After we got everything, we came back.

mom lay trembling next to Reily's body, she had been trying to feed him soup when the wind washed over her and chilled her to the bone. whatever caused it left her very shaken. However, once she made the ingrediance into a soup and he drank it greedily.

four very long hours later she came out of his room.

Crying

Crying? That was a bad sign.

"Mom..? Is everything okay..?"

"I...I cant help him now. I'm sorry."

she broke down again, "Poor Roxas...he entrusted me with Reily and I..." She cried harder.

"You did your best, Mom. Don't be hard on yourself.."

DJ shuddered,

"Wait one bit...Reily...he's going to be ok, right? He has to be ok...he cant die he's...the son of Roxas. HE WONT DIE!"

The duck ran past Kairi and into the room where Reily was struggling to leep breathing. The young mage instantly began healing, refusing to beleive that his spell wasn't working.

finally, mercifully, the body on the bed began to slowly turn to ash. Mercifully because accoding to what we knew, the disease was more painful than getting a shot or putting salt in a wound. Kairi poured the rest of the soup down Reily's parched and gasping throat, murmuring,

"Come on Reily don't do this...don't give up...not like this..."

She motioned to me to kneel by the sick teen's bed.

"Maybe you can try. I'll make another batch and you feed it to him. Do whatever it takes just keep him her

DJ shuddered,

"Maybe you can try. I'll make another batch and you feed it to him. Do whatever it takes just keep him here."

I nodded and got down beside my cousin's bed. i took the soup Mom had and gave it to him.

"Come on Reily.. You can't die on us. You have to fight and live.. come on.. Please?"

The boy on the bed smiled weakly and opened his mouth. the soup running off onto the pillow as he chuckled/coughed, still fading into ash. He reached with the last of his strength and grasped my hand in his own, his voice getting raspy and soft as he closed his eyes halfway and lay back, refusing any more of the soup, grinning whistfully at his best friend.

"Dad was right...this isn't so bad...at least the pain is goibng away. It's kind of relaxing...in a way... Fading...is kinda like sleeping...kinda...you should try it...its quite...a nice way to start...a new...adventure."

Smiling, the strength left the young Nobody, and his body shuddered as he took one last gasp and slowly let it out, his bue eyes turned blank and finally closed for the last time. His form slowly faded, as Axel's did years ago, the ashes getting blown away by the wind.

The hand holding my own was the last thing to disapear before the young Nobody disolved completely, the grip strong even as the hand desintegrated, and the rest fell to Darkness.

Reily, son of Roxas, had beaten his Father in the only contest he ever would.

He had been the first to die.

"Reily..." I whispered, fighting back the tears that start to form. This wasn't fair. Reily didn't have to die. He was so young.. It just wasn't fair.

Kairi took the stunned, sad, teen and hugged him, her own tears staining his shirt. DJ hung his head and pretended not to have a heart, but he was hurting from the loss the same as everyone else.

The auborn haired wife of Sora nodded, but knew that she had to be strong for Sarox, as Riku was strong for her when Sora had passed on.

"At least he isn't in pain now. The disease can't hurt him anymore."

Her words felt hollow even to her but what else could she say? At least when Sora went to the Realm of Light, they had a body to bury. Her son...and Reily's familly...would NEVER get that closure.

Reily's familly...How could she bring herself to tell them? Kairi had an idea. Sora rarely got emotional but when he WAS sad, activity always perked him up. Sarox needed something to do, and the family HAD to be told.

"Sarox, honey, can I ask a favor of you?"

She didnt even need to ask. I looked at her and before I opened his mouth, she knew I knew what she was going to ask.

Hard as it was going to be, I had already agreed, and was off for my Uncle's house to bring tidings of sorrow...

I walked off to my Uncle's house. This was going to hard news to give to them, but it had to be done. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.

Namine answered it and invited me inside. The place was smaller than the last hidout Roxas had lived in, but at least this time it was a shack and not a cave.

The moment his nephew entered what was called his 'office', Roxas knew there was something wrong. for one thing, his always-follow-Sarox son was no where to be seen. This meant trouble and he narrowed his eyes and asked in a growl,

"Where's Reily?"

"Uncle Roxas.. About Reily.. He's.. Dead.."

the silence that followed was like a simmering volcano. Roxas turned away and a tear dropped from the corner of his eye. Then his demeaner changed completely and he clenched his fists and began to sob. HARD. then he spat in vehemnance to someone (I assumed it was Death itself) in a voice thick with fatherly sorrow and pearental rage,

"You BASTARD! Sora wasn't enough for you...was he?! You took my other half and now..." he dropped to his knees, pounding the ground, "Now you've taken my flesh and blood...and if I dare say it...YES I DARE...My HEART...You've taken everything from me except what little life I hhave left!"

"Uncle Roxas.." I started, seeing him like this was kinda creepy..

"You won't stop at Reily will you? You want to punish Sora and to do that you have to take what is most precious to his friends and make them SUFFER the loss YOU CAN NO LONGER FEEL! You BASTARD!"

Seeing that hios ranting was upsetting me, Roxas forced himself to calm down and asked softly, still crying over the death of his son,

"How did it happen? How did he...fade?"

"Well.. first he went to climb a tree and fell.. but i don't think he fell.. He was pushed or something, Max and I saw tracks.. Then after he and I got out of the water.. he felt this breeze and asked if we felt it. We said no, then he suddenly got the sickness that only goes after Nobodies.. We tried everything we could to save him, but it was no use."

Roxas snarled then hung his head.

"Nothing's Disgrace claimed him then, but the first part doesnt make sense...A breeze... He FELL out of a tree? wait a second...you saw tracks?!"

Instantly Roxas was creating a corridor. He hollared to Namine to pack up to move, as he always did when I came to visit, then he put on his old worn out cloak and handed another to me, "Put this on for travel, it will protect you from the Darkness. Take me to the spot where you found those tracks and HURRY!"

I put the black cloak on and took him to where Max and I found the tracks.

he bent down and looked very concerned. Then Kairi let oout a scream from in the house.

"DJ NO WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!"

Hearing the scream, I turned to the house and told Roxas I'd be right back, and darted into the house.

Kairi kneeled over DJ, who was smoking from a hole in his back that went out his stomache. A lightning burn.

"DJ come on get your heart pumping again! Sarox thank goodness you're here! DJ struck himself with Thundaga and he is badly hurt!"

'What?!" I gasped and tired Cure on him.

"Its no use." Roxas said coming in, head cloaked.

"He's going to die wether you cure him now or not. Death is coming for everyone connected top Sora and there is NOTHING anyone can do but prolong it for a little while. Reily could have escaped with his life if the disease had not been injected twice. Come outside Sarox. I think there is something you should see."

I followed Roxas out of the house. "What is it?"

"Look at the branches of the tree Reily fell off of. They are only on ONE side. wich means that IF he fell, he would have fallen INTO THE SAND, not into another branch."

he went to the footprints and reported,

"These steps belong to the Death that took Reily. I know him by name but...I cant tell you. I'll just say that this side of the island's water poses no threat to you, Sarox. Leave it at that. When you need me...go to where your father died. I'll be waiting if you truly want to hear the truth."

"Why can't you tell me now, Uncle Roxas?" I asked.

"You arent ready Sarox...you just arent ready. See to it that DJ stays breathing. Do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these Islands."

"Okay.."