A/N: Well, good news. It wasn't the inspiration I had run low on. It was my own wangst-fest and lack of self confidence. I've got to work on that. Well, here's chapter 13!... wow, I just feel so lucky.

I think I'm trying too hard with this chapter. You have to tell me if I am! Tell me if it sucks even worse them ROD, please! GAH! Stupid FL... Sorry, I'm angsting. I NEED to stop that. Umm... maybe it won't turn out... so bad. Yes.

Sora

"Sora, we've been waiting for you!"

Sora blinked. Whatever he had been expecting, this wasn't it. "Huh?" he asked, eyes wrinkled in confusion. "How... how do you know my name?"

The girl smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes glared at him, making him feel like ice was dropping into his stomach and freezing him from the inside out. That smile... was she mocking him?

"Silly," she said, strolling over to him. Sora stood still as she slowly walked around him, his cerulean eyes following her every movement. He saw her dark eyes scan him over, going from his feet to the tips of his spiky hair. Closer up, he saw an almost hungry look in her eyes.

"You're a nice one," she said, grinning widely. But once, again, it didn't reach the rest of her face.

Sora frowned. "That's nice," he grunted. "Now do you mind telling me who you are?"

"Actually, I do," she chirped. Her smile was changing down. One side had curved up a bit more and a knowing smirk faced him now.

Sora sighed. "Look, lady..."

Her face instantly hardened. "Don't talk to me like I'm an old woman," she said, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Look, if you can't help me..."

"Who said I can't help you?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Then tell me who you are!" he snapped.

"Oh my, touchy-touchy," she tutted, shaking her finger at him as if he were a young child being scolded for sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar. 'That sort of attitude won't get you anywhere around here."

Sora had decided. She was more annoying then everything in Wonderland put together.

He was snapped out of his thoughts of tossing her off of one of the tall, rock towers when she started getting closer. Her feet barely made any noise as she padded softly over to him, slippered feet sliding off of the rubble that lay on the ground. The hungry stare was back and she was looking highly amused.

Sora gulped and took a step back.

"Aw, there's nothing to be afraid of," she cooed. "I'm the most helpful person you'll find in here."

She was only mere inches away and around a head shorter then Sora was. She reached up a long fingered hand and brought it up to Sora's face, stroking his cheek gently before twining one of his brown spikes around her finger delicately.

For a moment, Sora was lost. The black eyes seemed to gleam an almost gold color. The rocky background disappeared to him, the crashed gummi ships disintegrating into nothingness. All he saw was her. The beautiful creature staring up at him.

He felt an urge leap up and roar in his chest. He brought a gloved hand up to hers to take it, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. He was lost. She was here, everything... those eyes... they wouldn't...

...let him go...

...a flash of violet shot through his mind, transferring the color of her own eyes. Violet...

Sora gasped, eyes going wide and he was free. He whipped his hand back from hers and smacked it away from him. But the girl didn't seem hurt. On the contrary, she looked even happier. It almost seemed like she wanted this to happen.

"Don't touch me," he hissed, eyes blazing.

She gave a simpering laugh, which sounded more like a cackle to him. "You seemed to be enjoying it," she pointed out.

When Sora continued to glare at her, she said, "All right, all right, I won't do it again."

Against his will, he felt his anger ebbing away. He held onto that flash of violet eyes... Kairi... What had that woman done to him? He could feel something in him that didn't belong, and he still felt it. Wriggling inside his chest at the sight of her. Something planted inside him, it didn't belong. He wanted it out.

Get out of my head...

"Listen to me," he growled, impatience biting in his every word, stinging his throat. "All I want is someone who can help me fix my ship so I can get the hell out of here.

She blinked innocently, though her face was anything but. "What ship?"

Sora blinked, and then he noticed something else. Looking around him, he saw that the ships were all gone, as were the large heaps of rock. The dark sky was covered in rock, water dripping down from it in tiny drops that made loud echoes through what appeared to be a long tunnel.

"Wait," he said, spinning on the spot. Looking behind him, there was more tunnel. It was a shapeless, dark hole. There was no breeze whatsoever; no crack in the rock that showed it was fake. That he could just knock it down. He didn't like it in here. The air was thick... so thick... it was like he was moving through water.

He felt compressed, and he didn't know why. Fear and frustration tingled underneath his skin as he ran to the side, running his fingers along the rock. It couldn't be real... he wasn't here a minute ago...

But the rock felt so real. But then why did he feel that apprehension in the back of his mind... like this was all a dream... it had to be.

Spinning around, his eyes narrowed at the black-haired woman in front of him. She wasn't even hiding the smirk now. Her slender hand was cupped around a ball of light that smoke rose to from her palm. It looked unmistakably solid, but it swirled around as if made of smoke.

"Are you done yet?" she asked teasingly. Her eyes glinted in the light and dark, gold gleaming behind her eyes. Almost... demonic.

Sora stumbled backwards, breath quickening. He spun around and raced away into the end of the tunnel. He had to get out of here! Or wake up! Or something!

Nary...

His little sister was out there and this place just pops up? No, his sister was very real and she was out there waiting for him. He had to find her and he had to find her now. And away from whoever the hell that woman was.

He was enveloped in darkness the moment he had lost sight of that eerie light. He couldn't see, but he just felt he had to go forward. There was somewhere he had to go, he could feel it. And that feeling... that feeling of complete deja vu. Like this had all happened before. That it was somewhere, buried deep inside of his mind.

He kept on going straight. The air was getting thicker and thicker with every yard he ran, or was he just imagining it? No, he couldn't be. Air didn't turn to jello, god damn it.

He was finding what he had, somehow, knew was there. Cracks in the rock spread like spider webs, and a faint blue glow spread from the crevices. He walked up to a thick one, one that he could easily reach two or three fingers in. He stepped close to it and raised his hand closer. He could feel the air getting lighter. Slowly, very slowly, he inserted a finger.

He yelped and yanked it out a second later. It was like plunging his hand into an ice cube. The air was so solid, so cold... he wrapped his warm hand around his blue finger, blowing warm breath on it. God, what was in there?

He stared, but could see nothing. It was like blue crystal, but how had he gotten his finger in it?

This place was too weird.

Stepping back, he looked over. More cracks, just like this one, spread out through the tunnel, lighting the way. But the way to there. He... he had never felt to hopeless. It seemed to go on forever.

He was dimly aware of the fact that he had started running again, only fully noticing it when he felt a stitch send shocks of pain through his ribs and up his body. His surroundings weren't changing at all. Still rock, still those blue cracks... blue, brown, blue, brown, blue, brown... it kept on going. It was all so familiar...

The atmosphere itself wasn't helping. The immense pressure from the air was causing his stiff, healing ribs and wings even more pain. He tried to unfurl them to fly, but when he did, it was useless. It was like trying to row upstream with a spoon. His wings met no useful air to rise him off the ground. His wings moved too slow and he didn't even get one foot off the ground.

Growling, Sora finally stopped. He couldn't take it anymore. It was too quiet, too hard, too impossible... His hands curled into fists as he glared at the cracked rocky wall. His prison...

With a roar, Sora slammed his fist into the rock, desperate to break through. The rock was very solid and very hard. He could feel the rock tear through his skin, warm blood running down.

No. He had to get out of here. It couldn't be real!

He slammed another fist into the rock, this one bleeding too. He repeated the process over, and over, and over... there was no sign his blows had any effect whatsoever on the stony wall, but it was having an effect on Sora.

He felt a muscle spaz in his shoulder, sending jolts of pain down his arm, but he didn't stop. His hands were going numb, dark red blood flowing freely form the numerous gashes that littered his knuckles and fingers.

He finally sent another punch into the rock and he heard a deafening crack. His shoulders slumped and his knees hit the ground, bloodied hands falling limp beside him. He held up the one he heard a crack from, his ring finger, to look at it and he was a tiny white nub of bone sticking out from a dark red tear in his skin. Bits of granite littered the tissue and blood continued to seep from it.

He fumbles in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He began to wipe off the blood with trembling hands, wincing. Wait... why was he doing this?

Snorting at his own stupidity, Sora called his Keyblade to his hand to heal the wounds.

But the Keyblade never came.

Blinking, Sora tried harder. Nothing. Eyes screwed up in concentration, Sora thought of nothing but his weapon. Still nothing. What the hell was going on?

"You can't summon it, can you?"

Sora looked up. That odd, bright light was back again, as was the black-haired woman. She was standing outside an opening in the rock that was just as dark as the rest of the tunnel, only no blue cracks. It looked like it was wide enough for a person like Kairi to fir through, but Sora had the feeling he'd have to squat to get through.

Sora's eyes narrowed at her. "What have you done?" he hissed.

She just smiled at him. The light from the ball in her hand played patterns across her pale skin, making it light up in an eerie way. Her dark eyes were amused and she was still smirking, like she knew something Sora didn't. "Follow me," she whispered, her lips barely moving. "And you'll find out."

"What if I don't trust you?" He asked, beginning to stand up. His hands were still bleeding freely and he didn't bother to pick up the bloodied handkerchief that lay at his feet.

"I don't expect you to," she informed him. "But really... what choice do you have?"

Sora's brows furrowed. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. And... she might be his only hope to get out of here... and to get to Nary.

Face set, he set, "All right. I'll go with you."

She grinned at him, black eyes glinting. "Then follow me, Sora."

Disney Castle

The clicking of fingers on keyboards stopped. All heads turned to the direction of the droopy dog (who I have dubbed Willy). Even Oram was listening now, face stony and eyes staring coldly at the bearer of bad news.

"That can't be possible," King Mickey said, shaking his head. "Check your scanners again!"

"Your majesty," Willy said in a voice that shook slightly, "listen. The sensors aren't wrong."

"Then use another sensor!" Mickey snapped.

"There aren't any other ones," the dog said sadly. No other scanner in the universe can pick up this specific trace. The Spectra is made of a material only we can track. And if the scanner says it's gone... then Sora..."

"NO!" Mickey cut him off. "What am I paying you for?"

Oram came over and peered closely at the screen. "Are you sure the information isn't faulty?" he asked quietly. "Maybe the satellites are out."

But Willy shook his head. "I'm afraid not, sir." All personal referred to Oram as 'sir' because, well, he had the power to fire them. Don't ask how; the power was just granted to him when he was promoted.

"We have strong signals from all of them," he continued. "If one of them was out, we'd know about it."

"Then maybe someone hacked into your systems!" Mickey said.

Willy knew the King was grasping at straws here, and he felt a pang of sympathy for the king. If the scanners were right, which they always were, Sora was either in a million pieces now or was stuck inside a black hole, which would obliterate him within seconds.

"No one can hack into these systems," the dog said quietly. "It's too closed off; we don't even have e-mail! And we made certain there's no back door."

Oram's ears quirked at the 'back door' comment. Could Sora possibly be...? But no. Wouldn't the scanners pick him up there? Couldn't they?

King Mickey was silent for a moment or two, letting the news sink in. He wasn't aware that every eye in the room was on him anymore.

"So... Sora..." Mickey whispered...

"We can't find him, sure," Willy whispered. "And if the Spectra is off charts, then it's in a black hole. And in the black hole..."

Willy had the grace to not finish the sentence. He watched his King closely, but Mickey's face was bent over so you couldn't see his face.

They waited for several moments that seemed to stretch on forever. The gentle breeze outside and the warm sunshine seemed to be taunting them, giving false hope and shining feeble light that couldn't possibly break through this. The light couldn't help now. And it would never help Sora again...

"Sora..." King Mickey said, voice shaking, collapsing to his knees. They were shocked to see tears running from the mouse's eyes, down his nose and onto the floor. His body shook slightly as if cold.

The light will never help Sora again.

He threw back his head. "SORA!"

The Castle

They both waited, nerves racking. They had been called here when a palace servant announced Sora's disappearance. Now Donald and Goofy waited for their King and friend to return, bringing, hopefully, news of when Sora would come back home.

Or come back anywhere, for that matter.

Donald sighed. "That kid causes more troubles then he's worth."

"Aw, don't say that Donald!" Goofy said, frowning.

"He is!" Donald said, frowning. "Making us all worry..."

"Gawrsh, I sure hope he's all right," Goofy murmured.

"He'll be fine," Donald scoffed.

"You're worried about Sora, too!" Goofy pouted out.

"Aw shut up, you big palooka..."

"What's this we hear about our Sora-kun going missing?"

"WAH AH AH!" Donald yelled, jumping two feet in the air in surprise.

"AH hyuck, hiya ladies!" Goofy said, waving to the two teenagers.

"Hi hi!" Fire chirped happily.

Crys frowned. "Well?" she asked. "What's this we hear about Sora?"

"It's none of your business!" Donald snapped, brushing dust off of his feathers.

Fire and Crys turned to him slowly and Donald wished he hadn't spoken. He was expecting fire to burst from the walls any second from the looks he was receiving.

"What was that, duck?" Fire hissed.

"N-nothing," the duck stuttered, backing away very, very slowly.

And then, in the blink of an eye, they were grinning again. Donald blinked. These two were strange. Maybe being a teenager for an eternity does this to your brain

Or maybe they were just crazy.

"What're you two doin' here?" Goofy asked.

"Mick said he had a message for us to deliver," Fire said shrugging.

"What'd he do, call you?" Donald snorted.

Fire glared at him. "No."

"There are other ways to call someone other then your stupid mortal methods," Crys added.

They heard the door open and they all spun around. King Mickey walked in, expressionless. He walked up to them, tail drooping to the floor. He was careful not to meet any of their eyes.

"Your Majesty...?" Crys whispered, worried.

"I have a message for you to bring to Riku and Kairi," Mickey whispered, head ducked won.

"Okay..." Fire muttered, exchanging worried glances with her blonde-haired friend.

"Tell them... tell 'em..."

Now they were all getting seriously worried.

"King Mickey?" Goofy said. "What's wrong? Where's Sora?"

King Mickey looked up at long last. A terrible weight dropped in their stomachs at the sight of tears glistening in his eyes.

"Fire, Crys... tell Kairi and Riku... that Sora's... Sora's dead."

Done

A/N: Review responses:

the cheat 921

Umm... I'm glad you think so. Thanks for reviewing.

Fire

Yes, I love my Oram. Just... because. And this chapter is longer. Hope you like it.

Heart of Dreams

Thank you for the offer. But it wasn't the ideas I had run out of. But I updated, so I hope you like it.

Majora's Spawn

Okay, you officially scared the living hell out of me. Please. Don't hold a gun to your head! I'm not worth that! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it... and don't cry, it makes me sad.

Master of the Dark Trio

Yeah, no one's hiatus is worse then Digital's. Mine isn't that bad, right?... right?

Thanks for reviewing!

Xiro

Digital won't grill your ass, for the love of God. She was just angry... yes... moving on. Insanity please... WHAT? Okay, your review is confusing. But thanks anyway... I think.

DieChan

Heh, you already helped me. Thank you for helping me! It makes me happy when readers care. Here's the next chapter.

R.A. Pointless

What does the R.A. stand for? And I hope you're still here for this update... your reviews cheer me up, yes they do. Thanks for the review!

That's it. Please tell me if you liked it. Or if you hated it. I think I tried too hard. Gah, I hate my stupid style. I must go fix it. But you guys tell me what needs fixing! Thank you!

By the way. Next chapter has a big plot twist. Well, that is, if you can find it. Yay for confusion!