I really have to thank Yamichaos27 for a good chunk of this chapter. He wrote one scene and I asked if he could do more, and he did. Unknowingly helping me flesh out Arata's story. He didn't even know about Arata coming into the story. That being said, I have altered the scenes slightly, accounting for Arata.

Thanks, dude! You're awesome!

Honestly, this chapter is big due to these scenes. But that's ok!

Thanks, valkyrie from the SoKai discord for the Repliku themes: "Home Sweet Home" and "Promto's Feelings" from FF15. They are also the themes of the chapter, so check them out while you read. The chapter is named for the second song which goes with the flashback scenes.

Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!

Yamato and Sasuke © to Yamichaos27!

Other OCs © to me!

Chapter 38: Arata's Feelings

"Arata?" Naminé blinked before smiling. "I like it. It suits you. But, why did you want to talk to me alone? I would've spoken up for you."

He lowered his head in shame. "I was scared…"

Naminé looked at the boy. He genuinely looked not only sorry but scared. The door to the building opened below them; the girl smiled as Sora and the others came inside. Holding out a hand, the former Repliku helped her stand and they walked down to the main floor together.

"Nami!" Ven ran over, wrapping her in a tight hug. "We were worried!"

"There was no need to be. I was in safe hands."

Arata stood back, wringing his hands as everyone looked his way. Riku spoke up first. "Wait… Repliku?"

"That's not my…!" The boy bit his lip at his sharp tone. "Sorry, but that's not my name anymore. It's Arata. And look, I'm sorry about taking Naminé. I was scared and didn't know what to do. I didn't think you'd all believe me if I just showed up, so I thought if I could talk to her first…"

"Talk about what?" Kairi stepped over towards him.

Arata stopped, looking at her with a smile. "Kairi… I was told to find you." He let out a soft sigh. "My parents… or the couple who wants to adopt me, they gave me my name. They told me to find you, Kairi."

"Who did?"

"My full name, that they gave me, is Arata Hachirou Mae."

"Mae!?"

The boy nodded. "Your… our parents are wonderful. They showed me that I was more than just a copy of Riku. They gave me a name, called me their son… and when they helped me escape, they said to find my sister." As he spoke, he kept his eyes looking downward, afraid of the looks he might get.

But when he looked up, he saw Kairi standing in front of him, eyes wet with tears. "That sounds just like something they'd do." Breathing out a soft laugh, she grabbed his hands. "I have a brother now… Arata." She pulled him close, into a tight hug.

"Thank you… Sis." He hugged her back but pulled away a moment later. "I hate to ask, but I need your help. Xehanort still has a hold on me; I was hoping maybe Naminé might be able to get rid of the chains linking his heart to my own. That way, I don't have to worry about him taking control again."

"Of course!" Mickey came over, smiling. "If we can help in any way."

"Really? All of you?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, I mean… in some ways, we're not that different, especially you and Xion." Arata looked over at Xion who nodded, making him smile.

Naminé nodded. "I'd be happy to help. I don't know if I can fully separate him from your heart, but I will try."

"Thank you!"

Sora looked around. "Well, we better give them some space. Xehanort is probably looking for Arata, so we should spread out and keep an eye out. If they show up, we'll protect you."

"Thanks…"

Naminé sat down, pulling out her sketch pad. "Arata, if you're ready. I can start now."

"Alright." He sat down and closed his eyes.

Naminé knew so much of Arata's memories. She'd created half of them.

The fake island life.

The time in Castle Oblivion.

Dying to Riku.

In his heart, she could almost see the dark mass of Xehanort, clinging to the most painful memories of this time, using them as an anchor to his control.

It hurt her heart when she saw the memories. Memories of finding out all was a lie and that's she'd done this to him. Memories of reading Vexen's notes and seeing the truth. The memory of dying alone lost to the darkness.

She could see the chains of memories that Xehanort made by attaching his heart to Arata's. She could undo those links without damaging Arata's heart.

Hopefully.

Slowly, she began to work.

Jiminy hopped over beside Naminé and Arata. "I'll stay here with them."

"Good." Riku looked around. "Xehanort isn't going to just let him leave. We should make a perimeter and patrol the area, but we can't look too suspicious or draw attention to the building."

Sora nodded. "Kairi, you and I can stay. Be the last line of defense between them and your brother."

"Yeah."

"Let's move!"

Undoing the chains from the past memories… child's play.

But as Naminé followed the chains deeper into Arata's heart, she found memories she did not know. It might have been wrong to spy, but she felt like she should see them.

Repliku's awakening at the hands of Xehanort. The lies the old man used…

And then, a memory she stepped into. She just had to see it…

In it, Repliku stood to the side of a cell in the Soundless Prison, watching as three figures walked into the cell. Kaname, Rimi, and Yamato. Xehanort, his younger self, and Terranort all stood outside the cell. Waiting.

The three clutched their heads as darkness seemed to partially melt off(1). Kaname was the first to speak. "What the… Rimi? Master? I-Is this…?"

"Kaname?"

"Godfather?" Rimi gasped slightly, but she didn't seem surprised to see Yamato. "Where are we?"

Kaname looked around. "Not somewhere good." As he looked back at his wife and master, he gave a start. "Wait! Your eyes… th-they're gold!"

"Yours too!"

"What's going on?"

"I believe I can answer that." Young Xehanort spoke up, stepping into view as the other two stayed just out of sight, smirking cruelly at their confusion.

Kaname stepped between the young man and his wife. "What is the meaning of this!? Who are you?"

I am a version of someone you know, from a distant past."

"Who?"

Now, Terranort stepped into view. "That would be me."

"Xehanort!" Kaname snarled. "You traitorous worm! What did you do to us?"

"Why we merely brought you back from the dead, that's all. Oh and we've also infused each of you with a piece of the original me's heart." The silver-haired man chuckled slightly.

Yamato looked at the young man, obviously confused as to who Xehanort was, but he had bigger concerns than the identity of the speaker. "Infused with pieces of your heart? Is that even possible?"

"And what do mean by original you?"

"As I told when we fought, Kaname, this body technically belongs to a Keyblade wielder named Terra. And this time I only have part of Xehanort's heart in me. Braig has come to calling me Terranort. But if you wish to meet the grand architect…"

"I'd be more than happy to oblige." Xehanort himself stepped forward, fixing the three with his amused gaze.

Kaname clenched his fist with a growl. "So you're the real Xehanort?"

"Correct." Stepping closer, the old man smirked. "And we are going to make good use of you three."

"What do you intend to do to us?" Rimi clutched at her husband's arm.

The old master straightened up some, narrowing his eyes. "As of today, you three are now my puppets, filling the seats of my Thirteen Seekers of Darkness. And you will be helping us clash with the Seven Guardians of Light to forge the legendary ?-blade and in turn claim Kingdom Hearts."

Yamato scratched his head, clearly getting more confused by the moment. "?-blade? Kingdom Hearts?"

Kaname however, followed perfectly. "You must be insane to think we'd go along with that!"

"You have no choice, unfortunately. You see, with you having fragments of my heart and bound to us by the means we used to resurrect you, we can control you whenever we please. The three of you are nothing but lingering spirits bound to serve me now." Xehanort held out his hand. In a swirl of darkness, Kaname's blade, Dawn's Might appeared. Tossing the sword into the cell, the old man turned away. "From now on, Kaname, you'll be using that sword for my purposes whether you like it or not. I would've preferred to have you in this Organization willingly, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose."

Terranort grinned. "You know I have to say, Kaname, when I became the apprentice to Lord Ansem the Wise, I thought you had so much potential. I really believed you would've been useful to us. But your strong will and petty devotion to your family was a problem, and my attempts to break you proved fruitless."

"Attempts to break him!?" Yamato stiffened. He didn't have to understand the situation to understand those words. "What were you doing to MY student!?"

"Well, for one I pretended to try and court his wife. It proved ineffective but it was a decent distraction for Braig's attempts to get to him… through his daughter."

"What!?" Kaname and Rimi both gasped, their eyes narrowing in anger.

Terranort shrugged, not at all concerned by their anger. "I instructed him to try and capture little Kairi by whatever means necessary. Such as hiring the Insurgos to kidnap her, or setting off a rockslide and make you believe she was dead. Obviously, neither attempt went as planned."

Kaname slammed his fists into the cell bars. "You son of a-!"

"Blame Braig for not thinking his plans through." The former apprentice huffed. "I was the one who had to try and salvage his rockslide plan by blocking you from sensing your daughter's light. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we were unable to break you. And with your superb instincts and strength, you were more of a threat to me than a potential asset. So I personally saw to it that you and your wife were out of the picture before pursuing your daughter."

"No! What did you do to her!?"

Xehanort's brow creased, annoyed at the memories of Kairi slipping through his fingers. "Relax. Somehow that girl always manages to slip from our grasp. Though if you prove uncooperative we may need to resort to drastic measures. Anyway, as soon as we found the means to recall your spirits, we decided that the both of you could still yet prove useful to us even in death. Also, after hearing about the prowess of Radiant Garden's most famous hero, we thought it'd be a waste not to bring in the great Yamato Kazekiri as well."

Yamato grit his teeth. "I only just met you and already you disgust me, you old fossil."

"Say what you will." Smirking, Young Xehanort waved a hand dismissively. "Your fates have already been decided."

"You three will be spending your time in this cell with your powers sealed until you are needed. Might as well get comfortable."

Kaname clenched his fist, banging once more on the cell bars. "You won't get away with this, Xehanort!"

"Says the man I personally cut open!" Terranort laughed.

"And don't even think about trying to escape by offing yourselves. We've already taken precautions to ensure you couldn't even if you wanted to. Oh, and Yamato, since your sword is currently in someone else's possession we will need you to forge a different sword for you to use. We'll be sending Braig down with the tools you'll need."

The three Xehanorts left, leaving Repliku and the three prisoners alone. For some time, the boy stood by, watching as the three continued to talk. Kaname and Rimi catching Yamato up on everything.

Then, Rimi looked out, meeting the eyes of Repliku. "Oh, hello." She stood up and walked to the cell bars. "Who are you?"

"I'm Repliku. It's my job to guard you and make sure you don't escape."

"Oh really?" Yamato and Kaname came to the bars too. "But, you're just a kid. Why would Xehanort have you on his side?"

"None of your concern." Repliku looked away.

Kaname, however, wasn't keen to end the conversation. "Repliku… that's an interesting name. Does it mean anything particular?"

The boy didn't answer.

…

Naminé shattered another chain linking Arata to Xehanort.

"We've found him."

Xehanort looked up from the ancient text in his hand. "Good. Where is he?"

"The replica is in Twilight Town," Braig spoke up. "He's made contact with Sora and them, just as Kaname and Rimi wanted him to."

The old man closed the book. "I feel my control on him slipping. This cannot be allowed. Find the replica, and kill him."

"Yes, sir."

Xehanort watched his men leave. Soon all would fall into place, but if that replica ruined it… He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He couldn't fail now.

His hand closed on the object as his younger self came into the room. "What is it?"

"Nearly all the preparations are complete."

"Good, as soon as they are ready, set the plan into motion."

"Yes…"

Xehanort walked, the object still in his hand. As he reached the Soundless Prison, he put it away. He saw Yamato leaning on the bars, watching Kaname and Rimi quietly converse. The dark-haired man saw him. "What do you want?"

"I have come to inform you that we have located the replica… or as you call him, Arata." This caught their attention. The couple in the back stood up, stiffly awaiting the rest of the news. "I feel Sora and his friends trying to free him from my control. I know you wanted this, so be aware, because of what you told the boy to do, I have ordered the others to kill him."

"What!?"

"He's just a boy!"

"He is mine. An experiment who wandered from his cage thanks to the lies you put in his head. Know this, when he dies, it will be on the three of you…"

Another memory, this time, it seemed to take place after their first meeting on Terrain of Thieves. Again, Naminé stepped into the memory without hesitation…

Repliku stepped back into the Soundless Prison, letting out the three he'd brought with him. Xehanort's total control faded from the boy just as it did from the three in the cell.

After the three checking one another over for injuries, Rimi sighed and leaned against her husband. "I kinda wish you hadn't protected me back there. Death would've been better than being forced to work for Xehanort."

Her husband wrapped his arms around her. "Old habits die hard I guess."

"Still, those Keyblade wielders are quite strong." Yamato sat down, polishing the edge of his new sword, Fated Eclipse.

Kaname nodded "Indeed. It's good to know that King Mickey hasn't lost his edge. And I sensed that silver-haired boy was capable of wielding both light and darkness, much like Dawn's Might."

"But did you see that woman?" Rimi sighed "Even though she had that animal form, she looked just like what Kairi described the Keyblade wielder who rescued her. Aqua."

"Yes, I know. She even had the same Keyblade we found when Xehanort arrived." Kaname helped his exhausted wife sit down. "Looks like Mickey finally found her, and she got back her belongings. I wish we had the opportunity to thank her."

Yamato looked up from his polishing. "Personally, I'm more interested in that spiky haired boy I clashed swords with. He's definitely got some hidden strength for someone who doesn't look like much."

"Indeed. You know, I had this odd feeling surrounding that boy. I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet, but my instincts have never failed me before. Well, except that one time Xehanort blocked my senses and making me think Kairi died in the rockslide, but that doesn't count." The young man grinned brightly.

His wife giggled. "Do worry I don't count it."

"Whatever the case, I suppose we can only hope that those Keyblade wielders are up to the task of putting us out of our misery."

Kaname let out a sigh. "Way to ruin the mood, Master. I was trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit."

"My bad." The older man chuckled slightly. "But, speaking of that silver-haired boy you mentioned," he turned around, "he looked a lot like you, Repliku."

"Riku."

Rimi cocked her head. "Is that his name? Oh… I think I understand. Xemnas called you a replica, and you look like Riku. Are you a replica of him?" The boy nodded. "So, that's where the name Repliku comes from."

"Why do you care?" The boy huffed.

Kaname walked over to the bars. "Because that's the kind of people we are. We care about others. So, care to tell us your life story?"

Repliku didn't seem to happy about this idea, but sitting in silence was no fun either. So, he began to talk, telling them the sad tale of his life. The three adults didn't answer but just listened.

When he finished, tears pooled in his eyes. "There. Happy now?"

"Oh, you poor thing." Rimi sniffled slightly. "Is that why you're here. Xehanort promised to make you unique?"

"Something like that. I mean, I'm just a replica…"

"That's a fat load of bullcrap." Kaname huffed. "Just a replica my foot. Just because you were made in a lab and made to look like someone doesn't mean a thing. You're still you. Your heart and mind are your own."

"You don't know me, Mae!"

Yamato breathed out a laugh. "I think we do. You're a kid who's spent his entire life fighting, and who has no one who cares or loves him. J-just like I was a kid who spent my entire life fighting… no one alive to love me."

"And I had to fight to survive my father's wrath every day. My own father, who should have loved me, never cared." Kaname knelt down, looking into Repliku's eyes. "We do know you, because, in some ways, we are you."

...

Again, Repliku didn't answer, but Naminé could see his eyes tearing up. Silently, she stepped back and broke off another chain.

"Any sign of him?" Ansem sighed.

Sasuke shook his head. "Their son might have gone to a different world. We've looked everywhere."

Dilan nodded. "Have you contacted Sora?"

"Not yet," Ansem shook his head. "I wanted to be certain if the boy was here or not before telling them. I'll try and contact them."

Sasuke nodded.

However, his heart ached. Something felt wrong, and it had something to do with this boy… that he was certain of.

Something was wrong.

Very, wrong…

Naminé moved past memories of more conversations between the three prisoners and Repliku, but then came to one.

The one after Kaname, Rimi, and Yamato attacked Radiant Garden(2).

This time, Repliku came in after the fact.

He came in to hear Rimi crying. "We've missed… so much of her life. Where has she been? Who's been taking care of her? What kind of life has she been living?! I… I…"

"I know, dear, I know." Kaname and Rimi hugged one another, both sobbing.

Yamato leaned against the wall, forehead resting on his arm. He too looked about ready to burst into tears. "I can't believe we attacked our own home. Lord Ansem was right there. Fighting against the kingdom and the ruler I had sworn to protect just doesn't sit well with me. And Sasuke… You think you missed a lot of Kairi's life? I missed my son's whole life. About twenty-seven years if I'm not mistaken. I die before I even get to see him born, then I get resurrected just to find out he's already all grown up, wearing the captain's uniform, and wielding my Moon Cutter." His voice choked out the words, as he tried not to burst into tears. "I would've thought it was like looking at a mirror if it wasn't for his lack of facial hair, his scar being different from mine, and… the fact that he has his mother's eyes. And now I have to fight the son I never got to meet."

Rimi looked up at her husband, still sobbing. "Kaname… What are we gonna do?! I… I don't wanna fight our own daughter!"

"I don't know, Rimi. I don't want to do it either." His entire body shook as tears streamed down his face. "This whole situation is just fate playing a sick joke, isn't it?"

Repliku quietly warped into the cell with them(3). Braig had gushed since his return about these three having to fight their loved ones and destroy their home. But the boy, he'd spent so much time down here… he felt sorry for them.

"Hey," his words came out quiet and timid. "I'm sorry about what happened. You shouldn't have to suffer like this. You're good people."

"Thank you, Repliku."

The boy slowly wrung his hands. "It's not fair that you have to hurt the people you care about. They're your family; they love you and you love them… but what do I know? I don't even have a family. I'm nothing but a copy."

"What have we said about that?" Kaname wiped away his own tears. "Its a pack of lies. You're more than just a replica. You only stay a copy by choice. You continue to view yourself as nothing but a replica, and that's all you'll ever be."

Repliku looked up at him. "You've said that before… but what else can I be?"

"Whatever and whoever you want."

"I don't even know what I want…" He sat down against the cell wall.

As he sat there, he heard soft footsteps approaching before Rimi knelt beside him and pulled the boy into a hug. "You poor boy…"

"Wh-why? You have your own problems, why are you spending time on me?"

Rimi lightly laughed. "Because that's who I am. I'm a mother, and I can't just sit by when a child needs help and comfort."

"A mother… I've never had one before." He relaxed, leaning against her. When he looked up, he heard Kaname whispering to his wife. The two knelt beside Repliku, quietly speaking to each other. As close as he was, he still couldn't make out what they were saying.

The couple smiled and nodded to one another. "Repliku," Kaname laid a hand on his head, "would you like to have parents?"

"I-I mean… yes, but I wasn't born, so I can't have any."

"We can be your parents." Rimi's hand touched Repliku's face, softly. "If you want…"

"What!?"

Kaname nodded. "I know, this is a lot to just spring on you, but think about it."

The boy stared at them. Naminé could see the conflict written on his features. She smiled at the kindness of Kaname and Rimi; despite their own pain at fighting the ones they loved, they still opened their hearts to a hurting child who needed them.

Stepping out of the memory, another chain broke.

Riku leapt back as a Sniper Nobody fired in his direction. "Knew it wouldn't take them long to find us…"

He saw Sorcerer Nobodies as well. Across the perimeter around the building, the things attacked the group. However, no one saw one of the thirteen present.

He knew everyone was watching, but not seeing any of Xehanort's men was concerning. Hopefully, they would stay away until Naminé had finished helping Arata. It was all they could hope for.

As he knocked away another Nobody, the young man hoped she was close to finishing.

Uneventful memory after another, with chains connecting to a few. Naminé just plugged on, breaking the chains.

Then she saw herself. Oh yes, when Braig tried to kill Roxas and when she and Xion both got Keyblades. This was a memory she wanted to see…

Braig groaned as the cell slammed shut and Kaname and Rimi regained their own minds. "You two just had to be a nuisance today, didn't you? We could've claimed two valuable assets and eliminated a potential threat had you not interfered."

Rimi stormed toward the bars, not at all afraid of the freeshooter. "Well excuse me for not wanting to allow the death of an innocent child!"

"I knew it was a bad idea to allow you some semblance of free will."

"Why are you siding with him, Braig?" Kaname crossed his arms, giving the same look he used to give the one-eyed man when he would disobey during his time in the guard. "How can you so callously attempt murder?"

Braig seemed even more annoyed than before at that look. "Why? Because I can, that's why! As long as we don't need them, I see no problem disposing of them."

"You betrayed your own kingdom!"

"You're a disgrace to the royal guard! Have you not understood the guard code?"

Braig gagged at that. "Oh don't bore me with all your goody-two-shoes nonsense. I didn't sign up for the guard for that 'protect the innocent' junk. As if! I signed up for power. I wanted to be a conqueror. I wanted the thrill of the fight! But I wasn't getting any of that because of Ansem's stupid peacekeeping ways! Protecting? Pfft! So boring and unfulfilling! Honestly, I would've preferred the ruthless Hanako's rule over the merciful Ansem's. There's no place for softies in a world where winning is all that matters. Xehanort offered me power and the freedom do as I please. How can I not take him up on that offer?"

Yamato shook his head. "Hayato(4) was always worried about that attitude of yours. I never thought it would go this far."

"Hah! That old timer can choke for all I care! All that stupidity about protecting is was what got him crippled. It's what got all three of you killed. What good are 'precious people' if they only hold you down?"

Yamato crossed his arms, closing his eyes. "Someone as selfish as you…"

"...would never understand!" Kaname mirrored his master's movements subconsciously.

"Cut from the same cloth... the bunch of you... including that successor of yours!" Throwing up his hands, Braig groaned. "All his stubborn nonsense about 'having someone to protect makes you stronger'. What a load of hogwash! I swear I don't know how that Sasuke brat manages to survive every time I try to have him killed!"

Yamato let out a deep chuckle. "That just shows how strong our legacy lives on. There is no doubt in my mind that my son is capable of surpassing the both of us."

"And I'm confident that our legacy will continue to be passed down from generation to generation."

"Yeah? Well, we'll see about that!" Braig turned to Repliku who stood nearby, watching the entire conversation. "And you… You were willing to let them go in exchange for the witch?"

The boy backed up. "I-I…"

Before he could run, Braig grabbed his coat collar and backhanded the child. "Learn your place, you brat!

"Leave him alone!" Rimi gripped the bars. "He's just a child!"

"Why do you care? He's your warden."

Kaname slowly walked to the bars. "Becuase, when we get out of this, and we will. That boy comes with us. We're going to give him the life he deserves. A home and a family." He held out a hand. "Right, son?"

Repliku gasped lightly. All this time, he wondered if it was a joke. He wanted a family like they'd asked, but it just seemed unreal. Like a joke, they were playing on him. But now…

The boy jerked away from Braig and ran towards Kaname, warping into the cell and into the man's arms. Kaname pulled the child close.

"Seriously? You got roped into their lies?"

"You're the liar!" Rimi cried, softly stroking Repliku's hair. "Telling this poor child he was nothing more than a replica. He's so much more."

"Ugh, I could just gag…" Braig crossed his arms. "Well, if it's going to be like that." He held out a hand. Repliku suddenly gasped as darkness surrounded him. "You're going to be stuck in that cell now too. Have fun, brat! And we'll see what the old man thinks about this."

He warped away, leaving them all alone. Repliku buried his face into Kaname's chest. "I want a family. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to be hurt anymore. I don't want to just be a replica anymore."

"Come here, sweetheart." Rimi pulled him close. "That's why we offered. We want you to be happy too. You can have a mother and father now. When Sora wins, and he will, we will take you home. You can meet your sister and great uncle."

"That means you have quite an annoying father," Yamato smirked.

"Hey!" Kaname turned to his master. "If you're going to be like that… you're Rimi's Godfather, so that would kinda make you his Grandfa-"

"Finish that sentence and I will dropkick you."

The three adults all laughed, much to the boy's confusion. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Be so happy all the time."

Kaname patted his head. "We have faith and hope."

"Faith and hope…"

"You know," Yamato smiled, "if you're taking him in, I think he needs a new name. After all, he isn't a replica, so Repliku doesn't fit."

Kaname stroked his chin before snapping his fingers with a grin. "I've got it! Arata!"

"Arata?"

"It means 'fresh and new', and this is a fresh new start for you." He grinned. "Arata Hachirou Mae. How does it sound?"

"I love it!"

…

Naminé smiled at the warmth in the memory. She broke off the chain and continued on.

Not much further now.

Heartless began appearing inside the warehouse, scouting about for their target. A shadow began creeping into the open, only for a flowery Keyblade to smack it to pieces. "Back off!"

"Nice job, Kai!" Sora drove his Keyblade into a Neoshadow. "I hope Nami is almost done…" He glanced back.

Jiminy sat on the girl's knee. Her eyes were open as she drew in her sketchbook, but she almost seemed to be in a trance. The cricket watched her work, eyes on the sketchbook. His expression would shift from confusion to understanding quite often, and other times a smile would appear.

The memory she must've drawn must've been a good one.

They'd sat like that for nearly forty-five minutes. Outside, Sora and Kairi could hear the others fighting, but they stayed put, just in case.

Suddenly, more Heartless appeared. "Well, crap."

"Come on, Nami… we need you to hurry."

Almost there! One more chain connected to one last memory. Just one more.

Naminé hurried, leaping into the memory, one that seemed to have happened after Kairi nearly freed them on the ship on Imperial Mainland…

"So close!" Kaname pounded on the wall. "We were so close(5)."

"I almost held her in my arms again…" Rimi clenched her fists.

Repliku… or now Arata, laid his hand on hers. "Don't worry, it'll be ok, Mom."

"Thank you, Arata…"

Yamato crossed his arms. "I don't know what your daughter did, but I'm certain it has something to do with her being a… what did you call it? A Princess of Heart?"

"That's right." Kaname nodded. "And I agree. That has to be the source of whatever light power, thing, she did."

"She will not get that close to freeing you again." Out of a dark portal, Xehanort, followed by Xemnas, exited into the cell with them. Arata clung to Rimi as the old man fixed him with his golden eyes. "Still taken by their charms are you, replica."

"My name is Arata!"

Xemnas rolled his eyes. "You are nothing more than a puppet, no matter what lies they tell you."

Xehanort slowly approached the four. "Now, I'm certain you know of my plans… you've heard about them."

"The invasion…" Yamato narrowed his eyes. "Using three giant Heartless to invade three different worlds."

"Indeed," the old man walked over to Yamato, who stood near the back wall, arms crossed. He spoke quietly to the former captain, who listened in silence… until the end.

"What!? You're insane! If you think we're going to help you destroy a peaceful village for a Heartless you can forget it."

"I control you, remember," Xehanort smirked. Defiant as always. "But as an added measure… I've noticed the three of you holding onto your own wills despite my control. This cannot be allowed. So, even if you somewhat have your own wills, you will still follow me."

Rimi put her hands on her hips, looking like she was scolding a child. "And what makes you think we'd ever do that?"

The old man held up his hand. Dark chains rose up, wrapping around the three adults as Xemnas warped over, grabbing Arata by the hair. "You seem to care for this little nothing, so I will make you a proposition. Obey me, even if your wills come out through my control, or I will torture this boy until he begs for death."

"Mom! Dad! Yamato!" Arata screamed as Xemnas jerked his hair.

"Stop it!"

"Leave our son alone!"

"He's just a boy!"

Naminé could only watch as Xemnas dragged Arata to a cell further down and threw him inside. He could not see his parents, but he could hear their cries, telling him that everything would be alright.

...

Naminé stepped out, breaking that final chain. She glanced over, seeing the glimpses of a memory where Kaname freed Arata and the boy escaped.

She was done.

Braig stood on a far building, away from all the fighting. He knew the heroes were guarding something, but what? Glancing through his scope, he looked in all the buildings.

There!

Through a dirty warehouse window, he saw Naminé and the replica. The boy seemed to be sitting up, shaking his head. Even from a distance, Braig could see his blue eyes, as the boy faced him.

So, the witch did it.

Too bad for them.

He aimed, planting the crosshairs right between the replica's eyes. But… what would be better? Him dying or watching someone he care for die?

Slowly, he adjusted his aim, the crosshairs moving to the back of Naminé's head.

"Goodbye."

He fired…

…

…

…

"NOOOO!"

Ok, that was an uncalled-for cliffhanger and I'm aware of that…

Please review!

Footnotes:

(1) This is the first of the scenes from Yami!

(2) This scene was changed quite a bit.

(3) I roleplayed part of this with my friend Blackheart, and some of what is to come is from that.

(4) This was a guard who was friends with Yamato and trained Braig. He was first mentioned in my story "How We Met" and Yami expanded on him in "Moons of Fate".

(5) I changed this one quite a bit because it was written first by Yami, and a lot of the same stuff got covered in the earlier scenes.

The Least of These

We see people suffering around us all the time. People in need of love and hope.

What do we do? Sometimes we help, sometimes we just pass them by.

We need to look around and help those we can. Sometimes we don't have much, I understand that, but we should do what we can.

Jesus talks about this sort of thing in Matthew 25. He is talking about the last days and the final judgment. In talking about the righteous, he says this, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"

Doing something for "the least of these" is something everyone should do, and sometimes we just don't do it.

So, next time you see someone in need, take the time to help them in any way that you can.