Hey. I wrote another chapter...Hooray! I took my Video Production final today. And I passed. Yay! Now, I have two weeks before the next round of grueling classes. My life rocks. Anyway, enough about me. I wrote this chapter because I got this insane 'let's-write-a-chapter-in-a-few-hours' thing. So I did.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts. *sigh*

By the by, this will have the Fourth wall as a metaphor really. If you can spot the Fourth Wall reference, you are smart. I'll tell you at the end of the chapter.

I also feel that I need to knock out a few things before you read this. One, I do cover quite a few things that don't quite make sense. It's okay, you're not really supposed to understand it, but if you do, you get brownie points. And second, I wrote this chapter to kind of explain Haji a little more. I decided that writing a story from Haji's point of view is not at the top of my fanfic to do list.

But enough ranting, enjoy.


Roxel stood up. He had flown into the pages of The Book of Retribution. Its blinding red light made him squint his eyes though it was completely dark. He could hear the faint sound of heavy breathing. He shook his head, the red light still burning his eyes.

"Soriku?" Roxel said. There was no answer.

"Roxel!"

Roxel turned around. The Reject stood about a hundred feet away, choking Soriku with his one arm. He smiled and smelled her hair. He giggled as Soriku passed out.

"You!"

"Me." The Reject said. He dropped Soriku and approached Roxel. He looked back at Soriku. "Don't be alarmed, my charming companion."

Roxel growled at him.

"She will be awake to assist me shortly." The Reject coughed. "Meanwhile, let us chat."

Roxel summoned Blaze of Glory. "We are past words."

The Reject frowned. "You are always jumping the gun. Calm down. Or I'll bite you."

Roxel huffed, but did not lower his weapon. The Reject came closer, using an unknown power to force Blaze of Glory into the ground. Roxel tried to pull it back up, but he wasn't strong enough. The Reject leaned in and touched his nose to Roxel's.

"You are so brave." The Reject whispered. "To risk your life so carelessly. I'm impressed."

Roxel pushed him away. "You give her back!"

The Reject dropped his shoulders. "Fine then."

He snapped his fingers and Soriku leapt to her feet. She was covered in black shadows, and she clawed at Roxel, who managed to duck out of the way.

"Soriku, stop!" Roxel reasoned. "You're not like this."

The Reject snapped his fingers again and Soriku collapsed. Roxel ran to her and tried to shake her awake. The Reject smiled. "You don't take rejection well."

Roxel turned to him. "What do you want?"

The Reject waved his hand, and the blue instrument formed. It splashed water all over the ground, wetting Roxel's clothing. "I told you what I want. You still haven't given it to me."

Roxel looked at his Chakram. "I'm not giving it to you."

The Reject strummed the strings of his instrument. "Do you know what this is called?"

Roxel was thrown off guard by the Reject's sudden change in tone. He eyed him suspiciously. "No."

The Reject smiled. He looked down at the strings. "It's a sitar. An Indian instrument I believe. Slightly modified to give it a more…grungier feel. Note how it sounds stronger and tough. Menacing even."

Roxel couldn't quite catch on to what the Reject was talking about. "I don't understand."

"Arpeggio, my brother."

Roxel grit his teeth at the Reject's use of the word 'brother'. He made it sound like an insult.

The Reject smiled again. The sound from Arpeggio was getting louder, and the ground rumbled. "I'm going to show you something wonderful, my brother."

Roxel picked Soriku up and dragged her away from the Reject. She stirred, and upon opening her eyes, she punched Roxel in the mouth. He dropped her, holding his face as he yelped in pain.

"Soriku!" Roxel screamed. "What did you do that for?"

Soriku didn't answer. She stood on her own, normal. Her torn clothing mended itself and she braced for battle. Diamond Dust formed in a cloud of light. It sparkled and brimmed with pent up energy.

Roxel summoned Blaze of Glory back to his expecting hand. It floated in front of him, guarding him with a fierce jet of flame.

Soriku glared at him. Roxel pleaded with her. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say to her. The memories from Haji's training resurfaced. He remembered that Soriku had mentioned him not saving her. Maybe this is what she was talking about.

"Soriku," Roxel said softly. "Why are you doing this?"

Soriku glanced at the Reject, who winked at her. "Because. It's my destiny."

She swung Diamond Dust wildly, connecting with Blaze of Glory. Sparks flew everywhere. Roxel grabbed Blaze of Glory's silver handle and fled. The Reject didn't allow him to go very far though, for a wall that reached up indefinitely ripped the world in two.

Roxel skidded to a halt. He touched the wall, and it shocked him. "What is this?" He murmured.

The Reject appeared next to him. "This is the barrier to my world. To your world."

Roxel backed away, but he had forgotten that Soriku was behind him, and received a blow to his back that cracked his ribs. He coughed, losing all the wind in his lungs. His head spun. He was about to fallout, but his mind kicked him into panic mode, and he bolted.

The air in his lungs was gone as soon as he sucked in breath after difficult breath. Soriku was hot on his trail. He couldn't seem to keep himself concentrated enough to keep Blaze of Glory at his side. It flew sporadically, missing Soriku by miles. The Reject, however could keep up with him without a problem.

"She really does like you," The Reject said, smiling. "Why don't you try to reason with her again?"

Roxel ignored him as best as he could. But he couldn't help but listen to him. He ran along the wall. It was never ending, but he would rather run forever then be killed by his best friend. Soriku shot pellets of ice at him. He turned in shock.

"I thought she couldn't use magic!"

The Reject laughed. "What a slave can learn so long as she gives me what I want. You could do with a lesson, Roxel."

The Reject vanished. Roxel was beginning to struggle breathing again. He clutched the stitch in his chest.

"Come on!" He thought. "Do something!"

He closed his eyes, and the first thing that came to him was the same desperation that he had experienced when Axel was about to kill him on Destiny Islands. He concentrated on that feeling as best as he could, and without hesitation, his body flew into the air.

He flushed in the sudden gust of wind that knocked him out of his initial flight. He spun in circles, but he managed to stay a float. Soriku slowed to a walk and eventually stopped. She couldn't keep up. She couldn't fly.

The Reject, too, stood beside her. "Oh no," He said, laughing lightly. "We can't catch him now. What are we going to do?"

Soriku huffed, quickly getting her breath back. "Sora…"

The Reject smiled. "Sora? Sora is dead…isn't he?" he added slyly.

Soriku shook her head. "I can reach him."

The Reject smiled. "Of course you can, love."


Roxel stopped. He had been traveling along the wall for what felt like an eternity. It showed no signs of ending, but he had noticed that there were many cracks in the brick and mortar. He touched the wall again, and it shocked him harder.

Look out!

Roxel spun around, and a ball of light was racing towards him. He couldn't quite make out what it was, but as soon as it was within an arm's reach, he dodged it and rolled away. The ball of light spun around and raced towards him in an instant. Roxel could barely dodge it. It grazed his skin, sending a flame up his arm.

Roxel looked around wildly. He knew something was wrong.

"It seems such a shame," The Reject said, lazily floating on a pillar of water. "You have angered the gods."

Roxel tackled the Reject, but the pillar of water twisted around and swallowed him. He struggled in the stream, trying to find his way back up to the air, but it seemed the closer he got, the water would swirl around him, dragging him deeper into its depths.

The ball of light raced back to him, following him up the pillar. Roxel kicked out with his last bit of air and broke through the top. The ball of light collided with him. He fell, losing control over his ability to fly. The water pillar caught him, and fell as well. It splashed over the ground, pulsing against the wall.

Roxel flopped, sodden and disoriented. He rose to his knees and crawled, gasping for air. He was losing his grip on reality. He couldn't focus anymore. He looked up, and the ball of light was floating in front of him. He squinted at it.

"Sora?" He breathed.

The Reject sat down next to him, "No, but damn close guess." He patted him on the shoulder. "You are one persevering twit, you know. You just won't die."

Roxel pushed him away weakly. "Get away."

The Reject stood, reaching his hand down. "You know, you could make this all end."

Roxel ignored him and continued to crawl away. He barely noticed the temperature dropping. His breath came out in cold spurts.

The Reject sighed and walked away. "Then, Sora will have you."

The ball of light formed into a more complete Sora. His feet did not touch the ground. He was floating, and his white coat fluttered around him. Two Keyblades, Ultima and Fatal Crest, were crossed behind him like wings. He was frowning.

Roxel looked up. There was nothing to protect him. Sora closed his eyes and sighed.

"Please don't kill me," Roxel said. He hung his head. "I did nothing to deserve this."

"Hold on, hold on!" The Reject said. Sora dispersed. Soriku took his place and landed on the ground. She looked disappointed. The Reject looked at Roxel. "You did nothing to deserve this?"

Roxel swallowed and nodded slowly.

The Reject shook his head. He held Arpeggio in one hand. As he walked around Roxel, he dragged it along. It made a heavy sound, and Roxel could see it was damaged.

"You are no innocent child, my brother." The Reject said. He sat on Roxel's back. He strummed a few notes. "What about all the worlds you destroyed?"

Roxel shook his head. He began to shiver. The temperature was dropping more. "I didn't do that. Haji did."

The Reject laughed, "No, no, no. You did. Don't you remember? When you and I were a team?"

Roxel moved under the Reject. The Reject stood. "We never met until you kissed me."

The Reject smirked. "I think not. We've been together for a while. Our whole lives…well until this last time."

Roxel struggled to stand. "What are you talking about?"

The Reject frowned. "So, it is true. You do have a reset button. I'm jealous." He stroked his chin. "I wonder where it is…"

Roxel growled weakly. He knew he wasn't ready for any kind of fight, but he was far too proud to give in.

The Reject stepped up to him. "This is very bad, you know. You get a 'get out of jail free' card. How unfair. I'm sure it's somewhere in your mind. Sora…would you mind?" The Reject giggled at his pun.

Soriku nodded and transformed into Sora. Sora grabbed Fatal Crest and plunged it into the ground. A beam of light connected with Roxel's mind, releasing a wave of sound. Buildings and streets plastered themselves on the landscape. Sora stood there, forcing Roxel's mind onto the visible plane.

The Reject looked around. "It looks like…cycle one. How fun."

Sora wrenched Fatal Crest out of the ground. He looked around and disappeared. Roxel stood up. He was completely dry. He patted himself down. The Reject put his arm around him.

"What does this look like to you?"

Roxel looked at the buildings. "I don't…"

"Think."

Roxel looked a little more carefully at the cityscape. It wasn't coming to him. He just couldn't fight the feeling like he had been there before, but nothing was coming to mind.

Suddenly, a crash leveled a building. It crumbled, and Roxel could see two figures fighting in the sky. One, he recognized was Sora. He was using displays of magic that he had never seen before, expertly weaving through the bridges of fire and spires of ice. He was covered in a shield of light, and both Keyblades were twisting on their own, protecting the fabled Keybarer.

The other figure, though, was unrecognizable. It, too was flying, but displaying magic that was just powerful beyond comprehension. The figure was leveling the city without a second thought.

"You see?" The Reject whispered to him. "You're a monster…"

"That's not me!" Roxel yelled.

The Reject nodded. "Of course it's you, silly. You see, this is your first trial run. I believe this is when you…cracked."

Roxel shook his head. "No…it's not me."

The Reject pushed him away. "You idiot. You destroyed the home of poor Bolt. This New York City. You don't remember. Probably because you have too much Sora in you. Too much magic."

Roxel shook his head again. "I don't believe it."

The Reject comforted him. "You should. What a wonderful display of what a Nobody constructed human can do. You were wonderful. But, you done goofed."

The Roxel in the air fired a blast of energy that hurled Sora into the ground. Then he, too, fell. They were both dead.

"You killed him," The Reject said. "You weren't supposed to do that."

New York City faded away. The Reject smiled as another cityscape formed. Roxel wanted to escape, but there was something holding him there.

"You killed yourself, too, which was a double no-no." The Reject explained. "So, 'They' tried again. You were reborn, through a lucky combination of Number…Ten. And I think Number…Six. You had a second chance."

"Stop…" Roxel whispered.

"But, there was a catch. Time started over again. Back to before Sora was born, and then the cycle repeated."

The Reject smiled. "You…destroyed another world, but you had help this time. Your goof from cycle one made it so you couldn't have a weapon, or use magic…but you managed to make friends with a certain Heartless. And you almost made it to Kingdom Hearts, but then you had a change of heart and sacrificed yourself so Sora could destroy it."

The cityscape, which had been darker, perished at the hands of Sora. A castle rested above the horizon, and Sora made his way to live out his destiny.

"But…Sora died in the Battle of a Thousand Heartless." The Reject said. "So…Haji had to take his place."

Haji formed next to him. He didn't acknowledge his existence, but he cloaked himself in an illusion that resembled Sora, and finished the greatest battle in the history of time.

"Sadly, this is the only account of what happened that was documented. Haji was far too proud to take credit for what Sora did primarily, so he let the world continue to think that Sora was some great hero. Someone who could fight off a thousand Heartless by himself and live." The Reject sighed. "Ridiculous."

The landscape faded. There was nothing but inky blackness.

"The last four times you did this, your childhood was mildly different, but the outcome was always the same." The Reject laughed. "Any questions? I mean, you've done this before, you just probably don't remember."

Roxel's mind folded in on itself. He just couldn't fully grasp what the Reject had explained. It sounded like he was just mocking him. And though his voice had the tone, Roxel could tell that maybe, just maybe, the Reject was telling the truth."

"How can you remember?" Roxel asked.

The Reject danced around him. "I was created just recently. By the ever famous Heretic. Maybe a cycle or two ago. He made me read every book in existence. I just lie outside time's influences. She's a bad girl, almost as bad as Soriku…Oops, did I say that?"

Roxel grit his teeth. "What did you do to her?"

The Reject shrugged. "Well, we certainly weren't having tea while you were away."

Roxel fumed. He knew the Reject was toying with him. It was only a matter of time before he would grow bored and kill him. He searched his thoughts for some sort of plan. Anything that would keep him alive long enough to escape from his paper prison.

The Reject hummed softly. Arpeggio disappeared. In its place were four thin yellow knives. Roxel looked at them carefully. They crackled with electricity. The Reject looked at him.

"Let's play a game," he said. "If you win, you get a free pass. If I win, I get to keep Soriku…forever."

"No!" Roxel said. "Please, just give her back."

"You have a better idea then?"

Roxel looked down. He wasn't strong enough to fight. He wouldn't be able to hold his own, much less beat the Reject at any game he would propose. He thought of only one thing as he sighed heavily.

Soriku.

"I'll trade you." Roxel said.

"Oh?"

"I'll give you Blaze of Glory if you give me Soriku."

"Tempting…"

"I'm not finished." Roxel said angrily. "I want Soriku…and whatever it was that you stole from the Heretic."

The Reject paused. "You can have Soriku. Nothing else. I'll even lift every spell I put on her."

Roxel nodded. "It's a trade."

"It's a trade."

The Reject smiled as he summoned Blaze of Glory. It came to him easily. He gripped it tightly, then extended his other hand. The second Chakram came forth. Roxel gasped.

"You had the second one?"

"A deal's a deal." The Reject said. He disappeared.

Soriku stumbled from the shadows. Roxel ran to her. He hugged her tightly and cried. He had lost his weapon, he had lost his dignity, and he had almost lost his best friend.

"Soriku!"

"Roxel," Soriku said. "Where are we?"

"What did he do to you?" Roxel shouted. "Are you okay?"

Soriku looked up, "He didn't do anything to me."

Roxel burned with anger as he realized that the Reject had tricked him. It was time for him to get revenge.


Okay, for those who could not see it, the Fourth Wall breach is when The Reject tells Roxel that the sitar is an Indian instrument. Seeing as India does not exist in the World of Kingdom Hearts, I believe it is considered a breach of the Fourth Wall.

Another thing, just to keep this clear. I wouldn't want to confuse anybody, but the Sora is an illusion. Just that. It's the Reject messing with Roxel by using Soriku. Sora only really showed up twice in this story. The first time, when Soriku is havig her dream, and then when he shows up to help with the War.

Has a nice day. :)