Silver Linings

Chapter 28: "Here You All Are."

A/N: Once again, it's been about a month. Not much to say, other than: enjoy!

Not much to say that won't spoil things, anyway...

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Proof of Existence...

Upon the heroes' return to the quasi-graveyard, two changes were immediately apparent. First, the emblem of Luxord's cards under their feet had turned red, meaning he was definitely eliminated. Second, the tombstone marked with the numeral VII and what looked like a large, ornate sword was now glowing blue - a new portal had opened.

Goofy looked over these changes and nodded. "Looks like y'all were right about how this room works. I guess Luxord's really gone, after all. C'mon, we only hafta beat Sai'x now!"

Sora tightened his fists and took the lead as everyone went toward the portal. "Good. He's the one I want to beat the most."

Lambda agreed, "He certainly earned it. Riku and I were there at the big Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion...er, Radiant Garden. The things he said and did to you went beyond cruelty."

Donald cheered, "Let's give him a walloping for Kairi!"

Riku asked, "Anything you'd like to add, Kairi?"

Kairi thought about it. "Actually, no. He certainly wasn't nice, but he didn't do much besides kidnap me. Which is already a lot, of course, and that prison was no fun, and the nutrient bars were awful, but I don't want to kill him for something petty like that. He seemed like he was just doing his job."

Lambda reminded her, "Then that means he considers everything else he did his 'job', including trying to bring despair and destruction to everyone Sora knows."

Riku couldn't help but add, "Also, that incorruptible purity of heart that lets you give even Sai'x the benefit of the doubt is making us all look bad. Even Sora's not that nice."

Kairi protested, "It's not my fault I'm a Princess of Heart!"

Sora agreed, "Of course not! Don't ever change, Kairi."

To which Kairi immediately responded, "You neither, Sora."

The two of them started gazing into each other's eyes, but Lambda cut in, "So, are we going through the portal or not? Sai'x isn't going to eliminate himself for us, and we shouldn't keep the King waiting too long. Right, Sora?" He had been the one to say exactly that back at Havoc's Divide, after all.

"R-right! C'mon, everyone!" Sora rushed through the portal, followed shortly by everyone else.

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Addled Impasse...

Lambda mumbled, "Now that's a weird name. Havoc's Divide was pretty cool, but Addled Impasse almost sounds humorous."

Riku commented, "Who names these rooms, anyway? Well, at least Sai'x isn't trying to hide from us."

The blue-haired Nobody stood at the far side of the wide open, featureless room, in front of a massive window with a perfect view of Kingdom Hearts that covered the entire wall. He turned to glare at the heroes, and at Sora in particular. "Only you could have made it this far, Roxas."

Sora matched the glare. "That's really getting old! Do all of you Nobodies really only see Roxas when you look at me?"

Suddenly, Sora was swamped with memories that weren't his. I remember this place...we called it the Gray Area; a lounge where everyone in the Organization received their missions each day. And it was where I met Xio-

"Yeah! He's Sora!" Sai'x looked like he was about to take advantage of Sora's momentary distraction, but Donald and Goofy intercepted Sai'x's weapon, a massive claymore. How had they missed that he was holding it?

The sword's edge was too thick to cut anything - but with such a large, heavy object, Sai'x could simply smash someone's skull with its sheer weight. It was almost as long as Sai'x was tall, yet he wielded it in a one-handed reverse grip, which should have left him too far off balance even with a normal-sized sword. But even with that awkward stance, it took Donald and Goofy's combined strength to hold Goofy's Knight's Defender shield in place against the claymore, Lunatic. Clearly, the Organization's taskmaster had earned his station, and had more than enough strength to master his massive weapon.

Luckily, Sai'x responded to having his attacks blocked like every other Nobody did - by staggering backwards and losing all his focus. Sora cleared his own mind and jumped over Goofy's head to attack. "You're going down, you big jerk!"

Sai'x shrugged off Sora's combo and readied his claymore again, having sustained no noticeable damage. "Different name, same fate. I'm disappointed, Roxas. 'Big jerk?' Is that really all the hatred I've earned from you? You won't beat me, not with that puny will behind your blows." With one mighty swing, Sai'x sent out a gust of wind that pushed all the heroes backward. Wind wasn't his element; the attack was just that strong.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy landed in a pile, with Goofy on top as usual.

Kairi lost her footing and began to fly backwards, but Lambda caught her...and then Lambda lost her own footing. Reacting quickly, Riku sent the shadow Guardian to catch the girls while he held his ground against the wind. Riku growled, "We won't be pushed out of this fight so easily!"

Kairi called out, "Don't worry about us, Sora! Give him everything you've got!"

Slightly muffled by Donald's feathers, Sora replied, "I've got just the thing! Guys, give me strength!"

Sora engaged Master Form, the Drive Form that King Mickey unlocked for him, by absorbing Donald and Goofy simultaneously (which had the added bonus of getting them both off of Sora's face)...but something went wrong. Instead of a shattering burst of Light, a smoky puff of Darkness shrouded Sora from view.

Lambda reported, "Unknown Darkness-based anomaly detected within Sora."

Sai'x grinned. "Perfect. Xemnas and I were wondering when this would eventually happen. You'll be much easier to beat in Anti-Form."

A new, but familiar voice rang out from within the Darkness. "Not today. I'll help out."

Riku, Lambda, and Sai'x all recognized that voice, but surprisingly, Kairi was the first one who gasped, "Roxas?!"

A piercing Light shined out from within the Darkness, banishing the cloud and revealing Sora's impressive Final Form. Sora's clothes had gained an overall silver color scheme with white, fire-like decals. Two sparks of Light spun diagonally around him, apparently just to look cool. He didn't need the help much, though, since this Form let him float just above the ground at all times...and let his two Keyblades fly around entirely on their own. Fittingly, the two Keyblades hovering behind Sora's back were Oathkeeper and Oblivion. When Sora spoke, it was with two subtly different voices - his own, and Roxas'. "You wanted to fight Roxas, right? Well, here's your chance. I hope you're ready!"

Seeing the epic beatdown that was about to commence, Riku whispered, "On second thought, maybe the rest of us should just stay back and let him handle it."

Sai'x didn't seem intimidated. "As a matter of fact, I am ready now. Can you feel it - the moon's power coursing through me? RrraaAAAH!" Sai'x floated into the air with his claymore floating behind him. Suddenly, an explosion of blue flames surrounded him, and the claymore extended large spikes from its tip.

Sai'x's expression twisted into one of blind, feral rage, and he unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes against Sora, yelling incoherently all the while. Each swing of his claymore released a line of blue fire, but Sora just floated there and let his Keyblades intercept all of the attacks. He made Sai'x's berserker state seem like pointless sound and fury; Sora didn't even have to lift a finger to keep Sai'x at bay.

To his credit, Sai'x didn't stagger from being blocked in his berserk state. He ended his combo by flinging his claymore into the ground in front of Sora and releasing three more lines of fire, then summoned a new claymore into his hand. Sora noted with surprise that the claymore that had been thrown was still stuck in the ground, though...

On a whim, Sora grabbed the handle of the discarded copy of Lunatic. After all, both his hands were free while his Keyblades flew around independently like this. As he raised the claymore, Sora felt a surge of rage flow into him. The emotion wasn't his own, but it was intense. He directed the rage squarely at Sai'x, who was breathing heavily to recover from the earlier rushdown before he could attack again. Sora interrupted Sai'x's rest to turn the Luna Diviner's weapon against him, flipping both of them into the air with the momentum of his massive uppercut.

A few more flips and spins kept the aerial combo going; it seemed the claymore just wanted, with whatever capacity for desire the weapon could have, to lash out at whatever enemy stood in front of it, but it didn't care who was on which end of the weapon. So Lunatic helped Sora swing it around. No wonder Sai'x had such an easy time wielding it. The blue-haired man was smashed into the right-hand wall of the room by the last blow of Sora's combo. Both spiky claymores disappeared, and the burning red energy that had been rolling off of Sai'x (and Sora) petered out.

Sora arched an eyebrow. "Seriously? The moon? C'mon, I felt what that was - it was rage, plain and simple. You're really dead-set on believing you can't feel anything, aren't you? I almost feel sorry for you...almost." Roxas' Keyblades zoomed outward, dragging Sai'x back into a new combo of flying Keyblades and bursts of Light.

Sai'x took heavy damage and was knocked away again. When he looked back at Sora, his yellow eyes remained defiant...but just barely. "Who am I fighting against? Sora? Or Roxas?"

"Against both halves of Sora, of course." The Keyblades lashed out again, and Final Sora followed them into a lengthy aerial combo. "But Roxas came up with the wording just now. He has some pent-up aggression to work out, and it looks like we can't deal it to DiZ. So we'll have to make do with you." Final Sora dove down onto Sai'x from above, dealing the finishing blow.

Sai'x was left lying facedown on the floor. He barely managed to push himself to his knees, gazing straight at Kingdom Hearts with an expression of desperate longing. "Why...Kingdom Hearts...why do you still float just out of reach? If I could have gotten a heart of my own...just a little sooner..." And with that, he faded away.

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Sora turned back toward Riku, Kairi, and Lambda, still in Final Form. "And that's that."

Kairi seemed upset. "Sora, you've changed after all, haven't you? You're so...angry."

Namine's voice replied, "No, he got like this near the end of all his other adventures. He'll be fine when things settle down. He's still the same Sora; he's just taking this seriously because he has to, against terrible people like these."

Lambda gasped. "Wait, Roxas is at the surface of Sora's heart now! Namine, this is our chance!" Lambda rushed forward and grabbed Sora's shoulders, gazing deep into the boy's startled eyes. "Observation...established. 4 hearts confirmed in target body. Isolating and separating Observations of 'Xion' and 'Roxas' from combined entity 'Sora'...complete."

Namine's transparent image appeared beside Kairi in a flash of Light. She walked over to Sora and laid a ghostly hand over his heart. "I'm ready, Lambda. Xion...can you hear me? It's time. You can come back out now. And Roxas, this is your chance, too."

Sora had never felt more left-out-of-the-loop than he did at that moment. "Xion? Who's that? What's this...hurt? What the heck are you two doing to me?"

Another disembodied voice joined the conversation. "But why? Why did you work so hard to save me, Lambda? I thought you hated me. I hated you. I only did what I had to, because my existence just hurt everyone. Why didn't you just forget me like everyone else?"

Lambda smiled warmly at the Xion she saw in Sora's eyes. "Because someone had to remember, and I was that someone. More specifically, I had no direct connection to Sora at the time, so I was the only one who could remember. Please, Xion, don't let all that frustration I went through, trying to convince everyone else that you were real, go to waste. My reasons are selfish, but it means you can be with Roxas and Sora. Just in a more normal way."

Though hesitant at first, the voice replied with conviction. "Okay...yes, I will! C'mon, Roxas! Last one out buys the ice cream!"

A blinding wave of Light burst forth from Sora. Behind the blaze, Final Form was canceled, but that was just the smallest event.

Kairi clutched her chest as a sudden warmth welled up; the Light of her pure heart was overflowing from her, rushing out to meet the Light of Sora's heart and of those dwelling within him. It wove together in a pattern defined by Lambda's and Namine's memories. Within the blast of Light, Roxas stood beside Sora in his casual clothing - what he wore before taking the Organization's Black Coat, and after he left the coat behind. Then, another swirl wove between Lambda and Roxas, forming a girl who was physically Roxas' age, with jet-black hair and deep blue eyes. She wore the Organization's uniform; the only clothes she'd ever worn.

The blazing Light faded, and all the people involved slumped to the floor. Roxas and Xion were reborn into the world.

Namine huffed and puffed, then vanished back into Kairi. "I still can't believe that worked - and so easily! It always sounded crazy when you talked about saving Xion like it had to be possible, when everything I thought I knew said it couldn't be."

"The things you can do with Observation never cease to amaze me, Lambda," Riku proudly added.

"I've done...a lot more than I should be able to," Lambda panted. "No Observer can recreate beings that have ceased to exist. The Azure would make it possible, but that's not what happened. Something fundamental has definitely changed about me since I came to the Heart Timeline. But these two aren't stable yet; they're like Sora was after Kairi saved him from being a Heartless. Riku, can I borrow some Darkness from you to balance them out?"

Riku walked over and pulled Lambda to her feet. "Of course you can, dear! How could I refuse, when the transfer involves kissing you?"

"Oh, that? That part of the process was never actually necessary. But if you insist..." Lambda gave Riku a deep, heartfelt kiss on the lips, and simultaneously siphoned a massive surge of Darkness from him. The emblem from his old Dark Mode suit appeared on Lambda's chest - like the Heartless Emblem, but without the thorny X.

Lambda broke the kiss and turned toward the new people still sitting on the floor. She knelt down and grasped their hands, sending the Darkness to them to reinforce their existences with the power and drive to survive and find their own happiness - aspects of the Darkness that everyone ought to keep. Roxas and Xion stopped panting, and their eyes focused more clearly. Lambda flopped down on her back. "That's it...I'm spent. Give me a few minutes before we need any more miracles."

Kairi watched in wonder. "I think I helped with this, but I'm not sure how I did it. Namine, could you be 'recreated' like that?"

"I probably could, but...no. I want to stay with you, Kairi, if you'll let me. Besides, Lambda must be pretty close to her limits int terms of how many subjects she can maintain, whatever those limits are now."

Kairi replied immediately, "Of course you can stay with me, Namine."

Lambda confirmed, "She's right. I had to make Roxas the primary Observer for Xion instead of myself to manage this. So, Roxas, this is a big responsibility. You will always have to acknowledge that you and Xion both definitely exist, or you'll both fade away."

Roxas finally spoke up. "That doesn't sound too hard, does it, Xion?"

Xion replied, "You can do it for sure. I know you can...because I'm a Replica of you."

Roxas shook his head. "No. If I'm going to do this, you've got to play along. I'm me, and you're you. We're nobody else but ourselves now. But what does this mean for Sora?"

Sora laid a hand over his chest and thought for a moment. "I think...I'll be fine. After all, you're still with me...you're just over there instead of in here. We're still friends, no matter how far apart we are, right?"

Roxas nodded. "Right; that's always how it is. I got it memorized from Axel."

"Okay, that's enough sap!" Donald yanked the camera off to the side (wait, Donald can do that too?) and ruined the moment. "We still have to catch up to the King! C'mon, Goofy!" The Royal Magician stomp-waddled out through the portal.

Goofy scratched his head, just under his floppy ear. "Y'know, I think he's right. Everyone's fine now, right? And all's well that ends well!" Goofy loped through the portal.

Riku nodded firmly and pulled Lambda to her feet (again). "Right. But it hasn't ended until we deal with Xemnas. He's the only member left of Organization XIII...or at least the only one still trying to misuse Kingdom Hearts." Technically, three members of Organization XIII (counting Axel) hadn't been dealt with by the heroes, but defected from the group instead.

"And don't forget all the lesser Nobodies," Lambda reminded him. "Xemnas is in direct command of all of them now." Riku and Lambda set off through the portal hand in hand, like always.

"I wonder if I can still command my Samurais?" Roxas wondered as he headed toward the portal.

"I wouldn't count on it, since Xemnas' element is Nothing, but that won't be a problem once we beat him," Xion assured Roxas as she followed him. "I'm just glad everyone can see me the same way now! I used to look different to everyone; you were the only one who saw me like this, Roxas. It must be permanent now because we were recreated together." Without really thinking about it, she threaded her hand into his.

Roxas reinforced her grip; he didn't want Xion to get sad enough to go away like she had before. Never again. "Don't worry, we'll stay together from now on. You still owe me ice cream for being the last one out, after all!" The pair laughed all the way through the portal.

"Forget the Samurais, do they still have their Keyblades?" Sora wondered, still standing in place. In the vague memories that weren't his, he recalled Xion having trouble manifesting her Keyblade, and then Roxas suddenly dual-wielding Kingdom Keys and switching them into Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Roxas was probably the first person to ever wield two Keyblades simultaneously like that; it would be a shame if he lost that ability.

"Don't worry, Sora; I feel like they'll be fine. They make such a cute couple, too!" Kairi grabbed Sora by the hand and led him through the portal.

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Proof of Existence...

All of the Organization's weapon marks were now red, except Roxas' Keyblades in the corner. "Finally, that barrier is out of the way! C'mon, guys, hurry up!" Donald ran off ahead again, somehow dragging Goofy behind him by the arm.

"Okay, okay, keep your zipper-covered hat on," Riku grumbled. Everyone hurried to catch up with the Disney Castle crew.

As they ran Kairi asked, "So... Who else snuck in more 'sap' after Donald left?"

Roxas and Xion raised their free hands (they were still holding hands) as Roxas replied, "I guess we did."

Lambda reported, "Affirmative."

Sora summed it up, "All of us, then."

Riku smirked. "It'd take more than Donald to stop it."

Lambda added, before she forgot, "Xion, it's great to finally meet you face to face."

"I feel the same way, Lambda. And thank you for everything."

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Naught's Approach...

The party's mirth was appropriately tucked away for later as they reached Ansem the Wise's stakeout point on Naught's Approach: another outdoor walkway, this time with Darkness flowing across the metal floors from the doorway up ahead like runoff from a rainstorm. Riku had never seen Ansem's real face, but Sora recognized him from an image file on what was now Tron's computer terminal in Radiant Garden. He was hunched over a complex-looking gadget: the source of the green beam toward Kingdom Hearts that they'd seen earlier. However, Sora was no expert, but the device didn't look very stable. Ansem was using all his strength to keep it in place as it jostled and shook.

No one had a chance to say any greetings before a Dark Corridor opened nearby. "I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts..." Xemnas' oily, condescending voice followed him out of the Corridor. "And look; here you all are." The glares of ten heroes met his approach, but Xemnas focused on Ansem. "Ansem the Wise...you look pathetic."

Ansem harrumphed and turned back to his task. "Have your laugh. I deserve it for failing to see you for the fool you are."

"Students do take after their teachers. After all, none of this would have happened without you. You are the source of all Heartless! It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared."

"That sounds like an excuse to me," Lambda muttered, but she was ignored.

Ansem slowly showed more anger. "I admit, my disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one. But what were you seeking?! You erased me from the world, only to take my name and continue research better left forgotten...is this the answer you've been looking for?"

"All that and more. I'm continuing research you yourself began, and I'm building a whole new world, one heart at a time. I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever do is hold me back."

Xion wondered, "Is that what this is really about? No, it can't be. If the Heartless invasion never happened, the Xemnas I know would have found some other way to end up here." She was ignored; nothing could break through the walls locking Xehanort and Ansem in this battle of wits and wills.

Nothing but the Kingdom Hearts Encoder, which continued to go out of control. Ansem's face and voice showed no stress except his contempt for Xehanort, but his shoulders shook with the effort of holding down the Encoder. It wouldn't be much longer now, but Ansem had a few last things to say. "Xehanort; foolish apprentice of a foolish man. You have surpassed nothing; only proven how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach. We're both ignorant...as oblivious as when we began. I'm afraid that any world you try to create - any Kingdom of yours...would only be an empire of ignorance! That is why you and your creation are destined to fall!"

The Encoder began to spray sparks. The globes on its stand spun faster and faster. Mickey cried out, "Ansem, the machine!"

Ansem chanced looking at Mickey to better convey the urgency of his last orders. "Run, my friend! It's going to self destruct, and anything could happen! Riku, you know what to do! And Roxas, I know you won't forgive me, but...I am sorry." Light began to streak out of the device. "We've said enough! Farewell!"

A shining force began to expand around the Encoder. Ansem grimly faced his fate. Mickey tried to dash forward, but Riku caught him, shielding the rest of the party from the ensuing blast with his back. Sora and the rest looked on helplessly. As for Xemnas, he tried to hide a spark of true fear in his eyes by leaving through a Dark Corridor. And the Encoder exploded.

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Ansem the Wise's fail-safe...

A wave of Light washed over everyone present, temporarily blinding them all. Too bad for them; the explosion itself was quite a sight to see. A column of swirling light blasted into the sky like a mushroom cloud. Explosions trailed up the green beam as it faded away; when the explosions reached Kingdom Hearts, they blasted a huge chunk right out of the middle of the faux moon. Hearts rained down from the hole, drifting into the Dark City like snow. In the streets, lesser Nobodies tried and failed to catch the hearts; wherever the hearts landed, puddles of Darkness formed, releasing Shadows by the hundreds. (The fact that the only Heartless created were Purebloods meant the falling hearts were still free, thankfully).

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Back at Naught's Skyway...

When everyone could see again, Ansem, Xemnas, and the Encoder were nowhere to be found. There was a more interesting sight to see, though: Riku. The blast had blown all the Darkness away from Riku's body and heart. Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) no longer lurked within him, and he no longer needed the villain's body. Sora and Lambda summed up everyone's reactions the same way: "Whoa...!"

Interestingly, Riku's body seemed to have grown while it had been replaced with Ansem's; Lambda was pretty sure his hair wasn't quite that long before. A haircut was definitely in order. Also, Dear Light, look at those muscles! Riku had been pushing himself beyond human limits for quite some time, of course. Getting into (even better) shape was to be expected. He was taller than he had been, but still a bit shorter than Ansem.

He had also reacquired his blindfold somehow. Lambda had almost forgotten that Riku used to wear a blindfold to hold the Darkness back. He'd come such a long way since then.

Sora jumped for joy. "Riku, you're you again! But...are you gonna take that off?"

"Take what off? ...Oh." He legitimately hadn't noticed he was wearing a blindfold. Well, if that wasn't proof that he didn't need it anymore, then what would be? With a bit of trepidation, he undid the knot under his hair and let the blindfold fall, then opened his eyes.

Lambda jumped for joy. "Your real eyes are back! I really have missed that color!"

Riku chuckled at her antics; after all they'd been through, was his eye color really such a big deal? "Thanks for sticking with me all the way, Lambda."

Sora frowned at them. Now that Riku was really back, it was time to clear up some things. "You two...why did you try to do so much on your own? You've got friends - like us!" Sora indicated himself and the five other Keyblade-wielding heroes behind him. Well, three Keyblade wielders and Donald and Goofy.

Lambda crossed her arms in exasperation. "Well, it wasn't my idea."

Riku smirked. "I'll tell you why. It's because I'm not a total sap like you."

Sora frowned petulantly, but Lambda came up behind Riku and flicked his nose. "Don't lie, dear. You've been a bigger sap than Sora the whole time we were together!"

Riku clutched his poor abused nose, but had to concede the point. "Good point, dear. We did go to all that trouble to help him catch up with us in terms of sappiness."

"Point: Lambda."

Riku groaned good-naturedly. "Well, no point hiding, then. We're coming for you, Xemnas!" He ripped off his Black Coat and flung it away behind him. On top of proving Riku's total badassery, this action revealed another outfit he was wearing underneath.

Lambda was particularly impressed, since she knew they'd never bought any new clothes for either of them. Yet somehow, Riku was dressed in a white and yellow vest over a black, sleeveless shirt with a zipper, along with blue jeans and white-and-yellow sneakers (which were sized for a normal human, unlike Sora's enormous shoes). "Where did that outfit come from?"

Riku suddenly realized that for the first time ever, even he didn't know how he did that. "Uh...No clue. Just roll with it."

"Acknowledged." This was far from the weirdest thing they'd seen today. It was quite convenient, too! "You might want to check if your powers were affected, though."

"Good idea." Riku concentrated and formed a blob of Darkness over his hand. "Yeah, it looks like I've lost a lot of Darkness. Luckily, Xehanort's Heartless went with it, but I don't think I can create his Guardian anymore. Or abuse that flash-step move I've relied on for a while. But I still have a little bit of power, and now I have the Keyblade!" He summoned Way to Dawn, just to prove he could.

"I wish I had one of these," Lambda thought aloud. Then she caught herself with her hand gripping the hilt over Riku's. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She jerked her hand back, wondering at the strange tingling sensation left in her palm.

Riku rolled his eyes. For a sentient machine, Lambda could be so random sometimes. "If I could give you one, I would. You don't need to make it sound so...scandalous, though."

Kairi spoke up. "You two are just hopeless. Don't you have bad guys to beat?"

Riku groaned in mild disappointment. "Yeah. Yeah, we do. Xemnas is the Organization's last survivor. He probably won't be happy about the huge crater Ansem left in Kingdom Hearts. But even if he can't finish his plan, we can't leave him alone. Take it from me; Xehanort doesn't take 'no' for an answer. So we'd better get him out of the way." Riku forged onward into the next room.

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A/N: Yep, almost a month between updates again. Thank you all for your patience and encouragement!

So, what did you think of the return of Roxas and Xion? There's actually at least one other important thing that happened here; the event and its significance will be revealed in the next chapter.

Feel free to review and/or PM me with your guesses...or just to gush about Breath of the Wild for a while. It's such a good game! If you have it, I'll take it as a compliment that you're reading this instead of adventuring in the wilderness of Hyrule right now.