Hello! It's been a good month or so, and I've only had time to properly work on this recently. Anyways. I have returned with a fresh chapter for you all to read! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews... I'm so happy to see this story doing so well! It really is the most challenging and unique one I have written to date. Please enjoy... lucky chapter 13 :D

Roxas swung his sword purposefully at Naminé, and with a flash of light and an echoing clang of metal, Naminé blocked it easily with the body of her spear, and shoved against his sword.

Smiling menacingly, he stood fast and unmoving as Naminé pushed with all the upper body strength she possessed, trying to knock the sword from his hands. "Come on, Naminé!" Roxas egged her on teasingly.

Smirking, she twisted her spear away from the sword, knocking it from Roxas's startled hands in the process. He stood, shocked, as Naminé pointed the spear at his throat. "I win," she proclaimed.

"That you do," Roxas admitted. "Are you gonna take that thing out of my face, or what?"

"What? Oh, sorry," she flushed, dropping her spear to her side. "Sorry for beating you again."

Roxas grinned. "I must just be really out of practice."

"Or maybe you're just not very good," she ribbed good-naturedly.

"Hey, no need to talk like that," he laughed.

"Well, you wouldn't want me to lie, would you?" she asked innocently.

Roxas smiled, but didn't answer the question. "Either way, you don't seem to need any more practice, we've been at this for nearly three hours…"

"Three?" Naminé repeated, startled. "I guess time does fly when you're having fun."

"Better head out and get to sleep… you'll have us all out of bed at the crack of dawn tomorrow, I'm sure." He grinned at her sheepishly.

She made a noise of disgust. "Seriously, Roxas. Just for that, I'll wake you up early. Make sure you pack light."

"I don't have much to bring along," he said, sighing inwardly as he thought of packing the diary.

"That's a good thing, though," she pointed out, leading the way from the armory. "We won't need to pack food, since I can cast a spell on a pack to keep filling itself with food, and it won't go bad… that should lighten our load a bit."

"You can do that?" Roxas asked in amazement.

"Of course I can," Naminé giggled. "You forgot a lot, I think, Roxas. I can do anything."

He laughed. "I'm sure you can."

It took several minutes to reach the west tower of the castle, where their rooms, as well as Sora's, Riku's, and Kairi's, were located. The massive, marble landing of the tower had five large, oak doors, leading to their five separate rooms. Naminé bid Roxas goodnight, and watched him disappear behind the heavy door of his room. As her eyes sank to the ground with fatigue, she slowly pushed against the door of the room she had been absent from for the past seventeen years, ready for it to be an absolute mess.

Her face lit up with happiness when she found it exactly as she had left it. The entire room was decorated in white, black, and a vibrant cerulean blue. Her large canopy bed, white curtains lightly flapping in the slight breeze from the open window, was freshly made with blue sheets and a fluffy white down comforter. Three white bookshelves, groaning under the weight of hundreds of magic books, were without a single speck of the dust that Naminé was expecting. None of her clothes were missing from her walk-in closet, and all the papers and books left out on her desk remained undisturbed. Being welcomed home by having all of her things in their proper places made her feel more wonderful than ever.

Glowing from a great practice with Roxas, she set her spear against the north wall of her room, and headed into her closet to find a bag to pack her clothes in. All of them had long since ditched their clothes from Earth, which were folded and placed in Naminé's comfortable black reading chair. She had almost forgotten how different clothes were here in comparison to there—light cottons, and nearly all natural fabrics could be found in her closet, while back in her high school closet, fabrics that probably didn't even exist here were all she had owned. Despite the fact that she knew she would sorely miss denim jeans, she happily packed clothes that she knew would be all right for living in the wilderness for what would most likely be at least a week.

Riku's conscience was nagging him not to disturb Naminé when he knew she was probably packing. For some reason, as he stood, staring blankly at the solid wood of her door, he couldn't pick up what she was thinking at the moment, and decided against his better judgment that he'd just knock anyway. As he lifted his hand from its relaxed position at his side to knock on the door, it flew open as though it had read his mind. Curious, he cautiously moved into the room, finding Naminé sitting on the ground, her legs folded like a pretzel, and her eyes pressed shut. She was placidly taking deep breaths, and didn't acknowledge Riku for several seconds.

When she finally did, it caught him a bit off guard. "What, Riku?"

"What… are you doing?" he slowly asked, her eyes still closed.

She quickly stood up, catching him off guard for a second time. "Meditating."

He raised an eyebrow. "You meditate?"

"It's relaxing. Very good for magic, you know," she explained, straightening out her white flannel pants and black cotton tank top. "I knew you were outside… but why are you here so late?"

"I got in a fight with Yuri today," he told her, misery taking over his voice at just the thought of it.

"I heard," Naminé replied, giving him a knowing look.

"How did you hear?"

"Who didn't hear is a better question, really," Naminé pointed out, smiling slightly.

"You enjoy gossip, don't you?" Riku muttered.

"Yes, I do," Naminé giggled. "Not bad gossip. But I like to hear about you struggling when the answer is right in front of you. I'm entertained by that, for some reason."

"You're horrible," Riku sighed. "You think that this is so easy, don't you?"

"Yes," Naminé said slowly, nodding. "Before, you would have agreed with me. Earth has changed you, though, I think. You think much less logically now than you used to."

Riku made a crooked, uncertain face.

"You know I'm right," Naminé continued. "You know that you think more now with your heart than you ever have before, and that's why you're so unsure of things."

"So, I'm unsure now because I used to know what was right logically, but I can't see that anymore. Am I right?" Riku carefully sorted out.

"I think so," Naminé said, nodding again. "I could be wrong, though."

"Unlikely," Riku half-smiled. "So my heart says…"

"You love her," Naminé supplied for him.

"Right," Riku mumbled under his breath. "But my head says…"

"That you know she has to marry this person that she doesn't know."

"I wish I could just listen to my head," he said, eyeing her sadly, expecting her to tell him how to ignore the way he felt. "Life would be much easier if I could stop thinking about what could have been."

"Well," Naminé began slowly, "you've got awhile to convince her not to get married."

"No, I haven't," Riku sighed. "I very stupidly told her that I understood."

"You what?"

Riku almost smiled at Naminé's snappish response. "I don't even understand this. How can we just be normal friends on Earth, and then we come here and suddenly everything has changed?"

"You didn't answer my question," Naminé said, almost sounding angry. "You told her what?"

"I said… I understood why she had to get married."

"Idiot."

"Thank you."

"No, really, that wasn't a joke."

Riku couldn't help laughing. Naminé throwing out insults was so rare, that it was rather humorous any time she did it. "It wasn't a joke!" Naminé repeated firmly.

"I know," he said, still smiling. "Your reaction was just so out of character."

"Well, you know what you have to do, right?" she prodded.

"No, actually, I had every intention of trying to forget about it," he confessed.

"I still stand by that you are an idiot," she said, giving him a piercing look with her startlingly blue eyes. "And you have to win her back. Idiot."

"I'm stupid," he agreed. "Very, very stupid. But even I know that there's no hope of winning her back."

"Riku," Naminé began pointedly, "you won the heart of pretty much every girl in our high school. Where the hell is that magic right now? One bat of your pretty, girly eyelashes could make anyone swoon. Whip out that maneuver! Come on, I know you've got something up your sleeve!"

Riku looked up at the ceiling in thought. "I understand what you're saying…"

"Oh come on, admit it. You know I'm right."

"I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's possible…"

"What if the man she is going to marry is horrible?" Naminé demanded. "What will you do then?"

"Protect her," Riku said simply. "I'll do what I can, but, until then…"

"I still think you're being stupid," Naminé told him bluntly.

"I know I am," Riku sighed. "And I know you're right, you're always right. I have to do something, but I don't know if I can."

Naminé eyed him critically. "Look deep inside, Riku, and I know you'll think of something."

He smiled widely. "Thank you. Nice to know that you still believe in me, even if I am an idiot."

"That's right," Naminé smiled back. "I'll always believe in you. Behave while we're gone, okay?"

Riku gave her a look. "Yes, mother."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "We're at war, Riku. All I meant was don't rip out the throat of this mystery prince when he arrives here for a visit tomorrow. We're already fighting one enormous squadron of skilled fighters, and we don't need his world's military over here, as well."

"How do you know he's visiting tomorrow?" Riku demanded.

Naminé's eyes twinkled. "Research. They're going to speed this along as much as possible, since we really, really need the help that this match could potentially provide. You'll see. You said it yourself: I'm always right."

"I suppose so," Riku grudgingly admitted. "Be safe, please. I don't know what I'll do if any of you die."

Naminé smiled. "We'll be absolutely fine, Riku. Just don't worry. Concentrate on keeping an eye on Yuri."

"Are you thinking she'll be in danger?"

"No, but keeping a close watch on her wouldn't hurt, either."

Riku ruffled her hair. "Take care."

"Sleep well," she said as he slipped back out onto the landing. Smiling to herself, Naminé sat back down on the ground, exactly as she had been when Riku turned up, and went back to meditating.

The next morning, Sora awoke much earlier than he had anticipated. He remembered fondly the days when Riku and Roxas had to forcibly drag him from his bed each morning—he was always the last to wake, no matter what. Being awake even before Naminé, the resident early bird, was a bit unnerving. They had all agreed that leaving before dawn was the best plan, but the dark shade of night was still completely covering everything in Hollow Bastion. Sora quickly rolled out of bed and decided it would be best to wake the others. How hard would Roxas laugh when he saw that the mysterious face hovering over him, bidding him to get out of bed, was Sora?

He first headed next door to Naminé's room, but found her wide awake.

"Sora!" she gasped upon seeing his spiky, messy hair as he poked his head into her room. "You're awake! It's before noon, did you know?"

"Har har," he said, giving her a sarcastic glare. "We should leave soon, I think."

"You're right. Go grab Kairi, and I'll wake Roxas up."

"You would pick Roxas," Sora muttered. "Kairi's almost as bad as me."

"I know!" Naminé giggled, hopping out of bed. "C'mon, Sora, let's get moving!"

"I hate morning people," he yawned, Naminé hurrying past him and toward Roxas' room.

"And I hate people who refuse to face a new day," Naminé shot back, pushing open the door to Roxas' room and disappearing from sight.

Sora hesitated at Kairi's door, unsure about whether to enter or not. Girls were sometimes weirdly private about their rooms, and he had absolutely no desire to get Kairi angry at him before their journey had even begun. Sighing inwardly, he pushed open the door, and his eyes immediately fell upon Kairi's sleeping form.

She was spread out on her bed, one of her legs dangling off comically, with her mouth wide open and her hair sticking up as though someone had rubbed a balloon against her head. Sniggering, Sora tiptoed across her room, and poked at Kairi's arm.

"Time to get up…" he said, stifling laughter as she emitted a loud snort.

Kairi woke up much more quickly than he had expected her to. "What exactly are you laughing at, Sora?" she demanded, albeit a bit drowsily.

"Nothing," he lied, immediately cracking up.

"If you're laughing at my hair, you better leave before I get you with some magic," she snapped warningly.

"Fine, fine," Sora sighed, still smiling widely. "Be ready to leave in 10 minutes."

When he left Kairi's room, he found Naminé waiting in the landing. Her hair, which seemed to have magically grown much longer overnight, was tied back into a messy, wavy ponytail. She was sporting a loose, knee-length black skirt, a simple tan colored tank top, and the flat tan colored sandals that everyone seemed to wear in Hollow Bastion. With straps and laces of strong leather, if they were tied around the ankles correctly, they would almost never loosen or fall off.

"A skirt, and sandals?" Sora said, raising an eyebrow.

"I tried to find some boots or something, but these were all I seemed to have," she grumbled. "As for the skirt, use your brain. You think I don't have something on underneath?"

"Hmm, good point," he said thoughtfully. "I hope I have something better!"

He hurried into his room, and chose from what he hadn't packed, which was all still hanging perfectly in his closet. He missed the type of clothes he could wear on Earth. Everything here seemed so… cottony. A pair of loose brown pants caught his eye, and a regular black t-shirt seemed the way to go. Thankfully, he found a pair of black suede-ish boots—he mentally noted to tease Naminé later. Grabbing at his pack, which was sitting next to the door, he took one last look at his room and shut the door behind him.

Roxas and Naminé were both ready to leave, waiting together on the landing. Kairi, it seemed, was the only one who wasn't yet ready. Roxas had made clothing choices similar to Sora's, and Naminé was already upset about the fact that they had boots and she did not.

Kairi had fared no better than Naminé—a pair of blue shorts and a white top were what she had chosen, and her only option had been the sandals, as well.

"Well, if we see any locals selling better shoes around, we can always buy some," Kairi reasoned aloud for Naminé's benefit.

"I suppose," Naminé admitted. "Let's get going, Yuri is waiting for us by the secret passageway. Who wants to carry the food pack?" She held up a small, black bag.

Roxas quickly took it and shoved it in his pack on top of his things. "To the library! Yuri and Riku are waiting!"

"How do you know Riku will be there?" Sora asked in a hushed voice as they began down the stairs.

"How could you not know that he'll stick to Yuri's side the entire time we're gone?" Roxas asked, grinning.

Riku watched in awe as Yuri magicked the door to the secret passageway opened. "What an odd place… in the middle of the library," she was mumbling.

"It's a good place," Riku said reasonably. "Suppose you're here doing some research about a certain country you're at war with, and they decide to storm the castle?"

"You're right," Yuri murmured, watching the door slowly slide open. "Are they on their way, I wonder?"

"Probably. It's not like Naminé to be late."

"I do hope she's fully recovered," Yuri fretted.

"She's absolutely fine," Riku assured her. "I promise you, they'll all be fine."

Just then, all four of his companions trouped into the library, each carrying small packs on their backs and looking anxious.

"Try to get out of the passage before sunrise," Yuri said, quickly lighting two lanterns and handing one to Roxas and one to Sora. "Do not speak, unless you're absolutely certain that nobody else will overhear. Never allow everyone to sleep at once—"

"Relax," Sora suggested, giving Yuri a quick hug. "We'll be fine. We'll stay hidden, and follow all of your instructions. Expect us back within a week."

She clamped on to Riku's arm as their comrades each silently waved goodbye, Naminé giving Riku a quick high-five as she passed. Sora led them down into the dark, holding the lantern high above his head. Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas all followed, single file, down the narrow stairs into the passageway.

"They're gone," Yuri choked nearly ten minutes later. She had sealed the passageway behind them, and headed to the throne room to await the arrival of her maybe-future husband.

"I can't believe he's coming this early," Riku said, the edge of disdain in his voice almost tangible.

"He began on his way here as soon as he received word from me yesterday—"

"Still," Riku sighed. "It doesn't hardly give you any time to think about it. What if you hate him?"

She smiled weakly. "I think I have to do it anyway."

Aerith poked her head into the room. "Yuri? Are you ready?"

Nervously, Yuri straightened out her clothes and said, "Yes, I think so."

"Is Riku staying with you, or…?"

"Yes, he's my bodyguard," Yuri explained. "He'll stay with me while everyone is gone."

"Okay," Aerith nodded. "We'll send him in." She quickly disappeared, and the door quietly shut. A moment later, both enormous doors were slowly being opened by the doormen, and Riku crossed his arms across his chest in an attempt to look more threatening. The prince came into the hall, and immediately began down the long blue carpet towards where Yuri was seated, his entourage trailing shortly behind him.

The minute Riku saw his face, he knew that Yuri would like him. His short, blue hair and relatively good build were both something she would find attractive, he feared.

"Your majesty," he said, bowing low.

Yuri stood up, looking flustered. She made her way down the small flight of stairs in order to look the prince properly in the face. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, curtsying.

"I am prince Zexion," he introduced himself, offering her a small smile.

"Well, sir, shall we have a quick stroll in the garden and discuss some of the matters at hand?" she asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"It would be my pleasure," he said, smile widening. Yuri took his outstretched arm, and he led her out of the hall, Riku at their heels.

You should all know, I was very tempted to use Axel... you'll find out later why I didn't, I suppose. XD Zexion just seemed like he fit this part really well.

Chapter 14 will be up VERY soon, I promise! Please keep reading and reviewing :D

Thank you,

Lulala