Authors Note: Okay. So what's up next? The funeral like service for those that died at Radiant Garden, not to mention more on Ven's 'problem' and the conclusion of another plot arc that I will not spoil until you read it. :P Anything else? Hmm… Let me check… Oh just a bit on Lea and Isa beginning their rather impressive journey through the Stardust Universe. Yeah. That's what I'm covering this chapter. :L I swear I keep taking on too much at once :L We'll see. This shouldn't be any longer than normal as each part shouldn't' get too long. In fact I expect it to be slightly shorter… Well we'll see anyway. I hope you enjoy. :D

Chapter 25: Saying Goodbye to People Long Gone

"Here." Liam said as he handed his brother a suit.

"What's this?" Milo asked.

"A suit." Liam said bluntly.

Milo looked at him then back to the suit.

"Oh…"

"Ray wants us to dress up for the service."

"Okay."

Milo took the suit and walked into the bathroom.

A few moments later he returned.

"We've got to wear a tie?" He asked, looking rather annoyed.

Liam nodded.

"Yeah."

"If I wasn't trying to be respectful…"

"You'd continue to complain?" Liam asked.

Milo looked up to his brother again.

"Nah… I think I couldn't do it even then. They gave their lives for us…"

"And they deserve our respect." Liam added.

Milo nodded.

Liam watched his brother as he failed to sort out his tie.

"Help?" Milo asked.

Liam laughed and raised his hand in which he held his own tie.

"Not my area of expertise."

"So, we wait for Elysia?" Milo asked laughing to himself.

Liam smiled. "Don't we always?"

Milo put his other clothes down on the bed, but still picked up his fingerless gloves.

"Keeping these on me." He said.

"Why?" Liam asked. "Expecting a fight?"

"You never know." Milo answered.

xXx

Ansem and Repliku helped Ray hobble into the portal to the Stardust Universe. Ray knew Ven was there, but he still felt too uneasy on his feet, so he got the help of his friends.

Finally making it, Ray saw Ven lying on the ground in the centre of one of the arenas.

"Hurry! Over there!" Ray pointed out, still taking quick breaths.

Ray summoned his key blade to him, placing it on the ground, and using it as walking stick.

"Repliku, get Terra and Aqua!" He ordered.

Repliku nodded and ran off.

"Ansem…" Ray began.

He turned to look at him.

"I can walk, just get to him, and make sure he's… okay. And, still himself!"

Ansem nodded and did as he was told.

Ray slowly made his way to where Ven was lying, whilst Ansem got close and checked him over.

"He's breathing!" He shouted.

"Good." Ray said quietly.

"Any bursts of energy?" Ray asked.

Ansem shook his head.

"Nothing I can see!"

Ray finally made it over to him, as he did Ven started to come to.

"What happened?" Ray asked him.

Ven looked around quickly. He seemed like he was scared.

"Vanitas…" He said.

Ray looked around to. "I can't…" He paused. "Oh…"

"Oh?" Ansem asked.

"The stardust unlocks things in people. Powerful things. It must have brought Vanitas back… And then…"

"He went back in me…" Ven finished.

"Ven!" Terra and Aqua shouted as they saw him lying on the floor.

They rushed towards him.

"He's okay." Ansem explained.

"Are you sure?" Aqua asked, more targeting it at Ven.

Ven shook his head.

"Vanitas is back… He's inside me."

Aqua looked genuinely worried. She had every right to be after all.

"There has to be something you can do!" Aqua shouted at Ray.

Ray took a deep breath.

"There is."

"What?" Terra asked.

"I'm already doing it."

Everyone turned to look at Ray.

"As soon as he goes to summon his blade the x-blade will appear. If I lock that away behind a few mental locks Ven will have a great deal of power, but no Kingdom Hearts summoning x-blade."

"What happens if the x-blade does come?" Ven asked.

"I'll either explode… Again… Or become a hell of a lot more powerful."

"And me?" Ven asked.

"If I explode, you go with me. If you summon it and I become stronger… I'll drain the power from you. You'll die either way."

"Then you stopped it?" Terra asked, concerned.

Ray nodded.

"It's done."

xXx

After Ray and Ven had cleaned themselves up, it wasn't long before the service began.

Ray took the centre podium to speak. He wanted to say some words.

He felt he owed them that much.

In that large room everyone sat. The males in their suits, even the King and the ladies in black dresses. Everyone was silent.

"Thank you all for coming…" Ray began. "I never really knew them… I never had the chance to get to know them. But I know for a fact they were great people. You may have memories of them in their darker emotionless days, but I'm sure those times seem like a lifetime ago now… I really don't know what to say, honestly. I thought I was prepared for this…"

Ray paused and looked around the room.

"Well… I fell personally to blame for what happened there that day. I chose their lives over the lives of the normal people in the key hole, and over the knowledge we've thankfully gained from Ansem's predecessors."

Everyone seemed surprised of that news, he realised he had yet to share that news.

"Well… I feel personally to blame and as such I wanted to do this. They died protecting Ansem and I. They knew that they weren't going to make it as soon as I closed that door. I locked them out so we could survive…"

"I wish I could have saved them too…"

Ray paused again, this time for much longer.

"The four of them were great people. I know that from working with them for a few hours… I'm sure you all feel much greater about them than that..."

"We're losing people so quickly now… and I think that… Maybe that's a sign that we're coming to the end. I keep that hope in my… I keep that hope high, and hope that I'll never have to do this again. We're here today to say goodbye to those people that are gone. Those people that gave their lives so we can have lives at the end of this… Those people that should always be remembered."

xXx

A Few Hours after the Service.

"Ray!" Lea called as he saw him off in the distance.

Lea walked forward, Isa beside him.

"Of course…" Ray began. "You wanted to go into the Stardust. You're both sure about this. You can die in there… And we may never know."

Isa and Lea nodded.

"It'll make us strong enough to keep going."

"Okay." Ray said.

"I'll meet you at the log hut in about an hour. That'll give me time to figure out a journey for you in there… As well as make a quick errand."

"Okay." Isa replied.

Lea nodded. "We're ready whenever."

xXx

Ray ran to Ven's room, he wanted to get one last point across to him before he left him with his new found abilities.

Ray knocked on the door.

"Ven." He said. "It's Ray."

Ven opened the door.

"How are you feeling?" Ray asked.

"Much better. I feel… Myself again." He said with a smile.

"Great to hear it." Ray replied. "Now… I forgot to add one last point about your new… abilities."

"Which is?" Ven asked.

"You can use it… All I'm saying is that if all else fails, be aware that you have the power to save your friends… To save your family."

"And you, what if you explode again?"

Ray smiled. "I'm sure I'll be okay."

They both paused.

"Thanks." Ven said.

"For what?"

"For telling me I can do this…"

Ray smiled again. "Don't worry… Just trying to be helpful."

Ven smiled back. "I feel less helpless now."

"You were never helpless Ven…"

Ven smiled again. "One last thing…" He began. "Vanitas?"

"Long gone. You absorbed him. You're stronger than he was… And he's just a shadow of his former self."

"Great." Ven said happily.

"I knew you'd like that." Ray said before turning around and walking off.

"See you another time." Ray said.

Ven nodded.

"Thanks." He said again.

"No problem." Ray said without turning around, and only listened as Ven slowly closed the door.

xXx

Liam walked his brother back to his room.

"How're you feeling?" He asked his brother.

Milo turned to look at him. "Okay… I just feel bad whenever everyone makes a fuss…"

"Don't we all."

Milo looked back to the ground.

Liam stopped walking. Milo was so preoccupied he didn't even notice.

He looked at his brother with clear eyes. He was just a burning blue energy. The energy didn't even hurt to look at anymore. He could feel his power returning. 'Milo' had been put in place to contain his power.

But Liam couldn't think who would do anything.

Until he recognised the discomfort that came with the energy.

"Ray." Liam spat.

"What?" Milo asked turning around, noticing his brother had fallen behind.

"What are you doing back there?" Milo asked.

Liam shot towards him.

"You're not real!"

Milo looked up at him, fear in his eyes. "Liam." Milo whimpered.

"That's me. But what do you think you are?"

"I'm… I'm… Your brother." Milo backed away in fear.

"Run!" Liam shouted as he quickly summoned his key blade and brought it against the wall.

Milo did as he was told and began to run.

"Help!" He shouted.

Liam laughed, but he quickly felt the fake memories begin to return, and then felt his humanity kick in again.

But the chaos took care of that.

It didn't like being tricked.

The fake memories were completely banished this time, and Liam's humanity returning was postponed.

His chaos had this much power because they had contained it. If they had left it go free, Liam could have been in control.

Liam shot forward again chasing his brother.

"Help!" Milo shouted again.

"Keep running you fake child!" Liam mocked as he shot through the corridors towards Milo.

Milo began to cry as he ran with fear. Even that hardened teenager couldn't stop himself when his own brother began to chase him, holding death in his hands.

"Keep running!" Liam repeated.

"Help!" Milo screamed.

Liam banished his key blade as he chased his 'brother'.

When his hands were free, and he saw a T-junction coming up in the corridor, he summoned up two walls of Chaos on the turns, so Milo was trapped between them, and him.

Milo stopped against the wall and began to hammer his hands against it.

"Help!" He tried again.

"Dead end."

Milo looked up at Liam, he had never been more afraid in all of his life. Even if his life had been just a construct of Ray's imagination.

"Liam… I'm your brother… Stop this… Please Liam!"

Liam began to laugh.

"Saying goodbye to people that are long gone… You were never here, so there's no need for goodbyes. Ray however, is here, and won't be for very long. He created you! To control me! You can't fool me Ray!"

Milo tried to back away further but he was right against the wall.

"Will this hurt you?" Liam asked summoning his key blade to him once again.

Milo nodded, completely taken by fear.

"Good."

Liam began to laugh.

And he began to throw multiple spikes of Chaos energy.

"One for every fake emotion you gave me!"

Milo screamed in agony.

He summoned a ball of energy and began to make it grow larger and larger.

"A second for every fake memory I have!"

There were a lot, and Liam placed that energy right on Milo's chest.

He couldn't even scream from that. His breath was taken from him, and he felt weak.

"Ray will remember this one! You're watching right Ray!"

Liam summoned his keyblade once again.

"Goodbye…"

Liam threw the key blade through Milo's chest, and watched as he exploded into bright blue light, leaving nothing behind but the clothes that had previously been on his back.

And as if the Chaos wanted to punish him for falling for such a trick, it quickly returned Liam's humanity.

And he could only watch as his brother, as fake as he had been, disappeared before him.

And once again, Liam felt alone, angry and ready to kill.

But, he grieved more than anything else.

Liam collapsed to the ground in the realisation of what he had done.

"No… No…" He said to himself as he tried to make sense of it all.

"Milo…" He said.

The chaos walls around him collapsed, revealing no one behind them. No one had heard Milo's screams.

"No… It can't be. It wasn't a lie… I… I remember… No… It was…"

Tears began to fall from Liam's eyes.

"I need answers!" He said angrily as he pushed himself to his feet, grabbing those navy fingerless gloves as he did so. And putting them on.

Just like Milo, he was expecting a fight, and prepared himself accordingly.

xXx

Isa and Lea stood at the beginning of a path that stretched out deep into the Stardust Universe.

"It's here for you." Ray said.

"Thanks." Both Isa and Lea said.

"No problem."

"Stay safe." Roxas said smiling.

"Come back soon." Namine said.

Both men smiled.

"Don't push yourselves too hard. It's a long journey. No matter what pace you go, you'll be something else when you return."

"Thanks again Ray." Isa thanked.

Ray smiled.

"Just get going." He said.

The both nodded, and turned around; carrying packs on their back they began their journey.

Ray turned around to face Roxas and Namine.

"They'll be great." He said.

Ray quickly reached for his head as it exploded in agony.

"What… now?" He asked himself.

It quickly hit him.

"Milo…" He said worriedly.

xXx

"You remember that prophecy right?" Aqua asked Terra as they both sat in her room, just talking.

"The one with Ven, Sora and Roxas?" Terra asked.

Aqua nodded worriedly.

"What if, this Vanitas appearance is that coming true?"

"I don't think it could be…" Terra said hopefully. "Ray seemed pretty positive."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm sure we can trust Ray on this one. And besides, he blocked the ability from Ven completely didn't he?" Terra asked.

Aqua shook her head. "I… I don't think that's completely the truth."

"I'll talk to Ray soon. See what I can find out."

He took her hand.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. In fact I'm sure he'll be better than that."

Aqua smiled.

"I hope you're right." She repeated.

xXx

Liam walked back to his room, and looked down at Milo's clothes on his bed.

He looked down at his suit and quickly burned it off with some Fire magic.

He picked up what Milo had left behind and put it on slowly, being sure not to damage it.

"He was going to make an impression. Make sure he didn't forget the lies he had been fed. And the time he had had with that construct. That construct who had become his brother.

Standing there in those blue jeans, and that black long sleeves t-shirt, he slowly placed the red shirt on top too.

But as he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't continue. Not like this.

He had killed someone today.

Someone who he was close to.

Whether they were real or not, he had still killed them.

And they felt real.

Liam collapsed to the ground and curled up in a ball, trying to make it all go away.

"I'm sorry…" He said.

xXx

Authors Note: Oh goody… That was depressing. For me anyway… How was it for you? A lot happened this time around... Again. And it wasn't too long either. :L In fact it ended about where I like chapters to end. So no problem at all. :D I don't think I have much more to say that that… Next chapter will continue this… And will obviously include more major development for some characters that haven't had it yet. :D So, I hope you've enjoyed, and I'll see you next time. :D