Author's Note: Ha! I'm getting formatting stuff down. Enjoy!


Present Time-Destiny Islands

"We know what we're doing...for the most part."

xx

"Come on," Riku said. "We're going to be late. We still have to get over to the other island where the Gummi Ship's going to be."

"Right," Sora said. "The King is waiting."

Riku nodded.

Kairi hugged them both goodbye and the two of them headed out to where their boats were.

"You ready for this?" Sora asked.

Riku shrugged.

"You'll do fine," Sora assured him.

Riku punched Sora lightly on the shoulder. "Oh, I know I'll do fine. The question is, will you do fine?"

Sora frowned, but it soon turned into a smile as Riku smirked—his own little version of a smile.

"Guys!" someone called. "Wait up!"

The two boys turned around and looked to see Kairi running up to them, her own bag slung over her back.

"Wha-?" Sora began.

"I'm coming with you," she said simply.

"But," Sora began. "It's dangerous."

"That's the lamest excuse in the book," Kairi said with a frown. "And I've told you already, I'm sick of being left behind. Wherever you go, I go."

Sora looked flabbergasted.

"Let her come," Riku said. "She's no safer here than she is with us. In fact, she's probably safer with us. We know what we're doing."

For the most part, Riku's thoughts added.

"Okay then," Sora said, knowing he'd lost the little argument, but in general, he was happy that Kairi got to come along. He'd spent too long away from his friends to pass up an opportunity to stay with them longer.

Riku threw his bag in his boat and began to untether it. "You two slackers gonna come?"

"What?" Sora began. "Oh, right!"

He, too, began preparing his boat. Kairi as well.

"I've never been on a Gummi Ship before," Kairi said as they made their way to where the Gummi Ship was supposed to be.

"Heh, neither have I," Riku mused.

"You've never…!" Sora began.

Riku shook his head. "When Kairi and I travelled between worlds, it was always with a Dark Corridor."

"Huh," Sora said.

"Where have you been?" a frantic Chip asked.

"Yeah, we've been waiting for you guys," Dale said.

No one made any excuses, they just climbed on the Gummi Ship. Upon setting one foot in the ship, Riku suddenly missed Dark Corridors.

"Off to Hollow Bastion," Chip said.

"Hollow Bastion," Sora asked. "Why are we going there?"

"King's orders," Dale said. "We're just following along with what he says."

"Seems reasonable," Riku said.

"Don't forget to smile!" Chip reminded them.

"Smile?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, yeah! The Gummi Ship runs on smiles," Sora said, grinning.

The look on Riku's face begged the others to kill him.

xx

A while later, they were still on their way to Hollow Bastion. Sora was still smiling, so was Kairi.

"What I wouldn't give for a Dark Corridor right now," Riku muttered, his smile looking more like a grimace than anything.

Kairi punched him lightly on the arm. "Cheer up, Riku, we'll be there soon."

"Yeah, Riku, lighten up."

Riku felt he could lighten up a bit more if it wasn't for the fact that Gummi Ships took forever to get from point A to point B. And Sora was driving.

Sora tried to ignore his friends, focusing instead on driving the Gummi Ship. Usually, Donald drove. The few times Sora had been allowed to drive never ended all that pleasantly. He was trying not to embarrass himself in front of Riku and Kairi. Especially Riku, who would never let him live it down.

He bit his tongue, but then then realized that he wasn't smiling anymore. So he stopped and went back to smiling. He wondered what would be waiting for them in Hollow Bastion. He was also glad that the way between Destiny Islands and Hollow Bastion was already clear. It would not be fun to have to clear it out of all the random heartless and nobodies that appeared. It would be harder too.

Kairi was just glad to be included this time around. She meant what she said when she was tired of being left behind. She bounced a little to music that only existed in her own head. She pulled out her sketchbook and began drawing a Gummi Ship travelling in the sky.

"Who's not smiling?" Sora asked, rather frantically as the Gummi Ship threatened to stall.

Kairi immediately made sure that she was smiling. She was, drawing made her happy. It made Namine happy too.

All eyes turned to Riku.

He grimaced and tried to smile, it was a strained smile, but a smile nonetheless.

The Gummi Ship began to fly a little better.

"Think of a time when you were happy," Sora said. "Or something that will make you smile."

Oddly enough, Riku's thoughts were first transported to that time on Memory tower, right before he fought Roxas. He'd seen Roxas fighting his way up to him and then toss a Keyblade—Oblivion—his way. Riku had smirked and then jumped off the tower and caught the blade mid-air. Then it had just been the two of them and the Heartless.

That was when he had forgotten Xion…

"You're still not smiling!" Kairi teased.

Riku had been able to wield Keyblades, but he had not gotten his own while he still struggled between light and dark. Now, he had his own Keyblade. He smiled. He had his own Keyblade now, he could protect his friends. And, as Sora would inevitably remind him, they could protect him as well. There could be more than one Keyblade master even! He and Sora would fight together, like they had when they'd fought Xemnas. And nothing would stop them!

"Wow, Riku," Kairi said with a small giggle. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile that much."

"Hush."

"Give him a break, Kairi," Sora said with a laugh.