I am so so so sorry...this is way overdue. I kept putting off updating this story because chapter 22 isn't finished yet. I am dumb and started a few more writing projects. I have this tendency to bite off more than I can chew. Excuse the cliché.

But HOLY CRAP! 20 reviews on chapter 20! I wasn't expecting that AT ALL. You are all amazing. Thanks to: TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, pandabearmusic, Island-style-girl, Catalyna Cullen, celtic-roses, Witchgirl590, AoZ, NinjaSheik, Hidden Fairy Tale, FallenAngelx3, MysticalAlchemist-Vanisha, , Taeinaea, Ark Angel, Kokoro Hikari, Lumen, RedQueen, Chocoboco, Monkeychicklet23, and animechick247.

Keep the reviews coming! I'll try to finish up the next few chapters. I have them all planned, I just lack motivation...unfortunately.

Enjoy!

Vilixa made her way down to the palace where she saw Sora, Donald and Goofy pounding their fists on a set of enormous wooden doors. Mulan on the other hand, had her eyes focused on one of the tall wooden beams that held the roof in place.

"Over here," she ushered.

Everyone followed her lead and proceeded to climb up the banister. There were a few slips and slides, but they eventually all made it to the top of the roof. Once they reached the inside of the palace, they hopped down from the beams that criss-crossed along the ceiling and landed in the hallway that led to the Emperor's chambers.

Vilixa gasped when she saw a man in a black cloak standing, facing the door with the dragon inscribed on it. Something was strange about him. She knew it couldn't have been Riku. He stood tall, while this man had a slouch in his shoulders.

"Wait!" Mulan yelled as the man reached for the door.

He turned on his heel and stared down at the five of them. Sora lowered his Keyblade and approached him slowly.

"Riku?"

"Sora," Vilixa hissed, her own Keyblade firmly in her hands. "That's not a good idea..."

The cloaked figure lowered his hood to reveal the scarred face of Number II, Xigbar. Smirking at Sora, he replied, "Nope. Never heard of him."

Four of Xigbar's sniper Nobodies surrounded them from all sides. Vilixa watched as Xigbar tried to run away, and dashed after him as the others took care of their enemies. He ran out the door and Vilixa followed close behind.

"Xigbar, you coward," she yelled. "What are you trying to do?"

"I could ask you the same question," he tutted. "Siding with the Keybearer...you should know by now that Roxas is long gone."

"He's not gone," she seethed. "He lives through Sora."

"Fine, fine," Xigbar grinned. "Let's see what happens when I eliminate you, then." He leapt up high in the air and started shooting down at her with his Arrowguns. Vilixa managed to dodge a few shots, but she also ended up getting hit a few times, too.

She winced as she cast a Cure spell over herself, and then charged at Xigbar as he was reloading his weapon. Knocking him down to the ground, she held her Keyblade up to his throat.

Xigbar let out a laugh. "Looks like our little prissy princess got a little tougher," he joked. "Too bad it won't do you any good."

Vilixa narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"

Xigbar snapped his fingers and opened a portal beneath him. "You'll see," he said before disappearing.

Vilixa was about to ask herself what he was talking about once again when the ground shook beneath her feet. Looking up at the sky, she saw a huge Heartless swooping down from above. It looked like a huge dragon, something she had never seen before. She ducked as it aimed to attack her.

"Sora!" she cried. "Sora, come quick!"

Sora ran out, followed by Donald, Goofy and Mulan. "What is that thing?" Sora exclaimed.

"I don't know," Vilixa gulped, "but it's going to attack again!"

"Come on," Sora ran towards it. "We've got to get rid of it!"

Battling the dragon Heartless was not an easy feat. Every time Sora or Vilixa would immobilize it to keep it from flying, it would flail its wings around and knock them off their feet.

The Heartless rose up in the air and clapped the metal cymbals that were attached to its tail and dropped a number of bombs over them. Sora managed to get out of the way, but Vilixa got caught in the mess.

She went flying across the square, landing hard on her side and hitting her head against the concrete ground.

"Vilixa!" Sora cried, running towards her.

He lifted her gingerly, checking to see if she was still alive. When he saw that she was still breathing, he relaxed himself a bit and ran back to face the Heartless. He caught an air current and leapt high in the air, latching onto the dragon's horn and slashing away at it with his Keyblade.

It didn't take long for the Heartless to let out a shrill cry of pain, tumbling to the ground with enough force to shake the entire city. The Heartless' body slowly started to disappear, revealing a huge crystalline heart that floated up to the sky.

"Another heart for Kingdom Hearts," Sora mumbled, letting out a sigh. "I guess we can't really ever win."

He went back over to where Vilixa was. She was still unconscious, her forehead dotted with blood. He cast a Cure spell on her and poked her until she opened her eyes.

"Annoying," she mumbled, swatting his hand away. "Did you beat it?"

"Yup," he said with a small smile. "You've got to stop freaking me out like that. That's the third or fourth time you've almost died on me."

She sat up, rubbing her head gingerly. "I'm not safe, Sora."

He cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I've got a huge target on my back," she explained. "The Organization wants me dead."

"But...why?" Sora asked, still confused.

"They don't take to traitors very well," she sighed. "I expect they're hunting after Axel, too."

Sora frowned and helped Vilixa stand up again. "Don't worry. You'll be just fine as long as you stick with us. Now, come on. I think it'd be best if we made our way back to Hollow Bastion."

She nodded and followed Sora to where the Gummi Ship was. Donald and Goofy were right behind them.

"You know," Sora said, placing his hands behind his head as he walked. "The Emperor did say that he saw Riku. At least I know he's safe."

Vilixa bit her lip and nodded, not saying anything in return.

* * * * *

Once they had arrived in Hollow Bastion, they were greeted by something unusual.

Heartless were everywhere.

"Hang on a sec," Sora mumbled. "I thought that everything was supposed to be under control here."

Vilixa looked down at the Heartless swarming the marketplace. "Apparently not. Maybe Leon knows something about it."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Come on, guys. Let's head down to Merlin's house."

They made their way down to the Burrough, and just as they were about to walk to Merlin's house, a number of Heartless that Vilixa had never seen before appeared out of nowhere. They didn't look like regular Heartless--they had mechanical wires and a robotic movement about them.

"Sora, what are these?" she asked, summoning her Keyblade.

"These are the Heartless from Tron's world," Sora said, confused. "What are they doing outside of the computer program?"

"Maybe Cid knows," Vilixa offered. "We have to get rid of these guys first!"

"Right."

Vilixa and Sora swung their Keyblades at the mechanical Heartless, clearing many of them with just a single blow. Once they had all been taken care of, they rushed into Merlin's house where Cid was frantically typing on the computer.

"Cid!" Sora exclaimed. "What's going on here?"

Cid sighed, his toothpick hanging loosely from his lips. "The MCP is out of control."

"What?" he asked, shocked. "But...I thought that Tron had everything under control."

"He did," Cid continued. "But something went wrong. Leon went over to Ansem's study to find out what all the ruckus was about. Turns out that the MCP is using the data from that computer to crank out Heartless. The MCP's been messing with the town's control system, too."

"That explains why all those Heartless were running around and the security system wasn't doing anything," Vilixa sighed.

"We have to get over there," Sora stated. "Come on."

Vilixa, Donald and Goofy followed Sora as he ran to Ansem's study. Along the way, numerous Heartless that were created by the MCP attacked them, but they were easily taken care of. When they finally reached Ansem's study, they found Leon and Aerith looking completely relieved to see them.

Vilixa approached the computer and looked down at the large screen. Against a black background, flashing green words read: Ignorant User, Obey the MCP.

She frowned and heard Sora say behind her, "Hang in there, Tron. We'll be there soon."

Vilixa turned to him. "Should I come, too?"

Sora thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Stay here. Guard the computer, and try and fend off all the Heartless around town. If I can't be there to get rid of them, then it's up to you."

"That's a lot of responsibility, Sora," she gulped. "I don't know if I can handle it on my own."

"Hey, you're never really alone," he grinned. "It's just a state of mind. I believe that you can do it."

She smiled. "Thanks, Sora."

He flashed her a thumbs up and got ready to transport himself into the computer. Vilixa backed away from the teleportation device and watched as Sora, Donald and Goofy disappeared before her very eyes. Once again, she was alone.

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