I decided be the one to find Akio's exact location. Braig and Isa doubted I could figure where she was, but my heart was telling me where to go.

Ugh.

I'm starting to think all the mushy crap about us being connected and stuff.

Opening a dark portal, I walked through it. Hopefully, I'm right about this. The last thing I need is for them to think I'm the weak link in this operation.

The light blinds me, but my eyes adjust and I see that I'm standing on a mountain covered in a thick layer of fluffy, white snow. Shivering, I glance down to see a small village at the bottom. I heard children's laughter echoing up the mountain.

"They sound so happy," Braig said, appearing beside me. Crossing his arms, he smiled. "Let's end it." I couldn't help but smirk. We may not get along, but we both enjoy other's misfortune. Dark portals appeared around us as his Nobodies appeared, slinking down the mountain towards the little town.

"So, is this girl here or not?" Braig asked, turning to look at me. I looked down at the village, their laughter suddenly turning into screams. I watched as the Nobodies attacked them, a fire being set ablaze on the dry, wooden houses.

"She'll be here," I said, my eyes narrowing. Braig must have noticed my reaction to the burning buildings because he started laughing.

"You like it? I gave them an upgrade," he said, acting all smug. "So, what's special about this girl? Why do we need her?"

"The spirit of Kingdom Hearts rests inside of her."

"Whoa, really? That can actually happen?"

"Yeah."

"So, what does Xehanort plan to do with her?"

"Use her dark powers to his advantage. Or kill her off so Kingdom Hearts will return to its natural state so he can form the X-blade and shit."

"Jeez, I'm guessing you're not a huge fan of that last option."

"No dip."

An awkward silence filled the space before I noticed the smoke clouds billowing up into the sky. Looking down, I saw the village was nothing but ruble and ashes.

"That was fast," Braig said. I suddenly felt my heart jump, and that's when I heard a voice echo out, filled with sympathy and determination.

"Hello, everyone," the voice said. "I'm Haku. I...I know what you must be feeling right now. How could someone do this to you? You don't deserve this."

That's when something changed. I suddenly felt as if I didn't know that girl who I trained, who made me feel like a real person.

"I will find who ever did this. I'll make sure they pay for their crimes."

Now I see. She's the one who's a real person.

I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on me and backed into the darkness.

"You again," a voice whispered harshly. "When we said you would cross paths again, we didn't mean for you to bring along someone who could harm her."

"What?" I whispered. My heart started to ache and I took in a sharp breath.

"Don't let him succeed. We won't be able to save her," another voice whispered, sounding much more gentle.

"Hey, she's heading this way," Braig said, looking at me through the dark portal. "Watch and see how the pro's handle it." I watched as the portal closed in front of me as Akio was before my eyes.

She had her long, wavy hair in a ponytail and golden headphones on. A plain, white shirt, azul, high-waisted shorts, suspenders, and golden high-tops was her outfit. A girl with darker skin was next to her, and she looked at me with anger in her bright eyes.

I felt my heart ache again as I stood in the darkness, but one thing kept going through my mind.

Akio was gripping the hammer I gave her.