"Hey Axel, you haven't forgotten?"

Axel paused with his lips parted and his stick of ice cream halfway to his mouth. "Hm?" Blinking his startlingly green eyes once at the alluring, salty-sweet treat in front of him, he inwardly sighed and then turned to the person who had spoken to him. "What?" It was a simple, almost disinterested question as he looked to his left, his spiky red hair and black leather coat blowing in the evening wind as he sat there.

It was a clock tower that he sat on, his feet dangling off the edge to the plaza far below. This town, Twilight Town, was so named for the beautiful sunsets it had every day, not to mention the matching orange hue that all of its buildings were painted. Built along a forested mountainside, though, the best place of all to view those sunsets was at the peak of the mountain, where a train station—the largest train station in the city—was situated. And the clock tower, Axel's favorite hangout, stretched high above that station.

Axel's friend to his left also held a stick of sea-salt ice cream, though he hadn't started eating it or made any move to do so. That was unusual for the blond teen. Roxas and Axel had come up here practically every day, just the two of them, ever since Axel brought him once for the 'icing on the cake': hard-earned desert after a long day's work. Roxas loved sea-salt ice cream, but he was just letting it melt as he held the stick in both hands and stared down at the plaza far below.

"You made us a promise," Roxas said without looking up at Axel. He had a bad habit of not looking at people when he was in a thinking mood, which was most of the time. Seriously, the kid was way too broody for someone his age, Nobody or not. That was part of why Axel had started hanging around him, he needed to liven up a little!

But that was beside the point.

"I did?" Axel asked, his attention now pulled from his ice cream entirely. There was nothing he could recall. Axel prided himself on his memory and always encouraged others to do the same; he certainly would have remembered a promise he had made, especially if it was one he made to his best friend.

"That you'd always be there…" Roxas continued, still yet to take a single bite of his melting treat. "To bring us back."

Axel took in a breath and pulled a bit away from Roxas as he let it out. "Yeah…"

Now a sense of familiarity registered in the back of Axel's mind, and he turned to look back out at the sunset. He did remember now, in fact. Roxas had been stupid at some Organization XIII mission and refused to go back to the Castle That Never Was with Axel. They had had an argument in front of Twilight Town's old mansion—Axel didn't even recall what it was about—and Axel had promised Roxas that no matter how far he ran, he'd always be there to bring him back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Axel was vaguely aware of Roxas making the redhead's trademark pose, tapping his index finger against the side of his head. "Got it memorized?" he quoted with a grin coating his voice.

"Best friends forever," Axel said with a chuckle. Roxas's image faded away beside him as Axel stared out at the setting sun and took a small bite of his ice cream. The laughter was still on his lips, but after a moment it slowly began to die off as he stopped and replayed Roxas's words over in his head.

…'Us'?

Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?

They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs... The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world.

That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight...

Remember the Tides III:
On the Way to a Smile

Chapter 1: One Year Later

Years ago, there had been a world that was aglow with light—both literally and figuratively. Known as Radiant Garden, the city of light, it was blessed with serene gardens, crystal-clear waters, and peace that had lasted decades. Radiant Garden was a paradise of magic and technology, unparalleled in nearly all the cosmos. Under the rule of the great sage-king Ansem the Wise, it entered an era of prosperity practically unheard of as it delved into the truths behind the magic, light, and the very heart itself.

Then came Xehanort. In a matter of months, this wicked wielder of the legendary Keyblade had deposed Ansem, swayed his apprentices to his side, and unleashed a horrible darkness across not only Radiant Garden, but the entire universe. From beneath the castle that stood tall and proud at the center of the world, wicked, nightmarish creatures known as Heartless arose. They stole the hearts of the people and of Radiant Garden itself, devouring its light and plunging the world into shadow, turning it into an empty shell of its former self, and leaving nothing but a Hollow Bastion standing over the dead remains.

But now Xehanort was dead.

In the year that had passed since the defeat of the fallen Keyblade Master, Hollow Bastion had begun to rebuild. The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, a small assembly of a handful of young survivors from the disaster, had tried before with moderate success only to have it all torn from their hands by the machinations of both Xehanort and the evil fairy Maleficent. But now, with resources and funding provided by a little king from a far-off world, the Restoration Committee had grown exponentially in numbers and size. Work proceeded much quicker, and soon the setbacks the Restoration Committee had experienced were a thing of the past and the reconstruction was further along than ever before.

On this bright, cloudless day, when the sun was shining and the birds were singing, a man moved down the spotless cobblestone roads. His heavy leather boots, the upper halves obscured by grey pants, went step after step at a pace only ever so slightly faster than a leisurely stroll. His long blue coat, held closed by a silver zipper, stopped just above his ankles and swayed slightly to the left and right with each step. The man moved aside with a pleasant chuckle as a trio of laughing children came running his way, greeting them all with a smile behind his goatee.

Though the children smiled back at him, he only caught their attention for a few moments before they continued their mad dash. The three children came to a stop in front of a building decorated with a duck bill and top hat, the first one to arrive loudly proclaiming that he won while his companions rested with their hands on their knees. His shouting caught the attention of the oddly-decorated store's owner, who talked excitedly to the children before handing over bars of ice cream for a handful of munny each. As the man in the blue coat watched the children go with that smile still on his face, he heard the shopkeeper calling him over.

"Well now, what brings you all the way out the town square today, eh?" Scrooge McDuck asked as he leaned forward on the counter of his ice cream shop.

"What, I can't just go out for a walk on a day as nice as today?" He waved to another band of children who came running to Scrooge's shop and moved aside to allow them to purchase their ice cream.

"Oh, enjoyin' the fruits of your labor, are ye?" Scrooge chuckled at the man as he handed the kids their treats. "Now don't run and eat it at the same time, boys!" Turning back to his visitor, Scrooge grinned slyly and tilted the brim of his hat so it fell over his eyes. "If that were all ye were out here for, just getting' away from that stuffy boardroom office o' yours, then what's that in your hand?"

The man looked down at the stuffed black animal he had been holding in his left hand. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

Scrooge tapped his cane on the ground and puffed his chest out proudly. "I've been around the block enough times to notice these things. Give me some credit, laddie!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

Now Scrooge leaned in once more. "Now come on, then. You can tell me, one businessman to another. Ye're tryin' to get on Leon's good side again, ain'tcha?"

A sigh escaped his lips and he ran a hand through his well-groomed black hair. "I just don't know why Leon won't cooperate with me. I've tried my best over this past year to be open to him, and we've rebuilt so much, but there's still much more that needs to be done before Radiant Garden is back to the way it used to be. I can't help but feel we'd be further along if he'd cooperate."

"Ach, it's not your fault. Leon's just the closed-off sort. He grew up with most of his group and doesn't trust much anyone else all that easily." Scrooge adjusted his position, moving slightly closer and gesturing to the stuffed toy. "Now, I'm guessing that's for the lass Cloud and Tifa took in? She may love it, but it won't do much to sway Leon."

"You think so?" He looked down. "I wanted to show Leon that I'd like to be more than just his business partner; if I can be friends with his friends, then maybe we could be friends as well." A brief chuckle escaped his lips, and he rubbed the back of his neck, abashed. "Sorry, I sounded a bit like that boy with the Keyblade, there."

Scrooge whapped him lightly on the shoulder with his cane. "But it isn't the wee girl you're tryin' to woo, it's Leon himself. Now I'm not sayin' don't give her the present—lord knows she needs it after all she's been through—but don't go expectin' Leon to invite you over for tea and biscuits after that, either. The people o' Radiant Garden already love you for all you and the Restoration Committee have done! Don't focus on everyone, just focus on the one."

"I think I see what you mean, yes." He bounced the stuffed toy up and down in his hands a few times, then stood up straight and held a hand up in parting. "Nice speaking to you, Scrooge."

"Aye, and you as well! Stop by any time, and maybe I'll let you taste-test my new flavor!"

"It's a deal!" he called back over his shoulder.

How much he had done for Radiant Garden, huh? The man slipped his hands into the deep pockets of his coat and moved down the streets with a bit of a slower gait, his head turning every which way as he took in the sights more closely this time. Amidst the people and Moogles, there were still some piles of lumber here and there, and the occasional house which didn't quite have a finished roof or one last coat of paint, but on the whole their world was up and running again. It was Hollow Bastion no longer. At long last, after all these long and hard years, they could once again call their home Radiant Garden.

Well, he really didn't want to take all the credit for how much things had improved. After all, he was only a manager. It wasn't like he was actively out there with the repair crews, working up a sweat, getting things done, but somebody had to handle the management. Someone had to sit in the office working on a budget, planning out what took priority. And he was good at it. He had been the head of the city's urban development before everything went to hell all those years ago.

But come to think of it, maybe that was why Leon seemed to have such a problem with him. Where he was inside pushing papers, Leon was always out in the thick of it with all the men, shouting orders and even grabbing a hammer himself on most occasions. As was the rest of the original Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, at least those physically able to be. But Leon didn't seem to quite understand how in over his head he was here. The Restoration Committee was a lot bigger than just him and his circle of friends now. It was a proper organization, and his inexperience in such things—as well as his general distrust, as Scrooge had mentioned—meant that Leon didn't know how to manage it. Besides, he had more than enough on his plate as the de facto ruler of Radiant Garden as a whole, in addition to head of the committee.

They had come to an agreement at their first encounter only a few weeks after Xehanort's defeat: he would do the business side of things, and Leon would be out in the field as the face and the leader. And he was fine with that, he liked working behind the curtain. As far as he could tell Leon liked it that way, too. But for some reason neither of them could ever get to agree on much of anything whenever they had to come together. Maybe they just weren't compatible, but that was what he had come out to try and change. To try and form some kind of connection between him and Leon besides simple colleagues.

And the reason he felt it was so urgent was… Well, it was right in front of him.

It was like he had come upon the edge of the world. To his sides and behind him, Radiant Garden shined brightly, accompanied by the chatter of crowds of people. But up ahead there was nothing but a wasteland, an entire district of the city still devastated. Crumbling buildings sat ignored and rats scurried amidst the ruins, hopping from rusted, broken pipes to half-collapsed walls. Puddles were scattered across the earth despite there being no rain the last few days, and it was precisely those puddles that was the reason the district had yet to be rebuilt. None of the men wanted to go anywhere near it, not with its reputation.

The puddles weren't water. They were a gooey, sticky black liquid that had sat there for who knows how long, never drying, never vanishing. They were remnants of a disease that had once plagued the district and forced it to become a quarantined slum: Geostigma. Highly contagious, those who contracted it were guaranteed a slow and painful death. Radiant Garden's government had ignored it for years even before the fall, blocking the area off and not allowing anyone inside out for fear of infecting the rest of the world. That had caused problems of course, turning the world into a lawless slum full of hoodlums and thieves.

He had always pitied them, felt sorry for the way they had to live, but even in his time as head of urban development he still had higher-ups to answer to that prevented him from intervening. These days he didn't have that handicap, but there was still one to get through before the slums could be rebuilt. And now, with the black puddles posing a risk of infecting their work force, the construction crews refused to rebuild that area. But it had to be done if Radiant Garden was to return to its full glory, and to get it done Leon had to work with him.

Turning away from the sight, the man in the blue coat continued down the road to Leon's home. He wouldn't allow this to go unresolved any longer. He absolutely needed to convince Leon that the restoration of the ruined sector was priority number one. And then Leon would have to convince the men. He smiled softly; he didn't envy Leon for that.

x-x-x

"Biggs! Wedge! Where the hell are you two?!"

Cid Highwind barged into the common room of Merlin's home, leaning on the cane he started using after barely surviving an encounter with Xaldin of Organization XIII a while back, and glaring at everyone in the vicinity. Merlin's house had been repaired and renovated after half of it had been quite literally crushed underfoot by a Behemoth Heartless, and was now almost twice as large as before with two additional levels to boot. Cid slammed shut the door to the basement computer room behind him.

"Hey, slowpokes! What do I pay you for?!"

The subjects of his ire were two individuals wincing under Cid's glare and shouts. Jumping up from their seats at the coffee table, the only two members of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee's technologies division stood at attention and saluted their boss. They were the only members for a reason: Cid was a nice enough guy, but it was way too easy to get on his bad side.

"S-Sorry, sir!" said the smaller of the two. Standing just slightly taller than a Moogle, Wedge's red and black hair was done up in a style that could only be described as 'onion-like'.

"It won't happen again," added Biggs beside him. In heavy contrast to Wedge, Biggs was a walking wall of a man with pale green skin and curly blond hair. Both of them were dressed in identical uniforms: Black vests with white trim and the sleeves of their blue sweaters visible underneath, plus black goggles over their eyes.

Cid groaned and rubbed his face. "I s'pose I can't fault you two for taking a coffee break when we just pulled an all-nighter…"

"Two all-nighters," Wedge said quickly.

"…but boys, we really need to figure this Claymore thing out." Cid poured himself a cup of tea and sat down at the table. Biggs and Wedge stayed standing for a few moments longer before figuring it was alright to sit back down. Cid took a sip of his tea and leaned back before continuing. "If we don't get those things back online, we can kiss our defenses goodbye. Even Leon and the gang can't be everywhere all the time."

Biggs took a bite out of a muffin, one of several that Merlin had left out that morning. "But the Heartless are practically gone now, so surely we don't need to get it done so quickly? There hasn't been a sighting of so much as a Shadow in weeks."

"Fewer don't mean gone, now does it?" Cid asked while glaring at Biggs over the rim of his teacup. "Even if the Nobodies and Unversed vanished, there's still the occasional Heartless we have to deal with. And I'm not putting anything to chance after how much damage they've done to us before."

"Not to mention Maleficent and her cronies are still out there, too," a fourth voice said. Biggs and Wedge turned around while Cid took another sip of his tea. Leon came in from the backyard, his face covered in sweat and a towel draped over his shoulders. The leader of the Restoration Committee moved over to the kitchen sink, ran his hands under the faucet, and then splashed water on his face before drying off. After picking up his jacket from a coat hanger and slipping it on, he joined Biggs, Wedge, and Cid at the table.

"Yeah, the witch is still gonna be a problem at some point down the road," Cid affirmed with a nod of his head.

Biggs took another bite of his muffin while Wedge looked nervously between Cid and Leon. "S-So, what's Maleficent like, anyway?"

"She's a witch, man! Tall, dark, and as wicked as it gets."

Leon held a bagel in his hand but didn't take a bite of it, instead opting to look over at Biggs and Wedge. After a silent moment, he turned to Cid. "Weren't you guys working on the defense system? Is that done, then?"

"Not yet. Biggs and Wedge here decided it'd be a fine time for a break." Cid smiled behind his cup. "To be honest, I kind of agree."

Leon frowned. "Are you using too much energy moving around? Should we get more assistants for you, Cid?"

"Thanks, Aerith. I'm fine." Cid rolled his eyes and pushed his cane away from him with his foot. "I still say I didn't even needthese two knuckleheads, nice as it is to have 'em around. Anyway, we'll get on that in a few."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one just talking about how we shouldn't wait and should be prepared for a more dangerous attack?"

"Yeah, but then I sat down."

Leon set his uneaten bagel back down on the platter rubbed his temples. "Cid…"

"I'm old and crippled, screw you." Cid leaned back in his chair and set his feet up on the coffee table. "Anyway, we need to grab something I left back in at Ansem's study before I can go any further. Biggs! Wedge!"

"Yes sir!" The two of them shot right back out of their seats once more with their backs straight and their arms at their sides.

"Head over to the Bastion, to Ansem the Wise's old study. There's a part from his computer room that should be sitting on the desk. If it's not on the desk, Cissnei probably knows where it is. Hop to it!" Cid shouted the last sentence, sending Biggs and Wedge scurrying toward the front door.

Leon gave Cid a sidelong glance. "Cissnei is at the castle again?"

"All day every day, feels like. No idea why, though."

"Hm…"

A loud wham followed by grunts of pain and surprise called the attention of Leon and Cid over to the front door, where Biggs was helping Wedge up to his feet as the latter rubbed his head. He had collided head-first into the door as it had swung open before Cid's assistants had reached it, and standing in front of the two of them was the familiar sight of a man with unmistakable spiky blond hair.

Cid raised his teacup in salute. "Hey, welcome back, Cloud! Back from deliveries?"

Cloud stepped out of the way as Biggs and Wedge hurried past him and sprinted off in the direction of the Gummi hangar, nearly toppling over his motorcycle parked just outside in their hurry. Deciding the bike was safe for now, Cloud closed the door and turned to face Leon and Cid with a small smile. "Hey."

"You feeling any better?" Leon asked, his eyes falling on the sleeve covering Cloud's left arm.

Under Leon's gaze Clouds hand drifted up to the sleeve and rubbed his bicep. "I'm fine, yeah," he said in his usual quiet tone.

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah." Short and to the point.

"Bullcrap." It wasn't Leon who responded, though. Tifa stood on the bottom of the stairs, her hands on her hips and a dangerous fire behind her glare directed right at Cloud. She marched down the remaining few steps and right over to Cloud, keeping that glare on him the entire time. Two small figures stayed behind her on the stairs, watching with worry.

Seeing Tifa's expression, Leon stood up and began to excuse himself, but Cid grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back down into his chair. "Front-row seats," he whispered with a grin.

Cloud was already backing up before Tifa leaned her face into his and pressed a finger against his chest. "Who said you could get out of bed?"

"The deliveries—"

"Who said, Cloud?" Cloud grimaced and looked away, so Tifa pursed her lips. "Cloud."

Cloud grabbed Tifa's hand before she could force him to look at her. "Tifa, I'm just making deliveries to people who need supplies. I can handle myself."

"You absolutely cannot!" Tifa said with a scoff. "Cloud, just because you haven't died from the Geostigma, don't pretend you're invincible. You're still sick." She reached for his sleeve, but stopped just short of pulling it up and revealing the black markings all along his arm. Cloud had caught the Geostigma a year ago while out patrolling the ruins with her and Sora, and had hidden it for weeks before it almost got them killed by Heartless. He was the only person on record to not have died from it within days, but he still was in no condition to go around riding his motorcycle. At least according to Tifa.

"It's super contagious too, Cloud. Even if you were fine—which you're not—you shouldn't go around town."

"Only if they touch the black liquid." Cloud took Tifa's hand in his and lowered it from his sleeve. "So don't pull the sleeve up, Tifa. That's also why I wear gloves."

"You are unbelievable! Get to bed, Cloud!"

"Tifa, I'm fine."

"Cloud!

"Do you think you're my mother all of a sudden?"

"If I was, maybe you'd listen to me once in a while!"

"Both of you stop it!" shouted one of the two standing on the stairs. Children. It was the girl who had spoken, a little girl who couldn't be any older than seven. Her brown braided ponytail was held back by a pink bow—Aerith's handiwork—and she was looking at the two of them with disappointment, of all things. Behind the girl, looking more nervous than disappointed, was a slightly older boy with wavy brown hair.

Tifa and Cloud had both grown silent at the girl's shout. They looked between the two children and then Tifa slowly pulled away from Cloud, though her gaze lingered on his arm before she returned to the kids. "How long have you two been there?"

"The whole time," Cid chimed in from the table. "Marlene and Denzel know when somethin's up, Tifa. Young don't mean stupid. They wanted to see the lover's quarrel, too." When Tifa shot him a glare, Cid quickly averted his gaze.

The two orphans had been taken in by Cloud and Tifa on two separate occasions, both of them having been found by Cloud out in the ruins during Radiant Garden's reconstruction after Xehanort's fall. While Marlene was physically fine—though her father's death had wounded her—Denzel had been sick when Cloud had located him, albeit not with Geostigma. The shy boy had grown attached to him, while Marlene had taken an immediate liking to Tifa and Aerith.

"Sorry," Cloud said softly, though whether to Tifa or the children no one was sure.

"Yeah, me too. We shouldn't argue in front of your kids."

"You shouldn't argue at all!" Marlene said.

"You gonna be okay, Cloud?" asked Denzel, speaking up for the first time.

Cloud gazed at Tifa for a moment and then ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'll be fine after some rest. I have more deliveries to make later today, though." Tifa frowned, but didn't say anything more and followed Cloud up to the staircase.

Marlene nodded. "Yeah, get to bed like Tifa says!" She held her arm up in front of her and grabbed her forearm. "'How are you supposed to look after your family if you can't even look after yourself?'" Lowering her arm, she grinned. "That's what Daddy always said."

"Could I come with later and ride on your bike, Cloud?" Denzel asked.

Cloud ruffled Denzel's hair with a smile as he walked past him. "We'll see." As Cloud, Tifa, and Denzel returned upstairs, Marlene lingered behind for a moment, running over to a nearby cabinet and grabbing some medicine for Cloud. Before following them upstairs, there was a knock at the door.

"Sheesh, busy day," Cid commented dryly.

"Don't get up, I'll get it!" Marlene set the medicine down and darted over to the door.

Leon picked up the bagel he had set down earlier and finally took a bite of it as Cid watched with an amused smile. "So what was wrong with it before?"

"Been a talkative morning, like you said. I'm hoping to finally have a chance to just sit down and relax," he said before taking a bite.

"Oh, Mr. Tuesti!"

Leon practically choked on the bagel as Marlene greeted the man at the door. Forcing the bite down, he turned to see the little girl talking to a smiling man with a goatee and long, blue coat.

"Now Marlene, I told you that you can just call me Reeve." Reeve Tuesti, formerly head of Radiant Garden's urban development before things turned upside-down, and currently the person Leon wanted to see the least. "By the way, I brought you a gift. Would you like it?" Reeve reached into his pocket and held out a stuffed toy, a black and white cat wearing a crown and red cape.

"Wow, a Cait Sith doll! Thank you!"

"My pleasure," Reeve said, still with that smile on his face. "Is Leon here? I'd like to speak to him."

Marlene didn't have to answer. Sighing and ignoring Cid's chuckles, Leon stood up from his chair and approached the two of them. He really didn't have anything against Reeve personally, but they butted heads on their priorities. Reeve wanted to rebuild what was still ruined, but Leon knew it was far more important to continue on what they had already built up. The people living here still had necessities that needed fixing: stable food, clean water, the defense system Cid was supposed to be working on… Still, Leon couldn't deny that Reeve had been a huge help in managing the Restoration Committee as it had grown.

Leon could also tell Reeve was trying to be his friend, but Leon wanted to keep their relationship strictly business. Reeve was a businessman first and foremost, and if Leon knew anything it was that you shouldn't trust businessmen. The way he stayed cooped up in that office instead of helping out on the field just rubbed him the wrong way, too. But a house call? That was a new move, and a bold one.

Maybe the reason Reeve felt he had a stronger connection to Leon than simply business partners was the way they had been introduced. Yuffie had introduced them, after she had met him while doing a headcount of all of the survivors in Traverse Town who were to be shipped back to Hollow Bastion following Xehanort's defeat. Something between her and Reeve seemed to click, and she was often the liaison between him and Leon.

As if Reeve had been reading Leon's mind, he spoke up. "By the way, where's Yuffie?"

x-x-x

Akademeia, founded by Ansem the Wise, had been the pride of Radiant Garden during the golden age. The most prestigious school in the world, its students were the best, the brightest, and more often than not the richest. In addition to academics, the academy also featured a broad array of subjects ranging from Chocobo care to magic use, and many of its graduates went on to work at the Bastion. Professor Even himself was said to have graduated here from the top of his class, and he still taught the occasional class in the years leading up to the fall.

So of course, as such an important location, Akademeia was one of the first priorities when reconstruction began, something both Leon and Reeve had agreed on. Of course, under the current circumstances, its previous elite status was both diminished and irrelevant. Children of all ages attended now, and with social class something that hadn't quite recovered yet in the city, it wasn't something exclusive to the best, brightest, and richest either. But still it was there. It was familiar. It was a vision of hope for Radiant Garden's future.

And it was boring.

Yuffie groaned and rested her head against her desk, not even bothering to pretend to be paying attention as the teacher at the front of the class rambled on and on about something boring, she didn't care. She didn't even care enough to ask to copy Deuce's notes after class. This was boring, the uniform was itchy, and wearing skirts sucked. School sucked.

Screw Leon for forcing me to come here. 'Proper education' my ass, I don't need that to fight Heartless.

"Miss Kisaragi!"

Yuffie's eyes shot open and she sat up straight. "Uh, the answer is thirty-two!" Light laughter rippled up among the class and she looked to her right to see Rem and Trey, the two who sat at the same desk as her, shaking their heads.

"If I had asked you a math question, it probably still wouldn't be thirty-two," the teacher said. Yuffie slunk down in her chair, her shoulders slumping. Oh great, so not only was she bored but now she had made a fool of herself. She'd take the opportunity to turn this on its head and earn her place as the class clown, but Leon had already gotten on her case about it the last two times.

"Miss Kisaragi, I know this school is not as elite as it once was, and I know you are one of the heroes of the Restoration Committee, but do not expect special treatment! If you are not going to respect the fine tradition of Akademeia then you will see me after class. Am I clear?"

Yuffie sighed and picked up a pencil. "Sure, right. You're clear."

"Good. Now, back to what I was saying, kupo…" As Mr. Moglin floated back to the board and tapped against it, Yuffie sighed and glanced over at Deuce's notes beside her.

One eternity later, the bell finally rang. Yuffie shot out of her seat and grabbed her bag so quickly she was like a blur to everyone else in the class. She shot out of that fancy, stuffy red room and dashed down the equally fancy, stuffy, and red hallway toward the entrance lobby of the school. While equally fancy, the lobby was lacking the stuffy and the red, which was a plus. Its floor was polished to an obscene degree though, and as students made their way to the front entrance it was almost like Yuffie was seeing double with the way it reflected.

Normally Yuffie would be the first one out those gates, speeding back to Merlin's house to get out of this freakin' itchy uniform and back into her regular attire, but a familiar face caught her eye in the crowd. Or rather, a familiar back of the head. Sneaking up on her prey with a toothy grin and slapped him in the back of his spiky blond head.

"Gah, hey! Yuffie?!"

Yuffie laughed and wrapped her arm over Ventus's shoulder, though Ven would probably argue that it was more like a headlock than any friendly gesture. "Ven! Great to see you, kid! Hey, come with me." Still keeping her arm on him, she steered the Keybearer toward a flight of stairs

"Uh, Yuffie? The exit is back there."

"Yup!" Yuffie flashed another grin. "Ven, I'm your senior right?"

Ven answered slowly. "…You're in the class above me, yeah."

"That's right. And as my junior, you get to buy me a cup of coffee!"

Welcome everyone to On the Way to a Smile! This is a series of stories I have been making since August of 2013, starting with Remember the Tides and followed by The Tides Go Out. If you're new, you should definitely start by reading those. I apologize for TTGO being so long, I should have split it into two, but that's the past. Smile most likely won't be nearly as long.

As with TTGO, I'm going to start things off a little slowly with a couple chapters to set everything up and ease us into the action. A lot has changed on Hollow Bastion in a year, least of all its name changing back! Oh, and Lea won't be the only main character, but he's the only one who's appeared in KH so the only one FFN lets me pick.

And just a bit of trivia if you guys haven't played Final Fantasy Type-0 for PS4. Akademeia is the school featured in that game and Yuffie's classmates are the main cast. And Biggs and Wedge are the versions from FF14.

Lastly, the cover art was made by Hisui-no-Afurika.