I'm sorry for the delay in this one, folks. I'll try to post the chapters closer to one another, but a lot has been going on on my end, so I've been... distracted, to say the least.
Anyway, on with the show!
XxXxXxX
In a matter of mere minutes, the large ship came to a halt in orbit around the familiar world, cruising at a safe altitude. Tenmei let out a slightly crazy chuckle, his eyes wide as his head was pressed firmly against his headrest. "... that was fun", he said, the manic tone out of place for the usually calm and collected prince.
Meanwhile, everyone else had a slightly different look then Tenmei did, while Ren still looked as monotone as he did as a heartless. Shun was wearing a face of shock, as if still processing what had just happened. Hikari and Yumi both looked slightly sickish, a bit green from the sudden forces that they had to experience. Meanwhile, Sora and his two friends were looking at Tenmei in pure horror, unsure what to say other than, in complete unison...
"ARE YOU INSANE!?"
Tenmei perked up at that, looking back at them with a quirked eyebrow, before chuckling, looking over at Ren. "So that's why you labeled it that way. Clever."
"I try", Ren replied, a ghost of a smirk on his face for a moment before he unbuckled and stood up, stretching a bit, the only one unaffected by the forces they had all just experienced. Of course, he had probably a few joy-rides under his belt already, so it was no wonder why he was the only one taking the whole thing in stride.
"That... was... awesome!" Shun shouted, being the second to recover, as Tenmei was the first. "Let's go again!"
"Let's not", Hikari groaned a bit, falling out of her seat once her belt was loosened.
"Don't worry, it takes 25 hours to recharge", Ren commented. "And yes, 25... not 24, I timed it."
Tenmei quirked an eyebrow, raising his hand as if to ask why he would do that, but soon just shrugged, and unfastened his belt as well. "Alright... I saw we have a way to beam us down to the world this time without drawing too much attention, so once everyone's all set, we'll disembark." That was when he glanced over at Yumi, and he frowned a bit. "You okay?"
"Mommy, I don't wanna ride anymore", Yumi whimpered, not willing to even move right now. Tenmei winced a bit, realizing that maybe it was a bit too soon to pull out the boost, so he gave a sigh.
"Fine, fine... I won't use the boost unless it's absolutely necessary", he conceded. "It looks like more of us get sick from it than anything else, so we'll need to refrain from using that. I appreciate the thought, though, Ren."
"Yeah, no worries", Ren held out his hand at that, muttering something under his breath. A flash of green light enveloped those feeling sick from the event, and shortly after that they all seemed to be getting back on their feet, looking at their bodies in amazement. "Alright, that should be good. Let's move."
Hikari blinked, looking at Ren in shock as he stepped off the ship. "That... was no normal Cure spell."
Yumi gave herself a once over, before stretching, reaching above her head. "Well, to be fair, the boys all got a chance to train a bunch while we were asleep. I'm sure it's just something he learned while we were out."
As she spoke, Tenmei couldn't help but glance over at her, but once he realized he was staring, he quickly turned away with a scarlet tint on his cheeks, deciding to just leave the ship while the sisters conversed. Of course, his actions did not go unnoticed, as Hikari spied him taking a good look at Yumi's back.
"Uh-huh..." the blonde sister said, pondering what that meant before looking back at Yumi. "But... isn't that a bit weird that he could heal all five of us without any problem?"
"Maybe he knows Curaga?" Donald offered. "If he's been training over the past year, it would make sense he knows that one by now."
"No, I recognize Curaga... that is what I used to heal Tenmei once..." Hikari muttered, thinking it once over before shaking her head. "I'll have to ask him later. We're going to fall behind."
And it did not take long for them all to catch up, as Tenmei and Ren were waiting at the top of the stairs for them, just before they would enter the main square of the town.
"Welcome back to Hollow Bastion, everyone", Tenmei stated, smiling a bit. "As you can see, it's very different since the last time any of you have been here. Consider it the first line of defense against the Heartless."
Hikari winced a bit, looking over at the castle before shifting herself so she was practically all but touching Ren, getting very close to the boy. "Of all the places..."
Ren looked at her for a moment before shaking his head, "Nothing bad is going to happen this time, trust me. Now we need to hurry, I told Leon we'd be there by now."
At that, Sora began beaming. "Oh, right! This is Leon and his friends' world, isn't it? Then what're we waiting for?" With that, he began to run off, while Tenmei gave a sigh.
"And there he goes", he muttered, watching as Donald and Goofy stuck close behind him. He merely began walking, leading the way through the square. This, of course, gave Yumi ample time to take in her prince's changes, although she found herself having to look away once she realized she was staring at a specific spot a little too long, feeling her face growing warm.
"Uh-huh..." the blonde sister said at that, noticing Yumi staring at the spot she had to look away from.
"What?" Ren and Shun both asked, hearing her.
"Just pondering things", Hikari muttered, before turning to Ren. "Speaking of, what did you use to heal us all?"
"An advanced form of Cure", Ren simply stated, as if no other explanation was needed.
"Well, duh... but what level? That wasn't Curaga, I know that spell", Hikari stated, eyeing Ren with curiosity.
Ren raised an eyebrow before muttering "but it was Curaga", though before Hikari could reply, they had reached the square, where a beam of light suddenly shot forth in front of them all, startling all that had not witnessed it before.
"What is that?" Yumi asked, surprised, looking all around. "They keep popping up like that..."
"That's the town's defenses!" came an unfamiliar voice... at least, to Yumi and Hikari. The group looked up, spotting a thin, pale girl, who wore a pair of black shorts, a black vest over a black tank top, and a bandana tied around her head.
"Yuffie!" Sora called out, happy to see his friend. She looked ready to greet him just the same, but soon her eyes widened in shock instead.
"Look out!" she cried, just as a squad of heartless appeared, surrounding the group. Tenmei took this opportunity to back away from the fight, slipping into a corridor of Darkness onto a nearby roof as he watched the battle from above. And needless to say, he still wasn't happy with what he was seeing. Ren and Shun were one thing, though Tenmei knew they were holding back on purpose to give Tenmei a chance to see what a year of napping had done to Sora and the others.
And somehow it made them weaker than they should be.
"This isn't right..." he muttered. "I know that, no doubt, all of them had their memories tampered in that blasted castle... but the stasis should have kept them in better shape." Then he began pondering, muttering to himself. "... but is it true stasis? Sora, Hikari, and Yumi all aged while in the pods... perhaps some minor muscle deterioration happened while they were put under...?"
"Uh... dude? They're done", Shun suddenly said to him, elbowing him in the side as he transported to his side. "We can go now."
Tenmei blinked, shaking his head. "R-right... sorry... I can't seem to get rid of that habit of tunnel-visioning on a problem..." He sighed as he jumped down, clearly not happy. "We might have a lot more work to do than I anticipated..."
"We can start with the girls", Ren suggested, said girls eyeing Ren as he walked forward to talk to Tenmei and Shun, wondering what they were missing. "Sora is self taught, so his improvement will be quick... hopefully."
Tenmei nodded, silently agreeing with Ren. He then walked back over to the group, as Sora was talking with Yuffie... doing a rather bad Leon impression. After a few more exchanged words, the group began walking again... with two certain somebodies sneaking glances at each other when they thought they could get away with it.
"Uh-huh..." Hikari muttered for a third time, catching them, though this time her right fist made contact with her left palm, as if she had figured something out.
At that, Tenmei turned to her, now the one to hear her. "'Uh-huh' what?" he asked, confused by her behavior.
"Just figured something out is all", Hikari simply said, humming to herself as she passed the boy, entering the small house Yuffie called base.
"... I don't feel good about that..." Tenmei muttered, bringing up the rear as they all gathered into the house. Sora was pulled forward, as the rest of the gang, including Leon, Cid, and Aerith, welcomed him back to their world. As they were being caught up, the prince was observing outside, making sure no Heartless would try to attack them now.
Yumi was trying to pay attention to everything, since she was a little lost on what happened. She may have been a history nerd, but this was an aspect no book had ever covered, and she did her best to understand the dynamics of Sora's relationship with the group, observing with interest. Ren and Shun, however, were just kinda half-listening, already knowing some of what was going on.
"Follow me", Leon finally said, though they couldn't help but noticing that he looked very pale. "There's... something you need to see."
"That's uncharacteristic of him", Shun muttered, following after him with a look of confusion. Ren, Sora, Donald and Goofy followed next, also looking at Leon with confusion. Yumi went next, and just before Tenmei could follow, he suddenly felt a hand grip his wrist.
"We need to talk", Hikari's voice came sternly from behind him.
At that, Tenmei paled a bit, and turned to face her. Was she going to try something, now that she managed to pull him away from the group? He swallowed a bit nervously, not liking the tone of her voice. "And what might that be?" he asked, trying to suppress his anxiety.
"I know what feelings you hold for my sister", she bluntly stated, as if it was obvious to everyone. "And I just wanted to make sure we're clear on a few things. That's all."
At the mention of his feelings and Yumi, Tenmei felt his face flush up a little bit. He wasn't sure what to say, wondering what she meant. "U-Uh... if this is about Twilight Town, I admit that her... 'growth spurt' caught me very off guard, if that's what you're mad at me about. I-I didn't mean to insult."
Hikari sighed at that, "No, you dolt... her little 'growth spurt' caught me off guard too! I mean I know you like her, like like her."
At that, Tenmei's heart began beating faster, and he had to grip his chest a bit, unsure of what to say. Hikari, for the first time, saw the prince in a very vulnerable spot, not willing to make eye contact with her. "I... I'm not... sure what I feel towards Yumi", he admitted. "I've... never felt this way before. About anyone, really." He glanced back at Hikari. "Are you... mad at me for that?"
"You can't help how you feel about another person", Hikari muttered, looking out the window as if thinking about something just then, but before Tenmei could reply, she had turned back to him, once again a fierce demeanor written on her face. "So no, I'm not... but I am her sister, so just know she's more precious to me than Ren is, got it?"
From bright red to deathly pale, Tenmei only nodded, his red eyes wide in shock and understanding. "Y-Yes, ma'am", he managed to squeak.
"Good", Hikari stated, before beginning to walk off. However, Tenmei had sensed that she stopped at the door, not stepping outside just yet. "By the way... she's never had a boyfriend before, or even kissed anyone before... so don't be dumb and jump all in if you do anything. You let me know first." With that, she left, leaving the prince in a whirlwind of emotions.
A low whistle pierced the air, as Cid chuckled a bit. "Looks like you're in a boatload of trouble", he said.
"Sh-shut up, Cid", the prince retorted, collecting himself. He cleared his throat a bit, straightened his hoodie, and began following Hikari as she went to catch up with the group. Most boys would be happy to hear that their crush had never had a boyfriend before.
How the hell am I going to mess this up?!
Tenmei was not most boys.
XxXxXxX
"Look at that", Leon pointed, the pale look his face was wearing getting worse as he looked down. The eight of them did, and the second their minds had processed what they were looking at, looks of horror had enveloped them all. There was millions of tiny black and yellow specs on the ground before them, signifying the heartless here were swarming in insane numbers, almost as large as they would be in the Realm of Darkness itself.
"...huh", Ren's eyes were wide, but other than that he did not show much shock towards this. "He's been busy."
Yumi, meanwhile, had a much worse reaction. She began breathing heavily, having to back up and look away from the sea of darkness before them. She even found herself leaning against one of the stone walls nearby, trembling as she curled her fingers into a fist.
"Yumi..." Tenmei muttered, as Hikari immediately moved to check on her sister.
"Is... she going to be alright?" Sora asked, concerned. "I know she doesn't like the Heartless... but I've never seen her react like that before..."
"She... might be remembering that day", Shun muttered to Sora, who immediately, despite being naive at the time, knew he was referring to when their world fell. As Sora moved in to provide his own comfort, Shun looked towards Ren and Tenmei with concern. "This is bad. We might need to do more work than we thought."
Tenmei glared back out at the sea. "I can't blame her... this does bring memories of our worst day..." He gave a sigh, shaking his head.
YOU LET TWILIGHT CITADEL DIE!
"But... you are right, Shun. If she's going to help us with this... she needs to face her fears. Before the day comes when we'll have to fight all of that... we'll need to train her to fight against Heartless with more confidence."
Ren was staring out into the swarm, pondering what this could all mean. He was sure Rexn had done tons of work in the organization, and heck even accidentally made it so Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts would be more powerful, but this made it look like Rexn had done the opposite. Was Xao really that busy with his own brand of darkness, that history had altered that much?
Before he could ponder it much longer, however, voices that he recognized all too well were heard.
"Organization XIII..." Ren muttered, drowning out their voice as he moved forward, knowing that the Nobodies were on their way. Sure enough, once the taunts were done, a swarm of Dusks appeared and fought against Sora. Ren and Shun provided backup, along with Donald and Goofy. Thanks to the assistance, it did not take too long to vanquish them all, and soon after that, the black cloaked figures began their taunts once more.
"The keyblade... a truly marvelous weapon... if only it were in more capable' hands."
"Show yourselves!" Sora shouted, clenching his fist in anger. As if on command, several dark corridors appeared, and through them came six members, staring down at the group with their hoods up; though Ren knew who each one was, having fought along side them for so long as his Nobody. Of course, he couldn't say anything, as it would mess up the timeline even more than it already was.
"Organization XIII!" Goofy shouted, looking up and pointing.
"Good", Sora brashly stated, glaring at them. "Now we can settle this!"
"What a shame", the head of the group stated mockingly. "And here I thought we could be friends." Several laughs came from that remark from the other members, finding this bullying of Sora amusing. As quickly as before, they all vanished one by one.
"Stop!" Donald yelled, rushing past everyone to go after them. Before even Tenmei could stop the miffed mallard, one of the members appeared in front of him, cutting him off. "What's the big idea?!"
"Oopsy daisy", came the voice, one that Ren knew all too well.
Him, Ren thought, before remembering him reading a magazine as Xemnas talked and having to repress a snort.
"Move!" Sora demanded.
"Now, do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" the cloaked figure stated, shrugging a bit and feigning hurt.
"I said get out of the way!" Sora demanded again, clearly irritated.
"As if!" the man rebuked, standing up straight as he crossed his arms a bit. "You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing."
"Then we're gonna make you move!" Donald challenged, hopping back so he stood by a ready Sora.
"Now see, that would work... if I was just any old dude", the man continued, shaking his head. "'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing 'any old' about me."
"Sora, back down", Ren ordered at once, looking at the cloaked figure. "He's too strong for you as you are now. Attempting to pick a fight is only going to get you angry, killed... or both."
"Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while your Nobody flunkeys did all the fighting!" came a surprising voice, and the others had to pause, turning to stare at Yumi, who had clenched her fist as she stood by Sora's side. Her uncertain expression from before was gone, replaced by pure fury.
And I have been ignored, Ren thought to himself, sighing a bit as he stepped back. "No, go ahead. Pick a fight you can't win."
"Oh dear... I think you might have gotten the wrong impression", the cloaked man continued, wagging his finger from side to side.
What in the depths of the Darkness is even going on here? Tenmei asked himself, confused as Yumi continued taunting. "You gonna cry?!" she challenged.
"As if", he stated, standing his ground easily. "Though, by the looks of it... you just might, won't you, girlie?"
At that, Yumi grit her teeth, but she didn't fall for it. Instead, she simply raised her shield a bit, ready for anything... except for a bop on the head from behind. "Ow! What the-?!"
"The hell are you doing?" Tenmei stated bluntly, looking her down in frustration. "This is not a fight we can win right now." He then glared over at Sora. "And YOU need to cool your jets, too, you idiot."
"Well, finally someone with some sense!" the member taunted, only his attention was suddenly drawn as Ren had stepped forward, facing him at eye level. Everyone was now staring at the two of them, though only Tenmei could hear the exchange.
"Back off, Xigbar", Ren muttered threateningly. "You got the reaction you wanted, so leave."
The member, now known to Tenmei as Xigbar, only huffed. "And I'll remind you, Rexn, that you still don't know anything about me." But taking his leave, he jumped back a bit, and waved to Sora and the others. "Be good kiddies now!" He suddenly vanished, leaving nothing in his wake other than a swirl of darkness.
Tenmei watched where Xigbar had vanished for a moment, before looking back at Yumi, for once actually giving her a frustrated glare. "You have no idea how dangerous that was, Yumi", he stated bluntly.
"I could've taken him!" Yumi countered, huffing as she tried to puff up a bit, glaring right back. "If I got one good punch in, I could've-"
"No!" Ren's voice suddenly shot at her, and the tone of it caused Hikari, Shun and Yumi to flinch in surprise. Never in their lives had they heard Ren take the harsh tone that he took just then, his eyes locked on Yumi in frustration. "Yumi, you might think you know that guy's strength... but you don't. You're nothing compared to him... I'm nothing compared to him right now... let that sink in for a damn moment before you go shooting your mouth off!"
The three were quiet for a moment. Even Sora and his friends weren't sure what to say. That was when Tenmei spoke up. "Well, better to just say it now instead of waiting until later... I'm very... very disappointed by everything I've seen today. So... that means you need to relearn everything you knew before you were put asleep." He then looked over at Hikari, his eyes narrowing. "Both of you."
"What'd I do?" Hikari puffed up, getting defensive. "I didn't go shooting my mouth off to a guy I knew I couldn't beat, now did I? Besides, I am stronger than-"
"Enough!" Ren snapped, glaring at her next. "We'll be the judge of your strength, and Tenmei is right. All of you have an ego right now, and it quickly needs to be deflated..."
"Whoa..." Shun muttered, never seeing Ren this agitated before, the change in his personality from a year ago even more apparent now then it was before.
"We'll talk more on the ship", Tenmei stated, huffing a bit. He turned, placing both hands on his head. "... I need a moment to cool off."
As he walked away, Yumi's own anger seemed to fade, and she realized how badly she screwed up. She looked down at her feet, lightly kicking the ground. A single tear formed in her eye, and she hastily wiped it away. Don't cry again, don't cry again... you're supposed to be getting over this, Yumi, she scolded herself.
"So, what was that about", Hikari asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Ren, as Sora was too distracted at this point by the arrival of the others to pay attention to them. "You never get that peeved, you're always the cool and collected one now, so why go biting our heads off over something so trivial as a bit of taunting?"
Ren glared at her for a moment before sighing, thinking it was better to explain it. "History is rapidly changing. The Organization I spent my time with as Rexn was much different then the one Roxas did in the original timeline... of course he was there, too, but that's besides the point. That guy could've actually attacked you back there, and before a single one of you says anything dumb... no, you are not stronger then him. I should know, I worked with him!"
Yumi walked over, now thoroughly chastised. "I... I'm sorry, Ren", she muttered. "I let my emotions get a bit too heated... and I made you and Tenmei mad, too..."
Ren looked at her, then to Hikari. "Your training will commence once we get back on the ship. No exceptions. We need to be ready for anything, understood? And let's not try and make history worse than it already is... lord knows I did enough of that already."
"Enough of..." Hikari muttered, before putting two and two together. "Wait, did you change the Organization accidentally!?"
"Me and Xao's influence, yes..." Ren muttered, trying to give himself some of his credibility back. "Point is, things are different now. As long as we keep our cool, we should be fine and things should go smoothly. We'll step in when we need to, after all certain events are written in stone and cannot change, like the final defeat of the Organization members... but how they fall, and more importantly, who they take with them, is not set in stone... understood?"
Yumi let out a soft "Mmm-hmm", nodding her head immediately. "I'll... I'll be better", she stated. "Promise."
"I'll hold you to that", Ren stated, nodding in approval at her.