AN: Yesssssss! :D Finally got to use a scene that's been sitting in my drafts FOREVER! Literally months! 3 I'm suuuper excited and happy I got to put it onto the actual page at last lol! Muhahahaha!

End of AN!

Xion wandered back through the dark, following Stitch.

He (he'd answered her question of if he was a boy or a girl with boy) had said could see in the dark.

It didn't take long until they were at the old stairs again. Xion went up them quickly, reemerging into the light of the basement level.

She turned and ran through the hallways, reaching Ansem's study room. She passed through it into the lab, hoping Even would be there - like he always was...

She raced down the metal corridor, onto the glass walkway, and took the turn into the control room's doorway. Relief filled up her Heart as she saw him there! He turned to her sharply, looking surprised and annoyed.

"Xion? Why in the worlds are you running through the-" He stopped, his gaze falling to Stitch. "And what is that?!"

"He's Stitch - he saved me!" Xion said quickly.

"Saved you...SAVED YOU FROM WHAT?!" Even exclaimed, rushing forward now! "What's happened, child? Are you injured?"

"I- not really?" Xion replied, staring up at him as he grabbed her arms. "I was exploring and I found some old stairs, so I went down them and found another basement below this basement, and- my keyblade acted weird and then this man showed up in a black coat-"

"What?"

"-he showed me a secret door to a room with a big machine in it - I've seen it before - it's how Kairi got to Destiny Islands, and- and he was going to put me back- put me in there...too?" Xion came to a slow, confused stop, sucking in air and squeezing her eyes shut. "Stitch saved me from him, and he disappeared. He- He was so nice at first, but then- I was really scared, and-"

Even's arms suddenly let her go - she opened her eyes in confusion and hurt - and then he was grabbing her again and he pulled her against him. His arms wrapped around her body. He was hugging her?

"Thank heavens you're all right..." his voice came, quiet and breathless. He then suddenly let her go again, turning to look down at Stitch. "And thank you - Stitch, was it? - for saving her life. For keeping my- my daughter from harm."

Stitch tilted his head up at Even. Then he gave a wide smile of teeth and raised a hand in a thumbs-up. "Ih. Stitch knows...ohana - family - very important. Not lose...family. Yeah. Or forget." Stitch's smile faded. He lowered his arm and looked down, putting his four hands together. His ears drooped. "Stitch's family still...lost."

"I can help you find them," Xion said quickly.

Stitch looked up at her. He shook his head. "My family...Stitch will find on own. Ih. It okay. Thanks - Xion." He paused, staring up at her. "Friend?"

"We can be friends," Xion agreed, beaming.

"Stitch see Xion again, soon - me find friends, too..." Stitch told her. Then he suddenly turned and ran out of the lab, on all of his limbs!

Xion stared after him, frowning. She looked at Even.

Even sighed, shaking his head. "Well, that...Stitch certainly isn't from this world. Curious...I wonder how he even got here at all...or when..."

Xion threw herself at the man and hugged him tightly.

He gave a little gasp, glancing down at her. Then he raised his hand and patted at her head. "This isn't a free license to start attaching yourself to me, you know..."

Xion giggled.

"But I suppose if it's something you need right now, I can't deny you - I am responsible for you at present...which does include seeing to your emotional well-being," Even muttered on to himself.

After a minute, Even gently pushed her away, looking down at her.

"Xion...there are two things I'd like to ask you now."

"What?" she said, nervous.

"Can you tell me about this black-coated man? And can you take me to this...secret room?" Even said quietly.

Xion stared up at him. She bit her shaking lip. Then she took a breath, and nodded. "I think so...as long as you're with me."

Even smiled at her. "Oh, i think we can - we need - to do better than that, for something like this."

Her name was Cognis.

"She" was a "her" at all, like her name, by choice and intent. But there was something else inside of her...a drive, a calling. A desire.

She didn't think it was so different, being a...being born with instincts and urges. In her case, these consisted of the instinct and urge to do good in the worlds: to help when she saw those that needed it. To save when people needed saving. To protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

Humans would have just called that "empathy", or perhaps only sympathy. Which...would in fact have proven that she did have those inside herself after all. That she always had. Still, Cognis...wasn't sure she recognized it as such. But did it matter, really, if in the end the results were the same?

But what of the other instincts inside her? The desires of a Darkness? The desire to...expand. Spread. To grow. To see. To explore? Were those primal instincts borne of malevolence, or were they more benign and innocent? Hm. She supposed it didn't matter to her, personally: all sapient beings had instincts - and all chose to rise above them, with conscious thought and feeling. She was no different there.

Cognis was...content, here, with Riku. Being bonded to him. Being within his warm, wonderful, and singularly unique Heart. She supposed she might even call it something of a source of "pride". Or...even more.

Now, she would have liked to say he was hers, and hers alone - but that, regrettably, would have been a lie.

There was still the unwanted intruder she had tied up in the basement level of Riku's Heart.

After the time-traveling Xehanort had severely damaged and weakened Ansem's essence, his fragment of being, Cognis had gone on to do as she had before, and made sure to wrap the fragment up in her own power, and cast it down into the abyss.

But, just like before, she knew it was only a matter of time until he regained his strength and power...and returned to trouble Riku once again.

Her host. Her partner. Her...

Her what? What word beyond those first two could apply to them - describe them, and their relationship?

Family?

Perhaps.

Cognis pulled herself from her thoughts, paying attention to the world around her again instead. The sprawling city streets, surrounding the great castle in the middle of it all...

Riku did well enough navigating open streets and spaces by himself, as well as crowds, but more intimate and complex locations...he wasn't so good at that.

And he did need her to be ready to describe the things and people around him in all the details he couldn't see for himself, of course. A job and task Cognis thought she had come to...rather enjoy. It definitely kept her own mind occupied, while Riku did all of the walking and door-opening and the like. Having an assigned job meant she wasn't going to get too bored in here.

Maybe she was starting to regret giving up that physical body she'd had so briefly, after all.

Hm...

There were definitely advantages to being a formless wraith of darkness - yet it came with disadvantages as well. But was the tradeoff worth it...?

Her ancient ancestors must have thought so...until they realized what they'd lost - hence, why they were so desperate to regain physical forms now.

So then, perhaps-

"Hey - Cognis? What's that?"

She returned her focus to the world again, looking around herself in all directions, simultaneously, with an eyeless sight, emanating from Riku's body in an invisible aura of energy. She didn't need to ask him to elaborate: she could tell what he was sensing, what he was thinking about in that moment. What he was pondering on as being "odd".

She looked up into the sky, focusing on the orb hovering overhead, above the rooftops of the buildings. It looks to be some kind of magical floating sphere - blue in color, with a fractal core, she responded, projecting her mental "voice" across his Heart and through his body, such that he would hear her within and from outside himself.

"A...what?" Riku murmured, as a wave of his emotions came to her easily. Easily sensed - embarrassment.

It's like a broken, twisted mirror, Cognis elaborated promptly - quite happily, too. It's constantly shifting in on itself, reflecting the world around it. It actually looks really pretty.

"...Right. Thanks. What's it doing? Is it some kind of attack drone, or what?"

I don't know, Cognis admitted. But as long as it's not hurting us, it's probably safe to just ignore it.

"Just ignore it."

Yes. Problem?

"I don't like it."

I can tell - why?

"Because it's just- floating around up there, and it's- creeping me out, alright? What if it's watching us?"

Cognis sighed audibly. Do you really think it's watching you, a random boy in a street full of people?

"...Look, it just bugs me, okay? I've got a bad feeling about it."

Then go somewhere it can't see you.

"Right. Okay."

Riku immediately turned and stepped off the street, passing into a long, curving, and narrow alleyway.

In the dark and seclusion, Cognis flowed out of his body, manifesting and shaping herself into something approximate to a humanoid figure. She "walked" ahead of Riku - the better to warn him of incoming obstacles and terrain changes, and to give him something "solid" to lock his senses onto and follow.

He'd made a joke the other day about it that had made her laugh - calling her his "Guide Darkness".

Cognis led their way down the long alley, rounding the bend. She took notice of the stairs and doors flanking them - the narrower side alleys, as well. After a minute or two more, she stopped, turning her head (even though she really had no need to - it was more to clue Riku in on the direction from which something had caught her attention).

"What is it?" Riku asked, stepping up beside her.

"There's a courtyard, through here," Cognis said, projecting her voice aloud now from her own "body", and raising an arm to further indicate. Pointing through the entryway of stone, to the surprisingly spacious, stone courtyard, hidden between the surrounding buildings. "It's rather large, with plenty of benches, statues, and plants decorating it. There's also a fountain on the far side - can you hear the water?"

Riku cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowing. He nodded. "Yeah. I hear it. Is there some other reason you're bringing this place to my attention?"

"Well, I did think you could use a rest," Cognis said, factual. "And me, as well."

"Do you even need to rest? You don't sleep, do you?" Riku said, surprise in his Heart - reaching her.

"Not in the way you humans do, no - probably not," Cognis agreed. "but I do get mentally tired of doing the same thing, over and over again, or simply from constantly thinking about things - and I also think I have sometimes fallen into something of a...hibernation state, almost, really. It's strange. But I suppose that's just what Darknesses do when we aren't active."

"...Sure," Riku said. "Let's...take a break, then. I guess I could use one...we've been working pretty hard these last few days now."

"Really? Just like that, you take my advice? I'm proud of you."

"Shut up..."

Cognis laughed, audible, for his benefit.

Riku went and sat down on a bench in the middle of the courtyard, facing an iron fence with wreaths on it.

Cognis teleported herself over to stand by his side, allowing her mind to relax now, somewhat.

After several listless minutes, however, Cognis saw it again above them: that magical orb was back.

Riku - stand up. We should go, she spoke to him mentally, letting herself evaporate into shapelessness, and flow back into his Heart and body.

Huh? Why? What's- Riku's thoughts came back to her, silent as well. But he obeyed, jumping to his feet. Then he stopped. He tilted his head back. That thing again...? I told you it was following me!

Yes, it seems like you were right, she admitted. Though, that shouldn't be something to gloat about-

Blue lights flashed around them in the courtyard, and Cognis saw several people materialize out of thin air - over a dozen of them, in long black robes, with hoods on, and symbols on their chests.

"Hey! What's-!" Riku started, clenching his fist and summoning his Keyblade with a swing of an arm.

The figures all raised their hands, and swirling blue mist flew out at Riku, as well as great flashes of blinding yellow light!

Cognis was unaffected by the mist, of course - but not the light. She couldn't see through what she couldn't see through. Even being formless didn't help with that - no more than it gave her the ability to see through walls.

Which meant she was as blind as Riku.

Which meant that she was helpless to do anything, before she realized Riku's feelings and thoughts were fading, and his body-

His body fell forward to land on the stone ground, his Keyblade fallen from his grasp. It clattered beside him, echoing in the silent courtyard.

The robed figures all lowered their arms. One stepped forward.

"Good work," the woman spoke to the others. "It's not a redheaded girl, but it's still a dark spirit. It probably moved..." She trailed off into silence, her eyes widening.

Wispy tendrils drifted off Riku's form, and an aura of purple energy enveloped him. A light flashed, and he was surrounded by a barrier dome of purple, translucent crystal.

Cognis flowed out of his body, manifesting herself in front of him - her faceless visage gazing squarely at the robed figures in front of her.

"Knocking my host unconscious...that wasn't the smartest thing you could have done," she stated quietly, anger brimming in her voice. In her core. "In fact...that was the worst thing you could have ever done here today. But-"

The woman at the forefront flashed out her hand, sending out a blast of blue lightning; the attack flew through Cognis's form, and struck the stone wall behind her with a small explosion of burnt rock.

The others conjured weapons in their hands as they backed away, spreading out into some formation. Some strategy - that was going to prove completely useless to them.

"But," Cognis continued on, slow and clear. "I'm still going to give you all the chance to toss your weapons away, and lay yourselves down on the ground. Do that, and you'll be left alive and unharmed. Anyone who hasn't done so is going to die today, right here and now. I cannot be touched, or harmed, or contained - I'm formless, in the truest sense of the word. So, consider how much you really value your own lives. You have five seconds."

The robed figures all stared at her. Then, at each other.

The leader conjured and raised a blade of her own, and lunged forward - with the rest following suit.

Hmph. Very well. I do regret the loss of life - but my host's safety takes priority over all else!

Cognis flew forward in a streak of dark energy, passing through the leader's chest, and then quickly whipping back again. The woman fell. She turned her featureless head, gazing without eyes upon the others. One man's weapon dropped with a clatter upon the ground as he stumbled back, shock and fear written on his face. Cognis flew into a furious whirlwind of motion, darting from one to the next, forcing her formless body through theirs, piercing and burning through flesh to reach and strike at their very Hearts. They all fell to her, one by one, within seconds - their attacks not touching her, their barriers not preventing her from reaching them.

Except for the one who had dropped his weapon.

After the last of the others had hit the ground, Cognis rematerialized in front of the lone, living man.

Around her, the bodies of his fellows faded away to nothingness, taken by dark energies, evaporating into tendrils on the air, and purple light motes.

"W-what are you...?" the man whispered, gazing upon her in quivering terror.

"I believe I told you to lay yourself down..." Cognis said softly, tilting her head at the man.

The man startled, then hastened to obey, putting his hands over his head as he did.

"Hmph. At least one of you was actually smart." Cognis flickered away, reappearing near Riku's unconscious body. You need to wake up sooner rather than later, Riku. Please.

But he couldn't do it here; that orb was still there in the sky, after all - it would probably signal for reinforcements soon.

So Cognis stepped forward, through her own barrier dome, and crouched down to put a hand on Riku's arm. She carefully, slowly enveloped him in an aura of blue, and created a Dark Corridor beneath him.

She sank down into it with him, ensuring he was protected the entire time.