A/N: 6.25.09: Baha, if anyone figured out from which song the last chapter's title came from, you ain't getting brownies anymore; I put lyrics in it with the song title. Sorry. xD I added song lyrics, and I think you should listen to the song while reading the chapter; it really works! :3

Old note: Well, I finally changed the summary, which means I only have ten million other things to do for this story-including finishing it. From here on out, we won't be going to other worlds. Well... that is to say... you'll see what I mean. Oh, and if you can figure out what song the lyrics from last chapter's title came from, you get four -internet- brownies. Also! I forgot to mention this, but this is very important. Since Axel and Roxas have 'rejoined' the Organization, Roxas has his old coat back.

'In too deep and lost in time.
Why'd you have to go and let it die?
Beautiful veins and bloodshot eyes.
Why'd you have to go and let it die?
Hearts gone cold and hands are tied.
Why'd you have to go and let it die?'
-"Let it Die" by Foo Fighters

When Quince and Roxas (having not yet found Elie) reached the Soundless Prison, it occurred to the former that he had not mentioned that both Kairi and Naminé were imprisoned. Roxas summoned his keyblade as he stepped inside, freeing Naminé with a beam of light; Kairi was nowhere to be found.

Roxas pulled Naminé into his arms. "I leave a little over than twenty-four hours ago, believing I left you in capable hands, and I'm proven wrong," he remarked with a smirk before adding, much more seriously, "This ends now."

Her eyes widened as she looked past him to where Quince was standing in the hallway. "Roxas, what is he...?"

It was Quince who answered her, in a cool voice, "I'm through helping Maleficent."

"Now we've just got to find Axel..." Roxas muttered. "Where could he be?" They looked up at the sound of an explosion from a higher floor. "Fighting with Marluxia? I think so."

XxxxxX

As the two boys entered the first portal leading to Betwixt and Between, Sora glanced around. It was as eerily quiet as usual, but he felt much more comfortable in the area with the knowledge that Axel was alive. "You didn't actually think you were going through without us, did you?" called someone from behind them. Yuffie, Cloud, Tifa, Donald, Goofy, The King, and Leon had just come through the portal, too. Riku looked back at them with a brief, faint smile, before turning in the direction of the World that Never Was. His hair was standing on edge, and he felt something was off: there was a huge surge of darkness coming from that direction. "Something's going on in the World that Never Was."

XxX

Marluxia, exhausted, glared up at Axel from his spot on the floor. "I knew that you hadn't reformed at all, Axel."

"Like you weren't planning to overthrow the Organization once Maleficent was out of the picture? Intentions never change. I could finish you off right now, but I've got some business to attend to." Though Axel wanted nothing more than the pleasure of killing Marluxia himself, he forced himself to go to the Great Hall.

As he reached the room, he made his face as blank as possible. "Maleficent, those idiots from the Radiant Garden have arrived, as have the Keyblade Master and Riku." He was, for the most part, lying, and assumed that the group had arrived by now.

Maleficent frowned. "These princesses are going nowhere. Let us go welcome our guests, Pete, Sephiroth. Just in case, Axel, stay here and guard them." Axel nodded his agreement, relived that Maleficent trusted him that much, and eyed her staff as she passed him; it was pink, but not as pink as it could have been.

As soon as the others left, he glanced at the glass cases and found that only six of them were filled; Kairi was lying, unmoving, in the middle of the floor. He called her name and shook her, but she did not awaken. His eyes widened with realization. "They took her heart. Damn it!" He pulled her into his arms as he stood. "I'll just have to take her somewhere else."

Before he could summon a portal, a familiar, inquisitive voice, spoke. "Why would you want to go, Axel?" The voice sounded almost childlike, and he turned to find himself face to face with Keira, but she was not the same as she had been.

Her hair was completely black, and her eyes looked... different, less alive. They looked like she was being controlled. A very visible black aura surrounded her, the power of darkness, he realized. "Keira?" The black-haired girl smiled, but it wasn't her smile; it was Maleficent's smile. Axel set Kairi down behind him. "What happened to you? What did Maleficent do?" His talk was useless, and he knew that he needed to get Kairi out of the castle as soon as possible. A whoosing sounded as the door automatically opened behind them.

Elie stood in the doorway, looking past Axel and at the girl possessed by darkness. "Shit, they did a good job on you, huh, Stef?" she mumbled to herself, before adding to Axel, "Axel, Roxas, Quince, and Naminé are waiting outside for you; I'll deal with her, you go."

Axel stared at her with disbelief. "Quince?"

"Yeah, he's had a change of heart for the sake of this one." Elie nodded her head to Keira. "...Though it might be too late. We'll figure out how to revert her back to normal later; I think you actually sent Maleficent after Sora and the others."

"Really? Yikes." He paused, slightly horrified. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine, just go." Her keyblade, Dragon Fang, materialized in her hand. "Princess, I'm here to help. Come on, don't you remember me, Stefa?"

In Keira's hand materialized a new keyblade; it was sharp, black, and covered in thorns: Dark Thorn. (A/n: Yeah. That's the name of a Heartless. Oops.) "Help?" Her eyes narrowed as the darkness around her intensified. "I don't need help."

Quince, Roxas, and Naminé looked up when Axel exited the door with Kairi's limp figure in his arms. "Is she...?" Roxas trailed off as Axel nodded.

Naminé put a hand to her chest and felt her heart beat hard. "I think that, even if Maleficent gets Keira's heart," she said slowly, her eyes screwed up in concentration, "she won't be able to open Kingdom Hearts."

"Why's that?" asked Quince.

"I am Kairi's Nobody. Even if I'm a Somebody, her heart will still return to me. It's drawn to me."

Axel nodded, a look of determination his face. "Maleficent can't find out. Otherwise, she'll take Naminé's heart, too."

"So if I lost my heart..." Roxas trailed off.

Naminé nodded in response. "It would still return to you and merge with your current heart. That would double both the darkness and light in your heart."

"I'm staying here; I'm not going anywhere without Stefa," Quince told them. "Go on and help your friends." Axel, Roxas, and Naminé exchanged a worried glance, but they agreed to these terms nonetheless.

"Be careful," mumbled Naminé as Axel summoned a portal. "Take care of Keira."

XxxxX

Sora and the others stepped into the wet streets of the dark city, though it was, at the moment, not raining. Clouds had engulfed the sky and covered part of the heart-shaped moon. "It's gonna pour," observed Yuffie.

"So, what was so urgent here, Riku?" asked Sora, though he had an idea. Even he could feel some of the darkness pulsing in the world. Although Riku no longer belonged in the darkness and could not use any powers of it, he could still easily sense any disturbances.

Riku appeared troubled. "Heartless. A lot of Heartless."

"Gawrsh, I don't see any Heartless, though," reasoned Goofy as he put a scouting hand over his eyebrows and searched for a sign of the dark creatures.

Tifa, who had climbed atop one of the buildings, called down to them, "You wouldn't."

Yuffie joined her and squinted into the distance. "They're all heading for the castle."

"No good," mumbled Leon.

"Well, ya got that right!" grunted a booming voice as Pete's large figure stepped out of an alleyway.

King Mickey's voice might have been a growl if he were anyone else. Instead, he squeaked out, "Pete!"

"King Mickey," Pete mock-bowed, "How nice to see ya again." Donald and Goofy stepped in front of their king with their weapons raised, and he snickered. "Aw, gonna protect your King, are ya?"

"Pete, what have you done with Kairi and Naminé?" demanded Sora as he brandished Ultima in a threatening manner.

Pete shrugged meekly with a large grin stretching across his face. "What would a dope like me know about things like that?"

"Idiot," growled Riku as Way to Dawn flashed into existence.

Pete laughed. "Because ya think that ya can actually defeat me, I'll tell ya this: there ain't a princess of the purest heart with a heart anymore."

Sora's expression fell. 'Kairi.' "You...!" He ran forward to attack him, but was brought back to his senses as Leon grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Leave him to Yuffie and I; the rest of you can go on." Yuffie jumped down from the building with her shuriken in hand.

Goofy looked worried. "Gawrsh, Leon, are you sure...?"

"Go on, guys," urged Yuffie as Leon charged Pete with his blade. The others reluctantly agreed and Tifa remained in her spot, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. They finally stopped when they reached Memory's Skyscraper and for more reasons than one.

Axel, Roxas, and Naminé were sitting on the steps leading to the skyscraper's doors. In Axel's arms was Kairi's limp form, immediately drawing Sora forth. "Her heart..." Sora trailed off as he took Kairi from Axel.

Naminé looked up at Sora with an exhausted smile. "She didn't lose her heart to Maleficent, Sora."

"W-what?"

Naminé inhaled deeply. "Since I'm Kairi's Nobody, her heart is drawn to me. Even if I have a heart already, it just merges with the one that I already have."

"But if Maleficent knows, she'll take Naminé's heart," added Roxas in a voice that suggested they should not speak another word.

Cloud spoke for the first time. "How are we to get her heart back?"

Naminé's expression became melancholy; there was a jolt in Sora's heart as he recognized the expression. The image of a younger Naminé turning her back on him and walking away briefly appeared in his mind. "My heart will have to be taken, and, once it is, both hearts will be freed, one returning to Kairi and the other to go nowhere."

"Just like what happened to me," mumbled Sora.

Naminé nodded her head. "Exactly."

"But, in the meantime, we have to pretend like Maleficent has it," stated Axel. Somewhere in the darkness, a black raven flew off of the top of a building and disappeared into the dark sky.

Riku finally forced himself to ask the burning question. "Where's Keira?" When Axel sighed, he knew that he would not like the answer.

"Look, I'm sorry about Keira. Maleficent turned her heart to total darkness and it's only a matter of time before she loses it. I tried to get through to her, but there was just no way. She's not the same person that she was."

Naminé slowly nodded in agreement, her eyes downcast. "Kairi and I tried, too, but she... We couldn't reach her."

"Damn it," cursed Cloud as rain began to fall on them.

"Well, fellas," began Mickey, "We can't just stand here and wait for something to happen."

"Oh, but something is about to happen." Larxene was standing atop of the skyscraper with a sadistic grin on her face. Everyone immediately moved their weapons into a defensive position, unsure of how they had not noticed her sooner. "Now, what is one of the first things you fools learned as children? Ah, that's right: water conducts electricity!" A large bolt of thunder raced down the edge of the skyscraper at the group, but they easily moved before it was even close. "I wonder how pleased the Superior will be when he learns that Axel and Roxas have once again betrayed the Organization," she mused as she jumped down to join them.

Axel summoned his chakrams and took a few steps toward her. "Wipe that smug look off of your face, Larxene." The fire was promptly extinguished by the rain, and Larxene's smile widened.

"The second thing that we learn? Water always wins against fire." She casually approached them, sending another bolt of lightning at them. Though it missed them again, it made a decent-sized crack in the ground and divided the group.

Roxas summoned his keyblades and rushed her, but she met him halfway and seized him by the front of his coat. "Don't even bother, Thirteen, you were always afraid of me," she whispered in his ear before shoving him to the side. Naminé also tried to attack Larxene, but, like Roxas, it was not well-planned. Diablo cawed as he landed atop one of skyscraper's steps while Larxene grabbed a fistful of her knives and ran at the girl with inhuman speed. The next thing Naminé knew, Larxene had one hand on Chain of Memories and the other on Naminé's throat. "And you," began Larxene as electricity shot through the blade and up its owner's arm, forcing Naminé to call it off, "The hero," she purposely looked at Sora with a smile, "have to save her," she finished in a whisper as she thrust Naminé to the side, at seemingly nothing. In the next instant, however, Maleficent appeared in a flurry of green flames.

"You fools thought that if you had your ex-Organization friends play double-agent, you would win," she cackled as she grabbed Naminé. "You were wrong." She held up her staff as Naminé struggled in her grip and pointed it at the girl's chest. An eerie green light shot from the orb and went entered Naminé's chest. Two hearts were dragged out with ease, and Naminé's eyes shut. Had it not been for the witch's vice grip, Naminé would have collapsed to the ground. The orb on Maleficent's staff became a darker pink. "You see, I have just killed two birds with one stone. Because Naminé is the Nobody of a Princess of Heart, Keira made her a heart that was completely pure; it is the complete copy of Kairi's heart. This means that there are technically eight Princesses of Heart."

Green flames began to engulf her body. "This also means that I must retrieve the last heart needed to summon Kingdom Hearts, do excuse me." She disappeared into the flames, dropping Naminé in the process. Roxas quickly caught her body before it could hit the ground.

The meaning of Maleficent's words did not go unnoticed. Riku's grip on Way to Dawn became painful. 'Keira.' Axel quickly summoned a portal without facing the others. "We've got to hurry; we'll have to try and beat her to the Great Hall."

Larxene's presence was recalled as Tifa nodded at her and lowered her body into a battle stance. "I'll take care of her. Leave Naminé and Kairi here so you can fight."

Goofy and Donald joined her, the latter quacking, "We'll help you, Tifa."

She smiled. "Thanks." Roxas and Sora reluctantly laid the two limp forms of their lovers beneath the skyscraper where the rain would not touch them.

Cloud was clearly torn between remaining with Tifa and joining the others. Finally, he mumbled, "Be careful," and pulled her into a quick embrace.

"Go get Keira," she said as the others disappeared into the portal.

"Let's see if you two idiots still fight as hopelessly as you did back at Castle Oblivion." Larxene snarled at Goofy and Donald as she gripped her knives between her fingers. Tifa lifted up an arm and blocked a punch aimed at Donald.

"Don't get too arrogant." She lifted her leg in a kick, which was halted when a few knives sailed through the air. Tifa evaded the attack, and Goofy hurled his shield at the Nymph. In the background, more Shadows and Neoshadows were moving toward the castle, most of them falling into the canyon below it.

XxxxxX

Pete grinned with pride as he rolled a blue ball in Leon's direction. Yuffie, with her ninja-like speed, lifted up her the shuriken, and, with a small push, she sent the homing ball back towards its owner. It promptly exploded, knocking him over. "Thanks," said Leon.

"No problem." When Pete began to stand, she hurled her shuriken, and he fell back over.

"Why did I have to face these two?" Pete whined as he laid on the ground with rain splattering into his eyes. Leon's body began to glow as he approached him with his weapon raised. The Gunblade began to gain a bright orange aura as Leon slammed it into the ground, knocking Pete into the air and causing him to fall back to the street with a huge thud.

Yuffie grinned. "That's gotta hurt."

XxxxxX

Axel's portal appeared on a balcony beside the slope that would lead to the Great Hall. "It's right up there." He pointed up to a door on a slight higher level.

"We've got no time to lose." Sora began to head for the slope, but two portals barred his path as Xigbar and Zexion stepped out.

Xigbar raised an eyebrow. "Just where do you think you're going? It's a little too soon to be leaving, don't you think?"

"Move aside, Xigbar," warned Roxas.

"Now that is the look that I was talking about." Xigbar stated with a grin on his face. (A/n: Obviously, a KH II reference.) "But you're not going anywhere, not without a fight."

Cloud held out his sword. "They're like gnats." When he took a few steps toward the Nobodies, Axel flung out an arm.

"I'll deal with this. Of course, defeating Zexion won't be as fun this time," he said with a sadistic smile, "No Riku Replica to kill 'im off."

Riku stepped beside him. "You've got something better: the real thing."

Mickey shook his head and joined Axel. "No. You'll definitely need to go on, Riku. Me and Axel will handle these two, you four go on."

"But, Your Majesty..." Riku and Sora protested.

"Get lost, scram," ordered Axel.

Tome of Judgment appeared in Zexion's hand. "Do I really have to fight again?"

"Let me put it this way," Xigbar said as he turned to face his fellow, "Do it or die."

Zexion frowned. "Let's do this, then." He sighed as the pages in his book began to turn by themselves.

"Go!" ordered Axel in a louder voice. The remaining group ran up slope after slope until they had disappeared from view. The balcony was obscured by part of the castle's roof, allowing Axel to utilize fire. "Burn baby!" He hurled a flurry of fire at Zexion's book.

XxX

After following many sets of stairs and slopes, Roxas, Sora, Riku, and Cloud found themselves outside of the Great Hall's door. When they stepped inside, they found Quince and Elie double-teaming another. As they entered deeper into the room, they realized that the girl was a strange-looking Keira, and, decorating the cases were the Princesses of Heart.

Keira easily knocked both wielders back with one strike of Dark Thorn mixed with darkness. Riku's hands clenched, and Sora knew it was because he was remembering when he fought against his own best friend. Quince slid back on his feet while Elie fell to the floor. "Stefa," he managed to groan, "knock it off." She slowly walked toward him, Dark Thorn raised. Cloud called her name, diverting her attention away from Quince.

When he took in her appearance, he stopped moving. Axel's words replayed in Cloud's m ind: "She's not the same person that she was." No truer words had ever been spoken. Keira continued to stare at him, though he wished she wouldn't; it ruined the images of the annoying girl jumping from rooftop to rooftop. However, she did not attack, and, in fact, she did not do anything. She waited, as if she were expecting something to happen.

Happen it did. A large figure dropped from the high ceiling of the room with Masamune in hand. "Hello, Cloud."

The cold voice snapped Cloud out of his reverie just in time for him to use his Buster sword to block Masamune. Seeing that Sephiroth had things taken care of, Keira fled from the room. "Go after her! I'll settle things with Sephiroth once and for all." He grunted as he pushed off the sword with some difficulty. Quince left first, Elie hot on his heels, as did the remaining trio.

As they ran after Keira, Roxas noticed the countless number of Heartless climbing up the castle, not to mention the Heartless appearing in Keira's wake. "Is she summoning all of those?" Elie asked with disbelief as she ran as fast as her legs would carry, the chain on her skirt jingly wildly.

"Heartless are naturally attracted to hearts," Quince stated in a matter-of-fact voice, "and since hers is so strong and full of darkness, they aim to take it from her." He slashed the creatures out of his way without stopping. They ran through Proof of Existence (several of the stones were quite marked up) up several slopes and through Ruin and Creation's passage where they had to kill Heartless and Nobodies.

When they reached the top of the Altar of Naught, they found Maleficent, Saïx, Xemnas, and Keira. The witch faced the girl with a pleasant expression as Keira moved to her side. "Ah, my dear, you've made it at last." The rain was pouring on them, but clouds no longer covered Kingdom Hearts.

"Keira!" Quince and Riku shouted in such desperate ways that she turned toward them. "Don't listen to her, Stefa, our world isn't gone," panted Quince. "After you were trapped in the darkness, I exterminated the Heartless that were searching for the world's heart. Jewel's Grove is fine."

Keira's eyes lightened a little. "No," hissed Maleficent in a dangerous voice. She seized Keira's arm and turned her around with her staff held high in the other hand. "You will fools will not ruin this for me. Girl, you will obey me. They betrayed you."

"She's using you as a puppet, Stefa, don't fall for it," warned Elie; something about her voice struck a familiar chord in Keira's heart.

Roxas' eyes became a little downcast. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to leave you behind; I didn't mean to abandon you."

A disembodied voice spoke, but it was very familiar. "Keira, call together the fragments of your memory. The darkness has deteriorated them, but they're still there. You know that we're your friends, and I know that you know that we never meant to betray you in any way. Remember, Keira!" Keira's face was a little blank as she followed the voice's instructions and images flashed through her mind. She saw herself in the Ballroom with Riku and the others, saw herself trying to save Melody from Morgana, and she saw Sephiroth murder Aerith all over again. "You know what you have to do."

Roxas searched for the source to no avail. "Naminé?"

"Wretched witch!" Saïx growled, his eyes flashing with anger, as her eyes became normal and she slashed at the orb of hearts.

"No!" Maleficent shrieked shrilly. As the top of her staff broke, eight hearts flew out of it. Together, they slowly began to drift towards where their owners slept. "This cannot happen!"

"Fool, you have failed us." Xemnas growled in a low voice. He summoned his Aerial Blades, and hit Maleficent with them at the same time as Keira plunged Dark Thorn into her chest. Maleficent's eyes widened as the blade made home in her chest while Xemnas' attack sent her over the edge. Her body curved in a graceful arc as it drifted downward, and, about two feet down, Dark Thorn disappeared from her chest and reappeared in Keira's hand.

Saïx turned away from Maleficent's body as his claymore flashed into his hand. "We'll just have to gather the hearts of the eight princesses once again. You first, Princess," he added as he turned his full attention on Keira. With a shaking body, she looked, dumbly, to her friends before moving past them and disappearing down the stairs.

Xemnas, with Forbidden still in hand, made to run after her, but Riku, Roxas, and Sora blocked his passage. "You're not going anywhere," promised the Keyblade Master.

"We took care of you once and we'll do it again." Riku decided before he glanced backwards at Elie and Quince. Though he wanted more than anything to check on Keira, he knew that Roxas and Sora needed him more at the moment. "I'm trusting you two; go after her." Quince and Elie nodded their heads in agreement and they, too, disappeared down the stairs.

Xemnas chuckled without humor. "Fools, you will meet your death here." The rain began to fall harder as clouds blocked the moon once again.

Roxas nodded. "So be it."

A/N: 6.25.09: I never explained why, despite being a Nobody, Naminé was as lifeless as Kairi after losing both hearts. After giving Naminé a heart, Keira kind of made her a Somebody, right? Well, no kind of about it. She did. Therefore, Naminé really isn't a Nobody anymore, but a regular Princess of Heart. It makes her body lifeless, like Kairi's, when she loses her heart. :3 And... yeah, Quince switches between Keira and Stefa now. xD

Old note: That's it for this chapter, I did all I could to make it long, but... It didn't work. Sorry. x.x;; See you for the next exciting installment. :D Also, if you don't like that I had Kairi's heart merge with Naminé's 'artificial' one, deal with it, please. It was the best idea I had. ;D Please review!