Neku continued his work for some time, though I couldn't say how long exactly. None of us had any means of keeping time. During our wait we took turns keeping a lookout just in case Charlie, Xehanort or my own Heartless tried anything while Neku's attention was diverted.

Since we'd been on the go almost since I'd been transferred into the datascape, Data-Sora and I chose to use the time taking a break. Riku briefly filled us in on why Mickey had gone to retrieve him, explaining that the little King had decided it was necessary for an additional pair of hands around while he joined us in the datascape.

After a few rounds of us each taking a turn at the door to Riku's room, I woke to hear the distinctive sound of a Keyblade being struck against something. Since Data-Sora was still dozing away on the bed, it had to be Riku.

I quickly rolled to my feet and headed to the door, finding him just outside swinging his Keyblade against the massive blade of an Orcus Heartless that seemed to be having enough trouble fitting into the narrow access from the library, let alone trying to get in to reach us.

It spotted me behind Riku and gave a strange, almost hollow wail, lowering its blade and standing tall – as much as it could, at least. Riku almost attacked it, but I gave him a shock when I held him back.

"Don't appear out of nowhere like that!" he half-shouted. "You scared the life out of me."

"You almost left the area Neku's protecting," I told him. "Let me do this." Then I turned to the Heartless and commanded, "Leave us and spread the word through the other Heartless to stay away."

The Orcus gave another hollow cry and tried to brandish its blade at us, though the confined space prevented it from being all that effective.

"I wonder what it's trying to say?" Riku murmured curiously. "It's a shame there are no Heartless left that can talk. At least, none that would consider talking to us civilly," he amended. "Your Heartless has the same abrasive touch you do in a foul mood."

"I know," I said absently. "Find another way of communicating," I told the Orcus. "Until you do, do as I told you, and I don't want to see or hear another one of you here except your... interpreter."

"We believe we can be of assistance, other of our Commander," a voice sounded in my head. Riku shared a look with me, signifying he'd heard the voice too.

"Other of our Commander?" Riku mused. "That must mean..."

"My Nobody's Samurais," I finished. "You'd better show yourself."

One appeared between us and the Orcus with the same crackling sound all Nobodies appear with, then turned to us. "We can comprehend the words of the Heartless and interpret for you," it told us.

"One moment. How come you never showed up before? Roxas once told me he'd ordered you to keep an eye on me and lend a hand when you could."

"We saw the threat to you and attempted to come to your aid, but we were prevented by an unknown force. It is only in this area we have discovered freedom from that force, but you had no need of us until now."

"Charlie thinks of everything, doesn't he," Riku observed. "What do the Heartless want?"

"It was not the intentions of this Heartless to attack. It was simply defending itself when Riku did not comprehend. Now Liam is here it wishes to ask a favour of him."

"The Heartless want a favour? I'm intrigued, what do they want?" I asked.

The Samurai turned to the Orcus, where I assume they conversed in a means inaudible to us, then it turned back to us. "It wishes you to take complete command over all Heartless within the datascape. The Heartless can pass the word between themselves, and will respect that command due to the darkness within you even if you do not specifically order them to follow you."

"Why? Why do they want this?"

"The alternative is to listen to the dark being that is your Heartless. He would marshal them into a force that he can use against you when the time comes for him to confront and attempt to overpower you."

"A suggestion?" Riku said to me. "Be honest with me. This is exactly what you would do, right?"

"Well, maybe not quite so..." I hesitated, but continued, "so heartlessly as he would. I'd at least have a care for my allies rather than treating them like cannon fodder, but yes."

"Why don't we turn it on him? Ask them to help you instead of him. If Neku can hold off Charlie at Castle Oblivion, we can ask them to take ranks with Roxas's Samurais – if they'll help too."

The Orcus moaned again – probably because it was the only sound it could make – then the Samurai translated. "It does not trust that you will not abuse the command over them as he would."

"Understandable, with me questionable control over my darkness at the moment. How about a compromise – you'd take my side like Riku suggested, wouldn't you?"

"If it were possible to," the Samurai agreed.

"Then what if I commanded them to answer to you – making you the generals of the Heartless forces, so to speak."

While the Samurai conversed with the Orcus again, Riku leaned over and murmured to me, "I hope you're certain the Samurai's won't turn on us if you give them this command."

"They're loyal to Roxas," I whispered back. "He gave them orders not to answer to anyone except him, later extending that to me. They won't violate that."

"Your terms are acceptable," it told us. "They will assist on the same terms as we have. If we can be there to assist, they will be there too. If we cannot, then they will not."

"And if I end up holding the X-blade?"

"It's only Neku that's afraid of it," Riku reminded me.

"It has an even worse effect on the Heartless – and Nobodies too."

"We regret that we cannot be present regardless of who holds that weapon. We have seen the effect it can have once before; we deem it unsafe to be in a position to see it a second time."

"I understand that. I had to ask, just to find out. I'll accept what the Heartless here want on those terms."

Both the Orcus and Samurai gave a nod, then vanished.

"That's got to be a first," Riku remarked. "Heartless, Nobodies and Somebodies all on the same time. I don't think even Roxas considered stealing the Heartless."

"That's the nice thing about it," I grinned at him, leading him back into the room. "My Heartless is under Charlie's influence, and here in this area that influence doesn't work. If I'm right, that means he has no idea what I've done, and everything I come up with that he doesn't know about is one more thing I can turn on him when the time comes."

"You know something? Mickey was right. You're a sneaky, devious, manipulative scoundrel. You just get away with it because of your ethics."

"Isn't it great?" I laughed.

Data-Sora took the news of what we'd done similarly when he next stirred, but otherwise there was no real change for some time until at last Neku broke out of the trance he'd appeared to be in to inform us that it was done.

He transferred us all to the path leading up to the castle itself, letting us know there'd be a few minor changes to accommodate the differences between the real visit and this one, then disappeared on us.

For some reason, the sight of Castle Oblivion didn't seem as foreboding as it had done the first time round. There was, of course, no real difference to it's appearance. It was still a massive castle seemingly floating in the empty air, connected only by the long jutting rock that led up to the massive front doors. Huge stalactites hung down from underneath it, but their size was dwarfed by the extent of the castle's basements stretching far below.

"I'll be leaving you here," I told Riku and Data-Sora as we headed up along that crag. "You'll be heading from the ground up to the thirteenth floor, and I'll be starting from the lowest basement reaching for the ground floor."

"Watch out for the Organization," Riku warned, then after a flat look mumbled, "Sorry. I guess I forgot who I'm dealing with."

"That's alright Riku," I grinned at him. "I still love you anyway."

"Just how are you going to get all the way down there?" Data-Sora asked with a faintly sceptical tone. "Sprout wings and fly? You can't use your glider without your actual Keyblade, not that one you've been left with."

"Neku made arrangements," I shrugged. You two should go on in. I'll wait for you to get started before I begin."

"Arrangements?" Neku's voice asked as they headed up to the doors. "I don't recall that. I was going to ask you how you wanted to handle it."

"I wanted a word with you anyway. Did you figure out how to release Mickey and the others from this?" I asked, holding up the Keyblade of People's Hearts as if it show him.

"Sort of," he replied evasively. "I'm still working on it. I could do with talking with Ansem the Wise actually," he admitted. "I can retrieve the body of each of them, even the mind, but the heart is what's giving me trouble. Don't worry about it Liam," he went on as the air blurred grey around me, then to the decorated whites of the white room at the lowest point of Castle Oblivion. Neku had appeared beside me. "I had to make changes, but you already knew that. I think I've managed to force your Heartless to fill in for Ansem, and-" he broke off. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You're bleeding," I told him. "A nosebleed, and if the dark stain growing on your shirt is any indication, your nose isn't the only place you're bleeding from."

Neku looked startled, raising the back of his hand to his nose then staring at the blood on it.

"This is impossible," he breathed. "I don't bleed – can't bleed! This is just an avatar, it's not a living being!"

"Unless something's happened to your book. You told me once if anything happened to your book it would be reflected on you... your avatar."

Neku almost scrambled to take his book out of the pouch it was stored in, flicking through the pages rapidly when he saw the covers were undamaged.

"Nothing!" he burst out, clearly upset.

"Nothing there?"

"No, nothing to show why this is happening! This is completely impossible," he repeated. "I can't get hurt, I can't bleed and I can't..." he paused for a moment to poke at the stain on his shirt, winced and finished, "Feel pain either... what is going on here?"

"Maybe you ought to disappear until you can figure that out?" I suggested, taking his book off him again.

"I can't, Liam. I already tried something similar. Trying to change the appearance of an avatar is the same as removing it and creating a new one, and I can't even do that."

"Don't take this the wrong way," I warned him, then dropped the Keyblade and put my hand under his shirt to find the actual wound, which felt like a short and wet bloody scar, then murmured, "Heal," willing the magic to take effect as I ignored Neku wince at my touch.

"Nothing," he reported. "And believe me I'd be able to tell even without looking."

"Maybe it's because I'm directing the spell in the wrong place," I mused, withdrawing my hand. Neku glanced briefly at it as I did so, causing the strangely blue blood to vanish from it. "Maybe because the real you is the book..." I trailed off, glancing to his book in my other hand and repeated my invocation of the healing magic.

He didn't change expression at first, just watching me looking afraid, then after a moment that was probably a lot shorter than it seemed he sighed with relief.

"It worked," he breathed. "Or at least it's working... much slower than magic usually works, probably because of what I am... it's meant for use on other people, not books. I still can't disappear though, not yet."

"Well come with me old friend. At least then I'll be able to give you another shot of magic if you need it."