Long, rambling apology of an author's note at the end of the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or any of the dialogue, worlds, characters, or ANYTHING from the games/manga/novels.

Recap:

Alea Hart had just finished playing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days when she suddenly found herself inside the world of that game. Xemnas greeted her in front of the mansion in Twilight Town and recruited her into Organization XIII. Now known as Alexa, she spends her first few days as a Nobody (supposedly) wondering if, maybe, she could find a way to change the canon events of the video game and save Roxas and Xion. It's a difficult decision, as the fate of several worlds depends on her new friends going back to Sora so he can awaken. During her first week in the Organization, Alexa discovers she can now summon a Keyblade, which she later names Kingdom of Broken Hearts due to its appearance. As time passes, more and more things start to go wrong- Axel reads her diary and learns her secrets, Riku approaches Alexa and tries to convince her to let things play out the way they're supposed to in the canon timeline, Xion finds out the terrible fate awaiting her, and time continues to run out. Alexa's battling against both Heartless and time as she continues working for the Organization, hanging out at the clock tower with Axel, Roxas, and Xion after her mission each day. As if all of this wasn't already enough, she also discovers a mysterious ability she now possesses that allows her to unwillingly affect the emotions of others during battle- even those of Nobodies. Now it's day 322. Time is almost up. She, Axel, and Xion have been meeting at Destiny Islands after their missions occasionally to discuss things, but these gatherings usually only result in frustration. As the days pass by, the events from the game become less and less clear in her memory. Will Alexa find a way to change her friends' fate, or end up listening to Riku and let the events unfold as they do in the video game?

In the last chapter, Alexa had been assigned a mission with Roxas at Beast's Castle to find Xaldin. After a long search and a fight against a large Heartless that reminded Alexa how Xion's existence was weakening Roxas, they found the Organzation's third member and their mission was complete. Roxas wanted them to go to the clock tower for ice cream, but Alexa had plans to meet up with Axel and Xion at Destiny Islands to discuss what they should do to change the video game's events.

End of Recap

Looking back now, I think that day 322 was when everything started to go really downhill. I mean, it kind of had been for awhile, but I was too deeply involved in my own worries to realize it. Day 322 was when I finally became aware of just how much things had spiraled out of my control. I had been focusing so much on keeping those doubting, whispering voices in my head quiet that I forgot to look around, be alert, and observe what was going on. I didn't realize this until it was too late. Always too late. Just a few steps behind, or maybe an entire mile.

I always used to just trust my heart to do the right thing. Now that I was a Nobody, it was becoming harder and harder to do so.

But I refused to give up.

Chapter Thirty: Broken Promises

The search for Xaldin had taken longer than an average mission, so I expected both of my friends to already be at the islands when I arrived. To my surprise, however, only Axel was waiting for me by the beach. My tall friend glanced over as I exited the Dark Corridor and stepped out onto the sand of the island.

"Sorry I'm late," I apologized, glancing around for any sign of the third person we were supposed to be meeting with. "Roxas and I were sent to look for Xaldin at Beast's Castle, and it took forever because we had to search the place like three times before-" My long, rambling explanation trailed off as I realized our dark-haired friend was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Xion?"

Axel looked away, facing toward the ocean. "She's either really late, or she's not coming."

Confusion and worry flooded through me at his words. Why wasn't Xion there? Did she change her mind about helping us? Had something bad happened? Was she still out on her mission for the day? "We should go look for her," I decided.

To my surprise, Axel frowned and shook his head slightly. "What good'll that do? By the time we find her, it'll be too late to talk for long. We'll just attract the rest of the Organization's attention if we go running around from world to world searching for her. She probably either got stuck with a really tricky mission or just doesn't want to deal with all... this today." He waved his arms around vaguely at the second-to-last word, but I knew what he was referring to: the timeline and our efforts to change it. All our work that seemed to be getting us nowhere.

Although, we really hadn't done that much, had we? This was only our second meeting to come up with ideas, and Xion hadn't even shown up. Didn't she care about saving herself and Roxas? Didn't she want to change things?

To be completely honest, I was kind of hurt that Xion hadn't come. I mean, she was probably just busy with her mission, but still...

"Well, the two of us can still have a meeting, can't we?" I asked hopefully.

Axel hesitated, considering. "If you really want to," he finally agreed, crossing his arms. "But not for long."

I was honestly surprised he had agreed. Despite his sudden change of heart (or... non-existent heart, I guess) the other day, he still seemed... What was the right word? Withdrawn? Reluctant? I wasn't sure. What I did know, though, was that I finally had to chance to actually come up with a plan for preventing the video game's ending from actually happening.

I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly... I didn't know what to say. I had imagined arguments in my head where I convinced Axel that saving both Sora and Roxas was the right thing to do, and then he would agree and come up with some brilliant plan and everything would work out perfectly. But now... none of the things I had wanted to say sounded quite right. In fact, they sounded kind of stupid. Axel was already on my side, so no need to convince him about that. I didn't want to bring up the whole "we can't do anything that'll hurt Sora" thing right away, because what if Axel got frustrated and stormed off? So what was I supposed to say?!

"Well?" Axel prompted, uncrossing his arms and reaching up to scratch his head. "We don't have all day."

"Okay, I'll just come out and ask the obvious question," I finally spoke. "How are we going to fight against destiny and change our friends' fates?"

To my dismay, Axel shrugged. "Isn't that kind of your job to figure out? After all, you're the one who just magically appeared as a Nobody in Twilight Town. You can't really expect me to come up with all the ideas."

"Are you serious?! You said you'd help me!"

"Exactly. Help. Not do all the work for you," the tall redhead shot back. He was looking at me like I was just some annoying little kid he'd gotten stuck looking after. Then again, maybe that was what he actually thought of me. Maybe I wasn't even his friend. That thought hurt, but it was possibly the truth. I know he used to not trust me. Was that still the case?

"But I have no idea what to do!" I argued. I felt so helpless.

"Really?" Axel tilted his head slightly, frowning like he didn't believe me. "I think you do. You just don't realize it yet."

His words surprised me. What was he talking about?! If I knew what to do, I would have done it already.

"Think, Alexa," Axel urged. "If tomorrow was day 358, what would you do?"

I hesitated. "Well, I'd make sure Roxas doesn't leave the Organization," I finally reasoned. "If he doesn't run away, Riku can't fight him."

"You really think that, don't you?" The look on my tall friend's face was almost... sympathetic. "If Riku wants to attack Roxas, he can do it anytime. Could be while Roxas's on a mission, maybe even at the clock tower. I don't think that guy cares whether our friend is in the Organization or not."

Axel was right. I knew that deep down, but kept ignoring it in my desperate hope that maybe some aspects of the timeline would remain the same. I know it was selfish, but it made things easier knowing when they would happen. It was like a very vague script for a movie. I knew certain events that would happen, I just didn't quite know the actions leading up to those events.

But I had changed one part of the script, and now the rest had to be scribbled out and rewritten. I had been so convinced that the canon timeline wanted to stay the same that it never really occurred to me that it was adapting and changing.

And that I might not even have as much time left as I thought.

Axel must have judged from my expression that reality had finally sunken in for me. I'm not entirely sure what my face must have looked like, but I felt a fresh rush of panic and urgency. I couldn't put this off anymore. I had to make sure Roxas didn't merge with Sora, but yet I couldn't let anything bad happen to the brown-haired boy... and on top of it all I had to stop the Organization from completing their goal. So yeah, that was a lot of stress. "Do you see now why it's so important that we act quickly?" The sympathy in his eyes was still there. He wasn't mad at me. He was on my side.

I nodded. "But, no offense, you're wrong about one thing." I waited a second, hoping Axel wouldn't be mad at my statement. He only looked mildly surprised and raised an eyebrow, so I continued. "I honestly have no idea what to do to save Roxas and Xion without-"

"Without messing something up, right?" Axel interrupted impatiently. "Alexa, you worry too much. Back in your own world, does everyone know exactly what's going to happen in their lives? Do you immediately know the benefit or consequence of each action?"

"Well... No, but-"

"So pretend you're back home. Pretend that video game never existed. If I told you that something bad was going to happen to Roxas and Xion, what would you do?"

I tried to stay calm, I really did, but he was frustrating me again. "I can't just throw away all my knowledge of the future," I argued. "It's important."

"I'm not asking you to actually forget it, pipsqueak." The tall redhead's voice had risen in volume, and he quickly lowered it as he continued. "It's hypothetical. Just pretend. You have an imagination, don't you?"

I fought the instinct to let my hands curl into fists at the annoying nickname Axel called me. "Of course I do."

"Then-" Suddenly Axel broke off, turning away from me and looking toward the sun. "We've been here too long," he muttered, frowning as he ran a hand through his hair. "We need to head back." I followed his gaze and, sure enough, the brilliant tropical sun had started to sink down toward the seemingly-endless ocean.

I wanted to protest, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. We didn't want anyone to come looking for us and discover that we were meeting here. "Tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

To my relief, he nodded. "It's risky to be meeting up so often, but time's running out. We don't really have a choice."

So we headed back to the castle via Dark Corridor, exiting in one of the many hallways and going our separate ways. I headed to my room, as there wasn't really anywhere else for me to go. Roxas would have left the clock tower by now, and Axel had already explained why I shouldn't go looking for Xion. Another day had passed. The end was one day closer.

But that was okay, because that meant that my friends were one day closer to a happy ending.

At least, I sure hoped they were. I'd do everything I could to make it happen.

~Time-Skip~

Day 323

"Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to make the Organization uniforms long black cloaks?" I muttered as I dismissed Kingdom of Broken Hearts and summoned a Dark Corridor. "Didn't they realize that a good number of their missions were going to be in a desert?"

There was no one around to answer me. I had finally completed my mission for the day, which (just my luck) happened to be in Agrabah. I'm usually not the type to make sarcastic comments to myself, but it had been a long day and my mind was still plagued by my worries about the whole gotta-save-your-friends-and-Sora-and-don't-get-Riku-mad-at-you thing. There was nothing I wanted more at that moment than to meet up at the clock tower with my friends to eat ice cream. I could practically taste the salty-sweet treat as I let out a small sigh and stepped into the corridor. As much as I would have liked to go to the clock tower, Axel and I were meeting up at the islands again. That was more important, because we would work on coming up with a way to get a happy ending for everyone. Or, at least, to avoid the sad ending of the video game.

I know it was selfish, but... I wasn't exactly thrilled about going from one hot world to another. Then again, it wasn't like Twilight Town was the coolest world ever, either (referring to temperature, not awesomeness). It definitely wasn't as bad as the islands or Agrabah, though.

As I walked through the Dark Corridor toward Destiny Islands, I kept feeling like I was forgetting something. Something do to with the timeline, maybe? Had anything important happened today? Maybe a big event was supposed to take place. I just couldn't think of what it was. I tried to push the nagging thought away, but it refused to leave me alone.

That's how it often is, isn't it? Sometimes this annoying little thought gets into your brain- an absolutely useless one that serves no purpose besides frustrating you- and it just hovers there like an itch you can never scratch until- finally!- you get that annoying little whisper to shut up or fade back into the shadows of your mind.

So I forced myself to focus on my trek through the Dark Corridor to meet with Axel at the islands. I attempted to drown out the small voice in my mind that kept insisting I was forgetting something by thinking about what my tall friend had said the previous day. I had done plenty of thinking last night and earlier today, but now I had to focus on collecting my thoughts and deciding what I was going to say to Axel.

I understood that time was running out, and that we had to hurry up and figure out how to save Roxas and Xion. I really did. I just had no idea how we were going to manage to change our friend's horrible fates. Coming up with plans had never been my thing. Axel was supposed to be good at that, right? After all, it had taken him about ten seconds to come up with the idea of Roxas and I covering for Xion when she couldn't summon her Keyblade. He was the one who suggested I take over Sora's role as he-

Wait. Why was I still thinking about that? I didn't want to steal Sora's role. It would never work. I wasn't... well, I wasn't Sora. Only the brown-haired Keyblade wielder could save the worlds. My job was simply to save my friends without letting anything bad happen to Sora. It was nothing compared to what the poor teenager would have to face after he woke up. Actually, it was also nothing compared to what he had already been through. So who was I to complain? I had three great friends in this world, a Keyblade of my very own, and a mysterious ability that could somehow affect emotions. I was living my dream to go on an adventure- a real adventure, one that would make a difference and help people. I was so lucky.

I guess... I just never really thought about how difficult and heartbreaking adventures actually are. Heroes in books and movies and video games and anime and so forth basically always suffer through hardship before they reach their goal. Otherwise the story wouldn't be as interesting and dramatic, right? It's one thing to read about or watch an adventure, but it's another thing entirely to actually live one. I had been in the Kingdom Hearts universe for nearly an entire year, and I was sick of adventure. I was sick of the fighting; the constant pressure to figure out how to save my friends; not knowing why or how I was even in this world.

Yet... I really shouldn't complain. After all, my wish had come true. I was incredibly lucky. How many people probably dream about magically ending up inside their favorite fictional world? Here it was, happening to me, and all I could do was complain, complain, complain. I had gotten to meet Roxas and Xion and Axel. I'd sat next to them on top of the clock tower under Twilight Town's brilliant setting sun. I'd fought beside them. And now I was working with them to change their destinies.

So why did something about all this just feel so... wrong?

Stop worrying, Alexa, I scolded myself mentally. It's not going to help solve anything.

To my surprise, when I stepped out of the Dark Corridor into the blindingly bright light of Destiny Islands, Axel was already there- and he wasn't alone. He and Xion were standing near the edge of the beach, talking intently. Well, Axel was talking. Xion seemed to be doing little more than nodding in response.

"Hey!" I called out in greeting, running over to join my friends. Axel didn't seem surprised to see me in the slightest, while Xion startled and spun around as I approached. "Xion! Where were you yesterday? Axel and I were worried about you."

Our dark-haired friend looked down, avoiding my gaze. "Sorry." That didn't exactly answer my question.

Before I could ask her again why she hadn't been at the islands the day before, Axel spoke up. "Alexa, you've gotta make up your mind, and fast." His expression was completely serious as he spoke, his fiery mint-green eyes studying me intently. "Time is seriously running out." I had a suspicion that he wasn't telling me everything. There was something that he was holding back.

"I've told you, my mind's already made up. I'll do whatever it takes to change the game's ending- as long as it doesn't hurt Sora." I boldly met his gaze, ignoring the fear whispering inside my head. Axel wouldn't hurt me. He was my friend.

Our tall friend opened his mouth to say something, then closed it as his mind obviously changed. A frustrated sigh left him as he shook his head in disappointment. "There's no talking you out of that, is there?" he finally spoke after a few long seconds.

I nodded. "There's gotta be a way. I know there is."

"Knowing that a way exists isn't doing us any good, Alexa!" Axel shouted, causing me to flinch. He quickly calmed down, crossing his arms and looking toward the ocean besides us. "You know, there are rumors about you among the Organization. Xemnas doesn't really tell us a lot about his plans, so it gives us a lot of room for imagination. The other members are starting to suspect something's up with you- heck, I heard Luxord the other day wondering what world you're from. No one knows a lot about you. Xemnas never even told us your title. Just... Just be careful. And act quickly. Don't do anything suspicious."

"I'm never suspicious!"

"Axel's right, you know," Xion spoke up quietly. "I've heard the rumors too. And we all- all as in the three of us, I mean- we all know that time... it's really running out. I... I don't think I really have a choice. I have to go back to Sora. It's the right thing to do." She avoided our gazes as she spoke, instead staring out towards the ocean's peaceful waves.

"Xion, no!" I protested loudly, taking a step toward my dark-haired friend. "Don't... Don't even say that! There's another way, there has to be. And we'll find it, okay? I promise you, we will find a way to make sure you and Roxas get the happy ending you deserve."

"Pipsqueak's right," Axel added, uncrossing his arms. "Don't go doing anything drastic just yet. We still have time. Gotta say, though, we are cutting it awfully close." He shot me a meaningful look, which I quickly looked away from. Yeah, I was very clearly aware that Day 358 kept creeping closer and closer! Thank you for the reminder, Axel!

...When had I become so sarcastic? I guess the stress was really getting to me.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I'm doing the best I can." But it's never good enough, is it?

"It's not your fault, Alexa," Xion assured me. "Knowing the future, it's... it's a lot of responsibility. You know what will happen, but all it takes is just one small thing to change and then... everything's different."

I blinked in surprise at her words. I had forgotten that Xion knew the future too. I mean, I remembered she knew about her canon fate, but it was difficult to keep track of who knew what. Xion... Xion knew that a lot depended on Sora waking up. She knew that both her and Roxas would eventually go back to him if the canon timeline stayed the same. Well, that was depressing and unfair and I wasn't about to let it happen. I was going to save them.

But I couldn't do it on my own.

"So we just have to change some stuff," Axel pointed out. "The question is, what?"

Such a small question that had so much power. What could we do to steer events in the right direction? What even was the "right" direction, anyways? Obviously one that meant both my friends and Sora got to live, without putting any worlds in danger.

Once again I found myself wishing I had played more of the Kingdom Hearts games and knew more of the canon timeline. Wasn't the series still not finished? Weren't more games supposed to be released? What if my friends would eventually get a happy ending if I just let the canon timeline play out?

Yeah, that didn't seem likely. I couldn't risk it. Besides, even if a happy future was awaiting them in the canon timeline, they still would have gone through so much and I couldn't bear the thought of that. They'd already been through a lot as it was.

Why was the universe so determined to make life difficult for my friends?! They had done nothing to deserve this.

Then again, had I really done anything to deserve all the bad stuff that had happened in my own life? The universe doesn't seem to care about what kind of person you are. Good or not-so-good, trouble gets thrown at you and you just have to deal with it.

Life is so unfair.

"I don't know," I finally answered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I don't know."

This wasn't fair. I wanted to change my friend's fates so much, but I had no idea how to do so.

Would I figure it out in time?

I had to.

At least I wasn't alone. I had Axel and Xion by my side. I was so grateful for their friendship, for their help.

"We'll figure it out, Alexa," Xion promised. "There's still time."

I really wanted to believe her, but I just couldn't. Something kept telling me we didn't have as much time left as we thought.

~Time-Skip~

Our meeting on day 323 didn't last too much longer. Nothing worth mentioning happened beyond what I've already told you. My friends and I soon parted ways for the day, and I headed back my room at the Castle that Never Was.

Another day gone, I thought as I gazed out my room's small window. Was I any closer to getting my friends a happy ending?

"There's still time," Xion had said.

"We still have time. Gotta say, though, we are cutting it awfully close," Axel had reminded me.

There's still time. My friends kept telling me this, but I wondered if even they truly believed it. It seemed lately like time was one thing we didn't really have. As Axel had pointed out, if Riku really wanted to attack Roxas, he could do it anytime. There wasn't any reason he had to wait until day 358. For all we knew, it could be Game Over tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or maybe even today. We had no way of knowing.

Then again, in the video game, hadn't Riku waited to fight Roxas for some reason?

I wished I could remember better!

"What am I supposed to do?" I whispered to the stars outside my window. Each star was a world, wasn't it? Once again I found myself wondering if any of them could possibly be where I came from. Was the Kingdom Hearts universe completely and totally separate from my own, or could I just hop in a gummi ship or whatever and travel there? Could it be possible that if I wandered through the Dark Corridors long enough I'd find my way home? The thought had never really occurred to me before that maybe I wasn't truly as far away from my own world as I had thought.

But even if it was possible to go back to my own world, I couldn't yet. I had to save my friends.

Surely I had been brought to the Kingdom Hearts universe for a reason. Fate couldn't have just messed up and dumped me here by mistake.

Right?

I promised my friends I would save them, I reminded myself silently. I never break a promise.

Barely had that thought finished running through my mind before another one rammed into it, causing me to gasp as I suddenly remembered something kind of important.

I'd told Roxas I'd meet him at the clock tower today!

"Oh no," I breathed, guilt and panic and worry flooding through me. I immediately reached out my hand and summoned a Dark Corridor, running through it faster than I ever had before. How could I have forgotten? So much for never breaking promises! Nice going, Alexa!

Roxas had really wanted for us to hang out today, and I'd totally forgotten. I was such a horrible person- or Nobody, or whatever I was.

I desperately hoped Roxas hadn't left Twilight Town yet, but deep down I knew he probably wouldn't still be there. Axel, Xion, and I had been at the Islands for a decent amount of time. Please let him still be there! I silently begged the universe as I hurried through the Corridor.

But the instant I stepped out onto the clock tower, I knew I was too late. There was no sign of my blond friend anywhere. My only companions were the gentle wind and quiet sounds from the town below. I gazed up into the setting sun and felt tears forming in my eyes. How could I have forgotten? I'd let my friend down. I'd let myself down, breaking a promise like that.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to the sunset. "I am so, so sorry."

How was I supposed to find a way to save my friends when I couldn't even keep the most simple of promises?

I was a terrible friend. A terrible, terrible friend.

The dark corridor was still open behind me, waiting for me to retreat back into its shadowy oasis. I had nowhere else to go besides back to the Castle That Never Was. Maybe I could find Roxas and apologize?

Yeah, right, like I'd ever manage to find him among the confusing maze of hallways that made up the castle. I'd have better luck trying to spot a single person in a crowd from the top of the clock tower. Maybe I'd be able to talk to him before our missions tomorrow.

I felt terrible. I may have been a Nobody, unable to experience emotion and all that, but I really felt awful. I was crying.

How was that even possible?

I turned back toward the Corridor and had just taken a single step into its shadows when I heard the familiar sound of another portal opening behind me. Kingdom of Broken Hearts materialized in my hand immediately as I spun around toward the sound, expecting to see Riku. Who else would it be?

To my surprise, it wasn't the silver-haired teen stepping out of the Dark Corridor. Standing there on top of the clock tower, the shadowy portal fading into wisps behind him, was Roxas.

"Alexa!" he called, waving in greeting. He didn't seem mad or upset at all. He seemed... cheerful. "You're still here? You waited? Sorry I'm so late, my mission took a long time. Thanks for waiting for me!"

"I-" I didn't know what to say. Roxas was thanking me, when I had forgotten we were supposed to meet. "Actually, I- I just got here too. I may... I may have forgotten we were supposed to meet up," I confessed. It would have been so easy to lie and say I'd been waiting, but I was so sick of all the fibs and falsehoods. I just wanted to be honest for once.

"Oh." The light in Roxas's eyes faded for a second and I felt even worse. I hated upsetting my friends. "Well, I'm glad you remembered."

"You're not mad?"

Roxas shook his head slightly. "Nah. We've had a lot to worry about lately, haven't we?"

If only you knew how much I've had to worry about! I thought, guilt washing over me once again.

"That's for sure," I sighed, letting the Dark Corridor behind me close and fade away. "How'd your mission go today?" It was nice getting to just talk like this. No attacking Heartless, no worrying about the upcoming events, just my friend and I and the sunset.

"Not bad," Roxas replied, sitting down on the tower's small ledge. "It was in Neverland today. Collecting Organization emblems. Luxord was there too." His gaze traveled up to the sunset and lingered there while he spoke.

I sat down on the ledge to Roxas's left. "Oh, cool. Did you get them all?"

"Most of them," he confessed. "I gave up on the last few. I'd already met the mission requirements."

"You, giving up early?" That didn't sound like Roxas at all. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I promise. I just got tired. It took forever, flying around trying to collect all those stupid emblems." Roxas finally tore his gaze from the setting sun and glanced toward me with a reassuring smile. "You and Xion need to stop worrying about me."

"Yeah, well, you need to stop making us worry."

"I don't mean to, I swear!" My blond friend protested. "It's not my fault Saïx hates me and keeps giving me the hardest missions."

"I don't think he actually hates you. I don't think Saïx really likes anybody."

Roxas smiled faintly, turning back toward the sunset. "Yeah, fair point. So how'd your mission go today?"

"Not bad," I replied with a shrug. "Guess what world it was."

"Agrabah?"

"Of course."

"Ouch, sorry." Roxas shot me a sympathetic smile. "Giant Heartless or just heart collection?"

"Just heart collection. It wasn't too difficult."

"Well, that's good a least."

We fell silent after that, staring up at the setting sun for awhile before parting ways and returning to our rooms. I went back to my window and gazed out at the stars again, wondering what worlds they were.

Another day may have come to a close- another day full of chances to change the timeline and get my friends their happy ending- but tomorrow was another one. Axel and Xion had both been right- time certainly was running out, but that was okay. We'd make the most of what time we had and find a way to save my friends. We could do it. I knew we could.

After all, I had my friends by my side. With their help, surely I could do this.

Little was I aware then that everything I knew would soon fall apart even more than it already had.

Author's Note:

HEY! I'M BACK! :D

I am so, so sorry I basically vanished from Fanfiction for almost a year. It's been awhile, hasn't it?

Confession time: This chapter is called Broken Promises not only because Alexa broke a promise, but also because I very nearly broke a promise to myself. I told myself I'd never give up on this fanfic no matter what. Well, I did give up for awhile. I didn't plan on updating this. Writer's block and fear I'd mess up and publish a horrible chapter and other stuff got the best of me and I quit.

But y'all kept favoriting and following and reading this story and finally I decided I couldn't just leave it unfinished. (Also KH3 coming out really helped inspire me to write this again.) Seriously, thank you so much. Everyone reading this, thank you. I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long. Thank y'all for over 19,000 views. Thank you for continuing to read this story and not giving up on it even after I myself had. You all are the best.

A huge thank you this chapter to all the reviewers and everyone who sent me encouraging messages- y'all are the best and there wouldn't be a chapter 30 without you. :) I really hoped you all liked this chapter.

You may have noticed my writing style kinda changed throughout the chapter. A lot of the chapter was written a looonnggg time ago- probably last summer or so. My writing style has changed quite a bit since then, but I tried my best to keep it somewhat similar for this chapter.

Sorry this was kind of a depressing chapter. I tried my best to make it slightly more cheerful but we're at a point in the story where it's gonna be not too happy for awhile. Sorry.

Thank you so much for reading. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Thank you.

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be finished, but I'll try my best to not take almost a year to write it this time. Sorry again about the long wait!

Thank you again for reading, and hope to see y'all next chapter! :) As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.