"Okay, this is ridiculous!" I said. "We're lost in a library." The shelves went all the way to the ceiling and we had been running for what felt like hours through the twisting and maze-like shelves. Nessa was carrying a giant green book and we were searching for the spot where it would go.

"RIGHT THERE!" She yelled. We raced to the spot and shoved the book in the slot. The walls shook violently and the shelf slid into the wall and on the other side a set of stairs appeared. "FINALLY!" We yelled in unison. Together we raced up the stairs. When we reached the top there was no door.

I spun in a circle, examining the shelves. "PURPLE BOOK!" I screamed. We raced down the stairs again and searched the shelves for a large purple book.

"GOT IT!" Nessa screamed. She was already at the top, placing the book on the shelf when I huffed up next to her and plopped my butt on the desk. A shelf moved into the wall, revealing a wooden door. "Alright," She said, sitting on the desk next to me. "We'll take a break, we don't know what is behind that door."

"What do you think happened to Sora?" I asked.

"Didn't you see? When we ran past him in that room he had the keyblade and Donald and Goofy were with him again," She explained.

"Good," I smiled with relief. I closed my eyes for a moment and my breath came back to me. I raised my staff. "CURE!" Both of us were cured instantly and I felt refreshed. "Man I love this thing." Nessa laughed.

"I wonder if we'll still have the power when we get home." Nessa muttered. I shrugged.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"WHY?" Riku asked to no one, "IT WAS MINE!"

"Know this," Ansem answered him, "The heart that is strong and true shall win the keyblade."

"What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?"

"For that instant it was. However you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness and your heart will grow even stronger."

"What should I do?" Riku asked timidly.

"It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright. This has been a long enough break." I jumped up from the desk. We started walking forward. We reached the top of the rocks when an evil laugh came from all around us.

We jumped together, our backs touching, both of us looking in every direction for the source of the laugh.

"WHO'S THERE?" I yelled, holding my staff out, a snake like flame coiling at the tip.

"I am." A figure floated down slowly from a column and landed across the stone platform at us. The dark hair swirled around a pale and dirty face. The clothes were ripped shreds that barely covered the figures arms. A dark aura surrounded it. It was human, I think. Its dark eyes looked up and the lips turned into a bitter smile. "Don't your recognize me?" I shook my head. The figure before us flashed into a beautiful but disastrous monster at the same time. "Your dear friend Rachel, already forgotten by her friends." I was speechless. I could see the features of our friend behind the monster, but it wasn't her. That wasn't her soul.

"YOU'RE NOT RACHEL!" Wanessa yelled. She held up her shield, it sparked a brighter light than ever before. The creature that called itself Rachel shielded its eyes and let out a low whimper.

"I am Rachel," it said, suddenly changing from a cruel voice to pain. "HELP!" Suddenly the face changed again and became pure rage. The sword that Rachel had carried from the beginning of our adventure now seemed different. It had spikes and swirls of darkness surrounding it and when the tip was pointed at Nessa and I, nervousness filled the pit of my stomach. Nervousness I hadn't felt since we first arrived here and fought.

I raised my staff and Nessa raised her sword in defense. "RACHEL COME BACK FROM THE DARK!" I yelled. "FIGHT IT!"

"SHUT UP!" The monster screeched. It lunged forward, running straight for me. I raised my staff and deflected the blow. Sparks rose from our weapons and she jumped back, this time aiming for Wanessa. The light from Nessa's shield only deflected her slightly. With another snarl she jumped back and sent a blast of darkness at us. Nessa raised her shield and protected us from the crushing wave. When we looked she was gone. But another evil laugh sounded from the center of the room. She stood on the top of a bookshelf laughing. Her sword was in the air again. She swung down and another wave rolled towards us. I could feel the tug of the darkness on my heart.

Nessa jumped in front of the wave again and sent it swirling in ever direction. When she ducked down I leapt over her shoulders and sent two balls of fire roaring at Rachel. She easily jumped to the next bookshelf. I aimed ahead of her but just as she was about to leap in front of the fire she changed direction and landed easily on the balcony, only a few feet in front of us. She smirked. I lunged forward, the tip of my staff becoming sharp.

She jumped down from the rail and waited, her sword in a defensive angle. My staff crashed around against it, surrounded in a white-hot flame. The sparks floated into the nearest bookshelf and they caught fire. Nessa rushed forward and attacked Rachel from the other side. She fended us off easily, her moves quick and flowing. When I was close to slicing her she seemed to become the darkness herself and split when the blade almost hit.

When Nessa and I both backed and then ran straight for her she flipped gracefully over the balcony and landed on her feet on the floor below us. She smiled up. I screamed in frustration, sending huge balls of fire down after her. She smacked them aside with her blade, her skin only getting red with the heat. The bookshelves around her were all aflame, smoke rose to the top of the room and choked Nessa and I. We looked at each other and nodded. I jumped off the edge of the balcony and landed directly in front of her.

I sent a hundred shards of ice at her. She couldn't doge all of the shards and a few sliced her skin. Blood dripped from the wounds. She wasn't even fazed. She wasted no time in lunging at me with her sword. I parried her blows, remembering everything Yuffie, Leon, and Merlin had taught me. I could see Wanessa sneaking up behind her but wouldn't let her notice my noticing. I kept her back to Nessa. While she worked at pushing my back into the bookshelf Nessa was pulling the light into her shield and charging up. The fire made the room hot and our breath was labored. Sweat was beaded on my face and as I kept Rachel's blows from destroying me.

Nessa was fully charged and by the time Rachel noticed her coming up behind her, it was too late. She a look at the charging Nessa, then back at me. I smirked, returning her evil sneer. She growled but turned her attention to Nessa. I pulled up another ice attack and when Nessa smashed into her she screamed with in pain, her skin blackening against the light, I released the ice.