A/N-*peeks out from under her box* I'm baaaaaaaaack. This one's going on free lance updates so please don't expect any anytime soon as I'm mostly working on my non-fic works. In case you didn't see the title, this is a sequel! So, if you haven't read the first one, you might want to or this is going to be a hot mess of confusion. (I'll put in a link here somewhere). Anyway, I'll just let you get to it. Maybe if I feel like it this one will have some romance but we'll see! I honestly have no idea where this is going to go! :O Read and enjoy my lovely readers. Until I update! (Hopefully within the next month...)

ALSO, huge disclaimer going out to the entire series because I love my blanket statements. I do not own Kingdom Hearts, any of the Final Fantasy Games, nor any of the music (save for physical copies but that's not the rights!) It's an original story with some plot points paralleling some Disney/Final Fantasy story lines. I do not own the originals. This is a work of fiction meant for enjoyment of others and it is not being sold/promoted for sales in anyway. All characters and themes mentions belong to their rightful owners. Thanks!


Prequel: Twilight Soldier, Radiant Knight. Enter the following after the basic website name or just go to my profile and find it there. :)

s/9403715/1/Twilight-Soldier-Radiant-Knight


It rained that day. Hard. I remember watching from my window as the drops cascaded onto the streets below, drenching the stone with molecules of liquid. Gutters were filled to the brim and ran like rivers down to the water ways. It washed away anything in sight. Leaves. Grass. Sand.

But not the pain.

I was twelve. Only two years had passed since we decided to take on our quest. I wasn't ready yet. When it happened, there was a brief moment where I thought I would never be ready. I was supposed to set out and destroy something that couldn't be touched by man. I guess you could almost call it a god. But it had to be done. It had to, or the rest of the worlds would suffer the same fate.

The rain continued with no end. Cushions next to me sank, followed by a heavy sigh. I could feel his gaze on me and our eyes met for a brief moment. I didn't need to see to find the pain in his vacant orbs. I pull him into my lap, wrapping my arms around his head. There he cries himself to sleep, yet it wasn't grief. It was fear. Fear for our home, our people, our world. All worlds. I vowed I would train harder and defeat the impossible. How, I wasn't sure.

I look out the window again. One less light in the sky. I couldn't see the change yet I could feel it radiating through my soul on that day, the day it rained.

The day Sin destroyed the Enchanted Domain.

What remained was a valley of twisted thorns consumed with emerald flames. They had no warning and no way to survive. I couldn't see the damage myself, but I could feel the extent of it from the stories I heard of those who dared to venture out to the begotten world. Soon, summoners were sprouting from the darkest delves of the worlds to defeat the entity that had caused the deaths of so many. So many failed, so many died. Why were we even going to try? Because I believe we have something more to our band of guardians and our summoner. Something that would destroy Sin for good.

I only hoped I was right.

XxXxX

Axel pressed closer to the edge of the building, his pulse racing in his heaving chest as he attempted to suppress any excess noise. His eyes glanced around the side of the house to find the street empty. Fingers tightened their grip on his weapon. 'Where are you?' he asked silently.

Axel turned at a sudden noise and his face was hit with a very squishy orange. The man spluttered and wiped the rotten fruit from his features. His eyes glared at the assailant, sending daggers through his acid green gaze. Roxas was in a fit of laughter as he made a mad dash away from the scene. Axel grinned darkly, his fingers digging into his weapon to the point juice began dripping off of his fingers. He darted after the blonde, eager to return the favor.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Axel roared. Roxas merely cackled over his shoulder. The blonde turned a corner and was knocked off his feet by a flying watermelon crashing into his collar bone. Roxas tumbled head over heel in a mess of smashed watermelon until he landed on his stomach, juice seeping through his shirt. Axel took the opportunity to leap onto the blonde and pin him to the ground. Roxas squirmed as the red head held the younger in a headlock.

"Get off!" Roxas shouted, trying to butt Axel's face with the back of his head.

"Suffer," Axel hissed. He pressed his occupied hand into Roxas's face, smothering the blonde with a juicy papaya. Roxas coughed and spat out the seeds as the pulp ran down his face. Axel was quick on his feet, leaping from the blonde and dashing down the street before Roxas had a chance to wipe his dripping features. The soldier smirked and shoved himself to his feet, keeping a close eye on the red head. He watched Axel pick up a bunch of bananas from one of the buckets placed around the streets. As Roxas ran by, he frowned at the empty bucket but continued after his target without slowing.

"You are so not winning!" Roxas taunted. Axel laughed and flung the bananas one at a time over his shoulder towards Roxas, missing horribly. His heel suddenly slid forward without warning as his foot hit a large puddle of pineapple juice. Axel yelped as he fell backwards, landing heavily on his back. The air was knocked from his lungs which momentarily dazed him.

"Fire!" he heard the triplets shouted. Axel threw up his arms as he was assaulted with a hoard of mixed berries as the fruit rained from the sky. Roxas chuckled as Axel was pelted with the tiny fruits. He locked his legs to slide to a halt, but the juicy streets cut back on the friction. Roxas felt his heart leap into his throat as he kept sliding.

"Oh, shit!" he cried as his ankles slammed into Axel and he collapsed on the red head with a thud. His nose was filled with pineapple juice and berry seeds. There was an exchange of high fives between the triplets.

"Bullseye!" they all cried, laughing. Roxas pushed himself off of Axel only to have his palm slip and he fell back down, his face landing on the remnants of an orange. The triplets lost it completely, doubling over in wild fits of laughter. Axel shoved Roxas off of him and scooped up the pulpy remains of a melon, flinging it at the siblings. The trio attempted to scatter but ran into each other. Melon splattered all over them, staining their clothes and hair. Axel grinned triumphantly, berry juice running down his face.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned on instinct to receive a face full of mango. The smile on his face slid downward with the juice. Roxas ran off laughing so hard he could scarcely breathe. Axel ran to the nearest bucket and grabbed the entire thing. He began chucking kiwis at the blonde's back, the fruits bouncing off harmlessly. Axel frowned as his hand reached for a fruit only to find juice. He was out of ammo and finding descent fruit to use was getting harder and harder to scavenge.

A loud chime rang out through the streets followed by cheers. Axel and Roxas slowed to a halt, their chests heaving from running nearly all morning. Their eyes shot upwards as fireworks were launched in the sky, celebrating another year in Disney Town. The pair was stained head to toe in various fruit juices, pulp and seeds from the day's battle. Their skin was sticky to the touch and their mouths tasted of fruit salad. Axel's hair was plastered to his neck while Roxas's was swept even more to the side than usual.

The red head sauntered over to Roxas with the bucket tucked under his arm. Roxas turned and smiled at his friend, still breathless from running. Axel smirked mischievously.

"You missed a spot," he commented. Roxas gave him a puzzled look before Axel dumped the juicy contents of the bucket over the blonde's head. Roxas froze as he was drenched in fruit juice. When the initial shock was over, he wiped the pulp from his face and licked his lips.

"Mmm, cherry," the blonde said sarcastically. Axel burst out laughing, clutching the bucket to his stomach. He was tackled from behind by the triplets, grunting as they assaulted his legs with hugs.

"Axel!" they cried happily as they fought to reach the tall man's shoulders.

"Hey, squirts," the red head replied. He tossed his bucket to Roxas who set it aside on the road. Axel tried not to move so he wouldn't knock the tiny climbers from his body. "Let's go get you cleaned up for your uncle. I'm sure he's waiting for you."

"Aw!" the siblings complained in unison. Roxas couldn't help but chuckle at the four in front of him. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were Donald's nephews who had come to taking a liking with the Traverse Town pair. It was their first fruit fight, as they were only five, but Axel and Roxas were determined to make sure they had fun since they were deemed honorary "uncles" to the triplets. They were never told why but the elder pair had a feeling it had something to do with their real uncle being quite the stick in the mud. All three sported their family genes of fair skin and white hair. The only way to tell them apart was by their favorite colors: Huey's was red, Dewey's was blue, and Louie's was green. Otherwise, they were practically impossible to tell apart.

Roxas plucked Louie, the quieter one, from Axel's back and plopped him on his own shoulders. The tiny boy tangled his fingers in the man's sticky blonde locks and started creating a new hairstyle for his "uncle". Huey and Dewey fought over the honors of who was going to sit on Axel's shoulders. The red head laughed and placed a triplet on each side to appease them. Huey and Dewey stuck out their tongues at each other, each handing tightly onto Axel's crimson locks so they wouldn't fall.

"Be nice, guys," Axel warned with a darker tone. The pair on his shoulders muttered their apologizes before they turned their attention to fiddling with Axel's hair. Huey was spiking it up as high as it would go while Dewey twisted it into a braid, the fruit juice acting like hairspray. The two men started to make their way back to the main courtyard where the triplet's uncle was surely waiting for his nephews.

"Uncle Roxas, are you guys leaving after this?" Louie asked quietly. Roxas was about to look up at the boy until he remembered he was playing with his hair. Instead, he sighed softly.

"Sorry, squirt. We have to get back to Traverse Town before we head over to Hollow Bastion to meet with the King tomorrow," Roxas explained.

"Aw!" the trio whined. They weren't the least bit excited their favorite "uncles" were leaving on a long trip.

"Don't worry; we'll be back next year!" Axel promised with a grin. The boys cheered, already planning what they were going to do at the next fruit fight. Roxas exchanged glances with his friend and they each rolled their eyes as they barely contained their laughter.

As they entered the main courtyard, they were greeted with a bark. Pluto bounded over to them and ran around their legs, barking excitedly at their arrival. His paws were stained various colors from running over the juice stained streets. Axel scratched his old friend on the top of his head, receiving a happy tail wag from Pluto. Roxas steered their course over to the bemused looking Donald, who stood off to the side with his lovely wife Daisy. Donald had adopted his nephews when their parents were killed in the war against Xemnas. He knew he could never replace their fun-loving parents, as he was typically a stoic man, but he did his best to raise the triplets. Daisy did her best as well to be a loving and caring mother, but she was an attendant to Queen Minnie which meant her days were long and mostly spent at the Castle.

Upon their approach, Donald gave the group a nod. "I see you had fun today," the mage noted.

"Uncle Donald!" the triplets cried. They jumped off their respected rides and raced over to their uncle, hugging the man's legs and quickly staining his pants. Donald's jaw twitched but he let the notion slide. Daisy giggled and motioned for the boys to leave their uncle alone.

"Boys!" she scolded with a gentle smile. "Leave your uncle alone until we get you cleaned up." The triplets gave their usual "aw" but obliged their adopted mother. Daisy was always smartly dressed in either a suit or a dress of some sort. Her short white hair was messy but in a stylish way, the back curling up like a ducktail.

"Thanks for letting us join this year," Roxas stated with a bright smile. The mage gave him a respectful nod.

"But of course. We normally don't let in outsiders to our festivities but to us you're family, not to mention Disney adores you for how you helped save our world," Donald replied. "The King will always welcome you back to Disney with open arms. If you find yourselves needing a bit of reprieve, do come to us and we will do what we can to help," the mage offered.

"Thanks. That means a lot," Roxas accepted.

Huey broke off from his brothers and tugged on his uncle's pant leg. "Uncle Donald? Where are they going?" the tiny boy asked.

"They're going to help a friend," Donald replied, cracking a tiny smile as he peered down at his nephew.

"With what?" Dewey wondered, not understanding why his favorite "uncles" weren't going to visit for the next year.

"We're going to go fight monsters!" Axel exclaimed, striking an over exuberant pose. Excitement built in the triplet's eyes.

"We want to go! Please?!" the triplets begged, tugging at their uncle's pants. Donald sighed and rolled his eyes.

"No. You're far too young to be battling real monsters," the mage rebutted. "If you're so keen on fighting, go pester Max or Pluto." Pluto let out a happy bark at the mention of his name, but the boys pouted as their fun was spoiled, once again, but their stoic uncle.

Axel knelt down and ruffled the triplet's hair. "Aw, don't be sad. We'll go fight the monsters for you," he reassured them. "Just remember to listen to your uncle while we're gone. It's a good thing his hair's already white." Donald frowned heavily while Daisy broke into a fit of giggles.

"Come on, you sap. Naminé's waiting for us back home," Roxas reminded. "We need to go get cleaned up and say good-bye to the King still, remember?" Axel sighed and waved his hand to dismiss the thought as he rose to his feet. Roxas turned to the trio by Donald's legs. "Be good and listen to your uncle now."

"We will," the triplets promised. Roxas smiled and knelt down, opening his arms wide. The boys ran into them and crushed the blonde with their hugs. Roxas hugged them back equally as tight.

"What? No love for me?" Axel teased. The triplets quickly darted over to Axel and he scooped them up in a large hug. "I'll miss you tykes!" Roxas stood while the red head set the boys back on the ground. They gave the mage and his wife small bows before heading for the showers up in the castle.

"Bye!" the triplets cried together. Axel looked over his shoulder and shot the boys a wink.

"Can you believe those three are growing up so fast?" Roxas commented. Axel turned forward and folded his hands behind his head. "Two years ago they were barely past our knees."

"My knees maybe. Yours…not so much," Axel teased. Roxas gave his friend a shove, earning a loud bark of laughter from the taller of the pair. "Can you believe it's already been three years? We've hardly seen anyone outside of Traverse Town, Destiny Islands and Disney. Do you think the others are doing alright?" Axel mused.

"Zexion's probably shitting his pants but Ienzo should be excited. Any word from Demyx?" Roxas looked up to the elder man's face to see Axel frown.

"No, but he'll turn up. He wouldn't let us down."

"If you say so," the blonde muttered. Axel clasped a hand on his friend's shoulder to reassure him.

"Trust me. He won't run off with all of us counting on him. Now let's get a move on! Adventure is out there waiting for us! Let's answer the call and run off to our destinies!" the red head exclaimed. Roxas shoved Axel away, earning another loud peal of laughter from his friend.

XxXxX

Ienzo inhaled deeply before letting it slowly escape his lungs. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the day they were gathering to stop Sin. The teen opened his pale eyes and stared at the empty mirror he couldn't see in front of him. He could make out the reflection of his light and dark energy, but that was all. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously, a nervous habit he probably picked up from Axel during the small bit of time they spent together after the war. Since then, he had only been to Traverse Town once to visit his friends, but that was over two years ago.

'Will they still recognize me?' Ienzo wondered. He hadn't meant to stay away so long. His training was vigorous and as he was next in line for the throne, he was learning as much as his brother about royalty, ruling over a world, and being a public figure in the eyes of the galaxies. So much had changed in three years and the teen wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

The sound of his bedroom door opening echoed behind him but he didn't bother to turn. "I know I'm ready, but I still have the right to be nervous," he called out, his voice cracking. He heard a soft chuckle followed by footsteps. His reflection was joined by one that was dimmer, made more of darkness than light. He felt a chin rest on one shoulder while an arm snake around his back to clasp onto the other.

"And I have the right to worry," Zexion replied. Ienzo smiled softly. The chin left its perch as well as the hand. He felt his brother fiddle idly with the tips of his hair. "When did you get so tall?" Zexion wondered.

"I'm thirteen!" Ienzo shot back. "I'm supposed to be tall." Zexion chuckled, amused with his brother's bold nature. The younger sibling was still short, as he only came up to the King's collar bone, but he was still growing. In fact, Zexion wondered if his younger brother would one day outgrow him. What he lacked in stature, he made up for in ferocity. Ienzo was a lot more outgoing than his timid brother most likely do to what happened back in the war. It didn't bother Zexion but the teen's language, when he wasn't in the presence of people of high social stature, was another story entirely.

"We should go get some breakfast," Zexion suggested.

"I don't know if I can stomach anything," the teen admitted. Ienzo felt the hand cup his cheek and a kiss was placed on the top of his forehead.

"You'll need your strength. What would the others say if you passed out on the first day?" Ienzo rolled his eyes. He was used to Zexion worrying about him, but as he grew older he found the gesture to be more of an annoyance.

"Alright, mother. Lead the way to the breakfast table." Zexion chuckled and put his arm around his brother's shoulders. Then he steered the blind teen towards the kitchen, butterflies racing in both of their stomachs as the final hours ticked away before they would be separated once again.

XxXxX

Roxas let the hot spray hit his face. It felt good and he had no idea when his next shower would be as he wasn't planning on taking one in the morning. He could hear Axel in the stall next to him, humming various tunes as the man scrubbing the sticky sweetness from his body. The edges of the blonde's lips curled up and he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of peaceful solitude. He heard the bathhouse door open, followed by the distinctive click of nails against the floorboards. Pluto gave a welcoming bark to the pair in the stalls.

"Hey, we're coming!" Axel shouted, turning off the water. Roxas grinned and turned off his own shower, pulling the fluffy towel from the hook. He dried his pink skin and ran the towel through his damp hair before wrapping it around his waist. Roxas stepped out of his stall almost at the exact moment Axel did. Their eyes met for a moment and Axel frowned.

"What?" Roxas asked, worry starting to gnaw at his stomach.

"It's starting to show again," Axel muttered. Roxas picked up a piece of his limp hair and checked the ends. Sure enough, they were turning a bright shade of pink. Given enough time to grow, they would turn into a fiery red that would match Axel's own hair. Roxas features fell as his self-esteem deflated in an instant. Being brought back to life by Kingdom Hearts was as much as a curse as it was a blessing. As Axel was the one that revived him, Roxas was bound to the elder like valet to a master.

Beyond the bonds of Kingdom Hearts, there were physical signs of Roxas's connection to Axel. His hair was still bright blonde but if it grew out long enough it would turn red, which meant Roxas was constantly trimming it because he liked his hair on the longer side. His right eye never fully recovered from the change from when he was controlled by Kingdom Hearts as well. The left was his normal cerulean blue while the right was teal, blue and green mixing together. Luckily, Roxas had been cut free when he did or the damage would have been more extensive. The changes in his features didn't bother Roxas at first, but the longer he dealt with it, the more it started to nag at him he wasn't fully himself anymore. Even though Kingdom Hearts had been broken apart again, he was still haunted with the fact he owed his life to his friend and every day he was reminded of it.

The worst side effect wasn't a visible one. Roxas could feel Axel's every emotion but not the other way around. If Axel cut himself, Roxas would hiss as his finger stung, although no blood would be drawn. The physical pain wasn't as potent as the emotions, particularly the raw emotions such as joy, rage and sorrow, which Roxas was grateful for. It made fighting easier since he could simply ignore the dull aches and pains that didn't truly exist. Axel knew of Roxas's condition and was ever mindful of what he was doing or feeling to prevent the blonde from suffering more than he had to. Yet it was hard for the elder to be mindful of what he was doing or feeling every second of the day, so he found himself constantly checking on Roxas to make sure he was alright.

One exciting piece of news they discovered while sparring one day was the Shards of Kingdom Hearts were still connected. They could exchange power between them, so long as both Shards acknowledged the trade. It became a useful tool while Roxas and Axel trained for their upcoming expedition. Naminé also took advantage of this as she worked hard to grow stronger, her quest to join her friends in helping Demyx undeterred.

Roxas sighed and let his hair drop. "I'll have to have Nam trim it before we leave," he muttered. Axel nodded stiffly. He could tell Roxas was feeling down, but the elder could never quite figure out how to cheer up the blonde. Roxas was still the same as the day they first met, yet Axel didn't need a special connection to tell his friend was torn up inside. He felt it had something to do with bringing the Twilight Soldier back to life but whenever Axel brought up the topic Roxas would simply tip-toe around it.

The pair silently went to the changing room and pulled on their spare pair of clothes they had brought with. Then they headed farther into the Castle, Pluto happily jogging along beside them. Upon reaching the King's office, they were greeted with the doors swinging open wide to reveal the royalty himself. Mickey broke out into a broad smile and embraced each of the boys in turn. Then he looked each of them over with a pleased countenance.

"I'm going to miss seeing you both," Mickey stated, his smile turning sad.

"We'll be home by next year," Axel replied. "Well, hopefully by next year." Mickey's smile faded.

"I hope you're right. Many summoners have perished already these past months while others who have started their journey years ago still have not found the answer they seek to defeat the almighty Sin. I urge caution on you all and I will pray for your safety," the King said, giving them a bow of his head.

"Thanks, Mickey," Roxas said softly. "If I can, I'll try and relay information to you via TwiT."

The King's shoulders relaxed a bit as a smile poked at the corners of his lips. "That would be wonderful, provided we can manage to decode it," Mickey joked. The pair of soldiers chuckled, remembering back to when it took Chip and Dale over seven hours to decode a message while Roxas did it in about seven seconds. Since then, the King made sure his Intell force brushed up on all of the codes, both new and old in case the situation ever came up again. Mickey's bright smile returned as he spotted Donald approaching with his nephews, now clean of their fruity mess, bounding along behind him. Daisy was no longer with her husband, presumably now with the Queen, but Goofy followed the triplets, giving a big wave to the Traverse Town pair.

"Hey!" the Commander called with his trademark grin. "Don't think you're getting away without a goodbye!" Axel and Roxas chuckled.

"We wouldn't dream of it," Roxas shot back. Goofy beamed. He scooped Roxas off of the ground and crushed him in a gut wrenching hug. The blonde felt the air squeeze out of his lungs.

"I'm going to miss you guys!" Goofy cried.

"Don't kill him," Donald requested, sending his partner a dark look. Goofy set Roxas down, the blonde gasping as his lungs expanded gratefully. The Commander then crushed Axel in a hug, although the red head was tall enough to keep his feet on the ground. Donald shook hands with the Traverse Town pair, giving them his wishes. The triplets clung to their "uncles'" legs, begging them not to leave for so long. Donald cast them a glare and the trio sadly went over to their uncle.

"Be sure to give my regards to Zexion," Mickey brought up.

"Will do," Roxas agreed. Axel and Roxas stepped away from the group and pounded their shoulders. Their gleaming armor materialized into view, weapons polished at their sides. The armor had changed design over the years as they felt the need to change out of their old suits. They reminded them too much of the war.

Roxas's was much more sharp, although the colors remained practically the same. The base color was black with white and pale yellow accents to give the features more definition. The fingers of his gauntlets were pointed almost to lethal tips, his elbows had three inch spikes on them to stab assailants who attacked from behind and his boots rose up past his knees in the front in a sharp point to match the elbows. Instead of a helm, as Roxas found it rather warm to fight in for long periods of time, he had a plated hood he could throw back when needed. The hood retracted into the back plating of his armor as Roxas quickly found out the loose hood was easy for anyone to grab ahold of while fighting. The soldier's earrings were staggered black and white: two studs and a ring on the upper cartilage, and a short chain on a stud on the lower lobe. They were also staggered black and white per side, so where his right side had a black chain the left had a white.

Axel's armor also took on a black hue, although his was accented with deep scarlet and silver. The chest piece was mostly red with ebony flames etched down the man's sides. Behind his legs was a black and red half-skirt held up on his waist by a heavy belt. It was open in the front and had a large split up the back so it could flare out when needed. The fabric was flame retardant to withstand the man's fire, although he could disconnect the belt to lose the extra weight when needed. Axel still had his staple black lip ring, but he also sported three jagged metal loops on the upper cartilage of his ears. His hair remained loose around his shoulders, which nearly covered the heavy metal choker around his neck made from platinum.

The triplets gaped at the pair's armor, which quickly turned to begging their uncle for cool armor of their own. Donald shushed them while the soldiers gave their final farewells to the King. Then the King escorted the pair out to the courtyard while the mage struggled to usher his nephews elsewhere. Goofy chuckled at his partner's struggles so he scooped up the boys in his arms, much to the boys' protests, and carried them off after Donald.

Mickey continually glanced at the soldiers as they made their way outside. He had grown to love each of them like sons, as he had no children of his own, and the last thing he wanted to see was for them to perish like so many others before Sin. Once outside, Roxas drew his swords. It took close to a year before the blonde was able to revert his swords back from their Keyblade form. It wasn't that Roxas didn't mind fighting with them, he just rather not repeat what happened during the war as anyone could just take his Keyblades at will and steal either his heart or his light.

The Twilight Soldier tossed his swords into the air and they exploded in a shower of light, fusing together into his transport. His wind sailor snapped to life in a shower of light particles, ready for the pair to board. Roxas jumped on and Axel climbed aboard after him, both holding tightly to the bar on the sail. They gave a final wave to the King Disney and took off into the sky. Once Roxas flew high enough, he vanished in a blink of light.

"I miss them already." Mickey turned to find Minnie strolling up behind him with Daisy close behind. He smiled and cast his gaze back to the empty morning sky.

"Knowing them, they'll be back," he comforted.

"And if they don't?" Mickey turned back to his wife and took her hands in his, kissing her on the cheek.

"What would Axel and Roxas say if they heard you doubting them?" he contested. "We need to be strong like them so they have someplace to come back to when this is all over." Minnie offered a small smile but the King could tell it was strained.

"I know, but I can't help but worry," she said softly. Mickey embraced her, rubbing his wife's back gently.

'Do come home safely.' Mickey prayed, his heart full of worry.

XxXxX

Naminé stared up at the sky patiently. It was a beautiful late summer morning in Traverse Town. White clouds drifted lazily over the bright blue sky while butterflies danced lazily around the flowers in the field. So much had changed in Traverse Town since the end of the war. The biggest change was the city expanded from three Districts to five. The Radiant Garden refugee sector became District Four while downtown and the Twilight Town refugee sector became District Five. Downtown was expansive, complete with a theater, mall and shopping district for travelers to visit during their stay in the growing world. Traverse Town had transformed from a dismal sanctuary housing those who needed shelter from the war to a bustling metropolis filled with life.

The house Naminé lived in still remained outside the main city where she lived with Roxas and Axel. The field remained untouched save a large fountain in the middle of the grassy field where Axel had charred the earth during his fight with Roxas three years ago. Vegetation found it difficult to grow there so the Restoration Committee covered it up with a fountain to commemorate the fallen during the war against Xemnas. It was of Radiant Garden design with water lilies drifting lazily in the waters in the base and intricate stone designs sending water trickling in eight different directions before they all cascaded to the base below. The house itself was in perfect shape as the trio who lived there took the better part of a month to complete the repairs on it, no thanks to Xemnas once again.

Naminé tucked a stray hair behind her ear as the wind blew it astray. She glanced down and straightened her nursing dress to make sure she looked presentable when her adopted brothers arrived. Despite her love for art, she decided to spend most of her time honing her skills she felt were needed for her upcoming quest to help Demyx destroy Sin. Where she lacked in combat skills, she picked up in her healing abilities. With mentoring by her friend Aqua, she was able to pick up Cure spells rather quickly which would help ease their burden of carrying medical supplies. In coordination with Aqua, she also trained with Roxas and Axel regularly on top of her occupation at the local hospital. Seeing as she had formed a strong connection with her brothers through the Kingdom Hearts Shards, she was able to use light and fire magic, although not to the degree of the elemental fighters, but she was able to use the magic effectively as a spellblade.

The focus of her training was on her channeling abilities. Like back in the war, Roxas and Axel could focus their energy into her to give her the power of sunlight. Under the effects of sunlight, her power nearly tripled and she was able to give a power boost to her body guard, Seifer. Yet much to her disappointment she had yet to find what her most prominent trait was to channel to others. Roxas had light magic, Axel had fire. Kairi had the power of nature, which when given to the elemental fighters gave them an enormous power spike, and it would lessen the energy needed for healing spells. Ventus had the power of the wind on his side as a wind elemental fighter. Sora was able to pass on his guard and counter skills while Riku was able to channel the true powers of darkness.

Yet Naminé's ability remained aloof.

The girl cast her gaze skyward again and searched the passing clouds for any signs of her brothers. There was a bright flash followed by a dark shape descending to the ground below. Naminé smiled on instinct at the sight of her family soaring down to their home. As they flew over the ground, Axel leapt off first and deactivated his armor. Roxas slowed the speed of his wind surfer and hopped off, the transport changing back to his swords in a flurry of light. He sheathed the blades before deactivating his armor. Then he made his way over to Naminé.

"Morning," he greeted, kissing his sister on the forehead. Naminé giggled and hugged her brother.

"Welcome home!" she greeted. Axel sauntered over and Naminé released Roxas to hug the taller of the pair. "You both smell like a fruit stand!" the girl teased, releasing her elder brother.

"I can't imagine why," Axel said sarcastically. The trio burst out laughing and began strolling towards their home.

"So how was work today?" Roxas asked, noticing Naminé had yet to change out of her uniform. She even still had her white nurses cap on the crown of her head.

"Mmm, not too bad," Naminé replied. "We had a couple of guys come in with Enchanted burns on them. I don't get why people are still trying to think that world can be saved. It's nothing but a sea of fire out there." Those who dared to venture to the Enchanted Domain usually found themselves getting burned by the emerald flames, although the fire was more of a curse than actual fire. The burns healed slowly, if at all, and left horrible jade scars on a person's flesh.

"When are people going to realize there's nothing left…" Axel muttered irritatingly. His own home, Radiant Garden, wasn't much better. Xehanort's bombs, modified to summon Sin for a brief period of time, reduced the world to nothing but ash and brick. Twilight Town was in the same state, although it fared a bit better than the first world as many of the structures had been reinforced for the war so many skeletons remained.

"They're still hoping people are alive in there, trapped by the thorns," Naminé reminded him, giving her brother a nudge. "I would be worried to if my family was suddenly erased from the map without warning. At least with Radiant Garden I know what happened since I was there. The Enchanted Domain had no warning. Sin just destroyed the world on his own."

"And he's going to pay for it," the red head growled, clenching his fists tightly together. Naminé put a hand on Axel's arm and felt some of the tension release from his muscles. Roxas opened the door to the house and they all filed upstairs to their rooms. Naminé's remained the same: white and covered with her drawings. Roxas's room had been repainted to look like the beaches of Destiny Islands, many thanks to Naminé. He found it hard trying to sleep when he came back home so Naminé took a week to repaint his room to a more calming atmosphere. Axel's room was a mess, which was rather the striking contrast to when Xion stayed in the space. The walls had been repainted crimson with a black border near the ceiling painted to look like intricate wrought iron, which had only taken Naminé a day to paint.

The trio shed their clothes and changed into various states of dress. Naminé changed into pajamas as she was headed for bed after she made sure the boys ate breakfast. Axel slipped on some jeans and a t-shirt as he was off to go work his job as a welder on the various expansions of Traverse Town. Roxas donned himself a dress shirt and slacks before hitting to the bathroom to attempt to tame his wild hair. He had a meeting to attend as the representative of Twilight Town and he was to meet up with Leon, who was the representative of Traverse Town as the head of the Restoration Committee, beforehand.

They all met back in the kitchen and ate a cold breakfast in silence. Naminé nearly fell asleep in her cereal while Axel kept swirling his juice around in his glass as through if it moved enough he would see a picture amongst the bits of pulp. Roxas was more focused on reading the newspaper to see if there was anything interesting going on before they left home.

"They're opening a new strip mall," the ombred man commented, flicking through the pages of his newspaper. Naminé jerked awake while Axel merely shrugged at the news. With nothing interesting popping out of the pages, Roxas excused himself from the table. He took care of his dishes before kissing Naminé on the top of the head and headed off to his meeting. Axel dumped his dishes in the sink and chased after the blonde, leaving Naminé to stagger back upstairs and collapse onto her bed, falling asleep in seconds.

"So what's at this meeting?" Axel asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Just routine stuff," Roxas replied, attempting to fix his hair again. "World order, trade, all that garbage and a sack of shit. I really hate being the representative."

"Too much stress?" the elder asked. He was hoping Roxas would say yes so he could talk the blonde out of the meeting but the twenty three year old merely shook his head.

"No, I can handle it. I'm just no good at politics," Roxas shot back. Axel could easily tell that wasn't the whole story but he decided not to push. The blonde tended to get defensive if he was pushed too far with pressing questions.

"Alright. Tell Leon I say hi." Axel split off as they entered District Five and Roxas continued towards District Four. He found Leon waiting for him dressed in a brown button up, black slacks, and looked equally uncomfortable in the formal wear. They exchanged small talk as they took the long road down to District One, where the meeting was being held. Not much had changed since they last spoke which gave them little to talk about.

They arrived at the meeting space, which was on the upper level of a shop being run by Cid. He had a super computer set up to connect to the major worlds so they could meet on a monthly basis to discuss the world order. This was mostly to prevent what happened with King Xemnas, but it was also to build strong bonds between the worlds.

Roxas and Leon got as comfortable as they could in their chairs while Cid set up the computer. The large TV monitor sprang to life and they were conferenced into the meeting. All along the bottom of the screen were small pictures of others who were in on the call. Roxas could make out many familiar faces that had been at the battle on Hollow Bastion, but there were also some others that frequented the meetings from smaller worlds.

"Good morning everyone. I don't suppose we can get this started early," the Grand Councilwoman greeted.

"Alright," King Mickey agreed. "I suppose I can start. Disney Town is currently celebrating its annual festivities and we so far have experienced no issues. We trialed having select outsiders in on the festivities and our trials has been successful thus far. In a few years' time we may open our doors to the public again."

"That's excellent to hear," Prince Ali replied. Leon elbowed Roxas in the side discretely and the blonde had to hide his smile.

The meeting continued on with everyone speaking in turn. Leon spoke in turn for both Traverse Town and Radiant Garden while Roxas kept his portion on Twilight Town brief as there really wasn't much happening in the outer Districts. When he was done speaking, one of the others spoke up.

"Is it true you're leaving as a guardian to go fight Sin?" King Triton asked.

"Um, yes. We'll be leaving tomorrow," Roxas replied as best he could without tripping over his words. His eyes glanced at the bottom corner of the screen where Zexion's face should have been but the King remained absent once again. He assumed it was due to the overabundance of work the new King was receiving but Roxas still felt a bit disheartened the man typically failed to show his presence to the other worlds.

Thankfully, Leon cut off further questions as he feigned a story they had other pressing matters to attend to so they couldn't stay any longer. Roxas breathed a sigh of relief as the connection cut. He suddenly felt very tired.

"Go get some rest," Leon suggested. Roxas managed to get to his feet, nodding slowly. His head felt like it was in a fog as he made his way back towards District Five. Each time he passed through a door to another District, Roxas felt worse and worse as though something was eating him from the inside out. It took him a moment to realize it was anxiety and it wasn't just coming from himself. He could tell Axel was nervous for their quest the next day and the red head was brooding over it while he worked. Roxas did his best to ignore it but it sucked his energy dry.

The blonde staggered and tripped over his own feet. Before his face planted into the ground, someone grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him upright. Roxas found himself looked up at Cloud, the elder looking worried. He felt his lips move as he tried to say something but he didn't hear what he said exactly. The next thing he knew he was collapsing on the street.

"Roxas! Roxas!" Cloud's voice echoed in his ear.

As Roxas opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a tall figure emblazed in golden fire in front of him. He hesitantly reached out but recoiled as the fire singed his fingers. Whatever, or whoever, it wasn't going to let the soldier anywhere near it. 'Then why show me at all?' Roxas wondered.

He was suddenly thrown backwards into the darkness until he was digging his feet into a large stained glass window to slow himself down. Roxas halted right at the edge, nearly tipping over the side. His eyes scanned the glass and found it was a series of shadowed out figures. Some of the outlines looked familiar while others were completely foreign to him.

Are you ready?

Roxas's head snapped up at the sound of Kingdom Hearts. "Why are you showing this to me?" the blonde shouted.

You are the one to bind them together.

"Not this again," Roxas groaned. "Can't you be straight with me for once?!"

Roxas. The man shivered. It was strange hearing Kingdom Hearts say his name. You are the one who will open the door.

"You said this last time! Stop taunting me!"

Remember, the closer you get to the light, the bigger your shadow becomes.

Roxas's brows knit together in confusion. He saw his shadow appear on the floor stretched out across the glass. Then it crawled out of the floor in the form of a giant heartless, one reminiscent of when Roxas's light was removed. The blonde's heart seized in his chest at the sight of the monstrous creature. He didn't even have his swords to fight!

The heartless pulled his fist back and Roxas threw his arms up to protect himself. Then the fist came down and buried him into the floor, smothering him with darkness.

A/N-I do have chapter 2 started, so yay? Hurray for cliffhangers!