Chapter 32:
Safe is Just the State of Mind

A/N:6.10.11: Below, I mention Naminé living in two castles. I am almost 99% sure that this is not canon but, at the time when there was only KH 1, II, and CoM, this is what I thought. Added a lot of detail to this, actually.

6.25.09: I'm skipping around again when it comes to editing. Oops! Probably nothing too huge here, but I did add song lyrics. Why? Because I used some of the song's lyrics for the title already.

Old note: I'm pretty positive (as far as my reviewers go, anyway) that none of you have read my HP fanfic, which is good because I just deleted it. There was just too much controversy and it annoyed me to death, especially all the people telling me what to do all the time, so it's gone. xD

Disclaimer-(Since I forgot about this last time..) I. Do. Not. Own. Kingdom. Hearts. OR. Aladdin

'I can't complain if I don't know how.
It's a sad, sad song with no story line.
I fall to sleep in my rented room. It's not much to talk about;
I've got so much to talk about.
But I don't wanna let you,
I don't wanna let you down.'
-"Indoor Living" by Motion City Soundtrack

Keira found herself sitting quietly in the cell once more. Her mind no longer questioned whether or not she could trust Sora and the others, because she had come to her own conclusions. She had known Quince since childhood, and he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. Sora and the others had not even know her that long or that well, so, she decided, there was no way they could be counted on, let alone trusted. She almost did not despise them for abandoning her. Almost. She stared without seeing, not so much as blinking as yet another black coat passed with their hood drawn over their head. Many of them passed all the time, and she distantly wondered why they bothered hiding their identities; it was not as if she was leaving.

Roxas took the stairs from the dungeons and allowed a low sigh to escape his lips. He could tell that Keira wasn't going to last much longer; anyone with decent vision could see that. 'Our hearts will pity that girl,' Axel had said, 'but we can't set her free or anything. We have to hold back.' Hold back until what? Until Maleficent kidnapped Kairi and the last princess? And then what? Watch the witch steal their hearts and take over all the worlds? For the first time, he thought: 'this plan isn't gonna work.'

XxxxxX

Jasmine's room was, as expected, beautiful. The Princess had taken them on a tour throughout the palace and the wielders had been wowed at the beauty of it all. "It must be nice living in a palace," Naminé stated with some longing in her voice.

Kairi turned toward her other with a curious expression. "What are you talking about? You lived in two castles."

Naminé snorted. "Do you remember who I lived with? Besides, you can't compare either of them to here. There wasn't any beauty in either of those castles."

"You've got that right," agreed Riku.

"So things are just as bad as usual with you, Sora?" asked Aladdin as he, Jasmine, and Rajah led the way into the beautiful courtyard, which prominently featured a large fountain.

Sora rested his hands behind his head. "I wouldn't say terribly bad, but it isn't looking so nice for the worlds. Hey, where's Genie?" he added casually.

At his words, the blue Genie appeared out of thin air. "You summoned me, sir?" The ex-genie joked as he dropped in front of Sora and embraced him in a bone-crushing hug.

"G-Genie I c-can't b-breathe," Sora managed to choke out. Genie reluctantly released the boy and rubbed the back of his head. "Genie, this is-" But the blue man cut him off before he could finish.

"Riku, Naminé, and, of course, the ever important Kairi; it's nice to finally meet you all in person."

Jasmine's eyebrows knitted together. "Genie how do you know them?" How could Genie have known them before Aladdin and herself?

"Since I was helping Sora on his last journey, I was there when Sora was reunited with Kairi, Riku, and Naminé. We just never met in person," he informed the group.

"It's nice to meet you, Genie." The girls said in unison with big smiles.

Riku nodded at him with a sly smirk. "It's nice to meet someone who' probably saved Sora's ass on several occasions." Sora frowned and playfully punched his arm.

"I hear there's more trouble in paradise, but I see we still have two princesses," stated Genie. "What's the plan?"

"There seems to be no trouble here for the newlyweds," Sora replied; Kairi and Naminé opened their mouths to remind him that the last time he said such a thing, the Kraken appeared and took away both Jack and Keira, "but we just wanted to come and make sure Jasmine was alright."

"You are too sweet," smiled the princess, "but we're fine here." Rajah, who had seemed to be asleep beside the fountain, suddenly opened his eyes and began to growl. "What is it, Rajah?" At that moment, Abu also entered the courtyard and ran toward Aladdin, chattering noisily.

Aladdin met the monkey halfway as he jumped onto his shoulder. "What is it, Abu?" Abu continued to chatter, and Aladdin looked up with a terror-stricken face. "Abu said that he spotted some Heartless and white creatures heading for the gates."

"What?" The wielders exclaimed together as their weapons flashed into their hands. Sora was now, for the sake of the hardships bound to come, wielding Ultima Weapon.

Kairi turned toward Sora with a scowl. "You've jinxed us again!"

Naminé began, "Aladdin, you better take Jasmine to safety before-" Heartless and Nobodies began to form in the courtyard, eliminating the need for Aladdin to do anything. Rajah growled at the strange creatures, but they seemed unaffected by his efforts to intimidate them.

"Aladdin, go; we'll hold them off," urged Riku. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, took Jasmine's hand, and returned inside with Rajah and Abu. Today, it seemed, the Heartless and Nobodies were eager to follow through on whatever their orders were, for they immediately began to gather around Kairi.

"Firaga!" shouted Naminé, a ball of fire escaping from the tip of her keyblade and hitting one of the Shadows, who fell on its back, unmoving. The two girls began to sweep the Heartless away in one corner of the courtyard while Riku and Sora moved towards the doors in an attempt to stop the Dusks from breaking them down.

Inside of the castle, Aladdin noted how quickly the Heartless were forming and just how many there were. "Jasmine, go to your room and take Rajah and Abu with you." She opened her mouth to protest, but he simply shook his head. "No, I won't put you in danger again. Hurry." Though she frowned, she decided to listen to him. She ran across the room and threw open the doors that would lead to her own and shut the doors behind her when she was sure both animals had followed.

Aladdin pulled out his sword while Genie cracked his knuckles. "You ready for this, Al?"

"Let's do it, Genie."

As soon as Jasmine made it to her room, she shut the door behind her and inhaled deeply. "You can't always escape from trouble, Princess," informed Luxord in his accented voice as a few Gambler Nobodies danced around him. Rajah snarled and charged, only to go straight through the Nobody. He started towards the terrified princess and grabbed her wrist. "Now, come with me; your destiny awaits."

Kairi and Naminé, having finally killed off every Heartless around them, took a break to catch their breath. They doubled over, awaiting for the stiches in their sides to fade. There was so preoccupied that they did not even notice Marluxia appear in a portal behind them. He spared no time for a satisfactory smirk as he reached seized Kairi's arm. Naminé turned around as Kairi was torn from her side.

She glared at Marluxia (which was not saying much, given her appearance) and slashed at him with Chain of Memories, but he avoided the attack and simply grabbed her free hand. "I have no opposition to dragging you along with us, Naminé," he informed her in that low, dangerous voice that had always terrified her back at Castle Oblivion. "You can lose your newfound heart, then; I'm sure your boyfriend will love that." Kairi struggled valiantly Marluxia's grip, but he was too strong.

Kairi chose the second best option. "Sora! Riku!" They turned as the last Dusk faded away in enough time to see the girls being pulled into a portal.

"Kairi!" Sora forced his legs to move as fast as they could across the courtyard, refusing to acknowledge that it was too late and he was too far away. "Naminé!" 'I can't let them down now. I can't.' Marluxia pushed Naminé into the portal before facing Sora, Kairi still within his grip.

"Which one would you rather lose: your princess or that troublesome witch?" Sora glared but refused to award the Nobody a response, but Marluxia chuckled nonetheless. "Who would have guessed that even the Keyblade Master is selfish? You're ashamed of what your heart is telling you. Of course you only care for Kairi, even if you were told about what happened in Castle Oblivion, you still don't remember and so you will never care about Naminé."

Sora shook his head. "That's not true!" He swung Ultima Weapon, but Marluxia, being the man that he was, held Kairi in front of him as a human shield; Sora froze in mid-swing.

"Do you despise me so much that you would go through your own girlfriend to get to me?" Sora growled as Riku joined him. "Yes, that's exactly what I thought. Even your heart can be touched by the darkness of selfishness, Sora. Remember that." Taking a few steps backward, Marluxia and Kairi disappeared within the darkness of the portal.

Riku swung at the ground before calling off Way to Dawn. "Shit!" The courtyard doors flew open as a pale Aladdin joined them.

"Naminé and Kairi were taken, too," he realized. "Where did they take them?"

Sora tore himself away from the spot where Kairi had been. "The World that Never Was. All eight Princesses..." He trailed off, and Aladdin felt the hair on his neck stand on end.

Riku turned toward his best friend. "We have to hurry."

Aladdin appeared crestfallen. "I still can't go, can I?"

Sora shook his head. "No, but mark my words, Al, I will save all of those princesses, and Jasmine will return here." As he and Riku returned to the gummi ship, he added under his breath, "Even if it means losing my heart again."

XxxxxX

Keira looked up as the whooshing of a portal appeared and Marluxia dropped Kairi and Naminé to the floor. "The three of you can have a reunion." She looked up and glared at him though her heart wasn't in it. Even in such close proximity to him, it did not occur to her to summon her keyblade. Still, he felt at least a little surprise at her show of emotion.

Remembering something suddenly, Marluxia grabbed Naminé and dragged her to the back of the cell where he clamped shackles around her small wrists. "You won't be pulling that portal trick of yours again, Naminé," he growled, his face inches from hers; it felt like she was back in Castle Oblivion and, though she hated herself for showing her weakness, she let out a small whimper. Kairi glanced at Keira, waiting for her to help, and, when she didn't, Kairi ran forward with Radiant Destiny. Annoyed, Marluxia summoned Graceful Dahlia and knocked her backwards. "Sora was barely a match for me; why would you think that you're anything more?"

"Hey, Marluxia," began a familiar voice. "How about, instead of bothering innocent girls, you go do your job and see the Superior?" Axel stopped before the cell, arms folded across his chest, and, glaring, Marluxia stepped outside, slamming the door behind him.

"Hn." Marluxia did not dignify Axel with a response and exited the dungeon without another word.

Once he was sure the coast was clear, Axel approached the bars. "Naminé, Kairi. You two alright?"

They slowly nodded their heads, and Naminé stared at Keira, who did not acknowledge anyone's presence. "Axel, what happened to her?"

Axel hissed a slow breath. "Maleficent's work; don't talk to her."

Kairi looked up, surprised. "Why?"

"It won't help her. Got it memorized?" he added with a smirk to lighten the mood a little. "Geez, Roxas is going to kill when he finds out that Marluxia caught Naminé, too."

"Are you freeing us?" Kairi did not keep the hope out of her voice.

Axel's smirk turned to a weak smile. "I can't. Not yet. But you're safe until Maleficent's finished her work with Keira, so don't worry."

"Her 'work'?" asked Naminé, her voice shaking.

"Just trust me, alright?"

"Where are the rest of the princesses?"

Axel sighed with mock-exasperation. "So many questions! They've already lost their hearts, but I don't know where Agrabah's princess is; I'm not even sure if Luxord's back... Don't worry about it, you'll be out in no time, so stay put." As if they had a choice. Unlike Kairi's previous cell, this one had no keyhole; it appeared to be locked by a keycard. "I'll be back later." They watched as he walked away, his footsteps fading in the distance.

As soon as he was gone, Kairi ran to the back of the cell and knelt beside Naminé. She summoned Oathkeeper and swung at the chain connected to the shackles, but it was no good at all. She tried a few more times with the same results. "Sorry, Naminé." She apologized as she slid down the wall beside the blonde.

"Don't be; we'll be alright." Naminé assured her with confidence. "I know that Roxas and Axel will free us. But..." Her eyes returned to Keira, who still did not look at them. "We have to do something. Maleficent's work is to turn Keira against us. We have to remind her that we're her friends."

Kairi bit down on her lip. "Axel said not to talk to her—"

"Kairi, I will not give up on her that easily. She gave Roxas and I hearts; the least I can do is try to save hers. Keira!" she added in a louder voice, surprised when the girl actually glanced back at them. "I'm sorry that we let Maleficent get her hands on you, really. We're your friends, and we would never want anything bad to happen to you." Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the steady rhythm of her heart. "We'll just have to remind her of everything we've been through, starting with Elie."

XxxxxX

"Now they have all of the princesses?" asked Leon via the transmission screen in the ship. "You know what you have to do."

Sora nodded, his hands gripping the wheel tightly to prevent them from shaking. "Yeah, are you coming this time around?"

"Yeah, I'll gather the others, and we'll meet you there. If we're not there by the time that you land, go on without us." The screen clicked off and receded into the top of the ship as Sora and Riku stared at one another. For a moment, they thought of the beginning of the journey, when they had been so against leaving the Islands. Now, they thought of all of their friends, and their newest one, the one who had been the reason behind them leaving home in the first place. Sora tried to imagine Keira as she had been when they first met with her bright eyes and mischievous grin, not the dark-haired girl dragged beneath the Pearl by the Kraken.

Sora's heart clenched at the thought of her becoming Maleficent's puppet and Kairi losing her heart for a second time. "I'm going to step on it, Riku."

"Go as fast as you can, Sora."

XxxxxX

In the Castle that Never Was, Maleficent was striding through her Great Hall. Several Organization members and Pete had slaved over making the room very nearly identical to the one in Hollow Bastion. Six heartless princesses were encased in the glass as they had been a year previous. The top of Maleficent's staff was a light pink (instead of its usual lime green) from the six pure hearts. "The transformation is nearly complete. This time, I shall get what I want," she cackled to herself as a bored Quince and Sephiroth watched her without amusement; Pete simply stared with confusion twisting his usual dumb expression.

"Say, uh... Maleficent? How's that girl gonna help us get to Kingdom Hearts?" he asked in a stupid voice. Maleficent turned toward him with a sweep of her cloak, and he winced, preparing for the yell that was sure to follow.

Instead, she pulled her lips back into an evil smile. "My dear, Pete, that girl's heart, filled with darkness, can be the gateway to Kingdom Hearts. Also, she can still live without her heart and control Heartless. That way, if the worlds put up a struggle against our reign, she can summon Heartless to kill them instantly."

"Hn. The girl really is Princess of Darkness?" inquired Sephiroth, though he did not seem to care much.

"Yes. The girl and her heart are quite strange. Once the heart is eclipsed in total darkness and separated from her body, she will become nothing more than a mere puppet. In her heart, there is power. The rest of her is a waste."

Still uninterested, Sephiroth, continued, "How are you planning to turn her heart to complete darkness?"

Maleficent cackled. "You will see in a mere moment. Pete, go fetch the girl."

"Right away, Maleficent!" He ran out of the door, and Quince quietly followed after him as he found a need for fresh air. The more Quince moved, the harder his stomach clenched and, before he knew it, he was running to the Proof of Existence where all of the twelve stones were glowing with power. He continued running until he reached the Altar of Naught.

Quince perched himself on the ledge of the altar and stared up at the heart-shaped moon, something he had been finding himself doing often. Another pair of footsteps sounded behind him, and his nails bit into his palms. "Listen, I don't care what you—" He trailed off when he realized that the person behind him was Roxas. Recovering quickly, he said in an arrogant voice, "You're not really helping out the Organization."

"Great. That makes you just about as smart as Marluxia, and that's not saying much," replied Roxas harshly. "And you don't won't to watch Keira become a puppet." Quince scowled. "So, what are you going to do? Just sit back, watch, and cry about it later?" Fenrir and Oathkeeper materialized in Roxas' hands. "Don't you want your world back? Don't you miss anyone? Maybe you owe it to them to save Keira's heart." Quince turned back toward the moon for a moment before facing Roxas completely with keyblade in hand. Was it his Keyblade? It definitely wasn't the crimson one.

This keyblade depicted roses and water; it was actually very feminine looking, though it was undeniably beautiful. Its keychain was that of a silver heart with 'buds' engraved into it. Roxas smirked openly. "Those types of keychains are supposed to be given from girl to girl, you know."

Quince did not scowl or blush. Instead, his expression was quite serene as he responded, "What can I say? She always was a special child."

Their weapons disappeared in flashes of light as Roxas turned toward the stairs. "Let's go find Elie."

XxxxxX

Riku and Sora were met by a very annoying surprise when they reached the World That Never Was: there was a barrier surrounding it. "We came all this way just to..." began an angry Sora, but he stopped when Riku held up his hand.

"There's more than one way to enter the World That Never Was. Remember?" Sora thought about it for a moment, and his thoughts drifted back to the basement in the mansion of Roxas's Twilight Town: the portal.

"Good thing we're so close." He promptly turned the ship around and docked at Twilight Town where he beamed them into the computer room in order to conserve time.

"Let's go," breathed Riku as they stepped into the transporter.

XxxxxX

Pete brought Keira back to the Great Hall with little to no struggle. Well, Kairi had struggled and Naminé had tried to struggle, but there had been no struggle from Keira herself. Her friends called after her as she left with Pete, trying to reach her. He snickered at the thought as he reached the Great Hall. 'Her heart's too far gone.' "Those two brats in that cell," Pete panted when he entered the room, "Are getting rowdy and annoying." He rubbed the spot on his arm where Radiant Destiny cut him.

"The seventh Princess will not be able to struggle for much longer," cackled Maleficent before turning toward Keira with her fake motherly expression. "Princess, I do not know how to tell you this, but... Oh, I can't; it's too terrible." She turned away in alleged sadness, an evil smile adorning her lips.

Pete was surprised when Keira responded. "What is it?" She knew whatever Maleficent had to tell her was something about her. She thought, for a moment, about the things Kairi and Naminé said to her, trying to recount the good times. They even spoke of Elie, as if they knew anything about her.

Maleficent faced her once again with a sad expression. "My dear, your home world hadn't been taken over when you were first in the Radiant Garden; it was still fine. However, because of your 'friends' and their lies, they took away a vital opportunity for you to save it. Now, I'm afraid that... There's no saving it. It's very much gone."

Keira's mind drifted back to her home, friends, and family. She recalled teaching her young cousin how to swim during the summer, and getting in trouble at school for talking to Nalani too much. Without Jewel's Grove, all of those opportunities were gone. She imagined her little cousin's heartless body, and her hands clenched into her fists. There were no words, none. Everything Kairi and Naminé had said, truth or not about them being her friends, no longer mattered. She growled something incoherent as a black aura begun to surround her body.

Maleficent knew that she had the girl in the palm of her hand, and also knew the words she needed to speak to seal the deal. "I'm afraid to tell you that many members of your family have died, as well. As for Nalani, well... she... didn't seem to have made it." The aura intensified, cracking the mirror necklace as her pupils faded and eyes darkened.

"Ah, so that's how you were planning to go about it," murmured Sephiroth as if what he was seeing was nothing spectacular.

A/N: This is a short chapter, sorry! I don't want to give away too much too soon. See you next chapter. :D