Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic. Xigbar is a tricky character to write for so I hope I'm sticking true to his character. Eventually I'd like to rewrite this story in second person to be a Xigbar x Reader fanfic, but I may put that on hold until I either finish writing it this way with my OC or until I find time to dedicate to working on both simultaneously.

"Okay, fine. You have a deal. Let's be partners," Reina decided with a nod of her head. "I'll help you find the Drainer, and you protect me from Heartless until I find the First Key of Radiance." No deal was finalized without a handshake, but she could only hope that he wouldn't try anything sneaky like press his lips against her knuckles like he did last time.

There was no dramatic kiss to her hand, thankfully; just a simple shake that symbolized the beginning of their new partnership. "Nothing would make me happier." Xigbar flashed his pearly whites at her and gave her a wink. Well, she could only guess it was a wink since she could technically only see one of his eyes.

Would teaming up with Xigbar end up biting her in the ass later on? It was too early to tell. All she knew was that she needed him to survive out here, and along as he didn't try anything funny, they could both complete their individual missions and part ways by sundown. If the sun in Wonderland worked the same way as it did back home, it was safe to say that nightfall was only a few short hours away. Without any time to waste, they needed to get the show on the road, to begin their new adventure as partners, and Reina prayed that their journey would be over in the blink of an eye so she didn't have to hang around the Freeshooter longer than necessary. She let him lead the way in front with her following a few paces behind him, and the first path he took led them even deeper into the enigmatic woods of Lotus Forest.

Wonderland wasn't like anything Reina had ever seen before. Surrounding her on all sides of the dirt road were trees as tall and wide as houses, and the blades of grass that stood upright like tall buildings along the forest trail gave the illusion that she was the size of a bug. She didn't recall ever getting hit with a shrink ray after landing here and she most certainly hadn't consumed any unlabeled potions that would have made her bite sized, but everything in Lotus Forest just seemed so comically ginormous compared to her and she couldn't help but question her own height. Even the flowers were as big as umbrellas as they sprouted up from the ground in between the eight-foot-tall grass, and she could have even sworn she heard them singing a soft, melodic tune as they passed by them. As annoying as it was to get lost in such a weird, zany world, there was also a strange appeal about the whole place, too. She had just been too focused on her goal, to swept up in her search for the missing key, to deeply absorb the allure of this place and appreciate it's beauty. The colorful flowers were especially catching her interest as their sizable petals gently swayed in the balmy breeze as if they were dancing.

"Mom would have loved to see this place," Reina mumbled to herself as she marveled at all the uniquely shaped roses, daisies, and violets that livened up the scenery around them with their brilliant colors. Back when they lived in Radiant Garden, her mother-Queen Aurelia-had always loved gardening and insisted their kingdom be covered in flowers of all varieties. Radiant Garden had to live up to its name, she used to say, so the courtyards were always decorated with blossoming flowers at all times of the year to make the town smell sweetly of springtime freshness even in the winter. If her mother were still alive, she would have been fawning over all the mystifying plant-life in Wonderland, eager to learn more about them. A pang of sorrow began to well inside of Reina's chest as she envisioned her smiling face vividly in her mind, an emotion that frequented her heart all hours of the day. It had been a little over six months since she said good-bye to her mother, but the pain hadn't gotten any easier. Every day she missed the sound of her cheerful laughter and the warmth of her tight hugs, but the belief that her soul was watching over her from the heavens above helped Reina cope with the devastating loss and encouraged her keep going no matter what. Now that she was alone, the only thing she could really do was try to keep her mother's memory alive in any way she could and make her proud of the woman she was growing up to be. Princess or not, Reina wanted to become the kind of person her mother had tried to raise her to be—caring and compassionate to everyone she met.

Would her mom have been disappointed in the way she had been treating Xigbar, the man who she owed her very life to? Even if his intentions hadn't been the purest, she wouldn't still be breathing had he not extended his help to her. The memory of the Large Body's fist crashing into her ribs was still fresh in her mind—a pain unlike anything she had ever faced before—and she was lucky she was even still alive after such a heavy blow. Her forest-green eyes were currently focused on his back as she watched him meander further into the shadows of the trees, noticing that he hadn't turned back to look at her at all since they started down the road together. His ears, pointed upwards in a perfect arch, could probably hear the timid sounds of her footsteps trailing behind him, letting him know she hadn't strayed from the path or darted off on her own. After her bout with the Large Bodies, she wasn't stupid enough to take on this journey alone. She needed him and his impeccable marksmanship skills to keep her safe from the nightmares that stalked the corners of the world. For someone that was invaluable to her safety, Reina knew she really needed to be nicer to him, even if he was kind of a dick and intolerable.

Xigbar was aware of how silent the girl was behind him and wondered what had gotten her head shoved so far up into the clouds. Completely absorbed in her thoughts, Reina had a blank expression on her pretty face as she followed behind him, gaze locked on the cluster of gossiping tulips that chattered amongst themselves as she and Xigbar strolled past them. Amazed by the sound of the flowers' voices, the careless girl was no longer paying attention to the uneven ground she was walking on and tripped over a root that was raising up from the dirt. Staggering forwards, Reina nearly collapsed right into Xigbar's back but caught her balance just before they collided. The onlooking tulips burst into a loud fit of giggles at her blunder, but they weren't the only ones who found humor in her ungracefulness.

Xigbar had seen the whole thing as he finally looked behind him. "Ha, walk much? You might want to be a little more attentive to your surroundings unless you want to get a mouthful of dirt."

Mortified he had witnessed her trip over a root, Reina quickly recovered her balance and straightened herself up. His condescending tone only made her more irritable, but she reminded herself that if her mom was around, she would have just told her to shrug it off and pay him no mind. He was probably just bored and needed something to laugh at. There was little point in wasting her precious breath snapping at him.

Seeing that his snide remark didn't get a rise out of her this time, he kept going in hopes of striking a nerve or two this time. There was something in the way her face would twist into anger every time he mocked her that gave him a rush like no other. She was hot-headed which made it fun to pick on her, and he particularly liked the way she'd overreact to even the smallest of insults. "I swear, you might be the clumsiest little thing I've ever laid my eyes on."

The need to spit back was too strong to ignore. "Don't you mean the clumsiest little thing you ever laid your eye on, or did you forget you were missing something?"

When he didn't initially respond, Reina feared her joke might have gone too far. There was no telling what had happened to make him lose his right eye, and it could have been a sensitive topic, something that would be tactless to joke about. Her worries were alleviated as he regarded her jab with a rumble of laughter, his back still facing her.

"I'd rather have just one eye than two left feet," he shot right back at her. "Just try to watch where you're going, sweetheart. Or, if you like, I could just carry you."

"I can walk just fine on my own, thank you," she sneered at him. This whole "being nice" thing just wasn't working out. Hopefully her mom could forgive her from the grave for being so rude to someone who had saved her life on more than one occasion, but Xigbar's snarky demeanor made it hard for her to get along with him or even like him.

The two continued on their way, neither daring to say anything else to each other to shake the peacefulness of their excursion, until they came upon a fork in the road that split between two paths. Xigbar didn't hesitate as he took the one to the right, confident he knew the way to the Mad Tea Party.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Reina questioned as she watched his long ponytail sway back and forth behind him as he walked on ahead. The silver streaks in his hair were set in perfect lines from the top of his head down to the tips of his midnight strands, and she couldn't tell if the gray had come naturally from his age or from a very meticulous hairstylist who knew how to dye different shades with refined precision.

"What? You don't trust me?" He didn't even need to look at her over his shoulder to see the annoyed expression set on her face. "I may not look like it, but I'm the best damn tour guide there is. Stick with me and you'll never have to worry about getting lost."

If only that was as reassuring as he tried to make it out to be. It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the road where another split path was waiting for them. There were a few Heartless at the fork, too—Blue Raphsodies. Xigbar took a brief second to explain that the floating, blue creatures standing before them had the power of ice, similar to the way the Red Nocturne she had fought earlier on her own had the power of fire. These were common Heartless she would encounter in almost all of the worlds but defeating these little guys would piece a cake as long as she didn't try to fight fire with fire, or ice with ice. Reina was actually grateful for the quick, educational lesson on the Heartless, and he even gave her a demonstration on just how easy they were to kill. Before they could spit out breaths of frost at the pair, Xigbar was whipping out his Arrowguns to gun them down. They were nothing but dust by the time his lasers shot through them, reminding Reina that should feel relieved that someone as skilled as the Freeshooter was her partner and not her enemy. She'd hate to be on the other end of the barrel, staring down the sharp end of his twin guns.

He made a point to go ahead and work on fully reloading his guns in case they encountered another foe down the road, and Reina grew fascinated with the way he handled his weapons. To become a master of dexterity, an expert gunslinger, he probably spent his whole life training and polishing his skills. Either that, or he wasn't as human as he looked and had a superhuman advantage in combat. His pointy ears were a dead giveaway that he wasn't an ordinary man, but he wouldn't be the first non-human she encountered, not by a long shot. The little ducks in Traverse Town that ran the local Item Shop—Huey, Dewey, and Louie- were some of the friendliest individuals she had ever met so she knew better than to judge him harshly for whatever species he might end up being. It was his personality that put her off to him, not his race, but she didn't dare ask him what he was. Her money was on elf since he had already shut down her "pirate" guess. Would "pirate elf" be on the table, though? Did such a thing even exist?

"What are you staring at?" Xigbar finished refilling the bullets in his Sharpshooter-something that always seemed to take awhile for him to do since his reload speed didn't match the swiftness of his shooting—and noticed the girl had been keeping a curious eye on the side of his face the entire time.

Having realized her mistake of gawking at him, Reina was quick to dig up an excuse. "Oh, uh, there's a bug on your head."

He counted four rapid blinks of her sparkling eyes. She was lying to him. "A bug?"

She quickly nodded, continuing with her deception. "Yep. In fact, it's still there. Don't worry, I'll get it." Without really thinking her actions through, she stood on her tip toes to reach forward to pretend to smack at an imaginary insect above his head, and she even took advantage of the moment to stroke the top of his head. She had thought his hair would feel slick with gel or cemented down to his head with hairspray because of how neatly it was combed back into his tight ponytail, but it was surprisingly soft to touch. He must take good care of his hair and use plenty of conditioner to get it that silky.

Xigbar wasn't bothered in the least by her actions. In fact, it brought another cheeky smirk to his aged face. "You know, if you wanted to touch me, you could have just asked. I could never say no to you."

Jerking her hand back, her cheeks turned redder than rubies as he turned her own lie against her. It would have just been easier to say she had been staring at his cute, pointed ears which brought her to question his race than to go through all this trouble. "W-What?! I wasn't trying to—"

"Though I don't recommend actually pulling on my hair unless you're prepared to handle the consequences," he interrupted with a seductive purr.

Don't ask, Reina. You do not want to know the answer. Don't do it. Keep your mouth shut.

"What consequences?" Damn it. Her mouth betrayed her again.

Her inquisitive mind never failed to gratify him. "I either get really mad—something you don't ever want to see—or," he paused mid-sentence so he could lean in close to her face, mouth close enough to her cheek for her to feel his cool breath against her. "Or I get really fucking aroused. I'm not sure you're ready to handle either of those sides of me just yet."

The huskiness of his deep voice sent chills skittering down her spine, and her toes curled inside of her boots as breathing grew unexpectedly difficult. As to how something so threatening could sound so damn enticing was something only someone as wickedly charming as Xigbar could manage to pull off. She cursed her heart for deceptively hammering in her chest at the sound of his bewitching words, and the only coherent word she could form tumbled out from her lips as she punched him roughly in the shoulder.

"Pervert!"

His laughter rang through her ears as he rubbed the arm her fist rammed into. "Hey, don't get mad at me, princess. You're the one who asked! Haven't you heard of what becomes of curious minds?"

"Just quit messing around!" Reina snapped, ashamed that she had been momentarily enchanted by that rough, sexy voice of his. She couldn't let her guard down with him, not even for a moment. There was no way she'd let herself actually be attracted to Xigbar and taking his flirtations to heart would only lead to more embarrassing scenarios.

"Yeah, yeah…Don't get your panties in a bunch, babe, unless you plan to slide them in my pocket later."

That earned him another rough punch to his shoulder. For someone so tiny, she could be quite violent when provoked. If her hits ended up leaving bruises, he would have no choice but to take back everything he said about her being weak.

Seeing as that he had done enough damage to her mood for the time being, he decided to ease up on his teasing. They each still had a job to do. There'd be plenty of time for playful, flirtatious banter later, but he needed to keep things rolling on the right track until they found the Drainer. His attention was brought back to the fork in the road, two paths waiting for him to decide between in order to get to Mad Tea Party. Again, Xigbar didn't need to stop and think as he knew exactly where to go.

Reina, still fuming over the fact he had had sent her heartbeat into a frenzy, chose to lag further behind. As long as she could still see him, there was no need for her to follow closely behind. She didn't want to be within touching distance of him anymore in case he tried to pull another fast one on her, but this would also be a good time for her to pull out father's journal from her bag so she could begin to update the map he had laid out in the chapter titled "Wonderland". Without some written notes or drawings, memorizing the exact route Xigbar was taking would be difficult to memorize.

Comparing the original map Ansem the Wise had included in his journal to the path that Xigbar was leading them down was only fueling her suspicions that the whole layout of the world had changed since he was here all those years ago. Either Wonderland had been completely remodeled with a new floorplan, or maybe her father was just really bad at drawing maps in the first place.

"This place really isn't what Father said it was like. No wonder I got so lost." She whispered to herself under her breath to better collect her thoughts while she drew over the original map inside the book. Hopefully Xigbar wasn't taking her down any detours to throw her off since she'd need to rely on this map to find her way back to her Gummi Ship. Occasionally looking up from her drawing to keep herself from tripping over any stray roots again, Reina continued to follow the man with the eyepatch while also noting every path they took so she could navigate her way back towards the Queen Castle once she located the First Key of Radiance. Earlier that morning, she had parked her Gummi Ship in a secluded spot behind some hedges to keep it safely hidden while she explored. Hopefully none of the queen's guards had found her ship since that was her only means of transportation.

"Did you say something, sweetheart?" Xigbar's voice cut through her thoughts as he looked over his shoulder at her, watching her pencil scribble away along the page of her journal.

Reina didn't even look up from her drawing as he spoke to her. "Oh, uh, not really… I have a bad habit of talking to myself. Don't pay any mind to me and just carry on." She had been enjoying the peace and quiet between them, finding that she enjoyed Xigbar's company way better when he wasn't talking, but she had known it was only a matter of time before Xigbar struck up a conversation.

Upon noticing that she had slowed down and was falling behind even more, Xigbar stopped in his tracks to give her a minute to catch up to him. He had already realized that the girl was choosing to lag behind to put some distance in between them. After everything, it was apparent that she really, really didn't trust him. That was something he'd need to fix sooner rather than later if he wanted his plans to keep progressing without a hitch.

"Instead of talking to yourself," he suggested as soon as she was standing directly behind him, "Why don't you chat with me a little? I gotta' tell 'ya, it is my absolute pleasure to escort you through the woods, but it's a little uncomfortable having you walk so far behind me. I don't have the plague or anything and it is safe to walk next to me, you know. How are we supposed to become friends if you stay so far away from me?"

Become friends? Yeah, that wasn't happening. Not in a million years. She had agreed to be his partner, but that didn't mean she ever wanted to be friends with a guy like him, and she sincerely hoped he didn't expect the two of them to suddenly get along after all the times he insulted her, stood by as she got injured, or even just overall messed with her head. Xigbar was a figment of his own imagination if he believed there was ever a chance of real friendship blooming between them after everything he had said and done, but to outright tell him that she was purposely walking at least ten feet behind him because she didn't actually like him would only start an unnecessary argument. Reina simply closed her journal and held it close to her chest as she gave him her full attention.

"Sorry. I'm just not very good at making friends." She shrugged. That had to sound childish to him, but at least there was some truth to it. The only friends she could ever recall having were Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon since she had always been too busy helping out at her mother's textiles shop in Traverse Town to really branch out and make new acquaintances.

Xigbar rubbed his chin as he examined her out of the corner of his eye. "Could it be that you suck at making friends, or that you're just not used to chatting with men?"

Well, there was that, too, but if Xigbar had been a little nicer, more honest with his intentions, and less vulgar, she might have found it easier to talk to him. Since he had already proven himself to be a cocky and sarcastic conman, the last thing she wanted to do was to build a meaningful bond with him.

"You got me. I've never really hung around a lot of guys before. It is what it is. Let's just keep moving, shall we?" She nudged him forward to get him to start walking again. They didn't have any time to waste just hanging around. They only had a few hours of daylight left and they needed to use every moment of it wisely.

Even though Reina wanted the conversation to end right there, Xigbar took it upon himself to keep it going. "Well, I guess you can start practicing with me then. You can't go your whole life without talking to dudes, right? Come on, just for now, let's pretend we're old pals and make this little road trip more entertaining." Instead of walking ahead of her, Xigbar made it so that the two of them were now side by side, and he even held his arm out behind her to keep her from falling out of step with his stride. His hand was pressed gently against the small of her back, helping her match his pace. He was surprised that she didn't try to pull away from him upon feeling his gloved hand on her skin or even try to hit him for daring to touch her, but he did notice she gave a subtle flinch at their contact. Not wanting to push his luck too much, he soon let his arm drop back down to his side and kept it there.

"I actually wish I had more opportunities to talk to cute girls, but I'll let you in on a secret- it's been too damn long since I've been in the presence of someone as fine lookin' as you. Seriously, the place I work for is a total sausage party and it gets real old lookin' at the ugly mugs of those dudes day in and day out. We do technically have one chick in the Organization that works with us-Larxene-but she has a bigger dick than all of us, if I'm being honest. I made the mistake of making a pass at her once and nearly got electrocuted to death. Needless to say, you're sight for sore eyes, and way hotter than Larxene."

This guy sure liked to hear himself talk. Reina's treacherous heart was flipping a few times at his compliments, and it was hard to slow her flustered palpitations down that now that they were walking so close to each other. She had to remind herself to keep her composure and ignore his flirtatious remarks since he was probably the kind of guy that hit on every female he encountered. He was a smooth-talker and a playboy, no doubt—not the kind of guy her heart needed to be fluttering over! Still, she just wasn't used to receiving any kind of male attention. There was only one instance Reina could recall where she had been hit on at the local tavern in Traverse Town.. A sneaky drunkard had tried to cop a feel while she ordered food at the bar, and he paid the price for his assault as Yuffie swiftly jumped in and karate chopped his arm away from Reina's posterior. Being touched by a stranger had left Reina shaken up, but Yuffie had been there to save the day like always. No matter where she went, Reina knew she always had her friends looking out for her to keep strangers and their grabby hands away from her. Hm, come to think of it, maybe that could be why none of the other guys her age in Traverse Town ever tried to chat her up or ask her on dates? Yuffie was a firecracker just waiting to explode on someone, and Leon's stoic and cold personality often intimidated others. Reina wouldn't be surprised if no guy wanted had ever wanted to approach her out of fear of getting threatened by her friends. It was rare for Reina to be seen anywhere in town without them being somewhere nearby. The three of them, along with their other friend, Aerith, were all originally from Radiant Garden before it was taken over, so it wasn't surprising that they all stuck together like glue.

"What, you not got anything to say to that, sweetheart?" Xigbar pressed, suddenly walking a little closer to her until their shoulders were nearly touching. "I'm trying to tell you that I think you're hot and you don't seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention to me. How hurtful."

Damn it, she had done it again. She was getting swept up in her own thoughts, blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Xigbar had been rambling on but she had tuned out there towards the middle to reflect on her days in Traverse Town. The older man wasn't deeply offended since he kept grinning at her like a fox, but it would have been impolite for her to just keep silent throughout their entire walk even if she really didn't want to keep talking to him.

For my mom's sake, I'll try being a little nicer to him. He might be a total pervert and a ladies' man, but I do owe him at least a little bit of friendliness after everything.

Instead of snapping at him or flinging a sarcastic rebuttal in his direction, Reina tried to act cordial and engage in polite, friendly conversation with him. "Sorry, uh, I zoned out there for a minute. I'm just really tired from walking all day, but anyways… You said you have a lot of male coworkers and one female coworker, right?" She wanted to let him know that she had been at least somewhat paying attention to what he said, even if she hadn't caught all of it. This would also be a good opportunity to learn more about him and the unusual Organization that he worked for. "So what is the purpose of your Organization? Explore other worlds and assassinate Heartless?" She didn't think he'd divulge too much about the Organization, but maybe he would give her enough to even slightly satiate her curiosity.

Xigbar noticed she was intentionally ignoring his coquettish remarks and was steering the conversation in a different direction. No girl had ever deflected his advances that strongly before, but it looked like he was going to have to take it slow this time. Unlucky for her, he had all the time in the world. "Something like that. Right now, there are only thirteen of us and we're always going on various missions, but our overall goal is top secret. I mean, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. The Organization really doesn't want the good stuff to get out, if you catch my drift."

Although his voice was light and airy, the smile he wore didn't reach his eyes. She slowly turned to face him, hoping to get a better read on him, but it was just impossible to tell if he was joking with her or if he really would have to use lethal action against her if she learned too much about Organization XIII.

"Okay, then I definitely do not want to know. My curiosity isn't that big," she decided, ready to brush the topic off. That was the end of that. No knowledge about a mysterious group of Heartless assassins was worth dying over, especially since it didn't seem like they had any connections to the Keys of Radiance.

He threw back his head with laughter, the loudness of his voice echoing through the dense forest. "As if! I was only kidding around. You take everything so seriously."

"I literally just saw you massacre a bunch of Heartless, and you think I'm going to underestimate what you're capable of? Not a chance," Reina replied back in a flat voice.

Her answer amused him probably more than it should have as he kept his attention solely on her while they continued to walk alongside each other. "Normally I'd say that's a wise move, but you yourself have nothing to worry about, princess. I only target those who pose a threat to me or the Organization. And you? Well, I've seen you in action and you couldn't even pose a threat to a butterfly."

She wished she had something clever to say back to him, but in truth, she knew he was right. At least for now. "Ha. Very funny. Make fun of me all you want now, but as soon as I hone my combat skills at Olympus Coliseum, I'm going to become strong enough to make all the butterflies cower in fear every time I'm near. You can count on that!" She finished with a cocky grin that matched the one he normally carried.

"Better watch your mouth. The butterflies might be listening in." His golden eye was shining with delight before he decided to make a gutsy move that could have easily earned him another punch or two. He swung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side as if they were suddenly best friends.

"H-Hey! Let me go!" Reina gasped, startled by the heavy arm that suddenly had her trapped against him. She was much shorter than him-the top of her head barely reaching his collar bone-and their staggering heights were even more apparent as Reina found herself being pressed against his athletic body. Their closeness enabled her to get a whiff of the sandalwood aftershave that clung to his skin, and after being out in the relentless humidity of Lotus Forest, Reina had expected him to be sweating profusely under the thickness of his coat, but he didn't reek of sweat or that nasty, musky smell men always had after being outside all day. He actually smelled nice.

Ignoring her obvious distaste towards being held against him, Xigbar began to prattle on as he kept guiding her through the woods. "So, I guess Olympus Coliseum is your next destination? What a coincidence. I've been there many times myself. There's a guy named Phil who has trained some of the lamest blokes out there and somehow transformed them into real, solid heroes. You could probably learn a thing or two from him. Surely not even you are too much of a lost cause for him. He doesn't like taking on new trainees, but he's a sucker for a pretty face. Just wiggle that sexy ass of yours for him and I'm sure he'll help you out."

She realized it a little too late that she probably shouldn't have told him where she was headed to next. Not that she expected him to be able to actually follow her, that is. The worlds in this universe were no longer connected, and only something like a Gummi Ship could help a person travel through the Lanes Between nowadays. Cid had used some Gummi blocks he had found over the years to create a ship sturdy enough for Reina to use to travel between the worlds, and it had taken a good bit of practice for her to get used to piloting such an unusual shuttle. She highly doubted Xigbar had a ship of his own, especially since he had mentioned that a portal back to his castle would only open up once his mission was complete. Did that mean he was stuck there in Wonderland until the Drainer was defeated?

"Thanks for the tip. I take it you're headed home after this, or Return to Castle, as you like to call it?" She tried to move his arm away from her, but he was purposely pushing the weight of his body down onto her shoulder to make it more difficult for her to squirm out from underneath. For a guy so tall and lean, he was hiding some pretty impressive muscles underneath his coat.

"Yep, that's the plan. If I'm gone too long, they'll send out a search party for me. One of our members, Saix, is very particular about where we are at all times." He finally released his hold on her as the trail they had been walking on grew rugged with overgrown foliage. They didn't have a solid dirt path ahead of them anymore and continuing on would prove to be a little more challenging as bushes and thick vines curled all around at their feet.

With the shrubbery making it trickier to keep progressing forward, Reina was trying her best to avoid getting her clothes caught on any thorns, especially the purple and white sash that was tied around her hip like a sarong. Having been hand-sewn by her mother, the long, flowy garment was almost like a security blanket to her these days. She liked having it hang on her hip since it not only helped her feel more fashionable, but it also gave her comfort knowing she always carried a piece of her mother's memory with her. Not about to let it get any dirtier than it already was after her fights with the Heartless, she held it up as she trudged through the unkempt tangles of shrubs and vines.

"You really should have dressed better if you knew you had to go exploring," Xigbar pointed out. "What you're wearing might be suitable for a relaxing day on the beach, but it isn't really practical for hiking."

"And like a leather coat is any better? I bet that thing is glued down to your skin with all the sweat that must be sticking to you. It's hot as hell out here." She had to stop trekking through the shrubs to wipe some sweat of her own from her forehead using her sleeve. It was a good thing it had been a while since they had seen any Heartless; all this hiking was leaving her drained of energy.

"Ha. As if," he quipped. While Reina was nearly out of breath behind him, he seemed perfectly fine and neither phased by all the walking nor exhausted from the blistering heat of the forest. "This is nothing compared to Agrabah. That place is pure desert and I feel like I'm about to melt into a puddle every time I step foot outside."

Agrabah? It didn't sound familiar. It wasn't one of the worlds her father had mentioned in his book, but it made her think that maybe it was the name of Xigbar's home world. All she really knew about him was that he lived in a castle. "Is Agrabah where you live? Is that where you go when you RTC?" She asked. It was hard to not want to know more about him, even if she didn't want him knowing more about her in return.

He was busy stomping down the thick shrubbery with his black boots to make it easier for Reina to step through after him, but he still regarded her with a toothy grin as he answered her question. "Hell no. I can't stand the blazing heat of that shithole. The place where I'm from is called The World That Never Was, but if you're lucky, you'll never have to step foot in either of those places."

The World That Never Was sounded utterly fake in every way, but she wouldn't have put it past him to make up a name as farfetched as that just to throw her off. "Yeah, right. You can't expect me to believe you're from a place named something like that. What's the real name of your world?"

"I wish I was lying," he said as he shook his head. "The name is oddly fitting, though. Picture a big city where it's always nighttime, and with lots of skyscrapers and big, flashing city lights wherever you walk. Above the city, towering over all the other buildings, lies a floating fortress in the sky, making you wonder if it's really there or if it's just your imagination. A world that should only exist inside your dreams."

As he explained his world to her, she tried to picture in it her head. The city part sounded normal, at least, but a floating castle? While she had never seen anything like that before herself, she supposed it wasn't the weirdest thing she had ever heard of, either. Then again, this was Xigbar she was talking to—this could have all been nothing more than a load of crap.

"Are you lying to me?" She asked, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. "Because I feel like you're making all this up."

"For once, I wish I was. I guess you'd just have to see it for yourself to believe it, but like I said before, hopefully you'll never have to step foot there."

What was so bad about it? It had to be dangerous from the way he talked about it, and she wanted to probe him for more information. For starters, if he lived in The World That Never Was, then was there a World That Was? Or maybe even a World That Was And Still Is? Ugh, this was all making her head start to hurt. No wonder Xigbar was such a confusing person to understand if he came from a world that bamboozling.

Now it was his turn to ask the questions. "What about you? Where are you from anyways? I bet the mission to find those magical trinkets has led you pretty far from home."

While she didn't like that he referred to the Keys of Radiance as "trinkets", she refrained from correcting him and focused on carefully maneuvering her way through the unruly thicket before finally giving him a vague answer. "Traverse Town."

"Bullshit," he replied, stomping down a particularly tall bush with a heavy, almost angry step. "No one is from Traverse Town. People just end up there after their worlds are destroyed."

"How do you know that?" Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I've been to countless worlds-possibly hundreds-so I know a lot about a lot of places. It's just what I do." He spoke with nothing but nonchalance, as if what he had just said wasn't a big deal at all. Reina had never met anyone who had been to more than two or three other worlds, let alone hundreds. Either he was exaggerating or lying—no one was that well-traveled since all the worlds were separated by a great divide.

From that one statement, she ended up wondering if he had been to Traverse Town before. If he had been there in the past few years, surely she would have remembered seeing him around town. The town in general was relatively small, and everyone pretty much knew everyone. Whenever a new face popped up, the townsfolk were quick to greet them and help them get assimilated into their community since the town was a welcoming, hospitable place. He was right, though. All of Traverse Town's residents were all originally from other worlds. It was a sanctuary for those whose homes were lost to the darkness, but it was also a hub for weary travelers who needed a safe place to rest before embarking on the next phase of their journey.

"I guess there's no fooling you," she said, a ghost of a smile pulling up the corners of her lips. She tried taking a big step over some overgrown shrubs and nearly lost her balance, but Xigbar was quick to extend a hand for her to use to steady herself. It beat falling down into the bushes and getting herself and her clothes shredded by the merciless thorns, so she gladly accepted his offered hand and let him help guide her through the rugged path until they were finally back on regular soil.

Reina dusted some dirt off her knees before looking up to see that her tour guide wasn't moving onwards yet. He stood there in front of her, lips pressed together in a neutral line on his matured face. Without giving her a chance to ask what the holdup was, he was arching one of his brows in her direction.

"Well, princess? Aren't you going to tell me what your home world is?"

They had a rule back in Traverse Town. Don't ask other people about the worlds they originated from. Everyone there had a story, possibly even a horrific, traumatic past, and it was best to leave it all behind and just focus on their new lives, on their future. Besides her close friends, no one knew where Reina and her mother had come from. Her mother had insisted they keep their identities as the Queen and Princess of Radiant Garden a secret from everyone, and as she grew older, Reina could understand the reasoning behind it. As soon as Ansem the Wise disappeared, their castle had been taken over and they had been stripped of their royal titles. Without their kingdom, the two of them were just ordinary people and it would be easier for them to get used to the "commoner life" if no one knew who they were in the past. For some reason, Reina didn't have a lot of memories from the night she and her mother fled the castle. It was all just a blur. She remembered her mother grabbing her hand and running down the empty streets to find Cid, a local merchant in the marketplace, who was trying to round up as many people as he could fit into his ship to lead them all to safety.

"It's a long story," was all Reina wanted to say on the matter. Xigbar, of course, was too nosy for his own good.

"It just so happens I like long stories."

"I would…just rather not," she insisted, her voice suddenly low and heavy, hoping he would drop it.

He didn't.

"You don't have to give me all the details. I'm just curious about the name of your world. I've been to a lot of places on missions from the Organization, so maybe I've seen your hometown before."

Partnering up with him was beginning to turn into a huge mistake. It would be easier just to come out and tell him the truth at this point since he wasn't going to drop the matter until he learned what he wanted to know.

Reina took a deep breath. It felt weird to say the name of her hometown after all these years.

"Radiant Garden."