Hey everybody! Chapter 22 as promised. Enjoy

Oh and I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of that. :)

And did anyone get those two mystery things I mentioned in the chapter 20 memo? Go and read what I wrote and continue to look. I wanna see if anyone can get it. :)

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The door to my room opened behind me. I heard my guest's feet travel slowly across the room. "Hello, Axel," I said while putting yet another thumbtack into the wall.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked. I turned around to see him spinning around and looking at my newly decorated walls.

"Putting some color into this monochrome place," I replied.

"Is this where you've been for the past day?" he asked. I nodded. "No sleeping?"

I shook my head. "Can't sleep, remember?" I said laughing.

He turned to see my bed completely made and untouched. "So why exactly are you doing this again?" he asked after facing me once more.

"These are all the pictures I've ever drawn," I replied turning around to put another one onto the snow-white wall. "I drew several pictures like these right here," I said pointing to a collection of similar looking drawings to my left. "I drew one of all thirteen members of the Organization. I also drew one with them and Naminé in it. Then I drew one with just the thirteen of you and me. And then I drew one of all fifteen of us together in a picture. I also drew a bunch of small group pictures," I said pointing to another collection of drawings on another wall.

Axel walked over to them and examined each picture.

"I like to draw pictures of duos or trios and sometimes four people too," I said pointing out a particular one. I was pointing at a picture of Axel, Roxas, Naminé, and myself as if we were posing for a photograph. That's how most of my drawings looked. "There's one of Roxas and Sora, one of Naminé and Kairi, one of Naminé and me, and one of Kairi and me. There's also one of Roxas and you, one of Roxas and Naminé, one of Sora and Kairi, and one of you and me. I also have one of Kairi, Naminé, and me. And many others, as you can see." I said all of these while pointing out the said drawing and pointing at some I had of Riku and Sora, one of Riku, Sora, and Kairi. And I also pointed out some of just our four best friends in different poses and such. "And don't even get me started on all the single person drawings I have each Organization member plus Naminé and myself. I think you saw those once," I added.

"That's a lot of pictures," Axel said walking around and examining each and every one. It wasn't just people that I drew. I drew scenery too but those were randomly put up. Naminé was a better person and drawing actual things that have happened—scenes and all that stuff. She had to do it to alter memories, and she had to be precise on those to make the memories the way she wanted. "They're really good. You're a real artist," he said walking back over to me.

"I've tons more but I'm kinda done putting them up for right now," I said putting one more drawing onto the wall before putting the boxes filled with them under my bed. I circled around to admire the hundreds of drawings adorning the walls.

"Don't you have a camera? I thought you saved up money a few years ago to buy one," he said.

"I do have one. It's under there somewhere," I said pointing to my bed. "But I like having drawings to remember things more than photographs."

"Why?" he asked.

"I've always thought that a drawing holds more memories than pictures do. When something was happening, I wouldn't take a picture of it because I would think that if I lost it or it got ruined I would never have anything to remember that moment by. But, see, if I decided not to take a picture, I would have to remember the moment personally so that I could draw it later on. And if that drawing I did got ruined or lost I could always redo it because I had remembered before hand. You see what I'm saying?" I said.

"I understand," he said slowly. He was looking in a box that he had pulled out from under my bed. "Here it is," he said holding up a simple Polaroid type camera. He handed me a envelope labeled, 'R & N's 14th.' He walked around the room a few more times after placing the camera back in the box.

I looked inside the envelope to see a stack of photographs. I remembered using the thing once, putting the pictures in here without looking at them, then totally forgetting about their existence.

The first few were blurry pictures of nothing in particular—a wall, a plant, stuff like that. They were test shots. The next one was of Naminé and I. "Oh I remember this now!" I said. "This was Naminé's and my fourteenth birthday party you guys held for us."

Naminé and I were dressed in two similar plain dresses that were spaghetti strapped and came down to our knees. Hers was light yellow and mine was a light teal color. Everyone insisted on us dressing different for the occasion. I flipped through the stack.

Axel and Roxas were standing behind Naminé and I with their arms around us like an awkward hug. Then there was Marluxia and Zexion holding me bridle style. I remembered that I was posing for a picture when they ran up behind me and picked me up. There were several of just Roxas, Axel, Naminé and I goofing off. I laughed when I saw the one Demyx and me making funny puckered-up lip faces at the camera with our arms around each other's shoulders. There were several pictures of Naminé with the others also. She was shy and was most of the time trying to hide her face when whoever had the camera tried to get her in one. There were some of the other members as well. I had taken the camera that night and had snapped a few shots of them. Xigbar and Xaldin were losing terribly to a game of poker against Luxord. Their facial expressions were hilarious. Vexen had been arguing with Lexaeus all night long and they had poured punch on each other and splattered cake in each other's faces as well. I had managed to get a great picture of that one too.

The last picture was of Demyx, Roxas, Axel, Marluxia, Larxene, Zexion, Naminé and I all on a couch together. Demi and Zexy were on one arm of the couch while Mar and Larxene were on the other. Naminé and I were sandwiched between Axel and Roxas and were smiling the biggest smiles we could conjure. There were actually a few copies of that picture—each one a little different than the other. Larxene sneezed in one. Demyx had blinked in that one as well. There was the perfect one and then one just like it too. It was strange. I sat there for a minute or two trying to find the difference when I finally found it. Axel, in one of them, wasn't looking at the camera when it was taken. Instead he was positioning his bright green orbs right in my direction.

I guess pictures were a pretty good way to keep memories now that I thought about it. I just couldn't help the feeling that if something happened to them, the memory would somehow be ruined in a way.

I placed the pictures back in the envelope and back into the box. "So what brought all this all of a sudden?" Axel asked.

"I've just been thinking about what's gonna happen soon. Everything's gonna change now, isn't it?" He nodded sadly. "I've been wondering what it's gonna be like once I'm gone. And whether I should—well find a way to tell Kairi everything."

"Huh?"

"Part of me thinks that I should tell Kairi everything—who I am, who she is, her past, everything. But the other half of me says that it's a bad idea. It tells me that if I do that, it's just not right. I'd be dumping too much on her and that's just not fair. Right?"

"I guess sorta, but why wouldn't it be fair?"

"Everything would be different for her. She would be a different person. It'd be like going up to her and saying, 'I'm your sister. You forgot everything nine years ago. You were a princess. And since I'm gonna disappear soon, you have to rule our country. By the way you never get to know me or really yourself for that matter because I'm due to die any second now.' That's what that'd be like for her. I just can't do that to her."

"I've been thinking a lot too, you know?" he said.

"About what?" I asked glancing at him.

"About you…" he whispered.

"Me?" I asked slightly surprised.

"About what you've been thinking too, ya know?" he said.

"Oh…" I said quietly looking away from his eyes.

"I found out something that might spark your interest though," he said.

"Really?" I said looking back at his shiny green eyes.

He walked over to me and put his hand out. I grabbed it willingly and followed him into a portal. The two of us arrived in the library. "I did some research," he said.

"Research?" I asked not letting go of his hand.

"Uh huh. I looked around in here for hours and guess what I found out?" he asked smiling cheerfully.

"What did you find out?" I asked laughing quietly at his goofy smile.

"Xemnas put a lot of his information in here, you know? All the reports—his, his past's life's, his Heartless', and his past life's teacher—they're all in here," he said.

"Really?" I asked surprised.

"Well, copies of them at least. And here…" he left my hand and stepped up onto a chair in one of the aisles in the library. He reached for a folder and brought it down to his height. He opened the manila folder and flipped through the contents before pulling a piece of paper out. "Xemnas wrote here that the prophecy about you disappearing is only a half-step prophecy. In other words it can be changed."

He smiled the same goofy grin and I could help but please him and smile back. "What does it say?" I asked.

"Xemnas wrote down a lot about this compared to some of the other prophecies," he said. He handed me the piece of paper. It read 'Prophecy No. 289: Disappearing of No. XIV' across the top. Below that were several neatly written paragraphs. But the whole paper wasn't orderly. Dozens of messy notes were scribbled along the edges.

He took it out of my hand a few minutes later after giving me time to look over, however, I never did really look at what the thing actually said.

"I remember him telling me the day you got here that you would disappear," he said quietly placing the paper in the folder and then on the shelf.

"What?" I asked slightly shocked.

"When he told me, I didn't think at first. When he said it, it kinda flew right by me. In one ear and out the other," he said.

"Why are you saying this?" I asked looking at him in the shadows of the dim room.

"Do you think none of this would've happened if I had listened to him all those years ago?"

"Prevent what from happening?" I asked confused.

"You fading away," he said simply.

"I'm not fading away—not just yet. And why do you always have to turn our conversations into ones about sadness and talks of friendships being split apart?" I said.

"I don't mean too. In fact, I'm trying to lighten the conversation now," he said.

"Then get on with the lightening," I said sharply.

"Xemnas wrote down the ways to prevent you from fading away, isn't that great? Now I know how to save you!" he said gleefully. I didn't say anything at first. I just stared at him, emotionless. He smiled bigger, wanting me to say something. "Well, speak," he said after his happy expression fell.

"Axel…why do keep trying to do this. Everyday, you are trying to pull in some way to save me. I've already told you how I felt about it," I said bitterly.

"I know. But now that we know that you can, in fact, be saved, why blow off the chance? What if the prophecies about the other Nobodies are just half-step ones too? That way there is the possibility for us to be together in the end. Why won't you just give it a chance, Xarene? You may believe that Fate and Destiny are what controls everything, but I believe that people, Nobodies too, can choose their path themselves. Why don't you just try it?" he said praying for me to say yes.

I waited for several minutes thinking about whether I should say yes or no. Axel kept the same hopeful grin plastered across his face. "Aww, fine!" I said defeated. "What does it say we can do to save me?"

"Yay!!" He screamed. He jumped up and down for several minutes with happiness.

"Axel!" I yelled. Still jumping. "Axxxellll!" Still jumping. "AXEL!!!" He stopped.

"Right. Sorry," he said blushing. "There are two ways, according to Xemnas to give someone with a fading heart their Light back. One is to get the other to willingly give back what they took. We would have to go to Kairi and tell her, of course, who you are and all."

When he said that I was immediately regretting telling him 'fine'.

"We would let her know everything. And if it works, you and your sister could be together too. But we could let her see the Darkness in her heart. Once she sees it, you will start to become whole again! And she'll be fine too!"

"Well…I guess. What's the other way?" I asked.

"You don't really wanna hear that one," he said darkly.

"Why wouldn't I wanna hear it?" I asked curious as to his tone of voice.

"Why can't we just use that way? Explaining to her who you are and all? That would be great—you could meet her and become whole!"

"I don't want to put all of that on her. She won't wanna rule our country. She will wanna stay on Destiny Islands. She doesn't wanna be Queen. I can't be Queen either. No one remembers a Princess Raene. Imagine Kairi going to our people and saying that she is giving the throne to her sister. No one knows who I am. I can't just rule a country that doesn't believe that I am their rightful leader. What's the other way?" I said.

He sighed. "Fine." He took a deep breath. "The other way is to force the light outta her. But you won't like what that means."

"Tell me!"

"We would have to take the Light from her. It would be taking it ALL away. Kairi would cease to exist."

"So what do you wanna do about this?" I said.

"I thought you would like the first choice," he said.

"Well, I don't!"

"Then choice number two it is!" he said.

"No!"

"We could get everyone back!" he yelled back.

I paused. "What?" I said loudly.

"We could get you back, first of all. Kairi would disappear and then Naminé could be with us too. She's been wandering alone for a long time now. If we kidnap Kairi to get the Light, Sora will come after us and we can end his rein as the Keyblade master and we can get Roxas back too! Isn't that great? Two friends and your life are more important than the life of a sister that doesn't even know who you are!"

"Shut up! We're not going to do that to Kairi! She doesn't deserve to have everything she has taken away!"

"I'm gonna do whatever it takes to save you, Xarene! No one is gonna stop me, not even you!" he yelled.

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Hola!! Thanks for reading. This chapter is dedicated to you, my loving fans! Ahhhh! I got another fanart from Pumpkin8150, my loving fan. I will be posting it on my profile next to my previous fanart by Akito17. Thank you, you both! Ahhh! I fear I will not get chapter 23 done till January. Sorry, but I have to shop for Christmas presents. Megan's gift still has to be made. Darn you and your scarves. Ok, well. Thank you again everybody for keeping me going. I'll update as soon as possible.

Love,
Sarah