The Gummy ship had gone directly to Radiant Garden where Yen Sid had informed them that since the enemy knew of their family's whereabouts that they needed to be sent to the most well defended world in the universe…which was Radiant Garden. It was also where Lulu was recovering from the injuries that she had received from Sanzun.

Ven walked into her hospital room to find her asleep and her body horribly bruised. The doctors believed that she would survive despite her injuries which were severe. Ven took her hand as he sat down by her bed. He noticed asleep in a small cot nearby was Sora, still under the effects of the sleep spell that Yen Sid had cast on him and the others. The Turks had reported that only one of the children was missing…Kairi.

Ven continued to hold her hand for what seemed like hours.

"You want some company?" Terra asked as he silently came in. Ven silently nodded as Terra sat down.

"How's Riku?" Ven asked.

"He's fine…he's still asleep." Terra replied.

"Good…Tidus?" "Same." "Wakka?" "He's a bit shaken up from the events recently but Yuna says he'll be fine."

They sat in silence for a while as Lulu remained in her slumbering state. Ven then started to softly recite…

"Though a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
Crossing over the time and distance holding you
Suspended on silver wings"

"And a thousand words
One thousand confessions
Will cradle you
Making all of the pain you feel seem far away
They'll hold you forever"

"Cause a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll fly to you
Even though I can't see, I know they're reaching you
Suspended on silver wings"

"Oh, a thousand words
One thousand embraces
Will cradle you
Making all of your weary days seem far away
They'll hold you forever"

"Oh, a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
They'll carry you home and back into my arms
Suspended on silver wings."

"And a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll cradle you
Turning all of the lonely years to only days
They'll hold you forever
A Thousand Words."

As Ven finished Terra noticed a tear running down Lulu's cheek and nudged Ven to point it out.

"Lu? Lu sweetie, are you awake?" Ven asked as his heart raced.

"Say it again one more time." She said weakly as she cracked her eyelid open slightly.

"I'll give you two some privacy." Terra said as he clapped Ven on the shoulder.

"Hey Ven if you need me to do anything…" Terra said as Ven looked back at him with a smile.

"You're doing it right now, brother." Ven said as Terra smiled back and left the room.

"Ven." Lulu said as she turned her head slightly.

"I know who did this to me…" she said as Ven nodded knowingly.

"I do too…and it's not entirely Mune's fault." Ven replied as Lulu looked confused.

"What are you talking about it's not his fault…he came at me…I saw him." She said weakly.

"I know that…but what you saw was a sick man…Aqua explained to me that prior to his disappearance, he was seeing a shrink for multiple personality disorder." Ven explained as Lulu looked surprised.

"The man you saw was Mune…but it was his secondary and now more dominant personality in control…we call him Sanzun." Ven explained as Lulu looked distant as if in thought.

"Oh poor Aqua…I bet she is going crazy with trying to figure out what to do." Lulu said as Ven sighed as he remembered Aqua's capture.

"There's more…Before we came here we ran into Sanzun again and forced her to come with him…he also appears to have Kairi now as well." Ven said as Lulu looked at him in shock.

"She's a prisoner now?" Lulu asked as Ven nodded.

"I'll get her back Lu…and I'll make Sanzun pay for it too." Ven replied, "I just wish that you hadn't gotten involved in this."

"I knew the risks…I accepted them…and I still accept them…now go…find her…bring her back…find the apprentice…find Kingdom Hearts." Lulu said as Ven sighed in anger.

"What now?" Lulu asked slightly annoyed.

"We've learned that it's not Sanzun behind all this he's merely a puppet…but his master…" Ven said as Lulu arched an eyebrow.

"Who's his master?" she asked.

"The same man we were sent to find…Xehanort…the apprentice." Ven said as Lulu's eyes widened.

"What?! You can't go up against one of Yen Sid's apprentices…he'll kill you!" Lulu said as Ven shook his head.

"I have no choice…he's already rained destruction on one heavily populated world…it was a miracle that most of the people survived." Ven said as he then explained the events that took place in Midgar.

"Black Materia can only be used once…same with the White Materia." She said as Ven nodded understandingly.

"We don't know if he has more…and if he does…we're going to need more than just a White Materia to stop him." Ven said as Lulu nodded.

"Then let's hope you find Aqua and the other two clues first." Lulu said as Wall-e poked his head around the corner in with a sad expression. Lulu noticed and smiled as she motioned for the robot to come in.

"Hey there little guy." She said as both she and Ven smiled at the robot. Wall-e then reached in his cavity and handed her the holo-disk of Hello Dolly that they had bought in Rocket Town.

"Oh why thank you Wall-e…" Lulu said as Ven handed it to her.

"Lu…Lu." He said with a sad tone in his processor.

"Thank you Wall-e…this will give me something to watch." Lulu said with a smile as Wall-e nodded and slowly rolled out.

"For a robot…he's got one heart of gold." Ven said as Lulu nodded.

"So…" Lulu said after a while of silence.

"I just don't think I can leave yet…I just can't…can't bear the thought of losing you or Sora." Ven said as Lulu sighed.

"I know you're doubtful…but try to remember that no matter what happens…even if I pass on to the Farplane…I'll still be with you." Lulu said as a tear started to run down Ven's face as he then stood up and kissed his wife on the lips before turning towards the slumbering Sora and kissing him on the forehead. He then stood up and walked out towards the door, but not before stopping and giving one last kiss to his wife and then leaving.

Little did they realize that they were being listened to by the most unexpected of creature.

Meanwhile…

Vincent, having already had a heartfelt reunion with Lucrecia who mourned over her previous actions in transforming Vincent into what he is now despite Vincent's eager forgiveness, was standing on the balcony of the castle looking out into the distance as Tseng approached from behind.

"So it's true…" Tseng said as Vince turned towards his former protégé.

"What is?" Vincent asked.

"You have changed…and Verdot says that you've tendered your resignation." Tseng said as he approached his former mentor.

"I have things to sort out…a friend I need to help…places to go…light to find." Vincent said as Tseng huffed and crossed his arms impatiently.

"I just can't believe that the great Vincent Valentine is calling it quits." Tseng said as Vincent gave him a glare.

"I wouldn't call it quitting…I would call it necessary." Vincent replied.

"Call it what you want Vincent…but it still sounds like quitting to me." Tseng replied as Vincent placed a hand on the Turk's shoulder who jerked it out from under his hand.

"I guess all I can say then is…train your protégé Elena like I trained you…and pray that you never wind up like me." Vincent said as he walked off leaving a sulky Tseng behind.

Elsewhere…

Aqua had quickly discovered that her "prison" was indeed facade for some kind of sick twisted dream that Sanzun had concocted.

She would walk out the door to find the islands exactly as they were when she left but completely devoid of all people but herself and Kairi.

She had also learned much to her dread that the Kairi she saw before her was indeed the real Kairi. She yearned for knowledge of whether or not Lulu and the other children were ok. Little did she realize that her hero was closer than she thought.

In truth she was being held within a holographic training chamber miles beneath the surface of the now ruined Midgar.

"How goes the progress of the clones?" Sanzun asked Hojo as he entered.

"Like a simple native from such a primitive world could understand such technology." Hojo snapped as Sanzun growled silently.

"Doctor." Sanzun growled, "Need I remind you that despite you're intelligence…we do not need you emphasis on not!"

"The intelligence of your other scientists says otherwise." Hojo replied.

"Oh I am beginning to long for the day that the master gives me authorization to gut you like a fish." Sanzun said as Hojo turned towards the warrior.

"You dare threaten me?!" Hojo snarled only to recoil from Sanzun as he held his Keyblade to the scientist's throat.

"Don't tempt me 'professor." Sanzun growled as a calm voice echoed…

"Usher our Souls." And a black portal appeared as a dark haired man emerged in a light purple straightjacket like uniform emerged with glowing light blue stripes running up and down the suit with a pair of mechanical wings on his back and a muzzle like head strap around his head.

"Leave the scientist to his work Sanzun." The man said as if in a calm trance.

"(Groan) Who the hell invited you Nero?!" Sanzun replied as he lowered the Keyblade.

"Brother sent me to retrieve you…please don't make this anymore unpleasant than it has to be." Nero replied as Sanzun huffed.

"Very well…can't keep 'Frosty the Immaculate' waiting." Sanzun grumbled as he stormed through the portal that Nero had emerged from with said man behind him.

Sanzun and Nero entered a large green glowing chamber where the hooded figure, Maleficent, and a tall spiky white haired man with a well toned body, white pants and holding a pair of katana like gunblades at his side, hovered over an unconscious red haired ten year old girl in a uniform similar to Nero's.

"This girl will make an excellent member of our army…but I sense within her even greater potential then that of a mere Soldier." The white haired man said with a sinister smirk.

"Perhaps as a member of one of your elite warriors?" the visage asked.

"Indeed my friend…henceforth she shall be known as…Shelke the Transparent." The white haired man said as he turned to one of the soldiers.

"You there…have her taken to professor Hojo in his lab…and make sure that those two executives cooperate…what are their names again…bah the woman's I can remember but the fat one with the obnoxious laugh?" the man asked as Sanzun rolled his eyes.

"Heidegger…the man who inadvertently covered the tracks of your alleged death five years ago to prevent the people from knowing it was actually your sabotage?" Sanzun asked as the white haired man glared at the warrior.

"Speak out of turn again Sanzun…and your little plaything down there will be tossed in the reactor below us." The man threatened.

"Peace my friend…Sanzun's wife is one of the first three keys to finding Kingdom Hearts…once we find it…we can achieve the victory that our ancestors failed to achieve over five thousand years ago." The visage said as the white haired man smirked.

"True…alright, take her and have her fitted with the SND technology capacity." The man ordered as the soldier nodded and pushed the cart with the girl on it down the hall. What the villains didn't realize is that they had accidently given the girl to none other than the spy amongst their ranks…Cloud Strife.

Cloud recognized the girl…she was Shelke Rui, one of the third class SOLDIERs that was in basic training with Zack…her twin sister had been desperately looking for her during and after the evacuation of Midgar…but could never find her.

He had to do something…but he was undercover and couldn't just take her away…he could be detected and killed…or worse…his primary goal was to try and locate Aqua and Kairi, and try to spring them…but whether or not they could escape at all was another story entirely.

Aqua sat playing with Kairi…she had discovered that the memory spell had been undone and Kairi remembered her.

Being with her daughter was the only thing keeping her from going mad.

Then something on Kairi's arm caught her attention…it was a small round Band-Aid that Aqua didn't remember being there when she last saw her.

"Kairi honey…how did you get the owie on your arm?" Aqua asked as Kairi looked at the bandage.

"Daddy let that mean old monkey man do it." Kairi explained as Aqua's heart started racing.

"What did he do to you?" Aqua asked.

"He let him stick me with this sharp pointy thing…it hurt a lot." Kairi replied as Aqua realized what had happened…they had either injected her with something or had taken something out.

"Kairi honey what was in the pointy thing?" she asked.

"Nothing first…then the red stuff that comes out when I get an owie." Kairi replied as Aqua was partially relieved that she hadn't been injected with anything like Calamity or Jenova cells but she was curious as to why they removed a sample of her blood.

"Now who is this monkey man?" Aqua asked.

"Daddy said his name was Mojo." Kairi replied as Aqua started turning the air inside her head blue with a string of unspoken curses towards the freak weasel scientist that was Professor Hojo.

"You're not going to let the monkey man do it to me again are you?" Kairi asked as Aqua shook her head.

"Oh I promise you Kairi…he will never come near my baby again…and live to tell about it." Aqua said as she glared outside the window. Then she saw something that sparked her curiosity. A rectangular portion of the skyline looked like it had static in it. She proceeded to walk outside and approach the static filled rectangle.

She reached forward and touched the rectangle to discover that it was a hologram…the entire town was one giant hologram. She looked closer to see a faint image in the static.

She summoned her Keyblade and aimed it at the static and the image became more defined…it was a keyhole.

"Oh very clever Sanzun…but it won't last." Aqua said as she put away the Keyblade and walked back into the house where she started trying to devise a plan of escape for her and Kairi.

End Chapter 37.

I'll bet you're surprised about the Tsvitets from Dirge of Cerberus being present and involved…but more to come later.

I don't own the Tsvitets…