Here's the next chapter guys. Sorry that it took so long but I was busy going over my own work. I got a little ahead of myself and started this story without a clear plot, but don't worry since I've fixed the problem. This story will be updates once every two weeks since I"m already busy with my other stories.

Before this chapter starts I would like to show you the chapter timeline to avoid confusion. With the way I will post them, things will get a little hectic so pay attention.

Ch.1 – Ch.3 – Ch.2 – Ch.4

The reason I'm doing it like this is because there will be a lot of switching of characters on the story. For example, in one chapter you'll have Sora's side while the other will show Roxas' side.

Also I will not be referring to them as 'zombies' but as 'stillhearts.' This is a suggestion I got and liked the name.


Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts


Kingdom Hearts: Race to the Keyhole

Ch.4 Twilight's End

Roxas and Xion walked uphill towards the train station, their first stop for the day. School had been over for a little over half an hour and the two had immediately left the building to get started on her project. According to the assignment, Xion would need to research various parts of town. She would need to write down how the place was important and how it added to the economy.

The blond teen read over the paper once more. All of the places they needed research on were, unsurprisingly, small businesses. He couldn't understand why Xion didn't do it earlier but he decided not to think about it too much. She had a tendency of getting into all sorts of situations that were better left unsaid. They had the rest of the day to work on it, they could still finish on time. They would only need to pull an all-nighter and manage to wake up the following day, not too much to ask for.

"Hey Roxas," Xion suddenly tugged on Roxas' sleeve, getting his attention. The black haired teen pointed at an ice cream shop with an exited smile on her face. "We should get some ice cream," she declared, crossing her arms and nodding at herself, "It's a tradition to have sea-salt ice cream when researching stuff."

"You just made that up didn't you?" Roxas deadpanned.

"Let's go!" she cheered as she began walking towards the store.

A little irked by being ignored, Roxas took hold of her hand before she got too far. "We don't have time for ice cream right now," he scolded. Xion held a blank look on her face, refusing to move an inch, "Come on Xion. We need to take the train to the next station. The next one leaves in a few minutes."

Xion's expression faltered before pouting in annoyance. "Fine," she yanked her hand out of Roxas' hold and resumed her walk to the train station. The blond teen walked after her with a guilty look on his face, he knew how much she loved the ice cream and how much she hated being negated something.

"How's this? When we get back we'll buy the ice-cream. I'll even pay for yours," Roxas suddenly proposed.

The dark haired girl instantly turned around with a smile on her face. "Okay, I guess I'll accept your offer," she turned back to the street before her eyes widened slightly and her smile faltered.

The train station was in view now and Xion had spotted a familiar blonde enter the station. "What's wrong Xion?" Roxas asked, standing next to her with his head cocked to the side, "Why so glum all of a sudden?"

Xion shook her head and broke into a smile. "I'm fine. I was just thinking," her smile turned into a teasing smirk before crossing her arms, "I just saw Namine walking into the train station. And guess who's going to go talk to her?"

Roxas instantly blushed and flailed his arms in the air. "I can't do that!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the empty street, "I'm not ready yet."

"Excuses… excuses," Xion muttered, waving her hand dismissively in the air. She faced Roxas and pointed a finger at him, "You're going to talk to her and that's that. If you don't then she'll find someone else. Do you want that?"

"No…" Roxas admitted with a downcast look. He had had a crush on Namine for a few months now. As far as he knew, she had never had a boyfriend before since she seemed like the type that kept to herself. What he liked the most about her was that she was nice to everyone even though her friends weren't exactly nice.

Xion smiled and took hold of his hand. "Then let's go," she announced as she dragged him into the train station, thoughts of her school project forgotten at the moment.


The inside of the train station was large with many benches around the lobby. It had many ticket windows and many small shops along the walls, the perfect place for business with the usual rushes of people. However, today there was barely a sign of anyone. In fact, only Namine sat in a chair with a notebook on her hands.

The two friends entered the building with puzzled expressions. It was way beyond strange to have almost no one on the station. It was usually crowded on this certain time. At times like this one could barely walk. Something was off.

"What's going on here?" Roxas muttered as his eyes wondered around the building.

Xion shrugged. "Don't worry about it, there's probably some kind of festival or parade going on today," she guessed before walking towards a ticket window, "Let's just buy our tickets so that you can get to work."

"Don't you mean we can get to work," the blond teen countered with a scowl on his face, he really didn't want to get stuck doing her whole project.

"I meant Namine," she teased with a grin. Roxas blushed and turned away making Xion laugh before approaching the ticket window. Her brows furrowed when she saw nobody behind the window. She looked at the other windows but found no one, it made her uneasy but it wasn't as if something bad had happened, right?

Not knowing what to do she went back to Roxas, guessing that he would think of something. As she walked she took notice of her blond friend throwing glances at Namine, who sat on a bench apparently drawing something. A smile graced her face, he had it bad.

"Hey lovebird," she greeted with a mischievous smile.

"W-what?" Roxas stammered as his cheeks reddened.

Xion laughed lightly and shook her head, it was fun to turn him into a bumbling mess. As she was about to retort a loud screech suddenly filled the area. The two teens covered their ears with pain written all over their faces.

"What's going on?" Roxas screamed over the loud screech.

Before anyone could answer, the doors that led into one of the train tracks were suddenly blown from their hinges. A train sped through the tracks before crashing against one of the room's walls. Pieces of the wall sailed through the air, crashing in the ground and taking down benches and shops alike.

"What the hell is going on…" Roxas yelled in pure shock, watching the destruction the train had caused. Next to him, Xion broke into a determined expression before jogging over to the train. "What are you doing?" he called out with fear on his voice.

"I'm going to help out. There might be people there!" Xion ran over to one of the doors and reached for its handle. She tried to pull open the door but stepped back when hearing something slam against the door. She leaned on the door with a determined expression, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there! Just hang on!"

Before she could attempt to open the door, a hand suddenly broke through it, completely shocking the girl. Xion stared at the hand, it was nothing but a bloody mess with bones sticking out in different places. A bit of the crimson liquid stained her shirt as she stood there in pure shock, what the hell was the person thinking? Xion screamed in fear as more hands broke through the door, blood splattering everywhere.

"Xion!" Roxas called out as he ran towards her with a worried look on his face. He pulled her away from the scene just as the people finally broke through the door.

People dragged themselves out of the train, their clothes stained with dark crimson blood and deep black spots around their skin. The 'people' turned their attention to the two teens before dragging themselves towards them, uttering grunts as they grew closer.

"Let's get out of here!" Xion exclaimed before running towards the station's door. Roxas followed after her, panting heavily from pure fear. As they grew closer to the door, the ticket windows were suddenly shattered as bloodied people jumped out of them, their piercing yellow eyes glaring into theirs. The two teens stopped dead on their tracks, not knowing where to go.

"Over here!" a feminine voice called out. The two teens turned to see Namine standing near the tracks. Not having any more options they ran up to her with several people following after them. "Let's take the tracks to get out of here," Namine explained in a hurried voice.

"Let's go," Xion ordered as the three dropped down to the tracks. They quickly ran for their way out, careful not to trip over any rubble the train had left. Behind them people fell head first on the tracks with sickening snaps.

They ran out of the station with a few people following after them, most of the others snapping their necks when falling down the train tracks. The three didn't know where they were going, they only knew that anywhere would be safer than the station.


Xion frowned as she and her two companions, Roxas and Namine, approached the next train station. It was now dark, the only light coming from the moon's glow accompanied by the many stars filling the sky. The darkness that came with night would make things a lot more dangerous, it there were more of those 'people' in the next station then they would need to be extra careful.

The three teens stopped on their tracks as they gazed at the large building standing in front of them. This was the largest of the train stations, the one that held the famed clock tower of Twilight Town. There were no lights coming from the buildings and not a single sound was heard. A cold wind washed over them, picking up a few leaves and rustling the grass. It was completely quiet.

"What now?" Roxas asked, his hands shaking slightly. He pointed at the train station as a drop of sweat trailed down his forehead, "There's no light coming from the buildings. Even the lights of the station aren't turned on. Whatever happened on the other station happened here too. There's no place to go now!"

Xion watched Namine lower her gaze with teary eyes while Roxas simply stood there looking distressed. She knew it was to be expected, considering the situation, but it was the last thing they needed now. If they panicked then they were as good as dead. Her eyes hardened as she gazed at the train station. If her companions weren't going to be strong then she would need to be strong for them.

"I'll go check it out," she decided with her fists clenched.

"What!" was the reply from the two blonds.

Roxas took hold of Xion's shoulders and glared. "What the hell are you thinking?" his friend simply looked at him blankly, "You can't just go there! It's too dangerous!"

"He's right," Namine agreed with a frown of her own, "Going in alone is suicide."

Xion met Roxas' eyes, blue meeting blue. "I have to do this," she insisted, wincing slightly as the grip on her shoulders tightened, "It hurts Roxas."

"S-sorry…" Roxas let out in a concerned tone, taking his hands away.

Xion crossed her arms and smiled slightly. "Don't worry Roxas, I'll be alright," she explained, "This is the train station where I work. I know the place inside out. There's also a place where I know none of those things could enter, I'll go check out the station and call you if I don't see any of those things. We should be able to rest there."

Roxas and Namine looked at Xion in worry, not sure if they should just let her go. The black-haired teen nodded at the two before beginning to walk away. She needed to do this for them, all of them were tired and it would be for the best if they found a place to sleep.

Xion bit her lip as she approached one of the station's entrances. She placed a hand on the glass door, the material cold against her skin. Her heartbeat rose as she gazed at the dark inside of the station. The girl let out a soft sigh as her eyes grew determined, she needed to do this.

"Wait up!" Roxas yelled as he ran after Xion.

"R-Roxas?" Xion let out in disbelief.

"I'm coming too!" Namine declared as she approached the two teens with a small smile. "We need to stay together at times like this," she paused, a light blush gracing her cheeks, "I might not have talked to you in school but now it's different. I want us to become friends that look after each other."

"Right," Roxas nodded with a grin.

Xion smiled as she gazed at her companions, "Let's go then."

The three teens nodded at each other as Xion pushed the door open, nothing but darkness greeting them.

"Do you guys see anything?" Roxas whispered as his eyes darted around the area, trying to see something inside the dark lobby.

"No… nothing," Namine whispered back, keeping her hands extended out in front of her to avoid bumping into something or someone.

Xion kept her hands on one of the lobby's walls as she walked. Having worked at the place for close to a year had given her a clear map of the place, even if it was dark she could find her way around. She let out a short gasp when finally finding what she was looking for, the cool metal of a doorknob. She opened the door and walked into the room, digging into one of the pockets on her school jacket and taking out a set of keys.

The dark-haired girl extended her hands as she walked, finding the firm surface of a wall. She trailed her fingers through the wall until finally finding the keyhole she had been looking for. A smile graced her face as she inserted the key into it and turned.

The station came to life as lights in the lobby went on. Roxas and Namine shielded their eyes from the unexpected light, while Xion let out a sigh of relief from inside the small office she had entered. The dark-haired girl smiled before leaving the office, walking over to her friends.

"This place is amazing," Namine smiled in awe, her eyes sparkling as she took in the beauty of the lobby.

The lobby had a few trains stationed on a far gate, the walls were made of tan bricks, decorated with paintings of views of the town and fields. There were many windows around the lobby with a clear view of several parts of the town. Nobody took the time to take in its beauty since it was always crowded but now that it was empty, the spacious lobby was simply stunning.

"I know," Xion agreed with a smile as she gazed around the room, "That's why I really like working here."

"You never told me you worked here?" Roxas pointed out with a mock glare.

Xion chuckled. "You never asked. I've worked her for around a year... you're just dumb Roxas," she teased. The three teens busted into a fit of laughter, not really knowing why but appreciating the lighter mood. "Now let's get going," she ordered as she walked back into the small office.

Both blondes followed after her, entering the small room. It had a few desks here and there, with a few bookshelves placed against the walls. Finally there was a wooden ladder against one of the walls, leading into a hole in the ceiling.

"This is it," Xion announced with a smile, standing in front of the ladder. Both teens looked at her oddly, making her sigh before continuing, "This leads to the top of the clock tower. It will be a pain to climb all the way up but I'm sure none of those things will be up there. There's also a lot of room for us to sleep in. It's perfect."

Before anyone could argue Xion was already going up the ladder. Roxas watched her go up the ladder and blushed when catching a glimpse of white from inside her skirt.

"Are you guys coming?" she asked from the ladder.

"Y-yeah!" Roxas yelped as he snapped her head to the side, not realizing that he had been staring.

Namine looked at him oddly before climbing after Xion, Roxas following behind them with a bright blush.


"Here we are," Xion declared with a small smile, Roxas and Namine looking at the place in awe.

After going up countless amounts of steps they had finally reached a large room. It had wooden floors, white brick walls, large gears on the area above them and finally a large open space on the wall with a clear view of town. The moonlight shining in the room gave them enough light to make out the place.

"This place is amazing," Roxas smiled as he walked over to the open space. He found a walkway on the outside of the room, it had a clear view of town. He had never been the kind of person to appreciate views, but he had to admit that it was breathtaking. The sky filled with stars, the large full moon lighting up the town and giving it an unearthly glow, he didn't have any words to describe just how amazing it was. He turned back to his companions, "I'm gonna be outside for a little bit." He could use a distraction.

Xion chuckled when she saw him leave. She could relate, the first time she had been to this particular room she had gone out to the walkway to admire the view. In fact, most of the people that had gotten up to the room ended up doing the same thing.

"Um, Xion..?" Namine called a little timidly. Xion turned to the girl, cocking her head to the side in a show of confusion. The blonde teen let out a short breath and composed herself, "I'm not sure of what we're going to do but I'd like to ask for your help." The black-haired teen gave Namine her full attention, wondering what she would ask at a time like this.

Xion studied the blonde, by the way her eyes seemed to shimmer, she was either worried or upset. She assumed it was the latter since they hadn't done anything against her, she had even called them friends a few minutes before, so what could have her so shaken?

"What do you need?" Xion asked, her blue eyes calculating.

"I wanted you to take me home to my family," Namine answered in complete seriousness. She had been easygoing on their way to the station but now that they could actually afford to settle down, she could voice her concerns. Who cared if their families needed help. Her family came first.

Xion frowned. Both teens staring blankly at each other in complete silence. The air grew tense between them. Xion, for one, didn't really think that it was fair to check on Namine's family first. There was nothing that made her family more important but she could say the same about her own and Roxas'. It wouldn't be fair in any way, she would need to come up with a fair way to go about the situation. She was the thing holding them together and she would make sure to keep things civil.

"Where do you live?" Xion asked after the long silence.

Namine's eyes widened slightly before letting out a short sigh, "I live about five blocks away from here. That's why I was going to take the train earlier."

"I see," Xion nodded, turning her back on the blonde. "Roxas and I live all the way to the next station," she explained, turning to Namine and narrowing her eyes, "If we took you home, would you help us get to ours?"

"Yeah," Namine answered with a nod, "My family does well so we have an extra car. If I can't go with you then I'll make sure to give you the other car."

Xion crossed her arms and closed her eyes, sighing in irritation. Namine watched the girl with a worried frown, she might have sounded selfish but family came first. The blonde's eyebrows rose when Xion suddenly smiled and placed both hands on her hips, what kind of reaction was that?

"It's settled then," Xion announced with an exited smile. "We will take you home first since you're house is a lot closer," she nodded at herself before her head suddenly perked up, "That's right. We have to tell Roxas about this."

"We do," Namine agreed.

"Then go tell him," Xion ordered, pushing Namine towards the way out of the large room.

"W-what?" Namine muttered with a light blush.

Xion chuckled slightly. "Tell him about this. Don't worry, he won't be mad or anything. In fact, I think that he'll just be happy to help out," she assured, "So just go."

Namine pouted, crossing her arms. "But I don't know him that well," she argued, the blush on her cheeks deepening, "It's not like I didn't want to get to know him. But he never talked to me. What makes you think that he'll do that now?"

"Just trust me on this," Xion responded with a small smile, "Roxas is a good guy. He doesn't treat anyone badly and he's the most polite person I ever met. Just go tell him. Talk about other things if you want."

She added the last part with a wink, making Namine blush.

"F-fine," Namine agreed as she began to walk out of the room, the blush never leaving her face. She stopped on the way out and took a glance at Xion. "Thanks," she muttered, walking out of the room.

Xion watched Namine leave with a small smile, her gaze falling to the wooden floor. She closed her eyes as she called back fond memories.

Xion walked through the school's hallways, her face showing no emotion. It was a defense mechanism, she didn't want to get to know anyone. If she did then she would only wind up getting hurt.

She suddenly bumped into someone, letting out a gasp as she fell to the floor. A groan escaped her lips as she looked at her aggressor, glaring at the idiot that had knocked her down.

Her eyes widened when seeing a blond teen looking at her in pure shock, his blue eyes showing nothing but worry and guilt.

"Oh man! I'm so sorry!" the teen exclaimed as he extended a hand at Xion.

Xion looked at the hand in confusion, why was a stranger acting like this? Usually when stuff like this happened, people would call her clumsy or just walk away, but this guy had looked sincerely sorry.

"Sorry about that," he repeated once more. He smiled, "My name's Roxas. Again, sorry about that."

"I-it's okay," Xion muttered, a blush forming on her face. Her heartbeat rose as she took Roxas' hand, it felt warm against her own, "I'm Xion."

It was all she had now. The world she had known was slipping away and all she had was Roxas. He had been one of the few people that she opened up to. It was because of him that she was able to lead them safely. Things would get harder from now on, she knew so.

Xion sat against the room's wall and crossed her arms, closing her eyes in relaxation. 'Tomorrow we'll get Namine home,' she told herself, letting out a yawn. Her gaze turned to the large open space on the wall, her heartbeat raising. She wondered if her plan had worked, if maybe Roxas and Namine had connected.

'What it..?' she stopped herself mid-thought, feeling the usual hollow feeling on her chest. Xion bit her lip, thought like these wouldn't do her any good. They always left her feeling depressed and alone, knowing that thinking much about it would only bring her pain.

She settled for smiling and turning her gaze to the star-filled sky, 'God luck, Roxas.'

Ch.4 End

That's the chapter guys. I will be able to update this story once every two weeks. It's not much but I'm busy with other stories, so sorry :(

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this chapter, remember to leave any questions if you have any.