The Sleepless City was changing constantly. It was hard, almost impossible to follow these changes, as the size of the city was so grand that The City That Never Was - based on its size seen from the top of the Nobodies' Castle - could've been fitted inside at least a hundred times. And yet slowly, the streets moved and new buildings emerged while the old ones disappeared. Parks grew out of nothingness and squares disappeared into the void.

Time was another matter which probably made things even worse. Insomnia was stuck in a constant state of nighttime, though the moon's size and shape had changed slowly, probably signalling the passing of time. Based on that alone, it had been six weeks ever since…

The moon hid behind an army of dark clouds, shrouding the city in an eerie dark. The wind howled angrily, bringing the storm ever closer; the first drops of rain landing on his unwashed, dirty forearm. The fresh breeze and the clean water made him smile. It was a sad, painful smile, but a smile at least. It was really… really hard to stay positive in that World.

He did his best. He played it cheerfully as long as he could, tried staying positive and hopeful. But the World went out its way to prove him wrong: nothing went according to plan; nothing worked. If he met someone, they would soon turn into a Dreamer, or got pummeled by them. Insomnia didn't want him to meet others or to work together with them. It felt like the World knew his weakness and turned it against him.

He tried resting his eyes and leaned onto the brick wall. He couldn't afford to fall asleep; every moment he'd spend sleeping made the crescent moon brand on his left shoulder blade more visible and more painful. It was one of the many rules of the Sleepless World. Anyone entering the World was branded and once the sigil was complete, they'd turn into a Dreamer. The more they slept, the deeper it was engraved in their flesh. Sora's brand was still faint, but that meant little. An unlucky hit on the head by a Dreamer could've knocked out even Pete. They were insanely strong and could move and fight without resting for very long times, which meant even flight was a risky strategy. Not to mention the fact, that no matter how far someone got or how well they hid, Dreamers would soon appear out of thin air and continue their game of cats and mice.

Riku… Kairi…

The thought of his friends were the last strings he was holding onto. He felt like crying but that would've taken too much of his remaining energy so he just grunted painfully and wiped off the single teardrop he allowed himself to shed. Not that he had more: he cried so much during the last days and weeks that it was a miracle that he had anymore to begin with.

"I want to go home" he mumbled to himself, his eyes still closed. "Back to the isles. I want to play with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie; I want to build a raft with Riku and Kairi. I want to take long naps on the beach. I don't want any of this anymore."

"I can make you dream of that" Yozora said without any kindness in his voice. Sora opened his eyes and looked at the boy, who resembled Riku so much. His blue and red eyes stared back at him, judging him. Sora felt a rush of very powerful emotions imbue him, emotions he never thought he'd feel towards anyone.

"I don't want you to do anything for me." he said angrily. "You're just plain evil, Yozora."

The Sandman shrugged. "I don't really care. You're in my world, not vice versa."

"I will find a way to leave, you'll see!"

"You're at your limits Sora. I cannot fathom how could anyone be so naïve as you are."

"Am not!" he pouted. "Why are you even like this?"

"Because life never favors the blind." he said in a tone that really meant the conversation was over. Sora closed his eyes again, and waved at the other, telling him that he was finished talking to him.

Sora felt bad about being like that. He generally didn't like being mean to anyone. But even he had his limits. He begged and pleaded with Yozora so many times. He had asked him to save his friends, to give him some help, to at least point him at the right direction. Yozora would never help or give the faintest of clue and this had cost Sora friends, comrades, hope. In his own way, Yozora was an adversary way worse than Xehanort.

Xehanort. How much he had wondered about what the old man did. Why he did it. How he did it. He wasn't completely wrong on all accounts, even Sora had to acknowledge that. He had been to many worlds, seen the countless faces of evil. It was omnipresent and unquenchable. But why would he turn on his friends, why would he torment and exploit his own pupil? He was a monster. He thought to himself. To achieve his goals he walked over so many people, caused so much pain. He could never do that. The end cannot justify all means. Or can it?

He once had a brief dream like that. In that dream Riku was chosen by the Keyblade and he went on that journey with Donald and Goofy, while Sora was found by Xehanort. He became just like Vanitas and joined his side against Ventus, helped Xehanort firm his grip on Terra's body, and delivered Kairi to Xehanort himself!

"Wake up!" someone knocked him over. Sora's eyes popped wide open and he instinctively jumped up and threw punches at the man who woke him. The other dodged the attacks and pushed Sora into the wall with his left, holding the boy there until he'd calm down. "Look at me, Sora." he said calmly.

It took him only a couple of seconds to calm down. He looked at the man in front of him and slowly a pleasant smile snaked itself onto his gloomy face. "Cloud?" The man with the blonde spiky-hair nodded, and let Sora go. "But… how? And why?"

"After the fight with Sephiroth I found myself surrounded by Darkness. I fell deeper and deeper until I was washed ashore at the harbor of this city. Ever since then I've been stranded here."

"I've been here for weeks now" Sora said, folding his arms. "But man, am I glad to see you."

"You seem quite beaten. Haven't seen you in such a rough shape since we first crossed swords." Cloud said, giving him a faint smile. Sora looked turned towards the window of a shop and took a good look at his reflection in it. His clothes were in tatters; he lost his jacket during the first week while his tanktop and shorts had smaller-bigger holes on them. He lost his right gauntlet as well, and his body was full of cuts and bruises, not to mention he reeked and was dirty.

"Like a real vagabond" Cloud commented with a grin. "But it's good to see you too. Haven't seen any familiar faces for quite a while now."

"Thanks" Sora nodded then pointed at Cloud's sword. "Glad you still have your weapon. My Keyblade isn't working over here."

"No wonder" he replied. "This place seems distant from the Light."

"You can feel that?"

Cloud nodded. "I had to learn to feel it. The trail of Darkness is the only thing Sephiroth has been leaving behind. Even now, I can feel his closeness."

"I can help you find him" Sora volunteered. He didn't have anything to do, and sticking with Cloud was the best way to avoid death for the time being. So he figured, why not?

The spiky-haired swordsman gave him an acknowledging nod. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sora flashed a smile but only for a second for in the next one the first Dreamers appeared in the distance. Their voice reached them first. They were mumbling sleepily all sorts of nonsense until they felt the proximity of someone who was still awake. If that happened their words became angrier and faster, their tone much darker. Sora fought them head-on a couple of times but always ended up running away.

"Here, take this" Cloud handed him a shorter sword.

"What? Where did this come from?" Sora asked with eyes-wide.

Cloud pointed at his big broadsword. "Fusion Sword. It is composed of six individual swords. That's one of the side blades"

"This?!" Sora looked at the saber in his hand with sheer disbelief. "How can you wield something as heavy as six of these? Are you even human?"

"Heh. Talks the kid who made the impossible possible" Cloud replied and turned to see the arrival of even more Dreamers. "Alright. Let's get out of here before things get troublesome."

"Agree. Let's go!" Sora nodded and stepped inside the alleyway. "Come on, I know a good shortcut!"

Sora led Cloud through a series of alleyways. He really did know his way around the place, though the alley itself often ended in a completely different location. It was like a small portal, connecting the different regions of Insomnia. This time it led them to a large square complete with fountains and a tall column in its middle. Atop the column stood a great war hero neither of them knew. The column was guarded by four bronze-lions.

"You've been here before?" Cloud looked at Sora.

"Not once" he shook his head and took a step forward. Cloud followed him to the column. There was a small description etched into the ground: Verum Rex. They both looked up at the column and the statue of the man who stood upon it. He looked a lot like... Yozora? Sora thought about the mysterious Sandman and his senseless, almost numb behaviour. Again, like many times before, he felt like there was more to him than meets the eye. "You've seen that guy before?" Cloud shook his head.

The sound of the Dreamers reached them which meant they weren't far behind. Sora looked back at the alley and saw the first ones coming out. They were already aware of them, and seemed quite angry. He gulped and looked at Cloud, hoping he might have a plan.

"Time to go" he said plainly and quickly glanced around. Sora did too. They were in an open space which was advantageous for them. "That way!" the swordsman said and ushered Sora in front of him.

Sora ran as fast as he could. He was generally in a rather good condition especially since he always competed with Riku, but the weeks spent in Insomnia without proper meals or rest had cost him quite dearly.

The Dreamers, especially the pack leaders at the head, were quite fast and catching up to the pair. Moreover newer Dreamers appeared behind every corner, surrounding them slowly. Sora followed Cloud towards a large building in front of them. He was familiar with the building, as he had seen it before, though from afar. It was actually three tall buildings connected by a ship on top of them.

"It'll be locked" Sora yelled, knowing all too well that almost every building was locked around the city.

Cloud merely gave a short nod. "Hold on!" he said and grabbed Sora, putting him under his arm. The first Dreamers were only steps away from them when Cloud leapt away from the ground. For a moment it felt like they were flying. Sora watched as the concrete disappeared beneath them, and the horde of Dreamers turned into tiny dots on the street. "Everything alright?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah. That's insane Cloud! How did you jump this high?"

The swordsman caught the ledge of the ship and climbed aboard, putting Sora down. He looked at him and patted him on the shoulder. "We all have our tricks. Yours are usually better."

"Heh" the boy winked at him, clasping his hands behind his nape. "Well yeah, but you didn't even have a Keyblade."

"No. He doesn't" said a voice vaguely familiar to Sora. He turned around and saw someone else aboard the ship-like building. He had long silver hair and a dark-blue wing. It was Sephiroth, the swordsman Cloud had been fighting for so long. Sephiroth took a step closer to the duo, drawing out his long katana. "Cloud. I've been waiting for your arrival."

"And I've been looking for you." the blonde replied, his mouth twitching into a snarl.

- O - O - O - O - O -

Riku parried a hit and grabbed the hand of the Dreamer by the wrist, twisting the bat out of it by sheer force. He grabbed the weapon and swept the legs of another attacker with a slash. He jumped backwards, dodging a bottle and quickly glanced around. More enemies were closing in.

Their numbers really are limitless! Based on the movement of the moon and his inner sense of time he must've been there for a couple of days now. He hadn't seen any sight of Sora or anyone else for that matter, besides that mysterious guy. On the other hand far too many Dreamers had started pursuing him. Thankfully, Brain's gift allowed him to use his powers and the Keyblade to a limited degree, but it was an absolute game-changer. Since then he managed to obtain a few makeshift weapons, like a broken shovel or his current weapon, a baseball bat.

"This way!" someone yelled at him from a distance and he saw a dark-haired boy waving at him through a window. Without thinking too much about it Riku ran straight towards him. The boy opened the window and reached out for him. He was wearing a simple black gloves and, as far as Riku could tell, a dark-blue sleeveless armour ending in kilt. The boy helped Riku climb inside and locked the window behind him.

Riku straightened up and looked at the other boy. "Thanks. You've reached out just at the right time."

"I heard you fighting with them and saw you put up quite the fight." he nodded with a wide grin. "Quite the Hero, I'd say!"

"Hero, huh? Nah, I'm just used to it." he explained. "You don't seem local. I've seen similar clothes in Olympus. Are you from there?"

"Well… you could say. The name's Zack!" he said, pointing at himself with his right thumb. "And you?"

"Name's Riku. How well do you know your way around here?

Zack didn't reply at once. He stroke his chin with his fingers, looking out the window and watching the Dreamers pass by. "Quite well, I'd say." he replied. "I've been here for a very long time you know."

"Months?"

"Decades"

Riku's eyes widened in surprise. "Decades? How old are you?"

"Well… older than I look. Can't tell when I got here, but I've seen so many moon cycles, that I'm quite familiar with the passing of time."

"How did you survive for so long?"

"Not sure. I always came across an open door or some food. And for some odd reason my crescent moon brand never developed." He shrugged and Riku couldn't do anything else either. His brand, just above his heart, was already half complete from what he could tell.

"Why did you ask?" Zack looked at he boy curiously. "Looking for a place?"

"A person" Riku replied immediately. "I'm searching for someone really important to me." as he said that, he put his left hand on his heart without even realizing.

"Oh... " Zack's smile became slightly more mischievous. "Looking for a lost date?"

Riku returned the smile. "Well, not a date. Something more important."

Zack nodded and reached for his sword that was carefully placed on the floor. "Alright! I'll help!" he said determinedly, much to Riku's surprise. "Why look so stunned! Did you think I couldn't fight?"

"No, nothing like that." he reached out and pointed at his pauldron. "Civils don't really wear those. And you're wearing a gladiator's armor."

"Oh... then what?" Zack asked rather cluelessly.

Riku chuckled and shook his head apologetically, while turning to look out the window. "Sorry. You just resemble someone."

"Really? Who?"

Riku opened his mouth to answer, but no word came out. His eyes were fixated on a distant building and he squeezed his palm into a fist. Sora. He pointed at the building in the distance. "There! Can you take me there?"

Zack stepped closer and looked at it. "Sure. Come on, follow me!"

The two boys left through the back of the building. Zack didn't stop for a second. He dashed by the sole Dreamer standing idly and beheaded it with one clean cut. Riku followed him out through the alley onto a main road.

"Give me a quick second" the boy said and glanced around. "I just need a few seconds to…"

"Take your time." Riku said and used some of the powder to summon his Keyblade as newer Dreamers emerged.

"Wow! I've seen a weapon like that before!" he said with an amazed look. "Actually three of them! It was not long before I was sent here!"

"Three?" Riku looked at him.

"Yeah. There was this tall, brown-haired guy, a blue-haired lady, and a shortie with golden-blonde hair."

"That awfully sounds like a group of people I've known. But… that must've happened about ten or eleven years ago. Definitely not twenty."

Zack considered Riku's words, but shrugged it off. He returned to looking for the correct way, while Riku destroyed the first Dreamers that approached them. He jumped from one side of Zack to the other, delivering devastating blows to their enemies. He used Dark Aura, to protect the other boy from a bunch of bricks and glasses thrown at them.

"I've got it!" Zack said suddenly and lounged forward. He grabbed onto Riku's wrist and pulled the boy along. They entered another alleyway and ran along its narrow, slightly curved path, taking turns to the right or the left. Riku quickly lost track of it and prayed they'd get out safely. It took them merely a good ten minutes only to get to the building.

Riku was honestly amazed at the boy's quick thinking and sense of locality. He also felt grateful for his selflessness. He could've remained in the safety of the building and Riku only had to ask once. "Zack, thanks." he said.

"Don't sweat it!" he grinned and pointed up. "How do we get up? This building is always closed."

Riku looked up and quickly head-counted. His hands reached into his pocket, while he beckoned Zack closer. "How good are you at climbing?" Riku asked him with a straight face.

"Quite good, I guess" Zack replied and looked up. "But it'd take quite a bit of time to climb this one."

"Get on my back" Riku offered and turned to give him a piggyback ride. The young warrior raised his hands in protest and shook his head.

"What? No!"

"Come on. No time to waste! Trust me." Zack hesitated only for a split second, then hopped onto Riku's back. The boy took a deep breath and sprinkled Lux over himself, summoning his Keyblade immediately. "Grab on tight." he added and ran straight for the wall.

Just like before so many times, Riku ran towards the wall, then using his momentum continued running upwards alongside the wall. Zack cheered loudly but strengthened his grip on Riku's shoulders. The climb was high so it took about two whole minutes to reach the top. When the boat - which was somewhat wider than the building itself - came close, Riku leapt away and grabbed onto the uneven surface of the boat. "Wait, I'll help" Zack offered and jumped off his back, climbing by himself from thereon. The two of them worked their way up and climbed across the hand-rails. Not far from them at the center of the ship's deck three people were fighting: one of them had long silver-hair and an incredibly long katana; the second one was a man with blonde spiky-hair and a gigantic broadsword larger; and the third one was his friend, dirty and wounded but unmistakable.

Sora fought savagely, trading blows for blows. He jumped, ducked, rolled and dodged. His usual carefree behaviour was nowhere to be found. Right now, the young warrior in front of Riku held himself like he probably never did so before. He was bleeding from several cuts and panting from the exhaustion, but his face reflected a determination that no one else could imitate.

The one-winged warrior reigned down on him. He moved with such speed and elegance hat it was hard enough to watch from afar, not to mention fighting against him. However Sora was an adept fighter who managed to adapt quickly. This ability of his, combined with his good sense of rhythm and his experiences and agility from his past as an avid fan of dancing, gave him just enough dexterity to avoid being obliterated by his enemy.

"Cloud!"

"Sora!"

Zack and Riku yelled in unison, surprising the fighters. Sora landed far enough from his enemy to be able to look towards them. He looked straight at Riku, meeting his eye.

"Careful!" Zack pushed him aside and drew out his sword to defend himself against the silver-haired opponent. "Sephiroth! Long time no see!"

"I'm surprised you've managed to stay awake for so long." he replied calmly, sending Zack flying with another swing of his longsword. Riku jumped and grabbed the young warrior, saving him from falling off the ship. Before Sephiroth could've made his next move, Cloud jumped him and unleashed a wave of attacks against him, leading the warrior away from the pair. Sora waited no longer; he returned to Cloud's side to assist him in his barrage.

Sephiroth dodged every attack and jumped backwards to widen the gap between them.

"Good, Cloud. It has been a long journey, but you're almost there. Keep on fighting this Darkness! Make me stronger!"

"I intend to finish you off" Cloud retorted, preparing to attack once again.

The two of them jumped at each other clashing again and again, trading heavy attacks. Sephiroth fought with a malicious grace in his movements, while Cloud unleashed his fury again and again. They moved with a speed that was impossible to follow with naked eyes. Riku wanted to join the blonde-haired warrior, but just like Sora, he too was unable to make a move. Finally it was neither of them who brought the fight to a halt.

"ENOUGH!"

Cloud and Sephiroth jumped away from each other. They both looked at Zack, who stood quite close to them by then. "This isn't how you should treat yourself," he said, shaking his head and looked at the blonde swordsman. "Cloud. You cannot kill your Darkness. You cannot erase the past."

"I have to." he asserted angrily, facing Sephiroth. "It is because of me… that…"

"Not because of you," Zack said and stepped closer to the other one, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. Cloud. You have to let it go."

"But it is" Sephiroth commented, spreading his dark wing wide. "Everything was because of you."

"No!" Zack stepped in front of Cloud, spreading his hands and facing the one-winged angel. "It wasn't! Cloud, you know that just as well as I do. So why keep this up? What are you trying to achieve?"

"I…" The spiky-haired fighter lowered his sword, thinking about Zack's question. "I just... want to be forgiven."

Riku froze. He didn't see Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth before him anymore. They weren't in this world anymore. Instead they were atop the Castle That Never Was. He wore a black coat and a blindfold. His friends beside him puzzled by his appearance.

His eyes couldn't lie.

And just who were you trying to fool?

Myself.

Yes. He was all too familiar with that feeling. The burden of guilt weighs heavy on the soul, and only becomes heavier as time goes on. And no amount of charity or well-doing can undo what had already been wronged. The cure for such must come from within. The Heart has to forgive itself first.

"But you don't need to be" Zack's words snapped him out of his sudden trance. The black-haired youth shook his head and grabbed Cloud's arms. "My death is not your fault, Cloud! You haven't done anything, therefore there is nothing to forgive! YOU must learn to forgive and love yourself again!" The blonde boy's eyes widened and a pale, white aura began to embrace him.

Sephiroth raised his sword. "Enough of this nonsense. If you do not disappear kid, I will unmake even your memory!"

The heartless angel dashed towards them, but before he could've stabbed Zack, Cloud pushed to be aside and took the attack himself. He fell on the ground, Sephiroth's Masamune deep in chest. "And so, darkness stands victorious" Sephiroth declared.

"No." Cloud looked up at him defiantly, his left hand holding onto Masamune near the injury. "This isn't how it ends!"

Sephiroth's mouth twitched into a dark, evil smile and he raised his sword high with Cloud still impaled on it. "Do you think you can face your Darkness? I doubt it, Cloud. All this years, and did you have a single victory? No."

"You're right" the blonde warrior coughed blood on the ground. "I've never been able to see through it, my own Darkness. But not anymore!" And with that, Cloud grabbed Masamune with both hands and used pushed himself back on the ground, leaning backwards and using the sword itself to raise Sephiroth to the ground.

"What the?"

Cloud turned to the right forcefully and released his grip on the sword, sending Sephiroth flying across the building, landing in its distant edge. Blood sprayed from the wound, but before he could've collapsed, Zack jumped there and pushed his hand onto it.

"Why?" Cloud looked at the boy, who had meanwhile grown a single white wing and began to cure the wound.

"Darkness is not the only part of one's heart!" the boy grinned. "You've been blindly chasing your Darkness, and left your Light behind. But now, we will be one again. So forgive yourself. Only you can!"

Sephiroth began to hurry back towards them but he was too late. "No!" He was only half the way, when a powerful pillar of Light shined down upon Cloud. Zack looked up at the blonde man then looked over to Riku to bid him farewell. After he disappeared, the Light died away and Cloud was gone. Sephiroth came to a halt and peered around, scanning the roof for his enemy. But the attack came from above.

Cloud jumped at the one-winged angel who dodged his assault just at the last moment and jumped up high, preparing to use one of his abilities. However, the first attack was merely a faint, and the blonde warrior was waiting for this precise moment. Before Sephiroth could've blinked, Cloud was already jumping towards him, spinning his sword and releasing its many parts with a swing. The different parts surrounded Sephiroth, who didn't even know where to look, before his enemy disappeared once more, and was already beside him, using one of the many swords to land a hit. And he did it again, and again, and again. Riku couldn't even keep up with Cloud's movement anymore. He only saw Sephiroth being struck more and more times. Finally, the last attack came from above. Cloud fell past his enemy, using the largest of the swords to land his final blow on his foe.

Cloud landed on the ground, his swords etched into the roof around him, the last weapon he used in his hand. He looked up at Sephiroth, who was still in mid-air but gazing down on him, full of bruises and injuries. "You will never forget about me. Your heart remembers the Darkness."

"Fade from existence, and from my memories. The world is better without you." Cloud replied calmly.

Sephiroth closed his eyes and his body dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind a pure black heart which shot out straight towards Cloud. The blonde-haired boy withstood as the heart entered his chest and rejoined the rest, but breathed in loudly after the merging had ended.

"What just happened?" a perplexed Sora asked, glancing left and right. "Where is Sephiroth? And that other boy?"

Cloud looked at Sora and pointed at his own heart. "Where they belong. But don't worry about me. There's someone here for you." he said, looking towards Riku, who felt awkward and quite out of place in that moment.

Sora looked at him, but didn't say a word. Riku took a step closer and opened his mouth to greet his friend, but before he could've uttered a word the brown-haired boy threw himself at Riku, sweeping them both away. They landed on the ground, Riku was pulled into a hug. He felt Sora shaking and heard his quiet weeping. He hugged him back and softly patted the boy's head. "Riku! You're here!" the boy said with so much pain in his voice it almost broke Riku's heart. "I've been alone for so long. It was scary and cold."

"It's alright now Sora. I'm here and we'll find a way home."

"That, I am not so sure about" said the individual whom Riku had seen not long after arriving into the Sleepless City. He was quite similar to Riku but his eye colors were different.

"Who are you?" Riku asked angrily, prepared for a another fight.

"I am Yozora." he said plainly, turning away from the boys and looking at Cloud. "I've come for you, Cloud Strife."

"What do you want?" Cloud replied in a tone even colder than Yozora's.

Yozora didn't reply at once. He blinked a few times as if considering what to say. Finally he reached out and lowered Cloud's broadsword by its blunt side. "Your heart is mended completely. Therefore you have no more business in this World."

"What?"

Yozora's words surprised all three of them. Sora was so shocked by the sudden turn of events he even forgot to cry. He looked at Yozora with disbelief. "But… you said!"

"Cloud is a special case" he tilted his head to the left. "His heart broke into three during his childhood when Zack, his friend, died because of an accident. Cloud had lived his life believing he was the cause of the boy's death, which tore his heart apart. His goodness fell into a deep slumber while his Darkness followed him around, taunting him. But today, a reunion has been reached and his heart has been mended."

"So, I am free."

Yozora nodded and summoned forth his Keyblade. Riku's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, but Sora - whose head was pushing against Riku's chest - shook his head in protest, so he didn't say a word. Without anymore words, Yozora pointed the Keyblade at Cloud and used the weapon's power to shoot a ray of Light at where the man's heart was. The blonde-haired swordsman, whilst floating slowly away, looked at Riku and Sora. "I'll tell them you two are safe. Come back to us soon" he said and gave them a brief smile before turning into small globes of Light.

"Don't count on that" Yozora remarked grimly and dissolved his blade. He turned to look at the two boys, but left without any further comments.

Riku and Sora stayed like that for many more minutes until Sora had finally calmed down and stepped away from Riku. He wiped off the last drops of tear and gave his friend such a bright smile that Riku suddenly felt he was staring into the waking sun.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Much better now." Sora said happily. "But… how did you get here?"

Riku thought about the answer. He wasn't sure telling Sora he died by the hands of Xigbar was a good idea. Then again, the truth would come out sooner or later, so without further ado, he gave his friend a thorough explanation of the events. How he and Kairi set out to find a way to bring him home, how they reached Scala, how he was defeated by two mysterious Keyblade wielders, and finally how Xigbar, now named Luxu, killed him to send him here.

The amount of emotions that went through Sora's face alone was amusing. But before the boy could've started crying again, Riku softly slapped his chin. "No more tears." he said with a promising smile. "We're both going home."

"Promise?" Sora asked with a faint, powerless voice.

"Promise." he nodded and turned to look at the vast city ahead of them. "Now we just need to somehow get out of here. I have my Keyblade, thanks to the help of someone, but I don't think that'll be enough."

Sora shook his head. "Not here. But I heard there's a way out of here. I've been looking for it. It leads to the land of the dead though."

Riku considered their options. "Well… it can't be any worse than this, right? So I say let's give it a shot."

- O - O - O - O - O -

Yozora liked walking in the rain. It reflected his general mood. He also enjoyed the smell of fresh rainwater. It purged the decaying smell of Insomnia. What he didn't like was the black coated man who had become quite a regular and inconvenient sight in the city. This time he was waiting at a bus stop, holding an umbrella for some reason above his hooded head.

"My my… you've let someone go home again!" he said with an amused tone. "These things are getting quite common. Getting bored of the inmates?"

"It is none of your business. I felt like letting him go. Keeping him here would've been pointless."

"He would've become a very strong Dreamer in time." the figure mused. "But you know that quite well. Look, there's no shame in accepting that you're getting soft!"

"Don't worry. I won't be soft when it comes to you" he remarked angrily and continued on towards the building he had hated the most, the one that held her Heart.