a/n; Despite all the things I should be doing, I'm taking up yet another challenge, one that should be very familiar to you all: WishingDreamer5's Hollow Bastion theme challenge. I know there's plenty of these out there, so I'll try my best to make this one unique. And here's something new: regular updates! I'm thinking every Tuesday.

I hope you all like the Restoration Committee, because I certainly do. Despite this, I don't own them, or Kingdom Hearts, or much copyrighted material, really.

01. restoration.

"Welcome home."

The statement is quiet, almost unheard. She glances sideways over at her companion - his face is set, emotionless, a muscle in his jaw jumping. He surveys the landscape silently, stormy blue eyes darting back and forth in a routine manner.

The irony stings, but there's some truth in it. The Radiant Garden was their home, their everything. How many hours had they spent here, how many carefree moments had they shared? Numbers didn't matter now, because it had all gone to waste.

Hollow Bastion. That's its new name, and it fit - the beautiful architecture had been reduced to rubble, all covered with a thin dusting of blue earth. The remnants of Ansem's castle had been warped and twisted, and the once luxurious towers had collapsed, various parts hanging by threads. All of the water still flows eagerly, as if greeting its former friends, but all of the channels had been destroyed, leading to puddles and pools among the ruins. It's familiar in a sad way.

"We just have a lot of work to do," Yuffie quips from the other side of him, rocking forward on her heels. "It's still home."

Looking over the treacherous scene, it's hard to agree, but Aerith always found a way. "It needs a little fixing, that's all."

Behind them, the hatch to the cockpit of the Gummi ship sprang open, and with it, a billow of smoke. Cid emerged from the cloud, coughing and waving the air from his face. "Holy hell, that was awesome!" he said with a grin, jumping down onto the gravel with surprising grace. His face was smeared with soot and grease. "Engine decided to overheat after you all left - guess the ol' Highwind doesn't take too kindly t' long trips, huh?"

Upon noticing the grim looks on all of their faces, Cid's expression fades. He looks past them, summing up the world quickly. "So this is what we have to work with."

"Only sort of," Leon says, kicking away a chunk of a wall near his boot. "Nothing here is inhabitable but Villain's Vale, so we have to rough it there for a few months, or at least until we can get a house to serve as the headquarters. Merlin should be coming to help soon."

"Let me get this straight," Cid grumbled, grinding his toothpick between his molars. "We have to camp out in that damn witch's castle until that old coot of a wizard can fix something up for us?"

Upon Leon's nod of confirmation, Cid lets out a groan.

"Well, it's not much," he mutters, "and it's almost broken beyond repair but it's home."

"It's our home," Aerith murmurs, "and no one's ever going to change that again."