A/N: You know, admittedly, I went on a bit of a hiatus with the Kingdom Hearts series after KH3 came out, not because I thought it was bad, but I was genuinely out of it for a while. I didn't even want to hear anything about KH Union χ either (and I still kind of don't honestly). The Re:Mind trailer... made me replay KH3, on critical for the first time. I still say that KH3 is the only game of the series where I actually enjoy every single Disney world (for some reason I have no problem climbing that mountain again in Frozen), and that Roxas/Xion/Axel reunion scene? Yep, still sad. I also want a Kingdom Hearts game set entirely in Scala Ad Calem, but I'm not here to give my Christmas wishlist, I'm here to tell a story so let's do that.

Chapter 81

World Tour, Part 2

Lotus Forest, Wonderland

Luna, Astra, Donald and Goofy's investigation into the Wraith near the Powhatan village had come to a resounding dead end, not least because they couldn't find a pattern for their appearance. Donald had dismissed it as perhaps simply being a one-off incident. After all, even though Astra's assertion about the creatures only appearing near Keyblade wielders seemed true, they knew too little about them anyway to be certain.

But Luna had a feeling that dismissing it like that was too simplistic. Too naïve. She couldn't prove a connection, but the correlation between the eclipse and the awakening of Kingdom Hearts, Rhea and those children's disappearance and the Wraith all had her nervous. In the end, she was right to not abandon her suspicions when she received a call from Neuge updating her on the situation.

"They've all escaped? Are you kidding me?" Astra would have nearly yelled into the phone had it not been for Luna doing her best to keep it away from her.

"Well, some of them chose to stay, but I wish I was kidding. This is the worst possible blunder we could have made. We should have had more people watching them. I just didn't think the leftovers would mobilize so fast." Luna's heart broke upon hearing Neuge's defeated voice.

"It's not your fault, Neuge. You didn't know. Don't beat yourself up over this," Luna insisted, hoping her words could get through.

"I appreciate the words. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure the Lunarians see it that way. They'll look at us and think we're incompetent. Heck, I might even just look the other way and let them hunt these guys down."

"Neuge…" Luna said, exasperatedly.

"I know, I know. We have to do our jobs," Neuge said. "Nothing is ever easy when you're a Keyblade Wielder. No one reason for that to change now."

"Nothing is ever easy period. So we just have to find these Keyblade wielders before the Lunarians do, right?" Luna asked.

"Ah, you make it sound so easy. I admire the tenacity but don't worry too much about it right now. Just… be careful. Okay?"

"You can say that a thousand times," Luna said. The call ended and she quickly surveyed the faces of her friends.

"Aw, it just goes from bad to worse," a sullen Donald grumbled.

"I know how you feel, but we need to put trust in Neuge and the king here. It's all we can do for now," Luna said. She spun around quickly and beamed at Astra. "You're going to love this place. It was the first world I came to with Sora, other than Disney Castle and Radiant Garden. Alice is from here."

"Seems less my place and more your place. Where's all the fire, brimstone and heavy metal?" Astra asked.

"How are you two friends again?" Donald raised, stopping on the spot.

Luna laughed. "There's more that brings us together than tears us apart. You'll just have to trust me on that one."

"Yeah, like me and Max," Goofy said, chuckling.

"If you say so," Donald murmured.

They continued further into the strange forest and soon arrived at the tea garden where the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the White Rabbit were all sitting. The White Rabbit seemed to be looking back and forth at his pocket watch frantically, all the while trying to decline the cakes and tea that the Mad Hatter was offering him.

"Oh, you simply must have some more! What kind of guest wanders out with only a bite and a gulp?" the Hatter asked, attempting to shove the piece of cake towards the rabbit.

"A b-bite and a- Now I think we all know I've had more than a bite and a gulp! I r-really need to be off now or I'll be l-l-l-late!" the rabbit stuttered nervously.

"Oh, nonsense! The queen isn't like that other one. Why that scoundrel, that wretch, that-"

The March Hare suddenly screamed and looked around. "The Queen of Hearts? Where? Where?!"

Mad Hatter put his finger up to his lips. "Don't say her name."

"Whose name?" Astra intruded on the conversation.

"Why, the Queen of Hearts, of course-" the Mad Hatter's answer however seemed to trigger the March Hare to scream and buzz about the room in a frenzy.

"Oh, not again." The Hatter quickly grabbed the teapot in the middle of the table and zipped over to the March Hare, tilting it and dousing the Hare in the steaming hot brew. For whatever reason, this seemed to work, and the Hare calmed down almost immediately.

"Wow. You're right, Luna. I am starting to like this place," Astra said. Luna had to roll her eyes at her friend's manipulative behavior.

Donald looked up at her. "Seriously, how are you two friends aga-"

"Please don't ask me. I thought I knew a moment ago," Luna replied, sweetly.

"Luna! Goodness gracious, where has time gone, really?" Mad Hatter asked, looking around.

"I thought the old queen got rid of him," Luna said, tilting her head to the side. She remembered getting really annoyed over this the last time she had come here.

"Oh, she tried to, but try as she might, it seems he slipped right out of her hands," said the Hatter. "Would you like to join us for tea?"

"Please say no," the white rabbit added quickly.

Luna laughed. "It's alright, Hatter. We have to be moving along. Always moving."

"Well that's no good, dear. I find stopping to be a lot more effective than moving," the Hatter said, pouring some more tea into his cup. Luna was pretty sure the teapot produced infinite tea and was tempted for a moment to take it from the Hatter's hands and find out, but decided swiftly against it.

"You haven't seen anything out of the ordinary lately, have you?" Luna asked. She flinched when eyes and a big grinning mouth with no seeming connection to face or body appeared in front of her.

"Now, would that be out of the ordinary or simply… ordinary?" asked the Cheshire Cast as he materialized the rest of his body into existence.

"Don't do that!" Donald snapped at him.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes I can't help but let my mouth run ahead of my body," the cat replied, letting out a yawn.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Goofy asked him.

"Absolutely purr-fect. Now, about that question, or a lack thereof."

"Oh, right." It dawned on Luna just how silly her question seemed in Wonderland of all places. Talking to the Cheshire Cat was also like trying to navigate a maze while blindfolded. Considering she was currently stuck with two impatient people, it wasn't really a good idea anyway. "Actually we'll just head to the queen's castle. We have something to discuss with her anyway."

"Oh, thank goodness, I really should be going along with them, Hatter," the white rabbit said, scrambling to get away from the table before the Hatter could do anything to him.

"Oh, by the way," the Cheshire Cat started, placing resting his head on his paws lazily. "You may want to take this small nugget of information. You may not. But I just thought you should know that the forest has eyes today."

Donald stared at him blankly. "Is that it?"

"Is what it?" Cheshire Cat asked.

"You just said-"

"Okaaaay! Thank you very much for you hospitality! I'm so sorry we couldn't stay for long. Maybe another time. Bye!" Luna hastily said, grabbing Donald and Astra by the hands to drag them out.

"Well, that was fun. I wish we coulda stayed longer," Goofy said, as they set off on the path again, this time with the White Rabbit leading the way.

"I'm good, thanks," Donald said.

"The forest has eyes today…" Luna suddenly vocalized the very thought that had been on her mind since leaving the garden.

"You're still worried about that? It's a whole lot of nothing," Donald dismissed, waving his hand.

"Oh, now you should really worry," Astra said, receiving a nasty look from Donald in response. "Look, Luna, I think you should trust your judgement, but, and I hate to admit it, Donald's right. There's really not much to go on from that. As long as we have each other's backs, we'll be ready for anything."

"They're right, Luna." Artemis appeared next to her. "It doesn't really do to dwell on the ramblings of a mad cat. I'm sure Alice knows that more than most."

I guess but… Luna looked at the trees as she walked by them. I've had the strangest feeling for a while now that we're being followed.

"For how long?" Artemis asked.

Well… I felt it first just before leaving Pocahontas' village. And I felt it a while back too. Luna looked away from the trees, noticing that she was slightly behind everyone else. At the very least, it looked like Donald and Astra were starting to get along. She hurried her pace and caught up with them. Whatever they were talking about, if it could keep her paranoia at bay then it was worth engaging in.

Near the Starry Spectrum Circus

"And that makes number three," Sora said, looking around the device to make sure it was firmly planted into the ground. He looked up to see lights trailing across the night sky from the nearby circus. He looked up at Roxas who was looking on similarly. "It's something completely different when you're actually down there. You feel like you're a part of the color, the spectacle and lights… A friend of mine was here, forced to be the star attraction of the circus. The ringmaster, the former one, had his mother held captive. Every night, he'd perform to hundreds of people. Luna, Donald, Goofy, Kupopo and I put a stop to that."

"He got to see his mom again?" Roxas asked.

Sora smiled. "Mphm. Actually, now that I think about, maybe Timothy and those moogles I met are still there. Want to go see?"

"Sora, I don't…"

"Come on… I didn't think of you as being shy, Roxas," Sora said, bouncing up from the ground. "I was thinking on our way here— you should try meditating."

"I- what?" Roxas asked, baffled by the suggestion.

"I mean, for all the bad Xanatos did, he was the one who helped me through my depression after losing Yeul and after Luna fell into the Realm of Darkness. Meditation was one of the things he suggested and, for me, it worked. It helped me see things clearly. Helped me understand myself and how to be the best person I can be. Whenever I'm stressed out, I just close my eyes and let my mind wander to whatever it wants. I don't know if it'll work that way for you, but you wanted to try everything, right?"

Roxas bowed his head. "Why are you even bothering with me, Sora? I don't deserve this."

"Of course you do. You deserve to be you, Roxas. That's why I wanted to give you your own body in the first place. It wasn't because I wanted you to be somebody else," Sora replied. "You know, of all the crimes Xanatos has done, I do think that taking your identity has been the worst of them. I've… never thought of you as me, but I have thought of you as a friend, and a brother," Sora said.

"A brother?" Roxas repeated, solemnly.

"Well… anyway, let's check out the circus already! Race you there!" Sora urged with a little too much eagerness to not be considered exaggerated. Without waiting to hear Roxas' reply, he cut across the path they had taken on their way here and made his way down the mountain trail.

The layout of the circus was exactly as Sora remembered it. His memory led him to the big red and white striped tent in the middle of the circus and he peered inside. To his left he could see elephants drinking from a pool of water. There were also a few props such as a trampoline, podiums, clown cars and cannons.

He allowed himself into the tent and walked around, grinning wildly as he looked around at the various props. He just had to come back another time, with his friends to catch one of the shows. And with the old Ringmaster out of the way, he hoped that their successor was a lot more caring and didn't consider animals as tools to be used and abused.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!"

Sora looked to where the voice came from but he couldn't see anyone it belonged to. When the voice told him further to look down, he did to find a familiar face.

"Timothy! Long time no see!" Sora greeted.

At first, the mouse seemed confused, but then his whiskers twitched and he let out a big smile. "Oh, Sora! I thought you looked a bit different. Must be the hair. How've ya been, pal?"

"I've been keeping on. You're still here? I thought that you and Dumbo would have hightailed it by now. The Ringmaster's gone…"

"Well, he's kinda still here," Timothy said.

"What?" Sora asked, gravely.

Timothy burst out laughing. "Hahaha, you should see the look on your face. I mean he's me! I'm the Ringmaster now!"

A baffled Sora seemed to have trouble finding the right words, the right thoughts, even. Gasps of air sailed from his mouth as surprise overtook him.

"Wow… I just… that's great, Timothy! Good for you."

"Shucks, thanks! It's just that a lot of these guys are without a home, ya know? They've only got each other and with the Ringmaster outta the picture, someone needed to take up the mantle. This place has so many memories behind it, even if they weren't all happy, and we've given so much happiness to those who come here as well. We couldn't just let it end."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that. Because those Moogles were here and they don't really have anyone but each other," Sora pointed out. He looked behind him as Roxas entered this tent.

"They still are. Mogki, Mogrika, Mocchi, Grimo, Moonte, Nazna, Mogmatt and Serino. They and Dumbo are actually the ones who have been helping me out, as well as being the attractions of the Starry Spectrum Circus," Timothy explained.

"Wait, is Dumbo still here?" Sora asked, hopefully.

"You betcha. The little guy finally met his mother again after you guys helped us, but he was worried about me and decided to stay and help out. He's the bestest friend a little guy like me could ever have. What's more, they absolutely love him! The kids even wanna take photographs with him! PHOTOGRAPHS! I'd never even seen one before then!" Timothy cried with an abundance of enthusiasm.

It was an enthusiasm that was somewhat lost on Sora, primarily because a photograph wasn't a new concept to him, but he had to remind himself then and there that photographs certainly weren't a thing everywhere. The world was connected but in terms of advancements it was one very much out of balance. Instead, he chose to focus on the warmth he felt at Dumbo being so appreciated.

"I'm happy for him. Can I see him?" Sora asked.

"Well, we're actually doing another show in a few. Why don't ya hop on by? Free of charge, of course," Timothy said.

Sora's eyes glistened in delight. "Can we? Then yes!"

"Sora, I really-"

"Oh, come on, Roxas. We're not robots. We can stop and appreciate things too. That's how we remind ourselves of who we are," Sora said. "Oh, Timothy, this is Roxas, by the way. He's a bit shy."

"I'm not shy! I'm yo-" But Roxas stopped himself before it was too late. Sora's grin receded to a small smile. He was starting to understand just how Xanatos had gotten to him—by making him think he was lesser than the very person he spawned from.

The White Queen's Castle, Wonderland

Diamonds, spades, hearts and clubs flew to either side as the cards which held them granted admission for the White Rabbit, Luna and her friends. Astra raised a finger to poke one of them and even tried to pull a funny face, though the card remained as still as a statue. She gave a look of approval and hurried on after the others.

"I'll get them to crack a smile one day," Astra said to Luna, as she looked around her.

"One of your life goals?" Luna asked, amused.

"You know it," Astra replied. "You think they play poker in their spare time?"

"You need chips for that," Luna stated in an obvious tone.

"Usually, although I know our school had an underground poker championship that used jelly beans instead," Astra said.

"It what? Wait… so that's where you got those jelly beans from!" Luna mouthed, alarmed. She certainly wouldn't be looking on those memories the same way again after knowing this.

They soon reached the courtyard to be greeted by the White Queen—ebullient, and perpetually drifting, like a ballerina. Luna could even recognize some of her movements from her own time doing ballet. She was drastically different from her sister, just as Alice had described her.

The White Rabbit scrambled over to the queen's side and put his tiny trumpet to his mouth, blaring out three notes.

"You are in the presence of Her Majesty, the White Queen!" he huffed in declaration.

"Your Majesty, it's an honor to meet you," Luna said, kneeling alongside Donald and Goofy. Astra continued standing, at least until Luna pulled her down.

"We've met once before in a dream. Luna, I believe? Please stand. Add formality and reality and what do we get? A contradiction. And let's not be contraire. As for you," the Queen let her finger glide towards the White Rabbit. "We really need to do something about that trumpet. Such an awful sound. A relic of my sister's, to be sure. Perhaps a harp would be more mellifluous?"

"B-b-but I- I like my trumpet," the White Rabbit stuttered, looking down at the instrument.

"Of course you do," the White Queen replied, sweetly, stooping low to pat his head.

"Sorry, you saw me in a dream?" Luna asked.

After correcting her posture, she glanced over to Luna. "I'm afraid time is a funny thing for me. It's all rather backwards. You see, to me, you happened to be here at this exact moment in time because I was waiting for you. But for you, I was waiting here at this exact moment in time because you were coming. Does that make sense?"

"No," Astra and Donald both said in unison.

"But that's okay. This is Wonderland!" Goofy pointed out. "And we're Goofy, Donald, and Astra."

"I like your attitude, Goofy," the Queen commended. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well, we're working to set up a relay of communication networks and…" Luna slowed to a crawl when the blank face the White Queen (which was really just a smile), told her she was making no sense. "That is, we're trying to bring the world together and we think that your castle would be good for doing that."

"Oh! Well, in that case I'd love to be of assistance," the White Queen said, flourishing her perfect teeth.

"Thank you. We just need to take this…" Luna retrieved the satellite device from her bag. "Up to the highest part of your castle."

"I'll have one of the guards show you the way up," the Queen gently gestured to one of the card near the gate, who slammed his heart shaped spear into the ground.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, in a rather pompous voice.

As the card led them through the castle, Donald spoke. "Wow, she's already more charming than the other queen."

"She doesn't want our heads either too. Weren't these soldiers under the Queen of Hearts' command?" Goofy asked.

"We were, though many of us stood by her not so much out of loyalty, but out of fear that we would lose our heads," the card soldier told him.

"Wait, she actually did that? Hey, Luna, do you remember the story about that one king of Alexander who beheaded his wives if they didn't give him a male heir their first try?" Astra asked.

"Of course that would be the one story you paid attention to in history class," Luna said, shaking her head. After climbing up one of the towers' staircases, they ended up on its rooftop. Luna found herself breathless as she approached the edge, staring at the well-manicured hedges, mazes and forests that surrounded the castle. Further up, she could also make out the coast, separating the land from a crimson sea which she hoped wasn't actually what she thought it looked like.

"I feel like the princess in the stories my mom used to tell me," she started as Astra leaned against the parapet next to her. "Once there was a child who loved to look out and see the moon. She would do so every night. Then one day, a large shadow appeared over the moon, blocking it from view. Fearing that she would the moon and its beauty again, she went out looking for a way to bring back that light.

"So she searched and searched for a way but to no avail, and when she came to realize that she herself was lost, it was too late. She was scared and there was no one to help her. She was about to give up when the gentlest of lights reached her. It was a light from her own heart, telling her that she didn't need to worry. That even though there was darkness all around her, if she simply believed in a light other than what she could see then no darkness would be able to touch her. So she trusted in these words to bring her home. The very next night, the moon appeared again."

"Kaylah knew how to get you to sleep. My granny never could," Astra said.

"Well, it's been more than a tale recently. When the stars all disappeared, I always remembered that story. That's why I was so sure they'd come back," Luna replied.

"It's almost like your mom knew that was gonna happen, huh?" Astra turned around to face her.

"Well, she's not the White Queen…" Luna said, though her smile faltered. For a second, for whatever reason, she couldn't help but entertain the possibility. Maybe she had known. Maybe her tales had been more than just tales. But she had also heard from Inspector Lenoux during her interrogation how her mother had wandered into the station one day, claiming that she had amnesia, just as her daughter would have many years later. Had her mom ever regained her old memories? Who had she been before the amnesia? The same mother she had come to know and love or…

"Wraaiiiiithh!"

Goofy's cry snapped her out of her reverie and she stormed over to where Goofy and Donald were with Astra by her side. In the courtyard, she could see the card soldiers trying to fend off the Wraith. Some cards were even piling on top of each other in an effort to topple the sinister beings.

"Now of all times? I hope the Queen saw this one coming too," Astra said.

"As if there ever is a time I'd want them around." Luna hurried into her bag and took out the device, handing it to Goofy. "Get this set up, Goofy. Donald, Astra, Card guy, you're with me."

The group of four hurried back down the tower's steps, retraced their steps back through the west wing of the castle and arrived at the courtyard. Their breathing was an indication of how far they had pushed themselves, but they had no time to rest.

"Your Majesty, you need to be inside!" Donald yelled, seeing her standing close to the same spot they had left her in.

"It's alright," the White Queen said, watching as a group of Wraith bolted forward in a limping like motion to the castle. The extended their arms, concealing their silky wings of a cloudy white color. As they leapt forward to attack, they came in contact with an invisible force, bouncing them away with the satisfying sound of a plop.

"Oh, and here I saw my life flashing before my eyes," Astra said, letting her body relax.

"Well, there's more on their way," Donald announced, pointing his staff at the different variant of Wraith. As the seal looking Wraith reached the invisible bubble, they flipped through the air and buried themselves underground.

Astra gawked before narrowing her eyes. "Great. They can cheat."

The seals broke out from the ground in various places around them. Luna saw one flying towards her from the left and backed away, calling and drawing her Keyblade out in the process. The whiplash caught the seal and cut through it.

"Card guy, get the White Queen out of here!" Luna yelled.

The soldier gave a prompt nod then made his way to the queen, putting his hands on her for support. "Let's go, Your Majesty."

"Do be careful," the White Queen bestowed these last words before being taken inside of the castle.

Luna attempted to bat away another of the seals but they managed to latch onto her Keyblade. She swung left and right but its teeth were firmly gripped and unwilling to let go. Catching sight of one of the holes the seals had come out from, she quickly ran over and coated her Keyblade's blade in electricity, stabbing into the hole. She soon pulled it out to find the Wraith no longer attached.

"We're gonna have to move up!" she heard Astra yell behind her. Both she and Donald had taken care of their own Wraith. Hearing more plops from the bubble, she looked to see other Wraith trying to attack them only to fail.

The three of them advanced out of the bubble, covering each other from attack and taking out the Wraith as they headed deeper into the courtyard. Eventually as the land opened up to wider territory, it became clear that staying together would no longer prove effective.

"Meet you guys back here when we're done," Donald said, before sprinting off.

"You heard the duck," Astra said, taking a few steps backwards as she talked to Luna. She then turned around and rushed out to help.

Luna stilled herself and broke off into a jog, ducking and dodging to take out whatever Wraith she could before they could see her. Up ahead were a few card soldiers doing battle with the Wraith. Try as hard as they might, it seemed like the Wraith had the upper hand. It was easy for them to slice the cards in half, though their movement became limited when the cards worked together to pile on them, allowing other soldiers to move in for the kill.

Luna picked off a few more Wraith heading towards the cards and was about to join them when she felt some grab her ankles. She didn't get to find out what that was before her body and head hit the ground. Looking around her, she could see her surroundings moving quickly. She was being dragged and by what seemed to be a shadow latching onto her own.

She leaned to her right and stabbed her Keyblade into the ground, gritting her teeth when she felt the tension between the shadow attempting to pull her and her grounded Keyblade.

With her left hand still wrapped around the handle, she moved her right hand towards the ground and cast Quake. Piles of dirt and grass collapsed in on itself as a crack formed in the ground. She felt whatever was holding onto her also let go.

Luna pulled herself towards her Keyblade and rested her back against it.

"Not exactly the time to rest, is it?" she heard Artemis say from behind her.

"Is it ever time to rest?" Luna whispered. "I just got dragged through dirt. I want a bath."

"Say, do you remember what happened with Mari Seren in the castle, when she let her Keyblade take over?" Artemis asked.

"I do… wait…" she looked up to her Keyblade. "You don't think we could do it too, do you?"

"I was thinking that but… no, it's too dangerous. And I don't even know I'd be able to separate from you afterwards. You could be stuck outside your body forever," Artemis said.

"I trust you," Luna said, laying her hand down on the Dream Seeker's blade.

"That's not good enough! Luna, just… forget it," Artemis cried.

Luna stood up slowly and dragged her Keyblade from the ground. "Okay then."

She turned around to see more of the Wraith coming towards her. She quickly knocked the first few away and whipped up some magic to tackle the others. As she went into for an overhead strike, she felt something grab her Keyblade. Looking up, she could see a silhouette of a hand wrapping around her Keyblade. The shadow was back.

Before she could look behind her, a seal jumped out from the ground in front of her and spun, slamming its tail into her stomach. The Keyblade left her hands as she fell backwards, gasping for air. She clutched her stomach and looked around to the more of the same Wraith digging in and out of the ground as they circled in on her.

Luna closed her eyes and held her hand above her. She felt something wrap around her wrist, probably to keep her in place, but she kept her eyes closed, concentrating on the tingling feeling in her palm. When it was replaced by her weighty Keyblade, she felt the shadowy hands remove itself from her wrist.

"Ugh, you are hopeless. Any rules before I do this?" Artemis asked, quickly.

"Just do it," Luna said. She felt the strangest feeling, one of weightlessness, overtake her. The next thing she knew, her she was floating in the darkness, watching her heart float upwards beyond her reach. She was here, alone in the sea of consciousness. Despite being alone, strangely enough she wasn't afraid. She was formless and had no body yet she could feel herself attached to the surface. That attachment allowed her to feel the things that her heart felt—exhilaration and the massive rush of endorphins which contributed to her lightheadedness.

After a while, she could see something again in the darkness of that sea. The light of her heart floating back down towards her. She reached out with invisible hands and took hold of it, bringing it towards her chest. Then she felt herself being yanked forward by the string that kept her attached to the surface. She opened her mouth as she burst through the water only to find that she had not burst free from any water at all. She was standing outside the Queen's Castle once more, leaning over her Keyblade while panting.

"Luna, are you okay? Is everything alright? Is you mind still intact? Oh, please tell me you're not braindead!" Artemis wailed in panic.

"No… I'm… I'm good. Oh dear…" Luna said. She let out a breathy laugh. "And I was… just getting… used to not having… weight."

She stumbled backwards and looked around. She was pretty sure she was in a completely different place to where she had last been. She was closer now to the Lotus Forest. In addition, she couldn't see any Wraith nearby.

"You… wiped them out?" she asked Artemis.

"We wiped them out," Artemis corrected. "I didn't want to spend too long in your body in case something happened so I made sure it was quick."

Luna smiled and looked over to the other side of the field where Astra and Donald were. They still needed help, though Artemis was right that it was probably too risky to abuse that kind of power, especially with how inexperienced they both were. That they had somehow even been able to do it in the first place had been nothing short of a miracle. She had kind of just hoped her heart would do the talking for her.

As she took a few steps forward to her Keyblade in order to heal herself, her arms and feet suddenly locked up and she fell forward. She tried to fight whatever was constricting her but the bonds were too tight. Rolling onto her back, she looked up to see someone emerging from the trees.

"You!" Luna spat.

"That was pretty impressive. Just like what Mari did. They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," June Caster said, kneeling beside Luna to playfully ruffle her hair. "I'm so proud of my little niece."

"What?" Luna asked.

"Oh, don't worry. We have lots and lots of time to catch up, but not here. All this racket is really not my thing. Let's head somewhere a little… quieter. Sail on silver girl, Sail on by…" June sang in a whisper. As Luna watched June's hand drift over her face, she began to feel tired. She thought she could hear Artemis' voice nearby, but that soon began to dissipate into nothingness as well. She could make out two more pairs of legs coming up to her and June but the rest of them were a blurry mess. But a mess was still one she could see, and one she vastly preferred to the alternative which came next—nothing at all.

A/N: I too wish I could end this chapter on something more Christmass-y, so err... just pretend she's dragging Luna off to sing Christmas carols or something. Yep. That's what she's doing. Anyway, a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to all of you. When we get back, we'll see how Sora's doing and whether there's been any updates on Rhea.

Also, I actually was tempted to add a scene where Roxas drank the champagne-spiked water from the film and became drunk but that would simply have been a recipe for disaster and is a good example of why not all ideas are good ideas so there you go.

Edit: Actually, TrinityXaos has been really kind in drawing up some Holiday artwork for Sora and Luna and it looks amazing so if you want to check that out, search for TrinityXaos2 on Deviant Art. And a big thanks to him for doing this too.