The moment they appeared on the skies above Radiant Garden, the ship's radio beeped and a familiar voice barked his grumpy orders. "Head to the shipyard! Don't even try to think about landing that damned thing in the middle of the city! If you try to pull it off again, I swear I'll dismantle it into pieces!"

The confused members of the group (basically everyone) looked at Riku, who just gave a shrug. "I think he didn't take too kindly that we parked in the middle of the central square when we came to pick up Naminé last time." he said.

"Yeah, well we did warn you about it, didn't we?" Isa asked, folding his arms. He looked out through the cabin glass, down at the city beneath them. It was now almost impossible to tell that the World had succumbed to darkness at one point and that the city itself had been destroyed. It looked exactly as it used to before. "Home, sweet home" the blue haired muttered.

"Been missing this place," Lea said. "Not that I hate Twilight Town, though."

"I've always wanted to come here!" Xion said excitedly. "I hope we'll get a chance to look around! Look at all those parks!"

Riku steered the ship towards the large shipyard on the outskirts of the gigantic city. It was already full of functional ships and half-destroyed junks, but it wasn't impossible to land. Riku offered Kairi the helm. "Look! There's quite enough space between those two" Riku pointed at a spacious block between Cid's Tiny Bronco and Leon's Ragnarok. "Try landing there!"

"On it!" she nodded and accelerated slowly towards the available space. It took a bit longer than it would've in the hands of an experienced driver, but she landed perfectly and without a scratch.

"A bit more time and you'll be our chauffeur" Lea applauded her.

"Yeah, get your own Gummi ship" she grinned back at the red haired boy.

"That might not be a bad idea at this point" Isa agreed. "Let's talk to Cid later. He might be able to help us build one from all these scraps."

"What are you callin' scraps, kid?" Cid appeared beside them, with a grumpy face. "Get outta there ya lot! Let me take a look at ya all." Everyone got off the ship and lined up in front of Cid, who rubbed his nose with his thumb. "Good. Well, there are more of ya than I remembered. Where did ya four come from?" he asked, looking at the group from Twilight Town. Isa and Lea exchanged a smile.

"Don't you remember us?" Lea asked. "Told you to get our faces memorized!"

"Oh, I remember that cocky speech. You two good for nothin's!" Cid nodded with a grim content on his face. "We've been lookin' for ya two! Where have you been?"

"Very long story" Isa replied. "And we're in a bit of a hurry. So if you could excuse us, we need to see Ansem."

"Hmm" Cid got somber suddenly. "I'm not sure you'll be able to talk much with him. Somethin' has happened not long ago. I'm not sure 'bout the details."

"Thanks for the heads up" Lea nodded. "Let's hurry to the castle, Isa."

"We'll take a look around town" Xion said suddenly, grabbing Roxas' arm. "If something has indeed happened, it might be better if we stay out of the way for now."

"Alright, but don't go wandering too far. We might need to leave soon." Lea warned them, then turned to Kairi and Riku. "Thanks for the ride, you two. We'll be alright from here on out. Good luck with Scala."

As Lea and Isa rushed off, Cid turned to the rest of the group. "You might want to go and say hi to Leon and the gang before leavin'."

"We'll do" Riku promised. "But first we would like your help with something." he pulled the Gummi piece out of his pocket. "Could you install this piece?"

Cid took the item and looked at it carefully. "We'll… this is a rare part. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen one such as this before." he looked back at Riku. "Where ya got it from?"

"Master Yen Sid."

He considered the reply and gave a brisk nod. "I'll take a look at it."

"Thanks, Cid!" Kairi smiled, and turned towards the others. "Why don't we all take a look around, while Cid prepares the ship?"

"Sounds good!" Xion clapped her hands happily.

"And does anyone know their way around town?" Roxas queried, looking at the others. All three of them shook their heads. "Well, we better stick close to the shipyard then."

"You can get maps at every moogle shop in town, kid. Don't ya worry 'bout getting' lost here!" Cid cackled loudly. "Alright, off with ya all! Let me get to business!"

The four left the shipyard behind and entered the city limits beyond the strong, thick walls through a small iron gate. The street was bustling with citizens coming and going, shopping or just talking. "Alright. Better stick together," Roxas remarked as he almost got separated from the others due to a small group marching through between them. "If we lose sight of each other we're doomed."

"Where did all these people come from?" Riku contemplated loudly.

"Now that Radiant Garden is back to its original form, a lot of people have returned from Traverse Town" said a male voice from above the group. Riku looked up at the wall and saw a figure sitting on a smaller bastion, dressed in black.

"Long time no see, Leon!" Kairi greeted the man much to the surprise of Riku.

"Where did you meet him?"

"Back in Traverse Town" she recalled. Leon jumped off the bastion and landed beside the group. He took a good look at them. "Let me introduce them! They are Roxas, Xion, and Riku. I don't think you've officially met any of them."

"Not until now" Leon replied and offered a hand. "I'm Leon." Riku offered his own name and the two shook hands. "So, what are you all doing in town?"

"We need to get our ship updated a bit" Kairi answered. "Plus our friends are trying to get an audience with Ansem the Wise, though we've just heard that something has happened to him."

"Yeah," Leon nodded with a grim expression. "It's quite bad…"

- O - O - O - O - O -

Lea and Isa remembered the layout of the city, which thankfully hadn't changed much even after the repairs were complete, so it was easy to make their way back to Ansem's castle. The crowd was quite large, which made it easier to fool the guards at the gates of the castle grounds. Lea drew their attention, while Isa snuck inside. Then, from within the grounds, Isa had drawn them away, giving time to Lea to sneak in as well.

The boys shook off the guards and entered the castle building through a side-door as the main gates were under heavy surveillance. They excelled at breaking into the castle. They had done it quite a few times when they were young, even though they got caught in the act most of the time.

They maneuvered through the maze-like corridors and foyers like a pair of shadows, unseen by anyone. Isa hadn't felt so excited in years; though he also had a good amount of fear inside him as well. Cid's warning was unsettling, to be completely honest. Finally, they reached the room, which previously had belonged to Master Ansem. They stopped not far from the study and looked at each other. "Well, I'm a bit anxious" Lea admitted with a grin. "Wonder what Cid was talking about. Castle seems normal to me."

He agreed. Everything seemed completely fine, nothing out of the ordinary. The guards were tight, but not overzealous. "Well, we won't know until we knock." Isa stated, looking at the door, trying to shield his own concerns.

They both looked at the door, but neither of them was ready to knock. Come on, damn it! Do something! he tried commanding himself. Isa slowly reached out, but stopped midway.

"So? What are you waiting for?" Lea looked at him, ever more excited. He was about to give an answer, but he heard someone's voice from within the room. The blue haired boy shook his head and dropped his hand. He stepped closer to the door and listened. "What are you doing? Isa!" Lea whispered in an irritated voice. "Why—"

"Shush" he calmed him, and listened.

"Frankly, I'm not sure what we could do, Ienzo. I am a researcher, not a doctor" someone glowered.

"They will want an answer, or an explanation," another, much calmer voice said. "Even, I don't think it would be wise to try and hide this from them."

"If they learn what happened to Master Ansem…"

Lea pushed Isa away and opened the door. Even, Ienzo, Aeleus and Dilan were all holed up inside Ansem's study and shuddered the moment Lea opened the door. They looked at him with a sort of amusement as he stepped inside the small study. "What happened to Ansem?" he asked. Isa heard anger and irritation in his voice.

"What are you doing here? Did the guards let you in?" Dilan stood up from his chair.

"We snuck in" Isa said, appearing beside Lea, sending another wave of shock through the group.

"What are you two doing here?" Even demanded furiously. "And how long have you been eavesdropping on us?

"Long enough to know something is off," Lea retorted. "So tell us, what happened to Ansem the Wise?!"

Isa didn't expect to see the four apprentices so sullen, but seeing their eyes fall, their hands tremble; he knew they had a serious problem. He nudged Lea forward and closed the door behind them, leaning back onto it and folded his arms.

"Master Ansem was attacked and is now unconscious" Ienzo began explaining. "Earlier today, a friend of yours… Ventus came by."

"Ventus?" Lea raised his eyebrows and exchanged a look with Isa.

Ienzo nodded, keeping his eyes on the floor. "He had some sort of trouble. He was looking for Naminé. Wanted her to lock away the darkness in him, because he was afraid it'd take over his heart. We began the procedure, but it all went astray and darkness overtook him after all. He broke out and injured Ansem severely."

"Where is Ventus now?" Lea demanded.

"We don't know" Dilan added. "The other two Keyblade wielders helped us out. By the time we finished routing up the creatures the boy had summoned, he was nowhere to be found. The Keyblade wielders left as well, to look for him."

"And where is Master Ansem?" Isa queried.

"We put him in one of the healing pods" Even answered. "Naminé is taking care of him."

Silence fell on the room, and soon Lea started pacing up and down, his boots knocking against the marble. Isa took a good look at the apprentices: they all seemed honestly worried. No respite for the wicked, I guess.

"Why are you here?" Aeleus asked in a quiet, calm voice.

"We wanted an audience with Ansem" Isa explained. "There was a girl kept inside the castle a long time ago. She was kept down there."

The apprentices shuddered at the mention of the laboratory. All of them knew to some degree of what was going on inside the castle walls. Ienzo's eyes were red and he was still having a hard time fighting back his tears. He stood up and looked at Isa and Lea, mustering all his power. "Why is that place so important for you?"

"It's not" Lea shrugged. "We just want to know where he took the girl."

"Well, we can't help you with that" Even shook his head. "And you won't be able to talk to master Ansem for a while."

"Can we at least take a look at his notes?" Isa asked.

Even looked at the other apprentices, wanting to ask for their approval before he'd make any offers. Dilan and Aeleus nodded, but Ienzo wasn't so ready to hand everything over. "I'm not sure Master Ansem would like that" he said, looking at Isa. "Not because he's hiding anything, but because trust is not earned so easily."

"Ienzo!" Even frowned upon him.

"No, he is right" Isa sighed, and reached for the door. "Though, I really must ask. Are any of you better, than Lea and I? We all betrayed him and followed Xehanort down that path." Before they could've answered, the blue and red haired boys disappeared through the door.

Isa hastened across the corridor, heading not back towards the entrance, but towards the where he thought the master was treated. He was angry: both with himself and with the damned apprentices. He should've told them all about this sooner. They should've come earlier.

"Isa. Isa!" Lea rushed after him, grabbing the boy by the shoulder. "Wait!" he yelled, and stopped his friends. He stood in front of him, arms spread wide.

"Out of the way, Lea." he warned the other in a dangerously low voice.

"Calm your nerves. No need to go full Saïx just because things aren't as easy as you want them to be!" Lea continued defiantly. "If you go full berserk, it won't do us any good. Calm down, cause we need you to use your brains, not your brawls."

Isa stared at the boy, dumbfounded by his sudden wise-guy act, and realized he couldn't help smiling and laughing. This was reassuring enough for Lea, who stepped aside. "See? All is good, just… try not to lose it yet."

"You're right. Sorry." Isa nodded, putting a hand on his hip, looking down onto the floor in shame. "I just… we need to find her, Lea. She's out there, alone."

"I know. And we'll find her. That's a promise. Get it memorized!"

The duo made their way to the other wing of the castle. Isa had learnt the map of the whole complex by heart in the past and luckily the outline hadn't changed even after the castle was rebuilt and refurbished.

They avoided the guards and staff easily, and located the medical quarters without much difficulty. Ansem was treated in a separate room, protected by guards all the time. Thankfully they didn't even have to try and bypass them, as Ienzo and Even had caught up with them (since they didn't have to sneak around).

"Sorry for my behavior back in the study" Ienzo said, not looking directly at Isa, as the four walked along a completely white corridor leading to Ansem's healing pod. "I know you're not like… you know."

"No need for any of this" Isa replied. "We both made mistakes. Mine were… arguable bigger. At any rate, I couldn't care less about whether you people like me or not. I just want to find a friend who is dear to me."

"I know. And I want to help you."

Isa suddenly halted and turned towards Ienzo. "Help us? How."

"I have a plan, but I'm not sure whether it'll speed things up or not."

"It can't slow us down, right?" Lea grinned. "So I say let's hear it!"

Ienzo beckoned the group and continued down the foyer. He opened the door and ushered the others inside the large, circular room. Computers lined up along the wall, surrounding the large healing pod in the middle. The inside was filled with a green liquid and Ansem was placed inside, a tube placed in front of his face so he wouldn't drown.

"How is he doing?" Lea asked, looking at the unconscious man inside the pod. "Will he make it?"

"Absolutely" Even declared with no room for arguments. "He just needs some time. The Keyblade is a very… delicate weapon; especially in the wrong hands."

"If Ventus had wanted him to die, he'd be dead already, Even." The group turned around to greet the fair-haired girl. Naminé held a tray full of medication and bandages in her hand. She wore a long, white coat. "But you do know that, don't you?"

"All I am saying is that it'll take all our skills and technology to bring him back. Still, I am quite sure that he's in the best hands he could be."

"So what is your plan, Ienzo?" Isa turned to the younger boy, who was staring at one of the computers.

"I was told by the King's two inventor friends of how Jiminy's journals were analyzed and turned into digitalized data. And this had me thinking. What if we could somehow try and turn some of Ansem's memories into digitalized data as well? We have the technology to do it, and Naminé's magical powers can come in handy as well."

Even was furious. "You want to temper with Master Ansem's memories? Are you out of your mind, Ienzo? The others will not stand for this!"

"I know" he nodded. "That's why I didn't mention it in front of Dilan and Aeleus. But to be fair, there is a lot going on, and we too might need certain information to be able to keep up with our projects. And we don't know how long will it take for the master to awaken."

"I don't like this one bit, Ienzo" Even warned him, pointing a finger at the boy. "What if something goes wrong and he ends up losing all his memories?"

"Don't worry about that. That's why I'm here" Naminé said to the worrisome apprentice. "I'll make sure everything goes alright and that no harm befalls the master."

"Do as you wish!" he fumed and stormed out of the room. "I'll have nothing to do with this! If anything goes wrong, it's all on you!"

Isa didn't take sides in the argument, as he knew it would've only made Even angrier. He understood the scientist's fear, but he just couldn't take his side either. He had to find out where the girl was taken. Too long had they been idle. "How fast can we start working on this?" he asked both Naminé and Ienzo.

"I'd be more relieved if Chip and Dale would be here with us. They are experts on digitalizing data. I also took the liberty of contacting them prior. As I said, you're not the only ones who need master Ansem's knowledge."

- O - O - O - O - O -

The small house Leon led the group into was tucked neatly away in the center of Radiant Garden. From the outside, it didn't seem different at all, and even from within most people couldn't have told that it was actually the headquarters of the Radiant Garden Protection Committee.

"Welcome to the 7th Heaven!" a girl welcomed them from behind the counter and looked Leon in the eye, before adding. "Reservation for the game room?"

"Just here for a quick pinball" Leon replied and led his guests towards the backroom.

There weren't many guests when the group arrived. Roxas counted three, though he didn't go upstairs to the gallery, so there might've been one or two additional ones up there. The backroom had a few game machines, a billiard table and a radio playing a quiet tune. Leon stepped over to one of the pinball machines and pushed a well-hidden button. The machine clicked loudly and suddenly started descending underground.

"Hop on" Leon beckoned the group and they quickly stepped over to the platform. As they disappeared under the floor, Roxas looked up and saw the wall falling forward and covering the hole in the ground. "It's built so that once the real pinball descends, another one appears."

"Why the secrecy?" Xion asked.

"Last time, we were unprepared. Our World fell and we were suddenly vagrants. We decided to be better, to defend Radiant Garden until our last breath. Not everyone likes how we constantly prepare for war and battle though. The people wanted peace, prosperity, happiness… they wanted the old Radiant Garden back. So we went underground and returned the surface to Ansem and his disciples."

Roxas tried to understand the reasons, but found it a little too much. "But why underground?" he asked.

"If they don't know we exist, they won't count on us. We do not want to be the main defensive force of the city. We want to assist them, if the situation becomes dire."

The elevator arrived at the bottom floor and they suddenly found themselves in a large hall filled with all sorts equipment: computers, workshops, crates full of weapon and armor; complete with bath- and bedrooms.

"Pretty neat," Riku acknowledged. "So this is the secret hideout?"

"Yeah. We wanted to show it to Sora, Donald and Goofy first but… well, we've received the news."

Before the group had a chance to fall into an awkward silence because of the recent events concerning Sora, another member of the committee shouted over to them: "Back so soon, Leon? Oh, you brought a few guests as well!" Yuffie's voice echoed throughout the committee's lair "Kairi! It's been forever!"

"Yuffie!" the girl cried out happily and ran over to the ninja girl, giving her a big hug.

"My, Kairi, you've grown!" she examined the red haired girl, before she glanced over to the others. "And you three are? Wait, you must be Riku!" she said, pointing at the boy. "Heard a lot about you."

"My name is Xion, and he is Roxas. Nice to meet you!" the black haired girl replied with a smile.

"Where are the others?" Roxas asked, looking left and right, hoping to see more members.

"Well, we're stretched thin at the moment. Cid is taking care of your ship, and Aerith is off to repair her shop. Tifa is upstairs, and a few others are helping out by the castle."

"Yeah, we heard" Riku nodded. Roxas saw regret showing on the boy's face. He was probably wondering whether they could've stopped Ventus, had they joined Aqua and Terra. He had similar thoughts as well, but to be honest, he wasn't sure it would've made any difference. This was something far beyond their power. This is something Ventus will have to sort out in the end. But if he needs us, we'll be there for him.

"Well, I'm sure you didn't come here to waste away in a basement." Yuffie said. "Who wants to take a stroll around the market?"

"Let's go!" Xion said immediately with excitement.

"We'll join as well!" Kairi added.

"You'll be alright here, Leon?" Yuffie looked at the older boy, who merely nodded. "Good. Come on girls and boys, let's go have some fun!"

Roxas and the rest followed the ninja girl back to the bar and stepped outside into the brightly lit street, still quite packed with people. "It's way too crowded for me" Xion confessed, trying to stand aside and let a parent cross with his child.

"Yeah, I agree" Roxas nodded, thinking about Twilight Town with its sleepy afternoons. The neighborhood got quite lively there as well, but it's still a peaceful little square compared to the streets of Radiant Garden.

Yuffie took the lead and showed them the shortest way to the central plaza. "Welcome to Radiant Garden, a shining gem amidst the hills and lakes! Whatever you are looking for, we have it!" she started describing the city. While she gave them a brief overview of the city's story and layout, the group took a stroll around the main parts and sights of the city. They took a picture of the group at the Fountain Court, had a picnic in the gardens, took a quick window-shopping and even took a look at the festivities at the Central Square. By the time they returned to the 7th Heaven, the streets were emptied out as the people went home.

Roxas was worn out by all the walking, talking and laughing. Yuffie sure knew how to lighten the mood and since the girls were partners, Riku and he had to join in as well. But he was glad for this day. It was a really new experience for him; hanging out with mostly people he didn't really know. Hell, his closest connection to Riku was an all out battle in the City That Never Was (he was planning on challenging Riku for a rematch, though the timing was not really good, so he decided to postpone that battle for the time being). It seemed so distant now. But after today, his world changed yet again. Expanded. Not just in one way, though.

He looked over to Xion, who was purchasing ice cream for the two of them. She asked Roxas to lag behind with her for a few more minutes before returning to the bar, so they decided to try their favorite goody here as well.

"What were you thinking about?" Xion asked as she got back from the vendor with sea-salt ice creams in her hand. She stared into the boy's eye, and he stared into hers; neither spoke or looked away.

"I just—"

"Hey, lovebirds!" Lea's voice echoed down the street. They both shuddered and quickly looked away, blushing. "Too late, I have those looks memorized! Etched into my mind!" Lea said with a wide grin on his face.

"Where have you two been?" Xion looked at them, putting one hand on her hip. "It's been ages!"

"A lot has happened" Isa said, his tone suggested a lack of success. "Ansem is gravely injured. Hopefully Ienzo, who you may remember as Zexion, can help us out."

"We'll discuss the details later," Lea said. "I'm starving. We wanted to come back as soon as possible, but Dilan found us and gave us a bunch of icky stuff to do."

"You consider all work icky I presume." Roxas reproached him jokingly. "Here, have an ice cream. It might be enough until dinner."

"Maybe."

Roxas led the group back to the 7th Heaven, which became much more lively, as the members of the Committee had gathered there for dinner. Roxas found Aerith – who was talking with Kairi and Riku – staring at him for a second, before Kairi would explain to her that he merely looked like Ventus.

Yuffie, Leon, and a guy with bandanna on his head were talking at a table by the window. Not far from them Merlin was chatting with two girls: one of them sported green hair and a similarly colored dress. The other had long, blonde hair and wore armor with a white cape and a metallic headband. They were just a few of the many new faces Roxas had never seen.

"Don't be shy, come in" Tifa said, prompting the group the join the group. "Roxas, right?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you."

"You resemble a boy I know very much." she smiled at him, then turned to Xion. "Do protect him. They are much more vulnerable than they show. Trust me on that."

"Will do."

The door opened behind the group, and everyone became less loud as they saw Cid – neck-deep in oil – enter the bar. When he was grumpy, it was best not to get on his bad side. And he seemed quite grumpy. "Where is that good for nothin' kid?" he asked loudly, scanning the crowd.

"Looking for me?" Riku asked, stepping out from behind a tall fellow.

"Yep. It was one heck of a job, but it's finished. Your ride is ready."