A/N: Chapter 5 here. I think I'll make Nobody's Perfect a bit more...happy and un-serious, because Trinity has such a gloomy mood right now. And when Trinity turns happy, I'll make this companion fic serious. Oh, my logic, it's kinda mixed up...

Summary: They think and feel as they can only remember. Does he really love her, or is it only because he loves her? How much of one's emotions can be borrowed?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts owns itself. Stop asking already, I've been saying the same thing for four chapters now.

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V: I'm Just a Shadow

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"Hey Nam," Kairi stopped short as she caught sight of Zexion.

Naminé stood still, her knuckles white from clasping her hands too hard. She was praying fervently that Kairi would not recognize him, and miraculously, Zexion seemed to be praying for the same thing. The princess came up to the Cloaked Schemer and peered up at him.

"Darn you're cute."

They burst out laughing. Naminé felt like dancing with glee; that was another disaster averted. If Kairi found out her once-kidnappers were brought back from the darkness by Sora, most likely she'd kill Naminé and Roxas first for not telling her. She didn't even know Roxas was number Thirteen of the Organization. Well, okay, at first she knew, but Naminé had been chaining that conversation the day after it had happened; she realized the possibilities if Kairi discovered Organization XIII existed. Now, Kairi knew, or at least thought she knew, nothing about Castle Oblivion and Twilight Town... and some events she didn't need to know. Kairi just knew that she and Roxas were hers and Sora's nobodies, and that they were used by the Order.

That took a lot of chaining down.

"Do you people always do this?" Zexion asked dryly. (dryly? she thought. He's on a non-emotionless streak! He really is!)

"Yes, to the cute guys..." The raven-haired Garnet giggled and turned to Naminé. "So... you know Zexy?"

A muscle in Zexion's eyelid twitched.

Naminé bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Zexion's... uh...he's..." her mirth faded quickly. She couldn't tell these people that Zexion was someone who was...hey, he wasn't even someone! He's a Nobody! The girls turned to face her expectantly.

"She's my neighbor," he cut in.

Her mouth dropped open and quickly followed the thread Zexion had created. "Y-yeah, in Twilight Town." Well, technically it was true, the gate to the World That Never Was was hidden somewhere in the Old Mansion in Twilight Town.

Kairi stared at her with a million questions reflected in her eyes, then suddenly shook her head vehemently as if trying to get rid of something.

"Roxas sent me here just to give you your gym clothes," he continued in a bored voice. "He says that you shouldn't forget things like that because sometimes there's nobody to go and bring things you forget."

At the mention of Roxas' name all those crowded around Zexion turned to face her again.

"Why didn't he go himself?" Kairi asked aloud. "I mean, we were just hanging around the swings earlier, he could've just por---I mean, gone home and given it to you himself." Her eyes went wide, she had almost said 'portalled' in front of them.

That was a stray memory. Naminé discreetly tapped Kairi on the shoulder and chained said memory down.

"Roxas is...fighting with Larxene and his best friend again..." he caught Naminé's eye, making sure she got the message.

I only brought you your things because right now Axel, Larxene and Roxas are demolishing the Castle to the best of their abilities.

"Again?" Naminé said nonchalantly. "Well, Zex-ion (she almost called him Zex and decided against it, knowing that if she did, he'd never forgive her), thanks for giving me my things, anyway."

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"Noooooo!"

Saïx turned over, stuffing the pillow over his head. What did it take to get some sleep around here? All he wanted was some peace and quiet, but he had started to realize that that simple dream was impossible to achieve here in the Castle That Never Was. Maybe he should consider stealing Vexen's earmuffs.

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"But...but that's already cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Naminé, do not get me started on cruel and unusual punishment," Xemnas said in his most dangerous (yes, he seemed to be needing to do that a lot lately) voice as he stared down at the blonde girl wringing her hands in front of him.

"Xemnas..."

Roxas' eyebrow twitched. He had not expected Naminé to come running and complain (violently, he might add) to the Superior after he had told her what had been...decided of her, Larxene's and Roxas' rooms, after having been quite thoroughly demolished a few days ago.

"You can't do this!" Naminé threw her hands up in frustration. "There's like a million other rooms here in the Castle! Why do I have to share a single room with Roxas?"

"What's so wrong with me!" he said loudly, staring Naminé in the eye.

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Roxas."

"There are many rooms here in the Castle, yes," the Superior looked as if he was considering the thought, "but I want to teach you to be able to even be near each other without whipping out some random weapons."

"But I don't get the urge to kill Roxas everytime I'm near him! My room was just a victim here! I'm a victim here!"

Roxas exchanged glances with Axel, who was leaning on the wall beside him. The pyro shrugged; after the lecture Xemnas subjected them to, nothing could ever faze them now (except maybe hearing Luxord sing christmas carols at the top of his slurred voice whenever he got too drunk on his secret whiskey stash).

"Naminé, if you wish to exist (Roxas thought he was going to say 'live', but the Superior, being the Superior, never made such mistakes as that) here in the Castle with Organization XIII, you must learn to abide by the Organization's rules."

"But I'm a girl!" she half-yelled.

"And so?" Number One (to Xigbar, Numbuh One) raised a silver eyebrow. "I don't hear Larxene complaining."

Naminé made a spluttering noise as she turned to face Axel.

"Yeah, she ain't complaining," Number Eight said in his best offhand voice, but Roxas knew otherwise. Larxene, upon hearing what Xemnas had to say about her and Axel's attempts to kill each other, had destroyed at least half of the meeting room chairs and stormed off. The first time Axel had walked into their room she had, again, tried to strangle him. Lately she had been more...peaceful, only muttering murderous statements whenever she saw Axel. Or Xemnas, for that matter.

"Why can't I share a room with Larxene!" Naminé whined again.

"She and Axel must learn self-control," the Superior looked over his shoulder. "Oh, it's done defragmenting already," he said, referring to the computer they had cannibalized (no, no, just borrowed, as Xemnas had eloquently said) from the Mansion's basement, since Ansem the Wise (not so wise), its previous owner, would most probably never use it again.

"Don't turn your back on me---"

"Naminé, Naminé , what are you so afraid of?" he said condescendingly. "Number Thirteen here might have a bit of a ...past, but he, as far as I know, does not...take advantage of such situations." (And this was the cue for said number to blush not only pink, but an assorted medley of the thousand different shades of scarlet.)

Naminé sighed. "Come on, guys, back me up!" she clasped her hands together as she looked at them pleadingly.

He didn't exactly jump for joy when the Superior announced that he and Naminé would be sharing a room together in the aftemath of the epic battle fought, but hey! It was infinitely better than having to scrub the Castle toilets. So he kept his mouth shut, avoiding Naminé's pleading gaze. Axel seemed to have the same thoughts, as he kept his mouth shut too, exchanging another glance with him.

"Fine." she huffed. "I suppose since it's only temporary, it'll do."

"I am... Well, it is good that you have finally come to see that this will..." the corner of Xemnas' mouth twitched into what would invariably be a smile, "add to your experiences of existing as a Nobody." And with said statement he closed the door in Naminé's pouting face.

"Well."

"Well what?" Roxas asked nervously, not liking Naminé's tone of voice.

"Oh c'mon Naminé, what's so wrong sharing a bedroom with my best mate Rox here?" Axel said loudly.

"Nothin'." She turned her steely gaze on the pyro. Axel almost (as said earlier, nothing could faze him ever) quailed under her stare, but he defiantly met her gaze.

"What do you want?" he asked, standing up straight.

"Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking..." she shook her head vehemently, but that wasn't enough to conceal the grin spreading across her face. "Why didn't you complain when Larxene moved in into your room, huh?"

"It's better than scrubbing toilets," he replied with a bewildered look on his face. Roxas nodded in agreement; something was forming in Naminé's mind, and he was sure it wasn't a plan to bake him and Axel cookies for not backing her up.

"Oh really..." she said slyly, turning her back on them. "Roxas, I'm okay with you...(he blushed again) Axel...I'm gonna tell Larxene you like her."

"But I don't!" It was Axel's turn to splutter.

"Oh, she doesn't know that." she shrugged, her blonde hair waving from side to side. "Who's she gonna believe, the guy who killed her, or the poor little defenseless girl who got caught in all of this?"

"Naminé, I can't even feel!"

"You remember how to feel, Axy," she giggled, opening a portal in front of her. "Of course, I can...forget to tell her...for the right price."

Roxas stuffed a fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing, the look on his best friend's (they were back to being best friends again, after he had explained what Naminé had told him what DiZ had said) face an unexplainable combination of disbelief, amusement, anger, and a lot of the color red.

"Why you little witch!" he made to strangle her, but Naminé had ducked into the portal in time to escape his outstretched hands.

"That would be insulting if it wasn't true, Axel," Naminé laughed before her portal dissipated into strands of darkness.

Roxas couldn't resist. He turned to face Axel. "Hey, why's your face all red if it's not true?"

"You too?" he said, stricken by the betrayal of his best friend. " I do not like her, thank you very much."

"I was just asking why your face was red, not if you liked her or not."

"Shut it, Roxie."

He had considered shutting up, in fear of the murderous look on Axel's face. But what the heck. As long as Axel didn't kill him...

"Oh, you do like Larxene, don'tcha?"

"You're lucky you're my best friend, or I would've beaten you to a bloody pulp."

"But you do like Larx?"

"Roxas..."

"I'm not gonna stop until you tell me!"

"Pshaw, I---"

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It was an just an ordinary day for the girl named Fallah, operator extraordinaire. Her shift had just started, and the calls that she recieved were either from nice old ladies who were asking for their grandson's Gummi Ship schedule or from hopeless-sounding teenagers who were hopelessly lost somewhere in Twilight Town because they had taken the wrong Transit. Yes. She stretched her arms and yawned. This was another day for Fallah. All her other days were just the same: take calls, direct people...

Well, except for that one call half a year ago. She had sat, bewildered in her swiveling (technically it didn't swivel, it just gave a feeble attempt at swiveling before the wad of chewing gum under stopped it) gray chair for about thirty minutes, because she had just connected a call to Disney Castle.

Telephone calls weren't supposed to get through to Disney Castle.

Although the caller merited the purpose. It was the Wielder of Light, Sora Hikari, the guy who they gossiped about during their lunch breaks. He wanted to get patched through to the King himself. At first she thought it was a prank, but when he started to threaten her with Keyblades and disappearing stars,she concluded that yes, this was the Wielder, and yes, he was pissed off like hell.

Exactly thirteen hours (she shivered; thirteen was not a good number for her) had passed when she had been called to an audience with His Majesty. Fallah had been a nervous wreck; her colleagues' reassurances that the King didn't usually grant audiences to people who were supposed to be executed or (as one helpful operator pointed out) doomed into eternal imprisonment didn't do much to lift her spirits.

She had walked into the large, imposing Audience Hall (the whiteness of it all nauseating) and straight to the throne way back, where King Mickey himself sat, his huge round ears (don't say she said that) twitching, a worried expression etched on his face. She thought she would throw up in nervousness.

Ten minutes later she walked out of the Audience Hall, her heart still pounding, but her relief was beyond words. All the King wanted was for her to shut up about the call (though that wasn't the King's exact words, the thought was still there). If she did talk about the incident, well, the King had left her to her imagination for what he would subject her to.

She had since pushed the memory to the back of her mind. It wouldn't happen again, she said to herself. It just won't.

The screen in front of her beeped loudly, signalling there was an incoming call. She peered at the screen; it was from an unknown number somewhere behind Twilight Town. This was a world that technically didn't exist. Her heart did a backflip.

But she was Fallah, operator extraordinaire. She wasn't fazed by calls like this.

"Good afternoon, this is operator Fallah, how may I be of assistance?" she said in that automated voice operators always use.

There was a faint 'dude! It's afternoon already!' before a deep voice spoke. "Yes, Fallah, was it? I wish to speak to the King."

Her heart did a backflip and ten cartwheels as she heard the man's statement. Suddenly the situation seemed very familiar. She cleared her throat and hoped that her voice didn't sound shaky.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the Gummi Network does not accept calls for Disney Castle."

"Hold on," the man said. A faint conversation (more like an argument) ensued.

"See? Toldja Superior-dude, we should've gone there straightaway and surprise the little mouse." (at this point Fallah had a horrifying thought: What if these guys were terrorists or something of that sort?)

"No. We can not just portal in, or we shall be forced to kill all the guards that in all likelihood the Palace defenses would send."

"It's training!"

"No it is not. We merely want the King to be...aware that we are here, although he might already know..."

"I still say we bust into the Castle and surprise him!"

The reciever picked up again. "Fallah. Do you accept messages for Disney Castle?"

"I'm sorry sir, but---wait. Yes, we do." She had changed her mind at the last second, partly because of the vision of all the Palace Guards dead by the hands of these---these psychos, and partly because of the 'surprise 'im' chant heard in the background.

"You must make sure this message arrives, and that only the King hears it."

"Y-yes sir."

"Tell him Organization XIII sends their... (the caller made a derisive sound) dearest greetings."

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"It's only a month."

"But to me, it's a year..."

"You know, whenever I'm around you, things don't seem so angsty anymore..."

Naminé snapped her eyes open as she felt Riku shiver. She had been dreaming again of some forgotten memory that had been chained in her mind by who-knows-who. Wait. She had fallen asleep on Riku, and Riku hadn't pushed her away.

"Riku?" she ventured, trying not to blush. "Is something wrong?"

She and the platinum-haired Keyblade Master had been hanging out Twilight Town's Clocktower ledge the whole afternoon, talking about everything under the sun. She remembered feeling sleepy, but she did not remember falling asleep on Riku's shoulder.

"N-no, nothing," he shook his head.

Naminé didn't believe it, She had far too long observed other's emotions to know if something was bothering somebody (or a Nobody, although Nobodies tended to show what they were unfeeling in more... non verbal ways. Look at Axel and Larxene.). "Yeah, something's up with you. Spit it out."

He stared into her eyes, making her blush. Those aqua eyes were like pools of water that mesmerized her.

"Naminé?" Even the way he said her name always made her blush.

"Yes?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

Her brain couldn't quite process his question.

Did he... did he just ask if I would be his... girlfriend?

Silly. Of course he did, that little voice in the back of her head said and went into a fit of high-pitched giggles.

She couldn't feel, no she couldn't, but this exactly felt like the time Sora kissed Kairi on the docks. Well, remembering feeling was better than not remembering anything at all. She was ecstatic. Screw un-feeling (Demyx coined the term, remembering feeling was too long of a phrase to say).

"Nam?" Riku's voice broke through her thoughts.

She smiled mischieviously. She wanted to know whether this was real. "Say it again."

He raised a silver well-defined eyebrow (or at least she supposed so, his eyebrows were hidden behind his long bangs) "Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Say it five times over." She didn't think Riku would comply, but...

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be m---" She couldn't stop herself. She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him, stopping him from finishing the question. It was a kiss that felt...different from the way Sora kissed Kairi, and vice versa. It was a kiss. That was enough.

"Is that answer enough?" She giggled, a light red settling across her cheeks, the amusement in Riku's eyes evident. But she saw something else...

A thought suddenly occured to her. It was ingrained in a Nobody to feel paranoid about relationships, especially when said relationship involved a living Other. And said involved Other had a past with Riku. She should be feeling happy just because Riku had asked her, not Kairi if she wanted to be his girl. But what if he only wanted her because she was so much like her OtherI?

"But---" she looked into his eyes, and saw the dread in them. He knew she was going to ask this question. If she had a heart, it would've settled somewhere in her stomach. "What about my Other?"

"Kairi?" he said in what obviously was what he thought was an offhand voice. "She's a friend. Nothing more."

She wanted to burst into tears and shake Riku roughly. "Then why is your voice shaking?"

He bit his lip, confirming her suspicions that yes, he still liked Kairi, whatever he said.

"Naminé, forget about Kairi, it's you I like, not her."

"Is it because I'm me, or is it because I'm her shadow?" she half-yelled. Now she knew how Roxas must've felt when DiZ led him to Sora. Riku fell silent.

"She's not letting you go, isn't she! She's not letting you get over her! You still love her, don't you!"

"That's why I wan't to be with you---" he trailed off, apparently realizing how that statement sounded like to her. She started breathing really hard.

"That's why you want to be with me! So that I can be a replacement for Kairi?"

"It's not what I said! Naminé! Calm down!"

And yet Naminé knew that it was what he meant to say. How could a princess of light do this? She thought Somebodies like her were supposed to have absolutely no darkness in their hearts! And if this wasn't called darkness, then what in hell was it! She couldn't stop the tears that were coming. She was actually crying even if she couldn't damn feel!

"She already has Sora, why does she have to have you too! Why does everything I do have to be a shadow of what she does! I love you, Riku! Me! Naminé!"

"But I never said--"

Something inside Naminé snapped. She wondered by what feat Roxas could've stood feeling like a shadow all the time. She was going to settle this, once and for all. "I've had enough."

The dread in Riku's eyes were now replaced by fear.

"I've had enough." Chest heaving, mind working furiously, she portalled to the one place she knew she would find Kairi, leaving someone who should've been her boyfriend if Kairi hadn't interfered.

But then again, you wouldn't be born if it weren't for Kairi, the voice in her head said quietly.

She stepped out of the Corridors into the islet that kept Destiny Island's Keyhole, behind the paopu tree that has haunted hers and Roxas' dreams, behind the princess of light sitting on it as she stared into the sunset.

She thought she could hear Riku calling out her name.

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If you want to know why exactly Naminé heard Riku call her name, read the last part of Trinity chapter 11. Now everyone's feeling sad, gloomy, and mad at their nonexistence. And yes, Larxene's rooming with Axel.

Somebody (or Nobody) is gonna can it in this fic. Don't ask me who, just read my fic 'til the end.

Read. Review. Flamers are welcome.