• Phoenix walks down the hallway of Castle Oblivion. The castle is completely empty of people, with the exception of her and her target.
    Let’s just get this over with. she thought. It’s still hard to believe it, though. All this time I spent, protecting him, helping him, obeying his every wish. Just to find that I had been totally, utterly wrong. That he is the enemy, that if I permit him to succeed, not only I will suffer, but the worlds will suffer too. I can’t believe I was such a fool to think I could pass my powers on to him.
    She turns a corner and stops at a set of very large, white doors. Imbedded in them were intricate, silver engravings. The meeting hall. she thought. She gently opened the door, leaving only a crack big enough for her to fit through. She squeezes her way into the meeting hall. It’s enormous; with giant, white pillars reaching up to the incredibly high ceiling. The usual thrones that float around have disappeared, leaving the already empty room seem bigger and emptier than usual.
    She steps to the center of the room and removes her cloak, permitting it to drop to the floor. She is wearing a simple black tank top and black pants. A small point of a scar is slightly visible, peeking out of her bosom. Her lavender eyes shine with anticipation as she taps her fingers against her leg. She removes a long, black ribbon from her pocket, and ties back her long, brown hair.
    “Hello there, Phoenix.” said a deep voice, the words bouncing off the wall, creating an echo. She stands there calmly, and replies,
    “Hello, Xemnas. Imagine meeting you here.”
    “Yes, imagine that.” he sneered.
    “You don’t sound surprised to see me.” she commented, her eyes shifting around the room, searching for her enemy.
    “Really? What makes you think that?” he taunts.
    “Just the tone of your voice. You’ve been expecting me, haven’t you?” she inquires.
    “Naturally. So, may I ask you why you’re here?”
    “Not until you show yourself.”
    “Very well, then.” he says, stepping out from a pillar behind her. She whirls around to face him, and meets his gaze with one just as cold. He is a tall, ominous looking man in a black cloak, with long and somewhat spiky white-grey hair. “Now answer me. Why are you here?”
    “I think you know the answer to that.” she replied.
    “You’re right; you’re here to make your betrayal official. But may I ask why you betrayed me? Was it for power? To overthrow me, like Larxene and Marluxia so daringly attempted? Or did you see the other side of the story, and leave for the good of others, like Axel did?”
    “Neither.” she replied coolly. “I betrayed you on my own terms. Not that it matters. I’m here for one sole reason.”
    She paused.
    “To kill you.” she said in voice so cold it would have given a polar bear pneumonia.
    “May I ask why you want to kill me?” he said, unshaken by her answer. “After all, you were once a loyal member who mercilessly carried out my every whim. Why the sudden change of heart?” he smirked. “But that’s right. You too, are a Nobody. Meaning you would have no heart. Silly me.”
    Now it was Phoenix who smirked. She had already drawn her weapon, which was in the form of a samurai sword.
    “Oh, how wrong you are at that, Xemnas, how wrong you are. In fact, it’s quite the contrary.” she paused and gave a little giggle. “But, of course, listen to me, babbling on and on. I’m sure you’d never want to hear how I became bound with Kingdom Hearts.”
    Xemnas gave a slight flinch, and narrowed his eyes. Two glowing, red blades appeared out of his hands.
    “Impossible. You’re lying.” he said, with a slight hint of disbelief in his voice.
    “But I am not. Come, see for yourself.” she taunted, moving her blade in front of her in a defensive manner. He ran towards her at breath-taking speed, brandishing his weapons in front of him. Her sword collided with his aerial blades, sending sparks in every direction. She pushes him back at the moment of impact, sending him back a couple feet, then lunges at him, her sword ready to slice. He blocks the blow and pushes her away, sending her flying. She lands in a crouching position, and then gets up chuckling. He stands there, watching her with the usual emotionless expression.
    “It’s true, Xemnas. I’ve accomplished all that you’ve strived for.” she teased. He cocked his head and smirked.
    “Really? Tell me how this came to be.”
    “Oh, it was an accident, really.” she replied casually. “But as I said, it doesn’t matter.”
    “Why would that be?”
    “Because. By the time this night is over, only one of us will remain alive.” she informed.
    “So be it.” he said, an evil glint in his eye. He jumped high into the air and came pummeling down, brandishing his blades, ready to slice. She dodged to the side and lunged at her opponent, with intent to kill. He blocks by crossing his blades across his chest and pushing her back. “Tell me, how does it feel to be one with Kingdom Hearts? What can you do with the powers it has given you?”
    “Hmph. For one, I grow stronger with every heart you add to Kingdom Hearts. I have blood that is such a concentrated type of poison it can kill with several drops. My saliva heals the deepest of wounds, and I can steal the life force that drives all Nobodies.” she replied, smirking as she goes for yet another blow, this time, aiming for the legs.
    “Steal the life force that drives all Nobodies? How is that so?” he asks, jumping to dodge her blow to the legs, and coming down for and aerial attack. She rolls over to dodge his blow, and quickly recovers, getting up to strike again. He blocks, and sends her sword flying. He holds one of his aerial blades to her throat.
    “The technique is called Soul Swap, and energy isn’t the only thing I can take using it”
    “Really?”
    “Yes, I can steal one’s soul, if I tried hard enough.” she replied.
    “Is there a downside to it?”
    “Like I would tell you.” she replied coldly.
    “Then I’ll just have to find out myself.” he said, removing his blade as he walked through her, sampling her memories. “Now I see, it can work both ways.”
    “Get away from me!” yelled Phoenix as she kicked him in his stomach, sending him flying a couple feet. She got up and ran to her sword, which was now in its original form, a Gunblade. As she grabbed it, she morphed it into another type of sword. It was fashioned in a medieval style, and had a purple stone set in its hilt.
    “And because you have a heart…” he continued.
    “Go ahead, try to kill me. You’ll die too.” she taunted.
    “Is that so?” he asked, lunging at her. She casually dodged to the side, almost making him hit the wall. He stopped himself just in time, and turned around to slash at her with one of his blades. She blocked with her sword, and then pushed him back. The blade of her sword loosened and separated into small sections, connected by chains, forming a bladed whip. She swung it over her head in several circles then let it fly, having it wrap around Xemnas like a snake. With a tug on the hilt, the blade-whip came back at her, slicing her enemy as it unwrapped him. Darkness secreted from his wounds, causing him to look like he was fading, which in fact, he was starting to. After several seconds he stopped fading. “How will I die? I’m a Nobody.”
    “Fade, whatever you people call it. My point is that even if you were strong enough, you wouldn’t survive killing me.”
    “Why is that? I’m ‘dying’ to know.” he mocked.
    She smirked and came at him again, this time, her weapon in the form of a halberd.
    “Because my heart is bound with Kingdom Hearts, and I’m the door to Kingdom Hearts, it’s almost like I am Kingdom Hearts.”
    He smirked, and retreated his aerial blades.
    “Kingdom Hearts. How ironic. Then the same goes for you. I can’t live without you, and yet, you can’t live without me. Face it, we need each other.”
    “You disgust me, you crazy, perverted man.” she said as she morphed her halberd into a black bow with silver engravings. She pointed it at his chest, and let the arrow fly. To her surprise, it went right through him. He laughed.
    “So be it.” he said. He rushed at her again, his blades ready, but she dodged again, and struggled to get her distance for another shot. As she attempted to do so, he lunged at her again, aiming a stab for the heart. She saw him almost too late, and tried to jump, but his blade caught her right in the diaphragm. It went all the way through, forcing her to kneel on one knee as she coughed up blood.
    “I wonder…because your ‘special power’ works both ways…” he said. She flinched, and stared at him, wide eyed with shock and fear.
    “No…you wouldn’t…” she stammered breathlessly.
    “Oh, but I would.” he said, as he kneeled down and held her chin in his hand, pulling her face close to his. Before she could even try to object, he had his lips locked with hers, passionately kissing her. She was helpless, and couldn’t stop him. She was too weak to prevent her soul from mixing with his, and she wouldn’t dare pull away. After one long, soul entwining minute, she realized that his blade was fueled by power similar to that of the Heartless. She tried to concentrate on absorbing the energy of his blade, instead of Xemnas who was still attached to her face like some sort of passionate sucker fish. His blade slowly faded and she felt energy returning to her. Finally, she managed to morph her weapon into a katana, and stabbed it into his chest with all of her remaining strength. His movement immediately halted, he was fading, and darkness surrounded him as he gasped for air. She twisted her sword to worsen the wound, and he managed to whisper his last words before he went limp and was swallowed by darkness.