Sorry I took a bit long to update. Hope this chap makes up for it. I've been a little sidetracked by things like work and getting into college. I've also been writing this KakaxSaku fic that I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it just yet. Blah blah time to read hurray!

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Chapter 13

The kaleidoscope walls had long faded. It was darker beyond nightmares and deeper than the pitches black. Time did not exist within the infinite pit of dead silence. The only sounds that comforted her were soft breaths emitted from her heavy lungs. At least she could still tell that she was alive and even so, she could not be too sure.

The heaviness of the dark air had seemed to suffocate her at first. With some effort though she was able to withstand the weight of it. Her body was strong even though at times her heart was weak. As fear wrenched at her insides, causing a dissaray of doubts, she held on. She stood patient as she waited, either for death or something else.

The ground beneath her was hard and cold. Since being trapped in the realm was almost like being physically blind, she figured the best thing to do was to stay in one place. She didn't know where her feet would lead her if she tried to move. She couldn't see her own hands in front of her, even if she brought them to her face. There had to be more light beneath her eyelids than here. It was too dark.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed since she had been trapped. Could it have been minutes? Hours? Days? Or even worse, she couldn't tell. All human necessities such as hunger and thirst had evaporated. It seemed that the only emotions her body was able to display were the internal ones. That must've been why it was possible for people to get lost and wander the realm without death ever finding them. She hoped she wouldn't be one of them.

This must've been why people became consumed by the darkness. The darkness left minds idle to wander through its reckless thoughts. Slowly as time wore on these thoughts would gnaw at the heart. There was only one way to go when engulfed in the realm and that was insanity. Only the process and pace of it differed. It was very rare that someone escaped the realm and she had heard of many that had wandered aimlessly for longer than time could tell before they somehow made it out, never the same person again.

Tifa shuddered at the thought. The last thing she wanted to think about was eternally wandering in this realm of nothing but black ink. She had to stay patient and confident. She knew she had one thing that many others that found themselves lost in the darkness didn't have. She had a burning light who was immune to the darkness, born from it, therefore had no fear of it. He was the only being that could probably wander around and know where he was going. In order to leave the darkness you either had to be lead, become consumed and or be from it.

As her arms huddled her knees closer to her, the first symptoms of darkness began to show. Her mind was beginning to shuffle through its memories and regrets. One regret being that she didn't listen to Axel's instructions when he parted ways with her. That was an obvious one.

"Axel…" his name slipped through her lips like sweet wine. Her lips curled at its feel in her mouth and coated in her voice as a whisper. Even though she was talking to herself and she didn't know whether or not she would ever see the light of day again, still that name provided her some relief in the meantime. It would hold her at the brink of sanity before she would eventually fall over. He was the only thing keeping her hope alit.

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A few hours had passed and Axel could barely hold enough strength to keep his knees from buckling beneath him. Drops of sweat drew mazes down his damp face. The flames at the ends of his chakram were fading, being blown out by the drain of his fight.

Even though he had aimlessly opened a random exit to escape Saix and lure him away from Tifa, somehow they had entered what seemed to be the world that he found Cloud in. It almost amused him, of all the worlds he could've possibly ended up in it had to be this one. Was this fate's cruel way of toying with him? It was as if no matter where he went, he could not escape him. Cloud. He was everywhere. In the back of Tifa's mind and engraved in her heart, in the mist of his doubts and slamming open doors uninvited to destroy perfectly blissful moments. Damn him. He was like a leech all of a sudden. Whether it was his name or his presence, he was beginning to become a burden.

Axel growled as he watched those wretched white shadows coil on the ground like snakes and rise up like haunting ghosts. Then again, that's what Dusks and the Nobody race were. They were like ghosts. They were the leftover remnants of what was once a being with a heart and now they were just empty shells searching for purpose. Axel silently decided he'd much rather be a ghost, at least they had memories to dwell on and an afterlife to hope for once set free. What would he look forward to after he faded? Where do beings that never existed in the first place go when they vanish from this life?

Grains of sand scratched his eyes and blurred his vision as he ran. He no longer had the energy to fight against this many Dusks along with Saix haunting him with his sarcastic remarks. The few attempts he made to strike Saix in the mouth to make him eat those same words he lashed out at him, he was only met with failure and a dose of pain. There was no time, for all he knew; Tifa could be lost in the never-ending vortex of nothingness already.

Saix's laughter rang through his ears as he ran. It made his skin crawl and his fingers itch to slash his chakram through his body. Yet he wasn't strong enough, he had too much on his mind.

"What's wrong Axel? Has the Flurry of Dancing Flames lost its rhythm?"

Axel's lips curled more but he knew he was just provoking him. He wanted him to come back and amuse him further. If it weren't for Tifa he would've been more than happy to amuse him until one or both of them met their demise. His existence wasn't worth much after Roxas had gone but now that he had met her, he had something to live for.

Her words whispered in his head over and over, nagging him at his current tough situation.

Axel…you're the light I was always looking for.

As the fiery haired being continued to run at full speed, he almost felt as if his body reacted to those words in his head. It was almost as if he felt something. Feeling was only a physical reaction his body did but never emotionally because he had no heart. Yet it was as if something was tugging at him, almost painfully inside at the remembrance of those words that she said to him that night, through tears of happiness.

Without meaning to he blurted out, "I won't let you down Tifa! I said I'd be the fire that lights your darkness. Wait for me"

He had a plan in mind. Not one he was very fond of or one that was well thought out, just desperate but almost guaranteed to work. He had no choice because he knew soon enough he'd have no energy left. His pride or whatever humans would call this was something that wasn't of value compared to Tifa. He'd had to find the only person who would risk as much as he would for her. And that person was Cloud.

"I have a feeling I'll kick myself later for this"

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The Innkeeper finally managed to shove the man outside into the blinding sunlight, much to his dissent. The woman couldn't bear to see him on his knees staring at the blank spot on the floor all day. Sure the girl he must've had deep feelings for was caught with someone else and had somehow magically disappeared within what could only be described as some strange black warping door. However clenching your fists on the floor helplessly wouldn't help ease the pain. After offering to serve him a hot meal in which he bitterly and quietly chewed and swallowed, she urged him that a little sunlight would help to clear the cobwebs in his head.

"You see, now doesn't that feel better? You're a good-looking young man. I'm sure you'll have another young lady drooling over you in no time?"

He did not reply to her as she strained to lift his giant sword into his arms. Cloud stood stiffly outside the entrance of the Inn. The groceries had had bought were left behind and long forgotten. It was the least of his worries. The image of her body intertwined with someone else's was staining his thoughts. It wasn't the fact that she was with someone else that hurt him the most but the fact that he had never seen her so happy. He couldn't remember the last time she looked like that. The way her delicate hand was placed on this other man's arm and the way her lips were pressed against his, it was such an aching and bruising thought.

All he could think of now was all the disappointment he was to her and all the ways he could've made it up to her but never would get the chance to. Now someone else was making up for all the pain he had caused her. Someone else that he could not fully put his trust into, whether it was because it was jealousy or because he wasn't human, he could not tell.

Now growing impatient, the small woman flicked the side of Cloud's head to snap him out from his daze. He shook his head in surprise as he looked down, wide eyed at the woman standing in front of him, stubby fists on her wide hips. She raised her index finger to his face in a mother-like fashion, causing him to step back as she did this.

"Now if you're gonna dwell on things, don't dwell on what you did wrong but what you can do right from now on. Even if things can't go back to the way you want them to, you should never stop giving your all"

Cloud blinked and stared blankly at the Innkeeper in front of him. She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "Don't worry son, you'll see her again" With that she released him with a smile and turned to walk back into the Inn with a wave.

A weak smile formed on Cloud's pale face. He lifted his sword to slide into the straps on his back before sighing to himself. The woman was right. Sitting there in Tifa's room wouldn't have fixed anything. Dwelling in his regrets and being afraid to move forward wouldn't fix anything either. It was strange but the advice that the woman had given him was the same advice that had been drilled into his head time and time again by Tifa in the past. Perhaps it took a situation such as this and to hear it from elsewhere for it to really hit home.

No matter what happened, he promised himself that he would protect her and he would see that promise through. As if on cue, a black figure emerged from on top of the roofs a couple of houses down. Cloud recognized the fiery spikes immediately and he watched almost confused as a trail of Dusks followed behind the running figure.

Cloud's eyes widened as he realized it and a sudden horrific feeling groped his chest. Tifa wasn't with him and he was being chased by Nobodies. This couldn't be good. Without any thought or self-objection, Cloud kicked up the walls to land on top of the roof to the Inn, awaiting the crimson figure to approach him. He slowly pulled out his buster sword and got into position, unsure of what to expect.

"Where's Tifa?" he yelled to Axel. He saw that he was out of breath and drained. He must've been running and fighting for quite some time. The sweat bleeding through the black material sticking to his body was proof of it.

"Tifa, she's in the realm of darkness. She got left behind" Even though Axel was glad that his plan worked and just as expected Cloud's feelings for Tifa were stronger than his hatred for him, it was hard to hide the feelings of resent between them. Yet without question Cloud seemed ready to protect her at all costs necessary and that was what he was gambling on. Thankfully it was successful. Even if he didn't have the energy left to go on, at least he knew Cloud would continue without him in search for Tifa. Cloud had successfully traveled through the realm before and he was his only chance.

Cloud cringed, "Left behind? You left her?"

Axel ran behind him, waving his hands in front of him in defense, "It's not what you think. We were attacked and instead of separating she followed me"

Surprisingly a brief grin swept across Cloud's face, "As always Tifa, never know when to let a man do a man's job, always wanting to jump in and help"

Axel grinned back, even though he hadn't known Tifa as long as Cloud did, he knew it was true. Tifa couldn't stand back for long without wanting to put her fists up and get in on the action too. If she had something to protect, she wouldn't hesitate to do so.

"So what do you propose we do now Nobody?" Cloud directed his sarcasm to the black-cloaked man standing back to back with him on the Inn roof. Cloud had his sword out and Axel managed to bring out the strength to release his chakrams and send them ablaze with light flames. Dusks surrounded them as another black figure emerged from the sky above them. His sharp ears only made his grin look more devilish as he looked down upon his opponents.

"I don't know but I know we gotta think fast. If Tifa stays too long in the realm, we may never find her"

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She thought eternity was how long the wait felt for whenever Cloud would get home or return a phone call. She thought eternity was the time it took to get Cloud to return her feelings the way she had displayed them to him. She thought eternity was waiting for the children to fall asleep in the orphanage every night. Maybe eternity was the time it took to close the bar after kicking out all of the staggering hiccupping men who'd throw a pass at her. A sarcastic smile stretched on her lips as she finally realized, these things were barely pieces of her life. This was what eternity felt like.

Eternity was when you rummaged through your thoughts so much that you had nothing left to think about. When you've skimmed through your memories so much, you had to imagine fantasies to make up for the ones you couldn't recall anymore. When counting your fingers and screaming did nothing but drove you into madness. You couldn't even see your fingers. This was definitely, without a doubt, what eternity felt like.

She already thought about the guilt she felt from Cloud catching her and Axel in bed. She already thought about the possibilities of where a relationship, if it can even be called that, would go with Axel. She thought about the question he asked her and if she could answer him back in all honesty. Truly, she thought about everything that she could and at the end she reached no conclusion except for the fact that she couldn't wait to get out of the realm and be lucky enough to even feel the warmth of a man's arms again whether it be Cloud, Axel or whoever. Warmth was extinct in the realm and she hated it.

The silence that surrounded her was unnerving. The darkness enveloping her was frustrating and frightening. The fact that she felt like a little girl lost in a maze was pride shattering. Even death seemed like heaven instead of staying in the realm.

Tifa's nails dug into her arms as she held in her emotions. She didn't want to cry. She was tired of crying. She had cried too much lately and was contradicting the powerful woman she was always striving to be. Yet she always noticed, whenever the sunset or in the darkness of her bedroom corners, her eyes would burn. It was as if the darkness brought it out of her. It made her feel more lonesome.

"All I ever did was love and no matter how much I loved and how much I gave, this is what I always get at the end!" she yelled into the empty atmosphere in attempt to relieve herself.

She had thought about it in her head and even felt it at the tip of her tongue but it was difficult to say those words. She had only said those words to one person and she couldn't deny that she still meant it for that person even if she had developed feelings for someone else. As her hope dripped its way dry, Tifa had finally given up. In a defeated yell she screamed once again. She wanted to see what it felt like to scream out what she felt now that no one was listening.

"I- I love you Cloud and I always will! You hurt me and even though I know that you never meant to, you did. You were never home and when you did come home, you kept yourself at a distance. Do you know how I felt when I woke up to an empty bedside and you were going about the orphanage as if nothing had happened the night before? I don't understand, why you never let yourself trust in me…"

She sucked in a wheezy breath before continuing to release her confessions to nothing, "That's why…that's why I got so attached to him, to Axel. You don't know how he makes me feel Cloud. Sure he can never be you and he can never replace the feelings that I have for you but…with him I feel new things. Even though he has no heart I finally know what it's like to be needed. And when I woke up from being asleep next to him, he was still there, watching me the entire time. I never knew what that felt like until he did it. You…always left before the sun rose"

Her body moved by itself as she stood up. She wrapped her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. In an unsure voice she finished, "I- I don't know if this is right or if I'll feel strange after saying this but…I think I- I love him. I love you Axel"

There. She had finally said it. It was awkward and the heat that rushed to her face was thankfully not seen by anyone. She had only known Axel less than two months and yet, saying that out loud was a relief. She needed to say it to herself, even if she wasn't ready to say it to him. Still she wasn't sure if saying it to a being whose body was deprived of such an emotion, was the right thing to do.

Soundlessness lingered in the air until after a long moment pause; Tifa's ears picked up on a very faint sound. Her ears perked up to the sound as she strained to listen. It sounded like…like a voice.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Tifa yelled out, her palms on the sides of her mouth so that her voice echoed louder.

The voice responded. It was far but she could tell, it was a woman's voice. "I'm here. Where are you?"

Tifa began to move closer towards the direction of the sound, waving her hands in front of her even though she knew there was really nothing to bump into, it was a habit. Tifa called out again and the voice responded, getting closer. Her heart was pounding and this time she let a few tears flow loosely down her cheeks. They were tears of relief and even if she couldn't ever escape the realm, it would be nice to have some company.

After they continued to call out to each other, soon enough Tifa felt as if she could feel a presence nearing her. She stood stiff and instructed, "Stop. Are you nearby?"

"Yes, your voice sounds close" Indeed it was. Tifa waved her hands towards the sound and her skin jumped when she touched something. Touched someone. It seemed that the other person had reacted the same way and she gasped in fright and then sighed in relief.

Tifa linked fingers with the person in front of her, not caring that they were total strangers. Just the voice and warmth of someone else was a relief and it didn't matter. Her hands were trembling and she could tell by the thin fingers linked in hers that the hand she was holding was definitely a woman.

"H-how did you find me?" Tifa almost laughed at the whole situation. Who would've thought that she'd be lucky enough to bump into someone else also stuck in the realm at the same time as her.

"Actually I was looking for someone else but somehow I was led to you," her voice was trembling with some excitement as well.

"Led? What do you mean?"

"I felt it. I felt the light in your heart. It was just like mines and I followed it" Just like hers? What did she mean by that?

"But how if you couldn't see?"

The woman in front of her laughed, "I didn't have to see. I just closed my eyes and used my heart to see"

Tifa shook her head in disbelief. Why hadn't she done something like that? How come she didn't sense her? As if she read her mind, she answered, "You probably didn't sense me because your mind was already clouded with too much darkness"

"I- I don't understand…who are you? Who were you looking for?" Tifa moved to sit down, still gripping the other person's hands in fear of letting go. She didn't object and did the same, following her lead to sit on the cold hard floor once again. As she did this, Tifa heard a slight jingle of metal as the woman next to her slumped heavily onto the floor. Rings?

"My name…"

Tifa neared the girl next to her, lifting her ear to hear her. She sat cross-legged beside her as her company did the same. One hand held hers and rested between the both of them. She quietly awaited the name of this mystery person.

"It's Rinoa"

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I know I know you guys are like wtf? If you played FFVIII you know who this is. If not, the next chapter I'll make sure to clear some things up. Also you guys are like where did she come from and how did she get there? Don't worry, I have an explanation for that too just like I had an explanation for what happened to Zack and everything else in this story. As for what I said in the last chap how something that happened earlier was going to make sense, just think of the feather scene with Leon. That was like my little foreshadowing of what I was planning but no one knew. Anyway stay tuned!