A/N: And now I really feel bad. I've been neglecting this story in favor of my newer one, Pray for Rain. I'm surprised no one has shot me yet. But, if any one of my loyal readers happens to be a Final Fantasy X-2 fan, please skittle over there and read it. Please? I've only had three reviews so far. :( Speaking of which, I need to do some replies:

darkruki008: Yeah, I'm having issue with my lack of details, I get so in love with my plot and my characters that I ignore my details and description. Thanks and kudos for the constructive critisizm. I don't get much any more. :)

readergirl-290: Yes, that's exactly what it is.

Larxene12: Can I have some pop rocks? big eyes

intherain93: Aww...thanks. It's people like you that stroke my ego so much and keep me writing.

Next to Nothing:

Chapter Three:

"The Message"

Well, I didn't have a sphere camera at my house, so I trudged back to Leon's house, all the way across town.

As I passed the houses by, I felt a sense of foreboding, and I was shaking. Why was I shaking, after all? What did I have to be scared of? It's just my best friend, leaving me a message, for my birthday. Except she disappeared, and we're both two years dead.

Without warning, my thoughts drifted back to my dream. Not of Catássa, but the Gatekeeper. Somehow, in the chaos of my birthday, it had been forgotten. But still, something he said still bothered me. He had said that I was the owner of "a patchwork heart". Of course, I had hoped that after I merged with Larxene again, I would be whole. But I wasn't, was I. Maybe I never would be.

And what about Axel? Was he trying to contact me? In spite of myself, I smiled at the thought. But what if it wasn't Axel? There were eleven other members of the Organization, and all probably had a reason to kill me. Most of all, Xemnas. The last thing I needed, between everything else, was Xemnas on my tail.

I knocked on Leon's door slightly hesitantly, half expecting a full-blown birthday celebration waiting for me. I cringed.

It was Yuffie who answered. She barely opened the door, so all I could really see were her big brown eyes. "Larissa! What's up? We didn't expect to see you back so soon!" When Yuffie opened the door enough that I could see what was behind it, it became apparent that my suspicions were quite correct.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARISSA", read a banner hung about their small living space, and a small, blue cake sat on their kitchen table. In addition to Leon and Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Merlin, Cid and various other town members crowded in Leon and Yuffie's apartment. All, for me…

"Well," Yuffie began, answering my unspoken demand for an explanation, "You seemed kinda bummed when you found out it was your birthday, so we all chipped in to cheer you up!" and she presented me with a small giftbox, wrapped in black paper, and tied with two ribbons, one sky blue and the other a vivid shade of purple. I inwardly laughed at how much trouble they had obviously gone through to match the outer appearance of the gift with my newly colorful outfit. It was thoughtful. "I'm sure you're used to more, living in Starlight and all."

A pang shot through my stomach at the mention of my old town, and I fervently hoped that it didn't show on my face how homesick I really was. "No, really." As I held the box, the sphere in my pocket seemed to bulge even more. You're hiding things, Larissa. None of them really know you, do they? They think they know the real Larissa, but you're still living a lie. "It's so much more than I could have asked for."

A girl standing beside Aerith, a brunette by the name of Mari, said, "Well, go on, open it!" Her encouragement was echoed throughout the number of people in the room.

Being the simplistic person I was, I carefully undid the two ribbons, and removed the lid from the box without at all damaging the black wrapping paper. Inside, under more tissue paper than I thought could fit in that box, crafted in the shape of a heart, was a silver locket.

The party didn't last long, for many of the attendees had day jobs, but all the while, I was panicking.

They couldn't possibly know about the locket, could they? None of them know—knew Catássa, or Avery, for that matter. And the locket, the one from Catássa, it's back at my house, isn't it? I've never told anyone about it…It's only a coincidence. It's just a coincidence, after all, I do have a thing for silver.

Despite all of my comforting thoughts, I knew deep inside that there is no such thing as coincidence. And the silver heart-shaped locket was far from coincidence, I would find out later. But that was later.

Before Leon and Yuffie left, I made sure to ask Leon if they had a sphere camera.

"Yeah, why?" he asked me in return. I almost told him not to answer a question with a question, but before the words left my mouth, I remembered how my father had always said that. I chose to shut my mouth and answer it.

"I found a sphere in the bailey." I answered evasively.

Raising his eyebrows slightly, he said, "It's in the back closet when you need it."

In the end, only Aerith was left, so she offered to keep me company while I watched the sphere. Even though the fairies had told me to watch it alone, I accepted her offer. I told her the condensed version of my story, excluding the parts about the Gatekeeper, and the fact that I had accidentally fallen in love with my best friend's brother's Nobody. I had now realized that that particularly smart move required a big slap upside the head.

After Aerith and I dragged out the sphere camera and hooked it up, I began to have my doubts about watching the sphere. It might reconnect me with a past I wasn't ready to face, or reveal things about the future that I couldn't handle yet. I stared into the sphere's depths. Axel? What would Axel do? After a short moment of dwelling in Larxene's memories, I put the sphere in the holder and began the loading process. My anxiety started to get the best of me, and I could feel small beads of sweat running down my forehead. Aerith placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, but we remained silent as the sphere finished loading.

All at once, Catássa's face filled the screen. A wave of thoughts rushed through my mind, but I wasn't able to pin any of them down with words. It was all true, it was all true, it was all true. I couldn't deny it any longer. After a short wave of static, Catássa adjusted the camera for a moment she began to speak.

"Well, happy birthday, Larissa." I gulped, and continued to gape in silence. "No, I didn't forget. I would never forget your birthday, Rissa, even if we are dead now." I realized now that the Catássa in the video looked different than the one I remembered. Her hair was longer, and there were dark circles under her eyes, apparently from sleepless nights. And her eyes, there was something different about her eyes, but I couldn't place it in my mind. "I haven't seen you in two years, have I? I heard you live in Radiant Garden now. Is it nice there?"

The Catássa on the sphere paused, and she seemed to be contemplating whether or not to say something. "I haven't seen Avery either. But I know you have. Or Larxene has, I should say." I gasped, and the Catássa on the sphere seemed to be anticipating such. "Yes, Larissa, the Gatekeeper isn't the only one who can make connections like that. Listen, I need you to retrieve my brother's Nobody from Between. Axel. You know him, right? You can get past the Gatekeeper by touching him. He is paralyzed by human contact. I'm sure you can find a way to bring my brother back. You're damn clever enough, whether he'll admit it or not." I smiled slightly, remembering my stay at Castle Oblivion. "One more thing, Larissa. Don't look for me. Don't try and find me. Promise?"

A wave of static came over as the video ended.

"I can't promise you anything, Catássa." I said softly, even though I knew she couldn't hear.

A/N: Whoo hoo! Almost a fifteen hundred word chapter! Drop me a review and tell me if it was worth the wait. ;)