Silver Linings

Chapter 18: "I'm What's Left."

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Mansion: Secret Server Room...

Lambda peered around the darkened room she'd just opened. "Riku, can you find a switch for the lights?"

"I got it!" Riku's dark-sense mapped the room in seconds, and he flicked a bump on the wall behind them; that was probably the switch. Sure enough, several panels in the ceiling lit up with a blue-tinged glare, revealing the contents of the room.

There were five shelves in the room, arranged in four aisles that took up most of the floor space. This room was much larger than the other chambers in the basement. Each shelf was covered in gray boxes that hummed and flashed green lights at intervals. Riku walked down the center aisle. "Are these all computers?"

Lambda went down the aisle on Riku's right. "It sure looks like it. I bet this is where all the processing power comes from to maintain that Twilight Town simulation. I figured DiZ couldn't have made or run such a detailed simulation on just the terminal in his lab. And here's the source of that stability problem, right here. Check it out."

Lambda waved Riku over to her position and pointed out a group of computers that had solid red lights instead of blinking green ones. "These servers are broken. I guess DiZ didn't come in here very often. If it were just one or two failed units, there's enough redundant servers in the room to pick up the slack, but the whole next aisle failed, too. Still, it's odd that the only issues are on this side of the room. If the problem was aging hardware, they'd be crashing in random places. I think it's sabotage, but there's no external damage to the cases. Maybe the Nobodies breaking into the simulation put more stress on the parts of the system that contained those rooms."

Riku scratched his head, trying not to get lost in the details. He knew the basics of using a computer, but fixing one was above his pay grade. "Does it matter? We don't need the simulation anymore."

Lambda flip-flopped her hand. "We might. Axel left a portal behind in the simulated lab, and as far as I can tell, it's still there. We could nudge Sora back here and use the portal to infiltrate the Organization's stronghold. For that to work, though, we'll have to keep the remaining servers online."

Riku nodded. That made sense... "Wait, how do you know the Organization has a stronghold?"

"When Roxas set out to free Kingdom Hearts, he led us to that city, remember? It wasn't quite in the Realm of Darkness, but I doubt Sora could just fly there. Hey, how is Sora getting around the worlds?"

Riku paused to wonder. They hadn't been following Sora's progress at all, so he'd never seen how Sora got off the Mysterious Tower after Mickey led them to the train. "I...actually don't know. Maybe Donald and Goofy still have their Gummi Ship. All we really need to know is that he can travel between worlds, and he'll probably be able to come back here. If we're going to lead him here, what do we need to do to make sure the simulation is still there for him?"

"I'm searching..." Lambda looked left and right. A strange whirring sound could briefly be heard coming from the back of her head, and then she floated over to a door in the left-hand wall. She keyed in a code sequence, opening a smaller room. "Here we go. Good thing DiZ only has one passcode for all his doors. This is the storeroom for replacement parts, and...looks like we're in luck! DiZ had ten complete servers just sitting around. I hope they're not too dusty."

"What's this?" Riku picked up a can in the back of the room and pressed the button on top. He flinched when pressurized air sprayed out of the can with a loud hiss.

Lambda grinned. "Good, DiZ had all the tools we need. We can use that canned air to blow the dust out. Just line up the hole with these vents and blow inside."

Riku did so, blowing plumes of dust out of the replacement computers one by one. "Where did DiZ get all this computer stuff? Did he build it all?"

Lambda picked up a stack of five computers. "I wouldn't be surprised. He had the motivation, the know-how, and more than a decade since the fall of Hollow Bastion to set all of this up. He probably invented this specific model of computer. Can you grab the other stack? I'll figure out how to hook these up, and then we'll set their software up with a terminal. I think there's one on the other side of the server room."

Riku grabbed the other five cases and hefted them up. He figured his enhanced strength would be able to handle it, but he stumbled as a wave of dizziness passed over him.

Lambda noticed immediately, and she set her stack down halfway to the shelf to check on Riku. "Are you okay, dear?" She grabbed the stack from the other side and helped lift it.

Riku shook his head to clear it. "Yeah... Just got a little lightheaded for a second. I think I'm just tired."

"Didn't you get any sleep after the Dustflier?" Lambda didn't know what happened after she passed out, but she thought Riku was as refreshed as she'd been when she woke up.

"No, I was too worried about you. And then I had to make sure the ice cream didn't melt..." The pair set the rest of the computers near the shelves with broken units.

Lambda frowned at Riku. "That hardly justifies not sleeping, especially after all those hard fights. You can't stay awake forever, no matter how awesome Mickey's healing spell is."

"What about the computers?" Riku was grasping at straws, and he wasn't really sure why.

"They'll still be here after you get a nap. They won't build up too much dust to function for months. Why in the worlds don't you want to sleep?" Lambda paused for a second when she realized that she was starting to sound like a mom, and giggled sheepishly. "Um...sorry for pushing you. I don't know what came over me."

Riku shook his head and smiled. "You were just worried. I guess I was, too. When you passed out, I didn't want to take any chances. I keep feeling like...if I get separated from you, I won't be able to find you again."

Lambda blinked. Riku was very attached to her, but wasn't she supposed to be the one on the leash? "I doubt it would be that bad to be in separate rooms for a few hours. It's not like we're using Dark Corridors."

Riku laughed, but there was still an undercurrent of worry. "I know it doesn't make much sense. But...after all the times we've landed in trouble and pulled each other out...I don't want to miss a moment I could be spending with you." As he spoke, he reached out to grasp Lambda's hands, seemingly without meaning to do so.

Lambda blushed scarlet. That...that was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard Riku say. She hadn't expected her boyfriend to get ahead of her so quickly in that regard. Still, he had a point, and she felt the same way. "Then...what if we go to sleep at the same time?"

Riku blushed as much as Lambda. "You mean...?"

Lambda realized what she'd just implied, and pushed away from him, though she still held onto his hands. "No, no, no! Not like that! That's not going to get you any rest!"

Riku was the first to get his blush under control, and he chuckled at Lambda's flustered expression. "You have the cutest blush, Lambda. Well, maybe we can figure that stuff out when the worlds are safe. In the meantime, are there any beds big enough for both of us in this house? I'm about to fall unconscious right now."

"I think I saw one in the Colored Room." Lambda tried to get her blush under control, but it would take too long to stay standing there. She led Riku back to Namine's Colored Room, where they found a bed in one of the corners (camouflaged as another blotch of color among dozens) that was indeed larger than the one in the White Room.

Riku got in, and fell asleep almost as soon as Lambda slid under the multicolored covers beside him. He was just barely able to mumble a "Good night, Lambda..." before dozing off.

"Wow, you really were tired. Wait, is it okay to sleep in these coats? Maybe..." Lambda's musings were cut off when she had to let out a huge yawn. "Good night, Riku." With one last smile at her boyfriend, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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Riku's dream...

Blackness all around. Riku recognized this Darkness; it was his own. Which meant...

"It is about time we spoke again, Riku." Sure enough, there was Ansem.

Riku looked down at himself, and was surprised to see his own, unaltered body, or at least a projection of it. "What do you want? Aside from taking over my body and using it to kill Lambda, which I won't let you do. Duh."

Ansem grimaced. "That much is clear. It galls me to admit that you have well and truly trapped me here. Perhaps I did too well when I made you face your Darkness. However, know that I will escape at the instant your hold on this cage eases up, and continue my designs without your aid."

Riku ignored the obligatory threats. "Keep telling yourself that. So, this is a dream, or something? Well, as long as I'm here, I have a few questions for you."

Ansem growled at Riku's dismissive tone. "I am under no obligation to..."

Riku interrupted the Heartless, since he didn't want to sit through any more grandiose-yet-useless speeches. "Whatever. Does the name 'Xehanort' ring a bell? I saw it in the Heartless factory under Hollow Bastion. And Lambda found it in a set of files called 'Secret Ansem Reports.' You're Xehanort, aren't you?"

Not-Ansem instinctively started another monologue. "Yes, and no. I am what remained of Xehanort when he cast aside his body. I am his independent heart, his Heartless. I am surprised it took you so-called 'heroes' so long to figure that much out...for all the good it will do you. My name is of no importance to any of my plans."

Riku frowned. Something didn't add up. "You claim you have plans, but your plan failed. Wouldn't it be impossible to steal the hearts of the worlds and make Kingdom Hearts again now that the Keyholes are sealed?"

Ansem gave Riku a confident grin. "Indeed. However, that is just one of many paths I might choose to take. As are you, Riku."

Riku saw a chance to get some real info. "Paths like letting your Nobody steal the Kingdom Hearts Organization XIII is working on? Or possessing someone in Organization? Or tricking Sora into doing some of your dirty work?"

"Indeed." Xehanort gave the mathematician's answer to be as vague as possible. Riku couldn't logically conclude which plan or plans Xehanort confirmed without extra information...

Riku smirked. "So you're planning for all of those, then. You're so predictable. You could never pass up an evil plan, and those were the basics of Maleficent's favorite ploys, which she loved talking about as much as you do. I'm sure you have an even bigger trap waiting that I would never see coming, too."

Xehanort blinked. When did this boy become so perceptive? "Impressive. Did you hone your logical analysis by dealing with that outsider?"

Riku chuckled. "It certainly helps to have Lambda as my girlfriend. Well, I guess I've got my work cut out for me now, because I'll stop you from taking any of those roads. By the way, what's up with you always saying 'indeed' when 'yes' would be faster? It's a waste of breath."

"You can try to block my ascendance, but you will fail. I have other plans, and at least one of them is destined to succeed. You cannot stop me." Xehanort didn't bother justifying his dramatic speeches to this boy. (In the back of whatever organ sentient Heartless used to think, not-Ansem probably believed his purpose was so grand that common words weren't descriptive enough for his greatness.)

Riku rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "Tell that to Sora when he stops you. No, on second thought, stew on it while I keep you locked up here. I've learned enough for now. See you later...or not." The boy faded out of his heart's prison as he woke up.

Now that he was alone in the pit of Riku's heart once more, Xehanort growled. Riku had played on the Heartless' taste for taunting people to learn more than the schemer intended to reveal. "Curse you, Riku! Well, no matter. I am prepared for any possibility. I look forward to the day you attempt to defeat Xemnas, O warriors of the Keyblade..."

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The Colored Room...

Lambda suddenly jolted awake from a restful but dreamless sleep. There was a pain in her chest...no, a squeeze? A pulling sensation? What was this? Her Observation protocols couldn't figure it out, which was odd. Lambda usually had no trouble deciphering Riku's emotions when she needed to.

He's out there...

Who's out where?

R...

An image of his back. Red jacket. White hair. A confident, protective stance...

But who was he? A memory of his smile, made sweeter by how rarely he used it... Green eyes - no, red? Both?

I know this person. R...Ra...Ragna.

Ragna the Bloodedge.

Lambda was breathing too quickly, agitated by the intense emotions that Ragna was somehow inspiring in her from multiple worlds away. The part of her mind that continued to think logically guessed that Ragna had stumbled through a Time Break, but where? Lambda couldn't track him based on this connection; this must have more to do with the heart than Observation. Should she look for him?

Instinctively, Lambda turned to Riku, hoping to shake him awake and ask for his opinion about this. When she saw Riku's calmly sleeping face, though, her connection with her boyfriend flared stronger than ever, muting the rush of memories from her past life...clone template...whoever "Saya" was.

Lambda steadily calmed down, and remained calm when the connection with Ragna suddenly cut off. He'd simply gone back to the Azure Timeline where he belonged - well, "belonged" as much as the walking temporal paradox called Ragna the Bloodedge could belong anywhere. Anyway, Lambda didn't need to dwell on him. "That's right...I don't need to go looking for Ragna. I can be happy right here." She snuggled back under the covers next to Riku, who continued sleeping, unaware of the emotional mess she had just sorted through.

Riku's lips twitched into a smirk in response to something in his dream. "I wonder what you're dreaming about?" Lambda cupped his cheek, and was surprised at how cool his skin was, compared to the bed. Riku's lower body temperature was undoubtedly a side effect of the Darkness he used to fight his battles against that same Darkness, but his cheek was actually quite pleasant to the touch. Lambda thought of a likely comparison, but she'd never actually sat under a tree on a sunny day, so she couldn't be sure it was the same feeling. Still, Lambda liked having this tactile reminder that Darkness wasn't always bad, despite the existence of the Heartless. She mused that she should try that sitting-under-a-tree thing with Riku someday...

Riku's lips twitched as he slowly woke up, and the first thing he saw was Lambda cupping his cheek. "Huh? Lambda? Is it morning already?"

Lambda giggled. "Good morning, dear. Well, I'm not sure what the locals call it, but..." She pulled away from Riku and got out her World Clock, noting that it responded to her query without being asked out loud. "It says here we've been asleep for eight hours. It's 6:05 AM, so it would be morning if the sun ever moved in Twilight Town."

"Well, I guess it's time to get up then." Riku shoved off the covers and swung his legs out of bed.

Lambda followed suit. "You looked like you were having a good dream, by the way."

Riku nodded. "Oh, you noticed? Ansem...Xehanort's Heartless...ugh, I just know I'm going to mix those two up again. Anyway, I talked with him. He wanted to gloat, or something. But why did he take so long to speak up? Maybe I just haven't fallen asleep often since the fight with Roxas, so he couldn't contact me because I wasn't dreaming."

Lambda shrugged. "I guess that might be it. What did he say?"

Riku smirked. "He told me that he couldn't break out of being trapped in my heart, but he was looking for the first chance to break free and try to finish his plan. I pointed out that Sora already made it impossible to do what he did before, but he gloated about other plans we don't know about. So I laid out some educated guesses, and he responded, and I quote, 'Indeeeeeed.' So basically, I tricked him into talking too much and revealing some of his plans. His face when he realized what I was doing...priceless!"

Lambda cheered and gave Riku a high-five. "Awesome, Riku! So, what did you learn?"

Riku recounted the plans, ticking each one off on his fingers. "...And whatever super-complex plan he has to tie all of the others together. So we've got a lot of plans to thwart. At least we won't be bored..."

"But he can't do any of that directly while he's locked up in your heart, right?"

Riku nodded. "Exactly, and he's not going anywhere if I have anything to say about it, but his Nobody is still out there. Which member of Organization XIII could it be?"

Lambda tried to recall all the names they knew. "There are a few it couldn't be, because they were eliminated during or after the mess at Castle Oblivion. Of the remaining ones, there's Axel and Roxas, but I'm sure they're not him. Then there's this Xigbar guy who supposedly spies on people, and Namine said he reports to Xemnas. Wait, that's right! Xion's last request to Roxas was to 'set Kingdom Hearts free', so Xemnas couldn't get his hands on it. I think Xemnas is Xehanort's Nobody."

Riku scratched his head. "Xion had a last request for Roxas? Never mind, I'll probably remember when we bring her back. As for the rest of the Organization, there must be some logic to those names. They all have an X... Well, we know Roxas is Sora's Nobody, so...hmm..."

Lambda realized what the rule was. "I've got it! They're modified anagrams! 'Roxas' has the same letters as 'Sora', but with an X thrown in. That rule also fits the names I didn't recognize in the Secret Ansem Reports, like 'Even' is probably 'Vexen'. But 'Xemnas' doesn't anagram to 'Xehanort'..."

Riku randomly pointed a finger as he got an epiphany of his own. "But it does anagram to 'Ansem', which is the name his Heartless used. We figured it out!"

After another high-five, the pair got back to the Secret Server Room to finish the maintenance job from the day before.

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Back in the Secret Server Room...

While they were hauling servers across the room, Riku asked Lambda, "Well, I told you about my dream. Did you dream of anything interesting?"

Lambda paused for a second, but then had to keep walking as the heavy stack of computers threatened to make her fall forward. "I can't remember what I dreamed about, but I was jolted awake when Ragna crossed a Time Break somewhere."

Riku set his stack down and leaned around it with an interested expression. "You've said a few things about him. How did Ragna crossing a Time Break wake you up?"

Lambda reached the destination and set her stack down before responding. "I can't explain it, and that's the weirdest part. It's like my Observation was being blocked, or there was some interference, but I don't know what could do that. I think I've been kind of cheating until now, using Observation to help figure out your feelings and mine. Whatever that feeling was, Ragna seems to have a strong connection with me. Even so, I've decided that I don't need to go looking for him. After all, you're right here, Riku. One look at you was all it took to figure out who's more important to me."

Riku blushed so hard he looked like a Red Nocturne. "W-whoa, that's..."

"...The most romantic thing that's ever come out of my mouth?" Lambda guessed, though she also sported an equally-bright blush. "It wasn't that great, compared to what you told me before we fell asleep."

Riku gave Lambda a light shove. "I almost forgot that cheesy line. Hey, I thought we weren't keeping score!"

"Right, right. It's a good way to acknowledge when you've been nice to me, though. Now then, stand back and let me show you how a Prime Field Device handles tech support." Lambda cracked her knuckles and set into a flurry of activity, disconnecting failed machines and replacing them almost too fast for Riku to track. She had the replacement servers physically set up in less than a minute. "And done! How's my time?"

Riku checked his World Clock and grinned sheepishly. "Ten servers set up in fifty-nine point two seconds. I...might need a slower demonstration if I need to try it myself."

"I could slow down, but honestly, I'd like to keep being better than you at this. I don't know if you've noticed, but you've been doing better than me in most of the fights we've gotten into recently." Lambda recalled rating the two of them on her threat assessment scale. She wasn't kidding when she rated Riku on par with gods. Meanwhile, Lambda herself was getting weaker over time. Was it because she didn't have enough Darkness to effectively power Murakumo?

"Good point. You're always going to be better with computers, maps, and logic than me, though." Riku would have taken ages to get to the root of his problems with Darkness on his own, whether Lambda was "cheating" through her Observer abilities or not.

Lambda smiled gratefully. "Thanks. Still, it's kind of embarrassing to be a sword that's less effective in combat than my Master."

Riku stopped grinning. "Lambda, you are not just a sword. You're my friend, my girlfriend, an irreplaceable partner, and you have many things to be proud of besides fighting. Can I make that any clearer to you?"

Lambda's head drooped. "I...I don't know. I know I can be more than what I was made for, but my thoughts keep looping back to that. Maybe I'm just not built to believe it."

Riku grabbed Lambda's shoulders. "Stop that train of thought right there. Take that as an order if you have to, but I'm going to help you grow out of needing that mindset, whatever it takes. I'll start by giving you some more experience in different tasks you're good at, such as getting these computers to work. What else needs to be done?"

Lambda's expression blanked for a second at the order, then perked up. "Acknowledged. Thanks for the support! Now I need to set up the software on the replacement computers and synchronize the new drives with the simulation. I'll need a terminal...found it!" She darted over to a corner surrounded by low walls, which gave some privacy from the security cameras that would otherwise have told Lambda where the terminal was. "Logging in. Password: Sea-salt ice cream. Why did DiZ use the same password on both networks? Here's the simulation engine...synchronizing new drives... That'll take a few minutes. In the meantime, let's poke around and see if that bigot left behind any other info we can use."

Riku smiled proudly over Lambda's shoulder as he watched her do her thing. Still, he wanted to help search somehow. "Is there a history of what DiZ used this terminal for?"

Lambda dove into the data. "Checking...yes, there are system logs dating back to before we first came to Twilight Town. It looks like DiZ spent most of his time making this simulation, both before we met him and while we were world-hopping to distract the Organization from this hideout. It's a pretty ingenious way to trap a powerful Organization member, and there are notes on how he planned to build the simulated townspeople using data from the real ones... Hey, around the time Roxas was put inside, his predictions about the virtual people started to miss the mark. He has a bunch of angry notes about how hard it was to categorize hearts, and how they kept growing beyond his hypotheses. I was right about the growing-hearts thing after all!"

Riku chuckled. "Neat, another thing to rub in DiZ's face the next time we see him. Is there anything else?"

"I'm checking the most recent entries... Deleted? There's a string of actions here that DiZ wiped from the logs. The last thing he did before the logs were deleted was make a small text file titled 'Diary Entry: End.' It was written the day before Sora woke up. Confirm: do we read DiZ's diary? Yes/sure?"

Riku laughed at Lambda's faked protocol-speak (he could tell it was a joke by the mirth in her voice, which would have been flat and emotionless otherwise), and at the foregone conclusion she presented as a choice. "Secret option three: totally!"

Lambda laughed with him and opened the file, but as she read aloud, the laughter drained from her voice.

"'Dear Diary, this will be my final entry. I barely even started writing this diary, but it's time. I have only one more task to take care of with Sora, and then I can prepare to infiltrate Organization XIII's stronghold with a clear conscience. According to my calculations, my Kingdom Hearts Encoder is almost perfectly tuned...but I doubt my hypothesis reflects reality in the slightest. My predictions never seem to come true. Luckily, because I have learned at least that much, I built a safeguard into the Encoder. If it cannot contain Kingdom Hearts as data, then it will self-destruct, hopefully taking Kingdom Hearts with it...along with myself.'"

Lambda was shocked that the next paragraph was directed not at Dear Diary, but at the pair reading it. "'Riku and Lambda, if anyone finds this data, it will likely be you, so consider this my last request. It will take several weeks to make the final adjustments, and then I will wait. Eventually, Sora will do enough damage to Organization XIII's operations, simply by acting as he always does, that they will leave an opening in their defenses through which I can infiltrate their stronghold. By then, Sora should be almost ready to storm the World That Never Was. As for you two, you should not follow me, but instead follow Sora. Protect him as only you can. He holds my last hope, as he holds the hopes of all worlds.'"

The message ended with an admission and an apology. "'Riku, you taught me that all roads are connected, and that all paths have some good along the way, so you know we will meet again. Lambda, I pray you will be satisfied with the handhold I found. My descent into Darkness stops here. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I will atone for the people I've hurt as effectively as I can. If I never get a chance to tell you this in person...thank you for showing me how I lost my way. Lastly, King Mickey, my old friend...I only hope you will remember me by the conversations we shared in Radiant Garden those several years ago, not as the vengeful specter I became. Farewell, all of you. Ansem the Wise, signing off.'"

After Lambda finished reading, she simply sat there. Riku said what they were both thinking. "Maybe DiZ wasn't so stupid or heartless after all."

Lambda wiped an errant tear from her cheek. "That's so sad. Now I feel really bad for laughing at him. Sure, he needed a kick in the metaphorical rump, and I apparently did help him turn himself around, but I can hardly feel good about fixing cruelty with cruelty."

The terminal beeped, returning Lambda's attention to the task at hand. "The synchronization process is complete. Now the simulation will remain stable, though I should probably delete the unnecessary rooms so Sora doesn't get lost before finding the portal." With a swipe over the screen and a few keystrokes, Lambda did just that, deleting all the areas of the simulation except for the Computer Room (the entry point) and the room with the portal.

It suddenly occurred to Lambda that the virtual Twilight Town was inhabited by virtual people with real hearts. She almost had a panic attack, but reminded herself that the hearts that had grown in the simulation had been on the corrupted drives, so she hadn't been the one who killed the entire population of Twilight Town; the Organization was. She started wondering what it would be like to have to live inside a slowly failing simulation instead, but firmly stepped away from the computer, leaving such thoughts behind.

Lambda saved her changes and logged out of the terminal. "Alright, now that it's all set up, all we need to do is get together a set of clues that will lead Sora back here without outright telling him. He needs to find the main computer room and figure out the password."

"Speaking of that, what is the password?" Riku wondered.

"It's 'Sea-Salt Ice Cream', spelled and capitalized exactly like how it's written on the ice cream vendor's sign. There aren't even any numbers, so it should be pretty easy to get Sora to guess the password if we just give him a bar of ice cream." Now that Lambda knew DiZ had made his security easy on purpose, making the password a tangible, popular object was actually some impressive foresight.

Riku nodded with approval. "That's great news. But how will we get Sora to come back here in the first place? He seemed pretty eager to leave this mansion behind. I know I would be spooked."

"That's where the system logs come in. I found the original photo of Roxas and the Usual Suspects standing in front of the mansion, before DiZ edited Roxas out of it to mess with his head. I'll just print it out at the main computer room. Let's go." Lambda led the way through the security doors back to the room with the VT3D (Virtual Twilight Town Transfer Device, as an observer might recall from much earlier).

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Mansion: Computer Room...

Lambda stopped in front of DiZ's big, holographic terminal and spread her arms apart, conjuring a holographic interface of her own. "Connection established. Uploading image file...complete. Printing 1 document... Done." A table against the wall behind her turned out to be a combination printer/copier, and it ejected a crisp, 8 x 10, glossy photo of Roxas and the Usual Suspects. The Prime Field Device disconnected from the computer and picked up the photo, shaking it a couple times in case DiZ's laser printer left loose toner on the paper.

Riku clapped Lambda on the shoulder. "Whoa, that was fast! You're like a digital star athlete!" Lambda seemed about to wave off the compliment, but Riku persisted. "I'm sure it seemed simple to you, Lambda, but that just shows how much better you are at using computers than anyone else I know. Now we just need to wait for a good opportunity to catch up to Sora, buy some ice cream, and stick it in a box with this. I hope the ice cream doesn't melt before we get it to him."

Lambda still thought she could have gone faster, but decided to accept the compliment. "Thanks for trying so hard to cheer me up, Riku. About the ice cream...when I dismiss my Black Coat to summon Murakumo, does the coat end up in the Realm of Darkness?"

Riku thought it over. "I guess it would. What does that have to do with ice cream?"

"Time is either totally stopped in the Realm of Darkness, or so slow that it makes no difference. I bet that I could put the ice cream in my pocket and dismiss my Black Coat, and it wouldn't have even started to melt by the time we need it."

Riku's proud smile, the only part of his face visible under his hood, got wider as the implications dawned on him. "You. Are. A genius. The only problem is that Xigbar will find us if you're not wearing the hood. But does that really matter?"

Lambda grinned back. "Let them bring it on. I was sick of hiding, anyway. But we'd better stay out of the mansion afterward, or they might sabotage us. I know I wouldn't want to fight us directly."

"Then let's go buy some ice cream and stalk Sora for a while. If they're going to be watching us anyway, we might as well be in the same place as someone they're already watching."

Riku and Sora had never really competed in hide-and-seek, but Riku was sure he'd be able to match the status quo from other their contests. The score he'd shoot for by the end of each day would be: Sora 0, Riku [insert arbitrarily large number here].

"So we'll be hiding from Sora? That sounds like fun. And it would definitely be more productive than fighting giant Heartless with no Keyblade." At least Mickey helped them actually slay the Dustflier. Lambda did not want a rematch with that thing. "Lead the way!"

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A/N: This chapter took way. Too. LONG. In the interest of not needing to be asked whether I've died between chapters, I'm going to follow only Riku and Lambda's group from this point on, rather than switching POV's periodically to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Luckily, the two groups will be in the same place, so that works out perfectly!