Chapter 8

Due to the problems of the mansion's size, everyone decided to split into separate groups. Sora walked down the halls, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There were no slashes on the wall…no evidence anything had been messed around with…

Sora sighed in frustration.

"Nothing…" He saw Kairi walking just below him. He leaned over to ask if she'd seen anything, when he saw the beginnings of a dark orb forming.

"KAIRI! LOOK OUT!" A man in blue appeared, grabbing Kairi by the wrist.

"Let go of me!" She cried, her own Keyblade forming. The swing was hasty and badly aimed, but the man used his free hand to catch the sword.

"Damn it, why is this always my job?" He grumbled. He and Kairi began to vanish into a dark portal.

Sora lunged over the railing. The man in red from Radiant Gardens appeared in front of him suddenly.

"Passage denied, kid."

Sora never saw what hit him, but he was flung backwards, hitting the ceiling. He had a long way to fall when gravity kicked in.

"Kai…ri…" Sora gasped, finally blacking out.

Kairi struggled against the man holding onto her arm.

"Sora!"

"Damn you, hold still!" The man grunted. Kairi kneed him in the stomach, and he let go, a muffled curse escaping him. Kairi was suddenly falling, seeing nothing below but more darkness…

The man in red appeared next to his companion.

"What happened? Where is she?" He barked.

"Stupid…girl….she kicked me…I dropped her into the void by accident." The man in red growled in exasperation at this.

"…C'mon…we gotta get looking for where it'll spit her out."

"She'll turn up on another world?"

"If she doesn't die." The man said casually. The pair vanished.

The two men in Organization XIII Jackets were walking in a corridor along the void. One suddenly looked up, seeing a speck of color in the blackness.

"Look!" He said, pointing.

"I got it." His companion responded, jumping up and grabbing the person. As he landed, they saw it was a young woman.

"Is that…Namine?" The man carrying Kairi shook his head.

"No…this is her Other…she's lost inside herself…" He stood for a moment in thought. He then began to walk back the way they'd come.

"If she's here, they've begun to move in earnest…"

"Why now?"

"Who knows? They have enough pieces in play…they're looking for leverage against everyone that would stand against them."

"Roxas."

"Exactly. I'm taking Namine back to Her…She'll know what to do about this."

"It's a miracle she wasn't swallowed up…"

"There's no darkness in her heart…that's why Namine wasn't like us."

The two walked until a large castle loomed out of nowhere. The path they'd traveled faded behind them.

They were greeted not long after entering by a tall woman wearing a flowing white dress. Her hair was long, and bone white. She started as she saw who the taller man was carrying.

"Namine's other…the Princess!"

"We found her in the Void…it's begun to affect her mind…can you help her?"

"Bringing her here has cut off that influence to her…you two have saved her life."

"What do we do? You know what this means, my Lady."

"…I must speak to her when she awakens…I must explain what is happening to her. Let her rest in the Guest room until then."

The two men took Kairi gently into a large room, laying her down on the bed. One of the men put a hand on her forehead gently.

"Rest well, Namine…we will need you soon more than ever." The other man turned to a small shape standing silently in the shadows.

"Watch her until she wakes up. She's very important. When she's ready…take her to meet the Lady." The tiny figure nodded silently, watching Kairi intently. The two men left the room.

"What now, brother?"

"We cannot linger here…our job is to aid Roxas in any way we can. They're trying to separate him from his friends…we'll make sure he's not isolated when they strike."

"Right." The two men walked in silence through the void. Soon the castle was out of sight.