Riku and Kairi tried to talk to her, but their voices were just background noise.

There really was something wrong with Akio. Her big, beautiful eyes were gone. They were now a dull gray, as if the light brown part had disappeared and the gray flecks took over. But, I could see a hint of yellow in her eyes. Could Xehanort already have claimed her heart?

"Haku, c'mon! Haku! Answer me!" Kairi yelled, shaking her shoulders.

"This has never happened before," Riku said. "Maybe we should........wait. I..I...Who's Haku?"

"What are you talking about?!" Kairi screamed, tears running down her face. Riku pulled her back, saying things I couldn't hear. She started yelling at him again.

All Riku did was stare at Akio.

She suddenly stood up, and they both watched Akio back away from them. She was slow at first, keeping her eyes on theirs. Kairi looked as if she wanted to run and jump in her arms, but Riku was holding on tight to her arm.

Akio then sprinted away from them, away from the mysterious tower, away from her past. She was heading towards me. She stopped, mere inches away from my face, and I realized that the land had ended. A train track was behind me, and that made me realize. This was the train she needed to get on.

A bright light flashed, and a purple and gold train appeared with moons and stars on it. The door opened, and Akio went through me, leaping over the gap so she could get inside the train. Kairi and Riku had run over, but the door closed before they could do anything.

"Haku!" Kairi yelled, clenching her fists as more tears spilled.

All Riku did was stare at Akio through the window.

I opened a dark portal, not caring if I had to get back to Xehanort or not. I had to make sure she was alright. I appeared on the train just as it started to move away from this place. Turning, I saw Akio sitting on the floor of the train, her head in her knees. She was shaking violently, and I heard her sobbing.

Walking over to her, I put my hand on her head. I started stroking her head gently, and she stopped trembling. Lowering myself, I put my arms around her. I listened to the familiar sound of her heart thumping.

I used to have a heartbeat.

We stayed like this until the train pulled up to the station. I stood up as the train came to a stop. I watched as Akio peeked up from her knees. Her eyes were a little red, her cheeks shiny from her tears. She stood up, wiping away them away. She took in a shaky breath as she stepped off the train onto the platform.

Akio walked outside, staring at the ground. I followed her. She was leaning on the ledge that kept her from tumbling down. She looked over the quiet town, bells ringing from the station behind her. The sun was setting in the sky, making everything have a orange and yellow tint. Akio's eyes were watery again, and she quickly wiped away any tears that spilled.

I wanted to comfort her again. I never wanted to see her cry again. I never wanted her to feel alone. Hopefully, she never will. If Xehanort's going to make her a new vessel, that'll give me time to be by her side. She'll know that I'll always be with her, through thick and thin.

"It's nice, huh?"

I looked up to see a boy next to Akio. He had light brown hair that seemed to change colors in the sunlight and deep blue eyes. He seemed to be around the same age as Akio.

Not to mention he looked identical to me.

Sora pulled out a blue marble from one of his many pockets, holding it up to the sky. Sunlight glinted off of it, making it sparkle even more. Akio stared at him, and I couldn't help but feel a twang of jealously.

Then again, we do look the same, so if she likes his face, then she'll love mine, right? I mean, I am just a sexy version of Sora. No one can resist my golden eyes, or my dark hair.

What am I even saying?

Sora smiled at Akio, and I expected her to return the toothy grin. She usually does, from what I've seen. Instead, she narrowed her gray eyes at him, pulling out the hammer I gave her years ago. Sora's smile dropped as he caught sight of the weapon, their eyes making contact.

Akio suddenly swung the hammer at his head. Lucky for him, Sora jumped back so the tool only got close to his face. He pulled out his Keyblade, surprise in his eyes as Akio brought the hammer down. He quickly held up his key-shaped sword, shielding himself from the impact, which sent Akio's hammer bouncing back. She fell to the ground in defeat as Sora stood, confused and breathing hard from the sudden attack.

"Who are you?" Sora asked, lowering his weapon. They stared at each other, Akio's chest rising and falling with each rapid breath. I saw her body shift, and she was suddenly on her feet and in the air in one swift movement. She leaped over Sora, her eyes never leaving his. She landed on the ledge, graceful enough that she didn't even seem close to falling to her death.

Akio tightned the grip on her hammer, glaring at Sora, who's eyes were wide in awe. She seemed to be deciding what to do, but it was clear she was going finish Sora off. The way her eyes burned with hatred showed her intentions. Before she could do anything, a voice called out.

"Haku! Don't!" Kairi yelled. Akio looked up in surprise to see Riku running towards Sora, Kairi right on his heels. Sora looked surprised as well, but kept his guard up. He kept looking between Akio and his two friends.

"Riku? Kairi? You know her?" Sora asked. Riku glared daggers at Akio, and I felt a fire burn deep inside of me.

You'll pay for that, bastard.

Kairi walked slowly towards Akio, worry in her eyes. At least she still cares about Akio.

"Haku, I know you can hear me," Kairi said, practically shaking in fear. "Please come down." She held out her hand, silently pleading for Akio to take it. Akio was silent as she flinched, almost as if someone was talking to her. Her gaze went from Riku to Kairi, then to Sora.

That's when she jumped backwards, falling down.

"Haku!" Kairi screamed, lunging forward. She leaned over the ledge, her eyes searching for her friend. "Haku! HAKU!" Big, fat tears rolled down Kairi's cheeks as she started screaming for her sister to come back. Her words became whimpers as Sora put his arms around her, trying to comfort the broken girl. Riku walked over to the two, hugging Kairi as well.

I watched, surprised, as Sora and Riku held onto Kairi. They really were best friends. Kairi had started to wipe away some of her tears, looking up at her two childhood friends.

I guess some things don't change.

Their embrace ended, and Sora stepped back quickly. Kairi smiled softly at him before looking over the ledge again. Riku put his hand on her shoulder, startling her. Kairi looked up at the silver-haired boy with sad eyes.

"Are you okay, Kairi? And who was that girl?" Sora asked, his gaze fixed on Kairi's indigo eyes. She nodded her head before speaking up.

"That was.....Haku. Something happened to her, though. She's different now. I don't know what it is, but something about her has changed." Kairi looked up at them both. "C'mon, let's go see if she's okay! Maybe she survived the fall?"

"Right," Sora said, nodding his head. They headed down the path to where all the markets and houses were, leaving me standing there, baffled.

They still had hope.

Or, at least Kairi did.

I know the truth, though. Xehanort was controlling her. She must be with him right now. I'm supposed to be there right now. Hopefully, they don't notice my absence.

••••••

I appeared in my chair, praying that I wouldn't return at the wrong time. I blinked away the spots that started to appear in my eyes. I had to move pretty quickly to get here, but this place seemed way too bright compared to the Dark Corridors. My eyes were just starting to adjust as I noticed a girl sitting next to me.

I felt another pair of eyes staring at me. Turning, I saw Isa looking at me with annoyance. He was probably mad that I was so late to the meeting. Everyone else was gone.

"Oh, good. Vanitas, watch over Akio, will you?" Isa asked, smirking at me. I realized that he had just winked at me, and I felt myself get slightly warm. I turned to look at Akio, getting lost in her big, beautiful eyes. She looked back at me, almost frightened. I noticed she was wearing an Organization XIII coat, immediately turning me on. I let my eyes wander her body before appearing on the arm of her chair. I leaned forward, watching her face grow pink.

"Gladly," I said, smirking.