Crystal blue eyes opened to look out of thick glass. They opened widely, taking in their surroundings. Liara realized that she was inside one of the vial like prisons that held the Princesses of Heart. There was no way to get through the thick glass... And there was water surrounding her. It swirled around her tomb, seeping in so that strands of blonde hair drifting around her encased body. She reached out a pale hand to touch the glass, and fell through. She was falling... it seemed like she would fall forever, unable to see the ground she would land on. But then she found herself falling up... Clouds passed her on either side, and she was soaring up towards them, out into a star filled sky... The sky above Peter Pan's ship. She was zooming above the clock tower. Then back down... Down to the tunnels of Traverse Town and then into the water of the lakes below with a splash... Down into Atlantica.. Traveling past mermaids and fish, continuing on to the wet stomach of Monstero, then escaping to the sunlit surface, speeding along the water to a beach.. Destiny Island. Where the adventure had started... No, it was not the sands of the island, but Agrabah... Then into a grassy world, Wonderland... But there was a rabbit hole! So she traveled into it, suddenly surrounded by pumpkins and skeletons... Halloween Town. The square there was transformed into the menacing stone of Hollow Bastion again.. She could see the portal to the End of the World. She fell into it, now surrounded by a rainbow of colors. As she gazed upon the final keyhole at the end of the journey, she suddenly realized that she was seeing the past, present, and future of the Keymaster. Although she did not know him, she knew that his name was Sora, and that he would be the savior of all of the fallen worlds. He would save them from... even as she thought of him, Ansem's face crept out of the dark hole and greeted her with his usual gaping smile, teeth flashing.

"No.."

she whispered as she fell back again, but this time falling into a deep sunset. She had a deep sense of longing within her, one she had grown used to over the past two years. She saw crimson above her falling form, bright colors erupting in the sky. She would hit the ground soon, she knew it. But, instead of falling to her death, she was caught. Strong arms embraced her, and a familiar warmth absorbed the fragile girl. She was safe... Ansem had not captured her... She was in the arms of her beloved now.

"Cloud..."

He kissed her with passion, and suddenly her empty, dead flesh was brought to life. She felt the sensations of the living, all of the cold betrayal she had felt melting away. She was safe and loved, and would stay in Cloud's arms forever. He would protect her, and she would never leave. Her journey ended here...

Hold me,
Whatever lies beyond this morning,
is a little later on.
Regardless of warnings,
the future doesn't scare me at all.
Nothing's like before.

But then she was pulled away from her love, and their hands held temporarily, but then they were broken apart, fingertips losing each other but still attempting to grasp what wasn't there. Tears streamed down her cheeks, forming an ocean below her as Cloud's handsome face drifted away. She fell down into her own tears, and was released of all of the evil she had harbored inside herself during her time with Ansem. She was cleansed, and would be able to feel again.

But as she lay in her own tears, the tears turned into blood, and she was soaking in it, tainted by her intense dislike for Ansem. what could she do, but be forced to obey his commands, no matter what they may be? And if she fought back... a worse punishment awaited her. Then the blood, her own blood, disappeared, and she found her feet on solid ground again. She was standing, clothed in a black, tattered robe, her hair dripping with water.

She was in a room, a dungeon, and was looking through a glass window. Everything seemed real again, she was no longer dreaming. Earthly sensations surrounded her, and she was suddenly cold... very cold. She heard a soft moaning on the other side of the glass, and her eyes narrowed as she walked towards it and reached out to touch the chilled window. Upon her touch she was close enough to see through the thick barrier, and her sapphires were presented with a vision of the man she loved. He was chained to the stone wall, much as she had been chained to the ground in the tunnels of Hollow Bastion, Ansem's lair. She realized with shock that that was where she was now, but not in the tunnels, rather, but a low tower of the castle itself.

Upon closer inspection, she found her beloved's body scarred with bruises and marks. They had been caused by various instruments of torture, magic, and physical force. She recognized some of them as injuries caused by Ansem's own style.

Lord Ansem to you, girl.

A voice echoed in her mind, and she jumped from the sound of it resonating within the deep crevices of her inner being. How had her master found a place within her head as well? She convulsed and screamed as her body went into a seizure, and droplets of water from her hair were flung everywhere, hitting the glass and shattering it. The drops were forming into crystals, shards breaking through the barrier as Liara fell back onto the ground, writing in pain.

When she regained consciousness, she was wearing her bindings again. They were the light ones her master had forced her into when he wanted her service, keeping her in line but not being bothered by the heavy rattling of the thick metal chains he usually strapped her down with. She was in the throne room, and her Lord was sitting on the throne. She found herself in revealing clothing, much like what she was used to wearing for him. She felt naked, and wanted to hide herself, but her hands could not move, as they were supporting a heavy plate of fruit, and were bound together. From the throne, Lord Ansem beckoned her with a finger. She walked forward slowly, heart heavy with her imprisonment. She let him take an apple from her plate and set the platter down on a small table next to him at his bidding, letting him eat the fruit before her, his eyes exploring her body. She looked away, unable to stand his sinful gaze, knowing that he wanted more of her and refusing without words to give it to him.

She noticed a heap in the corner, bound by the thick chains she had been forced into when she had been kept in the tunnels, waiting for her master's punishment. She walked over to the crumpled figure, and, despite her Lord's call of her to return, she was drawn to him. Yes, the cowering form in the corner was male. She lifted the black hood from the man's bent head, and drooping blonde spikes were revealed to startled blue eyes. She recognized him... She brought both of her bound hands to the man's chin and tipped it upward, bending down to her knees so that she could be at his level. Piercing turquoise eyes bored into her own, and she gasped. It was Cloud... but he was another of Ansem's servants. Her Cloud... how could this be?

She fell down beside him, hearing Ansem's cries grow louder and more angry, but ignoring them as she tore at Cloud's manacles, trying to somehow get them off of her loved one. His hopeful, loving eyes still haunted her as she was suddenly ripped backward, somehow pulled towards her master.

"Nooooooooo!"

she screamed shrilly, struggling against Ansem's arms encircling her.

"You're mine. And so his he. But he does not interest me in quite the same way you capture me, love. I posses every part of you, including your heart. And because you defiantly disobey me, he shall pay."

her master announced, gesturing towards her Cloud. Suddenly Cloud was raised up into the air, his face expressing the pain he was given by the heavy chains pulling against the magic of his owner. Liara cried out to him, but one of Ansem's bony fingers closed over her mouth. Cloud came crashing back down into the stone, and a sickening crack erupted through the cavern. Blood tricked out of his mouth, and Liara's heart wrenched in pain. She struggled against her master's arms, but he was too strong for her. She bit his hand and he snarled in pain, grabbing her neck and squeezing it, forcing her to cry out in fatigue and pain. She was forced to watch as Cloud was thrown against the far wall, this time gasping in sharp pain. He fell to the ground again with a dull thud, and both Liara and Ansem could tell that he was taking his last few breaths in deep pain.

"Liara-"

he choked, and Li cried out to him, tears streaming down her pale face.

"I-I love you..."

he told her, coughing up blood. She called out his name, shouting vows of her own love back to his dying form, tears running down her cheeks in fierce rivers, but Ansem still held her back. His laughing resonated through the room, filling her entire being.

Then, she woke up, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down her face, and her chest heaved with rapid breaths. She opened her eyes, finding herself in a chamber, locked up with another girl.

x.X.x

Fang was slipping yet again. Everything was fading. Was she dying? Finally being let go of by those god-forsaken memories? No, it would be a wishful thought to just die there. With Ansem, it had to be complicated. Slow, and painful...

She lost consciousness for the third time as of late...
............
Drip. Drip. Drip. A tiny spot of cold on her nose jolted Fang's sleeping mind to wakefulness.

"Gah!" She rasped and brushed off the droplet of icy water.

"Where in the hell...?"

She looked around and saw nothing but darkness. It seemed to be happening to everyone a lot, lately. Waking up to cold, black, empty expanse. Fang noticed that she was propped up on something hard and a little damp. Reaching behind herself and hoping her assumption was nothing more than just that, her spirit plunged.

Cold.

Stone.

Wall.

She quickly stood and was knocked back down by the stout ceiling enclosing this tiny dungeon.

"Ow!"

For a moment, through the blackness, Fang saw red. Angry, violent, bloodshed red. She turned in a crouch, and swung her fist at lightning speed. It connected sharply with the stone, igniting fresh waves of pain.

"OW, Fck!"

"Are you alright?"

"Aaagh!"

Fang spun again to search for the voice she could have sworn just inquired about her health.

"You shouldn't do that, you know?" A small figure emerged from out of Fang's line of sight.

The girl!

Fang shot backwards, whacking her head again, but choosing to ignore the spots before her eyes.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you, I promise."

She reached out to Fang, who withdrew until she was nearly flat against the corner in which she hid. She bared some of her teeth and growled like an animal.

Liara smiled, and almost laughed at the gesture. Almost. She silently went for Fang's injured left hand again, and this time, Fang did not withdraw her hand. Only the rest of her body, as if saying, 'Fine, take this one appendage, but let the rest of me escape unscathed'.

"There, that's it."

Liara tried to sound soothing through the chill in her voice. Her dress was damp and the cold reverberated off of the walls of the minuscule chamber like an echo.
She looked up at Fang's half-hidden face and instantly, her heart skipped a beat. That hand she was holding... It was not the first time she had felt it. It had come into contact with her face not long ago. This girl who was Ansem's little helper... Was also one of her tormentors. When Ansem gave the order, he needn't strike her himself. He could have this little warrior do it for him. And he had. Many times.

And now Liara was not sure if she should be scared or not. The violent creature before her was sure to beat her to death at the first sign of resistance...

Great. Liara thought, Trapped in a box with a psychotic henchgirl.

Upon recognizing the girl before her, Liara quickly stopped her urge to draw back and drop the hand that had met with her pale skin on so many occassions. She wouldn't, she told herself, show her fear. She had repeated this in her head too often, as of late. She couldn't control how she involuntarily shook, however. It was impossible to dispel the fear from her emaciated body. She had been beaten too often, and used too much. Even so, even as she held the hand of her attacker, Liara still possessed one of the purest hearts in any of the worlds.

She ripped off a slice of fabric from her dress and dipped it in an ice cold puddle nearby. Then she wrapped the girl's hand in it, tucking the end inside the fabric. All the while she was shaking like mad, not only because of the cold and the tiny outfit she was wearing, not of her choice, but of intense fear and sadness to the breaking point. After she had finished bandaging the girl who she hoped hadn't recognized her's hand, she told her,

"I h-hope you feel better..."

She said it in such a small voice that it was barely above a whisper. She grabbed her own arm to stop herself, unsuccessfully, from shaking. She nodded to the girl, and took her leave, crawling to the other end of the dungeon, where she herself hid in the corner. She wrapped her arms around the waist that had, only a few hours ago, been held by the one she loved with all of her heart. This thought only made her shivering more intense, the feeling of pain and heartbreak inside her growing. Tears began to stream down her eyes in flowing rivers, adding to the water enclosed in the fabric of her skirt. She could not stop the thick tears from running down her cheeks, could not pause how her body was racked with sobs. She tried not to make a sound, but to no avail. She couldn't hold in her intense misery. She had kept it inside, but now, after knowing that Cloud was probably being tortured by Ansem at that very moment, and that she was stuck here, unable to risk her life for him, in a tiny dungeon with a girl that often came to beat her, was just too much.

Fang looked to Liara, nearly tearing up herself. This poor girl. She was the one, alright. Pale and thin. The dress. She could easily see Ansem wanting power over someone who looked so weak. It stung her conscience to know that she'd helped him achieve it. Or was that the minor concussion that hurt her head? Whatever it was, it was eating at her, forcing words up her throat. Or perhaps vomit. One way to find out...

Fang hoped she really didn't spew all over the poor girl, and was relieved when her thoughts came out in English.

"Li."

Liara was shocked when the hench girl said her name, especially the shortened variation.

"That's your name, correct? Ansem's prisoner?"

Liara nodded shakily.

"I'm..." Fang shifted and rose to a crouch once more.

Liara flinched violently, waiting for the worst, knowing the pain was coming as she felt the slight warmth grip her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry."

...Silence...

Liara slowly peeked up at Fang, first with only one brilliant eye, then both. Through a curtain of her soaking hair, Liara saw what appeared to be... tears... in Fang's eyes. This tough warrior, who could punch a stone wall full force and still have composure enough to snarl at someone helping her, was... crying? Fang continued, her voice shaking slightly.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't even expect you to keep me alive in here. If you want revenge, I won't retaliate. I swear it. I swear it on your lover's life, and I wouldn't say that in vain. Cloud's a good man, and a powerful fighter. You deserve each other. I want you to know, however, that I am... eternally, deeply sorry... for everything."

Liara took in a deep breath, trying not to cry. She had let out a sharp sob at the mention of Cloud's name. It had struck her like ice. Especially the fact that Fang seemed to know him.

"I forgive you."

she said simply, in an unwavering voice that shocked even the speaker. After a moment of silence that seemed to speak a thousand words, Liara finally voiced the question that had been playing in her mind since the girl had finished her apology.

"You... You know Cloud?"

She seemed to have trouble choking out her lover's name, as it caused her great pain to think of him. Fang did not answer, as it seemed that her mind was so preoccupied that she did not hear the other girl speak. Because of this, Li's mind stayed on never ending thoughts of Cloud. She could only imagine what he was going through right now... and that was what got to her. Ansem hated him, for sure, and she had absolutely no clue of where he was or how he was doing. She was stuck down here, and could only dream up terrible fates for the one she loved with every fiber of her being. There was only one thing that tainted Liara's pure heart. One thing that brought such a deep loathing and hatred to her delicate form. One thing that kept her back from being the most powerful creature to walk the worlds. And that was Ansem. She had learned, over the past year, what it was to hate. She had been through her times of failure and sadness before being captured, but.. she had never actually hated someone. She had always forgiven them. She knew, in her heart, that she should have the power to forgive the one that had torn her heart in pieces and broken her spirit, but... she could not. She had never felt such hatred before. Sitting here, in this tiny dungeon, it at last hit her. The feeling that had been welling up deep inside of her for so long. Before being reunited with Cloud, she had felt fear and desperation. It was only now, after she had been ripped away from him, after meeting with a girl that he had used to do his bidding, that she felt the hate consuming all of her. It had hit her when Fang had said "I'm sorry." It wasn't her fault, it was Ansem's. She didn't capture Li and torture her. Ansem did. Ansem had told her to do it, those deeds were not of her own creation.

Liara, the sweet, innocent, pure hearted Liara, finally had learned the meaning of the world 'hatred'. She felt an anger welling up inside of her, consuming and enveloping her entire body, that she had never felt before, and yet she knew exactly what it was.

"I hate him."

She said, in such a deep, loathing voice that she startled herself, yet it didn't show on her face, which was as hard as stone. Her resolution had been made. She would find a way out of this prison, helpless no longer. She would find a way to use her powers and free Cloud, no matter how much of her life force it would take. She would use this new feeling, this hatred, to make herself more powerful, something she had never wished for in such a way before. She, in spite of this new feeling, was still pure, so the thought of revenge was still unborn in her mind, but the thought of rescuing the one man she cared the most for, was the foremost thought in her racing brain. It was time.

Liara looked to Fang for similar feelings. Fang looked a little shocked to see her this way, so full of malice, but at least her eyes were dry. Still red, but dry.

"We should-"

"Shush." Fang raised a hand and silenced her.

"But it's-"

"Quiet, I said!"

Footsteps. In quick succession, like a horse... No, two sets...

And voices, "Ugh, gawd. Can't you imagine it already?"

"Yeah, he said there'd be two. A tough little one and the skinny blonde one. I call dibs on blondie."

"Aww, no fair..." They both laughed maniacally.

Fang and Liara caught each other's eyes and they widened, jaws falling. And suddenly, Liara smiled. An almost equally maniacal grin.

For a moment Liara had been scared, after what she had been through with Ansem, but then she realized what she had just decided. She wasn't harmless any more. Especially with Fang by her side. Liara sat in an unintimidating way in the corner, while Fang hid behind where the door would open. A jingling of keys could be heard, and then the heavy wooden door creaked open. The first man, a bulky, filthy looking brute in his early forties walked in and went straight towards Li, who pretended to cower back in fear. The next walked in behind him, looking of the same sort, only thinner and more wiry. Fortunately, Fang was ready for him.

Liara let the man get close to her, and then, just as he had started toying with the bra like shirt she was wearing, she brought her leg around him. It begun as a caress, and ended up as a way to pull him around her so that she could slam her small hand into his face. She was surprised at her strength, almost as much as he was shocked by her blow.

Fang leapt from the darkness and landed on the thin man's shoulders, easily toppling his wiry frame.

"Gah!"

"I got you now, you sick bstard!"

Li was silent as she took down the latter assailant. She made certain to get the upper-hand quickly, sitting upon a sinewy stomach. He had whacked his head on the way down. She leaned forward slightly to wrap fine hands around the thug's thick throat, and felt something that made her yelp and hop off of her perch.

Fang's head shot up from her own opponent's lifeless body, searching for the source of Li's cry.

Fang rolled her eyes at the guard, half-conscious on the stone.

Liara's eyes however, were laced with utter terror. She stared off into space as if having a vision. No...

A memory.

Fang stepped over the thin man and toward Liara's quaking form, resting her injured hand lightly on a shaky shoulder. Li jumped at the sudden gesture and frantically turn to face Fang. Fang's gaze seemed full of apology, and oddly, understanding. She then walked briskly to the over-sized thug, kneeling upon his leg and leaning down to whisper to him the last words he would ever hear.

"You would do quite well to inform your pants that it is exceeding impolite to point."

On the accentuation of her last word, Fang bent her knee and thrust it upward, hitting him where it hurt.

"Aaaghh!"

She jumped up in her anger and brought her leg back. She suddenly swung it forward and whipped her steel-toe boot into the grunt's face.

Liara shuddered slightly at the sickly snap threat followed. He was dead, his head now positioned at a slightly impossible angle.
Turning from the corpses, Li took Fang's arm rather roughly, and pulled.

"Let's go."

And so they did.

Liara stopped, standing still and facing the door, unmoving. Fang glanced at her, sending her a look of understanding. Li was unsure of where to go, unsure of what to do. Fang led the way, going through various lift stops and hallways, finally ending up near the portal to the End Of The World. Riku and Sora were sitting nearby, deep in discussion. Fang's boots clunked heavily on the ground, followed by Liara's soft treads, feet bare. Upon hearing this noise, Riku looked up and saw Fang, eyes going wide with joy. He got up immediately and practically ran toward Fang, whereas Fang took up no time before running towards him at full speed. She jumped onto him, wrapping her legs around his muscular waist, and he held onto her. There faces were so close that Sora and Li almost expected them to kiss, and they almost did... almost. There joy was fierce, but they were both reserved enough to hide their affections, although their friends could see right through them.

When the couple noticed that the other two's eyes on them and pulled away, Riku letting Fang fall back to the floor gently, her arms still around his neck. Her hands fell to her sides slowly, only ending up being grabbed by his own, in between them. Liara was looking away, trying not to remember that only a few hours ago she had been more happy than even them. Sora was watching intently, waiting for further instructions.

Fang and Riku were absorbed in one another, and Sora sat near them thinking about Kairi. Liara took the opportunity to look around the room, eyes wandering upon visions she had seen so long ago. She walked around the edge of the room, finally stopping near the portal to the End Of The World. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, as she felt a hidden jolt course through her body. She touched the border of the portal, and the feeling got stronger.

"I found him."

(THE END. I mean... erm...

The others looked up at her as she entered the portal, not waiting for them to follow. She was called inside by some unknown feeling within her, one that she was only beginning to discover the meaning of. Once inside, she followed her instinct, Sora, Riku, and Fang a short distance behind her. Eventually they got into a small waiting area with a floor of stone, cold against Liara's feet. But that wasn't what made her jump back through the door she had just crept through. It was the electric shock she got from stepping into the small room. She took a deep breath and walked back in, this time examining her surroundings.

She tried not to gasp in shock, revealing her presence, but was unable to keep in a stifled cry of despair. Ansem was standing near Cloud, who was bent double on the floor, hands propping himself up, wincing in pain. Ansem was smiling, the evil, maniacal smile that Liara knew too well. She could not resist the urge to rush forward to her love once Ansem had cast his bright amber eyes upon her. She was noticed, and nothing could stop her from rejoining her beloved.

Her eyes began to fill with tears as she took him up in her arms, feeling his tired, shaking presence against her. His weakness made her weep, unable to control the emotions she had held in for too long. She brought her lips to his forehead feverishly, arms gently holding him up. She was so absorbed in Cloud that she didn't notice that Ansem had taken a few steps so that he stood right in front of her kneeling form, supporting his prey.

"Cloud..."

she whispered inaudibly, letting it escape her lips in such a moan of sadness and longing that it made even the great Ansem's heart waver for a fraction of a second. Liara had that kind of an effect on people. She had such a pure, loving heart that everyone listened when she spoke, and everyone's heart felt the emotion that too often played on her face. She had hidden her secret desires and emotion for years, but seeing her beloved once again always lost all of the resolve she had worked up, no matter what.

Ansem's cold amber eyes stared maliciously down at them, twinkling slightly. He had almost killed his opponent, but had waited to watch him suffer first. Cloud had tried to take away his mistress, but he had stopped him. He deserved to die, especially in her presence. But, perhaps, Ansem would have a little more fun before he did away with the strong young man. He wanted to see him suffer beyond anything he could do to him physically. As Ansem looked down into the pleading blue eyes of his slave and mistress, he knew that the one way to truly torture his prey would be to strike him at his only weak spot- his heart. And he knew the exact way to hit him the hardest.

Just as Ansem had come to a decision, Fang, Sora, and Riku burst into the room, three pairs of eyes falling immediately onto the tall man standing above the two crouching figures, one of which clinging desperately onto his life, unaware of the happenings of the room.

Fang immediately leapt into the room, hatred apparent in her eyes. Riku followed, walking shakily behind her. It was clear that his past expierences with Ansem had taught him to be wary of the cruel man. Sora crept in last, waiting to see what would become of the mismatched group.

Cloud was beginning to reawaken from the stupor that had befallen him from each of Ansems blows, and his vision began to slowly return. The first thing he saw was Liara's tear stained face, and he believed for a moment that he must be dreaming. Or, perhaps, he had died and was now in the dream world of his heaven. But, fortunately for him, neither was correct. Li looked down at him with eyes so rife with love and devotion that he knew that this was no hallucination. She was real. But that was not the only thought to run through his fatigued mind, as he recalled how he had been forced into such a stupefied state. Ansem. Where was he? He used some of his remaining strength to turn his head, and, as if an answer to his question, the first thing his eyes met were the fierce amber orbs of the unmerciful demon.

Cloud winced as he attempted to get up, but Liara held him back, cradling his broken body in her arms. He was weak, and barely recovering from the blows he had been dealt by his adversary. Cloud would have bettered Ansem if the duel had been fair, but Ansem had called upon his heartless to aid him in beating the young man senseless. But now he was regaining his ability to move, and, certainly, his emotions had returned to him.

But, as for the other people in the room, the word love had no place in their hearts at the present moment. Ansem's fiery gaze fell upon Fang, his former lover. A malicious smile returned to his lips, bright eyes glimmering faintly.

"Fang... You know that you want to come back to me. We both know to whom your heart truly belongs. Where you belong. Return to me, dearest."

He spoke faintly, with a slight hint of caring. It was forced, but, for a split second, Fang thought she recognized some of the Ansem she had known. In her heart she knew that he hadn't changed since they had been together, but it was insanely difficult to believe that she could have ever fallen for a man that would cause such pain upon others. What disgusted her further was the fact that she had aided him in his diabolical deeds.

"You're right. I do know where I belong. And it isn't here, and it certainly isn't with you. I refuse to believe any more of your twisted lies, Ansem. I used to believe in the darkness you were shrouded in, but now that light has been shed on your hideous face, I see how disgusting you really are."

Fang spat, every word slathered in the deadliest of venom. She hated that man, and everything he stood for. Everything she had once stood for. Now she knew what she wanted, knew where she was, and knew who she was. She loved Riku, she was about to get her revenge on the man that had broken her heart as well as too many others', and she was determined to preserve the love that was so hard to break, but so easy to twist apart and separate, bit by bit. Cloud and Liara would escape, and she and Riku would find their time to be together. Ansem, however, would meet a fate more deserving for him. The evil had always had good faith showered down upon them while the good and pure of heart had been tortured and scorned. This would change, even if it was all of her doing. Everyone would get the fate deserving of him or her. It was what was right, and it was what she stood for. Revenge was her new calling, and she was determined that it would not take long to complete this desire of hers. All of these evil thoughts materialized a dark keyblade into her hand, which she was both expecting and startled to see appear. She brought it up into a ready pose, and glared at Ansem. Riku stood behind her, completely ready to risk his life to save hers.

Liara noticed this change in Fang, this sudden resolution. In considering her friend's new position, she decided that it was time that she get Cloud out of the small room and away from Ansem. She helped him to his feet while Ansem was still focused on Fang, leading her beloved towards the door of the chamber. Her master soon noticed this movement and held out his hand to stop it. He pulled back when his appendage almost got chopped off by Fang's keyblade, however. The girl guarded her companions, and let Liara help the stumbling Cloud to the door. On her way out Li turned to Fang and touched her shoulder gently.

"This is not the time, but it will come. You will know where to find me. Wait and hope. Once you are done here, seek me out in your mind. Make your heart want to find me, and you will know where I am. Trust. Love. Remember, if you won't return to us for your sake, do it for love. There are those that would die with you, as you know perfectly well. Fight in good faith, but give in when necessary. May the faith of the strong fall upon you and the beads of sweat from your brow be the tears of angels. You are blessed."

She said at a near whisper, her words heard only by Fang, who's mind took in all that Li had to offer her. Li prayed that her petty words would be enough to convince the fearsome young warrior to wait until the time was right to carry out her revenge. Now all she was required to do was stall, which was dangerous enough. She hoped her prayer would be enough. Li took Cloud's arm and wrapped it around her neck, supporting him as she led him out of the room, nodding to the others.

x.X.x

No heartless were able to get close enough to Liara to attack her and Cloud. She had some sort of an aura around her that forced them back. She was so pure and full of love and determination that they could not strike her, and were forced out of her pathway. She traveled through a few lift stops and hallways, finally reaching the High Tower.

Liara summoned the lift to the tallest block, rode it up, and then forced it away, so that they would be stranded on one of the highest points of Hollow Bastion. She fell to the ground there, glancing over the edge. Her heart wrung with emotion as she thought of the other times she had been here. Like when she had almost worked up the courage to jump. She couldn't see the bottom, just swirling mist down below. If she jumped, or fell, from such a height, she would surely die. But she had clung onto such hope, the power of her love for Cloud running through her veins, that she had stopped herself before the pale face of death. No matter how alone, bruised, or tormented she was, she had promised herself to wait for her beloved to return to her, and to try and stop Ansem from continuing his evil works. Her salvation had finally come, but the day was not over, and they were still in this hellish castle that she had been forced to call her home for years.

She turned back to Cloud, who was now sitting, back leaning against the stone wall. She crept over to him, collapsing next to her love. He wrapped his arm around her slim frame, and she set her golden head on his shoulder. She sighed with content and relief. They were safe, for the time being, and she knew that she would never have the need to jump. He had returned to her.

"You found me..."

She said quietly, every syllable ringing with tenderness.

"Yeah, I guess I did... Miss me?"

he asked, a weak smile playing on his lips as he turned his head to look down at the beautiful maiden he could now call his own once more.

"More than you could ever imagine."

She said, voice tainted with sadness. In her eyes Cloud could see the despair and pain that she had gone through, the waiting and the hoping. He took her hand in his own and looked out at the sunset, which was red and orange in the distance.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't have come sooner. I do swear to you, however, that every moment that we spent apart, awake or subconscious, my thoughts were on you. I love you so much... I have barely been able to rest my head after wearily searching for you. I have spent almost two years searching the worlds for you, no matter how impossible I thought that task to be. And now... here we are. My life could not be more complete."

He told her, voice broken and full of emotion. Liara could not hold in tears, and looked away in shame. She had been as faithful as she could be to him, and had done all she could to stay loyal.

"I'm so sorry that our reunion had to be bittersweet."

she said simply, knowing that Cloud would understand the meaning behind her words.

"You know that that makes absolutely no difference in the way I view you, Liara. I love you, and though some say love is blind, it has not tainted my vision enough for me to not be able to accept that your spirit had no part in that. You have been more loyal and devoted than I could have ever asked you to be, and I will live in eternal despair because you have been put through so much to simply be here with me right now..."

He told her, voice trailing off into nothingness. She looked back up at him, streaks of tears running down her face and shining in the pale orange light that illuminated their faces, and Cloud looked down at her when he felt her gaze upon him. His expression softened completely when he saw her watery eyes, and he wiped them away from her sun bathed face.

"I love you, Li. Nothing anyone can ever do will change that."

He said in such a firm yet soft voice that no one could accuse him of lying to the broken girl held so tenderly in his arms.

"I love you too, Cloud. I love you so much that it's painful."

she returned softly, staring up into her beloved's eyes.

And so they waited, bodies pressed against one another, waited for evening, waited for their escape, waited for the return of their companions. The minutes passed by like seconds, and each of them thought only of the other, refusing to think of the past or future. Love was the only thing surrounding them, and nothing seemed to be able to penetrate that. Nothing, except for Fang's desperate call to Liara.

x.X.x

"So..." Ansem began as almost a growl, "Fang... You've returned. And you've brought your little boyfriend! Imagine that: My two toys have gotten together and come back to me!"

He levitated ever so slightly and shot behind the pair. Fang shivered as she felt a heavy hand fall upon her shoulder, Riku following suit.

Ansem lowered his head between their's.

"So, returned for more, my loves?"

He laughed deep in his throat. Riku looked horrified, while fang... turned her head? Seeing this, Ansem threw back his head a cackled maliciously.

"Ah, so you have come for more!"

Fang tore away, and turned to watch Riku in his grasp.

"Riku!" She called. "Come on!"

Riku however, was mortified, frozen in place. Ansem slowly moved his hand from Riku's shoulder, down his chest, and Riku shook more violently.

"..Heheheheheheh..."

He continued to inch downward until Riku's mouth fell agape and he gasped. Fang was not amused.

"Hey, that's mine!"

At this Ansem looked up and chuckled.

"My dearest Fang, Riku is mine. As are you, you just don't remember..."

He released Riku and quickly took hold of her, bringing his face a mere inch from hers, and whispered-

"Maybe you need to be reminded?"

He began to speak a tad louder than what one might call an 'inside voice',

"You need to be reminded of all you told me! How no one was better! How no one was rougher! How easy it is to make you scream!"

At this point, Riku promptly fainted, while Fang's cheeks glowed redder with each word.

"Face it, you need me."

With that, Ansem sunk into a viscous pool of writhing darkness, leaving Fang to her embarrassment. She took a moment to regain her bearings and walked over to Riku's unconscious body. They both seemed to get knocked out quite frequently as of late. She shook him awake.

"Up you get, love." Her face was still tinted pink.

Riku sat up and nodded, still rather shaky himself. He turned to walk with her, away from End of the World.

And as they neared the portal back to Hollow Bastion, they spotted poor Sora, looking extremely harassed. His eyes were wide and his jaw was slack. Riku and Fang exchanged looks of humiliation, and decided on a response.

"Don't ask."

Sora nodded, unable to find his voice, and jogged to catch up to them. They were getting the hell out of this place.