I'm glad that most people seemed to enjoy the last chapter. The conversation between Isa and Lea at the end seemed to be a favorite for the majority. Hopefully you'll continue to like this fic as we keep moving forward.

There was an interesting optical illusion that all the local kids thought was the weirdest and most amazing trick. It had to do with the way that the sun reflected off the ocean, bending the light at just the right angle.

Except for in the very early morning, it was impossible to see the main island from the play island. It was like the larger island didn't exist or was invisible. Which gave the kids a sense of being alone and on their own while they ran across their domain.

And in reverse, the play island couldn't be seen at dawn from the main island. But the rest of the time, the play island looked much closer than it actually was. Which could be annoying when you were trying to row out to it and your arms were tired, but the rest of the time it was neat.

It was a strange optical illusion. The teachers gave them a simplified explanation when they first started school. But Riku missed the more complicated and scientific description that they provided when the students were older. It was apparently during the time frame that he was gone. He'd missed a lot of school by being off world. He was actually repeating a grade because of how long he was gone.

While none of the three of them spent as much time anymore on the Destiny Islands in general and the play island specifically, at least not since the first time that they left their world, Riku still occasionally found himself drawn there. There was a familiarity to it that was sometimes comforting. They'd spent a lot of time there, running and climbing over every inch of the island. They'd explored every part of it.

Where once that familiarity was suffocating, he now appreciated the comfort of knowing his home world that well. He remembered climbing every tree. He remembered scrambling and running along the obstacle course that they'd set up. He remembered the creeping into the darker secret place where untold numbers of kids over the years had scribbled drawings on the rocks. He remembered where it was safe to swim and where it wasn't, the places that were blocked off by boards as warnings or how just a little past the small islet it would suddenly drop off and every parent warned about the undertow. Riku almost knew the play island better than the main island.

But as comforting as it might feel to be there, it also felt wrong now. It felt wrong being there alone. There should have been three of them perched on the small islet. They should be together, like when they were younger.

But he was alone, leaning against the tree as he stared out at the ocean. Sora was gone. Gone and they were left with only the faintest idea of how to get him back.

They only had a few separate pieces of the overall puzzle and were seeking out more. Jiminy Cricket mentioned that the youngest version of Xehanort talked about Sora being doomed to a dark abyss. If he meant that literally, then that would hint at him ending up somewhere in the Realm of Darkness. But it was rare that any form of Xehanort was that straight forward when it came to telling someone anything useful. If he meant the warning metaphorically, then Sora could be anywhere. The connections to Roxas, Xion, and Ventus were either gone or weakened until they couldn't be detected. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus were gathering books from their library and Master Yen Sid scoured his ancient tomes. And Riku knew that Mickey was searching some of the closest worlds for hints alongside Donald and Goofy.

Riku found himself doing the same thing on the weekends.

Guilt burned in his chest almost constantly. Riku and Kairi knew that Sora had a tendency to risk everything for his friends. He'd done it before. They'd sat there the day before the battle, watching the sunset and talking about how they needed to keep an eye on him. But even knowing that Sora might try something reckless, they didn't protect him. They didn't do anything and now he was gone.

They had to get him back. Sora had saved them more times than he could count. Riku would never forgive himself if they couldn't bring him home.

A faint scraping sound made Riku turn his head, spotting Kairi climbing onto the bent tree. He hadn't even noticed her rowing to the island. He must have been more distracted by his thoughts than he expected.

"Did you come here right after school?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged and said, "At least I didn't skip class completely. My parents might be willing to let Kiru stay at home for now, but they want at least one version of their son to finish school."

"It is nice that we're in the same classes now."

"Because I was held back a year."

"Well, that's what happens when you miss an entire year of school because you were running around in a black coat and a blindfold. You could have at least stopped by at some point to let me or your family know that you were all right."

Shifting awkwardly, Riku muttered, "It didn't feel right coming home without Sora. It would have felt like I was giving up or that I'd failed." He briefly clenched his hand in a fist at his side before letting the tension bleed out of him again. "How are Axel and the others? Any more problems since then?"

Kairi accepted the change of topic without question. She shook her head, turning her gaze back towards the horizon. She hadn't explained much about what happened a few days ago. Kairi just came back and claimed that Xion needed some advice. But Selphie made Lea's arrival sound very dramatic and impressive.

She also mentioned that the tall red-head was "hot" in a "bad boy" kind of way, but Selphie had a tendency lately to develop crushes on almost anyone. Riku was simply thankful that she hadn't developed one on him.

"I called Axel yesterday to check on them," she said. "Everyone seems fine now. How about the others? Have you heard anything?"

Crossing his arms, Riku said, "Terra contacted me. They are adjusting to everything still. It's been a long time for them, but they're coping. And Isa asked me if I could help him move a few things with the Gummi Ship in a couple of days or so. They want to do some renovations and improvements to the Old Mansion in Twilight Town."

"Well," she said slowly, "I'm sure that Axel will appreciate having him on the same world. The other two might need some time to get used to the idea though." Leaning forward, Kairi asked, "Did you and Roxas talk? About everything that happened?"

Riku grimaced slightly. He didn't regret doing everything possible to bring Sora back when Naminé needed to straighten out his memories. But he did regret what his actions did to Roxas and Xion. They didn't deserve that. He would never be able to undo what happened, even if they were back now. He should have tried to find another way. And part of him dreaded talking about those mistakes with Roxas or Xion.

He'd made a lot of mistakes over the last several years. Confronting them never got any easier or less painful.

"You know that you owe him a proper apology," she said gently.

"I know I do." Pausing briefly, Riku added, "I also owe him 5000 munny."

Dropping off the tree trunk, Kairi asked, "What?"

"In the simulation," he said uncomfortably. "I… stole it from him?"

"Riku," said Kairi sharply.

"DiZ said we couldn't let them go to the beach. He didn't program one because it would give the Dusks another way in. So I had to stop them. The simplest way to do it without hurting anyone was to keep them from buying train tickets. So I took his munny."

"Riku."

And that turned out to be the breaking point. Of all the things that happened and all the mistakes that he'd made since the moment that he accepted the invitation into darkness in order to have the power to leave home, this was what Kairi decided to scold him about. Riku stealing data munny from a simulated world. Maybe it was the stress and guilt, but the absurdity of the entire thing made him snort. Then a quiet chuckle followed before gaining enough strength to transform into actual laughter.

He laughed and Kairi shoved his shoulder, joining in with some giggling of her own. They kept laughing until Riku lost his balance and collapsed on the ground. Kairi quickly followed. By that point, they weren't even laughing about anything specific. They were laughing simply because they were laughing.

It was the kind of ridiculous moments that would have left Sora beaming next to them, barely able to contain his own laughter. It made Riku miss their friend even more. And that thought finally made his laughter die down.

Kairi took a moment longer to realize that he'd stopped. But then she fell silent too, a concerned frown forming.

"Riku," said Kairi, nudging him. Uncertain, she said quietly, "If you're…"

Kairi fell silent, biting her lower lip. Then she leaned against his side. They sat on the ground in silence for a few moments. They couldn't see the main island at that time of day, the optical illusion ensured that, so there was nothing blocking their view of the sunset currently.

"We're allowed to be happy," she said finally. "We can laugh. We can smile. Sora wouldn't want us to stop living just because he's missing. Laughing or having a nice day with your other friends doesn't mean that you've given up on finding him."

Smiling weakly, Riku said, "I know."

It just didn't feel like it sometimes.

Saïx was fighting. Fast and brutal. Instinctively fighting with no thought or strategy. Trapped in the power and rush of his Berserk state.

His opponent was a thin and agile thing, twisting and dodging. But he could not let it escape. And more importantly, it would not get past him. He must stop his opponent from getting past him. It wanted something deeper in the castle. He could not allow it to reach its goal.

Saïx swung his claymore, but he couldn't seem to land a solid blow. The opponent refused to stay still. It spun metal circles with flames. Blocking and deflecting his weapon when it couldn't move out of the way fast enough. It was strong, but he was stronger physically. It hit hard when it landed a strike and its flames were vicious things. But his Berserk state ensure that he barely noticed or cared. He kept pushing forward.

Stop the opponent. Destroy the opponent.

His claymore twisted and sliced through the air. The weapon smashed down, cracking the floor beneath them when he missed. Each blow was meant to be fatal and final. Destructive and deadly as the Nobody wielding the claymore. If he could land a proper hit, the battle would be over.

His opponent suddenly dashed forward. A powerful punch to his jaw, metal and flesh landing the blow. Hard enough to knock Saïx to the ground. Too stunned to immediately moved.

Then it stopped fighting. It assumed that he was unconscious from the strike. It turned its attention away from Saïx, intent on heading deeper into the castle. A mistake.

Saïx flung himself to his feet and swung his weapon hard. The claymore connected, burying deeply into his opponent's side. Driving out a broken gasp of shock and pain.

Only then did details of his opponent register. Details that finally made it through that battle haze of his Berserk state.

A black coat. Red hair. Twin chakrams dissolving away.

A familiar figure facing away from him, the claymore cutting deep into him and nearly slicing him in half. Saïx's claymore.

Axel.

His claymore was buried into Axel.

No.

With another choking gasp, Axel staggered away a few steps while clutching at his wound. And then Axel turned slightly, looking at him with eyes dulled with pain and shocked betrayal. Silently asking why Saïx did that to him.

Saïx wanted to dismiss his weapon. He wanted to stop, beg for forgiveness, and find a way to heal the deep wound that he'd caused. But he took a step towards Axel, as if part of him still wanted to finish the job. The claymore was still in his hand as he lifted his arm.

Flames flared up, summoned by the wounded Nobody. Separating Saïx from Axel as he stumbled back a few steps. Clutching at his side, he managed to summon a dark corridor. Gasping and his eyes never leaving Saïx even as he kept his defensive barrier of fire under control, Axel moved backwards towards his escape route.

Then, as he stepped back into the dark corridor, Saïx noticed thin tendrils of nothingness flaking off the injury.

Axel was starting to fade away. To dissolve into nothingness.

Saïx finally regained control of himself enough to throw himself through the flames after him. But the dark corridor was already closing. Taking his dying best friend with him.

No. He couldn't let it happen. Axel couldn't die.

No. No. No.

Isa bolted upright, a shout of absolute horror dying in his throat. His hand fumbled in the dark for the object that he needed. His fingers shook as he poked at the screen. He couldn't think past the deafening pounding in his chest and ears. He was frantic. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be real.

Some of his scrambled thoughts began to settle as the Gummiphone rang. Then Isa felt foolish. It was just a nightmare. It never happened. But before he could hang up, someone answered.

"Isa?" said Lea in a groggy, confused, and increasingly concerned voice. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called," he said quietly.

"No, it's fine. And don't apologize."

Isa could see him yawn on the screen before dragging a hand down his face, looking more coherent by the moment. Lea was obviously in bed, his head resting on a pillow as he held the Gummiphone above him. It was yet another reminder that he'd just woke his friend up over a dumb nightmare in the middle of the night. He didn't even wake up his own parents over nightmare after he was six years old. Isa's initial horror was being replaced by guilt and embarrassment as Lea studied his expression.

"You're safe," said Lea firmly. "You're alive. You're real. We're safe, alive, and real. It was just a nightmare."

The calm and practiced words shouldn't have been as comforting as they were. But there was something grounding about them. Perhaps it was just his tone of voice. Or perhaps it was because Lea was alive to say them.

If Lea was talking to him, then the nightmare hadn't come true. He hadn't killed his best friend.

Isa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was just a nightmare. A figment of his imagination and nothing more.

"What do you need?" he continued softly. "It might take me a little while to get there, but I can head over to Radiant Garden if that's what you need."

He shook his head and said, "No, I'm fine. I shouldn't have woken you up. I'm sorry for that."

"No apologizing for nightmares. That's the new rule," said Lea. "Besides, you weren't the first tonight."

He tilted the Gummiphone first one way and then in the other direction. Isa watched the screen as Lea revealed that Roxas and Xion were curled on either side of him. The pair were sleeping. Clearly undisturbed by the quiet conversation.

"They had a rough night too," said Lea. "I think Xion's nightmare had to do with Larxene's knives, but Roxas didn't talk about his." He turned the screen back towards his face. "See? You didn't wake me up."

Isa didn't know how to respond to that. Even if Lea was already awake, he felt bad about disturbing him over nothing.

The nightmare was awful, but it wasn't real. He never killed his friend. Not even when Xemnas was pushing them to fight during the Keyblade War. They'd fought at different points, but Axel or Lea always managed to walk away from those fights. Even the fights that Isa couldn't remember clearly because of his Berserk state always ended with them both surviving.

He never killed his friend. It was the other Nobodies and his fire attack on them that made Axel fade away the first time. And Saïx managed to banish his claymore before he could finish Lea off in their most recent fight. The nightmare was nothing more than his imagination conjuring up his worst fears. Nothing worth getting worked up over.

But he didn't want to dwell on that nightmare. He didn't want to think about the idea of his weapon buried deep into Lea's side. He didn't want to think about how real it felt in that dream, almost like a memory if he didn't know better. His imagination was too good. Isa would rather focus on anything else. Anything other than that vivid nightmare. And he eventually settled on something to distract himself away from that.

"Are you three wearing matching pajamas?" he asked.

Lea snorted quietly. The more that Isa studied the screen, the more certain that he was. Identical white t-shirts on all three of them. A bit plain in style. Certainly more plain than the blue plaid-patterned pajamas that Isa chose.

"Their normal clothes are a bit more interesting," said Lea quietly, "but at least the t-shirts and shorts are comfortable. And yes, they match."

Isa considered what else to say to him. He should probably mention that he would be heading to Twilight Town soon. It would be a nice surprise, but not one that he should risk springing on Roxas and Xion. On the other hand, it was probably not a conversation that they should have in the middle of the night. And when he saw Lea trying to smother a yawn, he knew that he was right.

And now that the lingering panic from the nightmare had faded completely, his own weariness was creeping back in.

"Doing better?" asked Lea, his voice still low.

Nodding, Isa said, "I'm fine now. I should let you get back to sleep."

"Try to get some sleep too. It's late and you look tired."

Sleeping should be easier now. Seeing Lea alive and whole helped banish that previous fear. Isa shouldn't have any more trouble with that nightmare.

He would never hurt his friend like that. He wouldn't kill his best friend, even in the depths of his brutal Berserk state. It would never happen. Isa comforted himself with that knowledge.

He threw the twin burning circles through the air, sending them flying towards the large Heartless. They struck hard at its small head before returning to Lea's hand, transforming back into his Keyblade. Then he dashed forward.

The round, large, and tough Heartless could be tricky to handle. Fat Bandits, rather similar to the sturdy Large Bodies, were nearly invulnerable except for their heads. The main difference between the two varieties was that the Fat Bandits wore orange vests and had a tendency to breathe fire at their opponents.

He'd fought a lot of these things over the years. Fire was less of a threat to Lea than most things. They also left behind a reasonable amount of munny when destroyed. That made them decent Heartless for him to deal with currently. And the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah tended to hide plenty of Fat Bandits.

Lea watched the Heartless take a deep breath as he ran towards it. And at the last second, he twisted out of the way of the stream of fire and leapt up. He swung his Keyblade down hard and the Fat Bandit shattered apart. The freed heart floated away while Lea leaned down to scoop up the munny.

He mentally counted his funds. While they weren't in trouble, Lea had burned through a surprising amount of munny during the last month. Getting their new lives started was expensive. And even though he was tired and could use a nap, Lea knew that he should keep going longer. They could use the extra funds.

Besides, the half-pints would still be in school for a couple more hours. He needed the distraction.

Lea knew that there was treasure hidden in the Cave of Wonders. Gold and gemstones piled together. He hadn't explored the place as often as Roxas and Xion, but he'd had a few missions in there before the end. But he also knew better than to risk curses or traps by going after the treasure itself. Fighting Heartless was safer, even if it was more time consuming.

He had a little time left. He just couldn't risk staying too long. Otherwise he would be late meeting the half-pints after school. What Lea needed was a more powerful Heartless who would drop more munny when he destroyed it. Stronger opponents meant bigger rewards and faster results. And finding stronger Heartless would involve heading deeper into the Cave of Wonders.

Lea balance Flame Liberator on his shoulder and walked towards the entrance to the next chamber. The various parts of the cave had a tendency to change over time. Sometimes from semi-natural causes like sections collapsing, but other times it seemed to happen with very little warning. Different passages hidden and revealed. A variety of switches to trigger new paths. That was what happened when someone decided to explore a mystical cavern. It would be easy to get lost among the flickering torches and underground rivers if he didn't pay attention. And every time that Lea thought he'd learned the new arrangement, he discovered a new secret.

As he stepped into one of the larger chambers of the vast cave system, Lea heard a clang of armor and immediately dove to the side. There was a swish of air from the punch barely missing him. Then Lea twisted around to spy another large and round Heartless. One protected by red and gray armor.

It took him a moment to remember the less common sub-variety, but he identified the Heartless as a Solid Armor. Essentially a tougher and more durable Large Body. It didn't even have the threat of fire that a Fat Bandit would. But it should still be stronger. Which meant it was more likely to provide a decent amount of munny when he destroyed it.

Spinning his Keyblade in his hand, Lea waited patiently. Getting too close risked a punch or getting swiped. No fire breath, but they could hit hard. Patience was his ally. He needed to wait for his opening.

And then he saw it.

The Solid Armor leapt up high. And right before it landed, he jumped over the shockwave towards the Heartless now helpless on its stomach. Lea unleashed a flurry of fast combos before finishing with a flash of fire. Then Lea hurried backwards and out of reach.

Almost out of reach.

Lea didn't manage to brace himself in time. A large fist slammed into his stomach, knocking both the wind out of him and sending him flying back. And he immediately crashed roughly into the wall. Pain exploded across his back.

Gasping desperately to regain his breath, Lea barely kept his feet under him. Stupid. He should have been able to dodge that. A lack of sleep was murdering his reaction time. But that's what happened when he was faced with Roxas, Xion, and Isa having nightmares all on the same night. He shouldn't have pushed his luck with tougher Heartless. And now his back was going to be one giant bruise.

He jerked sideways just in time to avoid the Heartless sliding towards him. Like a kid sledding down a snowy hill, but more lethal. But with Lea dodging out of the way, it crashed into the wall. Which gave Lea the opening that he needed. Spinning the Keyblade briefly in his grip, he struck hard and fast. He linked together a series of rapid spinning combos. He didn't give the Heartless a chance to climb to its feet or retaliate. Being the Organization's assassin for so long meant that he could be brutal and vicious when necessary.

And when the Solid Armor tried to break free and shove itself up, Lea fell back on his specialty. Fire swirled around the Heartless in a bright explosion of heat and light. Enough that even that particular variation of Heartless couldn't withstand it. The creature shattered just as the fire died down.

Breathing hard, worn out, and aching from the fight, Lea smiled. There was a decent amount of munny and a Lightning Gem left behind. He tried not to wince when he leaned over to collect his reward. His back was going to be very colorful by morning. But compared to his now-thankfully-healed ribs, it was more annoying than hindering. He might need to use some of his hard-earned munny to restock some potions though.

"Guess it's quitting time for the day," he muttered. "Advantages of being self-employed, after all."

Lea tossed his Keyblade up on his shoulder. Then he summoned up a dark corridor. He needed to head back to Twilight Town and get cleaned up. The half-pints would be getting out of class before too long.

I know that it wasn't the most exciting chapter, but not every moment is going to be dramatic. And to be fair, I intended originally to have a few more scenes in this chapter. Then I realized it would be too long and it would work out better to split it up. But I hope that you guys liked it regardless.