The Road to Dawn
By Ariana Aislinn
Chapter 27: The Keyblade of Twilight

Well, here it is. Many thanks, again, to Megumi and Perhelediel for beta-reading this! I especially could not do this without Megumi's help, because she's so good at helping me find plot inconsistencies and awkward phrasing, things like that. I hope you like this chapter - we're going to pick up the pace soon, with more action!

Standard disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Square-Enix and Disney, not me.

Kairi's heartbeat gradually slowed, and she gulped for breath, staring at Naminé and Roxas. Naminé closed her eyes, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks.

"Naminé?" Roxas' voice was concerned. "Come on, look at me. Open your eyes, okay?"

She scrubbed at her face with her hand. "Oh, Roxas, I'm sorry! If I hadn't strayed from home, then none of this…" She choked back a sob.

"Shh," Roxas told her, hugging her around the shoulders. "It would have happened anyway. We might have been caught in the middle of it, and we might not have. What's the point in asking why, though? That was eleven years ago, and we were just kids." He sighed. "I spent most of those years blaming myself, you know. I think Mom and Dad blamed me too, even though they never said it."

Kairi shook her head in confusion. "So…Roxas, Naminé is your sister?"

He nodded. "Yeah…we're twins." He sighed. "That wasn't all that happened, of course…that day was just the beginning of it all. The whole town was overrun by the Heartless after they got through with us, and a lot of people died that day, or were turned into Nobodies. No one could figure out just what was wrong with Naminé, and she slept for two days straight. When she woke up, it seemed as if everything was fine, but then…" He sighed. "Well, anyway, I think that's most of the memories. There's still a little missing, but…we'll get to it in a second. I think you two need a breather."

Naminé continued to cry, but now a shaky smile spread across her face as she clung to Roxas, who was beginning to look distinctly embarrassed. "All this time, I thought I had no family…and now…"

"Yeah, well…" He shrugged. "Come on, sit up straight. You doing okay?"

She sighed, letting Roxas go and taking a deep breath. "I'm fine, I think." She smiled. "The memories were just so…intense."

"I told you they might be. That was a…difficult day for all of us."

Kairi frowned. "I don't really understand what happened, though."

"Well, DiZ told you about shadows, right Kairi?" When she nodded, Roxas continued. "I know what the Organization told you, Naminé - that you were Kairi's shadow, and that meant you weren't a whole person - but a shadow really is a person in its own right. The Twilight World is a sort of reflection of Kairi's world, and that sometimes goes for people, too. It was pure chance that Kairi appeared right next to her own shadow."

"I think I understand," Naminé said slowly, "but what happened, when the light came pouring out of Kairi?"

Roxas shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. DiZ thinks it might be because Kairi's a princess of heart. That means she has a very pure heart, filled with light. The light might have been a…defensive reaction, I guess, but it reacted funny because she was holding her shadow's hand. She was very little and her power wasn't very strong, so it didn't last long, and when it came rushing back into her, that's when part of her heart bonded with yours, Naminé. That's something we need to restore to Kairi, along with her memories, once your own heart is whole again."

The hedges that lined the lawn in front of DiZ's mansion rustled softly. None of the three took any notice, so intent were they on Roxas and his explanation of that long-ago evening.

"But…there's one thing I don't understand. Why didn't Naminé or I lose our hearts when we were attacked? I mean, I saw the Heartless attack us, and then they went for…" Kairi's voice trailed off.

"For me." Roxas nodded. "That is, me and-"

"Axel," Kairi said softly.

"Yes, Axel." Roxas sighed.

"But…what was he doing there?"

"He's a member of Organization Thirteen," Naminé said thoughtfully, "but so were the - the Exes, the strangers who'd come to Twilight Town. I recognized them, in the memory - Larxene, Demyx, Xigbar, Vexen, and all the rest. Axel wasn't one of them, though."

"No, he wasn't," said Roxas, "but I'm not sure I could tell you exactly who he was. It's…a long story, and I don't really know all of it." He looked uncomfortable.

"It's part of my memories, isn't it?" asked Kairi.

Roxas nodded. "We're not ready to restore them yet, though."

"Right, we still have to figure out what happened after we passed out." Naminé eyed Roxas, unwilling to let the matter drop.

"Okay, fine!" Roxas made a face. "All right, here's what you probably don't know. A long time ago, DiZ explained to me what happens when a defenseless person is attacked by Heartless. In your world, Kairi, the darkness will invade a person's heart, drawing it out of the body, where it can be consumed by the Heartless. A new Heartless is born, and the victim's body vanishes. In the Twilight World, though, it works differently. The darkness doesn't separate the heart from the body - instead, it invades the heart and devours it, leaving it damaged, a broken, empty shell. The heart is still there, so the victim still lives - but with a lifeless and empty heart. In the Twilight World, someone consumed by darkness doesn't turn into a Heartless - they become a Nobody."

"So that's what a Nobody is." Naminé sighed sadly. "I remember…there were Nobodies running around town for a few days afterward, before they were finally defeated. A lot of townspeople were turned into Nobodies in the attack."

"Right, and a lot of people thought that's what happened to DiZ, too. Most of his servants and staff met the same fate - either that, or they ran away and never came back. A few people went to go check on the mansion a few days later, but all they found was a trail of blood and a few Nobodies still hiding out in the wreckage. So they high-tailed it out of there and never returned."

Naminé stared at him. "Wait…DiZ? DiZ is Lord Dumos?"

Roxas nodded. "The ruler of Twilight Town, yeah."

"Oh…so that's why he suddenly showed up at Castle Oblivion that day, wanting my help. I always wondered who he was and how he knew about me. No one else ever knew I existed."

Roxas smiled. "Lots of people know, Naminé, and most have never forgotten you. Eventually, when this is all over, you can come back here, and we'll go see Mom and Dad."

Naminé looked at him sadly. "We can't today, can we?"

He shook his head. "No. It would just…raise questions. Look, Naminé, no one here knows that DiZ is still alive, and no one knows I work for him. For that matter, no one here has any idea what's going on in the outside world, and I'm not sure they'd care if they did. Well, it's not that they wouldn't care, it's just that they wouldn't be able to see how they could do anything to help, or even if they should. The attack really shook them, you know. Twilight Town had been peaceful for hundreds of years, and then when people started dying left and right…well, you can imagine."

"Yes, I can." Naminé nodded. "All right then…I'd probably be much too nervous to go see them, anyway. We're getting off the subject, though, Roxas. You were telling us what happens to someone whose heart is taken by darkness in the Twilight World, but you didn't tell us why that didn't happen to us - or to you."

Roxas winced. "Well, it didn't happen to you because, uh…well, the Heartless got to the Exes first, as you saw. Their bodies were left intact, but their hearts were destroyed. I'm not exactly sure how they kept their human forms - the townspeople who turned into Nobodies didn't - but I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the strength of their hearts and of their own powers. DiZ said that to even get here, they must have had powerful magic of their own."

"But it wasn't enough to save them," Kairi murmured sadly.

"No, it wasn't. What's more, with their hearts destroyed, they lost who they had once been. They lost their ability to feel as humans do, and now they can only want and desire."

"And then?" pressed Kairi. "After they got the Exes, they came after us."

"Right, but then the light poured out of you and drove them back…and then, Axel rushed in and distracted the Heartless before they could recover from the light." Roxas swallowed hard. "DiZ - Lord Dumos - showed up, firing spells at them, but that's when it all went wrong. I'm not sure what happened, exactly, but uh - my heart sort of…got torn in two."

Naminé stared at him, her eyes wide. "But…how?"

Roxas shrugged. "No idea. It might have been DiZ - Lord Dumos - and his spells, interfering with the darkness, or it might have been Kairi's light, or it might have been Axel's magic. Maybe it was all of them. Anyway, when the darkness tried to take our hearts, a part of my heart was stolen from me. I'm not sure how it happened, but I do know…that was the moment Darkside was created."

Kairi shivered. "Darkside?"

"Yeah, the Superior…the leader of Organization Thirteen. Both a Nobody and a creature of darkness, he's the one who eventually united the other Nobodies - the Exes - under him to create the Organization. Somehow he got hold of a piece of my heart." Roxas swallowed uncomfortably. "That's how he's able to control me, and it's why I have to be careful never to get close to anywhere he might be. That's why DiZ wouldn't let me go with him to Destiny Islands - because the moment I got close to Darkside, he'd take me over again and I'd turn on everyone."

"And that's the reason you erased my memories," Naminé said sadly.

Roxas nodded. "That happened a while later, but yeah. I never would have done it, but Darkside forced me."

"So what happened after we all lost consciousness?" asked Kairi. "Did DiZ run the Heartless off?"

"No, he was too badly hurt." Roxas shook his head. "He stumbled back to the mansion before he passed out…but by that time the Heartless had begun to leave, heading down the hill and into the town. DiZ told me that he was on the other side of the gate, leaning against a hedge and trying to catch his breath, when he saw what happened next." Roxas closed his eyes. "There we were, the four of us, lying on the ground unconscious, and the Heartless were streaming away from us. That was when Ansem showed up."

Kairi started. "Ansem?"

"Yeah. There he was, silver hair, tanned skin, golden eyes - I swear, he looked just like he could be DiZ's twin, except for the hair. In fact, he's DiZ's shadow, I'm sure of it. Funny - at least two people met their shadows in Twilight Town that day. I've never been able to figure out if it was just coincidence or not. Anyway, he picked you up, Kairi, grabbing your hand and yanking it away from Naminé's, and another portal opened up in the hedges. He hauled Axel to his feet - I think he was starting to wake up then, but he was really groggy - and he pushed him through the portal, then he just dumped you through after him, Kairi. DiZ was pretty angry when he told me all that. I think he started to hate Ansem from the first time he saw him, because of that - long before he knew about the experiments and the powers of darkness. Anyway, just before Ansem went through the portal, he realized the Exes were still lying there, and I guess he got curious. He picked them up like they were nothing, even the biggest of them, and just shoved them through the portal, too. After that, Ansem followed, but there was some kind of…dark mist following him, I guess. At least, that's what DiZ said - he said it was Darkside, just beginning to take form. As soon as Ansem was through, the portal disappeared…so, when the townspeople found us later on, it was just me and Naminé, lying there in the middle of the grass. DiZ was the only one who saw the whole thing, or most of it, and he almost died from his wounds in the attack."

Kairi shook her head. "I just don't get it. What was Ansem doing there, and what did he want - " she swallowed - "with me?"

A strange sound came from the direction of the hedges - like a sharp intake of breath. The three of them turned to look, peering into the brush. "Who's there?" Roxas called. "Come on out and show yourself!" He turned to the girls and whispered, "I sure hope it's not Pence, snooping around. He's always been a little too interested in the 'haunted mansion' on top of the hill, and I have a heck of a time keeping him from finding out about DiZ."

Kairi frowned, looking carefully at the bushes, where she could just make out what appeared to be someone sitting down on the ground, then getting up, carefully and slowly. Then, with soft, slow footsteps, a familiar form came out from behind the hedge. "Kairi…?" he called hesitantly.

Kairi's heart caught in her throat as she found herself looking at a face she had seen so many times in her dreams. Getting to her feet, she rushed forward, running across the grass and almost knocking Sora over as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He staggered, grabbing onto a branch to steady himself. His arms went around Kairi in response, and he buried his face in her hair.

"You're safe," Kairi whispered. "I had no idea where you were, and Naminé didn't know where you'd gone after you left Castle Oblivion, and…" Her voice caught, and she couldn't continue.

"I'm sorry I took so long, Kairi." His voice was soft, and he took a deep, slow breath, hugging her tightly. Then Sora leaned back, holding her at arm's length. He grinned. "But what about you? Last I heard, you were safe and sound on Destiny Islands! What on earth are you doing here?"

"That's…a long story." She gave him a wavering smile of her own.

Sora released Kairi, but took her hand in his own. Their fingers intertwined, they walked back to join the others. "Well, I heard part of it. What's this about restoring memories?" His eyes met Naminé's, and he smiled. "Hi, Naminé! It's good to see you again. So, what's been happening here?"

Naminé managed a hesitant smile, but she shuffled her feet uncomfortably. Sora seemed completely oblivious to the strained look in her eyes as she answered quietly, "A…lot has been going on. It's good to see you too, though, Sora. I'm glad to see you found a way off Crossroads."

"Ah, yeah…" Sora grinned. "I guess someone told our friends in Hollow Bastion we needed a ride."

Kairi straightened. "You were in Hollow Bastion?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, Goofy and Donald are still there. Everyone says hi! …At least, I'm sure they would if they had any idea I was going to see you." He just looked at Kairi for a long moment, smiling as if he still couldn't quite believe he was seeing her, either.

Roxas simply grinned outright, in his typical casual way. "Hi, Sora…it's good to finally meet you."

Sora blinked and smiled back, a bit confused. "Uh…hi, Roxas, was it?"

Roxas nodded. "You got it. So…just how long were you standing over there?"

Sora colored. "Oh, whoops! Was I eavesdropping? I didn't mean to, I just stopped to catch my breath, and then I didn't want to interrupt - " He glanced at Kairi, then looked away again, his cheeks a little flushed. Naminé couldn't help but smile in spite of herself.

"Nah, it's fine." Roxas shrugged, unconcerned. "Actually, I'm glad you were there; it makes things easier. How much did you hear?"

"Hmm." Sora frowned, thinking, as he and Kairi sat down next to the others, their hands still joined. He wobbled almost imperceptibly as he lowered himself onto the grass. "I was there long enough to hear you explain about Nobodies, and what happens to a heart overtaken by darkness in this world. I know that somehow or other, this Heartless attack you were talking about was what created the Nobodies who make up the Organization, including their Superior, Darkside…and that…something happened to the three of you in the middle of all this." He looked away for a moment, swallowing hard, then looked back at Kairi again, as if reassuring himself that she was still there. "Am I right so far?"

"Sounds about right." Roxas nodded.

"So…what are all of you doing here, anyway?" Sora asked. "Kairi was back on Destiny Islands, last I heard, and Naminé was in Castle Oblivion."

"Roxas brought us here, to restore Naminé's memories. Naminé is my shadow, Sora, and she's the only one who can restore my own memories." Kairi sighed to herself, a little unsure if she truly wanted her memories back after what she'd already seen.

"Wait…what do you mean, Kairi?" Sora looked concerned. "How did you lose your memory? When was this?" He turned to look at Naminé, a pained expression on his face. The hurt in his eyes made her look away. "You erased her memories, too? But…why would you do that, Naminé?"

Roxas held up his hands placatingly. "Hey, don't look so upset, Sora. It happened a long time ago, and Naminé doesn't even remember it - not yet. We restored most of her memories, but the rest are going to take a little time to come back. She was only four, y'see, and Darkside made her do it…right before he made me erase Naminé's memories, too. It's a very long story. Trust me, though, we're going to make everything right again. You'll see."

"I don't entirely get it, myself." Kairi sighed. "I saw the memories as Naminé was reliving them, but I won't actually remember it all till my own memories are restored, I guess. But…what I don't really understand is how I got here, back on the day of the attack. Was it Ansem? And why did he do it? What happened after he took me away again?" She sighed. "I know he was the king of Hollow Bastion, and I know that's where I lived before I came to the Destiny Islands, but beyond that I really don't remember anything. It's all just a blank."

"Um, Kairi…" Sora looked uncomfortable. "There's something I've gotta tell you about Ansem. You might remember it, if your memory was restored, though. So, uh…do you want to hear it now, or would you rather wait till you get your memories back?"

Kairi thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't want to wait. I'm…not sure I'm ready for everything to come rushing back at once, after what I've seen already, and…I'd rather you tell me what you know first, Sora." She smiled at him so warmly that he couldn't help but smile back. "I think it'd be easier to hear it from you."

Sora squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. "Well…okay, here goes. First of all, I came here from Hollow Bastion. Leon and the others came to get us from Gateway - I guess DiZ told them we needed a ride. Anyway, we were looking through the library at Hollow Bastion, trying to find some leads so we could figure out where we should go next, and Donald and Goofy found one of Ansem's old journals. I sat down to read it while they took a break, and that's when I found this old entry that talked about some of his early experiments. Remember before, when we found a bunch of pages from Ansem's reports?"

Kairi nodded. "I think so. You showed some of them to me back in Traverse Town."

"Well, in those reports he talked about his experiments with the Heartless. This journal took it a bit further. First of all, he was studying portals made from darkness, and how he could use them to travel between worlds…but he was also studying the World of Twilight, I guess, and how darkness could affect a person there - I mean, here. He seemed sure he could use the powers of darkness here without being consumed by them and turning into a Heartless…but from what I overheard Roxas saying, he was dead wrong. He wouldn't have lost his heart, but it wouldn't have been much different than if he had."

"It looks as if that experiment never went anywhere, then, because Ansem ended up turning into a Heartless anyway."

"Right." Sora nodded to Naminé. "He did turn into a Heartless…but he managed to keep hold of his own will. But before all that he had an experiment planned, and I think he went through with it." He looked at Kairi sadly. "Ansem wrote in his journal how he was going to create a portal and send a test subject to the World of Twilight. Then he'd send Heartless to attack the subject and see what happened, to test his theory. He was…" Sora swallowed. "He was planning to send you, Kairi. And from the sound of things, that's exactly what he did."

Kairi stared at him. "But…why?"

Sora shook his head sadly. "You were an easy target - weak, helpless, perfect for what he needed. He said in his notes that a little girl wouldn't be able to fight off the darkness on her own, so he'd get to see firsthand what happened to you in the Twilight World. He was wrong, though - if his experiment had worked as intended, you'd be a Nobody now. But there were some things he hadn't counted on, either."

Naminé nodded. "Right. Me, Roxas, DiZ, and the Exes…Axel, too."

"So…" Kairi said slowly, "Ansem sent me here, and after everything went wrong, he carried me out again - back to Hollow Bastion, probably. But…why me?"

Sora sighed. "That's the other part of it. Leon finally spilled the beans about Ansem, Kairi. You know how he was the king of Hollow Bastion, before he went over to darkness and left the place in Maleficent's clutches?" She nodded. "Well, remember how we found out that you're a princess of heart? They meant it literally, Kairi. Ansem was…well, he was your uncle."

Kairi stared at him. "My uncle?" Her stomach seemed to knot in sudden revulsion.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, your mom's brother, according to Leon. So when Ansem was looking for a subject for his experiments…you were easy to get to, I suppose."

That seemed to make sense. Kairi twisted a blade of grass in her fingers as the silence stretched out between them.

"Are you…are you angry?"

She blinked at him in surprise, then smiled. "Oh, Sora, why would I be?"

He grinned hesitantly. "I dunno. It's just…well, it's not an easy thing to hear."

"No, it's not…but Roxas already warned me that the memories I've forgotten could be painful ones." She shrugged. "It's nothing you did, Sora, and I know you don't like to be the bearer of bad news…but thank you. I appreciate that you wanted to tell me the truth."

They exchanged smiles for a moment, before Kairi turned to Naminé and Roxas. "There's more, isn't there?"

Roxas nodded in assent. "You got it, lots more. And I can tell you already feel like your head's going to explode."

Kairi gave him a wry grin. "That's one way of putting it."

Naminé sighed. "Roxas, don't you think it can wait? Haven't we had enough of this for one day? Besides, Sora only just got here, and we've been doing nothing but talking his ear off. He looks so tired, too - like he's going to fall over any minute now."

Roxas frowned. "Hey, you're right, Naminé. Sora, how'd you get here, anyway? Did someone send you through a portal or something?"

Sora muttered to himself - they'd noticed. The tingling feeling had not improved, and his head was starting to buzz. "Well, uh…I sort of used Ansem's notes to figure out how to create a portal of my own - not with darkness, but using the Keyblade. It seems to have worked." He grinned.

Roxas did not return the grin. "It worked, if you mean that it got you here…but there are side effects when you don't use the power of twilight, you idiot!" He sighed in exasperation.

"Well, how was I to know?"

"Fine, I get your point, but this really puts us in a bind. DiZ would know the best way to deal with this, but he's gone now, and we don't know when he'll be back." Roxas got to his feet, muttering under his breath. "Well, let's get you inside, at any rate. It's getting on towards dinnertime anyway, so maybe we can scrounge up some food."

"Sora, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Worry touched Kairi's voice as she helped him get to his feet.

Sora wobbled unsteadily and put a hand to his head, but he grinned, trying to look unconcerned. "Of course I'm okay! Nothing a little rest won't cure."

As the four of them stood, they froze, hearing a low rumble in the distance. The sky grew dim as the last of the sun's rays slipped beyond the horizon, and they realized they could hear the uneven staccato of a great many footsteps making their way up the hill to DiZ's mansion.

"Heartless," Sora said grimly.

"Are you sure?" Naminé frowned.

"I'd know that sound anywhere." The Keyblade appeared in his hand, taking the intricate, silver-white form of the Oathkeeper. "Everyone, get behind me!"

Roxas swore under his breath. "You idiot! Damn it, you can hardly stand, and you expect to fight? What are you thinking?"

"Have you got a better idea?"

"I'm sure I could think of one if you gave me a second, instead of jumping in and letting your adrenaline think for you!"

"Hey, calm down, both of you!" Kairi scowled. "Roxas, is there a way for us to get out of here?"

He shook his head. "No. The road's a dead end up here, so the only way out is through the Heartless. We could head into the mansion and try to barricade the door, but that wouldn't hold them for long."

"We can't take a portal out of here?"

"DiZ thinks we're safe, remember? He won't come looking for us for several days, at least, and he's the only one who could create a portal."

Sora shrugged. "I guess fighting's the only way. I know it's not a very good plan, Roxas - but it looks like the only one we've got. All of you, get inside and bar the doors. I'll buy you some time."

Roxas threw his hands in the air and stomped forward to stand next to Sora. "Fine, if you're going to be stupid about it, I'll just have to join you."

"Can you fight without a weapon?"

"No, but why should that stop me? You can't fight either, not in your condition!" He scowled irritably. "We're just going to have to make a stand together."

Naminé started forward. "But how is that going to-" She froze. A brilliant golden light appeared before Roxas, engulfing his forearms. His eyes went wide, and he took a step backwards. The light faded, and he found himself holding a Keyblade, its hilt a polished silver and its blade a bright, burnished gold.

Sora couldn't help but laugh. "The Keyblade of Twilight! That's why I came here - I was looking for it, or for its bearer. Guess I found both!"

Roxas frowned. "No. That's not right, it's…" He sighed. "Oh well, I'm not gonna throw it away now, not when it can help us." He mimicked Sora's fighting stance, holding his Keyblade at the ready.

The footsteps were growing closer, and the first Heartless crested the hill. To their surprise, however, they were not just Heartless - silver-gray shapes were mixed in amid the mass as well, winding and undulating up the cobblestone road.

"Nobodies," Roxas whispered, the color draining from his face. "That means…"

A portal appeared, swirling blackness shot with purple, and a tall figure wrapped in a black, leather coat emerged. His hood was up, hiding his features from view, but they could see the faint green glint of his eyes. The man spotted Roxas and grinned, his teeth flashing faintly from within the hood. "Ah…DiZ's apprentice. Good to see you again, kid."

Roxas glared at him. "Darkside."

Aww, Sora and Kairi - finally! And it only took 27 chapters to get them back together. :P I suppose I don't need to kill myself getting chapter 28 posted soon, but it's been a while since I wrote my first draft of it and I almost can't believe it still isn't up. I thought I finally had it finished, but Megumi pointed out a bunch of major logical inconsistencies, so I have some editing and rewriting to do yet. But...I will say that it has had some serious impact with my beta readers so far, so hopefully everyone else will like it! (I guess. Please, Megumi, put down the pitchfork. Please! I'm sorry, already! XD I'll make it up to you!)