"Ansem should never have brought that girl here," Maleficent spat as she and Jafar strolled through Agrabah. "There is more to her than we first perceived. No matter. I shall work on the plan."

"And I shall work on locating the Princess of Heart, and attempt to halt those fools," Jafar added.

Maleficent nodded. "Good luck to you." She summoned her trademark portal of darkness, and faded out of view.

… … …

Nearby, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Emma were all standing on the save point. "Good, we're here. I'll guide you three through the level," Emma announced. "All you need to do is watch my back."

"Got it," Sora confirmed. They walked out of the small, cramped storage room, and into the hot marketplace. "Where do we go now?"

Emma took in her surroundings. It was easier to navigate once you were actually inside the game. "We need to go to the alley. This way!"

Before Sora and Co. could start following her down the street, a voice came out of nowhere, and echoed, "EMMA! ARE YOU DOWNSTAIRS?"

Emma squeaked nervously. "That's my mom! She's home!" She sighed and headed back for the storage room. "I guess time doesn't pass any differently. Try to go on with out me, guys; I'll be back as soon as I can."

"But we need your brains!" Sora wailed. Emma gave him a weirded-out look. "You know what I mean."

The girl just opened the door, and smiled a little. "Just try your best, okay? In the normal game, you don't need anyone to direct you, so...okay, actually, the player directs you…seeya!" She flung the door closed again before either Sora, Donald, or Goofy could complain.

… … …

"I wonder what Mom wants…" Emma squeaked again. The save point was still glowing on the floor. How do I get rid of it? She scrambled back towards the PS2, and flipped the switch. The screen turned black, and the green flames fizzed out. Okay. Good.

Mrs. Baecker's voice thundered from upstairs, "EMMA, GET UP HERE RIGHT NOW!"

What did I do? Emma whimpered mentally. She hunched up her shoulders, and tip-toed up to the main floor of her house. "Yes, Mom?" she asked meekly.

"I told you not to play King of Hearts for this long!" Mrs. Baecker reprimanded. Emma was too twitchy to correct her mother on the game's name. "But you didn't listen! So, as punishment, you can't play Playstation 2 for the next three days!"

A few days ago, Emma would have glumly consented, but things were different now. As the all-important gamer, it was her duty to make sure that the Keyblade Master and his allies got where they needed to go. "Mom!" she lamented. "I really need to play Kingdom Hearts!"

"Three game-free days aren't going to kill you, Emma," Mrs. Baecker told her daughter.

No…but it might kill Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

… … …

Emma walked into her room, plopping onto her bed. She sighed loudly. I hope the guys can go on without me…but Mom's right, three days isn't too bad. My sentence could be worse. I just wish I could tell Sora…hmm? She glanced over at her silver-colored Gameboy SP. Chain of Memories was still inside the slot. Maybe the cheat code works in this one too… She turned the power on, and hurriedly mashed every button. When she was done, she sighed again. I forgot. Sora and the guys are in the first game. Chain of Memories is like Kingdom Hearts 1 ½, she reminded herself. She dropped the Gameboy SP beside her, and sighed a final time.

… … …

The next day, Emma got up at 5:00 AM, an hour and a half earlier than she had to. After rubbing her eyes and sleepily put her horn-rimmed glasses on, nearly poking herself in the eye during the process. She looked herself over in the mirror, prodding her tidy, black bun. I looked awesome in the game, she reminisced. Maybe I could look like that again…? She ran into the bathroom, and searched through the cabinet. Finally, she located a bottle with clear contents, and grinned. Auntie Em, say "sayonara"!

… … …

"Hey, where's Auntie Em?" A group of boys from Emma's class were searching the playground. "She's usually the first one here," one of them remarked.

One of his friends pointed numbly at the sidewalk, where the other students were staring. Most of them had parted to let a highly conspicuous girl through. She had spiked, black hair, and white, leather shoes with flames on them. "Who is that?" one girl wondered.

Unlike the others, the boy wasn't staring at the girl's hair or her shoes, but at her eyes, which were partially obstructed by a pair of crescent-moon glasses. "IT'S AUNTIE EM!" he screamed, dashing out of her way.

"Yeah, you BETTER run!" Emma called after him with a grin. She looked at the other kids. "Well? What are you waiting for, Christmas?" They glanced at each other, then dispersed, murmuring. "Aw, yeah! This is much better!" She raised her arms in victory, and strode into the school.

… … …

After six boring hours of school and short walk home, Emma read Mrs. Baecker's note, announcing that she would be late again, uncovered the key, and trudged upstairs. No Kingdom Hearts today…I wonder how the guys are doing? I shouldn't worry, though; they're pretty tough. They can go on without me fine. I'll just play Chain of Memories…huh? She picked up her Gameboy SP. It was on. I thought I turned you off…I should charge its batteries later. Emma was about to push down the switch when she heard a beeping noise. The words "NEW MESSAGE" appeared on the screen. Message? She reluctantly pressed the A button.

LOADING MESSAGE

Sora: Hey, Emma! Are you there?

Emma didn't know whether to freak out or to be relieved. A message box appeared. I guess this is like AOL Instant Messaging…except it's on an SP, and I'm talking to a fictitious character.

Emma: Yeah, I'm here. Are you doing okay? And how are you messaging me on Chain of Memories?

Sora: We're fine, don't worry. What's Chain of Memories?

Emma: Nevermind.

Sora: Not that again…

Emma: Cut to the chase; what do you need?

Sora: We're in this small room with treasure coming out of the wazoo, and-

Emma: You just gave me a really bad mental image.

Sora: Stay with me here, okay? Donald says that we should ask your permission before going into the next room. He's a magician and stuff, so he says he's getting bad vibes, or something like that.

Emma: What do you know, the duck's got a few brain cells. He's right. The next room is where you fight Jafar.

Sora: So, should we go in?

Emma: Not just yet. See the save point?

Sora: If you mean those green flames, then yes.

Emma: Go back to Traverse Town. Just relax for a while. For two days, actually.

Sora: What, do I get a vacation?

Emma: No. Well, I guess you could call it that. I got punished for playing Kingdom Hearts for too long; I was sentenced to three PS2-free days. This is officially day one of the punishment.

Sora: When should we come back to Agrabah?

Emma: Around 3:00 PM, in two days. Fight Jafar without me. When I come home from school at 3:00, I'll help you fight him in his genie form.

Sora: WHAT?

Emma: Oh, he's not too hard. Besides, I have a plan to get rid of him for good, instead of just sealing him in his lamp.

Sora: Um…Emma? You can't fight.

Emma: Don't remind me. This plan doesn't involve any sort of fighting, anyway. Can you play soccer?

Sora: What's that? Is it like blitzball?

Emma: You know what that is?

Sora: Of course I do! Tidus and Wakka taught me.

Emma: Even better. Be ready to blitz in two days.

Sora: Got it.

The window closed, and Emma switched off her Gameboy SP. I can't wait to put this plan into action!