Now that we've got things a bit settled with the half-pints (and Lea had the encounter with the Twilight Trio that everyone was looking forward to, it is time to start looking beyond the more immediate needs. But first, we can't forget the mountain of issues still lingering beneath the surface.
There were several spots in Twilight Town that were great for skateboarding. All the raised walkways in the Tram Common offered a wealth of possibilities. But Roxas had a particular fondness for the long hill of Station Heights that led to the nice section of railing on the ramp right before the street split in two directions. The hill would let him build up plenty of speed before grinding along the rail or using the drop off of the ramp to pull off multiple tricks in midair before landing.
Hayner, Pence, and Olette were waiting near the railing, right where they would perform the Grandstand routine with the ball for spare munny. Today, Roxas was going for a new record. The longest string of tricks combined together without the board touching the ground. The long steep hill would help, but it would take skill and careful timing. It would be hard. But he was confident.
"Go, Roxas!" shouted Olette.
"You've got this," added Hayner from their position beside the ramp, barely visible from Roxas's spot near the top.
Holding up his camera, Pence said, "Ready whenever you are."
Grinning, Roxas kicked off. He didn't allow himself much distance to build up speed before he jumped, both him and the skateboard leaving the ground. A quick Method Grab before hitting the wall on the left, shoving off and up to gain further height. A series of 360 degree spins as he moved further along the street. And just as he started to lose altitude, Roxas reached the right side of the street. He managed to sneak in a brief air walk before hitting another wall to kick off, shoving both him and the skateboard up again.
Listening to the excited cheers from his friends as he neared the wider open area, Roxas alternated between 360 degree spins and Method Grabs. His acrobatics disturbed a pigeon, but he couldn't be distracted. Looking for one more way to extend it out a little longer, he grabbed the edge of the board with one hand while reached down with the other. His fingers managed to wrap around the railing of the ramp. Twisting his body until he was upside-down, Roxas was briefly doing a one-handed handstand before shoving himself upward to complete the flip.
The following air walk, 360 degree spin, and final quick Method Grab were anticlimactic in comparison to the flip, but he'd certainly broken all records. Roxas landed with practiced ease, beaming proudly before turning to face his cheering friends.
Who weren't cheering.
Silence greeted his achievement. No voices, no distant bells or trains, no wind, and not even bird calls from the pigeon frozen in midair. Motionless. Like his friends. The trio frozen in the middle of their excitement. Unblinking, unmoving, and unaware. The world halted and leaving only Roxas untouched.
"Do not concern yourself. Another glitch, I'm afraid. Soon to be straightened out."
Roxas spun at the voice. Walking down the ramp was a robed figure. One with most of his face concealed by red wrappings until a single amber eye was left as the only visible feature. And the boy's guts immediately twisted into knots as soon as Roxas saw him.
"DiZ," he whispered. "No. You can't be here."
"Did you think that this was real?" asked DiZ, sounding bemused. "That you could have all of this?"
Shaking his head sharply, Roxas said, "No, no, no. I got out. I have my own life."
"A Nobody with a life of his own? How absurd. That is as ridiculous as a Nobody with his own heart," he sneered. "You shouldn't even exist."
Roxas summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper to his hands. He charged forward, leaping over the edge of the ramp and swinging both Keyblades hard. But they passed through the man in a cloud of data and numbers.
A simulation. An illusion. A fake.
All of it was fake. Twilight Town. The pigeon frozen above them. Even Hayner, Pence, and Olette. All of them were fake. A dream of a perfect life to keep him pacified and calm. But none of it was real.
Roxas swung at him a few more times, shouting in frustration. But it was just as useless as before. He couldn't touch the man.
"You don't deserve a perfect existence because you don't even exist. A false life for a Nobody," he continued.
"Wake up, Roxas. You need to wake up."
"Shut up!" snarled Roxas, lashing out at DiZ.
Not even pausing as the Keyblades continued to pass right through him, DiZ said, "It was too perfect, wasn't it? A heart of your own? The right to exist as your own person? Friends? A home? Everything that you could possibly want? I am a little surprised that you didn't question the simulation more."
"Come on, Roxas. Wake up."
"No matter. I will sort out these glitches and let you go back to your fantasy. You'll return to Sora soon enough."
Swinging harder and harder, Roxas shouted, "Never again. I'm not Sora. Leave me alone."
"That's your sole purpose. To dwell in this programmed simulation until Sora needs you to return."
"I made it out. I have a life of my own. I exist."
"None of that was real. It never was."
"Roxas."
He bolted up, hands flailing briefly as they grasped nothing. Panting raggedly, chest pounding, and blinking rapidly, Roxas's head jerked in every direction as he tried to take it all in. The warm orange shade on the walls, still distinctive even in the dim light from the purplish skies outside. The Struggle tournament posters. His black-and-white skateboard in the corner of the room. The dark brown bedspread under him.
His room. His bedroom in Twilight Town. The real one. Not the one from the simulation.
The mattress shifted as Lea sat down next to him. At least Roxas didn't summon his Keyblades like he did during his nightmare on their first night in their new home. He'd been horrified when he realized later that he'd nearly attacked Lea, his Keyblade pointed directly at him. But Lea didn't even flinch that night. Roxas was simply thankful that he hadn't hurt his friend then or after the nightmares since.
Because there had been more nightmares since that first one. Not every night, but they happened. For him and Xion. Enough that Lea came up with a set of rules and a routine on how they should handle it.
"You're safe," said Lea firmly. "You're alive. You're real. We're safe, alive, and real. It was just a nightmare."
Roxas swallowed hard, letting the calm reminders help ground him. He needed to remember what was real. He needed to remember that it wasn't just another simulation.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
Carefully placing a hand on his shoulder, Lea said, "Don't apologize. Remember the first rule?"
He nodded slowly. The rules that they came up with were very clear. Never apologize for nightmares. They weren't anyone's fault. And none of them would get upset if someone's nightmare woke them up. In fact, Lea insisted that if any of them had a bad nightmare, they should go wake up one of the others because they shouldn't be alone. Not that Roxas had needed to do that part yet. After everyone started leaving their doors open at night, Lea tended to wake up first and pull them out of the nightmares before they reached that point.
Roxas did feel guilty sometimes. Lea was the only one who wasn't having nightmares, but he had to help Roxas and Xion with theirs all the time. It didn't seem fair for Lea. But the first rule was no apologizing and he never complained about the loss of sleep. He probably took naps during the day while they were at school.
"What do you need?" asked Lea, continuing the routine.
"To hit DiZ in the face a few times," he muttered.
Giving a breathy chuckle, Lea said, "Understandable. I would have set Master Ansem on fire myself except he helped bring you and Xion back."
"And he helped save your life," he said.
That's what made it complicated. Roxas hated DiZ for everything that he did to him. But as Ansem the Wise, he helped keep Lea alive when Larxene's knives buried into his chest and he nearly died. And for that, he would be forever grateful. The conflicting feelings were awkward. Roxas had settled into an uncomfortable truce where he did his best to ignore the man's existence.
Smiling wryly, Lea asked, "What else do you need?"
Roxas frowned with thought. Now that he was calming down from the nightmare, he wasn't certain what he needed. He rubbed his arms, trying to banish the chill.
"You do know that you're supposed to sleep under the blankets, right?" teased Lea.
Roxas shoved his arm, earning a quiet laugh from Lea. The redhead ruffled his hair briefly before standing up.
"Come on. Plenty of room in the big bed for a half-pint."
That was one of their preferred solutions for nightmares: pile together to go back to sleep. Roxas smiled as he slid out of bed. It was a bit like the first night. But rather than his heavy black coat, they were both wearing their matching white t-shirts and black shorts. They turned out to more comfortable to sleep in.
"Xion sleeping okay tonight?" asked Roxas softly.
"Yep. Apparently she was overdue for some pleasant dreams," he said as they stepped into Lea's bedroom. "But she had some problems last night. We got her some water before she tried to fall back asleep. Not too late if you need a drink."
Shaking his head as he crawled into the oversized bed, Roxas said, "No, thanks."
Dropping roughly on the mattress, Lea tossed a blanket over them before yawning and flinging an arm over Roxas. The boy snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth radiating off Lea. He was solid and real. All of it was real; he was in reality with his best friends, not a simulation. Clinging to that reassurance, Roxas tried to doze back off.
In the short time since his recompletion, Isa had found himself to be rather busy. The first few days mostly consisted of resting and having various tests run on him. Both Ansem the Wise and Ienzo were keen to run some proper studies on the effects of having a heart restored to a Nobody. And while Even was their preferred candidate since they could compare the results that they recorded after his first completion, Isa ended up being poked and prodded by them more than he cared to be. Lea's avoidance of the apprentices seemed like a wiser decision every day. But at least they determined that Isa didn't seem to be suffering from any obvious problems after everything.
And when they weren't running tests to reassure themselves that the former Nobodies were recovering well, the various inhabitants were working on other important projects. Working on a replica body for Naminé. Trying to recover old files from the computer systems with Tron's help. Updating the defense system protecting Radiant Garden. Sorting out various records from over a decade ago. And all of those projects could use someone with management and organizational skills, which Isa possessed in large amounts.
Lea was right when he suggested that idea.
He found ways to help the more scientifically-inclined people using his skills. It kept him busy and he preferred to be productive. It kept Isa from dwelling on his guilt. When he didn't keep himself distracted with work, he ran the risk of letting his emotions overwhelm him like that first day. Having a heart again was an adjustment.
Isa had claimed a small room in the main part of the castle to serve as a temporary office. Far enough away from the hidden lab that he could avoid disturbing the others as they worked, but not too far that it would be difficult to find him if they had need to. There was just enough space inside for a chair, a desk, and a shelf that he mostly used to pile anything that he couldn't fit on the desk when it became crowded.
At the moment, the desk was covered in several stacks of paperwork. He needed to work his way through some of the hardcopy files that they found in an old storage room. He was supposed to determine if they were files from Master Ansem's original studies of the heart, Xehanort and the other apprentices' later tests involving darkness and the heart, Maleficient's work after she claimed the castle, or something completely unrelated. He'd already found dozens of pages describing the materials ordered during a renovation of the castle from about twenty-five years ago.
It was slow-going, but a necessary task.
He'd been working on it for a couple of hours that morning. Not long enough for the muscles in his back to knot up. But long enough to make some headway into the project. Until a crumpled-up ball of paper bounced off Isa's head.
"You're not working too hard, are you?"
And there was Lea. Leaning against the door frame with a smirk. As if it was natural for him to be poking his head into Isa's impromptu office rather than being on a completely different world with his pair of Keyblade wielders.
"Lea," he greeted, smiling slightly as he stood up.
Stepping closer, he asked, "Miss me?"
"You call me every other day. You don't give me much of a chance to miss you."
But if Isa was honest, it felt good to have Lea there. Talking to him over the Gummiphone was comforting and helped the two of them start reforging their frayed bonds of friendship. They had a lot to rebuild after everything that happened over the last several years. But even the best technology couldn't replace seeing his oldest friend in person.
Tilting his head as he studied Isa, Lea said, "Picked up some new clothes? Definitely a step up from the black coat."
Isa glanced down at himself. While not as professional as the lab coats or the guard uniforms, he felt relatively comfortable in his new outfit. A long-sleeved, knee-length black duster jacket with black pants, there were some design similarities to the black coat. A piece of familiarity to carry with him in his new life. Along the length of the jacket, the sleeves, and the pants were a line of gray camouflage patterning. A combination of silver buttons and a long zipper closed the jacket. And on the upper-left part of the jacket was a small gold medallion with a star and a crescent moon on it. Not exactly an outfit that screamed authority figure, but one that seemed to suit him the same way that Lea's new clothes seemed to fit.
"Riku dropped off a suitcase the other day when he came to discuss the progress with Master Ansem," said Isa.
A fool's errand. It would be highly optimistic to expect any news on the replica body for Naminé or an update on Sora at this stage of events. Isa couldn't imagine the situation would be sorted out in only a couple of weeks. And if there was any news, he suspected that everyone with access to a Gummiphone would be immediately informed. There would be no need to travel to Radiant Garden for an update.
But Isa could also recognize the need to do something. Riku needed to feel like he was working towards his goal. Isa could understand that impulse. It drove him to chase weak leads and faint possibilities to find that missing girl for years.
Tugging at a jacket sleeve, Lea said, "Sounds like the three fairies sent you some of their enchanted garments. Should be durable, comfortable, and protective against darkness without being as heavy as our old coats. You should feel lucky that it isn't in plaid." As Isa pulled free, he added, "I think they're waiting to give Roxas and Xion a chance to figure out what they like first before giving them some enchanted clothes."
Isa pushed aside the twinge of jealousy that mentioning the pair caused. He was getting better at handling that specific emotion. It didn't hurt as much to think about the three of them anymore. He recognized the jealousy for what it was and could see how pointless it was. Lea's presence in his office was proof of that. Perhaps someday soon he wouldn't even experience that unpleasant twinge.
"Come on," continued Lea, grabbing his arm. "We better get started."
"Wait, what?" he asked, stumbling as his friend yanked him out of the office and started dragging him down the hall.
Not even slowing down, Lea called over his shoulder, "We're getting out of here and you're taking a break. Roxas and Xion are spending their day off with their new friends, so it's just the two of us today. And we're going to have some fun."
While school introduced a structured routine that reminded him of his old missions, it also brought along the concept of regular days off. Apparently after every five days of class, there were two days where they didn't go to school. Those days were for homework and hanging around with their friends. And even though Hayner, Pence, and Olette seemed to accept that Lea was no longer the villainous kidnapper that they expected him to be, they weren't eager to hang around with the young man. After some careful discussion, Roxas and Xion figured out a plan. They would split the weekend; one day with their trio of new friends and the other day with Lea.
Today was Hayner, Pence, and Olette's day. Lea had gone off-world while they were busy. Roxas knew where he was and who he was with, but he didn't want to think about that. He and Xion might have told Lea that they would give Isa a chance, but that didn't mean he was eager to see him again. Not yet. He would rather put it off and just focus on having a good day with his friends.
They'd lounged around the Usual Spot at first, a cozy and half-hidden space between a few buildings under the train tracks. There was a relaxed and lazy feeling to the whole thing. Casual and comfortable. And other than Xion and Pence having a friendly competition over a game of darts, the biggest accomplishment was the decision to start looking for more seating for their larger group. The worn green sofa, the wooden crates scattered around, and the unknown machinery with the pipe connected to the back building offered some possibilities, but it might be nice to track down some other options. Pence's attempt to perch on top of the empty oil drum ended with a noisy crash and a promise to keep an eye out for alternatives.
And, after poking around for any seating being tossed out as junk or a giant wooden spool that the hardware store had emptied of wound cable, they decided to do something fun and head towards the Sandlot. Hayner seemed determined to give Roxas and Xion a crash course in Struggle matches. Apparently Roxas's experience in the other Twilight Town didn't count in the teenager's opinion. But it was at least entertaining and Hayner was having a good time.
"There are two main strategies that people tend to focus on," he described. "Some people try to stay defensive, blocking and dodging to avoid losing points. Me? I prefer to go on the offensive. Keep pressing the attack and never give them a chance to retaliate. The best way that I've found to earn a lot of points would be to knock your opponent off their feet and steal as many points as possible before they can recover. Which means the key to victory is knowing how to knock someone on their back and how to regain your own footing in a hurry."
Giving a few practice swings as they walked, Hayner demonstrated his favorite moves. A strong overhead swing. A sideways hit. A low move designed to sweep the legs out from under an opponent. None of them particularly hard to dodge or block. But it was like Lea said; most people didn't have as much experience when it came to fighting as Roxas and Xion did.
Everyone except Pence were carrying the blue padded Struggle bats. There were three main variations of the mock weapon. The basic offense model, the basic defense model, and the advance model designed specifically for more complex and specialized techniques that took time to master and could completely disrupt most strategies. Olette preferred the tricks possible with the advanced model, though she didn't spar as much. Everyone else picked offensive models of bats, with Roxas carrying both an offensive bat and a defensive one.
He liked dual-wielding. And even if he could only use one for the practice match, he liked having options.
"And what are you doing here?"
Hayner abruptly stopped talking, head snapping around at the voice. Roxas also immediately recognized it. The speaker set his teeth on edge. His hands tightened on the foam bats. He had to remind himself not to summon his Keyblades instead.
He was a jerk; not a Heartless or Xehanort.
There were three figures hanging around the Sandlot. And the one in the center was the speaker from before. A black knit hat, a blue crop-top vest, a long sleeveless white jacket, baggy dark-purple pants, and black combat boots, Seifer looked exactly like he did in the simulation. On the left was Rai, a tall and black-haired guy in an orange shirt and dark sweatpants. And on the right was Fuu. Dressed in a sleeveless blue jacket and capri pants, she watched the group's approach with the one reddish-brown eye not hidden by her silver hair.
The Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee. The trio that Roxas remembered being frustrating and infuriating. And yet he'd never met them before.
"We're teaching our new friends about Struggle battles," said Pence, a little wary.
Crossing his arms, Hayner asked, "And when did you three get back? I thought you went on some kind of 'warrior's journey' or whatever."
Taking a few steps forward, Seifer grinned at them. There was something about him that rubbed Roxas the wrong way. Even knowing that every past interaction never actually happened, he couldn't bury that immediate urge to smack Seifer in the face with a bat.
"After those weird white things showed up and we had to depend on that one kid to help stop them, we realized that we weren't living up to our name," said Seifer. "We're supposed to be the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee. Can't really claim that if we're not the best and capable of defending the place. So yeah, we spent some time traveling around and training until we reached our full potential."
"If those white squiggly things come back, we'll be ready, y'know," added Rai. "They won't know what hit them, y'know."
Nodding, Fuu said, "Thrash them."
"So you're new around here," continued Seifer, eyeing Roxas suspiciously. "And you want Hayner to teach you?"
Glaring as his free hand tightened into a fist, Hayner snapped, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're a joke," he said.
"Hey," snapped Olette, barely beating Hayner to the sharp outburst.
"Have you seen his technique? He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'defense.'"
"Pushover," added Fuu.
Roxas glared at Seifer, tense as a coiled spring. He wasn't exactly wrong. At least the simulated version of Hayner fought purely offensively with minimal defensive abilities. But that didn't mean that he wanted to hear Seifer point it out.
"Give me five minutes and I'll show you who's a pushover," growled Hayner, moving his bat into a combative position.
"We both already know the answer to that. After all, which one of us is the Struggle match champion?" he asked with a proud grin.
Stepping forward and clenching his fist in front of him, Rai said, "He completely crushed you in the tournament, y'know."
It shouldn't have surprised him. Of course the results of the tournament were different in reality than in the simulation. Roxas didn't compete and Vivi wouldn't have been replaced by a Dusk in disguise. Things would have played out differently. He shouldn't be surprised that Seifer won, though it could have been Hayner instead.
"If you intend to teach them," continued Seifer, "they'll be just as easy to thrash."
As Roxas contemplated showing Seifer exactly how easy of an opponent that he was, a flash of black-and-white motion darted forward. Xion crossed the distance between the two groups in an instant. She slid right next to Seifer, facing his side before he could turn. She used the most basic three-hit combo, but with blinding speed and brutality. A strike to the stomach, driving the air out of Seifer. Then Xion swung low, sweeping his feet out from under him. And before he hit the ground, an overhead swing slammed into his chest and sent Seifer crashing roughly down.
Roxas winced in sympathy. Xion could hit hard. Seifer was extremely lucky that she was using a Struggle bat.
Rai and Fuu stared down in shock as Seifer lay sprawled on the ground, coughing and wheezing as he tried to breathe. Xion didn't even look at them as she walked back over to her friends.
"You seem like a good teacher to me, Hayner," she said. "Knocking someone off their feet does work great."
And when she gained a small proud smile, everyone took it as a cue to crowd around Xion and brag about how impressive she was. They would need to figure out some more ground rules if they wanted to continue having Struggle matches with everyone. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair. But for now, they could enjoy wiping the smug look off Seifer's face and making Hayner practically crow with pride. The only thing that would have made it better would be if someone got a photo of the entire thing.
Lea didn't think that he would ever be comfortable in Radiant Garden again. Or at least not for a long time. Anxiety and discomfort churned in his stomach for multiple reasons, even as he hid it. But he did immediately feel a little better after dragging Isa out of the castle.
Though he didn't quite manage to convince Isa to try sneaking past Dilan and Aeleus for old time's sake. Or rather, he did convince him, but it was the most half-hearted attempt that Lea had ever seen.
They spent most of the day taking a trip down memory lane. Back to their childhood before things became complicated and everything started falling apart. Exploring old neighborhoods to see what had changed from when they were teenagers and what looked the same. The flower gardens that his old home world was known for seemed just as bright and colorful as he remembered. And when they found the elaborate fountains, tall structures that stretched up the wall and perfect for kids to splash in during warm days, Lea nearly shoved Isa in. Because that's what they used to do. It didn't work because Isa had a better sense of balance than he did at eight, but it earned Lea an amused chuckle. Lea would call it a victory.
What they did not do was go near where they used to live. They didn't want to talk about it, but neither of them wanted to risk encountering their old families. It would just be too much.
Isa wouldn't want to face his family, to admit what he'd become in the years since they last saw him. He wouldn't want to see them over a decade older and know that they spent that time as refugees on other worlds. But he also wouldn't want to see them exactly as they were before, meaning that they were lost during the fall of Radiant Garden and only returned after the world was properly restored. Neither option would be pleasant for someone who was involved in working for Xemnas in those final days. Before the world lost its heart to darkness, but after they did.
Lea didn't want to risk running into his parents for a different reason. While it would be awkward to see Isa's family again, they would be grateful to see their grown son alive and well. That went without question. But Lea knew that if he saw his own parents, it would be worse. They probably didn't even remember that he ever existed.
As the day shifted towards afternoon, Lea slipped away for a moment. The history of the ice cream shop in Radiant Garden was a complicated one. It was originally run by one family during their childhood, creating the perfect sea-salt ice cream recipe. Then Radiant Garden fell and was restored, but they didn't immediately return to running the shop. There was too much work involved in repairing Hollow Bastion in those early days. But Scrooge McDuck arrived, recreated the recipe from his memory of tasting the frozen treat, and started making a bundle. And when he left to open a restaurant off-world, he arranged for someone to run the business in his absence while continuing to collect munny. All of these details were quickly relayed by the chatty young man as he collected the sea-salt ice cream that Lea purchased.
Lea and Isa found a comfortable spot on the stone wall surrounding the town. It wasn't late enough for the sun to be setting and it wasn't a clocktower, but they could sit up there with their legs dangling over the edge and stare out across the surroundings. And just like when they were young, they quietly ate their sea-salt ice cream.
But they weren't kids anymore. And as fun as it was to pretend for a day, they couldn't avoid more recent topics.
"Did you find out anything about her yet?" asked Lea quietly. "The girl who used to be in locked up down there?"
Shaking his head, Isa said, "Nothing. I spoke with Master Ansem about her, but he doesn't know what happened either. Her disappearance convinced him that he needed to take a step back, look at what he was doing, and stop his experiments on the heart. A wakeup call, if you will."
"Not that it stopped Xehanort and the others from continuing," he muttered.
"Apparently, Xehanort's Heartless was equally curious about what happened to her."
"That narrows it down. If he and Master Ansem don't know and the rest of the apprentices haven't brought it up yet, that either leaves some unknown person or force snatching her away or…"
"Or Braig has even more secrets than we thought," finished Isa.
Grinning sharply, Lea said, "Guess we'll have to find his recompleted self and ask a few questions then."
"I'll keep searching for clues until then. He was here for a long time and he must have left some hints behind."
Lea nodded thoughtfully before taking another bite of ice cream. Isa could keep looking through paperwork, searching for clues. But they could also spread the word around for everyone to keep an eye out for Braig. They were already searching for Sora. It wouldn't take much extra work to watch out for an extra person.
"And what about you, Lea? Have you been keeping yourself busy?" asked Isa.
Shrugging, he said, "Got an apartment, got everything set up, got the fake paperwork from Ienzo to show that the half-pints exist, and got them into a school. That gave me plenty to do for the last couple of weeks or so."
"Sounds expensive and difficult, taking care of all of that. Are you doing okay, Lea? Do you need help?"
"I'm fine." Hesitating a moment, he lied, "Got a job and everything like a responsible adult."
That wasn't exactly a lie. Going out to fight Heartless for munny was almost like a job. It was hard work, exhausting, and occasionally painful. Maybe he could call it being self-employed.
"You? Responsible?" asked Isa.
Lea shoved him, earning a quiet chuckle from his friend. Then Isa took another bite of his ice cream. Like he was still the sensible and stoic Saïx instead of the person that Lea grew up with, the one with the subtle sense of humor and a bit of a sarcastic streak. It fooled no one. Isa did his best to look innocent and Lea seriously considered pushing him off the wall.
"Roxas and Xion seem to be happy though," continued Lea. "They have nightmares, but they seem happier now. More like normal kids. They have a home, new friends, and the life that they deserve. The kind of life that they've never had before. And I've managed to keep them safe and alive since we got them back. Sounds responsible to me."
He saw the brief flash of discomfort on Isa's face at the mention of the Keyblade wielders. Jealousy and guilt. But then he swallowed and the emotions slipped away. Isa was working on his issues with the pair, but he wasn't ready to face them yet. Just like Roxas and Xion weren't ready to confront Isa either.
It would take time. But Lea could be patient. He had hope.
"They have plenty of reason to have nightmares," said Isa simply. "I… I may be the reason for some of those nightmares."
Lea winced slightly, but he couldn't argue against it. Mostly because he didn't always know what they dreamed about. They didn't always share. Sometimes Lea could guess from what they said afterwards, but not every time.
"We both have reasons to feel guilty about how things worked out. I hurt them too," he said quietly. "But we also both have the chance to make things right."
Lea took a final bite of his ice cream, leaving the stick bare. Unlike in Twilight Town, there weren't any sticks with "Winner" written on them. There was no reason to check or keep them. No reason to tuck one away in his pocket to remember someone who was gone. He twisted the wooden stick between his fingers.
"And what about you, Isa?" he asked. "Any nightmares?"
Isa looked away, but not before Lea caught a glimpse of the grimace on his face. Lea's hand moved to settle on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. The gesture coaxed Isa into turning back towards him.
"I told you to call me if you needed me. That includes nightmares," said Lea gently. "Doesn't matter what's going on or what time it is. If you need me, call me. I'll be there."
"I told you that I would."
"Promise?"
Sighing tiredly, Isa said, "I promise that I'll call next time that something happens."
Lea grinned to himself. Then he slowly stood back up, brushing off his clothes.
"I wish that I could stay longer," he said. "But it is getting late and I need to be getting back."
"Roxas and Xion are expecting you?" asked Isa, climbing to his feet as well.
He nodded. Lea was doing better at bundling away the feeling of anxiety and distracting himself from the emotions. That was the only reason that he'd managed to handle the day at all. But those feelings were still there and just as strong. And he couldn't ignore it completely. As nice as it was to spend time with his oldest friend, Lea would feel better once he could see Roxas and Xion. Once he could reassure himself of their safety. He knew that it made him paranoid, but he couldn't help it.
"I can walk back to the castle with you first," said Lea. "I can spare a few more minutes."
Smiling wryly, Isa said, "You don't want to try sneaking in? We used to be good at it."
And there we go. A fun day out for everyone. They've earned this.
Also, the thing about Seifer and his friends going on a "warrior's journey"? While none of them appear in "Kingdom Hearts 3," some of the NPC dialogue does reference them going on such a journey as an explanation for where they are. It is easy to miss or ignore though. But they went on their journey and now they're back. Just in time for Xion to knock Seifer right on his back. Don't insult her new friends.