I'm Nobody

by free man writer

He didn't have anything when he was born. Just a name and number. But over time, what he had grew. He, with his friends began to understand that there was more to their existence then just their name and number. They will prove that they were meant to be real. To exist. To become something more than just a Nobody. Co-written and created with Jebest4781. Fem Shepard. Now on Ao3.

46. Breaking Out From the Day

I'm Nobody Chapter 46: Breaking out from the Day.

Within a hallway, a Corridor of Darkness flashed into existence, disappearing just as quickly to reveal No. II of the Organization.

Xigbar let out a small hum of nostalgia as he stood in the castle, taking a moment to himself.

It's been a while since he's been here. A long while when he thought about it. Last time he was, he and the Superior were doing some "modifications" on members III through XII, courtesy of Namine.

The Freeshooter briefly wondered where that little memory witch was right now. He was well aware that she had been taken in by the traitors and the rest of the Keyblade hero's friends but as to where…?

Xigbar shrugged, not really that concerned with her whereabouts, walking down the corridor he arrived at to the double doors at the end.

Without any prompt or knock, he pushed the doors open, the chatter he heard on the other side silencing the moment the occupants laid eyes on him.

"Xigbar?" No. VI spoke up in slight bewilderment.

"Zexion." The eyepatch-wearing Nobody casually greeted with an easygoing smirk. "And everyone else."

"What are you doing here, Xigbar?" Vexen questioned aloud from the computer screen he stood in front of.

"What, don't appreciate my company?" No. II jokingly asked.

The scarred Nobody caught sight of Lexeaus standing close by, the large Nobody opening one eye to look directly at the sharpshooter, raising a silent brow.

Xigbar threw his head back dramatically, releasing a faux-annoyed groan.

"Fine, I was just sent here to check up on all of you. Been a bit infrequent with your reports."

"Why couldn't you just Corridor in?" Larxene asked with a raised brow and sneer.

"Wanted to take a scenic route down memory lane." No. II whimsically said. "Plus, I like making an entrance."

That was a lie, but it was fun to tease the others.

"Now, you didn't respond to my earlier statement. What's going on?"

"There has been some… developments." No. X vaguely said, getting Xigbar to look at him strangely.

He rolled his wrist. "As in…"

"The traitors arrived with friends, mind you." Luxord answered airily.

The Freeshooter took a moment to process what the Gambler of Fate just told him and he had to blink several times.

"Come again? I don't think I heard you right."

"The traitors Roxas, Axel and Xion arrived earlier with the Keyblade hero and his friends along with Namine." Lexaeus spoke up. "They have been traversing through the Castle for a while now. We have been observing and collecting data from them this entire time."

"As to why they are here, we have yet to discern their motives." tacked on, a deep frown marring his features. "We have been studying them this whole time but still, our research remains inconclusive."

"Seriously?" Xigbar appeared unconvinced. "You two eggheads can't think of any reason why they'd be here? None at all?"

"We've been trying." Kirux now spoke up with a bored look.

"But we've only gotten scraps and pieces with nothing discerning as far as we know." Vexen stated frustratedly.

"No doubt Axel has been keeping a tight lid on the rest, knowing we've been watching them this whole time" Zexion deduced. "Other than myself, Axel has likely learned more or perhaps has his own tricks up his sleeves in keeping us in the dark within this castle due to the time he spent alone here. We had hoped that us keeping an eye on them would give us some clues… until recently, we can no longer see them."

Xigbar had been bobbing his head along to what No. VI had been saying until he paused upon hearing this latest tidbit.

"...Say what now?"

"Presently, they are on the floor below us." No. X revealed. "Unfortunately, our system isn't allowing us to see what's going on-"

"I'm sorry." Xigbar abruptly cut the man off. "I know I didn't hear that right just now. Did you just say you can't see a thing?"

"What, have ya gone deaf?" Larxene sarcastically said. "Notice the static on the screen, one-eye."

"I see it." No. II flatly said. "But I don't get it. How the hell did that happen?"

"That's just it." The Chilly Academic groused out. The moment they entered the memory floor, our equipment cannot see or hear anything. Nothing we've been able to do has yielded us any results or progress. It's just been one roadblock after the other."

There were a few moments of silence until…

"Did you restart-?"

"Oh for the love of-" Vexen cut Xigbar off with an irritated glare. "We are not getting back into this again!"

Off to the side, Kirux, the data clone of Riku chortled darkly to himself at his creator's reaction.

"So it didn't work." No. II surmised. "Huh, real head scratcher then."

"We have tried many different methods." The Cloaked Schemer spoke up again. "We even tried to use the Corridors to get in. To no avail."

That caught Xigbar's undivided attention.

"Seriously?" The man's usual cocky and easygoing tone dissipated slightly. "You tried to-"

"Failure, every time." No. V cut in, shaking his head.

"It's really weird." Larxene stated, making an unusual face Xigbar couldn't discern.

"This could be a defense mechanism or something along those lines stemming from the Castle itself." Vexen theorized. "We still don't know all of the Castle's secrets."

"No kidding. Such a drag." Xigbar rubs the bridge of his nose and exhales a sigh. "While we wait for 'em to come on out, fill me in on what you learned so far."

Filled him in, they did. And suffice it to say he got some knowledge of what some of the traitors have done in the other galaxy and then some. Other bits of knowledge that may or may not complicate things in the future.

However, despite it all, there was a sinking feeling as Xigbar's mind occasionally drifted to the floor below them; having him wonder what was really wrong with this one situation.

-Scene Cut-

Within the memory World of Daybreak Town, a small gathering was taking place in the computer room of the center tower that overlooked the entire town.

Screens dotted the walls, with each one having an observer or two.

Sora and Riku stood side by side, the former turning to his best friend, a silent query if he had any idea as to what they were looking at and better yet, for what purpose.

The latter said nothing, nor did he turn to him, instead holding a contemplative frown as his eyes glazed over the screens.

Donald and Goofy stood with Namine, the trio seeing flashes that displayed different parts of the town but also… other Worlds: other places they recognized but others they did not.

It was a bewildering sight.

Roxas stood next to Xion and the duo were behind Brain, the fedora-wearing Keybearer seated in front of the largest computer screen, sifting through information and data.

Axel casually rested upon the table in the center of the room, one leg propped up for him to rest his arm atop it.

Not much was going on as they were passing the time until the final arrivals showed up.

"Hey guys."

Speaking of…

Everyone turned to see Lauriam accompanied by Skuld, the pair walking into the room.

"How's it going?" The pink-haired Keyblade wielder greeted with a friendly smile.

"Nice timing." Brain spoke up from his seat, turning around in it. "I was about to ask someone to get you guys."

"Looks like we're all here but…" Skuld glanced around the room. "Where's Ephemer?"

"Taking care of something for us." Brain answered. "Don't know when he'll be back."

"Hopefully not too long." Axel murmured. "There's a lot to talk about as is."

"Skuld filled me in on the situation." Says Lauriam. "Did you figure out what was causing the glitches?"

Brain let out an audible hum, making a so-so-hand motion.

"Sort of." Brain turned to address the gathered group. "You see, before the Keyblade War, Daybreak Town was recreated as data along with all the other worlds. That's why even though the worlds were destroyed, they're still connected to Daybreak Town and we're still able to visit them- or at least their data copies."

The other occupants not native to this memory World took this in with troubled faces.

The notion of a Keyblade War was such a foreign yet terrifying thing to consider and apparently, these other Keybearers knew much about it.

"It's precisely because they're data that a connection from the real world is possible." Brain scooches his seat further into the console. "But now something else has aggressively forged a connection with this one."

"How is that possible?" Namine questioned.

"I didn't even know Worlds can do something like that." Xion murmured.

"Not the ones we know of." Axel remarked.

All Brain can do is shrug at all their comments. "It's the reason why Ephemer is not here, as he's elsewhere to resolve this issue. Hopefully, we'll see if that's where the creatures that have been popping up here are coming from and hopefully get some additional answers."

"You sure it was a good idea to just let him go off on his own then?" Sora asked with a frown.

"Ephemer is one of the best Keyblade Wielders I know." Brain said in confidence. "He'll be back before we know it."

"What about the Heartless?" Skuld spoke up. "What do you think has been guiding them here?"

"We are." Sora abruptly said, making everyone look at him. "I mean, that's what I heard. Where we're from, when I first got my Keyblade, I was told the Heartless hold great fear from the Keyblade. They're afraid of it but are still drawn to it, wanting to take out the person wielding it."

"That…" Lauriam frowned deeply, brows creasing, slightly disturbed. "Them being here is our fault?"

"Maybe, maybe it isn't." Axel now said. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"How?" Skuld asked.

"The Heartless can also be controlled." Riku answered, getting alarmed looks from Brain, Skuld and Lauriam.

"Wha-where are you people from?" The pink-haired Keybearer was unable to restrain himself.

"Somewhere not here, obviously." Axel dryly said, getting Xion to lightly slap his shoulder.

Lauriam released an annoyed huff, turning back to Brain.

"Anything else?"

"Well," Brain rubbed his chin. "We saw a glitch that looked like Master Ava and the Master of Masters here in the tower."

Skuld looked at her friend in astonishment. "Wait, you did? When?"

"Not too long ago."

"These glitches… They're showing up in town too." Lauriam stated, his expression falling slightly. "We saw one of Strelitzia."

A look was aimed towards Lauriam.

"Your sister?" Riku said for confirmation, the older brother nodding at him.

"Yeah. We came here because we thought you might be able to make some sense of it."

Brain ponders a bit at the computer. "A glitch of Master Ava and the Master of Masters. One of Lauriam's sister. We were so sure we were in the real Daybreak Town, but all signs point to this being a data world too."

"The real Daybreak Town still exists, right?"

"You're assuming the other Daybreak Town is no longer around."

"Hopefully no. But we have no way of knowing right now." Brain states. "I'm fairly confident we were in the real world until this all broke out, at least."

"But what about our new friends?" Skuld said, turning to them. "You guys say you're not from here, right? But you had to have gotten here somehow. If what Brain says is true about his World being a data one, then how'd you guys all end up here?"

"That's complicated and we don't know the answers ourselves." Axel spoke on behalf of the group. "Kinda like the situation you guys are in."

This only had the memory constructs to ponder on what's being implied.

"So we can't get back?" Skuld said, somewhat despondent. "We're stuck here?"

"We thought we had gone back, but it turns out we didn't, which means we can't go back the usual way. But if you give me more time, I might be able to figure something out." Brain said.

"Why is this happening?" Lauriam frustratedly stated.

The Fedora-wearing teen removed his signature hat from his head to scratch the top of his scalp. "If I had to guess, there's someone behind all this. That's the only thing that makes sense. I don't know why, but this data world was probably made to be cut off from the real world from the start. There might not even be a reason for it, aside from being a means to some other end."

"We escaped the war, only to find ourselves trapped in a cage?" Lauriam questions. "Irony at its best."

"It couldn't have been Master Ava. She gathered us together so she could keep light alive. She wouldn't trick us like this." Skuld emphatically said.

"At this point, we can't be sure of anything. We don't know if Master Ava knew about any of this or who's responsible for the program." Brain gets out of his seat. "In any case, like I said before, I'm going to become a virus and overwrite it."

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs."

"We'll be sure not to burn the place down while you're gone." Axel said jokingly, causing Brain to wave the man off. "Do you even have a plan?"

"Not yet." Was all Brain said before exiting the room.

As this was all going on, Axel had his Omni-tool activated but hidden behind his back. He had it connect with the central system and copy everything it possibly could.

If his suspicions were correct from what was done from the Memory Floor of Treasure Planet, he could be able to extract information from here and take it with him to be inspected later.

-Scene Cut-

She had been standing here, looking out the window for what felt like hours.

It probably was by this point but she had lost track of time and had these contradictory feelings of numbness and trepidation that occasionally made her have a cold sweat followed by a hollowness that was indescribable.

That feeling in her chest… it had yet to subside since it began the other day and she didn't understand just what it meant or what it entailed.

All she could deduce was whenever she focused on it… it had to do with-

"Tali."

The young Quarian jolted slightly from the voice that broke her out of her trance, turning to see her Aunty Raan standing behind her. Though her face was hiding behind her face plate, the posture of the older Quarian conveyed that of stressed concern.

"I thought I told you to rest." Raan said, hands on her hips. "Yet here I find you out of bed again."

"Sorry, Aunty Raan." Tali softly said. "I've just been busy fixing some parts of the ship since-"

"There are plenty of engineers in the Flotilla who can cover for you." Her Aunt cut her off with a pointed look and tone.

Tali squirmed at her gaze.

"Every Quarian is an engineer-"

She was interrupted again. "Perfect. All the more reason for you to rest. You've been prolonging it since the attack."

"But I have my duty to-"

Tali couldn't finish her sentence for a third time as Raan now stepped forward, placing both her hands on her "niece's" shoulders.

"Tali." The elder Quarian softly yet firmly said. "Please, I've watched you grow up before my very eyes. I know you more than you realize."

The younger Quarian fidgeted in place.

"You're distracting yourself, aren't you." Came Raan's statement.

"Maybe." She meekly admitted.

The Quarian admiral exasperates a sigh. "I swear, I don't know who you take this trait from more: your mother or father."

Tali let out a weak chuckle, slightly increasing at the shake of Raan's head.

"Honestly Tali, must you push yourself like this?" Raan admonished though with no sting or annoyance, only worry in her tone. "You have done far more than any Quarian has for the Flotilla since we first took to the stars. If anyone deserves a nice long rest or even a vacation, it's you."

Her niece could only shrug in response, making Raan shake her head once more.

"What's wrong, my dear? Something weighs heavily on your soul if you keep doing this to yourself."

Tali didn't answer for a few moments. Instead, she held up her hand and her Omni-Tool flared up.

"Recently… I got this message from the others."

Raan knew the "others" to who Tali was referring were her friends from the Normandy. Glancing at the device, the Quarian Admiral saw several messages that came from them, all of which had remained unopened.

Tali had been prolonging checking the messages from the old Normandy team. With everything that's happened, all of them had to be shoved aside until everything was settled.

"Your friends reached out to you?" Raan inquisitively said, seeing Tali nod.

"Do… do you remember all the things I told you and the Flotilla about? Everything my friends and I saw and experienced when we were on the Normandy?"

At that, her aunt couldn't help but snort. "Rather hard to forget the reports and tales."

Tali smirked beneath her helmet at that comment.

"Well, I didn't tell you everything because… well, it is complicated and even what I haven't told you is something I still don't understand myself."

Her aunt said nothing; instead, she silently listened to every word she said.

"A while back, we went to Roxas' home galaxy, his homeworld or at least where he originally came from." Tali elaborates further. "And there, we met someone named Yen Sid. He's a wizard."

Raan made a sound that turned into a disbelieving laugh.

"Pardon? A wizard?"

Tali chuckled slightly. "Well, you've seen what's been happening in the galaxy and what my friends and I are now capable of, yeah? A wizard isn't exactly outside the realm of possibility now."

Her Aunty shook with laughter. "Keelah, the galaxy really has changed."

Tali nodded before resuming where she left off.

"Anyway, we met Yen Sid and he taught us a lot about everything that Roxas, Xion and Axel knew and he spoke about the Heart. Not in a literal sense but more of a… metaphysical and spiritual kind of way."

"And…" Raan motions her hand for her surrogate niece to continue.

Tali's hand now hovered over her chest, where her own heart was.

"The heart is a powerful thing, far more than we realize. The heart is what draws the Heartless, what they collect. You've seen those hearts coming out of people from the recordings I showed you, right?"

Raan couldn't help but shudder, remembering seeing such a bizarre and disturbing sight, nodding at Tali.

"The Heart holds the connections of those you hold dear to you strongly and in ways we can never understand."

Raan didn't respond, trying to process just what Tali was talking about.

"Recently… I felt something I had never experienced before. The first time was when the Normandy was destroyed. There was this pain in my chest and when I found out that Shepard…" Tali trembled at the memory, learning of the day her beloved Commander and dear friend had perished.

Raan stepped closer, pulling her niece into an embrace, whispering in her ear that everything was alright and she didn't need to bring up such a memory.

"And it happened again a day ago."

The Quarian admiral pulled back with concern easily able to be discerned from her eyes and motion.

Tali was now shaking, the stress of this feeling obvious to see for Raan as the younger Quarian placed one hand on her chest and the other on her helmet.

"It's… It's Roxas." Her voice quivered at the mention of the human who captured her heart. "Something has happened to him. It's… my…" Tali's hand shook over her chest. "It's my heart… I can feel it. Something is wrong."

"Sounds like something from those romance films." Raan receives a bland look from Tali. "Excuse me, but if I'm not getting the context, it fits."

"Raan." Tali annoyingly said.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry my dear, I didn't mean to tease." The Admiral took Tali's hand into hers. "But if you're so worried about this, have you tried reaching out to him?"

"That's just it, I don't… I don't know why I haven't." Tali pulled away from her and turned back to the window. "It's difficult to explain. It's just that I know I won't be able to reach him the way we know how. He's not gone. I think I would be able to feel that, especially with that horrendous experience after finding out about Shepard."

"What about your friends?" Raan pointed out. "Why not them? Wouldn't they suffice?"

Tali didn't answer, bringing out her Omni-Tool again and sighing.

"I guess I'm just nervous." She admitted. "Or… I dunno, I'm just nervous."

Raan placed her hand on her shoulder and gave it a light shake.

"Reach out to them, my dear." She quietly said. "In times like these, having those you care for close by, be it literal or metaphorical, always helps you through when you need it."

Tali was staring down at her Omni-Tool then back at her surrogate aunt and she was about to do just that when Shala'Raan placed her other hand over Tali's.

"But first, you are going back to your room," She spoke in a tone that brokered no argument. "And you are going to lay down and stay there. I'll even have Reegar stand guard to make sure you do so if you resist."

"Raan~" Tali whined.

"None of that," The Admiral quickly wrapped her arms around the young Quarian and began guiding her to her room. "I will see you rested if it's the last thing I do."

-Scene Cut-

Time passes within the memory floor of Daybreak Town. Everyone has gone out once more to explore and search for clues.

All the while, at the behest of Axel, he told them to record and catalog any book or any form of technology they found and studied for later. This was a world literally made for Keyblade wielders.

Despite it being one of memory, if there is something, anything here that can be used in the future, documenting anything and everything would be crucial.

On the outside, over by one of the many bridges, Roxas, Xion and Skuld take a little break.

"It sure is getting chilly." Skuld idly commented.

Seeing his own breath, Roxas responds. "Might be enough for it to snow."

"I'm not good with the cold."

"Really?" The blond hums to himself. "I kind of like it."

"How are you two not cold?" Skuld asks, noticing the pair's lack of a reaction to the frigid air.

"These coats can repel a lot of weather from affecting us." Xion happily said, patting her chest, laughing slightly at Skulds pouty, puffed-up face.

Their conversation paused for a moment, the trio having spotted something gently falling from the sky. A speck of white that evaporated moments later once hitting the brick bridge. Soon enough, more followed.

"Huh, whaddya know, it snows in a data world." Skuld noted in slight wonder.

'More like a memory world.' Xion thought to herself. 'Odd to see such a concept.'

"Looks like it." Roxas calmly said, holding out his hand, having a large snowflake settle on his palm before it melted away.

Looking down from the sky, Skuld ponders. "Do you think it's snowing in the real Daybreak Town, too?"

It was a rather odd question.

"Maybe…" Was Roxas' uncertain response. "By the way, where are the others?"

"I think Brain is looking for a way to our world, probably with Ephemer." Skuld mused. "And I guess Lauriam is still searching for clues about his sister."

"Right…" Roxas glanced up at the sky, watching as snow gently drifted down. "So what should we do?"

Playfully pondering, Xion smiles. "How about we make a snowman?"

No. XIII snorted. "Really?"

"...Well… not now. It'll take a while for more snow to come down." Xion pointed out. "We'd just be rolling around the floor."

Skuld laughs a little. "It's been a while since I've let loose and had some fun. Think the others are enjoying the snow too?"

"Why not?" The ravenette remarked.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared above their heads. Coming from it was a Chirithy wearing a fedora as it landed on the guard railing of the bridge.

"Aha, I finally found you! I searched the whole town for you!" The small creature exclaimed in exasperation.

The two Nobodies look at the new arrival with the ravenette of the pair speaking up. "Who are you?"

"I'm Chirithy." The creature cheerfully said.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah we know you're a Chirithy but-"

"Oh, you meant the specific one." The Chirithy booped the side of its head. "I'm Brain's."

There was a pause as the teens gazed at the hat the creature wore.

"Should've figured with the hat." Xion commented.

"Is there a reason why you're here?" Skuld politely asked.

Chirithy nods a bit and hops towards a specific location. "Could you come with me for a bit?"

It took a while for them to reach their destination. It was a secluded cliff that had the perfect view of Daybreak Town. And awaiting them there was Brain and Ephemer.

"I'm back!" Said Brain's Chirithy, running up to his partner and leaping into his arms. Soon enough he was placed down by the fedora-wearing teen before he was petted on the head. Before long as the others arrived, the little creature disappeared in a puff of smoke.

After some moments, Brain greets them. "Good, you're here."

"Ephemer, Brain." Skuld greeted happily, looking at them in curiosity. "You guys need something from us?"

"Not all, really." Brain then glanced down at his Chirithy. "You had them all come?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, you know." The Chirithy petulantly said. "It was better if they all came rather than just one of them."

"What is this even about?"

"It's a bit complicated." Ephemer stated.

"There's something I want to ask about." Brain crosses his arms and looks at Roxas and Skuld. "Who told you -or rather who you're supposed to be- that you were chosen to be a Union Leader?"

"Master Ava did." Skuld answered.

"I don't know what you-" Roxas paused, feeling a sudden ache, having him hold the side of his head in response.

"Roxas?" Xion said in concern.

"Master Ava." The blond Nobody blurted out suddenly. "It was Master Ava."

"Wait, what?" Xion blinked at this. "Roxas, what are you talking about?"

"I… I dunno." Roxas winced, rubbing the side of his head. "Something feels… off."

"This whole place is off." Skuld couldn't help but say.

"Master Ava told me on this hill." Brain then eyed the blonde of the group. "And you?"

"...Near the clock tower." Roxas murmured, feeling another pang of pain in his head. "What… what is this? What's going on?"

Brain adopts a thinking pose when hearing the responses. "Interesting."

Skuld steps forward. "What's this all about? Some kind of interrogation?"

"It's not like that Skuld." Ephemer defends.

Xion didn't buy it, narrowing her eyes now. "Are you suspecting something?"

The fedora-wearing teen exhales a sigh. "Skuld, Ve- Roxas… Let me explain. You see, Master Ava entrusted me with something." Reaching behind, he pulls out a book. One which was quite recognizable to Skuld.

"Is that the Book of Prophecies!?" Skuld exclaimed in shock.

"That's right." Brain holds up the bound book. "And inside it, Master Ava tucked away a note listing the names of the five new Union leaders. The name of the one originally meant to receive the Book is circled."

"Originally?" Skuld questions. "It wasn't you?"

"Nope." He takes a seat on the little boulder nearby. "I guessed as much when she gave me this. Master Ava wanted to defy fate and change the future, so she gave it to me instead. But something is off…"

"Being what?"

"The list of Union leaders itself." The others look at Brain in confusion. "One of the names doesn't match up. Lauriam's sister, Strelitzia, was supposed to be a Union leader."

"What? So Master Ava swapped out one of the leaders too?"

"I don't think so." Brain opens up the Book and begins flipping through the pages. "If Master Ava had planned to switch out a Union leader, she wouldn't have given me this note in the first place." He gets up but still keeps the Book open as he keeps going deeper into it. "As for Strelitzia, it might be easy to suspect Master Ava may be involved with her disappearance but I don't believe she is. She's not that kind of person."

"Maybe a replacement was chosen after Strelitzia went missing."

The idea was plausible but it didn't seem to satisfy Brain at all. "That doesn't add up either," he says as he closes the Book. "Strelitzia was last seen just before the start of the Keyblade War, desperately trying to get Ephemer's one friend to join the Dandelions. We can assume this is because she heard from Master Ava that she was chosen to be a Union leader and that the war was coming. If Master Ava wanted to switch her out for someone else, even on such short notice, she would have told someone." He soon walks past a number of those present on the hill, but doesn't look at anyone at particular. "It would make sense to tell me at least, seeing as she trusted me with both the Book and the list of names that was about to change."

"That makes sense."

"Is Lauriam's name on there?"

"It is." The others turn to Ephemer as he says this. "We'll discuss this with him later after we know more. After all, he has a lot on his plate right now looking into Strelitzia's disappearance."

"We asked you those questions earlier to determine whether or not the replacement knew about any of this." Says Brain, still not looking at the others. "Ephemer and I agreed that even though we know the truth, we don't want anything to change between us."

"That's right. And I think we got the answer we were looking for. Like Brain said, nothing changes- we're still a team. We'll keep working together to try to figure this whole thing out."

Brain finally turns and heads back. Walking with purpose as he comes right to No. XIII. "Ven- Roxas. Your name isn't on the list."

Confusion set in with Roxas and the other "guests" of the Memory Floor.

"Hold up." Said Xion. "I'm a bit lost here."

"Didn't Master Ava say he was a Union leader?"

"We believe it in a manner."

"So it was a part of Master Ava's plan, then?"

"No." Brain bluntly replies. "Unfortunately, Strelitzia is gone and that's proof enough that it wasn't Master Ava's idea." He walks away from Roxas and heads towards the hill's edge. "If it was, she would have taken great care to make sure Strelitzia was safe, not send her off to war without telling her what was happening. And Master Ava's definitely not the type of person to make someone disappear."

Confusion began settling in for the others with Ephemer voicing the obvious question. "Then who did Ven- Roxas talk to?"

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"You knew when Master Ava spoke to you." Ephemer pointed out.

"I don't even understand that." No. XIII rebuked. "Ever since I came here, this place has just been giving me headaches."

"How about we back up for a moment." Skuld kindly interjected. "Let's think it through. Why were we chosen as Dandelions?"

"You guys mentioned something about keeping light alive, right?" Says Xion.

"And what would be the force that would wish to extinguish the light?" Brain rhetorically asked.

Pondering for a moment, the answer was sadly clear. "Darkness."

"Darkness can hide anywhere. Even inside someone." The Fedora-wearing Keybearer grimly said.

Skuld approaches Brain. "So what are you saying? Darkness disguised itself as Master Ava?"

Instead of answering, Brain walks past Skuld and approaches the blonde Nobody. "I don't know if you are indeed Ventus or not, but is there possibly something at all you perhaps noticed anything strange when meeting Master Ava?"

"...I don't know."

"What did she say to you… or rather him?"

Upon opening his mouth to say the appropriate response, something else was voiced out. "She said she wanted me to become one of the new Union leaders, gave me the rulebook and told me to go to the battleground once everything was over…" Roxas balks a little when registering what he said. "Huh?"

"Roxas?" Skuld, Xion and Ephemer look at the Nobody quizzically.

Brain narrows his eyes slightly. "Anything else?"

More pain pulsed in Roxas' head, the boy visibly cringing with one eye closed and his teeth clenched. "...She told me to go to… the abandoned house?"

Ephemer and Xion glanced at each other, the former asking, "What abandoned house?"

"The one where we saw the odd hologram of Strelitzia with her Chirithy."

"Didn't you say you met her by the tower?"

The ache in Roxas' head began to grow little by little. "We met at the house first. Then we talked along the way to the tower."

"Can you tell us more about what happened?"

Opening his mouth, Roxas spoke of words not of his own. "That day, I went to the abandoned house like Master Ava said…"

His perspective shifted, as if he was in the backseat while someone else was at the figurative wheel.

'Is this the abandoned house?' Roxas thought as he saw himself(?) walk onward. "Master Ava? It's me, Ventus." He held up his hands to his mouth to somewhat speak louder. "Master Ava!" He walks deeper into the building. "Maybe this is the wrong place…" He then hears something, which startles him. "Who's there?" He turns and his vision becomes dark and hazy.

Next thing Roxas knew, he(?) was outside talking to Master Ava as she showed up and they made their way to the clock tower. Along the way, she told him(?) of his status as one of the new Union leaders.

Before Roxas knew it, his vision returned to normal and he found himself back on the hill with all of the others.

"...Did I just black out or something?" He tentatively asked.

Ephemer gave him a piercing look, crossing his arms. "You tell us. You suddenly spoke all this stuff that you clearly didn't know before."

Roxas stared at him. "I did?"

"Putting the odd situation aside," Brain interrupts the sidetracking, "you 'think' that's when she came? You're not sure?"

The blond Nobody looked down momentarily, all those memories that were not his flashing through his mind again. "I… I don't know what happened. I just saw everything go dark and hazy one moment before things became clear the next."

"...Are you sure the person who came to the house was really Master Ava?" Skuld hesitantly asked.

In a flash, in an instant, Roxas' vision was greeted with the sight of Strelitzia lying on the ground with Chirithy. Instead of the odd glitchy appearance he and the others saw earlier, this was clear.

"...No…"

"What does this mean?" Xion asked.

"We need to head back to the tower. He looks like he's about to collapse."

The trio did just that, grabbing Roxas and helping him along.

If they were more attentive, they would've noticed they weren't entirely alone. From a glitch of the environment, a figure was present wearing a leathery white attire with a hood drawn up. It wasn't long before they disappeared as if they were not really there.

-Scene Cut-

Back inside of the conference room, the others waited tentatively while doing whatever tasks to preoccupy themselves. A means of preoccupying themselves with the latest developments.

Everyone else was recalled back into the tower, with the exception of Lauriam who was nowhere to be found.

"What happened to Roxas?" Was the first thing Sora asked, having seen Roxas bedridden when they came back into the tower. "Is he alright?"

"He's fast asleep. He looked really exhausted." Skuld answered for him.

"The memories flooding in must've been a real shock." Ephemer remarked sympathetically.

"His memories," Axel raised a brow, looking at the natives of this memory World. "Or someone else's?"

The answer would've been a complicated one to voice out.

The others then looked towards Brain as if trying to seek his counsel. "None of this is his fault, right?"

"Can you first tell us what's going on?" Riku sternly said.

Brain sighed, taking off his hat to run his hand through his hair. "Well, we still don't know all the facts. But going by Ve-Roxas' story, we know he was there during Strelitzia's final moments. As for who's behind this whole thing…"

"Darkness."

The others turn to Ephemer as he says this, having Skuld voice their collective response. "What?"

"Yes. Darkness could be much closer than we thought, working right under our noses." The white-haired Keybearer said with a deep frown.

Over in the one room where Roxas was resting, he dreamt of a memory that was not his own.

"He has to be here." Said Strelitzia, holding the rulebook in one hand. "This is the only place we haven't checked."

Her Chirithy came bouncing in right behind her as they walked deeper into the building before coming to a stop. "Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me."

The young Keybearer walked past her animal companion. "Hello!" She called out. "Is anyone here? Hello?"

Hearing no response whatsoever, Chirithy did a small shrug. "I guess I was wrong."

Strelitzia hangs her head in mild defeat. "Well, it was worth a shot. I'll head back to Fountain Square."

Her companion nods as she turns around. "Okay. I'll keep searching elsewhere."

Before they could make their way out of the building, they heard something from behind. Just as they turned, something dark struck them, severely wounding them in the process as both collapsed to the ground.

"Pick that up." Said (?).

Moving onward, Roxas' perception moved, indicating his(?) body moved onward. He(?) bent down to pick up the rulebook.

"Why…?" Chirithy weakly asks.

The question was ignored as (?) brushes past Roxas and walks over the dying Strelitzia and her Chirithy partner. "Let's go."

As much as Roxas fought to check on the pair, he had no control over his body as he(?) moved onward to follow the dark figure. All he heard left from Strelitzia was "Lauriam".

Upon making his(?) way out of the building, the dark figure's form shifted and turned into Master Ava(?). However, it wasn't Master Ava at all, but someone else entirely.

Waking up, Roxas found himself crying with what he had just more or less witnessed.

Back in the conference room…

"So… If Darkness is behind this whole thing, it must be close by. But why hasn't it tried to harm us? What does it want?" Goofy queried, putting on a pondering posture.

"Do you think it's watching us? Waiting to make a move?" Namine worriedly asked.

Brain sighed frustratedly. "I don't know. I'm not even sure that it is responsible for all this. But it's the only theory that makes sense. If I'm right, and it's close, it knows we're onto it. It could be putting its plan into action as we speak."

"So it might come for us?" Donald says out of concern.

"Well, if the Darkness is the Heartless, then yeah, it would." Sora surmised.

"Like it did for Lauriam's sister." Riku included, frowning deeply.

"Is that what happened to her? But why?"

The fedora-wearing teen merely ponders Skuld's inquiry. "I don't know why it targeted Strelitzia. I just-"

Suddenly, they heard the doorway into the conference room open.

"What… did you say?" The voice was deathly quiet but it held such weight that it was heard by all.

Looking over, the others saw Lauriam who looked rather worse for wear. His clothes were scuffed up, he was limping in as he walked while holding his side. Skuld rushes over and catches him just as he almost falls to the ground.

"Lauriam!" She worriedly said.

"Lauriam, what happened?" The scarf-wearing teen asked in concern, going over to his other side.

The rose-haired teen ignored Ephemer's inquiry as he voiced one of his own. "Targeted… for what? What did you mean by that, Brain?" He gets up onto his feet before limping over to the fedora-wearing teen. Once close enough, he grasps onto his shirt and pulls him close. "What happened to her!? Answer me!"

Ephemer and a few others come over to pull Lauriam away from Brain. "Stop!"

"GET OFF ME!"

"OI!" Axel now placed his hand on Lauriam's shoulder and pushed him back. "Knock it off, now!"

"Not until he explains himself." The pink-haired boy sneered, jabbing a finger in Brain's direction.

Instead of being startled, Brain was oddly calm. "So this is the plan. Clever."

Lauriam snarls. "What plan?"

"Darkness' plan." Says Brain, getting confused responses from the rest of the room. "Fear, doubt, anger… It's purposely messing with our hearts and making us turn on each other."

This didn't make any sense at all to the rose-haired teen, having Lauriam struggle to release himself from Axel's grasp but his grip remained firm.

Seeing her friend's turmoil, Skuld rushes over. "Lauriam, please!"

Relenting, Lauriam stopped his struggle, Axel letting him go before he collapsed to his knees. "I don't understand…"

The others came close to Lauriam with Skuld looking on in concern. "Please. Just listen."

Lauriam only looks at Brain with a tired and sorrow look on his face. "Tell me what happened to my sister..."

They soon heard someone come in, having a few look over to see Roxas walk in. Some were happy to see he was awake again, others merely acknowledged his presence. Someone sought to greet him, only to be interrupted with what came out of the one Nobody's mouth.

"I… It's my fault."

Confusion reigned over the conference room as a result. A plethora of reactions were aimed directly towards him.

"Roxas?" Xion spoke up. "What are you saying?"

Lauriam looked at Roxas dead in the eye, a glazed look coming over him.

"Explain yourself."

"I… I don't know." He grunted, another flash of pain in his head. "I just… I saw something. I don't know what it was but I saw someone with Strelitzia, someone who looked like me but he didn't have the same clothes like I do.

This didn't satisfy the rose-haired teen as he limped over, grasped the hem of his coat and brought him close. "You're not making any sense."

"I know I don't but," There was a strange feeling of guilt swelling within Roxas. "I'm sorry, Lauriam... I'm- Ven… He's responsible for what happened to her. She's… she was struck down."

Seeing Lauriam in the early stages of being violent, Axel got over and attempted to separate him from Roxas.

"You need to sit down and-"

"Get off of me!" Lauriam shoved Axel away this time, turning to glare at the blond Nobody. "You better start talking sense. You say you're not Ven then you say you saw Strelitzia get struck down? Either you're Ven and you're lying or-"

"He's not Ventus." Axel cut in, now getting right between him and Roxas.

Lauriam ignored the redhead, instead focused solely on the Nobody of Sora. "What did you do to Strelitzia? Answer me!"

"Lauriam, stop." Skuld pleaded.

"Answer me." He demanded again, stepping forward, with Axel now conjuring one of his Chakrams.

"Axel!" Xion, Sora and Namine exclaimed in shock and worry.

"Ok," No. VIII narrowed his eyes, pointing his weapon at the pink-haired Keyblade wielder. "You have five seconds. Back off and calm down now or I'll make you."

"Everyone, calm down now!" Ephemer now demanded.

"Not until I get what I want." Lauriam barked out, now seething mad. "What happened to my sister?!"

"Stop it! This isn't you!" Skuld pleaded.

"Stay out of this! Answer me!"

In a flash, Rumbling Rose appeared in Lauriam's grasp and he made a dash for Roxas only for Axel to intercept him. They clashed several times, the fiery Nobody managing to kick him back.

Not to be deterred, Lauriam dashed forward again when another flash appeared -this time in Ephemer's hand- having the Starlight Keyblade intercept the blow.

*CLASH* *CLASH*

Ephemer shoved Lauriam away and moved in front of the blonde Nobody in order to protect him. Lauriam swiftly moved around the others and made the attempt to strike in a blind rage.

"It... It wasn't me... It wasn't me!" Roxas yells out, holding his head with the spiking migraine coming out of nowhere. "Someone was controlling him!"

As this was said, a dark aura formed around Roxas and exploded all so suddenly. While No. XIII collapsed onto his knees and panting up a storm, the dark aura stayed upright as if disconnected. To Sora, it was like the time when he, Donald and Goofy were on Captain Hook's ship where they oddly fought against his shadow that became animated. Riku, meanwhile, momentarily wondered if Roxas was subjugated into a similar position he was with Ansem; not to mention when this actually occurred.

"Heartless?!"

"What is that?"

"What's going on?"

Brain narrowed his eyes and looked at the dark entity. "I see. You're Darkness."

The misshapen form appeared to have a head, gazing at the denizens in the room.

"Finally. It's about time."

Many stepped back in surprise whereas the fedora-wearing teen remained collected. "I have to say, I didn't expect you to like such a cliché."

"So, you say. But I have no form to speak of. We mostly go unnoticed after all." Darkness disappeared from his one spot in the room and reappeared near the round table. "What you see and hear now is for your benefit."

"What do you want?"

"Want?" The tone of the form had almost conveyed amused confusion at the question. "I want nothing. I simply am."

"Huh?" Was the collective response.

"It must be hard for you to understand. We're very different. Unlike you, our actions don't serve a greater purpose or goal."

Lauriam steps forward with Divine Rose aimed at Darkness. "Then why did you take my sister? Why Strelitzia?"

"It was his will."

"I don't believe you. Neither Ven nor Roxas didn't even know her! Besides, he would never wish that on anyone." Xion argued fiercely.

"You're right. They were strangers. But what he wished for was power. I simply helped him fulfill that wish by making him a Union leader."

"He would never want that!" Namine now shouted.

"Wouldn't he?"

"Even if he did, he wouldn't go so far as to take it from someone, or steal their spot as leader."

"Power is power. How it's acquired is of no consequence."

"Then…" Lauriam took on a stunned look. "It could've been any of us? It didn't have to be Strelitzia?"

"Yes."

The elder brother shook with rage, his eyes ablaze with fury. "You-!"

The rose-haired teen leaped at Darkness, prepared to strike him down. But when he got close, he was blasted away by a wave of darkness, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the one wall before falling to the ground.

"Lauriam!" Skuld cried out, with her and Goofy being the closest to him to help him up.

The fedora-wearing teen stepped forward and voiced a request. "I have a few questions."

"Go on."

Some weren't as keen to speak with this entity as Brain was.

"Brain, are you-"

"Hang on, Sora," Brain nudges his head over to Roxas. "Why him?"

"Because it was decided."

"Decided?" Riku parroted.

"That he would harbor darkness."

"...Your vessel was chosen?"

"Yes. It was written in the Book of Prophecies."

This got a surprised look from those native to this World. "You've read the Book?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. At least the parts that matter to us."

"How?"

"We read the words as they were being written."

"In the Book?" Skuld questioned.

"Yes."

"What exactly is your relationship with the Master?"

There was an odd shift to the specter, the form moving about. "We're old friends."

"Friends?" Ephemer didn't believe what he just heard. "Then you and the Master are on the same side?"

"We have no need to side with people."

"Alright, next question. You've hidden from us all this time. Why show yourself now?"

"You're wrong. We've been hiding. You simply never noticed us before. All that's changed is that you've finally acknowledged our existence."

"Last question. You keep saying 'we' but what do you mean?"

"Shadows outnumber light."

"Okay, last question. Are you the only one here right now?"

"Yes."

"Good to know."

With a flick of his wrist, the Master Defender Keyblade appeared in Brain's hand. That seemed to be the trigger the rest of the group needed as they all pulled out their weapons.

The Darkness regarded them, somehow conveying a sense of amusement in their actions. Its aura spiked, shadows growing around it.

Xion and Axel move quickly to retrieve Roxas, getting him away from the Darkness.

"Roxas." The ravenette shook his shoulders, seeing the pained daze he was in. "Come on, snap out of it."

"Urgh," Was his response, slumping slightly.

"Xion, look out for him." Axel's Chakrams began to emanate wisps of flames.

"Guys, are you ready?" Ephemer said aloud, clenching his Keyblade tightly. "This is gonna be rough!"

The Darkness increased the output of its power, reaching a peak before rocketing forward.

-Insert Kingdom Hearts II: Fragments of Sorrow-

Goofy was the first to move, jumping forward, and bracing himself with his shield.

Darkness impacted the metal disk, bouncing away while Goofy flew back.

"Goofy!" Sora cried out.

"Whack!" Donald yelled out, throwing up his staff in retaliation. Dozens of firework rockets were conjured by the magician and he unleashed them all.

Multiple tendrils shout out, intercepting the rockets yet each one dissipated or reacted as though it were injured as each one exploded.

"GO!" Riku shouted, a purplish-white aura surrounding him and he zipped forward.

The others followed suit, charging at the shadowy being.

Riku reached him first, slicing through several tendrils before his weapon clashed with hardened shadows.

"You…" There was an odd inflection in his tone. "You command Darkness."

Riku grinned. "What's wrong? That a problem?"

There was a flare of power from the Darkness, one of its limbs lashing out and striking Riku in the gut. The silver-haired islander grunted aloud, spit flying out of his mouth at the impact of the hit and he hurtled back.

"Riku!" Namine cried frantically.

"Stay focused Namine." Axel chided, appearing in front of her, throwing his Chakrams down to create a wall of fire that burned Dark spheres that were sent at the platinum-blond Nobody. E

Sora and Ephemer rushed in, moving in an X fashion, managing to hit the Darkness yet it seemed that it did little to even damage the being.

Brain was quick to follow up, a sphere of light forming at the tip of his Keyblade, pointing it at their foe and firing it.

The sphere collided with several tendrils before they enveloped and made it disappear.

Lauriam came in with a vengeance, slamming his Keyblade into the tendrils and slicing through them only to be rammed by another fist-shaped limb that sent him sprawling.

Skuld grits her teeth at this and runs forward, firing off several spells, all while dodging the Darkness' attacks until one managed to hook her leg and another smashed right into her.

"SKULD!" Ephemer yelled out.

Brain growled at this, dashing at the entity with him conjuring several spheres of light that he launched just as he went in for a multi-pronged attack.

The Darkness turned to counter him when bolts of lightning reigned down upon him, the being turning to see Namine holding up her Morning Star Staff, magic emanating around it. This distraction proved problematic as Brain began to deliver strike after strike with his Keyblade, made worse by Axel zipping around from behind.

"BURN!" He yelled out, his Chakrams shooting forward, surrounded by flames and cutting into the Darkness.

It didn't make a sound yet the way it jerked its body indicated that these attacks clearly injured it and in response, multiple dark spikes shot out around the body.

Brain and Axel both were flung back, crashing against the walls.

Donald let out a squawk, seeing several of the group being taken down in such rapid succession and quickly began to cast Cure spells to get them back to their feet.

All the while, Roxas remained on his knees, his vision blurry and his head pounding.

The sound of the battle was muffled from his perspective, the teen barely able to make out what was going on.

There was… someone in front of him.

Blearily, he craned his head up and saw a black coat with the back of a familiar set of black hair.

"Xion?" He rasped out, catching her attention.

"Roxas." She immediately said, turning to kneel down to him.

She cupped his cheek, tilting his face up for him to look at her.

"Are you alright?" She asked in obvious concern.

"What happened?"

"There's this Darkness guy causing us problems." Was Xion's somewhat lame response, slightly making Roxas snap out of his stupor.

"Huh?"

"Just the usual sort of situation." No. XIV said with a strained smile. "Sort of."

His vision began to clear and it was then that he was able to see his friend's face clearly. His gaze then shifted behind her at the sound of the battle, spotting Axel, Sora and Riku attacking the Dark being at the same time, appearing to only slow it down rather than actively harm it.

"What… is that?"

Xion glanced back then at Roxas, giving him a weird, uncertain smile.

"Er… well, they called it Darkness and it came from you… I think."

"You think?"

"Roxas, by this point, I don't wanna try to analyze this memory right now." Xion said in an exasperated manner. "I just want us to get through this headache."

Despite what was happening in the background, Roxas couldn't help but stare at his friend, releasing a small chuckle a moment later.

"Right, good point." With a strain on his legs, Roxas forced himself to his feet, Xion assisting him and the two stood side-by-side and wordlessly both summoned their Keyblades.

For a moment, Roxas felt a pull to his other free hand but he gave it no thought as he and Xion joined the fray.

The battle raged on. The conference room was relatively in shambles with books scattered about, furniture broken into pieces and scorch marks covering much of the space. The combatants fending against the Darkness were exhausted and sprawled all over yet some remained standing.

"Alright, this is getting us nowhere." Axel said aloud, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, no matter what we do, he just doesn't go down." Sora complained.

"Then you understand the futility of your struggle." The Darkness sounded like it was boasting. "It's over."

"Yeah…" Ephemer pants out. "Seems like we can't take you down. Not even sure if we can even wear you down."

"Fair point." Brain says, kneeling on the ground, breathing hard.

"Shall we call it done, then?"

"Oh? So you surrender?" Riku grunted out.

The fedora-wearing teen chuckles. "You claimed you aren't after anything, but I'm not buying it."

"What?"

Brain put on a sly smirk now. "You seem pretty desperate to get in our way, showing up like this. I don't know if it's pride or fear, but there's a reason you're still here."

"...Infection."

"Meaning?"

"Data transfer requires a signal." In a blink, Darkness disappeared and reappeared right in front of Ephemer, causing him to step back a bit. "The same goes for the hearts and minds of you mortals." The scarf-wearing teen swung his Keyblade at his opponent, having Darkness warp away to another part of the room. "You underestimate how easily the darkness rides on those signals and spreads through this place."

"Is that why you wormed your way into the data world?" Ephemer stated. "But then why hide inside Ven?"

"Roxas."

"Whatever."

"It's not whatev-"

"I told you. Because it was decided." The Darkness emphatically said.

"That's enough."

Glancing over, the others saw the ravenette Dandelion get back onto her feet.

"Skuld! You're alright!" Brain said in relief.

Skuld briefly acknowledges her friend before focusing more towards Darkness. "You're saying because it was written in the Book of Prophecies, it was meant to be? Well, I don't care. You hijacked Ven and attacked Lauriam's sister." Skuld resummons her Keyblade into her hand. "And now you're gonna pay for it!"

The others had a second wind as they struggled to get back up.

Brain merely smirks as he gets to position once re-summoning his Keyblade back into his hand. "That's right."

"We are many, and we are one. But to be one requires will." Darkness warped away and reappeared above Roxas' prone form. "Through him, we could divide into pure darkness and light… willful and distinct." It warped away once more and appeared elsewhere in the room. "It was a sacrifice that needed to be made."

It was by this point did the rose-haired teen struggle to get back up. "So… V-Roxas didn't attack Strelitzia. You did. Is that right?"

"Lauriam!"

The revived Keybearer walked forward as he summoned his Keyblade. "I had enough time to take a nap. So I figured you guys could use some help."

"Be it one or all, this shall make no difference." Darkness taunts them. "It's useless. Even if you do manage to defeat us, you will still lose."

"I don't think so." Lauriam says defiantly at their enemy. "We're taking you down and going back to the real world."

"And how do you plan on doing that? With the lifeboat?"

"Lifeboat?"

"Yeah. Just like the evil fairy, right?"

The others who were visiting the memory floor looked on in confusion.

"Evil fairy?" Asks Goofy.

"You know nothing."

Breaking from his battle stance, Brain made an inquiry. "How do you figure?"

"If you return, Daybreak Town will still succumb to darkness."

This didn't sit well with the others with Ephemer voicing a question. "What have you done to the real world?"

"Nothing. It was decided long ago. When the lifeboat is activated, this world falls to darkness. It is already in motion. The beginning of the end."

Brain looks on rather curiously. "But why?"

"The lifeboat is the last line of defense- to be relied upon in the event we cannot be defeated. Its use initiates the process to seal this world, and us along with it. The evil fairy's departure was the trigger. It cannot be stopped."

Digesting this bit of news, a ball of lead formed in Skuld's stomach. "But… that means…"

"We're just a bunch of pawns." Lauriam finishes off.

"No. I don't believe it." Ephemer argues. "Master Ava is the one who brought us together. I don't know about the other Masters, but I know for sure that Master Ava wouldn't just throw us away like that!"

Brain nods to this alongside the other Union Leaders. "Besides, it doesn't matter what the Masters may have had planned for us. We believe in our leader!"

Everyone was ready to fight on with Ephemer calling it out. "Let's do this."

"If you wish for this futility, so be it."

They re-engaged their enemy, this time focusing on coordinating their attacks whilst covering for their defenses, fighting with rapid ferocity.

The Darkness appeared to take their renewed offensive with greater seriousness as it expunged more of its power in an effort to take them down.

The room they were in was further wrecked, with holes now appearing and parts of the walls and ceiling crumbling from the intensity of combat.

After a strenuous round of fighting, Darkness was nowhere to be seen.

Looking about, Donald voices a question. "Did we win?"

Appearing above them, Darkness speaks. "I am formless. You cannot destroy me."

The Mage squawked in surprise and anger from the reappearance.

Suddenly, from the shadows, several Darkling Heartless appeared and surrounded one individual in particular.

"You…"

"You…"

"You…"

"What the-"

"The Darkling's are after Roxas?"

"But why?"

By this point, Roxas struggled to get back onto his feet. Rather suddenly, a swell of power rapidly built up from within him. It was foreign yet familiar; utterly strange for the blonde Nobody. Before he knew it, it exploded outward and destroyed the Heartless and sent Darkness away. Even when they were gone, the glow surrounding him remained.

However, what came next was ever more shocking for nearly everyone present. Primarily the "guests" to the memory floor.

The light left Roxas and formed another individual. It being a mirror copy of Roxas, except it wasn't. Someone wearing a different set of clothes.

To Axel, Donald and Goofy, it was an attire that they vaguely remember of a particular individual each met nearly a decade ago.

'Ven?' Thought the aforementioned trio.

The others looked on and saw the other blonde walking forward. A series of glitches soon became prevalent from all over the conference room. No longer were the memory manifestations focusing on Roxas anymore, but on the apparent new individual they were mistaking the one Nobody for all along.

Coming to a stop, the other blonde looked upwards. "If you're pure darkness, then that makes me pure light." Spoke Ventus as Darkness reappeared in the room. "If you used me to reshape yourself, then I can reshape you again. "A Keyblade appeared in the boy's hand -which was hard to make out with the blurring light- and aimed it at the foe above them all. "I'll give you a new form that we can defeat!"

The rose-haired teen rushed forward and came behind Ventus, who barely acknowledged him.

"Lauriam…"

"I can't lose you too."

All the one Union leader got in return was a bitter smile. "Everything's going to be alright."

In an instant, Ventus leaped into the air and clashed with Darkness. And with that clash, a blinding light appeared to encompass the conference room.

As the light was ever present, the guests of the memory floor heard someone speak.

"I believe that's enough."

With everyone regaining their senses, the guests saw they were the only ones left in the conference room as everyone else disappeared.

Sora looked around rapidly. "What's…?"

"Where is everyone?" Namine asked, voicing the question that was on everyone's mind.

"No longer here."

Everyone turned over to the source and saw someone very unusual. The new arrival was young. Probably just as tall as Roxas and Xion. And the attire they wore looked very reminiscent of the Organization's uniform. However, instead of leathery black, it was stark white. And with the attire, it gave way to the person's figure, revealing it was feminine.

That voice… Roxas recognized it.

"Strelitzia?" He uttered her name without even realizing it.

The hooded girl turned to them and gestured with her hand.

"Come quick." She spoke in a disembodied voice.

She rushed off in a random direction, leaving the group dumbstruck.

There was one last look around, hoping to see if Ephemer, Brain, Skuld and Lauriam were perhaps somewhere they missed yet they couldn't find them.

"Quickly." Strelitzia's disembodied voice called out to them.

After a moment, they all moved to follow after the white-cloaked girl who was leading them down several corridors.

"Where are you taking us?" Xion asked after rounding another corner.

"The exit."

"The exit?" Several of them parroted.

Walking deeper and deeper to the bottom levels of the tower, the group was silent.

"But… aren't you… dead?" Riku hesitantly said.

"I am, more or less." Strelitzia answered with no regard for the question.

"Then how are you here?" Goofy inquired.

"The realms of Death and Dream are very close." Spoke Strelitzia as she guided them to a particular location of the tower. "Memories come from dreams. To be more accurate, memories are archived in dreams."

That… made them only have more and more questions feeling the answer they got wasn't an answer at all.

"You're from this world, right?" Namine suddenly spoke up.

"I am, yes."

"Then…can you tell us what is this place? Why are we here? How are we here?"

"As you know, Daybreak Town was the home of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Keyblade wielders. Only a fraction of them remained after the War."

"Home of Keyblade Wielders." Sora and Roxas repeated.

Such a crazy concept for them to hear yet here they were.

"Did this world end?" Riku asked.

"It did. After all, nothing lasts forever." Came Strelitzia's vague response. "If you're truly asking about the real Daybreak Town, well, it became something else after the collapse." Upon reaching the basement level of the tower, Strelitzia came to a stop. "This is it."

Looking onward, they saw a large mechanized door with gears stylizing the surrounding decor.

"How do we get in?" Xion queried.

With a wave of her hand, Strelitzia caused the doorway to slide open with a series of mechanized shifts. Once fully opened, the girl in white entered first with the others following.

Walking into the newly revealed room, they saw a computer terminal on the far-off wall with a rather large monitor. Beside it, they saw a large device with a series of pods connected to it. Each pod was a brown, cylindrical container large enough to hold a person. Each has a single door that hinges open from the top. On the outside, they have metallic decorations and a tinted, heart-shaped window that resembles the Heartless emblem. A dozen or so pipes were curved upward from the machine's top and emitting some sort of ethereal gas into a large glass orb that was popping out from the ceiling.

'Wait, why does this machine look so… familiar?' Sora pondered as he looked at the large central device.

In an instant, his mind flashed back to the End of the World. More specifically the World Terminus when he, Donald and Goofy were navigating through the vicinity to eventually have their battle against Ansem.

'Was this there the whole time or…?' Pondered the brown-haired islander before he looked towards everywhere else.

Taking a better look at their surroundings, the group saw the place was somewhat wrecked with a carved-up floor with a pod in complete shambles.

"What is this place?" Namine nervously asked.

"Where the Lifeboats are kept." Strelitzia states as she walks towards the computer console. She began typing away on the keyboard before glancing slightly at the Flurry of Dancing Flames. "If you plan on acquiring more data from the systems, you might as well do it now."

Many were curious as to what Strelitzia was talking about. Axel, however, froze a little and tried to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't need to lie. I've been seeing you all do it several times since you came to the tower on this floor."

This drew the attention of the rest as Axel was placed in an awkward spot. "You saw all that?"

"I have. In truth, I've been following you all for some time now."

"Huh? How? When?"

"Since you began your journey through the floors. You never saw me… actually, one of you did. That quant desolate world you traversed through."

"What the- wait, how is that…" Sora's mind shut down. "This place makes no sense."

"Ok, since our cards are on the table… God I felt like Luxord just now, how am I able to keep this data in the first place? Let alone get it. Shouldn't it be impossible?" Axel stated.

"Memories… Dreams… They can show us much. It can even tell us things we did not experience ourselves."

Once getting the vague statement, Axel whipped out his Omni-tool and made a connection with the console. With it all out in the open, he downloaded what he could so he can properly look more into it at a later time.

By the time he was done, Strelitzia finished typing the last string of code on the console which caused the pods to open up simultaneously.

Xion examined the pod closest to her. "Do we just hop in or-?"

"Yes." Said the hooded girl in white, hitting another string of code on the console.

There was a momentary pause amongst them before one by one, they all piled into their pods and lay there. The pods soon closed back up and started to glow.

Despite wearing a hood that covered most of her face, the group saw the sad smile Strelitzia had. "I wish I could speak more, but you've been here long enough."

The lights started to grow more and more, practically swallowing up everything in the chamber, blinding the occupants.

As the light receded, the group found themselves no longer in Daybreak Town, but in a stark white hallway they were somewhat familiar with.

"Geez, I never thought I'd be happy to see these white halls again." Axel said aloud in relief.

A beat before Xion spoke up.

"We're on the thirteenth floor." She uttered, realizing that at long last, they had reached their destination.

Meanwhile…

Zexion was conversing with his fellow compatriots when he paused, sensing something peculiar. A series of scents that were more or less familiar to him for some time now.

'They're back.'

"Zexion." The Cloaked Schemer looked towards Lexaeus. "You seem troubled. Is something the matter?"

"They're back."

The others snapped their attention to Zexion.

"What did you say?" Vexen said.

"They're back." No. VI repeated.

Realizing what Zexion was talking about, Vexen went over to the security terminal and activated the feeds. Lo and behold the infiltration group was standing outside of the existing doorway of the twelfth memory floor.

They were now on this very floor.

"They're out." He whispered.

A moment later, they all heard the familiar swirling sound of Corridor of Darkness being conjured and all turned in time to see the most temperamental and feistiest member of the Organization teleporting away.

"She's gone off on her own again." Riku Replica idly commented.

"Oh dear, so impatient." Luxord tutted, shaking his head. "One of these days, it will be her undoing."

Back on the entrance to the thirteenth floor, our group of heroes were in a moment of respite after the madness that was the memory World of Daybreak Town when Axel and Riku's expressions turned sharp.

"Guys?" Namine spoke up, having seen their sudden change in demeanor.

"We got company." Riku immediately said, facing toward the staircase that would lead them to their final destination.

A Dark Corridor erupted from the ground. It dissipated soon after to reveal No. XII.

"Well, well, well, lookie what finally came into the light." Larxene greeted with a condescending smile.

"Larxene…" Axel calmly said, any of his usual witty remarks or tone not found.

The others all stared at the Savage Nymph with mixed emotions, something that the electric Nobody picked up on.

"What's your deal?" She asked with a snappy tone, directing her gaze at Axel in particular. "What? No snarky comeback or comment?"

She was met with silence which served to offput her.

"Alright, start talking." Larxene all but demanded now. "Gotta admit, you all sure put us in a tussle. So spill it."

"Tussle? For what?"

No. XII gestured at the door behind them with her chin.

"What happened in that Memory World?" She said, unable to hide her own curiosity. "We couldn't see anything in there."

This was an odd bit of news for the intruders to learn. They knew beforehand they were being spied on, but not on the recent floor?

"Well?" Larxene impatiently said, not liking the prolonged silence.

Axel's eyes narrowed and for a moment, he hesitated. "Wouldn't you like to know… Elrena."

The one Nobody opened her mouth when Larxene froze upon hearing what was spoken. Her eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. "What did you just say?"

"Elrena." Axel said offhandedly, trying to sound like it was nothing. "What about it?"

The others shifted their gaze between the Savage Nymph and the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Having known the younger version of Larxene, it was odd to see how she is at the present times.

Speaking of Larxene…

From her perspective, her vision tilted, everything turning sideways.

There was a pain in her head that she had never felt before.

"How?" She snarled, electricity now circling around her very form. "How do you know that name?"

The others in the group whipped out their weapons and came at the ready just when Larxene all but exploded.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!" Roared the Savage Nymph.

In her mind, she remembered the day the Superior found and brought her into the Organization.

Between them were a series of ethereal letters spelling out E-L-R-E-N-A. They suddenly spun around at a rapid pace before the Superior thrusted his hand forward with an 'X' and it all came to a stop. Low and behold, it formed a new name: L-A-R-X-E-N-E

This was the Naming Ceremony.

The name of the Nobody's "original self" is presented and rebranded into something new, signifying their new existence.

How was it Axel knew her former name?

How?

She never told anyone her original name.

At times, she's barely even thought about it since becoming a Nobody.

-Insert: Kingdom Hearts 13th Struggle: Larxene-

"ANSWER ME!" She roared, her voice booming like the sound of cracking thunder. Her lightning daggers crackled into existence and she disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Axel immediately conjured a wall of flame yet reeled back at the form of the Savage Nymph jumping through the flames, disregarding any damage that may have been done to her and made a beeline straight at him.

In an instant, Roxas was right in front of his friend, Oathkeeper in hand and went for a slashing attack though his Keyblade went right through her. Her body blurred and vanished a second later, and the hairs on Roxas' neck stood up.

He deftly jumped away just as a lightning bolt struck where he stood and Larxene landed on the smoldering black spot on the ground.

She glared at the group and released a battle cry, her lightning charging up around her and once more, she vanished.

Several of the group were startled when not one but four Larxene's appeared, all moving at them at superhuman speeds.

"Scatter!" Riku yelled out and everyone hastily moved to try to avoid the oncoming attacks with Larxene managing to Knick Namine.

The platinum blond Nobody cried out, a visible gash appearing on her left thigh and she fell to the ground.

"NAMINE!" Riku shouted, pivoting his direction and using a burst of darkness to shoot over to her side to block several lightning daggers that struck his Soul Eater.

He winced in pain as each dagger disappeared, only to leave electrical shocks that coursed through his weapon and onto him.

The hallway literally shook with the sound of thunder bouncing off the walls with Larxene doing the same, all four of her that doubled to eight a second later. They quickly divided themselves up into pairs, had lightning charge up around them and launched off where they planted themselves, becoming literal blurs of lightning.

Everyone scrambled to try to block, dodge or counter Larxene's attacks to varying success.

Xion threw up a barrier in time for herself and Sora who was nearby, the clones that struck the hexagonal sphere bounced off and were struck by the pieces of the shield that exploded off from their impact.

Goofy held up his shield in time to block the clones that attacked him but the dual attack sent him careening back into Donald, Riku and Namine.

This was an inadvertent blessing in disguise as this action served to allow the clones targeting Riku and Namine to fly right by them, hitting nothing.

Axel created a plume of fire that obscured him and Roxas just as the Larxene clones gunning after them drew near, the copies sailing through smoke to find their opponents missing. Both were taken out a moment later by the duo, Axel and Roxas managing to strike them in their backs.

The clones vanished with crackles of electricity in their wake that moved toward the other six Larxene's.

No. XII of the Organization was living up to her moniker of the Savage Nymph as the expression she conveyed was unrelenting fury. Yet at the same time, unseen by the rest due to them being in a more battle-oriented state, they missed the look of conflicted anxiousness in her eyes, not knowing the pain her head and chest were experiencing.

Shaking her head, Larxene rocketed forward again, this time conjuring even more clones that reigned down upon the group.

"Namine! Donald!" Xion called out to the two and without being directed, they knew what the Ravenette wanted and together, the three of them combined their powers to erect a powerful barrier with all the Larxene's and lightning bolts striking at it with no avail.

Yet that did little in deterring the Savage Nymph, the woman angling her hand and flicking a single lightning dagger that was charged with lightning.

It pierced right in between two of the hexagonal pieces of the barrier, landing right between the group.

A moment later, Larxene appeared in the middle of them all and unleashed a full torrent of lightning around her.

They all cried out in pain at the attack yet Roxas and Sora recovered first, dashing at her.

She vanished, several dark electric portals appearing around them. Sora and Roxas went back to back and both threw up their Keyblades, summoning pillars of light that erupted from the ground and rapidly spun around them just as more clones shot at them at full speed.

A number of them were taken out by the pillars of light whilst Sora and Roxas managed to take out a few on their own.

One in particular had slammed against Roxas, her daggers grinding and making sparks against his Keyblade and in that, he realized this was the real one.

From his perspective, the cold, rageful expression of Larxene flashed to the calm, happily smiling face of Elrena whom they had just met in the memory World of Daybreak Town.

He didn't know why he said it but the words came spilling out without him even registering it.

"I'm so sorry for what happened Elrena." Roxas earnestly said, making himself blink at what he just said.

"Wh-what?" She growled out, a look of angered pain. "You too? H-How?!"

Lightning exploded around her and Roxas cried out at the bolts striking him.

"WHAT HAPPENED IN THERE?!" She bellowed out, another crack of thunder following her exclamation. "START TALKING!"

Clouds began forming on the ceiling above, lightning crackling out from them as Larxene's power output increased exponentially.

"Uh, I don't remember her being able to do that." Xion warily said, eyes up at the sudden appearance of literal thunderclouds in the room.

"Jeez, I didn't think saying her real name would trigger a reaction like this." Axel said, teeth grit, clenching his chakrams tightly and calling upon more of his power.

"It must have something to do with her memory." Namine surmised worriedly, wincing as she took a Hi-Potion that healed her injuries. "Us saying it caused this reaction."

"Why though?" Riku quickly said. "It's her original name, right? Shouldn't she just… just… I dunno, just not react like that?"

"Incoming!" Goofy shouted, making everyone tense up as small dark holes appeared from the clouds and Larxene's literally rained down from on high.

"Son of a bitch!" Axel exclaimed, expunging a dome of fire that burned with such intensity that any Larxene clone that slammed into it burned away into wisps immediately.

Larxene's original self-appeared, seething with a visible vein popping on her forehead, arms trembling.

Her eyes darted between all of them, specifically focusing on the two who had uttered her original name.

A moment later, she closed her eyes, her face conveying pain as the pounding in her head was only growing worse.

"What *pant* have you done to me?" She desperately said, her tone shaky and clearly rattled.

"E-Elrena." Xion blurted out. "Please."

That seemed to make her snap, a scream of pain coming from the deepest part of her being, lightning erupting around her like a volcanic eruption.

"STOP SAYING THAT NAME!"

The lightning had become so intense that every part of the floor, walls and ceiling that a bolt had struck, craters were left behind.

"Oh shit." Axel cursed, tensing up as they all felt the electrical current literally humming on their bodies.

Larxene released a final cry before literally vanishing.

Everyone froze up when suddenly, Riku was struck on his side and Namine didn't have much time to call out to him as she was hit in the face followed by Sora, Donald, Goofy, Xion, and lastly Axel and Roxas, the pair having received the most powerful blows.

Larxene didn't relent, delivering several additional strikes on Axel and Roxas when the latter had a flash of light.

The element Roxas was most attuned with rapidly formed around Oathkeeper, expanding his weapon into a literal Keyblade of pure light.

"BACK OFF!" Roxas exclaimed and unleashed his own counterattack that rapidly bashed his former teammate of the Organization.

Axel was quick to capitalize on this, lunging forward, engulfing his Chakrams in flames and slamming them both against Larxene, spinning them in his hands for added damage.

Despite the pain, Larxene made no indication of it, instead clenching her teeth tightly and zipping away, flinging her knives that multiplied in the air.

Larxene's knives flew through the air with lightning trailing behind them, more and more appearing as they all made a beeline for Roxas and Axel.

It was then that Goofy came in and with Donald's magic, his shield enlarged itself with a magic hum that made all the daggers bounce off the shield, none of the lightning lingering around to shock the Disney Castle Captain of the Guard.

Namine soon joined in, sending out a blast of wind with a powerful Aeroga.

Larxene sailed through the air and saw Sora leap up, Keyblade raised over his head.

Gritting her teeth, lightning crackled around her once more and she split off into multiple clones.

Xion and Riku quickly ran in together, the former using wind and water whilst the latter had dark fire coursing around him.

They moved in an intersecting path, crisscrossing several times and with every crossing, they slashed away one of Larxene's clones.

More clones took their place, each one going after someone in the group.

"Dammit!" Axel exclaimed. "Goddammit Larxene, enough already!"

"Then start talking!" Larxene screeched.

"Kinda hard to do so if you're acting like this!" Sora retorted, swatting his clone Larxene away.

The clone shot at him again and this time the knives were batted away by the Keyblade before following through with a series of quick slashes. However, the Savage Nymph was able to dodge, duck and side-step each time while sporting a mocking expression with each movement. She then launched a series of jabs and swipes with electronic trails for potential shocks and speeding actions.

Sora was struck several times until Riku swept in, a blackish-white aura surrounding him as he threw his foot at her.

Larxene was kicked away by the silver-haired teen, clutching her stomach as she landed.

The rest of her clones had been taken care of and she was surrounded.

"Why… Don't you… Quit already!" Larxene growled out as she brought her arm up and more of her power was built up into the limb. Yellow lightning radiated off the arm, and she swung it about as a massive Thunder arc went everywhere.

Sora, Roxas, Xion, Namine and Donald all combined their magical power to erect a barrier that held strong against Larxene's electric onslaught. Even still, they all winced and grunted at the power behind her lightning.

"This is too much." Axel exclaimed. "She never displayed power like this before."

"There must be a deeper reasoning than we initially assumed." Namine said in a strained effort, trying to keep her portion of the barrier up.

As the lightning died down, Goofy was the first to rush in.

"SORA!" He called out to his friend and the islander was quick to jab his Keyblade down to the ground. Goofy stepped on the edge and was then flicked up by Sora. Standing atop his Keyblade, Goofy charged up with energy when he was launched forward like a rocket, smoke coming from his body as he sailed up before sailing down and nearly crashing into Larxene who jumped away.

Despite her avoiding the attack, the shockwave it created still managed to strike her and send her flying.

Roxas and Xion were quick to follow up on this as they blurred behind her and smacked her with their Keyblades.

Larxene released an audible cry of pain, lightning exploding around her momentarily to zip away just as Axel was about to strike her.

Even though she managed to avoid the attack, she reappeared in a tumble, rolling on the ground and she stopped when she hit a wall.

The group of heroes was quick to surround her again, weapons up and ready as No. XII released a strangled growl, forcing herself to stand. Shakily, she stood before them with a sway in her posture yet her glare remained.

Her eyes had tears poking out from their corners and her head was pounding something fierce.

Axel saw this and subconsciously lowered his weapons slightly, having a slightly disturbed look at the sight of the Savage Nymph appearing to cry.

To convey emotions.

Outside of the angry, snarky and sadistic nature, it was outright alien to see Larxene in such a state.

She is clearly backed into a corner now, being overwhelmed by all sides and ready to-

"No… NO! I REFUSE TO LOSE TO THE LIKES OF YOU!" She screamed out loud. Dark wisps rolled off her body as they seemed to heighten the lightning considerably. "NOT WITHOUT KNOWING HOW YOU KNOW THAT NAME!"

"Back away, now-!"

*KRASHKOOOOM*

She was a literal lightning storm. And within the restricted confines of the present space, Larxene became ever more dangerous than before.

Her enemies were sent careening back, some managing to recover to help the others.

"This isn't a normal reaction!" Namine yelled out over the noise. "Her real name must be linked to her memories and is causing this!"

Larxene had a crazed look in her eyes with an expression of pain. She was breathing heavily, lighting sparking off her. She took a step forward only to collapse down to one knee, her breathing becoming haggard.

Clenching her fists, she got back up with her body screaming in pain and defiance.

"Larxene, please." Xion said. "We don't have to fight."

The lightning Nobody glared at the Ravenette, faltering slightly at the imploring look No. XIV gave her. Her mind was assailed with visions that she could not see and didn't understand why but… she saw a young girl in a-

"GAH!" Larxene cried out, clutching her head.

Before anyone can speak or move, a disembodied voice spoke around them.

"I believe this is the part where we step in."

Everyone froze at the voice and a moment later, several corridors of Darkness appeared.

"Oh great." Riku groused out as the Corridors disbursed to reveal Xigbar, Vexen, Lexeaus, Luxord and Riku Replica/Kirux.

"Come on~" Sora bemoaned aloud. "We already had enough with her."

"Oh, I do believe our dear lady has had a sufficient degree of battling on this day." No. X airily. "So it's time to throw our hand into the fold."

"Wh-What?" Larxene snarled out, taking a wobbling step forward. "You think you can just waltz in and-"

*THMP*

She was silenced by a chop to the neck from the ever-silent No. V, the tall Nobody easily catching her smaller frame and hoisting her over his shoulder. Wordlessly he teleported away, leaving Vexen, Xigbar, Luxord and Kirux.

"Well now, the loudmouth is out of the way," No. II declared with his usual grin. He threw his hands up and summoned his arrow guns. "We can have our turn."

Kirux called forth his replica Soul Eater, Luxord did a quick card trick as his deck flipped from one sleeve to the other and Vexen summoned his icy shield.

Axel rolled his eyes as he and his friends readied themselves for another fight. "Here we go again."

At a moment's notice, the two forces clashed.

*BOOM*

*CLANG*

*ZHOOHM*

*ZHANG*

"HEADS UP!"

"EAT THIS!"

"THUNDAGA!"

"SORA!"

"Hang on Namine!"

"Xion, look out!"

"Here, take this!"

The fighting was eclectic and destructive, the hallway they were getting absolutely destroyed by their fighting.

In the midst of all this, while the rest of the Organization members were distracted by the rest of the infiltration team, Axel figuratively pulled Xion aside.

"Xion." Axel grunted out. "You need to go on ahead."

She looked at him in surprise. "What? Why?"

"You remember the data room, right?"

She strained her nogging but nodded all the same after the memory came back to her. "Uh-huh."

"That's likely where everything we need to know is being held." Her friend stated. "So just get in, get the data and get out. Once you do that, we can book it out of here."

"But what about-?"

"We'll hold out as long as possible. Now go!" Axel then literally pushed her just as a spear of ice came between them. "Not cool, Vex," No. VIII taunted. "Can't you see we were in the middle of something?"

"Would I have the desire to have any sort of care?" No. IV snidely retorted.

Axel created a firewall, obscuring Vexen's vision as he shot one last look of urgency to Xion.

She didn't want to go but maybe this would be their chance to finally get what they needed and get out of this place.

And just like that, Xion looked for an opening and took it. Running as hard as she could to get out of the one vicinity and towards her intended destination.

She didn't know how long Lexeaus would remain in the particular section of the thirteenth floor or if he was even up there. He may return to the fray quickly to assist his compatriots in taking her allies out. And who knows how long Larxene will remain unconscious.

She ran up a long set of stairs before bursting into-

"The data room." Xion whispered, seeing all the screens and terminals.

Having her Omni-tool out, No. XIV began to work. She was met with some resistance but with some finagling, she started to break through the defenses.

'How did Roxas make this look easy?' Xion thought with a frown.

She'll really need to have Tali give her pointers on making her more efficient with hacking.

Regardless, she managed to break through and rather than looking for what she needed, Xion opted to just download everything. The more information they had on the Organization, the better.

The crawl towards downloading completion was agonizing with anxiety taking hold of her being. Her wanting to have it hurry up and-

"Now what is going on here?"

Xion whirled around, conjuring her Keyblade in her other hand just as a Corridor of Darkness appeared and vanished as quickly as it came to reveal another familiar face to the puppet.

'Crap, forgot about him.' She thought with a nervous look. "Zexion." She cautiously said.

The Cloaked Schemer was silent, regarding the young teen with an indiscernible look, causing her to fidget slightly. His gaze shifted from Xion's Omni-tool to the terminal and was able to piece things together.

"None of that belongs to you." He states, summoning his Lexicon.

Xion grit her teeth, quickly setting up a link between her Omni-Tool and the data she was downloading before deactivating her device and getting into her battle stance.

"I don't want to fight you, Zexion." Xion admitted. "I've done enough of that today."

The large grimoire opened up, having its pages flutter about. "Sadly, there's bound to be more."

Zexion unleashed his power with Xion conjuring water and wind in response with her Keyblade. Many pages were scattered about and they rolled up to form sharp needles that were shot at her.

The Ravenette kept utilizing water and wind to expel the attack when some managed to get through her defenses.

She released a small yelp of pain at one that cut her cheek, flinching back just as an unusual amount of the needles sailed past her arm with her Omni-Tool.

Her eyes widened upon realizing what his target was and she jumped away this time as another volley of needles came down.

Xion had to quickly maneuver about. Caution became more prevalent for her in protecting her one arm so Zexion wouldn't strike her wrist and destroy her Omni-tool.

This was their little "game" of cat and mouse, Zexion constantly on the offensive whilst Xion was defending herself and Omni-Tool above all else.

Zexion even tried to destroy the terminals of the data room yet Xion intercepted most of the attacks and prevented them from damaging the computers.

"Hey, don't you guys need and use this stuff too?" She called out in the midst of the battle.

"There is a thing known as backup and copied data." Zexion dryly retorted. "This is our second base, in case you have forgotten, traitor."

Xion narrowed her eyes at that, finding something unusual in the cadence of his tone.

There was something lacking in what he said, or rather, how he said it. He had no bite or snark to it and even though one would chalk that up to him being a Nobody, there was still something about his tone that made Xion give pause in thought.

She shook her head a moment later. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Jumping away from another attack, Xion heard a ping coming from her Omni-Tool and smirked in success.

She got the data.

With a quick flourish of her Keyblade, Xion's form glowed and wind and water coalesced around her.

Thrusting her Keyblade forward, the Ravenette became a spinning spear that smashed against Zexion, hearing the sound of him getting the wind knocked out of him.

No. VI sailed back and crashed into a screen, getting the unpleasant addition of some electric shocks into his body.

Not wasting time to see if he was conscious or not, Xion made a beeline out of the data room, running as fast as she could. She got back to the floor where she had left her friends, seeing the absolute state of wreckage in the area.

Her friends were looking worse for wear. They were fighting all day throughout the floors in order to make it here. Running on fumes, who knows how long they'll last against the present Organization members.

Be that as it may, they at least had a numbers advantage, keeping the Organization members at bay.

"Everyone!" Xion yelled out, getting everyone's attention, seeing her waving her arm with her Omni-Tool.

Axel was quick to discern just what Xion was silently implying and grinned.

"You got it?"

"What I can, yes."

Nodding, Axel let out a whistle. "Time to go, now!"

Riku, who was fighting with his Replica, called upon his power for a quick burst of strength and speed, blitzing Kirux. The Replica released a strangled cry of pain and annoyance, trying to retaliate but Riku was already a good distance away from him.

He rushed by Namine and scooped her up, the platinum-blond Nobody releasing a surprised yelp with her face burning red at being carried by him.

"Let's go, let's go!" Axel yelled out, using his fiery power to keep Vexen at bay, the Chilly Academic being unable to get by the many pillars and walls of flame No. VIII kept conjuring.

Sora, Roxas, Donald and Goofy had beaten back Xigbar and Luxord and were making their way to the rest of their friends. But the two Nobody's they were fighting against were quick to recover, having already regained their bearings.

"So, you guys are just gonna bail and not give us a proper goodbye?" Xigbar casually said.

"Well, they are traitors, Xigbar, so courtesy might be lost on them." Luxord conversationally responded. "But it appears whatever it is they wanted from this place, they perhaps have gotten it. Meaning their time here is at an end."

"Ah, we can't have that now, can we?" The Freeshooter declared, holding up both his arrow guns before slamming them together, fusing them both into an enlarged and elongated arrow gun that was pointed directly at the infiltrators.

"Lovely idea." Luxord praised, taking a step back and holding up his hand. "Allow me to assist in your endeavor."

Channeling his own power into the charging shot that Xigbar was preparing, the Freeshooter soon took aim and fired.

"LOOK OUT!" Xion yelled out, seeing the projectile get launched at them.

Roxas turned around just as the combination attack from Luxord and Xigbar drew near.

His eyes widened at the oncoming attack and he rushed forward, ignoring the cries from his friends.

Once more, that tugging feeling that he had been experiencing for a while now, specifically since coming here had returned.

Instead of ignoring it or trying to send it away, Roxas allowed that tugging sensation to envelop his whole being.

He threw out his left hand and out came Oathkeeper.

And then he threw out his right hand.

And out came the flash of another Keyblade.

This one had a hilt consisting of two bat-like wings extending downward with a dark blue diamond embedded between them. The key's teeth was box-shaped with a stylized glyph (闇). The chain hanging off the end had a black crown charm. And another chain ran up the blade's length.

The Oblivion.

His friends froze upon seeing this, their jaws dropping and eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"TWO!?" Most of them shouted in disbelief just as Roxas used both to slash through the combined attack of Xigbar and Luxord.

The two Keyblades sliced through the powered energy shot and it dissipated a moment later, leaving nothing in the air.

The Organization members were equally as dumbstruck as No. XIII's friends, not believing what they were looking at.

Sensing their opportunity, Axel waved his arms to conjure a sphere of fire that he clapped his over. Following that clap came an explosion of black smoke that engulfed the entire, blinding the Organization members until Kirux made several strong swings of his Soul Eater, creating gusts of winds with each swipe that eventually dispelled the smoke.

And what they saw was what they expected after suffering through their lungs getting back up by black smoke.

"They got away." Kirux drably stated.

Vexen scoffed. "They couldn't have gone-"

"Nope, they're gone." Xigbar cut him off. "Man, they really booked it."

"How in the world did they manage to escape so thoroughly?" Luxord inquired with clear intrigue. "Are we not on the highest floor in Castle Oblivion?"

"Ol' matchstick was here longer than any of us." The Freeshooter pointed out. "Betcha he learned a bunch of tricks we still don't know."

With said matchstick, he and the rest of the infiltration team were already back at the first floor, rushing out the front doors of Castle Oblivion, hightailing it to the Gummi ships.

They all quickly piled into the ships, basically slapping all the controls on and a moment later, both ships rocketed away from Castle Oblivion, flying high into the skies above until they literally twinkled out of sight.

Everyone slumped in their seats once they entered a Gummi lane that would give a direct path to Yen Sid's tower.

"We-we got it." Xion panted, pulling up her Omni-Tool with a satisfied smile.

"Did ya get all of it?" Namine inquired.

"I just downloaded it all, I didn't care what it was. And besides, aside from the data revolving around Roxas, Sora and I, I took virtually everything."

"So that means we have more information on the Organization and what else they might be planning." Goofy declared.

"Atta girl, Xion." Axel praised, ruffling up her hair all while the ravenette blushed at all the praise and compliments the others gave her.

"That's great and all but," Sora spoke up, turning to face Roxas. "What about…"

The Sandy-blond frowned in thought, knowing what he was referring to.

He held up both hands and that tugging sensation came naturally this time and a moment later, Oathkeeper and Oblivion flashed into his hands.

"Two Keyblades." Namine murmured in wide-eyed wonder and disbelief.

"How is that even possible?" Riku asked.

"Maybe Yen Sid has an idea." Donald brought up.

"We go a lot to cover once we get back." Axel stated firmly. "But first, how's about we take a breather when we do get back."

"I hear ya." Sora concurred with an exaggerated sigh. "I wanna take a nap after all that stuff we went through in that Castle."

His best friend said nothing but his grunt and exhausted breath was all he needed to hear to know Riku agreed with him.

The rest all shared in this sentiment, getting comfortable in their seats as their ships flew further and further from Castle Oblivion.

AN

Ok, so, fucking finally, am I right?

Jebest4781: Been a long time since getting into this story. Many reasons prevented us from touching on it.

FMW: We just kept hitting roadblocks of sorts on top of our other stories we've been working on so it was just this annoying self-sabotage sorta thing where we just never got any traction going.

Jeb: Hopefully with this metaphorical blockage done, we can get to the next leg of this story relatively easier.

FMW: Yeah, we've been wanting to get through this to get into the Mass Effect 2 and Kingdom Hearts 2 portion of this story, where we can really get to do so many of our wants and plans cause we all know ME2 and KH2 are likely the best of the respective franchises we're using. Truth be told, this chapter was originally supposed to be way, waaaaaay longer initially. Like a good chunk was cut and put into the next chapter. Plus, we knew from the get-go that we couldn't cover the entire story of KH Union cross and all that so we needed a point in time where we could just get out of there and that's where and when we chose it. If we did all of it, well, we wouldn't have updated this story in a literal year.

Jeb: Our patience was already on thin ice and no way in hell we can draw this out longer. There is only so much we can do before we basically beat up an already dead horse or milking an already dried-up cow.

FMW: Yeah, we were REALLY dragging our feet with this arc but at long last, it's done. We can put this arc to rest and get moving with the next set of story points and arcs. I hope, in that time, you guys have also been keeping an eye on my DeviantArt account cuz I've been releasing artwork for both I'm Nobody and A Song of Fire, Ice and Hearts with a lot more to come.

Jeb: Also, we now have one more arc before finally getting into the sequel events. Basically a "Road to" situation.

FMW: And once that's all well and done, finally we can begin the ME2 and KH2 portion of this story and hopefully, like when we started, we can move like the Flash and churn out the chapters cause we're gonna be able to work with and write scenes and interactions with some of the best characters and moments in both these universes. Plus, a lot of inspiration from other stuff to spice up the story.

Jeb: On other news, House of the Dragon season 2 premiered and now Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is about to officially come out in a handful of hours. As such, they'll give a number of inspirations on a whole plethora of content for our stories. And of course with the latter… it's gonna eat up more of our free time.

FMW: Mostly for our GOT crossover but regardless, we like taking inspiration from many sources. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

So, once again, Jeb and I wanna thank you guys for patiently waiting for this chapter and still supporting it to this day. Means a lot to us.

Until next time.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.