"Whoa…this is…magnificent." That was all Roxas could come up with to describe the space before him. And so it was. High, whitewashed walls, but adorned with gorgeous paintings, landscapes, and other pieces of art to liven up the walls. The Hallway they entered extended quite a ways left and right before turning into other halls. Right in front of them was a large double door, obviously an entrance to a large hall of some sort. "Hurry up, pretty boy! You can gawk at the castle when I'm not around." Elenar snapped, interrupting Roxas' thoughts. He noticed they had moved on from the very large and ornate staircase they had just come down. He quickly caught up with the other 3. "Sooo…I assume you are taking us to where we will be staying tonight, right Elee?" Lea asked cautiously. Almost having him shot really tripped Lea out; he was going to proceed with caution around this woman from now on. "No, I'm taking you to the torture chamber, Lea."Elenar remarked sarcastically as she briskly turned right at the end of the entry hall "Of course I'm taking you to your rooms! The existence of those two confirms our conclusions about our enemy, Aku. Their existence needs to be brought before the Council. It was a good decision to bring them to us, Lea. I know just what he's been planning now…"

"So what was the bullshit above ground about you being our only advocate in the Council?" Namine snapped. Elenar turned to her and smiled evilly. "Because it was fun making you tools sweat. I never get to have much fun these days; it's all work for the League lately, and it get really droll after a while. I haven't had as much fun like this in forever." Namine opened her mouth to give that bitch another piece of her mind, then Roxas grabbed her wrist and shook his head "Don't encourage her." He said in a low voice. Elenar looked amused "Smart move, Blondie. If only your girlfriend was as bright as you are…" and she walked on. Lea merely sighed. "I have a bad feeling about where this Namine vs. Elenar spat is going to end up…and of course, I'm stuck in the middle of it." he thought "Why God, must you put me in such difficult situations?"

Elenar approached a big crystal ball with a blob of blue-black stuff in it. "Hey…I remember these…" Roxas exclaimed suddenly "This is a Warp Ball! The Organization used them all over The Castle That-" "We know, dumb shit. You aren't the only former Organization member here." Elenar interrupted as she was busy touching the Orb, apparently setting it up for the Warp. "Now hold still if you want to keep all of your appendages." She pressed her hand into the Orb, and the goo in the Orb flowed out an enveloped all of them. Namine quickly grabbed Roxas' hand before they where swallowed into the Warp Orb.

Riku led his captors in to a little cave by the waterfall. His mind wandered back to when him, Sora, and Kairi where little. Oh, the hours they spent drawing on the cave walls…it was a favorite activity during the monsoon season, when the rain would come down in horrible droves, drenching you all the way to the bone. Now, all they where were reminders of more innocent times. He turned his mind away from such childish memories, and focused on the task at hand. "When the island was consumed the first time," Riku explained "Sora said this door burst open with a gust of Shadow. That, and Kairi was acting strange around it at the time, led me to believe that this door had some serious significance. And the only thing that I can think it could be is the Door leading to the Heart of this World. And it makes sense when you think about it; the Heartless where merely appearing all over the island before it was opened. After it was thrown open, the world started disintegrating into the black hole above the world."

Aku stepped forward, examining the door. He then spoke "And that girl Kairi was in a trance because her Heart was being consumed, or at least trying to be consumed. Your conclusion makes sense, boy. Now, to test your hypothesis." He threw both his arms back, unsheathing his Shade Claws. In about 4 seconds flat, he reduced the wooden door to a mess of splinters strewn across the narrow corridor in front of them. Without needing direction, Auros and Irika rushed down the stairwell. Aku confidently strided down the steps, followed by a semi-reluctant Riku. He knew what was going to happen when they consumed the Heart of the Destiny Islands, but he still wanted to be there when it happened. Whether a sense of nostalgia for his home or pure curiosity, he didn't really know. The fact was he followed the dark lord down the flight of steps, and into a fairly spacious cave, complete with stalactites and stalagmites, and even some stone columns starting to form. There was a pool of water opposite the entrance to the chamber, which Riku assumed led out to the reef underneath the island. But the main spectacle was in the center, naturally. Floating in the center of a colonnade of stone, was a giant Heart. It was mainly blue, like the sea surrounding them, but swirling inside it was a mix of green, red, yellow, and a whole assortment of bright tropical colors. A few moments passed in silent marvel of the Heart. Then, the Dark Lord started cackling. "I never would have guessed how beautiful and powerful a Heart of a World would be. If we can consume this, then all worlds will be ours." Aku took out his clipboard out from his cape. He then nodded to Irika. She responded by flipping her pike around, and and twisted the lower shaft. A crystal spike came out of the end, and she stabbed the heart. The Crystal filled with black goo, which started spilling into the Heart, like food dye flowing through water. The tropical colors of the Heart started glowing brighter, and started pushing the inky goo out of the Heart, some of it slopping down onto the stone columns surrounding the heart. Irika squared her stance, and thrust her crystal deeper into the heart. Auros also took out his crystal spike, and stabbed the Heart as well. Another ink stain flowed into the Heart, and this time the Darkness over took the Tropical colors. The Heart went black as midnight. Then, various other colors appeared, like maroon, purple, dark green, and filling in most of the Heart, an indigo blue. Then a blast of shadow emanated from the Heart, much like what happened to Sora in the cave two years ago, and also causing the Tendrils around Riku to disappear. A deep rumble went through the island, spooking Riku. "I'd run, Riku." Aku said as his lackeys entered a Corridor of Shadow with the Heart of The Destiny Islands. "This world is collapsing. If you don't hurry, then your skillful negotiating will be but in vain." Riku bolted up the stairway to the sound of the Dark Lord's cackle.

"Oh no you don't" Riku thought as the cave entrance collapsed in front of him. He drew the Soul Eater, and with a flash of a magically powered slash, freed himself from the cave. He exited the cave just as a boulder bore down on the entrance, and thus himself. He noticed it just in time, and rolled out of the way. On the beach, the tides drew back unnaturally far. "Tsunami" Riku thought. And sure enough, he spotted the giant wave on the horizon. His eyes widened, and he rushed to the brightly colored Gummi Pod, which was essentially a small cockpit with thrusters right below it. Riku scrambled up the small set of stairs to the skyward facing cockpit. He climbed in, and pushed a button on the fairly sparse control panel, closing the hatch. He looked up to notice the wave crashing down on top of him. Riku pushed what he reasoned to be the ignition button on the steering lever. The Gummi Pod instantly reacted, blasting up into the approaching wave. Riku closed his eyes and prayed he cleared the tsunami. It did so in short order, and he was soon blasting off into the blue-greenish space surrounding his world. He let off the thrusters and moved the lever to turn and look at his former home. He turned just in time to the world break apart into little pieces. "Aku is gonna pay dearly for this, mark my words…" Riku thought bitterly. He then turned both his pod and his mind to other matters, like the looming question of where he was going to go. He searched through the compartment under his seat for a map, and started plotting his destination. While he did this, his pod simply drifted forward, still moving from inertia.

"It's too late for a witch to have a change of heart" an imaginary Larxene sneered at Namine from her dreams. "You have no place in this world, Namine" Diz stated coldly from the recesses of her memory "You are nothing; just leftovers that the Heartless spat out." Suddenly, a vision of a demonic figure, with glowing yellow eyes and translucent purple claws, appeared in her mind's eye. "You are but a pawn in my game; and you HAVE OUTLIVED YOUR USEFULNESS!" the demon grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her up off her feet. Then he started crushing her windpipe...she couldn't breathe, she couldn't do anything. Just the crushing feeling, closing in…

A scream came from Namine's room, just as Roxas was walking out into the hall where they were staying, yawning, still in the blue t-shirt with black sleeves and navy blue gym shorts that he was using as pajamas. "What the-Namine!" he thought, a surge of panic rushing through his body. He drew the Keyblade and cut through the door. "Jesus Christ…Roxas?" Namine turned to look at him. From what he could see of her, she was wearing a plain white undershirt. "You scared the shit out of me!" Roxas bade the Keyblade to disappear, and it did so, as he relaxed his posture. "Well, you screamed, so I thought you were in trouble or something." He came over and sat on her bed. "God…really Master Roxas?" A stereotypical English butler apparated on the other side of the small room. "You had to slice through the door? I'm happy to provide you two with fresh clothes, but I have limits to what I will put up with." The butler speaking was a Spirit who was the Caretaker of The Undercastle. He/she was once a resident of the Kingdom of Radiant Garden, but was killed during Xehanort's hostile takeover of the place (The Spirit couldn't remember whether it had been a woman or a man, nor remember much of anything about its life before its death. "It's amazing how easily something as critical to a person's Identity like someone's gender can be forgotten, especially when you aren't bound to a physical body" So, it took whatever form pleased it). It had haunted around Hollow Bastion for a while, before being magically summoned by Organization XIII. Then, it had been a currier for secret messages for the Organization, though his services mainly ended up being used by Marluxia and Larxene. After the Organization fell, it wandered around The World That Never Was until the League Summoned him once again. And now here he/she was, loyally serving his masters as the Caretaker for their stronghold.

"Well, she screamed. What was I supposed to think…by the way, what did happen, Namine?" Roxas looked over, some concern in his voice. The Spirit sighed. "Well, you're going to have to go over to another room while I repair this door. It's not a quiet process, and you defiantly won't be able to get any sleep while I'm working on it." Roxas looked over to the Caretaker and replied "We'll just sleep in my room. Right Namine?" Namine looked up, a little startled by Roxas suddenly addressing her. "Oh, yea, we can." She got out of her bed, revealing the plain little black shorts she was wearing. The Spirit looked at her, and he seemed a little concerned. He looked over at Roxas, and mouthed "Talk to her" and bade them farewell.

Roxas closed the door to his room behind him and asked, "So what's up, Nami?" Namine came up and embraced Roxas. "You don't think I'm nothing, do you Roxas?" she said in a low voice into his ear "I'm not just something the Heartless-"

"Of course not." Roxas said firmly, looking seriously at her "You aren't any of those things. Where did you get such horrible thoughts from?" Namine looked up at him. "Nightmares. Of Diz, of Larxene…but all they say…it's all true…it's all my fault…" Roxas felt his heart sink a bit in response to her blaming herself. "Not at all, Namine" he said, rather forcefully and shaking her a bit. Her eyes snapped in front of her, looking into Roxas' eyes as if she was waking from a trance. Her eyes where sad, and where on the verge of tears. "They're just cold and callous. They're just trying to tear you down, Namine. Whatever it was, it wasn't your fault. The Namine I know wouldn't do anything to hurt anybody…" Namine looked up at him. "Then you don't know me very well then, Roxas." She said (cutting Roxas pretty deep), looking and sounding melancholy "I took apart Sora's memories…manipulated them…manipulated him. And in the end, he still tried to protect me…gah, it's this guy I got to know back at Castle Oblivion. Manipulating his memories was the important assignment I had." Roxas' eyebrows raised, a thought coming to him "Sora…where have I heard that name before…? What did he look like?" Namine thought hard about it, but after a little bit, she shook her head "I haven't a clue. But…it doesn't change the fact that I'm just a witch…" she lowered her head in shame and sadness.

"God dammit, Namine!" he replied, quite angry. Namine snapped her head up, surprised at how forceful his response was. "Whatever the Organization manipulated you into doing is not your fault. You're not a witch, not some leftovers, you're…the only true friend I have here in this desolate wasteland. I don't know where I'd be without you here. Certainly a lot worse off, all on my own out here. You make me feel better about…all this that's happening." Namine smiled up at him, and she lightly kissed him. He smiled, and gave her a warm embrace. "You're what's keeping me sane out here, Nami." Roxas continued, then kissed her on the cheek.

Roxas and Namine both lay down on his bed, cuddling close together "Though…" Roxas paused, not entirely comfortable saying what he wanted to say. "What is it? Say it Roxas; you can tell me anything." Roxas then continued "…I… have those nightmares too. Like, I have flashbacks of Saix commenting on how useless I am, Demyx laughing at me for not knowing what the Blizzard spell was, and…even me struggling to learn how to talk. I don't know…it's like my mind is remembering things from the past…and it stumbles across these horrible memories…" Roxas looked up at the ceiling, staring off into the recesses of his mind. Namine grabbed his face, and turned him to look at her. "Don't think, don't wonder, just don't do anything except be here with me, Roxy. Our minds are just dark and confusing places now. But…it'll all get better, I know it will. We find our memories…and everything will make sense." Roxas closed his eyes, imagining the feeling. "Everything being clear…actually knowing yourself better than other people do…" he opened them, and looked at his lover, and just looked into her eyes. She looked so beautiful, so understanding…and she was all his.

The thought lit a burning fire of lust, and Roxas threw himself into it. Namine saw the change on his face, from a tender look to one filled with desire. And suddenly she was aware of how close they were to each other; her breasts right up against his chest, how his where stroking her back and her cheek, and how she was licking and sucking his fingers…in a flash, they defined the meaning of the phrase sucking face, only stopping when Roxas threw her undershirt across the room and kissed one of her boobs, playing with the nipple using his tongue. Namine wrapped her legs around him, as he was now sitting up, still kissing and nibbling her right boob and playing with the other using his hand. He bit down a little harder than before, and she loudly let out a breath, a breath a woman does when something feels good, and she wants more. God, how it turned Roxas on! He moved on to her neck, and this time held nothing back. She moaned from the pleasure/pain, and then Roxas' bite wasn't the only thing hard. Namine felt him through the two layers of clothes between them, and she wanted him. All of him, every inch of him.

She threw him down on the bed, and ripped off the shirt he was wearing, revealing his lean and muscular torso. She now licked his stomach, causing the muscles to tense almost involuntarily. She was working her way down when-

*knock knock* they both snapped up to find out what the knocking was. Lo and behold, a small plastic package was on the night table next to the bed. "Um…thanks?" replied Roxas to the room, and he reached out for it, but Namine got the package first (as she was on top of him), and took a, quarter sized latex thing out of it. It took them a second to realize what the thing in front of them was. Then they both burst out laughing. The thought of the Caretaker leaving them a condom was just- "Wow" Namine said, and Roxas echoed. Then Namine got an idea; a horribly delicious idea. Namine looked at Roxas, and could tell he was thinking the same thing. He smiled devilishly and said "You, my dear, wouldn't mind-" She gave him her own devilish smile, and replied "Oh, it'll be my pleasure."

"I've seen her, you know…she looks a lot like you. Beautiful and wild like the sea…then again, it is the namesake of you both, so there isn't any surprise there." The man in the robe of the Organization lit a cigarette, and took a puff of it. The light from the cigarette still didn't illuminate his face, as if his face was being kept in the dark magically. 'Then again, it could just be that it's really dark out here.' Irika thought, looking out to the dark sea. The beach they stood on was desolate: the water was as black as the jagged rocks behind them. "What do you want with me? I have things to do, and if you didn't know, Aku isn't a forgiving guy…" She questioned harshly. "Do you remember her?" She looked out at the sea, and replied "Yes, I remember Kairi. I remember everything…"

"Then don't you wonder why you aren't still on the Islands? Why you are where you are? Why you are who you are…?" Irika turned back to him, and replied haughtily "Don't speak to me as if I don't know anything, you stupid fuck. I know that Aku filled the heart of that girl Kairi with darkness, and that is how I was born. I am the stronger version of her, better in every way." The man in the hood started laughing, and Irika called her weapon to her. "What's so funny, old timer? I'd be careful how you answer that question, by the way…" she pointed her pike at him. "What's so funny is how little you know; how much you're under the thumb of Aku. Put your weapon down, you insolent brat, I could end your life in an instant." Suddenly, the ebony handle became burning hot. She dropped it reflexively. She looked back at him, and smiled. "Oh, just because you can separate me from my weapon doesn't mean you're out of danger…" He suddenly responded by reaching out his palm at a nearby boulder. From behind the boulder, trapped in the sphere of the Gravity spell, Auros was levitated into the air and plopped down next to Irika. The two teens looked at each other, then the hooded man, taken off guard. "Your juvenile attempts to one up me are almost hilarious. An honest effort, but still meaningless."

Auros rose to his feet and replied "Alright, mister, you win. Now, why in hell did you drag us out to this wasteland? Or even better, who are you?" "My identity is not important. But if you must call me something, call me Xemnas." Auros laughed coldly "You're not serious. I clearly remember Sora defeating Xemnas in The Castle That Never Was." the hooded figure sighed and shook his head. "How little you know about the world. But I don't blame you two. Aku is anything but dumb, and he wants to keep you in the dark and under his thumb for as long as possible." Irika almost opened her mouth, but then realized how true his statement was. "We are kinda his pawns, now that I think about it. But…he is responsible for our creation, so we do kinda owe him our loyalty..." Irika commented, thinking aloud. "And you can still be loyal to him. But I am simply here to give you the knowledge that he is withholding from you." They both eyed the 'Xemnas' suspiciously. "And why would you be so kind as to let us know this 'forbidden knowledge'?" Auros inquired.

"Why, you ask?" He toke a puff of the cigarette he had smoldering in his hand. The smoke stood out sharply against the inky black sea. "Because most of the Warlords that have set up shop in the Dark City forget that we all have a common enemy: the Realm of Light. They would prefer to squabble amongst themselves over a few worthless city blocks rather than marshal themselves against our foes. The forces of Light will not sit and wait for us to attack them; they will burn every inch of The World That Never Was, and "fix" the problem that is the darkness. This is a struggle that spans the millennia. It will never end, nor will it be over till one side conquers the whole of the universe. In giving you this knowledge, I am furthering my goal to unite the forces of Darkness against the Light, just as it was under the guidance of Ansem the Great." The two teens were amused by his monologue. "So you're an idealist, huh? Well, I bid you good luck on your 'quest to unite the Darkness'" Irika said, imitating his voice. She snickered after, and Auros did the same.

"Xemnas" merely let out a breath of smoke, and tossed his cigarette into the sea. "You would be surprised how easy it is to manipulate people to do your bidding. But to the point; you two weren't the only products of Aku's little experiments. Specifically, there are two others: Roxas and Namine are what they go by, and they are the Nobodies of your hosts. Whilst Aku was tearing out the hearts and minds of your hosts, something happened that nobody could have predicted; their bodies went into a sort of 'emergency defense mode'. They held on to fragments of Sora and Kairi's mind and heart, and the fragments they held onto where the memories and feelings of their Nobodies, Roxas and Namine." The two teens looked at each other, thinking hard. "Yea…I do remember them talking about their Nobodies…but they always ended up talking as if they personally remembered the Nobodies actions…" Irika commented. "That's because that's the way this metaphysical stuff works. Once they, the Nobody and Somebody, unite bodily, they must unite in spirit and in mind. Once they unite in mind, they remember the memories of their Nobodies as if they where there themselves, just as you remember Sora and Kairi's memories. But the fact still stands; they exist, and are lodging with The League of Four, staunch enemies of your Lord Aku." Auros was taken aback by the whole situation 'To think, there's another part of myself running around…' Auros looked to the hooded man. "Where are they specifically?" Irika put her hand on Auros' shoulder "Why should we care about two Nobodies, Auros? We're perfectly fine the way we are now…" Auros turned to her "Think about it, Iree. There's another part of you out there somewhere. It's like, that hole in your heart was there just because you weren't whole in the first place. All we have to do is find them, and unite them with ourselves. And that will make us more powerful, right?" he looked over to the hooded figure, with bright eyes. "I believe so…it's just that any new techniques and abilities they learned get passed on to you once you unite in body and/or spirit."

Auros continued "See? We don't have any reason not to try and absorb them. What's wrong with more power, Iree?" "Oh, it's just the fact that Aku might notice that we're gone, and come looking for us! And not looking for us as in 'Oh, you two had me soooo worried', I mean looking for us as if we're defectors!" Irika retorted "Sure, I'd love to go and find a missing part of myself, but I'm just not sure if the risk is worth the reward…" "Whatever you decide to do, I don't really care." The shrouded man interjected "But if you do go searching for them, they where last spotted entering the Undercastle, the League of Four's stronghold. Just know this; you will most likely have to fight your way to them. So if you go, be prepared for a battle, possibly with your counter parts." Auros grinned evilly "Oh, I don't mind a bit of violence…anyway, we should get going Irika." He called his weapon, and stuck the tip of the blade of his scimitar in the ground. A portal opened up from the point of his weapon. "This conversation isn't over, Auros…" she continued on, but her voice faded as they both entered the portal. It closed behind them, leaving 'Xemnas' to smoke alone.

A minute later, another portal opened on the other side of "Xemnas". Yet another hooded figure, in an outfit similar to his, stepped from the Corridor of Darkness. "And what purpose did that encounter serve? I'm not seeing the point behind all this, master…" the other hooded man inquired. "Rest easy, Isa, this is all going to plan…" 'Xemnas' replied "Soon, they will succumb to their natural instinct to try and unite their soul. It is the in a souls nature to try and unite itself again, so even if they both get locked away by Aku, they will find a way to get to the Undercastle. When that happens, Aku will be forced to act. He lets them go off on their own, he undermines his own fearsome reputation of being in control and in command. That alone would make him vulnerable to attacks and invasions by the other factions, and damage his ability to wage war irreparably. Of course, the League will respond in kind to Aku's brazen assault, especially on their capital. They will marshal the full extent of their resources to beat it back, and most probably perform a counter-invasion into Aku's territory. And thus, the dogs of war will be loose once again." Isa took down his hood, revealing his head of icy blue hair. "But why do we need to do this in the first place? Any fights in the Dark City will by and large be simple border spats. We have nothing to gain by-"

"We might not have anything to gain" 'Xemnas' replied "But our foes have much to lose, benefiting us in the long run. You saw first-hand the destruction and violence that can be caused if the other warring factions really committed themselves to a fight. Only this time, it won't be our turf getting devastated." Isa sighed, turned as if to walk away. He looked back at 'Xemnas', and said "I trust you, master, but this doesn't seem like a good idea from where I'm standing. Once the dogs of war are loosed, who's to say they won't come over and bite us?" A Corridor of Darkness sprang up from the ground. "It's just a feeling, but my gut is telling me this is going to quickly spiral out of our hands.", and Isa went through the black portal, leaving his master on the dark beach. The hooded figure simply turned around, lit another cigarette, and stared out to sea, engrossed in his thoughts and plans.