Spider Man and The Power Rangers don't belong to me (a reference is made to them in this chapter), nor does Kingdom Hearts OR Square Enix. Btw, I never do this, and I'm not gonna say this all the time. It takes up space & I hate repetition.

Jess' POV

Like a violent awakening, Larxene's voice boomed, "This is what happens when you cross me! No one stands a chance against me!" Snow crumpled over, almost unconscious in her grasp.

"Snow's fading fast… Maybe I can give her my energy…"

A small boy in the audience—he looked about seven years old—looked up at the ceiling and saw me. His eyes widened in alarm, but I held up my finger to signal him not make a noise. Larxene hadn't discovered my location yet.

I focused on transferring the flow of energy from my body to Snow's. Suddenly, Snow's opaque white glow brightened and grew larger, until she was saturated in it.

At first, her wing twitched. Then, when the glow was overpowering, she began to thrash wildly against Larxene's grasp.

"Stupid bird, what the hell is happ—AHHHHHH!"

Snow sprayed ice into Larxene's eyes and flew fast into the air!

As she fumbled backwards, I sprayed a gust of ice at her from above. The powerful gust forced her to fly back into the nativity ruins. A loud crash sounded as she hit the floor. She was rendered unconscious, lifeless on the ruins.

I jumped through the opening in the ceiling and landed on the platform in front of the audience.

They gasped in shock. The hostage Santa, tied up in Christmas light wires, cowered away from me.

"Stay away from me!" Santa cried frantically.

I put my hands up reassuringly, "I'm here to help you!"

The man paused for a second, like he was debating whether or not to trust me, with a shocked expression on his face.

"Where are the cops?" He asked.

"They can't get in here because Larxene screwed up the security system. They wouldn't be able to take her on anyway."

"And who are you? A cop?"

"No. I don't work with the police. I'm only here to get rid of her, and get everyone out." I pointed to Larxene, "I'm not here to hurt anyone, but if you want to get out of here safely, I suggest we act quickly—before she wakes up." I said, trying to persuade them.

I turned to the audience. They were silent, but their stares said it all:

What is she? Her skin is blue. She's so different. Can she be trusted?

I was an alien to them; an outsider. Only the little boy I had seen before—the one who saw me on the ceiling—looked at my blue skin with fascination and wonder.

It was difficult to meet their stares, but I needed them to trust me—even if it was just a little. If I shied away, I'd be giving off a message of doubt and uncertainly. So I kept my shoulders back proudly. The Santa man kept his silence and maintained the distance between us, but then he nodded his head and said, "Alright kid, you only got one shot at this."

I beamed. "I won't let anyone down! Now, stand still Santa. These wires are on tight." I formed a sharp, ice razor out of one of my fingers, and cut the rows of wires that were knotted around his body.

When I cut him loose, he cringed away and said, "She's waking up! You better handle this kid!" He ran off stage.

Everyone cringed away from the stage, stone-still in horror. I turned away from them and focused on Larxene. I could hear her erratic breaths from where I stood. She was on her knees now, hunched over in agony.

I debated whether or not to strike her…but in an instant her hand rose up and a lightning bolt went careening past my head! Her aim was off. I shot a burst of ice at her chest—pinning her to the floor. She couldn't move.

"So they sent the puny one to attack me!" She taunted, as she tried to wiggle free.

I let out a continuous spray of ice until her limbs were covered too. Then, only her head was left.

"Everyone will die! You can't escape it! The organization will destroy this world!" She screamed at me.

I put my hand in front of her face and replied, "Larxene, the Organization isn't even coming to save you. What kind of organization are they if they don't even care about you?"

I didn't give her time to answer. I sent one last wave of ice out of my hand, freezing her head in a thick layer of ice.

Her lips were a pale purple, yet her hateful eyes cut through the ice. They resembled the eyes of a demon. I felt my heart tremble. But at the same time, I felt like the worst was over…

Snow perched gracefully on my shoulder and nudged my ear warmly, rousing me from my contemplation.

"Thanks for your help Snow. I'm sorry though. I won't put you through anything like that again." I promised.

"You're forgiven." She replied kindly.

I took a deep breath, and turned back to the large crowd.

Concerned murmurs rose from all over the audience.

"Did you kill her?" A frantic woman's voice rose from the crowd. The murmurs ceased, and all eyes rested on me.

I looked back at Larxene's frozen body.

Is she dead? No. I froze her, but she's probably still alive, just frozen in time. But I can't let these people know that, they'd probably flip! First, I have to get them out of here.

"She's dead, so she won't harm you." I lied.

Sighs of relief spread throughout the crowd.

"But we have to get out of here now!" I countered.

"The nearest exit is directly behind this stage, about fifty feet away. The doors are probably locked, but we can fix that." Snow informed.

"Alright, if you want to get out of here, follow me! Snow, lead the way!" Snow took flight into the air and flew behind the stage--in the direction of the exit.

I gestured for the crowd to follow. Reluctantly, they followed me down the long expanse of the mall.

The little boy I'd seen earlier rushed to my side as we were walking.

His auburn hair bounced as he asked, "Are you a super hero like Spider Man or The Power Rangers?!"

His Mom yanked him back and replied nervously, "What did I tell you about talking to strangers?"

"It's ok. Spider Man and the Power Rangers get their own movies. Ha, we're trying to do that…but Square Enix hasn't agreed to anything yet. Ok, I'm just kidding when I say that. Really though, I'm not a hero. I'm just doing what's right."

"Then, doesn't that make you awesome like the super heroes? I wish I could shoot ice and beat up bad guys!" The boy replied eagerly, showing a huge grin. The kid's delight was contagious.

"You know, maybe one day you'll be a super hero in your own way. Just have faith in yourself." I replied, smiling.

We had finally reached the entrance, but—like Snow had said earlier—the doors were locked.

There were two sets of doorways in a row, and a latch on each door to unlock it. When I touched one of the latches to see if I could untwist it, a hot electric shock ran through my hand. I pulled away, but my hand felt slightly sore.

Suddenly, I recalled how I froze the locks on that secret agent lady's car. If I could freeze these locks, and then exert enough force on them—causing them to break—then the doors might open.

"Snow, go to the other doorway, and I'll stand by this one. There's a lock holding the doors together. Maybe if we freeze it and then strike hard, it'll force the doors open."

"OK, we'll try it." Snow replied.

"Everyone, stand back!" I warned. The crowd receded a few feet away, staring with frightened curiosity at us.

"Alright, Snow." I signaled.

The doors were unlocked, and the crowd streamed through. Snow sat patiently on my shoulder.

Before the woman could pull her child away, the little boy broke free of her hold and ran to me excitedly.

"My name's Chris! What's yours? Will I ever see you again?" He grinned.

I smiled warmly, "You should go with your Mom and be safe. It's still dangerous here. Oh, and my name's Jess! You'll see me again someday, don't worry!"

The little boy hesitated, then smiled again, "Alright, see you again Jess!" He retreated back into his mother's arms, and they shuffled out.

Everyone was out of the building safely, but then a whole new problem arose. A few police men stepped forward, approaching me.

"I don't know what you are, but thanks for your help. We'll take it from here." One of them declared.

"Wait!" He was about to walk past me, but I pushed him back firmly with my hands.

Out of alarm, the other two cops pulled out their guns and aimed them at me.

I froze and replied, "She's still alive, and she's still in there! I froze her in ice, but she won't stay frozen for long. If she got out, your men wouldn't be able to stop her! People would get hurt! But I can stop her!"

"How can we trust her? I mean, look at her…" One of the men snickered coldly at me.

"She did just save all those people. If her intentions were bad, then that wouldn't have been the case." The man I had pushed back—the leader I presumed—replied.

But, the opposing one replied back, "Our handbook says nothing about letting—"

There wasn't much time. Larxene could've escaped from the ice at any moment. The police wouldn't have been able to take her. The choice was pretty obvious. I had powers like Larxene. I could hold my own against her!

But the police were power-less. A wave of bullets wouldn't do any damage against Larxene. It'd only make her more pissed.

Exasperated, I yelled, "Who cares about the stupid handbook or whatever! Who says that saving lives always involves following the rules?! I'm telling you—if you want to avoid unnecessary causalities, then you have to trust me! You wouldn't want the lost lives of your officers on your conscience. At least if the worst happened, I'd take her with me, trust me."

The men looked at me more seriously now, renewed hope in their eyes. A long silence ensued, no one moved, or said anything. Then, the leader nodded his head.

"We'll leave this to you then, but is there anything we can do to help?" He inquired.

"Yes. Barricade the exits on both sides of the mall. Don't let any of your men or civilians come in, and that'll make sure that the crazy blonde doesn't get out." I replied.

The leader turned to the two officers next to him, "Alright guys, let's start working on that request."

As the other men ran out urgently, the leader turned to me and said, "I hope you're right. We're putting all our faith in you."

Just as he said that, a huge explosion back inside rumbled the Mall! Snow flew off my shoulder and high above my head to get a better view.

"Larxene's back!" Snow alerted.

The police man gave me an understanding look, "We'll lock and barricade the doors, go and stop her!"

I nodded, and gestured for Snow to follow as I sprinted back into the Mall. The air was laden with a light mist. The mist thickened as I neared the site where Larxene had been frozen. It was quiet and eerily still as I hopped onto the stage, and scoured the area for her.

In the place where she had been lying was a half-melted block of ice. She was nowhere to be found.

I hopped off the platform and into the giant square the audience had been standing in. A few wooden chairs were scattered about…but through my vision, I could see no life forms.

"Snow, no matter what, don't get involved. You've already lost enough energy." I warned Snow.

"Alright, but if it gets ugly I'm coming in." Snow replied.

Then I thought to myself, "Did Larxene run away, or is she just hiding somewhere? I don't think she'd run away and let me live that easily…"

I heard something move behind me, and turned around to see what it was.

Nothing.

Then, something snapped behind me and I unleashed a surge of water at it, just in time to meet a blistering bolt of lightning! The blows met one another, turning into a misty wind that flooded the area.

Then, through the mist, I saw four kunai headed for me, and dodge rolled to the side, as the silver knives whistled past me.

But suddenly, Larxene appeared in front of me, and I couldn't avoid her as she punched me hard in the stomach—I couldn't breathe—then pummeled me in the jaw, forcing me back on the floor before her. I landed on my back and closed my eyes. I'd never felt pain like that. My stomach was swelling with the burning pain.

"You should've brought your friends with you, because now you're going to die painfully and alone!"

She laughed bitterly, but her voice seemed far away. I wondered why, and opened my eyes.

She was in the air—she must've jumped—because she was high up above me, two kunai in her hand. But…she was coming down swiftly. If I didn't move she'd land right on top of me…crushing me…

I got up, clutching my stomach, and ran—I didn't know where yet. I heard her land on the floor behind me, and then the whistling of the kunai. I turned around quickly, grabbed a nearby small wooden chair, and used it as a block to catch the kunai.

But Larxene punched through the chair as soon as the kunai hit, aiming for my face. But I moved my head and grabbed her extended arm—which was stuck in the chair—and pulled her towards me, landing a knee thrust to her gut. She grunted in pain. While I did that, I iced up half her arm so it'd be stuck in the chair.

I kicked her forward in the stomach, and she fumbled back onto the floor, the wooden chair still stuck on her arm.

I sprinted away from her, and dodged behind a pillar. She sent stray bolts of lightning at me, but they all missed.

There were six, white decorative pillars surrounding the area—three on the left, and three on the right. I was on the right side of the room.

I breathed heavily, my mouth dry. It hurt to inhale and exhale, my stomach and jaw flared with pain. Then, I noticed a stinging pain in my thigh and looked down to see what it was. A fresh bloodstain soiled my pants; one of Larxene's kunai was lodged deep in my thigh—must've been from the first attack.

Damn it.

"You don't think I have any tricks left?! Well you're wrong!" She yelled viciously.

If I didn't want to die, I had to break Larxene's concentration. Whenever she was distracted or angry, her fighting skills seemed to worsen. That could give me the opportunity I needed to put her in her place.

"Forget about what I said earlier. Maybe the Organization sent you to the real world because they didn't want to put up with you anymore. Do you know how annoying your voice is?" I taunted.

She snarled, "Shut up! Prepare for death because those were your last words!"

She melted the ice on her arm with lightning, and then tossed the chair aside.

Suddenly, the air became thick with friction and random sparks flashed throughout the area—snapping wildly. Larxene raised her arms towards the sky. Everything became very dark, and then…a rain of lightning erupted from the space above, sporadic bolts destroyed anything it touched, and I was surrounded by them! The bolts were everywhere! I sprinted through the minefield, avoiding a few bolts at first. But then one of the bolts caught me, surging through my left arm, paralyzing it! I cringed in pain.

I steered myself behind the third pillar, as the lightning assault ended. My arm twitched slightly, and it was going numb.

Things didn't look too great.

I had to keep pushing her though—I wanted to push her tolerance over the brink.

I groaned out the words loudly, "It's because of your temper that they don't want you. If someone as irresponsible as you was left in charge—with no supervision—you'd screw up everything. All the other members know you're crazy and delusional; they wouldn't let someone like you have access to Kingdom Hearts once the door opened. So they just sent you here so we could get rid of you."

"You're a liar!" She screamed.

I heard her running swiftly toward the pillar, and ran out from behind it and into the giant square just as she roundhouse-kicked it, sending shards of plaster and wood everywhere.

The wind from the blow sent me flying forward and I landed on my stomach.

At that instant, an idea struck me.

I shot a wave of water out of my functioning arm, and engulfed her head in a large bubble of water. I hardened the outside to be a layer of ice that kept the water in. She was writhing at her throat, struggling to get it off…but as her struggling lessened, I realized what I was doing to her…how I was killing her.

She was suffocating. She fell to the ground and continued to thrash.

Her widened, shocked blue eyes glared at me through the icy shell, despair and suffering clear in her pained expression. I realized…I was doing that to her.

I was taking her life.

I was letting her die in agony.

If I let her die like that, I wouldn't be any less humane than the Organization members. I'd be a murderer. There had to be a quicker way to end it than watching her suffer.

I turned the icy shell into water and let it fall to the ground. She lay there quietly, not moving or breathing.

Is she dead?

I leaned down over her motionless body, searching for signs of life.

Her lips were a pale purple, her skin paper-white. Strands of her wet short blonde hair clung to her face.

"But if she's dead, why hasn't she faded yet?" I wondered aloud.

Suddenly, her icy blue eyes popped open, and her hand lunged for my throat, locking me in a strangle hold!

Now I was the one gasping for air.

"Because I'm not dead you amateur!" She rose to her feet, lifting me off the ground as I thrashed.

She laughed even more wildly, "You couldn't do it, could you? You couldn't take my life! That's your weakness, that's why you'll never win a battle! But you see that's not a problem for me…"

Her crushing hold tightened on my neck. The room became blurry. Everything melded together.

I felt my breaths becoming labored. Her grip tightened even more. My throat burned like something hot was melting the flesh. My heart pounded swiftly in my chest—it was the only thing I could hear then. Larxene spoke to me, but I couldn't decipher her words anymore…the sound of her voice seemed to fade, like she was getting further and further away from me. But my heartbeat remained strong, pulsing in my ears. The only sound I could hear.

I tried to keep my eyes open, but my vision was deteriorating.

Suddenly, I felt a massive, overwhelming power in the room. The space illuminated with a strong blue light. The room felt cold, like I was in a freezer.

It wasn't coming from me or Larxene.

But then, I felt the pressure on my neck be released, and felt myself falling. Before I lost consciousness, I heard Snow's voice in the approaching darkness.

"Icy Wind!"

A blue icy beam consumed the room in a blue light, and Larxene's bloodcurdling scream pierced the silence.

Author's Note: Review and let me know what YOU think. Constructive criticism and general comments are appreciated.