PurplePantherXVI: Thank you to Pranktical Joker, DecidedFate13, Yumehop, and NO Gears for reviewing, every time I read a review it makes me so happy to hear people enjoying my writing. Also, thanks to NO Gears (Lea) for all your suggestions and ideas for this and all my stories as well as for just being my friend :) Lastly, a thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, or read this story. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Xion: No rude or mean comments. If you have any questions or ideas for this story, feel free to ask or suggest them. Reviews are greatly loved and appreciated.

Lea: PurplePantherXVI, Xion, Kitty, or any other name she goes by does not own Kingdom Hearts.

PurplePantherXVI: I'd also like to apologize if any characters in this chapter, especially Saïx, Xemnas, Ansem (Riku-Ansem), or any of the other nobodies seem OOC. Thank you, and please enjoy the story. This story is dedicated to all my friends, I love you all, as well as to my family :)

-X-

Mirror Image

Sora woke up the next morning, the sun streaming in from his window and illuminating his bedroom. Overhead, two blue eyes looked down upon him. He blinked, and jolted out of bed. Looking around his room, everything looked normal except for the mirror. It was glowing, blinding his eyes. A second later, it faded away. Sora looked down at his own reflection for a moment, and then went downstairs.

-X-

Roxas gazed up as the boy left the room. He heard footsteps approaching, and turned to face the bars. He heard the faint sound of people arguing.

"What is wrong with you Axel?" A girl's voice yelled frustrated. "Roxas just wanted to help."

"Xi, you wouldn't understand." Axel tried to explain, but another girl cut him off.

"You and your Organization. Honestly, you lock him up just because he's trying to find The Key who's supposedly going to rescue us from the Witch?" The other girl shouted.

"Olette, not you too...You wouldn't understand, you're not part of the Organization. You can't even comprehend the dangers. And Xi, you're too young." Axel began.

"Well, I'm old enough to know that...Oh, hi Roxas." Xion smiled at the boy. She had short raven black hair and blue eyes. Roxas waved back uncertainly from behind the cell.

"Sorry about before..." Axel muttered, unlocking the prison cell. Roxas ran out to greet his friends.

"Axel here was being an idiot locking you up because he thought you'd been spotted by one of the mortals (1) from the real world. He said if you'd bonded (2) with your somebody, we'd be in trouble. Still doesn't give him an excuse to go locking you up in the Soundless Prison." Olette explained, her shimmering green eyes narrowed in a glare directed at Axel.

"Look, if he'd been spotted that would be bad." Axel tried to explain. "The mortal who saw him could've been drawn into this mess, and that's the last thing we need. After the last one..." Axel shivered.

"But still..." Olette persisted.

"Roxas is smart enough not to get spotted." Xion interrupted before the two could start arguing again. Roxas looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet nervously. He had been spotted. Worse, he had bonded with his somebody.

"What is all the noise going on down here?" Another voice interrupted, and the group of friends turned to see Saïx, Number VII, approaching.

"Hi Sai!" Smiled Xion, running up to their other friend. Axel smiled at his old best friend as well. Olette, however, looked nervously at the blue haired man with the X-scar. The two had recently become friends when Xion had introduced her to him, and he still intimidated her.

"Why don't we just go get some ice cream, okay?" Axel suggested. The others nodded in agreement, and he summoned a dark portal which they all walked through. They stepped out by the Sea Salt Ice Cream Shop, purchased their ice creams, and made their way to Twilight Tower.

"The sunset is so pretty up here." Smiled Olette, fiddling with her blue braided bracelet while taking a bite out of her salty, but sweet, blue ice cream.

"I hope we can go to the beach sometime..." Xion sighed wishfully. "The sound of the waves, and the soft sand...And all the pretty seashells..."

"Xion, don't be ridiculous. You know that the beach is a place that exists in the mortal realm (3). Somewhere we don't belong. We're just reflections, nobodies." Axel scoffed, and Xion glared at him.

"Axel's right, we don't belong there. The mortals are lucky...To be free in their own realm..." Saïx whispered, looking down at his ice cream which was dripping over the side of the tower.

"But what if we were able to go to that realm...Maybe, through our somebodies..." Roxas spoke aloud.

"I've always wondered about my somebody..." Olette smiled at him.

"I'm sure all our somebodies are great people." Xion agreed. "It'd be nice to meet them."

I wonder if I could talk to that boy, Roxas thought. My somebody. I wonder, is he like me?

"This is dangerous talk..." Axel started worriedly. "If anyone heard you, we'd all be in very big trouble...Especially if she heard you..." Saïx didn't say anything, but frowned, his yellow eyes full of worry and pain.

"You worry too much, Ax." Xion sighed, munching on her ice cream.

"I just care about all of you, and I couldn't bear losing any of you..." Axel whispered, as the sun cast golden red glows over the small town below.

-X-

Roxas sat in his gray room, staring at the glassy surface of the mirror. The boy, Sora, was with a group of friends. A long silver haired boy with sea green eyes who seemed vaguely familiar, a red haired boy who reminded him of Axel, and a blue haired boy similar to Saïx with green eyes. The group was in a Victorian-age town with lots of small shops and glowing signs. Roxas listened as Sora and his friends walked through the town, following them like a shadow.

"Sel said that we might be able to go to the beach tomorrow, for Kai's birthday." The red haired boy said. Roxas felt excited. He'd always wanted to see the beach, and he remembered how Xion always talked about how she wished they could go to the beach sometime.

"Kai would love that." Sora smiled. "I really hope we can go." Suddenly, he paused and look around confused. Roxas creeped back into the Mirror World, away from the group of friends.

"Are you okay, Sora?" He heard the silver haired boy ask.

"Yeah, I just felt...something..." Sora replied. "It's probably nothing..." Their voices softly faded away. Footsteps jolted Roxas from his thoughts and he jumped up.

"Roxas, it's me." A voice said and he relaxed, recognizing it.

"Ansem (4)." Roxas said relieved. The tall man stepped into his room, his long white hair flowing behind him and his orange eyes glowing. That was who the silver haired boy had reminded him of. Even though Ansem could be cold and somewhat scary at times, like Saïx he did care for his friends. When they had first met, Roxas hadn't liked him that much, but over time he grew to know Ansem better. "What are you doing here?" Roxas asked, knowing that Ansem was not part of the Organization.

Ansem hesitated, then said, "You were spotted, weren't you? And not only that, you bonded with your somebody."

"How do you know?" Roxas asked.

Ansem was quiet, then answered. "That doesn't matter. It's just..."

"You, Saïx, and Axel. You're always worrying and talking about how we have to be careful to not get spotted, don't make contact with the mortals. Yet you never tell us anything about the Organization's mission."

"Roxas, I was once curious with the real world as well. That's where I met and bonded with my somebody...His name was..."

-X-

"Riku!" Sora called out to his friend. "Isa! Lea!" The three boys turned to greet their friend.

"Hi Sora." Grinned Riku, and the other two waved in greeting.

"Where's Kai and the other two?" Sora asked.

"Well," Lea began. "She's out with Sel and Arlene. I thought that we should plan Kai's birthday tomorrow."

"Wait, her birthday is tomorrow?!" Sora asked in surprise. "Oh, no! I forgot!" Lea laughed, as Riku tried to stifle a smile, and Isa looked somewhere between disapproving and amused. "I need to get her a gift."

"Why not that mirror you got from the shop?" Isa suggested. "I'm sure Kai would like that."

"Good idea, thanks Isa." Sora smiled.

"Sel said that we might be able to go to the beach tomorrow, for Kai's birthday." Lea said.

"Kai would love that." Sora grinned. "I really hope we can go..." He trailed off as he felt a strange presence beside him. He looked around, but saw nothing.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Riku asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I just felt...something..." Sora replied. "It's probably nothing."

"Are you sure, Sora?" Riku questioned, his eyes creased with worry.

"Don't worry, Riku. It was just the wind or something." Riku still looked unsure as the group continued their walk.

"Won't tomorrow be great. Going to Destiny Islands for Kai's birthday, and hanging out on the beach the whole day. I also heard Sel's good friends from the Islands, Tidus and Wakka, were going to meet up with us on the beach. They said that they can't wait to meet us, Selphie's told them lots about us while visiting there over the summer." Lea stated, as they approached their meeting spot in District 3 by the golden fountain depicting an image from Lady and the Tramp. Isa splashed some of the water on Lea, who turned around angrily and splashed him back. Soon the two were soaking wet. Riku glared at them, but seemed to be holding in a laugh.

"I can't wait..." Sora thought, feeling excitement grow within him.

That night, Sora hung the mirror up on his wall, facing the bed. It glowed in the pearly moonlight. As he fell asleep, a pair of blue eyes watched and then vanished.

-X-

"Number VII, The Superior wants to speak with you." A blonde haired girl addressed Saïx.

"Thank you, Number XII." Saïx replied grimly, following the way to The Superior's room. Tentatively, he approached Number I who was staring at a glowing yellow heart far off in the dark night.

"Number VII..." The silver haired man spoke, and Saïx nodded. "It has come to my attention that Number XIII has bonded with his somebody." Saïx looked at Number I with surprise.

"Superior?" He asked in disbelief. "You don't mean..."

"I can sense it, Saïx. Roxas was seen by the boy, Sora." Xemnas shouted. "And if I can, she can as well."

"Then we have to destroy this Sora! Or she'll come after Roxas!" Saïx cried.

"Weren't you listening?" Xemnas snapped. "He's already bonded with Sora, if we try to destroy Sora, we'll destroy Roxas as well! Besides, Sora is The Key."

"You don't mean..." Saïx whispered. "It's true..."

"Of course it is. Vexen's somebody reported that he gave the mirror to Sora because he sensed he was The Key. The others have seen the signs as well." Xemnas said. As Saïx turned to leave, Xemnas whispered. "Soon...Soon we will be free..."

-X-

(1) Mortal is basically another name for the somebodies.

(2) A nobody bonds with their somebody when a somebody sees their nobody for the first time. Bonding with their somebody allows a nobody to access the real world at any time through their somebody, and gives them a connection with their somebody.

(3) The mortal realm is another name for the real world.

(4) Ansem in this story is Riku-Ansem. I apologize if he seems OOC, I tried to make him more like Riku than Ansem, and since Riku doesn't have a nobody, I am using Ansem as his instead.

Sora: Thanks for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated as well as suggestions and ideas :D

Axel: Thank you! -Splashes Saïx-

Saïx: -Turns into berserk mode- AXEL!

Axel: Run, run away!