AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Let's dive right in, shall we?

(Also I set up a Tumblr profile where I could dump notes, doodles and general fando thoughts. Search for Undesirable13 on Tumblr if you're interested.)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR | GETAWAY

The others were waiting anxiously when they arrived, huddled on the grass below the staircase to the main entrance. Kairi had barely landed before Axel was upon her, holding her by the shoulders at arm's length as he examined her from head to toe.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice tight. She nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I just wasn't expecting it and it all just caught me off-guard-"

"Don't worry about that," Axel admonished as he let go of her shoulders. "As long as you're okay." She glanced at his face, latching on to the word. Okay. Yes, she was okay. And she would keep being okay. She nodded firmly.

"I am. I promise," she added when the concern didn't leave his eyes. Naminé approached then, wrapping her arms around Kairi and squeezing her tightly.

"We should head inside," Terra suggested, glancing around the group. "Then you can tell us what happened."

Terra set a stew on the stove while Aqua went in search of restoratives, returning with baskets of potions, ethers and a refocuser for each of them which she made them drink even if they didn't need it.

Roxas did most of the talking, for which Kairi was grateful. Naminé added a comment here and there, tempering Roxas' otherwise impassioned retelling of their afternoon with something that bore a little more resemblance to the truth. Terra and Aqua shared several concerned glances while Ven listened to the story with a persistent frown.

"So you think Vanitas has sided with the darkness again?" Terra asked as Roxas finished the tale. The younger boy nodded fervently, but he paused when Xion shook her head.

"Xion?" Roxas asked. She pursed her lips as her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"I think Vanitas was set up," she answered. "Why else would Xigbar – I mean, Luxu – make such a big deal out of it?"

"What do you mean?" Aqua prompted.

"Luxu made a show of telling Vanitas it was okay to come home, that 'the plan had changed', but Vanitas didn't go with him." Her frown deepened as she lowered her thoughtful gaze to her shoes, head tilting to the side ever so slightly – just like Sora used to when he was stuck on a puzzling homework question.

"So what?" Roxas asked. "Maybe he was right and Vanitas just wanted to string us along a bit more."

"But then why expose him in the first place?" Xion countered. Blue met blue as Xion continued. "If it was important for us to believe that Vanitas was on our side, then why blow his cover like that?"

"Because the plan had changed-"

"But if that was the case, then why didn't Vanitas just go with him?" she pressed. "We know he's not shy about showing his allegiance. If he was working against us, then he would know it would be pointless to try and fool us anymore."

"It's all part of some big scheme," Roxas argued. "This was just another scene in his play to try and trick us."

"But then why not make more out of it? Have Luxu attack us and Vanitas defend us?" Xion shook her head decisively. "I don't think Vanitas is working with Luxu. Even if he's not exactly working for us, Vanitas isn't working with him."

"The difference being?" Roxas asked. "He still tricked us in to creating a vessel for him."

"We couldn't have let him stay with Kairi any longer," Axel interrupted. Roxas paused then, his eyes turning to Kairi. Everyone's did, in fact, and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Kairi," Aqua began, her voice quiet and gentle as though if she spoke too loud Kairi might bolt for the door (and she wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't). "What do you think?" The question was followed by an eerie silence that made Kairi's heart stutter. She waited, half-expecting Vanitas to murmur some quip or other in her mind, and when none came she placed a hand over her aching heart.

"Vanitas isn't working with Luxu," she said, her voice a lot stronger than she felt. Roxas frowned.

"He's played us from the start-"

"How, Roxas?" she demanded. "He asked us for help, and he agreed to help us in return. He's already started-"

"How? By disappearing on us?"

"You didn't even give him a chance-"

"I don't want to give him a chance!"

"I trust him-"

"Well I don't really trust your judgement!"

A horrible silence lingered when Kairi didn't respond. She was standing – they both were – and Roxas' shoulders were trembling with rage. Kairi's stomach churned.

"Roxas-"

"No, Xion," he hissed. "She lied to us about Sora! She hid the truth because Xigbar tricked her in to believing she was doing the right thing! How do we know Vanitas hasn't done it too? How do we know we can trust her judgement?"

"Roxas, you don't mean that," Xion said firmly. She tugged at his elbow. "You're just angry-"

"Yeah, I am," he seethed. Riku rose to his feet, placing himself on Roxas' other side.

"Even if Kairi had told us about Sora as soon as she'd come back, we wouldn't have been able to save him," said Riku.

"We would have known sooner," he argued. "We could have started preparing sooner." Xion tugged at his elbow again, her eyes boring in to his cheek.

"Roxas-"

"It's fine, Xion," Kairi said softly.

"No, it's not," Axel growled.

"I can't change his mind," she said. She turned to Roxas then, meeting his furious glare. "And I'm not changing mine. I believe Vanitas is on our side. He might not want to be our friend, but I know that he'll fight with us." Roxas softened a little at that, and she watched some of the tension roll out of his shoulders.

"Help me understand, Kairi," he pleaded, his voice softer. His eyes bored in to hers with a fierce desperation. "Because asking me to fight alongside him is like asking me to fight alongside Xigbar."

She wished she had the words to express how she felt about Vanitas. She wished she could describe how she knew, so clearly, that he was on their side. And yet every argument fell flat even before it had even reached her mouth. He had what he wanted now, there was no reason for him to be on their side anymore and no leverage to force him to do it. Hadn't she considered this very possibility?

"I… I can't," she said at long last. "I just know that he's not fighting for Luxu.

"And what about fighting for us?" Aqua asked. She opened her mouth, wishing she had an answer, but when none came out she could only shake her head. Exhaustion was making her cloudy, and no amount of restoratives could ease the weariness that was taking hold of her heart.

"I wish I could explain it," she said softly. "I'm sorry that I can't make you understand-" Ven shot to his feet then, hands clenched in to fists at his sides.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said firmly. "I'm glad you believe in Vanitas. Even if he isn't fighting for Sora, you gave him a chance to be his own person. Nobody else was able to do that for him." His gentle smile was so pure and genuine that it lifted Kairi's spirits by the smallest fraction. The others didn't look so convinced, but knowing that Ven was still on her side after everything that had happened was a small ray of sunshine amongst the storm. She caught Naminé's eye and Naminé nodded with a small smile. Two rays of sunshine.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," she said. She turned to go – and perhaps she should have – but against her own better judgement she turned back and locked eyes with Roxas. "I know today didn't go to plan, but I still trust Vanitas."

"Me too," Ven agreed. "I say we leave him alone unless he crosses our path. All he wants is a chance to live his own life. Let's let him live it." Roxas looked as though he might have objected, but Xion tugged on his arm again and he promptly closed his mouth. An uncertain murmur rippled through the group and Kairi took the opportunity to escape. Slowly she dragged herself up the stairs towards her room. The exhaustion was seeping in to her bones, and by the time she reached the top of the stairs she barely had the energy to appreciate that someone had finally replaced the door to her room. It was heavier than she remembered and she sagged heavily against it.

If she could just talk to Vanitas… She knew he wasn't fighting for Luxu beyond a shadow of a doubt, but if she could just figure out why he had disappeared it would make the situation much easier to explain to the others. And why had she been so certain that he would fight for Sora? He had no reason to, after all, and she very much doubted that she could hold him to his word even if she knew where to find him. And even if she could understand her faith and his motives, how would she ever convince the others? Roxas seemed specially set against the idea of having Vanitas on their side, though she couldn't figure out why.

She collapsed heavily on to the bed, closing her eyes and reaching out towards the shard of Sora's heart. It was easier to find now she didn't have to get past Vanitas, but it offered little more than a gentle wash of love and comfort; hardly the miracle solution she was hoping for.

What would Sora do? That he would give Vanitas a second chance was all but guaranteed, but how would he convince the others? Would his opinion hold more weight than hers? Probably. But would they have taken it outright, or would he have been facing the same friction from the others?

Roxas… If she could just understand his anger, maybe that would help. Sora would probably understand it in a heartbeat – Roxas was partly his reflection, after all, in the same way that Naminé was hers. If she could just talk to Sora, she knew he could help her understand. For a fleeting moment she thought of heading to the Graveyard but she shot the idea down in an instant. At best she would be ignored and sent on her way, and at worst… She shuddered. Either way, there was no benefit in throwing herself in to Luxu's path.

She heard a rustle of fabric.

Her breath hitched as she sat up so quickly her head span. She scanned the room, but everything was dark; she hadn't thought to turn on the light when she came in. She held her breath and listened, waiting to see if the sound would come again. It didn't, but in the silence she heard something else – smothered, laboured breathing. She stood and summoned her keyblade, holding it tightly as she edged back towards the doorway where she could turn on the light.

"Vanitas!"

He was huddled in the corner, tucked away between the dresser and the wall. His dark spikes were ruffled and out of place, and when he lifted his head towards her she saw a trickle of blood running down the left side of his face. He squinted up at her, one eye nearly swollen shut and surrounded by a blossoming bruise.

"You really should be more aware of your surroundings," he threatened, though his voice was faint and raspy. "I could have killed you." She dragged him from his hiding place and set him on the edge of the bed to take a closer look at his injuries. There was mottled bruising splashed all over his jaw, disappearing down underneath his cloak, and he was cradling his left elbow tightly against his chest. She reached out towards his shoulder and he recoiled, his good eye watching her carefully. She reached in to her pouch to withdraw an elixir which she handed to him before casting a small healing spell to repair what she could of the rest of the damage.

"What happened to you?" she asked. He rolled his shoulder with a grimace.

"Your buddy Roxas did this to me," he grunted.

"But how?" she asked. "I mean, I know Roxas is strong, but-"

"This body is barely a couple of hours old, princess," he snapped. "It'll take a while for me to get back to where I used to be." She frowned; something about that didn't seem right.

"But… when Roxas came back, he was strong enough to fight," she countered, though it was weak. Sora had told her what happened after she'd been taken; how Xion had taken her place and how Roxas had stood in for Axel.

"Roxas used the vessel that the replica Riku had been using," he grunted. "The rest of us spent several weeks getting our strength back when Xehanort first put us in the vessels. Why else do you think Xehanort was happy for Sora to waste so much time traversing other worlds before the final showdown?" The thought sent a chill racing down her spine.

"But-"

They were interrupted by a light knock at the door. Vanitas stiffened and his eyes glanced towards the window. Kairi swallowed thickly, trying to unstick her voice from where it had caught in her throat.

"Kairi? It's Naminé." She breathed a sigh of relief and noticed that Vanitas seemed a little less tense. She caught his eye, a silent request for his permission which he granted with a small nod. She opened the door by the smallest fraction and pressed a finger to her lips as she let stepped aside to let Naminé in.

"Hello Vanitas," she said with a small smile. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

"You did?!" Kairi asked.

"How?" Vanitas growled. Tilted her head a fraction.

"Just a feeling," she said, "although I don't think this is the best place for you to be right now. Things aren't really settling downstairs, and I'm scared that if the wrong person were to see you it might end in another fight."

"Don't worry," he snorted, "I don't intend to stick around."

"You can't go out on your own," Naminé said, surprising Kairi with the firm authority in her voice. "What if someone found you? You wouldn't be able to defend yourself." Vanitas scowled and folded his arms.

"Well I can't exactly stay here now, can I?" he hissed.

"I know, that's why we'll come with you." She looked to Kairi then who nodded.

"Of course," she said, "but where would we go?"

"Nowhere," Vanitas growled. "I don't need babysitters." Naminé gave him a gentle smile.

"We won't be babysitters-"

"Bodyguards, then," he corrected curtly. "Whatever you wanna call yourselves, I don't need you-" His breath hitched as Naminé reached out to take his hand.

"Vanitas, please," she said, "let us help you." Her eyes bored in to his as she placed her other hand atop his, encircling it completely and squeezing gently. Vanitas' golden eyes studied her face carefully and Kairi felt her stomach churn in the silence that followed. Muffled voices rose from downstairs, and a particularly loud shout drew Vanitas' gaze towards the door. Eventually he sighed and pulled his hand free, folding his arms across his chest again.

"Where would we go?" he finally asked. Naminé took a deep steeling breath.

"There's an abandoned mansion just outside Twilight Town," she said. "Ansem the Wise used it for a while before he moved back to Radiant Garden, but no-one's really used it since. We should be safe enough there until you're as strong as you're used to being."

"Won't the others miss you?" he said in a haughty sneer. Naminé's smile didn't falter.

"If we were going to slip away, now's as good a time as any," she answered. "We can tell people that Kairi needs time to recover from today, and we'll keep in touch via the Gummiphone so they won't try to come after us." Kairi frowned.

"Do you think that'll work?" she asked. Naminé nodded.

"Roxas needs time to cool off, so that'll keep Xion and Axel distracted. Riku and Mickey are worried about Vanitas, but they're more concerned with getting Sora back. They've already gone back to Master Yen Sid's tower to see if there's anything else they can do to help Sora. Terra and Aqua are going to stay here and continue working with Luxord, and they want Ven to stay close by."

"And you think he'll listen?" Vanitas huffed.

"I think he'll consider trying to find you first," she answered, "but even Ven will realise that it'll be impossible to do on his own. I think he'll stay, even if he doesn't really want to." Vanitas scowled for several long minutes, glancing between them both.

"How are you going to get around?" he asked, tilting his head in Naminé's direction.

"I can travel with Kairi in the Lanes Between," she answered. "I've done it before."

"You were unconscious at the time," Vanitas reminded her.

"I'll be okay," she answered. "I came from Kairi's heart, so I'm more protected than most people."

"You also came from Sora's," he countered.

"If she wears my cloak she'll be protected enough for us to reach Twilight Town," said Kairi.

"And what about you?"

"Princess of Heart," she answered. "Natural immunity." He arched an eyebrow.

"And you think the others will go along with that?"

"They won't have a choice," she argued. He stared at her for a long pause before folding his arms with a roll of his eyes.

"It'll be more direct to use a corridor than to fly on your glider," he said. "You'll be less exposed. Tell the others whatever, and I'll take us to Radiant Garden." The corner of Kairi's lips twitched in to barely-smothered grin.

"So you do care," she said. He scowled.

"I know that if any of your Guardians find out that you put your necks on the line because of me, I'll have even less chance of keeping this vessel," he returned. "This is me looking out for my own neck." Kairi shared a knowing look with Naminé but said nothing further as she withdrew her phone to write a message to Axel.

Naminé and I are going to get away for a while. I need to get my strength back after today.

She hovered for several agonising seconds, re-reading the message over and over again until she finally sent it. Then she waited, bracing herself for the onslaught of questions. She glanced towards the door several times, half expecting Axel to come bounding up the stairs to stop her. And what would happen if he did? He would see Vanitas, and the whole thing would be blown. Perhaps she should send him on ahead. After all, wouldn't they need to make a show of leaving by glider to make their story believable? And Vanitas was right – wouldn't everyone worry about Naminé flying through the Lanes Between with little more than a cloak to protect her?

And where would they even say they were going? It would need to be somewhere close by so that nobody would be overly concerned about Naminé enduring the darkness in the Lanes, but too close and it would make it too easy for the others to come and look for them. And if they came and looked, and found Kairi and Naminé missing, then what-

Her phone buzzed with a reply from Axel.

Probably a good idea. If you head out now you can probably get away unnoticed. Stay safe.

She read the message several times, and when it didn't change she handed the phone to Naminé who read it once and nodded.

"Well I guess that settles it," Naminé said with a smile. "Vanitas, if you'd like to do the honours?" He blinked in surprise and arched an eyebrow.

"Right now?" he asked. Naminé nodded.

"No time like the present," she answered. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Not exactly, but I've got a pretty good guess." He glanced between them both one last time before shrugging and clicking his fingers. The portal unfurled behind him and Kairi swallowed a wave of nausea. Naminé grimaced.

"Here," Kairi said as she slipped her cloak around Naminé's shoulders. She smiled gratefully as she zipped it up and curled her hands inside the sleeves. Vanitas glanced at Kairi then.

"You sure you're gonna be okay without protection?" he asked. "The darkness in these corridors is stronger than in the lanes between." Kairi smiled and shrugged.

"I've done it before, no problem," she said. So had Naminé, when she had come to rescue Kairi from the dungeons in The World That Never Was, though she'd struggled more with some of the lingering shadows that had clung to them as they had raced through the castle. Vanitas eyed her warily, and after a moment he huffed and lifted his hand to the zipper of his coat which he opened nearly halfway before remembering that he had nothing underneath. His cheeks flushed crimson as he pulled it back up again, and Kairi did her best not to smile at the gesture.

"We should get moving," he grunted, and disappeared in to the portal before either of them could comment. Kairi glanced at Naminé as she flipped the hood over her head, and Naminé answered with a knowing smile before they joined hands and stepped in to the darkness together.

They emerged on a small square of grass between the mansion's outer wall and the trees that separated it from Twilight Town. The heavy wrought-iron gates stood open, and tumbling ivy had begun to snake itself around the bars. They passed between two columns of shattered marble pillars before coming upon the grand doors – thick oak panels embossed with jagged lines of burnished gold. Naminé hesitated for the briefest moment before following Vanitas inside.

The foyer was large and littered with broken pottery and an assortment of furniture in various stages of disrepair. Sunlight filtered through a wide panel of dusty windows set between two staircases; four identical panes of aged glass which stretched from the floor to the underside of the upper level. On either side of the foyer were two sets of large doors, both closed.

"You guys can explore, if you want," Naminé said quietly, her pale face an ashen grey beneath the darkness of the cloak's hood. "I'm going to try and find us a place to sleep and-"

"LET HER GO!"

A shadow slipped through the door and latched on to Naminé, looping its arm around her neck and dragging her quickly to the side. Another barrelled past Kairi to charge at Vanitas. The door was flung wide open by a third shadow who motioned wildly.

"Hurry, Kairi! This way!" Kairi was too focused on Naminé to pay any heed to the familiar voice. She summoned her keyblade and levelled it at their attacker's face – only to freeze as she recognised Naminé's surprise assailant.

"Pence?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Rescuing you!" he said proudly. Then, after a beat, he added: "You… needed rescuing… right?" She dismissed the keyblade and dove forward, tugging his arm away from Naminé's neck and pulling her to safety.

"No, I didn't!" she exclaimed. She pulled Naminé behind her as she turned to Vanitas. He was bracing himself against Hayner who was doing his best to beat him up with a blue foam-covered bat. "Hayner, stop!" Hayner turned to look at her mid-swing, but the momentum kept his body toppling forwards. Vanitas rolled his eyes and quickly stepped aside, allowing Hayner to fall face first on to the dusty floor. Olette stepped in to the foyer and the door creaked closed behind her.

"So you… don't… need rescuing?" she asked.

"No," she said. "Why would you think that?" Hayner rolled on to his back with a groan.

"Well, I mean, you… er… We saw you with strange men in cloaks and we – oh, hey! That's Naminé!"

"Naminé?" Pence gasped. He skirted round her and dipped low to peer under her hood. She peeled it back, an unamused expression on her face as she smoothed her hair and rubbed at her neck. Pence flushed, his cheeks turning crimson as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry, Naminé, but after everything that's happened to Kairi, we wanted to try and help."

"I understand," she said, though her words were accompanied by a slight grimace.

"That's still evil Sora though, right?" Hayner asked, propping himself up on one elbow and pointing at Vanitas who narrowed his eyes.

"Evil Sora?" Kairi asked.

"It's not that simple, Hayner," Naminé replied. "It's… well, it's complicated. But the answer to your question is yes, and no."

"Maybe we should start at the beginning," Olette suggested somewhat sheepishly. "What are you guys doing here?" Naminé glanced at Kairi and Kairi felt her heart flutter nervously.

"We're… um… it's secret," she answered. Vanitas rolled his eyes. "We need to lay low for a while."

"Why here though?" Olette asked.

"We needed to hide out somewhere we wouldn't be found," Kairi answered. "People might look for us in Twilight Town, but they won't look for us here."

"What kind of people?" Pence asked. "Bad people?"

"Yes," she answered carefully, quickly adding: "And others. Nobody can know that we're here."

"Don't worry," said Hayner, puffing out his chest. "We're secret keeping experts!" Olette rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naminé asked.

"Well we were on our way back to town when we saw the portal," Pence answered. "Next thing we know we see Kairi coming out with evil Sora and a cloaked figure and we kind of assumed the worst." Naminé smiled fondly (while Vanitas huffed and folded his arms).

"I got that part," she said, "but what were you doing here in the first place?"

"This is our new secret place!" Olette answered. "They rebuilt all the houses on the far side of town and closed off our old den, so we figured we could hang out here instead."

"I've been working with Ienzo and Even on Ansem's old computer," Pence added. "Sometimes they send me munny to help them with their research."

"And that munny is gonna pay for our tickets to the beach as soon as school breaks up for the holidays," Hayner said with a grin as he threw an arm around Pence's shoulder. Pence cocked an eyebrow.

"You know I've only just got enough money for myself," he said. "You'll have to see if Mr McDuck has any more jobs so that you two can come with me." Hayner feigned horror.

"You'd go without us? C'mon, Pence!"

"So how long are you guys going to be staying here?" Olette asked. Kairi glanced at Vanitas who only glared in response, clearly less than satisfied with their unexpected company.

"We're… not sure yet," Kairi answered. "It might be a little while."

"You didn't bring any supplies," Olette observed. "Is someone else bringing them?"

"No-one else is coming. It's going to be just us," Naminé answered.

"Then let us help! We can bring you stuff," Olette offered. "Mr McDuck's restaurant does amazing take-out, and I'm sure we've all got spare blankets that we could bring you."

"We can bring some of our beach party supplies so you can cook here," Pence offered. "Last summer my dad got us a camping grill – it's super easy to set up – and I got a new sleeping bag that you can borrow."

"Can you think of anything else you need?" Kairi glanced to Naminé.

"A broom would be nice," Naminé said quietly. "It'd be nice if we could sweep up a little before we settle in." Vanitas let out an exasperated huff and stormed away, his patience finally gone. He heaved open the doors to the left and disappeared in to the room beyond. The silence that followed his exit was quickly followed by an assortment of clashes and bangs that made Kairi wince.

"Is he okay?" Hayne asked.

"He's just… very tense right now," Kairi answered. She studied Hayner then, pursing her lips thoughtfully. He was the same height as Vanitas, and roughly the same build too. "Actually, Hayner, would Vanitas be able to borrow some of your clothes? We weren't able to pick any up before we left."

"So is he only wearing that coat?" Olette asked, her emerald eyes gleaming. Naminé stifled a giggle and Olette shrugged. "What? A girl can daydream…"

"Why don't we head back to town and pick up some things for you guys?" Pence suggested. "We'll bring back enough to see you through the night, and then we'll come back in the morning to see if there's anything we've missed."

"Won't people be suspicious if you're always coming out here?" Kairi asked.

"Naw, we do this all the time," Pence answered. "People don't pay too much attention to you as long as you stay out of trouble."

"Don't worry," Olette added with a smile. "Nobody will know that you're here." Hayner grinned with an emphatic nod.

They spent a few more minutes listing out other essentials – water, snacks, toiletries (which Olette offered to pick up at the corner store for them) – and Kairi gave Hayner a few suggestions on what Vanitas might light to wear ("Black," she said, "and nothing too restrictive."). Kairi and Naminé handed over what little munny they had before bidding the others goodbye. They stayed out of sight while the door was open, just in case, and once it was closed again they both breathed a sigh of relief. The foyer was silent now, the bangs and crashes from behind the door having ended some time ago, and Kairi couldn't help but chew her lip nervously.

"Naminé," she began timidly, "we are doing the right thing, aren't we?" Naminé turned to her and smiled.

"What does your heart tell you?" she asked. Kairi frowned, confused, and after a moment she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She wanted to believe that they were on the right track, but she was torn. How many more times would she promise not to tell any more lies, only to break that vow within days – if not hours? She dove further, past her indecision, until she came across the shard of Sora's heart. It might not have been able to fully comprehend what was happening, but it seemed in full support of her nonetheless. She latched on to the feeling, drowning in it for the briefest moment before returning her attention to Naminé.

"We should probably see what Vanitas has been up to," she said.

The room behind the doors was large and mostly empty aside from a few pieces of broken furniture which had been piled against the far wall. More surprising was the fact that the room was entirely dust and cobweb free. Vanitas was sprawled on one of three useable chairs in the room, his leg draped over the armrest in a pose that reminded Kairi strongly of Sora. He used to sit like that; collapsing dramatically in to the rickety arm chair in his front room after a hard day of school.

"Vanitas, you cleaned?" Naminé asked, running her finger over a splintered bookshelf. "How did you do it so quickly?" He rolled his eyes and his head lolled back against the chair.

"Magic," he drawled, as though it should have been obvious. He glanced at their confused faces and frowned. "You really can't figure it out? I aeroga'd up all the dust and sent it out of the window, then used graviga to move the furniture out of the way." Kairi smiled.

"Thank you, Vanitas," she said. Golden eyes glanced to her for the briefest moment before sliding shut as his head slid back again.

"Whatever," he murmured. Naminé frowned.

"You shouldn't be using so much magic yet," she said. "You must be exhausted."

"I would have been more exhausted watching you two clean," he answered. Naminé folded her arms.

"Us two?" she asked pointedly. "You would have been cleaning too." He snorted.

"I doubt that." His head lolled forwards and his eyes slid open. He fixed them both with a derisive stare as he started to lift himself from the chair. "Listen, this was your plan. If you don't want me as a roommate then you can just-" His legs gave out beneath him and he topped forwards. Naminé reached him just in time to keep him from hitting the floor completely. She held him carefully with a heavy sigh.

"You need to look after yourself," she said softly. He clumsily pulled himself from her grasp and sat heavily on the floor beside her.

"I've done this before, remember?"

"I remember," she said, "and so have I. I can't imagine how frustrating this must be for you, knowing how strong you used to be and how long it could take you to get it all back, but you need to be patient. Show yourself a little kindness."

"Kindness won't make me stronger," he growled. Kairi's heart skipped a painful beat at the underlying current of desperation in his voice; too strong to be hidden by a weak wash of anger. Naminé folded her hands in her lap.

"How about this," she began. "Kairi and I will finish up in here and figure out where we're going to sleep. Then tomorrow I'll carry on cleaning down here while you start training Kairi."

"What?!" Kairi squeaked. Naminé twisted to glance at Kairi over her shoulder.

"It's perfect, really," she said with a bright smile. "It'll be a great way for Vanitas to get his strength back, and learning from someone new can't hurt. I'm sure there are lots of things Vanitas can teach you."

"Like how not to freeze up in a fight," he scoffed. He turned his attention to Kairi then with a smirk. Kairi's stomach dropped, though she refused to let Vanitas see it. Instead she squashed her fear behind a wash of rage and scowled.

"You two are ganging up on me now?" she exclaimed. Naminé's expression softened slightly but Vanitas only sneered.

"Why not? It's clearly the best way to win against you," he said. "Scared of a few shadows, princess?" The darkness in the corners of the room pulsed and unversed began to emerge, creeping slowly from the shadows towards her. She grit her teeth; they didn't scare her.

"I'm going to go take a look at the other room," she said curtly. She reached in to her pocket and withdrew an elixir, tossing it to Vanitas who caught it nimbly. "Drink that." Then she span on her heel and made her way back in to the foyer. Her footsteps echoed as she crossed from one set of doors to the other, only to find them blocked by debris. She summoned her keyblade, grit her teeth, and threw all of her fear and anger in to a single aeroga attack that sent the piled up rubbish scattering. By the time the wind died down the foyer was more of a mess than ever, but at least she could slip inside the room and let the doors close behind her.

Whilst the other room might have been some kind of dining room or study, judging by the elaborate broken table, this room seemed to be a sitting room or lounge. Two large sofas and three plush armchairs were arranged in a semicircle facing towards an empty hearth, and besides being a little musty and moth-eaten they were otherwise in-tact. The far corner of the wall was lined with towering bookshelves filled to the brim with dusty tomes and cobwebs. Kairi rolled up her sleeves and made short work of gathering up all the dust and detritus in a whirling tornado which she sent in to the hearth and up the chimney. Then she took the pillows from all the seats and began to pummel them one by one until there was more dust around the fireplace than when she'd started.

"Kairi?"

She glanced up to see Naminé hovering in the doorway. Kairi sat back on her heels with a sigh as Naminé came to settle beside her.

"Sorry for snapping before," Kairi murmured. "I just… Vanitas really hit a nerve." Naminé laughed lightly.

"I have a feeling he'll be doing that a lot for the next few days," she said.

"Only the next few days? You're optimistic," Kairi retorted, though it was light-hearted and followed by a laugh. She quickly sobered when Naminé didn't join in; the blonde was watching her closely with a sympathetic smile.

"Kairi, I know that what happened earlier… I know it caught you by surprise-"

"It's… It's not that," she said softly with a shake of her head. Naminé reached for her hand and squeezed gently.

"Then what is it?" Kairi closed her eyes and squeezed back, swallowing thickly past the lump in her throat.

"Every time I've fought against waves of heartless like that, it's always ended badly. Earlier today, we had to run. When we went to go and get Sora, we all got separated and… Then there was the fight against Xehanort, and… I only survived for as long as I did because I had Axel watching my back, and even then…" She shuddered and swallowed bile.

"Kairi?" Naminé pressed. Kairi grimaced.

"Sora might have brought us all back, but he couldn't take away how it felt," she said. "My heart wasn't like the others... They all faded away but I was stuck there in the darkness until I could finally reach out to Sora. I can't go through that again, Naminé-"

"You won't," she said firmly. "You're stronger than you were then – strong enough to hold your own against a hundred heartless. You just need to believe in yourself." Naminé pressed their foreheads together and she reached for Kairi's other hand, squeezing them both tightly. "Let Vanitas help you, Kairi, and you can help him back. That's why we came all this way, right?" Kairi smiled despite herself.

"You always know the right thing to say, Naminé," she said softly.

"How could I not? I'm made from your heart, Kairi. We're connected." She let go of Kairi's hands to loop both arms around her shoulders and pull her in to a tight hug. "I'm always here for you."

"Thank you, Naminé," she murmured, burying her face in Naminé's shoulder. "I'm here for you too." Naminé squeezed her gently.

"Just concentrate on being here for yourself, first," she said. "Then you can worry about me." She wasn't sure she knew exactly how to do that, but if anyone could help her figure it out it would be Naminé. Out in the foyer the door creaked open followed by the excitable murmur of voices, and Naminé finally ended the hug.

"C'mon, let's go see what they've brought back," she said. She stood and dusted off her knees before offering a hand to Kairi, and together they made their way back out in to the foyer.

Poor Vanitas – he's like a wounded puppy; snarling at anyone who gets too close in order to hide just how vulnerable he is right now. And Kairi… well I think we've established by now that Kairi's got issues.

Having the Twilight Trio making an appearance here was never in the original draft, but after the idea came to me it just clicked and I'm so glad that it did. I love these guys, they're so much fun. They're probably the closest thing we've got to 'normal' teenagers in this entire cast of crazies, so it seemed a shame not to let them pop by for a chapter or two.

(Also, I recently found a copy of and started reading the Kingdom Hearts II manga, and I've discovered that Hayner apparently has a nail-bat. That's a baseball bat with nails in the end. Glad I found out about that after I wrote this chapter, or Vanitas could have been coming off worse in that little brawl… Let's just stick to the Struggle bat, shall we, Hayner?)

See you next time!