In case anyone was wondering: the book she was reading in chapter 1 was Gone With the Wind… a book that I really tried to read… but… really, I wanted to set it on fire…. Scarlett O'Hara was a pain in the ass that I really think needs to get slapped. Hard. With a chair.

In any case… this here chapter has a strong T rating… because accidents happen, you can't choose your dreams... and honestly, I thought it was funny. There is nothing… too risqué, not unless you think about it that way, and I don't.

Get ready for some seriously crazy mood swings because teenage emotions are literally the worst, and Maleficent is really good at manipulating poor, unsuspecting teenage boys into thinking things that aren't true... she did it with Terra first, and we all know how that turned out...

(Really, though, I'm not joking about the teenage emotions. You couldn't pay me enough to deal with teenage mood swings again.)

Chapter 2

Location: Traverse Town

When she landed, she couldn't help but to look around the hanger- Cid's hanger. She blinked as she saw another gummi there, a brilliantly colored one that looked rather banged up. She supposed that she couldn't be the only one, though, and wondered who the owner (or owners) of the ship was.

She also figured that they'd run into each other, eventually. It wasn't like Traverse Town was all that big. As it was, she spotted Tifa right away after she exited the building. The young woman's dark eyes went wide as a gasp came through. "Artemis!" She exclaimed, running over, catching the younger girl in a hug.

"Ack! Tifa, I can't breathe…" She gasped. The woman let her go, and then frowned. Artemis winced, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Artemis Kenja, where have you been? We were worried about you!" The black-haired woman lectured. The raven-haired girl sighed.

"I told you…. I had to find my sister. No luck on that, by the way."

"Aw, come on, Tifa, we all would have done the same if it were any of us…" A new voice, one that Artemis recognized as Yuffie, spoke. The ninja dropped down from her perch on top of the items store, in front of the two others. "Though, Leon's gonna be pissed when he sees you, Artem."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I know. I'm looking even less forward to that conversation…" she grumbled. And then, she cocked her head to the side. "Whose gummi ship did I see in the hanger?" she asked.

At this, the ninja laughed and Tifa grinned. "That would be Sora, Donald, and Goofy- so I hear, anyway. I'm about to leave, myself, so I haven't had time to meet them." She replied. "They're looking for their friends. Sora's about your age." She smirked.

Artemis' red eyes narrowed. "And I don't suppose that you lot gave him all that much of a hard time?" she murmured.

"The difference is that if you'd have waited until now, we wouldn't have. You were trying to leave when you were four." Tifa pointed out. Artemis frowned. She didn't like it, but she saw the point. She'd have done the same as the rest.

"Do you want to meet him?" Yuffie asked, grinning. Artemis shrugged. "I don't see why not…" she murmured.

It couldn't hurt to meet someone her own age… someone who might have seen Hestia. It sounded like the group had been traveling quite a bit. She grinned, jazzed at the thought. Yuffie smirked. "He's at the items shop, last I checked." She told the smaller girl. Artemis nodded, rushing off.

When she got to the shop, she saw possibly the strangest sight in her life…. A duck, a… dog (honestly, it was a bit hard to tell)? And a boy about her age. His hair was spiky and brown, and he wore bell-shaped red shorts, a t-shirt in black with a yellow line, and a short-sleeved jacket over it. Her eyes flipped wide as his deep, sapphire blue eyes turned on her, His face split into a wide grin, and he ran over to her.

"Boy, am I glad to see someone my age, I…" he stopped short, and curiosity filled his eyes. She blinked. He was like a little kid. "Your eyes are… red," he said in surprise. "Wow… I've never seen that as an eye color, before!"

She blinked rapidly. "Uh… Yeah…" she muttered, leaning away a bit. He was just a little too close to her at the moment. "Yours are blue." She pointed out dryly. He grinned and stuck out his hand. She smiled back and took it.

"Sora." He said. "What's your name?"

"Artemis." She returned. "Artemis Kenja."

"This is Donald," he pointed to the duck, who was tapping its… flipper? Was that what it was called, with an annoyed scowl on his face, "and that's Goofy," he motioned to the… dog, who waved with a friendly smile on his face. She smiled at both of them.

"Hi." She said shyly. Goofy let out a laugh that made her grin, and Donald just… quacked really fast. "We need to get going," he snapped. She blinked, frowning as she turned back to Sora.

"What's his damage?" she asked dryly, jerking toward the duck, who furiously started yelling nothing. Sora just snorted. "He's been like that since I met him…. About two months ago."

She grimaced. "Two months?" she looked at him with pity. "I'm so sorry."

"I can hear you, you know." Donald yelled. She giggled, and Sora snickered.

"Try being on a small gummi ship with him." He muttered, she gagged.

"I'd rather cook and eat him." She muttered. "Marinated duck sounds pretty good right now." She leered at the duck. Donald looked horrified. She smirked at him while Sora laughed. "So… what're you doing in Traverse Town?" she asked, changing the subject away from the spluttering duck. Sora shrugged.

"Goofy and Donald are looking for their friend, King Mickey," the brunette explained, "and I'm looking for my friends, Riku and Kairi-" and just like that, she was done listening. The name made her freeze in her tracks…

Kairi… she blinked rapidly. I'd do anything to save Kairi! He'd said… the boy with the silver hair. She shook her head. It was a coincidence, she thought wildly, a complete coincidence. There was no way that they could be the same. Right?

Still, she smiled and nodded. "I'm looking for my older sister," she said. The boy frowned, tapping his chin in thought. "You… didn't happen to run across a girl about the same age as Aerith and Yuffie, have you? She'd be blond with orange eyes…"

She watched as his eyes crossed in concentration, which made her giggle a bit, even as she looked at Donald an Goofy, who both shook their heads, though the duck still looked highly affronted. Finally, Sora gave up with a sigh, and gave her a sad look. "No… I'm sorry." He said, but then perked up a little. "You haven't seen Riku or Kairi, have you? Kairi's about the same height as you with blue eyes and dark red hair… and Riku's tall with grey hair…" she blinked.

She'd seen a boy who was tall with grey hair (though a really, really light… silver grey…), but that wasn't real. She shook her head. "I… I don't think so…" she said slowly. Sora just huffed in frustration, as they made their way to the house that Cid stayed in when he wasn't working. "How about a mouse? About as tall as Donald?"

A mouse? Well, that certainly explained things, she thought. She didn't know why that took her by surprise. Hadn't she herself been a fox at one point? She shook her head when nothing came to mind. "No, I don't remember seeing a mouse, either." She replied and watched as the two traveling with Sora comically slumped their shoulders in exaggerated defeat. "Eh… sorry," she muttered, a bit guilty.

"We were supposed to go meet Cid in the abandoned house…" he said, smiling at her. "You wanna come with us?"

Ignoring the warnings of the duck she smiled and nodded. "Sure."

When they got to the house, it was empty. Dark and just a bit musty- definitely dusty. She snorted. "Way to clean up, guys," she muttered sarcastically. "Sora?" she looked over at Donald and Goofy, the latter of who was waving his hand in front of the boy's face, trying to get his attention. It seemed like he was in a trance, eyes wide and surprised.

He seemed to snap out of it, though, shaking his head. He looked around, a bit disoriented before he frowned. "Ah…" he sighed. Then, he turned around. "We should be going…" Artemis frowned herself at the change of attitude from him. He seemed a bit… down, now, though his eyes glittered with newfound drive.

"Well, let's go, then!" the duck muttered in agitation. She frowned at him, but silently followed the others out. She needed to talk to Cid anyway…. She wanted to upgrade the gummi ship. She froze though, before she left, her eyes darting outside to the scene that was in front of her. Her eyes went wide, and her face went pale.

It was the boy from her dreams…. Riku, Sora had called him. She heard the whole thing- including Donald's terse (and actually, really rude) objection to the silver-haired boy's getting on their gummi ship. Her red eyes narrowed, and she watched (with a little satisfaction) as the duck seemed to feel the glare she wore and turned to look in her direction after Riku disappeared… into the darkness.

She winced at the thought. He really, really had no idea what he was doing… but that didn't- couldn't matter any longer. He was a servant to the darkness, now… and that had nothing to do with her.

In any case, she needed to get going. She still had things to do, a sister to find…. And really, that endeavor should be taking up most (if not all) of her time. her arms stung, the scars pulled a bit, and she winced.

He was real, though. The discovery struck her pretty hard, hard enough that she had to sit down for a few minutes. She closed her eyes and let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. It was surreal, to be honest. She'd always wondered…. She'd been sure as a child, that he was out there somewhere, but that hope- that secret hope- had been buried as she grew. To see with her own eyes that he was real… well... she couldn't help but feel happy. He was alive.

He was dangerous. The thought crept into her psyche almost as instantly as the joy had. Her eyes narrowed. He was in league with… her. He was letting her use him… and she could do nothing about it. "Hey, are you…. Okay?" she looked up, and accidentally smacked Sora's face (he was way too close again- did this boy not have a handle on the concept of personal space?), and gasped as he yelped, stumbled back a few feet, then fell backwards onto his butt.

"Oh, Light, I'm so sorry!" she yelped, rushing over to help him up. He just laughed as he took her offered hand and allowed her to pull him up. "Na, that was kinda my fault. I didn't exactly warn you." He said, grinning, even though he had a red hand print on his face. She flushed as he laughed.

After a few minutes, he sobered up. "But seriously, are you okay?" he asked again. She blinked, thinking about it for a few minutes before she smiled shyly, and nodded. She wasn't okay with what was happening, but she couldn't let it get in her way. So, she lied.

"I'm fine, Sora. Thank you."

He hesitated for a moment, frowning as he studied her, before he shook his head. "If you say so…" he replied, though he did not sound the slightest bit convinced. He turned around to face Donald and Goofy, preparing to walk away, before hesitating. He looked back at her, a sweet smile on his face. She blinked in confusion as he asked one last question. "Hey, you're looking for your sister, right? Why don't you come with us?"

Obviously, he was ignoring the babblings of the duck beside him who was vehemently protesting the offer of the brunette. Artemis smiled wryly and shook her head. "Thanks, Sora." She said, "but no. I don't think your… guard duck would approve of that- she cast a sneer at the water fowl. Besides…" she grinned as she handed him something. At his look of confusion, she continued explaining. "It's a com-link. You can contact me through that like you do with Chip and Dale. That way, if you see my sister, you can tell me, and I can let you know if I see Kairi… two eyes- or in this case, four eyes- are better than one."

She did not mention Riku. She didn't think she could, to be honest, but that didn't seem to matter to Sora, who just gave her a wide grin. "Thanks!" he said cheerfully. "I'll definitely let you know if I see your sister…. Eh…" he suddenly looked a bit sheepish, as he asked, "what was her name again?" She laughed.

"Vesta." She said laughing. "Her name is Vesta Kenja. She might be travelling with two of her friends. If you see her, tell her to meet me here… and then let me know."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!" he said.

She laughed as he and his two compatriots ran off. She sighed, before frowning, and looked behind her. "You… haven't told him everything, have you?" she asked softly. "He doesn't know anything."

"We didn't have the time." Leon's low voice sounded behind her, but she just glared, as the tall man stepped out of the shadows. "Any more," he drawled, his own eyes narrowing into a scowl, "Than we had time to stop you from going after Vesta."

At that she stuck her chin out, her red eyes flashed with stubbornness. "Well, excuse me, but the last time that I checked, Squall," she deliberately used his birth name, watching as the antagonizing barb sunk into his skin as he grit his teeth, "You are not my guardian. You cannot tell me what to do, nor can you stop me from doing what I want… which is finding my darkness-damned older sister." She hissed.

He did not strike out at her- he was far too gentlemanly for that- he wouldn't hurt a girl who was both younger and weaker. She may be pissing him off (and excelling at doing so), but that didn't mean he would hurt her. She knew it and disliked it… if only because it would give her a nice… vent. But she wasn't stupid enough to really push Leon's buttons. Nor was she angry enough. He didn't deserve it.

"Artemis." He said it quietly, and she shook her head, suddenly ashamed at her behavior. She was acting like a child... and she was taking her frustration out on one of the people who took the time to make sure she was okay.

"Sorry, Leon." She muttered, not looking at him. "That was rude…. I'm just…" she felt her eyes sting, and furiously shook her head.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter." He said. "you need some sleep…. And an actual shower. Aerith is waiting at the old house."

"I was just there…. And it was empty." She muttered belligerently, but she smiled and trudged back to the third district… only to run headlong into yet another scene that she shouldn't be seeing. Her eyes narrowed in ire and her hands itched for the battle-fans that she'd (stupidly) left on board her gummi ship.

Because in the middle of the square stood Maleficent and Riku. And Maleficent was talking to him, a pale green hand on his shoulder as she crooned in his ear. She couldn't hear what was being said, but it seemed to get to the silver-haired boy, because his fists clenched, and he glared. After the 'talk' was done, she watched as they summoned the shadow-path, and disappeared.

She hissed lowly, as she watched, continuing to stand there for a few more minutes after their departure. "Riku… you idiot." She growled to herself as she turned to the door. As promised, the tall brunette woman stood inside, waiting for her.

After the 'talk' (in which Aerith scolded her for being away for so long, and then telling her that she was relieved to see her okay), she shooed the younger girl into the bathroom. After her shower (while it wasn't as decadent as the one at Adam and Belle's castle, it still felt like heaven, and she couldn't suppress a sigh of pure contentment), she lay down in the bed, the exhaustion took her over.

She was back in the large tub at the enchanted castle, and completely relaxed at this point. She sighed happily as she picked up some of the bubbles that covered her to her clavicle and blew them with a giggle as they flew around the room carried on the air she'd generated. She leaned back, content in the all-but scalding hot water.

"Got it hot enough in here?"

She screamed in surprise, her red eyes going wide as dinner plates as she noticed that she was, in fact, not alone in her paradise of a bath. "Ohmylight," she gasped, her arms flying to her (completely covered by bubbles) chest as her face heated up, "What are you doing here?!"

She noticed, even in her own embarrassment, that he looked quite uncomfortable with the situation as well, his face flushed red, and seemed to be wearing no more than she. Her face bloomed with color as she tried to pry her eyes away from the other teen's pale skin. The soapy, bubbly water covered less of him than it did her- enough that she could tell that he was… very much in shape. Her face went redder.

"It's not like I chose the place." He muttered, not looking at her, choosing instead to look at the wall. She spluttered with embarrassment, sinking into the water, but immediately, she thought of something else. Specifically, her gummi ship's cockpit. Both fully dressed now, though still flushed.

"I… How do you keep showing up here?" her voice was cracking as she glared at him, sheer embarrassment coloring her tone. "How do you keep invading my dreams?"

He shrugged almost helplessly. "I don't know." He grumbled. "I'm not asking to be here, you know." Annoyance colored his own tone.

She shook her head. "I…" she took a deep breath and looked him straight in the (admittedly gorgeous) eyes. "Don't tell me you can't choose to be here, when you keep walking away, right out of my dreams when it suits you." She blurted.

He snorted. "Maybe, but I never choose to come here… and I don't pick the venues." He told her. "Maybe if they were my dreams, we'd end up in normal places." She flushed again. "I'm sorry about that." She muttered, still mortified. He shook it off. "Not like you could help it, either. Last time it was from a scene of a book you hated." He reminded her.

She sighed and shook her head. "True… where would you be… if you could choose?" she asked suddenly. He frowned in thought as he thought about it. After a few minutes, he shrugged. "I… don't know." He murmured.

"You know, if you tried to think of a place before falling asleep, you might be able to… choose the venue, as you said." She pointed out. He shrugged. It wasn't like he was disagreeing, so she took it as a win.

"There, see. I can guarantee you, we won't end up wherever it is you actually are." She smirked wryly.

"What makes you think that where I am is that bad?" he asked, suddenly defensive. She snorted. "Tell me I'm wrong then… and don't lie." She retorted. He opened his mouth for a few seconds before he closed it. "I thought so… Riku."

His eyes flipped open wide as he backed up a bit, a keyblade appeared in his hand. She blinked in surprise. He glared at her as he pointed the weapon at her, and in the close quarters of the cockpit, she could feel the dark energy radiating off the boy. Her eyes flashed, annoyance taking over as she drew her battle-fans. The cockpit immediately disappeared, and they were once again in the grassy field.

"How do you know my name?" he growled, as she sank into her beginning stance. She smirked, though her eyes were stormy with agitation now.

"I know Sora." She said simply. "In real life. I was there, when you met him in Traverse Town. You… didn't see me either times…. Because I saw you talking with the Dark Fairy as well." She sneered the last part. He froze, obviously trying to remember.

"I don't remember…"

"Again… you didn't see me. You were too busy letting Maleficent warp your mind, misleading you from what's actually going on." She smirked darkly as she talked, his training was kicking in, and she waited for his first move.

"She isn't misleading me." He snapped, glaring at her. She laughed tauntingly. "She told me the truth!" he yelled.

"What? That Sora- the kid who couldn't shut up about his two best friends- would abandon you?" she crooned. "Please. I find it hard to believe when he's that insistent on finding you. You are being tricked by the evil witch, and you don't even want to admit it!"

He attacked then. She parried the blow, catching the 'blade' with one of her fans, knocking it off course, stepping closer, she had the blade of the fan at his neck. He froze for a bit. "He's been looking for you and Kairi for a while, while you've been working with Maleficent!" she snapped.

That was the last thing that was said for the next few minutes, besides the occasional curse and spell. Finally, he won once again, she found herself on her back, a keyblade at her throat, and he was surrounded by the aura that screamed darkness. His eyes were orange. A smirk took over her face. "Did that make you feel better? Because I feel great… then again, I'm not being controlled by the darkness again. You just make a perfect little vessel for it, you know?" the mocking ire in her voice was enough to make him stop.

The keyblade disappeared, and his eyes- still the bright, shining gold of an enemy she'd long thought gone- darkened with anger, glared into hers. "I am not being controlled by the darkness. I'm not even using-" he was cut off by her bitter laughter.

"Dear, me, why don't you take another look, Riku." She sneered. "Or should I ask you if that's your actual name? Maybe it's not anymore, hmm?" she crooned, and those eyes flashed with recognition.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He snarled, though his voice was different- almost garbled, like two people were speaking through him. She laughed darkly. "Look into the lake." She goaded. He hesitated, before he did so, moving to look at his reflection. The gasp was all she needed to hear.

"Still think the darkness isn't controlling you, instead of the other way around?" she asked as she stood and walked over to him. He looked over at her, his eyes returning to blue. "What was that?" he asked. She dusted off her shorts before she answered.

"That was a being that's lurking in the dark, waiting for some foolish person to give into the dark. Seems like it found someone." She shrugged, though her heart was breaking at the thought of him being lost like that. She didn't want to imagine it, but those eyes, those eyes the color of the sun, seared into her mind, forbidding her from thinking anything else.

"I won't let it beat me." He hissed, eyes rabidly angry.

She smirked. "You already are, Riku."

"You keep saying my name." he turned to her "why?"

"Because you need to remember it." She said quietly. "You're forgetting. The longer you stay with Maleficent…"

"Don't go there," he warned, turning fully to face her. "I'm doing this my own way. It's not like Sora's doing anything about it. I'm trying to find Kairi." She shook her head.

"If that's what she promised you…."

"She's made good on everything she's promised so far."

"Because she knows how to manipulate you, you moron." she replied. "She knows that if she actually does it, you'll trust her, trust her word, and she can manipulate you like a little puppet."

"I am no one's puppet." He snapped.

"Really? you could have fooled me, then." She sneered. "You're letting Maleficent con you into thinking that your best friend would just suddenly abandon you for no apparent reason. I've only known him for a few hours, Riku, and even I can tell that Sora is not that kind of person…. She said it dryly.

He snarled. "I can think for myself."

"Then do it." With those words, she turned from him, started to walk away… then she stopped, turned toward him once more. "One more thing, Riku. The darkness that you're letting seep inside your heart… it's a monster, plain and simple. If you don't shun it, push it out of your heart, it will overtake you." She left him there, then, not wanting to hear any more of his lame excuses- or his apparently abysmal ability to judge others' character.

This time, when she woke, she felt… victorious. She grinned as she slid out of the bed and stretched. Her eyes glittered with triumph and a small, secret part of her mind thought that maybe, just maybe, he would listen to her. She didn't know what would happen next, but she could only hope for the best from here on.

Part of her was angry at him…

Why in the name of light would he believe someone he'd not known for more than a few months over the bond of a friend he'd had since- if she was reading Sora's emotions right- childhood- early childhood, if she'd had to guess. She just couldn't make any sense of it. Sora had been there, she'd already told him that the other boy was searching for Kairi as well… so, what was it with him? Did he want to believe Sora was capable of such a thing as abandoning his friends?

She shook her head against the poisonous nature of her thoughts. Riku was going to do what he wanted, even if that meant thinking that badly of Sora. That didn't- couldn't- matter right now. She had things to do, worlds to visit, and people to find. She could not, no, would not chase after a boy who seemed desperate enough for something to turn to the darkness. She was far too busy for that. She didn't have time to try to save him from himself.

She said this even as she ignored the pang in her heart at the thought of him letting it in, as she left the small house in the third district. She cast a glance to the square where she'd last seen the silver-haired boy, and deliberately walked through it to the gate to first district. Her gummi ship should be ready by now, she thought. Time waited for no one… and she was ready to continue on her journey.

Thanks to the inhabitants of the Enchanted Castle, she didn't have to stop into the item shop, and she was pretty well set with magical items, so she could just be on her way. She made a face as she returned to the ship. She wished she had someone to watch her back as Sora had… even if the duck seemed like a jerk….

She snorted and shook her head. It wasn't like Black Jack had the room for more people…. Strictly a one-person vessel… for now. She supposed she should probably change that- what, with trying to find her sister and all… but that would take a while. Months, in fact... She sighed. She'd need Cid's help, too.

Groaning, she turned back to the item shop. "Cid…" she called. This…. Was going to be a very long few weeks. For all of them. She called up Chip and Dale- who she'd met not long ago on another world- Disney Castle- and asked them for help as well. They agreed, much to her surprise, as they were the acting engineers on the Highwind- Sora's gummi ship. With Cid agreeing, they were ready to go.

She was grateful. She needed it to be capable of carrying more than one person- possibly more than two… and with Cid and Chip helping her with the blueprint, that was surprisingly easy to come up with something that did just that (and added an honest to light bathroom instead of a half-bath thing that only had a sink and a toilet… something that made her tear up with happiness… no more dishrag baths….)

While they did this, she plotted her course- which was annoyingly easy. It all started with Radiant Garden. At first- when the idea came up in her mind- she was unsure. The whole thing was spotty planning to say the least- a last ditch effort on her part to find something, anything about what happened to Vesta… however, as she worked, trying to find a different solution, she realized one more thing: Radiant Garden was where it all started… and that was likely where it would all end, as well.

So, with this in mind, she finalized the course, and put it aside for her ship. During the day- and well into the night, she, the chipmunks, and Cid worked on it. Aerith, Leon and the rest of the inhabitants from Radiant Garden (that they called Hollow Bastion) came by to either lend a hand with the project, or to simply drop off food for them- something that Artemis was sure every one of them were grateful for.

She did not sleep much these days, though when she did, she saw him… and it was wordless, these meetings. They would nod to each other, and then they would spar. He would not see reason, and she did not want to push the subject- she wouldn't even know how to, to be honest. That was how their days were filled.

And quickly, four months passed. The alterations to her ship had just been completed. It could now carry a larger group- up to ten- comfortably but was still able to function with one person- as long as that person was well-versed in engineering of all sorts- which- and Artemis hated to brag- she was. It had multiple bathrooms- three in total- all of which had fully functioning toilets, sinks, and baths. So, that night, she lay down, for the first time in months, for a full nights' sleep.

And for the first time in a long time, she slept without any interruptions. She smiled in her dreamland… apparently, the silver-haired keyblade wielder had decided to leave her to her peace and give her a break from training….

Though his motives were still a mystery to her, she only hoped that it meant that he was starting to take her words to heart and was starting to pull away from Maleficent… and the darkness, as well. Tomorrow, she would begin her journey back to Hollow Bastion. Come what may, Artemis Kenja, daughter of Ansem the Wise, was returning home for the first time in nine years.

So, it comes to my attention: In 3D, Sora is called out on trusting everyone that he just meets, but I disagree. He does trust a good many people he 'just meets', however, he does not trust all of them. Like every single villain in the franchise, he distrusts immediately, while Riku, on the other hand, meets a fairy who is literally called The Dark Fairy and immediately trusts her. So, I ask you: Who's the worse judge of character? In any case, this was actually gonna go a lot differently, but I changed it in the last minute... because I felt that it was just too soon for what I originally had planned.