Authors Note: Hi everyone! Sorry that it took me awhile to get this chapter up. I hope you all enjoy :) And please read and review!

Thanks for all of the help Mystics Apprentice!

Chapter Fourteen: No. XIV: Xion

I threw myself back onto my bed, where I watched the ceiling fan make its rounds. And, unsurprisingly, it had begun to make me feel dizzy.

After we had shopped for clothes, Ienzo and I had gone all over town trying to find out what year we were in. I found it kinda amazing that after asking over fifteen people we still didn't know. It hadn't said on the receipt from the clothing store, and no one had wanted to tell us. The most helpful person had asked us if we needed to see a doctor. Most had just shaken their heads and stalked off. Finally Ienzo and I had gotten smart and had come to the conclusion that the people here were officially unhelpful. So far we had figured that we weren't in any one of our time periods. It also wasn't the scientists' time period. But, amazingly, they were fairly content to stay here anyway, wherever here may be. But hey, they were scientists, so they all probably just wanted to do a bunch of experiments. Actually, I knew for a fact that Even was doing some sort of experiment. I wasn't sure what it was, but I honestly wasn't that interested to find out.

I sat up, now gazing at a clock on the wall of the hotel room I was staying in. Most people had wanted to leave to another time era (who knew which one), but in the end I had managed to convince them to wait for Riku to get back. I mean, we couldn't just leave without him! How would he find us again?

Where was Riku? I hoped that he would come back soon. All of these Organization XIII members were getting on my nerves. Well, I guess that Lea, Demyx and Ienzo were pretty nice. But the rest, especially Braig, Marluxia, Even and Xaldin (I had recently found out that his name was actually Dilan) weren't.

I leapt to my feet when I heard someone burst through my door. Back at home my mom would have thrown a cow if I had done that.

Lea and Isa stood in the doorway of my room. The redhead had a huge grin on his face.

"Riku's back," Lea told me excitedly. "And he's got your friend with him—uh, Kairi, right?"

I hurried over to him. "He's got Kairi with him?! Why didn't he tell me that he was going to rescue her?"

I practically bulldozed over the two teens on my way out the door. As I continued towards the entrance of the hotel I heard both of them hurrying after me.

"He's got some other girl with him, too," Isa muttered as he walked along beside me.

"Yeah, her name's Xion." Lea chuckled. "She called me Axel."

Isa plodded along, his gaze on the ground. "You know what's funny? Axel is the name 'Lea' with an X."

"Uh, yeah, it is, isn't it?" I said uneasily. I didn't want to get on the topic about them becoming Nobodies again, especially since Lea didn't know yet, so I quickly hurried on.

I stepped out the door of the hotel and glanced around. It didn't take long for me to spot Riku and Kairi. They were speaking with Terra and Aqua just outside the building.

I walked up in time to hear Aqua tell Kairi that she was glad to see her safe.

"Kairi!" I exclaimed, walking over to her. She turned and grinned at me, before hurrying over and giving me a hug. Unsure of what else to do, I clumsily patted her on the back.

Kairi stepped back and smiled. "I'm glad that you're still okay. I was worried about what Xehanort was plotting against you."

I smiled back, before looking over at Riku. He had his arms crossed, but grinned when I caught his eye.

"You didn't tell me that you were going to rescue Kairi!" I said, frowning at my silver-haired friend. "I could've helped!"

Riku looked down. "I just thought it would be easier this way."

I scowled as someone stepped out from behind Riku. It was a girl of about sixteen with short ebony-colored hair. She smiled shyly at me.

"Oh, you must be…Xion?" I asked curiously. She looked just like Kairi! Like literally! I felt tears threaten to leak down my cheeks. I frowned, quickly brushing them away. Something about her just made me feel sad.

"Yes, I am," Xion told me. "It's great to finally be meeting you, Sora. I've…heard a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," I responded. I felt somewhat confused. Did Roxas know her? Was that why I felt sad?

Xion looked around as pretty much everyone else came up to us. Her eyes lit up when Demyx and Ienzo stepped out from the hotel. Demyx was carrying his sitar, as per usual. His strumming on it was setting everyone on edge, which would possibly explain the grumpy expression on Ienzo's face. But, then again, the two never seemed to get along. Perhaps that had something to do with Ienzo not liking lazy people. Which would mean the two of them just clashed. Because from what I had seen of Demyx, he was quite lazy.

"Xion?" Demyx asked, raising his eyebrows. "Wow, I didn't think we'd see you here!"

I scratched my head. Did everyone know Xion but me? Or…did I know her?

Xion grinned. "Hi Demyx! Hello, Ienzo."

Demyx walked over and began speaking animatedly with her, but Ienzo looked slightly confused. Finally his eyes lit up with understanding.

"…Of course," Ienzo muttered under his breath. "The other replica: No. XIV: Xion." Ienzo walked up to Xion and held out his hand for her to shake. "Hello, it's nice to see you again, Xion."

"You too," she replied, watching him uncertainly.

I slowly headed over to Riku, watching the Cloaked Schemer introduce himself to the dark-haired teen.

I looked up at him. "Did…did Roxas know Xion?"

Riku continued to stare straight in front of him, not really looking at anything in particular. He then looked back at me and nodded.

"Yeah, they were best friends," he told me, his gaze neutral.

I kicked at a pebble with my foot. "I thought so. I felt kinda sad when I looked at her."

"Is anyone hungry here?" Terra inquired curiously. "It's past dinner time now."

"I'm hungry," Lea announced, shoving his thumbs in his pockets. "How 'bout you, Isa?"

His blue-haired friend nodded.

It seemed like everyone else was, too. It appeared that for the first time everyone, literally everyone, was going to go and eat at this Italian restaurant that was down the street from the hotel.

…

I loved Italian food, and probably always would. Both Riku and Kairi liked it as well, so whenever the three of us went out to eat together we would usually go to an Italian restaurant.

The menu here held many different dishes than they had on Destiny Islands. And everything on it looked good. Eventually I settled on Lasagna, since I knew that I liked it. I'm sort of silly like that; I like choosing something that I'm sure I'll like.

I glanced to my left at Riku's menu. I had no idea what he would pick. I reached out and tapped his shoulder.

Riku looked over at me. "Yeah?"

"Whatcha getting?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know. Maybe Eggplant Parmesan," he replied.

I frowned. True, the three of us liked Italian food, but that didn't mean we liked the same kind.

I glanced around the table, lost in thought. I really hadn't thought of this before now, but it seemed kind of strange to be eating at the same table as members of Organization XIII. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined all of us would be sent on a mission to save the world together. But still, it was nice to have them on our side. I was really starting to get used to them helping us. It would've been nice if it were like this before, back when we had been fighting against the Nobodies. But oh well; at least we got along now!

I looked over at Kairi; she was intently studying her menu. I reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hmm? What is it, Sora?"

I grinned at her. "What are you getting? Have you decided yet?"

"Umm, no, not yet," Kairi told me, resuming her search through the menu.

I leaned back in my chair and observed my own menu. Was I sure that I wanted Lasagna? Hmm, Ziti looked really good as well… Nah, I'd just get Lasagna.

Finally a waitress walked over and began taking everyone's orders. They started with Aqua. Once they had gone around the table and Kairi had given her order of Ziti (hmm, maybe I should have tried the Ziti…), they finally turned to me and smiled. So I told them what I wanted to eat, and they went on to Riku.

I picked up my soda and began sipping it, watching as Braig spoke animatedly to Terra. For some reason the brunet looked annoyed. I guess I wasn't the only one that Braig liked to irritate!

Our food didn't take that long to reach us. My Lasagna looked really good. I glanced at Riku's plate of Eggplant Parmesan. I still wasn't sure how he could stand the stuff. Sure the sauce tasted good, but that was about it. But it looked like he was enjoying it.

I looked down and began eating my food. It actually tasted a bit different than the Lasagna they served on Destiny Islands. I didn't like this one half as much.

About forty minutes later (some people ate slow) we were done. Braig was the first one to stand and stretch.

"I'm gonna head back, don't know about any of you," Braig told all of us at the table. He turned and headed out of the restaurant, letting the door bang shut behind him.

Ienzo stood up as well, brushing the bangs from his face with a gloved hand.

"Yes, I think I am finished here as well," Ienzo said. "If everyone else is, then perhaps we should pay the waitress now before anyone else leaves without helping to pay." Ienzo glanced pointedly at the door where Braig had just disappeared.

We all chipped in. Basically each of us paid for our own food, or I think that's about how it would've equaled out. Except for Braig, that is. I kind of wonder if he didn't on purpose.

We all rose from the table. Some of us took leftover food back with us, and some didn't. I got a refill on my soda, as did Riku.

After we had stepped out of the building Ven turned around and grinned at me.

"See, Sora? I told you we'd find your friend," he told me happily. "That food was pretty good, wasn't it?"

I shrugged. "Kind of, the Italian food they had where I came from was better."

…

"Sora."

Someone was shaking my shoulder. I stirred and rolled over in my sleeping bag. I looked up into Kairi's face. She was bent over me, grinning.

"Good morning, Sora!" She walked over to the bed, which no longer held Riku, and sat down.

Riku had reasoned that since I had gotten the bed all of the other times we had been at hotels, it was now his turn to get it. I figured that he had a pretty valid point, so I had given up the bed without much of a fight. Instead I slept in a sleeping bag on the floor.

"Good morning," I said, stifling a yawn and sitting up.

"Riku's already up," she informed me, as though I hadn't already noticed. "Ienzo says we're leaving to a different world in about twenty minutes."

I sighed and looked towards the window. We certainly had been running through worlds an awful lot lately.

"Shouldn't we eat breakfast first?" I asked, leaning over to unzip my sleeping bag so that I could crawl out of it.

Kairi frowned and smoothed down the comforter on Riku's bed.

"That's what I thought, but everyone wants to hurry and leave," Kairi told me, then she laughed. "Well, except for the scientists. They all want to stay!"

I slid out of my sleeping bag and zipped it back up again. Then I began rolling it.

"Sora?"

I looked up at Kairi and grinned. "Yeah?"

"Do you think our world is destroyed right now?" Kairi asked, a look of concern on her face.

I got up and sat next to her on the bed. I frowned at the window, thinking.

"Probably, or at least mostly," I admitted. She looked a bit upset so I stuck my hands behind my head and gave her one of my best, biggest grins. "But don't worry, we'll save it!"

She smiled at me and then looked at the door as Riku stepped in, all dressed and ready to go. His long hair nicely brushed and everything. He really needed to get a hair cut.

"Hi Riku," Kairi greeted him.

He sat down at the foot of the bed, staring at the door, lost in thought. Or at least he looked like he was lost in thought.

The three of us sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes, until Ienzo stepped in, followed by Even. I knew that it had been about fifteen minutes because I had been staring at the clock the entire time.

I stared at Ienzo in surprise; he wasn't wearing his organization coat! He was wearing a fairly normal outfit. Sure it was very nice and slightly stylish, but he had a pair of dark blue jeans and a gray turtleneck shirt. Compared with the outfit he had tried to get me to wear, this one wasn't fancy at all! It was odd seeing him dressed in something other then his coat, though. I had to admit it looked pretty good on him.

Even was also wearing something different. He too wore blue jeans, but he had a tan colored T-shirt and a dark brown, long-sleeved stylish coat-thing over top of it. He almost looked normal, but not quite. If he would stop doing this weird squinty thing with his eyes it would've helped a lot.

"Are you three ready to go?" Ienzo asked, tilting his head to one side. "Everyone else is quite eager to leave."

I looked over at Riku; he met my eye and nodded.

"Just about," I told him, getting to my feet. "I'll be right back."

I left the room and went into the bathroom; there was no reason for me to walk around in pajamas anymore.

…

I walked slowly up the winding staircase that would lead to my room within Maleficent's castle. It was a very gloomy room that greatly resembled the rest of her castle. The sooner we left this place the better.

Xehanort had told me to bring Xion back, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to force her. I still considered her my friend, maybe that had something to do with it. I looked down at my gloved hands and sighed. She most likely didn't consider me her friend anymore…if she ever had at all to begin with.

Probably not.

I ran up the last couple of stairs and continued to my room. I frowned as I walked along a hall with close to no light at all.

At the end of the hall I found the door to my bedroom. I reached out and turned the knob. Once in, I leaned against the wall and sighed. The room looked like it was ancient. The furnishings within it were all really old. Cobwebs littered the walls and floor. At least the bed wasn't covered in cobwebs; now that would have been upsetting.

I went over and sat down on my bed, putting my face in my hands. I felt sad, but I couldn't quite figure out why. It was frustrating me… But I did have one idea, even if I didn't like it, and I knew that Xehanort would be furious with it. Did I—miss Xion? The more I thought about it, I felt sure that was it. Ugh, why was I feeling this way?! I wasn't supposed to befriend people and miss them! What was the matter with me?

I got up and strode over to my window, scowling at the brownish gray clouds that swirled endlessly around Maleficent's castle. I wondered if Xion was already with Sora, helping him out. She probably was. Did she miss me? I sighed, quickly answering that question in my mind: probably…not.

Though I'd only met Riku once so far, I already didn't like him. Did he just think he could waltz in and take my best friend and Kairi?

I frowned, now knowing what I was going to go do. I turned around and opened up a portal.

I was going to go finish my fight against Riku. And he was going to lose.