Author Notes: Oh, wow. It's been such a long while. I've currently entered summer vacation mode, sorry to everyone who have been actually waiting for this chapter. BUT NEVER FEAR! For I have a treat at the end of this chapter for you readers! Mwrehehehe...
Disclaimer: As a matter of fact, I DO own Kingdom Hearts and Square Enix doesn't!
Hey, look! A pig flew by! It's raining malted milk balls!


"You know, Riku has changed."

Taiyou was dreaming again. Deep down, she knew it. Yet this world in her dreams- it was so realistic. Palm trees swayed in the caressing breeze, reaching towards the sun behind them, which was setting in its sheer brilliance of bright oranges, yellows, and pinks. Taiyou found herself standing in the ocean, an area shallow enough to wade through. She could see the sunset's orange and rosy pink colors as they rippled and winked on the sea's surface, and she could feel foam from the gentle waves kiss her ankles. She breathed in the deep mingled scents of exotic fruits and fish, and could taste the salt lingering in the sea-borne air.

Observing about, she discovered she was standing directly in front of a tiny dock, connected to a great big island that erupted before her. A few tropical trees stood proud, sprouting from the sand. Star-shaped fruits rested delicately at their tips, triggering a memory etched inside of her. Paopu fruits… she admired their comforting memory until she recognized two figures sitting in the distance.

One, she noticed with surprise- was Sora. Although he looked much younger, Taiyou could easily recognize him with his spiked hair and abnormally sized shoes, which were swinging in midair playfully as he sat. He was staring straight at her, but when she waved, he didn't seem to see her. Almost as if she didn't even exist here at all. Next to Sora sat a shorter girl, with dark, cropped red hair, deep blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. On her lips a heartwarming smile played, and her poised hands rested on her crossed knees where her feet lay suspended, carelessly dangling. Taiyou noted that their mouths were moving, signifying an enjoyable conversation. Curious what they were talking about, she began to approach them, but stopped in her tracks as soon as she could hear their voices clearly.

"Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!"

Taiyou's eyes widened. That girl's voice- she's heard it before. It actually sounded somewhat like Shantsi's, but she just couldn't recall where she witnessed it. Her thoughts were interrupted when Sora spoke up in a confused intonation, "Huh?"

"Just kidding!" she smiled at him, eyes glistening.

"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi." Sora's voice was obviously higher-pitched, confirming he was younger than when Taiyou had met him.

"Maybe…"
The two adolescents turned to face the sunset in the background, but Taiyou kept her gaze locked on both of them. The girl who must've been Kairi, according to Sora, hushed her voice so she spoke in a slightly more serious, yet softer manner.

"You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"
"Yeah, of course!"
"That's good…"

By this time Taiyou was trying to make sense of their words, until she remembered the story Sora had told her. She recalled him saying something about his friends Riku and Kairi, and how it was their dream to sail on their homemade raft into different worlds. She exchanged a grin, So this is Kairi… she thought, interested, as the girl conversed.

"Sora…"

Sora's attention was captured by her as he turned his head to face her own, which was still staring out at the sky.

"Don't ever change."

"Don't ever change." Taiyou echoed in a whisper. She suddenly felt she had lived this moment once before when she heard Kairi utter that single phrase. As Sora and Kairi had finished their chat, they stood up from the dock and left together. She repeated it again, just trying to remember- to name this unknown emotion. But no matter how hard she tried, she was left wordless. Persuading herself it was just a figment of another dream or, maybe, she was even just making it all up, she took Sora's spot on the dock and his line of gaze as she stared into the sunset, watching it slowly sink into the horizon.

The sky almost seemed to call out to her, to sing her name in the breeze that ran through it. It sounded like an ancient friend… whose name had been forgotten, but Taiyou just couldn't put her finger on it...

"Taiyou…"
With a sigh, Taiyou leaned back at her spot, positioning her hands behind her for support. The wind brushed up against her hair as if passionately and pleasantly stroking her and holding her, such as her mother or father would when she was a little girl in their laps. How she missed that sensation. That single sentiment…

"Taiyou…"
It tickled her nose, blowing wrinkles and ripples in her clothing. Taiyou watched her shoulder-length hair blow towards the sunset, as if the wind was beckoning her to follow. There was so much to think about, but she just couldn't now. She just wished this moment could last forever. But it wouldn't last. Deep down, she knew it. "Don't worry," she finally replied almost sub-consciously,

"…I won't."

--x--

"Tie-ooo…" Taiyou heard Sora's voice from the darkness, singing. She opened her eyes, slowly, her eyelids feeling heavy. She was still exhausted from all her adventuring. Grumbling, she rolled over, requesting five more minutes of sleep. Sora wasn't pleased.

"Get up, now. C'mon, Taiyou! Up! UP!"

"I'm up…" Taiyou murmured, ornery. She did sit up, finding Sora sitting in a large chair near the main controls, rapping his fingers impatiently on his knees. Taiyou groaned, using the window she was leaning on the night before for support as she attempted to stand up. "I'm up!" she repeated, smoothing out her attire.

"Finally, you're awake." Sora smiled his mile-long grin.
"What!" Taiyou moaned, angered from fatigue.
"We're here!" Sora threw out both of his arms in a gesture. Taiyou's rage melted away, replaced a thrilled sensation. "We are?" she asked, just wanting to hear him say it again, "Where are we?"
"This is Traverse Town."

Taiyou darted towards the exit, nearly slamming herself up against the doorway to look out the small, circular window attached in the center of it. Her excitement caused Sora to sigh with amusement. "Now, now, Taiyou…" he began in a sarcastic lecture, digging through a drawer under the ship controls keyboard. Taiyou turned around and walked up to Sora, still scanning the transparent cockpit as if she couldn't take her eyes off of the new sight.

"I think before we go, you should read this."

With that, he tossed a booklet at her. Ungainly catching it, Taiyou exchanged the novel from one hand to another. The book was worn, with a loose binder and a few torn, yellowed pages.

"What's this?" Taiyou raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Just read it. I found it- for some reason- in my lap when I woke up in Twilight Tow- I mean- those ruins. Go on. Read it." Sora exchanged a wry expression.

Taiyou lowered her eyes smugly while she flipped the book to its first page and began skimming its tiny, faded text:

The Beginning
Each journey gives rise to chance encounters, and each encounter brings forth a farewell.
When a farewell leads to a journey, the worlds open their hearts.
Those chosen by the light, or ensnared by darkness. Friends who share the same bonds, though their paths may differ.
When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was..
For all the answers are within.

The second page was obviously torn apart, with the title 'Interlude' dulled in the corner of it. Paying more regard to the first page then lack of the second, Taiyou turned the remains of the chapter over and read the last paragraph instead.

The Future Story
Will the day come when this battle, born of confusion, will end?
It is different things to different people.
Can the reality be that which is hidden?
The reason is mere existence. Still, memories can be believed.
Be not afraid. Entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories.
By and by, your fleeting rest will be over…
And everything will begin.

For a long moment, Taiyou just stared into the spaces between the stanzas. "Lost…?" she repeated from the story, this time in question. Although she couldn't make exact sense of the words, she remembered a line from one of her dreams, and somehow, understanding stirred deep inside her. Yet it was so lost within, she couldn't grasp hold of it, and the sentences remained a lingering mystery floating in her mind.

Sora wanted to make sure she still knew of his presence. "So…" he leaned over on his heels slightly, "What do you think? Wanna see Traverse Town?"

Taiyou looked up at him with her abysmal stare. Her gaze was as if she was looking right through him, instead of at him. Taking no note of it, he waved his hands in her face mockingly as he started towards the exit. "Let's go," he tapped her lightly on the shoulder and opened the entry. Blinking a few times, Taiyou's eyes softened as if snapping out of a trance, and she smiled a bit. "Yeah…" she breathed, placing the book back into the drawer. She turned around, awkwardly bounded to the door and, dodging Sora, burst into the open world of Traverse Town.

--x--

Taiyou congratulated herself under her breath, for Traverse Town was finally a complete world- no ruins or traces of a city that once was lay in her path. Stars twinkled, as if smiling, down upon the few story buildings that seemed to welcome her with their embracing structure. Taiyou felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "This way," she turned her head to face Sora, who was pointing to an alleyway that only extended a few feet until it was lost in the darkness of the night. "This way? Why this way?" Taiyou was a bit confused why they weren't following the main road down the town- where they could at least see what lay ahead of them.

"It's only a shortcut." Sora was already making his way down the alley. Hesitation entered her mind, but Taiyou had no choice but to follow.

"Wait up!" Taiyou was beginning to lose Sora's faint outline in the darkness. Sora did his best to slow down, but he was just too excited. Maybe I could find Leon here… he wondered hopefully, since this place wasn't in destruction like the others. Caught up in his thoughts, he hardly noticed his follower's muffled shrieks, signaling a sudden ambush. "Taiyou!" he called forth his Keyblade, trying to find the girl in the dark. A pair of gleaming red eyes halted him in his tracks, before he caught glimpse of Taiyou's azure gaze flicker with fear. He slashed blindly at the fiery optics, and somehow grasped onto Taiyou's wrist. "Come on!" he didn't care if she would cooperate in her state, and pulled her along like a dog on a leash. He could feel they were being chased, as many more eyes followed the pair through the alleyway…

Finally, light! Sora slowed down enough to let Taiyou get her footing as they escaped from the darkness into the light of the starry-lit sky. "Well, thanks for that," she snarled sarcastically, checking her knees for cuts and scrapes. Sora apologized for pulling her so roughly and heedlessly, but she replied with a hint of humor in her voice, "I can't believe you could've even dragged me that far."

With a smirk, she began walking forward. "Where are we now?"

Sora looked about, but as he opened his mouth to answer, monsters spilled from the darkness of the alley. Sora sighed "Not again…" he mumbled. Taiyou, more lazy than scared now that she could see, moaned and rolled her eyes again. "Don't tell me, more Heartless?"

Sora stuttered, "T-these aren't Heartless!" he gasped. Taiyou froze.

"What are they, then?" she yelled, fearlessly charging at one and swinging viciously at it with her beckoned Keyblade. Sora did the same, trying to decipher what the creatures were. They weren't Heartless, or Nobodies- another form of evil that Sora had to fight on his quests. These things glowed with an eerie black aura, their piercing red gaze filled with such immoral to paralyze one on the spot with fear. Their light gray, flowing bodies twisted and coiled like mist, giving them a ghost-like appearance.

Who knows if minutes or hours past before one final slash sent the last creature evaporating into a silver smog. Taiyou fell backwards into the cobblestone ground, while Sora hadn't even broke a sweat.

"What… were those…?" Taiyou panted.
"I… I have no clue." Sora stared into the cobblestone, searching his memory to no avail.
"Those were the Twisted, of course."
A voice echoed throughout the area as a figure leaped from a stone wall that was erected near the alley, hidden by the tops of trees. Taiyou lifted herself to her feet. "Who are you?" she felt as if she was asking that question a lot lately.
"Well, hello there. I'm Noel- nice to meet you."

A girl with fiery red hair and a hypnotizing amber gaze met the eyes of the two travelers. She was wearing a green kimono that stopped at her knees as if it was chopped off on purpose, and her linen emerald sash draped loosely over her waist, tied and fluffed out into a bow at her back. Her hair was held up in a matching bow, loose strands falling over her face.

Sora thought it was only polite to introduce himself. "I'm Sora," he bowed his head slightly. Taiyou regarded in doing the same, "And I'm Tai--"

"--What are you two doing out here at night? Its dangerous! There are Twisted lurking everywhere you look!" Noel interrupted Taiyou, darting her eyes left and right dramatically.

Taiyou felt offended. "We can take care of ourselves!" she boasted, fists clenched.

"Not if you keep getting mobbed by 'em. I told ya-- they're everywhere. Soon you'll be outnumbered, and then… well…"

"Well what?" Taiyou narrowed her eyes. For some reason, she didn't like this new person.

"…I'm not too sure." Noel shrugged, "…but I'm sure Kage would know…" she added under her breath.

Taiyou didn't seem to notice her last remark, "Wait, then what are you doing out here?"

Noel responded in a snobbish tone, "To keep people like you guys safe out'n this town! Like I told ya-- it's dangerous!"

Sora finally spoke up, "I'm sure we could handle it," he explained simply.

Noel walked over to Sora, placing her hands on his shoulders and batting her eyelashes at him. "Well, I'm sure someone as strong as you, Sora, could handle himself. You better protect you're li'l follower, here. You two a couple?"

Taiyou and Sora's jaws both dropped instantaneously. "No!" they both responded in unison teeth barred and fists clenched.

"Ooh, well… that's wonderful." Noel giggled in a flirting manner, casting the evilest of gleams at Taiyou, who shook a fist at her threateningly. Sora coughed uncomfortably.

"So c'mon," Noel was all over Sora, and started curling his shirt around her finger like they were a couple. Sora wanted to slice her hand off with his Keyblade or at least get away from the 'too outgoing' girl, but being the polite 'gentleman' he was, he just stood there, shooting Taiyou a please-help-me glare. Taiyou bit her lip to stop her from laughing.

"You guys can stop at my house and rest for the night." Noel patted Sora's shoulder, batting her eyelashes at him again and walking away. "C'mon- I said: let's go!"

"Uhh… well… actually…"

Too late- Noel was already out of hearing distance, making her way towards the road. Sora groaned exasperatingly, while Taiyou burst out laughing. "You… should've… seen… your face!" she choked. She took hold of Sora's forearm and pulled him towards the disappearing Noel.

"Let's go, loverboy."

Sora groaned again. The two went off to catch up to Noel, both thinking the same thought:

It's going to be a long night.


End of Chapter Notes: I've decided to add what I call EOCN (end of chapter notes). This will include a preview of the next chapter along with news that is better left said after the chapter. So in today's end notes-ness, I shall remind you readers to keep suggesting worlds you want to see Taiyou and Sora travel too! Yeah... I actually was stumped on them, and that's why they came and met Noel at Traverse Town, first. -;;
Snippetof Chapter 7: The Shell of His Heart
"So what did you think of Noel?"
"I don't know... she had a funny accent..."
"Taiyou..."
"Hey, she did!"