Hello all! Here is a little sidestory for Reconnected; a request from Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint set during chapter 40. Hope you guys like it! I still own nothing other than the plot and my OCs.

Reconnected: The Things We Have In Common

It seemed like ages ago when this world was in control of Maleficent and known as Hollow Bastion. These days, Radiant Garden had never looked better and had never been so full of life. So many people working toward a better home and fighting to put an end to Xehanort and Maleficent's dark plans.

Kairi wandered through the newly-rebuilt castle, amazed at the work the restoration committee had done. It looked like Maleficent had never even inhabited this world.

At this point, after visiting and fighting on a few worlds, the princess of heart was taking some time to explore her home world by herself. She was starting off with leaving Sora to visit his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood and exploring the castle halls by herself.

In all honesty, it still didn't feel like it was true that this was where she was born. In her heart, she knew the Destiny Islands were her true home. After all, he was there. Kairi felt her cheeks heat up as she thought of Sora. His bright blue eyes, his unkept brown spikes of hair, his strong arms, his kind heart, his bright smile, it all made her heart melt just by thinking about it.

Kairi was so lost in thought, she wasn't looking where she was going. She didn't even realize she had bumped into someone.

"Hey, princess. You wanna get out of dreamland and watch where you're going?!" Kairi looked up, finding that the person she had bumped into was Lea.

It was so hard to believe they were on the same team now when just last year his nobody had kidnapped her off the islands. But, she had long since put that behind her. She knew all Axel wanted back then was to see his best friend again, just like Riku had once done for her with the other princesses. As far as she knew, her fellow princesses of heart had forgiven Riku as well. He had done more than enough to redeem himself after all.

"Sorry, Lea." Kairi replied. "Guess my mind was somewhere else."

Lea responded by crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Somewhere else? Or were you thinking about a certain someone."

Kairi's cheeks immediately turned bright pink in embarrassment. "What?! What makes you say that?!"

"Oh come on, you always zone out and make that lovey-dovey face whenever Sora's on your mind." Replied Lea. "Just like when we first met."

"You mean when your nobody, Axel kidnapped me?" Kairi asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Lea released a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that... I'm sorry."

"For what? Kidnapping me last year?" Questioned Kairi.

"Yeah." Lea nodded and glanced down at his feet. "And for wanting to turn Sora into a heartless. If I hadn't taken you off Twilight Town back then you might have been reunited with Sora a lot earlier than you did."

Just then, Lea felt a soft, playful punch to his shoulder. He looked ahead, finding the princess of heart smiling at him. "Lea, don't beat yourself up over that. You just wanted to be with your friend again. It's not that different than what Riku did for me. The important thing is that you both learned from your mistakes. I'm not going to pretend to know what it was like for you without a heart. But I know what it's like to be without the people you care for."

Lea remained silent as Kairi's words sunk in. So she forgave him? A part of him was really surprised that she did. He was the reason she became the Organization's prisoner and was used against Sora. Now that he thought about it, he did have a tendency to cause people suffering; first Lydia and then Kairi.

"Hey, are you okay?" The sound of Kairi's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah." Replied Lea. "Just thinking about the past."

"Lea, don't worry too much about the past." Kairi said. "I forgive you and I trust you. Our entire team's worked well so far and I know we'll continue to be a great team and be able to work together."

"Thanks. It really means a lot to hear you say that." Lea smiled, then his face fell. "But Lydia's not as forgiving."

"You still have feelings for her, don't you?" Asked Kairi.

At that, Lea's face turned a bright shade of red, brighter than his hair. "I...uhh... How did you know?"

Kairi covered her mouth as a small giggle escaped her lips. "It's pretty obvious. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." And with a smile and a wink, Kairi turned back towards the library, leaving Lea alone in the hallway.

Hope you guys liked it! See you next time!