Chapter 2

Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden

3:39 P.M.

Kairi:

The trip was relatively uneventful. The Heartless kept their distance away from us. I think that was partly because of Sora's presence. Sora was actually looking a little better. He was still a little pale and his eyes were still a little glossy. He wore a hood over his head as we walked through the town/city. Because of what happened before, we all felt it was best to conceal him, Roxas and Demyx.

Why?

Some of the people who were brought back held some bitterness about what had happened. All of us were prepared for some kind of hostility today. We walked into Merlin's house and sat down at the large table in the middle of the room. Small cups of tea appeared in front of us, steaming slightly.

"Hello everyone."

The old wizard walked into the room, followed by a neutral looking Aerth. I concealed my frown as she took a seat at the table next to Demyx who was holding Zion. I had almost killed the woman months ago for speaking out against Sora. I still felt uneasy with her around. With Sora sick, I felt inclined to keep him as well as Zion safe.

"Hello Merlin, why did you send for us?" Riku asked.

"Ansem the Wise, as you know, is missing. We have reason to believe that he's in his computer."

"May I ask how?" I asked.

"We don't know exactly, but there was a device on the other side of the room."

"Sora and I will go to check it out," Riku replied.

I shot him a look filled with uncertainty. Riku shot me a reassuring look in return.

"Thank you," Merlin said in a grateful voice.

Zion coughed and started to cry. Demyx made little noises and started rocking him back and forth.

"Oh, is that your child?" Aerth asked.

I watched as she turned to face Demyx. Demyx casually glanced at me as if seeking my approval.

"Yes, that's our son, Zion," I said tersely.

With every moment that she hovered over Demyx, my patience began to unravel.

"You sound tense, Kairi. Is there something wrong?"

Before I could say anything, Sora stood up and pulled off his hood.

"She's tense because you won't get away from our soon. I believe you should step away from Demyx," He snapped.

Aerth moved away from Demyx quickly and walked out of the room. I got up and walked over to the 'Melodious Nocturne'. He handed Zion to me and let out a huge yawn.

"Riku, after you and Sora get finished with the task, I want to talk to you."

4:45 P.M.

Riku:

I had a feeling that conflict was going to brew up while Sora and I were in the castle. Kairi and the others could handle nearly everything that came their way. I suppose that it was comforting that Sora was with me. At least, things wouldn't get anymore complicated with Anti-Sora running around. Speaking of which, Anti-Sora was looking slightly flushed in his face. His eyes were a dull amber color. Honestly, he didn't look so well.

"Sora, you don't have to go with me," I said in a soft voice.

"You're usually not concerned about my health, Riku."

Sora had a hint of a smile on his lips. I rolled my eyes at him. The truth was that I barely cared about him. I cared deeply about Kairi and Zion. Sora's actions months ago had put all of us in danger. I had swallowed all of my anger to keep the peace. But now…

"We're going into a new world. We have to be careful."

"I know."

Aerth typed a few things into the computer behind us. The device in front of us made a noise and emitted a flash of light. When the light faded away, both of us were standing in a room with a computer tucked away in a corner. Everything was green and blue.

"Our clothes changed," Sora commented.

I glanced down at my torso. I was in some kind of blue suit. Sora was in a green suit of his own.

"This is really different."

"I sense Heartless."

Heartless…no wonder why Ansem the Wise disappeared here. There was no telling how big this place was. Sora walked out of the room. I followed behind him. Outside of the room was a bigger area…it sort of resembled a canyon. Magic exploded in the air a few yards ahead of me. Sora had gotten a head start with hunting Heartless.

I finally caught back up with him moments later. I was aware of how red the bottom half of his face looked. Was he foolishly hiding the fact that he was ill?

"You two must be users."

A man dressed in a blue one-piece suit walked into view. I had no idea what he was talking about. However, it seemed like Sora did.

"I remember you…you must be Tron," Sora exclaimed in a thoughtful voice.

"Sora…" Tron said softly.

"It's very good to see you, Tron. Riku and I are looking for another user—Ansem the Wise."

"What a coincidence, I am looking for him too."

That means that Tron hadn't seen him at all.

"Is there any way you can search for him, Tron?" I asked.

"Yes. I can run a search for him."

"Great. Sora let's go back and report to Merlin."

Kairi:

I gently sat Zion down on the bed and set two pillows beside him. Thankfully, he stayed asleep. I needed time to think. With the incident earlier, I had felt uneasy staying in the town. I walked out of the bedroom and into the common room. Axel and Roxas were sitting on the couch. Demyx was nowhere to be seen. However, there was a new addition to the room—an unwelcome one. Cloud Strife was standing in the main doorway leading into our hotel room. Paranoia and suspicion hit me like an ocean wave.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly.

"I heard that Sora was back in town."

Suddenly, I had a feeling that was about Zion.

"So what if he is. What is really about Cloud?"

"That child of yours…"

"You leave Zion out of your vendetta."

My voice was deadly and filled with venom. Roxas and Axel stood up. I motioned for them to stay back. I wasn't afraid to fight by myself.

"I'm afraid I can't."

"Then you will learn."