Hey guys! Here's my update. I'm going out to Chicago tomorrow with my parents for the break and I figured I would post something new before I left. Not to mention the fact that chapter 17 got so many reviews. My cheekbones hurt from smiling :)

Here are my thank-you's: Chocoboco, RedQueen, Monkeychicklet23, Kokoro Hikari, Lumen, Ark Angel, TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, phantombullets240, Witchgirl590, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Xynlake the 14th member, pandabearmusic, celtic-roses, NinjaSheik, and Hidden Fairy Tale.

Keep on reviewing! We've made it all the way to 168. I think 170 is reachable :) I'll talk to you guys again once I get back from the States!

All that Vilixa could hear as she ran alongside Sora to the Great Maw was the thumping of her shoes against the ground. She had just lost Demyx and Goofy in a matter of minutes. It was something that she didn't know how to handle. She knew that the sorrow she felt couldn't have been real, but at the same time, there was no other way to describe the state she was in.

The Great Maw was past the reconstruction site and up a tall cliff. The path to the crystal caverns that overlooked it was long and winding, and it felt like an eternity before she and Sora finally reached the top.

They both panted hard, trying to regain their energy from the long distance they had just run. Donald and King Mickey were both there waiting for them.

"Are you okay?" Mickey asked solemnly.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "I'm fine, but..."

"Oh," Donald wailed miserably, "Goofy..."

They paused, letting the reality of the situation sink in. It was, however, short-lived, because from the mouth of the cave, they heard an all-too familiar voice cry, "Hey, fellas!"

"Goofy!" everyone exclaimed, turning to see their chipper friend making their way towards them, rubbing the bruise and bump that had formed on the top of his head.

"You know, that really hurt," he stated.

Mickey ran over and hugged him. "Aw, Goofy!"

"Gawrsh, your Majesty," Goofy chuckled. "I get bumped on the head all the time!"

Vilixa and Sora giggled a bit. That's when Donald suddenly looked furious. He tightened his grip on his wand and waddled over to Goofy, a dark expression on his face. Vilixa looked over at Sora for an answer, but he just shook his head with a smile.

Donald marched right over to Goofy, reeled back his wand, and clubbed it against Goofy's left leg.

"Ow!" he howled. "That hurt, too!"

The expression on Donald's face softened considerably. "Oh, don't you ever do that again!" he scolded.

"Come on," Vilixa urged. She was glad to have Goofy back, but was still stunned from the loss of her other close friend. "The others need us."

The whole group ran out of the crystal caverns and out into the Great Maw. They all skidded to a stop when they came face to face with the largest group of Heartless that Vilixa had ever seen.

"What's with them?" Sora asked cautiously.

The Heartless stood, poised and ready for attack. None of them moved. It was as if they were awaiting a signal.

"Hey!" Goofy cried out, pointing to one of the high ledges above. A dark portal opened and a man in a black cloak that was all too familiar to Vilixa stepped out. The man pulled down his hood, revealing the cat-like yellow eyes that seemed to burn into hers from where he was standing.

"It's the guy who's not Ansem," Donald concluded.

"Xemnas..." Vilixa mumbled to herself. She could tell that his eyes were completely focused on hers. It was if he was daring her to move.

"You mean it's his Nobody!" Goofy declared.

"The leader of Organization XIII..." Sora muttered.

"Wait a minute!" Mickey suddenly burst. "Now I know! That's Xehanort! Ansem's apprentice! The leader of Organization XIII is Xehanort's Nobody!" He drew out his Keyblade and ran off.

"Let's go!" Sora said, preparing to run after him. That's when the legion of Heartless started to swarm them. They edged closer and closer until they were completely surrounded from all sides.

"Sora..." Vilixa whispered, clenching her Keyblade tightly in her hands. "Are you sure we can take on all of them?"

"Piece of cake," he said casually. "Let's make it a contest. Whoever eliminates more Heartless has to buy the other one ice cream."

Vilixa let out a groan.

"On your mark..."

"Sora..."

"Get set..."

"I don't think--"

"Go!"

At that point, there was no more time for thought--only for action. Vilixa shook her head and threw herself into the crowd of Heartless, slashing away with her Keyblade. She glanced over at Sora and saw that he was having to trouble at all cutting his way through his enemies as if they were weeds in a garden. She, on the other hand, was having more of an issue.

Once she had cleared a small circle for herself, she loosened her grip on her Keyblade, closed her eyes, and let her mind go blank. Taking in a deep breath, she felt a wave of energy pass over her and she opened her eyes again. She had tapped into her inner power and finally learned how to control it.

She took her Keyblade and started slashing through the throngs of Heartless, taken them down with great ease. It was almost as if everything was moving in slow motion. She dashed from one end of the Great Maw to the other, slicing through her enemies, releasing dozens of captive hearts with every blow.

It wasn't long before there was only one left. She eyed it and bolted towards it, striking it directly in the chest. She watched as it faded into darkness, its captive heart floating delicately into the sky.

Once they had all been destroyed, she took in another deep breath and let herself calm down. After a few seconds, the surge of energy started to fade away.

"Woah..." Sora panted as Vilixa opened her eyes again. She felt completely calm. Her energy was no longer drained.

She looked over to Sora and smirked. "I guess you owe me ice cream."

"It's gonna have to be an I.O.U. for now," he confessed with a grin. "I'm low on munny."

Vilixa and Sora ran up one of the paths to a higher ledge and met Donald and Goofy there. He looked around and asked, "Where's the King?"

Donald pointed to the clearing where Mickey was duelling with a Heartless and answered, "There he is!"

"C'mon!" he exclaimed, rushing over to help.

As they ran towards the King, Vilixa caught a glimpse of Xemnas' cloak and immediately stopped dead in her tracks. Sora, Donald and Goofy didn't notice--they kept on running to help the king.

"Your Majesty!" Donald cried out.

Mickey glared at the Nobody. "Xehanort!"

"How long has it been since I abandoned that name..." he pondered aloud.

"Out with it, Nobody!" Sora shot. "Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?"

Xemnas let out a small, gruff chuckle. "I know nothing of any...Kairi," he said, turning to face them. "As for Riku...why don't you ask your King?" His eyes darted past them, over at Vilixa, who was still frozen in place. "Or for that matter...your little friend over there."

Sora glanced back at Vilixa for a moment and saw the fear in her eyes. He looked back to see Xemnas starting to fade into a dark portal.

"Stop!" Mickey cried out, running after him and launching himself into the dark portal as well.

Sora stared at the spot where the portal had once been in disbelief. "He's gone," he said. Defeated, he fell to the ground and pounded the dirt with his fists. Goofy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and tried to calm him down.

Sora paused for a second and looked back at Vilixa. "You know where Riku is?"

Vilixa's voice was caught in her throat. "Sora...I don't know where he is...but in regards to what happened to him...I can't tell you."

"...What?" he asked, once again stricken by surprise.

"I made a promise," she said apologetically. "Just like the King did. But don't worry, he's safe."

"He's as safe as they get," someone said from behind Sora. Vilixa looked a few feet past where he had collapsed on the ground and saw Axel leaning against the high stones, arms crossed over his chest, with a smug look on his face. "Way to fall right into their trap."

"Axel?" Vilixa stammered. "What are you doing here?"

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