Jessica's Point of View

When I got back to the palace, I had asked King Triton why he hadn't had me seal the keyhole in the first place, and he explained that he was being cautious. I couldn't blame him for that. While he knew me, I was still an outsider. I eagerly awaited my own father to arrive for the following two weeks. I was constantly looking around for any sign of him. I knew he could end up visiting me at any time. Soon after, I was surprised to see Xemnas speaking with King Triton. I was glad that I hadn't been with any of the princesses when it happened. I wanted to keep them far away from any sort of Nobody business. I recalled that our cover story was that he was my uncle. "Uncle, what are you doing here?" I wondered as I entered the throne room. When King Triton and Xemnas turned to me, I could tell that something was wrong.

"It's time to come home," Xemnas replied.

"I thought I wasn't coming home," I pointed out.

"Do not argue with me. Get anything you wish to take, say your goodbyes, and then we'll leave," Xemnas stated. He couldn't look me in the eyes. Something was terribly wrong. Though I hoped it had nothing to do with my father, I knew otherwise deep down. He was nothing, if not punctual, and it had been over a month since I had last seen him.

I swam back to my room. All the princesses except for Ariel were conveniently there. "Girls, it looks like I have to go home. I'm going to miss you all," I announced.

"We can visit you, right?" Arista asked.

"I'm afraid you can't. I live very far away. It's too much of a trip," I sighed.

"You will be missed, Jess. It has been an honor having you with us in the palace," Attina mentioned.

"Oh, come here. Group hug!" Aquata decided. The girls all surrounded me in a hug.

"Has anyone seen Ariel?" I inquired.

"I haven't seen her all day," Alana remarked.

I didn't know when the next time I would see her was, so I decided to try going to her grotto to say goodbye. "If my uncle or your father asks about me, tell him I wanted to try to find Ariel before I leave," I said.

"Will do," Andrina assured me.

I swam to Ariel's grotto and found her. "Ariel, I have to go home. This is goodbye for a while," I explained.

"Aw. That's too bad. Next time you visit, could you bring me back something from your world?" Ariel requested.

"What? My world? Ariel, I live in this world," I lied.

"It's okay. I won't say anything to anyone else. Just, please bring me something. I want to start a collection," Ariel reassured me.

While I didn't like her knowing about other worlds, I knew there was nothing I could do. "Alright. I'll be sure to get you something. Goodbye, Ariel," I agreed.

"Goodbye, Jess," Ariel smiled. We hugged. She handed me a pearl comb that she had taken out of her hair when she pulled away. "Here. Something for you."

"Thank you, Ariel," I thanked.

I swam back to the palace with the comb in hand. Xemnas was still waiting in the throne room along with King Triton. "Thank you for taking care of me these past several months," I stated.

"You are always welcome here. I look forward to seeing you next time," King Triton replied. I failed to mention that there likely wouldn't be a next time before I followed Xemnas outside the palace.

We met up with Demyx, who formed a dark corridor. Demyx didn't say a word, which terrified me. I knew something terrible had happened. When I was inside the dark corridor, my tail turned into legs. I fought to keep my balance but tumbled to the ground. Xemnas picked me up and carried me. "Did you find out about my father coming to see me?" I questioned.

"I had known about it," Xemnas replied.

"What did you do to him? He was supposed to come to see me," I demanded.

"I didn't do anything. There were... circumstances that prevented him from doing so," Xemnas answered. We stepped out of the dark corridor into the Gray Area. Xaldin was there, though strangely enough, he seemed tense, as though he expected something to happen. Xemnas set me down on a sofa. "I'm sure you are wondering why I pulled you from Atlantica."

"It better be important. We had an agreement," I grumbled.

"Jessica..." Xemnas began. He placed his hand on mine. "Please, listen. Your father, along with Zexion, Lexaeus, Axel, Marluxia, and Larxene, has been obliterated while on a trip to Castle Oblivion."

"No, that can't be right. They're not dead," I denied. I looked at Demyx, but he wouldn't look at me. I turned to Xaldin and gave him a pleading look. "Tell me it isn't true. It isn't true, is it? It's not true." Xaldin didn't reply. "Tell me!"

"It is true. They are no more," Xaldin said.

I turned back to Xemnas. "You did this! If they weren't in your stupid Organization, they would still be alive!" I snapped. Without thinking, I raised my hand, ready to slap him as hard as I could. I felt something stop my arm from moving. I turned to see that Xaldin had grabbed my wrist. I felt powerless and started crying.

"I told you she would go mad. I should have been the one to tell her," Xaldin huffed. He let go of my wrist, picked me up, and carried me.

"Let me go! He killed them! They're dead because of him!" I screamed.

Xaldin didn't even bother to respond to my ramblings. He took me to my room as I continued to scream everything I could think of. Xaldin sat on the bed with me. "Enough, Jessica. You don't really think it's his fault. You just need some time to heal," Xaldin reminded.

I sobbed as the tears kept flowing out of me. Xaldin pulled me in close to him. "I can't do this again. I've lost so many others. Now my father, my uncle, and my lover are all dead," I cried.

"Lover? When did that happen?" Xaldin asked. I sobbed harder. "Never mind. We'll talk about that later."

"I don't have any family left," I realized.

"You have us. I know it will never be enough, but we are all you have now," Xaldin said.

I was overwhelmed with grief, and my heart flooded with sadness and pain. "I want them back," I whispered.

Xaldin stayed with me until I fell asleep from the exhaustion of knowing that the people who I loved most were dead.

Samantha: That won't be for a while. I'm going through 358/2 Days first. She'll join them for KH2, though.