So here we go with the next chapter. But I will give a minor spoiler: Shaylex does not make an appearance this chapter. I had a plan, but with some input from others I decided to add to it. I hope you still enjoy. LET'S GO!


Tenebrae had chosen to sleep in the woods that night. After his exploration of the mansion and his encounter with DiZ, it was close to night fall. He cleared a section of the woods to make a safe zone and got comfortable. He rested and had a peaceful dream. He was with the Wielders he met, in Daybreak Town.

The next morning, he woke up and decided to see if the Protectors were up. He thought it would be a good idea to have breakfast with them. He needed to try and get them as allies. And a good way to make allies, was to break bread.

Tenebrae walked to the apartment complex and to the Light Protectors' door. He knocked and waited. Ray opened the door; his mask was still on. The young Vulpeus looked worried. Tenebrae wasn't sure why until he looked inside.

Keval was laying on one of the couches. Tenebrae could tell, from a glance, that his Union mate was upset. Keval had an arm covering his face.

Tenebrae saw Rylan and Mojie close to him. Solas was cooking. Ray came behind him after closing the door and sat in one of the armchairs. Whatever happened, was affecting all of them.

Tenebrae walked up to Rylan and tapped his shoulder. When the Time-user looked up, Tenebrae made a silent motion away from Keval. He and Rylan went to a corner of the living room, out of earshot.

"What's wrong with him?" Tenebrae whispered.

Rylan shrugged and whispered, "Not sure. Last night, he just came back bummed. He was on the couch all last night."

Tenebrae looked over at his old Union mate. He sighed and walked to Keval. Tenebrae made a motion to Mojie, telling her to back away. When she did, Tenebrae got onto the couch, put his foot under Keval, and kicked the Lightning-user off the couch.

Rylan, Mojie, and Ray all jumped back in shock. Keval landed with a thud. The Former Unicornus stood up in a rage, electricity sparking from his body.

"I told you! I don't want to talk!" Keval was huffing before he realized who it was. "Oh Tenny. Hey bro."

Tenebrae got off the couch and stood in front of Keval. Looking in his eyes, Tenebrae saw a myriad of emotions. The biggest one though was pain.

"Come with me," Tenebrae said. He walked towards the door and opened a portal.

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for a mission," Keval said, looking away. "Why not go with one of the others?"

"Because it's not a mission." Tenebrae walked up to Keval and grabbed his shirt. "Now come on!"

Tenebrae dragged the other Wielder through the portal. The pair exited and were in Olympus. Tenebrae deposited Keval in the courtyard and walked a distance away.

"Look, I'm not in the mood to spar," Keval sighed. He stayed sitting on the ground.

"Good thing this isn't a spar," Tenebrae said evenly.

He summoned his Keyblade and let loose a jet of purple flames. As predicted, Keval got up and dodged the flames. Tenebrae closed the distance and swung flame coated Keyblade at Keval. His old Union mate dodged out of instinct.

Tenebrae kept up the pressure, Keval only dodged and did not fight back. The Seeker could see something was distracting him. And what the distraction was, was what Tenebrae needed to know.

With a feint, he swept his leg under Keval. When the Lightning user was on the ground, Tenebrae put a foot on his chest. Kingdom Key D was in Keval's face.

"Be grateful I consider you a rival, not an enemy," Tenebrae said evenly. "If I wanted, I could have killed you."

Keval looked away as Tenebrae stepped off and back. The Seeker dismissed his Keyblade and offered a hand. Keval took it and stood up.

"What is wrong Keval?" Tenebrae asked.

"It's nothing," Keval said.

"Keval, if there is one thing I've learned from the Unions, it's how to read a person. And after my recent travels, I've learned to sense various emotions, though it's mostly anger. I know something is wrong and that's why I brought you somewhere private."

Keval looked at him with a quizzical expression. It looked like he was conflicted about telling the Seeker.

"Nothing you tell me will be heard by the others," Tenebrae reassured him. "I have no reason to trust them with any information."

Keval sighed in defeat. "I found her. I finally found her after all this time."

"Found who?" Tenebrae was genuinely curious.

"Ashley," Keval said with a smile. The smile dropped though, "Or I guess she is Shaylex now."

Tenebrae was glad Keval was looking away. The shock on his face would have given away more than it should have. He was able to school his emotions when Keval looked his way again.

"And who is Ashley to you?" The Seeker asked.

"She's…" Keval had a blush on his face. That spoke more than actual words. "She's a friend."

'No, she isn't' Tenebrae thought.

"You always were one to help your allies," Tenebrae said aloud. "But if you found her, why are you sulking?"

"She…got really mad at me." Keval sighed. "She may not have remembered me right away. And even after I helped her remember, she still chose to leave. I offered to help her go away from her group, but she chose them."

'Of course, you'd be foolish enough to try and fight them,' Tenebrae thought.

"Maybe she needs some time," Tenebrae said. "Some transitions weigh heavily on a person. I know from experience."

Keval had a small smile, which faded quickly. "Yeah, but you should have seen the sadness and anger. I just want to keep my promise."

Tenebrae knew he would. But he also knew Shaylex didn't have all her memories. Those would be the only way for her to realize her mistake. But would getting them back work in her favor?

"Just have patience," Tenebrae said. "When the time is right, you'll find her again. Who knows, maybe she'll be just as you remembered."

Keval let out a small chuckle that then turned into laughter. Tenebrae could see the tension leave Keval's body. This was the Keval he remembered. The same person who wanted to befriend an outcast like him.

"Glad to see you in a good mood," Tenebrae said, when Keval calmed down. "Because I was hoping I could take you up on your offer."

"You mean it?" Keval had stars in his eyes.

Tenebrae rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm not an official member, but I do need a place to stay. If I can pay rent instead of joining, I'd prefer that."

"Hey, I'll take it!" Keval put an arm around Tenebrae's shoulder. "It's a step in the right direction."

Tenebrae nodded as he summoned Kingdom Key D. He opened a portal back to the Light Protectors apartment. "After you."

Keval chuckled as he stepped through. Tenebrae was close behind. The pair stepped out into the apartment. The table was set, but the food was untouched. The other Protectors looked in their direction.

"Sup guys!" Keval said happily, "Who is hungry?"

The other Protectors smiled and laughed. They made room for Tenebrae as well. Keval and Tenebrae said they had an impromptu spar, and that Tenebrae would be staying with the Protectors. The reception was positive, with all of them liking the extra company. Tenebrae couldn't help the smile on his face. -

Even after two days, Tenebrae was still getting used to living with the Protectors. Tenebrae woke up from his spot on the couch. He was the only one who didn't have a room, but that was fine. The couch was comfier than the ground. Keval had volunteered his bathroom when Tenebrae needed to bathe.

Speaking of the Lightning-user, Keval was up early. The last two days, Tenebrae noticed Keval get up before everyone else. This in turn, woke him up, but it was only because his instincts from living in the Realm of Darkness.

"Whoops, sorry Tenny," Keval apologized, as the Seeker had jolted awake and had a bit of fire at the ready. "It's going to take some getting used to. Ya know, you sleeping on the couch and all."

"Same for me," Tenebrae said. He yawned before continuing. "I've been resting in the weirdest places, that this is a luxury. But even back in Daybreak, I lived alone. So, having roommates is new to me."

"Well you got us now," Keval said with a smile. "And we can be some great roommates. Speaking of, when I get back, we need to get you some new clothes and items."

"Fine." Tenebrae laid back on the couch. "I have some Munny to spare. Just don't scare me awake."

"Don't worry. I'll be back in a flash," Keval said, leaving the apartment.

Tenebrae closed his eyes and tried to rest again. Not much time had passed when he heard the other Protectors move around. He grabbed a pillow and covered his face as lights were turned on.

There was a smell of breakfast being made. Tenebrae then felt someone nudge him. He pulled the pillow off and saw Ray sleepily glaring at him. The golden mask only made him less intimidating.

"Come on~~~," the Vulpeus said, "Move~~~ I wanna sit."

Tenebrae looked to the chair off to the side and saw Mojie sitting in it. He groaned and sat up enough to let Ray sit. The young Vulpeus sat down and sprawled out best he could. Tenebrae rolled his eyes as they sat and waited.

Not long after the other got up, Keval had made it back. He had a few sacks of groceries, that Rylan took. The Lightning-user then went back into his room.

Rylan finished his cooking and set the table. When the plates were ready, Rylan called everyone to the table. To Tenebrae's surprise, Keval and Solas were at the table. Tenebrae was the only one shocked, the others sat and started to chat. Tenebrae eventually followed suit but didn't contribute much to the conversation.

When everyone finished eating, Rylan gathered everything to wash. Solas got up and walked over to lay on the couch. The others sat around with content smiles. Tenebrae had to admit, that was one of the best meals he had in a while.

"Alright!" Keval said stretching. "Momo, do you mind coming with me and Tenny to do some shopping?"

"Me?" Mojie asked. "You want me to come along?"

"Yeah Keval," Tenebrae growled at his former Union mate, "You want her to join us? I was unaware this was a group activity."

"Maybe it's because Mojie can help you find decent clothes," Ray said with a snicker. "I mean, black can only be worn so much."

Tenebrae turned to glare at the young Wielder. His eye twitched as he restrained his anger. "I don't need more clothes."

"You kind of do," Rylan spoke up, having just sat back at the table. "If that is your only set, what's going to happen when they get super dirty? I don't think anyone, yourself included, wants you walking around in your underwear until they are cleaned."

Tenebrae just growled and sat back in his chair. He heard Ray chuckled beside him, The Seeker just sighed to calm himself down.

"Fine, whatever. I don't care. But clothes come last."

"Deal," Keval said. "General Store first, then we have a fashion show."

"Yousonuva…" Tenebrae growled.

Mojie nodded and left the table. She headed to her room to change. When she came back, she wasn't in the clothes she normally wore. Instead, her hair was down, and a beanie was atop her head. She was in a black and white striped sweater, with a knee-length skirt and leggings.

"Ready!" she said with a shy smile.

"Good!" Keval cheered.

Before Tenebrae could say anything, Keval grabbed him and pulled him out the door. Mojie giggled and followed after the two Unicornus. Tenebrae struggled as Keval pulled him out of the apartment into the Shopping District.

Tenebrae was released when the trio made it to the District. Keval lead the way as the three of them shopped. The Moogle at the General Store was eager to help them find the toiletries and items needed to live. Tenebrae had become slightly overwhelmed, not having done any actual shopping in years.

Clothes shopping was a worse ordeal. When the trio entered the store, Tenebrae was overwhelmed. There were more colors than he could remember, and the entire experience was a blur. He went in and out of the changing room more than he kept count of. Mojie and Keval spoke to one another as Tenebrae kept changing outfits. Eventually, they settled on some darker colors for the Seeker.

Tenebrae collapsed immediately once the trio made it back to the apartment. Luckily, Ray, Rylan, and Solas were out, so he fell on the couch. Keval had the bags and took them to his room. Mojie was humming happily before grabbing a book. She sat on a lounge chair and started reading.

Tenebrae wasn't sure when he fell asleep. But he woke up to the smell of dinner. Rylan must have placed a plate in front of him on the coffee table, but the others were nowhere to be seen. Tenebrae must have passed out and missed dinner.

'They've done a lot for me,' he thought as he ate. 'I should do something nice for them tomorrow,' With that thought, he planned for the next day. -

Tenebrae woke up to Keval leaving early in the morning. Since it was timed right, Tenebrae was able to start his plan before the others woke up.

Quietly, he went into the kitchen and started to prep. Of course, he had no idea what he was doing. But he did see how some of the others did it. All he had to do was follow their lead.

That was his first mistake. Since Tenebrae never fully watched, nor knew how to cook, he made a mistake of breaking an egg over the pan. Pieces of the shell got into the mixture, making the Seeker agitated.

When he tried to cook some bacon and sausage, his mind wandered. He had left the flame high and ended up burning everything. None of the pieces he used were edible.

The last straw was when Tenebrae did something truly dumb. Thinking it was a good idea, he used his element to try and cook an egg. The plan worked better in theory, because as soon as the egg reached peak temperature, it exploded. Shards of eggshell embedded themselves in his face and egg yolk exploded covering his hair and face.

It took one second to realize what happened. Another to realize where the shards landed. And another still to register the pain.

"FUUUUUUUU!" Tenebrae clutched his face as the pain intensified. He was crouched in a semi-destroyed kitchen. Remnants of a disastrous attempt at a good deed.

This was the scene that Rylan, Ray and Mojie saw when they came out of their rooms. The three Wielders looked at the scene with various reactions. Tenebrae just looked at them, in too much pain to say anything. When Keval came back and saw everything, he just chuckled and got everyone on the same page.

Ray and Rylan were tasked with cleaning up the kitchen and making breakfast. Mojie was tasked with cleaning and healing Tenebrae. Keval luckily had more groceries that the other two guys used.

"So, I think it's safe to say," Keval chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "That it's probably a good idea you don't cook until you get some lessons."

"Fair." Tenebrae didn't argue. He did wince each time Mojie removed a shard of eggshell.

Ray spoke up from the kitchen. "You know, speaking of lessons; have you ever tried flying?"

"Flying?" Tenebrae was curious what the Vulpeus was talking about.

"Oh yeah," Mojie said with a smile, "The World, Neverland. You're able to fly. We should go!"

"Yeah, after breakfast, Munchkin and I can show ya," Ray said. "It'll be interesting."

"Something tells me I can't say no," Tenebrae said. "Fine, I don't see the harm."

"Yay!" Mojie cheered. She quickly finished patching him up. Her mood seemed lifted with the idea.

Ray and Rylan set the table, and everyone ate. The ordeal from Tenebrae's attempt was the main point of conversation. Of course, Tenebrae was embarrassed throughout it, but was fine with talking.

When they finished eating, Ray and Mojie went to change into their mission gear. Mojie was the one to open the portal to the World. She jumped through first, with Ray and Tenebrae following behind. They exited in front of a lone tree in the center of a forest clearing. The tree in question seemed to be hollowed out and had various odd-looking doors on it.

"Hey Peter!" Ray called out, "Are you home?"

A voice, sounding almost like an imitation of a rooster, came from above. The sudden sound caused Tenebrae to get on the defensive. Ray and Mojie didn't seem worried, the former waving to the air. Tenebrae tried to relax a bit.

A young man with pointed ears and light brown hair, descended from the sky. He had on a green hat and tunic, dark green leggings and brown felt shoes. He landed in front of the trio.

"Well hey there Ray, Mojie," the young man said. "Fancy seeing the two of you back so soon. What brings you to Neverland?"

"We have a friend we wanted to help to fly," Mojie said. "This is Tenebrae."

"Nice to meet ya, Tenebrae. I'm Peter, Peter Pan," the young man said. "Any friends of these two is welcome to Neverland."

"Nice to meet you as well," Tenebrae said, nodding to Peter. "Though I wouldn't call us friends. They are allies with a similar cause. And they happen to be allowing me to stay at their apartment."

"Geez dude," Ray said, acting like he was hurt. "Either way, we thought it would be nice for him to relax. So, we thought you could help us teach him to fly. Think you can?"

"I don't see why not," Peter said. "What do you think, Tink? Can we let him?"

Tenebrae raised his eyebrow. There was no one near Peter when he said the new name. Tenebrae looked around before he felt a force hit him in the back of his head. He turned around and saw nothing behind him, except a trail of light going past him. When he turned back, there was a ball of light near Peter.

"Hey Tink, that's no way to treat a guest," Peter scolded the light. "We're going to help him fly." Tenebrae heard something similar to bells, before Peter spoke again, "Well then, introduce yourself and maybe he'll be able. This is Tinkerbell. She is a fairy."

The ball of light flew in front of Tenebrae. Inside the light was a small woman. Her skin was pale, almost glowing. Her blonde hair was up in a bun and her blue eyes were glaring at him. She was wearing a short green dress with slippers to match. A white puffball was on the toes of each shoe. A pair of translucent wings were on her back.

Tenebrae's mind was running with many theories. And the term Peter used, fairy, was not one he heard before. With how small she was and shining, Tenebrae chalked it up the Magic of the World.

A swift kick to Tenebrae's nose brought him back to reality. He gripped his face in pain and screamed. He could hear Ray and Peter laughing, and Mojie trying to hold in a giggle. He looked over to Tinkerbell and saw her smirking with her arms crossed.

"You little…" Tenebrae growled.

"Now, now, Tink," Peter said, getting his laugh under control. "I'm sure he didn't mean to stare. Maybe he just thought you were pretty."

Tinkerbell flew over to Peter. It sounded like she was making angry bell noises. Peter was laughing it off and trying to calm her down.

"What's her deal?" Tenebrae asked rubbing his nose.

"Dude, you were staring ate her," Ray said, laughing. "And she started to get embarrassed. So, she kicked ya."

"Why were you staring?" Mojie asked.

"I've never seen anything like her," Tenebrae confessed. "And since she is surrounded by light, it made my mind go into research mode."

"Alright, now that Tink has calmed down," Peter said to the Wielders, "Let's get this show on the road. Tink, if you would."

Tinkerbell flew towards Ray and Mojie. The same light that surrounded her sprinkled over the two young Wielders. When the light turned into a dust like substance, it attached to the two. Within seconds, Ray and Mojie started levitating off the ground. Ray took off into the sky, laughing and cheering as he flew. Mojie was a bit more reserved, but she was smiling as she flew over the treeline.

"Looking good you two," Peter said, flying up to the two Wielders, the same dust coming from him. "I keep forgetting how natural you guys are."

"Come on Tenebrae," Ray called, after stopping his flight. "Get up here."

"How?" Tenebrae growled. "If you didn't notice, the little firefly stayed away from me. She didn't use whatever that is on me."

"Tink?" Peter looked at the fairy. "Why didn't you sprinkle any on the new guy?" The fairy made some bell noises. "He was intrigued with you. Maybe that means he believes in you. That's the first step, now give him some pixie dust."

The fairy pouted defiantly for a moment. She seemed to huff and flew down to Tenebrae. Tinkerbell glared at him, before flying around him. The same dust that surrounded Ray and Mojie landed on him.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"Uh, you fly?" Ray said it as if that was the obvious answer.

Tenebrae growled, but put a hand to his face. It did no good to get upset, Ray was only trying to help.

"Is there a trick?" Tenebrae asked. "I can't tell if this is working or not.

Peter landed right in front of the Seeker. "There is no trick. Just believe and have faith. So long as you think happy thoughts, it would be the same as having wings."

'Happy thoughts?' Tenebrae thought, closing his eyes. 'Do I even have any? At best, my happy thoughts were when I was researching in the Library. But after learning it was isolation, it became sour. I don't have friends, so that's not a happy one. At best, my happiest thought… is of Laci."

"There you go!" he heard Peter say. "Guess you're a natural like the other two."

Tenebrae opened his eyes and looked to Peter. However, that took his eyes down to the ground. And the ground was several feet away. His train of thought stopped, and he started to flail in the air. The descent and following impact had the other three wincing. Tinkerbell seemed to be enjoying everything.

Mojie flew down to Tenebrae. "Are you okay? You were doing so well. And you got pretty high."

"Yeah, I noticed," Tenebrae said, pushing himself up. He sat back and rubbed his face. "And that's why I fell. I didn't realize I had left the ground. I was just trying to find a happy thought."

Ray landed next to Mojie. His smirk was condescending. "So, what was your happy thought?"

"Not one I'm sharing with you," Tenebrae growled. "But I think I figured it out."

Tenebrae jumped and tried to fly. Instead, he just landed in the same spot. He tried again, but to the same result. Tenebrae spared a glance to the others, all the humans trying to hold back laughing.

Peter recovered first. "It's not about thoughts; it's about feelings. You need to be happy, and the dust will do the rest."

"Feelings?"

Tenebrae realized he hadn't felt genuinely happy in a long time. The only time he could recall was back in the Unions. Getting his Keyblade and joining Unicornus. It was definitely the happiest time in his life, but now it was filled with pain. It was the desire to be better that made him see Keval as a rival. It was his desire for knowledge that had him in the Library.

Everything after only caused more turmoil. He realized his emotions spiked at various times when he talked with different people. But not once had it been genuine happiness or joy.

Tenebrae sighed. And then, he had a thought. His love for Laci. She was the last thought before Peter spoke tp him. She was one of the brightest Lights in his life. That was the feeling he chose to focus on.

Tenebrae felt his feet leave the ground. He looked down but focused on his feelings.

"There we go!" Peter cheered.

"Now I'm really curious to what his happy thought was," Ray said with a grin. "Cuz that face is red like a tomato."

Tenebrae knew that his face was warm. He had hoped that it wasn't obvious. But by the looks of Ray and Mojie's smiles, it was. And that was what caused his next action.

'Imagine I have wing,' Tenebrae thought. He picked a random direction and willed himself to forward.

Tenebrae was propelled through the trees, hitting each one as he went. He quickly approached a break in the trees. He easily moved between the cliffs that appeared and out into a clearing. Tenebrae stopped above what looked to be a campsite. A large totem pole could be seen in the center.

"You got pretty far for a first try," Peter's voice came from behind. He, Ray and Mojie flew up towards Tenebrae.

Ray grinned. "I give the entire performance a 7. Gotta avoid those trees dude."

"Shush you," Tenebrae growled. He flew around a little more. "I will admit, this is pretty nice. Flying is pretty liberating."

"Tink?" Peter looked at the fairy. "What are you planning?"

Tenebrae didn't have time to ask what that meant. He noticed the dust around him disappear. The moment there was no more dust, Tenebrae fell. Luckily, he was over water, but he was still falling quickly. He tried to use some Wind magic to try and slow his descent. It didn't help as much because the resulting splash was still fairly large.

Tenebrae heard laughing as he broke the surface. He looked up and glared at Ray and Peter. The two were having a laughing fit. Mojie was bit more reserved, but still giggling.

"That isn't funny!" Tenebrae shouted up. "What if I got hurt?"

Peter flew down to the water. "Aww don't sweat it. Tink wouldn't do that. That's why it ended above the water."

'Yeah a good half mile in the air,' Tenebrae thought. 'If I hadn't acted, I would have gotten hurt.'

Tenebrae rolled his eyes. "Then can you give me back the ability?"

"Tink?" Peter asked the fairy.

Tinkerbell flew down to Tenebrae and let the dust settle over him. When he felt the magic take hold, he slowly flew out of the water.

Luckily for his sanity, the rest of the day was spent getting pointers. Tenebrae, Ray, Mojie, Peter and Tinkerbell all flew around the woods. Tenebrae was able to relax and enjoy the Light around him. It felt nice. -


So quick thanks to Aya and Mojie_Cosplay! The first part with Keval was planned, but after speaking and RPing with the Protectors, they had suggested adding a little thing with Neverland. And this beauty was born! It was fun to write and I hope they liked how I portrayed their Protectors.

Hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.