A/N: Hey guys. Here's the next chapter! Before I begin though… I just want to thank everyone who reads and reviews! There is no better feeling then waking up to four reviews just hours after I post the next chapter. Thank you everyone!

Also, a lot of people have been asking if Aurora will ever run into a certain character again. I am happy to say that WolfieRed23 and I are discussing/planning it!

Now that the formalities are out of the way… ONWARD!

…

Chapter Eight: Gathering Shadows

Hollow Bastion was slowly coming alive again. Aerith, one of the five founding members of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, looked around with a smile as she walked through the town, a basket of flowers hanging from her arm. She was proud of what her, Cid, Leon, Yuffie, and Merlin had managed in such a short amount of time. True, it wasn't anything close to what it had been at one time, all those years ago, but it was slowly getting there.

Suddenly, she spotted a girl, about sixteen, that instantly held her attention. The girl was kneeling, leaning against one of the gray, stone walls with her arms and forehead. From what Aerith could see, she had shoulder length dirty blond hair, a light blue vest over a white tee-shirt, denim shorts, knee high sock, and ankle high boots. She also had a royal blue bag on her back that looked stuffed, close to bursting. There were a few cuts visible on her right arm. Aerith sped up until she reached the girl, crouching next to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl jumped slightly, lifting her head from the wall and turning to face the older girl. Her bright, blue-green eyes were full of emotion, but it was the cuts on her face and shoulders that caught Aerith's attention. "Here, hold still," she said, keeping a hand on her shoulder. "Curaga."

Green light spread over the girl. The cuts closed, sealed, and faded. The girl closed her eyes with a sigh, before looking up at her again.

"Thank you," she said. Aerith nodded, standing and helping her up.

"Of course. What happened? Did the Heartless attack you?" she asked. The girl looked startled for a moment, before she shook her head.

"No, not Heartless," she said. "It was… a man. He… he nearly got me this time," the girl's voice became softer with each word, and she looked away. Aerith frowned for a moment, before giving her a comforting smile.

"Well, you got away, and that's the good thing. I guess you're not from Hollow Bastion, huh?" she asked. The girl looked up at her and smiled slightly, before shaking her head.

"No, I'm not. But… I don't really have a way back either. A… friend sent me here." She looked away, crossing her arms. "Probably in an attempt to get me away from the danger…"

"Probably. Well, you're in luck. We have a few open houses. You can stay in one, if you'd like," Aerith offered. The girl hesitated before smiling weakly.

"Alright. Thank you," she said. Aerith nodded and lead the way.

…

Aurora was beginning to feel powerless. It wasn't that she couldn't fight, though she now realized her own training methods weren't good enough. No, it was the fact that she had no way to travel between worlds herself. Because of that, she wound up trapped in whatever world she was sent to.

First, it was The World That Never Was. Then Twilight Town. Now, it was Hollow Bastion. As she trailed Aerith through the town, the girl told her all about the history of this world. How it fell to darkness, taken over by the dark fairy, Maleficent. How it had been saved by the Keyblade Wielder, Sora. How the leader had once been a kind, wise man, but had himself fallen to darkness, Ansem. Aurora's head swam with all of this new information, especially when she began to recognize names.

(Wait. If Ansem became dark and did evil things… then why did Riku use his name? Or… was that just someone who had a heart LIKE Riku's, who was using that name? Ugh, I'm so confused…)

The house Aerith showed Aurora to was small, just one floor, with a small living room, one bedroom, and a small kitchen and bathroom. It was already furnished too.

"Thank you, but I don't have any way to pay," Aurora said. Aerith studied the girl for a moment before smiling.

"You seem capable enough. Perhaps, if you really want to, you could help the Restoration Committee out," she said. Aurora smiled at that with a nod.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Alright. Here's the address of our HQ." She pulled a card out of her pocket, handing it over. "Once you get settled, come on over, okay?"

"Alright," Aurora said with a smile, taking it. Aerith smiled back, before heading out. Aurora looked around once more before swinging her bag off her shoulder.

"Well, guess I don't have to worry about school," Aurora said, putting her bag on the couch, before sighing. She reached in, pulling out the books from Twilight High first. She placed those on the small desk that was provided. Next, she pulled out the stuffed dog, brushing a little bit of the dried mud off. With a smile, she placed it on the couch, thinking back to the night she had gotten it.

Riku and her had gone to Gordy Park. It wasn't officially a date, but it might as well have been one. Riku even played all of the rigged carnival games until he won this stuffed dog, then they walked down to the lake. Unfortunately, Heartless had attacked, and she had lost the stuffed animal. She got it back when Organization XIII had kidnapped her. They had it sitting on the bed of the room they kept her in.

There wasn't anything special about it, really. But Aurora continued to carry it around, because it reminded her of the time she spent with the silver-haired boy.

The final thing she pulled out of her bag was her law books from Themis. She placed them on top of the Twilight High books, not having anywhere else to stick them. With a small smile, she traced the pattern of the Attorney's Badge that was printed into the cover of the top one. With all of the time she had as a captive of Organization XIII, she had memorized these books, cover to cover.

(It'll be useful. If I ever get back home…) she thought to herself, before taking a deep breath and picking up the paper Aerith had given her.

"Guess I'll head on over there…" she muttered, turning to the door and heading out.

…

When she got to the house, she was greeted by Aerith, a young brunette who was wearing mostly leather, and an older man with blond hair. Aerith smiled.

"Leon, Cid, this is Aurora. She's the girl I told you about," she said, standing and coming over, drawing Aurora further into the house. "Aurora, this is Leon," she motioned to the brunette, "and Cid. They're two of the founding members of the Restoration Committee."

Leon simply nodded. Cid smiled.

"Well hey there, sweet heart," he said in a way that managed to be friendly, instead of creepy. "Aerith told us about how she found you."

"So how about you tell us what happened," Leon said. Aurora smiled slightly.

"Guess I should have seen that coming," she said, before sitting. "Well, for how I got off of my world… I was kidnapped by this group. One of their members betrayed them, and helped me escape, but he left me, and I was stranded in another world: Twilight Town," she began. The others glanced at each other, before looking back at her. "One of the members of that group came after me after about a week in that town, and I tried to fight him off, but I had used up all my magic helping Sora and all…"

"You know Sora?" Leon suddenly asked. Aurora looked up at him.

"Um, yeah. And Donald and Goofy. I mean, I don't know them well. I only met them once, but… why?" she asked when suddenly noticing the looks the three were giving them.

"All of a sudden, not too long ago, all of us remembered him. At the same time," Leon said. Aurora's eyes widened as she remembered what DiZ had told Ansem, just yesterday.

"Huh," she muttered.

"Sorry, go on. So you used up all your magic helping those three out. How'd you get here?" Leon asked.

"Oh, um… someone helped me. He distracted the guy, opened a portal, and pushed me through. Then… Aerith found me," she said.

"Hmph…" Leon muttered, before nodding.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe," Aerith said with a smile.

"And willing to help out! We could use as much help as we can get around here," Cid said with a grin. Aurora smiled.

"I can't just stay in that house for free. I'll do what I can," she said.

"Now it's just a matter of finding out what you can do," Leon added. Aurora giggled slightly at that.

"Right."

"Well Leon, Aerith, I need you to check this out," Cid said, turning back to his computer. "You too, Aurora, if you know computer stuff.

Aurora nodded, following the other two as they stood around the blond, who was typing away at the computer. After a few more minutes, the door opened. A girl who was wearing mostly black, with a headband, bounced in.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" she said, before turning and spotting Aurora. "Oh! Who's that?" she asked.

"New member," Leon said as he finally tore his eyes away, turning to see who the girl was talking to.

"We missed you!" Aerith said excitedly, her, Cid, and Aurora having turned as well. Aurora's eyes widened slightly as she spotted who it was.

"Well, if you ain't in top shape," Cid said.

"I knew it," Leon said.

Knew what?" Sora asked as he and the others moved closer. Other than the girl in black, they didn't notice Aurora.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time. Then she shows up, saying she knows you," Leon explained.

The three jumped back in surprise. "You… remembered?" Sora asked, looking hurt. "Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us!?" he demanded.

"Who showed up saying she knows us?" Goofy asked, scratching his head. Leon looked over at Aurora, who stepped forward slightly with a small wave.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Aurora!?" the guys all gasped in shock. "What the- how'd the- huh?" Sora stuttered.

"What are you doing here! The King told you to stay in Twilight Town, where it's safe!" Donald exploded.

"Oh, like you've never disobeyed an order from him," Aurora countered.

Goofy and Sora looked at the duck, who crossed his arms and looked away, looking high and mighty. "Never!" he said. Sora and Goofy looked at each other and snickered.

"What about the first time we were here, in this very world?" Sora asked innocently.

"Sora!" Donald yelled, jumping up and down.

"See?" Aurora said with a grin, motioning to Sora. Her face grew grim again. "But, seriously, I was attacked. I think that's evidence enough that it wasn't safe," Aurora said with a frown. Aerith nodded.

"When she arrived, she was covered in cuts," she added.

"The person who saved me sent me here," Aurora explained. Donald huffed, looking away. The black-haired girl finally spoke up again, looking at Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"That's all interesting and all, but where've you guys been all this time?" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips.

"We were sleepin'," Goofy replied.

"Where? In cold storage?" Cid asked. Aurora giggled softly.

(Something like that.) she thought, remembering those sleeping pods. The three looked away sheepishly.

"It doesn't matter," Aerith said. "This is great. Everyone's together again!"

"So, um… we're trying to find Riku and the King. Have you seen 'em?" Sora asked. Aerith, Cid, and Leon shook their heads. Aurora crossed her arms, opened her mouth, and froze.

(I'm still not entirely sure that was Riku. I mean, it felt like him… but according to Aerith, Ansem had given his heart to Darkness too. Oh, I'm so confused!)

"Right," Sora said, looking down, before Aurora could make up her mind.

"Sorry. But let us know if there's anything we can do to help, okay?" Aerith offered.

"Okay, thanks," Sora said. Cid suddenly stood, staying crouched to Sora's eye-level, as he moved forward. Sora back up in surprise.

"Don't go thankin' us just yet," he said.

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem. A big problem," Leon said. Aurora looked up at him curiously. This was the first she was hearing of it too. Sora leaned around Cid to look at Leon.

"You mean, like Nobodies? And Heartless?" he asked.

"That's right!" the girl in black said.

(Is she always so chipper? I thought Trucy was bad…) Aurora thought, smiling to herself. Sora turned to the girl.

"Sounds like you could use our help," Sora said with a grin. Aurora stepped forward.

"And mine," she said. "I've fought both before, too."

"Then let's cut to the chase," Leon said as he and Aurora moved closer to Sora. "Sora, Donald, Goofy. We were hoping you three, along with Aurora, might give us a hand around here."

Sora grinned, thumping a hand against his chest. "Like we're gonna say no?" he replied.

"Heh," Leon chuckled. "I forgot who I'm dealing with."

"Hey… what do you mean by that?" Donald demanded, while Aurora giggled, remembering some of Riku's stories about Sora.

"Just think of it as a sort of 'Leon compliment,'" Aerith said. Leon shook his head, walking over to the door and pulling it open.

"Follow me to the bailey—there's something you need to see," he said, before looking at Aurora. "You too." He turned and left.

Before anyone could move, there was a poof of smoke in front of the door, and an old man with a long beard appeared. Aurora smiled slightly, reminded of Trucy and her 'magical entrances.'

"Oh!" he said. "I thought it was you. Right on time!"

"It's Merlin!" Donald said as he, Sora, Goofy, and Aurora moved towards the door.

"Sora, the gang, and our newest member said they're gonna help out!" the black-haired girl said. Merlin glanced at Aurora, and nodded with a smile.

"Splendid! We'll count on you!" he said.

"Right!" the boys, plus Aurora, said.

"Ah, yes. Did you give them the cards, dear?" Merlin asked, looking up at Aerith.

"Oh!" she gasped, before pulling three cards out, handing them to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Here… they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them."

Sora inspected his for a moment, before reading it. "'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member!'"

"Membership cards!" Donald said brightly. Aerith smiled, putting a hand on Aurora's shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll make you one too."

"Okay, thanks," she said with a smile. Sora, on the other hand, turned towards the door.

"Hey, thanks, Leahhh… huh?" he asked.

"Oh right! The Bailey!" Aurora gasped. "Excuse me," she said to Merlin, running out. He chuckled, stepping out of her way.

Glancing around, Aurora had to think about what a bailey was for a moment.

"The… outer wall of a castle. That's right!" she realized, taking off for the tall, long gray wall. Glancing back, she realized the others weren't with her.

(Heh. Probably still catching u—WHOA!) Aurora slid to a halt and activated her shield as a creature appeared in front of her. She instantly recognized the emblem on it. It was a Heartless, but different from the ones she's faced before.

This one was flying. It dive bombed her, and she rolled out of the way.

"Water!" she yelled. A geyser shot up, striking the Heartless's wing. The Heartless dropped, and Aurora ran forward, towards it.

"Blizzard!" she called, cloaking her shield in ice. She jumped up and rammed the shield into the Heartless, causing it to disappear.

She quickly found steps and ran up them, coming to the top of a large wall. Leon wasn't in sight, but she saw a sheltered area and took off for it, using magic and her shield to make quick work of any Heartless that appeared.

The sheltered area contained two large windows. Leon was at the furthest one, staring out it.

"About time," he said. Aurora smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. We got distracted by Merlin. I think the boys will be coming soon," she said, going over and looking out.

(Whoa… high…) she thought to herself, quickly looking away from the window.

Just then, the boys entered, walking over with sheepish smiled. Leon shook his head and turned fully to the window.

"Look at that," he said, pointing to the base of a spooky looking castle. Surrounding it, in a basin like impression in the ground was a writhing, pulsing mass of darkness. Aurora shivered at that, while Sora gasped.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be," Leon said. "Who knows – maybe even something better. There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything—except for that," he moved his hand to point at something else, drawing the attention of the other four. "And that."

Aurora's acrophobia was forgotten when she looked down and saw two Dusks moving quickly along a path.

Sora stepped back and turned to Leon, putting a fist to his chest. "We'll handle 'em," he said.

"And they'll have my help!" Aurora added.

"Well, that's good to hear," Leon said. "So Sora – do you know what's going on, then?" Leon asked. Aurora turned to him as well, wondering if he could answer any questions she might have.

"There's this guy, Pete, who's been going around plotting with the Heartless," Sora began. "But he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes."

(Wow. Harsh.)

"The ones we need to worry about are the Nobodies," Sora said.

"And those Organization XIII guys in charge, too!" Goofy added.

"You called?" a dark voice said. Aurora shuddered. She didn't recognize the voice, but waves of cold suddenly enveloped her. The group quickly looked around, searching for the source of the voice, before leaving the sheltered area.

"You're doing well," another voice said. Aurora shuddered. This one, she did recognize.

(Saïx!) she thought in horror, activating her shield.

"Who's that!?" Sora demanded, summoning his Keyblade.

"This calls for a celebration…" a third voice said.

Suddenly, Dusks appeared down one path. Donald and Goofy immediately went after them.

Sora and Aurora went to follow, when two more appeared between them and the entrance to the sheltered area of the Bailey. Leon planted himself between them and the entrance, but he couldn't hold it his own. Sora and Aurora went after them as they slid past Leon, towards the gate that led back into town. Leon himself ran over and pulled the gate shut.

Almost immediately, the Town Defense System activated. Sora and Leon went on the offense, assisted by the Defense System, and attacked the Nobodies. Aurora ran over to the gates, planting herself in between them and the Nobodies. Whenever one went to attack her or the gates, she would cast Reflect, then shove them back.

It was easy enough, at first, when it was just the Dusks. Soon, however, new kinds appeared. Creepers that transformed into swinging spears, and Samurai. Both managed to get a hit in here and there past Aurora's defense, especially the Samurai. Sora began to throw in Blizzard spells with his physical attacks, trying to get rid of them faster, while Leon ran over to help Aurora with protecting the gates.

Finally, they were all defeated. Aurora leaned back against the wall, panting, when the first voice began to speak again.

"The Keyblade… a truly marvelous weapon."

Sora and Aurora glanced at each other, before running out of the sheltered area again, searching for the source once more.

"Were it only in more… capable hands."

Laughter met those words. Aurora's skin crawled when she recognized Edym's fake laughter among it.

"Show yourselves!" Sora yelled.

On the highest part of the castle wall, a portal appeared. From it stepped a man in a black cloak. As his portal faded, he held up his arms. Five more portals appeared, with more black cloaked figures stepping from them.

"O-Organzation XIII," Aurora gasped as Donald and Goofy ran up behind her and Sora. Sora turned and looked at those three.

Aurora, realizing what the look meant, nodded along with Donald and Goofy, determination replacing fear on her face.

"Good. Now we can settle this!" Sora announced, pumping his fist.

"What a shame…" The voice came from the first figure, and it matched the first voice they'd heard. "And here I thought we could be friends."

More laughter met his words as dark portals appeared around all six, causing them to vanish.

"Hold it!" Aurora yelled, pointing at them. It did no good. So, she turned and ran down the path, Sora and the others on her heels. Before they made it too far, another Dark Portal appeared, this time directly in front of Aurora, causing her to skit to a stop.

From it stepped one of the cloaked figures.

Donald looked between where he had just been, back to him, and brandished his stave. "What's the big idea!?" he demanded.

"Oopsy-daisy!" he said. Aurora gasped, dropping into her fighting stance.

"You!"

The figure quickly looked over at her, before dropping one of his hands, subtly blocking his most sensitive area.

"Move!" Sora demanded.

"Now do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" the figure asked.

"You haven't been too polite," Aurora snapped. "Now, get outta the way!"

"As if! You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing."

Aurora jumped back, joining Sora and others as they dropped into their own fighting stances.

"Then we're gonna make you move!" Donald said.

"See, that would work—if I were just any old dude," the man said, seeming to relax now that Aurora wasn't in kicking distance. "'cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing 'any old' about me."

"Ha!" Sora said mockingly. "Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did the fighting!"

(Careful, Sora. He's more powerful then you realize) Aurora thought, though she narrowed her eyes challengingly at the man.

"Oh, dear," the man said mockingly. "I think you got the wrong impression."

"You gonna cry?" Sora mocked.

"As if! Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?" the man offered. Aurora winced slightly, knowing the man was talking to Roxas at that point.

"Remind me?" Sora asked, all traces of the mocking tone replaced with confusion. It only stayed for a moment before he growled, getting focused once more.

Aurora glanced back at him, and was shocked by the similarity between his and Roxas's angry face. She wasn't the only one.

The man laughed. "That's right, he used to give me that same exact look."

"I guess you think you can psych me out by saying really random stuff!" Sora snapped.

"Gee… I just don't know," he said, before getting into a ready stance himself. Aurora convulsively flexed her left hand, preparing herself for an attack.

Suddenly, the man dropped his arms, almost like all the tension was suddenly drained out of him. Instead, he waved at Sora and Aurora. "Be a good boy now! And I'll be seeing you soon, Aurora," he said, before vanishing through a dark portal.

"Wait!" Donald yelled, rushing forward. He dove towards the portal, but it vanished before he got close, and he landed on his face instead. "Nuts! He got away!" Donald said as he pushed himself up. The others stood straight from their fighting stances.

"That was weird. Who gave him the same look?"

"Y'know, I think he was just tryin' to confuse ya," Goofy said.

"Yeah, you're right. Only one me!" Sora said with a grin. Aurora winced slightly again. Sora reached into his pocket for a moment, before pulling out his card. "The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honarary Member—" Sora began, before cutting off as the card began to glow, dropping it. But… rather then falling, the card began to float higher, the light growing brighter. The tip of Sora's Keyblade began to glow.

"Huh?" he asked, before looking back up at the card.

"What's this?" Leon asked.

"Gawrsh, ya think…" Goofy started. Sora glanced at him, before holding the Keyblade in front of him, pointing it down, experimentally.

The card rose higher into the air, glowing brighter. The light around the Keyblade tip grew, a fierce wind whipping around Sora and pulling at his hair and jacket.

A crown, much like Sora's pendant, suddenly appeared on the ground, made of light, with Sora standing in the middle. The others jumped away from it, not knowing if it was safe to stand one. The light making up the crown suddenly shot up, surrounding Sora, and making him vanish from sight for a moment, while the light swirled around him.

"Wha…?" Aurora gasped, wondering what was happening.

When the light faded, Sora was holding his Keyblade in the air, as though he was pointing it at something.

"Ohh… now I get it," he said, almost to himself as he lowered his Keyblade, studying it. "That must've been the gate Yen Sid talked about," he said, looking at Donald and Goofy. Their confused looks morphed into understanding, and they nodded.

Then a thought struck Sora. He turned and looked over at Aurora. "That guy earlier. Why did it seem like he knew you?" he asked. Aurora de-activated her shield, and crossed her arms with a sigh.

"The people who kidnapped me, and took me from my world… was Organization XIII. I'm not a Nobody, promise!" she added when those three looked at her suspiciously.

"Okay…" Sora said. "Then what did they want with you?"

"I have the ability to sense the balance of light and dark in a person's heart. They wanted me to use that ability to find..." Aurora hesitated for a moment. "…something. That doesn't matter though. I got away, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"We'll do everything we can to help with that!" Sora said with a grin.

"I know. Thanks," Aurora said with a smile. Sora nodded, then turned to Leon with a fresh sense of urgency.

"Sorry to run, Leon, but other worlds are calling," he said. Leon nodded.

"Organization XIII…" He crossed his arms with a worried expression. "They look tough. Be careful out there."

"And don't worry about here. I'll stay and help the Restoration Committee out," Aurora said with a smile, walking over and standing next to Leon. "After an introduction like that…" she glanced at the upper wall, "well. It's not going to be easy."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all nodded with a grin. "See you soon," Sora said. Leon nodded with a wave as the three ran off. Aurora sighed softly, before realizing something.

"Sora! Wait!" she called, running after them. Those three stopped and turned.

"Aurora? What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're going after the Organization, right? There's… there's a favor I have to ask of you."

"Yeah?" Sora asked.

"One member… Number IX, Demyx… he's not like the others. I don't know why he joined them, but… he's not evil," she insisted. Sora, Donald, and Goofy glanced at each other.

"Aurora, I know they kidnapped you, but I doubt you talked to every one of them. How…?" he asked, trailing off. Aurora sighed.

"He's my older brother. He disappeared five—well, I guess six—years ago now. He didn't even know they had kidnapped me until he bought me food one day. Sora, what I'm asking… is that you save him. Please."

"Uh… I'll try," Sora said, rubbing the back of his head, remembering what Yen Sid had told him. Aurora gave him a sad smile.

"I guess that's all I can ask for," she said, before turning and walking back to Merlin's house.

…

Twenty minutes later, on the Gummi Ship, Sora realized something.

"ARGH!" he groaned. "We never asked Aurora about that locket!"

"Sora, focus!"

"Gawrsh, fellas! Look out for that asteroid!"

…

A/N: And the end of this chapter! I couldn't help it with Xigbar's reaction to Aurora. Hehe…