Hey everyone,
I'm not entirely sure if the movie will start this chapter or next. Because of the whole song thing, I'm willing to believe it will be next chapter, but because I am trying to add more content to my chapters, I might make it this chapter. Then again, seeing how I already split the Hollow Bastion section of the finale into three parts and that I need to introduce Ven and Co to Jess, the chances are higher that that will start next chapter.
Well, we'll see,

Venquine1990

Chapter 58
Union And Reunion

1st of February 1996
Destiny's Haven
Jessica's POV

After a few more minutes of cuddling and hugging, dad asks me if I'm feeling better. I nod at him, though I am already dreading the idea of my other tails growing out later. Dad seems to read my mind or something as he holds me comfortably close while he and Lea help me back on my feet. Riku asks Sora and me if we want to finish our meals. But the whole exchange between him, Lea and myself just now took away my appetite.
Sora states the same, though he doesn't mention the reason. My father and Riku nod in understanding. We want to return to the breakfast table, but a large bright light distracts us. "Well, here comes the cavalry." Lea states with a grin and I try to ignore the brightness of the light as I really want to know what Lea's other friends look like. And probably just like the other three, I'm very excited to find out which group got picked as the fourth.

The light fades and I instantly recognize mum, aunt Lily and Lupin, as well as my old team and Lee. I also recognize Axel from the test Lady Destiny set me earlier and yet again I just don't get how people can say that they look as similar as the twins. Axel's tattoos just stand out like a sore thumb. He's standing together with a blonde boy who looks to be Sora's age and a young black-haired girl who also looks to be Sora's age, or perhaps mine.
Besides them are two adults who appear to be in their early to mid-twenties as well as another teen who looks to be a few years away from reaching 20. The woman is slim and agile looking with a thin frame, blue hair and very pretty blue eyes. The man has spiked brown hair, is incredibly muscular and has very long legs and has blue eyes just like his friend. The teen is a blond, has a frame that reminds me of Sora and blue eyes.

Then suddenly I notice that there is almost the same resemblance between the blonde standing with Axel, Sora and the new blonde as everyone says there is between Axel and Lea. Mentally, I realize that, at least in part, this must because the blonde with Axel is Roxas, my brother's Nobody, but this thought doesn't help me. It just replaces the confusion with a sense of concern. However, the three new arrivals also seem confused.
The elder brunette asks where they are and Axel winces as he asks whether or not the master told the three about what's been happening. The trio shake their heads and Axel winces again before he says: "Okay, here's a summary. There's another world, one pretty far away. In this world, magic works way different and soul mates and things like that are a really big deal there. Big enough that, if two men are meant for each other, they can have kids.
In fact, these two gentlemen over here, the man with the glasses who's named James Potter and the black-haired man named Sirius Black who's standing with Sora, are indeed one such couple. And both Sora and the young lady standing with them are their kids. The reason Riku's with them is because, like his father, Sora is Riku's soul mate. Lady Destiny saw that they weren't quite living up to that soul bond so brought them all here.

Got it memorized?" The three seem utterly baffled by the whole explanation and the brunette asks if that was the summary. I nod at him and the blonde mutters that he might not want to know the full story then. I laugh at this and then the young woman shakes her head and says: "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Aqua and these are Terra and Ventus." Ventus waves his hand and tells us to just call him Ven instead with a grin on his face.
I smile as the boy sounds genuinely easy-going, which again reminds me of my own brother. This is another similarity that I store away for a later time. Then Terra asks if there's a reason that they were all brought here and I answer: "Two reasons. One, Axel was partially right about the whole soul mate thing. But in our world, it's mostly different kinds of magical creatures that can form such bonds. Sora's a Veela and I'm a Kitsune.
And because Lea is my mate, but because Lady Destiny needs him for other jobs, we don't get to spend half as much time together as Sora and Riku. My inner Kitsune is getting more and more upset over the distance constantly forced between us, so Lady Destiny has been forced to let Lea stay here for the rest of the day. And two, she decided that, because we're watching and reading of the past, you should join us.

We're currently about to watch Sora visit the final world of his first journey. Lady Destiny turned his whole story into a movie for us to watch. She did the same with the past four and a half years of my life as well as the next two and a half, though that's because my seven years at magic school are where most of my actual adventures take place." Again the trio blinks and Terra whispers that he had not seen that answer coming.
I shrug at him and say: "Either way, as Axel said, I'm Jess. Jessica Artemis Potter. You already know my brother, his mate and my parents. This is Remus Lupin and these are my friends. Fred and George Weasley, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell and Lee Jordan. And Lee, just for the sake of there now being two of you with very similar sounding names, you mind if we call you Jordan while you're here?"
My tanned friend with dreadlocks laughs and shakes his head in response. Axel then introduces Roxas and Xion to the rest of us and after everyone greets everyone, mum rushes for our group. And while dad is still holding onto me with one arm, he happily and lovingly embraces mum with the other. The two whisper words of love and comfort to each other and mum kisses both Sora and me on the forehead in greeting.

Roxas tentatively comes over to where we're standing and seems to hesitate as he asks mum if he really meant what he told Lea. The three of us look at mum in intrigue, while mum smiles at Roxas lovingly and says: "I did. You're Sora's Nobody, which basically makes you his brother. You're as much my son as he is, Roxas. And the same counts for you, Axel, thanks to Lea's bond with my little girl, Jess."
Sora and I both happily and excitedly agree with this and Roxas beams at all of us. I step away from mum and he opens up the arm not holding dad, silently inviting Roxas to come in for a hug himself. And as soon as the blonde accepts the embrace, I can see it. Like myself, Roxas craves loving attention and affection. I cuddle closer against Lea as I wonder what might have happened to my newly found older brother.

Mum and Roxas part and mum grins at me as he compliments my tail. I grin, yet also wince and grimace as I tell him that it's only one of five. Mum winces and grimaces himself, but when Sora tells him that the Cura spell helps in the aftermath, he sighs in relief. The others come over and Katie asks how painful it was. I wince and mutter: "Felt as if my hip bone got split in two and reformed and then as if new bone was cleaving through my skin.
Needless to say, I was standing up when the sensation started and down in a ball on the floor when it ended. And I won't deny it, I was crying." The others all wince and again ask me if I'm doing okay. I reassure them, yet also warn them that this is going to happen another four times sometime today. My friends all wince, but Jordan tells me that they'll be there for me when it happens. A sentiment that, just like always, makes me smile.

Then Angelina asks if I'm ready to do my part for the song and while part of me really doesn't want to be apart from Lea for even a minute, I nod at her. Katie asks if I want to change, but while I know that I probably have Meg's dress, I shake my head and say: "This dress is more comfortable. And I prefer comfort over originality right now, due to my tails that still need to come out." Another wince and a nod of understanding are my answer.
I suppress a grimace as I take my promise ring off my finger and whisper at Lea: "It's part of the song, I take it back at the end, okay?" Lea nods and tells me that he saw the girls perform and that he knows what the routine contains. I sigh in relief, even if I feel a great sense of trepidation and dislike over the notion of stepping away from my mate. And me taking the ring off doesn't make me feel any better, even as I remind myself it's only temporary.

We head deeper into the room while everyone else comes to stand with Lea and my parents. The girls take a stance behind me and the room even accommodates itself as the light in the room changes. I feel slightly impressed as a special kind of light seems to engulf Angelina and the others and it actually makes them look as if they are made of stone. For a moment this reminds me of Second year, but I push this memory to the side.
Instead I focus on the ring in my hand and the loving glee on my face is purely genuine as I stare at it. Yet I need to really force myself for my facial expression to change from loving glee to shocked disgust to personal annoyance as I mutter to myself: "Ugh, what's the matter with me? You'd think a girl would learn." I turn my back on Lea and the others and move over to the stand that the girls are now on as I start to sing:

If there's … done that

It takes everything I have to throw the ring away and before I do, I request the room to make me a mirror so I can be sure that I will throw it right. Thankfully Katie, who I know has the best catch-ability of the three Chasers, catches my ring flawlessly and the three of them start to sing. In the mean time I try not to turn my head to Lea as my Inner Kitsune is really growing desperate to be with him. Instead, I focus on the song.

Who d'you … thinking of

At this I can't help but think that they really have no idea how much Lea is on my mind right now. Yet because I very clearly remember watching this movie, even though it was almost 6 years ago now, I work hard to remain in character. The room helps with this as it provides me a small seat near the stand of the girls and I slump down on it while the girls sing. Yet while Katie tempts me with the ring, I step off and start the chorus

No chance … in love

Turn to him! My Inner Kitsune almost yells at me, but I turn away instead. Again the room changes and this time the wall even changes. From a nice auburn red with hints of brown, the wall and ceiling change to look like the beautiful Greek Garden from the movie. I silently sent a word of thanks to both the room's magic and Lady Destiny as I move over to a statue of a dancing pair. I can almost see myself and Lea in them as I sing.

I thought … heart out

I feel something change behind me and sense movement. My eyes widen for a second as I realize just how much the room must be helping us with this song as it must have practically popped the girls from the stand they were on to another stand right behind me. And while there's no mirror in front of me, I am almost willing to bet that they are now holding up a fake roof. I try my hardest to keep the frown on my face as they sing.

Girl you … it bad

While they sing I hold a note for as long as I can manage. I don't hear either of the girls breaking their tune as one of them is suddenly lifted off their feet at the portion hit the ceiling, but I don't really care for this. Unlike on the muses, Katie, Angelina and Alicia are all almost equally tall. Katie might be the shortest and Angelina the longest, but the girls hardly differ even a half a head in length. Instead I suppress a giggle at the next part.
While they sing, I move from the statue of the dancers to a fountain with several statues situated around and on it. One of them is changed from the five muses to the three girls, with Angelina and Alicia holding up Katie. Yet I just imagine the statue of the two people kissing each other to be Lea and myself. This, while I know it happens, has me totally ignore Katie spouting water from her mouth while the other two sing the last line.

I pass the fountain and force the peaceful smile off my face that has appeared as I looked at the statue on the left below the girls. I feel amazed at how much the room accommodates the song. The floor in front of me turns into a small pool with several floating rocks situated across the width to form a path. A quick glance lets me know that the pool is only knee-deep, yet I don't care for this. I just jump across each rock as I sing.

No chance ... in love)

Naturally, just like in the movie, I slip as I jump from the last rock to the other side and grab the hand of the statue that is set there. I look up, half expecting the statue to represent Hercules just like it did in the movie. Yet a mixed sense of disappointment and exhilaration fill me from within when I see that it changed into Lea instead. I cuddle close, but then – because the movie demands it – force myself away from the statue while I continue to sing.
I feel deeply impressed, both with how the room accommodates us for the sake of the song and how well the girls are able to keep singing their part while I sing mine. I know Katie and I know how much she would love to sing along with me. At the same time I consider this evidence that, regardless of Umbridge and the ban, we're still a team and know each other inside out. With this thought I gratefully return to my first spot.
I pass three headpiece statues of my friends and try not to giggle as Katie has actually replaced the statue of the one muse that was beheaded and who was holding her head in her hand. I actually wonder how the girls are experiencing all of this, yet focus on the last two lines instead. And even before I reach the fountain, I can already see the girls set in the wall and the ring in their smaller hands. This makes me sing with relief.

You're way ... in love

And finally something differs from the movie. Instead of the girls being set on a mural on the fountain wall, they are seated beside me as I lie down with the ring held between my hands. Katie even runs a soft hand through my hair as they all sigh, just like the muses did at the end of the song. For a few minutes the whole room is lapsed in silence, yet this silence is short lived. Sora is the first to start applauding and cheering and the rest follows.
The girls and I stand up to take a bow and while we have our heads low, I whisper to Katie that I do not want to know how they felt while the room accommodated their locations for our song. The girls giggle and Angelina confirms this for me. Then, as we get back up, Lea is suddenly in front of me. His lips are upon me and my inner Kitsune exclaims her delight. Yet I hardly get a chance to share the delight or enjoy the kiss.

Just like before a searing heat like molten lava courses through me, though this time it feels even worse. For a moment it feels as if I drank a glass of the horribly incinerating liquid and I feel it going down my throat and collecting in my stomach. There it seems to sear through the outer wall of my stomach and turn into just a simple searing heat as it heads even further down. I whimper in fear as it reaches my hipbone.
Yet this time I don't feel as if my hipbone is broken in half and then mended back together. Instead the horrific and deeply painful heat cools down so quickly, I suddenly feel as if my hipbone has been encased in ice instead. I whimper in discomfort over this and cry softly as it feels as if an icicle spear is slowly growing out of the back of my hip. Just like the piece of bone from before, the sharp point breaks through my skin.

Lea and the girls have all come to surround me as I feel my second tail slowly growing out of the skin just above where the first one is set. And thankfully, just like with the other tail, the pain slowly ebbs away as the tail grows. This time Lea summons his Keyblade and casts the Curaga spell. It doesn't feel any different from when Sora cast Cura, yet the sense of the pain receding is enough for me to sigh in utter relief.
Katie softly wipes the tears out of my eyes and from my face, while Jordan asks my parents if there isn't anything they can do for me. I tilt my head a little as dad shakes his head and says: "The only potion that can have minimalistic levels of affect is the Draught of Living Death. And even that only blocks a Kitsune's senses from feeling the actual pain they're in for a short amount of time. They still feel the pain later."

Everyone winces and then Axel shocks me as he asks if my tails are supposed to look different. I look behind me and while both my tails are foxlike with a lionlike tip, my first tail is brown with hints of grey and streaks of red, my second tail is fiery red, just like Lea's hair, and there are streaks of forest green running across the length of my tail, the same green as Lea's eyes. The tip of my second tail is also a beautiful forest green.
I shake my head and mutter: "I felt like I had swallowed lava when the whole sensation started. But once the stuff hit my stomach and it felt like it had burned through, it changed. By the time it hit my hipbone, it had turned colder than the coldest tundra. That icicle spear that pierced through my skin at the end – thank heavens that my other tails won't feel as painful as that, because I never want to go through that again." Everyone nods in empathy.

Stay strong, Jess,
Okay, two tails have grown, three more are yet to grow. And to be honest, they will probably all grow out sometime next chapter. If all goes according to plan – and I doubt that anyone will be surprised about this – I will have tail #3 come out when Sora has his "My friends are my Power" speech, tail #4 when Sora stabs himself to release Kairi's heart and tail #5 come out when Kairi brings Sora back.
Also, I want to give another word of thanks to Anubis of The Highway Thieves. They pointed out that it's sometimes hard to distinguish the movie from the reaction, so they suggested that I put the movie bits in Italics. Instead, I decided to do them in bold, starting next chapter, though I still want to thank them for the tip. Also, I'm thinking of just moving onto Chamber of Secrets after KH I is done instead of making that the sequel.
You guys game?

Venquine1990