a/n: So, as a warning, this next bit has some spoilers for Dream Drop Distance in it. Skip down a ways if you don't wanna know lol. And a huge shout out to HopeReincarnated! Thanks for my beautiful fanart! It looks great as the new story cover! XD

~O~

Darkness becomes Light,

Light falls into Darkness.

The Mark of Mastery Exam was over. Both Riku and I had accomplished an amazing journey through the sleeping worlds in our dreams, but ultimately I let the Darkness lead me away from the path of Light into a trap. Xehanort infested my heart with his twisted lies, and I had to be saved by my best friend with great risk to his own life. Master Yen Sid awarded Riku the title of Keyblade Master after he fearlessly dove into my dreams.

Looking out the window of the Mysterious Tower to the large golden clouds drifting outside, I thought back to when we'd first arrived in Yen Sid's study just a few days before. I'd been so nervous about leaving Kairi and Faitouru behind on the Islands, but at the same time, I knew that Riku and I were about to do something to help the worlds. I guess now I'd need to train a little harder. I'd have to catch up with Riku after all!

As we stood at attention before Yen Sid – with the King, Donald, and Goofy to his right – he explained that our task was to awaken the "Sleeping Worlds", worlds that were never brought back completely from the Darkness. In this particular state, not even the Heartless could reach them. Instead they were infested by their own form of Darkness called "Dream Eaters". Not only that, but these seven worlds were connected to the "Seven Pure Lights". These Lights were protectors of Kingdom Hearts. And their counterparts, the warriors of Darkness – of which there were thirteen – would rise to clash in an epic battle for the fate of all the worlds.

Yen Sid says that in a time far before our own, Kingdom Hearts had existed on its own and was protected by the "X-blade". However, others that wielded Keyblades began to fight over the power that Kingdom Hearts possessed, destroying the X-blade and casting Kingdom Hearts into the furthest reaches of Darkness in the Process. This ultimate Keyblade, I would learn, was Xehanort's goal. He wished to possess the power over Kingdom Hearts and ultimately all the worlds.

We were both sent into the dream, becoming separated...sort of. Our dream selves were sent to the same places, but we inhabited our own separate versions. Honestly it was all more than a little confusing, and only got worse from there. Turned out that Xehanort had created Organization XIII in order to sort of possess each of them, so if/when they were defeated, he could be reborn from them. Not only that, but his past self time traveled and was able to appear in our dreams because it was all supposed to happen (what?!). His reincarnations kept appearing to me throughout the worlds luring me into the trap. And I went in like a blind fool and learned that Xehanort planned on using me as his last vessel since he couldn't have the Nobodie version of me.

Darkness overwhelmed me and I was lost. But then I could hear Riku's voice. When I woke up, I knew that he'd saved me. But he was still dreaming. We waited until he finally opened his eyes and looked up at me. I was so happy and relieved, that I pushed Donald and Goofy aside and threw myself on top of him. Shortly after that, Yen Sid told us how proud he was of our extraordinary efforts. However, only one of us dove back in to save a friend and would become a Keyblade Master, which was Riku! He was so shocked he couldn't speak for a minute. I actually think he thought I was going to be mad at him. But when he saw my genuine happiness, his body relaxed and he smiled. I always knew he'd do well. He was Riku after all. It made me happy to see that my best friend had finally started believing in himself.

We're both standing outside now, looking out at the clouds – golden wisps that made this place seem like time never moved. He turned to me and said, "You don't have to go…"

"My heart is still weak," I said with a smile. "And if we're supposed to be fighting against thirteen of Xehanort, then I need to train."

His eyes lowered, but after a solemn pause, he nodded in understanding, offering me one of his own smiles. Patting him on the shoulder I looked back out over the never-ending expanse of clouds and thought of Kairi and Fai waiting for us back on the Islands. My shoulders tensed slightly at the thought of not seeing either of them, or letting Fai come with me to train. I just felt like I needed to do this on my own.

With a vision of both of them in my mind I asked Riku quietly, "Would you tell the others I'm sorry for not going back just yet?"

"Sure," he said, reciprocating the affectionate gesture from before. "But you know Faitouru's gonna be pissed, right?"

I winked at him over my shoulder before turning and using my Keyblade to unlock a pathway through the worlds. I didn't know where it was going to take me, but I was alright with that. Sooner or later I'd find my way back to everyone, stronger and more prepared for what we were going to face.

~o~

When I came to, I groaned and rubbed the back of my throbbing head. Sitting up I realized that I was lying on the dark cobblestone streets of Travers Town. I went through the familiar alleys, fighting off Heartless as they appeared. It was strange not having anyone there alongside me, but I got used to it.

It was fun revisiting all of the places that I hadn't seen in real life for over three years. My mind traveled fondly to Faitouru, Donald, and Goofy as I would recognize something that brought up a memory of them. This place was important. All of my adventures started after coming here and finding those three. Exhausted, I made my way to the 2nd District and up to the top of the bell tower overlooking the courtyard below. Expelling a great gust of air, I pulled a sea salt ice cream out and sat contently swinging my legs over the edge of the roof.

I almost didn't hear the person come up behind me over the sound of the wind, but twisting around, I caught sight of a familiar head of silver hair. Grinning from ear to ear I asked, "How did you know I'd be here?"

Standing up quickly, I brushed myself off as Riku answered in a voice that sent chills of dread running down my spine, "It's like what Joshua said, 'this place is for people without anywhere else to go'."

I stopped short, my breath catching in my throat as my heart thudded uncomfortably against my ribs. Fear laced my words as I finally looked over at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Head bowed so his eyes couldn't meet mine he replied softly, "Something happened…on the Islands."

My hands were clenched so tightly, my dull nails dug painfully into the palm of my hand. I waited for him to continue, all possible scenarios running through my mind.

"Master Yen Sid sent me to go bring Kairi to him so she could be trained to use her Keyblade," he began, still not looking at me. "When I got there she told me that Faitouru was…"

All of my body felt like it'd been doused with a bucket of ice water. Fai? Was he okay? I would never forgive myself if he wasn't.

"…taken." He finished. "I'm sorry, Sora."

"Wh-what do you mean taken?" I finally managed to ask incredulously after a moment of gaping at him.

Softening his eyes as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder he said, "I think you should hear it from Kairi."

The ride in the Gummi ship back to the Mysterious Tower was torture. It didn't seem real. I kept trying to ask for more details, but was met with a silent shaking of his head as a response. How could Fai have been taken? He was so tough! Nothing was making any sense. All I could do was sit in the seat next to Riku and stare at my clenched hands.

When I burst into Yen Sid's office, I saw that the King and Kairi were already there waiting for us. Kairi looked horrible. I ran to her and put my arms around her trembling shoulders as she sobbed, "I'm so sorry Sora I…I couldn't stop her!"

"Its okay, what happened?" I asked gently, ignoring my twisting stomach, and trying not to upset her any more.

Nodding, she took a deep breath and began slowly, "We'd just gotten to the beach. We were talking and then a woman came out of a Dark Corridor. Something made him too weak to fight her off..."

Large tears coursed down her porcelain cheeks as she took another shaky breath and continued, "She was too strong!"

Keeping calm at that moment, was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. In no way did I blame Kairi. She fought hard; no…I blamed myself for not being there. It was almost like – whoever this woman was – she knew when we'd be gone. She'd waited in the shadows until Fai was vulnerable and then pounced, probably using the powers of Darkness to weaken him. My eyes traveled to the King standing solemnly next to Yen Sid just a few feet away and asked, "What do you think she wants with him?"

The King shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he answered, "Gosh Sora, we're not sure."

"…but, you gotta know who she works with! Maybe Xehanort is trying to –" I began but was cut off by Yen Sid saying, "She is not associated with that man as far as we know. She is someone we are well acquainted with based on the description Kairi has given us."

I waited impatiently while everyone exchanged glances in the room. Finally, Mickey came closer and explained, "You know her too, Sora. She's an old friend of mine. Her name is…Aqua."

"What?!"

It felt like the room was spinning. Aqua?! But she was the Keyblade Wielder Mickey had told us all about, a Master even, and…on our side! A good guy! Why would she kidnap Faitouru?

"Perhaps she wishes to use his abilities as the Protector to her advantage, or perhaps it is a different matter entirely. We are as in the dark as you, my boy." Yen Sid said. "What we can do, is search for the answer."

Setting my jaw tightly, I nodded. He was right, I just needed to go out there and find out what was going on, and get my best friend back. Standing, I bowed low to both Yen Sid and the King and said determinedly, "Leave it to me!"

"And me," Riku said, coming up next to me and also bowing.

"Riku…?"

"Don't worry; we'll get him back...together." he answered, smiling.

~o~

We left after a rushed whirlwind of gathering supplies. I
didn't even give Kairi a second glance. Just as we strode out to the waiting Gummi ship she pulled me aside. Smiling up at me, our eyes met, and I felt my heart skip a beat. She had grown beautiful in the time that had passed being separated. Her long flowing maroon hair fluttered in the light breeze as golden waves of light from the clouds bounced off like copper rain.

"I know I should be sad – I won't get to see you again for a while – but…I know you'll bring Faitouru back safely." She said confidently, standing on her toes as she guided my cheek down to her waiting lips. "And I'll work really hard to make up for letting him get taken away."

The spot she kissed tingled with prickling warmth, but my stomach would not stop clenching uncomfortably. As we drew apart, I could tell she expected me to say something, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. Blushing horribly and avoiding her eyes, I did the only thing I could muster up and squeezed her hand quickly in my own. Then I turned and hurried back over to a waiting Riku.

For some reason saying goodbye didn't seem as important as it should have been.

The King told us that we should make our way to Radiant Garden to check up on the gang there and see if they had any information. I was now sitting in the cramped room in the rear of the ship, gazing unseeingly at the floor, thinking about what had just happened. One of my best friends had been taken by a woman we thought was allied with us, right out from under my nose. And I was acting really strangely around the girl I'd been in love with since I first saw her as a kid. Why was this happening?

"Sora…?"

Starting, I rubbed at my stinging eyes and answered thickly, "Y-yeah?"

I knew that he could tell I'd been crying, but I really didn't want to talk about it. I still didn't understand what exactly my feelings were trying to tell me. And just like he knew what I was thinking he sat down on the bed next to me and mumbled, "You know it wasn't your fault, right?"

My mind raced in circles about when I'd last seen Faitouru. Something had been wrong when we'd gotten to the Islands. He'd seemed distant, and restless. I should've been able to see that this would happen. I could have stopped it.

Riku's hand on my forearm brought me back to reality as he said, "She'd been waiting for us to leave him alone. If she hadn't taken him then, she would have some other time. It's not your fault."

Wiping at my eyes again, I chuckled and replied, "You know, you really make a great Keyblade Master…thanks."

Smiling at each other, I really did feel better. I was about to say something about being excited to see the gang in Radiant Garden, when we suddenly heard a great crash as something rammed into the side of the ship. It was small enough that we didn't deviate from our course, but almost as soon as we heard the crash, we heard something scuttling across the top of the ship towards the hatch.

"What the –?" Riku started, all the sensors going off at once.

Both of us heard the door opening. Instantly we were on our feet and sprinting into the main cabin. As we skidded to a stop, I looked around for any sign of enemies, but was surprised to see none whatsoever.

"There's no – " Riku started, but cut himself off with a cry of surprise as a small little yellow box came flying at him out of nowhere. As the little box made contact it started making a huge amount of noise. For a fearsome second I thought the thing was trying to eat him, but then I realized it was just scared. Laughing my head off I stepped up beside Riku, who was still waving his arms at the creature, and plucked the yellow box from his head.

"Well, hi there little guy," I said grinning wildly as I realized that there were arms, legs, and eyes on the box. This thing was a robot! Trembling in my hands, it looked at me utterly terrified, then back at Riku (who had calmed down by now), and retracted.

"Oh no, wait, wait, wait, wait! We don't want to hurt you!" I cried out, looking for some sort of button that would make it come back. "My name's Sora, and that's Riku over there! We aren't going to hurt you! We want to be friends!"

At the sound of friends, one of its large sideways egg shaped eyes poked back out. Its black lenses blinked up at me for a moment before it asked unsurely, "FrieeeeendZzzz…?"

Smiling once again, I nodded eagerly. Another blink and the robot extended all its parts back out and made a sort of whirring noise then said, "WaaAaall-Eeee!"

"Huh?" I asked, wrinkling my nose in confusion.

"I think that's his name," Riku pointed out, still rubbing at the side of his head.

Beaming, I repeated back, "Wall-E!"

Another series of beeps and he bellowed happily up at us in turn, "SooorAhhh! RrrrIIkuuu!"

I wanted to ask it more questions, maybe try to figure out where it was from when suddenly our systems were hacked by a distress signal. The man that came on the screen was large, wearing a captain's suit, and clearly looked frightened. Bumping against the camera a few times he finally shrieked, "Mayday, mayday! The Axiom is under attack by the steering system! If anyone can hear me, please help us!"

And then the screen cut to static. Without warning the little robot still clutched in my hands started whirring and beeping like crazy. He kept saying over and over again, "eeeeEEEVaaaa! eeeeEEEVaaaa! eeeeEEEVaaaa! eeeeEEEVaaaa!"

"Are you trying to say that you're from that ship?" I asked. He made a dinging sound which I took as meaning yes. Glancing over at Riku, he nodded and triangulated the location of the ship using the distress signal. I guess Radiant Garden would have to wait for now.

Within minutes we'd found our way to the ship. Pulling up alongside what looked like a door the three of us jumped over to the ledge outside and quickly let ourselves in. I had to hold my hand up to shield my eyes from the intensity of the lights installed in the ceiling above the long hallway until they'd adjusted. Wall-E rolled forward tentatively, small noises escaping as he glanced from left to right. Suddenly, one of the capsules along the walls opened with a loud hiss. The little yellow robot quickly scurried back to where Riku and I stood and hid behind our legs.

But what came rolling out wasn't what I'd been expecting. A small robot, nearly half the size of our new friend stopped, took one look at us, and angrily began cleaning the track of dirt and other things from the floor behind us. Trying to apologize proved useless. The robot merely ignored us and tried scrubbing at my shoes, nearly making me fall over. Finally deciding to escape from the little menace, Riku scooped up Wall-E and ran for the doors that lead further into the ship.

Once out into the next corridor, we discovered that we were in the innermost section of the ship somewhere near the engines. Steam billowed from giant machines, filling the hold with a muggy atmosphere. Tugging uncomfortably at my shirt collar as sweat dripped from my forehead I asked, "How do we get to the Captain?"

Here, Wall-E made a whirring sound and started off down the wrought iron walkways. It was a slow journey up to the main sections of the ship. Not only did we have to maneuver through the maze like inner workings, but there were Heartless to give us a hard time as well. But once we did make it out of the furnace into the cool upper levels, we found out that the passengers had locked themselves away in a containment chamber.

Rushing over, I pounded my fist on the small glass panel on the door and hollered, "Is everyone okay?!"

A heavy-set man and a woman appeared, both looking shaken, but altogether unharmed. They both explained that there was a monster that had driven them in there when the Captain had tried going to shut down the auto pilot on the ship after learning of its plan; a warped initiative of a no return directive implemented by someone from their original world. In a sense, this auto-pilot program got messed up and hijacked this ship trying to keep the people inside "safe". Riku jogged to the door that lead up to the Captain's cabin and tried the handle, only to discover that it wouldn't budge and needed a passkey to open.

"Don't worry!" I called to the frightened people. "We'll find a way to fix this!"

Just then, I felt the ground tremble violently under my feet. The passengers quickly retreated, leaving me and Riku to deal with whatever was coming. Wall-E merely ducked behind a pillar and called for E.V.E again. The rumbling grew closer. Calling out my Keyblade, I waited anxiously for the Heartless to make itself known. To my surprise however, what crashed to the ground in front of our feet wasn't a Heartless at all, but a sleek, all white robot. Wall-E rushed to her side in delight, seemingly asking if she was alright.

Ignoring his metal hands prodding at her, she narrowed her eyes and readied her weapons. As the thick cloud of dust dissipated, I could make out the outline of an enormous Heartless tottering around the corner into view. My mouth fell open slightly as I craned my neck to take it all in. Its body seemed like it was made out of hundreds of colorful television monitors and robots, all stacked and crushed into one another. But its head was what really caught my attention. Wide, flat, and black, it looked down at us and gnashed its glowing blue lightning-like teeth. Raising its hands – that appeared to be thick bundles of extension cords – it let out a roar and brought them down on us. Thinking quickly, I rolled to the side just in the nick of time.

Looking around, I saw Riku a few feet away, recovering from his own dodge, and E.V.E setting Wall-E down behind an assortment of large metal canisters; pointing warningly at him as if to say 'stay', she zoomed back to us and began firing a barrage of lasers at the Heartless. Working quickly, we knocked out each and every screen, and began delivering the finishing blows. And to my great pleasure, as the Heartless disappeared, it left behind a small piece of ceramic encoded with the password to the steerage cabin where the Captain was being held hostage.

Tossing a potion to Riku, we made our way to the door and let ourselves in. What we found waiting for us at the top of the winding staircase, was the Captain cowering under the control panels on the far side of the room, Heartless keeping him pinned. When we stepped inside the steering system Auto, that was keeping the passengers trapped, sealed off the room and announced that there was no way we could stop it from keeping its mission intact now that it had the powers of Darkness on its side.

Before we could offer up any sort of rebuttal, Auto called out wave after wave of Heartless minions. Not only did we have to fight past them, but the program also began shooting bursts of powerful electric shocks from its center console. It was looking grim for us. A beam grazed my arm when I was distracted burning my skin, and Riku was doubled over with a fresh set of claw marks on his chest. That's when I caught sight of little yellow Wall-E sneaking his way unnoticed towards a glowing canister. Careful to keep the steering system's attention from him, the robot reached in and yanked out…a small plant nestled inside of an old boot. Once it was removed, Auto whirled on the quivering robot. My eyes widened in horror. E.V.E had just enough time to call out Wall-E's name before an electric blast caught him right in the center of his yellow body.

Anger roared inside me as the white robot swooped to his side. Riku and I took our rage and directed it towards the corrupted steering system, eliminating the threat in a few final blows. There was nothing left but bits of broken plastic, metal, and sparking wires when we were done.

Ignoring the Captain offering his thanks, I ran to E.V.E and asked breathlessly, "Is he okay?"

Next thing I knew I was looking down the barrel of her plasma gun as she made an angry sound. Feeling my stomach clench in fear, I raised my hands in surrender. For a moment, she merely glared up at me, until finally she deflated, turning back to the limp robot in her arms.

"Help!" she pleaded, her voice reminding me of a small child trapped inside of a computer.

Putting my hand on her shoulder, I leant over and inspected the damage. It looked bleak. There was a large hole in his chest, and none of his lights were on. What could I do to fix him? I barely knew how to run our Gummi ship, and what I did know was only what Faitouru had painstakingly drilled into my brain. At a loss, I looked back at Riku who'd just finished casting a cure spell on himself. He came to my side and also took in what had happened.

"What if we put new parts in, would that wake him up?" he asked, directing it to E.V.E.

Suddenly, determination flashed into her eyes. Rocketing out of the room after setting her friend down gently, she disappeared into the ship to search for anything that could save his life. In a flash, she was back, holding a complex array of equipment and parts. Pushing me out of the way roughly, she began working, moving faster than I could keep track of. I watched, holding my breath as she used her laser as an impromptu welding torch. When she finally backed away, we waited for him to spring back to life. But nothing happened.

Turning to me and Riku, she made impatient gestures at our hands and cried, "Key!"

For a moment, I didn't understand what she wanted, but then it hit me. Calling out my Keyblade, I glanced to Riku and nodded. Together, we raised our Keyblades and pointed them at the robot. A stream of light spilled from the tip, striking the spot where his heart would be. E.V.E rushed to his side once the light had dissipated and began calling his name. When he opened his eyes, we all let out a sigh of relief. But none of us got a chance to congratulate ourselves on our success. As he looked from face to face, I could tell that something wasn't right; he wasn't the same Wall-E we knew. He was just…another robot.

"Wall-E..?" E.V.E asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Nothing. He merely gazed up at us blankly. Just when I was beginning to think he was truly gone for good, she grabbed him resolutely and leant in for a quick kiss. Sparks literally flew between them. When she stepped back, he made a whirring sound, a few beeps, and his body began trembling; stilling, his eyes widened in shock. E.V.E giggled happily as he excitedly spun and jumped for joy. He was okay!

While they celebrated, Riku nudged me and nodded to the small plant in the boot. It was glowing. Raising our Keyblades once again, we sealed the world. Once that was done, the five of us (including the Captain) went down to the lower deck and freed the passengers. We said our goodbyes and wished everyone good luck shortly after. I was ready to leave the Axiom to its gentle cruise around the Worlds.

Riku and I were now back in the underbelly of the ship, trying to find our way back through to the service door we'd come in. Without Wall-E here to guide us, it was proving to be a bit difficult. When we'd circled around the same set of boilers for the third time, Riku stopped ahead of me as I plopped to the ground with a huge sigh.

"We've been down here for ages!" I groaned irritably.

Peering through the red tinged din, Riku looked like he was trying to formulate some sort of plan to get ourselves un-lost, but sadly he was unable to come up with anything and sat next to me with a defeated sigh of his own. The sound of the ship's engines rumbling around us wasn't enough to drown out my thoughts. As I gazed up through the networks of pipes, I thought back to Kairi standing outside of Yen Sid's tower. What if something happened to her while I was gone? I mean, I didn't really say goodbye to Fai either, and look where he was now; kidnapped. Guilt washed over me in waves, each stronger than the last.

"Hey, Riku?" I asked turning to look at him sitting propped against a crate.

"Hm…?"

"Do you think Kai's mad at me?"

Sitting up slightly, he returned my gaze. Thinking back to when we'd been outside of the tower he replied slowly, "No…I think she gets it."

I hung my head. Somehow I doubted that.

"Really," he began again. "She knows how much you want to find Fai, because she wants to too. She feels like it's her fault that he got taken. And she knows the only way she can feel better about that, is to let us go after him and Aqua. She wouldn't have had time for a lengthy goodbye anyways, now that she's going to train with Master Yen Sid."

Jeez, Riku always knew what to say to make me feel better. Shaking his head at my expression of admiration, he got to his feet and said, "Wait here for a bit, I think I might know where a map is."

Deciding that I also wanted to stretch my legs, I stood and paced along the walkway. Riku had been gone for a few minutes when I heard something knock a metal pipe over. Spinning on my heel quickly, I looked for any signs of Heartless. But everything was quiet. Waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark, I remained as still as possible and watched for any signs of movement.

"Hello…?" I called out, my voice echoing metallically.

There in the shadow, something stood rooted to the spot. It couldn't have been Riku. He wasn't the type to sneak up on me, especially when we had a job to do. Tentatively I took a few steps nearer, keeping my eyes trained on it. When I was close enough, I called out my Keyblade. In the flash, a figure was illuminated, one that was wearing the Organization's signature black coat. As my eyes focused a little, I found my jaw dropping open as I recognized that person was the same size and height as…Faitouru.

"Fai!" I called in disbelief, dropping my defensive stance and reaching out to him. "What are you –"

He suddenly bolted in a panic, making my heart clench painfully. Automatically I followed after him, urgently calling out as I went. But he only kept running! Every so often, he'd look back to see if I was still there, and then try sprinting even harder. I merely continued to call after him. And just as we ran down a long hallway, something strange happened. My vision swam, and for a moment it felt like I'd been transported to the soft beach back on Destiny Island. The high sun cast a harsh glow around Fai, who was running away just like he was now, but instead of looking back at me anxiously, it was out of amusement.

The strange illusion was broken as he suddenly turned and disappeared behind a corner. Once again I was back in the dim underbelly of the Axiom. Rounding the same corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. There wasn't anyone there. He was gone. Down the long hall that stretched the length of the massive engines, I saw no one. Out of breath, I put my hands on my knees in disbelief. How could he be gone just like that? The sound of Riku calling out my name drew nearer as time passed. Finally he found me, still standing in front of the deserted hallway.

"What are you doing down here, Sora?!" he scolded, coming to a stop next to me. "You shouldn't just run off like that!"

Still unsure of what just happened; I shook my head and slowly turned to look up at him saying softly, "I thought I saw Faitouru…Riku, I know I didn't imagine it."

I could feel the tears welling up, but didn't even bother with them. I couldn't. All of a sudden, he gathered me into his arms. Finally feeling the tears flow freely down my cheeks onto his chest, I bawled, "We need to find him! I have to tell him that I'm sorry."

"We will. Don't worry Sora," he mumbled gently, coaxing me into going back the way I came. "C'mon…"

I let him lead me back to the Gummi ship, finally letting myself cry over the loss of my friend. After seeing him – because I know for sure it was him – only to have him disappear again…it was breaking my heart. When I'd finally stopped crying, Riku had set me down on the bed in the ship.

"What did she do to him?" I asked putting my head in my hands. "Why would he run away from me like that?"

As he stood by the door leading back out into the cabin, Riku looked over at me and said reassuringly, "No matter what's happened to him I promise we're going to do everything we can to bring him back."

A small smile turned up the corners of my mouth. I could see the sincerity burning in his eyes. He then told me to get some rest while he reset our course for Radiant Garden once again. Turning over onto my side, I closed my eyes and told myself that I needed to get a grip.

'Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and let's figure this out already!'

I grinned miserably as I imagined what Fai would be saying if he were with me right now.