I'm very glad to see that everyone seems happy with Naminé's return. She might not have the answer on how to find Sora, but it is nice to bring her back. She and Kiru can try to decide on how enjoy their own lives now. Figuring out how to have lives outside of Keyblade bearer stuff and protecting the various worlds is the whole point of this fic. Not just for Roxas and Xion, but even the other characters to an extent.

On a side note, I've been doing some planning on how I might handle Sora's return. Which involves a lot of study concerning the various developments from the whole "Kingdom Hearts χ" collection of things ("Kingdom Hearts χ", "Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ", "Kingdom Hearts Union χ", "Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover," and "Kingdom Hearts Dark Road").

Since I started "Big Brother Instinct" back in February 2019 and the final story update from "Union Cross" wasn't released until the mid-2021, it is safe to say that there have been developments in the meantime that no one would have predicted back then. Especially since I started this before we really knew that Yozora would be important or that Quadratum even existed. So, just like I decided to pick and choose what to incorporate from the "Re:Mind" update, I will be picking out the bits and pieces from "Kingdom Hearts χ" stuff that work best with the story that I want to tell.

Will it solve every mystery and predict everything that will happen in the canon universe? Of course not. But will it incorporate at least some of those elements (the Foretellers, the Master of Masters, the Gazing Eye's purpose with the eye-in-the-Keyblade trick for seeing the future, the Black Box, etc.)? Yes, it will. Hopefully you'll enjoy the elements I include and accept the elements that I discard.

But mostly I hope that my readers will stick around and that I won't lose momentum before getting to that point. I'm still in the planning stage because there's a lot of moving parts involved. If I can't get all of it nailed down into something comprehendible or I run out of steam, I'll at least finish "Parental Instinct" enough to give you a satisfying end point until inspiration strikes again (even if Sora remains MIA).

Anyway, that's enough rambling. I'm sure that you're eager to see what happens now in this story instead of worrying about a possible future story.

The Keyblade War was over. Kingdom Hearts and all the worlds were safe. Xehanort and the real Organization XIII were gone forever. Everyone was back in the Keyblade Graveyard. They should have been celebrating.

But Roxas felt exhausted. His muscles ached from the fatigue of his long day of fighting and the glaring sun beating down didn't help. But it was a deeper and more intense weariness that was pulling him. An exhaustion that had nothing to do with his body.

He couldn't stand. He couldn't even lift his head or arm as all his strength abandoned him. Lea was trying to somehow support both him and Xion. Ventus was in similarly bad shape. They'd all three made the same decision and were paying the same price. But Roxas wasn't dwelling on that. All of his focus was on Sora.

Sora. Smiling brightly even as his heart cracked and splintered. Trying to comfort even as he was falling apart. Once again, putting everyone else's lives before his own. Sacrificing himself to save his friends. Roxas, Xion, and Ventus were the only things anchoring him to existence.

They had to hold on. Roxas couldn't stop. Couldn't let him slip away. Sora needed his strength or he would be lost. If Roxas ran out of energy or lost his grip on the damaged heart connected to his own, they would lose Sora forever. He knew this on an instinctive level. Sora would be gone and they would never get him back.

Roxas couldn't fail.

He didn't want to. He didn't want to let go. And he might have spent a long time not knowing that he had a heart, but Roxas was confident it was strong. Strong enough to share that strength with his Other. But that strength was fading fast. All of it pouring into Sora. More than Roxas could spare. He could barely keep his eyes open as exhausted pulled him down.

What would happen if he gave all of his energy to Sora? Would he keep going forever? Would Sora pull us all down with him?

It didn't matter. They had to hold on. All three of them. Roxas had to keep him from fading.

Then Roxas felt something inside of him snap. A connection severing like someone sliced it with a knife. And before he could even comprehend what just happened, Sora disappeared. Dissolving into fragments of light. Vanishing without a trace like he never existed.

Gone. He was gone.

Guilt and regret stabbed him in the chest. Painful and sharp. Sora was gone.

Gone forever.

Tears prickled at his eyes. He'd tried. He was exhausted and weak, but he'd tried to hold on. To hold onto Sora.

Sora found a way to bring him and Xion back. Something that should have been impossible, but he did it because he cared that much. Yet Roxas couldn't do a thing to save him. He'd failed. He couldn't save Sora.

Gone.

The word rang through his mind like the bells of the clocktower.

Gone. Sora was gone. Gone forever. Gone beyond their reach. Gone and never coming back.

He didn't wake suddenly or with violence. There was no flailing or shouts or struggles. Roxas simply blinked up at the ceiling, trying to remember what was real as he swiped at the faint tears on his face. The awful feeling of guilt and loss weighed him down. Like a heavy weight sitting on his chest and pinning him to the mattress.

Roxas slowly sat up, dragging his hands through his hair. It had been a while since he'd had a nightmare. And it wasn't even as bad as some nightmares that he'd experienced before. It just left him feeling sad and disappointed in himself about things he couldn't change. A quiet and depressing type of feeling. An unpleasant memory dragged up by recent disappointment.

It wasn't that bad of a nightmare. But there were rules. He had to wake someone up when he had a nightmare. They couldn't be alone to wallow in their misery or fear. Roxas pushed himself off the bed and crept out of his bedroom.

Roxas barely made it to the hall before Lea appeared. As if he'd already been getting up despite the uncivilized hour. He probably heard Roxas crawling out of bed. Despite the ongoing joke about Lea's fondness for naps, he didn't seem to be a heavy sleeper. At least, not that Roxas had noticed since moving to Twilight Town.

"Roxas?"

Shrugging slightly, he mumbled, "Nightmare."

Lea gave him a sympathetic smile, reaching over to pull him slowly into a one-armed hug. Roxas wrapped his own arms around his middle. Even if the nightmare wasn't that bad, the warmth and sturdy embrace felt nice.

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

Roxas smiled into Lea's t-shirt. He didn't really need the reassurances this time, but there was a routine. And that routine felt comforting to hear.

"What do you need?" he continued.

Pulling his face away, Roxas said, "Not much. Maybe… some chamomile tea? Might help me get back to sleep."

Chuckling quietly, Lea said, "I think we can manage that."

Roxas let himself be pulled along to the kitchen. Enough light came through the windows that they could see what they were doing. Lea pulled out everything silently, trying not to wake Xion. It was a little impressive how quietly someone as tall and lanky as him could move when he wanted to. The tea took a little while to make, so they sat down at the table to wait. Lea even managed to take a seat without the chairs making a sound.

"Did I wake you up?" asked Roxas quietly.

Shaking his head briefly, he said, "Nah. Was just sort of lying there. Guess my thoughts were too riled up for much sleep. Yesterday was a lot."

Naminé returning from Kairi's heart. Finding out their best lead on saving Sora wouldn't work. Lea was right about it being a lot. It made sense that he would have trouble falling asleep with all of that to think about. Roxas could also admit that might explain his nightmare.

"Brought up a few memories, I guess," said Roxas with a shrug.

Smiling weakly, Lea said, "I know the feeling. You never know what will drag up memories that hurt. They can hit you in unexpected ways. Sometimes big things, but sometimes it is small things. And sometimes those memories bother you enough to make you think about completely different things that also hurt. Because it is the emotions that are dragging up the memories instead of events." He gave his own shrug before scratching the back of his head and glancing away. "I'm not really fond of visiting Radiant Garden much anymore. And I definitely don't like going down to their secret lab. Not the best memories. It's where a lot of things started going wrong. I'm not fond of the person who came out of there."

"You still came with us to see Naminé," he pointed out. "And you were there when they had replicas for me and Xion."

When Lea nearly died protecting them. Roxas didn't want to think about that day too much. He didn't want to end up with another nightmare later.

"Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can't handle it. Especially when it is important. Just saying that everyone has things that remind them of stuff they'd rather not remember too much." Lea shifted in his seat. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you? About those memories?"

Roxas didn't immediately respond. He just stared at the table. Lea eventually stood up, poured him a cup of tea, and then slid it in front of him. Roxas wrapped his hands around the warm and steaming drink.

"I was dreaming about when Sora disappeared," he said slowly. "It's been months and now we don't know how we're going to find him. It's not fair. None of us really remember what happened. We don't remember why he had to save us. But something went wrong and he pulled us back. He did so much for us… I spent a lot of time hating him because people kept comparing us, acting like we were the same, or just wanting him instead and I needed to disappear so they could have Sora instead."

Roxas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to settle the emotions that threatened to bubble up as he remembered those turbulent days. He'd hated Sora for a lot of reasons. And then he'd really hated him when Axel sacrificed his life to save Sora. But it was hard to hold onto that hatred the more that he got to know his Other. Sora had a knack for wiggling into people's hearts.

"But Sora always treated me like me and he cares about everyone. He deserves better than to just… save his friends and not get to come home after. Everyone got to come home except him."

Including Roxas and Xion, who should have been gone forever trapped in Sora's heart. Where everyone said that they belonged. But they came back. And now Naminé was back. They'd pulled off the impossible to bring everyone home. Everyone except Sora.

"It's not fair," he mumbled.

"Unfortunately, things aren't always fair, Roxas. That's why we have to fight to make them fair sometimes. And we're still working to bring him home."

"I should have done something more."

"You did everything that you could. You, Xion, and Ven bought him some more time."

"But he's still gone, Axel."

"He might be for now, but not forever. He's Sora. I know that yesterday was a setback and I know it doesn't feel like we're making progress. But Kairi waited a whole years for Sora and Riku to make it back to the Destiny Islands. And I…" Lea swallowed, looking away again. "It took a while to get you and Xion back. And there wasn't much hope then. No one else was even looking for a way at first because... But Sora thought it was possible and I wasn't going to give up on you. We found a way eventually. So don't give up on Sora just yet. He'll be back."

Despite the numerous lies and secrets that he kept as Axel towards the end, it was hard for him to doubt Lea when he sounded so certain. Roxas smiled faintly at him as he sipped his tea. It felt warm and soothing, brushing away the final traces of sadness from the nightmare. He didn't know if it was the taste or the heat, but he was starting to feel drowsy. He should be able to get back to sleep soon.

Watching Roxas smother a yawn, Lea said, "Feeling any better now? Or is there anything else that you need? Anything else I can do to help?"

"Not really. It wasn't that bad of a nightmare," he said, rubbing at his eyes briefly. "Just a little sad."

He finished the rest of his tea. Then he put the teacup in the sink as quietly as possible.

"It's funny. I haven't had a nightmare in a while," he continued. "Maybe they'll stop completely someday. Then I won't need any of this and none of us will be waking up in the middle of the night. Wouldn't that be great?"

Hesitating a moment, Lea whispered, "Yeah… Won't need any help from me before you know it."

Aqua wished that she wasn't, but she was a little jealous of Naminé and Kiru when they came to the Land of Departure. Jealousy was unbecoming of a Keyblade master and they were good kids. They had done nothing wrong. But learning to accept that darkness was not inherently evil and that Master Eraqus's teachings were occasionally too extreme meant that Aqua could deny the brief moments where she envied them.

For the most part, she didn't regret inviting the pair. Moving them in went smoothly enough. They didn't have many belongings, though Kiru had accumulated a few things during his time on the Destiny Islands and Naminé ended up with a small collection of gifts from various people. There were several empty rooms for them to choose from. Rooms from the distant days when the halls were filled with students, long before Master Eraqus was put in charge of protecting their sanctuary on a world at the edge of light and darkness. There was more than enough space for Kiru and Naminé, but they ended up choosing neighboring rooms that looked out on the beautiful countryside. They wanted to stay close.

Naminé seemed particularly happy about the view. She mentioned loving the bright colors and hearing the distant birds.

The first attempts at training Kiru were admittedly more of an opportunity to see where he was as a student rather than trying to teach. It was a chance to put him through his paces while Aqua, Terra, and even Ventus tried to work out how to proceed with their first student. He was young. Both physically and chronologically. But Aqua couldn't help being impressed with his skill and strength, just like she was when she first saw Riku in action or when she learned that he was made a master so young.

Though she was mildly surprised by his Keyblade's appearance at first. She originally thought he might have changed it with a keychain, a charm born of powerful memories attached to a token that could alter a Keyblade's outward appearance and capabilities, even if it remained the same weapon underneath. But no, it was its natural state. Vaguely shaped like an elongated batwing with a feathered wing serving as the teeth of the key and another helping to form part of the hilt, a gemstone of the palest blue rested in the hilt. None of the colors were particularly intense. Instead, they were softer shades. Silver, lavender, light blue, pale red, and cream. The Keyblade didn't quite seem like him, the darkness-wielding replica with a fondness for dark blue and yellow in his wardrobe. And yet, it was clearly his. The weapon was perfectly in sync with the boy.

It just goes to show that it was impossible to know the true nature of someone's heart just by looking at their appearance.

And it was nice having the pair stay with them. Their home felt too empty sometimes. The arrival of company helped. Ventus was excited to show Kiru and Naminé around, sharing all of his favorite spots. The training grounds where he could show off, the hill where he liked watching shooting stars in the old days, the library, and the various hiding places where he would try to avoid chores that Master Eraqus had pretended that he didn't know all about. Terra taught Kiru and Naminé how to play Command Board and found some of the stories that Ventus used to read when he first joined them. And Aqua started showing Naminé how to sew and how to craft decorative frames for her drawings.

But when night fell, Aqua couldn't help being jealous.

While occasionally nightmares would wake the girl, Naminé and Kiru mostly slept through the night. Aqua was not nearly that lucky. She couldn't relax at night. Even now, the urge to keep moving and to remain on guard for danger persisted. Sleep eluded her most nights and she was too busy during the day to catch up on the rest that she was missing.

Aqua sat on her bed, drawing her knees up against her chest as she stared at the way moonlight and shadows painted her blanket. She wanted to move. To pace the halls and keep going. Never stopping or resting because that would make her an easier target. But she forced herself to stay in her room and to mostly stay in her bed because she refused to disturb everyone else. She refused to worry her friends.

She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't feel safe at night. Which was ridiculous. Aqua knew better than that. And yet she was behaving like a foolish child instead of a Keyblade master. A little girl jumping at shadows. There was nothing that would harm her. There was no need to stay on the move. There were no threats. And yet she couldn't help the lingering feelings of anxiety and nervous energy that washed over her when darkness arrived at night.

Maybe part of her was still afraid. Afraid that she would open her eyes and find herself back in the Realm of Darkness. As if the last several months would turn out to be a dream and her friends would be illusions dissolving away into smoke. Or maybe she would wake up to all that darkness trying to swallow her back up again.

She couldn't stop remembering how it felt, the darkness sinking into her… corrupting her thoughts and emotions. She remembered the way it felt as it tried to smother the light in her heart. She remembered how the darkness, the sorrow, the misery, the fear, the hopelessness, the resentment, and the anger took over until that was all that was left. She remembered how the darkness felt on her skin and inside her, how it looked as it wrapped around her, and how it smelled as it filled her lungs. Twisting her until she became someone that she couldn't recognize. Someone that Aqua couldn't bear to become again.

Sometimes she thought about that small lamp in the room Master Yen Sid gave her in his tower. A small light to keep away the shadows and the nightmares. But Aqua needed to be an example for Terra and Ventus. They'd gone through so much. They needed her to be strong. To prove that they could heal and move past what happened to all of them. And that meant she couldn't rely on a nightlight to comfort and sooth her like when she was a small child.

Besides, it wasn't as bad as when they first saved her from the Realm of Darkness. She knew that a few shadows at night weren't enough to truly harm her. There was no blind terror and she managed to stay in her room rather than wandering the halls.

But she was still uncomfortable enough that sleep often eluded her. And she missed having a full night's sleep. She envied Naminé and Kiru their rest.

Aqua could pretend during the day that she was fine. And she, Terra, and Ventus had settled into a new form of normal. Trying to figure out how to move forwards without Master Eraqus. They were managing so far. Rebuilding their bonds and moving forward. And she was happy to be with them, even if she needed to pretend to be fine occasionally when she wasn't.

But sometimes she caught hints that she wasn't the only one pretending. While Aqua couldn't sleep at night because the darkness put her on alert and she was left fighting the urge to keep moving like she did in the Realm of Darkness, Ventus seemed to be avoiding sleep on general principle. He was the last to head to bed and the first to rise in the morning. Sometimes she wondered if he actually slept. She thought that she could occasionally hear movement from his room at night, but that could be coming from Terra's room instead. She'd noticed that he tended to toss and turn, the bed creaking as he struggled to sleep. And during the day, there would be moments that Terra would grow distant and withdrawn. An expression on his face that she couldn't completely decipher, but could at least recognize that it wasn't a happy one.

Aqua didn't know how to help them. She couldn't seem to even help herself. Ventus had started drinking chamomile tea in the evening and offering them some, but it felt like it was treating the symptoms of the problem rather than the source. They were all hurting from what happened over a decade ago. When their lives were scattered and left in ruins. They were hurt, but trying to move forward. Pretending that they weren't carrying their scars and hoping that if they pretended long enough, they would eventually stop hurting as much.

Rubbing her arms briefly, Aqua turn to stare out the window. Beautiful stars twinkled high above. A reminder of how vast and wonderful it was out there. So many worlds and people in the realm of light that she could now enjoy. Focusing on that made her feel a bit more hopeful.

Maybe having a couple of new faces around would help. A distraction from their healing wounds. New people to breathe new life into their home. A little light to brighten things.

And maybe when they started really working on Kiru's training, they would all wear themselves out enough to sleep soundly through the night.

Lea collapsed on the sofa with a pained hiss. The potion was helping with the pain and encouraging the bruises to start healing, but it wasn't enough to get rid of it all. Honestly, he should have tried a hi-potion or even elixir after the day that he'd had. The Heartless was worse than he'd expected to encounter. But he couldn't try something stronger to heal him. He needed to save his munny for more important things.

He'd unfortunately figured out a flaw in his plan to earn munny by fighting Heartless. No matter how good he was at dodging, occasionally a hit would land. And he wasn't as durable as a human. Which meant either using healing items or letting the injuries heal slowly while hoping the half-pints didn't notice.

Weaker Heartless would run fewer risks of injuries, but they didn't leave as much behind. Lea would need to spend all day fighting them and might still not bring home enough to make the effort worth it. More powerful Heartless would provide bigger rewards in less time. But that also involved bigger risks and Lea ended up needing to spend more munny on healing items, which were expensive.

Lea was doing his best to make it work. But he was running himself ragged trying to keep up and the lack of sleep wasn't helping. His reflexes and stamina ended up suffering, which led to more sloppy mistakes and more injuries that he should have avoided. Which led to using even more healing items. Spending more munny that he could have used. It was a vicious cycle.

He wasn't quite desperate for funds yet. They still had enough coming in for their daily needs and he hadn't missed a rent payment to Gina so far. And the half-pints hadn't noticed anything different. But he hadn't quite realized how many expenses there were when it came to being a real person. A real person with a couple of teenage toddlers that he was responsible for. Lea wasn't desperate yet, but his tidy stockpile of munny saved from his time as a Nobody was gone.

Dragging a hand through his hair, Lea groaned tiredly. He would figure something out. He refused to spend more time fighting Heartless. That would take time away from seeing his friends. He wasn't even certain if he would be able to handle being away from them more without falling apart from anxiety and dread. He was getting better at being away from Roxas and Xion, but he wasn't ready to push those limits. His only option was to stick with fighting stronger Heartless and only using potions when necessary. A few more bruises healing the long way. He could manage that.

He could do this. He would just have to be more careful. Couldn't afford those sloppy mistakes anymore. Not if he wanted to be there for everyone. Lea would make it work somehow. He could handle it.

Isa could barely comprehend how he'd ended up where he was. Sitting on the recliner while Lea, Roxas, and Xion sprawled on the sofa, a rather laughable monster movie with oversized lizards and special effects by visible wires.

The simple explanation was that he was there because they invited him. Lea found the movie and declared that it would be absolutely awful in the best possible way. But it turned out to be Roxas and Xion who invited him to join them. Apparently they decided it would be a reasonable substitute for the increasingly-common Game Night.

But considering the full implications of what his presence meant, Isa could scarcely understand how he'd reached that point. Not that long ago, they were all part of Organization XIII. He'd been cruel to the children and cold and distant to his oldest friend. He'd fought them. He'd hurt them all back then. And all the apologies in the world could not erase that harm fully. Isa gave them more than enough reason to hate him.

And yet he was there. With them. Not simply tolerated, but wanted. After everything that happened and everything that he'd done, Isa couldn't quite understand why. He didn't know why any of them would forgive him. He was simply grateful for this second chance that he didn't deserve.

Isa might not know why he was allowed to have this life… a life where he could be friends with Lea again, could try repairing some of the harm he'd done to Roxas and Xion, to make new friends like apparently Pence… He might not understand why he was allowed to have all of this, but isa would not squander it. He would simply enjoy what he had.

Which meant that he could spend the evening watching a movie where everyone was screaming about an iguana with cardboard horns.

Isa rather enjoyed watching the film alongside them. Chuckling over the special effects and the clunky dialogue while Lea whispered explanations to Roxas and Xion. At least until Lea drifted off, one arm slung around each of the Keyblade wielders snuggled up next to him. Then Isa had to occasionally explain something about the film to the pair. He didn't mind. The whole experience left a warm feeling nestled in his chest in a rather pleasant manner.

But eventually his thoughts grew slower and heavy, making it harder to focus on the so-called plot. Magic hummed under his skin as the familiar pull of a stronger force tugged at him. The sun had long since set and even if he couldn't see it, Isa knew that the moon hung in the purple twilight skies. Specifically, a full moon. A relaxing, soothing, and empowering presence that he couldn't ignore. He didn't want to ignore it. Isa wanted to see the full moon. To stare up at it even through the solid ceiling.

He'd always loved the night sky as a child. Drawn towards it like gravity. But it wasn't until he began wielding magic that the moon gained a stronger hold on him. His magic waxed and waned with the moonlight. It gave him greater strength as the moon grew full and bright, bathing him in the silver light. But it came with the side effect of claiming an even greater hold on his thoughts in return. He could be distracted on a normal night, but a full moon could pull his mind away to an even greater extent.

The heavy and sluggish thoughts could easily slide in a few different directions. Into the mindless fury of his Berserk Form, for example. Pulling that magic to the surface and fueling his strength until he could not be stopped in battle. Or he might instead be drawn towards the night sky, completely unaware of the passing hours. Or Isa may simply let his slow and heavy thoughts quiet further until he plunged into a deep sleep where the moon filled his dreams instead. It all depended on how much he resisted or how strongly the power hummed through his veins. Regardless, he would have to fight that pull if he wanted to focus on anything else until the full moon faded from the night sky.

Oddly enough, when the constructed Kingdom Hearts shone down on the Castle That Never Was, he'd felt his strength increase without his mind clouding as much until he purposefully plunged into Berserk Form. Probably because Kingdom Hearts wasn't a true moon, no matter the similar appearance. It had been something else. Something far more.

"Isa?"

Blinking blearily, he tried to pull himself back to his surroundings at the sound of Lea's voice. The movie was over, the television screen showing the credits at the end. Roxas and Xion were stretching and rubbing their eyes as they stood up from the sofa. They looked drowsy and ready for bed. And as he turned around further, Isa glimpsed the moon through one of the kitchen windows.

The full moon. Bright, warm, and soothing. Silver light that called to him. Beautiful and enthralling in a way that he couldn't escape. Nor did he want to. It called to him, mesmerizing and powerful as the magic in him rose up in response. He could do anything with that power. Destroy any foe. Or he could let it sink back down, letting his mind follow until it lulled him to sleep.

"Isa," called Lea again, patient and careful.

He managed to pull his eyes away to find Lea. He was setting out a pair of teacups that were steaming quietly. Isa hadn't even noticed when he woke up or moved, let alone start making tea. Clearly the full moon was affecting him particularly strongly that evening.

"Okay, yeah, you're not walking back alone tonight," said Lea, shaking his head. "Roxas? Xion? You two can go ahead and drink your tea. I'll escort Isa back so he doesn't get stuck somewhere staring at the sky all night. Shouldn't take too long."

Lea came back over and pulled Isa to his feet. He didn't know if he felt energized or like he was about to drift off. Isa had never been able to properly describe the almost paradoxical way it affected him when the moon was at each peak. He tried to focus on anything other than the magic warm and powerful beneath his skin or the moon pulling at him. He tried to focus on Lea instead.

Did Lea look tired? That nap on the couch during the movie didn't seem to have done him much good. Were those circles under his eyes or was Isa imagining things?

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Smiling, Lea said, "I'm fine. You're the one we need to keep an eye on. Promise that you won't stay out all night after I get you back to the Old Mansion. You'll be exhausted in the morning."

Isa wanted to dig a little deeper on Lea's current state because something nagged at him that his friend wasn't telling him everything, but his eyes drifted back towards the window. Towards the moon's pale light. And any other thoughts tried to slide away.

"It's late. Maybe… Isa could stay?" said Roxas slowly.

Lea stiffened in surprise. Xion was staring at him with wide eyes. And the words were enough to even pull Isa back briefly. Things might have improved between him and Roxas, but none of them would have expected the boy to make that kind of offer. Even Roxas seemed surprised by what he'd said. But he didn't take it back.

"Are you both all right with that?" asked Lea. "That's a big step."

Roxas nodded stubbornly, refusing to back down. He was never the sort to give in or give up. But Isa noticed the hesitation as Xion glanced back towards the bedrooms, clutching her cup of tea tightly.

"Perhaps," said Isa gently, doing his best to focus on the situation, "I could stay on the couch. I wouldn't wish to intrude on a space that belongs solely to you."

Smiling faintly, Xion nodded in gratitude. Isa returned with his own smile.

The children finished drinking their chamomile tea as Lea retrieved a few blankets and a pillow from the linens closet. It only took a few moments to turn the sofa into an impromptu bed. Granted, the sofa remained a little narrow for a proper bed and Isa's height complicated the sleeping arrangements further, but it should work. And it should be harder to be distracted by the moon since it would face away from the window. Once he lay down, Isa should be able to let his sluggish mind slow further and fall asleep easily enough.

"Time for everyone to crawl off to bed," said Lea, ruffling the two children's hair. "And that includes you too, Isa."

In case it was too subtle, Kiru's Keyblade does not have the Gazing Eye in it despite looking similar to a color-changed version of Riku's old Keyblade. He gets a gemstone in the same spot instead. It is about time for the Gazing Eye to start disappearing. Can't let a certain someone glimpse too many things…