DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the Disney and Square Enix characters. Please support the original works.

Author's Note: Boy this chapter was a doozy! If it weren't for this, I would have updated sooner, but I also secretly wanted to get this out before Stuff3 wrote (at least I hope so) another review, because I'd love to see his reaction for this one. Also throwback to Aztec13, my first ever reviewer (thank you so much!), who once had hopes for certain characters from a certain game to show up...and well...let's hope I don't disappoint.


Chapter Fourteen: Black Feathers


Hollow Bastion appeared through the white haze of the clouds. Sora's grip on the steering wheel tightened as he looked down through the gummi ship's viewport. Late at night, when his dreams would wonder to his time spent in Hollow Bastion, to the lonely, dead silent castle he had explored on his first journey, he'd always feel a lingering note of dread when he woke up. Now, looking down at the place where his friendships had once been tested, he couldn't believe how he had once feared such a pathetic sight.

The castle looked like a log that had been cleaved in two by an ax. The two halves leaned away from each other, creating a giant V so unbalanced, it was a wonder it hadn't collapse into the ocean below. Old pipes and metal wiring smoked and sparked from the cut edges of the castle. As Sora flew toward the castle, he noticed that sections the broken building came lose, crumbling off and falling into the oceans below.

The town was worse then the castle. Running right through the center of the town was a great, black chasm. Buildings and roads curved downward into the pit. Smoke rose up from homes and businesses, and red dots of fires sprang up all over the city.

Kairi gasped, covering her mouth. She moved away from the glass dome of the gummi ship, and bumped into Max. He steadied her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Everything will be okay," he whispered.

Donald quacked, pointing to the sky right outside the ship's viewport. "Does anyone else see that?"

Black particles fluttered down from the sky, swarming the front of the ship.

Goofy put his hand over his eyes, squinting at the black raindrops. "Gawrsh, those look like feathers."

"Do you sense any darkness from them?" Mickey asked Riku.

Riku closed his eyes. Wrinkles appeared between his brows as he frowned. "I don't sense anything, except darkness from the castle and far below us." Riku hissed, clenching his teeth. He ran forward, extending his hand to Sora. "Veer right, quick! Something's coming right at-"

A silver flash appeared in the corner of Sora's eye. Then he couldn't think or do anything. He was thrown out of his chair, flailing about in the bridge with the rest of the ship's passengers. Reality became a whirling kaleidoscope of the sky, glimpses of his friends' confused and terrified faces, and flashes of buildings getting closer and closer. At some point, Sora collided with Donald and Goofy, and the three friends held on to each other. Somehow, in all the confusion, Donald was able to raise his bare hand, and shout, on instinct.

"Aeroga!"

His cry was echoed by King Mickey, who casted his own reflect spell. In the next agonizing second, the ship jerked, smashing through something. What little had remained of the ship's glass dome burst apart, and Sora tumbled out into dust and fire. Eyes moist with tears, either from the smoke, pain, or swirling vertigo in his head, Sora was barely awake. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard distant voices, and the scratching of wood and metal on concrete.

Something black fluttered down over his outstretched arm, and it took several blinks for the blurry image to come into focus. Feathers. Sora stared at the black feathers until they vanished. Had his mind not been too focused on the pain, he might have sparred the energy to wonder what these feathers meant, or think about the nagging feeling that he had seen them somewhere before.

The distant voices were clearer now. Sora could actually make out the words.

"The house is going to collapse! There are people inside!"

"Someone get Aerith! Quick!"

"She's on the other half of the town! We won't make it in time!"

"Is someone injured?" asked a gentle voice. "Please, let me through!"

It may have been only seconds, but with him blinking in and out of consciousness, Sora thought it had been days. The third time he woke up, there was a pair of silver sandals in front of his face.

"Curaja."

The spell was soft, like a whisper of summer rain. Its warm raindrops soothed his skin, lifting all of the pain, exhaustion, and confusion away. Sora still felt groggy, but he was finally able to pull himself up to his hands and knees. A hand appeared before his eyes. Sora looked up. A beautiful, blond woman, in a lacy, white dress was hovering over him. A Lady in White.

"Can you stand?"

Before Sora could answer, he spotted the beam above the woman's head. It let out a sad, loud moan before it ripped free from its nearby supports. Sora grabbed the woman's hand and pulled her forward. Then he quickly rose up to his feet. Summoning his keyblade, he smashed it against the beam, knocking it away. It landed in a heap among he burning rubble that surrounded them. Sora looked around, realizing that the wooden beams around them were shivering as they lost the battle against the roof's crushing weight. He turned toward the woman.

"No time," he grunted. "My friends."

The blond woman had already regained her feet. She nodded her understanding to Sora, before moving toward Max and Kairi. While the blond woman lifted a strange, black trident over his friends, Sora carefully moved around the broken pieces of the gummi ship. Donald was sprawled over an unconscious Goofy. Sora's healing spell wasn't as strong as the Lady in White, but it was enough to get his friends up on wobbly knees. Luckily, a fully healed Kairi and Max were there second later to help haul Donald and Goofy out of the burning building.

The Lady and White came around to Sora's side. With her trident and Sora's keyblade, they were able to move a slab of concrete to free Riku and Mickey. Once his friends were out, the Lady in White healed them as well. Riku stood on weak legs, coughing.

Putting his arm under his friend's shoulder, Sora lifted Riku up.

"You okay?"

"The smoke," Riku coughed. "Can't concentrate."

Sora lifted his keyblade, casting an aero spell around them. The pocket of air the spell generated was enough for Riku to stand under his own power. Mickey was finally up on his feet as well. He led the way out of the burning building. The moment they were all out, the building came down, burying what was left of the gummi ship under a pile of hot rubble. The party took several steps away from the broken house, watching it pop and fizzle as the embers continued to burn.

Donald's upper half bent forward, his arms dangling sadly over his flippers. "There does the ship."

Goofy took off his hat and pressed it to his chest, as though he were at a funeral. "And we had just gotten it back too."

"The important thing is that everyone is safe and okay," said Mickey, looking from one dirty face to another.

Riku, who was still leaning on Sora, exchanged a smile with his friend. Carefully, testing his legs, leaning away from Sora, and giving him a short "thanks."

Sora pointed his thumb at the Lady in White. "We really should be thanking her. We would have been toast if it weren't for her crazy strong healing magic."

Several eyes turned to stare at the Lady in White. She must have been used to such attention, because her steadfast and calm demeanor did not change. Even though the hem of her knee-length dress was damaged by dust and singe marks, she stood strong and confident, with her trident at her side.

"I am relieved that you are all safe and sound," she said.

Mickey bowed. "We really do owe you our lives, miss. You sure were brave to enter that fire."

"I do not fear danger. I fear doing nothing to ease the suffering of others."

Her statement gave Mickey pause. "Are there a lot of injured in town?"

The Lady in White nodded. "In the short time that I've been here, there has been no shortage of people that require aid."

Sora gulped, feeling a chunk of magma that was turning in his stomach. He forced down the burning sensation, waving at the Lady in White. She turned toward him.

"Did you happen to see what cut the world in half?" Sora asked.

The Lady in White shook her head. "This world was already in this state when I appeared here."

"Appeared," Kairi repeated. "You're not from Hollow Bastion?"

"I am not," said the Lady in White. "Yet I sense I was called here for a reason. Perhaps this world is in need of an oracle." She tilted her head. "You look as though you have something to say."

Everyone turned to Riku, who had been squinting hard at the Lady in White. Realizing he was being watched, Riku stammered.

"N-not really. It's just that I sense-"

Riku didn't get the chance to complete his sentence, because one second the Lady in White was there, the next she was gone, vanishing before everyones eyes. The party didn't have time to be surprised, because the same second that the Lady in White had disappeared, a confused Yuffie appeared in her place. The young girl wore an expression of annoyance as she leaned her head back and groaned.

"Come on! Again? I am SO done with all these stupid, random switcheroos."

Sora reached out and poked Yuffie's shoulder, confirming that she was indeed real and not a lingering hallucination caused by smoke inhalation.

Yuffie smacked Sora's hand. "Hey, watch it!"

"Yuffie? How did you get here? What just happened? Where did the pretty lady go?"

Yuffie squinted at Sora for a second. Then she grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.

"Sora! Thank goodness you're here! You won't believe the level of crazy we've been dealing with for the last hour!"

"What kind of crazy?" Goofy asked.

Yuffie stopped shaking Sora in order to take in the group of confused allies surrounding her.

"Great! Everyone's here. I happy to see you and all, but we really don't have time to waste on reunions. Hollow Bastion has gone totally nuts!"

"Yeah," Donald raised his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the castle. "We can see that."

"On that note, can we walk and talk?" Sora asked. "What do you need help with?"

Yuffie pointed at Kairi. "Take everyone to Merlin's house. We've got a lot of cover. See you in five."

A puff of smoke appeared around Yuffie. When the grey mist cleared, she was gone. Kairi took this as her cue, leading the team to Merlin's home. Sora tried to ignore the state of the town as he followed her, yet he still caught glimpses of collapsed homes, broken roads, and downtrodden citizens.

Turning a corner, they spotted Merlin standing in front of his home. Flicking his wand, Merlin watched as his house stretched upward, becoming a long rectangle, before it squished back into its proper shape. There was a gurgling sound, and then the front door opened. Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie ran out from within the house. Each of them were covering their eyes and mouth, coughing on blue, magical dust.

"Is the inside to your liking?" Merlin asked. "I added some hammocks, in case the beds are not enough."

Yuffie was the first stop coughing. She glared hard at Merlin. "Couldn't you have warned us you were going to do that? Or at least asked us to leave the house. I nearly choked on all that magic."

Merlin tapped his wand in his palm. "The bigger the magic, the more the residue. There was no danger, not to worry."

Leon cleared his throat. "The inside is perfect, but a little warning would be nice next time. Thanks for making the shelter."

"And just in time," said Aerith, pointing over Merlin's shoulder.

Turning, Merlin spread his arms, as though ready to hug Mickey's party.

"Ah! Your Majesty. Right on time!"

Mickey dashed between Merlin and Leon, peering at the house. Through the open door, one could see rows and rows of beds. Each bed had a nightstand next to it, and on the nightstand was a basket of bread, fruit and cheese.

"That's a lot of space," said Mickey, turning to Leon. "Is it for the townspeople?"

Leon nodded.

"No time to waste then." Mickey put his hands on his hips. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Yuffie let out yet another exhausted groan. "We were on a roll! The whole town has been it, day and night, trying to bring Hollow Bastion back to normal. Just an hour ago, something came down from the sky and sliced all of our hard work right down the middle!"

"You saw the huge fissure in the middle of town, right?" Aerith asked.

"Yup. Someone told us that a lot of people were hurt," Mickey said.

Yuffie cringed. "Some much worse then that."

There was a pause as her words sank in. Sora's thoughts returned to all the miserable faces he had seen earlier, and the burning feeling in his gut returned. There was a little moan at his side, and Sora looked at Kairi. She was staring at her shoes, her eyes wide, her lips trembling. The burning feeling in Sora's gut spread up to his chest. This was Kairi's original home. Even if she hadn't lived here in years, he couldn't imagine how terrible she must feel with the knowledge of what her grandfather had done ten years ago. He tried not to think about how all of Kairi's people were still suffering. Instead, he focused his attentions on doing what came next.

Waving at Yuffie, Sora said, "Let's help the people. But before that, you mentioned some 'switcheroo' thing earlier. What's up with that?"

Yuffie huffed. "Right. That thing. Just after the world got split, we started having this problem with people switching places with each other. Like what happened earlier. One second I was helping some civvies, the next I was in front of you. It's completely random and super annoying."

Goofy covered his muzzle. "Is it the darkness again?"

"We don't know." Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "But don't be surprised if you suddenly pop up somewhere you weren't before."

Sora made a mental note to be ready to jump into another section of the town at any time. He could only hope that he didn't switch places with a civilian, especially not in the middle of a battle.

Mickey pointed to his team. "Let's split up. Help in the rescue efforts and send anyone that needs shelter to Merlin's." He glanced at Leon. "Is that okay?"

"Yes," said Leon. "The town's security system is down, so take down any heartless if they threaten any civilians. Remember: rescues and the safety of the people is our number one priority. Any questions?"

No one spoke.

"Good. Move out."


Dejection coated the town. It stuck to the skin like a thousand mosquitos, making Sora consistently uncomfortable as he did his best to help the people. All around him, people either hung their heads, whispered concerns about how to fix everything, or forced smiles to boost moral. Sora ran around with Donald and Goofy, healing the injured, exterminating stray heartless, and putting out fires that were still razzing homes to the ground.

In the market section of the town, Sora spotted construction workers picking apart the rubble of a collapsed building. A little boy stood nearby. He wasn't injured, but his clothes were town and singed. Behind him, stood his mother, her hands on his shoulders. One of the construction workers pulled something out the rubble. It was a stuffed bunny. One of the ears were torn off and an eye was missing, but the boy grabbed the toy and held it close to his heart.

Sora clenched his teeth, breaking away from Donald and Goofy, intercepting the mother and child before they could walk off. By the time his friends had caught up, Sora had just finished explaining about the shelter at Merlin's house.

"There's food and a place to sleep," Sora said. "Please, let us take you."

The mother nodded silently, her eyes distant. She didn't speak a single word as the party took her to Merlin's. Before Merlin's front door closed, Sora heard the boy say something that broke his heart.

"Where's Daddy? Will he be coming too?"

Sora stood there, staring at Merlin's closed door, wondering about the mother and son beyond it. Donald and Goofy peeked at his face, but found that Sora had plastered on a smile. He ran back into town. The trio swept the town three more times. It took three hours, but with everyone doing their part, they managed to send all the stranded civilians to Merlin's home. The team gathered in front of Merlin's house once more.

Leon thanked everyone for their hard work. "Now that the injured and unsheltered are taken care of, the next crisis to deal with is the castle. With the security system down, the heartless in the castle may leak out and be a threat to the town. It's time we clear out that infestation."

Sora summoned his keyblade, and placed the weapon across his shoulders. "Sounds like a job for me."

"I'm staying here." Riku faced the direction of the market, the center of town. "Something about that fissure bothers me. I'm going to check it out."

"I'll go with you," said Mickey. "If there are heartless in that fissure, it might be a good idea for the two of us stay to protect the town."

"Then I'll to the castle with Sora," Kairi volunteered. "Someone has to explore the half he's not in. Which side goes to the top?"

"The right," said Leon.

"Then that's where I'm going."

"Count me in!"

Yuffie skipped over to Kairi's side. She put her arm around Kairi's shoulder, pulling the girl into an awkward side hug. With her other hand, Yuffie grabbed Aerith and pulled her close as well.

"Girl's team!"

Max, who had been standing on Kairi's free side, squinted at Yuffie. "Excuse me?"

"Okay, girl's team, plus Max. We'll check out the right half of the castle while Leon and Sora take care of the left."

Riku clicked his teeth. "Well, well, 'Plus Max.' Aren't you the lucky one."

"Jealous, darkness boy?" Max retorted.

"Naw. If anyone is jealous, it should be Sora."

"What? Why would I be jealous?"

"Please, Riku, do tell us," Kairi hissed, "why would he be jealous?"

Leon sighed. "We don't have time for this."

Mickey, who had been snickering quietly with Donald and Goofy, cleared his throat, his features settling into a more serious expression.

"Leon's right. We should get going."

The team moved to go their separate ways. Sora was about to follow Leon when he felt a pat on his back. Riku stood behind him.

"Need to talk to you."

Sora waved at Donald and Goofy, signaling for them to go on ahead. He faced Riku. The older boy's lips were set in a hard line.

"We still don't know what knocked us out of the sky. Something big and mean could be in the castle. Be careful."

"I'll be fine."

Riku's jaw tightened. "That's it? Okay, something's bothering you. You don't usually agree this quickly. Where's the joking?"

Sora put his tongue between his teeth. "You can tell, huh?"

"Of course. You've always been easy to read. What's on your mind?"

Sora rubbed his shoulder. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"All right."

"After what happened the last time we were in Hollow Bastion, how come you're so calm here? Doesn't all the things you've done bother you?"

"It does," Riku said simply. "But, if I focus too much on how you and I fought here, on how I let myself be controlled by Ansem, and bla bla bla, all that old stuff, then I'll just be useless. I can't stand around feeling sorry for myself forever, not when there are more important things to do."

"You're completely right. It's just," Sora swallowed, "how do you move past all that baggage?"

Riku raised a hand, reaching out to Sora, but a series of footsteps made him pause. Turning around, Sora saw Donald waving at him from up the road, reminding him that he had someplace to be. Sighing, he moved away from Riku.

"We shouldn't keep our friends waiting."

Riku's response was quiet, but Sora didn't miss the note of sour concern in his friends tone. "Right. Watch your back."

"Aw, you're worried about little old me?"

Riku chuckled. "What? Like you don't go running straight into danger?"

"I'm not the only one," Sora shouted over his shoulder.

"Yeah, but I'm a little more responsible when I do it."

Sora whirled around, running backward, pointing at Riku with a triumphant twinkle in his eye. "Hah! You admit it! I was totally talking about Kairi."

Riku's mouth opened, but he didn't get the chance to retort. Donald squawked at Sora, waving his arms like a malfunctioning ceiling fan.

"SORA! Hurry up!"

Riku waved at Sora. "Get going! I've got danger to dive headfirst into."

"Totally called it!" Sora screamed back.

Riku winked before he ran to catch up with King Mickey. Meanwhile, Sora reached Donald, Goofy, and Leon, following the "girl's team" to the castle.


"Careful, Riku," King Mickey warned.

Standing on the edge of the fissure, Riku gave Mickey a thumbs up, signaling that he was aware of the giant chasm right before him. The stale, familiar scent of darkness wafted up from the depths below. No doubt about it, there were heartless down there. Riku remembered the realm of darkness, and how it too was one massive pit full of monsters. Extending his senses, he concentrating on finding a safe way down the cliffs. Rather then finding a path, Riku sensed a silky touch of light caress his skin.

Automatically drawn to the light, he turned in its direction, walking along the edge of the chasm. He stopped when he felt her shape. A little ways ahead of him, was a group of civilians. The Lady in White, the woman that had saved them when the gummi ship had crashed, was among the civilians. She was far enough that Riku couldn't understand the soothing words she spoke to the people, but her light was so strong that he almost believed he was standing right next to her.

Mickey clicked his teeth. "It's rude to stare a pretty lady."

Riku scoffed. "You do realize that I don't actually know what she looks like right? Also, how can I stare? I'm blind, remember?"

"That's true, but she doesn't know that. Is there a reason you keep daydreaming at her?"

"I wasn't daydreaming at her."

Mickey chuckled at Riku's miffed tone. "Sorry, pal. What's really on your mind?"

Riku bit his lip. "Is it possible that there may be an eighth princess of heart?"

"No. Master Yen Sid told me. In every generation, there are only seven at a time. No exceptions."

"Then, why don't I feel any darkness from her?"

"It is slight, but I assure you, there is indeed darkness in my heart."

Riku and Mickey yelped, taking a step back. The Lady in White, the very same woman they had just been talking about, was standing before them. Riku turned his head away while he tried to check his senses. How had she snuck up on him? He hadn't heard, smelled, or felt her coming.

"My apologies," she said, "startling you was not my intention."

The heat drained from Riku's cheeks, allowing him to finally turn back toward the Lady in White.

"N-no, it's fine."

"We should be the one's saying sorry, Miss," Mickey said. "We weren't trying to gossip. I'm Mickey, by the way. This is my friend, Riku."

The lady bowed. "Well met. I am Lunafreya."

"I'm sorry for staring earlier. It's just-"

"You do not sense any darkness from me," Lunafreya completed Riku's sentence. "Oracles such as myself are blessed by the light. It may shine so strongly that it overpowers the darkness within us, but I know, for a fact, that there is some fraction of darkness within my heart, as is the case for all people."

Mickey tapped his forehead. "Oracle? You said that back by the gummi ship too. What does that mean?"

"Where I come from, an oracle is the blessed one that communes with the gods and heals the suffering of others. Among our duties is to hold back the darkness, as well as heal those afflicted by it."

Riku started when he felt a hand on his cheek.

"You have been touched by darkness. It has burned into your eyes." Lunafreya sighed, pulling her hand away from Riku's face. "I cannot restore your sight, the darkness has been there for too long."

Riku smiled. "No need to worry about that. I've already accepted it."

"And what of the light within you? Have you accepted that as well?"

Riku frowned. "What? Of course I have."

"Well-Ah!"

Lunafreya stumbled to the side. Smashing the end of her trident through the cobblestone, she held on to her weapon as the ground rolled and bucked beneath her feet. Riku spread his legs, gritting his teeth, concentration split between keeping his balance and trying to pinpoint where the shaking was coming from. In his mental landscape, he could see the chasm next to them widening. Cracks spread outward from the main fissure, like veins moving away from an artery.

The shaking stopped. In its place were a series of terrified cries. Lunafreya ran toward the noise, dashing toward a house that was half collapsed into the widening fissure. Riku and Mickey were on her tail, catching up to her just in time to pull several civilians up off the cliffs.

"I-it just got bigger," one of the construction workers cried. "Our buddy fell in!"

"In anyone hurt?" asked Lunafreya.

"No. But our friend-"

"We'll go down to the fissure and look for him," Riku promised. "Take everyone someplace stable. The fissure may get bigger, so evacuate the area if you can. Anyone that needs a place to stay can go to Merlin's house."

The construction workers nodded, thanking Riku, Lunafreya, and Mickey before they scattered into the town. Riku concentrated on the fissure. He found a small trail that led downward.

"Miss Lunafreya," Riku began.

"Just Luna is fine."

"Okay, Luna it is. Would you mind helping with the evacuation?"

Luna shook her head. "I cannot stand by knowing this maw is spreading. If we cannot stop it at its source, then the townsfolk with continue to suffer."

"But we don't know what's down there," Riku argued.

"I do not fear the darkness."

If Riku wasn't able to see the fierce determination in Luna's blue eyes, but Mickey saw her resolve loud and clear.

"I don't see any harm in letting her come," said Mickey. "And we do owe her."

Riku crossed his arms. "Playing the 'return the favor' card?"

Mickey chuckled. "More like, I have a feeling that if we don't let her come, she'll just go down there anyway."

"I'm afraid I can be quite stubborn," Luna offered.

Riku gave up. "All right. Just stick close to me. This is going to be a dangerous climb."


Max gulped. "That's a long way down."

Pressing her hand against the castle wall, Kairi looked down. Beyond the pipes that jutted out of the cut edges of the castle, she could into the castle's lower floors. They were so high up, that she spotted the town in the distance. The chasm that ran though the town resembled an open wound that was oozing darkness. Tearing her eyes away from the town, Kairi focused on following Max and Yuffie. Slowly, but carefully, they had been moving up toward the top of the castle.

Max led the way, stepping over rubble and ducking under pipes, all while being mindful of the edges of their narrow path. They were climbing up one of the few remaining balconies of the castle. It was a tricky climb, as the outer wall of the castle was had all but crumbled when the castle had been split in half. The girl's team (plus Max) had no choice but to hug the wall as they climbed.

They had passed through the lower floors easily enough, though there was the occasional jump up from one jagged platform to the next. Climbing through the broken castle hadn't hurt as much as Kairi had thought it would, though she had almost cried when they had entered the library. The stained glass floor to ceiling windows, where she had listened to her grandmother's story, had been smashed to pieces. Only a third of of the books remained in the library. Kairi tried not to wonder how much knowledge they had lost, focusing instead on the present.

"Say, why did you want to climb all the way up, anyway?" Yuffie asked.

They had been climbing in a line. Max in the front, then Yuffie, then Kairi, then Aerith. From over Yuffie's shoulder, Kairi spotted Max. He gave her a reassuring smile. Feeling a little more confident, Kairi spoke.

"The last time I was here, I destroyed the heartless machine, but I avoided going all the way up to the castle chapel. That's where," Kairi swallowed, "where the six other princesses of heart were held against their will, where Sora and Riku fought, where Sora sacrificed himself for me. I want to go up there to face my fears."

Aerith let out a small giggle. Everyone in the line turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry. This conversation just reminded me of Cloud," Aerith explained.

Max's muzzle wrinkled. "How?"

"Both he and Kairi are so intent on facing their past."

Yuffie put her hands on her cheeks. "Oh, I just know this is going to be juicy. Spill! What deep, dark secret does Cloud have, huh?"

Aerith gave Yuffie a cool look. "Let's respect Cloud's privacy, shall we?"

"Aw come on. The suspense is killing me."

Kairi leaned forward. "I want to know too! Tifa mentioned that Cloud still hasn't let something go. Does his past have something to do with that?"

Instead of the teasing smile that Kairi had expected, a look of faraway concern appeared on Aerith's face.

Yuffie turned back around, putting distance between herself, Kairi, and Aerith. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll drop it. Come on, Max, let's look for a way up."

Max had no choice but to be pushed forward as Yuffie herded him ahead, leaving Kairi and Aerith alone for a moment. The older woman looked up at the highest tower of the castle.

"So that's why Cloud insisted he go alone on his mission."

Kairi fidgeted with her hands. She asked Aerith the same question she had asked Tifa. "Is he going to be okay?"

Aerith turned around, her lips curving into a soft smile. "You're sweet, Kairi, but don't worry about Cloud right now. We have a castle to investigate."

Aerith gestured for Kairi to keep climbing, but Kairi stood still.

"Please tell me. What is Cloud chasing? I want to help if I can, especially since he's a citizen of-"

Kairi slapped her hands over her mouth.

"A citizen of Hollow Bastion. Is that what you were about to say?"

It took all of Kairi's willpower not to turn away from Aerith and run after Max and Yuffie. She made the mistake of looking into Aerith's piercing green gaze. Now she couldn't run even if she wanted to.

"So, have you made up your mind?"

Kairi had faced monsters, punched the big, bad villain right in the face, and had been on all kinds of crazy adventures since. So why did the concept of coming back to Hollow Bastion terrify her more then anything? Why was this lonely, broken castle, and all of the kind, hopeful people in the town below, harder to think about then anything else? What she owed Cloud didn't really have anything to do with that. Or did it? Didn't she just want to repay him for he helping her destroy the heartless machine? Or was it more?

The silence that stretched between Aerith and Kairi could have made even the most stoic of leaders buckle under the pressure. The two stood atop one of the castle's highest, outdoor platforms, right under the castle's chapel. The wind was loud, and angry, almost as though it were judging Kairi for hesitating, for not giving Aerith an answer. The two ladies stared each other down. Aerith, calm and expectant, Kairi, terrified and frozen in place. The spell was only broken when Yuffie's voice echoed from the broken platform above Kairi's head.

"Hey guys! There's a way though here. Hop on up!"

Without looking back, Kairi followed Yuffie's voice. She climbed up a stone rubble path and paused in front of a crack in the wall. Yuffie waved at her from within.

"Squeeze through here."

Grunting and pushing herself through the crack, Kairi stumbled into a dark room. The castle chapel. This place should have frightened her. Memories of Sora's battle with Maleficent flickered to her thoughts, but they where nothing compared to the utter confusion she had felt moments before.

Forcing down her meddlesome thoughts before they could bubble back to the forefront of her mind, Kairi stepped further into the hall of the chapel. Even if she could answer Aerith's question honestly, she would have to admit that she still wasn't sure about coming back to lead Hollow Bastion. Guilt burned in her heart. She needed to make decision, and soon. But, no matter what she chose, she was going to disappoint someone.

Sunlight shined into her eyes, distracting her. Kairi looked up at the holes in the ceiling. Concrete boulders had fallen from above and smashed into the floor, creating a wall of rubble that separated the hall from the rest of the chapel. Standing in front of the wall, Kairi sighed.

"I wish we could blast our way through it."

"Sure," said Yuffie as she came to stand by Kairi's side. "If you're not afraid of potentially bringing down the entire broken castle on our heads." "Don't sweat it ladies, I got this."

There was a grunt as Max stabbed one of his swords between a set of concrete slabs. Gritting his teeth, he pulled on the blade's handle. The slabs ground hard on the floor as they came apart, revealing a small opening just big enough for everyone to squeeze through.

Kairi gave Max a quick hug at his work. Then she stared into the small opening he had made. Once they passed through, she realized, they would be in the heart of the castle chapel. The area was built so that a long, wide hallway ended in a large, circular space. Kairi wondered what she would feel when she reached that circular section. Would she feel lingering light from back when the princesses of heart had gathered there, or dread from the time she had run away from Ansem and Riku over a year ago.

"Things have been a little too easy so far."

"Yeah," Yuffie rolled her eyes. "So far the worst thing we've run into are a few of the chewy ball heartless. I was expecting there to be a lot more."

Max slapped his hands on his head. "Don't say that! You'll jinx it."

"My guess is that the heartless are going after the keyblade master, full force," Aerith reasoned. "The other half of the castle must be crawling with heartless."

"Sora can take care of himself. As for us, we can't be too sure what's the on the other side of this wall." Kairi turned to face her team. "Keep your guard up."

Yuffie and Max nodded. Try as she might, Kairi couldn't help looking at Aerith's face. There was a knowing shine in her green eyes and a tender smile on her lips. When the older woman gave Kairi an approving nod, Kairi blushed, and quickly turned to wriggle through the dark passageway before her.

Seconds before she exited out of the tight passage, Kairi felt a cold touch of...something, tingling on her skin. It wasn't darkness, and yet, she felt a strange buzzing, a warning, settling into her bones as she stared at...someone, standing on the far end of the chapel. Someone with a single, black, angel's wing, and long, flowing, silver hair. It was then that Kairi was able to identify the strange feeling she had earlier.

Absolute fear.

As the man across from her turned, Kairi felt every follicle in her skin tighten, making her skin bumpy and cold. The man was at least thirty feet away from her, but his blue-green stare was as sharp and deadly as the long, thin sword in his hand. Kairi couldn't look away from those eyes, even as Max and Yuffie came to stand on either side of her. Both of them tensed at the sight of the silver haired man.

Only Aerith was fearless enough to speak. She stepped in front of Kairi and the others, holding her bow staff tightly before her. She hissed out one word.

"Sephiroth."


Jiminy's Journal

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (First Appeared in Final Fantasy XV, 2016): A woman with a heart that is almost completely pure, so much so that Riku mistook her for a princess of heart. In her world, Lunafreya is an oracle, and her role is as much as part of her identity as her compassionate nature. She is ever proper and fearless, but seems to show a certain sadness when interacting with Riku. Why is that?