A smile came to Maleficent's lips as she stared at the sleeping snowy haired boy whose image floated in her scepter.

"Now that I have found you, everything will change."

Lia stared out the window at Merlin's house as she and Cid arrived right in front of it. She hadn't expected the quest for Sora to be so easy.

Cid got out and rounded the other side of the truck to open the door for Lia and she slid off the seat.

"Why are we here Cid?" Lia asked.

"From here on out, we need to travel in a gummi ship to reach Sora." Lia sighed and slapped her forehead.

"Of course, the gummi ship," Lia said.

Traveling in the Gummi Ship with Cid really made Lia wish Zeke were driving. Lia's hands held onto her seat as she and Cid went spiraling to the next world.

She remembered screaming as they entered a world's door. The regular asteroids and other gummi ships flying at them weren't so regular for her these days.

"Could you slow down?" Lia screamed at Cid.

"Nope," Cid said with a smirk.

"Well, could you at least put some seat belts in here?" Cid's smirk widened.

"Nope."

"You're the devil Cid," Lia said.

"Thanks," he said, popping a cigarette into his mouth as the ship slowed to a stop.

"Where are we?" Lia asked, not recognizing the world.

"We're in the Land of Dragons." Lia's brow furrowed as she stared blankly ahead of her. The world was beautiful, but what would Sora be doing here?

Maleficent walked deep into the darkness. She could feel Kexze's aura calling out to her and if she could find him, she could do anything.

Kexze opened his eyes slowly to the same golden sun lighting up the same golden places. Every day was just like every other day here, which really sucked if you wanted to forget one certain day. Just once he wished it would rain or snow or anything here, but he had heard that rain only came when it felt like it, and that wasn't often. He didn't know if he would be able to wait for the water to drown away his feelings for her before he drowned them out himself.

"Olette…" he whispered, sitting up on the couch that she and Pence had loved so much. Had it really only been a week?

Hayner, Pence, and Olette had taken him in as one of their own when he had mysteriously arrived at Twilight Town one day a few weeks ago, and gave him shelter at their usual spot. They had been the best of friends for that short period of time, joking and bonding as the three of them showed Kexze everything: the best places to lie around, the sandlot and their struggle competitions, and of course the infamous ice-cream stand.

Everything was going great for Zeke's nobody, who of course had no remembrance whatsoever of his past life. He eventually developed an infatuation on the brown-haired girl who had shown him so much compassion. Many days were spent just talking about anything they could, eating their ice-cream and making jokes about Seifer.

Then, just as things were looking bright… she was gone. She didn't seem all that ill at first, just some stomach cramps and a fever; the perfect opportunity to miss school. It didn't end with a sick day, however. Chills racked her body for some time after that, it was then that Hayner and Pence became worried. Kexze soon learned about Olette's fragile immune system and its lack-luster attempts at fighting diseases. She had been put out for a month because of a cold at one time, they told her.

Soon after this she visited the doctor, who gave her a grim verdict. The infection had spread to her blood system, and it would kill her if left untreated. They gave her antibiotics, and waited hopefully for her recovery.

Their hope was in vain. Olette died a few days later. The antibiotics didn't change anything. At the funeral, Kexze just stared at her coffin. No one could get through to him, not by shaking him or yelling, he just kept staring and wondering why she had had to die, why she had gotten sick, why the medicine didn't work, why, why...

He hadn't gone back to the ice-cream stand since the funeral, and he probably never would. The ice-cream, after all, had killed her. In the long run, it had killed him as well.

Kexze stared at the ground, unthinking and uncaring. All he wanted to do was lay down and die silently, to let his spirit go free to join Olette wherever she may be. He would remain here, stuck in his empty little body until it consumed him fully.

"Kexze…" someone said. He looked up to see a tall, green-skinned woman staring at him with her piercing yellowed eyes, eyebrows arched elegantly as she looked him over. "I have been searching for you for quite a long time."

"M-me?" he said, still recovering from the surprise of seeing the black-cloaked woman appearing from nowhere. "Why me?"

"You are a special boy. You hold the key to someone's heart. Or, at least, you are the chest to it."

Kexze scoffed. "Me? Right. Do fairies fly around blessing babies too?"

Maleficent smiled, knowing he remembered nothing before Twilight Town. She decided not to answer his question, instead moving on to her own. "You seem distressed. Has something been troubling you?"

Kexze's eyebrows furrowed, agitated that his emotions were that apparent to this strange old woman. "None of your business." He growled.

"I could help you…" she continued.

"No one can help me!" he cried, cutting her off. "Nothing you or anyone else can do can help me." His voice diminished to a whisper.

"Oh, I believe so. Just try me." She smiled complacently.

Kexze folded his arms, looking her over as if determining whether she seemed able after all. "My friend is dead." He said after a few moments.

"Ah." She closed her eyes momentarily, nodding once. She opened them again with a smile. "I do believe I can help you. I could… bring her back."

Kexze looked up in disbelief. "How?"

"If you simply leave behind this cruel world and come with me, I could show you." She stretched her hand out to him as she opened a portal back into the darkness.

He looked at her begrudgingly, weighing his options. Hayner and Pence weren't much to stick around for; they had all but abandoned him since the funeral. And of course, it wasn't like he was leaving behind a busy life with lots of connections to other people… in fact; the only thing he would probably miss would be the smell of the couch. Olette's fragrance still lingered around it from time to time, but now it gave him more heartache than enjoyment.

He took her hand. She smiled and led him through the portal into the darkness, back to her realm at Hollow Bastion.

Lia folded her arms and shivered silently. They had landed the Gummi ship on a mountain of all places, with snow up to her kneecaps to greet her. She jumped suddenly as something heavy and warm landed on her shoulders. She looked to find that it was Cid's brown, leather, faux fur-lined jacket. Glancing back at Cid, she realized that it was his only jacket. He squinted across the snow, oblivious to the obvious cold around him. Lia thought about giving it back, but decided that she would rather not die a popsicle and shoved her arms through the sleeves. If Cid asked for it back, she would give it.

"Where do you think Sora is?" she asked.

"Visitin' the Emperor, no doubt." His reply came. "But I kinda forgot where that was. So we'll have to find someone for directions."

Lia sighed, her breath exiting as a misty stream. She turned to survey the snowy summit around her. A question had been floating around in her mind since Zeke's 'death', not quite attracting her full attention but still using some of her time. She now brought it up to ponder on it fully: How long would it be before her heart pains returned? Zeke's presence had always calmed her harrowed heart for an inexplicable reason, possibly their strong connection to one another or some scientific reason like that. Now that their connection was severed, it was only a matter of time before they came back with full force. She swallowed apprehensively. Not only did she not want to experience the pain again, but she didn't want to let Cid or anyone else see her in such a vulnerable, pathetic state.

"Lia!" Cid called. She turned back around to spot him waving her down the mountain. "I remember now!"

Lia chuckled softly and began trudging through the snow in his direction. After about an hour, the snow around them melted to brown stone and dirt, making their journey much easier. It was almost another hour before they got off the mountain completely, stopping at a stream to rest. Cid sat down on the bank, unzipping a backpack he had been carrying with him. He brought out a small object and tossed it to Lia. Upon examination, she discovered it to be a bar of Scrooge's sea-salt ice-cream. She smiled and glanced over at him, noting. "Thanks." She said softly.

He shrugged in response, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it casually. She watched for a moment before finally asking, "Why did you pick up smoking again?"

Cid grunted as the cig switched to the other side of his lips. "Shera." He muttered.
Lia pondered on the name, it was obviously female. So, Cid had someone? "Who is that?" she asked, "Err, if it's not too personal." She added with a blush, realizing how nosy she was being.

Cid folded his arms and closed his eyes. The silence lasted about a minute before he replied, "Was. Who was Shera." He said. Lia's eyes were fixed on the man as he told her his and Shera's story, which was both romantic and tragic. Shera had been taken by the Heartless a year or so before Sora became key wielder.

"That's why you're so intent on getting rid of them?" Lia asked once Cid had finished his tale. He nodded. "It's also why I'm so intent on helpin' you find Zeke. I don't want you to end up like me, and go the rest of your life askin' yourself if you could've done somethin' more to help the one you love. I'll be happier knowin' I at least helped someone else's happy ending take place."

Lia looked away, down into the stream. She watched her reflection in the slowly-moving water, taking in what Cid had said.

Cid, meanwhile, had picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on. We'd better keep goin'. Sora's that way." He said, pointing downstream where, on the horizon, the peaks of a palace could be seen.

Lia stood and brushed herself off before walking up to Cid and kissing him softly on the cheek. "Thank you, Cid." She whispered, before turning to walk in the direction she had pointed.

He blinked and raised a hand to his cheek, caught off-guard by her actions. He quickly regained composure and grunted. "Don't you ever do that again." Cid grunted, marching off behind her with an ugly scowl plastered on his face. Lia smiled to herself and walked on.