Next chapter up! I know everyboody has already guessed at Bariss's origins, but here's the specifics! Enjoy!

Bariss: "Goody. My painful, personal, back-story is now on display for the entire world to see."

Tell you what... I'll have Nehrut give you a kiss back-stage if you go along with it.

Bariss: "DEAL! DarthKingdom doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or anything else he wants to use!"

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Chapter 56: Bariss's Story

"The heroes of China couldn't have gotten something else after saving the whole, stupid world!?" Axel was ranting in the crew lounge a few hours later.

"What are you talking about?" Roxas said, appearing from Sora's head. "You guys had a huge banquet! And the entire army was all over you!"

"Some of us more than others." Yuffie muttered, grinning. She had really enjoyed slapping Ling when he had tried to kiss her, and then watching Riku give him a black eye that would have made Yao proud.

Catching up on her train of thought, Riku wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her a bit closer to him. She leaned her head against his chest.

The crowd in the lounge thinned out a few minutes later, leaving Nehrut, Roxas, and later Namine, alone.

Nehrut had been unusually quiet throughout the previous conversation. He was laying down on one of the couches with his feet propped up on one of the arm rests. He stared into the air, looking thoughtful.

"Something up?" Roxas asked.

"Tell me..." Nehrut asked, not losing the glazed look in his eyes, "Did Bariss seem a bit different to you earlier?"

"You mean when she cracked a joke just before the fight broke out?"

"Afterwards."

"She did seem a little more distant than usual." Namine observed. "She seemed a bit sad."

"Hmmm..." Nehrut tried to think of what might have happened to upset her. Then, the words of Sora's replica came back to him.

"Your father is dead, and your mother-"

"And what good are you to us anyway? You've got a toy whip, and a pretty antique knife. You don't even know any magic!"

"The replica said some... disturbing things." He said to his companions.

"Like what?" Roxas asked.

"Your father is dead, and your mother- oh, boo-freaking-hoo!

"I probably shouldn't say."

Roxas seemed to understand. They chatted for a while longer about their next destination. Nehrut remembered it well, and Roxas had a few vague memories from being joined with Sora.

Then there was an interruption. Nehrut shot up from the couch, eyes clear.

"Bariss..." He muttered.

"Is she alright?" Namine asked, worried.

"Physically." He stood up, and began to walk to the door. "Sorry, but I have to check on her."

"Yeah, cheer her up like only you can, Nehrut." Roxas said with a smirk.

"What?"

"Well, you two have an interesting relationship." Namine smiled cheekily.

"Look, if you think that we're romantically involved..."

"I never said 'romantically'." She countered, eyes twinkling.

Nehrut tried to hide the color rising in his cheeks, and left them room silently. He could sense Bariss's mind somewhere near the front of the ship, in the vicinity of the bridge. She was sad, and in incredible pain.

He found her just as she walked into the bridge. She walked in, and he could hear barely restrained sobbing. He walked in behind her quietly.

She sat in Donald's usual seat at the RADAR station. She was looking out the windows at the passing starscape, crying silently to herself. He walked over silently, hoping to comfort her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She started, but didn't push him away. She placed one of her small hands on his.

They stayed like that for a few minutes while her sobs died away. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "What is it?"

She was quiet for a moment, and then said simply, "I had a nightmare."

"The one from before?"

She looked at him curiously. He hung his head, and elaborated. "Sorry, but I took a look into your dreams that night to try and wake you up from it."

"I felt you there..." Bariss's voice was quiet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly, leaning his back against the console.

Bariss replied in a whisper, "Okay..." She gripped his hand tight, as if it were a lifeline. She told her tale in a quiet voice.

"I was born in Radiant Garden. My parents were members of Ansem the Wise's royal knights. We lived a good life there. I think I might have met Kairi once or twice, it's hard to remember."

There was gleaming, gold-colored castle, high, high up on a hill overlooking a tranquil village. This castle was bordered by lush, green trees on all sides.

Standing in front of this castle were several people. A family of three was approaching another group in front of the castle gates composed of seven people.

The mother of the family had long blonde hair, and was wearing long robes of royal green with an elegant golden trim. On her belt was a silver and green sai. Her red-headed husband wore robes of the same style, though the trim on his were a deep maroon. He had a green and black whip.

The little girl standing between them holding each of her parents' hands was looking up at the castle in awe. No matter how often she came here, it was a wonderful sight.

At the front of the group already at the gates was a man that could have been in his fifties. He had long, pale blonde hair and a goatee. He had warm, wise brown eyes, and was garbed in a long white coat, wearing a dark suit underneath it. He had a thick, dark, blood red scarf wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

Ansem the Wise stepped up to the family with a smile and open arms. He embraced the father warmly like the old friend that he was. Then he turned to the mother and took her hand, placing a kiss upon it. He bent down to the young Bariss, and scooped her into his arms, hoisting her into the air over his head, causing her to laugh.

"My family was happy. Ansem and my dad were great friends. He treated us to dinner all the time. I met some of Ansem's apprentices, I remember I used to have a crush on Ienzo."(1)

Nehrut had to cover up a snort of laughter at that point. She rolled her eyes and went on.

After Ansem set the still smiling Bariss on the ground, he said to the parents, "It's good to see you again, my friends! Come inside, please."

The six men behind Ansem were all wearing the same white coats, but without the scarf. They were Ansem's six apprentices. The two knights nodded respectfully to them as they passed, and were returned with short bows.

The first was a man with dark brown hair and eyes, which were mostly concealed by a pair of sunglasses. His hair was tied back into a short pony-tail. The second had coal black hair, but it was tied into several dreadlocks around his head. He had brown eyes. The third was shorter and paler, and had dull red hair going down his back, and green eyes. The fourth was large, and muscular. He had black hair, and a square chin. His eyes were dull blue. The fifth was younger than the others, perhaps only nineteen. He had jet black hair which nearly covered his eyes, which were green.

"Things were great, until I was about six years old." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Then the Heartless came. I didn't learn most of the details until later, but apparently Xehanort wanted to test out their powers."

The sixth apprentice was taller than any of them, and pretty well built. He had silver hair, which was spiked back on both sides of his face and at the top of his head, almost looking like horns. His dark brown eyes flashed toward Ansem's departing back, and then over to the mother's.

Xehanort looked at the other apprentaces: Braig, Dilan, Even, Eleaus, and Ienzo. He allowed his lips to curl into a wicked smile.

"So... he let them run loose in town."

"What?" The pure, insane, barbaric, cruelty behind this act spoke volumes on who and what Xehanort was. "That..." He searched his vocabulary for an appropriate word. "Madman!"

"The Heartless seemed eager to please. They leveled buildings, and attacked everybody they could find. It didn't make a difference who they attacked, men, women, children..." Her head sank, and her eyes filled up with tears. "Just over eight-hundred escaped."

Radiant Garden had had a population of nearly nine-million before the attack. Several times that number.(2)

"My parents were down in the middle of the action where they could be of the most help to people. They told me to hide in our house, but of course, I was too stubborn to listen. I ran out there right after them."

"So, I'm guessing you were a problem child..."

She let out a short laugh, and wiped away a tear that slipped out because of it. "They saw me, and moved around me to try and protect me. And, for a while, it seemed like we might have been able to get away."

"But, then this guy showed up. I guess it was Xehanort's Heartless." Her voice got even softer, if that was even possible. "My dad ran toward him."

It was too much. She broke down into hysteric sobs. Nehrut shot to her side, and embraced her. She clung to him, wrapping her arms tight around his waist. He stood there, and let her cry into his shoulder. She didn't need to finish the sentence, he knew already.

He knew that pain all too well. He held her tighter, and tried to ease the pain in her mind. It was one of his little tricks; reducing certain emotions, or magnifying others. Now he tried to reduce the sadness and magnify serenity. It helped her a bit, she was quieter, but the tears kept flowing.

So he let her continue, rubbing her back comfortingly. Gradually, she stopped. And she looked him in the face, drying her tears. He took a brief leap of faith and wiped one away with the pad of his thumb. "I'm sorry." She said. "I shouldn't get this way over-"

"Don't worry." He interrupted. "I'm sorry for bringing it up at all."

"No, I think it's about time I got this off my chest." She took a deep breath. "My father, well you get it. But my mother was kidnapped by that 'madman'."

And just like that, Nehrut understood what it was that Bariss fought for.

"It's your mother you're trying to find."

Bariss nodded silently, and fingered the necklace around her neck. "Serndask said he would help me find her after I did a few 'jobs' for him. He used me for stealth missions, capturing people on other worlds and bringing them back to his base. I lived on the streets my whole life after Radiant Garden, stealing what I needed to get by, so I knew how to go unnoticed."

Nehrut found it hard to believe that nobody had noticed a pretty girl in a crowd, but he didn't press the matter. Now he understood how she had gotten into Disney Castle so easily.

"I thought he was my only chance of finding her again." She continued, still clinging to him. "But I must have been deluding myself. He probably wouldn't have helped me whatever I did. And all I've been doing is hurting people."

She buried her face in his shoulder, sniffling away the last of her tears.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore, Bariss." Nehrut said, holding her close. "I promise, I'm going to help you find your mom. Whatever it takes."

She sniffed one last time, then lifted her head. She smiled wearily at him. "I know. Thank you."

She leaned up toward his face, and kissed him softly on the cheek. She pulled away after a full five seconds, and by that time that cheek was impossibly red.

"Thank you so much."

"Anytime you need me," He said, unconsciously running one hand through her long, soft hair, "I'll be there."

"Then, would you mind staying with me?" She asked, feeling a little awkward. "Just, for tonight?"

He gulped, and then said, "Sure."

They walked back down the hallways to the lounge. Roxas and Namine had left (for which Nehrut was very grateful, they'd tell the whole ship about this). He situated himself on one of the couches, and felt the bees from Christmas Town return to his stomach when Bariss leaned her entire body against him. Hesitating for a second, he wrapped his arms back around her waist.

She sighed softly.

"What's your mother's name?"

She snuggled a little deeper into his chest, and just before she fell asleep, she said one word, "Kanshi."(3)

Nehrut stayed awake for a little while longer, simply staring at her beautiful, sleeping face. After a while, he slowly leaned his head down, and pressed his lips gently to her forehead.

He fell asleep minutes later, content, with his usual lopsided smile on his face.

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Roxas and Namine came in seconds later, grinning widely at the sight before them.

"Should we tell them we heard everything?" Roxas asked her.

She shook her head, entwining her hand with his, and placing a kiss on his cheek. "That story was for his ears only. Just as well they think it stayed that way."

"Then we probably shouldn't tell anyone else, huh?"

"No, Roxas."

"Could we at least tell them that they fell asleep on the same couch?"

Namine smiled widely. "Oh, I think we can do that..."

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Ta-da! Tell me what you think, please. And to all my fellow Americans out there: Happy Independence Day!

(1) You and about every other fangirl in the world.

(2) I just made up this number, I really have no idea. I just used this because it's a bit more than New York City. (shrugs)

(3) Kanshisha: Japanese for 'Guardian'

Please leave a review!