Rhiannon: So... I got my laptop back and all that other good stuff. So now, here is an update. It's all good right? My laptop is back and good and happy. So... here we go!

Chapter 21—Gravity

Zexion watched Sora and Demyx as the walked through one of Marluxia's many gardens working their way to the stairs to head for the upper level. Marluxia may not have wanted to test this new keyblade master but Zexion had no qualms about such, releasing the Clockadile from the basement had been rather easy, Cerberus would be a bit harder, but it could wait.

Sora jumped as he suddenly heard ticking. He turned and looked at Demyx. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Demyx asked and then paused nervously.

"You know what it is don't you?"

"Something I never wanted to see again."

The ticking had gotten much, much closer almost as if the creature could sense him and then it busted through the rose bushes, crunching the just budding flowers as the large miss colored crocodile came charging at them. Sora pulled his keyblade and managed to save himself from rows of sharp teeth.

"I don't think it's friendly." Demyx murmured from behind him as he called his sitar.

"Thank you Mr. State-r of the Obvious." Sora growled as water shot past him knocking the croc back into a wall.

"That is called a Clockodile… It's a rather… unique nobody." Demyx murmured as he adjusted his sitar.

"I just want to know how to kill it!" Sora cried as it swung its tail and knocked the young keyblade master into a wall.

"Um… That I don't know." He gave Sora a small smile. "I'll stop it, just go."

"You can't be serious. I'm sure you're powerful and all but..." The brunette came running forward.

"And everyone says I talk too much." Demyx rolled his eyes and then gasped in pain as the Clockodile ploughed into his side and sent him flying into a wall.

"DEMYX!"

"GO SORA! FUCK WITH ALL! JUST GO!" The blond nobody roared and Sora reluctantly stepped back and slowly turned and ran away.

He jumped in horror and fear and resisted the urge to run back when he heard Demyx scream in pain. He leaned against the staircase and closed his eyes, lips mumbling a prayer that he didn't even know he was saying. He just hoped that Demyx would be all right.

Riku stared up at his friend and waited patiently for him to catch up. He felt bad for running but he desperately wanted to show the magical being the secret place. Maybe then he'd get his wish, to explore other worlds!

"What is this place?" The tanned man asked as they approached the cave.

"This is Sora 'n me's secret place." Riku told him as he got down and crawled into the cave. The tanned man followed him and found himself in a cave covered in crude children's drawings and a great aged door.

The door of the world the boy was from, the door to his heart. His smile grew even bigger. He strode purposefully towards the door but Riku ran up and tugged his hand.

"You can't go there." He whispered and Ansem paused and looked down at him.

"And why not?" He asked leaning down to the boy's level.

"Because he'll get mad. You don't want to see him angry." Ansem raised an eyebrow, did his inhabitant have some strange disorder… or was it something else. Then it occurred to him. This was the boy's heart he was conversing with and that was door that the boy kept it inside and protected. The only way to control the host was to open the door.

"I'm afraid I have no choice." He approached the door, the boy tugging his hand all the way. The grip vanished and an older boy with silvery hair, the actual host appeared before him.

"Stay away." His voice was sharp and gruff.

"Why stay away when the prize is so close. I've seen your heart Riku… and the darkness that lurks inside." He leaned closer. "We are one and the same… join me."

"Who are you?" The silver haired teen as lifting his hand and a long keyblade appeared in his hand as he stared up into Ansem's eyes, no fear shown.

"I am Ansem. With me, you can fulfill your dreams. All your dreams. I can save your world. I can save your… lover…" His smirk grew when the blade faltered and Riku stared up at him.

I could save Sora from ever getting hurt again… no more accidents like with Hades or Xigbar… I could keep him safe… Always.

Ansem could feel the doubt building in his heart, the hope. It was all too easy. He leaned forward, into the boy's face capturing his ocean eyes with his own burnt orange ones. "I can make it so no one can challenge you."

Unfortunately that was the wrong thing to say, something snapped into place within the boy's heart and he found himself on the bad end of his weapon, his earlier glare back in full swing. Ansem allowed a bit of anger to cloud his eyes, where could he have possible gone wrong?

"Don't you want to be able to take care of him forever?" He cajoled, smoothing his features but the boy's glare didn't lessen, his heart was closed to him, utterly and completely. Ansem had lost this round.

"Do you really think you can beat someone as powerful as me?" Ansem asked as the world around them slowly melted away until they stood in a stark white room. Now the boy was solid, his aqua eyes narrowed to almost slits, watching Ansem's every move.

"You won't have what is mine." He growled lowly and Ansem laughed.

"What's yours? Dear boy, the darkness has already invaded your heart otherwise I wouldn't be here." He laughed at the pained look on the boy's face as he lifted his free hand and laid it over his heart. "Yes, the darkness is inside your heart and it's only a matter of time."

"I will not give into the darkness." Riku growled and lifted his blade to swing it but Ansem's next words gave him pause.

"And what about the next time that you show So-ra that you can't protect him. That you're love isn't enough… oh wait… he doesn't know the full extent of your feelings does he? He doesn't know what a scared little boy you are."

The blade trembled in Riku's hands and he bowed his head. Ansem smirked, foolish boy. He ran at him lifting his fist to send a powerful wind attack when the boy's head snapped up, eyes fiery with the anger.

"I don't need you to make me worthy of SORA'S LOVE!" His cry threw Ansem off balance and he was unprepared for when the blade came whirling at him.

He barely managed to dodge it as the boy came running at him, his blade followed by power strikes that Ansem could barely guard against. He had been wrong about him, utterly wrong. And he was going to pay for it. He grunted as the blade cut through his defenses and fell back.

The boy, Riku was glaring at him, eyes filled with a fiery kind of hatred that confused Ansem. Some much anger and rage filled the boy but it wasn't anything that he could touch, could manipulate. He didn't understand.

"There's much, much more to a heart then you will ever understand you bastard!" The boy growled before giving a raging battle cry and diving towards Ansem.

Ansem always knew that he was destined to fade back into the darkness.

Marluxia looked up with wide eyes as his silver haired flower fell back into rest. A bittersweet smile crossed his lips as an empty orb slowly fell out of the pod. He picked it up and examined it, finding none of its earlier darkness, he found nothing at all.

"You surprised me…" He stroked the pod fondly. "You're even stronger then I am… Or maybe… just braver."

"His heart is his power." The pinked haired man turned to see DiZ and sighed deeply.

"Must you trouble me old man?" The man covered in red bandages smiled at him and bowed deeply.

"Great Marluxia… I've come to cut a bargain. One I think you will find profitable."

"And that is?"

"You have Naminè destroying Sora's memories don't you?" He asked snidely and Marluxia shook his head.

"You have it all wrong… You don't under what I am doing at all…"

"You mean to kill the keyblade master." He stepped forward menacingly.

"I have no such delusion of grandeur. After all, Ansem is dead." He showed him the empty orb. "I had been his keeper but it seems that Xemnas is way out of his league."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you will." Marluxia turned away from him and approached his flowers. "Stay out of my way DiZ… I've permitted you to stalk around my castle and to check up on your Princess of Nothing… but note that this is a bitter alliance. I control what happens within this castle… not you."

"The tides could change."

"I will inform you of when they do." Marluxia waved him away. "Or maybe this boy will. He defeated Ansem… and he's not even the master."

"No child… should be that powerful." DiZ murmured stepping towards the pod but a long thin pink blade of a scythe stopped him.

"Please, do not touch my flowers." The pink haired nobody murmured. "I am much too close to getting them to perfection to have you soil them."

"And what of the keyblade master?"

"I am raising him to the best of my abilities… but he is a very special flower and needs very special care."

"They aren't flowers! They are human beings!" DiZ yelled angrily.

"That need raising and care just the same if they are to stop Xemnas." Marluxia lowered his scythe. "Don't touch."

"Oh, quit swinging around your overgrown pansy machete…" A new figure appeared and Marluxia couldn't help but smile at Axel.

"If you would kindly excuse yourself." He murmured pointedly to DiZ.

"Of course." The figure slowly turned and left through the door in which he came, probably to torture poor Naminè some more.

"I don't know why you put up with him." Axel muttered under his breath.

"If you had killed him the first time I wouldn't have had to." Marluxia pointed out and the red head nodded and then stood up.

"I have a request to make." He scratched the back of his head.

"I'm guessing that this has something to do with Roxas?" Marluxia smiled at him and fondly looked out the lone window in the room into the inky blackness of the place that he resided. "Don't worry… I have no plans that involve Roxas."

"Good." Axel let himself relax a bit, he was becoming obsessed with Roxas.

Marluxia smiled a bit. Then grew a disturbed face as a roar and a cry of pain shook the walls.

"Damnit Zexion… He must have released the Clockadile." He turned and brandished his weapon.

"What?" Axel's eyes grew wide.

"I have many powerful nobodies stored here. The Clockadile, Cerberus and Scar." His eyes held a worried look. "I highly doubt that Sora and Demyx can defeat them all by themselves."

"Stay here." Axel murmured called his chakrams to his hands, whirling them before clinching them tightly. "I'll help Sora and Demyx… you continue to guard these three. If Zexion has already betrayed you on this respect who knows what else he'll betray you in."

"What about Naminè!" Marluxia looked at him questionable.

"She's a key in all our plans… She's the key to Kingdom Hearts… remember Marluxia…. Or should I say Laiarum… She's the one… that will… open the door. The witch of Kingdom Hearts." And then Axel stepped backwards through a portal leaving Marluxia with those cryptic words.

Rhiannon: Hopefully the updates will go back to being regular with no problems... hopefully.