Authors Note: Well, here's chapter four. I hope that this chapter is okay. Please read and review :) And thanks for beta'ing it Mystics Apprentice!

Chapter Four: Unsure Decision

I sat up and looked around. Something had startled me into wakefulness, and I was trying to figure out what it had been. It had made an odd sort of clanging sound; a sound similar to one banging something made of metal shut.

I squinted into the pitch-black cell to my left, only to find no one there. Then I heard the sound again, only this time it was coming from the cell to my right. After a few minutes of trying to discern what was in there, the door to the right cell slammed shut. I heard footsteps moving away from it, though I knew it couldn't be Vanitas. This person was too tall, and was walking rather hunched over. The figure's footfalls slowly died away, until I heard a door shut from above and I could no longer make them out entirely.

I got up quietly and peered through the bars separating the right cell from mine. I grasped one of the bars while desperately trying to make out what was within the shadows of the cell. I let out a sigh in defeat; I couldn't make out anything in there—it was far too dark.

"Hello?" I called quietly. "Is…someone in there?"

I remained standing there silently for a few minutes, but no answer ever came. Maybe there wasn't anyone in there, only I could've sworn I had seen the man leave someone in there. Maybe they were unconscious? Or, maybe I was just hopeful.

Vanitas had brought me to the cell only the day before. I hadn't seen anyone else since then apart from Vanitas, who had brought me food three times since my arrival. Vanitas really hadn't said much during any of those times, and he really didn't seem to enjoy answering any of my questions. Though the last time he'd come I had gotten him to tell me his leader's name, who was a man named Xehanort.

I sat back down on the floor of my cell and leaned my back against the wall. The floor here really wasn't that clean, but I hardly cared anymore.

Vanitas had said something about me meeting this leader of his. I wondered what he wanted with me? I mean, I could use the Keyblade, but so could Vanitas. Would he really have any use for me? I was determined not to help anyone who was after the power of Kingdom Hearts, if Sora hadn't already destroyed it. I wasn't even sure if it was possible to destroy Kingdom Hearts, for that matter.

Just then I heard something moving in the cell beside mine. I leaned forward and peered once again into the other cell; there was definitely someone in there.

"Hey, is someone in there?" I asked, beginning to stand up once again.

I heard someone, who sounded like a girl, groan from inside the cell.

"Wh—where am I?" the prisoner asked, sounding slightly scared. "Sora? Riku?"

"You know Sora?" I asked her, my eyes widening in surprise.

Who was she? Could she be Naminé?

"What's your name?" I further inquired, as I walked over to the bars separating us.

"Huh? Who's there?" she asked, sounding startled as she too rose to her feet.

"My name is Xion…" I told her, as I then repeated the question I had asked her before. "What's your name?"

I heard the girl make her way across her cell towards the bars separating us. Once she had gotten close enough I could begin make her out a bit better, as she had to cross through a patch of moonlight to approach me. She looked just like me! The only difference that set us apart was the length of her hair, which fell just past her shoulders. I couldn't tell what color it was, except that it wasn't blond. My guess would've been some shade of brown or red, because it looked a little lighter then mine. But apart from that we looked to be the same height and weight. She wasn't Naminé…but I was pretty sure that I knew who she was!

"I'm Kairi… It's nice to meet you, Xion," she told me, her voice softening as she spoke. "Do you know where we are?"

"Well…no. I'm not exactly sure," I told her. That had been the same exact question that I had been asking Vanitas every time he'd come. I hadn't gotten Vanitas to tell me yet, and the last time I had asked he'd gotten pretty mad and had told me not to ask him again. "Have you ever heard of a man named Xehanort?"

"Yes, I have. He was the one who brought me here." I could see a look of concern wash over her face as she answered me. "His Nobody has caused a lot of problems in—well, where I came from."

I looked at her a moment. This was Kairi…one of Sora's best friends in the worlds, along with Riku. I had heard a lot about her; Naminé had said the two of us were almost like the same person. It was very strange, but I remembered her…from Sora's memories…still.

"We're in Xehanort's prison cells, that's all I do know," I told her. "And since it doesn't sound like this Xehanort person is very nice…that's probably not a good thing."

I glanced up at a small barred window above Kairi; it was the only window that I knew of, or within sight, at least. Gauging from the moonbeams shining down upon Kairi, I was guessing that it was early evening. I sighed, my gaze dropping towards the stone flooring of the cell. When was Vanitas going to take me to see his master? Maybe sometime soon, but because his master had only just returned, he probably didn't want to see anyone for a little while.

"You asked me if I knew Sora … have you met him before?" Kairi asked me, a note of curiosity in her tone.

I looked at her again. That would be hard to explain, because I didn't really know Sora. I was just a puppet…with his memories.

"Well…no, not really," I told her as I shook my head, causing some of my bangs to fall into my face. "I do know Riku, though—he told me about Sora."

"So, you must be from our time period!" Kairi exclaimed joyfully. "We can probably figure a way out of here together!"

"I don't think so. I've been trying to find a way out…and there doesn't seem to be any," I replied somberly. I had been trying to find an escape route ever since I came here, and there really didn't seem to be one. Even my Keyblade hadn't worked; there seemed to be some barrier against it.

"Well, we could try my Keyblade," Kairi told me.

"No, it won't work," I informed her. "They've made it so that Keyblades don't work against these locks."

"Oh," she said, looking slightly crestfallen.

I walked around my cell, entirely lost in thought. I really wasn't sure what to make of everything. It was strange talking to Kairi… It was almost like talking to myself.

Suddenly I heard a door slam shut, the same one that I had come from. Someone was descending the stairs from above us.

I paused in my pacing and looked over in the direction that I knew the person would be coming from. Then I glanced at Kairi, who was also looking in the same direction. Once the newcomer had turned the corner, they continued to make their way towards our cells.

"You are to come with me," a voice I recognized as Vanitas's said to me. "I'll take you to a different room where you'll be more comfortable."

I watched as Vanitas swung my cell door open, beckoning me through. I obeyed willingly, wondering if he was going to take Kairi out as well. However, Vanitas didn't turn her way at all. He just started back the way he came, only glancing back once to see if I was following him. I glanced over my shoulder at Kairi.

"Aren't you going to take her as well?" I asked Vanitas, as I paused on the first step.

"My orders were only to take you to a different room," Vanitas informed me, in the same irritated manner that he always used when I asked him a question. "So…that is exactly what I'm doing."

I nodded silently, unsure if he could even see me in the utter darkness or not. I doubted that there was a whole lot I could do for her with Vanitas standing right there, so I reluctantly turned back around and followed him up the stairs. It was very dark down in the dungeons, even in the daylight hours. But then again, outside of the single barred-window it was always dark and misty as well, regardless of whether it was day or night. I found it a little odd that Vanitas never used a lantern. Hmm, maybe he just liked the dark?

Vanitas paused at the top of the stairs and pushed the door open. We then proceeded to walk in silence up the corridor. Vanitas seemed to be quite certain that I would follow him, as he didn't glance back at me again. But then again, why would I not follow him? My only other option would be to turn around and go back down into the dungeons, and the only good that could do would be to make Vanitas very angry; which I didn't really want to do.

We finally left the corridor behind, and we went through an area I hadn't seen on my first trip into the castle. This building was darker and more plain even then The Castle that Never Was, and that was saying something. We rounded a corner and started up some stairs of a polished, dark-brown wood. It was very shiny, and squeaked every time I took a step.

When we reached the top, Vanitas walked a little further before pulling a set of double doors open, where he waited for me to pass through. We had now stepped into a very large corridor that had many doors left and right. Vanitas rounded another corner and there was another flight of polished stairs for us to ascend. He then turned right through another set of double doors that already stood open.

We continued on a short ways down the hall, until Vanitas pulled another door open, and for third time waved me through it. I went in and Vanitas followed me.

We arrived in what appeared to be a very nicely furnished bedroom that was quite large. There was one other door besides the one we had just come through; my guess was that it led to the bathroom. Vanitas had halted only a couple of steps within the room and watched me.

"This is where you will be staying," he informed me, as he turned around to leave the room. "My master said that he's going to speak with you sometime tomorrow."

"Okay," I replied, still looking around the room. It was far nicer then the one I had been given inside The Castle that Never Was! There was even a bookcase containing many books of varying sizes and colors.

Vanitas turned my door's handle and stepped out of my room. He started to close it and then paused, once again opening the door wide.

"Heh… I almost forgot: my master wanted me to say sorry for putting you inside a dungeon cell," he told me, chuckling to himself. "He also said that you are welcome to go wherever you like… Inside this building, that is."

Gauging from the look on his face, Vanitas definitely didn't look sorry at all. He turned around and left my room, letting the door bang shut behind him.

I sighed and walked around to the bed and sat down. What could they want with me? Or Kairi? I laid back against the pillows of the bed, falling deeply in thought. Where were Roxas and Axel right now? Were they even alive?

I lay there for quite some time debating where they could be, until I finally fell asleep.

...

I walked swiftly down the corridor, lanterns on the walls shed soft light on the long hallway in front of me. Not that it mattered to me, I could see extraordinarily well in the dark. That probably could have something to do with the fact that I was a being of complete darkness…

I continued down the dark corridor until I reached a large wooden door leading down into the dungeons. I opened it with ease and continued my way down the dark stone steps that would end upon reaching the dungeons. It seemed like I had been down there quite a bit lately. Considering we had no maids here, I had been tasked with the job of feeding our prisoner, though I actually hadn't been supposed to put her down there in the prisons to begin with. My master had been very angry when he came back, saying that I was to treat her like a guest, or else she might not help us with whatever it was that we needed her help with.

The girl reminded me a lot of one other Keyblade wielder; she had blue hair and was one of Ventus's 'little friends.' How was it that the stupid kid could make friends with just about anyone he happened to meet? I shook my head irritably. I wasn't sure why I had always wondered about this—well… I guess it was because I didn't have any friends of my own. Not that I really needed any, but I had always wondered what it was like—having friends.

Upon reaching the bottom step I turned right. I had just finished dropping Xion (aka our prisoner) off in her new, much nicer room. I was now on my way to see my master, who had gone to speak with another prisoner he'd brought shortly after I had brought Xion. Apparently, this new prisoner was a young woman as well, though I didn't know her name as of yet.

I put my helmet back on as I drew nearer to my master; he had told me to make sure I wore it around this particular prisoner. My master was quite easy to spot in the dark prison, considering he held a candle high as he spoke with the girl from outside of her cell. I reached his side and stood there, waiting for him to finish.

"Ah, Vanitas," my master said, wearing a smile while turning to face me. "This is Kairi, a good friend of Sora's."

I looked at her from outside the cell in surprise. For a couple of seconds I had been sure that she was Xion! Then I noticed that her hair was the color auburn, whereas Xion's hair was black.

"Sora's friend, eh?"

"Um…yes, I am," Kairi answered, looking at me curiously.

I had nothing personal against Sora. In fact, if it hadn't been for him, my face may very well be resembling something like a heartless's, which wouldn't be cool at all.

"Well, Kairi, it was nice speaking with you," my master told her with a false smile as he took a step backward. "I think that I'll be off now. And don't worry, I doubt you'll be staying here for very long. I'm sure Sora will probably be looking all over for you."

With that, he turned around and started moving towards the way I just came. We started up the stairs when my master spoke.

"Everything is going exactly according to plan," he said with his normal, twisted smile. "Now all we need is Sora and Riku."

I stared silently at my feet for a moment. My master was very happy about something…

"Master Xehanort?" I started questioningly. "What exactly are you planning to do with all of us?"

My master swung open the door that led to the castle above. He then waited until the door to the dungeons had shut safely behind me before answering.

"You will find out along with the others… But there is also one other thing you and Xion will need to do for me before we can proceed with my other plan," Master Xehanort told me. "Something that will both earn her trust and make obtaining Kingdom Hearts one step easier."

I watched him irritably; he never would tell me his complete plan until it was halfway through the making.

"Why is it that Kairi looks like Xion?" I asked him, abruptly changing the subject.

"Xion was apart of an interesting project," Master Xehanort told me, as we walked slowly down the stairs. "A project led by a Nobody titled Vexen. His project was to make replicas of a couple certain 'Keyblade wielders': Sora and Riku, of course."

My master was silent for several seconds before continuing. I watched him, a bit curious now.

"Vexen succeeded in making two replicas. One was quite a disappointment, and did not make it into their ranks. Whereas the other one, the replica of Sora, was a bit better and was brought to The Castle that Never Was. Xion is Sora's replica, though she is still imperfect." My master paused and continued to move down the stairs at a crawling pace. "Xion was never quite meant to become her own person, and she wouldn't have if some of Sora's memories hadn't found their way inside her...yet she did. Several of Sora's most treasured memories found there way inside her, giving her an identity of her own; she is hardly anything like Sora anymore."

"But…why does she look like Kairi?" I further pressed. Master Xehanort had given me her history, not the answer I was seeking.

"She doesn't look like Kairi to everyone," he told me slowly. "She appears differently to different people. Like for instance, when I look at her I generally think she resembles what she is: a puppet."

I considered this for a moment. It didn't make a whole lot of since, but I decided not to question him further. To do so wouldn't normally be a good idea, and I think that I basically had the answer to my question.

"You will bring Xion to see me tomorrow… As soon as she finishes her breakfast."

"Fine," I answered quietly, as my master opened the door to the inside of the castle and we both went our separate ways to our rooms.

...

I was fighting one of those invisible Stealth Sneaks as it attempted to keep me from finding its exact location. As it prepared to send two bolts of energy my way, I found where it was and lunged. But since it had been invisible I hadn't expected it to swing its tail around to hit me as well. It was now visible, but the creature's tail was now too close for me to avoid it. It was going to hit me at any second…

"Xion?"

I sat bolt upright and looked around, half expecting to see the gigantic lizard-like heartless still swinging its tail at me. Realizing that it had been a dream, I looked around to see who had called my name. It was Vanitas. He was watching me, and for a spilt second I thought that I saw a look of concern flash across his face. In an instant it was gone and replaced by his usual irritable expression. Maybe I had just imagined it.

"Here," Vanitas told me, as he held out a tray of food. "Bad dream, I guess?"

I accepted the food, and after taking a bite I nodded ever so slightly. I wasn't about to tell Vanitas my dream; that would be very silly. I remembered the day that I had faced one of those; it was on a mission back when I was still with Organization XIII. I hadn't been able to find the Heartless I'd been sent to defeat and therefore hadn't RTC'ed yet, which resulted in Roxas and Axel coming to find me.

I looked over at Vanitas, who had just picked up another tray of food and sat down on the foot of my bed.

"Oh yeah, my master said that he will see you as soon as you're finished eating," Vanitas informed me. His fork paused in midair, as if he had only just remembered to tell me this.

"Okay," I answered. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to meet this 'master' of his anymore. He didn't sound very nice, and if he really was Xemnas's Somebody, then I really didn't want to help him with anything.

We sat in silence for quite some time, before I asked him a question that I figured he probably wouldn't answer anyway.

"Vanitas?" I began, looking up from my plate of scrambled eggs. "What does your master want with me?"

Vanitas took a bite of his own eggs and chewed slowly before answering.

"He'll tell you himself when he speaks with you in a minute," Vanitas told me. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure what he wants with you."

I considered this for a moment; I knew that I probably wasn't going to get a better answer. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that I had gotten an answer at all; only I wasn't sure if I believed him that he was truly oblivious to what his master was up to.

I took a small bite of my biscuit; it was really good!

"So," Vanitas started, looking back at me curiously. "I've heard that you have some of Sora's memories… Is this true?"

I nodded, not sure how much I really wanted to answer him. How had he found out about this? Not very many people knew…unless he was working with Xemnas, or his master really was Xemnas's Somebody.

We both sat silently for a while, until Vanitas finished his food and stood up. He looked over at my nearly empty tray, which I was no longer eating from anymore.

"Are you finished yet?" Vanitas asked holding out a hand for my tray.

I nodded, passing it to him. I was now once again wondering what it was that his master wanted from me. I stood up and followed Vanitas to the door. He went through it, leaving the door wide open for me to pass, and once again I was following the dark-clad figure down a hall.

Ten-minutes later we entered a rather large room, with extraordinarily nice furnishings and silk curtains. I glanced back at Vanitas, who gestured that I should enter the room. I walked in slowly, noticing an old man hunched over in a rather immaculate armchair.

"Ah! Xion, Vanitas! Come in and have a seat," the old man greeted, beaming radiantly at the two of us.

I was guessing this man had to be Xehanort. He really did look quite old, though he spoke as if he were a much younger person.

The man waited for both me and Vanitas to take seats. The dark-haired boy sat beside the man in what was probably the most uncomfortable chair in the entire room, though it was quite lovely in appearance. I took one of the chairs that sat across from the two of them. The man turned to me, still grinning broadly.

"I am very glad to finally be meeting you," Xehanort told me. "My name is Xehanort. I am also a wielder of the Keyblade, titled a 'Master' some many years ago. Your name is Xion, correct?"

I watched him cautiously for a moment before responding unsurely.

"Yes," I replied, and further added as an afterthought. "It's very nice to meet you, too."

"You can wield the Keyblade, correct?" Xehanort pressed. "The Kingdom Key?"

I nodded reluctantly. He had already referred to me as a 'fellow Keyblade Wielder,' so I assumed that he already knew this, which meant there was no reason to lie.

"Well then, Xion, I was wondering if I could ask for your help with something…" Xehanort trailed off.

I looked up upon the old man's words; I had expected something like that.

"As I am sure you know, the man you had previously worked for was my Nobody: Xemnas. However, I am not exactly like him… He had lost his memory quite unfortunately, and no longer remembered my true objectives. He believed that he wanted the power of Kingdom Hearts…which is not what I am after." Xehanort paused, standing up and walking over to one of the many windows in the room. "Xemnas still believes this, and is still after that great power that should be left alone. I have been trying very hard to stop him, and the others that follow him whom are also after this power. I have only had one other idea…"

Could he be telling the truth? Though I knew better then to just trust someone like that. There was one thing that almost made me believe him. For one, he did look genuinely upset about what Xemnas was up to, and another thing was that Xemnas had always told us that our goal was Kingdom Hearts—though he had never told us what he wanted with it.

"My master, I believe, knew of a secret that could lock Kingdom Hearts forever. He told me, my fellow pupil and good friend, Eraqus, that there was a book in which had been locked away by a Keyblade Master a very long time ago. It was to be used if someone who would abuse its power was ever close to breaking into Kingdom Hearts." Xehanort paused again, turning around to look at me. "The only problem is that I have no idea where it is now, as the world that it was in is now gone—forever. Now, as for the favor that I was going to ask you…is if you and Vanitas would be willing to go and find this precious book for me?"

I looked at him for a long time, not really sure if I wanted to get involved.

"Is there a reason that I need to help with this, Master Xehanort?" I asked curiously. I was wondering why he couldn't just have Vanitas do it.

"Well…yes, there is. I think there may be a need for two Keyblades along the way," Xehanort told me. "Could you help me with this, Xion? You see, I can't get Sora to. I am afraid that is why I took his dear friend; it was in hopes of prompting Sora to help, though I don't think neither Sora or Riku will be able to come in time to stop Xemnas from getting Kingdom Hearts. I have many things that require my attention here, so I cannot go."

"I—I don't know…" I said, lowering my gaze to the ground. He sounded like he was telling the truth, but I couldn't be sure. I certainly didn't want to help someone like Xemnas again.

"I understand your hesitancy; I know you have had past dealings with my Nobody. But I am not quite the same as him," Xehanort assured me. "So…will you help me?"

I continued to study the ground for a moment longer before I finally made up my mind.

"Okay, I'll help," I replied, somewhat reluctantly. "You really aren't after Kingdom Hearts?"

"I do not seek its power, no," Xehanort assured me once again. "And I must thank you very much for helping me with this. I am sure Sora would help as well...if he only understood."

I nodded, just as Vanitas stood up.

"Alright then, since that's settled," Vanitas said as he walked over to the door. "I'll just take you back to your room."

We headed towards the door again; Vanitas opened it and stepped out.

"Oh, Xion?" Xehanort called out just as I was about to go through the door. "I was thinking that you and Vanitas should head out tomorrow."

"Okay," I replied, and I slid the door shut behind me.