For the past few weeks, Arty was used to being treated as an equal. All those older than her-whether they were teenagers like Yuffie or adults like Cid- never treated her like a child. They spoke to her as if on equal footing, never talking down to her or belittling her. It was something she was thankful for. She was sick of being treated like a child when she was mature enough to handle certain topics and situations.

However, she wasn't surprised that out of all her friends, it was her oldest one that treated her differently.

"Arty, did you eat yet?" asked Caelum the moment she stepped through the cottage's threshold.

Arty entered the cottage in the hidden cavern in the Third District. Having finished work and closed up shop for Cid-both the Accessory Shop as well as the Gummi Garage-she was a little slow to react.

"What? I dunno," she yawned, walking to the dias platform in the cottage's center. The whole place, a singular room at best, was cluttered with books stacked high in various piles surrounding them and had a bed shoved against a wall. She stepped onto the platform where it held a round table and mismatched chairs. Two of them were occupied by Caelum and Kairi.

"You should have something to eat. You've been working hard lately," said Kairi as she began to fix a plate of what they had for dinner for her. Both she and Caelum had a cup of tea in front of them as they had finished their evening meal themselves.

"Without Cid around it's been busy." Arty sat down next to her, took the plate, and started to eat. At the first bite she realized she was starving. She spoke between bites. "It doesn't help that everyone else is gone and no one left to clear out Heartless. The streets are filled with'ed."

"I know. Merlin's been setting up spells and traps to give people a chance to go out. It's not working as well as we thought," Caelum replied, disheartened.

"Nothing beats actual people fighting, does it?" Arty joked but it came out flat. She was one of the people who had to fight her way back to the cottage. Normally, she had Cid at her side to help, but he was out of town. Who knew when they would be back?

Not long after Sora and his crew departed for Hollow Bastion it was decided Leon, Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie would follow them. The four of them were originally from that world and were forced to flee once Maleficent took over. They never thought they would get to see their home world again if it wasn't for Sora.

Arty and Caelum decided to stay behind. They said it was to keep an eye out for Kairi, but, really, Arty didn't want to go back there so soon. She still had to come to grips with what she had done. They understood for the most part. Cid complained about her being lazy just for show.

That left the three teens to reside in Caelum's magic teacher's home.

"Where is Merlin, anyway?" Arty asked. She finished her meal and sat back to enjoy her cup of tea. The tableware moved to clean themselves and clear the table. "I thought you would be practicing spells with him or something."

"We had to stop early." Caelum lifted his book to get out of the silverware's way. It covered his face like a shield.

Kairi suddenly burst out laughing.

"After what happened, I'm surprised all Merlin did was stop the lesson."

"What happened?" asked Arty, curious as to why he was so embarrassed to cover his face.

"You know how Merlin said he would teach Caelum some non-battle spells?" She nodded. "He started to teach him the basics of how to change the human form to fit in on other worlds. It took them a few hours to get it right, but when Caelum finally managed it he-"

Kairi was unable to finished as she was possessed by the demons of laughter. Arty looked to Caelum to finish the punchline.

"I turned myself into a fluffy bunny, all right?" He sighed, slamming his book down flat. The table rattled, sending the teacups on the verge of falling on their sides. "Jeez, Kairi, it wasn't even that funny. I was a stupid rabbit."

"A...bunny. You turned yourself into a bunny." Arty couldn't imagine that at all. When they were kids Caelum was cut like most were. For some reason people, especially women, found him adorable. They always cooed to his parents that he was such a sweet child. Imagining him with cute bunny ears was too much for her.

"Yes! Don't laugh at me," he grumbled. "It was a complete accident, okay? Merlin told me that another wizard can't undo a transformation they did on themselves, so I had to spend a whole hour trying to get back to normal. It sucked since someone-" He glared daggers at Kairi," wouldn't stop picking me up and cuddling me."

"I couldn't help it," Kairi said, calming down long enough to speak clearly. "I've never seen a bunny in real life before. Our islands were too far from the mainland to go see any. Plus, your fur was really soft."

"Really? Are they not native around your area?"

"No. Our main food source is fish. Any meat we needed we got imported."

"Oh, yeah. Riku told me you lived on a remote set of islands." Arty swallowed. Saying his name made her tongue heavy. "He said that with the mainland so far away you three were basically trapped on the islands. You were going to leave using a raft you, Sora, and Riku built for other worlds."

"That's right. It seems silly now," said Kairi wistfully. " We didn't know where we would go or when we'd find land. We just wanted to leave."

"I hear ya. On my birthday we were talking about wanting to leave Meryton. We wanted to take a boat down the river for other places. I wanted to leave the town with my friends. I didn't care where we ended up so long as it was away from there."

"I did," Caelum remarked. "I wanted to go somewhere more populated. I was sick of the same old people and the same old faces."

"And we got our wish. Just not in the way we wanted it to be granted."

"Same here. I didn't know we'd leave the islands and end up here after everything that's happened," Kairi agreed.

The three fell silent, reminiscing on that night that changed their lives. For Arty it was a fatal night. She made that wish on a whim, feeling trapped in her town that was so prejudiced in its way. The townspeople never saw that life had so much to offer than being stuck in such a stagnant place. However, after experiencing what life did offer her, she could understand why people would stay there. She wouldn't mind going back home to live there in her older years as she enjoyed what remained of her life in relative peace.

"Do you...Do you think that when Sora ends up saving the universe and all things will go back to normal?" Kairi wondered, uncertain.

"What makes you say that?" Caelum asked.

"I-I'm not sure. I thought if Sora beats Ansem and stops the Heartless, I feel like everything will return to normal."

"I'd like to believe that, but we have to be realistic about this. The Heartless swallowed the hearts of our worlds. There's no way they can come back from the darkness like that other than through sheer dumb luck."

"You don't know that for sure," Kairi disagreed. "I have a feeling that the worlds are going to come back. Like Sora, I know they're not gone forever."

"Is being optimistic about everything a trait of a Princess of Heart?" Arty retorted. Through all this heartbreak and tragedy, she still could find the good in bleak situations. It was a lot like the princesses from her childhood fairytales.

"I don't know, but I always have hope. I refused to believe the islands are gone forever. I know I'll see my friends and Dad again." Kairi got up from the table, frowning straight at the wall. "I'm going to get some fresh air. Tell me when we're heading back to the house, okay?"

"Okay. Stay close," said Caelum before Arty could mention the dangers.

The Princess of Heart nodded and left through the curtain covered hole in the side that served as the front door. Arty caught a glimpse of her biting her lower lip as she disappeared.

"Did I say something wrong?" She hoped she hadn't said anything that could have upset Kairi.

"No. I think all this talk about our worlds got to her," Caelum sighed as he refilled his cup. "You have to remember Kairi was in a coma for the past few weeks. The last thing she remembers is going to sleep in her house. Now she woke up to this mess and found out she lost her world on top of all of that. She's overwhelmed."

"I know. This would be hard on anyone. She hides it well."

"She probably didn't want Sora to worry. He's got other things to worry about she believes is more important than her."

"Even though Sora's been worrying about her since day one?"

"Especially because of that."

Arty's heart went out to Kairi. She knew that she would need to be caught up on events, but waking up to see her friend disappear was a bad starting point. Then to see the other friend be possessed and escape without him was downright awful.

She could barely accept he had died. How could she expect Kairi to do the same with good grace? She should have known it wouldn't be so easy.

But, how else was she supposed to respond to that naive hope? Arty was tired of clinging to such things. She did not want to believe or have hope everything would turn out for the better. She was not sure if could take it.

There was still a part of her that hoped beyond all odds that everything would be fine.

"Great. Now I feel bad for reminding her." Arty leaned forward to put her arms on the table to rest her head, shoulders slumped in defeat. "Is it weird I feel guilty for making a Princess of Heart sad? Is that a crime?"

"I wouldn't know," Caelum chuckled, bookmarking his place in his tome. He rose from the table. "I wasn't the one surrounded by Princesses of Heart for weeks."

"Well, I never got to talk to them since they were all asleep." She turned her head to follow her friend's movement to a book pile. "What do you think I did? Have a chat and-"

As she blinked, Arty stopped short upon their surroundings blacking out. The next second, as things returned to Merlin's house, she was on her feet. Caelum ran over to her in alarm.

"Did you just see that?" he demanded, grabbing her arm for reassurance.

"What, you mean the blackout?" Mentioning it, the cottage disappeared to be replaced by a black abyss. It lasted longer this time before returning to normal. It flickered repeatedly between the two until it permanently remained in the darkness.

"What's going on?" Caelum pulled her behind him. He stayed alert the entire time and was ready to fight should Heartless appear.

Arty did not answer, shuddering lightly. The dark abyss had nothing but horrid memories for her. Every time she was there nothing good came of it.

However, this time it proved her wrong.

From above, like snowflakes, tiny balls of light fell all around them. There were millions of them to light the darkness. Arty held out a hand to catch one. It landed in her palm and she was surprised by how warm it was. Where the light fell around them they formed a solid ground and painted everything around them in color. They took shape in the form of buildings and trees, shades of brown, dirty white, and the occasional green growing around them. The smell hit her in a wave of nostalgia, algae filled waters cloying her nostrils in a way she hadn't expected to miss.

"Gods," Caelum gasped in reverie. Before them, they saw the murky river and a marshland while concrete ports and wooden boats were closer to them.

The two watched in awe as the light retreated over the horizon. It burst out like fireworks to explode into the atmosphere of a night on the cusp of dawn. They formed constellations and stars they knew by heart. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The entire sky was soon an ocean of stars.

Soon, the show came to an end. All was silent.

Panting in exhilaration, Arty drew her gaze away from the sky to examine her surroundings. At first she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Then, she saw the quiet street lined with two-story homes and the one near the end of the street, a light shining from the second floor window.

"Oh, my...!" She pressed her hand to her grinning mouth as her eyes misted. "Caelum, it's Meryton! We're back home!"

"I can't believe it..." Like her, he had an inescapable smile. It beamed so bright Arty was sure she was dreaming. "It's back! It's really back!"

Arty burst out laughing in true giddiness. She didn't know what had happened or why they appeared in a newly formed Meryton again. She could care less when her hopes had been fulfilled. But she had to know one thing.

She took off running down the street. On the road she saw some of her neighbors getting up from the ground where they had fallen. Most appeared dazed and confused, asking aloud how or why they ended up outside. She couldn't hear anything more. All she could focus on was her house and who could possibly be in there.

Arty arrived at the white chipped picket fence that had a missing board next to the gate. The gate door opened with a loud squeak at the same time the house's front door swung open. Out stumbled a bulky figure she recognized by silhouette alone.

"Darlin'?" Liam called, groggy and disshevled. He stumbled down the stone steps and onto the pathway. "Arty, are ya okay? I hear ya scream."

"Dad!" That did it for her. She crossed the distance, throwing her arms around him, and buried her face in his night shirt. She did not hold back her ugly tears or her sobs any longer. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"Wha-What's wrong?" he demanded, pulling her into a tight hug. "Hey, where'd you get those hairpins? And why are you dressed so different?"

Arty shook her head, unable to get any words out. She was so overwhelmed by the joy of having her father back she could only cry. For weeks she believed she had lost her family and her home. It was a great relief she got them back. She had missed them so much.

Liam hugged her to him, smoothing her ruffled hair. He still smelt of the cologne she had bought him for Christmas and day old sweat. It was much preferable to the musty scent of an abandoned castle.

Arty did not know how long she cried for. She tried to rein in her tears but was unable to do so. It wasn't until she ran out of them she could manage to stop. Finally, she pulled away to appraise the wet patch she made on her father's shirt.

"Sorry," she hiccuped, rubbing her itchy eyes.

"'S all right. I'm shocked, though," said Liam, straightening his clothes. "You don't usually cry like that anymore. Did somethin' happen?"

"You can say that...What do you last remember?"

"I...I remember wakin' up feelin' like somethin' was wrong," Liam explained, a wrinkle forming on his forehead in thought. "Like there was someone cryin' out in pain. I thought it was you, so I went downstairs when I saw your door was open. Then, when I was downstairs..." He trailed of. "I don't remember what happened after that. I think there was somethin' in the house. Maybe a burglar? I don't know."

This baffled Arty. How could he not remember he was attacked by Heartless? She saw this with her own eyes. It was an image that replayed in her dreams. But, then she remembered what everyone on the street had said. They were confused as if they were unsure of what had happened. Could no one remember the last moments before the Heartless devoured their world? It would seem to be the case.

"It's...a long story," she lamely said. "Daddy, you'll find this hard to believe, but it's been weeks since that night happened. To you it just happened. To me it's been awhile."

"What do you mean by that?"

Arty wasted no time in launching in her tale. As she did so, Liam pulled her back towards the house. They entered to venture through the hallway and into the kitchen on the first door to the left. The kitchen, like the rest of the house, was tiny and could not fit more than six people comfortably. It was a little old fashioned with outdated cabinets and countertops. In the center of the room he guided her to the rectangular table that could seat four people. She took a seat while her dad went to get glasses of milk. He set one down for her and patiently listened to her story.

By the end of it, he had drained his milk and was speechless.

"Wow," said her father, baffled. He regarded her failed research notes she had crumpled in her pocket with wide eyes. "Wow. Darlin', this is-Wow. That's really somethin'. I'd thing this was some tall tale you just made up, but this doesn't seem like somethin' you'd make up. You've got some notes ya couldn't make up in one night. Is this really true?"

"Of course it its! Like you said, I can't make up this kind of stuff. It really did happen."

"I don't doubt it, but ya gotta give me some time to work my head around this. I mean, Heartless, witches, other worlds? How can that be true?"

"I'm trying to get over the fact that it did happen," Arty said, sipping her milk. So many thing had happened since the last time she was home. She made friends, she lost them, and learned more about herself than she would ever care to admit. It was certainly a life changing experience for someone as young as her. When she blew out the candles on her fourteenth birthday cake she asked for her life to become more exciting. She didn't want it to happen the way it did. "So much has happened in such a short time. It's all so much to process."

"Are you all right?" Liam asked, concerned.

"No, but I think I will be." It would take time, but she would heal. She would get better. "Now that I'm back home and you and Meryton are okay I'm sure Caelum and Arun-" She snapped her mouth shut, the name so easily said on her lips. "Arun! I can't believe I forgot!"

She was so ecstatic that Meryon was back and seeing her father was fine it slipped her mind! She had tried so hard recently to forget about him she actually did! Arun was back, too! If the rest of the town was back to normal, then Arun was back!

Arty jumped to her feet and stormed down the hallway. She ignored her father calling her name in favor of opening the door. She was prepared to run full tilt to where she had last seen Arun if she did not run into a hard chest.

"Arty, what's wrong? Where are you headed?" Caelum inquired. He took a step back to face her.

"Caelum! I'm headed over to Arun's apartment," she excitedly informed him. She gave not much more information as she tried to sidestep him.

He grabbed her shirt before she could take a step.

"Right, about Arun..." He shook his head, grimacing. "You won't be able to find him. He isn't anywhere in this town."

She looked back at him in confusion. What did he mean by that?

"I just came back from town after you ran back home. No one I asked has seen Arun at all. He's not in this town anymore."

"That doesn't make sense! How could he not be in town or anywhere?" Arty exclaimed. A stone settled in her stomach. "Everyone that the Heartless attacked has come back! My dad's proof that everyone is back to normal."

"Look, I don't know! He was the first thing I checked out as soon as I realized this was real. I looked everyone and asked everyone. They had all returned except for him."

"But that's-" No...No, that couldn't be true. I just couldn't! Why, out of everyone, was Arun the only one who did not come back? Why? Why?

Arty's vision swam. Everything became blurry and she could not see straight. She became detached from reality except noting the heavy weight on her chest. Someone close by was gasping for air as soothing words drifted to her ears.

"Arty, come on. Don't freak out. Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

"No. No!" someone whimpered. Was that her? She didn't know anymore. All she knew was that the pain in her heart would never go away, silently breaking with each sob she struggled for.

It wouldn't disappear. Not for a long, long time.

XXX

And here is the end of what happened in Kingdom Hearts for Arty's side!

My goodness, I never thought how emotionally draining it was to write her side. When I came up with her backstory about what her role was in the game I never expected to have to feel how brokenhearted she was. At the age of fourteen I never had to deal with the ache of getting my heart broken by a guy. So just imagining losing someone like that must be ten times worse than what I think it to be. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with this heartache for awhile.

Even though I've finished writing out what happened in the first game, I'll still do little side stories as I experiment with other character's POVs. I have something planned for Max and I have even written a little bit of Sora's take on certain events. The latter makes me nervous since I can't write happy-go-lucky characters as well as the games make him out to be. I love Sora and all, but goddamnit he is just too naive for what he's been through in all these games! He had lost his home, fought both physically and emotionally with his friend, committed suicide, lost his memories to get them back while also losing new memories of his time in Castle Oblivion, searched the worlds in a desperate attempt to find Riku and bring him home, and almost fell to darkness, and Square Enix wants me to believe that he hasn't at all matured during what will soon be four journeys? I get that he is the sweetest boy who ever existed in that universe, but I thought he was more mature in the first game and progressively became more childish as the games went on. I hope they fix that with Kingdom Hearts III.

Sorry about that rant. I do love Sora and it's because I love him I care about his character development. Wish me luck on trying to get his character down despite all that.

Please review!