OMG! It's been like, forever and infinity… I'm sorry about the slow update, everyone! The good news is that my book will soon be published! :D Just one more editing run through...

I'm sifting through your mission ideas, and I'll be posting whose mission idea I used at the bottom of the page. This chapter is the almighty DAY FIVE! Two days to go until the fic reaches its finale…(sniffles).

This chapter is cut short because the chapter was getting long, and I didn't want to put too much in one chapter. Besides, you guys are cool, and I really need to update this silly overgrown plot bunny XD Honestly, how these ideas become full-fledged stories is beyond me. I'm sorry if it seems rushed!

Summary: An accident sends Neku back into the Reaper's Game, but this time it's more than accomplishing missions or even survival. Neku knows these new creatures aren't noise, and a certain keyblade-wielding teen may hold the answers for him. (Kingdom Hearts Crossover)

Playing For Keeps

By FlikFreak

Chapter Eleven: Who Are You

Neku woke up early the next morning in Dogenzaka, reflecting on the previous days. Joshua had woken him up before the game started, and he met Sora in the burger shop. Right off, he could tell Sora was no ordinary kid. Things only got stranger when Joshua specifically told him to partner with Sora at the start of the game, and rather than the players being erased, they were being protected…and used as clean-up duty for soul-stealing monstrosities. To top it off, Sora was from another world entirely, making him an alien. He had gone from living from what he said were small islands to traversing the entire universe in search of his friends, and couldn't go home until his work was done.

But there were other things that bothered Neku. Why was he able to scan Sora? He was able to scan Joshua – and he saw bits of his own memory there because Joshua kept them from him – because Joshua didn't have a player pin…but Sora did. And he scanned people with it. The problem was, Neku was still able to scan Sora. Maybe his psyche was powerful, or Sora's was too weak…or, perhaps, it had something to do with what Joshua had told him.

"But I have a player pin," Sora replied. "How is it possible that he could scan me?"

"Simple," Joshua replied. "He didn't scan you. Or rather, he did, but it was the wrong you."

Both Sora and Neku exchanged confused glances. "Joshua," Neku began, "There's only one Sora here."

Joshua grinned that same grin he grinned when he knew something that Neku didn't. "I'm quite aware of that, Neku," the boy said. "There is only one Sora…but what you may not know is that Sora is more than one."

Neku crossed his arms in thought. He had thought Joshua to simply be toying with him for fun, but the more he thought on it the more truth he could see. If, somehow, Sora had two minds, then only one was blocked by the player pin, and the other he was able to scan. But that's crazy. How could someone have two minds?

Casting a stray glance to Sora, whom was soundly asleep on one of the benches outside the ramen shop, Neku pondered over the fact. For someone to have gone through so much, Sora was so…at peace. Upon their first meeting, Sora had been friendly toward Neku, right after he had scanned him and known he was there for something important. But we're partners, he thought. I know he had rules to follow, but partners trust each other. Why did he keep it for so long, and what made him finally break down and tell me?

Neku sighed and stared at the people walking around. He had known when he scanned several people why they did certain things he saw them doing later, like going back to their house on a three-hour walk just to make sure their door was locked or picking up salt from the grocery store. He tossed his player pin idly and looked at Sora with calm eyes. Sorry, Sora. With that, he tapped the pin, feeling its energy shoot through his nerves, and pulled up his headphones, closing his eyes and tuning into the thoughts of the people walking down the street.

As he expected, Sora's thoughts were loudest, and he was drawn in immediately. This time, rather than the clock tower or the white room, he saw a dark city around him, filled with neon lighting and old buildings that seemed entirely functional, but weren't. There was a huge tower, atop which were several video screens that flickered. In the sky was a moon shaped like a heart. Standing right in front of him, staring at him with an indiscernible look, was the blonde-haired kid that Neku had seen before, this time in a long black trench coat rather than his city clothing.

There had never been a scan quite like this. Neku felt as though he was really there – there were storm clouds above, and the rain pelted down on his skin. He tried to pull out of the scan, but it simply didn't work. What's going on? Where am I? How did...

"Scanning Sora again?" the boy asked, with a voice quiet similar to Sora's own.

Neku was taken aback. "Er…"

The boy shook his head. "I don't blame you. The first time it happened, you got drawn into my thoughts before you could tune into anyone else's. But this time, you aimed for Sora in particular. Why?"

This kid keeps showing up in Sora's thoughts, Neku mused, And he's obviously not Sora. Just who is he?

"I can hear you, you know."

Neku jumped a bit and staggered back. This boy – whoever he was – could hear his thoughts. How that was possible, he wasn't sure, but for now he'd have to go along with it. "Ah…right. Sorry…it's just…well…who are you?"

The boy's expression didn't change. "I'm Roxas. You're Neku, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Sora," Roxas said simply. "That's how."

Neku narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's not a very clear answer."

Roxas shrugged. "I know."

"But you do know Sora, right?" Neku continued. "Could you tell me a few things?"

"Probably," Roxas replied. "It depends on what you want to know."

Neku sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Well, I'd like to know why I scanned Sora, but instead I saw your memories rather than Sora's thoughts. I know you're not Sora, so who exactly are you?"

Roxas glanced upward at the moon…if it was a moon. "You could say we're two sides of the same coin," he explained, "So Sora and I are basically the same person, but at the same time we're two completely different people."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Neku grumbled. "How does that explain how I was scanning Sora?"

"Easy," Roxas replied. "See, Sora and I basically have the same body, but we're still two different people."

"So you're Sora's split personality?"

"No! Well…sort of. I have my own mind to think with, so you probably scanned me instead of Sora."

It made sense now. Neku had gone to scan the masses, and since the player pin only protected Sora's mind, he had scanned this Roxas person's mind instead. The question was, how was he pulled in so powerfully? When he was with Joshua, he had been pulled in because his memory was with him…or at least, that's what he thought. Why was Sora's vibe so powerful? Was it because of the keyblade?

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You know, I can hear all of that."

Neku winced. "Sorry."

"Not a problem," Roxas said, waving it off. "Although, I have to admit, it's kind of weird for you to scan someone and end up in their mind like this. You really should get back, though. Sora doesn't sleep in that long."

"How?" Neku asked. "I barely know how I even got in."

Man…when did we go to sleep? It's day five already…

Roxas sighed. "And that would be your cue, Neku."

"You know my name, too?"

Starting near the ramen shop today…maybe Neku will get us some food there again. That guy is pretty…huh? Neku…?

"Why do I get the feeling that's not a good voice?" Neku asked.

Why is he passed out on the street? He's got his headphones on…did he try to scan someone and…? Why isn't he waking up?!

"Go on, Neku," Roxas urged him. "Sora's going to panic if you don't."

Neku nodded, and acted completely on instinct, glancing upward at the sky. In the blink of an eye, the world went dark around him, and he felt himself collapse to the ground.

The sounds returned fast: the footsteps of people passing by, cell phones ringing, the very slight static of noise. Neku dragged his eyelids open to find that he had indeed passed out right in the middle of the sidewalk. Sora was hovered over him, shaking his shoulder roughly in attempt to awaken him. When the proxy finally showed signs of life, Sora let out a sigh of relief. "There you are…I got kinda worried."

I can hardly believe Roxas is technically the same person as Sora, Neku thought. He's way more composed. But how is he the same person? "I just need to be more careful when I scan, I guess…something knocked me out."

"You ganna be okay?" Sora asked, offering his hand. "It's day five."

"I'll be fine," Neku replied, taking Sora's hand and standing up. "Mission come in yet?"

On cue, Neku felt his phone vibrate and the ringtone reached his ears. Sora pulled his own phone out (still marveling at it for some reason) and flipped it open. "Well, here it is."

Conquer yourself. You have 120 minutes. Fail, and face erasure.

-The Reapers

Promptly, the timer burned itself onto their hands, though at this point neither Neku nor Sora flinched because of the pain – only because of the surprise of it appearing. "Conquer yourself?" Neku mumbled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dunno," Sora replied, "But I've got a bad feeling about this. They didn't even give a proper location."

"It sounds like whatever's going to happen will be a fight," Neku suggested, "And it'll probably happen anywhere. We should head somewhere isolated so we don't affect the RG too much."

Sora agreed silently. Neku led him up the street to Pork City, making his way inside. At least, he began to, but Sora paused. "Wait a minute. Why are we going in here?"

"Pork City is basically abandoned," Neku explained. "They use it from time to time for missions during the Reaper's Game, but I've never seen anyone in the RG go in here."

Nodding in approval, Sora entered the building. When he did, Neku led him toward the elevator on the far side and punched the up button.

Nothing happened.

"It's abandoned, alright," Neku grumbled. "Not even the reapers are taking care of this place."

"Er…Neku?"

Neku turned at Sora's voice. "What's up?"

The keyblade master was staring in a different direction, stance wary. "Is this place haunted, too?"

"…no," Neku replied warily. "Well, other than us, since technically we're ghosts when we're in the Reaper's Game. Why do you ask?"

"Because the doors just closed and locked themselves."

That got his attention. Neku spun on his heels and raced for the door, pulling on the handles frantically. They wouldn't budge. "The hell?! We're locked in! This wasn't part of the mission, was it?"

"I don't like this," Sora commented, approaching from his spot near the elevator. "What do we do now?"

"Well, I can't get us out," Neku grunted, kicking the door with one final angry yell. "We'll just have to figure out the mission and pass it. Hopefully when the next day comes around, we'll wake up somewhere else."

Sora stared at the ground nervously. "I don't know…the mission itself seems pretty vague. How are we supposed to conquer ourselves? We've only been given two hours to figure it out and accomplish it."

I'd like to know that, too, Neku thought, staring out the small window of the door. When I first played the game, I was so self-centered…I never cared about anyone else. It took me three weeks to finally get over that. How are we supposed to do it in two hours, unless they mean something else? He glanced over at Sora, whom was looking away in contemplation. That Roxas kid that I ran into when I scanned Sora…didn't he say that they were two sides of the same coin? Maybe Sora needs to overcome Roxas or something. But what does that leave me with? "Hey, Sora…"

The keyblade master glanced back. "Hmm?"

"Do you happen to know anyone named Roxas?" Neku asked.

At the mention of that name, Sora went rigid. "Rox…as?"

Neku nodded, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Yep. He knows him alright. "Yeah. Roxas."

Sora turned around so that he wasn't facing Neku. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Might as well be blunt. He's not going to listen to me otherwise. "Who is he?"

The question had apparently been a tough one for Sora, as he sighed and remained silent for several minutes. After a while, he made his way over to the wall and sat down. "Well, we're partners, so I guess I should trust you with this. He's my Nobody."

Had his jaw not been attached to his skull, it would have hit the ground. Neku couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sora has a Nobody?! But he told me just yesterday that a Nobody is only created when a heartless is! How could he have a nobody?! He's not a heartless! "What are you talking about?"

"It happened two years ago," Sora began. "When my home was destroyed by the heartless, my best friend Kairi…her heart took shelter in me. I found her body, but it was so lifeless…it never responded to me. Then, I finally found out about it, and I found a keyblade that unlocks people's hearts, and used it on myself."

As Neku listened, he heard the other noises from outside or from the lights overhead began to drain away, and all he heard was Sora. The boy was evidently holding back tears, as a few sobs echoed off the stark-white walls for a while before he spoke again. "I don't remember much from then. Kairi was free, and she was herself again, but I was turned into a heartless as a price. All I knew was that I was falling into darkness, and I started forgetting things, like who I was. It was cold, and I thought I'd never know what it was to be on my own two feet again...or to run, walk, talk, anything. But Kairi's voice called out to me, somehow…and I came back. But since I became a heartless, I also had a Nobody…and that Nobody was Roxas."

"But you don't look like a heartless to me," Neku commented.

"That's because I'm not one," Sora explained, wiping one of his eyes off. "At least not anymore. If a heartless and a Nobody join back together, they become the person they used to be again. That's what happened with me and Roxas." He paused, chuckling a bit. "Sometimes Roxas tends to act through me rather than come out and talk on his own. He only did that once, then told me to 'look sharp' and disappeared again. I haven't seen him since, but I know he's there."

"Does he ever talk to you?" Neku asked.

Sora shook his head. "Not really. It's more like…if I close my eyes and focus, sometimes I can tell what's going on in his mind. Other times it's like I'm the one that's feeling it and not him."

As a moment of silence came upon them, Neku looked away in thought. So this is what Joshua meant by Sora being "more than one," he mused. Sora and Roxas are two sides of the same coin, but they're still the same person. It must have been really hard on him to go through all that, but for the sake of his friend, he did it anyway…

"There you are, you yoctograms."

Sora scrambled to his feet and Neku spun around, immediately taking a battle stance. He didn't bother asking who was spying on them; he knew by the slang alone. "Show yourself, Minamimoto!"

On cue, the math-obsessed reaper appeared from a swirling black portal, grinning manically. At this, Sora gasped. "How do you know how to use the corridor of darkness?!"

Minamimoto laughed. "I had a friend tell me how, you factoring hectopascal. He told me all about you, Roxas…"

Sora flinched and stepped back, but Neku didn't move. Even though he held his ground, however, he couldn't help but be surprised. How does Minamimoto know about Roxas?

"He taught me a few new equations, too," he continued. "Factor this!"

With a wave of the man's hand, a pool of darkness appeared in front of him. Out of it leapt two very familiar humanoid forms, cloaked in darkness that smoked from their hands and feet. One looked strikingly similar to Sora. The other, Neku realized with a burst of fear, looked exactly like himself.

You know that saying "You are your worst enemy"? Well...yeah. XD

This chapter's mission is again influenced by an idea given to me by thekeylessdoor. Thanks!