Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter Twenty-Six
Room With a View

I exhaled. I'd known it was almost over, yes, but actually being here, being so close to seeing him, was starting to get a little overwhelming.

There was no way we could physically get to the castle; the city ended, and the castle began. Below us was a sort of vortex; it looked like it would swallow you up if you so fell. I blinked and ignored the sudden feeling of vertigo, forcing myself to only focus on the castle and the others.

"How do we get in there?" Goofy asked. I'd almost forgotten about him and Donald. They must have spoken over the past few minutes, but if so I hadn't heard.

"That's easy," Sora said, whipping out his Keyblade and flicking his wrist. A transparent bridge formed, connecting the road with the lowest part of the castle- Nothing's Call, I remembered. Whose idea was it to name each and every single room, I wondered? It was all so symbolic to Nobody culture and was supposedly insightful when it came to human life.

I stared unblinkingly at Organization XIII's base; this had once been my home, but now, I felt an urge to run away and never come back. Yet I couldn't lose my nerve now, not when we were so close.

"We should split up when we get in there," Sora continued. "We don't know what's going to happen. They could have seen us coming. They might not know we're here. Either way… I'm ready for this to end."

I nodded in agreement, still looking up, at the moon now. It was so big; it felt like it would crush me. It cast a pale blue glow on the ground.

"Donald and Goofy will look for Kairi," Sora said, taking out one of the communicators and throwing it at them. "Your Majesty… you have to find your friend and help him, right?"

The mouse king frowned. "He's here… I'm sure of it. I don't know what he wants to do, and I don't know where he is. But maybe it would be best if I went with Donald and Goofy."

"If you're sure," Sora murmured. "Axel… you said you wanted to fight Saïx alone, right? Where do you think he'll be?"

"He might just be with Xemnas," he admitted. "Those two are pretty inseparable. We should stick together for as long as possible anyway."

"Where are we supposed to go to find Kairi?" Donald asked. "We've never been here before."

"That's… probably near where they kept me, isn't it?" I inquired. "Axel, where is that?"

"Not all that far from here, actually." He paused, and then gave them directions. "Just… watch your back. I don't know what's down there, other than her."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"The lesser Nobodies. Eighty percent of the Organization has been killed, so we shouldn't have to worry about theirs… each one of them had their own type of Nobody to control. If ours still exist, we should be able to get them under control… but the others, they pack a punch."

"We can take 'em!" Donald announced.

"What should we do once we find Kairi?" Goofy asked.

Sora hesitated. "You need to keep her away from Xemnas until all this is over. Once he and Saïx are gone, we can plan our next move. But for now, everything is kind of one step at a time." He turned to Axel and I. "Alright, guys, let's go."

In two groups of three, we crossed the bridge, and set foot into the house of the enemy.

I don't know what I expected, but nothing happened immediately. Did Xemnas notice our presence? Was he ignoring it? In my years here, I was never sure whether the castle was just that or whether it was connected to him in some way psychically.

None of the lesser Nobodies came close to us; none of them even showed up. Progress was easy. Donald, Goofy, and the King went off to find Kairi. Sora followed us as we walked further into the castle, looking behind.

"I really wish it had been me to have found her," he confessed. "But… she'll always be here when it's over… right?"

"We're not in a hurry," I told him. "If it really was so important to you… why didn't you say something?"

He shrugged. "I just figured…" but Sora never completed the sentence.

"…There are a handful of places they could be," Axel told us after a moment. "We might want to go to the Round Room first; that's the most likely choice. There's also Xemnas' office, and their Proofs."

"Proofs?" Sora asked.

"Proof of Existence," I elaborated. "It's a few things, actually. We're all given a title when we join the Organization- usually something to do with our personality. Then, we also get a small space somewhere in the castle to do what we want with it, kind of like a sanctuary. But the Proofs… the sort of door that leads to each Nobody's area shows whether they're alive or not. You get it?"

Sora paused. "I think I do," he finally said. "Everything they do has a double meaning, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Axel said, glowering.

"That's ironic… considering they don't have emotions."

"I wouldn't mind seeing the Proofs anyway," I commented, feeling my heart stutter. "We can see if Xigbar and Luxord are still alive. I wonder what the Proof does if its owner is human? Wouldn't it just disappear, because it's not needed anymore?"

"We'll just have to see," Axel said casually.

I'd somehow forgotten just how empty the castle was- all the colorlessness, the utter hollowness that was everywhere. As a human here, I had been too sick to really notice it, and as a Nobody, naturally I hadn't cared. But now… it poked out at me, felt like it would crush and consume me.

"I never understood that," I whispered. "Why is everything so… pale?"

"Come on, Demyx, do I really have to explain this one?" Axel raised an eyebrow. "It was to both prove a point about the emptiness of being a Nobody- and to reflect what little light there is here."

I shrugged. I'd known the answer. "The Proofs are… not much farther, are they?"

"Why are you so nervous? They're fine, Demyx, I know they are. I saw Xigbar escape. And Luxord… well, you know how easy it is for him to disappear."

I bobbed my head. "I still need to know."

"Are they… your friends?" Sora asked tentatively.

I hesitated. "Xigbar saved my life," I told him. "He deserves the chance to be human. And Luxord… he's not a bad guy."

"You didn't answer the question."

"…Yes, I suppose. As close to friends as possible as we could be, anyway."

"Demyx?" Axel said in a soft voice. "It's through here."

I paused and took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go."

The first thing I noticed was that half of the Proofs had been smashed- no, more than that. Only five had been left untouched. Saïx's, Xigbar's, Luxord's, Axel's, and mine. Saïx's was, unfortunately, a bright blue, like Axel's and mine.

The other two, I had to force myself to look at.

Xigbar's was blue. I exhaled. Good, now I'd only have to find him. When I finally steeled myself enough to look at Luxord's, I discovered it was also blue.

It was strange, because I'd never considered the thought that either of them could be dead until I remembered the Proofs. In fact, it was more than possible, it was probable, and yet I knew now that they were both still alive.

"Can I… can I go into my Proof?" I asked Axel. "Would it still be there?"

"It's up to you, really," he told me. "I'm not the boss of you. Just don't take too long."

"…Sora?"

He nodded. "Go ahead, Demyx."

"I might check mine, too," Axel said. "I don't know how it could be helpful, but it couldn't hurt."

I turned and took one last glance at them before I went inside.

I found myself in a garden. Being surrounded by color and sound after so much emptiness was a little disorienting.

My Proof was a small area, just a patch of grass leading up to a pool where a little waterfall emptied itself. The water was warm, too… I could smell the steam. It had been a while since I'd been here. This had been my favorite place in the castle, where I was most at peace, where it was easiest to compose. I sat by the pool and crossed my legs. Oddly enough, I felt at peace. I closed my eyes for a moment.

When I opened them, a girl was standing in front of me.

She was small with dark hair and an intense face.

"Don't be scared," she said quickly.

I blinked a few times. I recognized this person; yet, I didn't at the same time. "I'm not scared of you," I told her.

She sat down across from me. She was wearing the Organization coat.

"X…xion?" I whispered in disbelief. "But what… what happened to you?"

She wrinkled her nose. "It's weird to explain," she murmured. "I was manipulated. Roxas… he had to kill me to set me free. My life needed to end anyway. I was about keep Sora from ever waking up."

Did this have something to do with the memories of Sora's the King had been talking about?

"But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" I asked. "And if you're… dead… how come I can see you?"

"I'm not dead. I never existed," she said calmly. "In fact, you're the only one who knows who I am- you're the only one who remembers. I don't know why it was you."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't quite follow."

"You don't need to." She smiled. "How are… Axel and Roxas?"

"Axel's fine," I told her. "He's human, Xion. So am I."

"What's that like?" She asked.

"It's better than you could imagine," I told her honestly.

"And Roxas?"

I hesitated. "He's human, too."

Her face softened. "This is so cool! I'm so happy for you!"

I tugged at my collar.

Xion sensed my anxiety. She bit her lip. "He… he went back to Sora, didn't he?"

I nodded.

"I knew it had to happen. That's why… that's kind of why I had to go away."

"So could you… could you come back? If you're based on memories? I remember you, and Axel would if I just told him…"

Xion shook her head. There were tears in her eyes. "My body has been destroyed. I guess there's a very slim chance that I could come back… if someone who was close to me remembered. My body was basically made of memories- that's why almost everyone forgot about me. Other than you… and Riku. And neither of you were very close to me."

I sighed. "Xion…"

"But I'm fine the way I am," she murmured. "I did what I was meant to do."

"I wish we could have been friends," I told her.

She smiled. "Me, too."

"I should be leaving. But one thing… is this real?"

"It's all happening in your head," she told me. "But that doesn't mean it's not real."

"And you? Are you real?"

"Sometimes it seems like I'm not," she said without looking at me. "We'll just have to see… won't we?" She was fading.

"Wait! What do you mean?"

Xion smiled at me before she faded completely.

"Donald, I think we're lost."

The magician waved dismissively at him. "Nonsense. I know exactly where we're going." Though all the halls seemed to blend into the next…

"Gawrsh, are you sure? I'm pretty sure Axel said…"

"Ah, what does that big palooka know?"

"Um, he's actually been here before?"

"Donald?" The King tried.

"I know where I'm going. It can't be that far from here."

"Donald?"

"We could ask him for directions. Demyx, he has one of those things, that's kind of why we have those communicators…" Goofy tried to salvage.

"Donald!" The King shouted.

"What? What?" He snapped.

"It's that way. The turn was back there."

Donald flushed. As equally as the King treated him, he didn't like to disobey. "Oh."

Kairi was bored. There was no way to describe the amount of boredom she felt. After she got over the terror of being captured, there was simply nothing for her to do. No one had even showed up, beyond that first man. She'd escape, but where would she go? And the bars were just a hair too close together to slip through.

How long had she even been here? Days? Weeks? There was no sense of time. At least she had her own bathroom. She didn't know what she'd do then.

"I'm telling you, she's not down here."

The voice startled Kairi. At first, she wasn't even sure she'd actually heard it. Having gone so long without company, she'd started to doubt other people actually existed. Well, that was ridiculous; she hadn't been here quite that long… yet, the constant silence and isolation was wearing on her sanity.

Yet, once she heard the voice, the first though that jumped to mind was…

(IsitSora?)

She looked up, heart racing.

"Kairi? Are you down here?"

It wasn't his voice. But it was a voice. Someone had come to get her, and all that mattered, aside from finding Sora, was getting out of here. Kairi leaned as far out of the cell as she could. "Hey! Over here!" She shouted.

She heard footsteps. "…Who are you?" Her voice was far more timid now. The figures in front of her were familiar… at least, the first two were.

The dog took his hat off and bowed. "Goofy, at your service, princess."

Princess? Oh, right… she was a Princess of Heart. She'd nearly forgotten… but what did it matter?

"I'm Donald, princess," the duck introduced.

"King Mickey, pleased to meet you," the mouse greeted, smiling. "Sora sent us to get you."

"…Sora?" Sora was here? All the times she fantasized about seeing him again… What would she do?

(And somewhere deep inside was the disappointment he hadn't come for her himself…)

"Where is he? How is she?" She asked.

"Do you know why you're here, Kairi?" The King asked kindly.

She blinked. "Well, no. I was in Twilight Town… a dog had led me through a portal…" she blushed, realizing how stupid it sounded. "I ran into some friends of Sora's, and I was going to stay there until he came back. But a blue-haired man… he told me he needed me as bait… and he put me in here." Kairi bit her lip.

"Well, we're going to get you out," the King continued. "Please back up." He turned to the duck. "Donald, cast Fire on the bars."

The magician hesitated. "Are you sure, Your Majesty…?"

The King smiled. "Of course."

He pulled out a staff, and suddenly the bars were glowing red-hot. "What now?" Donald asked.

The King summoned his Keyblade. He had one, too? Kairi thought. I thought only Sora…

A Keyblade flying through the bars interrupted her thought. She ducked reflexively; the weapon, however, rebounded like a boomerang within millimeters of her face. Fear aside, she noticed there was now a space large enough for her to crawl through.

Once Kairi was out of her cell, she turned to the three warriors. "Well, thank you… but where are we?"

"The base of Organization XIII," Donald explained. "They're Nobodies… people without hearts."

"And Sora's here?"

He nodded.

"Where is he? How is he?" She repeated.

"Sora's just fine," Goofy said. "Right now he… he has to do something. He wanted to be here, but…"

Her heart fluttered. "No, I understand." She looked around. "What… what happened… since I saw him last?"

With some hesitation, they told her.

While Demyx visited his Proof, Axel turned to Sora.

"And how do you feel about all this?" He asked briskly.

"…Kind of overwhelmed. It's like it's happening all too quickly," Sora confessed, shaking his head. "But I'll be glad when it's all over… hey, Axel. Where are you going?"

Axel stood at the threshold of Saïx's Proof. "I'm going in there," he answered calmly.

"But he… he could be in there," Sora said, as if dazed.

"Yes, I know. That's the point."

"At least let me go with you."

"This is something I need to do on my own," Axel told him firmly. "Just stay here and wait for Demyx… and don't either of you come inside."

"Why not?" Sora asked.

Axel gave Sora an exasperated look and stepped inside.

Demyx, meanwhile, had come back from inside his Proof, looking more puzzled than ever. "Yeah… why not?"

Saïx's Proof, the Addled Impasse, was bright and silent.

The room gave an excellent view of the moon, which seemed to drape arms down. Axel felt faintly suffocated. He looked around. He found his target within a few seconds, staring at the moon- of course. As long as he had known Saïx, and even Isa, the man had been obsessed with astronomy.

"Lovely night," Axel said casually.

Saïx turned around and bared his teeth. "Indeed it is."

In the space of a few seconds, the two had summoned their weapons and were now at each other's throats after a brief struggle, Axel threw Saïx to the ground.

"I've been waiting for you to appear," Saïx admitted in that monotone, standing up easily.

"Am I that predictable?" Axel asked, a hand on his hip.

Saïx smirked. "Why are you here, Lea? You think you want to kill me; but are you sure it's not for another reason?"

"If you think I'm coming back to you guys, you're crazy," Axel said, shaking his head. "No… I want revenge."

Another smile. "For what?"

"For… what?" Axel was thinking too quickly- for tons of reasons, he thought bitterly. For betraying him, that was for sure. For going to Xemnas' side. Weren't they supposed to make their own Organization? What happened to that? Did it ever start?

No… there was something else. Something deeper… more… emotional? Axel's memories had always been clear; ever since turning human, he'd never had trouble remembering what happened, like Demyx had. Damn it, why couldn't he remember?

The image crept into his head. A dark-haired girl. Who was she? She had… a cloak? An Organization cloak? How could there have been a fourteenth member? What was her name, anyway? It had to be… a trick. An illusion. But from the look on Saïx's face, Axel suddenly knew that he had no recollection at all.

Xion. How he knew that name, he didn't know, it just seemed right… everything seemed to be in fast motion. All of a sudden, he had a terrible headache and was dizzy.

And, just as abruptly, there was a claymore at his side. It seemed like Saïx had taken advantage of Axel's vertigo.

Too dazed by the injury and the memory, Axel collapsed.

I love the relationship between Axel and Saix- it's so complicated. They used to be friends... it's hard to explain what happened between them, and how that must make either of them think.
I really want to make the battle scene between them good. Of course, it's not over yet. This story is not over yet!
And more Xion involvement. I don't like her role in Days, but I do think she's not a bad character, and that taken out of context, she'd seem like less of a Sue.

Thank you Willowfur, TheChel, vildtiger, Mystical, SoraIsMyHomeBoy, Zemby, The Ninja And The Writer, anonnie Wolven24KH, and Anna for reviewing last chapter. We are seven reviews from two-hundred! Can I please have that much? :O

Next update: August 4th