All living things have hearts, and all hearts hold darkness deep within.

Worlds are no exception.

If a world is a being, the heart it holds must be colossal…

and the darkness at its core must be monstrous indeed.

Secret Ansem's Report III

Twilight Town
DiZ's Study

Day 37

"What did you do?" DiZ's voice bellowed out as they reeled their arm back out of the crevice of darkness and dragged Kuro out of the currently collapsing City of the Bells and back into their study. The silver haired boy crashed against the floor with a sudden and stumbling 'thud', shoulders gliding across the metal panels along the floor and his eyes focusing onto the now dissipating Corridor of Darkness. The images of the crumbling city and the innocent civilians being devoured by Heartless are still fresh in his mind. He could still hear the screaming of the people, smell the burning of the wood, and feel the pressure building up in his chest. He had brought that city to ruin, and he couldn't leave them to perish. He had to help.

If that Corridor closes, Quasimodo and Esmerelda and Phoebus will be trapped in the world as it falls apart. Damned to have their hearts devoured. He had to save them. "The world is collapsing and you've been there for only two days!"

Kuro jumps to his feet, and misses the corridor by moments. The shadows sift through his fingers as he paws at the darkness. He swipes at it with open palms and tears swelling in his eyes. It was hopeless now, he couldn't go back. He had killed Phoebus, and Esmerelda. His heart fell into the pit of his stomach, knowing Quasimodo's light would make him a priority target for the Heartless.

With a few wide and loose swings, he furls his hands into fists and begins punching at the nothing in front of him. Venting out his frustration by boxing shadows in the dark. Wishing he could tear through all those in his way to get to his friend. His friend who undeservedly was being eaten alive as Kuro couldn't get a way back. His throat rolling out a roar of fury as he clutches his hands so tightly, his nails begin to groove into his palm. DiZ watched with a rising worry, the frenzied swings coming out faster and faster, until it was just a dark blurs and unbridled punches at nothing.

"Send! Me! Back! Send me back now!" Kuro shouts, turning his attention towards DiZ and rushing to bump chests with the much older man. Nearly knocking the older man off of his feet. His nostrils flaring and his vicious amber eyes cutting into DiZ's cool and collected golds. That stare of the Heartless looked rabid, and frantic. "They're going to die out there without me!"

"And whose fault is that, young man? Tell me! What did you do?" DiZ inquired with a harsh tone, their eye meeting Kuro's as they stood tall and without backing down. He had imagined Kuro to fall in light, and apologize. And when he didn't, those fists poised and those eyes of his honed down to needlepoints, DiZ felt a chill in the air. This hyper-aggression that Kuro was demonstrating was unlike any other way he's acted before going to that world. Something drastic must have happened. It must have happened before it fell. He glances over the younger man, before his voice falls to a soft muttering. He had to collect himself. If he matched Kuro's energy, there wasn't going to be any resolution and could lead to violence. "Alright, alright. Let's take a breath…What happened, son?"

"DiZ…" Kuro grumbled before his voice broke, his eyes widening and his hands beginning to shake. He took in a sharp breath, and breathed it out the same. Images of fire raced through his mind. His hands clammy under his wraps and he began to rub against his pants. That's when he felt the twinge in his chest, and the phantom smell of fresh blood in the air. The look on the trio's faces when he finished carving out Frollo's chest with his blade etching into his mind. That chill he felt in his spine when he realized he was ready to fight Phoebus to avoid being tried for the killing of the Judge. Regardless… Kuro was determined to set things right. "I need to go back there. I need to save my friends. I have to make this right."

DiZ could hear the desperation in his voice, he could hear the concern and the sorrow that burrowed itself into his mind. DiZ let his jaw clench, his eye shutting for a moment as he took in a single breath. Contemplating what to do next. While he could let the Heartless return to the actively dying planet, his odds of success were dwindling literally every second that they were discussing what to do. DiZ's mission would be forced to rely on Riku and Sora in the meantime, who were both in the clutches of the Organization and stuck in Castle Oblivion with no sign on how that was going. Until they were free… Kuro was his best shot at revenge.

"I cannot let him kill himself before he has a chance to destroy the Organization… He cannot go back there. Not while it's crumbling and on the brink of destruction." DiZ's mind stumbled over the idea of his weapon being destroyed before he could properly temper the steel and give it a solid swing. No… No, DiZ couldn't have Kuro think he had a chance to save those people. Because he would try at the end of the day, and DiZ knew it.

"Kuro… Tell me what happened there…" DiZ said gently, before he diverted his attention to the computer screen. He then got an idea. A wicked, simple idea. DiZ walked over towards the computer monitor, his arms unfolding and resting at his sides as he approached the chair. "And come see what happened as a result."

"I was fighting this massive Heartless, and I accidentally broke the Cornerstone while trying to kill it. The bourdon bell, the big bell. I broke the damn thing and it… it caused such destruction. It was… it was terrifying." Kuro stated as he quickly joined DiZ's side, focusing all his attention on the computer screen. The tremors that etched out to his hands caused his whole hand to vibrate and shake the head of the chair. His breathing alternated rapidly between deep chested shuddering sighs and rapid shallow breaths. His throat constricted with every intake of breath and he held the chair and pressed his hand against the wall to keep his buckling knees from giving out from beneath him. Kuro stared at the screen, ready to listen to DiZ. "Please… Please tell me there's time… I think I can save them. I know I can save them. I just need… DiZ? Please?"

DiZ typed along the screens and in the corner of the screen where Kuro wasn't focused on, he wrote a short formula to punctuate the point further. The pleading in the Heartless' voice almost sounded genuine to the old man. But… No, DiZ thought harshly. No, there wasn't going to be time for Kuro to save them. At least, he would let Kuro think it would not be enough time.

"The Cornerstone that you broke had awoken the dormant darkness in the world, a darkness that resides in every world, and allowed the Heartless within to overwhelm the planet which in turn had led to its destruction…" DiZ showed the world in the center of the screen. He focused his attention on the computer, not trying to see the face of the Heartless as he pressed the 'enter' key and allowed his formula to play out. This was all for the greater good.

The damage the Organization has done to the realm, done to the hearts of many, have done to him. If this world had to fall to the dark to save countless others and to make the Organization pay… Kuro would have to shoulder that blame for both of them. DiZ thought, with an unburdened rise of his shoulders.

La Cité des Cloches then fades from existence as the keystroke is hit. Disappearing in a slow and measured fade. Its coordinates, atmosphere levels and even its gauges for temperature, time of day and land mass to water ratio being dropped to a bone chill '0' or measures written as, 'indeterminate'. The icon for the world was deleted from the screen. Leaving its wake an empty vacuum of space. DiZ heard Kuro's breathing stop, his hands ceased their trembling, and he gazed with a voided expression on his face. His breath stuck in his chest and his legs began to tremble. DiZ continues with a sure expression and a flat tone. "That is how the world ends. Returned to the dark from whence it came. That Cornerstone crumbling ended up destroying the world, Kuro. There's no easy way to share that. Suns set. Stars fade. Trees are felled. Worlds die. Tis the nature of things."

Kuro's eyes rested on the screen, his hands slipping off of the chair and the Heartless' knees giving out from under him. He collapsed against the floor and stared into the steel wall in front of him. His body shudders as he feels bile rise up in his throat. He raked his fingers through his hair, his bloodshot eyes draining unfelt tears as he slumped in his seat. His heart beats heavy in his ears as though it were a drum being hammered by its mallet, his teeth chattering as chills run down his spine and across shoulders. The feeling is lost in his legs as though he is being pierced with many tiny needles.

An entire world's culture and people, drowned in the dark caused by his action. Caused by his decision. Kuro's eyes glanced to his wrapped hands, seeing the twitching fingers begin to get hazy and his vision doubled. His brain got foggy and his mouth got suddenly dry.

"I destroyed that world…" Kuro murmured with a heartbreaking voice crack, his voice getting hoarse as he struggled to keep his composure. All those innocent people. All those women. He squinted as he felt his tears strike his eyes and begin to sting. All the children… "I killed them… all of them. It's my fault. It's all my fault."

"Kuro…" DiZ swiveled in his chair, turning towards the Heartless. He reached over and grabbed the Heartless by the shoulder, turning the younger man towards him with a stern stare in his eye. The tears stained on his cheeks glistened in the light of the computer screen. His bloodshot eyes filled with gloom and shattered hope. DiZ tightened his hold of the boy, his voice lowering to a gentle tone as he continued to speak. DiZ felt his heart ache at the thought of what he was about to say. But when comparing the Hell he had endured to get where he was, he was not going to lose out on his chance to make the Organization suffer on account of the Heartless growing a conscience. That needed to be squashed immediately. "Kuro. Listen to me. You are a Heartless. You should not be bound by the laws of those with hearts. You're not supposed to be here. But neither should the Organization be here. You and the Organization shouldn't care about people like me. Like your friends on that dead planet, they shouldn't be a factor in your life or your choices. But this is what separates you from them. That voice in your head?"

DiZ raises his free hand and taps it against Kuro's temple. Emphasizing the point home. Those orange eyes of his staring at DiZ with every ounce of attention that the Heartless could give the older man.

"The little voice?" Kuro's voice sounded so soft, so tiny. Barely registering to DiZ's ears and just loud enough to be heard over the hum of the computer screen. "The one in my head?"

He was desperately looking for answers and for guidance. Which worked perfect for DiZ.

"That little voice that feels guilty? Harboring the pain of the destruction of that world? Use it. You cannot let them die in vain, Kuro. Because if you fail, they would have died for nothing. You would have killed them for nothing. You have a responsibility now." DiZ pats Kuro on the shoulder and lets the Heartless feel the warmth of his hand.

"My responsibility?" The Heartless whimpered as he made a passing glance at the computer screen. DiZ doesn't allow it, taking his hand and taking it to Kuro's cheek, forcing him to look into the eye of the bandaged man.

"Yes. Kuro. A responsibility… Because when you have defeated the Organization? When the day comes and you end their unnatural lives? That is when you'll feel that guilt be erased. Be lifted from your shoulders." DiZ takes his hands off of his shoulders and offers a fatherly smile towards the Heartless. One beaming with pride. "You'll do right by those people whose world is destroyed. And it'll be for all the better, for all of us."

DiZ explained with what felt like true sincerity and earnestness to the Heartless, nodding his head with as much ingenuity as his body could muster. He could not let Kuro be defeated now. Not when he was setting the pieces to be ready for their first plan of attack.

"Believe me. Once the Organization is gone, it'll be better. You'll find it easier to rest once your mission is complete." DiZ clarified, giving the young man a squeeze of his shoulder and an assuring nod. "Just remember, you must make their lives mean something."

Kuro's eyes scanned over the older man, taking in his words and keeping them in his thoughts before he took in a heavy breath. With a few measured breaths, he slowly rose to his feet. He cast a glance over at Dusk, whose head cocked to the side and stared at Kuro inquisitively.

"Are you ok, Kuro?" Dusk asked softly, their paws clawing over one another nervously. The small Shadow could feel the pain and sorrow radiating off of Kuro. It smelt like heavy rainfall, wet dirt, and dense underbrush. It irked the Shadow Heartless, this feeling of sadness.

Kuro nodded back, wiping his sleeve against his face and shaking out his shoulders. Trying to roll out the tension and the soreness out of his body. He needed time. He needed space.

"DiZ…" Kuro mumbled, before turning his attention back to the red bandaged man. His jaw unclenched and his hands flexing in and out. "I would like to go to Traverse Town now… I need some time to think."

DiZ contemplated refusing the Heartless his request, keeping him as an unwilling guest until he was ready to return to the field. If it took days, weeks, even months to get his mind right and get him focused on brutalizing his enemies.

However, with his current defeatist mindset, having a new and trusted ally turn into a frigid warden would probably either plummet him further into his depression or instantly spark his rage and lead the Heartless to begin carving him into blood drenched ribbons.

Neither of which was ideal to the old scientist. DiZ simply nodded and with a flick of his wrist, summoned a corridor of darkness to return to Heartless home.

"Think about what I said…" DiZ stated only to be offered the now vacant expression that Kuro gave him before marching into the darkness with Dusk at his side. Walking back towards his stomping grounds. Leaving the one eyed man to his computer and his town bathed in Twilight. DiZ folded his arms behind his back, chin held high. He would return. Kuro would find that thread and it would take him back to the older man. He just needed to be patient. Still, DiZ offered one last piece of his mind, hoping to have it take residence in the Heartless' thoughts going forward. Maybe even motivate him to find the strength to return and continue the old man's crusade for him that much sooner. "Don't let their deaths be in vain, son. Let them mean something…"

The World that Never Was
The Computer Room

Saïx must've been staring at the screen too long. That was the only explanation for this nonsense. An entire world couldn't have just disappeared. Without cause or reason.

There was to be an uptick in the number of Heartless that had been noticed in that world. That much had made some sense. That much should have made sense.

There was an increase in Darkness since the world returned, on account of the Judge's rather deteriorating mental state that Demyx recorded began when the heart having fools begun to make fun of some hunchbacked bell ringer and the crowd apparently began to treat the man as a spectacle and a toy for their amusement. That kind of negativity would have been a rousing call for the Heartless to take foothold and begin their harvesting of hearts.

Xion's report, on the other hand, was very orderly and dry compared to the musicians' rather short but robust affair. Although, her report had been referring to similar incidents as seen in Demyx's own file.

Albeit, replacing the word 'Hunchback' with the local's actual name and referring to the incident as a very traumatic event to witness. Indicative of the newer Nobody's lack of observation of the general heart having behavior. Xion and Demyx were then sent the following day to deal with the Heartless that would surely spawn after such an event. They were sent earlier this morning to deal with the situation and come back with a report stating the Heartless was killed and everything went fine.

Then lo and behold, the world crumbles in chaos shortly after. Overran by hordes of Heartless. Barely a month after it gets reconstructed from the depths of the ether thanks to the dutiful due diligence of the Keyblade Wielder, Sora, and the king's lackeys. So, what exactly happened in that City of the Bells to cause it to disintegrate so quickly? What brought it to ruin so quickly?

Saïx, as much as he hated to admit it, wished Vexen was here to explain the phenomenon in more intricate detail. With him at the keyboard under his fingertips, he would have had not only the inciting incident recorded on some sort of camera, but know the exact second it started going to Hell and narrow it down to the individual responsible. All with that pompous grin and that arrogant attitude.

But, alas. He was currently in Castle Oblivion, tinkering with replicas like that silver haired boy who reminded Saïx of himself in a way. So devoted to his friends, he would do anything for them. Even at the cost of his own sanity.

Damn that Vexen, grinning with that unpleasant vile smile of his. Showing off his wide teeth with that cringe, intimidating glare. A slamming of fists to the keyboard shut down the machine, and he needed answers. Fortunate for him and not so fortunate for them, the two had recently returned from their mission, and there needed to be a debriefing.

Saïx marched away from the computer in a rage, and carried himself to the Grey Area with his hands pulled into tight fists. Turning the corner and seeing the two members talking amongst themselves in the area. Speaking in hushed tones and apparently coming up with a game plan on how to approach Saïx.

Demyx's voice was at a low shout, trying too hard to make his voice sound imposing and frustrated while not raising it above a whisper to keep people from hearing them, with Xion's hooded face staring blankly at him without a response. Seemingly unaffected.

Saïx charged into the room without warning, quickly grabbing Demyx and Xion by their throats and dragging them towards the window wall that overlooked the City that Never Was. Demyx's heels dragged against the floors while Xion was carried by the neck and was suspended over the floor.

"Hey, Saïx! How funny! I was just looking-" Demyx could barely get a word out before being slammed hard against the glass with Xion pressed beside him. Shoulder to shoulder as they were held to the window. Saïx's faded and healed X scar across his face had begun to pulse and bleed out, his eyes beginning to shine with a spine chilling glow as he tightens his hold of the two's necks and flashes his frenzied expression. Demyx's blood ran cold, and he felt true fear chill his spine and cease his thoughts for a moment. He didn't know if he was ever going to die, but he had hoped it would be before seeing a frenzied Saïx again.

"What! Happened!" His voice bellowed out in a world trembling roar, the pressure he was putting on the glass making it vibrate in its sill, Demyx's hands pawing at Number VII's wrists and kicking out his legs in terror. Trying desperately to break the hold to no avail. "Number Nine! Report, Now!"

"We went to check out the world and it went to Hell!" Demyx's words came out in choked out squeaks, feeling Saïx's thumb and fingers pressed under his jaw joints. The throttling with his power hand was beginning to make the Nobody lightheaded, his eyes blinking fast and his mouth agape to catch even the smallest amount of breath. His stomach rising in his throat. "Honest! Honest! We didn't expect Grandpa to summon something that'll destroy the world! That is more his fault! Old Coot didn't plan for-"

"It wasn't! The Old Man! It couldn't! Have been him! Idiot!" Saïx turned his attention to Xion, who in his perspective was just a disjointed puppet underneath her hood, with sullen painted eyes and a slack jaw. Xion, however, was struggling for air as well. Her feet dangling off of the floor as she felt his grip on her tighten. He turned his blazing eyes towards number XIV, his breathing measured but his hands trembling in a barely leashed rage. "Fourteen! Report, immediately!"

"There was a world rupturing incident-" Xion spat out before both her and Demyx were pulled from the window wall and slammed up into the glass. Their skulls rebounding off of the clear glass and their knocks echoing in the hall. Xion felt Saïx's thumb comb across her lithe neck, before applying ample pressure down on the center of her throat. As if he were trying to jam his thumb through her neck. "The Heartless crawled out of the planet's core after something happened! They tried to eat every heart they could get their hands on during the trial! We were trying to RTC when the world started falling down around us! We barely got out with our lives!"

"If you expect me to believe that they just crawled out of the World's core without explanation, you must take me for a common fool!" He growled out with his teeth gnashed together and his arms echoed out in waves as he pulsed with rage. He dropped both of them suddenly and with a harsh grunt, before summoning one of his massive claymores and crashing it into the glass behind them. Barely missing their collective necks as the weapon struck. The glass seemed to have been reinforced by something much stronger than steel, as one of the protruding spikes along the tip of the blade pierced into the glass and barely dented into it. "You two are going to be Dusk'd if you do not have a better explanation for what the Hell happened on that World! Or better yet, I will simply take those empty skulls of yours and batter them against that glass until either it breaks or your heads are crushed down into splinters!"

The impact of it rebounding through the pane of glass and making the panel vibrate from the excess power. Saïx lets go of his weapon, the blade embedded in the window as he takes two steps back and glances between the two members and shakes his head. One was still so new and working double time because of XIII's current comatose state, and the other barely worked as it is and was trembling in his boots. These two wouldn't have the first clue where to start looking if this needed investigating. For now, they were down a world and Lord Xemnas needed an explanation for when the mission report was called for. Saïx shook his head and steadied his hands. He wished Axel were here. He would know what to say. But he was in Castle Oblivion.

Saix takes a deep breath, and lets the rage simmer back to its barely bubbling level that usually was stationed at and was brought back to his tranquil, unbothered and flat affect that he typically held his face at. Those eyes of his losing their wild aura and dulling, his lips falling into his infamous scowl. He dismissed his weapon with a quick snap of his fingers, took one last disappointed aside at his two inferiors, and marched out of the Grey Area. He had to prepare himself for his mission and he didn't want to be bothered.

Demyx rubbed his aching throat, resting the back of his head against the cool glass before turning his eyes towards the similarly shaken Xion. Her small hands rubbed against her thin throat. The pressure marks from the Luna Diviner's paws were as red as any bruise she could have sustained in combat.

"Look what you did, Fourteen. Great." Demyx said with a snide expression, his eyes squinted and his tongue clicking against the back of his teeth. "You screwing up is going to cost us big time. You're gonna get us-"

"What did he mean by, 'Dusk'd'?" Xion asked, glancing over at Demyx with a frantic panic echoing in her chest. Not that Demyx would notice, considering he looked at her and saw a flat scowl on her face and her eyes hidden underneath her hood. Xion brought her knees to her chest, letting her head rest against her held together knees. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, you're new. Right. Well," Demyx shrugged with a weak grin, rubbing his forehead as the sudden loss of air gave him a headache. He felt his jaw lock as he attempted to recall the way that one got, 'Dusk'd'. "There is this process that Xemnas and Vexen have found that can render the Nobody back into its most basic form. No thoughts. No worries. Just follow orders. Those creepy willowy guys you see from time to time, those guys are what you get crunched into if you're useless and a liability."

"What do they do?" Xion whimpered with a shudder to her voice. Demyx rose to his knees, turning to the smaller Nobody and grabbing her by the tassels. Pulling her close to his face and staring into his eyes.

"I don't know and I don't wanna find out." He tightened his grip and pulled her close to him. "I will not be Dusk'd. Ok? Not for you. So, you're going to come up with a damn good reason why the world decided to implode, because if it's my ass or yours? Sorry, kid."

Demyx shoves Xion into the glass and rises to his feet. He smooths out his jacket and jabs a thumb into his chest with a crooked stare.

"It's gonna be me walking out with my mind in one piece." With that, Demyx begins to walk on back to his quarters. Xion shivers at the thought of being turned into a Dusk, losing her autonomy and becoming a mindless peon. She glances up at the glass hole just above her, racking her brain over what exactly she was going to tell Xemnas. She reached up and ran a gloved finger over the glass, and hummed anxiously.

She was alone here, with no Roxas to shoulder the burden with her. No Kuro to comfort her and be with her. She rested her forehead against the cool glass, letting her nervous breath fog up the glass. She drew a simple zigzag, before shaking her forehead into the glass. What was she going to do?

Traverse Town
District One

The corridor of Darkness opened in the center of the town and Kuro marched out with his arms held at his sides and his eyes focused on the stone floor of the district. His breathing began to even out as he felt his heels shift from metal floors to stone pavement. That all too familiar feeling under his boots.

The corridor disappeared shortly after, his hands snaking around the back of his neck and interlocking together. Kuro took in a deep breath, his chest filled with that clear night air that he began to miss. It came out in a solid breath from his mouth, letting his elbows slump and drag his fingers against his neck.

The weight of the world crumbling to his hands made his chest feel as though he had an anvil sitting on it. But he had to remember what DiZ said.

He had to remember what he told him.

"Don't let their deaths be in vain." Kuro repeated aloud, turning towards Dusk, who stood at his side with a stare. Kuro turned to his small companion, offering a weak smile before beginning to walk along. Ready to return to his new friends and hopefully begin preparing for the mission. Maybe they'll forgive him for not learning the Corridor trick. Or maybe Kuro will give it a try when Barrett decides it's time to get to work. For now, he needed to rest his mind and his body. "Let's go see the group and see-"

Then it struck him from inside his mind, piercing his skull like an arrow through the eye. Enough so that he gripped his face and felt the irritation rocket to the high heavens.

Kuro felt an immediate headache, his eyes rolling back in his head and his tongue feeling uncomfortable in his mouth. He grabbed hold of his head as he felt his neck go slack. Following his head with now stumbling feet. His heart raced in his chest and his knees once again felt weak. He fell to his knees as his throat stumbled out a noise that sounded like a cross between Dusk and 'help'. "Delp."

Kuro crashed to the floor and the lights went out.

"Kuro! Kuro!" Their tiny companion's voice echoed out in the darkness of Kuro's mind, the shade of darkness never shifting or changing, but Kuro felt as though he were reeling his shoulders back and throwing his head with it. Always on the precipice of slipping off his feet and tumbling back. But never did. There is an echoing scampering of feet, the sound of the heels soon trailing off into silence.

The sensation of falling endlessly chased him until he heard nothing but the silence.

A Dive into The Dark

The cooling sensation against his cheek was a welcomed feeling. It felt as though he were resting against a chilled pane of glass. His eyes opened, and if it weren't for the feeling of his eyelids closing, then he wouldn't have noticed the difference between the darkness of shut eyes and the unending and constant realm of darkness that surrounded him.

As he eased out a breath, he saw pour out of his mouth this dense charcoal gray fog. Which expelled out of his lips and then hovered lowly against the floor, his only indicator of any floor in this barren and lifeless world. He huffed out again, the ash colored cloud that floated along the floor of this dark place displaced by his harsh breath.

This place looked familiar, it reminded him of the same place he had gone to with Quasimodo. When he wanted to see the light that his friend harbored in his heart. And when he had discovered that faint and incandescent light, that was harbored deep in his heart.

Kuro glanced around, seeing along the distance of the room, a singular and barely lit lantern along the ground. The brass colored metal illuminated by the dying fire held within the glass prison.

Kuro rose to his feet, and felt the world roll under his steps just as before to carry him to the small glimmer of light. Kuro sighed as he approached the lantern, his eyes squinting at the flame of Humanity and let his hand hover over the grip ring that laid atop it. He went to pull it, only to find the bottom of the lantern apparently locked into the floor. Refusing to budge.

"Is this my light? This little thing?" Kuro asked the Nothing around him, waiting for an answer. Just as he suspected after a short period of time. Nothing in return. Just as he thought he would hear.

He gently pressed his hand against the metal. Feeling it creak and bend under the press of his hand. A hesitation draws over him. Does he really want to know how much darkness he harbors in his body? Does he want to know what little light he has? If there was ever a chance to see it… "Alright then. Here we go. Well… Show me my light… and show me my darkness."

Kuro slams his hand hard against the floor, crushing the lantern into pieces of broken glass, dusted particles and crumpled metal underneath his strength. Kuro takes a few steps back to watch the spectacle, as the once flickering and dim flame of the glass bursts with a disorientating shine and a nauseating brightness.

The sudden charge of light blasting him back and causing him to grunt out of surprise.

Kuro stumbles back before tripping over his two feet and crashing into the dense clouds that gathered at his feet. It did nothing to cushion his fall. It felt as though he landed on hollow floorboards.

The knocking of his body hitting the ground and echoing for miles.

Kuro glances around and sees the fog that gathered against the floor begin to spread out and wander aimlessly across the landscape. Covering every perceivable step of the floor he could take in its shadowy clouds. It ran for what Kuro would have to guess was miles. The motion of the clouds spreading like seafoam brushed forward by a single ocean wave, except the momentum never stopped or eased. The wave carried endlessly into the midnight horizon.

But that light, that small glimmer of light that was no bigger than a candle's wick flame, had just erupted like a volcano into a single radiant beam that shot into the sky above. Fighting against the dark heavens without impediment in its seemingly unending ray of pure radiance. A light so bright, it nearly beat out the encroaching fog of the dark. This pale aura surrounding the pillar of shine and fighting back the fog effortlessly.

The base of the pillar breaking away the dark just enough to reveal this pane of clear glass hidden beneath the fog and the pitch. It's in the light that he sees the seashore of his dream and a rising sun, passing by the face of the pillar as a cloud effortlessly glides over the blue sky.

He heard an all too familiar laugh in the distance, muffled by the surface on the glass. Just as each giggle is heard, a pulsing ring of light shoots through the beam. He had to get closer, he had to see it for himself.

Kuro took a single step forward towards the intense ivory streak. Trying to inspect it and wondering why it is so powerful.

He felt the searing sting of the light against his skin, forcing him to backpedal away from the intensity of the heat. He stared at the seemingly daunting and forever towering pillar of purity.

He felt his jaw clench, as he pressed his hand firmly against his chest and felt the rhythmic beating of his strong heart. It thumps heavily against his hand. Then, in the dark he hears it.

The Love of Friendship. Companionship. Brotherhood.

Kuro sees in the pillar of light images of Dusk, with their bright yellow eyes shining bright against the light. An image of them dancing together to the gramophone.

Xion, with her ebony hair and her darling blue eyes. There he hears her laughter mixed with his as they share a meal besides the fire.

Arthur, with his blonde hair and whimsical smile. He sees himself adjusting the crown and handing him back his fabled blade.

And yes, even Quasimodo, whose blue eyes and charming smile breaks against the shimmering light of the pillar. He sees himself laughing with him against the starlight and convincing him to help Esmerelda with a stern look and unspoken insistence.

As the images pass, the light hums and echoes out a harsh ringing sound. Each image shooting up through the pillar as a round exits a firearm. As it hits the imperceivable ceiling, it hammers against the darkness. Kuro glances at his hands, then to the pillar of light. He takes a step forward, the sting of its heat was present, not nearly as intense. Still too hot for him to approach. Kuro, seeing visions of his friends in the pillar of light, closes his eyes and throws his head back and lets the abyss swallow him again.

Back into the dark, it was time to get back to work. And maybe the light won't be so damning the next time he visits this bleak place.

Traverse Town

'Kuro's House'

"Is he awake?" "I'm not sure." "He's been mumbling nonsense for a minute now." "Maybe he's just exhausted from the travels, poor baby." "He's been gone for like a week! Who knows where he's been? Maybe he got into a scrap and is down for the count?" "He's been asleep for now hours! What if he doesn't wake up." "Oh, no. He's waking up. Get a potion ready, let's wake his ass up-"

Kuro's eyes ease open, his hands moving to rest on his aching skull as he feels this hammering from the inside of his head. He rises from his resting position, his shoulders tight and his neck sore.

"Goddamn it." Kuro's voice rolled out with a hesitant groan. He props himself up onto his elbow and blinks away the haze and the disorientation. There he is met with a pair of chocolate eyes and a beaming smile. "Ah!"

"Morning, Sunset." Jessie's voice is low and tender, her hand reaching out to rest along his forehead. She crooks her head to the side and smirks as he is stilled like a deer in a pair of headlights. Kuro's head was frozen and his eyes glanced around the room. "You don't seem to have a fever. And you look pretty wiry right now. Are you feeling ok?"

It was the small house that Kairi shared a dinner with him in and where he had roosted with Dusk for the last month or so. It had been untouched since he had left, and as such had been littered with cans and bottles, and the smell was horrendous. Kuro cringed with a gnashing of the teeth and a crinkle of the nose. He cleared his throat, and pulled away from her. He didn't want her in here any longer than necessary.

"Fine. I'm ok." He grumbled as he rubbed a hand over his chin and eased the anxiety out by letting out a deep chested sigh. "How's it been here?"

"Oh, oodles of fun." She rolled her eyes as she rose out of the bed and walked over towards the door. She glanced at the stacks of books and discarded sheets of paper that littered the floors, taking note to avoid them as she sauntered. "If you don't mind, I've been keeping watch over you for a while now and I need to stretch my legs. Barret would like to see you ASAP. See you at the café!"

"Got it." Kuro glanced down and noticed he was without a shirt. He ran his hands over his bare chest and crossed his legs over one another. "Where are my-"

"I didn't want you to be uncomfy. So, I changed you out of that jacket and shirt." She shrugged, before shooting him a wink. She giggled as she did so. "They're on the back of the chair. See you soon, darlin'."

She shut the door behind her and left Kuro alone. He glanced at the table and saw his crimson leather on the back of the chair and his black compression shirt and hoodie folded over it. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and got up into his feet. A hand moving to rub his aching head.

"What was that thing? That pillar of light?" Kuro's thoughts bounced around in his head as he walked over, grabbed the shirt and pulled it over top of him.

"Was that my light? The light that Dusk sniffed out so long ago? So powerful against the dark…" His hands smoothing out the fabric as he nulls over the images of the beach and the sand. His hand moves to smooth out the bunches of cloth around his chest. Only to linger to rest over his beating heart. His eyes squinted as he recalled the laughter in the light. That all too familiar laughter.

"Maybe that is where he is from? The sand and the water from my dreams, that's his home." Kuro whispered as he grabbed the jacket and quickly adorned it. Tugging on the lapel and shifting his shoulders. His thumbs brushing along the rivets and the buttons. His eyes danced along the wall, imagining a sandy shore and the cloudless blue skies above. "The sand and the shoreline… and her laughter. It sounded like- Kairi!"

Kuro's hands grabbed the back of the chair and gripped it tightly. His eyes staring into the table, a flicked image of Kairi popping into his mind. Her auburn hair and sweet smile in his mind. He rocks the chair in surprise, eyes going wide and his lips pulled into a bright smile. "That was Kairi's island! His island! My island! Maybe I'm from that place too, those islands. What's it called? What are they called?"

Kuro taps his closed fist against his forehead until he can't recall anything else. Just those sands and her laughter. He waves it off, shoving the chair into the table and walking towards the front door. A low, irritated growl erupts out of him.

"Damn it. A different question for a different day, I guess." Kuro muttered to himself as he threw open the door. He walks out into the Third District and lets the door slam behind him. He quickly moves down the steps and enters the open courtyard, where he has shared several different skirmishes over the last few weeks. His most recent one with Barret, which left the area looking like a battered warzone. With shell casings littering the floor and bullet holes engraved in almost every surface of every wall and patch of floor. As he rounded the corner on the landing, Jessie heard him coming and glanced over at him. She was crouched on the floor, a few empty shell casings in her hand. Her eyes saw him standing tall and ready to get to work with a quick smile on her face.

"You gave us quite the scare, Kuro." She said with a nudge of the chin, her hand rotating and dropping the brass onto the floor and letting them ring out. She got up, wiping the powder against her canvas pants as she approached the door leading to District One. Shimmying between the two wide open gates and continuing her strut. "Just collapsing like that. Don't be doing that when we hit Midgar! Can't have me worried sick like that again."

"I won't." Kuro smirked, with a quick headshake. He followed behind her, his hands retracting to his jacket pockets. "So, what's the plan with Midgar?"

"Well!" Jessie turned around, walking backwards while keeping her eyes on Kuro. "The plan is that we need to scramble SHINRA forces and keep them preoccupied while we make our extraction. So, we are going to be blowing up one of their Mako Reactors to buy us some breathing room. That'll hopefully disorientate them enough for us to get Briggs and Wedge off the planet and back here to Traverse Town."

"Blow a reactor?" Kuro's eyes squinted, his stare meeting hers as he sees her lips curled into a priceless grin. He shrugs, following her to the Café. "How are we going to do that?"

"I've been tinkering with a few things here and there while you were gone. Fashioned us an explosive. Chain reactions and all that fun stuff! It'll be a piece of cake!" Jessie noted, as the two of them walked across the First District and entered the new headquarters for Avalanche. As the doors are pushed open, a series of eyes darted to them.

Rinoa, Dusk and Angelo were sitting along the bar and Barret was standing besides the war-table. Schematics spread out across the wood and his eyes now focused on Kuro.

"You rested?" Barret asked, walking over and knocking a closed fist into Kuro's shoulder. Kuro didn't flinch, or move from the knock, and let out a steady breath as he nodded towards Barret. His orange eyes shifted from the floor then back up to the Avalanche leader. "Good. Now, take us to Midgar."

"Just need… to try. I need some-" Kuro noted with a flex of his hands and was handed several small items and a map of the coordinates of the world without warning. Along with a few pictures to give him an idea of where to land. There was a picture of a train station, a postcard with the name, 'Section Seven' written across the top, and an employee badge number and the logo of the SHINRA corporation. Kuro turned towards Dusk, who was sitting besides Rinoa and her dog. Kuro opened my mouth, only to be interrupted when he saw Barret shook his head, before nodding towards the small Heartless.

"We don't need to put that little thing in danger and freak everyone else out. It stays." Barret stated, seeing Dusk nod their head and comb over their knuckles.

"It's a world full of people, Kuro. I can't risk your life because I look like me. I'll be safer here." Dusk said, with their voice a low mutter as they focused their golden eyes on Kuro. Kuro nodded, staring at the coordinates and the photographs and focusing his mind on the destination. He took a deep breath and settled his thoughts.

"Are you ready, boy?" Barret inquired, raising his chin and nudging it towards the Heartless. Kuro stared at his palm, before giving an assuring nod and straightening his stance. He focused his energy, drawing out the location in his mind as best he could. He imagined streetlights, towering buildings, soldiers clad in armor and wielding guns. He took a deep breath and smelled the musk of industry, of gunpowder and oil.

His fingertips felt a tender tingle, as though he combed his fingers through freezing water, carving out a path to the world and arising out of the floors of the coffee shop was a black void. The Heartless' hand trembled, his mouth became dry and his chest constricted. The amount of power needed to carve open that corridor definitely took something out of Kuro. He nearly fell to his knees, catching himself and balling his hands against his thighs.

Kuro felt his throat constrict as he stared into the depths, and his back straightened as he focused his power to take them to Midgar. He pulled his hands into tight fists and eased his breathing. He thought briefly of Quasimodo, Esmerelda and even Phoebus. He needed to make sure that they wouldn't have died in vain. That their deaths meant something, even if this excursion helped different people in ways that could've saved their own world. Kuro assured himself he would make it right, he would break even. He needed to make it right. Starting with helping these people save their planet.

He turned to Dusk and Rinoa, offering a quick smirk. He nodded towards the Shadow, before turning his attention back to the void. Ready to start the mission. He just hoped he picked the right location.

"Be back soon." Kuro uttered confidently before he marched through without fear. Barret followed with a tug on the bolt of his gun-arm and a wicked grin on his face. He ducked to enter the void and disappeared without a trace. Jessie formed a heart with her hands and pressed it to her chest, blowing a playful kiss to Rinoa and Dusk that was punctuated by a giggle as she too ran into the dark. A hand on her messenger bag as she also disappeared into the dark. The corridor vanished, leaving the hound, the woman, and the Shadow alone in a half destroyed Cafe.

Rinoa turned to Dusk, with a sweet smile. She raised her eyebrows towards the Shadow, with a giggle of her own.

"So, did you have fun, wherever you both went?"

To say she howled with laughter when the Shadow gave a rather unimpressed shrugged and a raise of the palms was a vast understatement. Dusk was sure the stars themselves would hear that echoing sound for years and years to come.