AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Happy Friday everyone!

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to everyone who is here – whether you've been following from the start, whether you've joined the adventure recently, or whether you're finding this in some kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland where nothing exists but Twinkies and old Fanfics. I can't believe we've made it to the final arc, and I'm so excited to share this last leg of the journey with you.

I hope you enjoy today's update.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE | BEFORE THE STORM

It had been well and truly in to the early hours of the morning when Axel had finally started drifting off, yawning more than he was speaking, and Kairi had quietly slipped down the hall and in to the final unclaimed room. The other door was closed, and she could only assume that Naminé had done all she could and had gone to bed.

Kairi hadn't exactly slept, but she had managed a few hours of dozing which she supposed was better than nothing. The sun had yet to rise when Kairi finally gave up on getting any meaningful sleep, but the sky was beginning to lighten and the stars were no longer visible. As she slipped in to the pink dress the fairies had given her and pulled up the zipper, her stomach began to twist at the thought of what lay ahead. In a few short hours they would be back in the Graveyard, facing off against Luxu and the Foretellers and… She closed her eyes, reaching out to the shard of Sora's heart and to the connection beyond. She had hoped that Naminé strengthening her connection to Sora might have allowed her to finally reconnect with him – to at least gain a sense of how he was faring – but the connection continued to fade in to the darkness.

I sense nothing of the boy within the heartless.

She gave her gauntlets a hard tug, focusing on the feeling of how they pressed the threaded bracelets beneath in to the inside of her wrist, and she fastened Axel's spiked cuffs a little tighter than she needed to. Anything to distract herself from Maleficent's words. She shoved her feet in to her boots and shrugged her way in to her jacket, pausing by the mirror to adjust her choker and her armband before slipping out in to the hallway. The doors were all shut, and it was impossible to tell who was awake and who wasn't, but at the risk of disturbing those who managed to find sleep she tip-toed down the hall.

Eventually, after several wrong turns, she made her way in to the kitchens where she was surprised to find that she wasn't alone. Luxord was sitting at the large kitchen table, a mug of steaming tea at his side as his fingers danced over the cards laid out before him. As the door creaked closed behind her he looked up.

"Ah, good morning, Kairi," he greeted. He stood and tipped his head towards her with a smile before pulling out a nearby chair for Kairi who accepted the invitation warily. She'd never fought Luxord, but she remembered all too well the terror of watching Sora face off against him in the World That Never Was, and being so close to the former Nobody left her with an unsettled feeling in her stomach. A teapot floated towards her, a cup and saucer dancing in its wake, and as it poured her a cup of tea Luxord sat back down again, turning his attention back to the cards. There seemed to be a sort of pattern to the way he had laid them out – seven columns of different heights, with some cards face up and others face down; four neatly stacked piles of cards to the right, all face up; and two more stacks to the left, one pile facing down and the other looking up. Luxord took a card from the face-down pile to the left and he stared at it for a moment before placing it on one of the seven stacks. Then he took several other cards and placed them all on top, careful to maintain the column.

"What are you playing?" Kairi asked, curling up in her chair and sipping her tea.

"It's a game meant for one player," Luxord answered as he took another card from the pile. This one he discarded on the face-up pile beside it. "It helps me take my mind off things. I could teach you, if you like?" There wasn't anything else to do, she supposed, and so she nodded and leaned in closer as Luxord swept all the cards in to a single pile and shuffled them several times. He waved his fingers over the deck and four cards shifted, lifting themselves from the pile and setting themselves aside before Luxord began laying the others out again.

"This is the tableau," he said, laying out seven cards face down. Then he went back again, this time only laying cards in the first six columns, then only in the first five, and he continued until he had seven cards in the first column. The last card on each column was facing up, a strange array of symbols and numbers on display, whilst the others behind were lying face down. Luxord took the remainder of the cards in his hands and placed them face down to the left. "This is the stock pile. We draw new cards from here and, if they are useful, we place them in the tableau. If not, we discard them in to the waste pile." He picked up a card and placed it, face up, beside the stock pile. Then he took the four remaining cards and set them each face up to the right. "These are our foundations – the Ace of each suit."

"Suit?" Kairi asked with a frown. Luxord smiled.

"There are four suits in a deck of cards," he explained. "Clubs, diamonds, spades and hearts. Each suit has thirteen cards – numbered cards from two to ten; the royal cards with a Jack, a Queen and a King; and the Ace, which could be either the highest or the lowest value, depending on the rules."

Kairi's head was already spinning, but she did her best to follow along as Luxord took her through the game. The aim was to build the foundations by placing the next card in the suit on top – a two atop an ace, a Jack atop a ten, a King atop a Queen. Cards in the tableau could also be placed atop each other in a similar fashion in order to reveal the face down cards in each column. Once the next foundation card had been revealed, it was the player's choice whether or not to keep it in play, but once it had been placed on the foundations it could not be brought back.

"You beat the game when you have managed to build up all of the foundations," he said. "Fail to do so, and the game has beaten you." Kairi pursed her lips.

"So it's a game of luck?" she asked. "If you don't get the cards that you need, then you're going to lose." The corner of Luxord's lips twitched in to a wry smile.

"Yes, there is an element of luck, but there is an even greater element of skill." He swept the cards away and shuffled them again. "Would you care for a game?"

"I think it's a bit too complicated for me," she said with a weak smile. "I've already forgotten half of the rules." Luxord nodded.

"Well then why don't we try an easier game?" He waved his hands over the deck and the cards shot in to the air before falling down like rain. Kairi yelped in surprise and placed her hand over her tea.

"What game is this?" she asked as several cards bounced off her head and her shoulders.

"Fifty-two card pick-up," he answered, "although, I'm afraid I'm one card short in this deck. I'm missing one of my Kings." He waved his hand and three cards floated towards him – the King of Clubs, the King of Diamonds and the King of Spades.

"Stay away from Luxord when he's got a deck of cards in his hands, unless you want to lose all your munny." Axel's voice made her jump, and she twisted in her seat to watch him as he moved to sit down opposite them. "He cheats." Luxord turned the cards away, folding them effortlessly in to his palm as he summoned the others back off the floor.

"I assure you, I always play by the rules," Luxord replied as the cards neatly stacked themselves in his hands. "I just happen to know how to stack the odds in my favour."

"By cheating," said Axel, waving away the floating teapot (it seemed almost offended at being dismissed, and it turned sharply before disappearing back down to the far end of the table where it set itself down with a heavy thud).

"Nobody likes a sore loser, Axel," Luxord sniffed. "You're welcome to win back your munny any time you like." Axel narrowed his eyes and Luxord smiled before rising from the table and slipping the cards back in to his pocket. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll get some air before the others join us." He nodded to both of them (curtly to Axel and then more fondly to Kairi) before slipping out of the dining room. Kairi frowned at Axel.

"You could be a little nicer to him," she admonished. She set down her empty tea cup and the teapot whizzed towards her, refilling it eagerly. Axel rocked back in his chair and folded his arms with a grin.

"Nah, Luxord knows I don't mean anything by it," he said. "Besides, if he really wanted me to stop hassling him, he could just give me my munny back – hey! Watch it!" The teapot, having finished pouring Kairi's tea, had turned with such gusto that it had sent small drops splashing on the table in front of Axel. Kairi almost thought it might have been deliberate, but she said nothing as Axel reached for a napkin and dabbed at the table, muttering under his breath as the door opened.

"Morning," Ven greeted brightly. He seemed to have a skip in his step as he made his way around the table, and Axel glanced to Kairi as if to confirm that she saw it too. She nodded.

"Someone's happy this morning," Axel remarked as Ven settled in to the empty seat beside him. Ven smiled.

"Just… in a good mood, I guess," he answered cryptically as the teapot raced towards him. Axel dove back, glaring at the enchanted porcelain as it passed. Ven glanced up, and when he caught Kairi's confused frown his eyes widened. "Not because of today! I mean I will be, when it all works out, but that's not why I'm happy." He picked up his tea and took a long sip.

"Then what is it?" Axel asked, waiting for the teapot to retreat before he leant forwards again. "If you've got good news, now would be a great time to share it." Ven's cheeks flushed a little.

"It's… It's nothing. I guess I must have just slept well last night. The tea is really good this morning." Kairi watched him closely, knowing that the hot tea was definitely not the reason for the sudden flush in his cheeks, but before either of them could press the matter the door opened again. Ven seemed relieved at the distraction and he sat up taller. "Morning, Riku!" Riku paused in the doorway, glancing from Ven to Axel and Kairi uncertainly.

"Good morning," he greeted, though his was much more wary. Kairi laughed and Riku made his way towards her, taking the empty seat at her side opposite Ven. Mickey followed close behind, and his eyes widened as he looked at them all.

"Well, gosh," he said as the door swung closed behind him, "Riku and I thought we'd be the first ones down here. I hope you haven't been waiting long for somethin' to eat!" At the mention of food Kairi's stomach twisted nervously.

"We've only been here a few minutes," Axel answered. "Luxord's around somewhere. Said something about 'getting some air'."

"Well let's see if I can whip us all up some breakfast." Mickey tugged at his gloves with a bright smile and quickly made his way around the table to disappear behind a tall partition. There came a great clattering of several pots and pans before Mickey reappeared. "It'll be right out!"

"Did you manage to get any sleep?" Riku asked Kairi. She nodded.

"A few hours," she answered. "You?" He grimaced.

"An hour or two, I think," he answered. "Some of the memories Naminé found…" Kairi reached out, resting her hand atop his.

"I know." What little sleep she'd gotten had been peppered with fragments of memories, and not all of them had been pleasant. She squeezed his hand, and after a moment he knitted their fingers together so that he could squeeze back.

The next person to join them was Naminé. She smiled and greeted them all warmly, but there was a stoop in her shoulders that left Kairi frowning. As Naminé took the empty seat on Kairi's other side, Kairi leaned in close towards her.

"You okay?" she asked quietly. Naminé nodded slowly.

"Just tired," she answered. "I didn't get much sleep."

"I don't think anyone did," Axel muttered with a sympathetic smile. Ven nodded in agreement.

"I don't think I've ever waited for a fight before," he muttered. "It's weird. Now that it's finally here…" The smile that had been plastered across his lips fell a little.

"Maybe that's what Luxu wanted," Riku muttered. "It did seem strange that he gave us a night to regroup. He must have known how restless we would be." Kairi sighed; it certainly did sound like something Luxu would do, and she wished she'd thought about it earlier.

"Doesn't matter," Axel bit out curtly. "I'm sure we've all fought in worse conditions. Once we get there, it won't matter." That was true enough; Kairi knew first-hand just how far adrenaline could get her even after a restless night with an empty stomach. And Luxu had to know that too. Either he expected it would be a long fight – long enough for the rush to wear off and their reserves to run low – or he had some other goal in mind.

"He wanted me to finish strengthening everyone's connections," Naminé said quietly. Her gaze was fixed on her lap where her fingers were knitted tightly together. "That's why he let us come back here. He wanted me to raise the stakes." Kairi quickly placed her hand on top of Naminé's and she squeezed.

"You've given Sora the best chance of fighting his way back to us," she said firmly.

"That's right!" Mickey agreed eagerly. "Sora's friends are his power, and his strongest friends are right here. Don't worry about what Luxu said, Naminé. What you've done will help Sora." The others murmured in agreement and Naminé slowly lifted her gaze, a small smile pulling at her lips. The door opened then and Isa arrived, bringing a breath of fresh air that blew away most of the tension. Kairi didn't let go of Naminé's hands as Isa took the empty seat next to Axel, and she greeted him warmly. Several heaped plates began floating down the table towards them, stacked high with toast and bacon and sausages, and several smaller conversations broke out as everyone began helping themselves to food. Only then did Kairi lean in towards Naminé, and she kept her voice low when she spoke.

"Naminé, if you want to stay here-"

"I'm coming," she said firmly. Her eyes met Kairi's and Kairi didn't miss the fire burning in her gaze. "If I can get close to Sora – to his heart – then maybe I can still help him." The thought of Naminé getting close to Luxu made Kairi's heart skip a painful beat.

"It'll be dangerous, Naminé-"

"I can make a shield and I can heal," she argued, "and if all else fails I have my keyblade and Sora's memories." She paused and cupped her hands around Kairi's, holding it tightly. "I couldn't stand to be stuck waiting, not knowing what's happening or if any of you will even be coming back. You know what that feels like, Kairi. Don't make me go through it." Kairi's heart lurched as Naminé's eyes bored in to hers, leaving her with no choice but to smile and nod silently. Roxas and Xion arrived then, taking the empty seats next to Isa, and the bright smile Naminé gave them told Kairi that there was nothing left to say on the subject. Kairi turned her attention to breakfast; the smell was making her anxious stomach bubble uncomfortably, but she knew better than to pass on food before a fight. Food would keep her going after the adrenaline had faded, and so she forced down several pieces of toast and a few rashers of bacon.

When the door opened next, it was Vanitas who arrived. Kairi couldn't help but notice the brief dip in conversation as he hesitated in the doorway. He quickly spied the empty seat beside Naminé and made a beeline for it, only to realise after he'd sat down that it placed him directly opposite Roxas. They regarded each other with seething glares, and when Roxas reached for the last slice of toast Vanitas got there first, swiping it from the plate with a smug grin and leaning back in his chair as he tore off a corner. Roxas' eyes narrowed and he continued to glower at Vanitas, oblivious to the full plate of toast that was speeding towards him. Xion rolled her eyes and leaned forwards to talk to Naminé, the conversation cutting through Roxas and Vanitas' heated staring competition.

Aqua and Terra arrived a little while later, and Kairi didn't miss how their arrival reignited the giddy smile on Ven's face. Ven caught Aqua's eye and her cheeks flushed as Terra helped her in to the empty seat next to Mickey, which only seemed to make Ven happier. Kairi desperately wanted to know what she had missed (and she was certain that she had missed something) but before she could catch Ven's eye Luxord returned with Donald and Goofy, and Ven quickly (and poorly) tried to hide his smile as they took the remaining seats closest to the door. Aqua and Terra seemed immensely relieved, and they were quick to dive in to conversation with Luxord as they picked at the food on their plates.

Sunlight was peering through the kitchen windows when Mickey made his way to the head of the table and cleared his throat.

"We should probably be heading off soon," he said, his voice low and somber, "but, before we go, would you mind joining me in the library? There's a surprise waitin' for us." Kairi noticed Jiminy leaping up on the King's shoulder before Mickey led the way out of the kitchen. The others followed, and Kairi felt her stomach tighten as she rose from the table. She saw her unease echoed on Naminé's face and she reached to take her hand as they followed the others, though she couldn't say with any certainty whether she was giving support or taking it.

The tables in the library had been pushed together to form a production line manned by the castle's enchanted broomsticks. A small pile of empty sacks sat at one end, followed by boxes of potions, ethers, elixirs and bundles of food. Minnie was overseeing the broomsticks, offering them praise and encouragement as they passed the sacks from one station to the next, and at the end of the line Daisy stood with a clipboard, checking the contents before tying the sack with a beautiful bow and attaching a name tag.

"Gosh! What's this?" Mickey asked. Minnie turned to face them, her eyes wide with surprise though she quickly composed herself. She held out her palm towards Mickey and Jiminy leapt on to it, holding tight to her thumb as she transferred him to her shoulder.

"Thank you, Jiminy," she said with a smile before turning back to them. "We didn't expect you to come up so quickly. We're not quite done just yet."

"Are these for us?" asked Donald, his hands reaching for the bulging sacks. Daisy rapped his knuckles lightly with her clipboard.

"Now you wait your turn, Donald," she scolded. Minnie giggled.

"We wanted to make sure you had everything you needed for your trip, so we asked Merlin to send over some supplies," she said, folding her hands neatly. A small door on the far side of the library popped open then and Chip and Dale entered, each carrying a box that was almost twice as big as they were.

"Here you are, Queen Minnie!" Chip exclaimed as he scampered to her side.

"We're sorry they took so long!" Dale added. Minnie laughed again.

"Not at all," she said. "In fact, you have perfect timing. Thank you." She took the boxes from them and handed them to Daisy who turned her attention back to the completed sacks that had piled up while she had been talking to Donald.

"Can we help?" Ven asked.

"We're almost done," Minnie answered, "but if you'd like to, you could sort through the completed bags and hand them out to everyone." Ven smiled eagerly and nodded, darting over to the pile of sacks and looking at the name tags, handing each to their owner. As the production line finished its last few bags, Minnie took two from the pile. The first she handed to Aqua ("Mickey mentioned that your magic is very strong, so we added a few extra ethers in there for you.") before handing the second to Naminé.

"There are some extra potions in there for you, and we added a few extra items for Sora if you wouldn't mind carrying them for him." Naminé took the sack with a grateful smile.

"Of course," she said. "Thank you." Minnie laid her hands over Naminé's and gave her a sad smile.

"You have become such a dear friend, Naminé," Minnie said quietly. "Please, be careful." Naminé's eyes widened a little before she slowly nodded.

"I… I'll try my best," she said. Minnie smiled and made her way back to the table; Kairi watched her go, but her eye soon caught Vanitas standing in the corner of the room, his eyes fixed on Naminé with a curious expression. An idea took root in the back of Kairi's mind, though before she could act upon it Ven was standing in front of her.

"Here you go, Kairi. This one's yours," he said, placing it in her hands with a grin before disappearing back to the table. He grabbed the next sack and raced towards Vanitas with such enthusiasm that Kairi half-expected Vanitas to bolt from the room. He stayed put, eyeing Ven warily through a tired half-sneer. Ven placed a sack in his arms and the sneer quickly turned to surprise, and as Ven made his way back to the table Kairi watched Vanitas stare down at the sack with warring emotions. She started towards him but her eye was drawn by a flash of silver hair. Riku and Minnie had made their way to a quiet corner of the room, and as Minnie handed Riku his sack he handed her a thick envelope. Minnie squeezed his hands tightly and said something too quiet for Kairi to hear before returning to the table to sort the last few bags.

"What was that?" Kairi asked with a smile. To her surprise Riku flushed, and he readjusted his grip on the bag before answering.

"Naminé said that you wrote a letter to your parents," he answered. "I couldn't sleep last night so I… I wrote one to mine. Minnie's going to deliver it if things… if we don't make it back." The thought was sobering, and Kairi's smile fell in an instant. She offered him a sympathetic nod.

"Let's hope they never read it," she said. He smiled slightly at that.

At last all the sacks had been given out. Mickey and Donald kissed their wives goodbye before leading everyone down to the ships. It was a slow procession out of the library as everyone made sure to pass by Minnie, Daisy and their enchanted assistants to thank them before heading out of the library. Kairi was glad when Vanitas hung back, away from the others, and after thanking the Queen and her Lady she called out to him. He paused in the doorway, halfway between coming or going, and he glanced behind her to utter a low thanks before trying to leave.

"That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about," she said, though she made a note to compliment him for his thanks. "I… I wanted to ask you a favour." She heard Minnie and Daisy shuffling from the room with the others, and she was grateful for the opportunity to be alone with Vanitas. He let the door shut behind him.

"What kind of favour?" he asked, fixing her with a hard stare.

"I need you to look out for Naminé," she said. His eyebrow arched but he said nothing, allowing her to continue. "If this fight doesn't work out, I need you to take her somewhere safe and protect her."

"Why me?" he asked, though he was quick to answer his own question. Realisation dawned on his face. "Ah. I'm the only one who can make corridors if Luxu tries to trap you all in."

"Well, yes, but that's not it," she said. His brow furrowed and she took a deep stealing breath. "You're the only one I trust not to stay and try to fight for Sora, even when all seems lost." Vanitas clenched his jaw and his gaze hardened.

"Not you?" She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving the Graveyard without Sora," she said firmly. "No matter what."

For a moment she though he might object, or tell her off for being so reckless or narrow-minded. She held her breath, waiting for some sort of scathing remark, but after a moment he merely nodded.

"All right," he agreed. A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "She wont thank you for it, y'know." Kairi let out her breath and nodded.

"I know," she said, "but I need her to be safe."

Together they made their way down to the hanger, Vanitas' promise hanging heavily between them, and when Kairi spied Naminé waiting for them with Riku she felt her stomach twist nervously. Riku glanced up at them and his eyes flicked from Kairi to Vanitas. Kairi felt Vanitas stiffen beside her, and she plastered on the brightest smile she could muster.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Riku nodded and handed her a Gummi gem.

"You, Naminé and Vanitas have the Sirius," he said. He passed two gems to Naminé who smiled before taking one to Vanitas who had drifted several paces away and was pretending not to stare at the small fleet of ships waiting to disembark.

"What about you?" Kairi asked.

"I'm going with Mickey, Donald and Goofy," he answered. Kairi winced.

"Is it because of Vanitas?" she asked. "He's really not that bad once you get to know him-"

"I don't have a problem with Vanitas," Riku answered with a smile, "but I know he isn't comfortable around me. He trusts you and Naminé." Kairi wanted to argue – she'd been looking forward to having Riku at her side as they travelled to the Graveyard – but he had a point. There was no need to make Vanitas feel more on edge than he had to be, especially when the trip was so short. So instead she merely smiled and nodded, and when she couldn't think of anything to say she settled for pulling him in to a fierce hug.

The cockpit of the Sirius was smaller than that of their last ship, with three chairs placed in a triangle. Vanitas and Naminé had taken the two seats to the rear, leaving the pilot's seat for Kairi, and as she passed between them she saw Vanitas pulling a small white box from the sack in his lap. He pulled off the lid to reveal a shiny new Gummiphone, and Kairi caught sight of his confused sneer as she settled in to the pilot's seat. The screen in the centre of the cockpit flashed twice before revealing Mickey's face with Donald, Goofy and Riku looking over his shoulder. After a moment the others appeared – Aqua, Terra, Ven and Luxord; Axel, Roxas, Xion and Isa.

"Is everybody ready?" he asked. Kairi gripped the controls tightly and took a deep, calming breath before nodding along with the others. "Chip, Dale, open the doors." There came a distant hiss followed by the deep rumbling of gears, and several lights on the cockpit flashed to life.

"You're all clear, your Majesty!" Chip announced, his voice tinny and distorted by the intercom system.

"Good luck!" Dale added.

"Well, fellas," Mickey began, a note of finality in his voice, "let's go get Sora back."

This is it, guys. Your final save point. We're jumping aboard the plot train and we aren't stopping until we hit the finish line. In the words of Kingdom Hearts II:

Are you prepared for what lies ahead?
- I need a moment to calm down.
- Let's end this!

Either way, I'll see you next time.