A/N: So it's been awhile. And by "it's been awhile" I mean like 7 months. Please don't kill me? Seriously though, I'm so sorry about this taking forever. I started my senior year of high school and had a few health problems that made me forget all about this little project of mine. Hope you all enjoy this chapter (and again, apologies for the long wait).

Chapter 4

Xion woke to the sound of mumbling voices and rain tapping on the windows. She sat up slowly, yawning slightly as she gazed around at her surroundings. Everything was blurry and indistinct, the result of her still dreamy mind. Evidently, she had fallen asleep in the Grey Area again. Hearing the shuffling of footsteps, Xion turned around to see Demyx standing there.

"Hey Demyx," She said, stifling another yawn. She rubbed at her eyes, attempting to wake herself up. Frowning slightly, Xion gazed at his impassive and unemotional facial expression. She squinted slightly at the hazy atmosphere, attempting to focus on the figure in front of her.

"Xion," Demyx said, aqua eyes uncharacteristically cold and impassive. "How could you betray us?"

"Huh?" She responded. "What're you talking about?" She stared at him in confusion. She glanced around again, noting that no one else appeared to be in the Grey Area besides the two of them. Huh, that's strange, Xion thought. I could have sworn I heard voices.

Her surroundings began to shift and change; the background of the Grey Area morphed into the Twilight Town Clock tower. However, the shift was so subtle, it took her a moment to realize that she was no longer in the same place.

"How could you?" She turned rapidly to see Axel standing there, his hands curled into fists and usually immaculate hair knotted and in tangles. Tear tracks stained his dirt smudged face.

"What are you talking about?" She mumbled, scared and confused. "I didn't do anything!"

Her surroundings began to change again, slowly and gradually. This time she was below the clock tower. It looked to be around sunset, and the fading light of the sun began to disappear behind the horizon.

"Xion," Xion turned to see Roxas standing before her, hood up, and holding the Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keyblades. The sky, once painted with the gold and orange hues of sunset, was completely obscured by dark thunderclouds.

"Xion," He repeated. His voice sounded eerie, as if there were two overlaid on top of each other. The clouds overhead thundered ominously, and rain droplets began to fall, harshly hitting the ground and the two figures below the clock tower. Roxas brandished his weapons, as if preparing to strike.

"Xion!" He yelled, sprinting towards her, bringing his blade up to slash-

"Xion! Wake up!" She jolted awake and jumped to her feet, quickly summoning her blade. She glanced around furtively, panicked and on guard.

"Umm, Xion?" The black haired girl snapped her head towards the noise. She looked down to see Sora sitting on the ground, gazing up at her in confusion.

"Uh, you were having a nightmare, so uh, I thought I'd wake you up." He rubbed the back of his head, looking slightly sheepish. Xion grimaced, dismissing her Keyblade, and relaxed, breathing hard from the remnants of her dreams.

"Um, sorry about that…" She said, embarrassed at her actions. Looking around, she realized that they were no longer in Destiny Islands. "So, where are we, exactly?" She asked curiously, giving Sora a hand up from the ground.

He brushed the dirt off his pants and looked towards the alleyway entrance. "I dunno," He said, beginning to walk towards the entrance. "We should probably find out though, right?" He gave her a shrug and turned the corner.

Xion sighed slightly, following him at more sedate pace. As she exited the alleyway, she began to examine her surroundings. It was a remaining habit from her days in the Organization. Every time she found herself in a new area, she checked for exits, possible threats, and so on. Scanning the area, Xion noted the large buildings and the small alleyways scattered around the town and the light of the streetlamps that illuminated the dark night air. A few people appeared to be milling around, but to Xion, the town seemed strangely empty, as if it were deserted.

Suspicious, Xion took a closer look at the few people milling about in the square. They seemed despondent and discouraged for no apparent reason. She contemplated going up to one of the inhabitants and asking about the town, but before she could do anything, she was cut off by the sound of Sora calling her name.

"Hey, Xion," He called, beckoning her over. "Let's see what's in here."

She hummed quietly in response, and made her way over to where he was standing. It said 'Accessory Shop' in glowing letters above the door. Together, the two friends tentatively entered the shop.

The first thing Xion noticed was the blond man behind the counter. He wore old grungy looking clothes fit for a mechanic, and looked to be in his mid-thirties age wise.

As they walked in, the man began to speak. "Hey there. How can I… oh, it's only a buncha kids." By the end of his sentence, the man had obviously dismissed them as being unimportant.

"Hey!" Sora said defensively, bristling at the man's words. "I'm no kid! And the name's Sora!"

The man raised his hands in a semblance of a surrender. "Okay, okay, simmer down, kid. The name's Cid Highwind. So why the long face, Sora? You lost or somethin'? And who's your friend?"

"Hi, I'm Xion," She said, waving her hand slightly. "And yes, technically we are. Do you mind telling us where we are?" She glanced at Sora carefully, examining his reaction to this strange new world.

"Yeah, where are we?" Sora questioned, blue eyes wide with confusion. He looked so young and innocent, and Xion just wanted to grab him and take him back to Destiny Islands, where he would be safe.

I forgot how young they all were. She thought, quietly contemplating their whole situation. They don't deserve the pain and suffering they're about to go through. Especially not Sora.

"Hey, Xion! Were you even paying attention for any of that?" Xion snapped out of her thoughts, blushing as she realized that she had completely zoned out during Cid's explanation.

Sora rolled his eyes, and turned to face her. "Apparently, we're in this place called Traverse Town. He also said that he hasn't seen Riku or Kairi, so we should probably head out to go look for them." Xion nodded her consent, and turned back to face Cid. "Thank you for all of your help, sir. We really appreciate it."

Cid rubbed his nose slightly, seemingly embarrassed. "No need to call me sir. I'm just a regular guy doin' his job. If ya ever run into trouble, come to me. I'll look out for ya."

"Thanks Cid!" Sora said, voice bright with enthusiasm. He headed towards the door, waving slightly in the direction of the man. Together, the two friends exited the shop, ready to discover the new world.

Sora and Xion walked together in comfortable silence, making their way through the First District.

"Hey, Xion?" Sora asked, stopping shortly. His face showed his puzzlement as he stared at nothing.

"Yeah?" She hummed in response. She turned to notice that Sora had stopped abruptly in the middle of the stairs. He looked up, brows still furrowed in confusion.

"What were those things on the island? The black things?" He questioned, blue meeting blue as they made eye contact.

Xion sighed, thinking furiously. It's best for him to know what he's going up against early on. I should tell him. She sighed a second time, combing her hands through her hair.

"It's kinda a long explanation," She said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "Come with me, let's find a place to sit." The two continued walking, this time in a considerably less comfortable silence. They found a ledge and sat on it together. Coincidentally, the ledge happened to overlook the alleyway that they had found themselves in earlier that day.

"The things we saw on the island are commonly known as the Heartless among the worlds," She stated, face closing off and going into lecture mode. Sora raised an eyebrow at the odd name, but kept quiet.

"A Heartless is formed when a person's heart is consumed by the darkness. Usually, their darkness will take the form of a Shadow, which is what you saw. However, those who have more darkness in their hearts will take the form of more complex creatures, from Soldiers to Behemoths."

"Um, what's a Behemoth?" Sora interjected, looking more and more confused by the moment.

"They're much larger Heartless. We probably won't see one for a while so don't worry about them yet," She said, waving her hand slightly as she spoke.

"The Heartless have one goal, to find and consume other hearts, and eventually, the heart of the world. They are insatiable, and will relentlessly pursue their goal." Her voice turned serious at this point. "Our job as Keyblade wielders is to make sure that this never happens."

"What do you mean by Keyblade?" Sora asked tentatively, having never seen Xion this serious before in his life. Her lighthearted and joking comments were long gone, instead replaced by seriousness and solemnity.

"Let me show you." Xion stood from her perch on the ledge, her cloak swaying fluidly around her body. She held her hand out perpendicular to her body and closed her eyes, as if waiting for something. With a bright flash of light, Oblivion appeared in her hand. She opened her eyes, smiling with satisfaction.

"This is a Keyblade," She said, swinging the blade down towards her side. "And you have one of these too." The brunet boy's look of confusion and shock changed to one of understanding. He stood from his place on the ledge as well and stood next to Xion, holding out his arm in the same perpendicular fashion.

"So, how exactly do I do this?" He asked, a surprisingly shy and hesitant look on his normally animated face. Xion smiled at him in an attempt to reassure him.

"Here, I'll show you." She dismissed her Keyblade in another flash of light before bringing her arm up to mirror Sora's.

"First thing I want you to do is close your eyes." Sora nodded, and followed her instructions.

"Now take a few deep breaths and clear your mind. Focus on my voice and your breathing. Try to block out anything else." Her voice was soothing and helped Sora to relax.

"When you feel relaxed, I want you to look deep inside your heart. You should find a small spark of light. When you find that, grab onto it and pull." She dropped her arm and began to circle around him, watching as he followed her steps. After a few moments, Sora's face twitched and his Keyblade appeared in his hand. He opened his eyes and grinned when he saw the blade.

Xion smiled at his happiness and congratulated him. "So that is your Keyblade, and that was how you summon it. Over time, summoning it will become almost a second nature." Sora nodded again, this time much more enthusiastically.

"So, how is this connected to the Heartless?" He asked, holding up his Keyblade for emphasis.

"Well, this blade is especially important because it allows you to lock the hearts of the worlds," She explained. "By locking the heart of the world, it blocks it from the Heartless, so what happened to Destiny Islands can't happen there."

"Okay. So… when we travel to find Riku and Kairi, we can do that along the way, right?" He asked. Xion nodded, turning to walk towards the large doors labeled "Second District".

"Sounds like a plan to me. We might as well start looking for them now," She shrugged. Together, the two walked through the doors to the Second District. They walked out onto a sort of balcony overlooking the rest of the district. Shops lined the edges of the District, however, the entire area seemed to be completely deserted.

Xion stepped in front of Sora and spoke. "Something's not right here." The minute she finished her sentence, a dozen shadows appeared out of the ground.

In a flash of light, two Keyblades were summoned into the hands of their owners. "Here's your first test, Sora! Fight them as best you can!" Out of her peripheral vision, she could see him nod and dive headlong into the fight. The two finished off the shadows relatively quickly when another wave spawned in. Xion gripped her blade a little tighter, preparing herself. She was panting slightly, out of practice from fighting Heartless.

The two finished off the second wave together, and luckily, no more spawned in.

"Maybe we should head back," Sora panted, looking tired from the fight. He's gonna need a lot more training before we go anywhere. And plus, it's not like we have any means of transportation. She thought as she nodded in agreement.

The friends walked through the door leading to the First District, Sora leading the way. He was heading towards the Accessory Shop to check in with Cid a second time when they heard a voice.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere." The mysterious figure stood leaning against the wall of the shop, cloaked in shadow.

"Huh?" Sora asked, confusion coating his words.

The stranger took a few steps towards the duo, as if examining them. In the darkness of the night, it was difficult to see them, but the figure appeared to be male.

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." His voice was quiet, yet carried across the distance between them.

Sora cut off the man before he had the chance to say anything else. "What, you mean the Heartless?" He asked, looking disbelievingly at the strange man.

The man started slightly at the word "Heartless". He stood rigid in his place, appearing to contemplate and recalculate his approach towards the two teens. He stepped out of shadow, approaching the two in silence.

He was tall, taller than either Sora or Xion expected. He had shoulder length brown hair that swayed with each step, and hard blue eyes that appeared cold and calculating. The man had a scar across one cheek, marring his otherwise unblemished face. He was holding a large blade that looked as if it had been meshed with a gun.

"But why," He murmured, further examining Sora's face. "Why would it choose a kid like you?"

With a bright flash of light and a flurry of movement, the strange man found the tip of a Keyblade pointed directly at his throat. Xion stood at the other end of Oblivion, blue eyes like chips of ice.

"I'd take a step back if I were you," She said quietly, voice as hard as steel.

The startled man, who had yet to give a name to either of them, hesitantly took a step back from the fuming teenage girl.

"How do you have one too?" He demanded, staring at the weapon in Xion's hand. With another flurry of light, the weapon was gone.

"That's none of your business," She said, still eyeing the man carefully. The man's eyes narrowed as he examined the two, as if searching for an answer that only they held the answer to. Without warning, the man raised his own weapon, and spoke.

"Now, let me see that Keyblade." Sora and Xion both materialized their weapons in a flash of light and prepared to fight.

"There's no way you're getting this!" Sora exclaimed, tightly gripping his weapon with both hands.

The scarred man made the first move. He lunged towards the two, blade outstretched. Sora jumped away from the blade, readying his own weapon. Xion, on the other hand, rolled to the side and slashed her Keyblade towards the man's side. Quickly recovering, the stranger spun his blade in a circle and brought it down towards Xion. Sora ran forward and slashed, attempting to take advantage of the stranger's split attention.

He grunted slightly as he was hit by Sora's Keyblade. Xion, thinking quickly, unleashed a rapid combo on the unsuspecting man. Clutching his side in pain, the man jumped out of range of the two teens. Breathing heavily, he aimed his blade at the duo, the tip of it beginning to glow. As the man released the bullets from his gunblade, Xion dodge rolled towards the man. One of the bullets had managed to clip her shoulder, but she pushed through the pain. As she pulled out of her roll, she placed her blade directly at the man's throat. A moment later, Sora, who had also dodged the bullets, had his Keyblade pressed against the man's back.

"Checkmate," Xion said, smiling mischievously. The man, knowing he had lost, dropped his blade and raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender. The destiny duo backed up and dismissed their weapons.

"Wow, you're slipping Leon." The teasing voice came out of nowhere, and startled Xion. She turned to see another black haired girl. She was wearing shorts, high socks, a crop top and a gloves.

"I went easy on him, Yuffie" The man, now known as Leon, said to the girl.

"Hmph, 'course you did," Yuffie said with a smile and a head tilt. "You just got your ass beat by a bunch of teenagers." She giggled slightly, giving Sora and Xion a thumbs up. Leon gave her an unamused look, and back turned to face Sora and Xion.

"So," Sora asked, head tilting slightly. "What exactly was that all about?" Leon shook his head slightly, and brushed a strand of brown hair out of his face.

"It was a test. There's some things we have to tell you. Come with us." He and Yuffie turned and began walking towards the steps of the accessory shop. Sora took a step forward, as if to follow them, but Xion grabbed his arm and yanked him backwards.

"How do we know we can trust you?" She said, staring at their retreating backs while Sora rubbed his arm where Xion had grabbed him, a look of pain on his face. Leon stopped at her words, and turned to face them.

"If it makes you feel any better," He remarked, face void of emotion. "I don't trust you either."

Xion nodded, and grabbed Sora's arm a second time, dragging him with her.

"Ow, Xion, stop that!" He said, slapping her hand away from his wrist and rubbing it gently.

Xion rolled her eyes and spoke. "God, you're such a pansy. Here." She threw up a cure spell, using Sora to hide the fact that she had healed herself as well.

"Thanks," Sora said, sending Xion a cheeky smile. The two friends walked behind Leon and Yuffie.

"You know," Sora remarked, shooting his black haired friend a sly look and a wiggle of his eyebrows. "If you keep manhandling me like that, I might get the wrong idea." Xion snapped her head towards him, a shocked look on her face. A small smile caught the corners of her lips.

"Please," She joked, sending him a haughty look. "You're not my type." Sora snickered quietly, laughing at her over the top acting skills.

"In here," Leon's voice brought Sora and Xion out of their conversation. They looked up to see Leon standing in front of a doorway. They seemed to be in some sort of an alleyway, and a sewer grate was located at the other end of the alley. The door they stood in front of was bright green and had the number 3 emblazoned on the front.

The two walked into the room together, and Xion began to examine her surroundings. Sora walked over and sat on the large bed that took up a large portion of the room. The room also contained a large table with a chest on the top. The chest seemed to have an ethereal, otherworldly glow to it. The rest of the room contained a clock on the wall and a few chairs.

Sora flopped down on the bed, attempting to rest his aching muscles. Xion walked over and gingerly sat beside him, trying to stay away from his sprawled limbs. Leon and Yuffie walked into the room as well, making themselves comfortable.

"So, we've got some things to discuss." Leon said, voice monotone and deadly serious. "That blade you have, the Keyblade, attracts the monsters you saw."

"Yeah, the Heartless." Sora interrupted, sitting up on the bed and leaning forward. "I already know all about them."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "I gathered that from our conversation earlier." He said, a slight sarcastic tone edging into his voice. "Every time you use that key, it attracts the Heartless. Now Yuffie and I were only counting on finding one Keyblade wielder, but it appears that we have two on our hands." Yuffie snorted a laugh at his words.

"Wow Squall, I never would have guessed." She said sarcastically, fidgeting slightly.

"It's Leon," He said, sounding slightly exasperated. "But because there are two Keyblade wielders instead of one, you're going to attract a lot more Heartless."

Xion nodded, contemplating his words. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but quickly closed in again. Sora nudged her slightly, causing her to look up.

"What're you thinking about?" Blue met blue as their eyes met.

"I-I dunno," She said quietly. "I was just thinking that if the Keyblade is what attracts the Heartless, then maybe one of us should use another weapon." She looked questioningly at Leon.

The tall brunet stood quietly for a moment, before nodding. "That could possibly work." His eyes flickered between the two friends sitting on the bed. "Which one of you is willing to give up your Keyblade, though?"

"I will," The two answers rang through the air simultaneously. Both Sora and Xion turned to look at each other in disbelief.

"You're definitely using the Keyblade," Sora stated. "You're way better at using it than I am. I'll be fine with something else."

"No," Xion replied, shaking her head vigorously. "I'm more proficient in magic than you are, so it's not as big of a deal if I have to use another weapon. Plus, I've been in this kind of situation before. You use the Keyblade." Plus, if you don't use it, who knows how that could affect the timeline?

"But-"

"No, Sora. You use the Keyblade. It chose you, after all." Xion's voice held no room for argument.

"Well, that settles it!" Yuffie interjected cheerfully. "Don't worry Xion, We can find you another weapon. Plus, the Keyblade did choose you, Sora."

Sora grumbled slightly, unhappy with the decision, but understood where they were coming from.

"So Xion, what type of weapon do you want to use?" Leon asked, gazing curiously in her direction. Xion sat quietly for a moment, thinking.

"Preferably, I'd like to use a weapon similar to a Keyblade," She said slowly, still deep in thought. "Although I wouldn't be adverse to a ranged weapon as well."

"How about something like my Shurikens?" Yuffie asked, simultaneously leaning forward and brushing a strand of short black hair behind her ear.

"I can try them," Xion said, shrugging. "But I don't think I have the coordination for that."

The four sat in silence, thinking of possible weapon choices.

"What about a staff?" Leon asked. "You said earlier you were proficient in magic."

"No," She said quickly. "I've experienced being drained of MP too often to be comfortable with that." The room was silent for a few moments before Sora's voice broke the stillness.

"What about a bow and arrow?" Xion was quiet for a moment before nodding her head.

"That might just work," She said, a small smile gracing her lips. She stood up from her spot on the bed, and smoothed out her cloak with her hands.

"I'm ready to get started when you are," Xion said, stretching her arms up above her head. Leon nodded and exited the room, leaving the door cracked behind him.

Sora still sat on the bed, the red of his outfit clashing horribly with the color of the bed. Xion raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know, if we're gonna be travelling to other worlds, you're gonna stick out like a sore thumb in that monstrosity." She eyed him up and down, grimacing as she examined his clothing.

"Whaddya mean?" Sora questioned, looking slightly offended at her suggestion.

Yuffie piped up from her spot by the door. "If you are looking for some clothing, I'm pretty sure the Moogles can fix you up something." Xion nodded her thanks at the suggestion as Leon walked back through the door.

He was carrying a beautifully crafted bow and a quiver of arrows. The bow was a dark wood, almost black in color, and each of the arrows looked to be hand crafted.

"Name it however you wish," Leon said, softly walking over to where Xion was standing. She stood quietly, soaking in the image of her new weapon. Leon held out the bow, prompting her to take the weapon.

Xion gently grasped the bow, testing the weight in her hands. She held it upright, and placed one of her hands on the wood, and the other on the string. She gently pulled the string back, testing the tension and the overall feel of the weapon.

"It fits you," Sora said, head slightly tilted in thought. Xion turned to look at him, giving him a questioning look.

He shrugged slightly. "I dunno, I can just see you using it," He answered.

"I think you should try it out," Leon said, opening the door for her. Xion nodded, and walked through the open door. As she walked into the alleyway, she tightened her grip on the bow. She turned back to see her three other companions standing in the alleyway as well. She held her hand out, silently asking Leon for the quiver of arrows.

Xion strapped the quiver to her back, and reached behind to grab an arrow.

"Well, here goes nothing," She said nervously, shooting a shaky smile to her companions. Sora gave her a large smile and a thumbs up. Smiling, she turned towards the end of the alleyway, and located a wooden sign hanging from the building. Choosing it as her target, she notched her arrow and pulled back on the string. She could feel her arms trembling with the tension of the bow string, and tried to steady her aim on the target.

With a noisy exhale, Xion released the arrow, letting it fly towards her target. The arrow flew through the air, missing her target completely. She huffed quietly, relaxing her arm and bringing her weapon down towards her side. She turned back towards her companions and gave them a shrug.

"Well, looks like there's gonna be a learning curve for both of us, Sora." He laughed good-naturedly, shrugging one of his shoulders.

"Guess we'll have to learn together," He said, a carefree smile on his face.

"Well," Yuffie said, clapping her hands together and a mischievous smirk on her face. "Let's get started."

The rattling sound of a soldier appearing startled the entire group.

"They're here," Leon said, drawing his gunblade. "We need to move, now."

Xion nodded her assent, and grabbed Sora by the forearm, still firmly holding her bow in her other hand. The group of four quickly made their way through to the Second District, trying to evade the various groups of Heartless.

They sprinted past the fountain and towards the back alleyway. Xion was completely lost at this point, and simply followed Yuffie and Leon. The group briefly stopped in front of a large door labeled "Third District". Leon yanked the door open, and the four tumbled through it, slamming it behind them the instant they were through.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Sora plopped down onto the ground. The moment of silence between them, however, was broken by the sound of more Heartless appearing. Sora sprung to his feet quickly, and the other three readied their weapons once again.

"We can hold them off up here," Yuffie said, shooting Xion a confident look. "You two go down the stairs and find the entrance to the First District. You should be safe there." Xion nodded, and motioned to Sora for him to follow her.

The two friends ran down the stairs together, but found themselves surrounded by another group of Heartless.

"Round two?" Xion asked rhetorically. She readied her bow, which she had been holding. Sora shrugged, and summoned his Keyblade in a flash of white light and launched himself at the hoard of Heartless.

Xion readied her bow and nocked an arrow. She pulled back the string and aimed at one of the smaller shadows. Focus, Xion, She thought to herself. Breathe in, breathe out- With a twang, the arrow sailed through the air and clipped the leg of the Shadow. Well, better than last time, She thought with a shrug. She nocked another arrow and shot at another one of the Shadows, but missed, almost hitting Sora.

"Hey!" He yelled, dodging the misfired arrow. "Be careful with those things!" Xion grimaced at the near disaster, and decided she was better off using her Keyblade. She replaced her bow, and summoned her blade, joining the frenzied fight. Together, she and Sora finished off the last of them.

"You might wanna practice with that bow a little more first," Sora panted, taking a moment to catch his breath. "You nearly took my head off!" Xion nodded, panting heavily as well, with her arms behind her head.

A startled quack ended their moment rather quickly. A duck and what looked like an overlarge dog, at least at first glance, flew through the air and landed directly on Sora. He was knocked to the ground, the anthropomorphic animals laying dazedly on top of him.

A startled shout of "The key!" from both brought Xion back from her shocked stupor. The sound of more Heartless appearing caught the attention of all four present.

"Uh, not to ruin the moment or anything, but we've kinda got a bigger problem here." Xion said, fluidly pulling her bow out nocking an arrow. Sora nodded, and cautiously untangled himself from the two animals. He summoned his Keyblade, ready to fight the group of heartless. Xion threw a look behind her, noting that the duck and dog had also readied their weapons, and had begun to fight as well.

Together, the four finished off their enemies rather quickly, the swarm of shadows and soldiers dwindling. When the last Heartless had been eliminated, Sora banished his weapon and turned to look at the duck and dog.

"So, who exactly are-" His sentence was broken off by a deep rattling noise behind him. The brunet turned slowly to see an enormous rook shaped Heartless taking form behind him. He swallowed loudly, and glanced nervously at Xion, who stood beside him. The black haired girl simply sighed and readied another arrow.

"Well, looks like we've got another fight on our hands. You two up for it?" She asked the anthropomorphic animals. The duck squawked indignantly, "Of course we are! Don't doubt our skills, missy!" Xion simply raised an eyebrow and shot a weary look at Sora before turning back to the now fully formed Guard Armor.

Sora scored the first hit on their new enemy, choosing to focus on the left foot. The two animals on the other hand, chose to focus on the right foot. This left Xion to focus her attacks on the increasingly annoying arms. She shot a few arrows at the arms, each of her arrows barely clipping her enemy. She mumbled to herself in frustration before putting away her bow and summoning her Keyblade.

Taking a running jump, the black haired female launched herself at the Heartless, swiftly taking care of the right arm. She then turned to focus her attention on the left arm, only to find Sora already taking care of business. She smiled slightly, before joining him on his barrage. The two quickly took care of the left arm together, and shifted their focus to the torso.

Xion quickly glanced around to monitor the progress of the two animals, only to find that they were still fighting the right foot with difficulty. She grimaced, and shouted "Sora! Go help them with the right foot! I'll handle the torso." Sora frowned, but nodded his assent and joined the other two in their fight against the right foot.

Xion, now alone in her fight against the torso, began to struggle. One well timed attack from the Guard Armor sent her flying away from the group. She winced, feeling the full brunt of her injuries. She cast cure and drew her bow once more. She nocked an arrow and pulled back on the bow string, an idea popping into her head. Just before releasing the arrow, she murmured a fire spell, lighting the tip of the arrow on fire. The now flaming arrow hit the heartless on the head, igniting it. Must've been a lucky shot, she thought to herself, shrugging slightly.

Sora and the others had completed their attack on the foot, and shifted their efforts to the torso as well. The duck, already appearing to be tiring out, went flying as they were hit dead on by an attack. Xion cursed, rushing over to where their prone body lay. After a hasty examination, she determined that the duck was simply unconscious. Breathing a sigh of relief, Xion cast cure on him, and then turned back to continue fighting, only to find Sora finishing off their enemy.

With the final blow, the Guard Armor began to shake violently, and the head fell off with a loud clanging noise. Sora took a few steps back to avoid being hit by falling debris. A bright shining light emanated from the top of the Guard armor, a heart floating out from the top. When the light faded, the heartless had disappeared.

"So," Sora said, resting his Keyblade on his shoulders. "You were looking for me?"

Xion narrowed her eyes. "More like they were looking for the Keyblade." For some reason, she simply didn't feel like she could trust them. There was something off about their presence, something that made her nervous.

Sora dropped his arms, frowning slightly. "Don't be mean, Xion."

She snorted. "I'm not being mean," She said bitingly. "I'm simply being realistic." The duck squawked angrily at her words, and put his hands on his hips.

"Now see here missy, Goofy and I were sent by the King himself to find this key!" He said heatedly.

Xion crossed her arms, eyes icy with anger. "So what, now that you've found "the key" you're just going to force him to come with? You don't even know his name let alone anything else about him."

The dog, who was standing behind the duck, looked increasingly more and more uncomfortable.

"Uh, Donald, don'tcha think we should ask him if he wants to come with us?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course he does, Goofy!" The duck, now known as Donald, snapped, barely throwing a glance in Goofy's direction.

"You do want to come with us, right?" he asked, suddenly looking slightly nervous.

"Uh," Sora said, looking extremely anxious and confused. "I mean-"

"Our answer is no," Xion said definitively. Sora turned towards her, a pleading look on his face.

"But Xion-"

"No" She said, interrupting him. "We aren't traveling with them."

"This might be our only chance to find Riku and Kairi!" Sora exclaimed, his fists clenching and dismissing his Keyblade. Xion sighed heavily, dragging a hand through her hair.

"You know, why don't you come with us? We can go to other world on our vessel." Goofy piped up. Donald nodded.

"Of course. We could help you find your friends." He said, ruffling his feathers slightly.

"Are you sure…?" Goofy whispered.

Donald shrugged. "Who knows? But we need him to come with us to help us find the King." He whispered back, attempting to keep his voice low.

In a flurry of movement, Xion grabbed the front of Donald's shirt and lifted him to eye level. "The King, huh? What does he want with Sora?!" The duck began to thrash in an attempt to loosen her grip on his clothing, but it was no use.

"Xion!" Sora shouted, leaning forward to try and remove her hold on Donald's clothing.

Her eyes narrowed and her grip tightened before abruptly letting go. Donald collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. Xion gazed down at his prone body, and spoke softly.

"I don't know who you are, or what you want," She hissed, voice as hard as steel. "But, rest assured, I will not let you use Sora."

Goofy, who had been frozen in fear for the entire encounter, nodded hurriedly, and quickly helped Donald off the ground.

The two hurried away, throwing hasty glances behind them. Sora and Xion stood in silence, watching the walk away. Once they were out of sight however, Sora turned to Xion and slapped her on the shoulder.

"What the heck, Xion!" The black haired girl turned, startled at her friend's outburst.

"What!" She exclaimed, rubbing her arm. "I wasn't just going to go with them! Who knows what would have happened!"

Sora stared at her, eyes brimming with tears of frustration. "That could've been our only chance to find them!"

"Sora-" She said, her face crumbling, and reached out towards him. As she reached out, Sora took a step back, hands clenching into fists. He closed his eyes tightly, seemingly in an attempt to regain control over his emotions.

It was silent for a moment, simply the two friends under the dark night sky. Xion took a shaky breath, her head tilting up to look at the stars.

"We'll find them," She murmured, shoving one of her hands into her coat. In her peripheral vision, she could see Sora shift beside her, looking at the stars as well.

"We'll do it together." Her voice echoed through the empty district. She turned to Sora, giving him a small smile.

"I know we will," He said, tearing his gaze from the heavens above them. He gave her a searching look, before turning and walking towards the First District.

The black haired girl sighed loudly, pushing her hand through her hair. Well, She thought. That went well. Not. After a moment of deliberation, Xion sighed again and followed Sora's retreating form to the First District.