"So, you don't know whose Nobody Naminè is?"

"No. Are you saying you do?"

Saiyoku and Riku were walking along the edge of shore, the ocean washing up onto the white sand. DiZ had given them the day off, so they were spending it in numerous places, including Destiny Islands.

"No duh Sherlock. You're the one who said what helped me figure it out."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did," Saiyoku waded into the ocean, her Organization coat flowing up around her. Riku followed her, but she ducked into the cool blue water and surfaced near the islet. She climbed up onto the ladder on the back side, hopping up onto the hot sand again and resting against the Paopu tree. Her friend sighed and clambered up after her, jumping up onto the trunk and lying out against its length, both of them dripping wet.

"So, what was it I said that made you know?" Riku shook his head to remove the water and rang out his coat at the end.

"When you told me what Naminè had said to you, and what had happened between you and Zexion and how Naminè came to you in the form of Kairi… you said that when you actually met Naminè, she had the same scent as Kairi, and that's how you knew that she was the one who had come to you in the form of our friend. Also, she came in the form of Kairi, and why?" Saiyoku asked him, testing his knowledge as she shook her head, relieving her hair of the salty water.

"Because she's a friend and she knew I'd recognize her?"

"No, because Kairi is her whole self, the other half of Naminè. She came to you in that form because Kairi is closely related to her. Kairi is Naminè the same way Sora is Roxas."

Riku stayed silent and took it all in. He should've been able to figure it out easy, but he just hadn't thought much about it.

"Hey, toss one of those Paopu over." Saiyoku asked him, and he reached up and snagged one off the branch, throwing her the star shaped fruit. She chomped on it happily while Riku pulled one off too. They ate in silence for a while before Riku interrupted, "We can't come back here."

"Huh? Why not?" Saiyoku asked, startled by this sudden announcement.

"We need to focus on the Organization. If we get rid of some of them while Sora's busy with the worlds, then that saves valuable time that Xemnas could use to commence the rest of his plan."

Saiyoku thought about this for awhile, looking out at the blue sea and sky, "You're right."

"I'm what?" Riku double-checked to make sure he had heard her right. Saiyoku continued, "We can't come back. But we need to let Sora focus on the Organization… the big problem. We can help from time to time but we need to make his job easier by taking care of the bigger Heartless in the other worlds and the Nobodies. If we do that, then Sora has an easier time, valuable time isn't lost to Xemnas, and we can come back sooner. But, we can't come back here and get distracted… Besides, this place isn't home until EVERYONE comes back."

"Hm, you've really got your mind made up… more-so than I do." Riku said, sitting up and jumping down next to Saiyoku. She turned to him and smiled, "Of course. Who had to serve as your conscience last year? I learned how to do the right thing, even though I don't always do it." She laughed and handed him the rest of her Paopu fruit, "Here, I'm not as hungry anymore."

"Of course not."

They walked down the wooden bridge and hopped down off the roof of the shack and back onto the beach, where they walked down the shore again. They were silent for a time until Saiyoku stopped, looking out over the ocean, where the sun was beginning to set, "Do you think… our parents are worried about us?"

"I'm sure they are. After all, we just up and left one day, remember? They haven't seen any of us except for Kairi in a little over a year… but, where did this come from?"

"I dunno, just thinking out loud I guess."

"Hmph, sounds like you alright. Hey, even though we got the day off, we need to go back and see DiZ… make sure he doesn't need any help."

"Alright…" Saiyoku said reluctantly, and she opened the portal. Riku finished the last bit of Paopu before tossing the seed on the sand and following his friend.

--

"Sora's heart is almost complete again. All he needs is Roxas and the few memories left inside him." DiZ explained, sitting in his chair in the Dining Room across from Saiyoku in her chair. Roxas' day had gone as smoothly as it possibly could, including a chat with Naminè.

"He's almost back to normal?" Saiyoku asked for reassurance, and when DiZ nodded, she smiled. Riku entered the room after looking at a run-through of Roxas' day.

"Why did you show him the train?"

"Train? What train?" Saiyoku asked, but no one paid attention to her.

"Because he missed the trip to the beach." DiZ said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Hmph… that's almost kind of you," said Riku.

"Now… what about you two? Are the holes in your memories starting to fill in?"

Saiyoku nodded and Riku replied, "Yes… the haze is clearing."

"The same thing is happening to everyone who had ties to Sora. Very soon, to them, he'll be like a good friend who's gone away for a year."

Riku sat down with them in his own chair and relaxed, "I've waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?"

DiZ looked down and closed his eyes, sighing, but looked them both straight in the eye and said forcefully, "Revenge."

"Revenge…" Riku repeated, his right hand clenching into a tight fist while it rested on the armrest. Saiyoku looked back and forth at them, feeling tension between the two but not knowing what to do. DiZ continued, "Now, for the finishing touches. First, we must dispose of Naminè. She did a splendid job with Sora, but it's high time she disappeared. Roxas isn't the only one who was never meant to exist," He leaned forward a bit, "Take care of it, Ansem."

Riku nodded, and Saiyoku—feeling she wasn't needed at the time—left to the Computer Room, curious about how Sora's restoration was going. The loading bar was already finishing up and it startled her when she walked through the door, "Restoration at ninety-seven percent."

The images from Sora's memories flashed over the screen at a frightening pace, finishing up the last of his memories so far. As the memories neared where his memories of Castle Oblivion began, the screen began to fizz, the image becoming fuzzy and breaking. It all happened so fast, that suddenly Castle Oblivion faded out all together and the monitor turned off.

"Oh jeez, what happened?" She took a look at it, but decided against touching anything, lest she break something else. "Looks like… your time's up, Sora." She muttered, and looked at the door leading to the Pod Room.

--

"DiZ, what's going on!?" Saiyoku half-yelled at him, the computer screaming and flashing, DiZ obviously working hard on it.

"The defense system is down indefinitely. Axel has gotten inside and Nobodies are streaming in… they'll keep coming until they get what they seek! Ansem, Saiyoku! Get in there and help Roxas! We need to buy enough time to get Roxas to Sora and rejoin with him!"

The two friends nodded and slid into the machine, the computer sucking them in. When they arrived, they were inside the Mansion, actually, where they just were; only it was quiet. Saiyoku called out, "DiZ, where is Roxas and what do you want us to do?"

I'll send him to the Mansion. For now, just focus on getting him safely there by taking out Nobodies. I'll give you further instructions later.

"Right!" They took off, but didn't get far when there were swarms of Nobodies inside the Library. "Great… this will take forever…" Saiyoku muttered, drawing her Keyblade, Riku doing the same.

--

More Nobodies surrounded Roxas while DiZ told the struggling Saiyoku and Riku that he was there. Roxas backed up to the padlocked gate, "Don't call me and then lock me out…"

Saiyoku and Riku battled there way through more Nobodies before giving up and stepping into a Dark portal, feeling it was going to be faster to get to Roxas that way. They peered through, seeing Roxas unlocking the padlock with his Keyblade and running through, the Nobodies lagging behind. This gave them the advantage, and the two friends appeared right in front of the entrance to the grounds, blocking the white creatures' path. The gate closed behind them, and Saiyoku and Riku took their stances back to back as two more Dusks appeared, flipping around and heading straight for them.

They took them out one by one, trying to keep them busy. When the Dusks stopped coming, Assassins and Creepers appeared, ready to fulfill their new roles. Riku glanced behind him at his partner, making sure she was holding up well. She usually ended up getting overconfident and losing in the end because of sheer lack of focus, but this time was different. She was purely focused and fighting with all she had to keep the enemies at bay.

Even though all seemed well, the nonexistent beings kept coming; there was no end to the sea of different shades of white, gray, and blue-gray. "Saiyoku, lock the gate. Maybe that will help keep them out for now. I'll take the rest of these." Riku stepped in front of her, shielding her while she used her Keyblade to bar the gate from intruders. They disappeared into a black portal that consumed them after she did so and appeared in the White Room that was Naminè's.

"DiZ, we're out of time. Too many Nobodies!" Riku told him urgently, but another Dark portal opened beside DiZ, Naminè stepping through.

"Roxas. Nobodies like us are only half a person. You won't disappear. You'll be whole!"

"I'll… disappear…?" Roxas repeated, but DiZ became infuriated, "No further outbursts!" He grabbed Naminè and tried to pull her back through the portal.

"No, you WON'T disappear! You'll—" DiZ covered her mouth with his hand to silence her. Roxas became concerned, "Wait!" He ran after her, trying to save her from the man muting her, but Riku and Saiyoku blocked his path. Naminè managed to pull DiZ's hand away, "Roxas! We will meet again. And then we can talk about everything. I may not know it's you, and you may not know it's me. But we will meet again. Someday soon. I promise!"

She was pulled back in, DiZ going along with her. Roxas yelled, "Let her go!" but there was nothing he could do as he watched them take her, Saiyoku and Riku disappearing as well.

"Naminè!"

"Saiyoku, Ansem. It's time for you to take your leave. There is nothing more that you can do here. Sora will wake up any time now, so it's high time you get going." DiZ told them while they were all passing through Betwixt and Between. They nodded, "Thank you DiZ, for all that you have done for us and for Sora." Saiyoku told him, and they opened their exit, stepping through and leaving DiZ and Naminè behind, not knowing whether they would see either of them again or if they would farther in the future.

"Well, we'll say goodbye and good luck to Sora for now, but then we'll head out, right?"

"Yeah. And then, we'll be on our way."

"Boy oh boy, what's going to happen this time?"

"We can only find out the answer to that question as we walk the road ahead of us."

"Feeling philosophical?"

"Shut up."

"You'll be hearing stuff like that from me for a long, long, long time." Saiyoku smiled as they entered the Pod Room.

"Bye… Sora."