Now was the time to relax. The world was safe, for the time being, and it was time to celebrate Halloween at the Disney Castle. This was one of the first years you'd been invited to the majestic palace and you were ecstatic! It'd taken Sora and Riku seemingly forever to get back from their Mark of Mastery Exam and they had surprised you and Kairi with this shindig. Neither of you even dreamed of declining the offer.

Kairi watched you leer at the towering white walls and glimmering ceilings, as though it were leaking out little spurts of Light. She giggled as your eyes popped out of their sockets.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She commented. You nodded vigorously.

"I can't believe we're actually here!" You cried. You had been stuck on that island for so long; you had known few castles other than the ones from your childish picture books.

It was like the first time you'd seen The World that Never Was - fascinating and a bit scary all at the same time (even though the feel of this one was more benevolent than the last). The size in general put you in a state of awe, but you couldn't help but try to estimate how many large, unused rooms filled the floors of the place. You made a note to not get caught exploring each and every one of them.

Riku came to your side, pushing your jaw back up with his index finger. "You've seen nothing yet," he told you. His head bobbed towards the castle's entrance, where a figure stood in a black cloak. Normally, you'd seen this countenance standing tall and proud - or perhaps cocky was the better word for it. Now, it seemed a bit jittery and nervous. It would stand still for only a moment at a time, and kept stroking the red hair that stretched from its head.

"Axel." You barely even breathed it, yet the head turned your way as if you'd called out to it.

"It's Lea now," was all he said to you. He couldn't seem to utter anymore, or even give you the smile that you thought would be gone forever. So many questions filled your throat and mouth, soaring to a sky that quickly turned into a glass ceiling; Lea knew what you wanted to ask - could practically see the words getting stuck behind your teeth - but didn't acknowledge them. The others headed inside and Lea went with them. You followed at a distance, wondering what you'd done to deserve that reaction.

...

The party was later that evening, and Kairi had come to help you into your dress. It was a pretty little thing: black and smooth, hugging your curves up until the tips of your thighs. There, it flared out to caress the contrasting tiles and shimmered with tiny silver sequins along the edges. The top half had little straps traveling diagonally up your shoulders and the back dipped very low. Dozens of little lace straps needed connecting along your spine, and Kairi was helping tie them up into cute little bows. She also aided you in putting your hair up into a tight bun. Though you were in front of a mirror, you couldn't stop staring out the window beside you. The midnight sky was as lavish as the castle, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of twinkling stars. They didn't dance or mingle; they just sat quietly, watching over the worlds below with blinking interest.

"Are you alright?" Kairi finally asked, realizing that you weren't listening to her compliments on your attire. You glanced back. She wore a simple peach sundress with blue sashes along the waist and edges. You felt a bit overdressed next to the walking sunset, but loved the way the little black thing made you feel.

"Yeah, I'm alright," you lied. Kairi gave a half smile - she always knew when you were fibbing.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just..." It'd be no use lying to her. You sighed. "I thought he'd be happier to see me. Or maybe I'm not as happy to see him. I don't know. I'm just...confused."

"You looked pretty happy to me." Kairi tied the last bow and met your eyes in the mirror. "Are you nervous because he's a complete person now?"

You recalled the story from the other boys. He was "complete" now, with a heart and everything. Instantly, your head started shaking. "No, not at all! I've always thought of him as a person. Aside from the tattoos, he doesn't look any different than before he..." Died caught in your throat. You swallowed it back and moved on. "It's nothing like that. He's just acting different than he used to. He hasn't looked at me since we got to the castle."

"You may need to get your eyes checked." Kairi gave you a kind smile and tried to push you out of the door before you could question her. "Now, let's go join the party. This is supposed to be a fun night!"

Drink in hand, you were exploring the gardens outside of the party. The event was extravagant, you supposed, complete with a large golden ballroom and sparkling silver streamers, etc. But the beauty didn't make you feel all that better about Axel/Lea. He had avoided you the entire party (more or less) and averted his eyes each time you tried to approach him. You become more and more downtrodden as the night went on. You had been so looking forward to catching up with him - to finding out how he'd come back to life in the first place. Why didn't he want to speak with you? Did you do something to him before he -?

You take another sip from the glass in your hand. It wasn't alcoholic of course (nothing like some of the adults on the island would carry in small wooden jugs), but the bubbles made your head tingle nonetheless. You took another sip and another and another. You hoped that its delicious, apple pie-like taste would make you feel better as it settled in your stomach. You soon found that it did nothing for you except offer the start of a sugary stomachache. You stopped sipping and walked on.

You came up to a hedge shaped like the King's regal head, laughing at the iconic image. The gesture was forced more so than you thought your voice was capable of. Your smile may have been that of a joker's as tears started parading down your cheeks. You asked yourself what the hell was wrong as you wiped the liquid off your face, but knew it was pointless to wonder. You were a woman, inherently emotional and devastated when the person you cared for most did little but turn his head in your direction. There wasn't much you could change about it, either.

"Hey." The voice startled you quite a bit. You turned to it and dropped your glass. Lea shoved his hands into the slacks beneath his cloak. He saw your face and something in his eyes changed, the emeralds melting into two big puddles of...well, honestly, you were too much of a mess that you couldn't finish the thought.

"Sorry," you finally muttered, brushing away the leftover streams on your cheeks. "Um, did the others need something?"

Lea stared at you for a moment more and then swiftly came to you. He pulled you into his arms and pressed his lips to yours. His gloved hands tugged on your neck, making you stumble around between his elbows. You wanted to enjoy the kiss, but you had to get over your dizziness first. It took a moment, but Lea's lips was patient. He waited until you were properly oriented and deepened the embrace. Your hands shivered a bit as they rose to his sides. You wondered if he was going to vanish beneath your fingers - as if he'd never truly existed in the first place. To your relief, he was very real and warm.

It took some time for him to pull away. He seemed to really like the kiss when you got more into it, but knew that some words were hovering on your lips. His eyelids opened slightly to stare at you with awe and desire. You were trapped in them for a moment; you remembered that look from a time before, but it had been a thousand moonless cycles, it seemed. Those eyes could still manage to make you want to drop to your knees.

"Lea," you whispered. "Why haven't you been talking to me? Why won't you tell me what happened?" He hushed you with his voice and his prodding lips.

"Not now," he breathed. "I don't want to talk about it now." He resumed the kiss and you wondered if it was worth it to pull back. You didn't after a second, letting his warmth spread over your teeth and tongue and cheeks. When he pulled back, you spoke again.

"I thought you'd changed. I thought you didn't want to see me."

"I just couldn't talk," Lea said. He was finally straight and serious, pulling away from the temptation of your mouth. "I didn't even know if you still wanted to see me. You could've found another guy for all I know." He chuckled, hiding beneath it a troubled grimace. "Plus, a lot has happened since I saw you last."

"Like what?"

Lea gave a small laugh. "You'd think I'd murdered someone with that look!" You let your expression fall, embarrassed. "Look, it's nothing too bad. I just...have some things to take care of soon."

"Does that mean you'll be leaving again?" You tried to control your hope this time; you tried to sound cool and collected. It probably didn't work, but he gave you a cocky grin.

"Yeah. Those two block-heads inside can't save the world without my help." He winked. You gave a smile, but by his sigh it wasn't convincing, either. "Look, if you still want this glorious thing that is me, then I promise that you'll be the first person I come to see when I get back. Hey." He tapped your forehead. "You're the only thing I ever wanted, with a heart or otherwise. Got it memorized? I'll always be coming back to sweep you off of your feet."

Your smile was real this time, but Lea couldn't help pulling it into his arrogant grin again. You had more questions, more wonders about what journeys he expected to go on next, but that could wait a while. You were just happy to have him sweeping off of your feet again.