Town." Riku said, emphasizing on the word.

"Actually, that would explain everything." King Mickey concluded.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Donald squawked and everyone followed after the water fowl.

"Wait, Riku." Kairi called and the silver haired boy stopped and turned to face her.

"What is it?" Riku asked, his gaze strangely evasive.

Kairi waited until the others were out of hearing range before answering. "I wanted to know if you were okay. I saw it…when you went against Seifer."

Riku's eyes widened a bit, but then he quickly regained his cool. "Don't worry. It was…an accident. I lost control for a second. When that guy wanted to stop us, I guess I just lost my temper."

"Alright." Kairi said, but deep down she was worrying. It wasn't like Riku to lose his temper like that. But then again, this wasn't an everyday situation, and Riku would do pretty much anything for his friends.

"Now come on, we don't want to be left behind." Riku said half-heartedly and Kairi could tell that he wasn't really looking forwards to what was coming. Kairi supposed it brought up unpleasant memories of the time he spent as 'Ansem'.

---

"What did you want to show me?" Roxas asked as he walked the empty streets of Radiant Garden.

He was done with work and though he originally intended to stay at Merlin's and check on Sora, those plans had been quickly trashed when Aerith came out of nowhere and practically dragged him out of the house. At this rate it looked like he wasn't going to get that quiet afternoon to himself.

'And I was looking forward to it too. With all that's going on and especially after the odd encounter with Stitch, I really needed some time to sort things out.' Roxas thought with a sigh. At least he hoped that whatever Aerith wanted to show him was interesting enough. And now that he thought about it, it would be a great time to ask her about the town. Tifa did say to ask her.

"Oh, it's a little secret of mine." Aerith said with a small wink. "You'll see when we get there. We're really close now too."

Roxas looked around. He really didn't recognize any of the buildings around him, though it was likely just another part of town. Most of them looked like they were ready to collapse with a small breeze of wind. The area looked largely uninhabited too, which was fine by him since he didn't want to run into the townsfolk either (Sneaking around town reminded him too much of the reconnaissance missions he used to get with the organization). But strangest of all, it wasn't really all that far away from Merlin's house, just a short walk away through a maze of run down streets that Sora had never really set foot in. Aerith obviously wouldn't have brought him along if it was far away because of the bond strains with Sora.

'This place must have been hit hard by the attack.' Roxas reasoned as he saw the damage. Most of the damaged looked pretty old though, which led him to believe that it dated back to the original attack all those years ago, before the town was called 'Hollow Bastion'. 'Still, I wonder why they haven't cleared this area out yet. Maybe it's just too damaged. At least some of the older buildings in town could be used again, but most of these look pretty bad. Maybe they just took whatever they could from this section like scrap metal, until they can tear it down completely and rebuild.'

Finally after a five minute walk through twisting streets, they reached their destination. At least Roxas supposed it was, since it was the only building standing. And it wasn't just any building either, but some sort of church. The white stone it was built with was a bit faded and the building did look a bit run down. Roxas could even see a large hole in the roof. Despite this, the building still looked structurally sound.

'It really must have been something back in its old days.' Roxas thought, his eyes looking at the unique style of architecture and stained glass windows, some of which were surprisingly intact. He had never seen anything like it before.

"Are you coming in or what?" Aerith asked, chuckling at the blonde's reaction.

Roxas took his cue and followed the brunette inside. The floor was made completely out of wood, some sections of it old and splintered while other sections were completely missing. There were many dark oak pews all in a complete disarray, though Roxas assumed it really didn't matter at this point. There were also several marble pillars holding up the ceiling (or what was left of it), some of them completely destroyed while others were cracked or at least partially destroyed. But what really caught his eye was the large flowerbed right under the large hole in the ceiling, in front of it, right near the altar was a large sword driven into the ground, looking almost as if it were watching over the flower patch. The sword itself looked like something Cloud would use, which made Roxas wonder if it was his and if he knew it was here. As for the flowers, they were all quite large and either a cheery yellow color or a bright white. Roxas wasn't a specialist on plants, that was really more of Marluxia's thing, so he didn't know exactly what they were (he had assumed lilies), but he couldn't deny how beautiful the white and yellow flowers looked or how well they seemed to be cared for. And now that he thought about it, he had never really seen flowers in this world before.

"This is amazing. Are you the one that cares for them?" Roxas asked.

"Thanks, this is really the only place where they will grow. My dream is to fill this world with flowers to make everyone happy, just like it once was." Aerith said as she crouched down and tended to her flowers.

"Like it once was?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, Radiant Garden was once famous for its large floral gardens, hence it's name. I'm sure you've noticed all those pipes strewn about." Aerith answered.

"The irrigation systems." Roxas concluded and the brunette nodded.

"That's right, asides from being used for the fountains, most of the pipes were made to irrigate all the gardens. It was nearly impossible to do it all by hand." Aerith said. "We are actually hoping to rebuild the pipe system. Luckily, Tron managed to find us some blueprints, so after we finish with the buildings, I'm hoping that these flowers will fill the streets once more."

"That really would be something." Roxas said, his gaze turning towards the flowers and then falling onto the large gleaming sword. "Hey Aerith, is that Cloud's sword?"

The brunette turned and glanced at the large blade fondly. "Yes, but before that, it belonged to a very special friend of mine…"

---

Riku ran after the group after his talk with Kairi. He felt guilt settle in the pit of his stomach for dismissing her concerns like that. He had lied to her, because in reality, he was worried too. He hadn't meant for his darkness to slip out like that. And even though he really had lost his temper back there, he knew that it wasn't entirely the reason his darkness flared like that. No, he wasn't as worried as he was angry. He was angry at himself for lying to Kairi. He was angry at himself for having that stupid affinity for darkness, and most of all, he was angry at himself for lacking the strength to hold it back.

The group entered the dusty mansion and Riku decided to just hurry up and get to the simulation. This place did not bring back good memories. So, ignoring everything else, Riku followed up the Foyer stairs and into the extensive library to the right. There, visible for all to see, was the entrance to 'DiZ's' underground laboratory. Going down the stairs and past a set of steel doors, the group ended up in small room with lots of monitors, a computer, and several other miscellaneous pieces of technology that Riku couldn't really care less about. Though he was better with computers than Sora, that didn't mean he found them anymore interesting.

Thankfully, the link between the towns was still up and running, the town itself seemed to carry on even after Ansem, the town's creator, was gone. He briefly wondered if it had somehow gained sentience like that MCP inside Radiant garden's computer, but then shrugged it off. They had more important things to do. The group approached the long thin beam of light that served as a link, and one by one they touched it and disappeared, all until it was only Riku and King Mickey left.

"Wait, Mickey." Riku said just as the small king was about to touch the light.

"What's wrong Riku?" Mickey said. He always insisted that he called him that, rather than King Mickey like everyone else.

Riku sighed, but then made up his mind to tell the King what was wrong. If anybody in the group had an explanation for what was happening, then Mickey did. "The darkness is growing restless. When we encountered that guy earlier, I nearly unleashed it on him."

Mickey looked at the teen with an unusually serious and thoughtful expression. "So the darkness is getting hold of you. That's not good."

Riku scoffed. "It's my fault for being weak."

"Riku, listen to me and listen good, you are not weak. If it were anyone else, they would have long since become a Heartless. But, there must be something that stirring the darkness and maybe coming to Twilight Town has made it worse. This place is closer to it than most worlds." Mickey reasoned. "In any case, we should be careful. Let's avoid confrontations unless we really have to."

Riku nodded, Mickey was right. "Can this stay between us though? I don't want to make Kairi worry, especially not after Sora…you know."

"Well it's your secret, so I'll keep hushed until you feel you are ready. Now let's hurry up. We still have a mission to accomplish." Mickey said and walked into the beam of light, but not before becoming the silvery haired teen to follow.

Riku felt a small tingling sensation when passing through the light, but when it was over he found himself in an almost exact replica of the room from before. The only differences were the group that was now looking around and the severely broken multi-screened computer on one side of the room. If Riku recalled correctly, that was the computer that Roxas had destroyed in a fit of anger. He was mildly surprised that it was still sparking occasionally.

'Thankfully, it wasn't used for something important.' Riku mused.

"What took you guys so long?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, it was nothing really." Mickey replied and then asked. "So, can Naminé feel them yet?"

Kairi paused for a moment and then nodded. "She says there's one close by and another one inside the mansion somewhere."

"Great! Can you lead us?" Mickey asked and Kairi nodded a bit unsurely.

The girl stopped for a moment before heading to a door on the opposite side of the room. Riku realized that it was towards the room where the pods were kept. After passing by a square shaped room with an eerie portal on the far corner (apparently it was a portal to The World That Never Was), the group froze when they saw a light fragment exit through the opposite door.

Quickly following after the stray fragment, they were led to another room. It was quite small and was really more of a hallway lined with inactive pods on the sides, right at a bend. At the end was a large door, not unlike the ones found all over the secret lab, but unlike the rest of the lab, the room that lay behind the door was almost entirely white. The only exceptions were the light lilac colored floor that seemed to blend to walls and the glowing light green designs on the ground that pulsated slightly. In the middle of the room however was a tall flower like pod, like the ones in the room outside, this one was empty as well.

"Over there!" Donald squawked and everyone turned to look at what the duck was pointing at.

It took a moment for Riku to see it. After all, the fragment of light floating right before them blended in quite well with the rest of the room. Kairi quickly took her cue and brought out her charm, a good thing too because Riku did not feel like racing all over the town as it was known to happen.

You really do remember me this time? I'm SO FLATTERED!

But you're too late!

Axel...

Let's meet again in the next life

Yeah, I'll be waiting

Silly, just because you have a next life...

At last, the Keyblade's chosen one

Who are you talking to? Me? Or Sora?

I hate you so much...

My heart belongs to me!

You're lucky

Looks like my summer vacation is over…

When the memory was over, Riku gave a sigh. Sure the bitterness the blonde held towards Sora had been misplaced, but in all honesty, Riku felt that it was perfectly understandable. Had he been in the same situation…well, at this point he really didn't want to think about that. He was partially to blame for all that happened to Roxas. Though 'DiZ' was the mastermind behind the plans, he was the one that literally dragged Roxas off like a lamb to the slaughter. At that time he was so desperate to help his friend. He really would have done anything to get Sora better. But it only helped prove that he had not learned anything from his previous experiences. Didn't he join Maleficent for the same reason? All so he could save Kairi? And how did that turn out?

'Oh yeah, I got possessed AND the worlds were almost engulfed in eternal darkness.' Riku thought sarcastically to himself. 'All I proved was that I was as much of a fool as Ansem.'

"Riku come on, let's go." King Mickey said and Riku was instantly reminded that he had been spacing out for Kingdom-Hearts-knew how long.

"Alright, I'm coming." Riku replied and followed quickly. He did not miss the worried look Kairi was giving him.

The group backtracked to the computer room. According to Naminé, there was a fragment somewhere inside the mansion. The only problem was that the door was somehow stuck and blocking their exit.

"Don't worry, I got this." Riku said.

With a surprising amount of force, the silver haired teen rammed his side against the door, making it screech loudly, but nevertheless open slightly. A single strong kick later and the door was brought down, opening the path for the rest of the group.

"There." Riku said calmly while ignoring the prickling sensation on his arm and the looks the rest of the group were giving him.

They walked up the stairs of the library and when they were at the top, Kairi spoke up, a thoughtful look on her face.

"How do you think the fragment managed to get past the closed door?" She asked.

"Gawrsh, maybe the fragments are like ghosts and they can go through all kinds of stuff." Goofy mused.

"Actually, Goofy might be right." Mickey said in slight surprise.

"Yeah, but that only raises more questions." Riku said.

"What do you mean by that?" Donald squawked.

Kairi had a look of realization. "I get it! It's because of what happened in Traverse Town right?"

Riku nodded and then explained. "That fragment flew all over the town's streets. But if they really could just phase through everything, they why not just do that? Why bother floating through the streets when they could just phase through houses? And why were they moving in the first place? According to what we've seen so far, some of them have something like routines. But the question is why. Why do they act like that?"

"Yeah, that is a good question. I've been wondering the same and I think I have an idea." Mickey said, grabbing everyone's attention. "I think in those cases, the memories didn't take place in one specific place. In Traverse Town, the first memory we found was when Sora started searching all over the 1st District. The other fragment from the hotel headed over to where Sora ended up meeting Donald and Goofy. I don't think it's a coincidence, I think these fragments are retracing Sora's steps, well Roxas's in this case. I think they still phase over objects but they follow a specific path if they have one."

"I guess that makes our work both easier and harder." Riku said with a sigh. And here he was hoping he wouldn't have to race all over town to find the fragments.

The group exited the library and, following Kairi's (or more like Naminé's) lead, they headed to the door opposite to the library on the second floor of the manor. Unlike the rest of the rooms inside the manor, this room, like the pod room, was a blinding white color. This was made even worse because of the light that poured from the large slightly ajar window, evident from the white billowing curtains. There was a white table with a vase of equally white flowers on top. Many drawings hung on the white walls showing different scenes, strange to any other bystander. Even stranger, was the fragment now circling around the room.

"Here goes." Kairi said and retrived her charm from her pocket. The fragment reacted almost instantly and floated towards her, becoming brighter and brighter until the group had to close their eyes.

My name is Naminé

Roxas...

Do you remember your true name?

But if no one tells him, Roxas will...

This is...me? ...And Axel's here too

You ARE best friends...

Suddenly I feel like I don't know myself at all...

You...you were never supposed to exist, Roxas

I'm sorry. I guess some things really are better left unsaid

A Nobody doesn't have a right to know, nor does it even have the right to be

You won't disappear, you'll be whole!

I may not know it's you, and you may not know it's me, but we will meet again someday soon, I promise!

When the memory ended, Riku felt an unpleasant weight settle on his chest. He quickly realized that it was guilt. Riku mentally kicked himself. He should have already put all of this behind him. This was not the time to have another guilt trip. Shaking his head to distract himself, his eyes met the drawings on the white walls.

'It's amazing to think Naminé drew all of these.' Riku thought, for once looking at the pictures displayed on the walls. His gaze stopped wandering and focused on a simple picture showing him, Kairi, and Sora sitting on their usual spot on the paopu tree. 'That's right. That is what matters most right now.'

"Naminé says she can't feel any more inside the mansion." Kairi spoke, her eyes lingering on her charm. It looked like there were still quite a few left.

"Then we will have to head into town." Riku said, massaging his temple.

"That's right, but before that, there is something I should tell you." Mickey said with a serious tone and everyone's attention was turned towards him. "Remember that this is not the Twilight Town we visisted. Therefore, the Hayner, Pence, and Olette we might meet here are NOT the same. They will probably have similar personalities, but other than that, they will not know us. They might not even know Roxas if the data was somehow reset. So while we are there, we must not mention where we are from or really anything about the real Twilight Town, alright?"

Riku along with everyone else gave a nod. He didn't think the people here would take it kindly to know that they were really part of a computer simulation program. Nope, it was much better to keep it a secret. And besides, judging by that blonde guy, Seifer, outsiders weren't all that welcome in either case.

The group quickly left the mansion through the front door in the Foyer. Walking up through the path leading to the gates, they realized that not only were they closed, but that there was also a large padlock closing off the place from the outside. Riku almost rolled his eyes. Whoever put that lock had probably never dealt with a Keyblade Wielder. Kairi was the one that took the honors and quickly summoned Destiny's Embrace, pointing its colorful tip at the offending lock. A beam shot out of the tip and flew to the padlock, which opened and dropped on the ground.

"Alright, let's go." Kairi said smiling.

The group quickly moved through the woods until reaching the large crack that led to Tram Common. Unlike the real Twilight Town, many people were walking calmly on the streets, though thankfully most didn't take any notice of them.

"Where do we go now?" Riku asked.

Kairi once again paused to talk to Naminé before answering. "She says we should head over to where Roxas used to hang out with Hayner and the others. She says it's a bit past Market Street. She also says it's best to head from there rather than from the Sandlot in case we run into Seifer."

"Okay, let's go." Riku said, though he would love to show that guy a piece of his mind, they really were on a tight schedule.

They swiftly made their way through the streets with practiced ease. Though they gained several questioning looks from the townspeople that saw them, nobody really made a move to confront them which Riku was infinitely thankful for. His temper had been on the rise lately.

They reached Market Street and after going through a small side-street, they ended up in an area Riku was familiar with. It was the small place where Roxas encountered him, and consequently ended up accidentally hitting him with a stick.

'I did get him back for that though.' Riku thought with some amusement.

They all ended up entering the small hideout hidden behind a large red curtain. Inside was an assortment of objects all organized to look like a small room, complete with an old sofa, several boxes, and even a dartboard. Thankfully nobody else was in sight, well unless the fragment floating over one of the sofas counted. Kairi quickly approached it, and before they knew it, the memory started.

Man, doesn't that tick you off?

We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight

Who's there?

What was that about?

Do you guys think we'll always be together like this?

I sure hope so

Well, I doubt we can be together forever

What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other right?

We didn't go

It wouldn't be the same without you, right?

All that for me?

When the memory ended, the guilt seemed to return. Briefly Riku wondered whether 'DiZ' had made the right decision back then. Ansem the Wise wasn't really in his best mental state when they first met. Because really, what was worse? To live without knowing a normal life, or to experience it and then have it ripped away from you?

"How many do we have left?" Riku asked Kairi.

The red head frowned slightly and held up the charm. "There's at least three more, though I can't be completely sure."

Riku inwardly groaned. It looked like he wasn't in luck. "Well, at least we-"

"What are you guys doing in here? This is our spot!" An angry voice yelled, startling everyone.

Riku quickly turned around, his fingers twitching for his Keyblade in anticipation. There, standing angrily was none other than Hayner, Pence and Olette by his side. Noticing the scowl forming on his face, it was Kairi who thankfully answered for the group.

"We're sorry, we were just walking around when we were curious to see what was back here." Kairi said sheepishly.

Hayner looked about ready to make a retort, which made Riku's temper flare, and made the teen stand beside Kairi protectively. But thankfully Olette quickly noticed this and was able to stop Hayner's mistake from ever happening with a quick jab to the ribs.

"No it's okay, you guys really had no idea. I'm Olette, this grumpy guy over here is Hayner and that's Pence." Olette greeted.

"I'm Kairi, this guy is Riku, and these are Mickey, Donald, and Goofy." Kairi introduced.

"Are you guys new here? I've never seen you before, though you look somewhat familiar..." Olette said.

"We're not from here, just passing through." Kairi said quickly.

"Actually, you guys might be able to help us." King Mickey said.

"Sure, what is it that you guys need?" Olette asked.

"Well, we wanted to know if there have been any strange things happening around town." King Mickey said.

"You mean like the seven wonders of Twilight Town?" Pence spoke up.

Hayner's scowl seemed to deepen and he angrily turned towards the group. "You guys should just forget about it. Nothing good will come from it."

"Hayner!" Olette reprimanded while the blonde just turned around and left.

"I'll go talk to him." Olette told Pence and then left as well.

Giving a tired sigh, Pence turned towards the group. "We're sorry about that. He is usually a nice guy but well…he doesn't like it when people bring it up."

"Bring what up?" Donald asked.

"The seven wonders, or really anything that has to do with something weird." Pence explained.

"Why is that?" Goofy asked with curiosity.

"Well, it's a bit hard for me to say. But, a while ago these strange things started happening in town, especially to this friend of ours. He started acting a bit off, and few days later, he disappeared without a trace. It was like he never existed in the first place. And as much as we looked, we couldn't find him. It hit us all pretty hard, especially Hayner." Pence stopped at this and Riku felt the guilt come back twofold. "But what am I saying? You guys wanted to know about the strange occurrences right? Well most of them happen around the seven wonders. Six of those can be found in Sunset Terrace. There are two ways to get there, either by taking the train to Sunset Station or by using the Underground Concourse. Unfortunately the underground passages have been locked down for a while, and going by train requires munny for the tickets, so no free rides like before."

"What about the last wonder?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, yeah…that. The last wonder is the mansion in the outskirts of town. You can reach it through the hole in Tram Common, but I really don't recommend going there. The place has been locked away anyways, so it's really just a waste of time." Pence said.

"Well thanks for everything Pence." Kairi said.

"Glad to be of help, just promise me you guys will be careful." Pence said.

"We will be, don't worry." Kairi assured the teen. They all said their goodbyes and left right afterwards.

"So what do you guys think?" Kairi asked once Riku made sure they were alone and out of hearing range.

"Personally, I don't like it." Riku replied truthfully. 'But I would like to know what Naminé thinks."

Kairi concentrated once more before replying. "She says that it's very possible that one of the fragments is in one of those places. She says that the events that took place there were important to Roxas at the time, because that's when his life went from 'normal' to 'hopelessly crazy'. She says it was the time when he really began to doubt himself and everything around him."

"I'm surprised they still remember Roxas." King Mickey commented. "I suppose Ansem the Wise didn't reset the town."

"Speaking of that, what did Olette mean by 'familiar'? None of you have ever entered the simulation, and when I did, I was trapped as Xenahort." Riku asked.

"Yeah, that was weird." Kairi admitted.

"I think I have an explanation for that as well." Mickey said.

"What is it?" Goofy asked.

"Well, when Ansem the Wise created this town, he gathered data on everybody in an attempt to recreate everyone's hearts inside of the simulation. I suppose he did this as an experiment, most likely to see just how similar the town would be to its original. Though the heart is complex and unpredictable, he did manage it. But unfortunately, I doubt he had any idea of what the consequences would be. I think that the recreated hearts somehow managed to form links to their original counter parts. According to what the real group from Twilight Town told us, they were already aware of Roxas and not only that, but they hazily recalled memories from their simulation counterparts. That could mean that the same goes to anybody here." Mickey finished.

"That there sounds a bit complicated." Goofy said, scratching his head.

"He means that the hearts of the people here are connected to the hearts of the real people outside." Donald squawked.

"I still find that hard to believe. I mean aren't these people really just data?" Riku asked.

"Well when we stepped in here we also became data. And besides, Ansem did say the heart acted in unpredictable ways. It's just like a resonance between two tuning forks. When one vibrates making a sound, the other will start vibrating too because they have the same frequency." Mickey explained. "Though judging by what they mentioned, the effect is small."

"I still don't get it." Goofy said and Donald face palmed.

"They feel like they lived the things that happened in here." Donald clarified.

"Oooohh. Why didn't you just say so?" Goofy said.

"Either way, it looks like we will have to head over to Sunset terrace." Riku said. "But none of us have money for the train, so we might just have to sneak into the underground passages. The real problem is that there is a chance those passages don't actually exist."

"What do you mean Riku?" Mickey asked.

"It's just like I said. There are sections of this town that D-Ansem the Wise never recreated, like the beach for example. All that there is in its place is a large void in space. That's why I had to stop them from going there. The last time I checked, the passages were closed off as well. We could still open them with our keyblades, but…there is a chance that Ansem didn't even recreate them, or at least most of them." Riku explained.

"Yeah, but we can't exactly go get munny from jobs either. We just don't have that kind of time. I say we should just risk it, and deal with it when we get there." Kairi proposed.

"I agree, if we find anything we can't handle, we can always just turn back." Mickey said.

In the end everyone agreed. Since Riku remembered the place better than anyone, they all followed him back to the street near the empty Usual Spot where one of the entrances was closed under lock. Riku almost scoffed at the pathetic attempt to keep them out. He doubted he even needed the Keyblade's unlocking ability, one good swing could break the puny lock right off. Still, he doubted that the townsfolk, real or not, would approve of that, so in the end he just used Way to the Dawn.

"We are going to need some light." Riku grunted as he lifted the heavy metal shutter so everyone could pass.

"I'm on it." Donald squawked as he took out his staff. A light orange glow emanated from the tip as if it had been caught in the middle of casting a fire spell.

"Good." Riku grunted as he lowered the heavy metal behind him when the last of the group passed through.

---

Sora let his body drop in the soft sand below him, his lungs were gasping for breath, while the warm sand clung to his now wet clothes. He silently wondered how a simple game of tag turned into a full blown water fight, one that ended with him being pushed off the side of the bridge and into the salty seawater below.

'And it was Kairi the one that pushed me too.' Sora grumbled. 'Still, she did sorta make up for it with those sandwiches she brought. I didn't realize just how hungry I was.'

After getting pushed into the sea, he took a quick 'shower' under the waterfall just to get rid of the salt that would no doubt make his clothes itch afterwards. Once he was salt-free and dripping wet, he decided to dry himself in the sun.

'It feels so good.' Sora thought. He gave a mighty yawn before closing his eyes and basking in the sunlight. 'I'm so tired too.'

After a day filled with activities, Sora was now starting to feel its effects. They raced on the other side of the beach again. Then they had a three on three 'Blitzball' match between Kairi, Riku and himself versus Tidus, Wakka, and Sephie. While they enjoyed the game a lot, at times they were sure Tidus was really just making rules up on the spot. After that, they all played 'Capture the Flag', and then a final round of 'Hide and Seek' before the other trio had to leave. Then, of course, came the aforementioned game of tag and the unexpected dip.

Sora really couldn't believe just how tired he was. Everything felt so much more taxing, and he felt somewhat uncoordinated with his self. Not to mention his early rise this morning had really come back to bite him in the butt. A part of him kept telling himself that he was too old to be playing like that on the beach and that he had more urgent things to be doing at the moment. It made him feel like he was forgetting something very important. Sora had no idea where those thoughts had come from, but he pushed them aside. He was with his friends, what could be more important than that?

'I think I will take a nap.' Sora thought as he yawned once more. 'Then I might remember.'

Stretching more comfortably on the sand, and with his arms making a makeshift pillow, Sora's consciousness soon faded to black. The last things he recalled seeing was a dark blue flame and a pair of yellow colored eyes.

---

The group walked warily through the labyrinth of tunnels. By Mickey's orders everyone made sure to stick close to Donald, who was holding the only real source of light in the darkness. Riku himself made sure to mind his steps, there was no way of knowing when the floor would suddenly give in to reveal an eternal void underneath.

"Er, Riku? Is that supposed be look like that?" Kairi asked as she pointed to a wall, or rather a spot where the wall should have been.

"No. No it's not." Riku answered. The stretch of wall had been replaced by a large void, though Riku doubted it ever existed. Even the walls surrounding the spot looked oddly two-dimensional. "We should be careful. I don't think this place was fully built."

"This place is like a maze! I mean, I can't really tell where we are right now." Kairi said.

"Well, it IS hard to see the numbers and signs that mark the exits in this darkness." Mickey admitted. "Thankfully, most of us have been through these tunnels…well, more like their real version equivalent, but you get what I mean."

"Yeah, far as I can tell, we're almost there, ahyuk." Goofy said. "We just have to turn right at the next turn."

"No, we have to turn left." Donald squawked.

"Whoops." Goofy said with a chuckle.

"Doesn't matter, the exit is right up ahead anyways." Mickey pointed out.

Riku looked up to see that Mickey was right. He could see some light coming from up ahead. It was faint, but it was still there.

"What is that?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look like a fragment." Riku replied, looking offhandedly. His eyes turned towards the road ahead and his eyes widened as he saw his redheaded friend´s foot hover over a void of black. "Kairi!"

The redhead´s violet-blue eyes widened as her body began to feel the pull of gravity in the absence of solid ground. Reflexes kicked in and Riku quickly reached out to grab his falling friend. He managed to snatch her arm with a firm grip and with the other he grabbed Goofy's arm for leverage. A good thing too, if he had grabbed Mickey, chances were all three of them would be making their way down the abyss right now. It really wasn´t a matter of strength, but of body mass.

"Hold on tight, I'm gonna pull you up." Riku said and then turned towards the Disney Trio. "You guys pull me by the waist so I can hoist her with both hands."

The three nodded and Riku began to pull with all his might. He felt sweat trickle down his brow as he hefted Kairi up. She wasn't really all that heavy. No, the real problem, Riku realized, was him. He was tired and wasn't exactly on his turf. But more than that, he felt something in the air. It had been present for a while now, even back when they left Radiant Garden. It was like an intangible presence that filled the air and set a heavy weight over him, like a stubborn rock standing before the crashing waves of the sea. It smothered and weakened him and it had been doing so for a while. He just hadn't realized. Deep down he had kept resisting the invisible force, but what exactly was he fighting against?

Just then, Riku felt it. It was like a jolt of thunder that ran through his body. It was like his body had just been plunged in ice, even though he could swear his body was burning. He almost let go of Kairi altogether, but thankfully he didn't. He wouldn't have forgiven himself if he had. Instead, he felt renewed strength run through his veins. There was something almost tangible that was running through his body now, something familiar and yet unwanted. With a strong pull, he heard a small yelp and felt a weight land on top of him.

"Sorry Riku." Kairi said as she got off of him with the help of the Disney trio. He got off the ground afterwards and when he saw Kairi's face, he was greeted with confusion in those blue depths.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked.

"Your eyes…they're gold again." Kairi said softly, though there was a hint of worry under the calm surface.

Riku couldn't see it for himself, but it was clear by the looks the others were giving him that it was true. His mind quickly went towards the odd feeling from earlier and the feeling of familiarity tugging at the back of his head. It was then that his brain was able to connect the dots.

"The darkness…" Riku muttered to himself, but he knew the others must have heard it.

"Riku, are you okay?" Kairi asked with a worry tinged voice.

Riku knew he couldn't lie to her. Kairi was sensitive to these kinds of things. There was no point in trying to fool her. "The darkness is getting stronger."

It was Mickey that broke the silence that followed. The small king turned towards the silver haired boy and gave a nod. "Riku, I think it's best that you hold back from fighting for now."

Riku sighed, and gave a reluctant nod. As much as he hated it, he knew it was the best for everyone at the moment.

"Now how do we cross this gap?" Mickey asked the group. "Donald why don't you throw a fire spell and see how big the hole is?"

The duck complied, and when the fireball collided against the floor, they were all glad to see that it was a jumping-distance away.

"But how will we see where we jump?" Goofy asked.

"I have an idea." Kairi said as she took out her charm. The ethereal glow coming from the shells managed to light up a section of the tunnel. "I forgot this glowed. But we can use it to guide the jumps. I can jump first and keep that side illuminated for the others to jump while Donald keeps this side lit up. Then Donald can jump last when everyone else has made it to the other side."

"Sounds good, but are you sure you can make it? You didn't get hurt from the fall earlier did you?" Riku asked.

"My wrist is a bit sore, but otherwise I'm fine." Kairi assured the group.

"Fine. But be careful." Riku warned and the girl just flashed him a very Sora-like smile.

Kairi calculated the distance and then jumped over the gap. The others followed soon afterwards, with Donald at the end. They continued walking, avoiding a few holes here and there, until they reached the section of the tunnel where the light was coming from. After getting closer, they realized it was actually some light leaking from behind the closed off exit. They wasted no time in opening the exit, like Riku did earlier, and when they made it through the other side, they found themselves in a fully lit area. There was a tunnel that continued straight towards another source of light, while to the right was a large square shaped space with some water flowing at the edges.

"Guess we made it." Riku mused. At Kairi's questioning glance, he elaborated. "We are still underground, but if we continue in that way, we'll reach Sunset Terrace. Thing is, one of the Seven Wonders is here. There's no fragment is sight though, so I guess we should move-"

Riku stopped quickly before moving to the side as something blue blurred past him. The others were alerted quickly and brought out their weapons of choice. Riku dodged another strike and took a glance at his attacker. He vaguely recognized him (or at least he assumed it was a he) as one of that blonde guy's followers, not Hayner, the other rather annoying one with the white overcoat and diagonal scar on his face. This guy was short enough to be a kid, but his facial features were completely obscured by a patched up wizard hat. Only a pair of glowing amber eyes could be seen underneath. Actually, because of the long blue coat, baggy pants, and gloved hands, there was very little Riku could tell about his opponent. He was preoccupied with the strikes the small mage kept dealing with the padded blue bat-like sword Riku recognized as a 'Struggle Bat'.

"Gawrsh, it's Vivi!" Goofy cried out before blocking a strike from the small mage.

"Something isn't right." Mickey said as he struck the mage and the mage disappeared only to be replaced by two more Vivis.

"I can't feel any sort of light inside of them." Kairi said in surprise as she blocked a hit.

"That's because these aren't Vivi." Riku said, angry for promising to stay out of the fight. "Something like this happened when I was with DiZ. This is nothing more than a bug, a glitch."

The more they struck, the more Vivis appeared. Thankfully, one hit was enough to do them in, so Donald's thunder spells were extremely useful. A few more rounds later and there were no Vivis left.

"Are you guys alright?" Riku said as he gave the group some potions.

"Just tired and a bit bruised." Kairi replied.

"I have a feeling this isn't the last glitch we'll see." Mickey stated.

"I don't doubt it. I think all these 'wonders' are a result of the glitches that Ansem never fixed." Riku said.

"Well, we should be able to fight them though." Donald said.

"Just like in Tron's world." Goofy added.

"You're both right, but I still think we should avoid wasting time and dealing with those places." Riku replied.

"But what if those glitches are harmful for the people here?" Kairi asked. "We should fix them. Maybe it's our fault they are even showing up."

"Well, she's got a point. Data or not, these are still people." Mickey said thoughtfully.

Riku wasn't sure how to reply to that, but in the end gave in. After all, Sora would've done it. "Fine, but let's be quick about it."

The group walked through the tunnel that led to the outside and they were then greeted by the sleepy twilight the town was known for. Around them, people went about their daily business while a small rail train traveled back and forth through the long area. The group turned left and began walking through the streets until they reached a long abandoned alley.

"Guys stop." Riku said and everyone stopped in their tracks, confusion plainly written across their faces.

Kairi was the first one to give an understanding look and took a step away from the alley. Riku assumed that Naminé had just told her. The same did not go for the Disney Trio, who was quickly surprised by the onslaught of balls from the empty alley. Well, Donald and Goofy were taken by complete surprise, Mickey wasn't. While Goofy received a comical hit to the head, Donald was slammed by one of the large balls, leaving several stray feathers in his wake. Mickey however, as the most agile in the group, jumped nimbly over the balls, dodging almost effortlessly until he reached the end of the alley and pointed his Keyblade at the wall. A light emanated from the tip and once it hit the brick, the onslaught stopped completely.

"Well, two down, five to go." Mickey said, brushing up some dust from his clothes before walking towards the group.

"Why couldn't you just warn us beforehand." Donald squawked angrily while glaring at the now golden-eyed boy.

"I did." Riku said shrugging.

The group continued until reaching the station steps, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It was a glitch, but the only possible way it could endanger someone was if that person tripped over the glitched steps and fell down the stairs. It was easy to repair with the Keyblade though.

The group turned back and retraced their steps to the tunnel entrance. From there they worked their way to the area they had yet to visit. Particularly to a small secluded block, recognizable only by the large decorative water fountain on one of the walls. A fountain which also happened to be linked to one of the seven wonders. The fountain was really more like a small waterfall which ran over some sort of smooth surface that easily showed a person's reflection.

Riku made sure to explain everyone what this glitch was. Not just because of what happened in the alley, but mainly because this 'wonder' was more dangerous.

"So you're saying this fountain makes a copy of whoever is reflected, and the only way to fix this glitch is to defeat that copy?" Kairi asked and Riku gave a nod. "Alright then, I'll do it."

"Kairi-" Riku began, but was interrupted by the redhead.

"Riku, I have to do this. I know I have less experience than you or Sora as a Keyblade Wielder, but I can fight. I'm not going to keep dragging the team down, I can do this." Kairi insisted.

"Kairi, you're not dragging anyone down, and this isn't some kind of test. You've never faced this type of oppo-" Riku started but was interrupted by Mickey.

"That's okay Riku. Let's see how it goes." Mickey said and then turned to the red head. "Kairi, Riku's right though. This isn't a test, and we are a team. As a team we will jump in to help you if we see you need it. We can't afford losing manpower, especially how things are like now. Understand?"

"Okay, I understand." Kairi said and she walked over to the small square.

Riku felt the darkness as the mirror like surface pulsated slightly and the replica appeared. It was an exact copy of Kairi, only pitch black and malevolent. It immediately lunged and the red-head, who was taken by surprised, and only managed to block sloppily with Destiny's Embrace. Realizing this, Kairi returned the strike with much more force, only this time the replica dodged out of the way, making the Princess of the Heart briefly lose her footing.

'Come on Kairi, I know you are better than this.' Riku thought to himself as he saw Kairi fight the copy. She had lost her footing more than once, which was not something you would want to do in a swordfight, her hits were wild and made with little preparation, but even worse was the girl's concentration. Usually when sparring, Kairi had no problems. Right now she was really worrying him. The copy had already struck a few hits on the girl and he was really starting to wonder if this was a good idea. 'Why did Mickey insist? More importantly, why is she doing so badly?'

Part of him wanted to just go up there and slash the copy in two with Way to the Dawn. Every time he saw Kairi slip, his fingers began to twitch for his blade. But the alarming part was that the darkness was responding too. It knew he wanted to fight. He didn't know if he was manipulating it unconsciously or it was somehow trying to tempt him by flowing through him like that.

Riku saw the replica deliver another hit at his friend and he began to feel the anger surge from him. It didn't help that he had been set on such a short fuse lately. Or maybe that was really just a side effect of what was happening to him now.

This time Kairi delivered a direct hit, but the victory was short-lived as the copy retaliated with another strike. Riku's hand once again twitched for his Keyblade, but this time he couldn't stop the flow of energy to his hand, causing a mild tingling sensation. Riku, confused by the foreign feeling, lifted his hand to inspect it. It was then his eyes widened in shock. His right fist was completely covered by a layer of flickering purplish-black flames.

Riku quickly shook his hand and dispelled the energy. He could practically taste the darkness radiating from it. Surprisingly, none of the others noticed. But maybe it was because they were too busy watching over Kairi's fight, which had curiously improved too. Not only because Donald decided to step in and heal her.

It was then that Riku finally understood why Mickey did this. Kairi was obviously fighting poorly because she was so conflicted. With all that had been happening lately, it was no wonder really. Sora had been like that too when they were first separated from each other. The difference was, Sora had a lot more experience in fighting even during those times. Kairi was more focused now, more aware of her opponent's actions, and as a direct result, the fight was now going in her favor.

Kairi ducked under a swipe and delivered a quick strike to the copy's legs. The strike was blocked, but Kairi had been anticipating that and with a mighty kick to its midsection, the copy staggered back, giving Kairi the perfect opportunity to deliver a powerful finishing blow, thus ending the battle.

"Well done." Mickey said as Donald healed Kairi once more.

"Thanks, now I understand why you let me do this too." Kairi said as she wiped some sweat off her brow.

"That's right." Mickey said. "And I suppose we should get back to what we were doing. Clearly there was no fragment here. So, where to now Riku?"

"Next 'wonder' is the 'Animated Bag' in Sunset Hill. It's just up that those stairs." Riku said as he pointed towards where their next destination was.

They walked past the stairs and then up a steep slope to get to the top of the hill. There, almost as if waiting for them, was a large sack. The moment they got close though, the sack seemed to gain a life of its own as it dashed away and hoped around the area.

"Don't worry, Donald and I will take care of this one." Goofy said as him and Donald rushed at the sack.

"It will be over soon enough." Donald squawked.

It really was over soon, but not before giving spectators a good laugh. Though Riku didn't outwardly show it, he was laughing on the inside. There was something absolutely hilarious about watching Donald and Goofy try catching a large bouncing bag. He had no idea what was funnier, Goofy's odd cry as he frantically held on, or Donald's unintelligible curses as the bag rammed into him, sending feathers flying everywhere. Most likely the second. Still, part of him wondered if the two were really trying to make him and Kairi feel better, because through the whole ordeal, they insisted that they stay put. Riku honestly felt grateful towards the odd pair.

'I wonder if they cheer Sora up like that too.' Riku wondered.

"Bark!"

Riku turned towards the dog that was inside the bag. It was really a good thing Donald didn't use magic on the sack. Still, that dog had some serious horse power. Goofy was now petting it gently, whilst Donald, who was still angry about the whole thing, just glared daggers at it. Riku wondered what kind of person would do such a thing. He knew that last time it had been a Dusk in disguise, but the Nobodies were no longer influencing the town, so he was pretty sure this dog was real. Well, as real as they could get inside a computer simulation.

"I think we should find this little guy's owner." Kairi said as she petted the brown and white long haired dog.

"Are you sure it even has an owner? I mean someone did put it in a sack." Riku answered, though inside he was wondering exactly what breed the dog was. 'Some kind of Collie?'

Riku shrugged, he wasn't exactly an expert at this sort of thing.

"Oh, Jenna! There you are, I'm been looking all over for you!" A woman said as she caught sight of the dog.

"Ma'am, is this your dog?" Mickey asked and the woman nodded.

"Yes, my daughter was supposed to be playing with her, but Jenna suddenly disappeared." The woman said.

"Well you might want to be careful with her, we found her inside that sack." Mickey pointed out.

The woman looked horrified for a few moments before she turned towards the group. "That's awful, but I must really thank you for finding her. Rosie will be very happy to know she is back. I'd like to thank you all for your troubles."

"No ma'am, it's alright, we couldn't possibly-" Mickey was saying, but was interrupted by the woman's insistent pleas. After a few minutes, Mickey had no choice but to give it, and the woman gave him a pouch filled with munny. "Well, with this I guess we can take the train back."

"Yeah but minus the mansion there is still a wonder left." Donald began. "Where is it?"

Riku paused as if listening for something, before motioning the group towards the area at the top of the hill near the small replica of the clock tower. From there they all had a great view of their surroundings and even the train tracks running below. "That's the next wonder."

"That's Master Yen Sid's train!" Donald squawked in surprise.

"Yeah, this is actually a work of Ansem the Wise, so I doubt it will have any harmful effects on the town." Riku said absentmindedly as he looked down at the small purple and gold train with a starry theme. "There is nothing else here so I think we should head back. Bit of a waste of time really. I think we must've missed something."

"While I don't think this was a complete waste, I do agree with Riku. We must've missed something-" Kairi stated, but was then interrupted by a voice calling from behind the group.

"Hey it's you guys!" Turning around the group came to face with Pence. Behind him was Olette and a slightly sour-looking Hayner.

"Hey, nice to see you guys again." Kairi said as they approached the small group.

"So are you guys waiting for the ghost train?" Pence asked and Kairi nodded, but then stopped when she looked at Hayner. Riku figured she still remembered how the boy reacted earlier.

Seeing the girl's discomfort, Hayner seemed to step up with a surprisingly apologetic look on his face. "Listen, I'm sorry for being a jerk earlier. I really shouldn't have reacted that way. I was hoping we could start all over."

The blonde stretched his hand over as a sign of friendship, and Kairi quickly took it. Riku reconsidered his thoughts about the boy. It looked like he wasn't so bad after all.

"So we were actually going to head back now. Are you guys going to stay here for a while longer?" Olette asked.

"No, we're pretty much done here. We were planning to head back anyways." Kairi said.

"Let's go together then!" Olette said.

They all headed back together afterwards. They walked all the way to Sunset Station, where Mickey bought the tickets for the group. Afterwards they boarded the orange shaded train back to the main part of town.

"Hey, Riku right?" Pence asked as he approached the silver-haired boy. Riku nodded. "You know, I could have sworn your eyes were a different color earlier."

Riku regarded the chuckling boy before him, before replying with a small chuckle of his own. "Really? I think you must be seeing things."

They got off the train once reaching the station, and from there, the large group headed outside. Meanwhile Riku was raking through his brain for an answer. Just where were the missing fragments? It wasn´t like there were many places left. Maybe there was one in the Sandlot.

"And the view is amazing from up there too…Kairi are you alright?" Olette asked, catching Riku's attention in the process.

"Oh yeah I'm fine." The girl answered sheepishly. "I just spaced out for a moment there."

Riku narrowed his eyes in response. He could tell the girl was covering something up. She was most likely talking to Naminé, not just spacing out. But what exactly did Naminé want to say? It wasn't like the blonde to interrupt Kairi when she was in the middle of a conversation, unless it was urgent of course. Maybe she had some news about the fragments.

"Anyways, I was thinking we could check up the clocktower too." Kairi said.

"Hey, maybe we can all go together." Olette suggested.

"Are you sure? You really don't have to. We really don't want to bother you guys." Kairi said, sending some pleading looks in Riku's direction. Riku quickly understood. There was a fragment on the clocktower. Before he could speak up however, Hayner jumped into the fray.

"Didn't you say you wanted to buy some sweets for your mom earlier? The shop is going to close soon you know?" Hayner said.

"Oh no! That's right, I completely forgot!" Olette said in panic as she looked at the clocktower and saw what time it was. "Is it okay if we meet you guys later? We really have to go, like right now!"

" Yeah, we'll see you guys later then." Kairi said as the Twilight Trio said goodbye and ran towards the entrance to Market Street.

"So we are heading up there again right?" Riku asked once the three were out of sight.

"Yeah, Naminé just told me. I'm surprised Olette didn't see it when she checked the time." Kairi replied, not really surprised by how perceptive Riku was.

The group quickly made their way through those dreaded sets of stairs, for about the third time today. First if you counted the fact that these were inside the simulation town. When they reached the top, they were greeted by the beautiful scene of Twilight Town's sunset. It was really too bad they couldn't stop and smell the roses. They had a mission to finish.

"There it is." Kairi said in relief as she saw the light fragment floating over the ledge and thankfully still in reach. She fished out her charm out of her pocket and wasted no time to make the capture.

Cheer up already!

Strange

You said it

Can you feel Sora?

As promised

One more treasure for us to share

Whoa!

Naminé?

Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi

Okay, Roxas, but can you tell me HIS name?

You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi!

Okay, I guess I can give you a hint

Starts with an "S!"

Riku shook his head at the end of the memory. Everything always went back to Sora didn't it? For such a simple guy, his life sure was complicated.

'I wonder why those memories are becoming clearer though.' Riku thought to himself. Before listening to the memories was like listening to a broken radio. But now he could hear every word and sentence almost perfectly. 'Maybe it's because of how many fragments we have gathered. The light is no longer as weak as it once was.'

"How many more?" Mickey asked and Kairi replied by lifting her charm for everybody to see. The third shell was mostly filled with light, but still not quite full.

"Hmmm, must be one missing." Kairi said.

"But what else is there?" Donald asked.

"How about the Sandlot?" Goofy offered.

"Naminé said that Roxas fought Axel there, but she doesn't think there is one there." Kairi said as she shook her head. "Not to mention someone must have noticed it by now if it really was there."

"Yeah, half the town would be screaming about ghosts. Maybe we missed something in the real town." Riku said.

"I dunno, we were pretty thorough." Mickey said. "I think we should head back to the Mansion. Maybe we missed it there."

"What other choice do we have?" Riku said shaking his head.

They walked through Market Street and then entered Tram Common. They were about to reach the large hole in the wall when they were interrupted by a voice. A very cocky voice Riku was sure he heard at least once before. When he finally recognized the voice and turned around, he honestly felt like slamming his head repeatedly against a blunt object, or even better, slam his face repeatedly onto a blunt object. It was Seifer.

"Well, look what we've got here. Going to check the Mansion? I heard there was a strange group of outsiders. I didn't think it was true, since there haven't been any in ages, but I just had to come see for myself." The blonde said with a smug grin as he eyed the group. "So what business do you have in Twilight Town?"

"Sorry, but that's really none of your business." Riku replied smoothly, while the anger in the pit of his stomach flared violently. Swiftly he motioned everyone to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Seifer said.

"Halt." The pale haired, red-eyed girl next to him said.

"There ain't nothing but that creepy mansion over there, you know?" The muscular tanned teen next to Seifer said.

"We heard about these strange things happening there and wanted to check it out. Now, if you'll excuse us." Mickey said politely before turning around.

"That's pretty suspicious if you ask me. As leader of the Disciplinary Committee I'll have to take matters into my own hands." Seifer said and pointed his Struggle bat at Riku, while at the same time throwing one at the teen's shoes.

Like two territorial lions confronting each other, Riku simply could not walk away from the challenge. Part of him told him that the blonde before him was not worth his time and that he should just continue to ignore him since they were still under a time limit, the other part of him was refusing to stand down and argued that the blonde would still not leave them alone until they locked in combat.

'Guess I'll have to make it quick.' Riku reasoned and he picked up the bat. He would much rather use Way to the Dawn, though it may cause some permanent damage to the teen. 'Though that would probably be an improvement.'

"Riku? Seifer? What's going on you guys?" Riku briefly heard a voice coming from the side lines, while his now-golden eyes remained locked on the blonde's, refusing to look away. Apparently their little brawl had gotten the attention of more than a few bystanders.

"We just finished shopping when we heard you guys." Riku recognized Pence's voice saying.

"We were going to check out the mansion when this guy decided to make it his business." Donald squawked in reply.

"Seifer!" Olette reprimanded.

"Being a jerk as always." Hayner said.

"Can it chicken-wuss. It's not like you could beat me anyways." Seifer growled.

"Oh yeah, well if I recall correctly, you lost to Vivi." Hayner mocked.

"Enough." Seifer yelled.

"Wow, if you fight as well as you yell, then I might actually have a few problems." Riku taunted.

Seifer glared at the silver-haired teen and lunged at him, but Riku was too fast and dodged out of the way.

"Pity your hits aren't as quick as your temper." Riku taunted again as Seifer continued to deliver strike after strike. 'This guy was worse than Sora. At least Sora realized that I taunted him on purpose so he would lose his composure. This guy's short temper will seriously be his downfall one day. Heck, even I am holding back my anger better.'

That was true, Riku really was angry. But the biggest difference was that Riku had much better control, not to mention that if he lost it, the darkness would literally pour out of him and wreak havoc. In short, he simply couldn't afford to lose it now.

"Time to end this." Riku said and quickly lunged at the enraged blonde.

It was over in just a few seconds. Despite the unfamiliar texture and weight of the weapon he carried, Riku's sharply honed skills were much more superior. As a result, he didn't even break a sweat from the battle, unlike his unlucky opponent.

"Seifer ain't feelin' so hot, y'know!" The tanned teen from earlier said.

"Not ready." The pale-haired girl said.

The two helped lift up the blonde teen, but Seifer stubbornly refused their help. He turned his back on the group, but not before addressing the victor. "Name's Seifer. Your's?"

"Riku." The silver-haired boy said with a smirk. Seifer smirked in response too.

"Well, Riku. I'd give you the trophy, but I'm afraid I'm not really the toughest. Too bad too, you might've actually beaten him were he still here." Seifer said, sending Hayner a smirk before turning again and heading towards the Sandlot with his posse in tow.

"Well, I guess we are free to go now." Riku said and he couldn't help but notice that Hayner hadn't stopped scowling at Seifer's retreating figure.

"That was really amazing, not many people can take Seifer on. But you make it look so easy." Pence said in wonder. "Oh, that reminds me. I came with information for you guys. You were interested in the seven wonders right? That's why you were heading to the mansion?"

Unsure if they should tell the truth, the group just gave a nod.

"Great, then you guys are gonna love this. I just got some info about an 'eighth wonder'!" Pence said with excitement and Riku couldn't help but feel that he wasn't going to like this. "It's near the mansion actually, just outside. They say if you shake this tree, the whole forest will shake! I was thinking about checking it out myself."

"Are you sure you want to do this right now?" Kairi asked while the group exchanged nervous glances.

"Yeah sure, why not? I mean all the other wonders were bogus anyways. And you guys were already planning on checking out the mansion. We could just hit two birds with one stone." Pence reasoned. Hayner and Olette seemed to agree too, though Hayner looked more reluctant.

"Alright then, if you guys are sure." Mickey said with a sigh, indicating that they really had no choice in the matter.

The large group walked through the crack and into the small woods that lead to the mansion. The trees themselves were huge, so large in fact that little light managed to go unfiltered. It was because of this that the woods were so dark. Some may even go as far as call them ´creepy´. It was like those dark dangerous woods one might picture from children stories like ´Little Red Riding Hood´. Only instead of meeting a ferocious talking wolf, Riku was far more worried about another type of enemy. After all, whoever said monsters were not real had likely never met a Heartless.

"I'm sure it has to be one of these." Pence said as he looked back and forth between some trees.

"Wait, so you don't know what tree we are supposed to shake?" Hayner asked.

"Well, no. Not really." Pence said sheepishly. "It can't be so hard."

"Hard? Pence, we are in the middle of a forest filled with trees! This could take forever!" Hayner exclaimed, kicking the nearest tree in frustration.

Much to his surprise and everyone else's, the tree he kicked began to shake before the effect moved quickly to a nearby tree and then another. Soon the whole woods were shaking and leaves were falling from the canopy of branches above. A loud monstrous cry was heard then and Riku twitched as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. It was the same feeling he got whenever confronting a Heartless, and apparently, the others felt it too.

"W-What is that?" Olette asked, fear evident in her eyes.

"Trouble." Riku muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear. Up above, he could see whatever it was, making a path through the trees as it headed over towards the Mansion.

"You three stay here, we'll take care of it." Mickey quickly said, gaining incredulous looks from the trio.

"You guys are joking right? It's dangerous!" Hayner managed to say, but was thoroughly ignored by the group that was now making its way towards the mansion.

The woods around them ran out and gave way to the open space in front of the large abandoned manor. The group quickly withdrew their weapons as a second roar reverberated through the air. It was then that their opponent showed itself for the first time. Like Riku thought, it really was a Heartless, based on the emblem it had on its chest. The heartless was large, much larger than a Neoshadow or maybe even a Large Body. It had the overall appearance of a bipedal chameleon complete with long pink tongue and curly tail. It was dark green in color with yellow eyes, yellow zigzagging lines on its arms and legs, and a series of sharp tan spikes protruding from its back.

Looking back, Riku saw a flaming barrier appear, blocking any attempts of escaping. 'Not good.'

"Watch out and don't lose track of it!" Mickey quickly ordered, and not a moment too soon because the Heartless quickly became invisible. Had Riku not paid any attention to its movement, he might have gotten knocked off his feet by the creature's tail swipe.

"Riku stand back, you mustn't fight!" Mickey ordered as he got in front of where the chameleon Heartless was supposed to be and hit it with a direct strike of the Keyblade. The Heartless gave a mighty cry of pain before turning visible once more. Riku gave a small nod and reluctantly stood on the sidelines. He knew they were right.

"He's right, we'll take it from here." Kairi said and she struck the Heartless directly on the head with Destiny's Embrace.

"Thunder!" Donald cried as he followed up with a strong thundaga spell.

"Watch out!" Goofy cried out, Donald moved just in time for Goofy to slam his shield onto the Heartless. The creature was slammed back painfully, and fell to the ground unmoving.

"Is it over?" Kairi asked.

"I don't think so." Mickey said, and surely the Heartless slowly picked itself up.

Letting an angry roar, the creature's eyes glowed and then lasers shot out of its eyes, striking both Donald and Goofy, while nearly grazing Kairi.

"Kairi! Are you alright?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, it just took me by surprise, that's all." Kairi replied as she readied her weapon.

Riku noticed how the Heartless's eyes began to glow, and it was then he knew it was preparing an attack. "He's going to attack again!"

The four fighters dodged as soon as they heard Riku's words, Donald and Goofy slower because of their injuries. Thankfully, none of them were hit by the lasers. Mickey used this opportunity to deliver another series of blows at the reptile. The Heartless roared once more in anger, and as if sensing that it was all Riku's fault, the Heartless turned invisible and shot its impossibly long tongue at him. Riku managed to dodge the tongue, but was caught unaware by the series of swipes the Heartless proceeded to deliver with its sharp claws.

"Riku!" Kairi cried out and quickly struck the beast so it would leave her friend alone. Instead she received a tail swipe for her troubles.

"I'm okay." Riku said as Way to the Dawn connected to the creature's face earning a shrill cry of pain from the Heartless. Looking down, Riku saw a series of bleeding scratches on his arms, which he had used to cover his vitals.

"Heal!" Donald said and soon a soothing green light enveloped Riku, Goofy, and himself, effectively healing their injuries.

"Thanks." Riku and Goofy chorused, while Goofy charged at the Heartless again.

The Heartless was knocked over from the powerful hit, and the rest of the fighters used the opportunity to strike their foe while it was down. Donald cast a powerful Blizzaga spell that trapped the Heartless in ice. Kairi delivered a swift jab to its head. Riku delivered a powerful blow to its back. Mickey then delivered a final blow right at the creature's chest, exactly where its emblem was. The creature let out one final cry before disappearing in a burst of data. In its place was a single floating sphere of light.

"No way." Riku said as he looked at the fragment. "So it was here all this time?"

"It looks that way." Mickey answered.

"But if that Heartless had it, how come it wasn't destroyed?" Kairi asked.

"I think that wasn't really a Heartless, at least not a real one, just a data imitation. At some point Ansem the Wise must have accidentally copied its data when making the town. And just like with the other glitches, it decided to show itself right now. It probably tried to imitate a real Heartless by consuming the light fragment, but it couldn't do it because it was nothing more than an imitation." Mickey mused. "I suppose we were lucky it wasn't real. If it had been real, it could have destroyed it."

Kairi looked deep in thought for a moment before snapping out of it and taking out her charm. "Let's not waste any time then."

The time has come! Our hunt for the seven wonders begins!

Aren't these the steps you talked about? The ones that count different going up and down?

Were you throwing a ball? That ball flew out of nowhere and totally startled me

Vivi?

there were so many of you...

You all right?

I thought I saw someone, but it was just my reflection

Another...me?

You know...that last wonder wasn't exactly wonderful

Why does looking at you always tick me off?

Maybe it's destiny

It's really true... and there's really no one aboard! What's the catch? There's gotta be a catch, right?

You know something... we were gonna check the mansion out tomorrow.

It IS the most suspicious place.

They say there's a girl who appears at the second floor window even though no one's lived here for years

Roxas…

When the flow of memories ended, Riku honestly felt a headache forming. That was possibly the longest memory until now. There was so much confusion in that memory all mixed in with feelings of helplessness. It was like knowing that your life was spiraling down a hole and yet you were powerless to do anything about it. Riku could relate to that, most people could in fact. Who didn't want the comfort of knowing you had some semblance of control in your own life?

'Well at least now I know why there were no fragments in Sunset Terrace.' Riku thought.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!"

The group turned around in shock, only to face three very shocked looking teens, the same teens that were told to stay in the forest earlier for their own safety. Riku had completely forgotten about the barrier disappearing after the Heartless's defeat. Which meant…

'They witnessed everything afterwards.' Riku realized with horror. They had been caught red-handed.

"We don't know what you are talking about." Donald finally broke the awkward silence that settled.

"Donald." Goofy reprimanded.

"You don't know?" Hayner said angrily. "What about that monster? Or the wall of fire that kept us out? And what about that freakish ball of light? I know what I heard."

"Are you guys responsible for the weird things happening in town?" Pence asked quietly.

"It's more complicated than that." Riku answered quietly.

"Just who are you?" Olette said, her voice laced with hurt.

They all looked at Mickey, the unofficial leader of their group, who just sighed and gave them a nod.

"To answer your questions, that monster is called a Heartless. Basically they are the darkness in people's hearts made real. The wall that kept you guys out was the Heartless's way of keeping us from running away. That freakish ball of light is the reason we are here." Riku said, not going into details because it would take forever and they didn't have that time.

"The weird things that happened to this town weren't our doing, at least not directly. We don't mean this town any harm, and in fact, we were trying to stop them from happening again." Mickey answered next. "As for who we are, like we said, we're not from this Town. In reality, we are from different worlds. Riku, Kairi, and I are Keyblade Wielders. It's our job to maintain the order and take care of anything that threatens the balance between the worlds, just like the Heartless."

"But you said you were here because of that light! And why could we hear ourselves and Roxas? Do you have anything to do with why he is gone?" Hayner said while curling his hand into a fist.

"There's not need to get angry. Roxas is our friend too you know." Kairi said, surprising the three teens. "It's… very complicated. Roxas shared a special bond with a friend of ours who is also a Keyblade Wielder. It's because of that bond that he had to leave this town. Another group wanted to get him too, that's why those weird things started happening to this town."

"You mean, like those memory thieves?" Pence asked and Kairi nodded. "So they really were trying to steal Roxas."

"But why hasn't he come back then? He could at least visit us. At least tell us that he's fine." Hayner shouted.

"We've been so worried about him." Olette said.

"Like we said, its complicated. But if it makes you feel any better, he really does care about you three. Those light fragments carry memories that he considers special, and you've been in quite a few." Riku said, earning surprised looks from the three. "Now if we are done here, we should really get going. We're still on a time limit."

"Why is that? What's wrong?" Olette asked.

"Our friend is in trouble, and by extension so is Roxas." Kairi said.

"Let us come with you. We could help." Pence said, but Mickey shook his head.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. It's not allowed to, not to mention extremely dangerous." Mickey said. "But don't worry, we will accomplish our mission."

"But-" Hayner said, but was interrupted by Riku.

"I understand how you feel. But you have to understand that even if you did come, you have no experience fighting the Heartless, and we simply have no time to prepare any of you for that sort of thing." Riku said.

The crestfallen trio looked at the rest of the group who all nodded. After they exchanged a look amongst themselves, Hayner stepped forth and gave a defeated sigh. "Fine, but you guys just make sure you don't fail. And next time you see Roxas, tell that bonehead to come visit us, it´s really not the same without him."

"Don't worry, we will." Kairi assured them with a smile. Riku nodded as well.

"Take care. It was really nice meeting you all." Olette said.

"Likewise." Riku said.

"Goodbye. I hope we can see each other again soon." Pence said.

The group said their farewells, and then headed back through the iron gates. After closing the gates behind them, they gave one final wave at the three teens on the other side, before entering the manor once more.

"Why did you tell them Roxas would come?" Riku asked Kairi, who just shrugged.

"I was thinking that maybe we could have someone fix the simulation. And maybe figure out a way for Roxas to visit them." Kairi said.

"Hmmm, maybe we could ask Cid. He is an expert when it comes to computers." Mickey said as they entered through the secret computer laboratory. "Well, now that we have all the fragments we should head back and find him."

Kairi nodded and took out her charm. She took one good glance at it and stopped in her tracks.

"Huh, Kairi what's wrong?" Riku asked, noticing the look of confusion on the redhead's face. He didn't like it at all.

"There's one more." She said, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "Look."

Showing the charm to the others, they all saw what she was referring to. The third shell, the one belonging to Twilight Town was glowing a strong white light. But upon closer inspection, there was a tiny space at its tip that had yet to light up. It was almost impossible to see, and the only reason they even saw it was because that shell was not glowing as brightly as its two neighbors.

"But where can it be? We looked just about everywhere." Riku asked.

"Maybe another Heartless caught it." Goofy suggested.

"No way!" Donald squawked.

"Hmm, he's right. The chances of that happening are very slim." Mickey said. "What does Naminé think about this?"

Kairi stopped for a few seconds, a frown etched on her face. After a few minutes passed, she gave a sigh.

"She says that there is definitely one more. But she can't sense it nearby." Kairi said in exasperation. "It's like it's still in this town, but it's not quite here either."

"It is here, but it isn't." Riku mused at the seemingly paradoxical statement. 'So it has to be a part of Twilight Town that isn't really Twilight Town. That's tough, even the simulation Twilight Town is considered a part of this world. Maybe it's in Yen Sid's Tower, that place is in another space altogether, but it's impossible to get inside at the moment.'

Riku looked around the room in hopes of finding any clues. It was then that his gaze landed on the door to the capsule room, his eyes widening in realization.

'Wasn't there a portal back there?' Riku thought and then he nodded to himself. 'Yes there is. Then, could it be?'

"That doesn't help!" Donald squawked angrily, but was interrupted by Riku.

"Actually, it does." He said and motioned everyone to follow him. "Guys, I think I have an idea."

He led the group to the room with the portal, and once in there, it was Kairi the first one to realize what he was talking about, the other quickly followed suit.

"Wait, are you saying we head over to the World that Never Was?" Donald asked. "But what about the fragment?"

Mickey smiled and turned towards the duck. He too caught on to what Riku had implied. "The reason we are heading there is because that passageway is a part of Twilight Town. That passageway between the worlds is and isn't a part of Twilight Town."

"So the fragment has to be there!" Goofy concluded.

"It's not anywhere else." Riku said. "We've eliminated all other options. This is what's left."

"Naminé agrees. I just can't believe we didn't think about it sooner." Kairi said.

"Come on, let's go!" Mickey said and the group quickly entered through the portal.

---

Roxas sighed as he looked at the setting sun. It reminded him so much of Twilight Town. He didn't know why, but he had been thinking so much about that place lately, even the simulation town. Sora was probably the only one that knew, well him and maybe Naminé. In reality, he was grateful for the time he spent in the fake Twilight Town. He managed to live like a normal teen, even if it was just for a bit less than a week. He had real 'somebody' friends that hung out with him and ate ice-cream with. It had been fun while it lasted.

If he had to describe what it made him feel, something he was never really good with because of his 'upbringing', he would have to describe it as a very bittersweet feeling. It was just like a sea-salt ice-cream. It was both salty and yet sweet. Axel would probably laugh at his analogy, but he didn't really care. He wasn't really much of a poet to begin with. Any good Nobody knew you needed feelings for that, so knowing poetry was never much of a priority in the Organization. The only other Nobody he ever saw interested in such things was Zexion, and Roxas was never really close to him.

'I wonder what the others are doing.' Roxas mused as he looked at the sky. 'I hope they get back soon.'

Sora had been completely unresponsive lately and it was really starting to worry him. It was just not right seeing the brunette laying on that bed unmoving. Everything about it felt wrong. Sora wasn't meant to be stuck on a bed like that. He was meant to run around with his bright goofy personality, and experience all kinds of exciting and oftentimes weird adventures.

"Roxas!" Called a voice and the blonde turned to see who it was. Jumping up to the roof where he currently sat was Yuffie. "There you are."

"Hey. Did you need something?" Roxas asked curiously.

"No, not really. Aerith just came to tell me to tell you that dinner will be ready soon." Yuffie said.

"Thanks, I'll be down soon." Roxas answered.

"Great, I'll go tell Leon now. See ya." Yuffie said before disappearing in a puff of smoke, making Roxas roll his eyes while a smile tugged on his lips.

---

The next thing the group knew was that they were in a strange multicolored plane, with switching colors, a transparent floor, and Nobody emblems running through the nonexistent walls. At the far side was a dark portal, while behind them was a blinding wall of light. but what interested them the most was what floated in the middle of the large space.

"There is it!" Kairi exclaimed. Riku looked surprised for a moment. He couldn't help but think that it was too easy.

'On second thought, I prefer it this way.' Riku mused.

Fishing out her charm and raising it in front of the fragment. A blinding light once again filled their vision as the memory began.

What is this place?

Riku! Kairi!

Don't stop moving or the darkness will overtake you!

Why?

Don't ask. Just do it!

You're...fading away...

I digress

Go, find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot... Sorry for what I did to her

Axel, what were you trying to do?

I wanted to see Roxas. He...was the only one I liked...

He made me feel...like I had a heart.

It's kind of...funny... You make me feel...the same...

Axel…

When the solemn memory finished, Riku quickly went to comfort Kairi who now had fresh tear trails on her cheeks. Rubbing small circles on her back, the red head soon stopped, though her eyes had yet to lose their puffy appearance. He understood how she felt, though he was a lot better at hiding it. He always had been.

'I always thought Nobodies were all emotionless creatures, with Naminé and Roxas being special cases. But I guess Axel just proved how wrong I was.' Riku thought. 'I regret never thanking him properly though. We weren't so different after all.'

"Come on, we should-" Mickey began, but was interrupted when the colorful passage began shaking violently.

"Everyone return to the portal!" Riku shouted. He knew exactly what was happening. Somehow, after all this time, the corridor had become unstable. And now it was collapsing right on top of them.

The group ran as quick as they could towards the light, but when it was a few feet away from them, the light simply vanished in a show of sparks, leaving nothing but an endless corridor of color and emblems right behind it.

"Everyone head to the other one!" Mickey shouted quickly, not needing to repeat himself. Riku agreed, ending up in a world filled with Heartless was a lot better than being stuck between worlds with no escape.

The group ran quickly towards the portal as the tunnel continued to shake more violently with each passing second. Riku felt his own lungs burn and his legs sting from overexertion, but he chose to ignore them and focus on surviving.

'Almost there!' Riku told himself as the dark portal started coming closer and closer.

Looking to his side he saw that Kairi and Mickey were next to him followed by Goofy and then Donald lagging behind in the rear. The duck just wasn't built for speed. Looking right behind him, Riku saw with morbid fascination as the tunnel began collapsing on itself. The colorful background and floating Nobody emblems all seemed to shatter and fly towards the massive black vortex that was quickly forming on the back.

"Come on faster!" Riku shouted as he realized that at this rate they weren't going to make it.

The group sped up, adrenaline flowing freely through their systems. The black hole behind them quickly began to grow at an alarming rate, and by the time he reached the portal, he could already see the walls around the portal start disappearing.

"Kairi go!" Riku said as the girl reached the portal. She gave a hesitant look behind her, but then disappeared through the opening. Mickey followed quickly, and then finally came a panting Goofy. Riku looked over at the duck and noticed with horrid realization that he was not going to make it.

Riku bit back a curse, partially hating himself for what he was about to do. The silver-haired teen ran towards the duck, as fast as his legs could possibly allow. Donald just looked at him in stupor as the teen closed in on him.

"I'm sorry for this." Riku said, leaving o time for Donald to wonder as the teen grabbed the duck by the scruff of his neck and gathered as much strength as he could to toss him into the portal. The duck let out an angry squawk as he sailed through the air and into the opening, but Riku paid him no mind as he sprinted back to the portal.

The whirling vortex was now roaring at his back as Riku ran as fast as he could. His eyes widened as he saw the ground he ran on crack up and start disappearing into the black hole behind him. His stomach sank with a sickening feeling when he saw that the portal was starting to shrink and disappear, his friend's worried faces all looking at him. He was a few feet away from his goal when the ground before him began falling apart, leaving a black void in its wake. Seeing his only window of opportunity start closing, Riku took a deep breath and chanced it.

"RIKU!" Kairi cried and soon the boy's vision was overcome by black.

---

Sora woke up with cold sweat running down his face and the hairs on the back of his neck standing. Something was wrong. He didn't know what it was, but deep down he knew it was true. He groggily got up from the sand and noticed the chilly winds whipping salty water at his face. Looking around him, he saw darkened skies and stormy clouds that foreshadowed a great disaster.

'No way. They said it was going to stay sunny all day!' Sora thought, but was then reminded of the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'Riku! Something's wrong with Riku. I gotta find my friends.'

Sora ran through the island, ignoring the biting cold winds as they struck him. He checked inside the tree house and the shack whose whole structure screeched as the strong winds pushed the flimsy wooden structure. The island with the bent Paopu tree was empty as well; loose planks of wood were flying off the wooden bridge that led him there. He went to the other side of the island too, but no one was there, but that couldn't be could it? He recalled seeing his friend's boats still in place at the docks.

'There's only one other place they can be in.' Sora decided as he headed back through the door to the other side.

Sora ignored the droplets of water as they started splashing against his face, instead he continued running under the bridge and towards the waterfall. Once there he followed the small path and pushed aside the bush whose branches hid the entryway to the Secret Place. Crouching on his knees, Sora followed the earthly path past some roots and finally into a large opening that led to a cave-like area.

"Riku, Kairi!" Sora shouted, but he was only greeted by his own echo. Sora squinted through the darkness of the cave for any clues. He reached into his pocket for one of the matches he knew he always carried with him in case he needed to start a bonfire. He only hoped that it was dry enough to use. Striking the match against one of the walls, the flame hissed into existence and the whole cave was bathed in an orange glow, casting eerie shadows on the chalk drawings.

The place was empty.

"No, how can it be? I checked everywhere!" Sora said and accidentally burnt his finger, dropping the match in the process.

Nursing his injured finger, Sora bent over to grab the match, but stopped when a particular drawing caught his eyes. It was the one he drew with Kairi when they were kids. He had drawn her, and she had drawn him, afterwards he had added a hand that gave Kairi a Paopu fruit. And now the drawing showed both of them exchanging fruits.

'Wait, that can't be right. Kairi didn't…' Sora thought in confusion. The drawing wasn't like this. Now that he thought about it. He couldn't remember himself drawing the fruit, even though he was sure it was him.

The match's flames died out and in his confusion, Sora found himself searching his pockets for another match. He needed to be sure of what he saw. Reaching into his pockets he was surprised to find something else. Something he wasn't even aware he carried. It was smooth and felt cool to the touch, much like metal. He could also feel several somethings hanging from it. Sora took it out of his pocket with curiosity, before reaching for another match and lighting it. From the orange glow from the flames he was able to see it clearly. It was a very pretty-looking silver bracelet with some charms dangling from it.

Sora stared at the bracelet in confusion. Why did he have this again?

'It's for Kairi's birthday.' Sora thought and it seemed to sound right to him.

"Wait a minute…"

Sora thought before his eyes widened in realization. The teen clutched his head and gave a cry of pain as the events from the past few days began replaying in his head. When it was over Sora was left panting on the ground, the only light illuminating him was the glow of the match he didn't realize he had dropped.

"T-this isn't real." Sora said with realization as he looked at his white gloved hands, and winced at his higher pitched voice. "This is all an illusion."

Correct.

Sora whirled around to face the voice and was met with an eerie blue flame between a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

Lighting flashed and Sora only caught a brief glance at the creature before it left in a flurry of flapping wings. Sora followed it quickly as he crawled out of the exit and into the storm outside.

"A Heartless!" Sora cried out as he ran at the creature currently perched on the bent Paopu trunk.

It was small and almost oval in shape, with the overall appearance of an owl. It was dark blue and black in color with pointy ears and a white belly. It had a small beak and equally small silvery claws. Over its yellow glowing eyes it carried a silver and black masquerade style mask with flame designs, and right in the middle of its head it had a black and blue flame burning ominously.

Had it not been a heartless, Sora might've actually considered it cute.

The creature gave a loud screech before bursting into an explosion of black and blue flames. With a louder cry, the flames dispersed and in its place lay a huge, different creature. It carried the same color scheme, but it was now more like a phoenix than an owl, complete with a long neck and two longer tail feathers with black flame markings. Gone were the stubby feet, which were replaced by long powerful white furred legs with four long razor sharp talons on each foot. Its beak was now longer, and though it retained the mask, there were now two long antenna-like white feathers at each side of its face, and whose ends were lit with blue flames. Two huge black and blue powerful wings flapped, sending a whirlwind of sand in his direction.

Sora covered his eyes from the sand, and quickly rolled out of the way as the creature attempted to crush him under silvery sharp talons.

The battle had begun.

---

Canis: "Well that's it for now."

Crystal: "Hope the beginning didn't scare anyone off but it had to be said."

Canis: *nods* "Oh, and I would also like to announce that this chapter breaks the 100,000 words barrier! I can't believe this story is really THAT long."

Crystal: "I can."

Canis: *grins sadistically* "Of course you do, you had to correct all of it. Oh and before I forget, I got myself a copy of Pokémon White, and though I won't likely be playing it routinely because of university, here´s my friend code just in case. It´s 3568-0955-2736, so don't be shy and leave your own code in the reviews, I´m always up for a match or trade."

Crystal: "Especially battles."

Canis: "Damn right. Now if I could just bring my team over from Pearl..."

Crystal: "Heaven help her rivals." *shakes head*

Canis: "So anyways, please review and send me those numbers!"

Canis and Crystal out!