Background Information:

Verum Rex: a first person shooter mini game in which the player controls a robot that destroys enemies to score as many points as possible within a time limit.


PROJECT: TEENAGE WASTELAND
XVIII | oathkeepers


Back in the futuristic Disney castle den modelled after the Federation Ship in Deep Space, in the middle of a heated game of Kingdom Karts between Sora, Kairi, Hayner, and Olette, Selphie comes barging into the room. One could easily tell just by the sinister click clacking of her heels that she was not pleased, and a few steps behind her, Wakka also enters the room, but in a much more unsure and nervous fashion.

Selphie then walks up to the front of the room, stops directly in the middle of the projected screen, and without any warning whatsoever, powers down the projector.

"Hey!" Hayner says angrily when the screen goes blank. "I was just about to win!"

Beside him, Olette coughs a subtle "you wish".

"Kairi, may I have a word with you in private?" Selphie asks through gritted teeth, the tempo of the click clacking unfaltering as she continues to angrily tap one foot.

Sensing what the conversation was going to be about, Kairi takes a deep breath, but before she can get a word in, Sora jumps in to defend her.

"Whatever you need to talk about, you can do it in the presence of her friends," he says, not wanting Kairi to go at it alone with the master manipulator. He had no doubts that she could handle it herself, but if he was around and had the opportunity to help, he'd do it without question.

"Fine then," Selphie says pointedly. She then turns to Kairi, eyes staring daggers. "Kairi, why did you reject Tidus Clearwater?"

"The same reason anyone would reject someone," Kairi answers simply. "Because I wasn't interested in him romantically."

"How can you not be?" Selphie asks, flabbergasted. "Have you seen the guy? Do you know who he is? Any other girl would've taken your spot in a heartbeat."

"But she isn't any other girl, is she?" Olette argues, and Kairi turns to her roommate with an appreciative smile.

"And there's much more to a relationship than just the surface level," Kairi reasons. "Tidus is charming and all, but he and I had no foundation, and we definitely didn't have enough for me to even consider a romantic relationship with him."

Sora nods in agreement and inwardly high-fives himself at the same time. He may not have been an expert, but that sounded an awful lot like hope.

"Oh screw foundation," Selphie says, seething. "Thanks to you, the next episode of Teenage Wasteland is going to be delayed. Unless, of course, you project to the public that you didn't reject Tidus."

"I'm sorry Selphie," Kairi says politely, but the apology is hollow. "But I can't do that. I won't lie about my feelings and sacrifice authenticity for some silly TV show."

"I can turn you into a monster," Selphie threatens, her blood boiling. Perhaps manipulating the redhead wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. "I can portray you as the most spoiled brat there is, and everyone will judge you for it."

"Go ahead," Kairi says, boldly standing from her seat and confidently walking towards Selphie. Sora watches her with admiration. This was not the same Kairi that he'd found crying in the freezer earlier that summer, and it wasn't just because her hair had changed—no, this was a new Kairi inside and outside indeed.

"The opinions that truly matter to me belong to the people who live within these castle walls," Kairi continues, "so you can go ahead and paint me as whatever you want to the island. My friends know who I really am."

Behind her, everyone nods in agreement. Defeated, Selphie lets out a frustrated growl at their united front and storms out of the room with Wakka in tow.

"Yass queen!" Hayner exclaims sassily when the click clacking fades into the distance.

The four let out a laugh, but the lighthearted moment is short lived. No more than ten seconds later, Pence enters the room with his tablet in hand and a solemn look on his face.

"Hey guys, I hate to break your feel good moment," he starts while projecting the most recent events with Xion at The Noize's backyard party through social media, "but we've got a situation."


At the hospital, Roxas tries to comfort a nervously pacing Axel in the hallway as they wait for an update on Xion's condition.

"Axel, she's going to be fine," Roxas assures calmly.

His best friend only continues his pacing as he recalls the way Xion had collapsed and gone limp in Roxas' arms earlier, her complexion paler than usual. Through the full-length windows overlooking the cafeteria below, his sights then land on Riku who sits across from Naminé, both with cups of coffee in hand as they also wait.

"You know," Axel starts, eyes narrowed and fists balled, "I'm starting to think that if that little punk never got involved with her in the first place, it probably would've saved us a lot of trouble. He'd brought her to her limit, and look at where it got her: back in the hospital again."

Roxas frowns. "I hate to tell you this, Axel, but it's not like Riku was the only one causing her stress lately. You've been ignoring her since Super Kingdom Karts, and that hasn't been great for her either."

Axel scoffs, wide-eyed. "If you're going to take his side, then I don't want to hear it."

"I've told you before: I'm not on anyone's side but Xion's," Roxas explains while throwing his hands into his pockets.

Axel turns to Roxas with a disbelieving look.

"And what would you know about being on Xion's side?" he says, his tone serious but delivery shaky. "You weren't there for her the whole time like I was."

The words pierce right through him, and Roxas walks forward to place a reassuring hand on Axel's shoulder.

"I know," the blond admits, his voice hoarse, "but what matters is that I'm here now to make up for lost time, and we need to work together if we want Xion to get better." Axel inhales sharply at the weight of it all, but eventually lets out a long exhale in understanding. He couldn't spend his time being upset at his best friend for events that had already transpired. Roxas wasn't the true enemy here: time was, and they needed to use it not only wisely, but together.

"And hey," Roxas continues, "I don't like the fact that Riku kissed her as much as you do, but… I hate to say that I think it was necessary."

Axel then turns to look at Roxas as if he'd spontaneously grown a second head right before his very eyes.

"She would've stayed safe inside," Axel reasons. "She wouldn't have suffered, been uncomfortable, or been confused."

"But like Xion said, suffering and confusion is all part of being human, Axel," Roxas reminds, "and we need it to a certain extent; otherwise, we'd be living a very neutral, boring, and meaningless existence. When I first met Naminé, she was terrified to even step foot outside. We had to go through plenty of moments that made her uncomfortable just to get her to where she is now—and let me tell you, it was difficult to watch and experience at times—but if we hadn't, she wouldn't have grown, and she wouldn't be here with us today."

Axel takes another deep intake of breath, but his balled fists noticeably slacken. "So you're telling me that I need to let the bird fly from the cage?"

Roxas nods.

"But what if she's not ready?" Axel questions. "What if I'm not ready?"

"No one ever is, and no one ever will be," Roxas answers. "We all make choices not knowing if they're right or wrong, but what matters is that we learn from both. She's strong enough to handle it, Axel, but not if her friends aren't there for her."

Axel hangs his head low in defeat.

"So what?" he croaks. "I can't protect her anymore?"

"Of course you still can," Roxas assures, "just from afar this time. Give her space to make her own choices, provide input when and where you can, but don't be forceful. The more you try to control her, the more hurt she'll be. I know it's going to take a while to get used to, but if you really try, she'll appreciate the freedom."

"And if she gets her heart broken?" Axel asks, recalling Riku's reputation with women.

"Then she gets her heart broken," Roxas answers heavily. "We can be there to pick up the pieces in the aftermath, but what's important is that she experiences it for herself."

Axel lets out an exasperated sigh and runs a hand through his spikes. "Let's hope we'll even have the chance to. We don't even know if she's going to wake up, and do you know the worst part of it all? Do you know what really sucks about all of this?" Axel takes hold of both sides of his head in frustration and leans his forehead against the closest wall.

"The last thing I ever said to her was that I'd refuse to talk to her until she got her head straight about Riku," he croaks. "It's such a cruel memory, but if it truly is her time, then that's the last one she has of me."

"It won't be her last memory of you," Roxas assures. "You'll have plenty more to share with her."

"I wish I could tell her how sorry I am for it now," Axel says, his voice shaking. "I regret it so much."

"You'll get to tell her," Roxas consoles. "This isn't the end, Axel. Things can still be fixed. If anything, when (and not if) she wakes up, this is an incentive for us to do better—to be better."

With his forehead still pressed against the wall, Axel turns to look at his best friend with a blank expression as stark as the colour of the walls.

"You're being awfully optimistic about all this," he points out.

Roxas smiles weakly. "One of us has to be."


Downstairs in the cafeteria, Naminé notices Riku drumming his fingers nervously on the side of his coffee cup.

"Hey," she says, her tone comforting, "everything is going to be okay, Riku."

"How are you so sure?" he asks shakily.

"I'm not," the artist wholeheartedly admits, "but I do know that she's strong. She'll make it through this."

When Riku fails to respond and continues his anxious drumming, Naminé decides to switch gears.

"You know," she starts, "I understand better than anyone what it feels like to be trapped in a room. For years the outside world seemed like the scariest place to me, but Roxas slowly helped me find the beauty in it. He's still showing me, and you're all showing me, too. So despite what's happened, I'm glad you're doing the same for Xion. I know things have been rocky between you two lately, but I'm certain that she appreciates you more than you know."

Riku noticeably stops his drumming and gazes at Naminé with softened eyes. For someone who had been contained for most of her life, she sure wasn't lacking in the comforting and social departments.

"Thank you, Naminé," he says graciously, but after one look into her glass-like eyes, his expression turns guilty. "I'm sorry you had to witness that fight."

Naminé hugs her own arms at the sudden display of violence earlier.

"There is beauty in this world," Riku continues, "but what you saw… didn't exhibit that."

"Perhaps," Naminé agrees after some time, "but I tell myself that it happened because you and Axel both care for Xion so deeply, so I suppose it isn't all bad."

Riku smiles sadly, but it's a smile nonetheless. "No, I suppose not."

Naminé nods bashfully in response, and that's when Sora, Kairi, Hayner, Pence, and Olette decide to make their entrance, all with concerned looks on their faces.

"Where is she? Is everything okay?" Kairi asks hastily.

"We don't know yet," Naminé answers softly. "We're still waiting on the results."

While the newcomers sigh impatiently, Riku takes a moment to acknowledge Kairi's new look.

"It looks good on you," he tells her. Beside him, Naminé agrees with a supportive thumbs up gesture.

"Thanks," Kairi says while twirling a piece of her newly cut hair.

"Not just the hair," Riku corrects, sensing a change in the very air surrounding her. "The confidence."

"Oh," Kairi says, flattered.

"So did you break Sora or what?" he then teases, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey!" Sora exclaims defensively. Then, with his head hung low in defeat and cheeks red, "Yes…"

When everyone giggles lightly at the confession (Kairi more flushed than the others, respectively), Naminé receives a text from her boyfriend.

"It's Roxas," she informs, "the results are ready."


Back in the hallway of the fourth floor, the members of the Disney castle listen intently as the doctor, who goes by Dr. Estheim, updates them on Xion's condition.

"Due to extremely high stress after suffering a concussion, Xion's immune system has weakened, causing the spread of her geostigma to accelerate greatly," the young doctor explains. "She's in critical condition, and we'll need to operate immediately, but the operation is costly."

"How costly?" Roxas asks. Beside him, Axel blanks out after the words critical condition.

The doctor then gives them a number that none of their bank accounts, not even combined, has even seen.

"What?" Riku exclaims, wide-eyed. "We can't afford that."

"We can't afford that now," Roxas corrects. He then turns to Dr. Estheim with a pleading expression. "Is there any way we can postpone the procedure until we raise the funds?"

"Well," Dr. Estheim starts with crossed arms, "she would have to go into cryogenic sleep just to survive, otherwise risking the stigma spreading all over her body overnight."

"Cryo-what?" Axel asks, confused.

"Cryogenic sleep," Olette repeats. "It means they're going to store her body in extremely cold temperatures to preserve it."

The entire household freezes at the very thought of it.

"If we don't, she won't be able to move properly, and it'll only be a matter of months before she's… untreatable," Dr. Estheim says carefully.

Everyone's heads hang low at the thought, but Sora jumps in on a hopeful note.

"So let's say we agree to the cryogenic chamber and raise enough munny for the procedure," he starts. "What happens then? Will she be geostigma-free?"

Dr. Estheim shakes his head. "No, that can't be done with a single operation. It will certainly help stop the spreading and the growth, but she'll need at least a year of treatments to battle the entire stigma."

"Which are also costly," Riku says knowingly.

The doctor nods. "And not 100% guaranteed."

A mix of heavy sighs and frustrated groans sound from the group, but Sora keeps faith.

"How long would we have to get the payment ready for the chamber and the procedure?" he asks.

"Payment for the chamber and the procedure is due bi-weekly," Dr. Estheim answers. "But the longer she stays in the chamber, the higher the overall cost becomes."

"So we have two weeks to cough up the cash before having to cough up even more cash?" Hayner asks with disbelief amidst his wide-eyed companions.

"I can see that you need some time to discuss," Dr. Estheim observes. "I'll come back in a few minutes when your decision is made."

When Dr. Estheim respectfully walks away and gives them some privacy, Roxas immediately initiates the conversation, the decision being a no brainer for him.

"You guys heard what I just did right?" he asks. "We have to raise the munny within two weeks tops, otherwise putting Xion's life at risk."

Axel's chest tightens at the very thought of it.

"Yeah, but it's easier said than done," Hayner says. "Two weeks? We can't raise that amount of munny in that time frame even if we combined all our complimentary munny and donated all our kidneys."

"We can leverage the Oathkeepers," Roxas suggests. "Pull through with expanding the merchandise through an online shop and taking on more gigs."

Through a subtle nod, Naminé agrees that the Oathkeepers could definitely help, but the idea of Roxas suggesting them so quickly knowing in the back of his mind that it would also boost his popularity doesn't sit quite right with her; however, she tells herself that it's all for Xion and gives her boyfriend the benefit of the doubt.

"There's also plenty of competitions on the island with monetary rewards," Pence reminds. "We can sign up for a bunch and see where we can win."

A few others nod in agreement.

"Two weeks though," Axel repeats doubtfully. "I agree, it has to be done, but can it?"

Roxas places a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"We can do it," he says confidently. "But this will work if and only if we work together, which means no more bad blood and unnecessary fights."

Riku and Axel immediately lock eyes, but Riku is the first to back off and nod respectfully for Xion's sake. With a heavy sigh, Axel recalls what he'd realized earlier about time being the true enemy and eventually nods as well.

"So there you have it," Roxas says proudly with his hands clasped together. "We're all on the same team now."

"I hate to be the bearer of more obstacles," Olette chimes, "but Xion is seventeen, which means we'll need consent from a legal parent or guardian to even proceed with any of this. Is anyone able to get in touch with her parents?"

"Actually," Axel starts, "Xion's mom signed me off as her legal guardian before we left for the resort, so I have the authority to sign whatever paperwork they throw at us."

"So we're all set then," Roxas observes. "What about it, guys? I know it seems daunting, but are you up for the challenge?"

"Of course!" Sora says enthusiastically while outstretching his hand. "You have my full support."

"And mine," Riku says, stacking his hand on top of Sora's.

"Me too," Kairi joins with a determined nod.

"And mine," Naminé says, voice timid but eyes fiercely determined.

"It's a bit heavy for summer vacation," Olette admits while extending her hand, "but I'm in."

"You have my sword, bow, and my axe," Hayner says dramatically before throwing his hand in. It doesn't take long for the entire household to join in, their hands piling up into a tower of teamwork.

"I guess that settles it," Roxas says while stacking his hand on top of everyone else's. "We're not giving up!"


Back in the Disney castle den the following day, everyone watches the trainwreck that is the third episode of Teenage Wasteland unravel before their very eyes.

"Good afternoon Kingdom Hearts Resort, and welcome to the third episode of Teenage Wasteland!" Selphie greets. "Much has happened to our special guests in the Disney Castle since your last visit, and boy do we have plenty of tasty drama to share with you. Above all, I know you're all dying to hear the latest on the blossoming romance between Tidus and Kairi, so let's start with that."

Sora places a supportive hand on Kairi's shoulder, and the redhead holds her breath, bracing herself for the inevitable impact.

"Things seemed to be going smoothly for our lovebirds…"

At the word "smoothly", a montage of events shared between Tidus and Kairi since the last episode are shown: Kairi wearing his jersey at the blitzball tournament, Tidus leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek during the kiss cam debacle, the two sharing what appeared to be a heartfelt kiss at the top of the Ferris Wheel…

"But for reasons even we can't fathom, Princess Kairi shockingly decides that even Tidus Clearwater isn't good enough for her and literally dumps him!"

The video then cuts to a clip of Kairi dumping her strawberry milkshake on Tidus' head at the Mini-Putt Pixar golf course a few minutes before Sora had found her sulking that night, and everyone shakes their head at the misunderstanding.

"She even enlists the help at her castle to be her partner in crime!"

Sora and Kairi's eyes grow wide when footage of them paintballing Tidus' car and making their sweet escape is shown, but while the island likely thought of them as hooligans now, the two receive nothing but praise in the den for their actions.

"Honestly, good for you," Axel says with an approving nod. "Dude had it coming."

"Yeah," Roxas agrees. "I probably would've popped the tires too."

Kairi smiles at them thankfully for their support.

"Oh, so that's where my paintball gun went," Hayner then whispers in the background.

The episode then features new footage of Tidus being interviewed in the left wing lounge, and the star player of the Zanarkand Abes appears to be in tears.

"I really cared about her, you know?" he cries, faking a sniffle for effect. "My heart is so broken that I don't even know where to start picking up the pieces."

Back in the den, Sora stands up and cups his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. "Oh boo-freakin-hoo!"

"Poor Tidus. Perhaps we've been looking at her wrong all along. Princess Kairi? More like Evil Witch Kairi!"

At the mention of the words "evil witch", Kairi sighs heavily, but Olette places a hand over hers and gives her a determined nod, one that says we know who you really are, and Kairi confidently returns the gesture.

"But I'm afraid that's not the only drama brewing in the Disney Castle. Naminé appears to have her eyes set on someone new as well! Could she and lead singer Roxas Akiyama truly be drifting apart?"

At the words "someone new", the show cuts to shots of Naminé flirting and embracing "hipster Roxas" during her opening night at Artist's Alley, and Roxas and Naminé almost chuckle at the scene.

"I seem to be cheating on you with yourself," she comments.

"Damn," Roxas says, smiling. "That's some pretty tough competition."

Naminé only rolls her eyes at the cocky comment and playfully shoves him.

"Last week we also discovered something very interesting about Riku's new girl."

After showing a clip of Riku and "Alice" meeting up at the Kingdom Karts track and some fast-paced shots of the entire race, everyone's eyes widen as footage of the tragic accident is shown, wincing as they painfully relive the shocking lightning strike called upon by Seifer. The kart he aims for flips over, and the camera captures Alice flinging out of the kart in slow motion, her wig falling off in the process and revealing her as Xion. Everyone's hearts, particularly Roxas, Axel, and Riku's, clench at the sight.

"It turns out that Xion has been masquerading as Alice all along! Looks like Axel isn't the only one cheating in this dysfunctional relationship."

"I'm going to be sick," Axel growls, fists clenched at the words dysfunctional relationship. Footage of Xion and Riku sharing their first kiss is then followed by footage of Axel showing off for a few girls at the Pier and his "mistress" Larxene sauntering out of his room.

"But as playful as he comes across, Axel doesn't seem to take Xion and Riku's new relationship well. Could this really be love for our big, bad playboy?"

At the Atlantica water park, Axel sprays Riku in the face as he lovingly gazes at Xion at the lazy river.

"Since then, Riku and Axel have been vying for Xion's affections, and the winner has yet to be determined."

The heated encounter between Axel and Riku at the Kingdom Karts track is then shown, followed by their argument in the castle lobby and their most recent fight at the Noize's backyard party. Xion collapses in Roxas' arms, and the once riled up crowd simmers down in pure shock.

"But that's not all. We recently discovered that Xion has been long diagnosed with geostigma, and due to high stress, she is now in critical condition and will be kept in the hospital until further notice. Who will our sleeping beauty pick if and when she wakes from her slumber? More details to come on the next episode of Teenage Wasteland!"

When Selphie finally turns her attention to something other than the members of the Disney Castle, Riku turns the projector off with a heavy sigh. Who Xion supposedly "picked" when she woke up wasn't his concern. First and foremost, it was actually waking her up, and secondary to that, he feared the way the island would view her now that they knew about her geostigma. They would look at her as if she were weak and incapable, but that wasn't the case at all. Despite her condition, she was incredibly brave and strong, and although she may have been suspended in a cryogenic chamber for the time being, he knew there was a war waging inside her that constantly needed to be fought.

Sensing the anxiety in Riku's tensed shoulders, Roxas gets up from his seat and initiates the meeting.

"Okay everyone, time for a brainstorming session," he announces when he reaches the front of the room, hands clasped together. "What's the game plan so far?"

"First things first, we'll have to tap into our stash of complimentary munny," Riku says. "Whether it's used to pay entry fees for high-paying competitions or to pitch in for the procedure in general, we'll need it."

Everyone nods dutifully as if expecting it.

"To help leverage the Oathkeepers, Hayner and I can work on building a website," Olette offers, and beside her, the gamer nods in agreement. "Like you said, we can expand the merchandise shop online, and any profits will go directly towards Xion's procedure."

"I can create more designs for different products," Naminé says, chipping in.

"And I can work on making more orders," Kairi adds.

"I also propose a photo shoot," Pence says. "We can use the photos on the website and feature the members modelling or using the new line of merchandise for a more personal touch, and we can use them for posts on your social media channels, too."

The members of the Oathkeepers (sans Hayner who flinches at the very thought of modelling) nod, the idea growing on them.

"But in order to catch sales, the Oathkeepers are going to need more exposure until the next round," Riku reminds, "which isn't until the end of the week on Friday."

"We can take on more gigs like Roxas said," Sora suggests, "but I think we're going to need more than that."

"Actually," Roxas starts, rubbing his hands together as his creative juices begin to flow. "Now that we're on the subject of increasing online presence, I think I have an idea for that. How would you guys feel about filming the Oathkeepers' very first music video?"

Encouraging nods fill the room.

"That's a great idea!" Sora exclaims. "But… who would direct it?"

"I think our director is sitting right here," Roxas answers, his sights set on Pence in particular. "I don't think anyone else could do a better job, to be honest, but how would you feel about directing, Pence?"

The photographer/videographer places a heartfelt hand over his heart. "It would be my honour. In fact, I may already have a concept in mind."

"Awesome," Roxas says, a pleased smile gracing his lips.

"Okay, so what about non-Oathkeeper related tactics?" Riku asks, steering the conversation into a different direction. "I agree, they'll help tremendously, but I don't think we should be throwing all our eggs in one basket on the slight chance that things fall through. I've started looking, and I came across some swimming competitions that might help."

"Well I don't know about you guys, but the two versus two competition for Alliance of the Ancients is coming up, and CuTiePie and A Tasty Meatball are ready to crush some plebs together," Hayner says while dramatically punching a fist into an open palm. Beside him, Olette giggles at his wording.

"Verum Rex season is also about to start up, so we'll be training for that," the brunette adds.

"There's also an upcoming Dance Party competition that Sora and I can participate in alongside the swimming," Kairi offers, and Sora winks while clicking his tongue beside her.

"I can offer assistance by joining some art competitions online," Naminé says.

"And I also found out that the island is hosting something called the Lucky Emblem challenge," Pence informs. "Basically there are a hundred Mickey-Mouse shaped symbols scattered throughout the entire island, and the first to capture all of them wins 5,000 munny."

"Gee," Roxas says while scratching the back of his head, impressed by everyone's support and enthusiasm. "Thanks for looking into all of that guys."

"Axel, you've been awfully quiet," Riku observes with crossed arms. Everyone turns towards the redhead who appears to have his clouded mind elsewhere.

"Don't take it the wrong way," the drummer of the Oathkeepers assures, his smile heartfelt but eyes clearly hurting. "I appreciate your support and all, but… I just hope it's enough to wake her up."

"It will be enough," Roxas says firmly. "We're going to do our very best."

"And that's a promise!" Sora adds optimistically. "We're all Oathkeepers now."

"Ugh," Hayner says while rolling his eyes. "You know, I really thought we were having a moment there, but that just about killed it."

Everyone, even Axel, lets out a chuckle at the sarcastic comment.

"So how about it, Axel?" Roxas asks, his hand outstretched for their signature handshake. "You with us?"

Axel looks at his best friend's outstretched hand, his determined eyes, and the faces of everyone else willing to help. It was a difficult task at hand for a bunch of teenagers, near impossible really, but working together would be the only way to try and fulfill it. He couldn't dwell on if things would work out; they had to. They only had one shot, and he, alongside everyone else, had to take it.

"Yeah," the redhead eventually agrees while returning the gesture, the morale in him slowly being restored. "Let's get this show on the road."

tbc


A/N: First and foremost, before I get into some details about this chapter, I just wanted to wish everyone well during this tough time that we're in. Wherever you are, I hope that you're taking care of yourself and your loved ones while keeping your head held high. Some may see this as some sort of apocalypse with an absence of toilet paper, but I choose to see it as an opportunity to break out of our usual routine and reflect/focus on what is truly important to us. I'll still be trying to write whenever I can to offer a creative breath of fresh air, and I hope the words help transport you for a bit as writing them does for me.

Okay, now that I've gotten that heavier topic out of the way, it's time to move onto the other heavy topic: Xion's critical condition. I'm really sorry that the timing of it didn't really come at the greatest time considering what's happening in the world right now, but at least it ended on a glimmer of hope, and it was always meant to happen at some point! Admittedly, it was supposed to happen later, but I wanted the events that followed suit to come a bit sooner. There's some exciting stuff in store (at least to me)! I also realize that this chapter is shorter than usual, but I see it as another one of those "in-between" chapters that's really meant to set everything up for the next few.

Also, if you've read the original Teenage Wasteland, I'm sure that the "we're all in this together despite a crappy situation" vibe seemed a bit familiar!

Special thanks to a Guest, BlakJakXXI, Michelle, GiantHouseKey, Mr. Spinner, another Guest, Aundielen, and Shiranai Atsune for reviewing the last chapter! I apologize if I missed or misspelled any pen names.

I hope you all enjoyed the eighteenth instalment of Project: Teenage Wasteland! Please kindly leave a review to share your thoughts and/or feels, I apologize for any grammar errors that I might have missed, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

xoKyorii