Kingdom Hearts; The Dark's Keeper

Prologue; Line The Pieces Up

"You'll do great." Y said encouragingly. "I'll see you around." She said before turning away. Roxas looked up at her surprised.

"Yeah, see ya." He said. Y couldn't look back at him. Her eyes were too filled with tears. She looked up at the sky with a heavy breath.

"What have I gotten myself into?" She muttered as she walked.

*<3*

Yuki looked out over the town she had grown used to. It was her home in most senses of the word. Except, she didn't live there. She didn't really live anywhere anymore. She had lost any right to a home when she choose to turn her back on the other Heartless. That was the only place she really belonged wasn't it? In the darkness where her kind were born. That's all she was ever told.

Yuki sighed looking down at the ground from her place on top of the clock tower. It was a far drop, she guessed. The people that did cross the ground beneath her did look small and inconsequential. But Yuki suspected secretly they were all very important. To someone, somewhere, somehow. After all, everyone was. Even those that most couldn't remember.

Yuki sighed leaning back. It was surprising her, just how quickly some of her memories were returning to her. It seemed now everything that had been lost was coming back, piece by piece. Mostly she could remember Kairi. There were somethings about Riku, but not much yet. As for Sora, well, she knew his name. Those memories were the hardest to recover it seemed. But Yuki took that as a good sign. It meant Roxas was still ok. For now.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here?" A familiar voice asked. Yuki turned see Axel leaning against the corner wall. He was grinning softly at her.

"Guess I'm just that predictable." Yuki replied softly, smiling at him with a small bit of caution. Axel was still in Organization thirteen. He could very easily have been sent to eliminate her.

"Maybe." Axel agreed. He slowly made his way over to Yuki and sat down beside her. He was trying to seem relaxed, but Yuki could tell he was far from it. His shoulders tensed just a bit too much, and his eyes were darting about quickly.

"What's it been like back at the Organizations?" Yuki asked. Axel let out a nervous chuckle. Yuki suspected that meant not pleasant.

"There's a bit of an uproar, you know." Axel said almost jokingly. "No one's happy all the keyblade wielders ditched on us. Orders are if we find you, to drag you back." He continued. His gaze had settled on the sunset, like it used to when they all were together.

"Are you following those orders?" Yuki asked. Axel was quiet for a moment, considering his answer.

"When I find Roxas I will. But not for you guys. The Heartless can handle their own problems." He finally decided. Yuki frowned looking down at the ground. She kicked her feet back and forth a few times, thinking.

"Axel, what's going to happen to all of us?" Yuki asked very suddenly. Axel jumped a little, looking at her in surprise. He frowned looking away trying to find an answer. It was a question he had been wondering about himself lately. He wasn't sure he had an answer he could give her. But he couldn't not answer her. She was scared and he could tell.

Axel had to mentally scold himself once again. He always did that around them. He'd label emotions that weren't possible. None of these feelings were real. Just made up to pass the time. But they felt so real sometimes. He would really feel like he was happy, or angry, or anything in between. It amazed him and worried him all at once.

"I don't know Snowy." Axel answered honestly. "It really is going to depend on how things go. And honestly, if things keep heading the way they are, it's not going to end pretty for anyone of us." He said. Yuki nodded sadly.

"Do you think we can change it?" She asked. Axel looked at her again.

"We can always change it." He stated simply. Yuki looked up at him with a soft smile. Axel grinned at her in return. "Got it memorized?" He asked. Yuki laughed a little, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Yeah." Yuki answered. "I've got it memorized."

*<3*

X frowned looking out the window of Yen Sid's office. The sorcerer sat at his desk, flipping through a book. He had been pretty much the entire time since X had been here. It didn't really surprise X. They didn't have much to talk about. Yen Sid was still convinced X was a monster.

X wasn't sure if he really was a monster or not. He knew he had done wrong before. A lot of things were his fault. Maybe not entirely, but he had a hand in it at least. And he was a Heartless. Those were supposed to be monsters no matter what. But he had seen Heartless that were so human it was alarming.

Of course he was thinking of his sister and the little princess. Both of them were all but human. He'd seen his sister cry several times since she had lost her heart. Out of frustration, or sadness, or laughter if it was a good day. Sometimes it almost convinced him he hadn't completely destroyed her life. But in the end he always remembered he had.

As for the the little princess. She radiated emotions. Anger and happiness. Sadness and laughter. Hope and despair. X frequently forgot she was a Heartless. Nothing so human could be a monster of the darkness. But she was, somehow. X always wondered why she had given up her heart. What a child could gain by becoming a monster.

"I am curious, creature of darkness, do you know what befell those you seek to redeem yourself to?" Yen Sid asked, suddenly jarring X from his thoughts. X looked at the chair slowly.

"Probably more than you know about the matter." X said calmly. Yen Sid made no verbal reply, but X suspected he might have nodded.

"Organization XIII is making their move. But what of your kind? Are there more?" Yen Sid asked. X chuckled and looked back out the window.

"I suppose you mean more who look like me?" X asked. Yen Sid had to know of the countless number of smaller Heartless. But the elites kept to the shadows for the most part. "Yes, there's more. But not all are threats. Depends if the Lady of the Shadows is still helping her old friend." X continued.

"Lady of the Shadows?" Yen Sid asked curiously. X smirked and returned his gaze to out the window. He was amazed Yen Sid had no idea who he was up against. The Heartless organization had existed for far longer than the Nobodies had. Some of the organization members had to be older than Yen Sid. Unless the old wizard had seen the ancient keyblade war.

"That's the leader. Tayressa." X explained simply. "She's an old friend of Master Xehanort's. Trained together, if I do recall correctly." He continued. Yen Sid was silent for a time after X's words. He was processing the new information.

"And do you believe she will act?" Yen Sid finally asked. X frowned and paced away from the window to the front of the desk. The wizard that was seated there looked at him calmly.

"No. I think she'll wait." X said simply. "But, I wouldn't be surprised if a few of the others make an appearance. They're kinda nosey." He walked away from the desk to the bookshelf on the opposite wall. The titles were all obscure and strange. "Do you have a reason for all your questions, or just trying to annoy me enough to walk away?" X asked.

"I worry this may only be the beginning." Yen Sid replied. X laughed and shook his head.

"You really are the wise one, aren't you?" X asked, looking over his shoulder to the wizard. "This is only the start, and it's only going to get worse."