Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or any of their characters.

A/N: I know I kinda fudged things in the last chapter as Radiant Garden shouldn't technically exist, but oh well, idc. As for why Maleficent wasn't mentioned and they could just walk into the castle, well she was busy doing other stuff higher up and didn't notice them sneak in the basement, ok? Just don't question it... Read and enjoy.

Geez it took forever to finish this one. I had a terrible bout of the lazies and got side-tracked with numerous other things. Whatever though, it's finally here!

Space Paranoids…

Seiki is the first to awaken in the small room both he and Akira now lay, stretched out across the floor. The room itself appears made of some form of metal, yet the exact material is indiscernible. Everything about their surroundings seems to be colored a rather dull blue for the most part with some dull green, red, and bright yellow mixed in that all seems to faintly glow. Strange brightly glowing lines like circuitry run across the walls and floor of the room, and along the foreseeable extent of their locale.

Both boys clothes have also changed, each now wearing a sort of high-tech armor that is colored a grayish-blue and has matching glowing markings all over it; though the lines on Seiki's outfit glow a bright blue, while Akira's are a sort of neon green. The armor is styled to somewhat resemble the clothes they'd been wearing before. Even their skin and hair seem to be shades of dull blue with a faint glow to it.

Akira sits up and puts his hand to his head, looking around through half open eyes. "Where are we now...?" He grumbles.

"We're in the computer. Well, a world inside it."

"There's a world inside a computer?" Akira's now a bit more awake and starts to take in his surroundings. Awestruck, he goes to a nearby window and looks out at the techno-world.

"Yeah, I remember coming in here a lot and hanging out with my friends." Seiki becomes lost in though at the word "friends", knowing he had them, yet unable to remember them.

"You mean like that weird girl who was attacking us?"

"Yeah…"

"So then… How do we get out of this room?" Akira changes the subject as he tries the door with no response from it.

Seiki goes over to a control panel and works at pressing a few buttons. While lost in his focus, he barely notices as one of Akira's lances whizzes just beside his head, lodging in the control panel. Sparks flicker for a few seconds from the panel before the door abruptly slides open.

"Or I guess that works too." Seiki stands up and follows Akira out of the small room and down the only hallway leading away from the room.

"So…" Akira says, breaking the silence as he looks around at the strange world as he walks, "How exactly do we get out of this place?"

"Uhh… I actually can't remember that."

"Well, I guess that just means a bit more fun exploring." Akira smiles, always up for a good adventure.

The walkway they are on only has a wall following the left side, the right being completely open with an endless digital abyss below them. The two continue down the path until they see a few Heartless, albeit in a different form fitted with glowing yellow armor much like their own, scurrying into an open space in the wall. Beaming with excitement over the next bit of mischief they've found, Akira grabs Seiki's hand and drags him somewhat reluctantly to where the Heartless have gone.

Through the space in the wall, they see a large circular room with the space to actually be a very tall doorway formed by two un-adjoining, dark blue walls. In the center of this room, a young girl about their age wearing glowing green armor is standing with a pair of rings with glowing bladed edges in her hands, watching as the Heartless swarm around her. Seiki starts to bring out his Keyblade, but Akira holds him back, curious to see what she does.

The girl taps the two rings together, creating a tether made of electricity between them. She then jumps up into the air and spins around, releasing one ring and letting it fall to the ground as she spins, holding the other ring out. The ring on the ground spins outward in a large circle, cutting through the Heartless in the room as she spins, making them puff away into black smoke. Gravity eventually kicks in, and she falls back down, landing gently on her feet.

Having noticed the two watching her, the young woman gives them a smirk; clipping her discs to part of her backplate as she walks over to them. "It's been awhile, I was wondering when you guys would come visit me. Hmm, and I see you brought someone new." Upon finally reaching them, she extends a hand to Akira. "I'm Neru."

"Akira." He takes the hand and shakes. "I take it you two know each other?" He looks between Neru and Seiki.

"Of course, isn't that why you came? Usually, the reason you guys come here is to hang out with me." Neru chimes in.

"Well, Seiki's having a bit of trouble with his memory at the moment." Seiki looks at the floor somewhat nervously. "We ended up here while trying to escape someone who was attacking us. It's nice meeting you, but by any chance do you know the way out?"

"I see, I take it it's just you two and not the rest of the gang then. I actually do, but first I want to check the Dataspace to see how those creatures are getting in here."

Neru leads the way with Seiki and Akira close behind as she leaves the room and heads down the path the boys were on, following it as it makes a left going around the room. Before long, the path splits in two, making a T-shape as it goes a short distance to the left and right. Neru takes the right, going a short ways before heading through a door in a large wall that extends far off above and below the path they are on.

The three enter a rounded room with brightly glowing yellow walls with 3 large screens lining them spaced evenly apart. Much like outside, there is no visible floor, with only a single platform that is covered in dark blue markings in contrast to all of the yellow attached to the wall with a seemingly bottomless pit below. At the other side of the platform is a large computer console. Another female, this one with armor covered in bright blue markings, is standing at the console; the screen ahead of her giving a long readout of information.

"Hi Runo, what're you loon' at?" Neru asks, as she walks over to join the other girl at the computer.

"I was hoping to see where those creatures that have been appearing are coming from. Possibly a backdoor we could follow out and get into the world of the Users."

"Wait, didn't you say you already knew a way out of here?" Akira chimes in, having overheard.

Neru chimes in with a response, "Yes, but it only works for Users like you. We're Programs. We were created in this world and exist solely within it."

"Though there must be a way out there to allow Programs into the world of the Users. If you can get in, surely we can get out to explore your vast world, can't we?" Runo adds in.

"Have you found anything about the creatures?" Neru turns back to Runo, wanting to learn what she came for.

"Not really. Of course Sark's system blocks aren't helping, but from what I can find, the system seems to be in perfect order. They would've had to have originated from the computer. They might just be a virus of some kind."

"The MCP has all kinds of firewalls in place to prevent them and can easily stop any virus if it does get through."

"Which could mean the MCP created it to oppress Programs and fuel hatred towards the Users."

"It is possible…" Neru turns and walks back for the door. "Now then, time to take you home as I'd promised." As she walks through the door, Seiki and Akira follow after her; Akira giving a wave goodbye to Runo before departing.

The three walk back down the path they were on before, this time heading straight on in the direction they hadn't taken before. They prepare to board a round floating platform that they were to ride to their next destination when Runo comes running up to them. "Mind if I tag along? I'm not doing much at the moment."

"Sure, the more the merrier!" Akira smiled.

Seiki just nods in agreement, not really knowing if he was friends with her or not or how to feel about her tagging along. Once the four step onto the flat, circular platform, it begins moving, gliding along an invisible track high above the air, transporting them across the digital world.

The journey is spent in silence, Neru & Runo simply staring blankly ahead not really thinking of trying to strike up a conversation, social skills not fully present in their programming. Akira's head is constantly pivoting about, eyes wide with amazement and a large smile on his face as he takes in all the strange wonders this world has to offer. Seiki, meanwhile, is simply staring out to the side. This place seems very strange, but he can't help but feel it's all familiar…

Seiki and Toko are running through a wide corridor with a high ceiling. The walls painted in bright and elegant patterns with a smooth, hard flooring to match. The overall design makes it look like whatever building they're in is something fancy like a museum or mansion.

They continue down the wall, eventually coming around a corner to find themselves facing a young man with messy black hair. "H-hey, guys." He greets them nervously, his eyes darting around the room in anticipation for something to happen.

"Daiki, it's good to see you're safe." Toko gives him a brief hug with Seiki smiles at them. The boy seems a bit surprised and uncomfortable with the hug, not just in it being from Toko but in being hugged in general.

"Those things are everywhere… We need to retreat into Space Paranoids. It should be safe there." Daiki scratches part of his head, a habit of his.

"What about the others? Hoshi & Yoshi are defending the door." Seiki's voice shows he's more concerned for the one named Hoshi.

"They're tough and can handle themselves. I can try to wait by the computer awhile for them to catch up though." Daiki replies. The three move on down the hall to get to the computer.

Seiki comes back from his daydream as the platform slides into place against the floor of a large facility built into a mountain. Neru leads the way into the building and to the left into a spacious circular room with a single doorway at the other side of the room. Glowing red-orange stripes that appear to be filled with some kind of energy running through them are etched along the sides of the wall coming together to curve around the doorway and go deep into the room on the other side. "Through that door is the terminal that allows Users to enter and leave this world."

Almost as if on cue at Neru pointing towards the door across the room, two individuals walk out from the doorway; each wearing a black coat lined with a different colored circuitry, the male's orange while the girl's is a dull off-white. The boy's hair is a messy, greasy black then a head of crinkled dirty blonde tied back in a ponytail pressed against the back of her head on the girl.

"Ah Seiki, at last we meet. My name is Rei and I have been trying to find you for awhile now." The girls speaks calmly and somewhat professionally.

"So you're Rei…" Seiki mutters to himself. He then looks over to the boy. "Daiki… You're working with her, too?" At mention of his name, he looks away nervously and absent-mindedly scratches the side of his head.

Akira leans forward, close to Seiki. "Rei… Isn't that the person that the witch we didn't trust said was looking for you? And I'm going to assume he's another one of your friends?"

Seiki nods. "I think he is, anyway."

"He is." Neru chimes in. "Daiki is the one who usually attends the computer were in. He's the one who made me." Daiki's eyes shift over to Neru leading a small, shy, half-smile to form on his face.

Runo steps forward, walking over to Rei & Daiki to join them. "I brought him to you as you'd asked."

"What?" Neru is surprised and confused at what Runo is saying.

"This woman made a deal with me, to take me out of this computer world and into the real world if I deliver Seiki to her. I knew you all were coming here, so I gave a signal to tip her off. Simple as that."

Neru unhooks her twin identity discs from their slot on her back and readies them to attack. "How could you betray us like that?" Neru had just met Rei, but could already tell from the context of what Akira had said, she wasn't to be trusted.

"Nothing personal, I'm just looking out for my own interests."

Neru charges a disc with electricity then throws it at Runo. Runo quickly draws a disc of her own and uses it to knock Neru's away. Neru's disc bounces off a nearby wall before flying back into Neru's hand as if attracted to like a boomerang returning to its origin. Upon catching the disc, ice begins to form along part of the edge. More electricity flows through the disc at Neru's command to heat the disc with energy and melt it away.

The two programs engage in a disc battle, throwing their discs back and forth, moving about to catch and then toss then back. The flying discs become a blur of light, Neru's yellow and Runo's a light blue, as they zip around the room.

After awhile of this going back and forth, Runo grabs her disc and lunges forward, spiking the ground with it, narrowly missing Neru as she performs as back-flip. The floor where Runo strung becomes covered in frost. Neru taps her discs together, forming an electric tether between them. She throws one out using the other to guide it as she swings it out wide. Runo grabs the outstretched disc and pulls on the tether, dragging Neru up close to her. Using her own disc that she'd caught, Runo slices through Neru's neck. Neru's body falls apart into a pile of cubic pixels, dead. The electric tether fades and the two discs, now no longer glowing, just as lifeless as their owner, fall to the floor.

Seiki and Akira seem stunned by what just happened. "How could kill her like that!? She was your friend, wasn't she?!" Akira shouts at Runo.

"I told you, I'm just looking out for my personal interests. Besides, that foolish Program was just another mindless slave to the MCP. I did her a favor in ending her now before she inevitably died in the Games like the rest of the MCP's pawns."

Daiki is staring at the pile of small cubes littered in a pile on the floor, appearing slightly saddened at Neru's death.

"You're not actually sad, are you?" Rei asks, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

"N-no… Of course not." Daiki looks down at the floor.

Akira closes his eye and grits his teeth, unable to believe what he is hearing. How could he simply not care that she's dead? How could she kill her so easily like that? Air came together in Akira's hands then burst outward to form his lances. Filled with a mix of emotions, he charged for Runo to get revenge for Neru. However, Daiki intervened, blocking Akira's attack with a pair of lances of his own. Even though Daiki's were pitch black with odd orange markings as opposed to Akira's pure-metal ones, both sets were shaped exactly the same.

"So you protect her, but not the one you created, your friend?" Daiki doesn't reply, merely looking back at Akira with a somewhat blank expression.

Akira jumps back then twirls one of his lances to form a small whirlwind to glide along the floor towards Daiki. Daiki makes the exact same motion to great a similar whirlwind heading towards Akira. The two air currents collide to explode in a massive burst of wind. Akira takes the opportunity to lunge at Daiki, though Daiki meets his attack with a lunge of his own, mirroring Akira's movements as he makes them. The two lash out at each other with it appearing as if they are fighting mirrored images of themselves.

With Akira distracted, Runo attempts to strike him with her disc. Before she can bring the disc down to strike, a pulse of sound energy knocks it from her hand. Runo turns to see Seiki pointing his Keyblade at her. He doesn't fully understand the point of the fight, but wants to protect Akira. While Runo runs to get her disc, Rei joins the fight, a scythe of darkness appearing in her hand. "I didn't want it to have to come to this, but if you won't come willingly then I'll have to take you by force. Your friends are quite eager to be with you again."

She twirls her scythe as she moves, dashing forward at Seiki then slamming the point of her scythe forward, narrowly missing Seiki as he leans back to dodge. Dark tendrils etch along the floor from where the blade made contact. She pulls it back up then slashes from side to side at Seiki who moves back to dodge. He fires a few rounds of his sound blasts when he can but Rei only cuts through them with her scythe.

Meanwhile, Akira isn't having much better luck, still locked in battle with Daiki who mirrors his every move. Having reclaimed her disc, Runo tries to help out and lunges for Daiki. Another lance appears behind him and flies forward to strike her in the leg and sending her to her knees. This gives Daiki an opportunity which he uses to stab Akira's side. The sandy haired boy grits his teeth in the pain, though powers through it to keep fighting as best as he can.

After awhile of swinging her scythe around only for Seiki to dodge, Rei finally swings it in mid-air sending a wave of dark energy at Seiki. He closes his eyes and holds his Keyblade forward defensively to try to brace for the impact. However it doesn't come, after a second he opens his eyes to see part of a magical barrier around him subsiding. He points his Keyblade forward and fires another sound blast, though this time Rei dodge it as she readis her next attack rather than blocking it. Seiki looks to the purple ring of sound energy as it whizzes past Rei's head, losing hope for the battle. The pulse keep moving until it collides with the wall at the end of the room them bursts out, coming back the way it came, now slightly larger and stronger. The attack takes Rei by surprise, hitting her in the back and knocking her forward.

Seiki quickly runs while she's down, firing a couple more blasts along the way at Runo & Daiki. Daiki being too busy fighting Akira to defend gets hit in his side while Runo gets knocked down. "C'mon, let's get out of here!" Seiki calls out to Akira who runs after him into the doorway just past their opponents.

"After them!" Rei shouts over to Daiki. He quickly gets up and begins running behind the two.

Inside the room, they find a small round room with a pedestal in the middle. Light filters down from above to softly land on this pedestal. Hearing footsteps not far behind, they quickly get on to the pedestal and hope for the best. The light glows brighter around them until it is all they can see. When Daiki reaches the room, he is alone.

Runo stands up and walks over to Rei as she rises to her feet. "I still delivered him as I promised; our deal still stands, does it not?"

"About that…" Rei stabs Runo in the gut with her scythe. "I lied. I have no idea if Programs like you even can escape this world. I simply used you to get what I wanted and you proved useless." She moves the scythe in farther, cutting Runo in half. The Program is reduced to the same cubic like remains that became of Neru.

The laser fires up once more, rematerializing Seiki & Akira back in front of the computer in the secret lab under Radiant Garden's large castle. The two stretch once they've fully returned and begin walking back outside, Toko no where to be seen and likely long gone by now.

"Hey… Um, sorry about your friend." Akira puts a hand on Seiki's shoulder. "What do you think you're gonna do now?"

"I don't really know." Seiki stares at the ground blankly as the walk. I still can't remember anything and don't even know what that thing was that brought me here or if I can use it again. If I just stay here, those people will likely just catch me. The strange boy's words of staying on the move and in hiding ring through his mind. But where would I go, where is there to go?

"Hmm, how about you come with me? I think I know a place that might cheer you up." Akira smiles softly at Seiki. The two walk through the ruined town and reach where Akira had parked his ship. Once on board, Akira takes control of the wheel, sending the ship flying up in to the sky. As they fly off, away from Radiant Garden, Seiki leans over the edge and looks out at the clouds around them. Cheer me up? But I don't feel sad… Why don't I feel sad though, she was my friend wasn't she? And yet I feel nothing… Why?