Hayner, Pence, and Olette accompanied them to the train station. The usually cheerful trio was sad that they couldn't go with their friends for the journey, but accepted it nonetheless. Even if it seemed like a simple train trip, Lea and Isa hadn't the faintest of ideas where they would wind up in the end, and it was far too dangerous to take the three of them along.

"You better bring souvenirs!" Hayner said, pointing at Roxas. "And don't get your ass kicked by some grey-haired creep!"

"Don't worry. I've got this" he boy grinned at his friend and reached out for a fist bump. "You three take care."

"Hey, that's my line!" Hayner laughed and bumped his fist with the other boy's.

"We're going to start cooking with Little Chef soon" Pence declared eagerly, holding onto a cooking book. "By the time you get back, we'll be full-fledged cooks!"

"Can't wait to taste it" Xion clasped her hands in excitement. She really enjoyed Little Chef's food, so the prospect of their friends learning the ropes from the small book was thrilling. "Hope you'll make us something when we get back!" she added, winking at Olette.

"You bet" Olette promised.

"Alright kids, enough of the goodbyes. We're not going away forever, you know." Lea chimed in with fake-seriousness. "Geez, you all act like we could just up and disappear on you!"

"Don't you dare!" Hayner warned him, and pointed at Roxas. "And make sure he gets back in one piece as well!"

"I'll make sure they get home safe and sound," Isa said, and put his hands on Roxas' and Lea's shoulder. "Olette, do take care of the boys over here."

"As always!" she grinned and patted them both on the hair. The gang laughed heartily and the four friends entered the station together. Hayner, Pence, and Olette went their ways, waving at them one last time before they disappeared around the corner. Xion looked at the others; everyone was prepared.

The station was huge, but mostly empty. It was a sleepy day, and only a few trains had arrived to Twilight Town. Pence told them where to look for their purple train, but the tracks seemed vacant. Lea and Roxas exchanged a puzzled look, while Isa decided to ask around for any additional clues.

"They said the train occasionally appears" Xion reminded the boys. "They didn't specify when. We might need to wait a bit."

"Yeah, but how long?" the blonde haired boy asked. He seemed less sure about the plan, but he did his best to mask his uncertainty.

Xion sat down at a bench and looked at the others with an expectant look. Lea shrugged and sat down, while Roxas started pacing up and down, lost in thoughts. They waited there for a good ten minutes, before Isa would return. During that time, only a handful of people walked by them, and there were no departures or arrivals; nor were any expected in the foreseeable future.

Xion stared at the old train wagons and found herself counting the scratches, the screws, the windows, whatever she could. Slowly, the heat of the train station got to her and made her a bit drowsy. She looked to her right and saw that Lea had already dozed off. Roxas and Isa were sitting at another bench, both of them thinking or just staring at something. Xion looked back at the trains and for a moment thought that some of them had moved. She tried recalling where the wagons were originally, but found it impossible. The more she thought about it, the sleepier she got. It became hard to keep her eyes open, especially in the heat, without any fresh air. Her eyes remain shut for longer and longer, and she was very close to falling asleep when she heard the comforting whistle of a train.

She opened her eyes and at the back of the gigantic hall stood a rather short, purple train with a small hat-like chimney and dozens of white star decorations. Not only that, but what seemed like a whole hour worth of waiting, was actually no more than 3 minutes.

"So it really is true," Isa admitted, standing up and stretching out his arms.

"Yeah. Sora, Donald and Goofy used this method, to leave Twilight Town some time ago" Roxas yawned sleepily. His mouth twitched into a smile and pointed at Lea, who was comfortably asleep on the bench. Isa poked the red haired boy, who jumped up so fast as if he had been attacked.

"—what, who?!" he cried out, giving the others a good laugh. "Hey now, mustn't wake a sleeping beauty like that" he said. "So that's our train? Will it really take us to Yen Sid's tower?"

Lea and Isa exchanged glance. They both seemed hopeful, almost excited.

Xion scanned the train carefully. It was unique in every sense. She couldn't wait to aboard it, to peer through its windows and watch the town disappear behind the green mountains. "Let's go" Isa said, prompting the others to head towards the train. Xion ran ahead, and even though she heard Roxas yelling her name, she laughed it off. The joy of going on an adventure with her friends again; how much she had missed these occasions. Almost as much as having ice-cream atop the clock tower.

The train had only no separate compartments. It had small benches on the inside on both sides. It wasn't anything special. Xion stepped inside first, Roxas following her. Lea and Isa appeared a few moments later. They all got on and looked slightly nervous, not knowing what to do or expect. They looked at each other in the silence, waiting for each other to start a conversation, or make note of something. But nobody said anything and the train didn't move an inch. For a good few minutes they all stood and sat there, sinking into their own thoughts.

Xion thought about Sora, Riku, and Kairi. The boy's disappearance probably hurt them way more, than it did her. She knew how terrible it felt to be alone, to be without friends. She knew the hardship and the sorrow of what they were experiencing, and no words could've made that easier or more bearable. Roxas sat beside her. She peered at him, and saw his gaze looking back. For a short moment, the two of them locked eyes. He seemed…worried? Before Xion could've asked about it, the train started shaking and slowly departed with a loud whistle. Moments later, the city appeared below them, as they slowly rolled out onto the high railway bridge and went a lap around Twilight Town.

The view was breathtaking, and Xion could feel her heart pounding excitedly. She refused to blink, out of fear that she might miss something. It was beautiful beyond words: the city, the hills beyond, and the sinking sun's final, reddish lights. She wanted to look at the others; she was sure they were all in awe just like she.

The change was so subtle, that it went past all of them completely. It must've been some sort of magic, but by the time they had realized where they were, the train was already racing across the dark sky glittering with distant worlds. Xion was amazed at the brilliance of whatever spell was cast on the train. She was looking through the window during the whole time, but she didn't notice when they took off and left Twilight Town.

"Where are we?" Isa asked carefully.

"We'll be there soon," Roxas promised, who seemingly remembered more about Sora's journey. "It might take a while, but this will take us straight to Master Yen Sid." he said in a reassuring voice, which offered a bit of calm to Xion's slightly racing heart.

"You sure memorized a whole bunch of stuff." Lea grinned, but Roxas merely shrugged. Lea sat down beside the boy, and looked at him expectantly. "So, we take the train to Yen Sid. Then what?" he queried. "You think the sage will lend us a hand?"

"I'm sure we could persuade him into helping us reach Radiant Garden. Strictly speaking, you two originate from that place."

"That is true" Isa agreed.

"Never seen him having a gummi ship, though" Lea shrugged and leaned back against the wall, crossing his hands behind his nape.

Xion glimpsed over at the red haired boy every now and then. She wasn't sure whether the others had noticed as well, but she saw anxiety slowly clawing its way through him. She wished she could say something to him; anything, that could've soothed his worries a little. Then again Xion herself wasn't too sure about Lea's worries. Was it about the journey? Was it because he was afraid they might be too late to help their friend? She didn't want to pry, so she kept her thoughts to herself, but she kept an eye on him at least. Isa on the other hand was composed as usual. He was a little bit like Riku in that sense. Both of them were able to maintain a good mask, that didn't crack too easily even under pressure. But Isa wasn't Saix, and the way he looked at Lea spoke pages of how much he shared in his pain and worry.

"Look!" Roxas pointed towards a patch of land in the distance. "There it is!"

Lea, Isa, and Xion followed the boy's hand and looked out through the thick glass. Roxas was right the Mysterious Tower really was there, floating amongst a sea of clouds on a small island. It was a view that quickly etched itself into Xion's heart. Beautiful, like a painting come to life.

The train hissed loudly, and the group shared a relieved smile. They were on the right track after all. Roxas was about to stand up, when the wagon suddenly shook wildly.

What's going on?!

Lea peered out and yelped the answer, "Heartless!" much to the horror of the other three. Those creatures of darkness were far too dangerous out there, between the worlds. Roxas and Lea summoned their Keyblades and Xion had summoned hers too. The Keyblade changed and took on a shape of its own after the events at the Keyblade Graveyard; Xion dubbed it Fondest Memory.

The wagon jerked again, and the far end corners cracked, letting darkness through. Shadow heartless crept inside en masse, ready to jump on the closest of the friends. Lea stepped in front of Isa immediately, taking his usual stance. "Man, I just can't get used to this thing."

"Just protect Isa" Roxas said confidently. "Xion and I'll take care of the bulk."

"Like I need two wimpy kids to protect me!" Lea protested with a grin. "And anyways. Gotta get some practice or I'll get too comfortable!"

"Hah! You just don't want us to outshine you!" Xion winked. Isa and Roxas both chuckled to Lea's dismay. "Well, don't worry. You still burn the brightest."

"Heard that, Roxas? Better get it memorized!"

"Yeah-yeah, whatever" the boy shrugged, raised his Keyblade – Two Become One – and assaulted the heartless. The little creatures jumped left and right, but Roxas was fast and precise, his swings taking down half a dozen within a couple of seconds. A Neoshadow appeared behind Roxas and raised its claws, but Xion was fast and struck the creature down. "Careful!" she warned the boy with a stern smile.

"I knew you had my back" he grinned and thrust his Keyblade into another Neoshadow. "You'd keep me safe, right?"

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Lea chimed in, unleashing his flaming Keyblade upon a group of heartless.

"No need to light the whole train!" Roxas and Xion said at once, both angrily and worried.

"I was just making sure, none would be left!" Lea grinned mischievously. The next moment something crashed into the train and the four lost their footing, crashing onto the floor. Xion stared up and saw a large hand breaking through it and tearing the train wide open. "What in the world?!" Lea also stared at the huge heartless. "A Darkside? Well that's just great news!"

Even more heartless entered the interior of the wagon. Xion, Roxas and Lea quickly jumped on their feet and began to cut through them. Roxas alone held one side, while the others fought off the attackers from the other way. The blonde-haired boy fought vigorously and at one point did something Xion didn't expect to see: Roxas broke his Keyblade into two-halves; Oblivion and Oathkeeper. Using the two-handed style, Roxas quickly eliminated the remaining heartless and turned towards the Darkside, which had only been watching the battle so far. The creature had set its eyes on Roxas and raised its gigantic left hand, preparing an attack.

"Brace yourselves!" Isa warned the group.

"What is going on there?"

The voice came from neither of the four, but from someone further away. He was riding towards the group on his vehicle-turned-Keyblade, using a special armor to protect himself during the journey. "That's Terra!" Xion cried with a sudden relief.

"Don't get too happy just yet," Lea warned her, looking at the train full of heartless around them. "Let's do something with these first!"

Terra didn't come alone. Aqua appeared beside him after a few seconds and the two sped up to join the fight. Xion, Roxas and Lea managed to hold their own, but for every eliminated heartless there were another two ready to take its place.

"Terra, you take care of the Darkside! I'll take the others to safety!" Xion heard Aqua's voice in the distance, and saw Terra moving away, aiming for the large Heartless' head. The blue haired Keyblade Master arrived a few seconds later, blowing away a large portion of the attackers with her magic. "Hurry! Climb aboard!" she said, reaching down for Isa, who was unarmed. "I'll be back, hang in there you three!"

Xion nodded and destroyed one of the heartless. Aqua and Isa disappeared, and the three of them continued their continuous struggle aboard the half-destroyed wagon. There was less and less space for the three Keyblade wielders, no matter how fast they cut down the attackers. Above them Terra tried holding off the Darkside. The giant tried swatting him, waving with its large hands, but the experienced fighter managed to slip through the gaps every time.

Aqua dropped Isa down near the tower, and headed back for the others as quickly as he could. She flew past quite a few other heartless, when another Darkside rose from underneath. The creature almost grabbed her, but she managed to outmaneuver it at the last second. She joined Xion and the boys at the train's remains. "Terra, help me out!"

The man looked down, and realized they had no more time to spare. He dodged the Darkside's attack and descended, picking up Roxas and Lea, while Aqua picked up Xion. The girl grabbed Aqua's hand and climbed aboard. "You really have to teach me how to do this thing with the Keyblade!" she said.

"Gladly" Aqua offered in a half cheerful, half serious tone. "But first, let's get to safety."

The group left the train in the last second, before it collapsed under the heartless. The Darksides and the Shadows pursued the group towards tower. "We won't be able to shake them off!" Terra yelled.

"Don't worry" Xion said suddenly, feeling a small warmth pulsing within her heart. "I… think everything is going to be safe!"

Aqua and Terra exchanged a quick puzzled look, but nodded and continued their race towards the island. Isa, who saw them all approaching got out of the way, hiding behind a large tree. "Prepare for landing" Terra warned the boys. "It's gonna be rough."

"We're ready" Lea and Roxas nodded; and so did Xion. She was prepared for a leap in case she had to, and was already trying to recall how those spells worked in case she'd need to cast any. Still, her heart was reassuring her that all would be well.

"Now!" Terra cried, and released his Keyblade. Roxas and Lea leapt across the last few meters, somersaulting in the grass. Terra landed beside them, his Keyblade in hands, ready for the Heartless. Aqua and Xion landed not too far from the boys. They all quickly rallied up, forming a wall to hold off the remaining attackers. The Heartless offensive was diving in. The Shadows and Neoshadows joined together, creating Heartless Tide. The army raged towards them with a seemingly unstoppable force, when a Gummi ship appeared in the sky. It swooshed across, unloading all its firepower upon the Heartless, destroying the bulk of the attacking forces.

"Riku, Kairi!" Xion looked up. "I knew it."

The Gummi ship made a round and locked onto the Heartless army once more, firing every weapon at their disposal. Dozens of the creatures were eliminated and the rest were scattered, marking the end of their attack. Xion, cheered them loudly, and ran towards the landing ship. Riku and Kairi climbed out.

"Nice shooting" Terra said, stepping besides the duo. "Who manned the guns?"

"I did!" Kairi grinned. "Getting the knack of it!"

Xion quickly scanned the whole group. Everyone was fine. Lea, Roxas, and Isa all suffered minor injuries, she did too, but nobody was hurt seriously. Aqua was taking a look at the boys' injuries, peaking over to the others every now and then. "How did you two get here so fast?" she asked, when she had a free moment. "I thought you were interested in the library?"

"We… found something." Riku replied, walking across the small yard to where she was treating Lea under a tree. "We wanted to find any sort of clues or information about the Power of Waking."

"We thought about it as well" she nodded. "Unfortunately, even Master Eraqus had little information about the subject. But what did you find then?"

"Scala ad Caelum. Have you heard about that place?"

Aqua and Terra looked at each other. Neither said anything, but their eyes spoke volumes. Xion saw them both harboring something untold. "Scala ad Caelum is where Sora fought Master Xehanort." Terra said plainly.

"I figured" Riku claimed. "Though we haven't seen too much of that place, I gather it is important?"

"It used to be" Aqua said. "We know very little about it, only as much as the Master had told us. He studied there, and it was the seat of every Keyblade wielder at a time. But… something happened. We don't know the details, but many Keyblade wielders died and Master Eraqus had never returned there afterwards."

"We have to go back there," Riku declared defiantly. "If there is a place in the world, where we can find our answers, it must be there."

"And that's why we're here." Kairi joined Riku's side. "To ask for Master Yen Sid's aid. He should know the way there, right?"

"Well, whatever happen… if you're already here. Want to give us a lift to Radiant Garden?" Lea said suddenly, looking at both parties.

"Radiant Garden? What do you want to do there?" Terra asked him, folding his arms uncomfortably. Xion sensed some nervousness in him, though she couldn't have said why. There was something off with both him and Aqua; and Ven was nowhere in sight.

"We are looking for someone" Isa replied coolly. "An old acquaintance who… resided in Master Ansem's castle for a while."

"We are hoping to find her," Lea added. "So, what do you say?"

Kairi agreed to it before Riku could've opened his mouth, much to the boys' and Xion's delight. Xion stepped closer and thanked her with a bright smile. "We're in the same boat" Kairi said, "We haven't given up just yet either."

"Sora is waiting for the two of you, I'm sure of it." Xion nodded.

"We're all set," Aqua stood up and taking a step back. She treated everyone with cure spell and bandages, which was more than enough. "We'll leave you guys to it then. We too have to take care of a few things ourselves."

Roxas looked at her "Is it about Ventus?" Aqua didn't reply. Her smile faltered and her eyes fell. She nodded silently. "Don't keep him waiting then!"

"We won't" Terra thanked him. "You all be careful too. The Heartless have grown stronger."

"Indeed," Lea nodded with a grim expression. "And here I thought we won't have to do icky jobs anymore."

"Life is never that simple" Isa. "I thought you'd know that."

"Can't a guy keep hoping?"

"Not until we've found her" Xion said. "But don't worry. Together, we make one heck of a team!"

While the twilight troupe bantered cheekily, Aqua and Terra suited up to resume their journey. Riku stepped over to them. He thanked them for lending them their library and for sharing whatever knowledge they had. The duo from the Land of Departure bid everyone farewell and departed promptly.

"Alright. We'll need to see Master Yen Sid, but we can give you a lift afterwards," Riku offered once more. "Can you wait for us here?"

"Sure thing! Do your things, we'll be alright down here" Lea nodded.

"We'll be back in a bit everyone!" Kairi said and followed Riku, who was already halfway through the grounds of the solitary tower.

- O - O - O - O - O -

When Ventus came to, he didn't know where he was. He tried getting up, but the ache in his torso ordered him otherwise, and his powerless yelp alarmed the brown-haired girl, who rushed to his aid quickly.

"Don't move, please!" she said, trying to push him back down softly. "It was a big fall! It is quite a miracle that you've regained consciousness already!"

"W-what happened?" Ven uttered weakly, closing down his eyes, hoping that the pain might go away in the dark. It didn't. His head was about to explode, and it was hard to move his hands or feet, but he was quite sure that he'd be up and running in a bit.

"Well, you came crashing down from the sky. Lucky for you, the roof and the flowerbed broke the fall. Still, you should rest for a while."

"Where are we?"

"In the back of my flower shop, but enough about these questions! Get some rest, and I'll be back with a doctor, alright?"

"Wait…" Ventus exhaled painfully. "Please, your name?"

"Aerith"

"Thanks Aerith…"

Ventus fell silent and Aerith hurried off to get a real doctor to check up on the boy. But as soon as she left the building, Ven's eyes popped open again. He sat up and put a hand on his aching nape. He cast a Cura spell on himself, which was the best he could do at that moment. It wasn't much, but it helped.

"Damn you for making me do this." It was a risky thing land like that, but he had little time to waste. He had to meet with Naminé as fast as he could.

Oh come on, brother! Did you really think this would stop me? Ventus looked up, panicking. He looked left and right, but the source of the voice was nowhere to be found. He shuddered and pulled himself into a hug. After all this time, all these years… and he still wasn't safe from him. But why?