Leon started Emi down and said "We shouldn't talk about this here."

"Yes, we should. If it's so important I want to know now... I need... to know. Right now," argued Emi.

Karen caught the slight changed in Emi's usually strong voice. It wavered again, as if she were pleading. It kind of scared Karen. She had never heard Emi quite so... vulnerable.

"Sit," said Leon. "In the desk chair. This is going to take a while to explain."

Emi sat in the desk chair. Sora, Riku and Karen circled her and Leon stood in front of the desk. He planted his palms on the hard wood and leaned it.

"Lady Saila... was like our queen. Just like Ansem was like our king," started Leon.

"That woman in the picture was the Queen of Hollow Bastion?" asked Sora.

"She was married to Ansem?" asked Karen.

Leon huffed and nodded. "She didn't come out in the public eye often and no one knows much about her. We only know she was married to Ansem for a really long time, and from the few public appearances she made, she seemed to be much younger than him. But they were very much in love, you could tell. Even if they didn't show it."

Emi raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with me?" she asked.

"Well... an heir was needed. As usual. Ansem would one day have to hand the leadership over to someone," said Leon.

Emi looked confused.

"On July 17th, about 17 years ago, there was... a birth announcement. Nothing big. Everybody was really excited about it though. But then news got around that Lady Saila was... dying... complications from childbirth, an infection or something like that," continued Leon.

Emi's eyes went wide. "July 17th... that's... my birthday..."

Leon went on. "No one ever saw the kid. People started actually thinking it was some sort of hoax to cover up the real reason of Saila's death. Some people even thought it was to cover up her murder. We never saw Saila again after that. Afterwards, Ansem started dabbling in all that dangerous heart buisness. And then, I guess to try and prove it wasn't a hoax, we were told the kid was sent away to some distant relatives of Saila's because Ansem couldn't handle a kid on his own. It was really a messed up and confusing time."

Emi was speechless. She finally mustered up the strength to say "So you think... I'm..."

"Emi, you look just like her. It's scary how close the resemblence is. Look at the photo..." said Leon.

Karen looked at the photo in her hand, and then at her friend. "It's true, you guys do look alike. And look, Saila is holding a baby." Emi snatched the photo from her friend's hand and stared at it.

"But...why... would he send me away!? If he was my father, he wouldn't hate me like that," she choked out, slamming the photo down. Leon shrugged. Karen put a hand on Emi's shoulder. Leon thought for a minute and asked "Emi, what's your whole name?"

"Emiline. Emiline Soleil DesCoteaux," she said, mumbling. Leon nodded. "That was the name on the birth announcement. It's true then."

Emi stood up adruptly. "No.... NO! I can't... it's not... I don't understand. Why did he hate me!?" she screamed, pushing past Karen and Riku harshly, running for the door. Riku grabbed her shoulder Emi turned and glared at him. The tears in her eyes were about to spill over. It shocked Riku, and Sora too. But it scared Karen. None of them were used to seeing Emi crying like she was now.

Riku decided to say something. "He didn't hate you Emi... he probably just couldn't handle the grief. You do look a lot like Saila and maybe it just drove him crazy to see you when she was dead."

Karen asked "I still don't understand. Emi was abandoned at birth at the school. How could she be an infant in both places?"

Leon shrugged. "I don't know. But I have a feeling that journal will explain everything. If only we could get it open."

Riku left Emi to pick up the journal where Karen had left it on the desk. Karen rushed up and wrapped her arms around Emi.

Emi squeezed her eyes shut and tears spilled down over her cheeks.

Riku looked at the journal and said "You don't need a key. This strap is made of leather, it shouldn't be too hard to just cut through it with some shears." Leon nodded. "You're right. Let's get this journal back to Merlin's, and that box too."

Sora knelt and picked up the box. "It might be a little harder to get this open. Heh... I wonder if the Keyblade would open it."

Everyone, even Emi, laughed. Although for Emi it was thin "ha". Leon motioned for them to follow him. "Let's go," he said.

Back out into the halls they went. Karen held Emi's arm the entire way, looking up every once in a while to make sure she was okay. Emi stared ahead, trying to keep her face blank. But Karen could see the thoughts swirling, it reflected in Emi's pale green eyes.The same exact eyes... as Saila.

There was no mistaking it. The pale green, the way the pupil stood out and the way iris was not circled in darkness. The same long lashes. The same size and space. Emi looked too much like her, there was no way they weren't mother and daughter. On the way out of the room, Karen had looked back just long enough to see Emi sneakily grab the photo and shove it into her jacket pocket.

Riku stared at the back of Emi's head the entire way. Trying to see if he could see inside her mind and find some way to make her feel better. If he could make her feel better, it would make himself feel better because... in all truth... this whole thing was reminding Riku of some stuff in his past he really didn't want to remember...

The walk back to Merlin's house wasn't nearly as good as the walk from. Karen has been feeling very...completed and helpful. Everyone had seemed to be happy with finally getting some answers. But the trip to Ansem's study had only brought up more questions.

[i]And I still have to bring up that issue with Sora...[/i] thought Karen, more worry creeping into her mind and quickly dissolving the happiness there like acid. As they were finally getting back to the Bailey, Sora stopped. He was leading the group, and Leon stopped just after him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Sora brought out his keyblade just as five Shadows burst out of pools of darkness that had appeared on the ground in front of them. Everyone else had their weapons out only seconds later and they rushed the Heartless... all but Emi.

She observed the dark beings, her brow furrowed. The Keyblades leapt into her hand, though, as one Shadow slipped past the others and ran at her, yellow eyes glowing maliciously. With a single swipe of her hand, the shadow went flying up into the air at an angle. Emi's knees were bent, and the Heartless exploded, the small pink heart floating away.

Karen glanced at her as she brought up her own blade to deflect an attack and saw Emi do anway with the heartless in one stroke. She was amazed. It usually took a lot more, even for the small ones.

Emi locked her sight onto another. The one that was leaping at Karen. Using both blades, Emi slammed it into the ground. A cloud of dust rose and out of it floated a heart.Karen coughed and waved her free hand to clear some of the dust away. Emi had already turned her self around and slammed down on top of another Shadow by the time the dust was cleared enough to see.

"Emi..." mumured Karen. Then she blinked and ran to help. Only two more to go.

Emi got to the last two before anyone got a chance. Sora, Leon and Riku had backed the remaining Shadows up into a corner. Emi wanted to get them so bad.... before anyone had a chance to move, Emi lifted her blade level with the small Heartless.

A single bolt of dark energy blasted from the tip of the blade and flew like a missile straight into the Heartless, taking them both down with one hit. The three young men leapt back, wondering what the source of dark energy was. Riku's heart sank low as he turned and stared Emi in the eye. She hadn' t moved a muscle, the Keyblade was still level with the place the Shadows had been previously. She didn't bat an eyelash and there seemed to have been no recoil at all from the blast.

"Emi.. did you just..." blubbered Sora, unable to believe that Emi could cast a dark spell like that.

Karen's eyes went wide and filled with tears, realizing that her revelation from before had been correct.

The darkness coming into the light... contaminating everything it touched...

touching the light inside a heart... choking it... corroding the light as acid....

...leaving a place for the darkness to settle and seep into the heart's own rythm...

...until the person knew nothing of light or goodness... only knew pain, doubt and blinding darkness...

Karen didn't think it could happen to any of them, they all seemed so strong.

Could it be that Emi's heart, damaged by pain and left wide open... could have possibly weakened enough to let that darkness come into her?

"No..." Karen said. "Please no. Not her... not here, not now..."

Emi lowered her blade and it exploded in a flurry of data. With a flash of light that seemed ironic, both blades were gone. Emi turned silently and began walking towards the Bailey steps. She left everyone behind, mouths hanging open in shock. The only sounds in the Bailey were the sounds of her footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

Karen looked at Sora pleadingly, her huge blue eyes searching his for answers. Sora had nothing to give her. Karen bit her lip, and shuffled around so that she was facing the steps. Emi dissapeared past the last step when she did. Karen stiffened and ran up the stairs. Riku pushed past Sora, just a gentle shove of the shoulder, and ran, following Karen up the stairs.

At the top, Karen stopped, her feet scuffing against the stone walk-way. "Emi!" she screamed. Her friend paid her no mind, only kept walking. Riku slid up next to Karen and screamed Emi's name as well. Emi seemed to stumble at his voice calling her name, but only for a second as she started down the other set of stairs. Karen looked at Riku. "I just don't understand," she said, simply. "Neither do I," Riku replied, trying to be of some reassurance.

The others showed up behind them. Leon asked, blindly, "Is she going to be all right?"

Sora looked to Karen. Karen said, "You know... I'm really not sure. Not this time."

"Let's go after her. Maybe if we can get that journal open, and the box too.... maybe when can get some answers for her," offered Sora. Karen nodded once. "Yeah. I think she'd like that. Let's go."

~

Back in Merlin's house, Emi sat off in a corner by herself. She had marched into the house, ignored Yuffie and Aerith's cheerful greeting, and dragged a chair off into the dark corner where she sat now. Yuffie, Aerith, Cid and Merlin were staring at her, confused, when Sora and the other three burst in.

"What happened?" asked Aerith. "Yeah, Emi's being all... anti-social. What's up?" added Yuffie.

"Gather up, everyone," announced Leon in his best leader voice. Aerith and Yuffie glanced at each other but then gathered in as Cid and Merlin were, around Leon.

"I'm not exactly sure where to start," murmured Leon.

Sora took the initiative. "Emi is Ansem's daughter," he said, bluntly.

Riku butted in. "We think," he added.

"This might be able to give us some answers," said Karen, brandishing the journal.

"Have any shears?" asked Riku?

Aerith nodded and ran off to find them as the rest of them passed the journal around.

"Wow," said Yuffie. "Ansem really did have a kid!"

Cid glared at her. "You were one uh tha' ones that believed in that conspiracy crap?" he asked.

Yuffie wilted. "Yes...... it just seemed so mysterious."

Aerith returned with the sisscors and Sora took them and walked over to the table up on top of the pedestal. He sat down and started wrestling with sisscors, trying to get then in between the strap. He finally managed to wrestle them in.

He cut the strap.

Emi looked up hopefully.

Sora's crystal blue eyes scanned the pages as he fanned them out. "Yeah," he said. "This is going to help a lot."

Karen looked at Sora and held her hands out for the journal. Sora nodded, and with a gentle smile he closed the jounal and placed in in Karen's smooth palms.

Emi looked down at her knees, more than slightly dissapointed.

But Karen turned around and hopped off the pedestal. She plopped her book down on Emi's knees and said "Go on. Read it. Take all the time you need. Me and the others... we'll go to the Marketplace for supplies. Okay?"

"Okay," said Emi, quietly. She didn't make a move for the book. "We'll worry about the box later," said Riku to Sora. Sora nodded. "Yeah, let's just leave her alone for a bit. She needs it."

Everyone turned quietly and left the silent and stony Emi behind in her chair in the corner.

When the door had shut behind the last person, Emi finally looked up. Her eyes rested on the matte leather of the journal.

"Well.... I guess this is it then. It's finally time... to understand," she said quietly to herself as she opened the journal.

~

Emi stopped reading there. Being held by her dying mother....

it sent chills down her spine.

Gotta keep going, she told herself.

~

Emi skipped ahead a few pages. Apparently, Ansem hadn't written since her mother died.

Because the next entry was two years later.

~

[i]He wanted to protect you,[/i] said a voice in her head. But as much as she wanted to believe that, Emi's hardened heart still hated her father. Seventeen years of hating him for abandoning her could not be broken so easily in a few moments.

But she wasn't so stubborn as to blame her mother. Emi understood that concept and knew that if her mother hadn't died bringing her into this world, her life would've turned out so much more differently.Emi knew better than to blame her Saila for abandoing her. There was no stopping death when it already had it's iron grip wrapped around you. And Emi knew better than to blame herself for inadvertenly killing her mother.

But still... Ansem had been selfish. Even though he knew the research, whatever it was, was dangerous, still he continued. He continued and broke away from her. Emi couldn't understand the complex emotions behind such a decision. Her own emotions were blunt and clean cut, clear. Nothing complex about then.

She almost closed the journal. Almost. But she couldn't stand not knowing....

~

[i]August 5th

Today is the day. Today is the day that I send my daughter away.

The experiments that I and my apprentices are conducting, involving the heart, have evolved into more than we can imagine. It is so amazing but I do not know how this will end. For now, I will put my daughter, Emi into a place I have made for her. Inside one of the computer, I have created a data based enviroment for Emi to stay for a while. I will break her down into data and submit her into the world. It is an exact replica of this world and to avoid confusion, I will alter her memories using the computer, just until I can bring her back when it is safe again.[/i]

~

Emi just sat there and stared. [i]So that's why I don't remember[/i], she thought.[i] It all makes sense now, at least that matter. There's still so many things to be answered. How I ended up in Twilight Town, and how Karen got there too.[/i]

So she kept reading. However, the dates stopped after that day. As if he had just stopped caring.

~

[i]Today, something very peculiar happened. Two scientists from another world simply appeared quite literally on my doorstep. Their names are Brixey and Jordana Kano and they were studying the links between worlds. They have built a miraculous machine that can transport you to another world. It differs from my own research on the subject. Tomorrow, I will help them study this orld so that they can bring back data to their own world, a place called Traverse Town. They leave in less than a week, howwever. Not much time at all.

Quite unusual indeed.[/i]

~

[i]Aahh... Karen's mom and dad knew my dad. Strange. They were all here at one point of time. So surreal. I'll have to ask the others about Traverse Town. I still want to know more, though,[/i] thought Emi.

The last few pages blew her mind. It's like her father knew she was going to be in this very position at one point in time, trying to figure everything out. Because everything was written in that journal, just as plain as day.

And so much more than she could have ever imagined....

things that would make this journey to find the Door so much more...

interesting.

~

[i]It's only been about six months or so since the last time the Kano's appeared at my door. Time has begun to flow so randomly, I can hardly tell as it passes.

The Kano's are in trouble. They have brought their oldest daughter, Karen, to me. She is deathly ill with some unknown disease and no one on their world could understand it. This is all too supernatural as it coincides with some theroies I have been developing on the Keyhole of the Door to Light, and all keyholes.

I think Karen may be the Keyhole to the Door to Light.[/i]