Exiting the first floor Yuki was more thrown than she expected. She had forgotten they were still inside a castle. The last world had looked so real. It had felt like they were really there, watching the past as it happened. The only thing off was the way the shadows faded when they were done.

X and Y didn't say anything as they went up the next set of stairs. Yuki supposed they just wanted to get this over with. She couldn't blame them. This was enough chaos, and the sooner they could stop the Organization, the sooner they could face the other problem, not that Yuki really understood what that problem was.

On the next floor, they all froze. Standing in front of the door was Arykii. The blue-haired Heartless watched them calmly, her face impassive as it always was. Her dark eyes were beyond black. Like staring into the darkness itself.

"Lovely, one floor and they're already sending someone to get in our way," X said. He stepped forward, placing himself between Arykii and the other two. Yuki frowned, looking Arykii up and down. She had never seemed the most threatening member, despite her normal silence and passive expression that never seemed to change.

"Were those memories difficult to face?" Arykii asked. Yuki bit her lip, glancing at X. He hadn't moved, his hand resting on his hip. Y's eyes too fell on her brother, they had been his memories after all. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected an answer. I know they were, one begins to miss the place they call home after being this way for so long."

"What do you want? Why are you here?" Yuki asked.

"To ensure you understand. Those shadows are an opportunity. Going through your memory, it gives you a chance many would kill for," Arykii said. Her eyes swept over the group, taking a moment to take in each of them. Her eyes came to rest on X, a soft smile appearing on her face.

"What do you mean?" X asked.

"What many would give to change their past," Arykii said. She looked down at her feet her soft smile still remaining. "I guess you can take this as your chance to show what you would do differently now. Not that it will do you any good."

"We're supposed to change what we did? Why?" Y asked, crossing her arms. She shot X another look, but he was keeping his focus on Arykii. The way his shoulders were tensed, Yuki had a feeling he was just waiting for a reason to draw his weapons.

"Why not? " Arykii asked in return. Y gaped at her. Arykki shrugged turning her back on them walking toward the door she stood in front of. "Surely, you didn't make it through your life with no regrets. Didn't you always tell yourself, if I could change it, I would?"

"And if we don't change it? What then?" X asked.

"Then nothing," Arykii said with a shrug. "Choose to stay on your path of regret, or choose to change it. It's merely an option so your companions don't have to see who you really are." She turned back to them, her eyes once again landing on X. X clenched his fist, his jaw locking.

"Fine. Your message is delivered, is that all you want?" Yuki said, taking just a slight step forward. "Or do we have to make you get out of our way?"

Arykii stared at Yuki for a moment. She sighed, bowing low to her.

"I wouldn't dream of opposing the queen," She said as she straightened up again. "Until we meet again, carriers of the past." She offered them one last soft smile before being swallowed up by a dark corridor that appeared around her. The trio all stood in silence for a moment, waiting to see if it was really so simple.

"Carriers of the past?" Yuki echoed. There was no way she was carrying from the past. She didn't remember enough to be of any use to the past. All there was for her was the now.

"Who knows," X said. He glanced over his shoulders at the other two.

"Probably because we're carrying cards of the past," Y suggested. X nodded in agreement. He pulled the cards from his pocket, selecting the next card in the stack. It was one that had been Y's.

"Right," Yuki muttered.

Y stepped forward, taking the card from X's fingers delicately like it was made of spun glass. She stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath and letting her eyes fall closed. For a moment she held the card beside her heart. She looked up slowly, holding the card up. Light swirled around the card and the lock on the door. As the card vanished, the doors swung open. She stood still for a moment, just staring into the door. Yuki was almost afraid what she would see when they crossed through.

What Yuki hadn't been expecting was something so beautiful.

It was a castle secured to spires of rock on either side. A sweeping lawn was before it, filled with what looked like training tools. The castle itself was a pristine white with gold accents. It looked expansive, two wings branching off of the center. Both looked like they were floating in mid-air so it seemed, only secured by the gold chains. A stained glass window took of the front center, the glass itself much like the windows in Castle Oblivion.

"Your lead Y," X said. Y gave a heavy sigh.

"Don't remind me."

Despite her reluctance Y was the first to move, leading the way up towards the castle. She looked around her as she walked, her lips pursed into a tight line. Yuki could see the start of tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Y stopped suddenly, looking at a cliff off to the side. When she moved again she walked towards the cliff, forgetting the castle for a moment. She stopped at the edge, looking up at the sky.

"This is the last place we were all really happy together. Our last night together under the stars," she said, her voice a breathless whisper. Yuki frowned, glancing over her shoulder at the castle again. What was this place to her?

"I'm sorry," X murmured. Y smiled looking over her shoulder at X. Her tears were gone now.

"I know."

"Hey! Y!"

Yuki turned quickly towards the new voice. It sounded so familiar she almost thought her mind was just creating it. But turning to see where it had from, she held back a shocked cry.

It was Roxas. Or he looked a lot like Roxas anyway. His hair was blonde and spiked in the same exact way Roxas's once was. His eyes were the same shape and the same blue. His clothes were different, but that was to be expected right?

"Ven. Hey," Y greeted, her voice sounding almost hollow. Yuki glanced at Y, feeling her pulse racing in her chest. It wasn't Roxas. It was Y's friend. "What's going on?"

"Terra and Aqua have their Mark of Mastery today, remember?" Ven asked, his head tilting to the side. He crossed his ankles and put his hands behind his head. It was a mannerism Yuki was very familiar with, but not because of Roxas. It was Sora.

"Oh, yeah. Has it started yet?" Y asked, feigning interest. It almost hurt to hear the lack of anything in her voice. Like she was just playing some kind of recording.

"No, but Aqua wanted me to come find you. She says the guests have arrived and we should get to the main hall," Ven said.

"Right. I'll be just a minute," Y said. She frowned glancing towards the castle. Yuki had a feeling whoever these guests were Y wouldn't be happy to see them.

"Are you ok?" Ven asked. Y looked back to him in surprise, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she asked. She shook her head, blonde and black strands moving easily.

"You've just seemed," Ven hesitated for a moment. "Not ok for awhile. Something bothering you?"

"I think I'm just getting homesick. I miss my brother," Y said easily.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Ven said. X raised an eyebrow glancing at Y. She didn't react to his look, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah. I guess I just forgot to mention him. Maybe I can introduce you guys to him one day. I think he'd like to meet you," Y said. She offered up a small smile, the first Yuki had seen from her since they had arrived here.

"That sounds like fun. When we get to go on our first adventure, let's go to your world first," Ven said with a nod.

"It's a deal," Y agreed. The shadow of Ven smiled brightly, his eyes closing for a moment. He faded away suddenly, leaving the Heartless standing together in silence. Y sighed heavily, losing her straight posture as she glanced up towards the castle.

"You good to keep going?" X asked, his voice soft as he watched Y for a reaction. Y nodded without looking at him.

"Yeah. I can manage," she said.

"So, that was Ventus?" Yuki asked. It had been rare enough to get the names of Y's friends. But she remembered that one well enough. There had been a day on the clock tower they had spoken of him. The day Y mistakenly called Roxas by his name.

"Yeah," Y agreed.

"How did you stand being near Roxas?" Yuki asked. Just being near that shadow had made her skin crawl. And that was without talking to him.

"It, it was hard I won't lie. But, they were really different. The only thing they had in common was looks," Y said calmly. Yuki nodded slowly. She guessed she could believe that. After all, in his mannerisms, Yuki had seen more of Sora than anything else.

"Right," she agreed.

Y was once again the one to move first. X waited a moment before following her, watching her movements with narrowed eyes. Yuki had a hard time judging his expression, though it seemed calm she had a feeling there was more to it. Some kind of sadness. Yuki waited until he had followed Y to start her own. It felt strange to be in her friend's memories. She shouldn't have been invading something so precious. Not if they hadn't told her about it before.

AS they reached the forecourt in front of the castle, Yuki caught sight of the next shadow. She was a very pretty woman, tall with short blue hair. She was wearing black shorts and blue in her top, with flowing white sleeves attached with some kind of armor. Y paused for just a moment, taking a deep breath as she looked at the woman. Yuki wondered how long it had been since she had to face her.

"Aqua!" Y called. The woman turned around, looking towards Y with her hand pulled tight to her chest. It was a gesture Yuki had seen Y use often, resting her hand over her heart, as if she was gripping something. Now Yuki saw what she might have been gripping. There was a heart charm almost exactly over the woman's heart. For some reason, Yuki was certain she had seen the symbol somewhere before. But she couldn't quite place it.

"Y, where were you?" Aqua asked. Y smiled faintly and approached her, rubbing her hand on the back of her neck.

"I was at the training field, sorry. I didn't miss anything, did I?" Y asked.

"No, Master Eraqus has been talking to Master Xehanort for some time. I think he might be giving us all enough time to get there," Aqua said. She offered a smile to Y, though she didn't return the smile. Yuki frowned, glancing at X. Master Xehanort was who Yen Sid had warned them about. Was this the problem they were facing?

"Right. We should get going then. Today's super important, right?" Y asked, though it was clear she already knew the answer to her question. Aqua nodded.

"Do you think we'll pass?" Aqua asked, her voice soft as the sounds of waves.

"Why wouldn't you?" Y asked, her head tilting to the side. "You both are the toughest keyblade wielders I've ever seen. Well except Master Eraqus."

"What if we fail?" Aqua asked, her hand grasping tighter over her heart. She wasn't really holding anything, but the motion seemed to suggest she was.

"You're still the toughest keyblade wielders I know. Nothing will change. I promise," Y said. She smiled brightly, the first time she had smiled truly since entering the world. It reminded Yuki of the sun, so bright you almost had to look away. The warmth spread to Aqua, who relaxed, letting her arms drop.

"Thank you, Y," she said. She smiled softly as the shadow faded away. Y's smile dropped in an instant, turning to a pout.

"Not a fan of them just vanishing," she muttered.

"That is rather annoying," X agreed.

There was another hesitant pause from Y. She bit down on her bottom lip, looking up the stairs that led to the castle. Her orange eyes clouded with thoughts that chased each other around in circles. She was scared.

Despite her fear, Y led them into the castle. Past the entrance, she led them up a flight of stairs into another hall. It was wide open, with pillars around the edges. Three thrones were at the far side, with a stained glass window behind them. Multicolored light scattered across the floor, casting a mosaic pattern over the young man standing there.

He was rather tall, with brown hair the was slightly spiked. He wore grey and brown, the same heart charm Aqua had worn on his belt.

"Y, you're early," the man said, his mouth quirking up into a smile. Y narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is that a taunt? I feel like that's a taunt," she said, crossing her arms. The man chuckled.

"Maybe," he admitted. "It's rare for you to be this early. Are you excited?"

"Of course. You guys are going to become masters today," Y said. The man looked down, his smile grew weaker.

"If everything goes right," he said. Yuki could only assume this was the last member of the group. Terra.

"Right," Y agreed softly. From the way she spoke, Yuki could only guess it went far from right. That was the only reason these three would be gone, and Y would be as she was.

"I feel a darkness growing," Terra muttered.

"What do you mean?" Y asked.

"I just, I feel like the darkness is getting stronger. What if I succumb?" Terra asked, looking up at Y again.

"Darkness isn't always a bad thing. It's, it's always going to be around. So maybe some of us should learn to use it. Then we know it's on our side," Y said. The words fell out of her mouth so easily, Yuki wondered how often she had said those words.

"You really think that?" Terra asked.

"Of course. And even if you succumb, we'll all be there to pull you out. We'll help you find your way," Y said. She smiled at him, just as she had Aqua. Her smile seemed to comfort Terra just like it had Aqua. Maybe that was the reason she kept smiling.

"Thank you, Y," Terra said. He faded away just like Aqua had. It was almost unnerving how they had left in the same fashion.

They weren't given long to think about it. At the thrones, two more shadows appeared. Both were old men, one with dark hair tied behind his head and scars on his face. Beside him was a bald man with a silver beard, hunched over with his hands behind his back. His yellow eyes stared through them, setting Yuki's nerves on edge. She wasn't the only one, as both X and Y glared at the man.

"Masters," Y greeted as she approached the two of them.

"This is the fourth then, old friend?" the bald man asked, his eyes not moving from Y.

"Yes, Y," the other man said. He didn't seem to notice the way his companion was watching her. His focus was also focused on Y, gaging her reactions carefully.

"How very similar to my own apprentice," the bald man said.

"My brother, Master Xehanort," Y said smoothly. Yuki glanced at X. He was still glaring, his fist clenched so tightly it was likely his nails were digging into his palms. She frowned looking forward again. Master Xehanort was their problem. And X had once been his apprentice. Something about that seemed strange. X was on their side, wasn't he? What happened to change him? Or maybe what had changed Master Xehanort?

"Oh, twins. What luck to never be alone," Master Xehanort said.

"Yes, we were very fortunate," Y agreed.

"And you are not one who will become a Master today?" Master Xehanort asked.

"She is much too young," the other master said. Yuki assumed this one was Eraqus.

"Ah, but with a light as strong as hers, she could be a master any day. I sense she may already be one," Master Xehanort said. He didn't look at Eraqus, his eyes narrowing at Y.

"Perhaps she is capable, but such strain on one so young is unwise. We should allow her a chance to be a child," Master Eraqus said, his eyes glancing between Y and Xehanort. He was seeming to pick up on something odd, though he didn't want to say so.

"Thank you, Master, I'm grateful for that kindness," Y said giving a bow to Master ERaqus before turning her attention to Xehanort. "And your kind words as well, Master Xehanort." Her expression contradicted her words. She was glaring so fiercely Yuki thought Xehanort might spontaneously combust.

"Perhaps a small test to see if I am too quickly jumping to conclusions," Xehanort said. "What do you believe of Darkness?"

"Xehanort!" Eraqus said. Y frowned looking down at her feet.

"Y, you don't have to answer him," X said softly.

"Yeah, this creepy guy is just trying to get under your skin," Yuki said. Y smirked, giving a soft laugh. It contrasted with what she seemed to be thinking only seconds before.

"No, it's actually a simple answer. I think I've known since I was little, but I never wanted to tell Master Eraqus because he so strongly fought for the light," she said calmly. She looked up, her usual smile replacing the smirk. "Light and Darkness can't exist without each other. The darkness is not necessarily bad any more than light is necessarily good, though quite a correlation might exist."

"Hmph, a truly wise apprentice you have Eraqus," Xehanort said, a smirk growing on his face.

"Yes, she is much wiser than I thought," Eraqus said, smiling softly at Y.

The two shadows faded away together. There was a hesitant pause in the group, none of them wanting to speak.

"That was your master?" Yuki asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. He was very kind, I miss him a lot," Y said, looking down at the ground.

"What happened to him?" Yuki asked. She flinched after she did. There was a reason Y said she had nowhere to return to. He had to be gone like her friends.

"He died. I, really don't know how," Y admitted. Yuki nodded.

"Xehanort, he shot him with magic from behind," X said. Y and Yuki both turned to him. He flushed and looked away, kicking his feet on the floor. "I watched... I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I forgave you for everything already," Y said softly. Yuki frowned. What was there to forgive?

"I watched your Master die," X said, still refusing to look at his sister. Y smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezing.

"I know, but you were confused. And you are making it up to me every day," Y said. X was unresponsive, keeping his gaze down to the ground.

"How sweet."

Yuki felt a chill down her spine as she quickly turned to face the source of the voice. It was a similar feeling to earlier. The voice was familiar, like Sora's this time. But something was off about the voice. It sounded darker. But this boy couldn't be Sora. He wore a skin-tight black and red suit, fabric around his waist torn and tattered. A black mask covered his face.

Y stepped forward standing in front of X in a protective way, her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Vanitas," Y hissed. Yuki stepped back slightly. She knew that name, didn't she? Vanitas. Why was that name so familiar? Why did she feel a pain in her heart?

"Didn't believe me did you? That your friends were going to die?" Vanitas asked. He was holding back laughter, though his eyes weren't visible Yuki could feel the glare he directed at Y.

"Yeah well, you said my light was gonna die too, but here I am," Y snapped.

"It did die. That wonderful brother of yours made sure of that," Vanitas said. Yuki frowned, glancing at X. He had stepped out from behind Y. He looked more comfortable now than he had with any of the previous shadows. He made no reaction the Vanitas's accusation.

"No, my light is still there," Y insisted. Vanitas huffed in annoyance.

"Hm, I suppose so." His attention shifted from Y onto X. He held out his hand in offering. "It's been a long time, friend."

"Yeah, I suppose it has," X agreed calmly.

"Why waste your time on these losers, you know how this has to end. It's been written for longer than you have power to remember," Vanitas said. X kept his neutral expression not reacting to anything that Vanitas said, despite its strangeness.

"Not exactly true, on two accounts," X said calmly.

"Really? Come on, you're one of us," Vanitas snapped, dropping his hand as he took a step forward.

"Not anymore," X stated. Vanitas made a noise that sounded almost like a growl.

"Fine." Vanitas turned to Yuki, the faint stinging in her chest only increased. Something was wrong. "Hello, Princess."

"I don't know who you are, but I will inform you it's not Princess. It's Yuki," she snapped. She didn't want to admit she felt this boy was so familiar. She didn't want to admit Princess was a familiar nickname.

"Oh, you have fire," Vanitas said, tilting his head to the side. "How fun."

"What do you have to tell us?" Y asked, drawing Vanitas's attention back onto herself.

"Oh, nothing to tell. I'm going to remind you who you're messing with," Vanitas said. Arrogance dripped off his voice as he stepped even closer.

"I remember beating you pretty easily, maybe not here. But you don't exactly put up a fight," Y said placing a hand on her hip. X held back a snicker as he looked away. Vanitas only growled again.

He raised his arm above his head, taking a similar stance to what Riku did when he fought. A keyblade appeared in his hand. Red and black, covered in chains. It looked like it was made of gears. Yuki took in a shocked breath. That's why the name Vanitas was so familiar, X had said it. The broken boy.

"Then lets play," Vanitas said.

Yuki barely had time to react before Vanitas was upon them. His hits were wild, uncontrolled. Yuki was reminded more of fighting a Heartless than fighting another person. Y was easily blocking his attacks, predicting his moves. X was having an even easier time, turning Vanitas's own moves against him with a flick of his daggers.

Yuki was knocked out her thoughts by Vanitas suddenly focusing on her. Her keys seemed to react on their own, blocking his hits. Vanitas was easy to read, it was like a voice was whispering what he would do next. She slipped her key under his feet and launched him back at X and Y.

It wasn't long until they had a beaten Vanitas kneeling in front of them.

"Heh, still shining your light," Vanitas said snidely.

"Yeah, so people like you can still have your shadows," Y said. Vanitas was in shock for a moment, not moving an inch his face looking towards Y.

"I don't need your kindness. Save it for that wimp who's still sleeping," he snapped before fading away. There was another pause in the group. The stinging Yuki had felt finally faded, though not completely. But it was much softer than before. She could at least ignore it.

"Why did you do that?" X asked softly.

"He was your friend," Y answered. She glanced at X. It was no surprise his eyes were downcast again.

"He only ever hurt you," X muttered.

"But he didn't hurt you," Y stated. X looked up, his eyes holding no emotion. He was trying to hide what he really felt. At the far side of the room, doors appeared, swinging open. Y sighed looking at the doors. "Come on."

There was no sound as they left the world Y had called home behind.