Chapter 47: Headless Horrors

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher. This is a creative project that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Hi everybody! I hope all of you are doing well! Welcome, welcome to the newest installment in Kingdom Hearts: Rise Above the X. We last left Xion staring down the Headless Horseman, so let's take us a look see at what happens next!

The Horseman charged, directly in Xion's path. She couldn't barely hear anything over the pounding in her ears. She aimed Kingdom Key straight ahead and concentrated. She had only a bit of practice with this…but only a bit. The Horseman was so huge…probably the largest man she'd ever seen.

But she had seen plenty of Heartless that were far larger. She'd fought them. She'd slain them…she could fight the Horseman…

"You're not getting past me!" Xion shouted, her voice breaking in fear. "Rag…rag…Ragnarok!"

The tip of her Keyblade began to glow, but rather than send out a single beam of light, Kingdom Key burst forth a dozen narrow beams. Ragnarok blasted against the Headless Horseman, but he didn't even flinch. Xion screamed and sent another beam of light, but it bounced off the Horseman's chest harmlessly.

Xion gave a gasp of fear and frustration. How powerful was the Horseman that he could shrug off Ragnarok? It was one of her more powerful attacks! Xion glanced around…the streets were still empty but how long would it be before someone heard the commotion? Somebody could get hurt. She had to get the Horseman away from here. Away from the town, away from all the people. She turned and ran, as fast as she could. But the dress she was wearing…it wasn't made to be ran in.

Xion stumbled, her shoes catching on an overturned rock. She didn't dare glance over her shoulder. The Horseman…he had to be nearly on her now…didn't the song say that he chased after people? And she wasn't as fast as Roxas in the best of times. With this dress, shouldn't the Horseman have caught her by now? Unless…

He was toying with her. That had to be it. The Horseman was drawing out the conflict. But why? Did he gain power from the moon or something, like Isa? Or maybe he drew strength from the people he fought…and the longer he fought, the stronger he got. Which meant she had to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Ooohh," Xion groaned. She turned around and held her Keyblade out. "Thund—gah!"

She had misjudged where the Horseman would be. He was right on top of her. He reached out a massive hand and grabbed her, around the throat. He lifted her up as easily as if she were a doll…

But you are a doll, aren't you? You're not truly human. You've never been. You'll never be. You're nothing. The very least thing anything could ever be, or even less than that. You're pitiful, pathetic, a puppet. Would the Horseman taking your head even fulfill his mission?

Xion dangled from the Horseman's grip. She struggled and tried to kick out but she couldn't reach. The Horseman was too large, too strong. Xion's vision began to darken and she began to choke. Kingdom Key fell from her grasp. She clutched at the Horseman's fingers, trying to pry them loose. But they were like iron.

A wave of fire rushed down and knocked the Horseman back. Xion fell to the ground and gasped in pain—she had landed on her ankle. She backed away on her hands. Fire…that must be…

"Xion!"

Axel was charging forward, Flame Liberator in hand. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it forward, and his Keyblade began to glow. Orange flames shot out from every angle of his Keyblade, completely filling Xion's line of vision.

oooo

It never ended, it seemed. No matter where they went, no matter what world they travel to, it was always Xion getting the brunt of it from the bad guys. On gut instinct, Lea had tried to find where Xion was, leaving Roxas to get a few more details out of Brom. Easier said than done—by then the entire inn, more of a pub really, had gotten back into the swing of things. By the time Lea had managed to find the exit, he found himself face to face with Katrina, who was frantic with fear.

"He's real! He's huge! Just like the legends say!" Katrina had shouted. "The girl, she's out of her mind! She's taking him on."

"Where's Xion?" Lea asked firmly. "Who's she taking on?"

"The Horseless Headman—I mean the Hashing Hessian….the Headless Horseman!"

That was when Lea saw it. A huge man on top of a steed that had to be the size of an ox. He was impossibly large…and he didn't have a head. What sort of darkness was sustaining that? And staring him down, absolutely tiny, was Xion. She pointed her Keyblade at the Headless Horseman and shot out Ragnarok. Whoa—she didn't normally use that. What was that kind of magic called again? Shotlocks? They were a lot harder to cast than regular elemental magic!

And then the spell didn't work…it bounced of the Horseman like it was nothing. And Xion turned to run. Her shoulders were drawn up in fear, but she couldn't run fast in a dress that reached her ankles. Xion fell and then the Horseman…grabbed her. Lifted her up by the neck. Just like what the Coachman did to Roxas. And Xion's Keyblade fell to the ground and vanished. Lea saw red. With a roar, he called Xion's name and sent out a wave of fire. The Horseman dropped Xion like a sack of potatoes.

Not good enough. Not yet. He charged and flung Flame Liberator, willing as much energy as he could into it. The flames grew…and grew…and grew…a blazing inferno.

"Get away!" Lea shouted, sending another wave of fire out of his Keyblade. The Horseman didn't even flinch as the flames rushed over his body, pushing him back.

Was the old bastard fireproof? Lea grit his teeth. He hated it when the bad guys were fireproof. You couldn't burn them if they were fireproof. Of course, Lea was more or less fireproof himself. He couldn't be burned either.

The Horseman didn't flinch as Lea swung his Keyblade at him. Flame Liberator bounced off of him…it…as if it were one of the Struggle swords that Roxas and Xion sometimes played with back in Twilight Town. Lea jumped back. Next to him, Xion lay on her hands and knees. Xion…

"Curaga!"

Twin bulbs of brightest green appeared out of nowhere, hovering over Xion's head. The color returned to her face and she stood up, re-summoning her Keyblade. Behind her, Roxas was running, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands, a look of absolute fury in his face.

"You don't belong here! Beat it!"

The Horseman reared on his steed and held out his own hand. With a flash of light, as bright as lighting, a sword appeared in his hand. A broadsword, it had to be almost twice as long as a Keyblade, though nowhere near as long as Isa's claymore. Lea's eyes narrowed. That couldn't be mordite…it didn't look like mordite. Was it just a regular ghost sword? There was something almost comforting in that.

The Horseman raised his sword and slashed the air. Roxas blocked the first blow with Oblivion and then struck with Oathkeeper. As the Keyblade met its target, a flash of light shined as bright as the midday sun. The Horseman didn't so much as grunt. Damn it! What the hell was that thing?

The Horseman drew his sword back and Roxas leapt back down, standing between Lea and Xion. Just like the Keyblade Graveyard, he stood in front of them, protecting them. Lea was getting tired of having to be bailed out by Roxas. He was the eldest. He should be the one protecting the half-pints, not the other way around.

"Hands off my friends!" Roxas snapped. "I won't let you hurt them."

Heh…good ol' Roxas. Even if he wanted to be the leader, it looked like Roxas was always going to be the one first in line. For now anyway…but as it was, the three of them stood together. As it should be.

"Roxas! Xion!" Lea called out. "Let's get what's ours!"

Lea charged, Flame Liberator gripped in his hand. He flicked his wrist and the Keyblade was replaced by his trusty chakrams. The weight was familiar in his hands, and he tossed them in unison. They hit the Horseman in the chest, one after the other…and it did absolutely nothing. Maybe forced the Horseman back an inch…

The Horseman raised a hand and from it, burst a wave of fire. It wasn't as large as the waves that Lea could produce, but it was still big enough to force him to retreat. Roxas and Xion both flung themselves to the ground—they were most certainly not fireproof. And neither was the stable behind them, which erupted into flames. Lea gasped but that was nothing compared to the horrified scream that came from Xion.

"The horses!"

oooo

Brom Bones and his beloved Katrina watched from the window of the inn. Everyone it seemed was gathered around one of the windows. He felt his wife clutch his arm tight.

"Oh, Brom…" Katrina whispered. "It really is just like the stories."

Brom couldn't believe his ears, and he almost didn't believe his eyes, but the evidence was right there, plain as day. Those three strangers were facing the Headless Horseman. Even the little wisp of a girl, Xion. And they were all armed with strange weapons…giant keys? Or maybe swords that looked like keys? But where had they even come from? Brom hadn't seen them armed with so much as a knife or dirk when they first entered the village square.

It was truly bizarre. And come to think of it, hadn't Lea said from the start they believed ol' Thad when he had been talking about that shadow monster? Were they some sort of exorcist group, tracking monsters like the Horseman? It was about as outlandish as the Horseman itself. But who would dare to send children into battle like that? Roxas was old enough to be a drummer boy, maybe fire a gun, but a sword?

When Lea began summoning balls of fire, Brom began to realize that these strangers were probably not exorcists. At least not sanctioned by the Church. He glanced at one of his friends—Peter. Peter was the bookish one when they were growing up and the one that Rev. MacDonald had been fondest of since Peter had been the one who'd paid the most attention to his sermons. Peter's eyes were shut tight and he was murmuring prayers so quickly, Brom could barely make a word out.

Then the Horseman sent a wave of fire and while it missed all three of the strangers, it didn't disappear into air like Lea's fire did. It erupted into the stable, setting it aflame. Several of the onlookers gasped—two may have fainted. Fire…his steed was still in there. Buckshot…he would burn to death. Brom couldn't let that happen.

There was a fireplace against the nearest wall of the inn. There was a small ax for chopping firewood set to the side of it. Brom grabbed the ax and stormed out of the inn. He had to get to the horses. The Horseman was clashing with Lea and the boy, Roxas. Xion was…twenty paces ahead of him? She raised that weird key-sword of hers and sent out a beam of light. The beam was shining and it struck the doors of the stables blasting them open.

Brom didn't think the door had been locked, only shut, but still, it saved valuable time. Xion ran into the barn on clumsy legs and Brom closed the distance. There were several horses hitched up in the stable, nearly all of them bucking in fright from the fire. Xion was untying a small black pony—that was Thad's horse, Crow. Crow was the only one of the horses not panicking…

"Easy there, fellows!" Brom called. "We'll have you out of here straight away!"

He coughed and ducked his head—curiously, there wasn't much smoke, but there was a lot of fire. Almost too much for so short an amount of time. Brom untied another of the horses, a chestnut stallion. This was the Reverend's horse…

Crack!

What was that?! There was so much fire…oh dang it! The roof was caving in! They had to hurry! Brom grabbed his ax and cut the ropes tying Buckshot free in one swing. But there were still three more horses!

Craaaaack!

"Kid, get out of here!"

"Reflega!"

Xion's cry came just as a beam fell from the rafters. But the strange girl ran right next to Brom and held her strange sword out, pointing it up. A shimmering…barrier emerged from the tip of her sword. And the fiery beam bounced off it harmlessly. More rafters fell, but Xion's barrier held firm.

"Go, go, go!" Xion said, shuffling as quickly as she could to the side. The shield held as they neared the last three horses—Buckshot and Crow and the Reverend's horse had all fled out of the open doors. The horses bucked in fear, but Brom was still able to untie them, one after the next. But then, another beam fell down, blocking the exit. They were trapped.

"Oh no!"

The fire glowed all the brighter and Brom had to duck his head down to cough. As he knelt, he could see Xion's face more clearly. Her eyes were wide and her forehead wrinkled in concentration. The horses were still bucking. They needed to get them out of here and fast before…Brom began coughing again. The fire was catching on smokier things—leather tools and rugs and lantern oil…

"Keep going!" Brom choked. "There has to be another way out!"

"Reflega!" Xion shouted again. The shield from her key-sword-thingy grew larger and shinier and it began to spread out into balls of light. The next thing Brom knew was the sounds of wood and stone breaking and Xion screaming. The entire roof of the stable was falling in! Brom knelt to cover his neck and reached out a hand to bring Xion down next to him, when the light grew even brighter, so much so that he couldn't even see the fire anymore. He shut his eyes. At least it would be fast….

"Holy!"

Even through his shut eyes, From could see the flash of light, as bright as the sun. The stable was…gone. Mostly gone. Whatever Xion had done had caved the walls outward, taking the fires with them. But the horses were escaping, far away from the Horseman…who was still engaged in combat with Lea, Roxas and…was that the Reverend Macdonald?

oooo

It wasn't unheard of for people who didn't have Keyblades to try to fight Heartless. Really, in a lot of ways, it was common. Hercules and Auron and Zack in Olympus, Mulan and Shang and the other soldiers in the Land of Dragons, Donald and Goofy…and probably half of the rest of the people Sora had met in his travels. But whatever the Horseman was, he wasn't a Heartless.

The man who had run to help them wore a funny black robe with a white collar. It reminded Roxas of the man Olette was friends with back in Twilight Town—Father Forthill. Only this man was younger than Father Forthill and he carried a long gun with a knife attached to the end. The knife had barely made a scratch against the Horseman.

"Please, Mister!" Roxas called. "Get out of here. This guy is really bad news!"

"This is my town!" The man in the funny robe said. "I will protect my flock, however I can. And if that means fighting off the wolves, then by God I will do it!"

The man raised his firearm and squeezed the trigger. The gunshot was much louder than anything Roxas had heard Xigbar fire. It was almost like a clap of thunder. But it didn't even phase the Horseman…though it was possible the gun simply missed. But if the man's attention was to stall for others to get to safety, that was working—Roxas could see a bunch of people running in the opposite direction.

The Horseman swung his sword and sliced through the man's gun, cutting the muzzle in two. The man gasped in surprise.

"Look, buddy," Axel said. "We appreciate the assist, but this is out of your league. You don't want any part of this."

"I am well aware of the actions of Keybearers!" The man argued. "I've heard the legends long before you came here!"

"You're gonna get yourself killed!" Axel shouted, sending up another wave of fire. "Or worse, get us hurt trying to protect you!"

Axel grabbed the man by the arm and shoved him backwards. The Horseman sliced his sword and it was so close to the two of them that a chunk of Axel's hair got cut off.

"Get away!"

Roxas slammed his Keyblade against the Horseman and leapt back. Still nothing…he had brushed off almost all of their blows like they were only using Struggle bats. Roxas bit his lip. How on earth were they going to fight him?

"Hey ugly, over here!"

Roxas glanced over his shoulder. At the edge of the street, standing in front of the smoldering remains of the stable, was Xion, her Keyblade gripped tightly in her hand. She was covered in soot.

"Leave them alone…come and get me!"

The Horseman turned towards Xion and leaned forward. Roxas's blood ran cold as Xion turned to run. The Horseman began to urge his horse faster. Xion…wasn't nearly far away to run effectively, especially with that stupid dress her magical clothes had transformed into. The Horseman…was going to catch her.

"Merciful heavens!"

Roxas grit his teeth and gripped Oathkeepr and Oblivion. Xion…he was not going to let her get hurt. Not again. Roxas thought hard and then…he had an idea…he hadn't done this in ages but…well, nothing else had worked yet.

Roxas summoned his Keyblade Armor.

xxxx

Roxas was not used to using his Armor. It was…strange. It was almost like his entire body was holding a Keyblade. Or, in his case, two Keyblades. Oathkeeper and Oblivion. His Keyblades had always felt like they belonged in his hands. It was hard to explain. Roxas knew that Xion compared holding her Keyblade to holding a friend's hand. That wasn't quite what Roxas felt—he usually only held Xion's hand, and her hand was far too soft to be a weapon.

But Roxas felt far more control now than he had before. His Armor was gold and gray—Roxas wasn't sure if the color was an indicator of any particular power or if it was just random. But it was wonderful all the same. He could run faster with his Armor, it didn't even seem to weigh anything. And he could jump higher. He closed the distance in seconds, jumping between the Horseman and Xion.

"I said, get away!"

Roxas sent out light from his Keyblades. Instead of simple beams this time, the light burst forth in the form of great jets and spheres nearly as tall as Xion. They blasted against the Horseman and the Horseman staggered, but stayed on his horse. The Horseman turned and reached a hand out for Roxas. The Horseman was truly massive, but Roxas's Armor held firm, even as the Horseman called forth a new weapon. Not a sword this time, but a long battle-ax.

The Horseman swung his ax and Roxas caught it between his Keyblades. Oathkeeper and Oblivion…they looked different. Bigger…longer…more…unified

The Horseman's ax pressed down against his Keyblades and Roxas pressed back. The ax shattered. Roxas grinned. They were finally winning. He took a step back to bring his Keyblades into a more offensive pose when he was grabbed by the head. The Horseman had recovered. Through his masked helmet, Roxas could see Xion begin to glow. A second later, she summoned her own Armor, silver and black. But as she charged, the Horseman seized her by the throat.

The Horseman lifted Roxas and Xion up at the same time. Roxas struggled, but the Horseman was able to maintain his grip, even with two Keybearers pointing their weapons at him.

Roxas was right over the Horseman's hood. He could hear the Horseman breathing…and he was staring right down the neck…

Roxas could feel fire. The hottest, most scalding fire he had ever felt before. Every spell, every duel with Axel…not even Riku's Dark Firaga spells were like this. Blazing, scorching heat…and it stank. Like nothing Roxas had ever smelled. Like something rotten…or something dead. And…it scared him. It scared Roxas like nothing he had ever felt before. There was something wrong, something unnatural about all this.

The lines of life and death had been blurred when Sora abused the Power of Waking. Since then, Roxas had seen swords that could kill immortals, long dead foes be brought back to life through wicked curses, long missed friends brought back to their loved ones for however short a time, and real, living boys slowly losing their humanity.

But he had never seen anything like this. Not anything like this at all. Roxas felt his skin grow ice cold, even through his Keyblade Armor. He could hear Xion screaming but it sounded like she was very far away.

"Roxas!"

Roxas dropped to the ground. They…were far away from the town now. Away from the rest of the people. Back in the woods, near the river. The Horseman was still on his horse…and in his hands he clutched a blazing pumpkin…with a face carved into it.

Heartless…Shadows and Neoshadows and Darkballs…Invisibles and Orcuses raised their blades. Roxas and Xion began shooting out beams of light, but for every Heartless they struck down, more took their place.

Fire and Thunder and even Light hadn't worked against the Horseman. Blow after blow had been bounced off the Horseman and even his steed like nothing. But Roxas had one idea left. He summoned every ounce of magical strength he had left.

"Xion, the river!"

"Dance water! Dance!

"WATERZA!"

Three Keyblades, augmented by Keyblade Armor, raised up together. Water erupted from the ends, more water than even Demyx had ever produced at once. Roxas had faint, borrowed memories from Sora of storms. Of rushing winds and pouring rains and enormous waves that could sink boats…destroy rafts…

The water forced Roxas and Xion back, soaking them even through their Armor. But they continued to cast their magic. More and more and more water…and then it burst. Roxas saw the Heartless vanish into darkness as they were struck down, the magic of the Keyblade destroying them permanently. And the Horseman too…but the flaming pumpkin was…washed away. And then the sword…

Roxas could hear neighing…terrified neighing…and one last anguished scream. And then water…nothing but water…his Keyblade Armor faded away and Roxas found himself under the river. Water was all around him…above and below…he was struggling…his jacket and clothes were so water-sodden, they were pulling him down. Lower and lower…darker and darker…

The last thing he saw…was a giant hand reaching down…

oooo

"Easy does it," Brom Bones said, whacking Roxas on the back. He grimaced as Roxas spat out river water. "Better out than in."

"Roxas…" Xion whimpered. "Please wake up."

Lea placed a hand on her shoulder. Xion was trembling. But whether that was from fear for her best friend or because she was also soaked to the bone, he had no idea. Lea ran a hand through Xion's hair.

"Your friend will be alright."

Lea turned back to the man who had tried to help them…Reverend Macdonald, Brom said his name was. Reverend Macdonald had a broken nose, but other than that, was unharmed.

"I've seen him pull through worse than this…" Lea said. "But it doesn't get any easier."

Lea paused, unsure of how much more he should divulge. This guy knew about Keyblades. But Lea was also confident that Yen Sid had never mentioned this guy before. Definitely something to keep a note of.

These thoughts were interrupted by a violent coughing fit from Roxas. Lea turned around rapidly. Roxas was sitting up, his face grey but slowly returning to normal.

"Alright, that's a good fellow," Brom said. He looked at the Keybearers in admiration that bordered on wonder. "You were all amazing, I've never seen anything like that."

There were a lot of things Lea had seen that he had trouble believing, even now. And the Horseman…he was different than anything else they'd faced so far.

"It was the river that did it," Reverend Macdonald said. "The Horseman cannot cross moving water. And by producing so much moving water…you've released him. He's gone."

"Thank you," Lea said. "I know things were kind of heated there, Brom, but you got Roxas out of the river before I did. I owe you one."

"And you and Roxas and Xion saved Katrina and the good ol' Reverend," Brom shook his head. "As far as I figure, we're square."

"Sounds…alright to me…" Roxas groaned. "I am…tired."

"Roxas!" Unable to contain herself any longer, Xion darted forward and flung her arms around his neck. Slowly, awkwardly, Roxas returned the hug, running his hand through her hair. Lea could see Roxas close his eyes slowly. Lea bit back a laugh. Some things were never going to change.

"Xion…" Roxas coughed out a last bit of water. "I…hate…swimming…"

Ioooo

The air was heavy and still as they gathered around the table. Everyone was there: The talking wolf and that…bear-pig-cat…thing Pete. The hooded man who called himself the Phantom Blot. The goddess Eris. That crazy doctor who talked in rhyme. An assorted mix of underling monsters—skeletons and ghouls and goblins. Even his own crew, Rai and Fuu were there. Seifer wasn't very happy to see them. This sort of thing was above them. Seifer ground his teeth. This was absolutely ridiculous…the lamers had won.

"Another failure!" Seifer snapped. "Another stinking failure—how many times are those lamers going to be able to beat us?"

"The Horseman was a lot tougher," Pete argued. "But them Keybrats get their power from each other. It's kinda their thing. 'My friends are my power!' is practically their motto."

That was one of the stupidest things that Seifer had ever heard. Drawing strength from each other? No! They were lamers. Roxas was a lamer. Xion was even lamer than a lamer. And their lamer daddy Axel-Lea-Whatever-His-Name-Was was the tallest lamer of them all.

Strength was what mattered. Force, power, control. Bigger was better. That sharing-strength stuff? That was just what losers said to justify being losers. Or cheats. Really, what else was showing a new power to keep yourself from losing than cheating? Roxas and Xion, they were cheaters. They cheated at Struggle, they cheated at fighting, they cheated at life. Seifer had been read it. He knew that they didn't really deserve to live. Replicas, pah!

"It is not a complete loss," Maleficent said. She stood at the head of the table, taller than any of them. Which was a little weird, since Seifer was pretty sure that she'd actually grown in the last couple of weeks. "With the Horseman's demise, his strength is now ours."

"So where do we go from here?" Pete asked. "Them Keybrats are still getting stronger."

"Stronger in terms of ability, perhaps," Maleficent said. "But there still remain avenues to ensure our victory. Less you forget, their alliance is their greatest weakness."

"What are you talking about?" Seifer slammed a fist onto the table. "The lamers are always together."

"I find myself in agreement with this one," The Phantom Blot said. "There are few who have such bonds as those three. Perhaps, if we were to locate the fourth, the one called Isa, we may be able to turn them against one another…"

"That would be difficult," Eris said. "That one calls himself Isa. He is that much harder to track. Unlike the others, he has fully rejected the branding of the Recursant Sigil."

"Wait," Seifer said. "Are you talking about that giant freak with the 'X' carved into his head? How hard could it be to find him?"

"Do you have any idea just how many worlds there are?" Pete asked. "It's not as easy as it looks! Now sit down and shut up!"

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Seifer said. "The guy's like seven feet tall and has hair like a girl's all the way down to his hips! And it's bright blue! How many freaks have blue hair, even on your freaky world?"

"Enough!" Maleficent said, her voice rigid, absolute. It was the same kind of tone that Seifer heard from the principal at school. Only a lot more effective. "I thought I made it clear that I will not tolerate any more infighting among you."

Seifer felt his face flush. He hated being treated like that. Like he was some stupid baby. It wasn't fair. He was the one who was right.

"Consider…the bond that Roxas, Xion and the one called Axel possess is strong as iron…"

"Axel…Lea…pah, why can't he just pick a name and stick with it?"

"Their bond is as strong as iron," Maleficent repeated. "And what is more brittle under pressure? That which does not bend will break."

Seifer grinned. He did like the sound of that. He liked the sound of it a lot. He closed his eyes and began to imagine fighting Roxas and Xion. And showing them just what he was capable of. Breaking their bones…smashing…shredding…the thought was a comfort in his heart.

"Their hearts will tell them where next to go," Maleficent said. "And it is there that we will strike again. They will fall…all will fall…and in the realm of that world, there may be one who could serve us well. One with a heart, most pure."

A/N: Another chapter done, my dearest readers! This one was originally meant to be published in time for Halloween, but alas!

Still, I hope you enjoyed this newest adventure, my dear, dear readers. I had fun writing it.

Now, it's going to be a while before we see each other again, my friends. It's November, and I'll be participating in NaNo November. There's a project I've wanted to work on for three years and after a year and a half with "Rise," I think I can finally put some real energy behind it.

But I will return to Roxas, Axel and Xion. Their adventure is not even half-over, my friends.

Thank you for reading, my dear, dear readers! Leave a comment if you're so inclined! I love to hear your thoughts on this grand adventure!

I appreciate each and every one of you!