A/N: I know there is actually a small chance that Kairi is still stuck in the final world (if so, i would LOVE to see a party made up of Riku, Namine and King Mickey.) They gotta give Kairi some screen time though. I'll put hints of shipping in, but I'm wanting to structure it similar to a game. In theory, this would be the game in between 3 and 4. I don't think the secret video is going to apply until KH4, so we won't be dealing with TWEWY or Verum Rex. Remember, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or else things would have turned out very differently.

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Kairi

The morning was cool and dark as Kairi awoke in a sweat. It was that dream again. She found herself on a giant stain glass window that had a picture of Sora, sleeping. She was a little surprised to see herself on the design in a small circle next to his head, alongside Riku and Roxas. There was something with a door, and weapons to choose from- she even found herself fighting off a giant heartless all by herself. Perhaps she'd been training too much recently. Maybe Riku had been working her too hard. It wasn't the first time she had had the dream. It was nearly a nightly occurrence since returning home from the keyblade war.

She wished Sora was here. It was a longing that had nearly consumed her on a daily basis. After so much fighting, they were so close to a happy ending. If only she had been able to react against Xehanort faster. She cursed herself every time she thought of it. Everyone told her it wasn't her fault and she was inexperienced, but that couldn't change how she felt. A long scar trailed her back, forever reminding her of what she had failed to do. Sora would have dodged.

There was a small amount of light streaming in through the window, as it had been a full moon that night. The moon was round. That heart shaped moon was so unnatural to Kairi. And yet, it somehow held one of the greatest powers in the nearly jumped when she looked over to see Namine sitting up, staring at her.

"You're up" Kairi simply stated, hiding her surprise.

"Couldn't sleep. It looks like you couldn't either. Are you okay?" Namine moved over to her adopted sister's bed.

"Yeah, just a crazy dream." Kairi wiped her head and gave a smile.

"Stain glass window and heartless?" Namine asked.

"How did you know?" Kairi gasped.

"I had the same one. I think it means something." Namine admitted. "Why else would it be happening so often?"

"I just want to go rescue Sora. He shouldn't have to wait another minute. He has done so much for me that I want to bring him home."

"I understand how you feel. Everyone seems to be on edge. Aqua, Terra and Ven are asking around, and Yen did is trying to follow his magic. Even the twilight town gang is doing what they can." Namine placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, and I'm grateful. But I think I can follow him using my heart. It wouldn't be so crazy to think about, would it?"

"Not at all. I was hoping you'd say that, actually. With how connected you two are, you're one of the people with the best shots at finding him."

"Really? You're okay if I go?" Kairi was surprised.

Namine gave a small, but mischievous smile. "Of course. As long as you take me."

"What? But you don't have a keyblade. I don't want you to get hurt." Kairi panicked.

With a small roll of her eyes, Namine summoned a small fireball in the palm of her hand, illuminating a small area. She played with it a bit as if it were a regular ball and then extinguished it, causing the room to be drenched in darkness once more.

"Relax. I learned magic through Sora while I was putting his memories back together. I'm not very good yet, but I can do a few basic spells and can protect myself."

"You're kidding me." Kairi a small chuckle. "Alright, then let's do it. Why not go right now? We can get in the gummi ship before Riku even wakes up. If we need anything, we can always come home."

Namine nodded.

After gathering what essentials they could scrounge out and leaving an apology letter for their parents, they headed off as silently as they could through the town and towards the beach. There, the Gummi Ship was waiting for them, seemingly unlocked. It was all too easy. Maybe a little too easy. Namine wasn't as surprised as Kairi when they entered the ship and found the resident keyblade master Riku laying down on one of the seats. He gave a sleepy look at the two as they entered the ship. Namine couldn't help blush. Dressed in only shorts, he gave them a look of curiosity and disapproval. Seeing Namine's blush though, made him self conscious. He murmured something about not being used to the temperature of the island and pulled on his white shirt. He returned and sat back down.

"and where do you think you're going at this hour?" Riku crossed his arms as he sat up.

"Would you believe it if we said Twilight Town?" Namine was dumbfounded.

"Uh huh. So that's why you snuck out of your house and snuck your way onto my ship. When you know that most of the Twilight gang had to start school this week." Riku crossed his arms and gave a sarcastic look.

"Okay, fine. You caught us red handed. Now, back to more important business, there's no reason to hide it. We want to go find Sora. Can we borrow the gummi ship?" Kairi answered.

"You can't be serious. You know that we're working on it." Riku sighed.

"I don't care. I'm tired of waiting around for someone to bring him home. I have a keyblade and Namine has magic. We can take care of ourselves." Kairi had fire in her eyes.

"I get it. But it was Sora's decision to leave to find you. I'm sure he'll make his way home eventually. Why don't you give it a little more time?" Riku asked, a little tired of having this conversation. "Besides, Namine said only yesterday she may have been close to finding his location in his memories, and you're still in training."

"Exactly! Axel and I were training for who knows how long, and I still didn't have the practical application I needed to really do some damage. Imagine how strong I'd be I got some actual experience!" Kairi retorted.

"To be fair, the memory was foggy at best. With Kairi and I working together, there's no reason that we won't be able to track him down. Besides, you have enough students on your hands, you don't need to have one more to train." Namine added. "we'd come right home if there were any trouble."

Namine gave Riku a look of pure innocence and determination that Kairi couldn't help but love. Her facial expression and the way she held herself was full of confidence. Kairi looked at Riku and could tell that his stern demeanor was breaking ever so slightly. Namine had only used the look one other time, and Riku caved almost didn't know if it was because of Namine's involvement in Sora's memory or all the time she spent with Riku while Sora was sleeping, but somehow she knew all of the tricks to cracking his defenses Kairi did and then some.

"I can't believe i'm saying this" Riku sighed "But I guess you make a good argument. On one condition though; I am going with you. I still need to oversee your training, Kairi, and I haven't ever seen Namine use magic outside of her memory ability. We leave in the morning."

Kairi huffed because she knew that Riku had made up his mind on when they would leave. She wanted nothing more to be gone already. Still, it made her feel better that he could help them, as he had experience they didn't. His connection to Sora was just as strong as hers and Namine's, so perhaps it might even help them find him faster. She hated feeling like she had to rely on Sora and Riku to protect her. She was going to prove herself, no matter what.

"Oh, alright. Just don't get in my way." Kairi sneaked a smile.

"I wouldn't dream if it." Riku replied,settling back down into the seat of the Gummi ship. "You guys slipped out of your house easily enough, but you should go back and give your parents the send off they deserve. They've had enough of us running out without saying goodbye. It's the least you can do for them."

"What about you?" Namine asked

"My mom is an early riser and dad feels like 17 is an age where I can be responsible for myself. I'm staying on the ship though, just in case you get any ideas about coming back here before morning." Riku explained. "Now sleep tight, we have a long journey ahead of us."

But neither of the girls could sleep. Before leaving they had done a rushed job of packing. There were still a couple of hours before dawn, so they utilized the time they had to make sure they had everything. It wasn't easy, all things considered. Kairi didn't get much time to earn munny, so most of her accessories and armor were hand-me-downs from the others. They worked fine, but were fairly sparse, as Sora had to sell anything he could in order to pay for all of the eggs he broke while baking with little chef.

"Have you got anything else to pack?" Kairi asked, throwing both the fira bangle and snowman rosette into her bag. "What about clothes? Are you going out on this adventure wearing that?"

"I don't really have anything else- you guys all got clothes that were made specifically to guard against darkness. I don't think the good fairies are going to be able to make anything for me in time."

Kairi looked at her adopted sister with a pause. She had been borrowing Kairi's clothes for a while- they had plans to go shopping for her in the next few days, but had gotten distracted with having to explain their disappearance, being grounded and figuring out the next steps to saving Sora. They hadn't really had time to shop. Besides, Namine was good-natured enough never to complain.

"Why don't we see if there's anything in my closet you can use? Surely it'd be nice to wear something with a little bit of color." Kairi headed for the closet.

Clothes in pinks and whites flew out of the closet, Kairi's school skirt landing on top of Namine's head. Eventually, way in the back, a small 'aha!' could be heard. With some difficulty, the princess of heart reemerged, some clothes in hand. On her left was a dark blue skirt that came to Namine's mid thigh, with two very short layers of yellowing lace on the bottom. On her right was a black v neck tank top that was a little wrinkled, but still good.

"Why don't you try these on? I've had them for forever when I went to fancy party with mom and dad back in middle school. They should fit." kairi handed Namine the garments.

Sora

With a pounding headache, Sora awoke. Once again, he found himself in a strange place. Just trying to move left him feeling so...heavy. getting up was incredibly difficult. What had happened to him? The last thing he remembered was using the power of waking in order to try and bring Kairi back. Had it worked? He hoped so. Maybe by giving himself up, she was at home, resting after such a trial.

The air was hot and sticky, and any gust of wind brought some welcome movement, even though it didn't cool him down at all. Sweat began dropping down his back. Perhaps black was not the best color to wear in this place. The smells that surrounded him were a mixture of spicy and savory, reminding Sora he hadn't eaten in a while.

Far off in the distance, Sora could hear music playing and a crowd cheering. It was an upbeat tempo with lots of horns and drums playing along in a syncopated time. As he made his way out to the main street, he saw buildings lining the road with people of all kinds walking to and fro. It must have been morning, as many of the cafes were serving huge plates of bacon, eggs, pancakes and coffee. Men were reading newspapers and all of the women wore dresses, travelling together in groups. Wherever he was, it was quite lively.

In order to escape the heat, he decided to duck into the closest cafe, hoping to find some water and directions.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be by in a minute to help you, sir." a woman in a yellow dress called out, carrying a ridiculous amount of plates, cups and food.

True to her word, she was over in what seemed to only be a minute. She breathed a sigh of relief and took out a pencil and notebook from one of her pockets. "And what can I get for you today? Our beignets are flying off the shelves and pair just right with a cup of our homemade coffee."

"Sure, I guess, but can I have water instead of coffee? It's even hotter here than where I come from."

"Of course. All those black clothes can't be comfortable, but then again, mardi gras brings out some strange costumes." the woman just gave a customary smile and headed back to the kitchen. On her way back out, she was interrupted by an incoming woman.

"TIA! Tia! Oh Tiana! Over here, sugar plum! You have no IDEA what I'm about to tell you!" a blond woman in a pink dress called enthusiastically.

Sora couldn't help but listen in. The woman's voice filled the entire cafe, despite the noise from all of the other customers.

"You know how prince Naveen is comin' in from Maldonia any hour now? Well, big daddy arranged for him to stay at our house during his stay! Ain't that excitin'? I don't need no frogs to kiss, I'm gonna catch me a real prince!" she practically screamed.

"I'm happy for you, lottie. I hope he's everything you dreamed of." the waitress gave a smile.

"I need some help, though. You see, daddy's having a party tonight to welcome him, and I need something that'll win him over."

An impatient looking man rang a bell from the kitchen, holding up a plate of pastries. Sora hoped they were his, as they looked absolutely delicious. They reminded him of something he had made with little chef a few months back. The waitress continued listening to the woman as she brought them over.

"Wow! These are incredible!" Sora exclaimed, and then began digging in.

The woman named Lottie stopped talking long enough to look over at Sora and his delight of the puff pastries. In a moment, her face lit up, and she turned to grab the waitress, who carefully caught all of the plates on her tray.

"Tia, that's it! Your cookin is good enough to catch any man! I need you to make some of those man cakes for my party tonight!" she grabbed a wad of money and shoved it at the waitress. "Let me know if you need any more, I'll do anything to land a prince!"

"Yes, this should be enough." the waitress laughed a little bit as she looked over the money lottie had given her. "I''ll be there!"

Sora was a bit confused as to what happened, but he found he had finished his beignets and water, so he paid and left. It was an odd turn of events, but certainly not unentertaining.

Now that he had a full stomach, he would be able to think better. It didn't seem he would be able to find a way off this world without a gummi ship, so he figured he'd at least check for heartless before trying to use the power of waking again. Maybe giving it a bit of time would allow him to recharge and avoid getting too close to the darkness.

As he passed a particularly dark alleyway, he nearly ran into a man who was dressed in a black suit and purple shirt. He had a top hat on and a look that seemed to ooze both charisma and trouble. Behind him was a stout man with sideburns and a suit coat, looking quite nervous while carrying a rattling box.

Sora noticed the man in the suit glance at him. He missed the dismissive wave of the hand as shadows eased the stout man in the other direction.

"Howdy there, the name is Doctor Facilier. You don't seem to be from round these parts. Care for a few parlor tricks?" he gave a grin.

"No thanks. I'm just looking around. You haven't happened to have seen anything strange going on around her recently, have you? Maybe some monsters?" Sora asked.

"Boy, this is new Orleans at Mardi Gras. There's all sorts odd things going on."

A younger Sora would have asked about this mardi gras (as it had been the second time he had heard about it), but experience had taught him not to open that can of worms. He wondered if Donald would be proud of how easily keeping the world order. Sora liked to think he would be.

"Well okay. I don't suppose you need any help with anything, would you? I'm hoping to burn some time before I have to leave again."

Doctor facilier a sly smile.

"Actually, as a matter of fact, I could use a little bit of a hand. You see, its my friends who need the help."

"Oh? Great, I'll do whatever I can to help!" Sora smiled and perked up.

"Yes, you see- I have friends who…" Doctor Facilier paused. "Well, they aren't necessarily from this side of the bayou. As such, their appetites can't really be satiated at any local cafes."

Sora grew a little uneasy as Doctor Facilier placed one of his long arms around him and began walking. Perhaps it wasn't too late to turn back now. But it was something food based. Maybe he could cook them up something. Little chef seemed to be pleased at his growth in the kitchen.

They headed in the same direction that the little man had went earlier. The conman could sense Sora tightening up as they walked, so he began to tell him historical bits about the town, and little by little, Sora began to relax. He had been wrong about people's personalities before, and the organization was gone. Maybe he was being paranoid.

Before long, they arrived to a beautiful, large home with an enormous driveway and white car parked in front. There were columns in the front of the house, and aromatic trees and flowers lining the way. It was cooler here, too, which Sora appreciated. They swiftly turned, entering a side cottage to find the stout man. The box wasn't rattling anymore, but instead lay neatly on the table. The door closed, and colored candles lit the room.

"Now boy, my associate here and I have some important work to get to. If my friends are going to get what they need, they're going to need that box protected. I don't care who may come. Keep an eye on it and whatever you do, don't open it." Doctor Facilier requested.

"What's in it?" Sora asked.

"The main ingredient." the doctor gave a wry smile.

"Sure. How long do you need me? I would like to get going in a little bit." Sora asked, some hesitation in his voice.

"Just for a few hours. After that, it won't matter what you do." Doctor Facilier smiled.

The stout man looked at the box and back to Sora. He followed after the tall man as they left the little cottage, trusting him with something seemingly important. Sora grabbed a chair and then wiped more sweat off his brow. The little cottage seemed to be roasting. Sora thought to check his gummi phone for a chance to call Kairi to tell her he was alright- Riku, if he couldn't get her. He tried turning on the phone like Chip and Dale showed him, but nothing happened.

With a look of realization, Sora remembered one crucial thing he had been told when he got the phone. Every so often it would need to be charged. The chipmunk duo had given him a little cord, but he had left it on the gummi ship. They hadn't had much of a chance to let it charge anyway.

Why does technology have to be such a pain? Sora thought.

With a sigh, he slumped down in his little chair "looks like it's just you and me, bud."

At his words, the box began to rattle and shake, as it had when he last laid eyes on it. The motions were frantic for a few seconds, and then it would stay still for a few minutes. The pattern continued, shaking every so often. Sora could even swear he heard someone grunting.

"Allo, allo? You are not that bad man, I hope?"

"What? Is someone in there?" Sora asked, looking more closely at the box. It shook again.

"As prince of Maldonia, I command you let me go at once!"

"Just hold on. I'll get you out in just a second." Sora stood back and summoned his keyblade.

In a matter of moments, the box unlocked and out jumped a tiny frog.

"Whew, I was positive I was never going to get out of that little box. And now that you have released me, you will change me back immediately." the frog closed his eyes and waited expectantly for his demands to be met. When he wasn't changed back right away, he opened an eye, waiting for something.

"I'm sorry, I'm not exactly sure what's going on here." Sora bent down to be on eye level with the frog.

"Your friend the doctor changed me from a dashing young prince into this slimy mess of a frog. Now you can change me back and I will be free to go on my merry way."

"I think you have me mixed up with that Doctor Facilier guy. He said his friends were starving and you were the main ingredient. I had no idea you were alive. But I don't know of any magic that can turn you back, sorry."

"Then you will take me to someone who can." he perked up. "I know! Lawrence can help. He made arrangements for me to appear at a fabulously wealthy house tonight for a costume party. Surely he can figure a way out of this."

"You're pretty pushy, you know that? Would it hurt to say please once or twice?" Sora stood up.

"I am a prince. I have never needed to say please in my life. Why should I start now?" Naveen leaned on the table's leg.

"Because everyone deserves a little kindness." Sora answered simply. "Besides, you're not exactly commanding right now. You re just a frog."

Naveen sighed and slipped down, his legs folding out to the sides. Sora knelt down again, feeling bad for the little guy. It wasn't exactly his fault that he was in this position. Maybe it would turn out to be a good thing after all.

"Okay, I'll help you. But you've gotta be on your best behavior, got it? Sora picked up the frog prince. "Oh, and fun fact: that's not alone you complained about, its mucus. It's sort of how you breathe."

Kairi

Kairi's hands couldn't stay still. Namine was lucky to have her sketchpad and pencils. It gave her something to take her mind off the trip. Riku had just gotten off the phone with the king. He said that he, Donald and Goofy had made a plan to visit several of the worlds that they had seen with Sora, in the hopes that the power of waking had brought him to one of them. The twilight gang couldn't come up with anything, but had promised to call in if he ended up there.

Master Aqua was busy taking care of the land of departure, and Terra and Ven were preparing for their mark of mastery exams. Everyone was doing something, but Kairi couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Where are we going, Riku?" she huffed.

"I figured we'd stop at Radiant Gardens first. We can ask around a bit and then do what Donald suggested- he said that when Sora was trying to figure out the power of waking, he followed his heart. We'll do the same."

"Why can't we do that first?" Kairi asked.

"It makes sense that we'd stop at radiant gardens. It's a place very close to Sora's heart and there are a lot of people who live there that are special to him. If he's following his heart, there's a chance he'll be there." Namine responded.

"I guess you're right. I'm sorry, I'm just anxious." Kairi admitted.

"We get it. You want to see him more than any of us. We'll find him, I'm sure." Riku gave a comforting smile.

As the gummi ship landed, Namine and Kairi stared out in awe. The town center was being rigged with all sorts of lanterns, tables and even a small stage. Tifa and Leon were doing some last minute construction projects, Merlin was lighting some of the lanterns with his magic in the twilight of the world and Cloud was setting up chairs at the tables. What on earth was going on?

Aeleus and Dilan were looking over some blueprints with Cid, Ienzo was tinkering with the sound equipment and Even seemed to be chatting Aerith's ear off about something or another. She gladly excused herself from the conversation when she noticed the gummi ship land and our heroes disembark.

"Well this is a surprise! Are you guys here for the festival?" Aerith smiled.

"No, we hadn't heard about it. You guys haven't seen Sora around recently, have you?" Kairi asked.

"I'm sorry. But he hasn't been to visit in a very long time. Is he missing? I thought you and Riku would know where he is, of all people."

"I see. Yes, he is. We're on a journey to find him, and thought he might have ended up here at some point." Kairi replied glumly.

Upon seeing the visitors, everyone except Cloud, Dilan and Aeleus came over to greet their friends. They resumed what they were doing, probably on some sort of time crunch.

"You mean you don't know where he is?" Tifa asked.

"We have an idea, but unfortunately, there's no way of knowing where it is, if that makes sense." Namine replied. "We were hoping we might have found him here."

"Wish it were under different circumstances that you were here. But I'm sure that wherever he is, he is doing everything he can to get home to you guys." Leon noted.

"Do you guys have some time? Our festival is to help us celebrate a pretty large chunk of the town being repaired, and it should be a lot of fun!" Yuffie smirked, coming out of practically nowhere.

Kairi have a small smile. "What do you guys think?"

Riku and Namine looked at each other as of they were having a silent debate. Neither wanted to keep Kairi away from their search, but there wasn't really any harm in staying. Besides, maybe it would be a good way to help Kairi get her mind off things.

"I think it would be good. After all, it hasn't been long at all since we saved the world. And besides, all of your anxiety has made me anxious. We don't have to stay long, maybe for one or two dances?" Namine suggested.

"Consider it some training, and it'll take your mind off of your worries. Being a keyblade wielder takes more than physical strength. You need some balance of work and fun." Riku suggested.

Kairi's smile widened. It seemed forced at first, but grew into a genuine one. "You guys are right. But I get to pick the first world we go to after this!"

Riku gave a small chuckle while Namine looked relieved. "Aye aye, captain!"

As the sun sunk lower in the sky, the lights Merlin enchanted glowed brighter, and everything seemed perfect. Namine was talking with Merlin in one of the corners. He grabbed something out of his floating carpet bag and gave it to her. A white coat also appeared on her shoulders with a blue and black plaid trim and a hood with a yellow stripe. Kairi had been talking with Aerith, and Tifa sat with Cloud. Most everything was done, so most of their friends and a few civilians were milling about.

"Do you think Kairi will be alright?" Riku asked Namine, who had wandered over to him.

"I'm sure she will. She's tough. Besides, her body language isn't so tense anymore. I think having a solid plan really helped calm her nerves." Namine replied.

"Yeah. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, where did you learn magic? I thought most of your powers were memory based."

"They are, but while I was putting Sora's memories back together, I kinda learned some magic theory. I don't have much practice with it, but I can do one or two spells, and Merlin agreed to help if I need it."

Riku was relieved to hear that Namine was able to defend herself. He knew he couldn't always be there for her, although he was going to try. After all, he had a promise to keep. He hadn't told her yet about how his replica had sacrificed himself for her. He knew the replica was completely devoted to her, but he had no idea how she felt about him. Riku thought knowing that the replica had returned would have reminded her of all the suffering she had caused him. If keeping his sacrifice a secret would protect her from unnecessary sadness, so be it.

Besides, she was a dear friend. They had been each other's support during that crazy year. It had been she who told him it was okay to utilize the darkness, that it wasn't as evil as they had once thought. Her courage and determination had astounded him. She truly was a wonder.

All of a sudden, the lanterns started to glow an eerie green, and started to burn with a lime green flame. The air grew chill, and heartless began spawning out of nowhere. Riku took a defensive stance in front of Namine, who brought out a white mage's staff with a crest of a heart and a moon on the end. Merlin must have come up with it for her. Everyone called out their weapons and had begun attacking the tiny intruders. It wasn't long until they were all vanquished and the paper lanterns Merlin had put up were completely extinguished.

In the middle of the dance floor, a dark corridor appeared. There was only one villain Riku knew who was this dramatic: Maleficent.

As if right on cue, the self-proclaimed mistress of all evil appeared from the dark corridor, followed closely behind by her henchman, Pete. The corridor closed and Maleficent gave a wicked smile. From behind, Riku could hear just about everyone readying their weapons. What was she thinking, coming back to Radiant Gardens?

"What are you doing here, Maleficent?" Riku nearly snarled.

"Why Riku, you wouldn't greet an old friend like that, would you?"

"You're no friend of mine."

"Perhaps, but you may still prove useful yet. I think you and your little friends may be on the trail to finding something that I need."

"I'd rather be subject to Ansem again than help you." Riku's grip on Braveheart tightened.

"I don't know about that, kiddo. When we get ahold of that black box, it'll be all over for you. Maleficent has some big ideas about what to do with that book of prophecies!" Pete tried to act tough.

"Fool, say no more." Maleficent glared at her companion.

"Book of prophecies?" Namine perked up.

"Whatever it is you want, you aren't going to get it!" Kairi jumped alongside Riku. "Do you really think you can take all of us at once?"

"Perhaps you are right, in that regard. I will have to change that. You and the other girl don't stand much of a chance against me. The boy, however- he will need some alteration." Maleficent drew up her arms and engulfed herself in green flames.

"Ngh!" Riku grabbed at his chest.

"Riku!" Kairi and Namine called out, with the latter placing a protective barrier around the three of them, and then grabbing the keyblade master as he lost his footing.

"What did you do to me?" he spat.

"I simply placed a bar over your advanced power. It's a curse. You will gain it back in time; but will you get it soon enough, I wonder?" Maleficent smirked. "Do not disappoint me, boy. Come, fool. We should leave before you decide to speak again."

Pete had the look of a child who had just been disciplined as he made his way quickly into the dark corridor on the coattails of his employer. Kairi almost felt sorry for the guy; he didn't seem to be purely evil. Perhaps there could come a day when he could be pointed back in the right direction. Until then, they'd just have to do their best against him. But what did he mean by Book of Prophecies? Was that what they were after?

With the witch gone and the lanterns burned, all that remained were the magic orbs of light that Merlin had summoned. It was still a site to see, but the mood had been incredibly dampened by the appearance of the foul fairy. She was up to something no good again, and it felt like they had even less clue about what she wanted than last time.

"Well dang. I had Angelo locked, loaded and ready to go. She was no fun." A voice came from behind the group.

Leon's eyes opened wide as he turned around to see a woman with dark black hair and caramel highlights. She was wearing a short, white dress and a dog was jumping off the crossbow she had attached to her arm. She made her way easily into the center of the group, stopping right beside Leon and taking him by the shoulders.

"It seems you forgot to mention you changed names. People looked at me like I was crazy when I started asking around for a 'Squall'. Next time we get separated, keep what you can the same. Although I've gotta say, the hair growth is looking pretty good on you." the woman smiled.

WIthout another word, Leon took her into his arms and held her tightly. Namine released the barrier, and Riku attempted to stand on his own. When he was still shaky, he placed his arm around her for support, filling his cheeks with a slight blush. He motioned for her to help him head towards the leader of the Hollow Bastion restoration committee, so as to learn about who this woman was and how she arrived.

"Rinoa….I got your letter. If you knew where I was, why didn't you come sooner? I missed you." Leon released the woman, looking into her eyes.

"I didn't know where you were. I used our connection and my magic to send the letter on. I had no idea if you even got it. I'm glad you did, though. Once the letter was sent, I was able to try and follow its path." She smiled. "It certainly has been too long."

"Leon, who is this?" Kairi asked, suddenly incredibly curious.

"Guys, I want you to meet Rinoa. She is….someone very important to me. I haven't seen her since our world fell to the heartless. Like you guys and Sora, I've been waiting for her to come home."

"How long has it even been? What, 10 years? We've lost so much time." Rinoa sighed. "And yet, I never lost hope. Well, except for maybe that one time, and the other time we ended up on that crazy snow world, huh Angelo? But then we got some lemon shaved ice from that Yeti and everything was somehow better." The woman winked at the dog.

"Ten years? You've got to be kidding me! How did the anxiety not rip you apart?" Kairi gasped.

"It took a lot of patience, a lot of hope, a few snow cones and a great travelling companion for me. Are you looking for someone, too?" She asked.

"Yeah. His name is Sora. He has spiky brown hair, blue eyes and trusts entirely too easily. I don't suppose you've seen him?"

"Sorry, can't say that I have. But he must be important to you, if someone as young as you is trying to find him. I wish you all the luck in the world." Rinoa smiled.

"He is important to me. The most important thing. I just wish I had some magic like you to be able to send letters." Kairi's shoulders fell a little.

"It's not about the letters or the time you're apart. Quite the opposite. If you make use of what time you have, then you can go nearly a lifetime without seeing each other and you'll still be connected." Rinoa placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"You're right. Thank you. I just feel terrible for always needing to wait on him." Kairi admitted.

"Then let me see if I can't help you out. I'm a sorceress and have a pretty neat little trick I can teach you. Since your friend here just got nerfed, it's the least I can do." Rinoa smiled.

She handed Kairi a small bracelet that had a yellow gem center and some silver edging.

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

"It's a summon charm. I happened to meet a guy who was grateful for the help and offered me this. He said if I ever ran into trouble, I could use the charm to call on one of his friends for help." Rinoa explained.

"Thank you so much!" Kairi placed the charm in her bag and turned to return to Riku and Namine.

"They're cute, but I can sense they have a long journey ahead of them." Rinoa mumbled.

"They''ll be alright." Leon pulled her into a his arms as the lights came back on in the town square. "They've got good hearts."

Riku was gaining the strength back to stand under his own power as Kairi returned and the lights brightened. Namine held her hands out to his side, in case he needed to be caught again. Riku and Kairi smiled at each other as he gave Namine a soft thank you. He could tell that a weight had been lifted off of Kairi's shoulders. She had a bit of a spring in her step, and the smile came to her face much more easily. He was glad that she had been able to find someone who could give her real world experience in waiting for a loved one's return.

"Well, you did suggest one or two dances. Let's try to enjoy it. Are you going to be alright, Riku?" Kairi spoke.

"I'll be fine. I just need to sit down for a couple of minutes. Sorry I won't be as much help to you both as I thought I would be. That wicked witch is going to feel the edge of my keyblade next time I see her." Riku's eyebrows furled.

"Yeah. She'll get no mercy from us!" Kairi pumped her arm. "Wonder what Pete meant when he mentioned the book of prophecies, though."

"I swear I've heard of it somewhere before, but I can't say where or when." Namine admitted.

"Really? Then maybe Sora knows something about it! Or the king, or Master Yen Sid?" Kairi paused. "Is Sora close enough to him that you could have seen into his memories?"

"Yes, although it would take enormous effort, time and some sea salt ice cream. But I try not to pry into other people's memories without consent or dire need. I'll give him a call in a couple of minutes and see what he has to say. I didn't get that option last time."

"Last time? What do you mean?" Kairi asked.

"It's not surprising you don't know what I'm talking about- you were all dead." Namine gave a little smile. "I just mean that last time I had to invasively look into someone's memory was when I was trying to get in contact with Lingering Will at the Keyblade Graveyard. Come to think of it, that's probably where I heard about the book of prophecies. Yen Sid is old enough to have been around when it was new, so that's probably where I heard about it."

"I had no idea. Then it was you who saved everyone." Riku looked in awe. "Thank you. We owe our lives to you."

"Everyone was fighting so hard and doing their best. I wanted to do what I could, too." Namine blushed.

"Even so, thank you. Really." Riku placed a hand on Namine's shoulder.

"That's our girl!" Kairi smiled. "Okay, Riku. I get the first dance after you've sat down for a minute."

"I should be fine to go now. Looks like they're playing the first song now."

As the two left for the dance floor, Namine found a chair and was watching all of the people begin to gather. Since the party had only begun, there weren't too many other couples on the dance floor besides Leon and Rinoa and Riku and Kairi. But there was plenty of mingling going about and a table of food that appeared on one end of the square. The night seemed pretty wonderful.

Namine pulled out her Gummi phone and went to dial Master Yen Sid; except she realized she didn't have a number for him. He probably didn't have one, Namine thought. He didn't seem to be the kind to need a phone, not with his phenomenal magic power. She tried Mickey after that, but still no response either. Maybe they were in Atlantica? She'd try again later.

One song turned to two, and two to four. The next thing Namine knew, it had been several songs. Riku and Kairi hadn't spent the whole time dancing. They mingled with the Hollow Bastion restoration committee, ate some food and went around having a good time. Namine had known all about the town, but only from afar. She jumped a bit when she heard a familiar voice.

"This is a lovely party they put together, isn't it?"

"Ansem" Namine breathed.

She still didn't know if she could trust him. He was the one responsible for helping Riku change back to normal after getting a Xehanort face swap, and he did seem truly sorry for all the times he had mistreated the nobodies. He had even been instrumental in placing herself and Roxas into replica bodies. But she had a hard time forgetting all of the pain and abuse he had put her through, even to the point of trying to have her killed. When she woke up, the first sight had been sheer terror. She had awoken to a room of people who had, at one point, been her captors and abusers. Seeing Riku waiting for her made everything better he had that effect on her. Even just being around him calmed her nerves.

"Yes, everything is beautiful and everyone seems to be having fun." Namine replied, not looking at him.

"I understand if you're still angry at what I did to you. But I hope that you will understand that I truly am sorry, and will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you and Roxas. I wish to be completely atoned for everything I've done in the name of science." Ansem admitted.

"I'd like to move past it, too. Holding it all in won't help anyone. I just didn't expect to see you."

"Of course. why don't you go out and join them?" Ansem asked.

"This isn't a world in really apart of. I know all of these faces, but they don't know me."

"Then you should get to know them, my dear. You never know, maybe you have more in common with them than you think. It's just as true here as it is everywhere else. Don't ever let fear stop you."

With that, Ansem left and Riku came to join Namine.

"Hey, what'd the old man have to say?" Riku asked.

"Nothing I haven't tried telling myself." Namine smiled.

"Well, if you're done talking, would you like to come join me in a dance? Its nearly the last of the night." Riku held out his hand.

"I'd love to." Namine took it and followed the silver haired man out to the now-crowded dance floor.

Kairi smiled as she saw Riku and Namine dancing. They seemed to be chatting amicably, and the smile on Namine's face was downright radiant. There was something about the way that he looked at her; Kairi couldn't quite place her finger on it, but she was certain there was something to it. That would have to be a future project to investigate. Riku was holding her close, almost as if he were cradling her. Kairi wondered if he were afraid she would break. That wasn't bound to happen, but It made Kairi chuckle anyway.

"Hey, Aerith suggested I come by and make sure you're alright. She said Sora was missing." Cloud sat next to Kairi. "If you ask me, the kid is probably helping someone. Find someone in trouble, and he won't be far behind."

"You're right." Kairi smiled. "He does tend to gravitate towards trouble. I'll remember that."

"By the way. I've been looking for someone, too. If you happen to run into a guy named Zack, send him my way, would you?"

"Of course. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

The two sat in silence, watching the dancers as the song finished and Riku and Namine returned to Kairi.

"Well, if you're ready to go, we should be all set." Riku helped Kairi up.

"Yeah. Let's get going." Kairi smiled.

After they made their farewells, the three jumped in the gummi ship and sailed away. Kairi was piloting, despite Riku's resistance. She didn't really know where they were headed, but the direction just felt right. It wasn't long before they touched down and exited the ship. A swirl of magic surrounded each of them, leaving a warm feeling in their bones.

"Wow Kairi, you're so cute!" Namine gasped, looking down at her companions.

"How did you guys get so big?" Kairi asked.

She looked at herself in the water and felt no different, although her reflection was a little red-hued otter. "What the heck?"

"It's a form change. The world helps us blend in with the locals so as not to cause suspicion and keep the world order safe. Just don't allude that we're from somewhere else, and we'll be fine." Riku tried staring down into the water to figure out his form, but the water around him was clouded with algae and he had a hard time looking down without getting a face full of water. "What am I?"

"It looks like you're an alligator….or is it a crocodile? I can never remember the difference." Kairi answered. "And you're some kind of bird, Namine. A heron, I think? I seem to remember reading a book about them for school once."

"Well, this may take some getting used to. I can probably only use magic if I fly about. While we're here, I'm going to have to be long range attacks only. I'll be your eyes in the sky." Namine decided.

"Speaking of which, it looks like we have some company." Kairi called out her keyblade, which had conveniently shrunken down to a more appropriate size. "Let's go, team!"