Disclaimer: Only in mah dreams do I own Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter 2: Prepare for Departure

Taking a second to calm down her racing heart, Arete glanced around her. Although she had no idea where she was, Arete presumed from the furnishings of the room around her that it was at least somewhat of a serene place. The white walls were calming, and the windows let in plenty of warm sunlight to light the room up. A fireplace was glowing over on one side, which was comforting, and a few chairs and a sofa were gathered around it. A larger than normal door seemed to be the entrance, but it wasn't so big to be intimidating. And if it weren't for the fact she was currently laying in a hospital-like bed, Arete would be downright comfortable.

Looking back to Algæca, Arete decided to breach the subject on her mind.

"How in the world…."

"Did I escape? It was quite simple, actually," Algæca finished. The fiery red-headed young woman stepped back to lean against the wall, the smirk still on her face. Flipping her bangs out of the way of her eyes, Algæca continued, "As it turns out, that brother of yours can put up a fight. He and the rest of the ISO managed to push back the enemy, and now they're all sitting in prison. As soon as you fled from the palace though, Aldon gave up the assault; now's he turned to finding you by whatever means necessary," she explained, walking over to a nearby counter to pour the girl a glass of water. The Princess gladly accepted it, taking careful sips. Algæca sat down in a golden-colored sofa across from the bed-laden girl, and let out a deep sigh. Twirling her long side-braid, she gave Arete a sympathetic, yet stern look. "You've gotten yourself into quite a handful this time, haven't you?"

Arete ran her thumb over the edge of the now empty glass, looking away from the red-headed woman.

"Except this time, it isn't just me…"

X - - - - - - - - X

Surf, sun, and sand. Everything that they had missed these past years was finally back in their grasp; everyone was finally home at Destiny Islands. The past three weeks had been perfect; nothing had changed.

Sora and Riku were out enjoying the sunset along the shoreline; Kairi had run home quickly to gather up some things for their third night out sleeping under the stars. Considering that they hadn't been back for so long, all three agreed that sleeping outside was the best way to enjoy their return home.

The two Keyblade Masters had perched themselves atop one of the paopu trees the Islands were known for, Riku with one leg dangling down from the trunk, head rested on his knee, and Sora sitting with both legs outstretched, hands behind his head. Neither of the heroes had felt it right to break the comfortable silence, and they were enjoying the feeling of the warm light of the sun on their faces.

"So, you think it's finally over? I mean, do you think everything's at peace now?" Riku inquired, the gentle sea breeze now blowing through his silver hair.

"I honestly don't know Riku, but I sure hope so. I'm not really ready to leave again," the brunette replied, contemplating. Everything seemed fine; there were no instances of Heartless, or Nobodies for that matter, at least on the islands.

Maybe it was finally over, maybe, just maybe, things would be absolutely perfect from now on. Everyone was back in the Realm of Light, right? Maybe there really was a happy ending.

Yeah, that was a big 'maybe'.

"Sora! Riku!" a voice shouted from farther down the beach. Sora and Riku turned their heads to see Kairi running toward them, looking somewhat exasperated. As the crimson haired girl began to come closer, the two males could see she had something in her hand. It looked like a bottle of some sort, but they couldn't tell. When Kairi finally reached the duo, now firmly planted on the ground, she was out of breath, and her blue-violet eyes had small traces of worry in them. Raising up the bottle, Sora took it out of her hand, only to notice the letter inside. Taking it out, he held it so that all three of them could read it.

Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi

I'm writing this in a rush, and as much as I hate to call on you three once more, I'm afraid something has arisen that could alter the good fortune we've had. There's more good news than bad though, so come to the Castle as quickly as possible. Your friends from Hollow Bastion will be there as well. I can't write more at the moment, you'll be informed once you arrive.

Sincerely,

King Mickey

Sora quietly sighed, rolling the letter up once more. Looks like things weren't finished after all. Thank the universe for that one. Apparently Riku felt the same way; he was avoiding eye contact and looking out toward the ocean, seemingly lost in thought. This was definitely not part of the plan. The brunette had been staring up at the sky for a few seconds before a girlish voice beside him broke the silence.

"At least I'm coming with you this time."

Wait, what? Hell no. Riku whipped back around to stare Sora directly in the eye. There was no way that was happening; there were way too many chances she could get hurt. They didn't even know what was going to happen for crying out loud; there was no way they were going to let Kairi come with them on whatever they were being called on to do. As much as they'd love to have her tag along, it just wasn't a good idea in any way, shape, or form.

Kairi sensed the "telepathic" deliberation going on between her two best friends, causing a pestered huff to come out of her mouth. She placed her hands on her hips, determined not to back down. "He said, 'you three.' There's no way you're leaving me here! His Majesty said so!" the red head demanded. No way would she stay on the beach again, waiting for so long for them to come back. If they came back. Kairi felt small shivers course through her body at that thought, so she turned her attention back to the debate at hand.

"But Kai-" Sora tried to reason.

"No! There's no 'but' about it! I'm not going to just stand here on the beach for months or even years for you guys again! It was agony the first time. I'm going with you!" the red head almost cried, tightening her grip on her hips a little to fight the tears back.

Riku and Sora glanced at each other again, the looks on their faces portraying both pity and understanding. It wasn't right for them to leave her, after all. Who knew when they'd return. And they couldn't really disobey the King; maybe taking Kairi with them really was safer than leaving her on the islands.

After about thirty seconds that seemed to last thirty years to Kairi, the two boys finally sighed in unison.

"Fine. Let's go pack, we should probably leave tonight. It sounds like whatever this is, it's major," Riku announced, placing his hands in his pockets. The three best friends nodded in agreement before Riku spoke once more. "It's about 5 o'clock now, so we'll meet back here around 11. How does that sound?" the silver haired teen suggested. It gave them time to at least have dinner with their families before leaving for this next big adventure. It wasn't ideal, but at least it was something.

A sad aura seemed to make its way into the group then, but the teens knew they didn't really have a choice. Sora and Kairi subconsciously turned to look toward where their respective houses lay off in the distance, and then turned back to Riku, their minds set.

"Okay. Eleven. At the pier."

Meanwhile, in the world of Hollow Bastion, the Restoration committee has just received a letter of their own.

"SQUAAAAALL!" A highly-energetic voice called out, traveling throughout the hallways of the newly restored castle in Hollow Bastion. "SQUALL LEONHART! WHERE ARE YOU?" The voice rang again, a bit of annoyance in her tone.

"DAMMIT YUFFIE. WE INSTALLED AN INTERCOM FOR A REASON," Squall Leonhart, or Leon as he preferred to be called, answered through said system.

Prancing over to the nearest intercom console, the spunky ninja pushed the talk button, getting incredibly close. "Right… I forgot about that. Sorry Squa-"

"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO CALL ME THAT. And by the way, move back a little. You still sound like you're yelling," Squall replied.

"Fine, fine. Sheesh, you can be so demanding sometimes," Yuffie huffed, stepping back a bit. "Anyway, I need you to gather everyone up in the control room. We've got mail!" she cheered.

"And why does today's mail require a Committee meeting?" Leon sighed, rubbing his temples. Even if he was separated from Yuffie by hallways with stone walls, she still managed to give him a headache.

"Because! It's from the King! See ya in a few, Squall!" Yuffie said, skipping away from the intercom to the Control Room.

"Wait! Yuffie! YUFFIE COME BACK! What does it say?" Leon shouted through the intercom system. His questions received no answer, though, as the female ninja was already ignoring him, on her way to the control room, letter in tow.

X - - - - - - - - X

So who gave you these clothes, anyway?" Arete questioned, taking another careful spin around to see her new attire. The teen almost fell over, despite turning as slowly and possible, and had to steady herself on the handle of the mirror she was standing in front of. Algæca had somehow found some new clothes for the Princess that were not all torn up in this gigantic castle, which Arete now knew to be named Disney Castle. Along with the knowledge of the place she was currently residing in, thanks to the kindness of King Mickey and Queen Minnie, Algæca let her in on the fact that she had been unconscious for two and a half days.

Her new outfit was ten times more comfortable and relaxed than the attire she was required to wear at court, and didn't have a skirt to get caught on things. The pants came right to the top her knees, and were gathered a bit at the end and gold in color with a silky, metallic sheen to them. They were a snug fit, but not too snug that they were uncomfortable or unsightly, and had silver strings tied in bows at the end of the gathered fabric by her knees. Her top was made of the same golden silk, and came down about mid-thigh. It was gathered in the middle, right about her waist, by a medium sized bronze silken sash that had a bow of the golden material sewn to the middle of it. The sash and its components travelled around to the back, where it too was tied in a large bow. The top had a right sleeve that travelled to about the middle of her hand, with floral patterns in silver and bronze thread travelling down the sleeve. This covered her bandaging keeping the arm she had injured in place. The top itself had a v-neck, but not a revealing one. On her left arm, she had a detached sleeve in silver that went all the way down her hand, and had holes for her fingers to go through. The bandages around her hand poked through and covered her fingers. Finally, she had been given new shoes that had a flat bottom, made of a soft but durable cotton-like material dyed bronze. Her leg had healed faster than expected, and thankfully hadn't fractured from her jump over the fence. The dressings that were covering the still-healing wound on her leg could been seen below the ending of her pants, but Arete didn't mind.

"I brought them with me on my way here, actually. I found the part of your dress that had been torn by your failed attempt at being a track star on the day of the assault, and picked it up on a small world covered half by forest, and half by desert," Algæca answered, tying a golden-brown sash into the teen's hair, keeping everything but her side-bangs back. Placing her hands on Arete's shoulders, she looked into the mirror in front of them. "The woman said depending on the time of year, the landscape switches. Talk about having a volatile environment. I wouldn't even want to try to build a house there," the red haired woman mused, placing her chin on the teen's head.

Arete couldn't suppress her laughter, and took a step out to turn around and look at her. "I'm really glad you're here, Algæca. It kind of feels like…" Arete trailed off, not able to continue on with her trail of thought, her eyes turning a tad of a darker shade of blue. The woman ISO agent put a hand on her shoulder in understanding.

"I'm sure your mother would have done all that she could to be here too, Arete. I'm honored you think of me in that way," Algæca tried to comfort the girl. She replaced the smile on her face, and took a step toward the door. "Now let's go explore a little! There's no use focusing on the negatives, and we're going to have a big audience tomorrow to attend, at least according to the King. And you know what they say, the bigger the castle, the better the food!" she cheered, throwing a fist in the air. At this the Princess giggled once more, the storm that had clouded her eyes receding. With a nod of her head in agreement, they were off.

X - - - - - - - - X

It had taken Yuffie about five minutes to get down to the Restoration Committee control room, a personal record for the easily distracted ninja, but it had taken Leon about twenty minutes to round up Aerith, Cid, and Merlin. Aerith was tending one of the gardens, and kept shoving flowers in Leon's arms without looking whenever he tried to tell her to head to the Control Room, Cid had been messing around in the gummi hanger, and managed to let off an explosion after being surprised by Leon's hurried shouts, destroying the middle of a hanger door in the process, and Merlin was trying to undo a spell he had cast on a nay-sayer of his powers, accidentally turning him into a frog, instead of the flower pot he was trying to transform.

After all the chaos, the four HBRC members managed to get back to the control room – in one piece – only to find Yuffie sitting and sipping a cup of tea, feet up on the table, and on top of Leon's 'very important' documents. Trying not to blow a gasket, Leon took a deep breath, settling in his usual position – leaning against a wall, arms crossed, and let out a sigh as Aerith, Cid, and Merlin took their own places around the room. As Leon was about to speak, Yuffie put on a sarcastic smirk, a twinkle of mischievousness in her eye. "Took you long enough, Squall," she taunted, taking her feet off the table and putting her cup down. Leon's eyes bugged out, and Yuffie could've sworn a vein was about to pop out of his forehead, but Aerith shot him a warning glance, and the gunblade wielder took a calming breath in.

"So what does it say, Yuffie?" Leon inquired, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. The ninja put her hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. "The King needs us at the castle tomorrow. Something else has come up, and he's calling us in for duty. That's it, though," she informed the group. Aerith, Cid, and Merlin all started to combination excitedly chatter and shout questions at Yuffie when Leon whistled to get them to stop.

"And you're sure that's all it said?" Leon asked. It made sense to him that King Mickey would leave out classified information, for fear of the letter being intercepted. But Yuffie was known to coincidentally leave things out that could be helpful beforehand, so he decided to ask.

"Mmmm, let me think…" Yuffie mused, tapping her finger to her chin. Leon 'hmffed', thinking it would be easier if she just let them read the letter themselves, but he had had enough hassles today, and decided to let the girl do it her way. Yuffie practically knocked the chair she had been sitting in over as she bounced up. "There was one other thing.." she said, a smile growing on her face.

"What?" Aerith, Cid, Merlin, and Leon said in unison.

"Sora, Riku, and Kairi are coming too!"

After Yuffie's last minute addition, the group decided to leave right away for Disney Castle. They were all already packed, as per Leon's mini freak out over the fact anything could happen at anytime, that might make them have to leave. But instead of leaving in the gummi normally, Cid decided to completely "remodel" the hanger door, seeing as he had already created a giant hole in the middle of it. It proved a tad traumatic for Aerith, hilarious for Cid, grumble-making for Leon, and inspiration to "DO IT AGAIN!" from Yuffie.

X - - - - - - - - X

Out of Sora's, Riku's, and Kairi's parents, Sora's took the news of them having to leave again the best. His mother, Aseema, and his father, Coridan, helped him pack, and then they all sat down to eat dinner together before Sora set out. Although the conservations at and after dinner went on as if nothing was going to happen, Sora could sense his parent's hidden worry and sorrow. But he could also sense their sense of pride in the accomplishments of their son, and smiled softly to himself every now and then because of it. On his way out the door, he hugged the both of them tightly, and promised he'd be back as soon as possible.

Riku's parents were the next easiest to reassure. Idania was quieter than her usual self once she heard the news, worrying her son a bit and Kyran seemed to be playing an unending game of twenty questions with Riku. Idania managed to offer up a bit of reassurance and humor while Riku helped in the kitchen before dinner, and things lightened up a little bit during dinner. His mother began to talk a little more, and joke around, and twenty questions felt more like ten. His parents helped him pack as well, and after some reminiscing, and some mushy family goodness that was mushy family okayness for Riku (even though he felt sadder than he wanted to let on) he hugged his mother and gave his father a handshake before heading out to the pier.

For Kairi, let's just say it's a good thing the boys let her keep the letter for evidence. Her adoptive parents were far from okay with letting her leave, least of all to a different world. After her disappearances before, Kairi was amazed she wasn't homeschooled and never being allowed out. Ever. So she casually approached the subject, at the dinner table, which in hindsight probably was not the best way to approach things. Her mother, Blanché, instantly looked down at her lap as her father, Calum, started to drill her with why he "Wouldn't stand for any of this Keyblade nonsense." After a good five minutes of her father's irrational ranting, Kairi had had enough.

"Stop! Just stop! You don't understand at all!" Kairi interrupted, standing up from her seated position. Tears were daring to streak her cheeks, but she held her ground.

"I've waited for them for as long as they've been gone. I've waited, and waited, and I've even gone to look for them. And you still say I'm not allowed to go? I want to prove myself. And I want to finally know where I'm from! About my past!" she said, a few tears escaping, her voice cracking a bit.

Regaining her composure, Kairi looked her father in the eye, disregarding his shocked expression. Her mother had looked up by this point, a small smile hinting at the corners of her mouth. Although she didn't say it, she was proud of Kairi for finally standing up for herself. They had never wanted to shield her from her origins, but they were merely afraid for her safety, and whether they'd be, well, forgotten.

"Please, just let me go. I promise I'll stay safe. Riku and Sora will take good care of me, and I may even be back before you know it," the teen reasoned, trying to maintain her calm.

Her father placed his napkin and his elbows on the table, folded his hands together, and placed his nose on top of them, clearly in thought. After some deliberation, Calum agreed, ushering a sigh of relief from Blanché, and a smile from his daughter. A few rapid-fire "thank yous" followed from Kairi, and much hugging, and a few more tears, then Blanché helped her pack before they both saw her off.

With that, the trio met up on the pier, luggage in tow, and with a nod of agreement, started up the gummi ship the King had somehow sent to them that arrived with the letter, and were off.

((A/N: So what do you think? It was longer, since it's been a while. Aaand, it's kind of a filler. But next chapter will reveal some things (; I PROMISE D: If there isn't anything, you can… put me in a locker? I do fit in lockers. Well, some of them. Not the middle school lockers, I'm too tall for those. The high school ones are bigger, though.

I didn't make the trio's discussions very detailed, because I might post them separately later on...

Review for a review? And a virtual hug :3 Unless you don't want a hug. Just click that button, you can do it!))