Strange this is, I wrote one-third of this chapter immediately after posting the 2nd chapter. At about two a.m. I finally decided I'd tackle it another day. Which turned out a week later.

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Kairi's hair seemed dim and flat, Roxas thought. Her usually vibrant sheen of red had dulled to a lifeless crimson. Roxas gulped as he tried not to think of the omen it presented.

Kairi's strides were low and purposeful; each step was made with thought and care, her decision led her feet down the path she was meant to go. Roxas observed her face. It helped ease the rising dread he felt at the bottom of his heart: the panic slowly swallowing him.

Whenever Kairi's face distorted with sudden apprehension or flashed with fear—which was frequently—her pace quickened and Roxas had to speed walk to keep at length with her.

There was nothing to observe around him, except…woods. He supposed the woods led to the mysterious Twilight Town manor, but something was off. When had the woods looked so overwhelming or dark? And why were they going there anyway? No one had lived in that house for ages…Roxas guessed it was late, but he knew it wasn't so late that the road would be completely empty of people. He shrugged the thought off; there was no point in adding more worries.

Roxas noted that they had passed two crossroads already. By the time they reached the first, the road turned from asphalt to dirt and was completely encompassed by leafy green. When they reached the first crossroad, a man with a tall hat and long coat passed, his coattails flittering behind him in the wind. Roxas could see his eyes were directed toward the path, but he couldn't help but feel a sinister stare all the same.

The temperature had steadily decreased. Both Kairi and Roxas pulled their arms to their bodies, a futile effort to retain some warmth.

At the next crossroad, the same man appeared with an even more malicious gaze. Roxas looked back, but he could see nothing but darkness. He couldn't understand how the man had caught up with them so quickly…Kairi took his hand and whispered, her voice quivering with fear, "After he passes us, we run right, the opposite of his way."

Roxas had numbly nodded and soon enough, he was tugged into the direction. His lungs burned for air, but he couldn't properly take it the icy air. His sides cramped and his legs slowed. If he had been a normal boy, he would have thought it was a side effect of running, but he knew differently. "Kairi…I think there's ..something..on me." Roxas said, his breath shallow as his strength faltered.

"I don't know what to do! I don't have any powers or anything," Kairi cried, trying to pull my body back up from its slouching position. Roxas felt strangely sleepy.

"It's OK, I'll just…sleep. G'night." Roxas slurred. His vision began to fade and he reached to reassure Kairi, but he couldn't move his hand. Kairi's shocked and tear-stricken face was the last thing he saw

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Roxas awoke with bright lights flashing down upon him. His body felt incredibly sore and he squinted as he open his eyes. There was a large chandelier in a room that looked about the size of a living room with a fireplace crackling in the background. He sat up and pushed the thick blanket covering him. His eyes meet Kairi's. Her face looked as worn and just as anxious as before, fidgeting in her seat. Namine, for once, sat next to her, a frail hand resting on Kairi's arm. Her cards remained untouched on the table. She looked up at Roxas as well.

"Wh-what happened…" Roxas finally made out.

Kairi feebly answered. "Namine came and saved us. She used a minor spell to distract the spirits and then she…came back up with us."

"I see…" Roxas replied. He felt like he was missing something though….and like he had also forgotten another thing…something important…He tried to remember, but his thoughts were all jumbled. Where were they? Why were they there? What happened…? Roxas jolted up again and stood.

"Is Rikku alright?"

Kairi looked at the floor and shook her head. She looked devastated. Roxas didn't know the two were such good friends, but if she was that sad…Roxas felt his heart tighten. He couldn't imagine the bubbly, silly Rikku to be hurt…

"Why couldn't you do anything!" Roxas demanded at Namine. "If you are a Seer, then why couldn't you stop it?!"

Namine rested both hands in her lap. Her face was still cold and unflinching. "I may be a Seer of sorts, but…" She hesitated. "I can't always…do something. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try and how much you know about the future, it can't be stopped. It's inevitable."

Roxas' anger increased. "Fate, huh? What a convenient excuse! Why do anything if fate decides for us! What an easy choice!" Roxas furiously shouted.

Kairi's eyes widened and she immediately turned her head to Namine.

Namine wringed her hands. Roxas was shocked for a moment; was Namine showing emotion?

"I…I…" Roxas muttered at a loss for words. He hadn't meant to be so cruel, but the words just came out wrong. "I-I…mean—" Roxas added before he was interrupted.

"It's not easy," Namine whispered. "To know exactly what will happen and to not be able to save it…to lose someone…it is not an easy choice. It was never a choice." Namine's voice was drowned in pure, strong grief.

Roxas instantly regretted his actions. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to snap like that," Roxas apologized. "How is she?"

Kairi answered with a confused tone. "She?"

Roxas couldn't believe they had forgotten about her. "You know, Rikku? Your co-employee?"

"He's…recuperating."

"He?" Roxas incredulously replied.

Namine silently said, "Roxas hasn't met him yet…has he?"

Kairi shook her head and clarified, "Riku with one K, not two K's. The Riku with one K is a guy. He is Sora's best friend."

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The heart monitor beeped at regular intervals. Sora didn't know what to do. Riku laid there…so defenseless. His silver hair appeared gray and pale within the dreary room, filled with various medical instruments. Countless wires were plugged into Riku.

Riku's hand was in Sora's. He tried to push the injection from Riku's wrist so that he could better hold his hand, but Sora grew afraid he might accidentally unplug the wire and gave up entirely. Riku's hand was still cold.

Sora stifled a slight sob in his throat. It was all his fault. If he was stronger…if he could protect instead of being protected…

Leon stood in the doorway, absentmindedly touching the edge of his gunblade. "It's not your fault," Squall quietly said, breaking the overpowering silence.

Sora grasped Riku's fingers tighter. "So Riku just magically appeared in front of me and got hurt. Is that right?" Sora bitterly answered.

"It's his job."

"His job is to get hurt for others?"

"No…" Squall said, sounding as tired as ever, "His job to protect others. Those who are most important to him."

"That's what I want to do!" Sora defiantly said. "Being able to see spirits, but not able to do anything about them…" Sora hung his head and stared at the heart monitor as the red line of Riku's life slightly wavered. "I feel so useless."

The room was silent once more before Squall spoke.

"…you can't do it…"

"Do what?" Sora demanded. "What can't I do?"

"It's…Squall held up his gunblade. "Do you know what this is?"

"Erm…your sword-gun thing."

Squall rubbed his temples and sat on the folding chair next to Sora. He neatly balanced the weapon on his palm. The tip of the object gleamed.

"This isn't just any weapon. It exorcises spirits and demons. More specifically, in my case, it's a gunblade."

Sora stared in awe. Well, now he knew the reason why introverted Squall had become the leader of TTIP.

"But…it's not something anyone can get…" Squall sat silent for a moment, deep in thought. His body relaxed into a less stiff position and directed his attention to Riku's sleeping form. "If you try to get the power without enough strength…it backfires. Like with Riku."

"…Riku?"

"You've seen it before. A keyblade. The blade to open hearts. To cleanse possessed souls. That's what it does…but Riku took too much power. To have the power to open hearts…you must give up something of equal value. However, Riku doesn't have nearly enough power to do that, let alone even wield the blade."

"So what does that mean? What happens then?" Sora had seen the weapon earlier in the evening when he first arrived at the mansion with Kairi and Namine. Squall and Riku were speaking with the owner of the mansion. Squall had his gunblade in his hand and Riku had something in his hand as well, but Sora hadn't taken much notice to it. He figured it was one of Squall's many gadgets. Then they heard a noise from the right wing so they went up and search the cause of the noise…and Riku…Riku…Sora barely remembered Namine whispering to Kairi when Riku was first rushed into a nearby room, which caused her to suddenly jump up and rush out of the room. He had been too busy setting up all the medical supplies that Squall had brought 'just in case'. Sora hadn't seen the two since. He thought it was strange, after all, Kairi was just as much of Riku's friend as Sora was, yet she wasn't even waiting alongside Sora for Riku to wake up. Sora brushed the thought aside and steeled himself to his decision. "What can I do?" Sora said, no hint of hesitation or fear apparent in his voice.

Squall sighed again and shook his head. "This is why I didn't want to say anything…" Sora's stare did not waver. "…You can share his power."

"Wh-what?"

"If you shared Riku's power…then he'd be capable of using it without threatening his life. There would be an equal balance. But that's not to say that there would be no side effects…both you and Riku would feel the loss of energy, but not quite as much…"

"How do I do it?" Sora's fist clenched until he could feel the crescent marks of his nails dig into his skin. The pain was there, but vaguely. Almost like a numbing sensation, his body seemed to lose all proper functions. He couldn't even blink, so enraptured in the words that reluctantly came from Squall's mouth.

"It's simple enough, you just have to align your energy with Riku's and have that thought in mind. Then the exchange should be made. I'm not sure what the result should be however."

"Just by thinking it, it'll happen?" Sora couldn't believe the extent of his luck. To be able to help Riku!

"You shouldn't judge. Thoughts can be very…powerful," Squall darkly said in a low voice. Sora was too busy in his fantasies to hear the man. Sora reached out to Riku and closed his eyes. He had a tighter hold on Riku's cold hand. He tried to gather any sort of energy that he had and imagined placing it with Riku. Please, let me be stronger, Sora thought. Let me be able to protect the people around me…

A brilliant flash encased Sora and Riku. Squall ran to the bed, but couldn't pass through the magnificent barrier of light. Suddenly, the light faded and Sora slumped from his seat.

"Sora!" Squall shouted, reaching to catch him before he fell from his seat. Sora was unconscious…and grasping something in his hand. A…golden…

"Keyblade?!"

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"Well, what do we do now?" Roxas asked for the thousandth time.

Both Namine and Kairi refrained from answering. Namine had picked up her cards after comforting Kairi in her 'Namine-ish' way and was once again aligning them on the table. Kairi had answered the first couple times, but soon fell into deep thought. Roxas couldn't blame her either; she probably was worried about her friend…Riku. A part of Roxas was extremely glad that girl Rikku was safe and being bubbly somewhere with less danger (he hoped), but he also felt horrible that Kairi and Sora's friend was injured. He wished he could say something useful or comforting, but he felt it was inappropriate since he didn't know the man. He only complained from time to time and paced around the luxurious room. He had tried to open the door several times, but it remained stubbornly shut. Namine had said that was the door that they came in through, and only shrugged when Roxas asked her if she knew why.

Roxas picked himself up and tugged again at the doorknob. He grasped it loosely and half-heartedly tugged at it. "Come on…door." He mumbled as he jerked the knob as a last attempt. He let go and the door slowly opened. He stared in mild shock with his mouth gaping open and his arm still outstretched toward the door.

Namine organized her cards into a deck holder, which was in her bag, and held Kairi's hand in hers and she gently tugged the red-haired girl up. Kairi nodded and got up without any struggle or protest. Roxas went outside to see a hall with several gargoyle statues on each side with columns placed as well. A rustic carpet was centered in the room with no other décor. The room had the same sense of luxury, but, just like the previous room, no sign of habitation or personal touch. Or even happiness, Roxas warily thought. He examined another door to the right. He tried it with no avail; it was stuck just as tightly as their door had been. At the end of the short hall was a set of stairs that led up to a large door. Two separate stairs then led to the right and left of the door.

He cautiously walked up to the stairs with the two girls walking behind him. When he arrived at the foot of the stairs, he caught sight of a poster next to the large door at the top of the stairs. An arrow was painted across it, pointing to the door. Roxas walked up the stairs and pushed the door open. It slid open without any creaks or groans. He nudged it all the way open and was astounded with the amount of light pouring out of the room. He shielded his eyes with his arm and stepped inside.

It was a grand, stunning ballroom. It was circular with a beige marble floor. There were depictions of angels on clouds on the ceiling mural. In the center were tables occupied with people. The tables seemed a bit off, as they didn't match with the overall feeling of the room. He observed the people in the seats as he made his way to an almost empty table. He noticed none of the other members of TTIP were present.

The people were exceptionally different. One table had people only wearing business suits, another of seemingly ordinary laborers and waitresses. He passed a new table where the inhabitants solely wore black. He spotted a couple of the seats empty near the table with the people in black and couldn't help but feel that a few of the them were looking at the chairs with a disgusted look, as if the chairs had done something incredibly wrong to them.

He arrived at the clear table with only four people sitting down. They all wore casual clothes, but had black cloaks slung over their chairs. They looked incredibly similar to the coats the people at the other table were wearing.

Three of the four people at the table were males, the last was a petite female. The female had blonde hair with something akin to antennas made of hair on her hair. Her clear blue eyes gave off a mocking, condescending glare as Roxas shyly neared the table.

"Um, is it alright if we sit here?" Roxas asked.

"Be my guest," A redheaded man answered in a carefree tone. The man had very chiseled features in the way that all his facial aspects were sharp and edged, even his eyes. This man's eyes had the same clearness as the woman's had, but only emitted curiosity, amusement, and something Roxas couldn't quite place though he knew it wasn't animosity

"Ah, thanks." Roxas sat across from the man with Kairi and Namine settled on each side of him. Now that he was sitting, he got a better view of the other men. One was blonde with a mullet and bright blue eyes that radiated joy and spontaneity. The man next to him had gray hair that partly fell over his face with steel gray eyes engrossed in a book he held in his hands. The mullet man kept glancing at him as if to say 'hurry up', but the gray-haired man didn't seem to notice in the slightest.

He attempted small talk to ease the awkwardness he felt. "So…why are you guys here?"

The gray-haired man looked up and responded, "The same reason you and all the other people in this room are here. We came to exterminate any supernatural beings in the vicinity."

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Rikku peeked her head around the corner. The coast was clear. She tiptoed down the long hall and entered the room at the end. There was a large queen-sized bed next to a strangely shaped Wardrobe. Knowing that she had little time, she hastily went through the items in the cabinet. She checked the entire contents of the furniture and found nothing that would help.

"Grrr…stupid cabinet," Rikku pouted. She turned and kneeled down to the bed. She lowered her head under the bed and examined the floor. Behind her, she suddenly heard something slowly move forward. Rikku flew up and reached for the daggers from the sides of her skirt. "Hyaah!" Rikku cried and she jumped on her attacker. She landed on something hard and smooth. "Ouchie." Rikku muttered as she rubbed the sore area of her body that landed. She looked below her to see the Wardrobe staring at her. That is to say, the wardrobe stared at her with a face. A face with lips, cheeks, and a pair of agitated eyes. Rikku stared in amazement before yelling, "Gah!" and scrambling off the furniture.

She backed up and bumped into something else. Her daggers were still in her hands and she raised them again in a defensive position. She turned around and saw a young woman standing in front of her. The woman was extraordinarily pretty, although she was wearing a simple blue dress with an apron. Her brown hair was held up in soft bun.

The woman nervously said, "Are you okay, Armoire?" The wardrobe smiled (Rikku tried not to laugh) and said, "Goodness, child, you're a lot heavier than you look."

"Am not!" Rikku indignantly said.

The woman redirected her attention on Rikku. "I'm sorry. Hello, my name is Belle. Who are you?"

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Pretty long chapter, that is for me I mean. As you may have (or not) guessed, the case is in the Beauty and the Beast castle, though it appeared to be Twilight Town manor. It'll be explained how that happens later, rest assured. I wasn't sure whether I wanted the story to turn this way, but I think it's fine. If you don't or think it's good (or great ), please drop a comment.