I hate leaving people out of the loop, so I'll tell you now. I've already made small preparations for the next game, and started drawing out some ideas. Check it out!

www[dot]swirl3y[dot]deviantart[dot]com/art/The-other-Marie-275110266

Marie's casual wear:

www[dot]swirl3y[dot]deviantart[dot]com/art/I-bring-you-peace-214094964?q=gallery%3Aswirl3y%2F29599925&qo=5

IT'S MOTHERFUU-

IT'S AURON TIME, PEOPLE! W00T W00T!

Chapter Twenty-One
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I'm holding out for a hero!

"Wait, you're actually gonna fight monsters with this ship?"

Everyone turned to Ryan, who was standing beside me as he looked at my screen. Sora turned around, and told him that the gummi ship was specially made to fight off the heartless near the worlds. Ryan mouth opened wide, and he literally tried to push me off my own chair.

"Move it, sis, I wanna learn how to fight from the ship," he said while pushing me. I groaned, and pinched the bridge of my nose. I think I know how Leon feels when he has to deal with Yuffie. I got up from my chair, and he firmly planted himself on the chair.

"I don't do much, you know, I just make sure Donald and Goofy have their supplies, and check the ship for upgrades and such," I said as I leaned against the chair.

"Are you kidding, that's the most important job to have!" he exclaimed excitedly. I raised my eyebrow at this, was it that important?

"Well, duh! Nothing else would function if you don't do your job," he said. I never knew that, but then again, I'm not one to do mechanical stuff.

"You know a lot about mechanics," I said as I saw him reading the manual. His eyes lit up with every word he read, and I couldn't help but yawn.

"Well, I fix my dad's car almost every time it breaks down," he replied. I looked away, the thought about his dad being my uncle really made me feel weird. Everything I grew up with wasn't actually real, it was just to cover up the fact that I had no parents. That reminded me…

"Where are those pictures you said you were going to show me," I asked. He looked too busy to answer, seeing as he was literally squealing with every button he read. "They're in my duffle bag, in your room," he said.

"Okay, well, seeing as how you've got the basics of what I do, I think I can leave you to do it for me," I said. Ryan got up, and gave me a big hug. I looked over to Donald, Goofy and Sora, who only laughed and made fun of me. Geez, who knew having a cousin, could be so embarrassing.

"Thanks, sis!" he said. Really, this 'sister' thing was just creeping me out. I would be happier if he just called me cousin, like how it should be. I don't feel like I have the right to be called sister, since I was barely living with them. I patted his back, and he returned to my chair. I nodded at Sora, so that he could start heading off to the new world. I walked back to my room, and wanted to look at those pictures.

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I saw Ryan's duffle bag on my bed, and he most likely just threw it there, since clothes were spilling out of it. I sighed, and walked over to my bed. I took the duffle bag, and reached my arm into it. I did not want to take out any clothes, for fear of seeing something I didn't want to see. I stopped digging when I touched a small box, and figured that the pictures were there. I took the box out, and it looked like a present box.

I slowly opened the box, and looked inside. I saw a photo, and picked it up. I looked at the box, and noticed that nothing else was in there. I shrugged, and looked at the photo.

"Dante Devon," I said aloud. This man must be my father, my real father. I searched the box again, and didn't find a picture of my mother. I looked over at the duffle bag, and figured I had to take everything else out if the picture got lost. I took it, and turned it upside down to let the clothes come out. I saw things I didn't want to see—like his underwear—and I just rummaged through it to see if there were any other pictures. To my disappointment, I didn't find any more pictures, and I guess I was just left with the picture of my father.

I walked over to the mirror, and held the picture beside me. I concentrated on the mirror, and I could actually see a lot of myself within this man. There was no doubt; this man must be my real dad. I looked down at the table, and tried to find something so that I could stick the photo on the mirror. I didn't find anything, so I just stuck the photo in the little space between the wood and the mirror. It stuck well, and I looked at it again. I can't believe this…what I thought were my parents were just my aunt and uncle.

I wonder where my parents are. Are they still alive? If they are, how are they holding up? There are probably many questions about myself that only they know, and they're not even here. No, this isn't right. I looked at the picture, and I placed my hand over where my heart laid.

"After this journey is done, I'll set out to find you and my mom," I said. They must be out there somewhere. Ryan had to explain it to Sora, and he mentioned that the woman who knew about my parents and I said that they're not dead since there was no proof or bodies. If they really are alive, then I need to bring them home. It's not right to just run away leaving a child behind, it's unforgivable.

The ship shook, and I took it as a sign saying that we've landed on the new world. I took one last glimpse at the picture, and quickly made to out to the control room.

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"Did you guys land already?" I asked as I walked into the control room.

"Yeah, and it's the Olympus Coliseum," replied Sora. Oh no, if Sora thinks he's going to compete in those tournaments, he's got another thing coming. He, along with Donald, Goofy and Ryan got up to get off. I wasn't so sure about Ryan coming along, but maybe there's a place where we can keep him safe. That cough I heard at Hollow Bastion didn't sound so good.

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When we got off, something looked weird. Donald, Goofy and Sora walked around, while I stayed close to Ryan. Goofy asked if we really were at the coliseum, and then Donald suddenly pointed the way. I guess we were underground or something.

As we made our way towards the stairs leading to the coliseum, we heard a scream. A girl with long auburn hair and a purple dress ran out of the inner area of the underground. Heartless were chasing after her, but they quickly retreated. Sora ran to help the woman, and we followed him. He extended his hand to her, but she ignored it and said she was fine. When Sora didn't put his hand away, she quickly got up. Guess she's the independent type.

She dusted herself off, and crossed her hands as she looked at us. "And you're supposed to be?"

"I'm Sora, this is Donald and Goofy, and she's Marie," he said while pointing at us. "And he's—"

"Ryan, a man most fit for you, pretty face," interrupted Ryan as he went to kiss the woman's hand. She quickly pulled it back, and had a disgusted look on her face. I sighed in annoyance, who knew my cousin was so….flirtatious.

"…Charmed," she said as she looked away. I sighed again, and grabbed and pulled Ryan away.

"Sorry about him. We're here to see how Hercules is doing," I said, pulling Ryan away. She was quiet, and looked at us. She raised her eyebrow in confusion, and then gave us a sarcastic look.

"You know wonder boy?" she said as she looked at us. Donald said we knew him because we were heroes, and Goofy corrected him by saying we were junior heroes. I chuckled, and the woman laughed along saying we had a friend in common.

"The name's Megara. My friends call me Meg," she said. Sora asked how Hercules was doing, and she said that he was fighting in the coliseum. She sounded a bit concerned when she said that he was ready to fall, but he still keeps fighting. She then mentioned saying that the monsters Hercules were fighting were 'special orders' from hades. Goofy pointed out that she seemed more than friends with Hercules, and I smiled at this.

"Oh…um, well…," she stuttered. Yeah, it was obvious. Sora said that we'd go talk to Hades, but I wasn't willing to bring Ryan along.

"Meg, is it possible to take Ryan with you, he's not equipped to fight," I said. Ryan walked ahead of me, and looked at Sora and the others.

"What? You don't think I'm capable? I can fight, too!" he shouted, sounding a bit offended. It's not that I don't think he's capable, it's just….well, he's family, and I don't want anything bad happening to him.

"I can take care of myself!" he protested. I sighed, and looked at Sora, Donald and Goofy. They shrugged their shoulders, and Sora walked up to me.

"I'm sure he can help," said Sora. I dropped my shoulders; I don't think this is a good idea, but…

"If it gets too dangerous, I'm pulling you out and bringing you to Meg and Hercules myself!" I responded with firmness, and the boys looked a bit scared. I've never raised my voice like this, but this is my family. No matter how little we know about each other, we're from the same blood, so I'm not taking any chances.

"O-okay," replied Ryan, albeit a little nervous. Meg laughed, and told us to keep our meeting with Hades a secret. We all agreed, and set our journey into the scary cave known as the underworld. We opened the door that was the entrance, and started walking further and further in.

As soon as we walked in, however, we saw a man in a black cloak run by. Donald shouted their name, Organization XIII, and we all started to run. I noticed Ryan seemed a little hesitant, and I had to make sure I kept my eyes on him. As we began to run, I noticed my breathing was cut short, as if I was losing energy. I ignored it, though, since I had to worry about the task.

We walked further into the cave, and as soon as we did, we saw the cloaked figure run towards us. We immediately took out our weapons, with Ryan hiding behind me. The man kept running towards us, and when we were about to attack he quickly ran past us, saying something.

"Run, run away!"

….

"Okay…?"

…...Seriously, what was that about?

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Aura

"What is wrong with you?" Aura said as emotionless as possible. She was sitting on a rock at the entrance to the underworld, and had been sneaking up on Marie. She disappeared after Demyx ran past them, and made her way into the entrance where Demyx popped up.

"Ah! Aura! D-don't hurt me!" he pleaded, covering his head and any other features he could hide.

"Relax, surfer man, I won't hurt you," she said, crossing her legs. "Assuming you don't hurt Marie, I won't hurt you."

"R-really? Well! I just won't kidnap her," he said, laughing nervously while leaning against a pillar. "So…how are you?"

"Didn't you ever learn not to fraternize with the enemy?" she said, picking out the dirt from her gloves. "But if you must know, I guess you can be messenger boy for me. Tell Xemnas that if he gets any of you to lay a finger on Marie, he'll meet a fate worse than death."

Demyx gulped, and wasn't sure how to handle the new Aura. She was beyond terrifying, and he knew very well what she was capable of doing. He quickly nodded, and created a portal to run through. There was no way he was staying with that kind of threat, and all he wanted to do was recon the area. Xemnas and everyone else knew he was worthless in battle. Why did these sorts of things happen to him, anyways?

As soon as he disappeared, however, Riku appeared through another portal. Aura went on guard, but felt a little awkward whenever Riku came by. She knew it wasn't the kiss that he gave her, since she actually, kind of, sort of liked it. Maybe it was the fact that was so sudden, but she had to get over it. Riku was more or less her partner, and she had to come to terms with it.

"…Hey, I saw the photo that you threw into the fire," he said, leaning against a pillar as he stared at Aura. "What was it?"

"…Stella," she replied, crossing her arms. "Ryan showed them to me, a photo of Marie's parents. I can't let Marie know about Stella's true identity, since she already has so much on her plate."

"That's really thoughtful of you," he said. It was true, though, and having Stella known to Marie would driver her further into losing her self-identity. Aura had tried multiple times to contact Stella, but it was as if she lost the connection. Aura had a feeling that Stella actually cut the connection instead.

"Listen, about that kiss," Riku started, and Aura cursed to herself. Despite having been apart, she certainly picked up on Axel's cursing. She had to talk about it sometime, even though she was keeping her distance from Riku ever since the kiss.

"I'll be honest; I liked it," she said, and an immediate smile crept on Riku's face. She sighed though, since the biggest reason why she had that awkward feeling was because of the consequence that kiss could lead too, "but you realize that I'm a Nobody, and when I become whole…I become Marie."

Riku quickly looked away, and sudden realization hit him. She was right, when Aura goes back to where she was from; she becomes someone that Riku has a platonic relationship. He clenched his fists, and looked at the floor. This wasn't fair, and for some reason, it never is.

"But I guess we can enjoy what we have now," she said as she got up. She created a portal, and looked over to Riku. "Come on, lover boy. I think DiZ has some things for us to do."

Riku smirked, and chuckled lightly at this. She had changed, and it was thanks to him. He felt proud, and figured he would enjoy the moment. Deep down in his heart, though, he wanted Aura to be her own person, and not tied to Marie.

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Marie

"He didn't even fight you guys or anything, what a wimp," complained Ryan, who scratched the back of his head. "I mean, you guys say he's part of some evil organization."

"Yeah, but it's a mistake to judge so quickly," I said, walking beside him. "They may have some tricks up their sleeves, and they could be mocking us or something."

"Yeah! We gotta be extra careful," added Donald. Ryan shoved his hands in his pocket, and lowered his head down in shame. I felt bad for outing him like that, but Ryan needed to know this if he's going to travel with us.

"…Sorry, it's just, you need to know this if we're gonna be together," I said, placing my hands behind my back. "I can't let anything happen to you, Ryan. I'm sure my aunt and uncle would be devastated."

"You know, you're not like how I imagined," he said. This grabbed Sora, Donald and Goofy's attention, and we all looked at Ryan. "I mean, I didn't expect you to be this mature. I was hoping you'd be the scared little girl that I could protect, and maybe feel important…"

"Don't you feel important at home, though?" I asked, a little sympathetic with him. I understand his complex with inferiority, and it was somewhat freaky how it was the both of us, as cousins, who are experiencing this.

"Well, mom and dad don't let me do stuff," he said, looking away. I raised my eyebrow in confusion, what did he mean by that? I asked him, and he sighed.

"It's nothing, let's just keep going." He started walking faster, and I looked over to the other three boys, they shrugged, and didn't understand what Ryan meant, too. I decided to keep my mouth shut throughout the remainder of the walk. We walked through a new area, and it had a long bridge over…something that had flowing green water? I don't know, but it looked pretty weird.

What was strange was the air. I could feel my energy just seeping away, and I felt weaker by the minute. I noticed that Donald and Goofy felt the same way, and it was worse with Ryan, since he was coughing. Sora didn't seem to affected by it, but if you were to squint, you'd see that he was breathing heavier.

"Let's keep going," he said, placing his hands on his hips. Donald and Goofy started walking ahead of me, and I motioned my hand so that Ryan was walking in front of me. Sora took the front while I took the back. I guess the only good thing I feel about myself is that I'm able to force enough energy to be at the same level as Sora. We proceeded to walk deeper into the cave, and the willowed wisps that appeared sent chills down my spine.

This place is so not my kind of place, but then again, who would like this place besides Hades?

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Hades

"By the by, uh…what's down there?" asked a very curious Pete to the cruel god Hades. They were standing over a fountain, which Hades referred to it as the 'underworld's deepest dungeon'. He explained about bringing the mother of all bad guys, so that Hercules will finally give up with the silly tournament.

Pete was scared, and he backed up a bit while he let Hades do his thing. The god conjured up two fireballs, and sent it to the fountain. A great burst of air appeared, and sparks popped up. A red smoke appeared, and behind it was a warrior clad in red. Hades laughed bitterly, and crossed his arms. "Let's cut to the chase, here's the deal I'm gonna offer you. I let you out of the slammer—no strings—you'll be free as a bird. All you have to do is fight Hercules to the death!"

A short silence appeared, and the warrior in red growled. "This is my story, and you're not part of it."

The man went into fighting position, and Hades grew furious. He wasn't happy that the man was going against him, and warned him. "Did you forget who you're talking to? I am the lord of the dead!"

"Heh, no wonder no one wants to die," the warrior smirked.

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Marie

We ran towards the next are when we heard grunting and a sword clashing. As we walked in, we saw Hades fighting with a guy in red clothing. We immediately took out our weapons, and I sent Ryan to hide. He ran to somewhere secluded, coughing along the way, and I kept my focus on Hades.

"You again?" he shouted, obviously annoyed at our presence. The man in red shouted for us to fight, but Hades pushed him to the ground. Sora, Donald, Goofy and I ran in front of him, and Sora told him to get up. He obviously wasn't getting up, so we had to defend him.

Hade's…hair? Turned a fiery red and we knew he was serious. He attacked Sora first, but Donald cast blizzara to cool him down, heh. I came in with my lower graded blizzard, and Hades shouted in pain. He threw fireballs at us, and I was able to bring up the shields to protect all of us. He completely disappeared for a moment, and then appeared behind Donald. I quickly pulled the trigger of my keyblade, and the stars went shooting at Hades. They didn't even hurt him, and I suddenly felt myself getting weaker. I tried to get near the rest of the gang, and they were exhausted, too.

"I feel funny," I said, rubbing my shoulder. Sora added that something was wrong, and I fell to my knees. Why do I feel so weak?

"That's right! See, that's the thing," he said with such energy. I groaned in pain, and he waved a finger at us. "Down in the underworld, heroes are zeroes—it comes with the territory."

"Oh, no…Ryan!" I tried shouting. I looked over to him, and a poof of smoke appeared. Hades had Ryan by the throat, and he wasn't looking too healthy. The man in red stepped in front of us, and held that big sword of his over his shoulder. He told us to get away, but I shook my head, "No! Not without him!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" Hades teased, his grip on Ryan looking a little tighter. "Think of him as a present you're giving for interrupting me!"

"S-stop! You're hurting him!" I cried out, I wasn't going to let this cheater of a god take my family! I tried running towards him, both Sora and the man in red grabbed my wrists. "Let. Me. Go! Let me go!"

"Marie…," I heard Sora mumble. The man in red was able to pull me away, but only because he was stronger. Hades was about to throw a fireball, but Sora and the man in red were able to drag me away from it.

ଓ

As we made it out of Hades room, Sora and the man closed the door. I panicked, since Ryan was still with Hades. Donald and Goofy held me back, but this isn't fair! Ugh, I should've just left Ryan with Meg!

"Is he gone," I heard Donald say. I fell to the floor, since my energy was draining. The man in red doubted it, and when Sora went to wipe the excess sweat from his forehead, out appeared Hades with Ryan behind him.

"Leaving so soon?" Hades mocked. Sora and Goofy jumped away from him, and I got up. I brought out my keyblade, and glared at the fiery god.

"I'm not leaving without my cousin!" I shouted. Hades kissed his teeth, and sported two fireballs from his palms.

"Hunh, so the girl bearing the power of Kingdom Hearts has family members with her?" he said.

"Marie! It's too dangerous!" I heard Sora say. Is the world telling me to leave my cousin behind? I'm not stupid, and I know something is wrong with him. How can I leave him in a place that drains your energy! I couldn't really breathe now, and I actually felt it becoming irregular. I know this feeling, and I was having an anxiety attack. I clenched my fist, trying to die down the feeling, but it was getting out of hand.

I felt my forehead burning up, and I crouched down. I heard footsteps approaching, but everything turned hazy.

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Sora

Sora didn't know what was going on with Marie, but she wasn't looking so good. She bent down, and grabbed her forehead. He started to run towards her, but as soon as he got close, a bright light surrounded her. Sora abruptly stopped, and watched as the light blinded Hades. When it faded, Marie collapsed to the floor. Sora gasped, and ran to her side. He looked over, and noticed Ryan getting up. He nodded towards Donald and Goofy, and asked them to help Ryan while he carried Marie away. They followed his orders, and Sora grabbed Marie as he placed her on his back. With the help of the man in red, the six—er, seven of them managed to escape Hades while he was shortly blind.

ଓ

They ran away from Hades, and they dropped to the floor. Sora gently placed Marie in the floor, while Ryan sat down near Donald and Goofy. He was still conscious, but he was barely breathing. Sora hovered over Marie, and stroked her cheek, hoping she would wake up.

"Her forehead… it glowed." The man in red stared at Marie's forehead, and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them, and continued to stare. "It was in the shape of a heart."

"It must be her powers," Sora said, still hovering over the petite girl. She was too reckless, and she fainted trying to save her cousin. Sora sighed, what was she thinking? As he lowered his head, Marie suddenly got up, and he jumped and yelped in surprise.

"Geez, my head," said Marie, who was rubbing her forehead. She groaned in pain, but when she realized where she was, she yelled out Ryan's name. He grunted, and she looked behind him. She gasped, and got up quickly to rush to his side. "Are you okay?"

"N-not really…," he replied, clutching his chest. Marie lowered her head, and shook it. "This is my entire fault…," she said.

"Yes, it is," the man in red, said. "You were too reckless, and if anything you could've been killed. You're thankful that power of yours helped you."

"My power?" she asked, looking at Sora, Donald and Goofy. "What power?"

"I guess that power that's deep within ya," replied Goofy. Marie looked away from the rest of them, and continued to shake her head.

"I'm so sorry, I really put you all in danger," she sadly said. Sora walked towards her and bent down beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him. He gave her his biggest smile, and patted her back.

"We're all okay, that's what counts," he said. Marie nodded, and smiled weakly. He helped her up, and she dusted off the dirt from her shorts. She walked up towards the man, and he merely looked away.

"Thank you for your help, I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused," she bowed down out of respect, and the man merely scoffed.

"You remind me of a certain young girl I once knew [1]," he said. Sora walked up beside Marie, and he placed his hands behind his head.

"You were amazing defending off the heartless while we escaped!" he said, "Are you a hero or something?"

"No, I'm no hero…I'm just an…," he stopped talking, and looked away, "Auron."

Everyone looked at each other, confused at the where the man was going with what he said. He looked back, and said it was his name. Sora got up, and greeted him to everyone else. Donald and Goofy jumped on Sora as they personally introduced themselves, and then collapsed because of the weight. "It seems we were fated to meet. Maybe you need a guardian."

Sora quickly got up, throwing the other two down to the ground. "A guardian? Thanks, but no thanks."

He walked past Auron, and Marie quickly followed behind, possibly to scold Sora for being rude and not accepting help. Donald and Goofy walked behind them with Ryan, helping him as he caught his breath. He was still in need of some fresh air, and Auron merely watched as they walked away. He chuckled, and couldn't help but wonder how similar they were to the last group he offered his services to. He was especially surprised at Marie, who acted so much like….

[1] Yuna! Unbelievably, Marie is a lot like Yuna. She's always getting herself in trouble, and she can't say no. Both Yuna and Marie sometimes doubt themselves, but they have they're friends to help them along the way.

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night! He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight!

- Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding out for a hero' BEST SONG EVER PLAYED IN SAINTS ROW 3! Besides power by Kayne West.

Lvl-ZeR0: Haha, thanks. Sure, as long as you don't do any of that, we'll have a very long and prosperous friendship. Ugh, I'm too scared to eat anything at the moment, and I've been drinking aloe vera to fill myself. The doctor said that it's just paranoia, and when I'm starving it'll go away. -_-

SisterOfScarletDevil: I know, right? Poor her, she doesn't realize the pain she's setting herself up to.

grapejuice101: Yeah, being sick is no fun. DX and unfortunately, Marie is too weird to know. She needs to remember ASAP….or it'll be too late.

Dracula X: Yeah, I made it to be like that. However, they both enjoyed it, but it's a forbidden love! Marie doesn't know any better…poor girl.

HopeReincarnated : Aw, it's okay, I didn't mind answering. Yeah, we've been friends since the beginning of high school, and he hadn't told me about it till after we graduated. Just like Ryan, he's really ashamed of it. I'd be stuffing food in my mouth if I was super skinny. I'm probably a little over average. Oh man, I hare shopping around with my parents, they take forever to shop. DX

Shadow 1n2: Haha, well the following chapters will go something along like that. But Marie won't try to stay away, since I need to put in a negative trait to balance her out. I heard about the new game, and I'm really excited. I don't have the system for it, but I'll be watching the walkthroughs, hopefully. Oh, I think I heard of that game, it involves a girl and a guy fighting off monster zombies, right? I think I saw it at a premiere for the video game awards.

Lele-the-Greek-Geek: yeah…the bed talking is not so much a good idea. I don't think I want to know what I do in my sleep. Haha, you know me, girl! I just need to cool it down now, and then unleash another surprise with them again later on. I really like them together, but it is a forbidden love….or is it?

You'll really like Ryan, he's my comic relief, and a flirt to boot. Lol, Sora. Yeah, he feels proud of what he does, because he's so 'special'. XD

starlightmint72: Yeah, a part of her is missing, and she'll try to find it when the new game comes out. Yeah, you're sort of right. It's foreshadowing the future with Aura. She's the princess, Roxas is the younger prince, Axel is the older prince and Riku is the commoner. The half-sister is Marie. XD she does freak out, which is understandable. I mean you live out your own life for ten years and then suddenly POP, a cousin! Thanks for pointing it out, I changed it. XD maybe it might trigger something, maybe it won't Ryan is REALLY bad with names, like seriously bad. He always remembers a pretty face, though.

I'm super glad you really like it! I'm trying my best to put as much detail and original scenes in this story, since it's one of the biggest games in the series. It's not boring, since KH2 is my favourite KH game. I really want to make it epic, and I need to make sure every chapter is good. XD