Okay I am completely addicted to this fic :D

This chapter was fun for me, but I think I went a bit crazy with theories and explanations, so if there is any confusion, just send me a message and I'll get it cleared up. Mostly, I'm just guessing on this stuff, since we don't know much about nobodies... but, hey, this is my fictional world, darn it, and I'll make up stuff about nobodies if it fits with the storiesXD

THANK YOU SO MUCH to ALL of these FANTASTIC reviewers! It means the world to me, no kidding. And I'm not really sure if I should send replies, cause I'm not sure that you guys like that... or if you think it's creepy. XD

Anyways. Enjoy the chapter!

In a matter of hours, using a special walkie-talkie that the King had sent over from his world to communicate, Riku was aboard an airship bound for Disney Castle. As Goofy and Donald piloted it in to the world, Riku thought of all the questions he needed to ask the King. Why in the world was he hearing voices? Why could Kairi tell what Naminé was feeling?

"It's been a long time since we have heard from you," Donald said to Riku. "How's Sora?"

"Eh, not so good," Riku admitted. "He got in a fight with Kairi today."

"Fight? That's not like Sora at all," Goofy said, eyeing Riku incredulously.

"He's a little paranoid," Riku told them. "I'll just let him chill for awhile… I have a few things I need to talk to the King about."

"He has something to show you, too," Goofy said. "A discovery."

Riku brightened up. "A discovery? What kind?"

"You'll see," Goofy replied, grinning.

When they landed, Riku was led to the King's study immediately. When he got there, the King's discovery was not at all what he had imagined. He walked in, expecting to find the King hard at work on something regarding the heartless, but instead found him studying a girl. She had shoulder-length, dark brown hair, and warm brown eyes, which were giving Riku an extremely cold stare.

"Oh, Riku! Great to see ya!" Mickey said, smiling widely. "It's been awhile! Questions for me, I hear."

"Yeah," Riku nodded. He couldn't help staring right back at the girl. She was, after all, pretty good looking. "Who's this, your majesty?"

"This," the King began, "is Asahi. Found in the World That Never Was."

"What?" Riku said in disbelief, tearing his gaze away from Asahi and back onto the King.

She stood up. "Yeah. I was locked up there by the ugly guy with the weird sword, and forgotten about." She stared Riku down, daring him to challenge her. "And you are?"

"Riku," he said, giving her a small smile. "The man who locked you up would be Saix," he filled in for her. "Why was he keeping you there?"

"I research nobodies," she told him. "They found me snooping around."

"Awesome… the researching, I mean. It works out perfect, actually, cause I came to ask the King about nobodies…"

"Okay, Riku. Shoot," the King said.

"So… if a nobody were to leave a body, and then re-enter the body… would it be… I don't know… different?" Riku ventured, unsure of how to phrase the question.

The King thought for a moment. "Asahi? What do you think?"

"Not much research has been done on it, but I'm sure the bond between the body and the nobody would not be as strong," Asahi said knowledgeably.

"So the nobody could escape?"

"It's not unheard of," she replied. "But it would have nowhere to go, and would most likely fade away."

"Most likely?"

"Well, if a nobody were to ever feel a real, true human feeling… a miracle might happen," she said vaguely. "Since no nobody has ever felt a true human emotion, we can't be sure."

"Okay, so… if they felt, say, love… what would happen?"

"They could become real. They could disintegrate forever. Nobody knows," Asahi told him. "Like I said, a nobody has never felt a human emotion before. If one did, though… the chances of something happening like that are very high."

Riku was still confused. "Why is that?"

"Because the whole point of a nobody is that they don't exist… they don't have hearts, and they don't have emotions. So, wouldn't you venture to guess that something different would happen if they did have an actual emotion, or overcame their lack of heart?"

The King was watching Asahi and Riku with interest, but remained silent. "I suppose that makes sense," Riku agreed. "Okay, I have another question… if a nobody were less attached to its body, do you think the person would be able to… I don't know… feel what the nobody was feeling?"

"Possibly," the King stepped in. "Not much is known about when a nobody re-enters a body, Riku… it hardly ever happens."

"Oh, okay," he said, a little disappointed. "So. Is it possible for a person, say, me, to hear what my friend's nobody is thinking?"

Asahi jumped at the chance to answer this question. "I read once that if you don't have a nobody, you might just hear things like that. Then again, I guess it helps that the nobodies you're talking about are potentially less attached to their bodies than normal ones."

Do I have a nobody? Riku thought to himself. "Are you sure that's the only way?"

"Okay, Riku… let's guess that all nobodies can communicate with each other. If you don't have a nobody, it only makes sense that you'd be able to hear it, doesn't it?" Asahi said, smiling a little.

Things were staring to add up for Riku. He could hear Roxas and Naminé, because for some reason, he didn't have a nobody anymore. Sora and Kairi had lived for a long time without theirs, so obviously, he could survive without his. Roxas and Naminé were possibly experiencing a true human emotion, and could potentially break free of Sora and Kairi's bodies.

Though he knew a lot more than before he came to the castle, he suddenly got an idea. "Your majesty? Would it be possible for Asahi to come to Destiny Islands for awhile?"

The King looked a little surprised. "I mean… I suppose she could, since it'll be a few days before I can find her world, but… be careful!"

Asahi smiled at the King. "Don't worry. I can defend myself."

With that, she followed Riku back to the gummi ship, and Donald and Goofy took them back to Destiny Islands.

As they rode back, Asahi and Riku talked all the way. She had seemed pretty mean when he first had met her, but had softened up considerably. In reality, she was a sweet, strong girl, and Riku couldn't help but like her, just a little. Of course, he knew there was no chance—she was a year and a half older than him—but that didn't mean he couldn't talk to her.

"So, you really think you've been hearing your friends' nobodies?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I know it sounds insane, but I'm almost sure of it," Riku told her. "I mean, they talk about missing one another, and my friend Kairi thinks her nobody might be in love with my friend Sora's nobody…"

Asahi watched him, eyes wide. "If they really do fall in love with each other, this could be like… a major discovery, Riku! I'm so happy I came with you… cause if something ends up happening, I want to see it!"

He stared straight ahead, deep in thought. "I'm not sure if something will happen."

"Where do you think your nobody went?" Asahi asked.

"Not sure," Riku replied. He wasn't quite sure he was ready to tell her about his stint in the darkness, though that was likely the cause.

"When we get to Destiny Island, can I meet your friends?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course," Riku said. "You'll like them, I promise."

She smiled. "If they're friends with you, they must be amazing!"

You have no idea, he thought. "So, Asahi, do you have a nobody?"

She shook her head. "The organization that I work for destroyed it. They didn't want to risk it breaking free."

"Smart," Riku commented. "If only they had destroyed Xemnas. It would have saved us a ton of trouble."

She laughed. "Glad to hear you and your friend beat him, though."

"It was hard," Riku admitted. "He got me, right at the end. Pretty bad leg injury."

Asahi's eyes widened. "Are you okay now?"

Riku smiled a little. "Definitely. Don't worry."

The gummi ship landed. Riku thanked Donald and Goofy profusely, and led Asahi off of the ship. As she stepped down onto the sand, her face lit up. "The whole thing is a beach!"

Riku chuckled. "Most of it is, anyway."

"Awesome!" she squealed, immediately removing her shoes.

"Let's go find Sora," Riku suggested, laughing.

Asahi shot him a grin, and followed him across the beach and into the woods. Disappointed, Asahi put her shoes back on. "Forest," she whined. "I liked the beach better!"

"It's just a little ways in here," Riku assured her, following the path. When they came upon Sora's house, he was sitting placidly on the ground beneath his window.

"Are you grounded still?" Riku asked Sora.

Sora was staring at Asahi. "I figured mom wouldn't mind if I sat right here," Sora said, eyes still locked on her.

"This is Asahi," Riku told him. "She's an expert on nobodies."

An expert? Yeah, right. We don't exist, so there is no such thing.

Riku looked at Asahi, and saw that her eyes were wide. "You heard it too?" he mumbled to her.

She nodded. "So that's why you asked if I had one… you're not insane after all, Riku!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Sora asked, confused.

"Nothing," Riku insisted. "Asahi, would you like to go meet Kairi now?"

Sora eyed Riku. Riku sighed. "You haven't talked to her yet, have you?"

Sora shook his head. "I couldn't."

Riku sighed again. "Sora… there's only so much I can do. I'll try to talk to her, but I can't guarantee a thing."

"You work wonders, Riku. I have faith in you," Sora said, plastering a big, cheesy smile on his face. "Thanks for staying to, you know, talk for awhile!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "No problem."

Oh my God. He is going insane.

Riku cast a knowing glance at Asahi, who still couldn't believe that she was hearing the voices, too. "Nice meeting you, Asahi," Sora said, still smiling.

"Yeah," she agreed. "See you later!"

Once they were out of earshot of Sora, Riku looked over at Asahi. "So, it turns out I'm not crazy."

She smiled a little. "Yeah, you're not. Either that, or we both are."

"He sure was in a bad mood today," Riku said.

"Riku," Asahi said, sighing. "He wants to speak to the other nobody. Obviously."

"I know, but at the rate Sora is moving, they'll be twenty before they talk again," Riku said cynically. "He's impossible."

Asahi looked thoughtful. "Maybe if I talked to him… you know, gave him a little bit of girl advice… he'd get moving," she suggested.

It was official: Asahi was brilliant. "Great idea!" Riku said enthusiastically. "I'll take you back there later, and you can persuade him to go apologize to Kairi!"

She smiled. "Okay… I'm a pro at giving girl advice, don't you worry."

"It would be sad if you weren't good at it… considering, you know, you are a girl," Riku pointed out.

Asahi gave him a look. "I noticed, actually."

He smirked at her sheepishly, and she rolled her eyes. "Smart ass," she mumbled under her breath.

"I heard that!"

She giggled. "That was the idea."

Before they knew it, they were standing on Kairi's front step. Riku jabbed his finger on the small, round white button, and waited. Moments later, Kairi pulled the door open, looking as though she had done a bit of crying since Riku had left her in the woods.

"Wow, Riku," she said, brightening a little. "You've been gone forever, I thought maybe Sora had killed you!"

He laughed nervously. "Hmm, no… I went to visit the King."

"Wow, it was a quick trip, then," she said, eyes locking on Asahi. "Hey, I'm Kairi!"

Asahi smiled. "I'm Asahi. Great to meet you!"

Kairi stepped out onto the front step. "Let's go to the beach or something, you'll like that," she said to Asahi. "It's amazing."

They took the path in the woods to the beach, which was only a short walk away. When they were at last seated on the warm sand under the waning sun, Kairi asked Asahi, "So, where are you from?"

"Well… I travel a lot, because I research nobodies for my job," she explained.

Expert? Really? I wonder if she'd be able to help me…

Asahi got a deer-in-headlights look on her face, and cast a quick glance at Riku. He nodded a little, and she took that to mean that he also heard the voice.

"That's pretty cool," Kairi said. "How did you meet Riku?"

"I was being held prisoner in The World That Never Was… they caught me snooping around there," she told Kairi. "If I remember, I think I saw them bringing you in, too."

"Hmm… I'm not sure I remember…" Kairi tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Asahi said with a little laugh. "You looked either really scared or extremely pissed."

"A little of both," Kairi said, grinning.

She wouldn't have even gotten out without me. And look. This is what I get for helping her and Sora out, I suppose.

Riku couldn't take it anymore. Naminé… we're going to help you. Please. Just hang on.

I'd be grateful, I suppose.

Riku smirked. Good. Don't worry. We'll have Sora's brain fixed in no time.

Okay. So. OC. I didn't just add her so Riku has a girl. She actually HAS a purpose, I swear! Which is not to be Riku's darling. Sorry XD ANYWAY, I hope you liked it:D

Thanks for reading!

Lulala