CHAPTER 4 - CONTACTS RENEWED

A/N: I got a review! And it wasn't a flame! Yay, I'm so happy! Thank you, StAnThEpLuNgErMaN so much, I'm really glad you like my work. It's a lot of fun writing this stuff, so I'm really, really glad that someone likes it. I'll get to work on the next chapter right away. Besides, it'll be a fight scene, so I need to get to work anyway.

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"You sure about this?"

Mizu sighed and tilted her head back.

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't know of how else I can be useful around here," she said for the thousandth time. "Besides, I'm the only one who can manage to pull this off anyway. I'm the only person who could possibly get - "

"Shh!" came the hurried request. "We don't know if they're listening or not."

"They're not," Mizu insisted. "I'd know. C'mon, old friend, trust me."

"I do trust you. It's them I don't trust."

"I know, and I understand, really I do. But I can't exactly be effective if you keep worrying about everything."

"Remember how we met?"

"That is not the point here, I've grown a lot more cautious since then! Look, either you trust me or you don't, it's as simple as that."

"I trust you," was the immediate reply. "Just not to keep yourself out of danger."

"I won't be in danger, you worrywart!" Mizu snapped, losing all patience with her friend. "I have old friends here, they'll be glad to have me back. And those that won't be never liked me in the first place, they're not gonna think anything's up."

"But what about Riku? I know you're gonna worry about him."

"I worry about him all the time. It's not gonna change anything."

There was a sigh, and Mizu looked down at her companion, noticing how he still looked worried.

"Please," she pleaded, "trust me in this."

There was another sigh, and he didn't look at her as he replied.

"I trust you, Mizu."

Mizu held back a triumphant grin and leaned down to kiss him lightly on the top of his head, then trotted off down the hall towards a very cleverly hidden door.

"Well," said a voice as soon as she had shut it behind her. She gasped involuntarily and spun around, pressing her back against the door, to see a man in a black hooded cloak with long, red hair, green eyes, and a smirk. "Never expected to see you back."

"Axel!" Mizu exclaimed, not knowing whether to run up and hug him or draw her knives.

"What," Axel teased, laughing, "don't I get a hug?" Mizu grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, having to stand on tip-toe to get up there, and even kissed him on the cheek for good measure.

"You know I could never figure you out," she admonished lightly. "What's goin' on these days, huh?"

"A bit of trouble," Axel admitted with a rueful sigh. "I won't lie to you, the Organization is splitting."

"Say what?" Mizu said, her voice taking on a lower tone that meant she was not at all pleased to hear the news and quite ready to slice something up to fix it. "How? I thought - "

"We all thought, kiddo," Axel sighed.

"But why? And who's splitting you all up?"

"Marluxia," Axel said, then, at Mizu's confused look, added, "You've never met him."

"Anyone I know splitting off?"

"Larxene."

"Damn. I liked her."

"And Vexen and Marluxia are the only other ones. But, Marluxia's trying to take Namine with him."

"Axel, you know it's been well over a year. Who's Namine?"

"You'll know her when you see her," Axel said, patting Mizu on the shoulder.

"What, are you taking me to her or something?" Mizu asked, honestly bewildered by this. She still didn't know if she could trust Axel, but she was quite willing to play along if she had to.

"You catch on quick. Listen, you're the only one I can trust to help me out here."

"What're you up to, Axel?"

"Double-crossing the double-crossers," Axel said with a grin.

Mizu threw her head back and laughed, an answering grin spreading over her face.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" she said, still laughing.

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Riku slashed at the last of the Shadow Heartless, then proceeded to the final door. He took out the keycard he needed, and held it up, opening the door, and steeling himself to what he might find inside. When the door had opened completely, he took a few steps in before it slammed shut behind him.

He turned to stare at the newly closed door - the rooms had never shut themselves on him before. Then, shrugging it off, he continued through the dark, bleak, dungeon-like room.

"I knew you're return, Riku," Maleficent purred, her face a mask of unholy glee and hatred.

"Maleficent!" Riku exclaimed, his hand instinctively moving to clutch the hilt of his sword.

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A/N: I think I'm finally learning how to make these fics look like actual, published work! Or at least a little less like they were done by a complete novice. . . Pity that font changes don't work here, because I have the coolest text for the titles! If you're curious, and have this font on your computer, it's CAC Champagne. For the KH1 fics, I used CAC Valiant, and I'll probably use a different one for KH2. Probably CAC Shishoni Brush. And it's size 24, italicised, and underlined for Champagne. I always underline titles. I don't know why, though.