AN: Hello, faithful person! I am indeed happy that you are reading my story's third chapter - hoo-ray-ah (waves finger around in circle). Thanks for sticking with me so far - life has been indeed hectic, seeing I just got out of school today. Yayyyy, I've been promoted to 8th Grade. --;; This one's for Rayne, a good reviewer...and well, a person who shares Raine's name.

Disclaimer: Don't own the terms, characters, etc. I'm sick of saying this all ready.

Thanks: Ikana Sesako ( Raine: Peh, you can't stand up to my darkness... (Smirks) Tehe, thanks! )

'Haze!'

He tried to say something. Anything. Please, Gods, if you hear me now, let me hear his voice again. I instantly darted forward, eyes wide as I cupped his face in my hands to make him look up at me. He seemed weary, and not only weary. Hurt - in pain...hungry, thirsty, and dirty. I looked at him pleadingly, before his voice managed to greet my ears. Is was low, husky, and raspy - he must have been deprived of water.

'L...Little sister...are my eyes lying...?'

'No, it's me, Haze...it's me!' And all of a sudden, I was crying. Just like that. He seemed to stare through me, eyes glassy and distant, before I brought his attention to me, staring up at him.

'This has to be a dream...you can't be real...you can't be...' He kept muttering even as I smashed the rusty restraints with no problem at all. He fell to his knees after they had been removed, gasping as he looked up at me, eyes shadowed with deep pain - a pain that I had never known of him. Despite that, those eyes still glowed that beautiful exotic orangish red hue, though I do not remember who he got it from.

As I knelt to pull his shaking, bigger form to his feet, his presence in my mind began to swirl once more. Yes...I still had that bond established with him when I was small - I think...I had done it when I was small. I concentrated, and it grew stronger, streaked by red, the color of pain, but there was a brilliant streak of white across the red - relief, or love? Haze gave a strangled, throaty cry and nearly fell again as he embraced me, pulling me in an inhumanely tight hug and burying his face in my shoulder. I couldn't manage to keep both him and myself up, but sat down with my arms around him, softly stroking his hair and whispering soft, gentle things. Soft gentle things that soothed the deep red ache across his subconscious until it had faded into a soft, lulling dark again.

He pulled back, face shining with shed tears. It had been four years - four entire years - since I had seen his face, and I couldn't help but stare at him, and start crying myself. Haze starts wiping his own face and muttering things under his breath, then going to wipe mine. I was too...well, embarrassed to let him do so, and pulled back when he tried to. Gah. How...emotion-filled. I can't help but feel like an idiot as I sit here and tell you this story. Then again...stories, though sometimes discreetly, always have sorrow in them, don't they?

'You are real.' He whispered softly, staring at me. His eyes were huge - like a glassy porcelain doll's eyes. But they lived, unlike the doll eyes. Vibrant color touched those eyes as they brightened, and darkened at the same time. 'It isn't a dream anymore, your here.'

'I've been here...but...I didn't know...you were here, Haze.' I was smiling now, through trembling lips, through a porcelain doll's face.

'You look...so different...' He paused and gazed at me. 'You...look...like Mother, Raine. Just like her. I never thought that I would ever see that face again in someone...but you have her face...I never noticed it before...'

I smiled as the tears came to my eyes again. I don't remember my mother anymore, nor my father...or any of my past, for the matter. So how should I remember her face, if I cannot even remember my own? It's been a very long time since I've seen a mirror, or a reflection of myself in something - the Obscure Caverns were just too dark for such reflections to be cast of someone. I would have never been bothered to look into my own eyes ever again, either...for some reason, I didn't want to look at the face of such a dark person...

'Let me show you.' Haze said softly, taking my hand in his and pulling me up to my feet. Funny, I was once trying to help him up. Now he only helps me. 'Let me show you your face.'

'Haze, I-'

'See.'

He had led me to yet another part of the room that I hadn't noticed before. Or, rather, hadn't bothered to notice since I had arrived. It was a smaller area than the rest of the room, and contained but a single window and a glassy surface - a mirror. The window must have been the light that I had been attracted to - the source of the 'blue' light that I had seen. No, it had been the curtains that had made the room look that fake fluorescent color, like a kid had taken a paintbrush to it.

The next thing was the mirror. I protested against Haze's guiding hands, until his voice sharpened and told me to LOOK. I was afraid that the thing I would see in the mirror would be hideous - but it turned out...it was the exact opposite.

Soft, pale skin stretched over my face - was that my face? I pulled a hand free from Haze's constraint and slowly touched it in wonder. Yes...that was my face. The features...well, I suppose I was a bit pretty. Light pink lips...a dainty little nose, a chin that curved down into a gentle curve, and a forehead in which jet black hair curved over in slightly wavy tendrils. The thing that caught me off guard, however, were my eyes. They were the same exotic red orange my brother's were, slightly narrow, though had thick, gently cascading lashes to seemingly exaggerate their beauty. That seemed to be the only thing that I liked about myself - I stared for what seemed like hours into my own eyes. The emotions that danced across them reminded me vaguely of someone that I had met before...green eyes? Blue eyes? No, it was that red color again. Purely intoxicating.

Haze's face appeared beside mine, and I could suddenly see all the mutual traits shared between the two of us. The same eye shape, and the lips, though his nose was more defined, more masculine. His skin tone was darker than mine, a tanned olive color, and his hair color was the exact opposite of mine, and reached to about midback, though was tied back tightly with a white bandage sort of thing. He smiled at me in the mirror, and an unexpected feeling rose into my chest when I saw that smile. Trust. Love. Relief? Were all of these feelings so, were they true? Or was it all a malignant manifestation of my mind, just a mere illusion created by my aching conscientiousness nature?

I heard footsteps behind me...

'RAINE!' Maleficent's voice echoed through the room in a shrill shriek of rage, breaking all of my thoughts as I spun around, facing her, eyes wide with fear. 'YOU HAVE DISOBEYED ME!'

'I...I'm sorry!' I managed to say as she descended upon me like a hawk about to catch it's prey.

'I have told you, numerous times...how DARE you disobey my orders!'

'I...I...'

'After I took you in as a child, after I showed you so much support, so much love,' Her voice turned into a mocking representation of it's usual tone. 'You come into my business...'

'...Wait a moment.'

'What, have something to say before you are punished?'

'This isn't even my fault.'

Her eyes widened, as if I had just smacked her in the face, laughed, and then ran off.

'What are you talking about?' She said imperiously, straightening to her full height. I'd never realized how small I was before now, before she loomed over me with that maniacal glow in the cold yellow eyes she possessed.

'What am I talking about?' I said quietly at first, so quiet. 'I'm talking about...this...'

I found myself dully raising a hand and pointing at Haze.

'You lied to me.' I was raising my voice now. 'You told me he was safe...you told me that he was unharmed. You lied, you used me for your own purposes, kept me under your thumb...'

'That was not my original-'

'Be quiet and start listening. You talk too much.'

It was amazing, how calm I was...how I just looked her in the eye like she was completely and utterly below me - like she was nothing. And I could hear a voice now, telling me... 'Come on now, speak louder! Tell her you will not be controlled.'

'What did you plan to do next, Maleficent? Did you plan to tell me that you had him here? Did you plan to threaten me by using him to get through to me, to make me obey your every word, like a dog?'

'Y...You...'

'I said be quiet.'

I lowered my head, just very quiet for a moment, thinking of everything that I would have done if I had not disobeyed her and come into this room in the first place. Everything that mattered to me had been in this room for four years. Everything that I had ever bothered to think about had been...here. I raised a hand and looked at it for a moment, then turned quietly back to Maleficent.

'You die now.'

Her eyes widened slightly, and she stumbled backwards as I calmly took a step forward. I was getting angry. Yes. Angry. The boy that I had been looking for had been here in this room, a room where I could have just as easily gone through and found him in so easily. But I hadn't, had I? I had always followed her instructions when I was young, always looking up to her when she could do things that I never thought was even possible. And because of that, Haze had suffered for four years. Because of me. I closed my eyes, and heaved a breath, before angrily, my fingers were wrapped tightly around the handle of the sword I had spent so many years trying to master.

'Raine, stand aside, and give me that sword.' Haze's voice? Wait...why? ...Oh. Strong, tanner fingers wrapped gently around my own, and I turned to look up at him. I understand. I let go of the sword, and then watched mutely, very silent, as Haze approached Maleficent.

'It's been a long time, hasn't it, Maleficent? Since we last faced each other like this...?'

She didn't speak. She seemed...terrified? I don't know. But I could feel Haze's power rising more and more as he took cautious, calm steps toward her, holding out the sword at arms length.

'I see you gave it to her. After you were finished with me you replaced me with my little sister,' he said coldly, and straightened. 'I would not have minded if it was anyone else. I wouldn't have cared...but now that you have lay a finger on my sister and used her the way you did me...the darkness will feed off of you...you are my sacrifice.'

Maleficent squeaked and took a step backwards, and Haze took the opportunity to dart forward. He was oh so fast...very fast, swiping at her with that deadly sword, pulling her feet out from underneath her and making her collapse in front of him, swiping more and more, hitting her... I had half a mind to call out and tell him that it was enough, though the Haze I knew was not there...he had been replaced by a demon with Haze's face and eyes. Maleficent rose to her full height in front of him and blocked one vicious swing after another, and then drew her staff back.

'Haze, look out!'

A powerful thrust and Haze landed at my feet, winded, gasping, groaning. She'd hit him right in the stomach...one of his most wounded places... Without a second thought I snatched the sword up and attacked her. She seemed surprised and stunned, prompting an early lead and advantage against her as billowing robes ripped and she swung futilely, trying to keep up with my attacks. I know how Haze feels...I can still see his red subconsious pulsing and growing with rage as he struggles to get to his feet, and I thrust a hand forward, throwing the sword to the side...calling forth my pet...the darkness. It arrived in a pulsing mess around her robes, and she gasped as it threaded it's way throughout and onto her body. She screamed and writhed and kicked and attempted to get away...

It began to pull her down, and with her descent I began to ascend, watching her coldly, just gazing at her as more and more of the gaunt body was surrounded by tendrils of the dark matter, more and more of the gaunt body disappearing until only her face and shoulders remained above. I reached down, and yanked her head upright. She shrieked, and the darkness throbbed and pulsed violently, shuddering to a halt at my touch.

'D...Darling...please, think rationally!'

I gave a small, rueful smile. Her eyes widened, and I opening my mouth to speak...

'What's the matter, witch?' I hissed down at her, eyes glowing in mirth. 'Afraid of the dark?'

'Noooooooooooooooooo!' Maleficent's harsh existence in this plane ended with a scream of mortal pain, sucked under and crushed as I grinned wickedly, supported by my darkness, tresses shining as my body glowed in an ethereal light.

The darkness slowly began to surround me as I settled down to my feet, and nearly fell over in the process. Only a body stopped me from falling over, and wearily, I looked up into gentle red eyes. That had taken all of my energy, to stop her from hurting my brother. At least he was safe...but, who was holding me? An older man? Who was he? Was he the Whisperer, the soft gentle voice I always heard in the best of my dreams? He looked like Haze. A much older Haze, with waist-length unbound hair and a face that softened at the sight of me. I slowly found myself reaching up for him, whoever he was, to watch the eyes soften, the arms come full circle in an embrace as I wrapped my own around his neck.

'I am here.' I heard him say. The voice sounds vaguely familiar. 'I've been here. Right beside you, as your darkness, as you are mine.'

'But why...?' I looked back at his face, exploring with hands calloused from battle. He smiled and caught one in hand. 'Who are you?'

'You will understand in due time, dearest. You will remember everything once more, once you have found the key to your memories - the key to our memories. You will understand everything, little lost love. Once we have been brought all together again, we will all understand - our true purpose, to lead us into an everlasting darkness...a purpose that will leave none of us out...we will be reunited.'

AN: Whee! Look at that, Ansem has finally appeared! Yes, people, you should KNOW that was Ansem...seeing that I'm in love with his voice and his crazy castle/style/hair/everything. Gah, I've been waiting to get this chapter up...I hope I get a couple reviewers, at least...flames, comments, suggestions? It tells me that people are actually bothering to read the story. Since you bothered to read the story, why not bother to review for it? I mean, a review takes up much less time than actually reading the story, so, I mean, why not?

Raine: Daddy! Your here!

Ansem: I have come back to you! (Hug)

Haze: Oh brother... (Slaps hand to forehead)

Raine: If I recall, you were just as sentimental, Haze!

Haze: No I wasn't!

Raine: Yes you were.

Haze: NO I WASN'T!

Me: (Fastens subjugation beads around Haze) OSUWARI!

Haze: Do-oyyyy! (Falls)

Raine: That'll do nicely. (Highfives Me)