I was looking forward to this chapter, even if I knew it would be difficult. I need to get it right because this is important. Hopefully it turns out as good as I hope.

Roxas and Xion waited patiently at the table as Lea pulled the teapot from the stove. Gina's gift to them was getting a lot of use. It had become a regular part of their evening routine. A way to finish off the day. They might try out different types of tea during the day, but they would always go for chamomile tea before bed. It was a relaxing and soothing way to end things.

And maybe it was the tea or maybe it was the way that they were gradually becoming more comfortable with everything, but it was getting easier to sleep all the way through the night. The nightmares didn't happen quite as often. Sometimes he and Xion could both make it a few nights in a row without either of them waking up in a panic. It was a nice change.

Lea came over, handing out the delicate green teacups until they all had one. Roxas took a slow sip, enjoying the warmth. Across the table, Xion rubbed at her eyes. She looked particularly drowsy as she drank her tea.

"I'm not going to ask Isa to come to the apartment," said Lea carefully. "Not yet. Not until both of you are comfortable with him and say that you want him here. This is your home and I want you to feel safe."

Roxas nodded, his hands tightening around the teacup. Xion refused to look up from her drink.

"But with Isa living in Twilight Town, it is only a matter of time before we run into each other. It might be better to have it happen on our terms instead of when you don't expect it," he continued.

"Where do you want to do it?" asked Xion.

Taking a slow sip of tea, Lea suggested, "A neutral location. Not here and not the Old Mansion. Any preferences?"

Roxas shrugged. He didn't know what they were supposed to do. The location didn't seem to really matter. It wasn't easy to imagine them moving forward, regardless of where they decided to meet.

It was hard thinking about Isa. Roxas couldn't help remembering every instant where Saïx made a cold comment, treated Xion like a useless tool, or any of the other moments of cruelty. Not to mention the time that he and possibly Xemnas arranged things so that he and Xion nearly destroyed each other in Halloweentown when they didn't recognize each other. An entire year of that kind of awful treatment. But Roxas also remembered Even claiming that Saïx helped him work on smuggling out their new replica bodies. And he remembered Saïx offering a weary apology before fading away. That wasn't enough to erase what happened before, but it certainly complicated his feelings.

"Can we think about it, Axel?" asked Xion.

Smiling, Lea said, "Of course. Finish your tea and try to sleep on it. When you two decide on a when and where, I'll call Isa and let him know."

Roxas smothered a yawn before drinking the last few sips of the chamomile tea. Then, stretching slightly as he stood up, he collected the teacups from the table. It was his night to do the dishes. He took a few minutes to wash them in the sink, dry them, and put them away in the cabinet. It was easier doing the chore than it was dwelling on things.

"We're off in a couple of days," suggested Xion shyly. "And there's supposed to be a fair. Olette said they're fun."

Ruffling her hair as she tried to bat his arm away, Lea said, "We can try it. And it might be nice to see what kind of fairs that they have around here."

"They have another fair near the end of summer vacation," said Roxas dully, rubbing at his arms. "Or they did in the simulation. I think Hayner mentioned that there's a real one too."

He didn't notice that Lea moved until he was squeezing Roxas on the shoulder. A subtle gesture of comfort, but one that he appreciated. Roxas leaned into the contact before shaking his head to banish the memories. He wanted to focus on what was real. He wasn't going to let those handful of days in the fake Twilight Town have that much power over him.

Almost every world had some form of a yearly celebration. Most of them multiple celebrations scattered around. Lea remembered Radiant Garden's Spring Festival when all the flowers were in bloom. He remembered the one that happened on the last day of school. And he especially remembered the Christmas decorations. All of them were fun in their own ways. All the games, food, and gifts seemed amazing to him as a child.

Lea didn't think that apples were as important to Twilight Town as the bright flowers were to Radiant Garden. The place wasn't named for the orchards that lay a fairly good distance from the town itself. But apparently the people in the past decided to create the Apple Fair regardless. Complete with pie competitions, bobbing for apples, and little stalls with various handmade crafts. They didn't have the Struggle Tournament at that time of year, but there were plenty of interesting tings to do or see. The entire Tram Common was barely recognizable with everything decorated and crowded with all the stalls.

In comparison, the Sandlot was deserted. Hayner, Pence, and Olette had invited the kids to join them that day. Hayner even insisted, though that might have more do with his continued suspicions regarding Lea. But Roxas and Xion turned them down, promising to meet up later at the fair. For the moment, there were only four people in the Sandlot.

Isa was waiting patiently as they approached. Roxas remained on Lea's left while Xion stayed close on his right. There was a stiff tension to their movements. They weren't backing down. They were meeting the challenge the same way that they did everything else that they'd faced. Heartless, Nobodies, and various versions of Xehanort. Though Lea noticed that Xion's hand slipped into his when they got close.

Lea squeezed her hand in return. This might be between the kids and Isa, but Lea would be there for moral support for all three of them.

"Roxas," said Isa solemnly, giving them a nod. "Xion."

"Hello, Isa," she greeted, her voice firm despite her unease.

Taking a deep breath as he bowed his head, Isa said, "I know that I have already apologized to you both once, but it seemed insufficient in the face of everything that I have done."

"You've got that right," muttered Roxas, some of his quiet anger slipping out.

"Roxas," she hissed.

Isa didn't let the quiet exchange deter him from what he had in mind. Slow and deliberate, he carefully lowered himself down to his knees. And then he lowered himself further, hands resting on the stone as Isa bowed forward until his forehead pressed against the ground.

Lea's breath caught in his throat as he recognized what Isa was doing. Different worlds had different cultural gestures. Some overlapped, but not all. He didn't know enough about Destiny Island to know if it held the same meaning for them. And Twilight Town seemed more casual about such things. But that particular bow meant something in Radiant Garden.

It wasn't common. It was a gesture reserved for only rare occasions. Usually for the most desperate and incredibly immense favors, the types where you were literally begging for help… or the most serious apologies. Performing it was as good as admitting that you had made a grave mistake or a humiliating failure to the point that you had no chance of undoing the damage. It carried the implications that you were worthless and you could only hope that the person would forgive you for your shameful actions. It was an old, rarely-performed gesture that carried a lot of weight and humility.

The kids may or may not get the implications and cultural weight of that particular form of bowing, but Lea certainly did. It was surprising enough to hear Isa's admission of guilt and apologies in the Keyblade Graveyard. This hit even harder. Even understanding why Isa would do such a thing did little to ease Lea's second-hand discomfort.

"I know that I've hurt all of you. And what happened cannot be undone." Isa slowly straightened enough to look at them again, but remained kneeling on the ground. "I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I am sorry. I wish that I could tell you that it was solely due to what Xemnas or Xehanort's influence was doing to me. But part of it was my own jealousy and anger. Emotions that I couldn't identify or accept. Nothing that I did to you was right. To any of you."

Isa's eyes briefly met Lea's gaze. And it suddenly became clear that while most of the apology was directed towards Roxas and Xion, Isa was including Lea as well.

"My treatment of you would be inexcusable towards anyone, but especially towards children," he continued. "I simply couldn't see what I was doing." Isa shook his head slowly. "I couldn't even see Xion properly."

Taking a small step forward, Xion asked, "What did you see when you looked at me back then? Sora?"

"No. I knew that you were a replica from the beginning. I visited Vexen's lab once while he was still working on the project," he said solemnly. "I could only see the pale faceless figure in a dark hood that Vexen first showed me. Something that seemed even less human than a Nobody. I didn't treat you as anything more than his artificial creation because that was all that I could see when I looked at you. Not the young girl that your friends could see. And I am deeply sorry that I refused to treat you as a person."

Silence hung over them for a moment. Isa remained kneeling on the ground, looking smaller than he had been in years. It was the first time that he wasn't looming over the young Keyblade wielders. Roxas and Xion slowly exchanged looks. Lea didn't know if their knack for silent communication was due to them being friends for nearly their entire existences or because they both came from Sora in one way or another. But they seemed to come to some kind of decision together.

Isa seemed a little surprised as the two shorter figures reached down to pull him back to his feet.

"We agreed to give you a chance," said Xion. "Thank you for the apology. And even if Saïx wasn't that nice to us, we would like to know Isa better."

Giving him a sharp-edged grin that reminded Lea of a shark, Roxas added, "That doesn't mean that we forgive or forgot what happened. You do anything to hurt us or our friends again? I will make you regret returning as a complete person."

"Roxas," groaned Lea, dragging a hand through his hair, "how many feuds do you plan to form?"

"I don't know. I mean, Riku still owes me a rematch and I don't like Vincent. And Seifer isn't fond of me, though I think he's more upset with Xion right now."

Turning towards Lea, Isa asked, "How is he collecting so many enemies? I thought you were supposed to be keeping him out of trouble."

And of course, there was only one possible response to that. Rolling his eyes, Lea shoved Isa and twisted out of the way when his oldest friend tried to retaliate.

"Come on then," said Lea. "There's an entire fair to explore. The local trio are waiting for the half-pints and I'm looking forward to finding out if Isa is as bad at fair games as he used to be."

"Wait, what?" asked Roxas, his face lighting up.

Turning his eyes skywards, Isa groaned, "Lea."

"Axel?" prompted Xion.

Lea grinned before turning to walk away. A moment later, they followed. The Keyblade wielders in excitement and Isa reluctantly dragging his feet.

"Who wants to hear the story about Isa and the ring-toss?"

"Lea," he said in warning.

"That was the year that they exiled you from the entire row of game tents."

"Lea."

"It was worse than the dart game and that one involved minor bloodshed."

"I was seven. And everyone knows those games are rigged."

"They're rigged to make them hard to win. They don't rig them so kids will accidentally stab someone by throwing darts."

Lea rather enjoyed the quiet giggling from the half-pints as they trailed after them. Hopefully hearing about Isa's childhood misadventures would help them see him as more than Saïx. Not to mention that it was fun teasing him.

There were certain traditions to be observed when it came to the annual Apple Fair. Certain expectations of what to expect and what the three of them always tried to do. Olette always enjoyed the fair. It wasn't always the most exciting thing in the world, but they could generally have a good time.

There was a routine to the day. They would start by finding which stalls were selling snacks. Then they needed to debate between the merits of the different options in order to decide what to try first. The various pies, the baked goods with homemade apple butter, dried apple chips, and the classic caramel apples. And after they decided on a snack, they would start exploring the other stalls to pick out their souvenirs and which games had the best prizes. And finally, they would go watch the pie-eating competitions.

Olette knew that Hayner wished that there were some more physical competitions like the Struggle Tournament, but they had fun cheering during the pie-eating contest. One year, Pence decided to enter. It didn't go very well, but it gave them a great story for a while.

She was currently picking over the table covered in various handcrafted accessories when she caught sight of a familiar faces. Faces that they'd been expecting. Roxas and Xion were looking over a few carved knickknacks at the tent across from her. And watching their investigations was Lea and a tall blue-haired man. Lea seemed rather amused by the entire proceedings, occasionally pointing out something that they'd missed. But even if they were moving as an obvious group together, the stranger was clearly feeling awkward. He kept Lea between him and the two teenagers like a buffer.

"That's Isa," said Pence, coming up beside her. "I told you guys about him. He's moving into the Old Mansion."

"Roxas and Xion don't seem to like him," said Hayner as he crossed his arms. "Or maybe he doesn't like them."

"You just don't like him because I told you that he's a friend of Lea's," he said.

Hayner didn't immediately respond. He simply scowled and looked away, making Olette roll her eyes at him. They didn't know much about Isa yet beyond Pence's first meeting with him, but they did know that he was supposed to be Lea's friend and that there was some kind of history between the small group. And his friendship with Lea was apparently enough to earn Hayner's suspicions. Even after Roxas, Xion, and Kairi vouched for the man and confirmed that he wasn't a creepy kidnapper, Hayner didn't quite trust Lea.

One of these days he was going to try attacking Lea again. Olette was almost certain of it. It was simply a matter of time.

Hopefully Lea wouldn't bruise Hayner's ego too much when it happened.

"Come on then," said Olette. "We can give them the grand tour of the Apple Fair."

And she could show Xion some of the cute hairclips that she'd found. The beautiful hand-painted things shaped like apple blossoms, ranging from white to a pale pink to a shade approaching a reddish-rose color. They would look nice in Xion's short black hair. And since everyone did some odd jobs around town the day before, Olette knew that they should have some spending munny to buy a few fun things.

Xion was excited when they headed down to the hidden lab in Radiant Garden. They'd come because they'd heard the news. It finally worked.

They found a small crowd of people already waiting. Master Ansem, Ienzo, and Even nodded in greetings as she, Roxas, and Lea walked in. Kairi, Riku, and Kiru were smiling brightly as they encircled one of the chairs. And sitting in that chair, waving shyly at them, was a newly restored Naminé.

She looked exactly like she did the last time that Xion saw her. Right before Axel showed up outside the Old Mansion. Naminé wore either the same white dress or one identical to her old one. Her longer blonde hair, her withdrawn body language, and the same facial features that Xion and Kairi shared. She was truly back.

"Did you hear the good news?" asked Kairi.

Smiling brightly in a way that Xion had never seen from him before, Riku said, "Naminée knows how to get Sora back."

"That's wonderful," said Xion.

"I knew you could do it." Lea sounded particularly proud of her, probably remembering whatever happened in Castle Oblivion. "And it is good to have you back, Naminé. You always did deserve better."

The girl ducked her head briefly at his words, uncertain how to accept them. Kiru reached down to squeeze her hand before helping her to her feet. She slowly smoothed out her dress. Trying her best to seem like she was comfortable being at the center of attention when she was clearly unfamiliar with the situation.

"Welcome back, Naminé," said Roxas. "We're happy to see you again. And you said hat you know how to bring Sora back?"

Nodding, Ienzo said, "She just finished explaining it in detail. It is actually rather interesting how simple the solution is. We should have realized it sooner."

It took a moment before Xion noticed something strange. They were all staring at her expectantly. Naminé, Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Even Master Ansem, Even, and Ienzo were looking at Xion like they were waiting for her to do something.

"If we wish to bring Sora back," said Naminé, "there is only one way to do it. To bring back Sora, Xion must disappear like she did before."

"What?" whispered Xion.

Something fluttered frantically in her chest as cold dread washed over her. She must have misunderstood. Naminé couldn't have said that.

"A simple exchange," said Riku. "One for the other."

Kairi nodded with her bright smile and said, "He could be home before nightfall."

Xion took a step back, her hands moving up to chest level as she clutched them together. She didn't want to fade away again. She finally had a life of her own. And now they were asking for her to give up everything a second time.

Even worse, they looked happy about it. No reluctance or indecision. Xion knew that they wanted Sora back, but couldn't they be upset about what it would cost. Didn't they care?

Didn't she matter even a little bit?

"There must be another way," she said shakily, taking a few more steps back. "He wouldn't want to come back like this. Not at the expense of someone else."

"It is the most sensible course of action," said Master Ansem, brushing aside her protests. "Bringing back Sora after everything that he's done is only right. And it would only require the loss of something that shouldn't have existed in the first place and that no one will even remember losing. A more than fair exchange, wouldn't you agree? The ideal outcome for all involved."

No, not everyone involved. It wasn't fair. Nothing about what they were saying was fair. Panic and dread coiled in her chest. It wasn't right. And any moment now, someone would point that out. Lea and Roxas wouldn't—

"If it is the only way," said Roxas slowly, "then I suppose we have no choice."

Xion spun around, feeling like his words slapped her across the face. Roxas and Lea weren't grinning cheerfully like the others, but they looked thoughtful. As if they were considering the idea. As if they didn't see any problem with sacrificing her.

Fighting past the tight knot in her throat, Xion whispered, "Roxas? Axel? Please…"

"Xion, wake up. It's all right."

None of them were defending her. They wanted Sora. Not her. She didn't matter. They wouldn't even remember her when she was gone. Her throat tightened further and her chest ached. It wasn't fair.

She didn't want to disappear again.

"You'll bring Sora back, right?" asked Kairi.

"Of course, she will." Riku took a step towards her, he and the others starting to crowd her. "Xion will do the right thing."

But it didn't feel right. It felt awful. How many times must she give up every part of herself? Her life, her existence, and even the very memory that others shared of her? When would it be enough?

"Come on. Wake up, Xion."

She knew that she should help. Sora would do the same for any of them. In fact, Sora was gone because he tried to save everyone. Xion, Roxas, and Ventus tried to help him before. She should try helping him now. She should want to do it.

But she was scared. She didn't want to go. She didn't want to fade away again, vanishing into Sora's heart or completely disappearing.

She wanted to exist. Was that so wrong?

A hand on her shoulder and a quiet voice called, "Xion."

She blinked a few times, finally pulled out of sleep. Xion sat up slowly, wiping away at the wetness that she found on her face. Lea waited patiently, sitting on the edge of her bed. Smiling reassuringly at her.

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

Familiar words. Comforting words. Grounding words. Words that waited for her after every nightmare to remind her that it was over and nothing would hurt her now. That she wasn't alone.

Continuing with the routine, Lea asked, "What do you need?"

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and swiped away at the tears again. Then Xion raised her arms slightly.

"A hug?" she whispered.

He didn't even hesitate. Lea pulled her close, letting Xion bury her face in his chest. Her fingers dug into his white t-shirt as he held her tight. One hand cupped the back of her head while the other arm wrapped around her body firmly. As if she was something precious that he couldn't bear to lose.

After a few moments of enjoying the hug and feeling wanted, Xion asked quietly, "You wouldn't let me disappear again, would you? Even to bring Sora back?"

"Never. I won't let that happen," he said immediately, his tone forceful as his arms squeezed her a little harder. "They would have to find another way because I'm not losing you again. Not you, Roxas, Isa, Kairi, or anyone."

"Really?" she whispered.

"Promise. And even if something happened, you know that I'll always be there to bring you back. Nothing would stop me."

Xion sank further into the hug. Relaxing and calming as the nightmare seemed to grow more distant. That awful possibility couldn't stand up to the soothing reality. Now that she was awake, Xion knew that nightmare would never come to pass. She knew Lea and Roxas wouldn't let it happen. Not when they'd both fought so hard to save her in their own ways. They wouldn't give up on her that easily.

"I didn't really want to go," she admitted quietly, immediately feeling guilty as the words formed. But she kept going. "Not back then. Even to help bring Sora back to his friends. I knew it was the right thing to do and I was hurting Roxas, but I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay. Even if it was impossible, I wanted to stay. Is that wrong?"

Shifting his grip until he could tuck her head under his chin, Lea murmured, "Of course not. Nothing that happened back then was fair. To anyone. There just weren't any good answers. You shouldn't have ever faced that impossible choice. And it isn't selfish to want to live."

They stayed that way for a few more minutes. And when her weariness crept back on her, Xion slowly released her tight grip.

"I think I can go back to sleep now," she said.

Lea finally let go and stood up, but looked surprised when she chose to settle back on her pillow instead of following. This was her first nightmare in over a week. They were getting better. Xion felt confident that she could sleep through the rest of the night in her own bed without any further problems.

A strange expression briefly flashed across Lea's face. Then he swallowed hard and gave Xion a reassuring smile.

"If you change your mind, there's plenty of room in my bed. You two are always welcome for a slumber party," he said slowly.

Pulling her blanket closer, the girl finally getting used to the idea of using one without needing to be reminded of it, Xion murmured, "I know. Good night, Axel."

He lingered at the doorway for a moment longer, almost looking like he wanted to say something else. But he didn't. With a strange amount of reluctance, Lea headed back to his own bedroom alone.

And so we get the official Isa apology moment. One where he isn't fading from existence and knows that he has to live with the consequences of his actions. And yes, his apology does mirror that moment where he made Sora beg for Kairi's return and then refused. It seemed appropriate.