"This is it. Xemnas." After healing and taking a few minutes to let her feet breathe, Kairi laced up her boots, picked up her Keyblade and was now standing in front of the final blue cove. "It all ends here."

Naminé was deep in thought. "Hey, Kairi?"

"Hm?"

"You really think this'll be over once we beat him?" Naminé asked. "I mean, we still haven't figured out what the Organization's plan is."

Kairi nodded thoughtfully. "Let's go over what we know so far. This all started back after we fought Roxas. A little heart murmur, but it was still a disturbance just the same. Next, Marluxia lets slip that they were trapped in this computer database testing something."

"Or someone," Naminé added. "Then after we fought Luxord, we realized that they might be scanning your heart's memories."

"Right, because they can't mess with them without you knowing about it." Kairi unconsciously flexed her fingers. "We fight Axel and his advice was to "never lose sight of your light in the darkness." Whatever that means." Her head dropped to her chest in thought. "And the pain in our heart grew even stronger. Next, we learn from Saix that they WANT us to fight. Then Zexion shows that he can block the mental connection between us.

"Lexaeus tells us that the power of darkness tainted our heart," Naminé said. "The fear and doubt made it that way."

"Do we really need to go over what Vexen said?" Kairi shuddered at the memory of his sullen face. "All I remember him saying is that the anger inside us was necessary for their plan?"

"Yeah," Naminé agreed. "Xaldin said the exact same thing."

"Didn't Vexen say somethine else? About how tickling me was for research or something?" Kairi felt goosebumps crawling over her skin.

"Nah. That was just one of his perverted quips," Naminé said sympathetically. "It's not important."

Kairi shrugged. "Then Xigbar tells us that they have no intention of killing us, but they're still going all out anyways." She massaged her chest slightly. "We beat him and there's pain in our heart again. But this time it's the strongest than it's ever been."

"And now we're here. About to take on the Organization's last survivor." Naminé giggled. "Nervous?"

Kairi smirked. "This guy could turn any Nobody into a Dusk; Sora couldn't finish him off by himself, and he's just as powerful as Xehanort's Heartless. Of course I'm nervous. Wouldn't you be?" She reached for the symbol in front of her.

"Point taken." Naminé sighed. "I guess all we can really do right now is to keep moving forward."

Kairi's hand was just inches from Xemnas' symbol when the double doors on the other side of the room burst wide open. "Kairi!" To her disbelief, the forms of Roxas and Riku stood in the doorway.

"Riku! Roxas!" She began to turn toward them. Unfortunately, a mysterious force seemed to yank her still outstretched hand toward the symbol, activating the light that would transport her away from her friends.

"NO!" Roxas and Riku sped toward her fading form futively, but Kairi's body was already enveloped by the light. Then she was gone.

Roxas instinctively ran up to the cove and tried to reach his hand in, but an invisible barrier prevented him from going any further. The usual blue aura was now a sickening yellow. He started beating on the barrier with his fists shouting, "Naminé! Kairi!" Roxas whipped around at Riku. "We've got to save them!"

Riku grimaced in agreement, but for once he was clueless. While he was thinking, the rest of the Frontal Assault members were struggling to keep the Nobodies from entering. Fortunately, with the help of Peter Pan, the Second Line and Pre-emptive Strike teams were finally able to catch up with everyone to help defend the doorway.

"Hold the line, people!" Yuffie shouted over the din. "We can't let these guys in!"

Hercules was busy keeping a Berserker from cleaving his head off. "You don't have to tell us twice!"

"Tron!" Leon gritted his teeth as he pushed against an Assault Rider's staff. "Take all of the kids and get them inside while we hold them off!"

"What?!" Hayner looked at Leon increduously. "We came here to help!"

"Yeah!" Olette chimed in as she stood alongside Selphie. "We don't abandon our friends to fend for themselves!"

Leon shook his head, his Gunblade now glowing with focused energy. "I don't remember this being up for debate!"

Hayner and Olette were about to protest, but Pence calmed them down. "He's right! Besides, Roxas and Riku might need us!" Seeing the logic in his argument, they reluctantly headed for sanctuary through the door. Following Pence and Tron's lead, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Hayner and Olette jumped through the doorway and slammed the door behind them, effectively muffling the sounds of battle. As Tron was making sure that the kids were alright, Roxas ran up to the group in a panic.

"Pence! You're a computer programmer, right?" He pointed toward the computer console. "Is there any way you could hack into the mainframe and get Naminé and Kairi out of there?"

"What?" Pence was completely lost. "Wait, slow down. What are you taking about?"

Roxas quickly relayed what happened, causing Pence's face to become more and more solemn. Finally, the boy heard enough. "I'll see what I can do." The duo quickly made their way up to the computer console. Pence took one look at the panel and cracked his knuckles. "If this is just like Ansem's computer, this shouldn't take too long." His fingers were a blur as he touch typed keys faster than Roxas had ever seen before. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, it became clear that he wasn't up to the task.

"What happened?" Roxas asked. Pence stopped typing and stared intently at the screen.

"I can't get past these firewalls without the passwords."

"Passwords?" Roxas repeated.

"It's asking for the original names of Ansem the Wise's disciples." Pence shook his head. "Unless we know that, there's nothing more I can do."

Roxas facepalmed himself. "I should actually know this, but I can't remember!"

"Do you require some assistance?" Pence and Roxas jumped at Tron's voice behind them. While they were focused on their task, the security program and Riku had finished tending to the wounded and noticed the aura of frustration emanating from the two.

Roxas blinked at Tron thoughtfully. "You were a program in Ansem's computer, right?" Tron nodded. "That would mean you would know the names of his disciples." As Tron nodded again, Roxas chanced a glance at Pence who gave him a knowing look.

"Just what the doctor ordered," Pence chuckled.

As the light faded, Kairi opened her eyes to find herself in some eerie-looking dimension. Scanning her surroundings, she saw that she was standing on a solitary piece of earth with only a tall neon-lighted building towering over her.

"No!" Her heart was feeling heavier than usual. "I can't believe it was really them." After being alone for so long, Kairi had been ecstatic to see familiar, friendly faces again. But to be torn away abruptly like that...Kairi was almost in tears. She sank to her knees with her face in her hands, feeling lower than she had ever felt in her life. "It was really them..." She began pounding the ground with her fist.

Naminé felt bad for her. "Kairi..."

"How could I have been so stupid?" Kairi sobbed. "If only I had just waited for a few more seconds, we'd finally be together again!"

"Come on, Kairi," Naminé said gently. "Beating yourself up isn't going to help us out of this mess."

Kairi quietly sniffed. "But they were right there..."

"Listen, I'm as upset as you are. But instead of beating yourself up, you should focus on beating up the person who started all of this," Naminé advised.

Kairi stopped crying. Her sorrow began transforming into rage. "Xemnas," she muttered.

"Right. Keep your emotions in check, girlfriend. We need to focus on the problem at hand." Naminé would've hugged Kairi if she had a body. "We've got a job to finish. Everything else can wait."

Kairi nodded in agreement. She used the Keyblade to help herself to her feet. "Xemnas!" she called out, surprising Naminé. "Show yourself!"

"W-wait a moment, Kairi! I said keep your emotions in check!" Naminé said unnervingly.

The data streams appeared in front of them, forming the leader of Organization XIII. Xemnas took one look at Kairi and bowed. "You called?"

"You..." Kairi's eyes narrowed as she pointed the Keyblade at him. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Princess..." Xemnas spread his arms out, his cloak fluttering behind him. "You are asking the wrong question."

"What?" Kairi blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Instead of asking "Why?" you should be asking "What?" What do we have to gain from all of this?" Kairi's Keyblade dropped a few inches. "Sora and Riku have defeated my Organization. Our minds are trapped within this pale imitation of life, forever forced to fight all that challenge us." His lips curled into a sneer. "So what you should be asking, my dear Princess, is 'What purpose would we need you for?'"

"And Naminé..." Kairi felt Naminé stiffen at the sound of her name. "We have already proven we can sever your link between you and your host. So why would we leave you free to interfere?"

Both of the girls couldn't think of any counter-arguments to his statements. "You should thank us for the gifts that we've given you," Xemnas continued. "Your heart spurned jealousy and frustration for being unable to help your friends. All because you weren't a chosen one of the Keyblade." Kairi's eyes automatically focused down on the Keyblade. "So we downloaded samples of Sora's memories into you. The spells you've learned, they were all once Sora's. But once that fool Marluxia betrayed us," Xemnas added bitterly, "all that remained of his abilities were stored into this solitary database."

"That explains all of those memories of Sora that I've been experiencing," Kairi said. "But what was the point of making me stronger?"

"Don't be so naive, Kairi," Naminé grumbled. "They probably did this so they could train you to be their pawn."

"If that were only true," Xemnas said. Naminé was taken back by his reply. "Yes, I can hear you. You are still a Nobody after all. But you couldn't be more wrong. Kairi is a Princess of Light who would never turn to the darkness. Even we understand that."

"Then what?" Kairi asked. "What was the whole point?" Instead of answering, Xemnas gave them an evil grin which only succeeded in ticking the girls off.

"Enough, Xehanort," Naminé said. "You're the only one standing between us and our friends."

Kairi nodded. "And if we have to take you down..." She swiped the Keyblade for emphasis. "...then so be it."

Xemnas let out a hollow chuckle. "When I'm through with you, you'll have to take a shower to wash away the smell of defeat," Xemnas said, "and I won't be watching you do it."

"Defeat?" Kairi repeated. "Don't you mean you're going to try to kill me?" Then she did a double take. "Wait. Why would you be watching me?"

Xemnas shrugged. "I just wanted you to make sure that I wouldn't be."

She raised an eyebrow. "But I never thought..."

"Good. Because I won't."

"Why would I think..." Kairi began, but then stopped herself. "Oh, that's right. This is the Organization we're talking about." She rolled her eyes. "Bunch of perverts," she muttered as she got into her battle stance.