Note to Disclaimers: I do not and never will own Kingdom Hearts or anyone else except Cyra so please don't sue me. This is for entertainment only, not profits.

Author's Note: Well, now…I think my muses came back, if even for a little while. I think this chapter better than my last cause, personally, for reasons you'll find out when you read it! And truthfully, if you think this chapter sucks, tell me, straight out, ok? It's ok if you don't. Anyway, please R&R if you can? If you don't want to, then don't-I can't force you. Enjoy reading the fic as much as you possibly can, cause I know I enjoyed writing it!

Word Coding:

Everything else

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Thoughts of Zephyr

Nails drummed quickly upon the flat tabletop, agitation and boredom evident in each resounding tap. The girl's eyes were partially closed in clear intent to ignore the vision before her, which was sitting across from her. Aerith knew she heard the voices drifting around her but none actually reached the girl's ear, Aerith could tell. She felt bad for the young woman sitting resolutely in the room with them. The flower girl didn't understand why Ansem had made Kairi stay but she knew it must be important if he demanded so. Sephiroth was seated next to her in a stiff fashion, his arms crossed defiantly while his masumane blade poked her side continuously. She smacked it away for the third time in ten minutes; Sephiroth merely yawned and ignored her. She didn't see why Cloud hadn't said anything when they were in his line of vision. 'I doubt it's because he has his eyes closed.' It was true that the warrior's eyes were firmly shut and he had not said a word since they'd convened in the small room.

Leon and Yuffie were arguing with Ansem, or Yuffie rather, about why it was unwise to have Kairi in the room, though the girl herself seemed quite indifferent about the entire situation. Sora, though not exactly real, sat quietly, patiently awaiting someone to address his purpose of presence. He did not appear to understand why he'd been resurrected from the dead, from his sleep. And it did not seem like anyone would clarify it for him as Mulan and Pocahontas were missing in action yet again. Aerith assumed it was taking all their power to keep Sora present in the mortal realm. He didn't look phased as he sat there, his face unreadable and hands planted on either side of the tabletop. Aerith noted that his keyblade was missing, as was his trademark smile. She wasn't sure how much longer anyone could endure Yuffie and Ansem's arguing but she knew she couldn't. With all the will power she could muster, Aerith scoffed, grabbing the attention of the ninja who glared. "Ahem…perhaps we could discuss the actual matter at hand before everyone dies of boredom, yes?"

"You're sarcasm irks me Ancient but is well appreciated in getting back to the proper subject matter," Sephiroth smirked. Cloud grunted in response and nodded in agreement. Aerith looked perplexed at how well they had been getting along and sighed. Sephiroth's smirk grew. "Quit acting childish Ancient. Neither of us understands it either."

"It seems, more and more often lately, that he gets the better of you Aerith." Leon's voice cut off her protest before it left her mouth, surprising everyone in the room. He hid his smirk as he redirected his attention towards Sora.

Sora cleared his throat. "I fear that Mulan and Pocahontas' powers are fading, which means I cannot stay here long. You must discuss these important matters…now."

Ansem nodded. "Very well, Key bearer. The reason you are here is simple." He chanced a glance at Kairi; she had dozed off, her head resting heavily against Leon's shoulder. "Kairi needs you…more than you might realize. Earlier this afternoon she had an…outburst. It seems that the Seed of Darkness in her mind has rooted deeper than we expected, in such a short amount of time. She is nearing the point of a soulless state, you might say. She could very well become a wraith right underneath our noses if she has no direction."

"What can I do to help?" Sora's eyes closed as his forehead creased in lamentation. "I am dead to her, to all of you. Look at me; I am a mere spirit. What can I do to help her?"

"She needs your…power…and your weapon; she needs your soul." Ansem answered calmly.

"What?" Sora stood up so quickly he might have knocked over his chair had Cloud not caught it. His sapphire eyes were wide with disbelief as he sputtered his reply. "You can't be serious? If I give Kairi my soul she'll…I'll…be gone forever…won't I?"

The Sorcerer sighed heavily before getting up himself, beginning to pace the given length of the tiny room. "Yes…technically speaking, yes. But," he turned to Sora. "You will give her chance to save your soul as well. If Kairi manages to protect the worlds and drive away Cyra and Riku, then your soul will be returned to you upon her conquest."

"And if she fails…?" Sora's words hung in the air, a deafening silence encompassing them.

"I will not fail, no matter what I do."

"Kairi, you do not know that." Sora' s voice was tender but the hint of underlying uncertainty did not escape Kairi's ears.

"How could you think I would fail simply because you are not here? Do you think me that weak?" She sounded extremely bitter as she spoke to Sora. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Besides, YOU are the one who abandoned ME. How DARE you insult me in such a manner as careless as you have! As far as we're all concerned, you are a dead man walking. You are a liar Sora, a common liar. I don't know why I believed you."

Sora was speechless as Kairi continued to speak to him in such a harsh way; that is until Yuffie stood up and slapped the girl on her left cheek-hard. The resounding smack shocked everyone except the Lion-hearted warrior. He chuckled at the display; Aerith glared at him. Yuffie was fuming once again as she faced Kairi, this time glaring harder than before. "Snap out of it, damn it! What the HELL is your problem Kairi? Here we are, trying desperately to help you to figure out the rest of your destiny and to fulfill the proper prophecy, the one you chose, and here you are, treating us all like trash! I, for one, am sick of it and I intend to let you know now!" Kairi blinked at her, the shock still sinking in and a fresh red mark appearing on her skin. Yuffie felt compelled to slap her again when she did not respond but Leon grabbed her arm. Yet Yuffie was determined to get her point across and since words weren't working she extended her free hand and slapped Kairi across the right cheek. Sora stood there, not fully understanding Yuffie's anger but also too upset with Kairi to stop the female ninja. "Don't you understand Kairi? We're your friends and we're here to help you! We need you! We cannot do this without you! How could you let all of this go without a fight? How do you think you'd feel if you let Sora's soul die, completely?" She pointed at the young man standing in a stupor opposite to her. "What about yourself? Aren't you the slightest bit disappointed in yourself? Well?"

Kairi held her burning cheeks as tears stung her eyes. "I…I…I'm sorry…?" She offered a weak apology as she cradled her stinging skin within her cold, clammy hands. She shook her head violently. "I mean…I am sorry…but I'm not. I mean…I don't know what to say to you, Yuffie."

Yuffie didn't seem satisfied with her answer as she turned away to glare at the wall. "Well, when you do, come and talk to me. I'll see you all later. Tell me when she becomes remotely human again." With those last words Yuffie fled the room.

Kairi looked horrified as she watched the woman leave. She began to speak when Leon suddenly arose as well. He threw Kairi a somewhat less sympathetic look than before as he went after Yuffie. Kairi felt her tears becoming too hot to hold back. She released a shaky sigh. "I…Aerith…what have I done?"

Aerith's eyes had hardened as she gazed at the Princess. "I do not know. I must go." She stood up abruptly, causing hr chair to scratch the floor mercilessly, and ran after Leon and Yuffie, Cloud following closely behind her.

Suddenly everything began falling apart for her as she looked into Sora's pained eyes, his lips set in a frown as he gripped the tables' edges within his gloved hands. She was about to say something when Sora put his hand up to silence her. "Take it then, if you must." He turned away, slowly, and began walking to where Mulan and Pocahontas lay in a deep slumber. His form began to flicker. He took a last lingering look at her from over his shoulder. "Good luck, Princess. Good bye."

She cried out as Sora disappeared in a cloud of golden mist, his keyblade, Oathkeeper, the only thing left from where he'd previously been standing. As she ran and plucked it from the ground, tears spilling over its shiny metal tip, she saw the key chain she'd given him hanging on its edge. It felt warm in her hands and she glanced upwards as a voice drifted to her. "Sora?" His voice filled her mind as she hugged the weapon to her chest, sobs racking her body as she realized her final choice. "No…no…damn it, NO! This isn't what I wanted! This isn't what I meant!"

"But it's what you chose," Sephiroth muttered to her, matter-o-fact.

She didn't care about his tone of voice, too self-absorbed in her sorrow. He sighed silently to himself as he crossed over to her. He gently touched her shoulder as Ansem started walking towards them. Something about her reminded him of Cyra and the thought of his little princess in pain overwhelmed him, if even for a moment. He was not afraid to let Ansem see him this way; he had before, once or twice when it concerned the Princess of Darkness. Kairi glanced at him for a mere second before continuing to hug the weapon to her, sniffling. Sephiroth looked to his partner. Ansem kneeled down and gathered the girl in a tender hug, something he often did when Cyra would cry before she left. If it bothered Kairi that she was going to be comforted by a former enemy, she did not show it. Instead, she crumpled into his embrace like a lost child, hurt and scared. And, in a manner of speaking, she was, they knew. Sephiroth nodded quietly before leaving the room so that Ansem could care for the girl.

Somewhere in the engine room of the ship, Yuffie was seething under her breath as she threw herself onto the catwalk, eyes burning with anger. She was trying to think when a voice interrupted her thoughts. "That was a pretty nice act you put on out there." The voice was cool, unmistakable.

"Who asked you, huh?" Yuffie spat her response venomously at Leon as she whirled around to face him, promptly bumping into him and falling backwards on her bottom, undignified. "Jerk," she muttered.

Leon offered her a hand, and surprisingly, she took it. Once he'd helped her up he looked down at her in an unnerving way as she stared right back up at him. "You know…maybe you were a little harsh with your last statement."

"Ha! You're one to speak Mr. I'm-emotionally-constipated-and-don't-know-anything-about-speaking," she replied in a challenging way. "Besides…I didn't see you telling me to shut up!"

"Well, what good would that have done any of us? You're bound to say it anyway, what with your big mouth and all," Leon replied coolly as he leaned against a compartment door, eyes closing in thought.

If Yuffie wan angry, it was nothing compared to her next action, one Leon did not expect. Yuffie stomped up to him, raised her fist and brought it smashing into his abdomen. Of course Yuffie was strong, which resulted in Leon lurching forward a little as she seethed in front of him, ready for another strike. Just as she was about to sock him again he caught her thin wrist in his calloused hand, stopping her beating from reaching him. She let out a frustrated growl and tried to use her other hand but he caught that one too. Not ready to admit defeat just yet, Yuffie brought one leg up in a front kick to his groin but Leon was not fooled. He swiftly dodged this and released her. She went stumbling back, preparing to hit the floor once again but it never happened. She re-opened her eyes and glared at Leon who was supporting her back with one hand and her head with the other. She was too angry to notice how close he was to her. She simply crossed her arms and stared at him, her eyes hard and unforgiving as she waited for him to let her fall as part of some cruel joke, the ones he usually played on her. But when he did not let go, Yuffie's eyes turned questioning. She came to her senses and realized their predicament and gulped, loudly.

"What are you doing?" She sounded bold but her insides were quivering. She was determined not to falter but was having an excruciatingly hard time. Leon didn't seem bothered.

"Staring," he dared to reply. He knew he looked composed to her, but he felt as if he were walking on glass eggshells. When her eyes widened, he couldn't help but smirk down at her. "Does that bother you?"

She scowled in return. "Stop this," she whispered. Her body grew stiff as he pulled her a little closer; she didn't move an inch. "This is not fair Squall…stop it now. This is such a cruel joke you're playing right now…even you're not that heartless. I know that and so do you."

"Who says I'm joking?"

She laughed bitterly. "Please," she said, sarcasm dripping through her words. "Don't act like we're suddenly buddies and you care about me. The day you care about anyone other than yourself…well, that'll be the day!"

"The I guess today is that day, isn't it?" His smirk widened as she stopped laughing.

"Squall?"

"Yuffie?"

"Come on now, this isn't funny, really." She began to squirm to get away. When he made no move to release her, she began to murmur angrily at him. "Let me go. You can only go so far…I'm not a toy! I do not deserve to have someone toy with my emotions just because-

"You're right, that's why I'm going to stop lying and get it over with." She noticed how close his face had come to hers. "Wouldn't that be relieving?"

"Squall?"

"Yuffie, shut up."

If she had any clue about what he would do next she sure wasn't prepared for it. That is why she turned to jelly, practically; at the precise moment his lips touched hers Yuffie felt as if she was going to scream. 'Why is Squall kissing me?' She placed her hands on his chest to push away but when she tried, something made her pause. 'Heck…who cares? If it isn't exactly what you want, it doesn't matter anymore. But this kiss…you wanted THIS didn't you?' Some part of her mind was going off with warning signals but another part, her less logical one, rejected her warnings. 'Shut up,' she told her cautious mind as she slid her arms over his shoulders. 'THIS is not fake…it feels too real…it feels like love.' Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, Leon's was agreeing as well.

-----@-----

'What have I done? Nothing is right anymore!' I stare helplessly at Ansem as he continues to try and help me come to terms with the choice I've made; but nothing will soothe me now. He has stopped talking. "What do you mean I can still fix things? Sora has left me…forever now it seems. And it's all my fault!"

"Kairi, just because Sora left you doesn't mean you can't make everything right. You CAN still fix things. Do not let despair rule your state of mind. We are to reach Nebula in a days time and then the battle will begin." Ansem waves his hand at the window. "Listen, Belle has picked up Princess Wendy of Neverland and Princess Megara as well. The Circle of Princesses is almost complete and you will be strong enough to fight this danger. You now possess Sora's power and wield the weapon of light. With your power, Sora's, ours, and the Princesses of Hearts' powers, you will do well."

"I will win?" I look at him hopefully.

"That all depends on you, Princess. You will have a good chance with the resources and powers we provide for you, but it all depends on you." He looks at me, pain evident in his eyes. "You must kill your sister, you know, correct?" I nod. "I hate to say that I wish neither of you were to die. You see…Cyra…I raised like my very own daughter. I was the one who cursed her but I also rescued her. Yet," his face shows shame. "I am the one who sealed her fate to the darkness…cursed her childish soul in Hollow Bastion and raised her around that which would take her soul, trained her to love it, to live with it, to embrace it. So you see, in a sense I have also deemed you against each other. Without the proper knowledge at my disposal, at least at that time, I did not understand your fate. I suppose I am partially to blame. Back then, I wanted to control the heartless again, to open the keyhole. I was determined to find the power of Darkness, the center of it, the source." He shakes his head. "But I should've known better. I should've listened to the Key Bearer's words. When I took Riku, I tainted his soul, not that it wasn't tainted before-that is how I found him. But when my body was destroyed in Kingdom Hearts, Riku's was my makeshift. When I gained enough power to leave his body, I did and returned to Hollow Bastion."

"Is that when you took my sister?" I ask.

"No. I had taken her before the Kingdom Hearts incident. She was with Sephiroth, my permanent partner at that time. He cared for her while I was away, which is unimaginable, I know. That is why he possesses a soft spot for her. Anyway…that is why I returned to Hollow Bastion only to find it more than partially obliterated by the heartless, who were running amuck without a master. I decided to take on the role once again but Merlin, that foolish wizard, or so I thought, warned that I could not control them forever. He warned me that they were no longer as before, that they had changed." He shakes his head again. "I was the fool, Princess. I did not heed the warnings and I lost control. This happened recently, which you know, and that is why Cyra and I fled Nebula. It is overrun with Heartless at the present, which I cannot control nor can I fight. But I discovered, all too late of course, that Cyra can control them, and I learned of her true identity year ago. I was a fool to think I could control her powers, too. Your parents were wise to do what they did, marrying opposite sides of Light and Darkness, trying to create harmony. But even they did not know that their marriage would wreak destruction over the universe, put it in jeopardy by having two children that would fight each other."

"But my mother said she knew this!" I protest as he puts a hand up to silence me as Sora did before.

"Yes, they knew there would be a war if you two were to meet and discover your identities. But they figured if they separated you two that everything would be fine. Your parents both tempted fate and she did not like the gesture one bit. Now you have met and the battle for the worlds has begun." Ansem sighs heavily as he takes his seat across from me. "Now, the question is, are you ready Princess? Are you ready to do whatever it takes to save the worlds? Are you willing to kill your own flesh and blood and one of your best friends to achieve the peace that the universe needs to stay balanced? Which prophecy will you fulfill, Kairi, Princess of Light?"

I stare down at my hands and the keyblade that is within them. 'Sora left me his keyblade, his power, his soul…to save the universe.' Suddenly reality crashes down on me and I feel my shoulders sag with the heavy burden of fate's prophecies. 'Which one will I choose?' I run my fingers over the still warm metal, feeling Sora's presence on the keyblade. I sigh as I lift my head to face Ansem who is looking at me expectantly. "I have no other choice, do I?"

"I'm afraid not. You must understand, no matter how much Cyra has been fighting to stray away from the Darkness, she has failed. As of a day ago she fell to the darkness completely. She is no longer your sister or my stepdaughter. She is now the Queen of Darkness and has willingly taken her role as such. If you go to face her and let your guard down, you will fail." He smiles warmly at me, though it does not seem to reach his eyes. "But you Kairi, must follow your path. Inevitably, you would reach the path of Light but at what cost? That is why we had to ensure that you would not fall to the darkness as well, or you would realize your role all too late. Now, you must prepare yourself. Remember, your sister is dead. She is no longer the Cyra you knew at the riverbank in the New World and you are no longer the Kairi she knew after Sora's death. You are the Princess of Light and now possess one of the most powerful weapons created: The Light Staff. With that, you and her shall battle and fate will be decided."

I gasp at the intake of information, a little scared at everything he has told me. 'How could anyone expect me to just recover and go into battle?' I gape at him as I process all the tasks I must complete, all the death I must be prepared to face in just a days time. 'How in the world can I do this?' I don't know exactly what I am up against but I feel as though it's just the beginning of my nightmarish life. Everything I felt in the past seems to fade away into a pathetic oblivion as the thoughts of the impending battle sink in. 'I know what I must do…I know I can do it.' I decide that if I repeat this to myself, like a mantra, I can gain enough confidence to defeat my foes…even if they are my friends and only family. "Ansem?" I speak softly as he nods for me to continue. "When this is all over…will he…come back?" He knows whom I speak of, and a sad expression graces his features. I feel disappointment well up inside me. "Will I ever see him again?" He shakes his head. "Then I…I will do this…for him."

"If that is your decision, then you had better go rest yourself Princess. When we reach Nebula, there will be no time for such a leisure activity. Good night." He disappears through the door and silence envelops me.

I begin to stand ever so slowly, gripping the keyblade tightly within my arms as I walk out of the room. No one is in sight. I head towards the piloting hatch and catch a glimpse of Tidus and Cid leaning over the control panel. I want to run in and tell them my decision but something doesn't feel right; I back away and go to the opposite side. About halfway down the hall I hear a door slide open and someone call my name. I look over and notice Selphie peeking through. "Kairi, come here, we need to talk."

I glimpse at her, briefly, wondering what she wants, before entering. It's dark inside the bunker room and I see the outline of four other figures, two which I assume are Cloud and Aerith, and the other two Mulan and Pocahontas. After my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, Selphie motion for me to come sit on her bunk. I do so and wait for her to speak. "Yes? You wanted to speak with me Selphie?"

"I just wanted to see how you were. Mulan told me about what happened earlier in the kitchen. Are you…feeling all right?" Selphie asks. I nod. She breathes in. "I think I saw…Sora on the ship. Is it true he was here?" I nod again. I release a low 'eep' as she grabs my shoulders. "Are you ok? You aren't hurt by it or anything, are you?"

"Why would I be hurt?"

"Come on Kairi…it's Sora…and he's not exactly, well…you know." She bites her bottom lip.

"It was fine Selphie." I manage to conceal my pain. "That's not what is important right now. For the time being, I need you and Tidus to stick together. We reach Nebula in about a days time and there won't be any time to waste. Be prepared Selphie." With that I stand to leave but her hand on my right wrist makes me stop. "What is it?"

"We're still friends, right?"

I lean over and hug her tightly. "Always will be Selph, always will be. Goodnight. You're going to need your rest."

I close the door behind me, gently, and head for the balcony where I had since made a makeshift bed. As I walk past the second floor balcony, I see Sephiroth and Ansem speaking in hushed whispers. I ignore them-remembering what Ansem said-and continue up the staircase to the third floor balcony. Once I have arrived I lean over the railing to see if they are still there. Instead, my eyes are met with the sight of Leon and Yuffie, both who seem overly affectionate towards each other-well, at least Yuffie is. 'When did THAT happen?' I feel slightly guilty about what Yuffie said to me but decide that it would be better discussed tomorrow when both of us have clear heads. As I lay down to sleep, the light having gone out moments after I saw Leon and Yuffie, my mind drifts to Cyra. 'Is it true, my sister, that you are no longer with us?' I scowl in anger at the thought of the Darkness claiming my friend and my sister, the only family I have left. But tears spring to my eyes as I think more about Cyra. 'I have to kill you, sister.' I chuckle sadly. "I guess I will be the one killing you, and I shall be living for both of us, won't I?" A voice enters my head as I stare mindlessly out the window, a voice filled with sadness; I shut my eyes to block it out. I feel sleep washing over me now.

------@------

Early the next morning I awake to the sounds of people moving around. Groggily, I sit up and head over to the balcony railing. I see Aerith and Cloud packing things and Yuffie and Leon checking coordinates for something with Cid. Selphie and Tidus are sharpening tools with Sephiroth while Ansem talks to Mulan and Pocahontas. I am about to ask what is going on when Selphie looks up and smiles. "Come on down Kairi."

"What's going on?" I ask sleepily.

"What do you mean? Don't you know?" Tidus looks incredulous.

"What are you talking about?" I begin to feel irritated.

"Just come down," Selphie persists.

I sigh and figure to oblige. After all, what could be so bad about listening for once? I throw on the clothes from Anastasia's and head downstairs. Everyone has disappeared through the entrance doors and I realize, finally that we aren't moving. 'What in the world I going on?' I walk towards the door and mumble angrily as I bump in to Selphie. I push past her, eyes closed in frustration as I step outside. "What was so urgent that you-" My voice catches in my throat at the sight before me. All around is a plane full of rotting carcasses, most still decaying and others freshly killed. I cover my mouth as the bile rises in my throat, threatening to spill out as Selphie's has done to my left side. The stench is foul and the ground, literally every inch of it, is covered with a thick coat of acidic looking blood of a yellow color. I turn to Ansem and Sephiroth, both who seem the calmest of us all. "My god…I…" My voice betrays me.

"Welcome to Nebula."

^TBC…

(Yay! They've finally arrived on Nebula and the battle can begin! Ok, personally, I liked this chapter cause we finally are going to begin the battle! Anyway, I thought it was important that we land on Nebula cause that is where Cyra and Riku are, duh! Well, please R&R to tell me what you think and constructive criticism is welcome but NO flames cause that is rude!)

+DarkKairi+