Don't worry. They're on their way. Please, go save… the kid…
The rain was pounding harder now, a torrent of liquid rumbling beneath the thunder. His breath was gaining speed as the pain became worse. He was pretty sure he was bleeding internally now.
Even so, when Xemnas had come back, Xigbar had turned him away.
Roxas. Go save the kid.
So Xigbar sat defenseless beneath the rain when they came.
The Heartless.
"NAMINE!"
With another scream, Roxas flung Morpheus back, anger flooding his every nerve. Speeding forward, Roxas made to attack the smirking dream again.
"Ahh! Uhhn!" Roxas grunted, his fury a torrent of blows that Morpheus flowed with, having little difficultly to defeat thanks to Roxas losing his cool. Inside, Roxas knew that.
Calm down!
With a strike of metal, the two warriors flew into the air, slashing and smashing each other as they flew air born, leaping from object to object as they traded blows. Roxas could feel the cut in his leg getting to him now.
Morpheus twisted midway in the air, swinging his blade at Roxas, who defended. What he didn't see was what was rising from the ground.
Dark tendrils wrapped around Roxas' left leg and right foot, and within seconds Roxas was squirming under the weight of darkness.
"What the hell is this!" He roared, fiercely trying to traverse the darkness to defeat Morpheus. But no matter how many times he slashed at the darkness, it kept coming.
"The Heartless ally with who is strongest." Morpheus smirked laxly, enjoying watching Roxas squirm. "I believe an ally of yours said that."
Roxas cried out in fury as he slowly realized he was losing.
Fool! Remember! Namine chose you! You are the Prince!
Prince? Prince of what?
Roxas lifted his hand and looked at his palm as that very palm was enveloped in dark tendrils. He was… the Prince of Darkness.
And as soon as he willed that thought into his growing heart and the blade in his hands, he felt new strength. He felt…
A heart?
Yes; yes, he had a heart! A heart… of sincerity. And now he would use it to defeat Morpheus.
Willing his self into the dark around him, it slowly dissipated, leaving Morpheus confused and angered.
"Neat trick, huh?" Roxas taunted as he stepped out of the dark path. "I don't need Heartless for that."
"So it seems." Morpheus muttered, drawing his blade again.
Suddenly, Roxas cried out in pain, grasping his leg as he writhed. Morpheus smirked.
"Took long enough." Stepping up to Roxas, he taunted the boy on the ground. "We call it Sunburn. Hinode and everyone that works for her has it. It's a deadly poison. Your friends, Xaldin and Xigbar have it just from fighting Kyohaku. So does whoever's fighting Kuriana."
Saix Roxas thought.
Soon it was even becoming hard to think. The pain was unbearable.
"Good riddance." Morpheus began, lifting his blade above Roxas' head. "Prince of Darkness!" With a cackle, the sword came down.
"The Proof of Existence."
Demyx gasped at the room, looking around happily. The room was the same; except for the fact someone was asleep in the middle of it.
She had blue hair, and a long white cloak around her, with shackles on her wrists and ankles, and she was face down.
"Where's Xemnas?" Yuffie asked. "Not to mention Xaldin and Xigbar and them. Shouldn't they have caught up by now?"
Demyx's breath caught in his throat.
"Xigbar?" He asked cautiously. The group was silent.
"Okay, we need to figure the riddle. Tifa, you, and Yuffie go on ahead, see what's at the Altar." Namine ordered. The two girls mentioned nodded and flew up the stairwell.
"What about the others? Xigbar?" Demyx murmured. "We have to go back for them!"
"We have to figure the riddle out. They're big boys they'll take care of themselves." Yuna told him gently.
Marluxia watched from the side as the worry grew in Demyx's eyes. He remembered…
"I'm the heart of the storm." He whispered to himself, trying to quell his fears. "The blood of the earth."
And with that, he leapt away into the rain and wind and storm.
"DEMYX YOU FOOLHARDY HERO!"
He also saw Demyx inching back towards the doorway.
No Marluxia thought. Not again.
Just when Demyx turned and sprinted away, Marluxia raced after.
"Kyah!" She cried.
Saix blocked another blow from the infuriated Kuriana, who was losing horribly. The rain made it hard for the woman to keep hold of the ground, and she was losing self control of her anger. Saix was barely putting out any effort to defeat her.
Though he was a bit injured, Saix was still strong. And he needed to end his fight fast; he had to get into the castle.
"Goodbye." Her words were traced in sadness. Saix almost sobbed, but covered it up.
"Goodbye… Mitsuka."
Throwing his weight forward, he thrust Kuriana backward towards the end of the rooftop. She yelped angrily, but regained her balance and rushed him, fury unbound.
With one swing she was down.
Grunting heavily, Kuriana was thrown to the side like a rag doll by Saix's weapon. It fell to his side as he looked out over the city to the castle, out over the rain.
Out over the Heartless.
"We need Sora." Saix whispered looking to the stars. "Hurry."
Roxas grimaced when the sword swung downward, awaiting the moment that hot steel would carve out his soft flesh. But the moment he awaited never arrived; instead, a steaming hiss followed by a frustrated scream broke the silence.
"Bow to your Prince of Darkness, fool."
Roxas knew the voice. But no, what… why?
Groaning to stand, Roxas tripped, and fell against someone's strong back. Xemnas' strong back.
One red hot blade was pressing against Morpheus' blade, the strength forcing him to his knees. Xemnas reached his other hand back to steady Roxas. Morpheus really was moving to bow to the two of them! Being forced to move, but moving nonetheless.
With an angry snarl, Morpheus fell to his knees before the Superior and Roxas, glowering at both of them. Xemnas glowered back with three times the intensity and neither backed down. Roxas couldn't believe it still.
It was still weird to think Xemnas would do that. But then… so many things had changed. Xemnas didn't even look the same; he looked like Xen. Yes, so many things had changed.
"Goodbye." Morpheus muttered, and all of a sudden, like a star disappearing in the night, he was gone.
Xaldin flew into the Proof of Existence to see everyone crowded around Tsuki and arguing.
"I say we try the sleeping beauty method!" Goofy joked. Yuna shook her head playfully.
"I say we try this method." Xaldin declared, making his arrival known.
"What method?" Namine asked. Xaldin nodded to her, bent down, and took gentle hold of Namine's hand, and slowly placed it over Tsuki's heart.
Xigbar heard the ship before he saw it. As he stumbled through the streets, trying to avoid the Heartless, he heard the mighty engines as they landed. Someone must have called for back up, and boy did they need it. At the moment, the pavilion before Memory's Skyscraper was chock full of heartless that Xigbar was trying to fend off. His one hand was too weak to lift, so he was shooting with his left hand, and still that wasn't enough.
Suddenly, someone dropped down in front of him, slashing out at the opponents, obliterating them. With a cry, two more dropped and began attacking. One fell to his side.
"Xigbar? You okay?" It was Larxene. Groaning, Xigbar made to stand.
"I'll be fine." When he faltered, Larxene shook her head.
"Sure you will, and after our fight we'll all go out for tea and cookies and celebrate our virginity." Xigbar looked amazed at Larxene.
"You're a virgin?" He joked. She smacked him.
"Aerith!" Larxene called to the ship hovering above. "Come down and get this fool before I kill him!" With a smile, Aerith appeared at the edge of the ship. Cloud did as well, and leapt down, scooping Xigbar into his hands. With another bounding leap, the two were in the ship, and Larxene made to aid Sora, Leon, and Laxaeus with fighting the countless Heartless.
That's how it was when Xemnas and Roxas appeared in the area, coming from their fight with Morpheus. Roxas tried to leap into the fray, but Xemnas held him back. When Roxas struggled, Xemnas just pulled on his hood harder. It was a funny looking situation, actually.
After throwing Roxas onto the ship (where he collided with the wall with a boom) Xemnas leapt into the fray himself, obliterating the Heartless with no problem.
"Sora; Kairi and Demyx tagged along with us as stowaways. Kairi has gone missing!" Xemnas informed the brunette. The boy faltered in his attacks.
"What?" He muttered. Was Kairi in danger?
"We need to send a group out to find her." Xemnas told him. Sora nodded.
Leon, who overheard the conversation, looked up to the ship and who was standing in the doorway; Vincent.
"Vincent! Send some people down to help! Sora and I are going after Kairi!" Vincent nodded and before complying with the man's wishes, yelled back to him.
"You know Rinoa could be here somewhere!" Vincent told him. It was Leon's turn to falter.
"Yes." He muttered. "I know." With that, he ran past Sora, who followed him, and the two headed out into the "Death Valley".
Xemnas shouted orders next.
"Larxene! Vexen! Go after Saix!" Saix, who was last seen fighting Kuriana, had not reappeared yet. Larxene leapt out of her battle and Vexen appeared out of the ship. Cloud leapt down into battle in their places, and so did Vincent.
Suddenly, lightning struck many of the Heartless down, and a small form attacked them. Donald and King Mickey attacked now, leaving annihilation in their wake. Xemnas smirked.
Vincent pulled his gun out of his belt and shot just as a Heartless reared up against him.
"Return to Light, Lost Ones!" He challenged, and leapt into the fray.
Saix leapt across rooftops in single bounds as he headed towards the Castle that Never Was. He wanted to help his friends, but he had to find Mitsuka. She had to be here somewhere!
"Where are you, sister?" He asked the open air as he landed at the Brink of Despair. Without a pause he rushed up to the castle, Heartless appearing behind him in the Dark City.
Once inside, Saix tried to think of where to search. Where would Hinode be? Where would his sister be?
"Hinode!" He called out in defiance, eager to draw the woman out. "Where is Mitsuka?"
Silence. Utter Silence.
"She's at Altar. She's going to die!"
Tifa and Yuffie rushed up the staircase to the Altar of Naught. Hopefully, Hinode wouldn't be there, because both girls knew it would take more than just them to defeat her. But there was someone up there.
"Who's that?" Yuffie asked, looking across the way. A girl was slumped on the floor.
"Certainly not Axel." Tifa joked.
"Maybe it's… Saix's sister?" Yuffie offered. Tifa nodded with hope. The two girls rushed to the fallen girl's side.
Tifa turned the girl onto her back and into her lap gently, and the child moaned slightly. She was a pretty little thing, with rosy cheeks and a slender neck. Her hair was straight and long, and surely made her seem shy and intelligent when she was standing. Besides the fact her clothing was a mess and it looked like she needed food, she looked okay.
"Mitsuka?" Yuffie asked, and the girl stirred.
"Let's go." Tifa said. "We have to get her out of here."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Morpheus had appeared at the doorway. Yuffie growled angrily at the man.
"Who asked you?" She proclaimed. Morpheus shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well, I don't think you want to go that way anyway, since the Proof of Existence is going to fall in time." Tifa eyes grew wide; Yuffie gasped angrily.
"You BASTARD!" She accused, rushing at the man. He disappeared, and she slid to a stop.
And then the rumble came.
"Oh; there they go." Morpheus taunted. With a screech, Yuffie slung her weapons at him, and the battle began.
"AHHHH!" Yuna cried out as the platform collapsed beneath them and the group spiraled downward.
Xaldin activated his powers on himself and everyone immediately, and soon enough they were floating in the air.
"Well, that bites." Cid spoke jokingly.
Demyx rushed out into the rain, searching blindly.
A tall man raised his enormous sword to slice Demyx in half, and the boy screamed as it came down. At just the right moment, Xigbar raised his gun, aimed, and fired. He knocked the sword away by an inch, ceasing its movement. The silver haired man glanced over to Xigbar as Demyx gasped happily, scrambling to his feet by the Freeshooter.
"What were you even doing out there?" Xigbar asked, complaining.
"I was looking for the marshmallow men." Demyx replied seriously. Xigbar laughed, pulling Demyx up on his shoulder, shaking his head.
"I'm serious!" Demyx said. "They're a type of heartless Yuffie told me about that give you free marshmallows if you catch 'em."
"I bet." He stifled another laugh.
Last time you protected me Demyx thought. This time, I'll make sure you're okay!
"Demyx!" Marluxia cried in vain. The boy was not listening. So, Marluxia summoned his scythe and banged Demyx on the head.
"OWWWW!" Demyx cried, clutching his head. "What was that for?"
"For almost leaving me behind back there." Marluxia grinned. Demyx looked confused.
"Why would you help me?" Demyx asked in awe. Marluxia sobered up.
"I'm not… sure."
"Demyx, don't you fool!" Marluxia knew what Demyx was doing. He was crouched at the edge of the rock, preparing to jump.
"I'm the heart of the storm." He whispered to himself, trying to quell his fears. "The blood of the earth."
Demyx smiled and stood.
"Come on." He told Marluxia. "Let's go." Marluxia smirked and sent his scythe away for the moment. The two raced down the streets towards the Skyscraper.
"Where's Laxaeus?" Xemnas questioned. The man had disappeared.
Only moments ago…
"Who's there?" Laxaeus questioned. Someone was running in the rain, he could hear it. And beyond the bend, he saw something white. Someone was there…
Without a second thought, Laxaeus chased after the mysterious person.
"Now where am I?" The Silent Hero asked himself.
There was darkness all around him. But ahead he saw it; the white person running silently.
"Wait." Laxaeus called as he ran after. Ahead of the person he was chasing, he could see more people… no, they were spirits.
Thousands of spirits floating amongst nothing; the Dreams come alive. This person in white was leading him to them. And in the center of them were two more people… a stranger… and Kairi.
"Kairi!" Laxaeus called. The red head stood at the sound of her name and smiled when she saw him.
"Laxaeus. I understand now. I know what's going on." Laxaeus looked to the stranger.
"Thanks to our new friend, I bet." Kairi nodded.
"This is Laxaeus. Laxaeus, this is…" Kairi waited for the stranger to name himself.
"I don't have a name." The person spoke. Kairi sighed.
"That's what he's been telling me this entire time." The stranger chuckled.
"She." The stranger corrected. Kairi's eyes lit up, and she nodded.
"She." Kairi repeated. Laxaeus looked all around them.
"These are the living dreams?" Laxaeus asked.
"Yes." Someone answered. Laxaeus spun around to see the person in white who had led him there. It was a girl, no doubt, with curvy features and a hood over her face. She was in pure white.
"Who are you?" Kairi asked. The stranger walked up to the person in white.
"This is my ally… Rinoa."
Sora and Leon raced ahead scouring the city for any sign of Kairi. So far, all they found were more Heartless that needed to be put down. Tiring and fearful, Sora sighed.
"Kairi!" He called again.
Come on, Sora. Someone taunted. She's so close, can't you see her?
"Who's there?" Sora asked. Leon looked at him quizzically. "You didn't hear the voice?" Sora asked. Leon examined the area, shaking his head.
That voice had sounded so much like…
Axel? Yeah, I'm back. Now come on; are you gonna find your girl or what?
Suddenly, Sora seemed to know where to go. His chest was… glowing. Like there was a light leading his way.
"Leon!" Sora called. "This way!"
Good luck, Sora.
Roxas groaned as he sat up in the hospital bed. He was fixed up, not fully healed but able to move, and ready to fight again. With a thank you to Aerith, Roxas moved past Xigbar's bed.
"Aerith, we're having problems." Paine spoke. "The toxin's moving fast, I can't stabilize him…"
Xigbar was in trouble.
"We call it Sunburn. Hinode and everyone that works for her has it. It's a deadly poison. Your friends, Xaldin and Xigbar have it just from fighting Kyohaku. So does whoever's fighting Kuriana."
"Xigbar." Roxas muttered.
"What kind of poison is this?" Aerith whispered sadly. Roxas grimaced and headed out of the room in a hurry; he couldn't bear to watch.
What can I do? Roxas asked himself. What could cure that poison? I'm still weak from it, and I didn't get much…
What could cure this deadly Sunburn poison?
Come on, Roxas. What helps sunburn?
Roxas was hearing things; he had to be.
Sunlight sure doesn't. So, you stay inside… you stay in the dark…
That's when it hit him. The Sunburn poison was from Hinode, the sun, so darkness could chase it away…
"Bow to your Prince of Darkness, fool."
Could he…?
Could Roxas be the cure?
"Yah!" Mickey cried, sharpening his key on more useless Heartless. Xemnas blasted more away, using his blades to demolish them.
And amidst this, he could see the frozen, dying Nobodies that were his comrades…
"King!" Xemnas cried. Mickey and he stood back to back, slashing, and dicing opponents into nothing.
"Xemnas?" Mickey asked as he fought them off.
"Is there a way to free my people?" Mickey knew what he was talking about.
"Donald!" Mickey called. The wizard looked to him. "We'll take care of the Heartless. You find a way to disable the spell on the Nobodies; there must be a way to save them!" Donald nodded and leapt up into the ship, running for someone.
"Auron!" Donald cried. The man turned to him. With a glint in his eye, Donald asked. "Do you have any experience with spells?" Auron chuckled.
"Spells?" Auron challenged. "Simple".
"Rikku!" Paine called as the girl ran past their room. Rikku paused to look to her friend. "We need any ethers you have!" With a sigh, Rikku emptied her pack into Paine's hands, which showed thee ethers, and ran on.
"Thank you!" Aerith called as Rikku disappeared down the hallway. Using an ether on herself, Aerith got back to work on helping Xigbar.
"Hinode." Saix muttered venomously.
A woman was hovering in the air behind Saix. She wasn't terribly tall, but lanky, and built like Yuffie. Her long blonde hair was straight and platinum, falling to her knees. Around her left eye was a graffiti sort of sun design, golden and transparent. Her eyes were full of lust and pain, mixing with pride and power to create a maddening gaze.
Hinode's clothing was Egyptian like and elegant, shimmering gold and flowing like the wind. Limp at her side was a long scythe that Marluxia would've glowered at. It was longer than Marluxia's and deep black, bending slightly in the handle and decorated on the blade with a sun design akin to the one on her face.
Floating down, Hinode rested her bare feet on the ground.
"Yes, I am Hinode. And you're the little boy. Sai. Mitsuka's collected older brother. Look how you've grown." Her voice flowed like honey and stung like a bee.
"Where is my sister?" Saix's voice was like scalding water. Hinode chuckled smirking.
"I can't give you your sister, I need her. And she'll die soon anyway; so, my friend, what have you been up to all these years since I erased your memory? It's been coming back, hasn't it?" Hinode taunted. "All the things I did to your family?"
"Why?" Saix pleaded. "Why her?"
"She can see what no one else can, thanks to the Door to Sunrise. And that door is where she will lead me. Do you know what the Door to Sunrise does?" Hinode slinked forward like a snake.
Without waiting for an answer, Hinode spoke, circling Saix as she spoke. "The Door to Light holds the light of the Universe. The Door to Darkness holds all the black depths. Behind the door Sora and his friends traversed was Kingdom Hearts in all its glory. But behind the Door to Sunrise…"
"The Sunrise. Tell me. Humor me; what is the sunrise?" Hinode questioned.
"The coming of a new day." Saix whispered. "The end of night."
"And where is the sunrise?"
"Along the horizon." Saix kept his cold eyes on Hinode as she circled him. "It spreads across the world from the horizon." Hinode nodded, pleased.
"Why is the sunrise?" Saix pondered this one longer than the others.
"Because all darkness must end." Hinode laughed.
"And so all darkness must end." She announced, repeating him. "Continue."
"Because…" Saix sighed. "Because we can only survive…"
"So much night." Hinode finished for him. "When is the sunrise?"
"At the beginning of the day." Saix stated. Hinode nodded, and signaled for him to continue. "Dawn."
Hinode sauntered up to Saix, the two sharing burning, glowering gazes.
"Who… is the sunrise?" Hinode whispered tauntingly. Saix growled.
"You are."
"Rinoa?" Kairi asked. "You mean… Leon's?" Rinoa took off her hood. Her pale face was framed with dark locks of hair, and her eyes glittered dark brown.
"I am Leon's… old friend." Rinoa seemed to hesitate in her choice of words. Kairi smiled. Rinoa smiled back. "I can lead you to him."
"To who?" Kairi asked, hoping Rinoa was talking about him.
Rinoa chuckled happily. "To Axel."
"This is just great!" Yuna sighed. The group was floating in the empty tunnel. "I still can't figure the riddle out, and Tsuki is heavy!"
"Don't worry. We'll get it." Riku consoled. "For now, let's get out of here." Everyone looked to Xaldin.
"Xaldin?" Goofy asked.
The Sunburn had begun to take effect. Xaldin was pale and breathing hard.
"Oh no." Cid whispered. Xaldin wavered, and his eyes closed.
And everyone fell.
"HYAH!" Yuffie cried.
Morpheus dodged, his sword swiping at Yuffie, who flipped and swung her kunai knives at him. Morpheus dodged again.
This time, Tifa attacked him when he wasn't expecting, giving him a terrible blow into his side, and sending him on a crash course with the wall. That would have been, if Yuffie hadn't appeared ahead of him and kicked his chin so that he was sent flying up. Then, Tifa and Yuffie appeared above him, giving him the final blow.
Morpheus screamed as he fell over the side of the Altar. Without a second glance, Tifa raced up and grabbed Mitsuka, and the three rushed down to the Proof of Existence that was no longer there.
"You know, if you do this, there is a chance you won't return? That you'll be a living dream, a spirit trapped forever?" Rinoa told Kairi and Laxaeus. The two looked to one another. Laxaeus gave her a supportive nod.
"We know." Kairi responded. Rinoa sighed, and continued on.
"This way." Laxaeus followed behind her. Kairi paused for a moment.
"Good-bye, Radiant Garden." Kairi spoke quietly to herself. "Good-bye, Sora, Riku, everyone. We'll meet again, with our last lost friend by my side the next time. I… We'll find him. All of us. And then, we'll come home. Good-bye!"
With tears threatening her eyes, Kairi ran ahead, hoping she would indeed be able to go home.
"Where is he?" Larxene complained. "Of all the people to run off, Saix disappears!"
"It makes sense; he's most likely searching for his sister." Vexen explained. Larxene sighed.
Someone appeared ahead of Larxene and Vexen. The two stopped, looking the woman over.
It was the stranger that Kairi met in the darkness! When Rinoa took Kairi and Laxaeus, the stranger must have come out of the darkness.
"Go back." The stranger commanded. "Xemnas needs you now." Larxene and Vexen shared a look. Vexen summoned his weapon, prepared to fight the stranger off.
Larxene placed a hand on Vexen's shoulder. Her eyes and the strangers met, diving into one another's.
"Come on." Larxene whispered. "Let's go." Without looking back, Larxene ran towards the ship, with Vexen not far behind.
The stranger was gone.
"Sora, do you know where you're going?" Leon asked. Sora nodded.
"Kairi's this way; I know it." Leon smiled and shook his head.
Suddenly, Leon's chest began glowing. The necklace around his neck, the one Cloud had found and given to him for his birthday, the one that was once Rinoa's was glowing! And beneath it, he heart was as well.
"She is, too." Leon whispered in awe. "Rinoa."
"He isn't making it." Aerith sighed sadly, tears welling in her eyes. She heard a sob; Aerith looked up.
Paine was… crying. She was kneeling by Xigbar's bed, sobbing her heart out. And Paine never cried! But she was… for Xigbar. The heart monitor was slowing down.
Roxas ran. He ran, back to the hospital area, and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He could make it, he knew he could!
The beeping became faint… slow… dying…
Leaping past a disgruntled Zexion, Roxas raced to the hospital room, running as if his life depended on it. But his life didn't; Xigbar's did.
His chest was barely rising anymore. Paine hiccupped and laid her head on Xigbar's bare chest.
He could make it… he would make it… he had to! Roxas had to!
The beeping finally stopped.
"KAIRI!" Namine screamed as she fell. Somewhere far off in the darkness, Kairi felt it.
"Wait!" Kairi told the others. "Namine and the others are in trouble!"
If they hit the ground from that height, no one but Yuna would live! Only Yuna could fly, and she could only fly in a small form that would help no one else.
I will not be useless… I will not be protected…
With a shout, Kairi threw her arms up.
"PROTECT THE BEINGS OF THE NIGHT, PRINCESSES OF THE LIGHT!"
And her heart beamed; glimmering brighter than the sun, full of the power of seven princesses; the other six had heard her call and given her aid. She would save her friends!
Namine felt herself slowing down; she wasn't falling so fast anymore. Actually, a glow was forming around her and everyone else, a faint light that was keeping them afloat. Even the unconscious Xaldin had stopped falling.
"Yuna, help me." Namine requested. Attempting to swim through the air, Namine spun towards Xaldin. Yuna transformed and caught the back of her dress, pulling her towards number three.
Reaching out, Namine began to cure the Sunburn poison.
"XIGBAR!"
Roxas shouted as he leapt into the room, arm outstretched, reaching for the man's newly born, newly dying heart. If only he could make it…
There! He touched the man's chest, and the glow started to form; the Sunburn was fading! The heart monitor was picking up; Xigbar would be okay!
"You… you…" Paine stuttered.
Without warning, the girl leapt onto Roxas, squeezing the life out of him in a way that didn't fit her personality.
"Thank you so much, Roxas! Thank you!" She cried, holding back tears.
"Well, if you're going to act like that, why don't you make love to him, huh?" A sarcastic voice came. Paine grinned, leapt up, and spun around.
Xigbar was sitting up in the bed.
"I never made love to you, mister." Paine said. Xigbar shrugged.
"Better late than never." He taunted a glint in his eye. Aerith and Roxas looked to each other and slowly backed out of the room.
After Aerith left the room with Roxas and shut the door, Paine locked it.
"Now what?" Namine asked. Tsuki was floating in midair.
"Well, we've got to solve the riddle." Cid said. Yuna sighed.
"Here, I've got it." Riku pulled it out of his pocket and read it aloud, Goofy reading it silently over his shoulder.
One upholds the path of light, one, unsure, stands alone.
One keeps to the path of night, one holds to shimmering home.
Last is the sun's fading rays; the sign of the final dying days?
But will you find what you thought be actually the one that is naught?
"Man, that thing confuses me." Yuna sighed.
It's not that hard, is it?
"Who said that?" Goofy asked.
I did! Me! In the center!
Everyone looked to the center; Tsuki was floating there.
"You're… Tsuki? The Dream Catcher?" Riku pondered.
Yup.
"Help us with the riddle, why don't cha?" Cid demanded.
Alright, alright, listen up.
The one who upholds the path of light
"This way!" Sora called to Leon as they ran towards the lights. There were thousands of them, spirits, floating in the darkness; living dreams.
Audacious, courageous, and forgiving; he who upholds the path of light is Sora; the boy who takes every curve ball with ease and seems to adapt to every and any situation.
"They were here." Leon determined looking around. "But they left." Sora sighed.
The one, unsure, who stands alone
"I was so scared for a second there." Roxas admitted. "Afraid it wouldn't work."
Aerith smiled knowingly and patted his shoulder.
"To fear is human." She told him. Roxas chuckled. Then she added, "You know; he feels the same way." As she walked away, Roxas called after her.
"Who?" Roxas asked. Aerith smiled.
When he was in the organization, he didn't know who he was. When he was in Twilight town, he was told he was someone else. Now, he's his own person; and he's not sure what to make of it yet.
"Sora." Aerith told him.
Roxas smiled.
The one who keeps to the path of night
That's you, Namine.
"Me?" Namine whispered.
Yes. Even now, you still hide in the dark shadows, linger in the background. You are both somewhat afraid and comfortable in the night. You aren't sure what would change if you went into the day, so you don't; you stay.
"I guess…" Namine murmured. "That's true."
The one who holds to shimmering home
This one describes Riku.
"Why?" Riku pondered eager for an explanation.
Because, when you were in darkness, and even now, you've craved a home to return to. Not the Destiny Islands; a safe, comfortable place with friends and loved ones; a place to call your haven.
Riku just laughed contently.
Last is the sun's fading rays; the sign of the final dying days?
That would be…
"Axel!"