Authors Note: This chapter is a bit shorter then normal but it was necessary to the plot. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen: Double Agents

"RIKU!"

I cupped my hands around my mouth and called my friends' name again, but I still didn't get an answer. Where was he? It was as if he had just vanished in thin air or something! I glanced over to where Kairi was at pacing a short distance away, she too was calling Riku's name looking nearly as concerned as I was if not more. She slowly began making her way over to me still looking around as she did so.

"I don't see him anywhere," Kairi informed me her gaze worried. "Should we go and see if anyone else found him?"

"Sure." I tucked my hands in my pockets and began to make my way onto another street, Kairi right behind me.

Everyone had come back to Radiant Garden to help look for Riku and Xion who had been supposed to be bringing up the rear through the portal but then hadn't come. It just didn't make any since how they could've disappeared like that or why they would. I hoped that they were okay. I kept telling myself that maybe someone else had already found them, though I somewhat doubted it.

I slipped my hand into Kairi's as we walked side by side down the paved street. She smiled up at me.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine," she told me cheerfully.

Now that was a change I thought, usually I was the one trying to get her not to worry, not the other way around. I grinned down at her.

"Yeah, you're right." I glanced up at the sky. It was just as clear as it had been before we'd gone through the portal. Just a few puffy white clouds here and there littering the otherwise bright blue sky. I blinked and looked down, the brightness of the sun making my eyes hurt.

We walked in silence after that until we came across Lea, Isa and Demyx. Demyx stood leaning against the wall, Lea stood sipping some kind of drink and Isa stood glaring at both of them whilst gesturing down the street grumpily.

"I give up, it doesn't look like they're anywhere," Demyx informed his two companions as we walked up. Isa looked over at Demyx and noticed us his expression became grim.

"No luck?" Isa asked.

I shook my head. "No—I think Demyx is right, they're not in this world anymore. I just have no idea where they are."

"Well don't worry," Lea told me, he took another sip of his drink. "I'm sure he'll turn up."

"Should we keep looking or do we just go find everyone else and decide what to do from there?" Isa asked me.

I frowned and kicked at a pebble with my foot. "Lets go see what everyone else thinks, I guess."

Lea spun on his heal. "Right then lets go."

…

"Ienzo! You've gotta listen to me!"

I continued walking down the street, attempting to block Braig's annoying chatter from my mind. I glanced back over my shoulder at the desperate expression on his face and sighed, he wasn't making it easy.

"I have already told you," I began again hoping he'd just give up this time. "I no longer feel that I have any reason to help Xehanort. He is not Xemnas and even if he was I still do not feel that I have any reason to help him."

Braig caught up to me and I quickened my pace.

"No no no, as if! You do have a reason to help both of them. Listen." Braig got directly in front of me. "Xemnas is Xehanort, and you owe Xemnas a lot. He helped raise you! You don't think you should help him for once?"

I glared at him. "My answer is still no Braig."

"He isn't happy with you, you know. If you don't start helping him again fast, he might just decide to do away with you," Braig informed me. "He doesn't like traitors."

I stepped around him. "I am fully aware of that thank you. Now if you'll excuse me."

This time he didn't follow me, though I could feel him staring at the back of my head. I knew that he didn't care if Xehanort became angry with me he was only worried about what Xehanort would say to him. He had been supposed to recruit as many of the Organization's members as he could and it was not working as well as Xehanort would have liked. Not very many people seemed interested in joining him.

Once I had gotten a few streets away from Braig I halted and leaned back against a wall to a store. I thought back to my search for Riku and Xion, I had checked quite a few areas before Braig had come and demanded that he had to talk to me. I didn't know either one of them very well so if they were just around somewhere having fun I had absolutely no idea where to look. I let out a sigh and started off again lost in thought. Even though I was quite sure that helping Sora was the right thing to do, in the back of my mind I was unsure which side I should help. Though I knew that I owed Xehanort nothing. The only two people that had really raised me were Even and Ansem the Wise. Ansem was the most like a father figure to me whereas Even had always been more like an annoying uncle, though I was still fond of him. Ansem had had the most patience for me, and I still missed him greatly, though he had to hate me as much as all of the rest of his apprentices by now.

I remembered the day Ansem had found Xemnas, or Xehanort as he had called himself. I had not trusted him from the moment that I met him, however everyone else had thought he was great even Ansem, so I'd just gone along with trusting him. And then he had started doing these strange, terrible experiments; he had Even and the rest of Ansem's apprentices helping him. Even had had me help him once and it had been truly awful, it had given me nightmares for months after that. I remember I had gone to Ansem trying to warn him without truly telling him because they'd made me promise not to, and finally after some time he had figured it out and ordered them to stop. But then not long after that they had sent him into the realm of darkness and all of Ansem's apprentices, myself included, had been turned into Nobodies.

It truly seemed rather odd to have a heart again considering I hadn't had one for most of my life. Since Nobodies didn't have hearts it was said that we had no way of feeling emotions, but it had been strange while I hadn't had a heart, on occasion I could have sworn that I had felt some fleeting emotion of sadness or fear.

I turned a corner and walked headlong into Kairi. We collided and both very nearly fell to the paved ground.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," I told her, rubbing my head with a gloved hand.

"Oh it okay, I'm sorry too," Kairi smiled at me good-naturedly.

I glanced behind her and saw Lea snorting into his drink, Demyx was also laughing, leaning on his Sitar, Isa wasn't laughing but he stood a short distance behind them trying to hide a smile. What was the matter with them? I mean really, two people run into each other, get hurt and they act like it's the funniest thing in the world.

Sora laughed and walked over. "You both okay? That looked like it hurt."

Kairi laughed. "Yep, I'm fine."

I looked at Sora, my head still throbbing. "Could I have a word with you?"

Sora looked slightly dumbfounded but shrugged. "Sure."

I glanced briefly at the other four, Lea and Demyx were still laughing and now Isa had joined in. "Eh, follow me."

I led him back around the corner and down the very wide paved street that I had just come from. I paused after stepping onto another street just beyond. Sora stopped walking beside me and glanced around as well.

"Where is he?" Sora muttered under his breath.

"Riku? It doesn't look like he's in this world anymore," I told him. "He's probably in some other world or time come to think of it."

"Yeah, I don't think he's here anymore either," Sora agreed.

I led him over to a bench across the street; I glanced around briefly before sitting down. Luckily I didn't see Braig anywhere.

"I wanted you to know something," I began. I glanced up at the sky and blinked at the brightness of it. I was positive now this was the right thing to do. "Before we all went to Traverse Town, Xehanort pulled a three of us Organization members aside and asked us to help him, to spy on you, pretend to help you and gain your trust to betray you at the proper moment. The three people he asked to help him were Braig, Dilan and myself."

Sora's eyes widened. "So… you guys have been working for him the entire time. But, I don't get it, if you're helping Xehanort why'd you just tell me?"

I took a deep breath. "I've decided that I don't want to help him, I owe him nothing and I'd rather not help him ruin countless lives."

"So you're on our side now?" Sora inquired, a slight frown furrowing his eyebrows.

I nodded. "Yes."

Sora jumped up and pulled out his Keyblade a determined expression on his face. "Well then we need to go speak with Braig and Dilan."

He turned and began walking away. I got up from the bench and hurried after him.

"Wait!"

He turned to face me his Keyblade slung over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"I think it might be better if you don't confront them just yet," I explained. "It might be a better idea to act like you have no idea that they're not on our side, and just keep an eye on them. It might give us an advantage."

Sora made his Keyblade disappear and crossed his arms. "Hmm, I don't know…"

"If you confront them, they'll leave and join Xehanort and he and his army might just launch an all out assault, which we can't win," I told him. "He has more people on his side then just them, plus an army of Heartless and creatures called Unversed."

"Okay then, you think we should just keep an eye on them," Sora said. "But how do I know I can trust you? I mean you could still be working for Xehanort."

"I guess you don't. Or maybe you will when Xehanort tries to kill me," I told him smiling.

Sora began pacing back and forth looking deep in thought. Finally he turned to face me again. "Okay, I'll trust you for now. But I'm gonna be keeping an eye on you."

I nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

"Okay, lets go catch up with everyone else," Sora said.

I followed Sora as we made our way back to where we'd left Kairi and the other three.