Chapter 37: Reunited

The smoke still began to rise from the crashed ship, but thanks to Marina's powers it wasn't damaged as it would have been. Crystal and Kumiko jumped from out of the ship rushing out to see where she was.

"Where is she….? Wasn't she above the ship Crystal?" Kumiko asked worry covered her face, as she looked around her old home world.

"Yeah.. She was.. She…" she gasped, seeing 5 figures rushing towards her.

"Kumiko!"

Crystal looked towards the boy's and noticed Sora rushing over towards her.. Her face full of guilt.

"Crystal!.. What happened?" he called to her, and grabbed her arms.

"The ship.. Went out of control a little, we're all ok…. I mean…" she gave a sad face, as he looked around looking to see where Marina was.

"Where is she… where is she Crystal?" Sora gritted his teeth tightly, his hands trembling.. Longing to see her, but also at the fact he had a bad feeling deep down inside his stomach.

"She… was using her powers to protect the ship.. We can't find her we…" she looked up, and turned seeing Rikku and Riku calling.

"She's over here Sora!" Riku called to him, pulling away some rocks and dirt.

Sora gave wide eyes, rushing away from Crystal towards the gummi ship. Helping the two of them. They were surprised to find two huge white wings wrapped around her body protecting her from the huge fall.

"I'm… fine guys… just over did it a little bit…" Marina groaned a little, unfolding her wings away. She looked up blinking seeing Riku as he pulled her up.

"Riku… what are you doing here?" she tried keeping her balance as he stood her up. She then suddenly noticed, Sora standing there seeing tears sliding down his face.

She stared at him with wide eyes, it had been so long… so long since she saw his face, this time not in her visions or dreams either.. He was really standing there.

"Its been sometime Sora.." Kumiko could see the awkward silence that was now forming.

"It has.. Things have been pretty rough…" Riku decided to answer, since Sora didn't speak back. He walked towards Kumiko nudging her for them both to give them a moment.

Marina and Sora both were standing there alone, she didn't know how to react what so ever. Many emotions were running through her mind, should she rush over to him and hold him.. It had been 6 months since they had seen one another.

Sora looked at her face, she seemed so different from the time they set off to search for Catrina. He didn't know what was different, but right at this moment nothing mattered except this moment. The moment they both were longing for.

He couldn't take it anymore as he started crying and tearing up, biting his lip.

"Marina.. Are you going to say anything.. To me?" he sighed gently.

She broke out of her thoughts and looked at him, her heart ached seeing him cry. The pain she felt for so long was swelling deep down into the pit of her stomach.

"S-Sora.. I've missed you…" she choked out, taking a few steps towards him.

He smiled and rushed towards her, and pulled her into his grip. He stroked through her long black hair smelling in her scent, and he smiled brightly for the first time in ages.

"Marina, I can't believe you're really here.. In my arms, after so long." he chuckled, feeling the empty hole in his heart was mending back together slightly.

She nodded her head agreeing with him, so much had happened in such a long gap of time. She didn't know how to take this all in, she looked up to his face and caressed his cheek.

"I can't believe it either, I just feel like this is a dream.. I could just end up waking from any second" she closed her eyes feeling safe in his arms, but deep down she felt a lot of guilt after all the things she did the last 6 months.

How was she possibly expecting to tell him, about a lot of things. She had learnt so much, about her past, her parents, who she really was… and her connection to even Voltic. She gritted her teeth, hating the idea of knowing she was related to him.

She looked up to him pulling back slightly, his arms were stilled wrapped around her waist now. He looked down at her with confused eyes at the expression on her face.

"Marina.. Is something on your mind again?" he looked down into her eyes, finally smiling at her.

"Yeah.. But I don't know, if I can tell or explain… a lot has happened, in the last 6 months.. I know a lot more about my past.. Who I am.. And I know what they want from Catrina…" she bit her lip, gripping onto his necklace.

He took her hand into his, sighing knowing he was expecting this to happen. He was afraid of what it would do to her, he knew she was no ordinary person. So much to her and yet, all that mattered to him is that she was happy now. What counted for everything she obviously had to live through.

"We can talk about anything, you know we can.. Plus I have found out some stuff too, about your nobody.. Ruri." he looked at her, and her eyes widened.

"Y-You.. Met.. My nobody!" she trembled wondering what Ruri might have tried to do to him behind her back. She stepped back, her whole body shaking.

Sora got surprised when he mentioned about Ruri, knowing this that Marina confronted her too, he sat down and patted the floor for her to join him.

"Marina.. Lets just talk about it, get it off your chest…" he smiled to her, she looked to him slowly sitting down her body trembling still.

"About Ruri.. According to her, I never should have existed.. It was her who did and yet, I don't understand this at all… I never lost my heart.. Like you did, when you told me about your adventures before we met and all" she looked at the distance, and then down towards her black boots.

"That's true.. When you.. Got caught up between Xehanort and me back then… you.. Died then but, never lost your heart… so you never became a heartless.. And then-"

"Then my parents gave up what was left of their lives to me, to keep me alive…" her eyes started streaming of tears. Remembering how she lost her parents all over again, she looked to him.

"Its always me.. Who ends up hurting everyone I care about, this isn't suppose to happen Sora, Ruri wants to steal away my heart.. She won't stop until she gets it, Catrina could end up losing her heart… her memories could completely vanish if Namine keeps changing them… I don't want that to happen to her!" she cried out throwing herself into him, clenching her teeth.

He pressed her into him, tears were sliding down his face too. He was fearing this for the worse himself.

"Roxas seems to know her really well, he must have known her back when he was with the Organization.. I think there is more to her than just your heart.., and I will not let her hurt you again.." he kissed her cheek.

She felt herself pressed up against him, wondering if he noticed anything different about her, she wondered if she should tell him… she shook the thought out of her head.

"Sora… I found out something.. About Voltic…" she looked up to him.

"And what's that? I wouldn't believe it Marina.. He is full of lies" he smiled to her.

"No… he is telling the truth about this.. Erm" he looked confused and was a little serious now as he listened.

"He is my.. Great Uncle, he is related into the family.. He's my grandmother's, older twin brother.." she looked at the expression that formed onto his face.

She looked away holding around her legs.

"According to him… Catrina is connected to Eliza my grandmother I never knew… apparently this is something to do with one of his plans.. Why he took her in the first place" she heard Sora stand up beside her.

"Then… I think we both know what we need to do Marina, we need to end this now… before the outcome gets worse…" she stood up next to him wondering what he was thinking.

Catrina was on her knees in chain's her skin colour was pale as a sheet, she tried to move away from the wall. After many endless hours, she was nearly at the breaking point of giving up. She trembled as small specks of memory in her mind, played back endless times. She sobbed as she tried to concentrate on them..

This particular memory she could see, it was of that man and woman. The ones she was told to hate so much for reasons to do with her parents. She coughed as she tried to speak, gripping her mouth and chin.

"Lentis… where are you…" she sighed looking around the room, noticing then another girl opposite herself. Finally noticing her, her silver long hair was covering over her face, she was pretty much in the same sate as herself.

"W-Who are you?" she asked, weakly moving a little towards her till she couldn't move anymore.

Tisha finally looked up towards Catrina, and her eyes widened in shock. Looking up at Catrina seeing her own reflection in a glass mirror she pushed herself away. Noticing it herself Catrina stared but didn't move away.

"Who are you!.. Why do you.. Look like me…" she demanded, trying to stand up but only causing herself to fall over again. Tisha flinched away from the sound of the chains clashing against the floor.

Tisha's eyes streamed up in tears, frighten of Catrina.. She didn't know why she looked like Catrina. It still had shocked her the few times she'd spied on her, in Twilight town with Lentis. Never knowing how she even came into existence. She was found by Ruri only knowing one thing. That she was a nobody..

"I am Tisha… Ruri named me that, and took me in… but she can't stand me.. And wished I never existed… I don't know why Catrina, I don't know why I am…. She thinks.. I was created from you.. I was born into an empty place… with things in my mind I don't.. know of…"she sighed gently, closing her eyes.

A boy appeared into her mind and she held her head, shaking her head. And she sobbed.

"I can't.. I shouldn't be the one in love with him… these memories don't belong to me!" she cried out, and she then glared at Catrina. "This is all your fault, getting everyone into this mess… I don't want these memories or this life!"

Catrina's eyes widened at what she was saying, and she remembered what Lentis said about a "boy" looking for her. Who loved her deeply, and she wondered herself if she had been in love with him back. She gritted her teeth and held her head and screamed out.

"M-My Memories? Where have they gone?… I-I!" she cried out, and she finally realised it now. Had the mystic gods, just been using her all this time…

They lied to her, and somehow.. She was losing herself, to her own memories they were vanishing as the days went by, like dust on the wind. Tisha continued to still glare at her, wondering what was running through Catrina's mind.

Catrina slowly started to smirk and laugh darkly as she bashed her fists against the wall. And she laughed loudly not caring now anymore, if she was to die.. What she has realised now, is an ultimate sin of any sin that could be committed.

"How, is it… that I never saw the stupidity in myself, and not realise.. Any of this.. From the beginning he.. Lied to me.." her eyes started glowing bright red as she was angry.

'I'm… going to kill him!'

The very words that screamed into her mind, and Tisha herself could hear them.

Lentis walked along towards Voltic, her eyes cast down towards the ground. Guilt was welling up inside her, she hated herself for worrying over Catrina…

'I've… been around that girl too much, she has made me feel.. So soft… and now everyone doubts me to do my job right now.. Well, I can deal with her.. Once the plan is fulfilled' she smirked, and stopped before Voltic.

Voltic's eyes were closed, casted beneath his blond hair. Sensing Lentis standing behind him as he thought for the next stage of his plan.

She crouched onto one knee, as her cloak hung towards the ground with her movements. She pressed her hand to her chest.

"Catrina knows.. The truth now, so Namine has failed to keep her heart and memories in check.." she spoke finally.

Lentis looked up as she heard an evil giggle behind her, 5 other figures jumping down from the darkness.

"What a stupid child! Haha! Gosh she sure is an enjoyment that she fell right into our trap.. And caused her own fate" Arina flicked her ginger hair back, doing a twirl in excitement now.

Voltic opened his eyes and turned around to the others, seriousness was spread every inch of his dark handsome face. He slowly stepped towards them, his cloak flowing behind him in his black leather outfit.

Arina stood firm as he approached her, and gasped out loudly and choked as Voltic grabbed around her neck lifting her off the ground.

"Your testing my patience Arina… you have ruined everything.. Veri was destroyed cause of your foolishness! I could kill you in a blink of an eye…" his eyes were glowing bright red. Dark energy was surrounding his body.

"I-I! I am sorry Voltic! I will.. Not fail you next time!" she cried out, suddenly trembling cause everyone knew, when he got mad like this… no one lived afterwards.

He smirked darkly, and threw her backwards across the room as she slammed into the wall.

"Veri's death was a great lose… but Addias is growing weak within his own feelings, to hold onto his sanity.. He will come crawling back to me, when the time is right" he folded his arms.

Arina pulled herself up coughing weakly, before looking towards him with sad hurt eyes.

"Maybe my lord, its time we issue out the next stage of the plan.. Before Ruri and the Organzation decide to strike an attack on the heroes of light" a male member of the mystic gods who was still cloaked by his hooded coat.

"Indeed, that's the best move we can make now… All of them are going to be surprised, at what I have in store… precious Catrina has helped us gather nearly all the princesses of light… 2 more are all I need now… and she herself can open it.." he laughed darkly.

"Yes.. And finally we can get to the heart of all worlds, The legendary heart maker… Lessa…"

Lessa's eyes widened, as she heard those words echo to her ears.

'N-No… They must be stopped!' she pressed her hands to her ears.

Lessa concentrated hard, on her own thoughts towards Crystal.

Crystal opened her eyes hearing what Lessa explained to her, as she turned and looked to the sky.

"They are going to strike sooner... than we thought..." she whispered.

TO BE CONTINUED.