Well... we've got some reuniting to do in this chapter. Keybladers, Nobodies; Nobodies, the Keybladers. lol. Of course... it's never that simple.

PLEASE R&R!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts (c) Tetsuya Nomura
: Disney worlds/characters (c) Disney
Claimer: everything else (c) me

Chapter Two: Unravelling of the Truth

Riku held onto his fallen girlfriend tightly as the others gathered around them, draping a blanket over her cold body while Kairi placed a cold wet cloth on her forehead.

"Riku, why don't you explain to us what happened?" King Mickey insisted.

He looked down into her face. "We just talked and held each other before she just collapsed," he explained, gently stroking her cheek in deep concern. "I-I wasn't sure what happened. She looked like she was in pain before she fell unconscious."

All of a sudden, Yuki's eyes shot open with a single gasp that escaped her lips.

"Yuki!" Sora exclaimed.

Feeling her shiver, Riku pulled her up so that her head rested on his shoulder as he wrapped the blanket tighter around her small body. The wet cloth had fallen off her forehead and her eyes fluttered feverishly.

"Yuki, what happened?" he demanded.

"Oh… um… how can I say this?" she mumbled. "To put things bluntly, I was summoned by this voice that warned me that there's a new Keyblade wielder out there who uses the power of darkness, and that my life is in danger again, and that the darkness is rising again."

Winding his arms around her waist, he kissed her hair. "Oh Yuki," he murmured, pressing him tighter against him.

Reaching up, she nuzzled her face against his warm neck and let her lips brush against his skin. As she looked up into the darkened sky, she closed her eyes. "I apologize if I worried you," she said, "I'm alright now."

"You should probably get back inside before you catch something," Roxas advised.

She shook her head. "It's alright," she retorted, "I just want to lay here under the stars. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"I'm staying here with you," Riku insisted. "At least let me have that if you're staying here."

"Okay, we'll just head back inside," Sora said.

"Just give us a shout if you need anything," Donald added.

Yuki nodded as she rested her head back against Riku's shoulder, blinking up into the dark, star-stricken sky above. When all the others finally were gone, Yuki tilted her head back down to look across the sea.

"Yuki," her boyfriend murmured, taking her hand in his, "there's something else you're not telling us. What is it?"

Closing her eyes, she squeezed his hand gently. "I really can't hide anything from you, can I, Riku."

"Seriously, Yuki. What is it that you're not telling me?" he insisted.

Sighing, she looked back into the stars. "I may not survive this next war of light and dark," she admitted. "I'm already dying as it is."

Pressing his face into her hair, he fought the overwhelming sadness and pain clawing away at his heart. He didn't want to lose her, not yet, not ever. "I won't let that happen," he promised. "I can't let that happen. I don't want to lose you."

She looked at him and reached up to touch his face. "I warned you from the start of our relationship that falling in love with the 'Maiden of Light' would be a painful experience. I've already known from the beginning that I will die before my rightful time because of these wars," she explained. "It's so unfair to you that you have to go through this with me."

"It's because I love you that I must," he retorted, whispering against her hair, "I don't want you to die. I love you so, so much."

"I know you do Riku, and I feel the same. But… I can't let you get involved," she replied. "I don't want you to get hurt for me."

Riku held her tighter. "It's not like I want you to get hurt either," he retorted.

"But some things are just inevitable," Yuki said sadly. "Now, let's just stop talking about this rather depressing topic and stay positive. We're living in this moment, just you and me under this beautiful starry sky. This may be our only moment of peace before the fights start up again."

Chuckling, he tilted her head up towards his and kissed her softly, his arms encircling around her waist. Very slowly, their kiss deepened, and Riku gently laid Yuki down on the sand and he rested on top of her, both taking leisure in their slow kisses.

Suddenly, Yuki winced at a sharp pain in her heart, and pulled her lips abruptly off his.

"Is something wrong?" he inquired, gazing into her eyes worriedly.

She shook her head, slipping out from under him and standing up, gazing up into the stars and other worlds.

"Hmmm…" she murmured, turning back to Riku with a tired smile. "Let's go back. I'm getting a little tired. It's best if we get some sleep."

He nodded, draping the blanket around her shoulders as they walked back together.

--

Late that night, as Yuki slept peacefully next to Riku, she felt a disturbance in her mind.

Yuki… the familiar voice called, do you remember me? I need to talk to you. Meet me on the beach, got it memorized?

Yuki's golden eyes opened slowly, glancing briefly at her sleeping boyfriend as she was snuggled up against his chest. Carefully and quietly stepping out of bed, she transformed her midnight-blue nightgown into robes of pure white, a pair of large butterfly wings protruding from her back.

Hmm… I sense that King Mickey has already left Destiny Islands… she contemplated, He must have gone ahead to control the Heartless in the other worlds.

Hearing Riku moan her name in his sleep, she turned to look at him.

Riku… she thought sadly, glancing at his peaceful face before turning back. In silence, she left the room and out towards the beach.

Not too long afterwards, Riku stirred awake with the feeling of loneliness. Noticing that Yuki was gone, he looked around, looking outside the window to see her figure gracefully step towards the beach.

"Where is she going?" he asked out loud to himself.

Deciding to follow her, he carefully stalked after her, hiding within the shadows of the palm trees until he reached the beach, hiding behind the thick trunk of a tree. Yuki stood silently near the ocean, gazing out across the waters. All of a sudden, a dark black and purple portal-like egg appeared in front of her.

What is going on? Riku thought as a spiky redhead walked out from the portal, dressed in all-too-familiar robes. Hey, we met him in Castle Oblivion before! But Organization XIII is gone, isn't it?

"Hey there Yuki," he greeted.

Yuki sighed, "It's been awhile, hasn't it… Axel…"

"So you do remember me," he retorted, "at least that's one of you."

"You know it's not Roxas' fault that he can't remember you," she argued, folding her arms into her long sleeves. "He was forced to forget everything. Now… what brings you here?"

The Organization XIII member sighed, "Well… the Organization's alive. But… I think you've probably already figured that one out by now."

"Yeah," she replied. "Do you know why?"

He nodded. "Because of you," he told her. "Ever felt a strange sensation in your heart recently?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Just this morning before I collapsed," she admitted. "Was that caused by Organization XIII's revival?"

"In this round, I think the Organization's survival lies in your own," Axel guessed. "They live because you do."

Riku felt a dread crawling upon him as Yuki asked, "So does that mean if I die, the Organization dies with me?"

To Riku's relief, the Nobody shook his head. "If you died, the Organization would still live on, worse yet, they'd feed off the light that you left behind. That is, of course, unless you gave it up already. Plus, if you died, the rest of us would probably end up dead too."

"I'm flattered," she grumbled.

He chuckled, "Never really did have a knack for jokes, I suppose."

"Okay, so how do we take out the Organization permanently?" the Maiden of Light asked.

"Well… from what I heard, you'll need to use a certain keychain for your Keyblade that should help out, at least. If I'm correct, this set of key chains should be somewhere here on Destiny Islands. I'm guessing they're probably in the ocean. Otherwise, I'm not exactly sure yet, the keychain thing is only temporary," Axel explained. "Well… the Organization already knows I'm a 'traitor', as they would say, but I appeared in the castle with the rest of them unfortunately. But they've received a new Keyblade wielder into the Organization. I've never met him, but I got a glance of him. His name is Xven; he's about 17, short black hair, green eyes. Got it memorized?"

"Oh… well… that sucks," she said. "But I guess we'll manage. After all… we have 5 Keyblade wielders on our side, including the Keyblade Master himself. Now… as for the key chains…" she trailed off.

"Do you want some help?" Axel inquired.

Shaking her head, she let her wings carry her up into the air before they vanished and her robes transformed into purple seashell bra, her legs transforming into a beautiful gleaming azure blue tail. Beautiful shell bracelets wound around her wrists. Her hair had shells braided into them, and her head and shoulder popped up from the water, looking at Axel.

"Hmm… still look as radiant as ever," he commented. "Anyway, I'll keep you updated. You know how to contact me if you need me. Tell Roxas and Sora I said hi."

She raised a hand and waved as the former Org. XIII member vanished back into the portal.

"Hmmm… now where would those key chains be?" Yuki murmured to herself, swimming closer towards the shore. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called, "Riku, you can come out of hiding now. I know you've been listening in ever since I got here."

Riku came out from behind the tree he was hiding and walked out towards her.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was worried about you."

Chuckling, she smiled. "It's fine," she said, "at least it saves me from explaining it to you when I got back and if you were awake. Now… I'm going to go find that set of key chains, so I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Let me go with you," Riku offered. "It'll be faster that way."

She nodded. "Come on then," she told him, and he dived in, Yuki transforming his legs into a dark blue scaled tail and he hugged her against his bare chest, giving her a light kiss on the forehead.

"Hello," he greeted, "you ready to find us a keychain?"

Diving into the water, both 16-year-old teens looked around the bottom of the ocean floor, illuminated only by the light of the moon.

"Find anything yet?" Riku asked his girlfriend.

She shook her head, her black hair flowing in the waters. "Let's keep looking," she replied, both of them swimming next to each other.

"Yuki, do you just want to look for this in the morning?" Riku inquired.

She chuckled, looking at him. "You know I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight even if we do go back," she said. "If you want though you can go back."

"It's alright," Riku responded, swimming closer to give her a kiss, "I'll stay and make sure you're alright."

All of a sudden, there was a flash of black light, and it ripped through Yuki's right arm, drawing blood. Before she could cry out, she was tackled by a silver shark, the creature biting deep into her shoulder. There was a sickening crunch, and Riku knew that several of Yuki's bones must have snapped.

"Yuki! No!" he shouted, summoning his "Way to the Dawn" Keyblade and slashing at the shark Nobody, "Let go of her!"

As Riku shot the beast with a brief shock of electricity, with its cry it released Yuki, and the mermaid dropped to the ocean floor with a silent thump, blood flowing out of her shoulder and her arm. Blinking up, she found herself to be unable to move, and she could do nothing but watch Riku fight for their lives. Closing her eyes she called to Sora, Donald, Goofy and Roxas through her magic, breaking into their dreams with a mental cry for help.

Sora! Donald! Goofy! Roxas! Riku and I need your guys' help! She called to them mentally. When she felt feelings of reassurance stir up within her, she knew they'd be there to help soon.

When she opened her eyes once more, she still saw Riku fighting against the Nobody, but she felt a light consume her wounds, blanketing her pain with a warm, numbing light as the wounds began to heal. Immediately Yuki knew it was one of the jerk reactions of her magic, and she closed her eyes, her head tilting to the side as she felt the light fold over her entire body.

"Yuki," Riku shouted as he fought against the shark while defending her, "wake up! Open your eyes, Yuki!"

She didn't respond, as it seemed that she was knocked clearly unconscious, with the exception that there was a blanket of pale white light resting upon her body.

Riku knocked the shark away and swam down to his girlfriend, watching as her wounds were almost fully healed. As the Nobody bared its teeth as it attacked them, he blocked the vicious teeth with his Keyblade, holding the creature off just in front of Yuki.

What's going on?! He thought in slight panic, Why are Nobodies here on Destiny Island?

The next thing he knew, there was a black-cloaked and hooded figure flashing towards Yuki's healing form, a scythe brandished in his hand as he swung it at the lighted mermaid.

"NO!" Riku yelled a moment too late.

As the tip of the scythe touched the light, it shattered, and the Organization XIII member was blown back towards the surface from the powerful pulse of light. Yuki sat herself upright before flicking her tail so that she swam up towards the shark Nobody, her glowing Oathkeeper Keyblade clutched tightly within both hands as with one fluid sweep, the Nobody vanished.

"Yuki, you're alright!" Riku exclaimed, swimming up next to her and embracing her.

"Just barely," she responded with a sigh, looking at her shoulder. "See? The scars are still there. It'll take a little longer before my shoulder will completely recover. Now… what was that Organization XIII member doing here?"

Kissing her gently but desperately, he said, "Let's forget about finding that keychain at the moment. We need to go make sure the others are okay."

Both of them swam up towards the surface with great speed, popping their heads out of the water to see the soaked Nobody facing Sora, Donald and Goofy, his back turned to Yuki and Riku.

"What do you want?!" Sora shouted.

"I'm surprised you don't remember me," the mysterious figure stated, drawing back his hood to reveal rose pink shoulder-length hair and blue eyes.

Marluxia, Yuki thought with dread, of course, Sora, Donald, and Goofy won't remember considering Naminé wiped out their memories of Castle Oblivion.

"Why should we?" Donald reasoned, "What do you want already?"

He smirked, his blue eyes glittering with amusement. "The Maiden of Light, of course."

Fairy wings fluttered into appearance on Yuki's back as she leaped into the air, propelled by her wings, driving her forward towards the 11th member of Organization XIII, her Keyblade poised as she transformed back into a human, a blouse of sleek white and black pants hugging against her body. Riku leaped into the air and he transformed back, his clothes completely dry. He landed beside his trio of friends.

Marluxia swung around and blocked her Oathkeeper with his Scythe. "Ah, how nice to see you again, Yuki," he greeted. "It's been a while. Why don't you be a good girl and come with me back to headquarters?"

"Two words for you," she retorted as she landed next to Sora, "As. If." Wincing gently, her hand touched against her shoulder.

"You're draining fast, Yuki," Marluxia taunted, using his power over roses to send a wave of sharp-edged petals flying through the air towards them.

Immediately, they all shielded themselves from the blade-like petals, and a burst of white lightning pulsed from Yuki's palm, and Marluxia was forced to cease his attack to defend himself from the powerful blast. Within the chaos, Sora, Yuki and Riku leaped forward towards him, their Keyblades drawn.

As Marluxia dodged their advance, Yuki's Oathkeeper Keyblade morphed into a beautiful ivory-coloured bow, an arrow in her hand, its tip and feathers having the colours of the Oathkeeper. Shooting the arrow, the Org. XII member blocked the shot and his scythe vanished, giving Sora and Riku the opportunity to attack with their Keyblades.

"Hmm… your power has increased since the last time we met," Marluxia commented, seemingly unfazed as he teleported away from Sora and Riku in front of her. "But… that doesn't mean you're not vulnerable."

Her eyes widened. "What?!" she gasped, and suddenly felt a sharp pain pierce into her back and through her chest, dropping her Keyblade-turned-bow before it vanished. "A-Ah…" she choked in pain.

A second Organization XIII member had stabbed a black and red Keyblade that looked eerily similar to a cross of the Oblivion with the Oathkeeper Keyblade through Yuki's back. The crystal near the hilt was red instead of purple, and the key chain was the symbol of the Nobodies.

"Yuki!" Riku screamed, but it was already too late.

The figure pulled the Keyblade from her chest, and Yuki dropped to her knees before slumping to the ground, a soft light floating from her body and into the Keyblade, the red crystal sparkling with energy. But there was no blood, no wound, upon Yuki's body as her breathing was hard and uneven.

As Riku and Sora touched back down on the ground, Marluxia kneeled down to turn Yuki's limp body over onto her back, her eyes faintly fluttering up at her captors. The second Organization XIII member drew their hood down to reveal a 17-year-old boy with forest green eyes and short black hair, his lips drew into what looked like a frown.

"Marluxia," Xven spoke quietly, looking down at Yuki as he kneeled next to her as his fellow Nobody stood, "why does she look so familiar to me? Why does this seem so wrong?"

"Get away from her!" Sora shouted before Marluxia stopped them with rose petals.

Weakly, Yuki reached up to touch Xven's cheek before grabbing his cloak and pulling him down so he could hear her better.

"K-Kira…" she whispered into his ear, and his eyes widened as memories of his true self flashed through his head.

As Yuki's eyes slipped close, her grip slipped and her hand fell lifelessly to the ground with a thump, and Xven took a step back, one hand on his head.

W-What's happening to me? He thought, memories of a chestnut-haired 14-year-old kid together with a teenage girl with long black hair and sparkling golden eyes. Who are these people in my head?

"Xven?" Marluxia called, breaking him out of his reverie, "Are you done yet? Grab the girl and go! I'll cover your exit!"

I-I can't… Xven thought, I don't know why… but I just… can't do it.

Sora broke through the rose petals and towards the 11th member, sending him flying while Riku charged at the newest member, aqua eyes blazing with cold anger. Xven blocked the teen's advance, and Riku pushed him back away from Yuki.

As Xven and Marluxia landed back-to-back on the beach, Xven averted his green gaze down and said to Marluxia just loud enough for the rest of them to hear, "Marluxia, let's go. One; you chose the worse time to attack. And two; I've done what Xemnas has asked, so our mission is complete." His grip around his mysterious Keyblade was tight, and he seemed disappointed and angry with himself in some odd way.

Reluctantly, the pink-haired Nobody nodded and they opened a portal before vanishing into it, the portal lifting up into the sky as smoke before disappearing completely.

"Yuki!" Riku shouted as he ran back towards the fallen Keyblade warrior, pulling her into his arms. "Yuki! Yuki! Wake up!"

The girl did little more than stir, and this rose concern among her friends. Riku held her tightly against his chest, and pressed his lips tightly against her forehead.

"Why won't she wake?!" Donald demanded.

"What could possibly be wrong?" Goofy questioned, "Whatever that guy did, a-hyuck, it can't have been good."

Footsteps could be heard as Kairi, Roxas and Naminé ran onto the beach towards them.

"What happened?!" Naminé inquired worriedly.

"Organization XIII is back, and they have a new Keyblade wielder on their side," Sora explained. "I have no idea what he did, but he hurt Yuki without actually hurting her. Now she won't wake."

Riku whirled on Sora's Nobody. "Where were you? We could have used your help!" he hissed acidly.

Immediately Sora rushed to defend him. "I convinced him to stay behind and protect Kairi and Naminé if any Nobodies or Heartless attacked them," he said quickly. "Riku, don't blame Roxas for this. It's not his fault."

The older teen sighed depressingly. "Sorry, Roxas," he apologized, "Sora's right. I just… I'm worried."

Yuki's body felt slightly cold in Riku's arms, and he sensed that something was wrong with her; something that couldn't be healed by just a potion, no matter how strong it was. He worried that this injury struck her heart, and was killing her.

"Yuki, please," he begged quietly, gently capturing her lips in his as he held her tightly, tears falling from his eyes and upon her cheek. "You've got to wake up! Yuki, you can't die… I need you."

As he wept, her golden eyes half-opened, and her hand barely twitched.

"R-Riku…" she whispered.

"Yuki," he responded, looking at her as he brushed away his tears. "How do you feel? Are you alright?"

Very weakly, she shook her head. "R-Roxas," she mumbled, barely glancing at the blonde teen, "c-call Axel…" She winced as she tried to move.

"H-How?" he queried.

"As best friends…" she murmured, "you two are… connected… by… the bonds of… friendship…. Call him… with… your heart…"

My heart? I'm a Nobody, I don't have a heart… do I? he thought in confusion, but his thoughts and feelings of desperation and worry drifted to his old friend, and soon enough, a black and purple swirling portal appeared not far from them, and the redhead stepped out.

"You called?" he greeted, before noticing Yuki lying on Riku's lap and the worried people gathered around her. "Yuki!"

Rushing over to them, Yuki's hand shook as she tried to reach up to touch Riku's face. He grabbed her hand and pressed it tightly against his cheek, feeling the coolness of her skin.

"What happened?!" Axel demanded as he skidded to a halt next to them, taking Yuki's other hand in both of his before touching her forehead.

"She was stabbed through with a Keyblade from Organization XIII," Sora explained as Yuki drifted into unconsciousness.

"Xven," Riku said. "That Keyblade… it sucked up a while light from Yuki's body."

With a gasp of shock, immediately Axel pressed a hand on Yuki's chest directly over her heart, confirming his suspicions. "The barrier of light within her heart has been badly damaged. That Keyblade that Xven used must have been the 'Soul Stealer' Keyblade. If used properly, it can weaken the light within one's heart. It's opposite is called the 'Soul Reviver' Keyblade."

"But… Yuki will die without the power of light," Riku argued worriedly, his hands tightening around her. "How can we save her?"

"Restore… light…" his girlfriend choked awake, pulling Riku's hand down against her chest over her still-beating heart.

He blinked aqua eyes. "R-Restore the light within your heart?" he asked.

Closing her eyes, her hand slid off his and fell onto the sand limply.

"Yuki!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

With determined aqua eyes, Riku's hand went around his neck as he tugged out a beautiful oval white crystal pendulum, the stone sparkling with magical light. It radiated a soft glow that lit up a bit of their area.

"Riku, where did you get that?!" Naminé gasped, "That's no ordinary stone!"

He looked at Kairi's Nobody. "I know," he said quietly, "Yuki gave it to me before I left. She told me that it would be my light if ever I was plunged back into darkness again, so that I would always find my way back to the light; back to her."

"Awww… how touching," Axel grumbled, "now cut the mushy stuff, this is serious."

The 16-year-old bit back a remark and with one hand, he clutched the pendant in one hand while the other was wound around her. Leaning down, he gently pressed his lips against hers, transferring both light and his feelings into her heart, healing her, sealing the wound that no one could see. Light surrounded both recipients, and as if gravity was no more, their loose clothes and hair floated and waved.

"Whoa…" Sora breathed in surprise, Kairi clinging onto his arm as they all stared in awestruck.

As Riku pulled back, the light faded, and his hand left his necklace to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Yuki, please," he whispered, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against hers.

Her eyes fluttered open, blinking in slight surprise as Riku's face was pressed against hers, fear and worry radiating from him.

"Riku," she said quietly.

Leaning back, he sighed in relief, "Yuki, you're awake."

Sitting up against Riku, she looked at Axel. "You came," she said. "As you must have realized, Organization XIII attacked."

"Yeah," the redhead replied, "they told me. Xven stabbed you with the 'Soul Stealer' Keyblade. You're alright now."

She stood up, looking across the distance, her arms folded. "Xven… I know him…" she murmured, shocking the others.

"What?!" Sora gasped, "How?!"

"I knew his true self, a boy named Kira. He was a year older than me, and we used to be the best of friends. I never thought something like this would happen, but then again… I need to reawaken Xven's memories of him. In truth, I'm not exactly sure where is Kira, nor why his Nobody exists," she explained sadly.

Axel's gaze narrowed. "But what makes you think he'll come onto your side?" he inquired suspiciously.

"In one language, Kira means 'dark', in another, it means 'glitter'. Kira also can mean 'sun', so technically, the light," she elaborated. "Within him, as well as nearly everyone except perhaps the Seven Princesses of Heart, there are opposing forces of light and dark within one's heart. Being the Maiden of Light allows me to… let's say, temper, with the light and memories in their heart if I am given a chance."

Riku walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his chest against her back as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I love you," he murmured into her ear.

Her hands fluttered to rest on his. "I love you too," she replied, "but we've got to be careful, considering I don't want to risk you or the others."

"Hey, it's not like we want you to get hurt either," Axel commented, tucking his gloved hands into his coat pockets.

A pulse of white and soft blue light radiated from Yuki's body, outlining her very form like it did when Riku had kissed her. But this time, it was her and her alone. Looking at Riku, she turned to give him a soft but deep kiss before pulling away, stepping onto the ocean waters as if she was walking on its surface.

"Yuki!" he called after her.

"It's okay, Riku," she assured, "I'll be alright."

A portal of pure white appeared in a similar fashion to that of the black swirling portals of Organization XIII, and she was about to step through it before she stopped, looking back at her friends with tears in her eyes.

"I love you, Riku," she said in a sad voice, "I'll see you guys soon."

All of them found themselves glued to their spots as the girl stepped through the portal and it disappeared.

"No! Y-Yuki!" Riku cried, but it was already far too late; she had vanished.

"W-Where did she go?" Kairi inquired in a small voice.

Axel sighed, running a hand through spiky red hair and looked at her friends. "Well… wherever she went, she'll be coming back. Otherwise she wouldn't have gone wherever she went willingly, and she wouldn't have said she'd be seeing us soon," he reassured. "In the meantime, I'd better get going. Catch you all later."

"Hey Axel," Roxas began, "where are you staying now? You're not living with the Organization anymore. You're always welcome to stay here if you want, if that's okay with Sora, Kairi and Riku, of course."

"Fine by me," Sora agreed.

The former Org. XIII member shook his head. "Nah, it's alright. I've got a place to crash, no worries. But thanks for the offer."

"Yuki…" Riku mumbled, still gazing out at the empty space where she had disappeared.

Axel walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about her," he assured, "she'll be fine. Yuki's a smart and resourceful girl; she can take care of herself."

"I know," he replied with a deep sigh, "but I still can't help but worry about her. I love her so much."

The redhead walked back towards the beach and opened up a portal. "Well… there's nothing more I can do here. Catch you all later."

"Bye Axel!" Roxas called.

"See you!" Sora added.

After Axel departed, Riku turned back to the others with sad aqua eyes.

"Let's just… get back to sleep…" he announced as monotone as he could, but worry cracked into his voice. "Hopefully Yuki will be back in the morning."

"Awww… don't worry Riku," Kairi said, "she'll be just fine. You'll see."

Well... the team starts their cross-world journey in the next chapter!

Until then...

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