On board the Shera, Riku was beamed aboard from the Fahrenheit as the two ships flew through space on the sublights.
"So what is it you wanted to see me about?" Riku asked his father as he approached.
"Quite simple Riku…what do you know about the Kingdom Knights armor?" Terra asked.
"Not much…just that it's practically unbreakable and provides great power to the wearer." Riku replied as Terra nodded.
"Yes but what you don't know is that it enables the Kingdom Knights, when all fully armored and together, to revive people from the dead." Terra explained as Riku scratched his head.
"So what does that have to do with me?" Riku asked confused.
"Haven't you ever wondered where you got that stark white hair of yours?" Terra asked as Riku smirked.
"Easy, you've always said that I got it from my…mother." Riku said as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Yes…I revived your mother Riku." Terra said as Riku crossed his arms.
"Wait a minute what about Aerith? You said yourself that you were planning on proposing to her on the night we were forced to flee." Riku said, neither of them unaware that their conversation was being overheard by two sets of ears.
Aerith was standing around the corner as she overheard and Rikka was sitting in Terra's room as she overheard.
"Are you just going to abandon Aerith completely?" Riku asked angrily, "I don't know my mom but I know Aerith! What are you going to do, because you sure as heck can't have them both."
"I was trying to figure that out when I revived her by accident…I wanted to wait and figure out where my heart lay before either reviving your mother or proposing to Aerith." Terra replied as Riku glared at him angrily.
"Well make up your mind…when you do you know where to find me." Riku said angrily as he stormed off away from his father shortly before stopping.
"I can't believe you would do that to Aerith…after all that the two of you have been through." Riku said as he stormed off.
Aerith went unnoticed by the angry teen as he stormed past, while she stood in disbelief.
Rikka herself was wondering what to do as she closed the door to her and Terra's quarters…her husband had moved on with his life and had found love again, and then she get's revived and sends his heart into a tizzy as he tries to figure out with whom he feels like his heart belongs.
Terra stood silently in the hall, as Aerith slipped away to her room quietly.
"We all must make tough decisions in our life." Mune said as he phased through the wall next to Terra.
"You heard?" Terra asked.
"Every word…and I wasn't alone…Aerith heard too…as did Rikka." Mune replied.
"(Sigh) Great…I've gone and made things a living nightmare for me now." Terra said as Mune crossed his arms.
"A nightmare for you? What about the two, nay three hearts that you've broken just now? How do you think they feel?" Mune asked as Terra turned towards the former Dutchman crewman.
"Back off Mune…no one asked you…this is something I have to get myself out of." Terra growled as Mune used a previously unknown ability that he had learned from his years under Xehanort and morphed his arm into a large crab claw like Jones's. He grabbed Terra by the throat and pinned him to the wall.
"Now you listen here Terra! I have lived in an absolute hell for over fourteen years and watched heart after heart get broken by my actions…do you think I wallowed in self pity? No I didn't, I did what I could to fix my mistakes…I put others ahead of myself…even during my time on the Dutchman, I would wager several decades of servitude on bets that I knew would be impossible for me to win, and helped to shorten the amount of time that others served while knowing full well that I would have to spend even longer on the Dutchman…but did I complain? No. Did I wallow in self pity? No. I learned to care for others first and myself second…perhaps it's something that you learn from dying, but I damn sure would do it again if given the option of reliving those years on the Dutchman."
"Now…think on those words before you start thinking of how to get yourself out of these messes." Mune said as he released the Knight and walked back through the wall leaving a somber Terra alone with his thoughts.
Back in Aqua's room…
Mune phased through the wall to find the lights out.
"Aqua where are you?" Mune asked as he discovered what toes are for…finding furniture in the dark.
"Over here." He heard Aqua reply in a sing song voice as she flipped on the light, revealing her in a silky black negligee on the bed.
"I thought that we should have what we can of a honeymoon before we have to go back to work saving the universe and all." Aqua said with a seductive smile as Mune's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
"By the goddess…" he said in awe but quickly shook his head, "…but Terra has killed any hope of me getting in the mood tonight I'm afraid."
"What? Terra?" Aqua asked confused as she looked at him in disbelief as he sat down on the foot of the bed.
"It's a long story…" Mune said as Aqua groaned in frustration.
"Why does this always happen? First Ven on the Fahrenheit ten years ago and now this…ugh I grow weary of being the only passenger on the S.S. Not-gettin'-any." Aqua replied as Mune looked at her with a furrowed brow.
"What happened on the Fahrenheit ten years ago?" Mune asked confused.
"Nothing…you know Ven and his ethics…he gets sick just thinking about being unfaithful." Aqua replied as she sat up and threw her robe on.
"True…that's why one of the first things he told me was that the two of you didn't have a child together…all though I partially suspected that it was that blond haired boy with the spiky hair that's the spitting image of Ven." Mune said.
"Naw that's Roxas, Sora's nobody…well ex-nobody anyways." Aqua said as Mune nodded knowingly.
"Terra just made a big error is all." Mune said as Aqua arched an eyebrow.
"Like?" She asked as Mune repeated his and Terra's conversation.
"Oh…" Aqua said as she realized the gravity of the situation, "…that is definitely called stuck between a rock and a hard place…a very hard rock when ol' rock head's concerned."
"I'm really not as concerned about him than I am Aerith and Rikka." Mune replied.
"You really do have a heart of gold now don't you?" Aqua asked with a caring smile.
"You learn a lot when you face the possibility of never seeing your family again…I kept hoping that you would have found someone else to love and get over me." Mune replied, "I learned to live for others, not myself…it was the way of the Cetra…and it's my way too."
"I knew there was a reason other than looks and talents that I fell in love with you for…it was your heart." Aqua said as they kissed. Eventually their kissing got a little too passionate and Mune started fumbling for the light switch…looks like Mune was wrong about not getting in the mood that night.
Meanwhile…
"Do you hear that?" Ven asked as he looked up from his book.
"Hear what?" Lulu asked absently as she read her old diary.
"It sounded like a thumping s- Oh." Ven said as he quickly realized what the noise was.
"Newlyweds." Lulu said with a smirk as Ven shook the thoughts from his mind and returned to his book.
"Cid mentioned something about sonic dampeners built into the walls that can block sounds from bleeding through certain walls." Ven asked as he glanced at the wall behind them.
"Found it." Lulu replied as she flipped a switch on the wall and it became silent.
"Much better." Ven said as he returned to his book.
Meanwhile on the Fahrenheit…
"Aaaa-CHOO!!" Kairi sneezed.
"Bless you." Sora said as he handed her a box of tissues.
"What the heck happened for you to get a cold? Sora was in the Maelstrom just as long as you were." Roxas asked as Kairi shot him a drowsy death glare.
"You forget that I was in the water for several minutes with Will in the freezing water after escaping Jones's wrath and before getting picked up by Sao Feng and Elizabeth." Kairi replied as she sneezed again.
"Bless you." Namine said.
"What exactly happened to you out there?" Sora asked as Kairi blew her nose.
"Long story short…the Kraken attacked the ship we escaped to…needless to say Will and I were the only ones to escape." Kairi replied as everyone flashed back to when they watched the Kraken sink the Endeavour.
"Oh wow…I would hate to encounter that thing up close and personal like you did." Cissnei said as Wall-e rolled in and removed twenty seven boxes exactly of tissue from his cavity.
"Trust me Cissnei…it's not at all pretty to watch an entire crew consumed by that beast." Kairi replied as she had a phantom sneeze. (The feeling you get when you think you're about to sneeze but don't.)
"I wonder if Will has control of that thing like Jones did." Sora replied as Kairi shrugged.
"Who knows…if he does I doubt he'll use it except when in a pinch." Kairi said as Zack entered carrying a bottle.
"What's that?" Namine asked.
"The one thing guaranteed to cure the cough and cold…a mega-elixir." Zack said as he uncorked the bottle filled with yellow fluid and handed it to Kairi who downed it without hesitation.
"Well?" Sora asked.
"I don't taste anything." Kairi replied.
"Nasty stuff." Fuu said as she appeared. She had another eye patch on.
"Just curious Fuu…do you still feel anything in your eye?" Roxas asked.
"Some…not much." Fuu replied.
"Wouldn't you rather get a glass eye like that Ragetti guy had a wooden one?" Namine asked as Fuu shook her head.
"No glass…to risky." Fuu replied.
"Translated she doesn't want to have anything that could damage her inner organs any further." Zack translated as Fuu nodded.
"COWARD…first class." Fuu said in reference to herself as Sora shook his head.
"No that's the bullies at school when they see you." Sora said as Kairi sneezed into a Kleenex.
"Well that was certainly…hey my head cleared." Kairi said sounding completely unstuffed.
"Wow…who'd a thunk it?" Roxas said as Zack scrunched up his face as if smelling something disgusting.
"Is something burning?" He asked as everyone looked at each other.
"I don't smell anything." Luxa replied as Zack turned towards the hallway leading to the crew quarters.
"It smells like something burning…oh wait…I've smelled it before…it's what happens when Riku gets really torqued off at something or someone." Zack replied.
"You can read someone's emotions by their smell?" Luxa asked confused.
"A combination of my SOLDIER training and standard genetic alterations." Zack replied.
"Investigate." Fuu said as she headed for Riku, Sora, and Roxas's quarters.
She arrived and knocked on the door softly.
"Go away." Riku replied from inside.
"It's Fuu." She said.
"Oh…sorry Fuu but I just need to be alone right now." Riku replied.
"Why?" she asked as she started hacking the door controls.
"It's a long story." He replied as the doors opened.
"How did you do that?" he asked surprised.
"L33T H4X0r" Fuu replied with a smirk as Riku couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape.
"But seriously Fuu…I need some time alone…keep Sora and Roxas out for a moment ok?" he asked as she closed and locked the door behind her while still in the room.
"Fuu?" Riku said as she crossed her arms.
"Not leaving." She replied as she held her ground.
"Answers." She said as Riku sighed, there was no arguing with her…especially since she never said more than three words at a time.
"(Sigh)…my dad just made a major blunder with two people's hearts is all…he revived my dead mom with his powers as a Kingdom Knight, to say nothing of his relationship with Aerith." Riku explained as Fuu sat down next to him on the bed.
"Accident? Intentional?" she asked.
"He says it was an accident and I believe him on that one…but it's been this way since he came back five months ago, always treating Zack and I both like we're both children…I'm seventeen damn it why doesn't he see that?" Riku asked impatiently.
"Missed a lot." Fuu replied.
"I know he missed out on Zack's and my childhood...but couldn't he just once let go of the past? I mean Aerith was more of a mom to me before all that mess ten years ago began…and Zack has been more like my brother than my cousin since we ran into each other at Radiant Garden." Riku said with a sigh.
"Forgotten? Denial?" Fuu asked.
"Possibly…I wish he didn't get me wrapped up in these situations…he got himself into this mess, but why does he have to drag me into it?" Riku grumbled.
"Happy?" Fuu asked.
"Yeah…one big happy family…maybe it would be better just to let sleeping dogs lie…he has to realize that there's probably no hope of he and I having some grand and glorious father, son, relationship like we had ten years ago." Riku said as Fuu took his hand.
"Fool's hope." She replied softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Perhaps…just perhaps." Riku said as he kissed the top of her head, smelling the light fragrance of salt water in her hair.
"You know something Fuu?" Riku asked.
"Hmm?" She replied.
"Your hair stinks." Riku said as Fuu smirked and punched him in the gut.
"Welcome back." She said as she stood up and left the room with a smirk on both their faces.
Next morning…
"So where are we going next?" Sora asked.
"I think we agreed on Agrabah next." Zack replied.
"Yeah, then we can check up on Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie and the gang there." Kairi added.
"Have you even met Aladdin or Genie?" Roxas asked Kairi.
"Well no but I remember Jasmine telling me about them while we were captured last year." Kairi replied.
"Oh…well alright then…to Agrabah it is." Namine said as she turned to the controls.
"Mind if I come along?" Mune asked as he phased through the wall.
"Dad?! Please don't do that!" Kairi begged as Mune's sudden appearance nearly gave everyone a heart attack.
"Sorry…didn't mean to." Mune replied as Sora nodded.
"Hey it's cool…and if you want to join us, you don't even have to ask." Sora replied with a thumbs up.
"Thanks…Aqua wanted me to go with you…if anything to provide you all with someone who can read the ancient Cetra writings if necessary." Mune replied as Kairi smiled.
"Or you just wanted to be with me." Kairi added.
"That's actually the real reason yes." Mune said with a smile.
"Just curious, what do you have weapon wise?" Zack asked.
"I can wield a Keyblade…only the one I used, I absolutely refuse to wield…it no longer represents who I am…but what I once was." Mune replied as he drew a cutlass and flintlock pistol.
"These are my weapons of choice now…with my magic skill I will never run out of bullets." Mune explained.
"Cool…keeping those old Dutchman memories alive eh?" Sora asked.
"Well…until I can find another Keyblade...but even then I may not switch." Mune replied.
"You can use my standard issue sword if you want till then." Zack offered as Mune shook his head.
"Thanks but I've grown quite fond of my cutlass…she's served me well over the past decade." Mune replied.
"Uh guys…we're here." Namine said as she pointed out the viewport at a large sand covered world.
"A welcome change from the ocean." Kairi said as Namine brought them in for a landing.
End Chapter 21
The Terra/Rikka/Aerith triangle is going to be a prominent plot device in future chapters…and I don't even know how I'm going to resolve it...yet.