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Running the vacuum. It is evil and will one day eat me.

I don't even like the word "vacuum". Who decided that a word should have two consecutive "U"s in it? >.<

During CoM. When Riku killed his clone, the clone's heart returned to darkness; however, he had absorbed Zexion before his death. With the power of a Nobody, can the Riku Replica really be killed? And what about Zexion? Companion to "Darkness Rising".

Darkness Falling

by Jade Rhade​

So this is where your heart goes.

You lay there, alone in the dark, for a thousand years, and then you finally open your mouth to speak. You don’t know where you are; to you, all is starless night. Words die unspoken on your lips before they have the chance to form.

They die before they have the chance to be revealed and live.

Rather like you.

An age passes there in the dark; you can remember how to blink though it makes no difference. There is nothing to be seen, nothing to be heard; there is nothing to be felt nor tasted; the only sense you seem to possess is your sense of smell. Your nose is filled with the overpowering scent of the darkness holding you close in its loving embrace.

You smother there for another five thousand years, until you remember a name; Riku. You try it on for size, yet it fits uncomfortably and you discard it as inconsequential.

You remember another name; Zexion. This one fits better, but it still feels as though something is missing; as though Zexion is only a part of you, and your true name remains undiscovered just beneath the surface.

You remember how it was to die.

After a hundred years, you hear a voice rise from the darkness and crash down upon your ears.

Chapter I

“Wake up, you.” A booted foot jabbed hard into the boy’s side, eliciting nothing more than a groan from the prone figure.

“Weakling!” The cloaked man delivered a harsh kick to the boy’s kidneys. “Fake!” He drew his foot back for another vicious blow.

The boy rolled over and evaded the hit, catching the hooded man’s foot and twisting him into the ground; though whether it could be consider a ground at all was questionable. The boy rose to his feet and shakily surveyed his surroundings.

Night, as far as he could see. The surface on which he stood felt loose and grainy, almost the texture of what he imagined quicksand to be; it seemed as if one false step would send him plummeting forever into an endless abyss. The boy turned in a circle to see in every direction until his gaze fell once again upon the cloaked man, the only thing to be seen in this empty realm. “Who... are you?” he asked haltingly, still unfamiliar with this concept called ‘speech’. “Where... am I?”

“You really don’t remember,” the cloaked man didn’t sound surprised as he stood and threw back his hood that had been masking his face. “I should think that someone you absorbed would leave a stronger impression.”

“Absorbed?” the boy repeated, as if tasting the very word itself. He stared into the man’s one visible eye, noting his antagonist was little taller than he was; the other eye was hidden by his thick, steel-indigo shaded hair hanging over it.

“In the most literal sense,” the man replied.

“Zexion...” the name turned into a hiss, and unbidden, a weapon with a blade like the wing of a bat appeared in his hand. The boy regarded the sword for a moment, then held it in a guard position he didn’t remember learning. “I killed you.”

“Correction,” Zexion held up a hand, seemingly unconcerned at the sudden emergence of the weapon. “You absorbed me. Not the same as killing, I assure you.”

The boy paused and looked down, silver hair falling over his cyan eyes. “I remember...” he said slowly. “Axel told me that I would become,” the sword disappeared as his fists clenched and his eyes squeezed tightly shut as if to block out the memory, “a real person...” the boy finished in a hoarse whisper.

“A lie, of course,” Zexion crossed his arms and looked off to the side. “The Flurry of Dancing Flames is quite good at manipulation, and you, desperately grasping at straws, accepted his words blindly without question.

The boy didn’t answer, feeling his fingernails bite into his palms.

“So then you go and get yourself killed by Riku,” Zexion continued without regard for the boy’s feelings. “You were so confident because you had stolen my power. Though that was indeed the case, you had no way of using it.” The Cloaked Schemer adjusted the glove on his right hand. “So now both of us are in the realm of darkness where we belong,” he added with an indifferent air, pulling the glove tight.

“So I guess my heart didn’t disappear completely,” the boy muttered. “If Real Thing’s heart is going to the same place mine is, then I suppose he’ll be along eventually.”

“Not even close.” Zexion wiggled his fingers and made a fist. “Riku’s not going to die any time soon. He defeated me, after all, and the rest of the Organization is barely up to my standard.”

“I defeated you,” the boy stated under his breath.

The Nobody looked at him with scorn. “Did you honestly think that I just allowed you to beat me?”

“What do you mean?” the boy’s cyan eyes narrowed.

“You did exactly what I wanted you to do.” Zexion dropped down into an easy crouch, steepling his fingers and resting his chin upon them. “I wanted a heart,” he said after a moment’s pause. His tone was strangely musing. “I thought that perhaps I could take gain control of you from within, and somehow seize your heart for my own.” He glanced up and met the boy’s eyes. “I admit; it was foolish curiosity on my part, but after years of being the Organization’s willing test subject, this was simply another blind leap forward in the pursuit of knowledge.

“However, I was not given the time to implement my theory, and now in hindsight, the gamble was quite hasty on my part. I should have killed you as soon as that damned traitor Axel had left the room, then returned in disgrace to report to the Superior.” He voice remained simply musing, as if dispassionately narrating the story of another. “In any case, I did not, so now I am here.”

“I thought when a Nobody died, they returned to darkness,” he stated.

Zexion’s eyebrow rose. “Indeed. You know more about us than I gave you credit for.” He pointed to the boy. “You and I are connected. Your heart remained despite the darkness, so therefore, so did I.”

“So we’re both dead.”

“Actually, I doubt it.” Zexion sat down cross-legged.

“You’ll have to explain that one to me.”

He sighed and rested his chin upon steepled fingers again. “You absorbed my power, so I became a part of you. Therefore, when you died, you faded into darkness like a Nobody; however, your human heart remained strong, preserving us here. My power will allow you to use the darkness without fear of loosing your heart completely, Riku.”

The boy’s head snapped up, fury glinting through his cyan eyes. “Don’t call me by that name,” he growled. “I am not him.”

Zexion paused, then nodded slowly. “Even your very name is only borrowed. Your appearance, your speech, your memories and your awareness... the very things that define a human are naught but copied data. Even you heart is not but a replica.”

“I didn’t ask for this life.” The Riku Replica fell to the soft ground and sat across from the Nobody. “I didn’t ask to be created in his image.”

“None of us get a choice in whom we shall be. All we can truly choose is what we shall become.” Zexion reflected upon his words and chuckled softly. “I seem to have become rather philosophical in my new half-life,” he murmured to himself. He glanced with one bright eye at the clone of the boy known as Riku. “If you truly want to become your own person, you must stop living in his shadow.”

The clone looked bleakly down at his hands. “How?” he asked hollowly. “You said it yourself; all I am is borrowed data. I can’t have a life for my own while Real Thing is alive.”

“First, you need to stop thinking of yourself as just a copy.” Zexion studied the boy’s face. “You need a name.”

“Oh, well, that’s easy,” he retorted sarcastically. “I’ve got several lined up; Clone, Facsimile, Doppelganger,” he counted off on his fingers, pausing to take a breath. “Fake, Copy, Replica, Simulacrum, Abomination, Travesty-”

“Travis,” Zexion interrupted, raising a hand to stop him. “Your name will be Travis.” He nodded once as if that settled things.

“You can’t just name me like I’m some kind of pet!” the clone of Riku protested. “You don’t own me!” He paused and thought about it. “Travis,” he repeated slowly. Somehow the name didn’t seem foreign, settling down upon his shoulders like a well-worn mantle. He met Zexion’s gaze and returned the nod. “Heh. It’ll do.”

The two sat there in silence; the Nobody patiently waiting for the newly named Travis to organize the memories of his short life into coherent order. Finally, he looked to Zexion. “Number Six, the Cloaked Schemer. Why are you here helping me? If we are not dead as you claim, logically we should be able to leave this place through portals of darkness.”

“You think I have not tried that?” Zexion sighed. “We are connected. Where you go, I have to follow.”

“You forgive me if I don’t take your word on that,” Travis replied, standing and opening a portal of darkness for himself. He took on step forward and cried out in pain, falling to his knees and clutching his chest. He stumbled backward, falling to the ground with a pained gasp. “My... heart!” he managed. “It feels like it’s going to explode!”

Across from his, Zexion was on his hands and knees. “I told you,” he wheezed, hand pressed against his heart. “I told you.” He coughed violently and sat back, massaging his chest. “Neither of us... are strong enough... to live without... the other.”

Travis nodded quickly, fist tight against his own chest in an effort to calm his frantically beating heart. “At least... not yet.” He looked to Zexion. “If we leave... together, will we still be... separate?”

“I doubt it.” The portal of darkness remained as though mocking them with the promise of escape. “I’ll most likely... be absorbed... into you again.” Zexion took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Don’t ever do something like that again.”

“No problem,” Travis replied, flicking his silver hair over his shoulder and levering himself off the ground. “We’ll go together.” He offered the Nobody his hand.

Zexion’s gaze darted between the boy’s outstretched hand and his cyan eyes. “You should hate me for all I’ve done to you.”

“We’re stuck with each other, right?” Travis shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “Until we get stronger, we’ll have to spend all our time together. We can go back to hating each other once we can go our separate ways.” He extended his hand again. “Truce?”

A small, genuine smile flicked across Zexion’s face for the briefest of seconds, and then he reached up and allowed Travis to pull him to his feet. “Truce,” he conceded.

“I still hate you, you know,” the clone remarked as the two entered the portal.

“Good, because I still hate you.”

Travis smiled wryly. “Then we have something in common. By definition, that should make us friends.”

-xXx-​

He emerged from the portal and abruptly covered his eyes with his arm, cursing. “Zexion, what that hell-?”

“That would be the sun.”

“Can’t you turn it off?”

“No, I’m afraid that it’s a bit too far away.” Zexion sounded amused. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Being exposed to the light after spending your entire life in darkness.”

Travis gingerly peeked over his raised arm, blinking tears from his cyan eyes. What he saw left him speechless. He stood alone on a beach, waves gently rinsing the last clinging tendrils of darkness from his black boots. A balmy breeze blew his silver hair across his face; his kama drifted gently behind him. The soft light of the sun warmed his face as he stared out over the ocean. He looked from side to side, searching for the Nobody whose voice he could clearly hear as if a lover breathing in his ear. “Zexion?” Travis turned in a complete circle. Beach, town, more beach, ocean; no Zexion. “Where are you?”

“Here. You absorbed me, remember?” He sighed dramatically. “I am now naught but a voice-”

“Oh, shut up.” Travis impatiently turned back to the town he had seen not too far away. “So where are we?”

Zexion chuckled softly. “Of all the worlds you could have randomly chosen, we end up here. I think this is what they call irony.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is Riku’s homeworld,” Zexion said wryly. “Welcome to the Destiny Islands.”

“Huh. So now what?” Ever practical, Travis began to plan his next move.

Zexion being Zexion, he had already prepared several contingencies already. “We’ll stay on this word for a few days to establish our presence, then move on. We’ll be safe from retribution for a while, as the Organization is doubtless going to be in need of, pardon the pun, reorganization,” he explained. “Most likely those still remaining in Castle Oblivion have been slain, and it will take the Superior some time to restructure our Organization. Then he will send Trackers after us- more specifically, me. I’ll have to gain the necessary strength quickly-" he paused. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Uh, Zexion...?” Travis sounded alarmed. “Who is that, and why is she staring at me?” His cyan eyes were wide with suspicion as he stared blatantly back at the auburn-haired girl. “She looks vaguely familiar.”

“Oh dear...”

“Riku!” the girl shouted, a wide smile crossing her face. She dropped her purse to the sand and ran toward him.

Travis took a step backward, panic crossing his face, but she stopped short and gazed up into his face. Confused, he looked back, his eyes roving her body; plausibly searching for any concealed weapons. She was wearing a school uniform with the sleeves rolled up and the skirt far too short to hide any form of weapon. His attention was directed back to her large blue eyes as she spoke.

“Riku...” she stood on tiptoes to meet his eye-level. “You... you’re home?” She sounded almost bewildered. “It’s really you?”

“Uh... yeah,” he agreed as it suddenly clicked; Kairi, one of Real Thing’s best friends. “Who else could I be?” he added as a precaution.

“So... you escaped from the darkness okay?”

He nodded uncertainly, and she lunged forward, almost knocking him back into the ocean. “Ahh!” She had his arms pinned so he couldn’t summon Soul Eater, what was she-

Kairi giggled, wrapping him firmly in a hug. “I’m glad you’re back, Riku.” She buried her face in his chest. “You’ve finally come home.”

“Uh... yeah,” Travis repeated, awkwardly returning her embrace. He closed his eyes and rested his chin atop her hair. “I’m home,” he whispered.

A/N: For lack of a better word, I’ve adopted the word kama to describe the half-skirt worn by the Riku Replica. It’s the word used to describe the half-skirt worn by the clone troopers in Star Wars, and I thought the description apropos. Let’s see how many times I can use variations of the word ‘describe’ in a single paragraph. :P

"Travis" was the first true name given to the Riku Replica by my good friend/beta reader Random Idiot.

This is the companion piece to "Darkness Rising", the link to which is in the description at the top of this page. As always, comments are greatly appreciated.

Chapter II​

Yeah, I was bored and recently became re-obsessed with YYH and "His Almighty Bishonen" Kurama, so I made this.

​

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
Chapter IV
Chapter V​

Epilogue

"So everything ended up the way I desired?"

He inclined his head, tucking his hands into opposite sleeves and keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the white ground. "Yes sir. Both Roxas and Naminé have awakened their hearts."

"Good," his master's deep, rumbling voice sounded pleased. "Very good. I can put the next stage of the plan in motion, then."

He swallowed hard. "May I inquire as to what the next stage is, sir?" He braced himself, fully prepared to be lashed out against for his query.

"You don't need to know that yet," his master responded. "You may go."

"Sir." He backed out of the room; the door hissing shut behind him. Zexion sighed and pulled his hood down, turning to see Larxene and the others standing there waiting.

"He's pleased," the Cloaked Schemer said, and the others sighed in relief.

"Good." Larxene cracked her neck. "How much longer must we-"

Zexion lunged forward and clapped his hand over her mouth. "Not here," he hissed, casting an anxious glance back at the door. He nodded toward the rest of the black robes. "If the Key of Destiny has recovered his heart, then there is hope for us, but we must be patient. There is always more than one way to attack a problem."

"Our Master has forgotten a very important lesson," Larxene murmured as Zexion removed his hand from her mouth. "Though we are the enemy of his enemy, that does not make us friends."

"Not friends," another of the black robes agreed. "Convenient allies, nothing more."

They walked down the white, empty hall and entered a small room to the side. "And our Master may soon find that he is not convenient to us at all," Larxene replied, finally. "And when that day comes..."

Zexion looked at her and nodded firmly. "We'll be ready." He looked behind him, and the rest of the black robes nodded in agreement. "Our Master doesn't yet know how far we've progressed in the development of the Black Dusks; excellent work on that, Chilly Academic."

The black robed man nodded and pulled down his hood. "Far more obedient than ordinary Dusks, this hybrid should give us the edge we need," Vexen announced, shaking free his mane of dirty-blond hair with an ingratiating smile. "I shall have to thank the Key of Destiny for giving us that superb name."

"Indeed," Zexion agreed. "And you, Melodious Nocturne; stopping the rain when you did was a beautiful touch."

"Nothing gives humans a false sense of hope like sunlight coming through the clouds," the cloaked man addressed as the Melodious Nocturne replied easily.

"And the rest of you; patience.” Zexion’s single visible eye roved the others. “We can reveal our true strength very soon."

The black robes nodded silently.

"We should split up before our Master suspects something. Though mad, he seems to almost see though walls at times."

Without a word, the black robes disappeared into portals of darkness, leaving only Zexion and Larxene alone in the room. "I almost miss old Superior," she stated.

The Cloaked Schemer nodded. "He was far more predictable. Our current master is a madman."

"Still, we shall be here in the shadows, and we shall wait until it is time to reveal our true strength."

"Yes," Zexion responded softly, looking out the large window down at the world below. "We shall wait."

DARKNESS RISING

END​

A/N: I'd like to advise everyone who actually liked this story to read "Darkness Falling" right about now... or, as Zexion said:

DELETED SCENE 006-

"Unlocking a heart via Keyblade is a very imprecise business, mind you," Zexion paused. "You'd need some kind of... Keyscalpel to get all of it and... wait a minute!" He suddenly put his hands on his hips. "None of this makes any logical sense!" He sounded quite displeased; almost angry.

Roxas scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Uh, can we please stick to the script so we can all go home?" Naminé nodded in agreement. "It's damp in this cave," he added.

"No! We shall not stick to this convoluted script! Did you even read the whole thing?" Zexion pulled a well-worn Pirates of the Caribbean notebook from his pocket and flipped it open. "Look! This irresponsible author left so many questions unanswered! The only reason why I have the vaguest idea as to what is going on is that I am starring in the companion movie!"

"Zexy... this isn't a movie," Larxene pointed out, choosing that moment to materialize out of thin air. "And besides, you're not the star. The Riku Replica is."

"SHUT UP! There are no small parts, only small actors!" The Nobody crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Coming from someone who was never dubbed in America," Naminé muttered under her breath. "Excuse me a moment." She stood up and knocked on the computer screen, startling you and causing you to go O.O

"Um, excuse me? It's over now. Go read something worth your time. Go."

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
Chapter IV​

Chapter V

"Why the hell should I even consider helping you?" Riku raised one silver eyebrow and tapped his sneaker impatiently against the floor.

"Because, all I want is to be free from darkness, forever!" Larxene held out her hands, turquoise eyes wide and pleading. "You had friends when you attempted to redeem yourself from the things you had done under the dark influence. I have no one," she finished softly, lowering her eyes, then glancing back up. "Won't you help me?"

"Sorry, Larxene, I'm not buying it. Contrary to your belief, I am not as naïve as Sora here," he jerked his head toward the Keyblade Master asleep in his bed. "I do believe in redemption, but not from the likes of you."

"How cruel, Keyblade wielder," Larxene purred, her voice changing from the anguished victim back to someone completely in control. "Yes, we will find much use for you." She took a single step forward and vanished.

Riku took a deep breath and looked at his two sleeping friends. "It's a good thing she's gone," he told them. "I was almost about to believe her."

-xXx-​

Roxas and Naminé sat next to each other hand in hand, watching the water spill through the opening in the ceiling. "I hope the rain stops soon," she noted.

"How come?" Roxas asked.

She held up her free hand in a 'wait-for-it' gesture. The lightning flickered overhead, then almost immediately there was a huge explosion of thunder. Naminé flinched in spite herself. "That's why. It's like reflex; I can't stop it." She gave a small laugh. “I guess that’s pretty weak of me.”

Roxas looked at her, mouth open. “No, it’s not!” he protested. “Fear is one of the few emotions us Nobodies can feel!”

“What do you mean? You know we can’t feel anything; this is just some kind of weird reflex.”

He shook his head. “Fear is one of the few emotions we can truly feel,” he repeated. “You should appreciate the fact that you can feel it at all.”

“What are you talking about?” her look was of purest puzzlement. “I’ve never heard anything like that.”

“Vexen ran some tests.” Roxas put his hands behind his head and gazed up at the cave roof. “He said that organic emotions such as fear originate from the body, rather than the heart, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to feel those, well... feelings,” he finished, looking quite at a loss without a proper word to end the sentence.

She nodded slowly and rolled over on her side to face him, resting her head on one hand. “So that’s why you and Axel always did such dangerous stunts,” she said softly. “Like beating each other half to death during weapons training, or skateboarding on the edge of the roof of the Castle.”

He returned the nod. “The fear and adrenaline made us feel alive,” he admitted, “almost like we had hearts.” He then paused. “Wait. How’d you know about the skateboarding thing?”

“I made a point of observing everything that was going on around me.” Naminé gave him a small smile and a shrug; then she went back to his earlier subject, asking so softly that he could barely hear her. “And what are the other emotions Nobodies like us can still feel?”

Roxas rolled over on his side to face her. “I don’t remember,” he said finally. “He said anything that was created by the body; the only two I can remember are fear and lust.” He kept his deep blue eyes focused on hers, but she sat up, not looking at him.

“Oh,” was all she said, flinching as a blast of thunder echoed overhead. This explosion sounded louder than the previous; it echoed from the cave walls, and she clapped her hands over her ears with a small outcry.

He hesitated, then sat up and loosely wrapped his arm around her waist, giving her the opportunity to wriggle out. To his surprise, she leaned against him with a sigh, resting her head upon his shoulder and laying her hands in her lap. Roxas could barely breathe; despite the chill outside, her warmth against him was almost too much to bear. He finally breathed in, the soft scent of vanilla filling his nostrils. "You smell nice," he murmured, tightening his grip when she didn’t make any move to break away.

Naminé giggled softly and poked him, blue eyes sparkling. "You don't."

"What? I try to give you a compliment and you insult me!" He grinned to let her know he was joking and poked her back.

"Hey!" She pulled out of his grasp and poked him again, harder. "That hurt!"

"Ow! And that didn't?" He jabbed her in the ribs.

"Stop poking me!" She clutched her side and leaned back, a small laugh escaping from between her lips.

"What, are you ticklish?" He glanced at her with a mischievous sparkle entering his eyes.

"No!" she protested defensively, not trusting that look.

"I don't believe you." A sudden grin crossed his face.

"Roxas, don't..." she warned, scrambling to her feet.

"You started this," he noted with a smirk, jumping up. "Payback."

Naminé shook her head, backing away. "Don't you dare- Roxas!" she shrieked as he lunged at her, knocking her right back down to the ground.

He landed with both hands on either side of her, his own azure eyes sparkling. "What?"

"You're hurting me," she said softly.

"Sorry!" He hastily picked up one hand to move, and she tackled him.

"Ha!" Naminé shoved him over onto his back with a triumphant laugh, jabbing him in the ribs and pinning him to the ground with her thighs. "You weren't expecting th- Roxas!" she shrieked again as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her on top of him.

"You started it!" he reminded her, laughing. "You shouldn't start something you know you can't-" His eyes widened as she kissed him swiftly on the lips, and he released her wrists, only vaguely aware of her planting her hands on either side of his face.

"Ha," she breathed, blonde hair falling from behind her shoulder to hang over his face. "I win."

Roxas laid there in shock, unsure how to retaliate against that particular attack. This had come completely out of nowhere. A look of sudden uncertainty flickered across her face, but there was something else he could see in her eyes... He reached up to push her hair away from his face, then roughly seized the back of her neck, bringing her back down until her nose was just barely grazing his. He hesitated and closed his eyes, pressing his lips gently against hers.

He felt her stiffen with surprise and he almost let go, then she melted against him, twining her hands through his blond hair. Finally, needing to breathe, he pulled back. "I don't think so," he whispered. Her azure eyes reflected the same passion he felt coursing through his entire body; he couldn't stop grinning, feeling almost drunk with the pure exhilaration that threatened to overwhelm him.

She moved her head down until her lips grazed his ear. “Fear and lust?” she whispered huskily, warm breath tickling the side of his face. “I think I can live with that.”

Roxas rolled over to face her, hand gently tracing the side of her face, marveling at the softness of her skin; he fought to keep himself from trembling as she leaned into that hand. “I think... this is the part where I recite something profound and romantic,” he murmured. “About Nobodies and souls and-”

Naminé brushed her lips against his. “Roxas,” she whispered. “Shut up and kiss me.”

-xXx-​

Roxas sat next to Naminé, wishing that he could remember, just for a moment, how love was supposed to feel, but then he realized; if he had to wonder whether or not he was in love, he ostensibly was. It sounded almost like something Axel would have said.

Roxas took a deep breath and plunged in, knowing that by morning, he probably wouldn’t be able to see her again; though they could be together when Sora and Kairi were asleep, he doubted they’d ever be together like this again; he had to express himself before he completely lost his nerve. "I think I love you, Naminé," he said softly, forcing himself to look into her eyes instead of more comfortably training his gaze on his shoes.

He expected shock or surprise or a logical statement that, without hearts, they were incapable of love, but she simply smiled. "You're a hopeless romantic, aren’t you, Roxas?" His face fell and he glanced away.

She placed a single finger over his lips, forcing him to keep looking into her eyes. "But you’re my hopeless romantic."

He looked up, cautious hope filling his azure eyes. "So that means-?"

Naminé kissed him gently. "I love you too."

Roxas grinned, barely noticing a twinge in his chest. He stuttered over a few words, but was interrupted by a harsh voice.

"Finally." There was an explosion of darkness, and the cloaked figure appeared.

Roxas and Naminé scrambled up, the former drawing Oblivion with a growl and shoving her protectively behind him. "What do you want, Zexion?" he bit out, a grimace crossing his face as he felt a definite painful something stab him.

"You two may have forgotten about the riddle, but I haven't. Turns out you two reached the conclusion without any prodding on my part." Zexion sighed at the blank look on both their faces. "Are you complete idiots? Look at yourselves. You've managed to separate completely from your others."

"What?" Roxas looked down at himself and froze. He cautiously raised his free hand, almost afraid to look. He felt... whole. There was no better way to describe it. "What... how...?" He warily patted himself down and looked at Naminé to see her staring at him in awe, then realized that he could actually see her, not see the cave wall behind her.

He suddenly felt as though a blade had cut deep into the space where his heart would have been, puncturing some huge bubble inside him, releasing more feelings than he could ever remember having. Roxas fell to his knees from the shock of all that emotion flowing through him all at once, hearing Naminé fall beside him with a muffled outcry.

"So, what's it feel like, having a heart?" Zexion watched with detached interest. "You'd forgotten most of those feelings, hadn't you?"

"It's... too... much," he gasped. "My heart... it's- ah!" He clutched at his chest and shrieked in anguish. Naminé put a weak hand on his shoulder, and he saw on her tear-stricken face the same pain and exhilaration he imagined on his own. Pain, sorrow, anger, hatred, love, joy; all melded into one continuous outpouring of emotion.

"Roxas!" she gasped, then bit down on her lip to keep from screaming.

"It was all in the riddle," Zexion announced, stepping closer to observe the two with barely concealed curiosity. "If two halves desire to be separate unto themselves, they must become one. Your love," his voice reflected his distaste of the word, "was stronger than the darkness. It's very complicated, and I don't expect one of your intelligence level to grasp the specifics, so listen carefully. I will not repeat myself. Understand?"

Roxas looked up and nodded weakly, hand instinctively reaching to Naminé's for support; he felt dizzy and almost collapsed, but he was determined to hear him out.

"Kairi is a Princess of Heart," Zexion explained. "Therefore, there is no darkness inside her. When her heart was lost within the Keyblade Master, he used an artificial Keyblade to unlock both her and his own. Unlocking a heart via Keyblade is a very imprecise business, mind you, so it only logical for some pieces to be left behind, in you," he pointed at Roxas, "and you," he gestured to Naminé. "Those pieces were left in the darkness inside each of you. All that was needed was the proper stimulation for those pieces to join together to form a real heart- in your case, love."

He crossed his arms. "Expect things to be very different now. Since you held half of Sora's power before you joined, when you separated, you took that half back. You two will need to find a way to get back to full power, and soon." Zexion raised his hands, about to clap.

"Wait!" Naminé held up a hand, struggling to her feet. "Why? What's going on? Who are you working for?"

"Sorry. All I was required to do was separate you two from the Keyblade Master and the Princess. I don't need to do anything further here." Zexion’s tone was clearly mocking.

"And what about Axel?" Roxas interjected, grabbing Naminé’s hand and pulling himself up to stand next to her. "You said he's alive!"

"Did I, now?"

"Where is he?" he growled.

Zexion laughed and clapped his hands together sharply, disappearing into the explosion and leaving Roxas and Naminé standing there alone, side by side.

Roxas turned to Naminé and felt a rush as she took his hand. "We don't have to pretend anymore," she whispered. "We can feel."

"Yeah." He pulled her close, resting his chin on her soft blonde hair, and now, when he held her, he knew without a doubt that this, indeed, had to be love. "I meant what I said, you know."

She sighed and pressed her face into his chest. "You don't smell so bad after all," she mumbled with a tired grin.

Roxas didn't reply to that, grabbing her hand and leading her outside the cave. "The rain's stopping." He squinted up into the sky to see the clouds thinning and the sunrise slowly coming up in the distance. "Look."

"It's beautiful," Naminé whispered.

Roxas looked at her, with her dirty, ripped white dress and knotted hair. "Yeah," he answered softly. "It is."

-xXx-​

Riku looked down as he heard Kairi gasp next to him, breathing in deep. Her eyes started to crack open as the clouds parted overhead, then she shut them again, falling back to sleep. He looked back out the window to see Larxene perched there, sitting on the sill.

"Things will be very different now," she told him. "Your Nobody friends have permanently separated from the Princess and the Keyblade Master. Oh, and don't worry about her," Larxene pointed at Kairi. "She'll wake whenever she feels like it."

"What about Sora?"

Larxene raised a hand to her lips to conceal her smile. "He's stronger than Kairi. He was perfectly fine; he could have woken at any time."

Riku looked to her in disbelief. "You mean he slept through this whole thing, when he could have woken up and helped me?" He sighed and muttered; "somehow I'm not surprised." He met her blue eyes. "So what did you get out of this, Larxene?"

She laughed quietly. "The pleasure of your company, Riku," she mocked him. "Trust me, he got what he wanted out of you all." Larxene absently waved a hand, and the Black Dusks outside disintegrated into the blowing wind.

"Who's ‘he’?" he asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," she told him with a mysterious smile that didn't quite reach her cold blue eyes. "And believe you me, it will be fun. I like you, Riku, so I'll leave you with this parting advice. The enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. Remember that about your fellow Keyblade wielder... and I don’t mean Sora."

Riku nodded slowly and gave her a one-fingered salute. "Been real. You know, we should do it again some time."

Larxene laughed. "I'd like that, Riku." Without another word, she vanished into the air.

Kairi shifted against him and woke slowly. "Riku...?" She blinked several times, becoming fully awake. "What are you doing here?" She glanced around. "Why am I in Sora's room?" She looked at herself and blushed, pulling her blanket to her chin. "More importantly, why am I wet and in my pajamas?" Kairi glared up at him, waiting for his answer.

"It's a long story," he told her, smirk gracing his lips. Riku got up and clapped his hands several times over Sora's face. “Wake up, you sorry excuse for a hero.”

The Keyblade Master groaned and pulled his pillow over his head, muttering something that sounded almost like “Junior Hero.”

He sighed and knelt down next to his friend's bed. "You're going to be late to school," he tried.

No response.

Riku looked around to make sure she wasn't behind him and whispered, "Kairi’s wearing a bikini!"

Sora pulled his pillow away from his head and opened one eye blearily. It focused on Riku’s face then closed again; he slammed the pillow back down over his head and snored.

"This is pathetic," Riku snorted and got up. "Fine, keep sleeping, then."

"Let me try." Kairi stayed where she was and cupped her hand over her mouth. "Sora, you lazy bum, you're going to miss breakfast!" she called.

"Breakfast!" Sora leapt out of bed, stuffed turtle flying through the air to land in Kairi's lap. "I'm coming!"

Riku collapsed to the ground in a fit of laughter. "That's even more pathetic," he choked out.

"Ah! People in my room!" He summoned his Keyblade, then blinked. "Riku? Kairi?" He scratched his head and sat back down. "So I guess this means no breakfast yet," he mumbled. "Hey, you took my turtle," he accused, pointing at Kairi, then flushed. "Not that I sleep with stuffed animals," he added hastily.

"He's cute," Kairi cooed, hugging the toy.

"You think so?" Sora grinned. "I love my turtle." He yawned and waved his hand absently, rolling over. "You can hold him for a while, Kairi. I'm gonna-"

"Oh, no you don't." Riku grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out of bed. "You've done more than enough sleeping for one night. We've got problems."

Sora yawned and looked out the window. "The sun's barely even risen- hey, look! Hi, Roxas!" he yelled out the window, then paused. "Roxas?" he repeated incredulously, vaulting out the window to land with a thud. "Ow! Sharp pointy thing under my window!"

"Long story," Riku repeated to an obviously confused Kairi, leaning out the window to see Sora staring suspiciously down at the model that he had placed beneath the window earlier during the night. Then he looked out to see Roxas and Naminé coming up the beach, looking wet and dirty, but none the worse for the wear. "Very long story."

-xXx-​

"Great. So we've got two Organization members running around, working for some unknown enemy." Sora thought about it and shrugged.

"Looks bleak," Riku noted.

"No it doesn't!" The Keyblade Master gave him a strange glance. "What did I tell you about negative thinking?"

Riku sighed and reached across the table for another piece of bacon.

"He can't help it, Sora," Kairi stated with a grin. "He's just a pessimistic guy."

He grunted. "I'm just being realistic," Riku reiterated.

Roxas mumbled something incoherent, shoveling pancakes into his mouth. Naminé smacked the side of his head. "Don't talk with your mouth full!" She turned to Sora and translated. "He agrees with Riku."

"Wow, Roxas, someone who can actually speak your language!" Sora gasped and grinned.

The boy gave him a hand gesture that needed no translation. "Mmph-mmhee."

"He's hungry," she translated with a sigh. "You know, if you start to choke, I'm just going to sit here and laugh."

Roxas looked at her and pouted, wounded.

"You'll get over it," Naminé told him, turning to the others. "So we have Zexion's presence confirmed, and you're sure that it was Larxene? Not just Zexion shapeshifted as her?" She blinked inquisitively at Kairi, not missing her other’s sudden pause as she looked down at her food mouthing “Zexion?”; Naminé frowned but turned back to hear the response.

Riku nodded. "I'm sure."

"Well, this sucks," Sora noted, peering into the fridge. "Kairi drank the last of the orange juice." He looked up with a goofy grin to see everyone hit his head off the table. "No, seriously, though," he continued, sobering. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing, as of yet," Riku answered. "We'll get word from the King if he needs us."

Roxas reached across the table and grabbed a slice of melon, swallowing his mouthful of pancakes. "So basically we sit around waiting for orders? I say we start investigating now," he poked his finger against the table. "It's called preemptive striking."

"And where do you propose we start?" Riku asked.

"From what I've seen when I was with the Organization, you guys seem to just go through worlds at random until you find something weird. I know how these guys think." Roxas looked around the table. "The second you start getting close to their base of operation, they'll just move to one of the worlds you've already investigated. We know we have at least Zexion and Larxene, and they're too smart to just wait around to be killed like Xemnas did.

“You had it easy when you took on the Superior. Now that Zexion, Larxene, and whoever else is still alive aren’t worried about the constant infighting that was plaguing Organization XIII even after I left, we are going to be facing a united front. Don’t expect this to be like before." He paused. “And don’t forget- both Zexion and Larxene insinuated that they’re under orders from someone else.”

"What do you suggest?" Kairi got up and checked the refrigerator again. "Sora, there's more orange juice in the back." She grabbed the carton and plopped it down in front of him. "We don't have a means of transport off this world."

"Wait, wait, wait." Sora looked up from pouring his juice, alarmed. "What do you mean, ‘we’? You can't come!" he sputtered

"Why not?"

"Bad! No! Dangerous!"

“Wow,” Roxas observed, leaning over to Naminé. “Sora used a multiple-syllable word when talking to Kairi.”

"If you're going, I'm going," Kairi continued.

"But-"

"No buts." Kairi sighed. "And that, Sora, is why we never have any orange juice."

"Huh?" He looked down to see his glass overflowing. "Ah!"

Riku casually tossed him his napkin, and the Keyblade Master began frantically mopping up the mess. "We need each other,” the silver-haired boy added. “Whenever we split up, we always end up wasting time looking for each other."

"We'll be able to watch each others' backs," Kairi nodded in agreement.

Roxas looked to Naminé with his mouth open, and she shushed him by putting a finger over his lips. "If Kairi's going, I'm going, and you have no choice."

He shut his mouth and turned back to his breakfast without putting up a fight, flushing under the others' laughter and shoving another slice of melon into his mouth.

"But Kairi isn't going!" Sora protested frantically as the attention had turned away from him.

"Sora," she said dangerously. "Remember what happened when you left me on the island the first time? You went and got yourself put in a coma." Naminé shifted uncomfortably, but Kairi didn’t notice.

"That wasn't my fault," Sora stated defensively.

Riku started laughing, then Kairi rounded on him. "And you went and got yourself all stuck in the darkness again!"

That shut him up. "And then I get kidnapped by Organization XIII, so I'm not waiting here again!" She slammed her fist against the table. "So there!"

Sora and Riku were cowering in their chairs. "Okay," the Keyblade Master said weakly. "You win."

She shared a grin with Naminé. "And that's how we get things done!" she announced triumphantly.

A/N: What can I say? I'm a sucker for Roxas/Namine. All that's left is the epilogue. This was almost painfully long, so I'll save the epilogue for another post. Oh, and to know why Kairi recognized the name of Zexion (whom I absolutely love)... read "Darkness Falling", the companion to this that I'll be uploading on kh-vids later today.

Epilogue​