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4/XIII/07... we should have a party.

Post KHII. "If two halves desire to be separate unto themselves, they must become one." A riddle posed to Roxas by a mysterious cloaked figure could prove the key to unlocking his heart, or could leave him stranded in darkness. Roxas x Namine.

Prolog and Chapter I
Chapter II​

Chapter III

Riku knew something was wrong when he landed on the beach and the Black Dusks didn't make any move to attack. He tied his boat up by the dock and sprinted for Sora's house.

He crawled on all fours underneath the window and looked in, almost afraid of what he might see. If the situation hadn't been so grim, he would have laughed. The brave Keyblade Master, defender of worlds, was curled up in a little ball with a stuffed turtle hugged close in one hand and his thumb in his mouth.

Riku shook his head in disbelief, sending droplets of water flying from his silver hair. He looked up at the sky to see it still clouded over; the rain showed no signs of stopping. He left his best friend asleep and moved on to Kairi's house. Her room was on the second story of the mayor's house, so he climbed a nearby palm tree to look in. He peered in through the open window, and his breath caught in his throat. A dark figure was seated on the edge of her bed, watching the princess sleep.

The Keyblade wielder leapt from the tree through the window, rolling to break his fall and pressing the sharp edge of Way to the Dawn against the unknown's throat, faster than blinking. "Move and you die," he hissed, casting a quick glance at Kairi to make sure that she was unharmed. She was asleep, her breathing deep and even, covered in nothing but a large white tee shirt and a thin sheet.

"She's a pretty thing, isn't she?" the figure said softly, black-gloved hand trailing down the side of Kairi's face without touching her. "I can see why you like her so much."

Riku growled softly and pressed the blade in closer. "Larxene," he greeted coolly. "I should have known that you'd be the one behind all of this."

She laughed sharply and threw back her hood, clapping her hands delightedly. "Bravo, bravo, Riku! I had so hoped you'd figure it out!" Her voice, while still carrying its deceptively delicate female air, somehow managed to convey the promise of extreme torture.

"Save it for someone who cares," he gripped her blonde hair and pulled to further expose her throat, cyan eyes cold and merciless. "Tell me what's going on."

She dematerialized and reappeared in a corner of the room. "You really don't think you can stop me, do you?" Larxene laughed again, still clapping her hands like a young girl who had been given exactly what she wanted, then with chilling finality, she stopped all movement. "Look at yourself, young Riku; living a lie for the sake of your friends. How naïve."

"How did you-" There that been no explosion of darkness like Roxas had described, nor had there been any kind of visible portal opened. Riku clenched his fist. "Is this the part where you tell me that darkness is the only way to save my friends?" He offered her his most ingratiating sixteen-year-old smirk. "Sorry, Larxene; I've already been down that path, and I make a habit of not repeating my mistakes, unlike you."

"What is that supposed to mean, pray tell?" Larxene leaned against the wall with a disinterested yawn.

"You were already killed once, yet here you are; back for more." He hefted Way to the Dawn in his hand. "You Organization members aren't too bright, are you?"

"Proud words from a boy who doesn't grasp the trouble he and his friends are in," she crossed her arms and looked to be examining her fingernails, though she was wearing thick black gloves.

"Enlighten me."

"Do you not wonder why your Princess hasn't woken, though we carry on a conversation naught a half a meter away from her bedside?" Larxene didn't look up from her fingernails. "Hm, quite a puzzle, wouldn't you say?" It sounded almost as if she were supressing a giggle.

Though he had indeed given his word to Roxas not to wake them, Riku decided that this was as close to life threatening he'd let it get. Keeping his gaze locked firmly on the Savage Nymph, he moved forward to gently shake her shoulder with his free hand. "Kairi, you have to get up now."

There was no response; she didn’t even groan.

He tried to keep his anxiety out of his voice with little success. "Kairi?" He shook her harder, still with nothing. "Kairi!" Riku glared at Larxene with cold fury. "What did you do to her?"

"I'm ashamed to say that I had no hand in this, myself," Larxene admitted almost regretfully.

"Liar!" he bit out.

"No, really; I would love to take the credit for this most ingenious torture, but I unfortunately cannot," a saddened pout crossed her face. "Why don't you ask your Nobody friend? I'd assume he and the witch are hiding somewhere where our Black Dusks can't find them." Her eyebrow rose at the expression crossing Riku's face. "Oh, so you've heard the name? From the Key of Destiny, no doubt?"

She crossed the room to stand opposite the boy, leaning down a bit to meet his eyes. "And how do you think our mutual friend came by this information?" she questioned, turquoise eyes studying his face carefully.

Riku growled softly and shook his head, pushing her away with the flat of his blade. "You seem ask a lot of questions."

"But you have to see it for yourself," Larxene continued, heedless of the blade less than a quarter meter away from her. "Who knew the name of the enemy? Who separated from your friends in the first place, knowing full well what could happen to their Others?"

"There was no way Naminé would have known," the boy defended, shaken though he tried to hide it.

"But the Key of Destiny is very good at getting what he wants. It comes from growing up surrounded by manipulators," she added, a trace of what almost sounded like pride entering her voice. "I mean, he got you to do what he wanted against your own better judgement, didn't he?" She pressed in closer. "Didn't he?"

"Do you really think I'm going to listen to anything you say?" He shook his head with that familiar smirk crossing his face again. "You've undone yourself by reminding me what a manipulating bunch you are."

"Why would I lie? I have something that you want..."

"Just for the sake of argument, what would that be?"

"Her," Larxene pointed to Kairi. "You want her body. I can give that to you."

"You're wrong," he tossed his silver hair away from his face and steadied his grip on Way to the Dawn. "I may have once, but that was only because I saw her as a trophy against Sora."

"But the desire is still there," the Savage Nymph persisted.

"When are you going to understand that you have nothing you can use against me? Your empty threats may work against Roxas, but they don't have any affect on me."

He half expected her to fly into a blinding rage, but she simply giggled. "How naïve you are," she announced delightedly. "You still think that the enemy of your enemy is your friend!" Her laughter was as nails on a chalkboard, and Riku grimaced, resisting the urge to cover his ears. "You're going to learn a hard lesson, Riku; not everyone has the altruistic values you possess and flaunt so openly. It's hardwired into every human, whether he possesses a heart or not.”

She lowered her voice and leaned in closer as if sharing a revelation. “Humans want what is in their own best interest." A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "The Key of Destiny is no different."

Without moving, Larxene dematerialized. "Have fun trying to bring her back!" her disembodied voice called playfully. "Remember what I said about the Key of Destiny. It may not save your life, but it may save hers!"

Riku stood there breathing in slowly and waiting for the inevitable attack. When nothing came, he dismissed Way to the Dawn and sat down beside Kairi, gently pushing a stray strand of auburn hair away from her face. "I can't watch both you and Sora at the same time," he murmured to her unaware form. He paused, thinking, then stood again. He cast a quick glance out the window to see the Black Dusks still standing there at the beach, swaying back and forth, keeping a silent guard on the ocean.

Making his decision, he lifted Kairi's slim body from her bed, with one hand under her knees and the other supporting her shoulders. "You know Sora will get into trouble if we leave him by himself," he murmured to her, gingerly opening her bedroom door and heading down the stairs. "And I'd rather carry you to him than him to you."

As he headed down the street, the rain soaked through her white tee shirt, leaving her light pink underwear clearly visible. Riku looked down and flushed, choosing to instead keep his gaze focused on Sora's house drawing nearer with each plodding footstep.

"You still think that the enemy of your enemy is your friend," Larxene had said. If it had even been Larxene; the thought suddenly crossed his mind that it could have been Zexion shapeshifted, but he dismissed it. Even the master illusionist couldn't mimic her particular tone of voice; that promise of pleasure and pain melded into one. The seeds of doubt she had planted in his mind were being to grow, however much he tried to deny it.

Roxas had known the name of the Black Dusks. Had he also known that his separation would leave Kairi and Sora comatose? Riku found himself re-evaluating his thoughts on the Nobody and furiously cracked down upon them. "No," he said aloud. Why would Roxas have come to him seeking aid, when he knew that if something were to happen to either Sora or Kairi, Riku would rip him limb from limb? "She's a liar, Riku," he told himself. "She's just trying to get under your skin, that's all. Nothing more."

But he had to admit to himself that the mere fact that he had to convince himself of this meant that her words had already infected him like a disease, sowing doubt in his mind that could not be so easily refuted. He found himself looking out through the rain, past the Black Dusks to his island in the distance, the island where he had taken Roxas and Naminé.

-xXx-​

"If you stare too long into the abyss, the abyss stares back..."

Naminé bit her lip as she stared into Roxas's empty eyes. She took both of his hands in hers and sighed. He didn't acknowledge her touch; it was as if his very soul had been stolen.

"I'm a witch, with power over Sora's memories and those around him." She had vowed that she would never use her powers again; she had found no proper justification for them, yet could it be she had found a worthy use for them at last? Naminé knelt in front of him and gently laid both hands on the sides of his head. "Roxas," she said softly. "Show me what you saw."

She closed her eyes and brought her forehead to his. There was a flash of light, and she was adrift in his memories.

Zexion stood across from her. "Oh dear," he said. "There I go again, giving away information for free. I really need to stop doing that." He clapped his hands together.

Instead of closing her eyes, Naminé stared into the billowing darkness alongside Roxas. Within the swirling maelstrom, Zexion had disappeared without a trace. She barely registered his voice, ignoring it and squinting into the blackness. First there was nothing but darkness, then a brilliant, blinding white light. Within, she saw Axel, lying prone and leaking darkness from thousands of cuts across his body. Instead of Sora kneeling next to him as he died, however, it was Roxas; standing with Oblivion in one hand and Oathkeeper in the other, wearing the cloak of the Organization with the hood pulled down. Both Keyblades dripped darkness, obviously the cause of Axel's wounds.

"Why, Roxas?" Axel gasped, emerald eyes wide with betrayal.

Roxas didn't answer, tightening his grip on both Keyblades and slashing them down in one clean swipe...

With a pained gasp, Naminé jerked free from his memories, reeling from the shock of it. "Roxas," she whispered, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. "No. That's not what happened." She closed her eyes to go farther back into his memories until she came upon his true memory of his best friend's death, as seen through Sora’s eyes. She hesitated, knowing this would cause him pain, but she plunged in, bringing that memory to the surface.

Sora knelt beside Axel. The Nobody had no visible wounds, but he was bleeding darkness into the air. "Axel..." the young Keyblade Master asked, compassion filling his azure-blue eyes. "What were you trying to do?"

"I wanted to see Roxas. He... was the only one I liked." Axel coughed and continued. "He made me feel... like I had a heart. It's kind of... funny." He chuckled weakly. "You make me feel... the same."

A look of sudden urgency passed over his face. "Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go!" He raised his hand, and using the last of his power, opened a portal of darkness.

He began to fade faster, until he finally disappeared into the air.

Naminé came back to herself, feeling Roxas trembling against her, blinking furiously as tears filled his eyes. "It's okay," she said softly, stroking a hand through his blond spikes. "It wasn't your fault."

"Naminé?" he whispered. "What happened?" He pressed the back of his hand against his eyes in an effort to stem the flow of tears, looking away from her and breathing in a deep, ragged breath. "Where's Zexion?"

"He's gone," she answered, folding her hands in her lap. "Are you alright?"

He nodded quickly. "Y-yeah." Roxas shook his head and looked back at her; his azure eyes were once again bright and full of life. "What now?" His voice had regained its customary strength.

"I think we should try and figure out that riddle," she suggested. "Perhaps once we do so, we'll know what Zexion wants."

He nodded. "Okay." As she stood, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down to his eye level. "Naminé," he said earnestly. "I owe you one. For... bringing me back to myself." Roxas pulled her closer and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

She looked at him in surprise, eyes wide and mouth open. "What was that?"

"Returning the favor." He waved his bandaged hand she had kissed earlier, and she flushed slightly. "It's also my way of saying... thanks. For everything." Roxas cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway, let's get to work on that riddle."

"Right."

-xXx-​

Two hooded figures stood in the rain above the Secret Place, silently watching the two Nobodies through the hole in the roof.

"I think they might figure it out all by themselves, Cloaked Schemer," the female stated.

"Hn." He shrugged. "It's certainly obvious enough. Why test these two like this, though? It seems rather pointless."

"He has his reasons," Larxene answered, returning the shrug. "There must be a reason he wants the Keyblade bearer and his Nobody permanently separated."

"What were you playing at with Riku, anyway?"

She pouted. "Just having a little fun. Sowing the seeds of dissension. I could ask you the same thing, really. What were you doing, showing him a glimpse into the Abyss?"

"You think I allowed that, Savage Nymph? No; the Key of Destiny saw that on his own. We're lucky he wasn't damaged irreparably." Zexion shook his head. "Riku was right; Naminé is a wonder."

"So, why is the Princess of Heart unresponsive?"

"Perhaps the unknowing separation was too much for her mind to handle," he suggested.

"Or perhaps... Naminé has her heart."

The Cloaked Schemer looked up sharply. "That would be interesting. And unforeseen. This possibility should be reported in at once."

"Well, shall we continue watching these two, or can I go back to taunting the intriguing one?"

"Riku? I don't see why not. But remember that we still need him, so try not to do to him what you do with most of your toys."

"And what's that, Cloaked Schemer?" she asked playfully.

He laughed softly. "Break them."

A/N: As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

Chapter IV​