Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything Disney or Final Fantasy related.

Chapter Nine

The Coliseum was fascinating, even if Kairi hated to see fighting for simple sport. The Underworld on the other hand, made her shiver in fear. It was where they had first been – Sora had quickly herded them up the bright stairs and into an area that led to the giant Coliseum and Sora's friends. Ignoring the cheers she could hear, she curiously squinted at the listings of previous tournaments. She recognized some of the names – and there, at the beginning of every list was Sora's. He had won them all.

"Quite a kid, your friend," A voice said from behind her. She whirled around, her eyes wide in surprise as she stared at the dark haired woman who had come up to her.

"Hey, calm down girl. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Megara. Call me Meg. I'm a friend of Hercules and your little pipsqueak there." Megara had an earthy, knowing look to her – as if anything Kairi said just wouldn't surprise her. Kairi searched for the word a moment before finding it. Megara looked a bit... jaded.

"I'm Kairi," She said softly, smiling slightly at the description of Sora. "He's still young. He'll grow – though his father and mother weren't much taller; both were shorter than Riku is now."

"Poor kid. Shorty forever. Well, at least he managed to get a little taller than you. Boys seem to have this problem with being shorter than their girls. Don't know why. But men are all about size, half the time. You know what I mean?" Megara was grinning wickedly. Kairi was sure the older woman thought it quite probable she didn't know what was meant. Which was true.

'Well, in Sora's case, there is the size of his shoes to consider,' Naminé piped in, giggling as Kairi realized just what Megara was talking about – and now Naminé. She was shocked that her Nobody would even have heard about that.

'I was living with a bunch of men and Larxene for many months. While for the most part they were quite focused on business, if Larxene, Axel, and Marluxia were put into the same room the conversation was bound to get interesting. Usually not that crude, but once in awhile... Well.' Naminé was a bit embarrassed to be revealing this to her Other, but Kairi just giggled and felt sorry for the other girl. From the flashes of Larxene she could see, the Nobody hadn't been the best female companion that could have been asked for.

"I'm sure Riku and Sora have probably figured out their own size issues long ago," Kairi said sweetly to Megara, resisting the urge to grin at the slight flash of surprise in the woman's eyes and the stretching of her lips into an interested smirk.

Megara shifted to run her hand up one of the lists. "You're not as innocent as I thought. Especially not for a Princess."

"I wasn't raised as a Princess. I grew up with those two and someone has to keep them in line." Kairi grinned and followed Megara's gaze to where Hercules' name sat just below Sora's. She had to smile. He just seemed to beat whoever he came up against.

"And it helps you're in love with the hero, huh?" She was suddenly caught under a piercing gaze and Kairi struggled to throw off the question, but Megara didn't seem like she was being cruel – just sympathetic.

"I... Yes. He's my friend. I still do have feelings for him, and I don't know if they'll ever really go away but... He's in love with... Someone else." She avoided Megara's eyes – and avoided looking toward her boys. She could hear Sora's cheerful voice and Riku's lower murmur mixing with Hercules' amused tones.

Megara sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "In love with the other one, huh? Don't worry about it, I don't care," Megara said in response to Kairi's startled look. "Surprised you're not jealous."

"How can I be? Riku makes him happy – and he makes Riku happy, something that I don't think anyone else could do. And I'm content as I am, being friends with them both."

"No darkness in your heart. Sora explained that once. I didn't think it was possible, but there really isn't, is there?" Megara seemed to be asking the question mostly to herself. Kairi didn't answer, instead looking away. She had never realized that could be part of it – that maybe she could feel jealousy for fleeting moments, which she had, but that her heart just didn't allow too many of the darker emotions to lurk for long. It was against her basic nature.

"Is it so bad, to be happy because they're happy?" She asked, feeling suddenly, and oddly, defensive.

"Nah. Just makes you a bit better than the rest of us," Meg replied and smiled down at her with clouded eyes. "Come on, let me show you some sights of the city. The men folk will be talking shop for awhile."

They had been in the city, and mostly around the Coliseum, for a few days, and Kairi could tell Riku was beginning to get restless. They were looking for a special object that would open another path out of this world and to a brand new one – but what special object that would be, Kairi didn't know. She had been spending most of her time touring the city with Megara.

"Sora usually found the ways to open new paths within a week – and by accident! Sometimes it wouldn't even take a day! He said so." Riku was beginning to pace. Kairi sighed and stared at the portal to the Underworld. Sora had gone back down there today instead of hanging out with Hercules. He hadn't yet returned and she was beginning to become anxious. For that matter, she was sure Riku was as well. It didn't help that she was half-expecting someone or something to attack them at anytime. Besides the normal Heartless and Nobodies, there had been no sign of anything hostile. Not since the Nobody Riku had destroyed.

That was why she was expecting the worst. She knew Riku was as well. It was for that reason he was snapping more often than normal – he wanted them safe and when both she and Sora were wandering in different directions he could only choose one of them. Actually, she was quite sure Riku had trailed her more often than he had Sora. She was the one who needed more help when battles popped up, anyways. Though she was getting better with those daggers – she just wished she could call that Keyblade by herself. It belonged to her – at least, she thought it did. It felt right when she held it, but so far only Riku had been able to call it and give it to her, and she hadn't questioned him on it.

"We'll find it eventually. Sora was usually helping people at the same time as he managed to stumble on whatever opened new paths. He has luck with that." Kairi smiled affectionately as she thought of their spiky-haired friend and his tendency to help whoever he came across. It was possible it would get him in trouble some day – or maybe it really already had. But she and Riku were there to make sure that nothing really personally bad happened to him.

"We could help people," Riku muttered, but he sounded unsure.

"If we stumbled onto something like Sora used to I'm sure we would. But until then we just have to search for a different way to find a path," Kairi responded reasonably.

"Right," Riku grumbled. Kairi hid her smile and glanced once again toward the portal – and then to the Coliseum. Just standing around waiting for Sora wouldn't help anyone.

"I'm going to go into the Coliseum. Hercules is fighting a monster or two today, and Meg is in there. Come find me when Sora gets back, okay?" She watched his expression change and she added, "I'll come right back out once Hercules is done fighting. I'll be perfectly safe."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Perfectly safe when there is a monster in the arena?"

Despite that very valid point she shot him an exasperated glance and began walking toward the Coliseum. "I'll be fine, Riku. It will be focused on Hercules. I just want to watch. I promise I won't go any farther than that without coming to tell you first."

"Fine. But once Sora is back we should all look for the way to open the path. Together." His voice was tight with an emotion she couldn't name and she stopped to glance back at his tense frame and bit her lip. She had been spending a lot of time with Megara, and with Riku making sure she was safe, Sora and him hadn't been spending much time together either. To be truthful, she was beginning to miss their presence.

"Of course. Once Sora gets back we'll look together. I can't let you boys have all the fun." She didn't really think it would be fun to search the Underworld – which was where they probably would be looking – but it would be fun to spend time with them.

The Coliseum was packed, just like it always was when there was a match with Hercules going on. Naminé briefly stirred to look out and then Kairi felt her drift and fade. Naminé was not very interested in watching people fight monsters for sport. Neither was Kairi, really, she wanted to spend time with Meg and watch Hercules. All of the other matches she ignored.

She found Meg easily enough. The woman was sitting mostly by herself – there was a young man close by, but there was a polite distance between him and her – and everyone else had put a more than polite distance between themselves and Meg. Kairi shook her head and sighed. It was a negative effect of being Hercules's love. They were nervous being near her. Monsters might attack her, Hercules might get the wrong impression – it was sad, really. Kairi ascended up the stands of the coliseum, unafraid of being near the personable young woman with her sarcastic sense of humor and her jaded personality.

She ended up sitting between Megara and the young man – she didn't want to offend him by sitting away from him. He gave her a polite and welcoming smile before turning his attention back to the still empty arena. She turned and smiled at her friend. "Riku's pacing outside, waiting for Sora to come back."

"Surprised he didn't follow you here," Meg snorted, shaking her head. Kairi shrugged, knowing Meg had seen instantly how protective Riku was of both his friends.

"I convinced him that I was near enough that he could get to me in time if anything dangerous happened – and that Hercules was protection enough from almost anything. He'll still probably come running in here once Sora comes back to make sure I'm safe." Kairi couldn't keep a bit of annoyance out of her voice. She knew his concern was well founded. She just wished it wasn't. She wished she could defend herself like they could. But they had two years of battle practice on her, plus all of the games and sparring they had done before that.

"Well, he'll get better as you get better." Kairi stared at Meg in surprise. The woman grinned. "Think I didn't notice you carrying those daggers about and practicing whenever you could get the time? You're not good, and you need to find someone to train you eventually, but it's good to have a weapon on you."

"We'll be moving fast. I won't have much time to find someone to help me. Besides, I... if there's time, it's easier to fight with the Keyblade." She flicked her eyes away from Meg's face and toward the arena after registering the look of surprise and seeing Meg giving her that familiar contemplating look that mean she had once again realized she had underestimated Kairi. "Look, the fight is starting."

Meg allowed for the distraction, and for a few minutes there was nothing but cheers from around them as they both watched Hercules fight the monster. Suddenly, a voice from her other side spoke up, his tone slightly sad. "Poor monster. Taken from where it belongs on behalf of a god who won't do his own work."

Kairi glanced in surprise at the young man to her side. "It's a monster. It probably killed people where it came from anyway. Hercules is doing what is best."

"Possibly. And I agree with the hero's actions. But think of how confused the monsters must be. It won't ever end. Hercules will always be fighting, and the monsters will always be dying until there are no more left – and then Hades will probably create more." The man sounded almost depressed. She couldn't help but wonder how involved he was in the monster's plight – or if he saw something else in them.

"I know someone like Hercules," She said softly. "But his monsters seek him out."

"Ah. I'm surprised you would want to watch more fighting if that is the case," The young man said, turning his head toward her. She met gray eyes and smiled, wondering why something about this calm, understanding man made her feel uneasy.

"Hercules is a friend of ours. I don't like watching most fights, but this is different," She responded. She kept most of her attention on the arena but made sure to glance back at him as he responded.

"The other fights... the ones just for sport? Despicable," He scoffed, and she was surprised that he did look truly angry. Curiosity won over her wariness and she turned a bit in her seat to offer him her hand.

"I'm Kairi." She smiled and watched as he returned it almost shyly, tucking a loose strand of his long black hair back before reaching out to clasp her own hand. There were calluses on his palm that reminded her of her boys – this man was a fighter as well. That explained his opinions.

"Nayet," He said. She dropped his hand and relaxed. It would be good to talk to someone who wasn't part of their journey or knew all about Sora or Riku for a few minutes.

Later as she stared down the stairs to the Underworld, she wished that conversation with Nayet would have lasted a bit longer and that she was not about to descend into a place where only the dead and immortal were supposed to tread. But she had only been talking with him for half an hour when Sora and Riku came back, and now they were looking down into the Underworld. Sora had explained that if the object was anywhere, it was more likely to be down in the Underworld, as it was last time, but... She didn't want to go down.

"Don't worry Kairi. There's nothing we can't beat when all three of us are here!" Sora told her, grinning over his shoulder. She quickly smiled in return and he looked ahead, staring to go down. Riku put a hand on her shoulder and she glanced at him.

"The faster we get down, the faster we get out of this place all together," Riku whispered, and she gave him a much more sincere smile before taking a breath and stepping down the first step. She knew they would want to put her between them, in case she fell. Though, as she watched Sora race headlong down the stairs – which had no railing or any way to keep him from falling off – she was glad that Riku was the one behind her.

"He's going to break his neck," Riku muttered from behind her. She stifled a giggle in the palm of her hand. It would have sounded slightly hysterical. She didn't know why the Underworld scared her so much – she had been to the World That Never Was. But the place was so – clichéd as it was – lifeless.

She continued down, her eyes on Sora and replied, "That would be an ironic end to it all, but if he wanted to, he could just... do that."

She stared in dismay as he began to glide and then glared at the long staircase. "Remember when you said you were going to chain him to the ground?"

"Yes. Want to help?" He asked, and she could hear the amusement in his tone.

"Yes," She answered and focused on keeping her footing the rest of the way down the stairs. Her legs ached and her knees trembled slightly as they finally came down off the last step. She laid her eyes on Sora just as he opened his mouth and she saw him hesitate. She could practically see him reconsidering his words as he smiled ruefully.

"Sorry guys. I guess it's a bit harder without glide," He said, and she sighed and looked pleadingly at Riku who was giving their friend and exasperated look.

"Sora, what if we had been attacked on the stairs?" Riku asked and Kairi could hear him listing the questions in his mind that would lead Sora to realize why going ahead of them so far had been a bad idea.

"Oh, they never do," The brunet replied cheerfully. Kairi blinked. That was an odd way to put it. Besides, just because they hadn't before... things had obviously changed.

"They could have, Sora," Riku replied sharply and she was as stunned as Sora to realize that there was real anger in his voice. Upon realizing they were both staring at him Riku shifted his gaze to stare off into the river. "Never mind."

"Um, I'm sorry?" Sora offered hesitantly, looking at her helplessly when Riku didn't change his stance. She gestured encouragingly, glancing worriedly between them. "I guess I wasn't thinking."

She bit her lip – and then her gaze hardened when she saw Riku's expression. It hadn't softened an ounce and she could bet he was about to snap at Sora. She glared and was satisfied to see his eyes flicker over to her and hesitate. She doubted it was because she was scary – but this wasn't a place for an argument, especially one so trivial. She didn't know why Riku had suddenly snapped like that, but they couldn't risk that now.

"Just... watch it next time," Riku muttered and Kairi glanced at Sora to see him looking relieved. She wasn't, not really, but then, Sora was just glad to be out of the argument. She could see the way Riku's eyes lingered on Sora - eyes shadowed - whenever the boy wasn't looking. She had to wonder how long that had been going on, because now that she thought of it, Riku had been acting a bit oddly around Sora. Not enough to more than note offhand before, but now that he had reacted in such a strange manner, she could see it.

'Sora doesn't seem to expect it, or see it. They know each other well, but... When Sora is focused on one thing, like finding new paths, he doesn't tend to be very observant of other things,' Naminé commented, sounding just as worried as Kairi felt.

"What's that?" Riku asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She glanced across the river to where his gaze rested and frowned. There was a giant stadium there. It was a bit of a strange thing to see down here, and it reminded her of the Coliseum but much more insidious.

"That, my traitorous friend, is the Underdome," A voice answered from beside them as a cloud of smoke appeared and drifted away to reveal a man - a man who was blue. Kairi raised an eyebrow in mute curiosity.

"Hades," Both boys growled, both of their voices filled with loathing. She glanced at them and shuddered slightly. Riku could easily look dangerous and that wasn't surprising – but the anger in Sora's eyes, the actual rage was surprising, and she hated to see it, for, every time it sent chills down her back. It reminded her that Sora wasn't her playful island boy anymore, and was a warrior. She had known this, intellectually – but it was difficult seeing the actual proof.

"How nice, you remembered my name. I mean, for you, it's been what, two years since you've seen me. And here you are, all grown up, with muscles and everything." Hades was circling around, his mocking voice clearly directed at Riku.

"Leave him alone." Sora's voice was low and the Keyblade had appeared in his hands. Whereas Riku had not yet called Way to the Dawn and was simply eyeing the man – god, if she remembered correctly – suspiciously, Sora was crouched and fully ready to attack.

Hades backed up a couple of steps, but seemed more amused than anything else. "Slow down, short stuff. I'm not doing anything. Violence isn't always the right answer. A god's allowed to be a little curious at the intruders in his home, right?"

"We'll be out of here as soon as we find a way to open a new path," Riku responded warily. He shifted his position to keep Hades in his eyesight as the god glided around him.

"Really, what'd you lose this time, kid? Your brains; common sense?" Hades paused a beat, this time direction his question at Sora. "Wait, you never had any of those."

"Oh yeah? Even if I don't, I'm not the one who keeps getting his butt kicked in every battle, am I?" Sora responded cockily. Kairi glanced at him in surprise. She hadn't expected Sora to be so headstrong when facing a powerful opponent.

"Heh. But you had Hercules's help. That's cheating," Hades said smugly.

"Andyou had Auron's free will held hostage. That's cheating," Sora retorted.

"Can we go?" Riku asked suddenly, sounding bored. She knew it was faked, and she bet Sora did too – but whether Hades did was another story.

Hades narrowed his eyes – and then backed off, smiling crookedly. "Sure, sure, go right ahead. I won't stop you."

With that vague statement – that had her tensing along with the boys – the god disappeared. She glanced at Sora, who was still glaring at the spot in which Hades had been, his grip on the Keyblade turning his knuckles white. Her gaze turned to Riku, who was staring moodily at the same spot.

"Right," She breathed and then spoke up, in a brighter tone, "We should get going."

In a low tone that she was sure Riku at least heard, she added as they began to walk, "I want to get out of here as quickly as possible."

'I wish if he was going to keep staring at Sora he would just say something about what is bothering him. Even Sora is beginning to notice,' Naminé said as the three rested in a small cavern. They had been searching for hours, been in a few battles – which Kairi had managed better than she had before, but still not nearly up to the level that she wanted to be at – and were now eating at the only food they actually carried on them. Sandwiches weren't very filling, but the energy they gave was what they needed.

'I know. It'll come out eventually,' Kairi comforted. Except that they both knew it would come out at the most inopportune time when neither boy was ready to discuss whatever was on Riku's mind – or probably argue about it, really.

"If it turns out to be the Olympus stone again I'm going to beat Hades unconscious." Sora paused and then sighed. "Or try. Stupid power sucking Underworld."

"What?" Kairi asked at the same time Riku spoke up. Sora's confused blue eyes glanced back and forth between them.

"I didn't tell you? The Underworld weakens parts of us. I can't transform, for one, and I just feel generally weaker." He was looking at them both in such confusion, unaware apparently of Riku grinding his teeth or Kairi's own sudden need to sink her head into her hands.

"You couldn't have told us this earlier?" Riku ground out slowly.

"I thought I did. I'm sorry guys." Under his truly apologetic look, Kairi sighed and smiled tightly, relieved that Riku didn't do anymore than mutter under his breath after that. Any of them could forget to do things sometimes and with the stress they were under and Hades interruption, Kairi could easily forgive her friend.

"We forgive you," Kairi answered for them both. She paused a moment, just incase, but there wasn't even a hint of dissent from Riku and she continued wearily, "Any clues where to go next?"

Sora looked thoughtful and her fingers twitched when he ran a hand through his hair. It was already messy enough, it wasn't like he was messing it up more, but she just wanted to stop him from doing it. His expression changed from thoughtful to frustrated and he sighed. "We could check out Hades' room, or the stadium."

She bit her lip at his tone and glanced at Riku for help – but he was staring at the floor with that same brooding expression he had been wearing lately, which she was beginning to associate with problems involving Sora. It was subtly different than his usual sulking and brooding – mostly because Riku's eyes flickered to the other boy once in awhile and the brooding led to him getting angry most of the time instead of depressed.

Before any of them could say a thing, the sound of distant, high-pitched laughter rang through the air. All three of their heads snapped up. Riku was the one to ask suspiciously, "Are there children down here?"

"There shouldn't be. And if there are, they probably aren't normal ones," Sora muttered in return.

Kairi took a deep breath and stood up. She gripped her daggers firmly in her hands. "Let's find out."

The three marched forward quickly and Kairi's heart pounded. Another fight was probably ahead of them. She was exhausted, but it was mostly mental at this point. Curaga helped – up to a point. It couldn't restore energy, just heal them. But she was determined that she would keep up with her boys. She wouldn't be left behind ever again, and even if she exhausted herself, she would still be by their sides.

The sound came again, fainter, as they reached a fork and the boys began to take the left path. She hesitated a moment, because this time the sound was more like children crying – and barred gates slammed down behind Riku and Sora.

The boys immediately whirled around and attacked them and she cried out – immediately stopping when she realized that would only give them away. The gate had no apparent lock – and oddly, wasn't moving under the boys' pounding. Sora especially was surprising in his ferocity and even when Riku took a step back to consider the problem as he caught his breath the boy was slamming Ultima into the gate. Worriedly, she stepped up. "Sora."

"Kairi, I can't..." He stopped and looked up helplessly, pleadingly, and she reached through the bars to put a hand on his wrist.

"I know. Look... I'll just follow this path. It has to come out somewhere, right? If we're lucky, we'll meet up again or this will disappear once we're out of sight and we'll backtrack and be able to meet up again." She tried to smile and was surprised to feel a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at Riku.

Aqua eyes were studying her carefully. "Don't get hurt." His eyes slid to the boy by his side and he smirked. "I wouldn't be able to deal with a depressed Sora again."

Her lips curved into a grin, recognizing his typical cover-ups for his very real concern. "I'll be careful – I'll run if too many Heartless show up. Promise."

Sora looked as if he were about to protest. She gently squeezed the wrist she held. Her eyes caught his and she withdrew her hand from between the bars and stepped back, out of Riku's reach. "Look, if it's a major enemy, they would probably be more worried about you two than me. You two are the ones that will probably be in trouble."

"Kairi..." Sora whispered, and Riku used the hand that had been on her shoulder and moved it to his, squeezing lightly. It was the first gesture Riku had made toward Sora in the past few hours that wasn't tinged with anger or hurt.

Riku pulled Sora away and smiled a bit bitterly. "The faster we get moving the sooner we can find a way back to her."

"Right," She heard Sora mutter as Riku pulled him away.

She gave them one last brave smile and promised, "I'll be fine."

She didn't know how long it had been when she stumbled from the long hallway and into a cavern. She had just used her last potion after fighting her way through a pack of Heartless. She didn't remember what Sora had called them. She could only think that they looked like dogs. There had been other kinds before, but those were the last, piling on her, yipping and growling as they tore at her flesh and attempted to get at the one heart they couldn't have.

Her daggers cut through them and their darkness spilled onto the floor before they disappeared, a mockery of living blood. After a moment, there was not even that to prove that she had defeated them. She had been shaky and bleeding, and it had taken her last potion before she could get back to her feet. She wanted her boys back – she was better, but she wasn't strong enough. She needed more practice.

The cavern had seemed empty, but between one blink and the next there was a man sitting on a ledge. Her back stiffened as she recognized him, and the black portal closing behind him. The man – the Nobody sighed. Familiar gray eyes studied her from underneath black hair. Earlier that day she would have said they seemed sad. Now she knew that was but a mockery and there was nothing in those eyes but observation.

"I do wish that you had been one of your boys – it would be much better to have taken one out – or captured one, depending on which had taken to the trap. But you will have to do, Kairi, as bait at least. I do apologize for any inconvenience this causes you." Nayet – or whatever his name was – pushed himself off of the ledge and fell lightly to the ground.

"Don't bother apologizing. You can't mean it," She said fiercely, her knuckles turning white from the grip on her daggers. She could be lucky. He could perhaps not be as powerful as the Nobodies that retained their forms were supposed to be. Maybe she would be lucky, and be able to defeat him.

"Can't I?" He murmured, thoughtfully. "I wonder about that sometimes. You seemed to be an open-minded woman, Kairi. Don't you ever think upon Nobodies? We don't feel real emotions perhaps, but not even echoes? Or knowing what we should feel? There has to be something. Otherwise, why search for a heart in the first place? Why make the deal I have made if I don't at least feel the semblance of an emotion? Can't I mean it, Kairi?"

She stared at him, and trembled slightly at the desperate look in his eyes. When had the Heartless taken him? He looked no more than a couple of years older than her. He had still been young. And what were these Nobodies after? Hearts. Probably the same way Organization XIII had been. It was their fault her world was gone. Her heart hardened and her eyes narrowed. "No. You can't."

She rushed him first. He looked, for a moment shocked. But she ignored it, because he was a liar, and he didn't feel. Naminé was eerily silent in her mind. She raised her daggers for a strike – and had them blocked.

It was a chain, glinting on the dim light of the Underworld. She hadn't expected a chain, she had expected something firmer. She jumped back as he twisted one end in his hand to lash out at her. "What's your real name?"

"My real name is Nayet – the name I had in life." He had the chain wrapped around one wrist now and used that hand to lash it toward her again. "The others call me Yaxent. I dislike the change."

She blocked the chain with one dagger, expecting the chain to rebound off – but the chain wasn't one piece like other weapons, it was a string of links, and instead they wrapped around her dagger, embracing it, cradling it, and then taking it from her as Yaxent jerked it back.

Then there was only one dagger and she reminded herself not to make that mistake again. The next time her dagger clashed with the chain she pulled it away after only a tap and left the chain lying empty as she ducked under and onto her knees to come up and land a strike at him. It was then the noises started.

He hissed in pain – and it seemed to come from everywhere. Footsteps echoed from behind her and she half turned to see, only to have to block a chain from where Yaxent still stood. There was nothing behind her. Her blue eyes looked up at him, realization filling her mind.

'The one Riku fought created darkness to affect the sight, he creates noises to affect the hearing – it affects them as well, but he knows which noises are real,' Naminé murmured, and Kairi felt a sense of relief to know her Nobody was with her.

'Always,' Naminé promised as Kairi jerked away from the chain – only for it to be too late. It wrapped around her and pulled her forward. She jerked back, and cried out in pain as the chain slid off of her – dragging its links deep into her skin. When Yaxent pulled the chain back into his hands, there was a ring of blood forming around her wrist.

"You could give up," He suggested softly. She glared at him, and lunged forward.

This time she tried her magic as well. She was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't expected this. There was her first, Light Flare – and a new one she had begun to practice at Disney Castle. She hadn't yet named it, but when she felt her magical energy dwindling after multiple Light Flare spells - and Yaxent was beginning to block her magic more often than not - she began to focus energy for the new spell. Light formed around Yaxent, circling him, and she saw him stop to stare – and then focus on something behind her.

"Kairi!" It was two voices and she paused, relief filling her at the familiar sounds. She turned on instinct, searching the cavern – but the voices had come from a direction where there was no entrance.

She caught a glimpse of Yaxent's light colored clothes and his black hair from behind her before something collided with the back of her head and she sank into mocking darkness.

End Chapter Nine

I am sorry that had to happen to Kairi. But, I do promise that she is getting stronger –it's just a slow process. She will get a good jump forward later – but anyway, poor Kairi. Too bad she didn't get to use that spell. This will definitely make her more determined on their journey.