Author's notes: Hi readers! I have a few things to say before you jump into the chapter. First off, thanks for all the reviews and subscriptions. It's awesome that people are enjoying this story.

Kaiyt- I can assure you, that is the best spam I've ever received! Those are some really good reviews, and reading them made my day. If ALL my readers could spam me with reviews like that, it would be spectacular. ;3

Okay, that's pretty much all I had to say. Enjoy the new chapter!

….

Chapter Ten: Hello! Goodbye…

"Steph, wake up."

I heard the voice call to me, and my first reaction was naturally to ignore this person. I wanted to tell them to shut up and let me sleep, but when I felt the light hand on my shoulder, I realized that this wasn't my mother speaking to me. It took me a moment, but I remembered that I wasn't at my home. I was at Kairi's, and if she was telling me to wake up, there had to have been a good reason.

"Steph?"

"I'm awake," I murmured, rolling over and opening my eyes as I squinted at Kairi beside me. I noticed something…off, in her facial expression, and that made me want to wake up more quickly. Exhaling a soft breath, I forced myself to sit up before I rubbed my eyes.

"Sorry," Kairi apologized, standing upright and straightening her pants as she looked down at me. "I didn't want to wake you, but it's getting later in the day, and…"

"What time is it?" I asked when Kairi trailed off.

"Around ten." That's not that late, I thought, though I tried not to express it through my eyes. Instead, I looked at Kairi, seeing that she appeared a little flustered. "But…That's not really why I'm waking you."

I immediately felt confused, and concerned. Why was Kairi acting so nervous? "…What's up?" I asked hesitantly, trying to stay calm and wait to hear what she had to say.

"The King…He's coming here today."

I blinked, recalling that name from when I was eavesdropping from up here in Kairi's room. I think it was Sora who said something about the King not liking that I knew about Riku and Sora wielding Keyblades, or that there were other worlds out there. I felt nervous, and Kairi's expression reflected my emotions.

"Hurry and get ready. He'll be here soon."

"How soon?"

"About an hour."

An hour? How was I supposed to prepare myself to see a king in an hour? I glanced at Kairi before I got out of my sleeping bag and stood up, forgetting about my grogginess as I stumbled to the bathroom and hopped into the shower. I made it extremely quick so that I could dry my hair and use Kairi's curling iron, which she thoughtfully plugged in for me while I was in the shower.

As I dried my hair, I couldn't help but look at myself in the mirror and see my anxious expression. After hearing what the others said at the campfire last night, I really couldn't help it. Sora had said something crazy about him taking my memory away because I knew so much! That was so crazy…so insane…so…scary.

The hour went by pretty quickly, unfortunately. But I was able to apply some make-up that naturally made my eyes shine brighter (as if it would make any difference to the King) and put on a nice outfit. Kairi put on dark capris and a pink shirt, and I had on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a solid purple T-shirt. She had insisted that I didn't need to be fancy, just presentable.

I sighed, looking in the mirror one last time before Kairi called and said that it was time to leave. I fixed my side-bangs one last time and then followed her. Both of us were quiet now, serious. Had she met this king before? What was he like? Was he cruel and harsh and unmerciful? Or was he kind and just? I was about to find out, whether I liked it or not.

Kairi led me to the play island, and I noticed that Riku and Sora already were here since their boats were at the dock. Somehow, I felt glad for that. It seemed like the two of them were prepared for whatever this meeting would be like.

After the boats were tied, we only had to walk about thirty seconds before we ran into Sora and Riku, who were standing under the shade of the bridge. No words were said as Kairi approached Sora and gave him a silent hug. I stayed back a few steps, but Riku moved forward and met me where I was. I didn't digest the look in his eyes as he hugged me and I absently returned the embrace. I didn't want to let go, but when I heard a noise behind me, Riku automatically released me and I turned around. A Gummi ship was landing near the dock.

Sora and Kairi started walking forward, and Riku grabbed my hand when he started forward as well. We all stopped a few yards away from the ship, and I noticed that Riku didn't release my hand. He was standing taller though, and I looked over to Sora and Kairi beside me to see them doing the same. I mimicked them and stood upright, eyes set on the ship.

The ramp lowered, and I felt my nerves increase. The King…He was coming out. What would he do?

The mouse king walked down the ramp.

Mouse?

"Hiya, guys," the King said in warm greeting, walking down the ramp and getting onto the sand as he approached us.

"Hi, Your Majesty," Kairi greeted calmly from the other side of Sora. "How was your flight?"

"It went good," the mouse replied, stopping in front of the group before he took a step over to me. "Hi Steph, I'm King Mickey. Riku told me about what happened. I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this mess."

"It's quite alright," I said with a soft, comforted smile. This was the King? He seemed so kind!

"It's nice to meet ya," King Mickey said, holding out a hand for me to shake. I slipped my hand out of Riku's and bent down on one knee, a polite smile on my lips.

"Nice to meet you too, Your Majesty," I said, shaking his hand. I'm shaking hands with a mouse, I thought in awe. But I tried to keep that awe inside, since I didn't want to gawk at the King.

"Sora and Riku didn't say anything about me to scare ya, did they?" the King asked as he withdrew his hand, allowing me to rise back to my feet between Riku and Sora.

"No, of course not," I answered with a weak smile. That was true for two reasons, one of them being that Sora and Riku hadn't said anything at all to me about the King. I had overheard them talking, but they weren't speaking to me. And they didn't say it to scare me, which was the second reason I could come up with.

King Mickey hummed, then looking to the tall boy beside me. "Riku, can we talk?"

"Of course," Riku replied calmly, motioning that the King could follow him and they could walk. Mickey walked past me and after Riku, and I followed them with my eyes.

But then an arm latched around mine and started leading me over to the right, where there was a small waterfall and area of lifted land.

"Stick with me," Sora said lowly, his arm the one around mine as he walked.

"What? Why?" I asked in confusion. Fortunately, I was smart enough to keep my voice soft, just as Sora had done. Kairi walked on the other side of him, and she kept her eyes forward like Sora was doing. I looked at him in confusion and concern, wondering what was up.

"Riku ordered me to not let you be alone as long as the King is here."

Riku? "Why?"

"It's against the rules for us to take people to other worlds," Sora explained. "Riku and I see you as an exception to the rule, because we know taking you away from Twilight Town isn't going to dissolve world order."

Okay…? What did that have to do with the King?

"The King is in charge of keeping order between the worlds," he said then, seeing my expression when we stopped by a ladder. He looked past me, and when he didn't see Riku or the King in sight, he continued. "He has to be very strict about rules, or else things would be chaos."

"But…he's so kind. He wouldn't do anything, would he?"

"We would like to think so," Sora responded, looking me in the eye. "But until Riku talks to him, we're not sure." I bit down on my lip in worry, feeling a bit frightened. What was going to happen?

"Don't worry," the brunet said when he saw my worry, lifting a hand to my shoulder. "Riku and I aren't going to let anything happen. Just stick with us, and you'll be fine."

"Okay," I said weakly, nodding. Sora smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder in a comforting gesture, and that brought a small smile out of me as well. I'd be fine; Sora and Riku weren't going to let anything bad happen. The King wouldn't be allowed to hurt me to protect the order of the worlds.

But that brought up a thought to me.

"Sora…what if the King wants to make me leave or something? You guys can't go against his orders, can you?"

"We're different than the King," Sora said then, his eyes set on mine. "Protecting our friends comes before any duty, and you're no exception to that rule." Pause. "Even if they King does make an order, we're standing against it. Riku and I talked about it this morning."

"…What's going to happen?"

"…."

"Is it bad?" I asked in worry, Sora not responding.

"We don't know," he confessed. "This'll be the first time that we've gone against an order like this." Seeing my facial expression full of concern and worry, he continued. "But it can't be that bad. We're needed to help keep the order. It's our duty as Keyblade bearers."

"Sounds like a tough job," I said softly, looking down at the ground. And Riku and Sora were so young; they shouldn't have had such a great burden.

"It is, but it's an honor to be able to defend the things that matter," Sora reassured me, making Kairi smile. "We wouldn't have been given this task if we couldn't handle it."

"Hm," I hummed in agreement, nodding as a faint smile appeared on my lips. Sora was right; he and Riku could handle it. The Keyblader in front of me nodded, and again I noticed him look past me for signs of Riku and the King. When there was clearly nothing there, he looked back to me.

"We should sit down. It might be a while."

Kairi and I followed Sora's instructions, and after a few moments, he did as well. He sat down and kept his eyes on the direction that Riku and the King walked off to a while ago.

None of us said a word for a long time; what was there to talk about? It was like we were waiting for a verdict to be reached in a court. The only difference was that I wasn't guilty or accused of any wrong doing. But I would still be the one punished if the outcome was unfavorable.

Riku could talk the King out of administering justice. And it seemed like the two of them were good friends, so I sincerely hoped that Riku would be able to get the King to let this slide. I didn't want to have anything else happen. Hadn't I gone through enough? I lost everything, and now I could possibly lose my new friends.

No.

That wasn't going to happen. Riku and Sora wouldn't let it. But I was still afraid. Not only was I afraid for myself, but I was also afraid for my world. What were my friends going through when the world was covered in Darkness? My Mom? Were they suffering…?

"Steph," Kairi said softly, nudging me. I hummed automatically and looked behind me when she jerked her head in that direction. Riku and the King were returning, and the three of us that were left behind rose to our feet in anticipation. I noticed Sora and Kairi standing on either side of me as if protecting me, and that action reminded me of what could possibly happen here. What had the King decided?

I didn't have to wait long, because Riku and the King both walked up the small set of stairs and stopped by the three of us.

"Welp guys, I gotta get goin'," Mickey said, looking over all three of us. He then turned to Riku, looking up at him. "Let me know how things go with the search."

"I will," Riku promised.

The search? Mickey must have been referring to the search Sora and Riku were doing before Twilight Town was taken by Darkness.

"Bye, everyone," King Mickey said, his tone as optimistic and cheerful as ever. He waved to all of us and I waved back lightly, all of my friends doing the same. He was leaving? Just like that? He turned and started walking away, and Sora and Riku paid especially close attention as he went back to his ship. Of course, I did as well, since Sora had me worried that something could happen.

It only took a few moments for the King to get into his ship. But to me, it felt like an eternity. Was anything going to happen? Was there any danger? How did things with the King go? I kept glancing over at Riku, but he wouldn't return my gaze, staring at the ship as it lifted up into the air. It was then that I looked over as well, seeing it speed up into the sky and then disappear into nowhere. Whoa.

When I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned my gaze to the person that moved. Riku. My eyes locked on his and he did the same, though he spoke to everyone.

"The King isn't going to do anything," he declared then, which allowed me, Sora, and Kairi to sigh in relief. "He says that Steph can stay here until Twilight Town is restored, and then we'll see what happens from there."

Catching onto what he meant, I shifted my gaze to the ground. What was I going to do once I could go home? Of course I wanted to go and be with my friends and (surprisingly) my mom, but what about Riku? And Sora, and Kairi? I didn't want to lose these friends…

"We'll see what happens," Riku repeated when he must have sensed my thoughts. But then he looked to Sora. "Sora, the King's got a lead on the agents. We need to pack up and leave tonight to hunt them down again."

Tonight? I felt myself get a little panicked at that, though I tried not to let it show on the outside. I didn't know if I was ready for Riku to leave yet, since he was my closest friend here. Sure, Kairi and I were getting closer, but it was different than whatever it was I had with Riku.

"Got it," Sora said with a nod, speaking to Riku and breaking through my thoughts. I looked back up and saw Riku glance over at me, but then he nodded back to Sora.

"I'm heading back to the mainland. Steph, you wanna come?" Riku asked.

"Sure," I managed to say, trying very hard to not let my thoughts show through my voice. But I noticed a change in Riku's eyes even behind his hair, and I knew once again that he read me like a book. However, he didn't say anything. Instead, he started walking towards the boats, and I followed close behind him after I gave Sora and Kairi a weak wave in farewell. They returned the sentiment, watching me and Riku walk away until we were close to the dock.

I knelt down and untied the boat I had used to come to the island, noticing Riku already climbing into his boat nearby. I carefully gripped the dock and got into mine, not wanting it to tip. Even if this was shallow water and I would have been fine if I fell, I also would have been embarrassed.

Fortunately for me, I got into the boat and it didn't tip as I sat down. I noticed Riku start paddling a few moments before I did, and that was probably done so that we would both have room to paddle out without running into each other. That was kind of him to consider that when there was probably so much more going on in his mind.

My theory was proven when the ride back was silent, neither of us speaking to each other. I could guess what he was thinking about, because I was thinking about the same thing. He was leaving. Tonight. And this was probably going to be dangerous. I knew that his whole life was full of danger, but I didn't like him running into it. Why was it that I felt so strongly about not wanting him to get into danger?

I didn't answer that question as I pulled into the dock, and I noticed that Riku was already on deck. His boat was already tied, so he knelt down and took the rope off of my boat and started tying it for me. When it was done, I smiled weakly in thanks, and he did the same to recognize my gratitude.

I used the ladder beside me and climbed up it, subconsciously straightening my pants and shirt when I was upright on the deck. But then I felt Riku's gaze on me, so I looked up and silently returned it. I didn't say anything, not knowing what words to speak. I didn't want him to leave…I was scared for him. And for me. What would happen when he was gone?

"You okay?" Riku asked, his eyes staying locked on mine.

"I guess," I said softly, though I avoided his eyes as I looked down at the ground. That was something I always did when I lied, not that Riku would know me well enough to realize that.

Riku sighed, shaking his head as he stepped towards me. "You really aren't a good liar. I almost wish you were, so I wouldn't feel bad about leaving…"

"Sorry," I automatically said, biting my lip.

"You know that everything's going to be fine, right?"

"…Sure."

Riku stepped forward, setting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll be alright," he promised softly. "Just have faith."

I looked up into his eyes and noticed how badly he wanted me to have faith, and I couldn't help but smile softly at his open emotion. "I will," I assured him. If we were more intimate, I would have leaned my head to the side on his arm that was nearby, but we weren't there. Not yet.

Riku smiled softly and nodded, taking his hand back from my shoulder. He looked towards the sky then, and I did as well to see that the sun was lower in the sky. It was probably early evening already. Where had the day gone?

"Steph?"

"Mm?"

"…I didn't just bring you back to the mainland to ask if you were alright," Riku confessed.

"Oh?" I asked, wondering what he was referring to.

"I have one more evening before I go," he started. "And there's something that I've been meaning to have you do with me for the past few days." He paused as if to keep me hanging, but then he continued. "Steph, I want you to meet my parents."

My eyes widened at that, and it showed Riku that I clearly hadn't expected him to say that. "Y-your parents?" I hadn't heard a word about them since I got here, and I wondered why he wanted me to meet them. That was a scary thought.

"Family is important to me as my friends are," he explained. "I don't like keeping the two separated. So I want you to meet them, and I want them to know you too."

"But…I'm not from this world, Riku. I can't lie to your parents."

"You don't have to," Riku said calmly. "They know about what I do, and they know about other worlds. There's nothing that you have to hide from them." I bit down on my lip, knowing that I couldn't get out of this. But, I didn't know anything about his parents! How was I supposed to act in front of them?

"There's no reason to be nervous," he added. "Now let's go."

"Right now?" I asked nervously.

"Right now."

…

Later that night, I laid in my sleeping bag and just stared up at the ceiling above me. I had just glanced over at the clock and saw that it was 3 in the morning, but I wasn't tired. I couldn't stop thinking over the day. First there was the drama with the King, and then Riku took me to his house to eat dinner with his parents.

Oh, what a funny couple they were.

When Riku and I entered the kitchen, his mom dropped what she was doing and came over to give me a warm hug. Her bubbly personality was more than I expected, but all throughout the night, I found myself smiling in her presence. She insisted that I call her and her husband by their first names, and since I didn't know Riku's last name, I had no choice but to do just that.

Riku's mom was named Bethany, and there was just something about her that appealed to me. She was shorter than I was and thin, her hair only to her shoulders. She almost looked fragile, but she proved to me that she was anything but weak. Whenever Riku joked around and she was amused, she hit him on the arm and actually managed to leave a mark. But if anything showed more than her physical strength, it was the strength of her heart.

Bethany had contagious laughter, and even if she was really silly, I could tell that she had a lot of wisdom. She was opposite of Riku's dad in many ways, but not with wisdom, since the two of them both shared that quality. Andrew was a tall, stern-looking man who didn't make his own jokes too often. But he always smiled at the ones that his wife told, and I noticed the love that they shared right away. I loved seeing it, since I never saw it with my parents growing up. But I had been so young when it happened, so I felt like I missed out on something during my childhood.

When Bethany asked me about my parents, I didn't bother hiding the truth. I said that my mother and I didn't get along, and my father died when I was six. I saw Riku's eyes get wide when I said that, because I had never told him before. I didn't speak of my father often. But when my father was alive, we were very close. I loved him dearly.

But after dinner, we all hung out for a while until it was time for Riku to leave. And of course, I went with him to say goodbye. At the Gummi ship, it had just been me, Kairi, Sora and Riku. Obviously Sora and Kairi kissed and were a bit romantic with their farewell, but I knew that even if Riku and I did have feelings for each other, we wouldn't show it that night. It would have been awful taking a step forward in our friendship right before he left.

So, like the good friends we were, we hugged each other. I told him to be careful, and he promised that he would be. And then they were gone.

And now it was 3:18 in the morning, and I was still dwelling on everything. Kairi had fallen asleep about an hour ago, probably because she was more used to farewells than I was. I sighed softly, rolling over in the sleeping bag and shutting my eyes. Eventually, I passed out, but not before I shed a tear or two in sadness and worry.

Riku…please come back safely.