I got more reviews for the last chapter than any other! That's over 160 reviews! Thanks guys! And keep 'em coming! Now Namine, if you will...

Namine: "Hey, my first time doing the disclaimer! DarthKingdom does not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or anything else. Just his plot and original characters."

One of which appears here!

Namine: "I look forward to meeting him or her!"

--

Chapter 27: Bariss

When everyone had settled down (several hours later) they assembled in the audience chamber. Kairi, Riku, and a few others were at first overwhelmed by it's incredible size, and began to wonder why a mouse would need so much space.

They went over what they had learned of the Brotherhood since leaving Radiant Garden, which wasn't much.

"Your Majesty," Goofy asked, "What about the Cornerstone of Light?"

"Huh?"

"Axel said that that feller was asking him questions about it." He clarified. "Shouldn't we protect it?"

"The Cornerstone prevents dark beings from entering the castle, and it always has." The King replied from up on his throne. "I don't think we have to worry about it being in danger."

"But Mickey..." Riku (who was one of the few that didn't address him by title only) said. "We also didn't expect Axel to be alive, or for me to have a Nobody. We should probably just expect the unexpected and be grateful when it doesn't happen."

"Hmm. You have a point there." The King admitted. "Goofy!"

The knight snapped to attention immediately. "Round up a few of your best men and position them outside the audience chamber for tonight."

"What if I keep watch on the Cornerstone itself?" Nehrut offered. "If I go into a meditation, I should be able to sense if anyone's coming. Just in case the knights miss anything." He glanced over at Goofy, "No offense, pal."

"None taken!" Goofy said, as if he had heard it several times already.

"I suppose that's fine..." The King said. "Alright, you can guard the Cornerstone and keep an eye out for trouble. On the off chance anything happens, send us a signal."

"What are we supposed to do now though?" Kairi asked. "We don't have any idea what we're supposed to do next. Where do we go after this?"

The King lowered his head. "We'll just have to play it by ear and try to find more leads on the Brotherhood. Until then, we wait."

She hung her head, she had actually been eager for a bit of action. Sora gave her a reassuring squeeze, and she smiled.

"Now, everyone take care of you're buissness, and then get to bed." Mickey finished. With the meeting now concluded, the King flipped a tiny switch beneath the left armrest of the throne. The platform on which the throne sat slid to the left, revealing a staircase leading underneath the chamber.

Nehrut wished everyone good night, and began to walk down. Roxas and Namine appeared on either side of him.

"Would you like some company?" Namine asked.

"Hey, the more the merrier!"

Unbenownst to everybody but Nehrut and Kairi, the lion cub snuck in under his cape. Kairi couldn't quite shake off the feeling that it might not be safe for her, but trusted Nehrut in the end. The two had became friends very quickly, he'd make sure she was alright.

As night fell upon the castle, the Hall of the Cornerstone closed itself up tight, and most of the group went off to sleep.

--

Far away from Disney Castle itself, a small, sleek black ship landed. A figure in grey lept down from the cockpit without making a sound.

For the first time since leaving the Brotherhood's base, the assassin lowered the hood.

A girl. Her hair was long and blonde with streaks of brown, and she had bright green eyes. Her skin was a bit pale, but nobody could doubt that she was beautiful. She was only about fifteen. Any observer would be surprised to see such a strange look of grim detirmination, and slight anticipation on her face.

She set off at a totally silent run toward Disney Castle. She arrived within minutes. The castle gates were closed tight at night, but that wouldn't be a problem.

She shrugged the cloak off, revealing a dark green top with a v-neck collar and single left sleeve. Her pants and boots were jet black. Around her neck was a gold necklace, from which hung a small, emrald heart as bright as her eyes. There were several small pouches on her belt. Fixed loosely to her hip was a coiled black whip with spirals of green on the handle. From another end was a foot-long sai with a similar green pattern.

She gazed up at the enormous gates, and shrugged to herself.

Easy enough.

She gathered herself up, and sprang toward the gates. Her hands grasped the iron bars near the top, and she scrambled up quickly, still without a sound. She stood at the very top of the gates, and surveyed her surroundings for a moment.

She was overlooking a large garden filled with colorful plants of many different varieties. A few of the royal knights patrolled the area in full armor with weapons at their sides. From her perch, she could see eight, two of which flanked a large set of double doors leading inside. That was obviously where she needed to go.

Before any of the guards could see her silhouette against the moon, she sprinted across the edges of the gate, balancing effortlessly on top of it.

She worked her way over to the other side of the garden, and when she reached the wall, dropped lightly onto the ground behind a large bush of flowers. Quietly, she snuck toward the doors flanked by the guards. She spied on them through the gaps in the foliage. Their backs were rigid, and their swords were crossed in front of their chests. Their eyes never ceased to scan the garden.

The woman had to respect that, they clearly took their job quite seriously. They were definitely better than most of the security forces she'd encountered.

Not that it will make any difference.

She reached into one of her pouches for a unique device that would remove that annoying obstacle. Out came a tiny little glass ball, one of her own creations. Very carefully, so as to not alert any of the guards, she tossed it over to the other side of the garden.

There was no sign that they had noticed it, and that was good. She waited for a few seconds, and suddenly there was a bright flashing light coming from the other end of the garden. It caught the knight's attention immediately, they all rushed toward the light, leaving the doors completely unguarded.

Quickly, the girl emerged from her hiding place and ran silently to the entrance.

Maybe they're not as good as I thought...

The doors opened and closed without a sound.

--

"So, what do we do now?" Kiara asked.

Nehrut, Roxas, Namine, and the cub were sitting on the floor in the Hall of the Cornerstone. The Cornerstone itself sat in the center of the room, letting off it's pleasant glow as always. It was the only light in the room, throwing some of the corners of the room into darkness, but illuminating the rest.

Like our hearts. No matter how much darkness, there's a light that never goes out.

Sora had told him so.

The group of four sat at the base of the Cornerstone, talking about nothing in particular. Kiara was stretched out next to Nehrut, and he scratched her ears. She purred again.

Roxas answered the question. "Well, we sit around and chat the night away supposedly 'guarding' this thing," he gestured toward the Cornerstone, "on the off chance something happens."

"In which case, I do all the work while you guys enjoy watching from the sidelines." Nehrut finished.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." The Nobody responded with a grin. "I do wish sometimes I could get back in the action, though."

"Is there any way for you to become independent beings again?" Nehrut asked. "Without weakening yourselves, Sora, or Kairi in any way?"

"None that we know of." Namine answered. Her face fell a bit. "We don't have things so bad as it is, but it would still be nice."

"Yeah..." Roxas said. "I really miss eating."

"It's not fair." Nehrut admitted. "I promise you guys that I'll do all I can to help."

They smiled sadly at him. "I don't think the odds of that happening are very good, but thanks anyway." Namine said.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few more minutes. Suddenly Nehrut's head shot up as if someone had suddenly called his name. His expression was perplexed and thoughtful.

"Something up?" Roxas asked.

Nehrut was silent for a moment before responding, "Something..."

--

The young intruder sped through the halls and corridors of Disney Castle it's very heart. She was always in the shadows, unseen by the occasional guards on the night patrol or servents having a late night snack attack.

She made her way silently through the darkness, and eventually found herself peeking around a corner. Around the end was a long hallway. There were two huge doors halfway down with King Mickey's seal on them, and her objective was through them. The door was barred by four knights, each one larger and more heavily armed than the ones in the garden.

She looked around, there was no cover that she could use to sneak around the the door, and she highly doubted that the guards would just let a stranger walk right on through. She didn't have another flashing distraction on her, so that was out.

Time for the trump card.

In this case, literally.

She retreated a bit farther down the hall, and pulled the card she had been given from out of her boot. She held it up to observe it better in the limited light. It was marked 'IX', with a blue sitar behind it.

The girl rolled her eyes.

Figures that I'd get stuck with this guy...

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the card onto the ground with the face up. A swirling portal opened up on top of it. It almost looked like a Corridor of Darkness, but it was dark violet. It lingered for a few seconds, and vanished.

In it's place stood a man of average hieght. His hair was light brown, and fixed in a style that looked like a strange mullet. His eyes were bright teal and he wore a soft, slightly far-off expression, as if he wasn't entirely aware of his surroundings. He was garbed in the traditional ornamental black robes of the now extinct Organization XIII.

He was the Absent Silhouette of Organization member Demyx; the Melodious Nocturne.

His gaze settled on the girl, he smiled akwardly and said, "Hey, what's up?"

"You know what you are don't you?" She asked. Her voice was surprisingly soft.

"I'm a sort of a ghost thingy, right?"

"...Right."

"So what am I supposed to do?" He asked. His tone was light and coversational, as if they had suddenly bumped in to each other on the street.

"I need you to distract those guards," She pointed toward the group of knights, "And lure them far away from those doors so that I can get into the throne room. Keep them busy for a while."

"Woah, woah, woah," Demyx interrupted, emphasizing his words with waving hand gestures, " You want me to fight those guys? You are really sending the wrong guy."

"I know..." She muttered under her breath. She began again, frustrated "You're the only alternative. Just do this, will you?"

Demyx shrugged, and sighed in resignation. "Alright..."

He held up his hand, and water streamed from up his arm into a ball of it floating above his open palm. It quivered for a second, before exploding into a long shape. The water glowed, and took on a more solid form; not ice, but something much different. It took on the form of a long, blue sitar, roughly shaped like the Nobody symbol.

He swung it around for a moment, before holding it in two hands and advancing into the hallway. The nights saw him instantly, and took up defensive positions.

Demyx swung his sitar as if it was a golf club. A huge column of water formed instantly, and shot toward the knights. It hit them with the force of a tidal wave, soaking them and blasting them clear across the hall. They staggered to their feet and ran at him, but he just soaked them again.

After he had done this three times, he lept over the balcony into the gardens below. Naturally, the guards chased after him, leaving the audience chamber totally unguarded.

The girl sprinted out of her hiding place toward the doors. They looked heavy, and she didn't know how much time Demyx could buy her. She started pushing against the doors with all her might, but no matter how hard she pushed, they wouldn't budge.

Now her arms were sore, and she stretched them out. She ran her hands over the door, searching for another means of entry. Suddenly, she fell through a section of the left door. She managed to right herself and land on all fours, and looked up to see the long throne room before her.

Oh... Why does a mouse need so much space?

She closed the door quietly behind her and sprinted toward the throne. It wouldn't be much longer now.

--

"There's darkness in the castle!" Nehrut said, jumping to his feet. Roxas and Namine lept up too, and Kiara gave off an angry, cat-like hiss.

"How did they get here?" Roxas asked. He turned around to face the Cornerstone as though he expected it to be broken.

"I'm not sure." Nehrut said. "But I sense that the fighting has already started." He turned to his transparent friends. "You guys have to get Sora and Kairi, wake them up. Tell them we need them. I'll guard the Cornerstone."

"Roger!" With that, the Nobodies vanished in brief flashes of blue and gold.

"Kiara." Nehrut said to the lioness. "You have to stay here as well."

"Aw man!" She said. She had already been making a run for the doorway. "I didn't come along just to sit on the sidelines, you know! I can fight, too!"

Nehrut was about to respond when the door flew open.

Through it ran a young woman with blonde hair wearing green. A whip and a sai were dangling from her belt. She skidded to a halt a few feet into the room, clearly surprised to find anyone there.

Nehrut drew his sword and took up a fighting stance. Kiara ran back to his side and crouched –the lion's pouncing position. She pawed the ground in front of her like a bull, getting ready for a fight.

The intruder eyed Nehrut's blade with curiosity. After a moment, she said, "You're not one of the Keybearers."

"No kind madam, I'm just a janitor trying to earn my keep at this castle polishing the Cornerstone. The pay is horrible, but I get by." It was an inside joke, but she wouldn't know that. It may have been his imagination, but he thought he saw the corner of her mouth twitch into a smile for a split second before her expression became neutral again.

She drew the whip from her belt, and with a casual flick of her wrist, it uncoiled with a sharp crack! "You aren't one of my targets." She swung her arm back, ready to lash out with the whip if anything happened. "Stand aside, and I won't hurt either of you."

Was it his imagination again? Or was there a hint of a plea in her voice?

And this woman was definitely not the dark one that he felt in the castle. In fact, she felt a great deal like some of the other people around here. She certainly wasn't dark at all. So why was she trying to get to the Cornerstone of Light?

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you but... oh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

The woman was silent for a second, as if she had never been asked the question before. Then, finally she answered, "Bariss."

"Hmmm." Nehrut said. The word 'bara' meant rose in some languages. "I like that name... I'm Nehrut." He gave her a little bow.

"I'm sorry, Bariss. I'm not moving."

She sighed, and looked him right in the eye. "I'm sorry..."

Then she did something completely unexpected: She smiled and winked.

Just as Nehrut's eyes were widening with surprise, she swung the whip in a wide arc, and it descended rapidly toward his head.

Oh, I get it. A distraction.

He raised his blade, and the end wrapped around it.

The battle for the castle had begun.

--

'Bara' really is Japenese for 'rose'. And she is in no way connected to the Star Wars character of the same name. I hope you like her, she has a story like Nehrut's. Please review!

SamuraiJedi: I couldn't agree more, my friend.

Sailor Winx: Thanks!

DaemonArts: Yeah, didn't really think that one through. I was feeling sappy at the moment, and well, there's the end result. Anyway, thank you!

Krystal Lily Potter: Well, I'm weird too. So you're in good company here! Thanks! And thanks also for calling off the squirells, they were really starting to creep me out. My dog ran under the couch whenever she saw them.

JoBrosCupcakeSwirl: Thank you!

Shinku Ryuuga: Thank you. And (cough) sixty-four (cough)!

Shire Folk: Thank you very much about everything! And you're right, Cloud may just be their only hope... And for the last chapter, I completely understand and sympathize, man. And congrats about Crisis Core!

Rach981: You're too kind! Thank you very much, I try to include a bit of everything.

Hermitgenius: Thanks very much, my friend.

ConfederateofZ: Thanks but, the image of Goofy you just put in my head... AUGH!! Get it out! And as for the last comment, yeah I feel like him too.

Quartermass: Thanks, and you will! And honestly, I didn't even know Tron existed, or that Nightmare Before Christmas belonged to Disney.