Axel: So it's been a month.
Riku: What's new in your life?
Mars: Can you say "Spring Musical"?
Axel: Is that why this chapter took so long.
Mars: The long and the short is yes. I'm on Spring Break at the moment, so the next chapter might come a little sooner, but don't hold me to that.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Kingdom Hearts, blah blah blah.

Winter Cabin Conundrum
Part III - Chapter 7

Me, Riku, Roxas and Axel got to the library without running into anyone, Braig wasn't even where we left him. I worried about what he was going to do, but then I remembered that we had to kill Vanitas at any cost. Besides, it didn't matter if anyone died, there would be another cycle anyway. I went to the back of the library to where Vanitas showed us where the swords were the first time around. Since the books he used to open the bookcase were random, I was prepared to tip all of them back until the case open.

But Axel took one of the books, "Xion…"

"What about her?" Riku asked.

He showed us all the binding of the book, there was a script X carved into it, "Xion made this, I know she did."

"There's another one," Roxas pointed to another book with an X on it.

"These are the books that we have to use to unlock the bookcase," I realized. "Xion must've marked the books yesterday."

"Like she knew we would need them," Riku finished.

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Axel put the book back exactly where he took it.

All that was left was to figure out which order I had to tip them. It took me three tries, but I managed to figure it out. The bookcase sank into floor and revealed the wall of swords. I took the same one I took last time, plain-looking and sort-of heavy. Roxas took a similar one and Riku took a thinner one.

"You're not taking one Axel?" Roxas wondered.

"I was hoping that there'd be more than just swords back here," Axel replied. "I mean I'll use one but I'm much better with a throwing knife."

"There are throwing knifes in some books in here," I told him.

He seemed interested, "Which ones?"

"I don't really know, he took them out of a thick book near the front."

He went back to find the book, I was going to follow him when Riku asked, "So how did you know about this?"

"Vanitas showed us," I said. "We needed to fight Saïx the first time around since he killed Axel, Demyx and Dilan."

"And he killed Axel and Demyx because they're going to give him and his drug business up," Roxas finished. "He didn't kill them last time because he was killed…so what's stopping him from trying to kill them this time?"

That's when we heard a loud noise near the front of the library, like a door slamming. We all ran to the front to see Axel leaning up against the door. His shoulder was bleeding and he was out of breath.

"Axel!" Roxas cried.

"I'm fine," he told us. "It's just a scratch."

"Who was that?" Riku wondered.

"Saïx," Axel explained. "I guess he figured out the missing chaperone and students meant that they're dead."

He probably realized that thanks to the fact that people who died in the last cycle sorta remembered what happened. And it really didn't help that he was a raging psychopath. There was no other way out of the library that any of us knew of, we were trapped.

"Come out Axel!" Saïx yelled from the other side of the door, "I'll teach you what happens to snitches!"

"He's only here for me," I heard Axel mutter.

The right thing to do was to stop him, but we had to get out of here and kill Vanitas. He opened the door and ran out to distract Saïx. Riku and Roxas were about to go after him, but I slammed the door.

"We have to get to Vanitas," I told them.

"But Axel—" Roxas was about to complain, but I cut him off.

"Will be alive in the next cycle."

When the other side of the door got quiet, I opened it back up. There was no sign of Axel or Saïx, so I guess that meant either of them were killed. We went into the staircase and got up to the top floor, where Xehanort's room was. I knew Vanitas would be waiting there, probably with Terra guarding him. When we turned the corner to go down the hall to Xehanort's room, we saw Terra guarding the door. We didn't wanna kill him, so we had to distract him.

"I'll distract him," Riku said. "I've sparred with Terra before, I can hold my own."

"Okay," I had to agree, but Vanitas would probably make Terra ruthless, so he couldn't take him on alone. "Roxas, you go with him."

"But what about Vanitas?" He asked, "He'll kill you! At least let me—"

"You said you wanted to make sure we got to Vanitas," I reminded him. "If you go with Riku, he might still make it to Vanitas."

"Okay," he sighed in defeat.

"Hey Terra!" Riku called out, "Vanitas put you on guard duty or something? Why don't you man up and face us!"

"Yeah!" Roxas taunted, "Or are you scared that we'll whup your butt?"

Terra started running toward us. I went around the corner and hugged the wall while Riku and Roxas headed for the stairs with Terra on their heels. There was nothing standing in the way between me and Vanitas. I walked down the hall and opened the door to the room. I saw Vanitas sitting in the chair that I always saw Xehanort in, but instead of facing the fireplace, it was facing the door, like he was expecting me. Xehanort's body was face down on the ground in a pool of blood, untouched.

"What brings you here Sora?" Vanitas asked. "Have you come to kill me?"

I was about to say yes, but I realized that's what he wanted—for me to give in to the corruption. I had to tell myself that I didn't wanna kill him, that I wanted answers.

"You're fighting with yourself, aren't you?" He laughed, "You're almost ready."

"Tell me, ready for what?" I demanded, readying my sword.

"Why should I tell you?" He wondered, "What would happen to me if I say nothing?"

I couldn't threaten him, killing him is what he wanted. There must've been something I could do to get leverage against him. He needed me for something, but for what? Then, I got an idea.

"If you won't tell me," I began. I pointed the sword at my own chest, "I'll kill myself."

He started laughing again, "You sure are gutsy, threatening to kill yourself. What's that going to prove?"

"Nothing," I admitted. "But I'll kill myself again and again each time a new cycle repeats so that nothing gets done!"

I thought I finally had him when he stopped laughing. I thought I would finally get some answers.

"It seems like I underestimated you Sora," he stood up. "I honestly didn't think you'd have it in you to think of something like that. You'll remember everything if you die by your own terms." His black claymore appeared in his hand, "I guess I'll have to kill you and wipe this meeting from your memories!"

He charged at me, so I blocked. I didn't have time to think, I had to fight, I had to let my instincts take over. But what I didn't realize was that meant that I had to let the growing darkness inside me take over. It showed in my fighting, I was aggressive, harsh, ruthless, I had to stop myself before it was too late. I stopped and let Vanitas disarm me, even if it meant that I would die.

"You fool," he said as he pointed his sword at me. "You'd rather die than let the darkness in your heat take over?"

"Yeah, if I die, then the darkness wouldn't eat at my heart as much," I told him.

That was when Terra burst through the door, carrying Riku. He dropped him onto the floor, he was conscious, but his legs were bleeding.

"Ah, Terra, not a moment too soon," Vanitas smiled. He turned to me, "If you won't let the darkness in, then I'll just force in it."

I froze when I saw him turn to Terra, like he was giving him an order. Terra picked Riku up with one hand and with the other, stabbed him in the chest with the sword he got from the library. When he dropped Riku, something in me snapped. I charged at Vanitas in blind anger. I started throwing punches, he dodged most of them, but I landed some, I even got him to drop the claymore. I got him to the ground and I punched his helmet in the same place I did before, and it cracked open, revealing some of his face.

That's when I stopped.

I saw his eye, it was yellow, but there was something so familiar about it. I couldn't place it, but I felt like I knew it.

"You confronted me because you wanted to know what we were preparing you for," he said calmly. "I suppose it's time I show you."

He took his helmet off and I couldn't believe my eyes. His eyes were yellow, his hair was black, but he had my face! I was scared, more scared than I've ever been in my entire life. Maybe it was because of the corruption, but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything, I felt completely numb.

"And now it's time for you to embrace the darkness!" He grabbed my shoulder and I felt something flow through me.

I felt like I was falling…

And everything went black.

Axel: What just happened?
Riku: Did I DIE?!
Mars: It's the luck of the draw Riku and I'm kinda glad it turned out that way. The next cycle will be breaking the mold, feel free to speculate readers.
Axel: Wait, did I die?
Mars: Oh and the next thing I'll be working on before the next chapter will be an Elucidation chapter, which will reveal an important detail for the next cycle.