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Chapter 8

He jolted back to awareness, falling…falling fast. He struggled to move, slamming his hand down on his pauldron, activating his armour. Familiar, protective magic was wrapped around him, Merlin's…the house! He'd been in the forest room, hiding like a coward as everything fell apart. Why couldn't he ever help?!

Then he felt a bright Light, close…too close, falling! He forced himself to open his eyes, seeing only wide blue beneath but then to the side. He reached for his magic and expelled a blast of air, reaching out to snag a piece of cloth, pulling the other into his arms, protecting them as they slammed into the sea.

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Jecht made his way down to the shore, the sun not yet rising in the distance. It was far too early in the morning for Tidus to join him, the kid was way too little yet. He began preparing his boat for the days' work when something on the beach caught his eye. He frowned, moving away from the boat to get a better look only to break out into a run. Jecht knelt beside the soaked bodies, fingers fumbling at throats, relieved to find both children still lived. He looked around, spotting Nyx walking to the boats.

"Nyx!" he yelled, and the younger man jogged over, spotting what Jecht was holding and breaking into a run. Jecht looked back at the children, the girl looked about his boys' age but the boy was older. Neither looked familiar, were they from the Big Island? Lost at sea?

"What happened?" Nyx knelt down, taking the boy, checking him over.

"Don't know," he admitted. "We need to get them to the hospital."

Nyx nodded and they took off to get the poor kids some help.

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Prompto held his 'cousins' hand as they followed the man towards the good-sized house, made of wood instead of the stone they used in Radiant Garden. He was just glad the locals had bought his story, it wasn't like he knew much about Kairi, then again she didn't seem to remember anything except her name. He was so used to being the youngest, the baby brother, but now he had to be the protector, the big brother. He was all Kairi had, even if they weren't actually related. Her Light was so bright, eventually the Heartless would come for her, wanting that Light, and he would keep her safe.

What else could he do when tossed into another new World? And one that seemed to know even less than Radiant Garden.

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"Look!" Sora pointed, and Riku looked over, seeing the two new kids sitting on the dock.

Everyone had heard about the cousins who had washed up on the beach a few weeks ago. Their names were…Prompto and Kairi and the Mayor had taken them in while they tried to find their family. They'd just washed up on the beach one day and no one knew anything about them which made them the talk of the Island.

"Come on, let's go say hi!" Sora tugged at his hand.

"Maybe they want to be alone," he argued, even as Sora pulled him along. Yeah, she looked about their age, but she was a girl! And her cousin was definitely older than them, older kids never wanted them around, why would he be different? "Sora…"

"Hi!" Sora chirped happily, and Riku stopped fighting as the two looked at them. "I'm Sora and this is Riku."

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Prompto looked up at the happy voice and froze as he stared at the two younger kids, his heart skipping a beat or two. What? He was probably being creepy but he couldn't help it. He could feel it…Riku was like him, it felt like….Terra, Terra had passed his Keyblade to him. And the other boy, the way he stood, his expression, his Light…Ven, it was Ventus…but how? He could feel his best friend, his big brother, but only very very faintly. What was going on?

He took a shaky breath and managed a smile for them, seeing the wary look on Riku's face. "Hi, I'm Prompto and this is Kairi, though I think everyone knows that now."

"Uh huh," Sora nodded enthusiastically. "You're staying with the Mayor till they find your family. Wanna play with us?"

Prompto felt Kairi press closer to him but if they were stuck here then she needed friends her own age. And it wouldn't be so bad playing with them, like Lea and Isa did for him. He nudged her gently. "Come on Kairi, it'll be fun."

"Okay," she held his hand as they followed them across the sand.

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Merlin sat at the table feeling guilty. He'd lost Prompto after promising to keep him safe. He should have sent him to Yen Sid when he felt the Darkness growing in Ansem's castle but he hadn't wanted to part from the first protégé he'd had in centuries. He knew he was alive but could sense nothing else, nothing that would let him find the child.

He was stuck in this in-between World that had appeared but so were many others, a god number of them children and teenagers with no parents. Getting them organised surely couldn't be much harder than caring for Prompto and Noctis, could it? by the time that was done, his magic should be back to more normal levels and he would begin searching for Prompto.

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Nyx studied the two children joining his son and Riku for a trip to the Play Island. He figured Prompto was old enough to row himself, once he learnt how. That would make things easier since they couldn't all fit in one boat. Prompto thankfully already knew how to swim and was a quick learner, strong enough to paddle one of the boats.

They made it over to the Island only a little later than normal and he left them there with food and supplies for the day, under Prompto's watch. When he returned in the afternoon it was to four tired but happy kids, happily Prompto didn't seem at all bored or upset about looking after the younger kids. No, he was laughing and chatting away with them.

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Braska was pleased to see the children becoming happy in their new home. They had found nothing on their families and it made him wonder just where exactly they had come from. He remembered reports of two meteors seen in the sky not long before they had been found, was it possible? Even if it was true, what did it matter? They had no way to return them to their home so they would have a home on the Island.

It was easy enough to take full custody of the cousins and enrol Prompto in school. His education was rather uncoordinated, in some subjects he was above his age group and in others below. Thankfully taking classes across several grades and having tutors didn't bother the boy at all.

Soon they were tanned and running around bare foot like any Island child, climbing palm trees and swimming in the sea. Although both suffered through a few bouts of sunburn and lots of freckles thanks to their pale skin.

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Aerith smiled at her new Mother, she was nice and she looked after her. She missed her real Mother and her friends from the Garden but she'd always known that wasn't their original home. They'd come back for some reason and she missed her friends, like Prompto and Noctis, but she didn't know how to get back and something told her there wasn't a Garden to return to anymore. She hoped they were both okay and having fun with Merlin.

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Aqua sat to rest while there was a break in the strange creatures that filled the Darkness she was trapped in. Like so often, her thoughts wandered to the others, where Terra and Prompto alright? She knew nothing could get to Ven's body, but what if his Heart woke and he found himself trapped in the maze their home had become? Would he be able to escape? At least if he did then he'd be able to find Prompto. If only there'd been more time to look for the cheerful boy before facing Terra's possessed form. She could only hope Master Yen Sid or Mickey had found him in her absences and if not, that he was with a good family somewhere, one that could accept his differences.

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Prompto slammed a hand down over the base of his skull, hiding the metal there, but it was too late, they'd seen. Mr Rufus knew, he'd seen his medical report when they'd been taken to the hospital, but he'd made sure they kept quiet. The kids who had been trying to bully hm backed away with wide eyes and Prompto swallowed but reached for his magic. It was a spell he'd barely begun practicing but what else could he do? No one could know he wasn't normal; it was too dangerous. He cast and all of the kids blinked dazedly, the last few minutes blurring in their memories, and Prompto took off before they realised he was there.

He ran all the way across the Island and to the beach where their boats were tied, collapsing on the dock, hugging his knees to his chest. It hadn't mattered back home or with Merlin that he was an MT. They'd known, had healed him, cared for him and taught him to be a person. He wanted to go home! Part of him longed to curl up in Master Eraqus' lap and listen to a story of ancient Keyblade Master's…but he'd tried to kill Ventus, how could he have done that? Maybe he hadn't wanted Prompto around anymore either. But Merlin had, he had felt Merlin searching for him, but the Wizard's magic felt drained, too much to come for him. He wanted things to go back to how they'd been before Aqua and Terra took that stupid exam and everything changed.

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Mickey opened the letter from his old Master, reading it and slumping in his chair. Prompto had been with Merlin since Ventus had hidden him. Why hadn't they thought to check there? Except now Radiant Garden had fallen and all they knew was that Prompto was alive, somewhere. He could be on any world! He hoped Merlin had taught him the World Order spell, just in case he ended up on a non-human one.

He wanted to search for him and Aqua but it just wasn't possible at the moment. He had a Kingdom to run and had left too much aside when training. Still, he would do what he could to try and help find them.

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Prompto stood behind Sora, a hand on his shoulder, Riku and Kairi holding his hands, as the burning boat slipped further from shore. He wouldn't cry, he had to be strong for them. The man who had taught them all to sail was gone, he'd never show them how to catch a tricky fish or climb the tallest palm tree again. He'd tried to help, but healing magic wasn't his best area. He'd needed someone like Aqua or Lady Ifalna but there was no one like that here. Basic potions hadn't been good enough but the doctors had tried their best. The wound just hadn't healed right and in the end his body couldn't keep fighting.

Sora cried as the ship sank out of sight beneath the waves, running from the dock, his Mom calling for him.

"Stay here," Prompto told the other two before taking off after him, easily tracking him even in the dark. He found Sora huddled under a dead tree halfway across the island, curled in on himself. He sat down and reached into the hole to put a hand on the younger boys leg, just letting him know he wasn't alone.

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Kairi sat watching the birds from the porch, eating an ice cream, happy that summer vacation was starting soon. She grinned when Prompto sat down beside her, leaning against his side. "Prom?"

"Yeah?" he asked, eating his own ice cream.

"What were my parents like?" she asked, she'd asked before but he always said he'd tell her when she was older. She was nine now, that had to be old enough! She looked up at him but he was staring out towards the ocean, apparently needing to think.

"I don't know," he whispered, and she frowned.

"What?" she demanded.

He looked down at her. "You lived with your Grandma, Kairi. I never knew your parents, or mine. I had a guardian; his name was Merlin and he was great."

"Why didn't you live with us?" she asked, was it because he was a boy? Had they thought he'd be better of that Merlin person cause they were also a boy?

Prompto shifted beside her, glancing back at the house but their adoptive Dad wasn't home yet. "Because…because I'm not really your cousin," he admitted, and she froze.

"What? Don't joke about that!"

"I'm sorry Kairi, I knew you. You used to call me the sad boy," he smiled slightly. "We came here from a World called Radiant Garden, I woke up falling and you were there so I grabbed you, cushioned your impact with the water. I don't know why we both came here, why no one else did as well. This is the fourth World I've lived in now; four years on Eos, then the Land of Departure, Radiant, and now here. I lied because you didn't remember and needed someone who did, who would look out for you. I…I didn't want to be alone again and they might have split us up."

She stared at him in shock, not knowing what to say. But then she hugged him and Prompto hugged her back. So what if they weren't really cousins, they were still family. He'd looked after her since they had arrived on the Islands, had been a big brother more than cousin.

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Riku grinned as Prompto showed him how to block. He didn't know why the older boy knew so much about fighting but he was a really good teacher. He remembered the man who had come and how he had that strange blade, had let him touch it. There was something about that he didn't really remember and it was frustrating. He'd been so tall, strong and sure, Riku wanted to be like that when he grew up, to be like the man and Prompto. Sometimes…sometimes Prompto felt kind of like that man.

When Prompto gathered just him, Sora, and Kairi, they all knew it was for something important…and then they all stared in awe as flames danced around Prompto's hand. Magic!

TBC…