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Sorry guest, but yes, Briana will not be adopted by Sora and Kairi. There is a reason for this. Sorry.

Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!

Hinata and Sasuke © to YamiChaos27!

My OCs © to me!

Chapter 25

Sora held Perdita in his arms. He could feel how small she was; she'd built up some muscle on her journey, but she still felt so small and skinny… a life of hard labor and little food.

But no more.

He held her close. And he'd never let her go again.

Perdita eventually pulled back from her family, wiping the tears from her eyes as a she smiled. "I'm sorry I put you through so much trouble… I should've just come here from the start."

"No." Sora placed a hand on her head. "I think you needed the journey, to sort out your feelings and find yourself. Sometimes, the journey leads you where you need to go. Kairi and I became as close as we are now on a journey too. It only makes sense that you'd need one too. And one with friends…" his eyes looked around, "as they can help you find your path. And you've found it."

Kairi hugged their daughter again. "And we're happy you did, even if that path leads away from us. I told you that we wouldn't force you to come live with us, and that still stands."

Sora and Kyo's smiles dropped at that.

They wanted nothing more for her to come home, but Kairi was right. They couldn't force her to come. It wouldn't be right.

"Don't worry." Perdita smiled as she leaned into her mother's embrace. "I've made my choice. I want my family. I want to come home." Her eyes drifted over to Briana. "I know that means I'll probably live far away from my best friend, but that doesn't mean we'll be any less of friends."

"Of course not." Sora laughed, turning to Briana. "And she is welcome in our home anytime." Briana smiled as she averted her eyes.

Kyo grinned. "My sister is finally back!" He paused for a moment. "Um, but what do we call you now? Koharu or Perdita?"

"Oh yeah, my birth name is Koharu."

"You decide." Standing up, Sora helped his wife and daughter stand. "Whatever name you want to be called we'll use. And if you need time to think on it, we'll just call you Perdita for now until you're ready to choose."

The girl wiped her eyes; this family… they were really wonderful. "Thank you."

"It doesn't matter what you want to be called," Kairi wiped away her own tears, "it just matters that you're home."

Home.

"What do we do now!? Can we just throw away our freedom like that!?"

Braig sat, eyes closed as he pondered his wife's words.

And Briana's ultimatum.

Turn themselves in or she'd never speak to them again.

After all he'd done-

Holly, for helping him hide Perdita, would probably spend a few years behind bars. But him-

No.

He'd spend all his waking days in a cell for all his crimes. This one with Perdita would just be the cherry on top.

Fourteen years ago, he would just up and leave. Forget Holly and Briana…

But now…

Now-

He questioned.

Was his freedom worth losing his only child? And as much as Holly complained, he could see in her eyes that she felt the same.

How things changed.

Both of them, when their daughter was born, would've abandoned each other, even her if needed, but things were different now.

They were different now.

Getting to his feet, the man opened a dark corridor. "Holly, do you have your whip?"

"Of course."

"Grab it, and let's go."

Dire poured himself another cup of tea, his grin never leaving his face. "And how is our new recruit?"

"Doing well." The armored figure sat down in his chair. "I believe it is time for you to finish his training. And I shall send the other two to train with him as well."

"Oh?"

"They are strong, but I need our perils to be as strong as you in the coming combat."

"Hard to believe," the masked man took a sip of tea, "that a conflict spawned on one world will bring about the demise of all."

The armored figure nodded slowly. "When the daemons who began this conflict rose up, they never thought that it would spread beyond their own tiny world. But I knew the moment I saw their power."

"My lord." Azul walked into the room, followed by Rook. "It is as you said. Braig is leaving Traverse Town."

"And so the wheels of time begin to turn." The figure stood up. "Rook. Follow Braig." He looked down at the three before him. "When we begin, five will rise to challenge us, and I believe one of Oukoku's descendants will be one. Rook, Braig no doubt goes to reclaim his daughter and slay the daughter of Sora. But if that is not his intention, make sure it appears as such. I should hate for her to live longer than she is destined to."

The blond man bowed, whipping off his feathered cap. "Of course. I shall do my best. And what of her brother, the cursed one?"

"He is tainted by a curse not easily removed. Him being our adversary is quite unlikely, so we shall observe him. Now go."

"It's just like snow…" Perdita held a little mote of light in her hand, giggling as it twinkled like a miniature star.

She needed some time to think. The others needed to mourn after her brother told them about the death of a man named Yen Sid. Who apparently was a wizard who felt guilty about her getting kidnapped.

She almost wished she'd had the chance to meet him and tell him that she wasn't mad.

But they needed some time to mourn.

So, here she sat in the gardens below the castle. The white flowers around her seemed to glow in the moonlight, only aided by the occasional light mote that would land on a petal.

This really was a beautiful world. And Briana would be living here. She'd talked during supper about joining the guard like her father and becoming a better guard than him. The king, Ansem… Perdita's great-great uncle (all this and she was royalty too!) loved that idea.

Perdita made her choice too… to go home with her family. But, there was another choice.

Her name.

To some it might have seemed simple. What is a name after all…?

But to her-

Names

Names always held something. A magical power.

Perdita… the name that meant lost. The name of a lost servant girl all alone in the world.

But what else was she?

Was she Koharu?

Ansem was all too willing to show her a book of name meanings before she went off.

Koharu meant the heart of summer.

But that didn't fit her either…

Flipping through the book of names she tried to find something.

But what exactly was she looking for?

This was not a small thing. This… this was her choice. For the first time in her life, her identity, who she was, was her choice.

She was no longer to missing daughter of Sora and Kairi.

She was no longer the abused servant girl.

She was… her eyes focused on a mote of light as it floated down, landing on an unopened blossom.

She was a blossom.

Not fully bloomed, but starting to bloom and come into her own.

Flipping the book open, she looked.

Blossom.

Blossom-

Blossom…

There!

Now, what name said… her. Who was she?

There.

That name.

That was her.

"Perdita." As the girl closed the book a voice spoke behind her.

Leaping to her feet, she turned, gasping as Braig and Holly towered over her. "Wh-what are you doing here!"

"Silence. Just tell us where Briana is." Holly snapped, her hand resting on a whip at her side.

"What do you want with her!?"

"Just to talk."

"Really?" The girl summoned her blades. "I doubt it…"

Braig's eyes flashed. "Just tell me where she is. We're not here to fight."

"Since wh-"

CRASH!

Perdita turned as a garbage can toppled over, spilling its contents all over the ground. As she moved to turn back to face her former masters, a purple arrow flew past her, slashing at her arm.

"I KNEW IT!" Hissing in pain, she readied her weapons. "You want me dead!"

But the couple was turned around, looking behind them. "We didn't do that!" Braig eyed a rooftop. "Someon-"

"LIAR!" Perdita threw herself forward, blades at the ready.

Warping away, Braig summoned his weapons. "We didn't do that! We didn't come here to fight!"

"Why should I believe ANYTHING you say!?" Lunging toward him, the girl raised her knife. Her arm stopped as something wrapped around it, holding it still.

Holly's whip, now wrapped around her arm, tightened. "Well, this works. We didn't come to fight, but now, you attacked us. So, we can kill you now! You turned our daughter against us!"

"You did that yourself!" Perdita turned, grabbing the whip. "You were cruel! Hateful! A kind daughter like her was wasted on monsters like you!"

"How dare you!"

"No! For the first time, I'm standing up for myself!" Her blade came up, coated in flames, as she slashed through the whip, pulling away. "I'm not that frightened servant any longer!" Whirling around, she flung her knife at Braig.

The air around him fizzled as he teleported.

A hand wrapped around Perdita's neck as he appeared directly in front of her. "You're really pushing it. I want nothing more than to kill you right now."

"Th-then do it! Wh-what's stopping y-you…!"

"Briana."

Perdita's eyes widened as she gasped, clawing at his hand as it tightened slightly around her throat. "We came here for her." Their eyes met. "It was stupid of me to want to torture your parents for years." He dropped her on the ground, still pointing one arrowgun at her so she didn't try to run.

Holly grinned. "I say finish this worthless peasant off now!"

"If we do that, Briana will never forgive us." He looked into the girl's blue eyes. Eyes which glimmered with a determination he'd seen so many times in one other person.

Sora.

"HEY!"

In her flickering vision as she tried to steady her breathing, Perdita saw the form of Kyo standing at the bottom of the castle stairs. His feet carried him closer by the second.

"Kyo. You've gotten much bigger."

"You were trying to kill my sister!"

"She attacked us first. Technically, it was self-defense."

"Bull!" Kyo summoned his Keyblade. "Everything you say is a lie! Step away from her and put your hands up."

Holly huffed. "We won't surrender to you!"

As Kyo turned his gaze on the woman, another purple arrow fired from a nearby building, passing directly by Braig.

Thud!

Perdita coughed as the arrow pierced her stomach.

"NO!" Kyo whirled on Braig. "YOU FREAK!"

"I didn't do that!" The sharpshooter took a step back, his eye widening. "Someone else shot her!"

"LIES! You're the only one here!"

"What's going o-" Sasuke, returning from his night patrol, came jogging up. "Braig!?"

The one-eyed man groaned. "Great…"

The captain's eyes zeroed in on Perdita as she lay on the ground, clutching her bleeding abdomen. "Kyo! Get your sister! These two are mine!"

"Hold on!" Braig called. "We do-"

Sasuke slammed into him, giving the sharpshooter little time to block. "You came here to murder her!?"

"NO!" Braig snapped. "We didn't! We came here to surrender! Someone else shot her and she attacked us!"

Sasuke narrowed his brows as his weapon billowed with flames. "Prove it. If you want to surrender, lay down your weapons now! You and your wife!"

Immediately Braig dropped his arrowguns, holding up his arms. "Holly, drop the whip." His wife grumbled under her breath but did the same.

"What's all the commotion?" Sora came walking down from the castle, flanked by Vanitas and Isa; behind them came Kairi, Angel, and Briana He immediately saw his daughter, still bleeding as Kyo cast a Cure spell on her. "NO!" His feet carried him over as the spell vanished. "Perdita, a-are you…?"

The girl breathed out deeply as she leaned against her twin brother. "I-I think I'm alright now."

"Oh, thank goodness…"

"Braig," Sasuke growled as he slapped a pair of magical cuffs on the sharpshooter, "for your past dealings with Xehanort which destroyed this world, countless others, and nearly destroyed everything. For kidnapping Koharu, a member of the royal family, and for now attempting to murder her, you are under arrest. As is your wife who is charged as an accessory to the kidnapping and attempted murder." Isa took a pair of cuffs, slapping it on the woman.

From the staircase, Briana watched.

Tears flooded her eyes as she sank to her knees.

"Father… why did you…?" Kairi knelt down beside the girl, pulling her into a hug. As Sasuke and Isa led the two past them, Briana looked up.

Braig's eye met hers. "Briana, I didn't mean for this to happen. I came here to surrender… to do as you asked. I swear. I only fought after she attac-"

"Shut up!" Bones rattled up her arm as Briana slammed her fist into the ground. "I never want to see you again! Either of you!"

"Briana…"

"Captain, please just take them away!"

Sasuke frowned. "Alright…" The father in him broke at the sight of Braig's face. He'd never seen the usually cocky sharpshooter so utterly heartbroken.

He loved Briana… Then why did he attack?

Something didn't feel right…

As Sora helped his two children into the castle, Rook leaned against a chimney, pouting. "Oh well. Looks like the brat got away… well, losing something as lovely as her would make the game so much more boring anyway." Adjusting his hat, the man disappeared into the shadows.

"I just can't believe it…"

"I can."

"Vanitas! Hush!"

Vanitas glanced over at Briana, flinching slightly. "Sorry."

Alya moved over to the heartbroken girl. "I'm so sorry this happened. I know you wanted to have faith in them."

"Guess we both have problem parents." Angel sighed.

Sasuke strode into the room. "Tron, give me the security footage of the square during the incident."

"Of course, captain."

"Something up?"

"I'm not sure." Sasuke crossed his arms. "The moment I told Braig to surrender, he did. And when you told him that you didn't want to see him he looked genuinely sad. He insisted that it wasn't him that shot you, Perdita. So, tell me what happened."

Perdita looked up. "Well, when they showed up, I turned away because I heard something. Then I was shot, so I fought him. He did say then it wasn't him, but I don't believe a word that comes out of that rat's mouth!"

The captain nodded slowly as he looked at the security footage. They all watched as Braig and Holly approached Perdita.

"There!" Angel pointed to the corner of the screen. "Kyo, that's the same man from Arendelle! The one who attacked us!"

In the corner, standing on a building, a man held a bow, pointing it in their direction.

"That's right!" Kyo clutched his shoulder. "Come to think of it, he was after you, like Dire. They're probably working together."

The recording showed him fire a purple arrow, which hit Perdita.

"So, Father didn't shoot her…"

"He did try to kill me after though." Perdita sighed. "Though… I guess I attacked first if this is right." She turned to Kyo. "And who's Dire?"

The boy pulled back his shirt collar, showing dark tendrils on his skin. "This weirdo who uses curse magic and cursed me."

"What!?"

"Don't worry, I'm working on breaking it. It might take a while, but I think I can do it. I'm not too worried."

"But," Kairi placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, "why would he want to kill Perdita?"

"Don't know…"

Sasuke groaned. "I don't know either… but I suggest we all get some sleep. It's late, and none of us can think on no sleep. Braig and Holly will still be here in the morning. I'll ask Rydia to place a spell on Perdita's room so that no one can get inside, and if anyone tries, we'll know."

"Alright."

In the morning dawn, Perdita walked into the inner castle garden, as Sora was not keen to have her outside alone after that man tried to kill her the night before.

"Great morning for a picnic breakfast!" Sora stretched as he followed her out, a basket of food clutched tightly in his hand. Kairi followed behind with two cups of coffee, and Kyo followed her, carrying some cups and a small container of milk.

"Yes." The girl sat down on the grass beside a small stream that ran through the garden.

She ate in relative silence, content to just sit with her family as they laughed and joked around. Sora and Kyo especially liked to make jokes.

"We'll have to get you some new clothes, Perdie." Kairi said as she handed her daughter an apple slice. "After last night, I don't think your set will work, and it's a little too heavy for the islands; you'd sweat too much."

The girl looked down at the simple shirt and shorts she'd borrowed from Kairi for the day. "I guess so… I don't know where to start."

"We can figure that out when we get home."

Home.

"I have a question… what do people on your-our home world do when they make a big change in their lives? Is there some sort of significant change they make or something?"

"Well," Sora tapped his chin, "sometimes they cut their hair. Riku did that after we beat Xemnas, said it was symbolic of him starting over. If you want, we can get you a haircut when we get home."

Why wait…?

Perdita summoned her knife almost immediately, grabbing her braid.

"Wait!"

"Hold on, don't you wan-"

Slice!

The braid fell limp in her hands as the girl's hair now hung down to the bottom of her chin.

"Or, do that." Kairi giggled before reaching over to her daughter, gently touching her hair. "That's a really cute look anyway. I like it."

Letting the hair fall out of her hand into the stream, washed away by the flowing water, the girl smiled. "A new look for the new me… and a new name too."

"You chose a name!?"

"What is it?"

Closing her eyes, the girl, Koharu… Perdita… smiled. "It's not Koharu; I don't think that name fits me, as I'm not the heart of spring or summer. It's not Perdita; Perdita means lost, and I'm no longer lost. I chose a name that means 'to blossom from a cold, severe existence'. My name is Yurisa."

And now we have her new name.

Yurisa.

Hope you enjoyed!