Disclaimer: Characters/Locations are property of Square and/or Disney. I own nothing.

Break The Chains That Bind Us

Chapter Four

"Castle Oblivion?" He repeated the name, his confusion growing. That didn't exactly sound very 'welcoming'.

"You probably have a lot of questions. I think I can help clear some stuff up." She turned around and began walking away, but noticing he wasn't making any move to follow, the girl glanced back at him. "If you'd like to follow me…"

Kaze stayed where he was. "Who are you?"

"My name is Namine."

She seemed about to add more, but he cut her off. "You were there, at Twilight Town. I saw those people take you away."

"Take me away?" She frowned, pausing for a moment. "Oh, no. I'm not from your Twilight Town. They weren't taking me away from there; they were moving me. To here."

"Are they still here?"

Realizing why he was weary of following her, she smiled. "They're all long gone."

Nodding, he finally started after her. Kaze remained silent as she led him through the floors of the castle, each one identical to the last. Plain white washed tile walls and marble flooring. He already hated the place. Counting off each floor as they moved up them, the girl, Namine, stopped on the Thirteenth. She guided him into a large, empty room, gesturing for him to take a seat at a long table in the centre of it.

Kaze scanned the room, noting the double doors behind him and the drawings tacked to the walls, before sitting. The surface of the table was covered in scraps of paper full of similar sketches. "Are they yours?"

Appearing flustered at the question she gathered them up, moving them to the opposite end where she took her own seat. "It gets lonely staying here. They're the only things that I have…"

Lonely? If she was the only one here, then were was Sora? He looked up to ask her, but the thoughtful expression on her face as she studied him made him hesitate.

"You look just like him."

"Sora?"

"That's right."

"Where is he?" He knew that the tone in his voice made him sound impatient and rude, but he needed to know for certain that Sora was there.

Namine didn't seem offended. "Don't worry, he's here." She motioned to the set of doors to his rear. "I'll take you to see him soon, but first, I want to try and help you. There's a lot to explain…"

Satisfied with her answer he relaxed more. "You're the one who called me here, aren't you? How did you do that?"

"I'm the witch in charge of over- seeing Sora's memories. He and you are linked. I was able to use that connection to speak to you the way I did."

Kaze blinked, puzzled. Maybe a simpler question would help more? "Who exactly is Sora?"

"He's a Keyblade Master." Namine met his gaze before continuing. "He's also… your other half."

He shifted in his seat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"When someone loses their heart willingly, usually a shell, their body, along with their soul remains – that becomes what is called a NEO. A Non-Existent one." Her eyes seemed to be filled with sadness and pity as she fixed them on him. "That's what you are."

He shook his head. "I don't understand…"

"Sora… He lost his heart through sacrificing himself for someone very important to him, but he got it back. In the time it was missing however, you were created. You are Non-Existent, but you're still here. Those memories that you've been experiencing? They're Sora's."

He had at least worked that much out himself. Kaze closed his eyes as he absorbed her words. "I could see his memories, because… of our connection, right?"

Namine nodded. "You're linked through Sora's heart. I suppose you could say that you share half of it, but because of this, Sora isn't complete anymore. He's not a whole."

"I'm… using something, that should be his, because I don't have my own…" He felt numb. This wasn't the kind of thing he had wanted to hear.

"You're… not really supposed to exist." Her voice was sympathetic. "You're unique. The two of you shouldn't both be here." She fell silent, allowing him a moment to think over what she had said.

"…Can I see him now?"

Namine's smile returned. "Of course." Standing, she moved around the table to the doors behind him. "He's in here."

Kaze joined her, the cold feeling from her words temporarily replaced by excitement. Finally, he could meet him, his 'other half'.

The room that they entered was bigger than the halls that she had taken him through to get here, bigger even than the room they had just left, yet oddly empty.

Empty, apart from the strange pod shaped cylinders inside.

Namine took him over to one. She waved her arm towards it with a brief nod, before stepping aside, allowing him to get closer and look in.

A boy that appeared to be his own age slept inside. The resemblance was striking. For a moment, he wondered if he was simply seeing his own reflection in the glass surface of the pod, until he noticed the slight differences.

"Sora…" He whispered the name under his breath before turning to the girl alongside him. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's just sleeping."

"Can't you wake him up?"

"No, not yet. It isn't time."

"What happened to him?"

"He… lost his memories." Her expression was pained as she looked away. "I've been putting them right again."

Was that what she had meant about "over-seeing" his memories? "Then, he will remember me when he wakes up?"

"He never knew about you."

Kaze faced her, his eyes narrowing. "Didn't he ever see any of my memories, like I saw his?"

"No. And I made sure to take care of things, in case that happened when he leaves here." Seeing the slight flash of annoyance that flickered across his face she quickly added, "I'm sorry, but you have to understand, things will be confusing enough for him already."

"So, he really won't know anything about me?"

"He may feel like he recognizes places or people you know, but otherwise…"

Kaze decided to let it drop. For some reason, knowing that hurt more than it should have. "Will he wake up soon?"

"It won't be too long now."

"Then, I want to stay here until he does."

"You can't." Namine shook her head firmly. "There's still something that you need to do. Besides, the Organization may not have shown it just yet, but they will be interested in you. If you stay here, it would be dangerous for both of you right now."

"Then, when he wakes up, you'll tell him about me, right? You'll tell him that I came to see him, and where he can find me?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I won't be here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll still be in the Castle, but there are plenty of places for me to stay so I'll be out the way until he leaves."

"Won't he want to see you again after he wakes up?"

"I…" She bit her lip. Kaze could see the misery in her eyes. He could hear the hurt in her voice as she tried to hide it. "I shouldn't interfere anymore than I already have."

He looked back into the pod, to the peacefully sleeping boy inside. "He's never going to know about me…"

"You're free to find him and tell him everything once he leaves here. He'll need your help. It may just be a little while until you can finally speak to each other."

Kaze reached a tentative hand up to place on the pod's surface. "Sora, I'll see you again soon. I promise." He turned to Namine. "Thank you."

"There's still something that you need to know." The girl took him back into the previous room before she stopped near the pinned up drawings, looking over them. "You'll Awaken soon. You are his other half, after all."

"Awaken?" Hadn't the Organization members said the same thing about him, all that time ago?

"The Keyblade chose Sora as its master because of his strong heart… Because you share that, you'll share the burden of being a Keyblade Master."

"I don't even know what a Keyblade is."

"You will." Namine faced him again. "Kaze… He's going to need you. Sora, he's got a very important task that he still needs to complete. As he is now though, I'm not sure if he can… You understand what I said about him not been complete, don't you?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"When that times come…" She trailed off as Kaze watched her expectantly. "It won't be easy for either of you. Especially you."

He grinned at her. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do yet, but me and Sora will make great Keyblade Masters together."

Her eyes still held that same sadness, but if he'd misunderstood her, she didn't bother to correct him. "I'm sure you will."

Thanking her once more, he turned to leave.

" Good luck, Kaze."

Breaking through the lines of the creatures, Sora made a run back for the train with Kaze alongside him, while they had a brief gap.

The Nobodies made no move to follow them.

As they boarded the front carriage, he turned to see where they were, and felt a mixture of disappointment and relief seeing them holding their position. If they weren't following, it meant him and Kaze would be able to leave without a problem, assuming that they could get the train working again. But if they weren't moving, they'd still be here, where his other friends were. Where he'd sent them. He had thought by sending them back, they'd be safe at the Castle.

They were supposed to follow him.

"Sora, I need some help."

Reluctantly moving away from the doors, Sora joined Kaze at the front of the vehicle. Flashing lights and panels filled with rows of colourful buttons lined a console set into the head of the smaller carriage.

"It just seems like it's powered down," Kaze informed him as he started pressing some of the buttons randomly.

"Don't do that!" Sora grabbed his wrist to stop him touching anything else. "It might… explode or something."

Kaze titled his head to give him an incredulous look. "How many self-exploding trains have you heard of, Sora?" As the grip was released from his hand, Kaze continued running fingers across the panels, hitting anything that they came across. "It's not like we can break it anymore."

Sighing, Sora scanned the console before settling on a group of flashing lights and reached out to touch them. His hand stopped halfway, the sound of the train grinding to life startling him. The solid shutters from earlier pulled away from the windows.

"Nice job Sora! Since when did you learn how to use one of these things?"

"I didn't touch anything."

Stepping away, Kaze frowned. "That wasn't me either." The vehicle slowly began moving. "How do we know it's going to take us where we want to go?"

"I don't know. I never thought to ask anyone how they worked." Sora returned back to the previous carriage, taking a seat alongside one of the windows. "I don't like this."

Kaze wandered over to sit in front of him. "Maybe they're all ghost trains."

"That's not funny!"

"It doesn't matter now anyway. Let's just see where it goes."

As he sank into the back of the chair, Sora closed his eyes. What was going to happen to everyone else, while they were gone? It would be his fault if they came back to find those things had destroyed Hollow Bastion.

"They'll be alright, Sora. Everyone will be able to hold them off. Just wait until we get back and you'll see! There'll be nothing left for us to even clear up."

Opening his eyes, Sora gave Kaze a small grin. "They're probably going to get all the fun."

"Since when was riding trains into the middle of nowhere not fun? Where are we supposed to be going, anyway?"

"We found a Door on that last world, but it's not the one I was looking for."

Kaze groaned. "Just how many of these Doors are there?"

"Four. There should be four. One of them, Kingdom Hearts, I've already sealed." Sora looked away to watch the passing scenery outside before continuing. "This one should be Present. Light, and In-Between are the two left."

"In-Between…?"

He glanced up sharply, noticing the sudden change in Kaze's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The other boy shook his head slightly. "Opening or closing these Doors won't do anything to either of us, will it?"

Why had he suddenly sounded so worried? Why would anything happen to them? "Of course not!"

Kaze fell silent, drifting off into his own thoughts. Sora wasn't sure if he was just hearing things or not, but he was certain the last thing he had caught him muttering was something about "distant hearts".

Kaze was shaken out of his confused trance as Sora announced that the train had stopped. Just how long had be been thinking to himself for?

Both standing, they moved over to the doors, Keyblades at the ready. As they slid aside, Sora exited first. Kaze stepped out after him, eyes searching the area. There was nothing but a dull green field of long grass before them, stretching out to some trees in the distance.

"This is the same place."

Satisfied they were safe, Kaze dismissed his weapon as he followed Sora through the grass. "There's no one here."

"It's empty. There's nothing here at all." Sora glanced over his shoulder. "Let's just find this Door and get back to Hollow Bastion."

"You remember where it is?"

"I've got a good idea."

As they moved deeper into the world, Kaze realized just how empty it was. If there were no people on this world, perhaps it wouldn't have seemed so strange, but there weren't any signs of life at all. No birds in the trees, no sounds of anything moving in the bushes around them… Nothing. The only sounds were those of their own footsteps and of the faint wind rustling the leaves above them. It reminded him of the Other Side, of the dark filled world that shared the name of his own home. Only this world wasn't swallowed by the Darkness. Why would a Door be here? What exactly had happened to this world?

A new sound caught his attention. Running water somewhere close by.

Hearing it too, Sora began heading towards it. "It's over here."

Walking through a parting in the trees, they emerged into a clearing. A clear lagoon ran through the centre of it. A solid mountain wall lined the back of it, with a waterfall gushing down it.

Sora led the way, shuffling along the edge of the body of water, and slipping behind the raining torrent into a cave beyond it.

And there, built into the far back wall, was the Door they had came for. A combination of black and white with solid golden handles on either side of it, accompanied by a simple Keyhole beneath each. Now Kaze understood why Sora had needed his help with it.

"So, what do we do? Seal it? Open it?"

"I'm…not sure."

Kaze moved closer, reaching out to touch the cold surface of the Door with one hand. "You said this one is Present, right? I think we should open it."

Sora stepped up alongside him, rolling his eyes. "You just want to see if it leads anywhere."

"No, I'm serious! If this is Present, that means now, doesn't it?" Receiving a blank stare from Sora in reply, he carried on. "This is the Present world, where we are now. Hollow Bastion, your home, they're all now. They're not part of Dark, or In-between, or even Light – although that might change when you open the Door to it. I think we're supposed to open this one too."

Sora didn't appear convinced. "If we're wrong, we don't know what will happen…"

"There might be a lot of un-happy people if we screw things up, but that's alright." Kaze flashed him a confident smile. "I'll take the blame!"

"I don't think it'd be quite that simple." Calling the Keyblade into this hand, Sora retreated to the middle of the cave. "But, let's see what happens."

Kaze took up a position next to him, his own weapon in hand. He had tried to sound like he knew what he was doing, but he was as unsure about it as Sora was. Still, they only had two choices; at least he'd taken the decision away from Sora by making it himself.

As Sora levelled the Keyblade to aim it at the Door, Kaze did the same. Two identical beams of pure white light shot out of both, one streaming to each Keyhole. There was the gratifying sound of something unlocking before both sides of the Door gradually parted. Expecting to be able to see something behind it, Kaze was surprised as the object faded before revealing anything. The panels, the Keyholes, the handles, everything dissolved; leaving nothing behind but the damp wall of the cave that it had been set into.

Had they got it right? Kaze glanced towards Sora hoping he had a better idea of what happened. "Is that it?"

"What were you expecting?"

"Lots of pretty lights? Fireworks?"

"It's a door Kaze, it's not going to throw us a party."

He pouted as Sora began heading for the exit. "I never said anything about a party, although, that would be nice. Don't you think we deserve one after…" He froze as he spotted movement.

Flames were rising out from the ground, growing as they spread across the exit and the edge of the cave. Sora spun around, his eyes growing wider at the sight of something behind Kaze.

He turned around slowly. Seeing the fire had planted one name in his mind, but the person standing there wasn't the same that he was expecting to see. Even with the hood pulled up, concealing their face, he knew who the cloaked figure was.

The twin red blades in either hand told him exactly who it was.

Note's: Oops. Sorry, but that was just the perfect place to leave this chapter. I didn't think I'd have this one done for a while, but it's ready so here it is! Hm, a few things I was going to comment on, let's see if I can remember all of them.

Mostly dialogue this chapter, but I think it served its purpose – the general idea of the plot is pretty much set up now. Not much action here, but that should come up next. The main focus on this chapter was really the flashback section – it's the longest one yet! There are a few quotes here that will be familiar. The "distant hearts" one will be showing up again next chapter, and will play an important part in the story. There's a pretty big hint about what the plot will gradually start revolving around. ;)

This was supposed to be a more light-hearted chapter since, well… things aren't going to stay that way for long.

I think that was all…