"I'm a terrible person," I muttered. Braig tapped his clipboard, adjusting his glasses.

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Braig asked. "Because it really seems like you just want to protect her."

"Yeah, but I went about it the wrong way. And, she doesn't seem to be taking my advice." I sighed, turning on my side. Hugging the pillow, my heavy eyelids closed. This was exhausting. Why does she have to be so stubborn?

"Well, you better do something soon. Time is running out," Braig said, causing me to huff in annoyance.

"Yeah, I keep hearing that," I replied, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"Maybe you just need to rest . You've been working too hard."

"I wouldn't mind a nap." My eyes started drifting closed, but I still heard Braig get up and leave. The door closing was the last thing I heard.

•••••

I heard voices shouting, pulling me out of my daze. They seemed to be arguing, but urgent, too. Footsteps pounded by, followed by a few splashes of water. Opening my eyes, I looked down at my hands. I seemed to be real, but everything else was hazy.

Looking around, I saw that I was standing in a hallway with green carpet and cream walls. A door was at the end, the symbol of a castle on it. Someone ran past me, and I tried to focus on their figure. It was a girl.

She looked as if she was struggling to open the door, and I rolled my eyes. How hard is it to open a door?

A dark portal opened up behind her, and she turned around to see a Nobody. It started towards her, doing that weird wiggle-walk. She started pounding on the door, no doubt freaked out by the creature. I know I was the first time I saw one.

She suddenly copied the Nobody's movements, wiggling her arms over her head and twisting her body. I raised an eyebrow as they "communicated" with each other. The creature opened another portal, disappearing.

Geez. I knew Nobodies were stupid, but that's a new low.

The girl huffed, leaning against the door. I finally realized that the girl looked familiar. She had wild, short hair and was wearing some overalls and a shirt. Smirking, I knew exactly who it was.

"That was smart," I said sarcastically.

"Thanks," she replied, rolling her eyes. She met my gaze, her eyes widening. I walked towards her, and she stood up straighter. "What are you doing here?" I stood in front of her, smirking. My eyes traveled down to her soft lips, and an idea popped into my head.

"To do this," I said, leaning forward. I brushed against her lips just slightly when someone started shaking me.

•••••

"Vanitas! Vanitas, wake up!" I opened my eyes to see Braig shaking shoulders. I sat up, blinking.

"What's going on?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Xehanort's calling a meeting. He wants to know how your progress is going," Braig said, slight worry in his voice. I stared at him with half-shut eyes before the realization dawned on me.

"Wait, now?" I asked.

"Yeah, now!"

"Shit."

"I'd start thinking of a plan if I were you."

"Shit."

"Vanitas?"

"Shit."

"Dude, we have to go, like, now."

"I'm so dead," I muttered, standing up.

••••

"So, how's it going?" I asked, hands in my pocket. Braig smacked his forehead, groaning. Isa snickered, while Xehanort glared down at me.

"Did you succeed in your mission?" Xehanort asked flatly.

"Woah, can't we just have a normal conversation? I worry about you, big guy."

"Sounds like he's stalling," Isa said.

"Shut it," I retorted. He kept his mouth closed, yet kept the smug look on his face.

"Vanitas, don't waste my time," Xehanort said, forcing me to stand straight. "We don't want to have to go with my plan, now do we?"

"Well, I did manage to get her to...think about turning against her friends. So, she's definitely got that in her mind."

"Should've just said, 'We need to talk,'" Braig muttered.

"I..uh..well, you see, I had this dream," I continued. "I saw her, and she seemed to be in Radiant Garden. She could see me, and, well, I woke up before anything else happened."

"So, what you're telling me is that you got nowhere," Xehanort concluded, blinking. I swallowed, nodding my head slightly. I saw him clench his fist, and my chest started tighten. I struggled to take in air as he stared me down.

"What..are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm disappointed in you, Vanitas. Oh, how I hoped this would all work out in the end. You have one last chance. I have a plan, and you're required to make sure it goes without a hitch. Don't let your feelings get in the way. You know you were never meant to love."

I stared at him, suddenly hurt.

I knew that.

I've lived my whole life knowing that.

So, why is that I feel like this?

"Of course," I said, opening a dark portal. "How could someone like me ever learn to love."

••••

I appeared in a computer room, the guy with all the belts standing at the monitor. I walked up next to him, and he turned in surprise to see me.

"Hey, you're that guy from before, right?" he asked. I nodded my head, staring at the screen. It looked like he was watching a game of Pac Man or something. A purple dot and red dot were moving through a maze, and white dots seemed to be chasing after them.

"What is this?" I asked, looking up at him.

"The Grid," he answered. "How did you get down here?"

"Is she here?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Akio? Yeah, she's in the computer," he said, pointing at the purple dot. I placed my hand on the keyboard, closing my eyes.

Everything I saw was hazy, but I could see Akio outlined in purple, fighting what seemed to be Heartless. I guess they were the white dots. I squeezed my eyes tighter, concentrating. If she was in trouble, it was my job to protect her.

Everything seemed to get into focus, and I saw her riding a motorcycle outlined in bright, purple lights. Akio pressed a button, a beam coming out of the back of her ride. Another guy outlined in red did the same, and they headed towards a large group of Heartless.

Akio stayed to the right side of the wall, dodging the lasers that were aimed at her. She got low and held out her Keyblade, attacking the Heartless that got too close to her before passing by all of them. Making it to the back, she turned around, shooting lasers at the one in the rear. It turned to face her, but she leaped off of the motorcycle and swung at the Heartless, making it turn into micro bits.

Landing on top of the next Heartless, she swung at the limbs that tried to attack her, causing them to disappear. Akio plunged her Keyblade in the Heartless's head, and it started glitching out. Jumping to the next Heartless, she dropped down to where a weapon was attached. She gripped the gun, aiming at the Heartless from before, and destroyed it with the laser beams.

Akio dropped to the ground to see her motorcycle had ran into the wall, but I noticed a Heartless that was still alive. She ran to her motorcycle, oblivious to the threat behind her. It took aim at her body, and I knew she would get blasted in about three seconds. Just as the beam started towards her, time seemed to slow down.

I felt my hand press harder into the keyboard, causing my conscious to appear in the data world. I ran towards her, going faster than everything around me.

I didn't need to think about what I was doing. It just felt like natural instinct.

Akio was moving just as slow as the laser, but I reached her in a matter of seconds. I closed my eyes as I jumped in front of her, the beam hitting me square in the chest. I gasped as the wind got knocked out of me, clutching my shirt.

I pulled my hand away from the computer, backing away and breathing hard.

"Woah, take it easy," the brunette said. I was sweating, my palm on fire. My hand made a fist, and I looked back up at the screen. The purple and red dots were still there, but the white ones had disappeared.

"Hey, I gotta go, but you didn't see me," I said, brushing myself off. I grimaced at the burn on my hand, surprised to see a hole in my glove.

"Uh, okay?" he said, confused. I walked out of the room, entering the darkness.