Enamis09: I appreciate your help with the last chapter! I forgot you spoke French, I should have just asked you to start with haha! I did realize that translating "what in the world?" straight into French probably wasn't accurate, but when I searched the internet for French exclamations all I came up with was profanity.

Coolmegan123: Yep, he definitely would not have been happy about that at all.

I probably went way longer than I needed to with this one, but I wanted to include everything I could. You guys have never complained about my chapters being too long before, haha, so I doubt it will be an issue. Hopefully not, because the chapters in the upcoming sequel are running at least this long most of the time!

This takes place as everyone is arriving at The Castle That Never Was for the endgame, when Saix is forcing Meli to fight.

As requested by Enamis09! Thank you!

Chapter 43/44 Remix

(Runs parallel to chapters 43 and 44)

Riku's Perspective

The Organization's fortress was like a labyrinth – a completely disorienting maze of hallways, with who knows what kind of danger lurking around each corner. I was glad that I actually had the use of my eyes for this task, though it crossed my mind that wearing the blindfold and relying on my other senses might actually be easier. Shutting my eyes, I exhaled slowly, listening for any signs of life. There, on the floor above me. Two or more voices were having a conversation.

It was almost surreal, thinking that this whole ordeal was almost at an end. Sora and the others had finally found their way to The World That Never Was, and would be arriving at the castle soon, if they hadn't already. I trusted that my friend and his friends would make short work of whatever Organization members they came across, as they had so far on their journey.

Meanwhile, DiZ – or, Ansem the Wise, I supposed I should be calling him now – and I had our own plans to carry out. He was ahead of me, heading up as high as he could manage with his Kingdom Hearts-destroying contraption. Both of us had serious doubts about whether or not the thing would actually work, but it was worth a shot.

At the same time, Naminé was on a mission to rescue Kairi. She had volunteered to come along when I told her what we were doing, and it was decided that she would be the best person for that job. My job was scouting, trying to get an idea of the layout of this place, making sure the girls had a clear path to escape, and, though I hadn't mentioned this part to anyone else, looking for any signs of Meli. I was hoping I wouldn't find any. I didn't want here to be the answer of where she was, but after weeks of searching I hadn't found her anywhere else.

When I reached the top of the ramp I had been navigating, I was met with two giant Berserker Nobodies. Peering around them, I could see both Naminé and Kairi on the stairs to the next level, facing off against someone in an Organization coat.

"If I had a heart, this is where I would die of laughter," the man was sneering.

Not wasting another moment, I summoned Way to the Dawn and let loose a barrage of hits on the back of the first Berserker. It never saw me coming, and fell to the ground with a crash. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man turn to face me, but I didn't acknowledge him until I made short work of the second Berserker.

"You...didn't Roxas take care of you?"

Dropping my Keyblade to my side, I glared at him, not at all appreciating the reference to that particular fight. I was quickly distracted, however, by the small figure whose shoulder he was clamped down on. Could it be? Her back was turned to me and her hood was up, but what I could see of her outfit was very familiar.

"You can take it from here, Riku."

I flicked my eyes up to Naminé and resisted the urge to growl with frustration. Hadn't I specifically told her that Sora and Kairi never needed to know that it was me?

It was too late now, though. Kairi straightened up and looked from Naminé to me with surprise and confusion on her face. "Riku?"

Okay, it was time to send this guy packing so that these girls – all three of them – could be on their way. If that was really Meli, the possessive hand on her shoulder was making me very angry. Dismissing my Keyblade, I blasted the blue-haired man with dark energy from my hand, which he blocked with crossed arms before back flipping away. Before he could completely recover, I rushed forward and slammed him up against the wall. He wheezed slightly as his breath left him, but then simply smirked and sank back into a dark corridor.

I had every intention of following him. The girls would be able to continue through the castle now, and if I could get rid of this guy then he'd be one less for Sora to worry about later. Out of nowhere, though, a dog ran up to me, barking, startling me and making me hesitate. Kairi was right on his heels, staring up at me eagerly. She wanted to know, wanted to see my face. It was the last thing in the world that I had wanted, but...could I really stop her now, when Naminé had specifically called me out?

Her big blue eyes searched underneath the darkness of my hood. She was different, I noticed for the first time. Familiar, unchanged in many ways, but much older and more mature than she had been when we had left her. Lifting her delicate hands towards my face, she paused, uncertain, then reached up and pushed back my hood. I turned my head away immediately, too ashamed to watch her reaction.

"But...I thought you said..."

Naminé stepped forward. "It is Riku. You just have to look past his appearance. Look at his heart."

After a moment, small fingers hooked around mine. I watched her in my periphery as she closed her eyes and drew in a breath, unconsciously holding my own. Then her eyes flew open again and she grinned. "It is you! But I don't understand, how...?"

"I'll have to explain later. We don't have time right now."

A throat cleared loudly behind us, and I whirled around to see the girl from before watching us. "Meli!" I was certain now that it was her.

"Hello, Riku."

She still wasn't calling me Grim. It was a silly thing to miss, I supposed, but I had eventually realized that for Meli, it was more than just a stupid nickname. It was a term of affection, and as long as she refused to use it I knew that our problems were still far from resolved.

Kairi's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Wait...you two know each other?"

"Naminé, get Kairi out of here," Meli ordered without moving. "Go find Sora. He's here somewhere."

"Okay. Let's go, Kairi." Naminé grabbed her Somebody's hand, but Kairi shook her head adamantly.

"No, wait. I'm not leaving you guys."

I still hadn't stopped looking at Meli. Something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. "We'll catch up. You need to get to Sora where you'll be safe."

"Fine," Kairi finally, reluctantly agreed. "But it better be quick."

As the two girls disappeared down the ramp, I took a deep breath, wondering if this conversation was going to end as badly as the last two had. "Where have you been? When I found out you weren't with Sora anymore, I was worried sick."

"Oh, because I'm not capable of taking care of myself?"

Okay, apparently the answer was yes, this conversation was going to go much like the others. I shook my head in frustration. "You know that's not what I meant. I was just worried maybe the Organization had gotten to you, or..." There was no reaction from her, though with her face heavily shadowed by her hood it was hard to tell anything for sure. "Where have you been?"

"I've been here. I've joined them. Organization XIII. I'm one of them now."

"What?" That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. "What are you talking about?"

"You were right, my darkness has been growing. I'm done with heroes of light like Sora and his friends." The venom in her voice said she was telling the truth, but her body was telling a different story. She looked...tired. Her posture had a slight slump to it that I wasn't used to seeing, and she also seemed unnaturally thin. Even from this distance, I could see that her clothes were hanging more loosely around her frame, and that the muscle definition she had gained in her arms was now missing.

"If that's true...if you're here of your own free will...then why does it look like you've lost weight?" I didn't even know for sure what I was implying. Was she a prisoner, like Kairi? But why would she be trying to sell me this ridiculous story?

"Been on a diet," she replied shortly. Suddenly she jerked, though the movement was subtle enough that I would have missed it if I hadn't been studying her so closely. Then, in a puff of smoke, Sorrow's Promise was in her hand. She let out a sigh before speaking again. "The important thing is, I have orders to get rid of all intruders."

I crossed my arms, still trying to wrap my brain around what was happening. "I don't want to fight you, Meli." If only I could look into her eyes and read the truth there. "Why don't you take off that hood and let me see your face so we can talk?"

"I'm done with talking." Raising her Keyblade, she ran at me, but I simply stepped to the side and backed away.

"You don't really want to do this, do you?" It wasn't like we hadn't fought plenty of times before in training, but it was the last thing I wanted to be doing right now. All I wanted was to be able to have a decent, straightforward conversation for the first time in months, without all of these games and lies and defensiveness. My life without her in it was dull and lonely, and I just wanted to go back to the way we had been before, if that was at all possible after what I had done to her.

She didn't answer my question, but I thought I saw a smirk cross her lips right before she disappeared into a dark corridor. I had barely even blinked when she reappeared again, this time right in front of me and swinging. My own Keyblade was in my hand in an instant, blocking hers before it crashed into my chest. When had she learned that trick? Her swings came one after another now, not as hard as I knew she could hit, but forceful enough that they could have done some damage if they had landed. Maybe she really did want to fight me after all. Or maybe she was just counting on me to be able to parry her, like I almost always had during training.

I blocked left, right, then left again, not bothering to try to get in any of my own hits. When our weapons clashed once more up high, Meli frowned from beneath her hood. "Is that a...Keyblade?" She pushed away a few steps, chest heaving for air. "How did that happen?"

"I don't really know. It just sort of showed up one day not long ago." I glanced down at the red blade with a small sigh. "I'm still not really sure that I'm worthy of using it."

"Well, congratulations," she commented dryly.

"Meli...can we stop this madness now?" Surely she wasn't going to keep forcing this fight.

Her answer was to shoot Blizzaga at me. "I told you, the Organization wants you gone. So unless you just want to leave..."

"Can't do that. Not while all of my friends are here...including you." Especially her.

"Well, I'm not going to be leaving here anytime soon." There was something in her voice as she said it...dread? Resignation? "And as for your friends, they're next to go after you." I couldn't tell if that was a threat or a warning.

Dark Firaga came flying at my face, and I deflected it off of my Keyblade. Then Meli was there again, swinging her weapon, but the strength of her blows seemed to be decreasing rapidly.

"You keep trying to convince me..." I blocked a swing towards my left arm. "...that you're on..." Jumped over a low swing. "...their side..." Blocked a hit coming straight at my head. "...but you forget how well..." Stopped a swing coming at my right hip. "...I know you. I've fought you..." Ducked out of the way of a spell. "...a hundred times..." Spun around to find her after she teleported behind me. "...before, and I can tell..." Blocked another head-on swing. "...that you're only half-trying..." Stepped back to avoid a too-short swing at my stomach. "...right now."

This seemed to agitate her, and as if to prove herself, she geared up for one big, sloppy swing. Her Keyblade clanked loudly against mine, then she was stumbling to the side, dropping her weapon and falling on her knees on the white marble floor. Her hood covered her ducked face completely, but her body language spelled defeat. Something was definitely wrong. If that hadn't been obvious before, it was now. She should not be this utterly exhausted and out of breath after that little spat.

"I can't. I can't do it."

I could barely hear the whispered words. Dismissing my Keyblade, I took a few tentative steps towards her, hoping that she'd finally let me in and tell me what was going on. Instead, she jerked again, harder this time, and groaned through her teeth. Doubling over with her arms across her stomach, she let out a raw scream. "What do you want from me?"

I halted in my tracks, taken aback. What did I want from her? Was this about me saying that she was only half-trying? I wouldn't have said it if I had realized how tired she really was, though I was glad that it had brought an end to the fight. "Meli..."

Her head came up, and some semblance of a smile crossed her lips. "I forgive you."

That almost surprised me more than the scream had. "What?"

"I need you to know that." She placed her hands on the floor and pushed herself up slowly, almost falling back over once or twice before she made it to her feet. "I forgive you, for everything...Grim."

My eyebrows shot up. Warmth flooded through me, beginning in my chest and flowing out into my limbs until I felt like I might float away. I really didn't even know which meant more to me, the forgiveness, or the fact that she had called me Grim. If it wasn't for my growing concern about her condition, a grin would have broken out on my face right then and there.

But Meli was backing away, hugging herself, and throwing out her hand to open a dark corridor behind her.

"No, Meli, wait! Please!" I lunged forward, desperate to stop her, but she was already running through. The corridor snapped shut in my face, leaving me staring at the empty white walls of the fortress. "Meli...why?"

Please let me know what you thought in a review, and if you have any special requests, shoot them my way! Ideas for scenes can be as vague or specific as you want. I'll try my best to do whatever I receive!