Final Fantasy XV - Kingdom Hearts

Epilogue

Summary: Two warriors of Light, the Chosen King and Keyblade Master, face an unseen Darkness.

*Altissia, six months later*

The day had finally come…

Once this day was meant to be out of obligation and a truce born out of necessity, nothing more than to maintain a fragile peace between two warring nations. The day where two royals born from other kingdoms were meant to wed as a symbol of truce. The grand city that would be the place where a historic truce would be made, a day bleak and forced by the participants yet there would have been glimmers of hope for the people who witnessed the momentous occasion.

But today, this would be a wedding commenced not because of obligations nor in the hopes to create a shaky truce between old-time enemies. It was a wedding to celebrate love and commitment to each other. Altissia, once ruined by the wrath of the old goddess of the sea, was now restored to its aquatic glory like the day of its destruction had never come. The day was a beautiful summer's day with not a cloud in the sky, the streets were full of the grand city's people watching on the large monitor outside the church.

Within the old cathedral where it would still tribute to the goddess of the sea, in two separate rooms were the groom and bride, finishing their final preparations and would soon join in matrimony.

In his room with Ignis by his side, king Noctis fusses over a tie out of anxious nerves and nervous energy. Composed as best as he could to finish the tying of the annoying piece of cloth, he turned to his advisor sitting on a chair, examining his majesty. "How's this?", asked Noctis, arms open to give his long-time advisor a full view of his suit. Traditional Lucis black with the kingly raiment pauldrons on his shoulders and a golden brace on his knee. He shaved his stubble to look properly groomed and proper for the day and even attempted to try and comb his hair.

He and Ignis tried but there are some miracles beyond them.

"Perfect", Ignis compliments, gesturing his clothes with a relaxed smile, "Though I'd suggest the knee brace should be removed. Unless you think you'll need it of course". Noctis looked at the brace with a bite on his lip before he nodded in agreement and unstrapped it, citing that maybe it would be a bit misleading to the people. Standing up properly, he was rewarded by a confident smile on his advisor's face and then gestures the seat for him to relax and clear his mind, reminding him he still had time before the wedding begins.

He takes a breath to clear his nerves, closing his eyes, and leaned back into the chair while Ignis begins to list off the preparations and precautions to ensure his king and future queen would have the wedding they both deserved. Months of work had gone into this event, every member of the guardians and several of the RC all joined in the process of making this a wedding to remember. With Lunafreya having Aqua as her maid of honor, the master had shown her skills as a planner and with the aid of her fellow master, her "sisters" and friends.

From the caterers, flower arrangements, music performers, pretty much anything that was needed Aqua had the whole ordeal under control, and with Ignis pretty much knows every single user group or well-renowned companies that cater to their needs, the two were praised by the future rulers of Insomnia. Riku teasing that if their current careers don't work out, perhaps going into the wedding business may be healthy work. Though Ignis swears he was only doing this once as he loved his brother too much to leave him, Aqua flat out refused. Her explanation was: "Luna isn't a nightmare when things go wrong…".

Gladiolus had explained to her the term bridezilla a while back and apparently, the horror stories had wormed into her mind with a permanent fear of what a bridezilla was.

Only within the month of the wedding on the horizon did Lunafreya and Noctis separate, tradition and all. Noctis busied himself between ruling his country and learning everything he needed for the wedding and thanking his stars Ignis hadn't found a new occupation during his year-long disappearance. The man had been a literal godsend throughout these trying days of being the king his city needs and trying his best to prepare for the wedding. Dance lessons with his friends were a mix of hilarity and fun while being some of the most exhausting and painful experience he had ever endured.

How in the world is learning footwork in fighting so much easier than dancing was beyond him and even Riku and Sora were beaten by the end of the fifth attempt of NOT stomping on each other's feet. Though he had to give Lea and Roxas credit, they pulled off the waltz with worrisome grace and even Lea letting the younger and shorter boy take the lead was strangely amazing. Luckily for the king, Rikku was willing to be his dance partner since she was the closest to Lunafreya's height and weight, and with her wearing Ventus' boots, he didn't crush her feet.

When the month of the wedding came, Noctis was dragged to his bachelor party. Well, calling it a bachelor party was rather exaggerated, seeing as most of the men if not all of them were already paired off and dating. So instead of a party with strippers, or as Gladiolus claimed, "Exotic Dancers", they headed for a bar within the city of water and drank together merrily. Ordering pizza, plenty of drinking games were won and lost, and of course, waking up with the worst hangover a groom could endure, was a blast.

Except for Sora. The poor boy could not handle his drink, and after one beer, he was out. Sure the former teens of the guardians were now legal adults (in the eyes of the law but to Noctis they will always be the teenagers they all know and love), some tried beverages while some refused. Ventus being a no shocker, but Lea refused to let Roxas take a sip and Isa threatened the bartender if he so much as held a bottle near the boy. Riku and Terra remained sober out of the unfortunate results of a draw of being the designated drivers. Plus Riku just kept an eye on Sora in case he, in the very unlikely situation, did get drunk.

The last thing the world needed was a drunken Sora running around.

"What about security?", asks the soon to be married king, eyes closed. "Lea, Isa, and Roxas have already sent their nobodies to patrol around and in the church. Unseen of course", Ignis assured, "And Cindy's little camera drones haven't picked up any unsavory guests". Noctis hummed in agreement, wondering if he could ask those two to make those nobodies Crownsguards. "Though unlikely we'll be hearing anything from the empire as of now, and chances of any spies infiltrating the cathedral are unlikely, I only ask you allow us to worry of such matters and enjoy the ceremony", encouraged Ignis.

"Pretty sure when Luna walks down the aisle I wouldn't even notice Ardyn attacking", sighed Noctis, opening his eyes. Just as he says this, the door is knocked upon and Ignis checked. Entering the room, Gladiolus and Prompto greeted the two. "Hey, we're about to start soon", Gladiolus says gesturing the door, "Priest is ready, and Terra's got everyone settled in". Prompto then says Xion assured him Lunafreya was finished with her makeup and other bits of preparation, though the gunner chuckled when he informs Noctis the raven-haired girl was eager to get this over with.

Who knew Xion detested wearing heels?

"Well, guess I better go put everyone out of their misery", Noctis says with an exaggerated groan as he gets off his chair. His brothers nodded and ready to go, but Noctis suddenly stopped walking as a look of realization adorns his face, prompting his brothers to look at him. "I'm getting married…", he says quietly as if it had just dawned on him what this whole ordeal was about. He lets a light chuckle and says it again, and then almost collapses.

"Whoa there lover boy!", says Gladiolus, catching his sudden limp king with a laugh, "Save the fainting for later!". Ignis assists in straightening up the king with a light chuckle, saying: "Indeed, you'll have all the chances to be rendered speechless after seeing your wife be". "Dude get it together!", laughed Prompto, patting his shoulder. Noctis takes a breath and relaxed his mind and body, nodding to the others and soon they all leave the room together.

In the Oracle's room, on her chair with the large vanity before her holding three mirrors angled differently, Kairi doing the final touches to her hair and make-up while Aqua was finishing off Xion and Naminé's. The raven girl was pouting during the whole process and only relaxed her face when Aqua asked her to with the promises of getting it done faster should she not resist. Naminé was far more patient and relaxed than her girlfriend, easily mimicking a statue when it was her turn.

"I'm telling ya'll, this had to the easiest going wedding I've ever been a part of", Cindy says, tugging on her silver dress strap around her shoulders, "Last one I attended the bridezilla nearly tore the head off a florist!". Lunafreya giggled softly at that, wondering how in the world did this wedding go as smoothly as it could with all their luck. "I didn't know you went to weddings", Aranea remarked, looking at the capless engineer. "Ya know I don't stay in Hammerhead every day", Cindy replied.

"Sure ya don't…", Aranea teased.

"Least she didn't live in an airship and had to share it with robots", Kairi says with a cheeky smirk, "And had a room all to herself~". Aranea glares at the princess, sparks igniting between their gaze. "Girls save the rivalry for another time, those dresses cost us a LOT", Aqua warns. Lunafreya frowned at that reminder, wishing the girls wouldn't have splurged so much on this event, but at their instance, they wanted to make this wedding as amazing as they could, and costs were not a major concern.

Especially when Sora, Donald, and Goofy had sorted out the loot between them throughout their adventures and after some help with the moogles in Twilight Town, they had a very, VERY generous amount of savings from their dealings. Combined with Noctis' and his royal retinue's loot, together they could have BOUGHT Altissia. Expenses were not a major issue for this wedding, and it saved the two a lot of stress and worries. Sure they didn't go crazy with it at the bride's insistence and with Aqua overseeing the funds, they were still financially safe.

The former Oracle had spent the rest of the month getting everything ready for the wedding with her friends, indulging in all the traditional wedding tropes for the fun, and wanted to see life outside of being the prime and proper Oracle their world knew her for. When she implored her friends to drop any forms of honorifics or titles being used, her friends took full advantage of her offer. Nicknames, teasing her for being so "normal" and occasionally getting her to wear anything outside of white.

Their bachelorette party was a mixed bag for the Oracle. Not the idea of going out to enjoy her "last day of freedom" as Aranea teased was a bad one, she looked forward to it. It wasn't the drinking that got to her, though she was ever grateful Naminé and Xion didn't so much as touch a glass because despite being legal age, neither of them gave her the impression they were. Maybe it was because of how innocent Xion was and how Naminé was so reserved. Plus maybe Xion just preferred sodas and juice as opposed to the adult stuff, while Naminé was taking more from Ignis than she thinks.

Kairi, like her boyfriend, tries her first drink and had immediately passed out. Not even Aqua could fathom why she was such a lightweight, given her strength. But luckily she was the only one who fell in the first round, the rest of the women enjoyed their drinks and shared stories while Naminé and Xion took Kairi home, out of the kindness of their hearts and not because Naminé hated the place.

Still, the worst part of the whole ordeal was because when she was just trying to enjoy her night with her friends, it must have been overheard. After all, a rather unappealing man came over to her and tried to chat her up. She tried to politely excuse herself, but this unsavory man tried to encourage her to join him and his friends, saying they could help her enjoy her last day as a free woman. Once more she tried to politely refuse, more firm and maybe a touch aggressively, yet her words fell on deaf ears as he even grabbed her arm.

Like a warning alarm going off, Aranea and the women immediately came up and even threatened to break the arm of this unwanted pervert. When his friends joined up and even offered they could join in the fun, Lunafreya remembers she closed her eyes and exhaled, knowing these fools had said the wrong thing and knew this little event was about to turn into a bar brawl.

And she was right.

All she did at first was watch her bridesmaids beat the crap out of them with minimal effort and broke a LOT of chairs and tables that she learned later Aqua had sent them a very sizable cheque for their destruction and a massive apology from the king. She would have loved to say she didn't partake in the violence and was nothing more than an innocent bystander observing the fight, but when the instigator insulted her husband to be, she didn't take it too well.

And her response to this insult was taking a page out of Aranea's book and socked the poor bastard right in the jaw so hard she knocked him over the bar counter and probably broke his jaw and loosened a worrisome number of teeth.

Her only regret was the bruising of her knuckles and leaving them marked and faint marks of teeth, but Aqua did heal her just before their last moments before the wedding. The only reason they left for so long was so that she could hold her knuckle up and proudly proclaim she was stronger than most. And Aranea teased it'd be battle scars so she could join the battle-scarred women's club. Though a tad improper considering the scars many of them did obtain throughout their journey, most of them brushed it off.

"And we are done!", Kairi announced, stepping back and allowing the future queen to stand up and be guided by Aqua to the changing room. Aided to get into the dress and with some added touches, the woman who would soon take the name "Lucis Caelum" shyly walked out of the changing room to let the others see her in her wedding dress. The very same one that was made to be worn on the original wedding day that was sadly demolished by the heartless and Tidemother, now remade into an angelic gown fit for a queen of light.

The young girls squealed in delight while the adults gave her coos and praise for looking like a true princess. Though Aranea teased if things didn't work out with Noctis she'd happily elope with the blonde. Lunafreya kindly retorts she would have to truly blow her away if she wanted to top Noctis and asked if she would perform a power that would defy death itself and risk being trapped for an entire year. Aranea hummed and ultimately conceded that their wedding was gonna last.

She smiles at her bridesmaids, all dressed in pure silvery gowns with their hairs tied up and looking close to those vain bridesmaids in the magazines she secretly read, perfection yet having their little trinkets to help them stand out more. It was a battle to get Aranea into a dress and not dress up in casual clothing and certainly a trial to get her to at least wear some make up to look a little more presentable.

"Not gonna lie, surprised that secretary managed to keep that stick out of her ass and let you guys hold your wedding here", Aranea comments. Lunafreya frowned at her language, especially in front of Naminé and Xion, but Kairi turned to the bride and asked: "Yeah Ara's right. After everything that's happened, I thought she'd be happy to never have you guys come back. Why the sudden welcome back party?".

Lunafreya sighed softly and turns to her former student with a tired look. "Not out of the kindness of her heart, I can promise you that. Rather, it is likely this is a means to pretend the relations between Insomnia and Altissia is still strong and she, likely, believes by allowing us to wed here, it will serve her in the grand scheme of maintaining her position", she explained. Kairi rolled her eyes and groans in disappointment but keeps any negative comments to herself. "Guess we should be thankful she's letting you guys have your special day here…", she sighed.

"And the reception?", Naminé asked. "Not here, certainly", Lunafreya smiled, "That will be back home".

"Speaking of the reception", Aqua says slowly, "I've just got a text from Gladio, they're waiting for us". Lunafreya suddenly tensed up with nerves as Aranea leads the nearly retired teenagers out of the room and into the main hall, saying she'll wait up for them and wished the future queen good luck. Staying behind, Aqua looks at the nervous bride and takes her hand, calming her nerves. "Don't worry about it", she encourages, "Today is the day".

Lunafreya takes another deep breath and clears her throat, looking at her ring adorning her finger while Aqua hands her the bouquet. Her eyes soften, a look of trepidation takes place within her beautiful eyes as the weight of the ring becomes so much lighter it is as if it were ethereal. The day had come once, and where it was meant as a formal thing to symbolize a truce between two nations, today was the day she dreamed of having.

In her heart though she feels this unease within it. This is caught on by her maid of honor, who takes her hand. "Nervous?", she asked softly. "…it…I suppose it just hasn't struck me that this is real, or rather, the last time I was meant to be married was far less…", she says but the words are lost on her lips. "Your choice?", Aqua asked gently. Lunafreya nodded weakly and gently rubbed the ring around her finger, saying: "I know I shouldn't feel like this, especially when all I have to worry about is about being queen…but".

Aqua hummed in thought and settles them on the bed together, shooting a quick text to Aranea about a slight case of cold feet. "It's not uncommon to have second thoughts, you know?", Aqua assured, "I understand Noct's lethargic can be a pain in the butt and his laziness…and leaving his socks on the floor…and his ego…and-

Lunafreya giggles at the listing and almost bursts into full nervous laughter. She faced her bride's maid who was now sporting a cheeky smirk. Then the master lifts her ring hand to the Oracle so she could see it and determine it is real. "This ring was given to you by the man you love, given to you out his own will and choice. And you decided to marry him out of your desire", she assured, "Whatever happens, whatever comes your way, you will never have to go at it alone". Lunafreya smiled warmly and nodded, whatever fears she had left her heart.

They get up and after one last check-up to ensure nothing was out of place, they leave the room.

She calms her nerves one last time and peeked through the flaps to see Noctis standing there at the altar, and secretly takes in how handsome he looked in his attire. Everyone was waiting and settled in their chairs, the best man Ignis standing alongside the groom's men while the bride's maids stood on the other side. Aqua gave her queen one last wink and stealthily makes her way to her spot in the bride's maids.

She almost jumped when the music started to play and after one more deep breath, she holds the bouquet in both hands and begins to walk down the aisle. Slowly as she approached the altar, listening to music as opposed to her wild heartbeat and the nerves running rampant in her mind. Thoughts of whatever the future holds for them still weighs on her mind, be they duties of royalty or the realm of light's safety, and even marital issues. But when Noctis turned to see his bride, the thoughts left her when he was stunned to see how regal she looks.

She even shyly smiled at him, surprising herself that held such meekness on the day she would be his wife. When she stood side by side with him with an iron grip on the flowers, empowered by the nerves. They were taken by Aqua quietly and she takes her king's hand, she hears a low whisper from him. "Radiant…", he says softly. All those doubts and fears leave her heart, a sudden resolve in her choice to become this man's wife strengthened within her heart.

Through the vows of the future husband and wife, speeches from the best man and maid of honor (Aqua's made by the others), and through the tears still had smiles on their faces, they placed their rings on each other's finger, and through the I Dos, suddenly Lunafreya feels a little impatient with the whole ceremony and felt the want to just jump her husband. Finally the words she, and unknown to her, Noctis had been waiting for, came forth.

"You may kiss the bride".

Noctis lifts the veil from her vision and they closed their gap and kissed. A cheer from the audience and some even teared up at the ceremony, but their voices were muted when she was embraced by Noctis, resting her head against his shoulder as he held her dearly and lovingly. Closing her eyes and allowing herself to be enveloped in this amazing warmth emitting from her husband, she smiles.

*Later, Insomnia*

Dancing together with couples and close friends, the gentle musical score of the music, a waltz playing overhead, the married couple held each other close as their friends swayed nearby, in their world. Hands interlocked as the queen rested her head against his chest, bodies pressed against the other for comfort and peace. Occasionally they shared a glance at each other, smiles full of love and warmth as she would cup his cheek and he holds her, eyes locked.

Lunafreya Lucis Caelum, somehow that sounded so perfect to her ears. She would carry her family name forever no matter what name she went by, and no matter what she will always be the princess of Tenebrae, but as of now she was content with being the chosen king of light's beloved wife. They turn to see their close friends dancing together as the song turned into a group theme, smiling at the couples and watching them interact, the queen wondering when the next wedding would be.

Noctis though would gesture Ignis and Aranea dancing, though there is a cat-like grin on the dragoon's face while Ignis looked surprisingly sheepish and even awkward like he was dancing with a woman. She partially feels guilty and is the cause of such a thing, for when she threw the bouquet, Aranea had been the one who caught it. So unless the Oracle's knowledge of wedding traditions were very misinformed, that was supposedly her being next to be married. That certainly explains why the advisor looked so nervous.

But future weddings aside, she tunned out those thoughts and returned her gaze to her king her husband, and gently cupped his cheeks so she could face him without distraction. They stare into each other's eyes, warm and lovingly before whispering "I love you" to the other, and then kissed again.

Watching from afar, smirking to himself, an unknown visitor walks away in silence. But as he heads for the exit, he walks past Gladiolus and Aqua. They had discussed some plans before returning to the party. But before he could leave, the two guardians stopped, and the shield called out.

"Not gonna say hi?", asked Gladiolus, not facing him. Cor chuckles lowly and turns slightly to his former student. "Nah… it's best he doesn't know", he says, now the two facing him. "Relics like me belong in a museum, and my time is over here". "It'd be nice if he knew you were alive and safe", Aqua argued, "Instead of being dead, and it's not like he'll recruit you again". Cor shook his head and looked to the moon bathing the world and sighed. "My death is one of the reasons he pushed forward. Take that away and he'll be less of a man. He's had to accept he can't protect everyone, and for him, that's something he needed to master".

"Sides…I'm not one for the quiet. And being here is only gonna remind him of the war he fought against. Start fresh, a clean slate for Insomnia's king. And if that means my story ended with my death, then it's fine".

He gave his two friends a salute and then walks off, leaving the next generation of Immortal legends to carry the torch.

A few days later, Noctis and Lunafreya had left for their Honeymoon, leaving their companions to their own devices. And their stories are reaching their ends…

*Unknown world, four days later*

Stepping into this world that held so many memories of her youth, breathing in the tranquil woodland air for the first time in over twenty years. Aqua looks around the tunnel of the woodland, trees standing above her while their leaves allow rays of sunlight through and bathe the road in light, she hears the soft bird songs playing nearby as the warm spring breeze washes past her. This road is familiar to her, to the other side of her heart anyways. The little girl who at the time was a normal child, a child who had small dreams and lived-in peace, who lived as a farm girl with only her mother.

Now standing in this world once more, a woman who defied fate and surmounted her trials. A master of a legendary weapon, using the most powerful magic and defeating the worst threats out there. Would her mother even recognize her? Or worst, has so much time passed her heart had returned to Kingdom Hearts? These questions forever weighed on her heart, but turning back is not an option, not if she wished for closure and to repair this broken connection she had allowed to sever in the past.

"Whoa, so this is your world?", inquired Gladiolus, stepping near her and taking in the sights. She smiles and nods when he faced her, saying: "That's right. Humble beginnings". While she still donned her usual adventure gear, her boyfriend wore far more casual clothing. A green jacket with a black tank-top, a pair of white pants with one grey brace around his right leg, brown shoes, and his chain hanging free. When she asked him why something so informal, he chuckles and says he likes to wear other colors than black.

And then teases she just wanted him to walk around shirtless…to which she claimed was true.

"So where do we start?", he asked, "Do you remember where we go first?". Aqua nodded and gestures the path before them. Memory serving her well, she knows the path as well as she does back in Land of Departure. Together in comfortable silence, they waltz down the road, more of her memories awakening with each step. From the number of trees, she tried to climb like a squirrel, to the rivers of stone and rushing waters hiding the ferocious water monsters, the old, abandoned log where she found all sorts of bugs and webs, to finally a hill overlooking a small village.

The village where she rarely went to without her mother to watch her in case she got into trouble like the little mischievous child she raised. She smugly thought back to those rude merchants who tried to con her mother, and never regretted "borrowing" some of their toys and other items they likely bought for pocket change. Also remembering her mother being sharp with wit, able to expose them and con them out of their ill-gotten gains.

"Anything changed?", Gladiolus inquired as they walk down a hill in between the meadows. "Nothing much…I'm surprised so much of my memory is intact here", Aqua remarks, "I'm wondering if those spiders ever returned to their nest". Gladiolus looks at her and then she smiles and tells him what she was like as a kid. From her adventures, her wild imagination, and her odd collections, each one telling more of the shield about his girlfriend and even praising she was more of an outdoors person than he hoped for.

Certainly explains why camping was never an issue for her.

"I remember finding a spider as large as my palm, and strangely I wasn't scared of it", she hummed, "I named her Misses Leggy, Queen of the Spiders, and wanted to take her home…pfft, I thought my mother was going to have a heart attack, said I'm not ready for a pet". Gladiolus laughs, shaking his head, and even asked whatever became of Misses Leggy. Aqua laments that she never knew what became of her new best friend, but she hoped she passed on an amazing generation of Misses Leggy. More of her childhood memories came up and she spoke more of them, much to her delight as they reached the farm as the sun rose higher into the sky.

Stepping against the wooden gate, she placed a hand on the rough surface with a nostalgic look in her eyes. The days she spent helping her mother on this, painting, and watching her craft a nice gate that sure is a far cry from their local carpenters but still, she kept it. She peers below and sees the first letter of her name crudely carved into it along with her mother's, and her smile softens. No wonder she kept it then.

They entered the farmland, seeing several pens of animals in their peaceful homes, and tried not to cringe at the smells of manure. A small cottage was ahead of them with a grey plume of smoke rising from the chimney, straw for the rooftop with grey stone walls with a single-window and a balcony with potted flowers left. Nearby is an old letterbox with several dents on the main body and it is supported by a withered post. Aqua's steps slowed until she just stopped entirely, Gladiolus walking ahead of her.

A terrible sense of dread washed over her suddenly, like a wave of dark waters. How would her mother react to seeing her now, and would she even want to see her after all the pain her heart had taken upon itself when she was dragged away? Looking away from the cottage, a dark memory of the last time she had seen her mother flashed in her mind and she felt her throat drying up and nearly chokes a sob.

"Blue?".

She faced Gladiolus, sporting a confused look on his face. She shook her head and weakly says it was nothing, but then before she continued, a bark breaks their quiet talk. Suddenly escaping the cottage by leaping from the small brown door, a grey dog scampers to the two, bypassing Gladiolus and darts straight for Aqua. She lets out a small yelp of surprise and almost stumbled back onto her rear, never getting used to the loud dogs barking. The dog was young, likely just grown out of being a pup, and was prancing around Aqua, barking happily at her.

"Hope to god that ain't the guard dog", Gladiolus chuckles. Aqua giggles nervously and kneels to the little grey dog, rubbing its head. The dog sits before her, panting with its tongue out and wagging its tail.

"Samuel! By the blood of the queen, you will be the death of me…", an old voice calls out. Aqua freezes and almost forgot to breathe while Gladiolus turned to the cottage. An old woman walks out of the cottage, and it seemed to the shield of the king that the only way this woman was defined as an old woman was because of her grey her and wrinkles, because her body told him she was fighting the winter years with all her stubbornness. The woman was shorter than Aqua, wearing an old shirt with multiple tears around it, a cane held by her hand with a pair of old withered pants and heavy boots nearly reaching her knees. Wrinkly faced and hair tied into a small bun, her eyes were a perfect match to Aqua's and if he was sure, in her prime she must have had blue hair.

When she sees the shield, she blinked and straightens up. "Oh, greetings traveler", she says kindly but there is an underlying tone of caution, "I don't think I've seen you around here". Gladiolus waved to her and greeted her kindly, before "Samuel" suddenly runs back to his master, yipping. The old woman glared at him before it melts into a gentle look of disapproval. "I'd swear if it were a bandit…you're so lucky you're an adorable pup", she sighed. Samuel barked defensively, but she wagged her cane at him and says: "You're barely old enough to walk outside my home without your sisters and brothers to watch you, young pup. You're still a pup in our eyes".

Aqua slowly stands up as the woman approached Gladiolus. "So young man, what do I call you?", she asked. "Gladiolus Amicitia, but call me Gladio", introduced the shield with a handshake. Then she reveals her name to him. "Caeruleum", she replied, "Please, call me Leum. Full name is a handful". Gladiolus nodded, but the old woman peered around him and spots a very hesitant Aqua, looking away and hiding her face. "Friend of yours?", she asked.

Gladiolus says nothing and steps aside, confusing the old woman who's eyes suddenly narrow, slightly recognizing the woman before her. She takes a few steps forward to her, slowly and even hesitantly like she somehow knew who this is but dared not hope. Aqua takes a shaky breath when she came close to her, and only when she was a step away, does Aqua raise her face to face the woman who she was taken from. Caeruleum's eyes slowly grow wider, her cane drops from her wrinkly hand as she shakes.

"A-Aqua?", she whispered. With a watery smile, Aqua speaks: "Hi mama…". With a watery chuckle, the old woman embraced her daughter as tightly as she could, crying into her shoulder before Aqua breaks down into happy joyous tears, embracing her mother at long last. No words could express this wondrous feeling within her heart, a joy that could only rival her feelings towards Gladiolus. The past that haunted her within the dark corners of her memories was finally laid to rest at last, and a story she had left behind could finally have a happy ending.

*Nightfall*

As the moon casts its light down onto the world, Gladiolus remained outside of the cottage to stare at the world ahead of him, quietly. With a tankard of ale in his hand as he leaned against the wooden fence, he looks on in thought to the world ahead, the small village in the shadows of a large castle ahead by a beautiful lake shining from the moon and stars.

Once the mother and daughter expressed their joy of seeing each other again, Leum was already bombarding them with so many questions, frowning at her daughter's scar and though her words weren't spoken, judging from how she stared into her daughter's eyes she knew something happened to her to lose so much of her innocence. And from the late morning to the point where Gladiolus left them to catch up, they answered her questions and with hesitation, told her what happened to her daughter and Eraqus.

The shield held his composure most of the time during the talk but kept holding Aqua's hand when she hesitates and showed her emotions were getting to her whenever the more sensitive subjects came up. Not going unnoticed by the mother but she says nothing. The entire time she didn't interrupt, nor did she comment on Aqua's story, giving her daughter all the time she needed to tell the life she had to lead up to the day she came back into her life. When she concluded the long tale, her mother couldn't believe the life her daughter had led, her eyes filled with remorse and regret.

She lamented to Aqua that because she allowed Eraqus to take her in, she had set Aqua on a long and arduous road. But her daughter quickly assured her that this road she had taken had led her to discover so many things beyond their world, and then she changed those dark moments to the happiest days she had with Eraqus, her brothers, and her family. Gladiolus smiled quietly when Aqua started to talk about her family, going into amazing details about Sora and the others, how proud she was of them, and when Caeruleum asked about Aqua's studies, Gladiolus' bragged to the mother how her daughter was now a master.

This made the said master blush and squeak his name, but her mother was beaming with pride at the news, and when Gladiolus mentions more about Sora and Kairi being students turned masters by this woman, Caeruleum looked at her daughter with a smile.

Aqua reluctantly told her mother of her achievements, but slowly when she started talking about the other guardians of light, she opened more and got excited with them. It changed to the days she spent with them, how she did live a great life with them and her smile widened with excitement. She swore her mother will meet them, eager to show her the life she allowed her to live despite all the hardships. Then Caeruleum asked the question Aqua unknowingly dreaded, and points at Gladiolus with the "protective mother" eyes.

Aqua's smile disappeared and her face goes bright red and suddenly she went quiet. Gladiolus was about to be the one who broke the news to her mother and reveal they were lovers, but Aqua had been the one. She quietly said, "he was her everything". Her mother looked surprised and even took a glance at Gladiolus, and where he expected her to be concerned or worse, not approve of him, she said something else that threw him off.

She laughed joyously and claimed: "And you always told me boys were gross! You even said you'd never kiss one and you'd never marry!".

Aqua turned scarlet and flustered, waving her hands about the marriage part, begging her mother not to bring up those awkward days as a child where she just hate boys. Gladiolus just laughed with the old woman, deciding he'd tell her about her encounter with Zack and even how some of the men in the cities they were in were smitten with her. Aqua pleaded with him to stop but her mother curiously inquired more about the amount of hearts Aqua's broken.

It was a sight to behold to see the very woman who rivaled the man who almost destroyed the worlds slam her head on the table and covers it with her arms, begging these two to cease the act of bringing up her awkward dislike for boys and the horrible advances she denied.

Only when her mother began to ask more about her daughter's interests and most importantly to catch up with her child did Gladiolus excuse himself to allow them to bond. And here he was, looking to the night's horizon. He took one more swig of his drink before placing it on the grass, resting both elbows on the railings, and continues to enjoy the silence.

He smirked when he sensed a presence and soon enough he is joined by Aqua, leaning on the railing with him. "Had fun?", he asked. She nods with that near-permanent smile on her face, looking ahead. "She's changed slightly…still making pies and taking care of the farm", she mused, "But she's planning on selling this soon". Gladiolus looks at her as she stares at the ground, continuing: "We've talked about it, and I offered she'd move to Radiant Garden for retirement. There she'd be safer and could live the rest of her life in peace".

Gladiolus hummed in thought to that, clasping his hands. "You upset? I mean without your mom being here, sounds like there's no reason to come back here", he asked. "A little sad, yeah. But you know? My memories here will always be a part of my heart, and with mama being somewhere more modern with better medicine and care, she'll be happier", Aqua says, looking up, "Besides, I'll be visiting her more often. And I think away from here, she wouldn't have to worry about bandits".

She turned to him with a smile and leaned against his shoulder with hers. "But the good news? She approves of you", she teased. "Not surprised", Gladiolus says confidently with a smug grin. She rolled her eyes and stares ahead of them with a smile. He wrapped one arm around her and holds her close to him, embracing her and taking in her warmth. "We should get some sleep…mama says the person she's selling to will be here tomorrow, and I think she'd appreciate it if we were around", she says.

"Good idea. Having a big guy like yours truly and a woman who could nuke a town with a snap of her fingers would probably give her an advantage", Gladiolus says. They turn to the cottage and while still connected, Gladiolus points out she never told him the name of this world. With a smile, she reveals its name.

Cornelia.

*Radiant Garden*

Striking down the final armored knight with a swift swing, Ventus turns behind him to see no more heartless were around. He sighed and with a spin of the keyblade, makes it disappear before calling out: "All clear!".

"And this is why we stick TOGETHER as a GROUP", chastised Prompto, looking at the students that finally came out of hiding behind several falling debris of rocks and pipes. The gunner gave the keyblade wielder a nod of gratitude before turning to the sixteen students with a very annoyed glare. This was not how he planned his new vacation hours, graciously given to him by Ignis and Noctis. Sure he was thrilled that Leon asked him to be an escort/photographer for the newly discovered ruins of an old town and castle of Radiant Garden, but he had forgotten the teenager's lack of respect to authority, and their listening skills were atrocious.

He seriously wondered why the whole "heartless are prowling around, don't wander off" speech didn't register to these kids.

"So kids? The lesson of the day? Do not wander off alone, or you'll be a quick snack for the heartless!", lectured Prompto, eyeing two teenage girls. One of which had a polaroid camera and was meekly bowing her head with a sheepish look while the other was more of punk with blue hair and stubbornly glaring back at Prompto. The gunner rolled his eyes with a sigh and runs his robotic limb through his hair, wondering if this was what Ignis had to deal with back in the old days.

"Least nobody got hurt", Ventus says, patting his friend on the stomach and a gentle smirk, "Sides those were just a few stragglers from the bigger group. Pretty sure they moved on hours ago". Prompto chuckled in agreement and turned back to the students, telling them to take a few pictures and take some notes about this place while he and Ventus scout the area, and strictly warned them to yell for any signs of monsters or baddies.

Walking around a cliffside to survey the untouched landscape and forgotten ruined city before them, Prompto takes a few pictures for Leon to look at later while Ventus casually walks beside him. "Can't believe there's an old town out here", Prompto remarked after taking another camera, "I mean how long have the RC gang been here?". "Rikku told me just over four years now, and it's still taken that long to restore Radiant Garden its glory years", Ventus said, "At least she thinks so anyway".

Prompto hummed as he puts his camera away, walking away with Ventus while still looking at the darkened ruins. Memories of Sora's story of this world rang in his mind, recalling that was Maleficent's old base of operations before the chosen wielder of the keyblade slew her thousand heartless armies. Since then, according to what Leon had told them, nobody has ever set foot in that city. Neither human nor heartless would be spotted in that place, and Leon wasn't considering sending anybody in to investigate.

Maybe it was infested with severe darkness or something, but as far as Prompto is concerned it is an off-limit section.

Three days after the wedding, Prompto and Cindy had relocated to Radiant Garden for some well-earned R&R, more because of it being a world he hadn't had a lot of time to properly explore or just sit down and breathe. Cindy however, ever the workaholic, joined with Cid to create more unique machines and help around the reconstruction of the lesser developed sections of the city, especially in the system's defenses. Prompto had become a member of the restoration Committee alongside Ventus, both being the town's best fighters and seeing as they had way more experiences with the heartless.

Though the gunner's fighting opportunities had greatly diminished since the battle of the keyblades, he was still technically the most experienced and skilled when heartless would rear their darkened forms, and with Ventus, they made mincemeat out of most invasions these days. These tours though were more for the students at the city's university, something about wanting to let them see more history of the old cities of this world and for some to take photos for their studies. Prompto and Ventus were volunteered to be the tour guides, or escorts, to guard them in case of the usual trouble.

Truth be told the girl with the polaroid, who was more of an accomplice, had a LOT of potentials he noted during their talk with the tour, and credit where it's due, she took a lot of nice pictures. He just wished that punk girl would stop getting her into trouble that included nearly getting their hearts taken. He sighed quietly and rubbed his neck, again thinking how envious he is of Ignis' patience. If this what it's like to mind teens, how the heck did that guy survive minding them?

He looked to Ventus on his GP, thumb tapping away in a response to Rikku likely, based on his big grin. "Rikku's asking us to bring the students back the city", he says, looking to the sky, "Getting pretty dark". Prompto nodded, realizing the sun was setting and being in the badlands in the dark was not a good time for civilians. They returned to the students and set off back to the city…

*City*

Waltzing through the castle while greeting familiar faces, the king's best friend heads for the engine room with lunch in his bag for his girlfriend. After returning to the city and with Aerith guiding the students back to the university, he and Ventus separate to do their own thing, and he, being the ever-gentlemanly man he always believed to be, figured surprising his girlfriend with lunch from her favorite take out would brighten her day.

But when he arrived at the engine room, he was somewhat surprised to see Cindy at her desk, fast asleep. Head planted on her arms with several tools around her, cap lowered to cover her eyes and her gentle snores filling the room. He frowns with worry and sees Cid leaning against a railing about to lit a cigarette. The older man gave the kid a sheepish shrug and said: "That girl's like her Paw-Paw, worked for hours without taking a nap". Prompto chuckles weakly, worried about her condition. Granted Cindy's tendency to overwork herself whenever she gets a new idea has been a constant occurrence in this castle, many of the staff members brush it off.

Not her boyfriend.

"Well, guess she needs a proper snooze. Pretty sure she'd appreciate waking up with a crick in her back", he said as he plants the food on the desk. "Help yourself to this, I'll just cook her dinner when she wakes up". Cid nodded to him while Prompto heaves Cindy on to his back and carries her home to their room.

Their room was relatively small, and cozy compared to the giant ones back in Insomnia but considering they're rarely in this room save for sleeping. Simple furniture and a few bits from their homeworld, but a king-sized bed for the two that had a smell of Prompto's cologne and Cindy's scented oils that she wears whenever she doesn't shower after work. He settles his girlfriend down on the bed in time for her to stir awake and let out a small yawn.

Blinking wearily and a little confused, Cindy rubbed her eyes with a mutter. "Huh? When did I end up back here in my bed…?", she asked before laying back into the soft mattress and inhaling the jasmine scent. She lazily turned to Prompto, smiling cheekily at her. "Oh…that's why". "Sorry to wake you up", he says with a little wave, but his smile disappeared instantly when Cindy got up and throws her legs off the bed.

"No harm is done…but gotta get back to work", she says. "What? Cindy!", Prompto says, grabbing both her shoulders and stopping her, "You just woke up!". Cindy yawns slowly and says: "I noticed hun…but I'm all…rested…and...", she starts but is constantly yawning or slowing down her speech to the point where she was speaking incoherently or mumbling. She tries to argue with him by stating she had a total of seven more projects to work on, followed by a test drive of their new engine and something else about a keyblade armor she had to manually test herself. Prompto's desire to persevere her well being was kicked into full motion when the idea of a very sleepy Cindy in a death suit appeared in his mind.

"OOOOR you could just take a little power nap and then get back to it?", he offered with a strained smile. Cindy stares at him with a small glare, not liking Prompto when he put his foot down, but then he gave her those puppy eyes. She lets a small yawn mixed groan out before she accepts the power nap might be what she needs to continue her work. "Fine…fine", she yawned, "Old Cid can handle whatever without me for an hour or…six…". She removes her boots and jacket, hap hazardously throwing them on the floor.

Prompto sighed in relief and pats her capless head. But when his hand leaves her head, she grabbed it. "But you're staying with me", she says in a tone that Prompto knows wasn't gonna leave any inch of an argument. He opened his mouth, but she yanked him down to the bed and immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and nuzzles into his chest, sighing in content. Prompto's cheeks take on the color red and he stiffens suddenly when Cindy's blond hair tickles his neck.

She just had to wear that lemon-scented oils today…

"C-Cindy…you can't sleep like this…", he squeaks when she peppered his neck with kisses and wrapped her arms around him. "…wanna snuggle for I go for a nap…and you're going to be my snuggle, like it or love it", she affirms. Prompto relaxed with a sigh and with some difficulty of kicking his shoes off and Cindy just managing to let him take his jacket off, he throws the sheets over them. He wrapped one arm around her and lets her snuggle into him once more.

He strokes her hair gently with his robotic limb, something she enjoys when he uses that limb, and thanks to their artificial systems in his palm, replicating sensation and feel, he could at least pretend it was his organic hand touching her. He hears her breathing softly and slowly, becoming a slump into his body and her tight grip is loosen, telling him she's asleep at last. Three years ago he couldn't imagine himself just greeting her, and now here he is sharing a bed with the woman who captured his heart.

Looking through the window as night comes, the man who once felt like he couldn't belong with the people dearest to his heart has found his place. At the end of their journey, Prompto couldn't be happier…

*Castle Tower*

Kicking the back of his feet against the ledge where he sat upon, Ventus stares at the descending sunset with his phone in his hands. He was mostly just going through a few messages he hadn't answered yet from his friends and was just bidding both Terra and Aqua a good night and a farewell. He was smiling warmly when Aqua told him the news of her and Gladiolus reuniting with her mother, going on about their plans of coming here and meeting the others at last.

He was excited to finally meet his sister's mother, it'd be a new experience for him and Terra. But then as he settles his phone down onto the ledge, something overcame his heart with a sense of…sadness. Clutching his hands, he suddenly realized that for the first time since he had reawakened from his impressive over decade slumber, that when it came to family and where Aqua came from, he couldn't remember. And thinking back to the keyblade graveyard, the third time he set foot there.

Ventus never told the others, not even Aqua and Terra, but throughout his training in the forest, to the war, and then the year of searching for Sora and Noctis, the boy had begun to start having dreams. Dreams of a city like the one he resided in currently, worlds he had seen already long before his first journey started and taking part in another war…and the casualties of it. The loss of dear friends, a close friend who never spoke yet their actions always did the talking.

He tried to dig into those dreams, but like snowflakes in a fiery grasp, it evaporates. Even remembering those pieces was a trial in themselves, they were like looking at unfinished paintings that the artist may never complete. He had so many questions about the past he couldn't see, all of what he could remember was the day Xehanort had ripped his heart in two and then left him to Eraqus. And the less he thinks of it the less painful it was. Part of him wanted to just let go of it, the past wasn't what mattered anymore anyway.

He was here in the present, in the age of peace they had all fought for. Bled for, suffered through, and through the tears, they finally achieved their goal. But whenever he tries to let go, he felt a tug on his heart, like somebody was trying to hold him back to save their heart. And he felt like he was betraying someone because of it. He lets out a deep sigh and laid back on the ground with his eyes closed. Maybe he could just ask Yen Sid about them, or heck maybe that Fairy Godmother Sora knows could help him recollect his lost memories. Or maybe Naminé…

When he opened his eyes, he is met with two pairs of swirling green staring back at him.

"YIKES!", he yelps, shooting upward, and almost falls off the ledge. Only by grabbing his collar did this mischievous girl manage to spare the task of using his sad limited Flowmotion to scale the tower again.

Ventus turns to Rikku's cat-like grin as she crouched down to his level, giggling profusely at his reaction. She still had those habits of catching him off guard and spooking the years off him. "Rikku! Come on, give me a break!", he pleaded exasperatedly. She pokes his nose and stands up with a smirk, "Not my fault you're as easily spooked as a tiny kitten", she teases, then ruffles his hair, "But equally as a cute~". He pouts at her, doing absolutely nothing to change her comment and even ruffling his hair more affectionately.

Ventus groaned and sits back up when Rikku planted herself beside him. "Heard you and Prompto managed to keep those students safe without the others", she comments, "Kinda disappointed ya didn't like me or Yunie to tag along". "We would have if Yuffie didn't drop this on us at the very last minute", the boy groaned tiredly, "Seriously, today was suppose our day off". Rikku patted his back, saying: "Tell me about it! And all those plans I had for us, thrown out the window!". Ventus laughed, replying with, "Plans? You mean you and me just cuddling and you petting me like a cat?".

"Oh don't act like you don't like me spoiling you with affection! I swore I heard you purr once when I stroked your hair", Rikku says with a knowing smirk. "Why are you comparing me to a cat lately?", he asked. Rikku pokes his nose and he furrowed his brow and rubbed said nose, then pauses and glares at her smirk. "…shut up", he groaned and folds his arms. Rikku resumes her hair ruffling, Ventus begrudgingly allowing her out of the fact he truly does enjoy the affection. Slowly though, his eyes lose the annoyance and take on the same wandering gaze.

"Hey, you ok?", asks Rikku, lowering her hand. "…its nothing", he dismisses, But then Rikku takes his hand and with encouraging eyes, smiles at him comfortingly. Lowering his guard, the boy sighed and stares at the landscape ahead of them. "It's…weird, but I feel like, I've forgotten a lot more about myself than I think I did", he confessed, "Like I've no memory about who I was, and as far as I can recall, is when Xehanort created Vanitas". Rikku wrapped an arm around him to pull him close to her, allowing him to be comfortable and tell his tale.

He reveals all those feelings deep within he hadn't dared to face and even brought up that creature Sora and Noctis met back in the final world, and he swore on his keyblade he knew that furball from somewhere. But Lunafreya confirmed when they did return to the final world there was no sign of the creature and nobody had returned to that place. More fragments of his memory that he could barely recall yet somehow he knew of their importance to him and the others possibly, and even wonders if they are memories of another him or worse.

"And ya never brought it up to Aqua or Terra?", Rikku asked. "No…and a part of me is wondering if I should just accept it as it is…or just, let go", Ventus confessed, "But I dunno what to do". Rikku tapped her chin thoughtfully and says: "Ya know, we could always go back to that spooky graveyard and see if anything pops up? Like maybe you'd remember something there?". Ventus shakes his head and reminds her there were a lot of memories forged from that place, and many of them he'd be very happy to forget.

"Well…maybe you don't have to forget it but not worry about it?", she suggested. He looks at her and she explained. "Like think about where we are and when. That bald jerk's gone with all his baddie buddies, Lame-cient is gone underground and even if she does somehow get her game back together, she's got all of us to deal with, and everyone's home and safe now". She ruffles his hair more and says: "So why not put a pin on your pesky memories and just live in the moment?". Ventus stares at her for a moment, letting her words sink into his heart as she made sense to him.

He grinned and nodded, deciding she was right. Whatever those memories were, whoever he was, or whatever path he was supposed to take, it didn't matter where in the present time. He wasn't alone anymore, his family was here and extended, he could leisurely follow his dream to being the keyblade master he knows he can be. And for a while, he could enjoy the simple pleasures of life. When he grinned, he and Rikku got off the ledge and leave the tower, the girl deciding they needed something to fill their bellies.

The past may never be recovered, but for Ventus, the start of his future begins now…

*Eos, Hammerhead*

"Okay, but you are sure the sightings aren't just some wildlife? I mean in our defense it's happened WAY more than you think", Riku asked, leaning against the payphone. He holds back a groan and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listens to the idiots of the council that Ignis and Lunafreya had warned him about before he reluctantly accepted this job. "Okay okay…I'll take your word for it. We'll go look at the sight and see if those "daemons" are still prowling the area…but just a heads up, we're gonna report this to the king if this turns out to be ANOTHER false lead", he warned and hung up.

"Told you so", Paine commented after she gulped down her bottle of water, "Luna did say those old men wouldn't know the difference between a behemoth and a cat". Riku rolls his eyes as he opens the map and starts to input the directions into his navigator app, holding back the urge to give the Gullwing the finger. The hunter lets out a small huff and stuffed her bottle of water into their pocket dimension, muttering about him being too much of a peacekeeper to tell those ignorant council members to shove it. She never had a problem with telling stuck up people to stuff it, but she wasn't the team leader of the day.

Riku inputs the directions and chucked the bag of potions and other medicinal needs into the trunk of the car. "We'll go have a look, take some pics of it, and then report to those idiots. Then we heard for the royal tomb and see if that heartless is still lingering there", he says while leaning against the car while Paine sat on a lounge chair she borrowed from the trailer. "Sure that's a good idea, What if that "daemon" goes for a walk?", she asked.

"Nah, no worries about that. Heartless usually stick to one region to grow in power and unless there are people within a hundred-mile radius, it won't go for a walk", Riku assured with a confident smirk on his face when Paine raises her silver brow at him. "And what makes you so sure?", the hunter questioned. Riku gave her a "are you for real" look and with each finger listing off, he says: "One, I've killed WAY more heartless than you've killed ANYTHING in your entire life. Two, I'm a master, so I should know that much. Three, this is the eleventh time this has happened in my life as a keyblade wielder. Four and finally, I just know".

"…humble, aren't ya?", she taunts.

"You know a fight between us would be one-sided, right? You really wanna goad me?", Riku asked with a smirk, a gleam of challenge shining in his eyes. Paine smirked and got off her chair and unless Riku was mistaken, looked like she was willing to challenge that claim. But she casually waved and shakes her head lazily, stating she wasn't gonna risk Sora and Kairi's wrath if she kicked his butt. Riku rolls his eyes again, but this was as close as her admitting she wouldn't risk challenging him so for the sake of playing nice he'd accept it.

"You two playing nice over here?", Iris called out with a bag of groceries in her arms. Behind her, Terra was carrying the camping set and tools for their "road trip". "Should have asked Gladio for his camping set…these cheap knockoffs look like they'll blow away we so much as breathe near them", he laments as he places them in the trunk of their car. "Hey! We're on a budget here, can't blame the store", Iris says with a pout. Riku nods in agreement while Paine sighs quietly, understanding the girl's point but also agreeing they should have asked the big guy for his set.

"Trust me, when we start hunting we'll rack up the cash for the good stuff", Riku assures the older warrior as they all finish the packing, "But we've gotta deal with the council's "tasks" before we go for that heartless". Iris groans while Terra rubbed his neck, concurring with the girl. "But it's probably one of those big beasts or a pack of sabertusks…can't we just say we went and found nothing?", she pleads. Riku shakes his head and reminds the gang they promised Lunafreya and Noctis they'd help the council, no matter how inaccurate their reports are.

"Sides, if it is, a big IF, something like the heartless, better safe than sorry", Paine argued, "The last thing we need is to look like idiots while there's a titan heartless or something having a tantrum".

"Then let's just go and get it over with", Terra says as he opens the passenger door, "Sooner we get this "job" down, the sooner we deal with the actual heartless". Murmurs of agreements made amongst the trio, they all piled into the car. Paine taking the driver's seat since she was the only one with a license and knows how to drive a car. Iris only having one for a motorbike while Riku and Terra feared their keyblade armor and gummi ship license don't count as actual licenses.

Paine speeds off onto the main road following the directions from Riku's GP navigation, Terra leaning against his door and yawning before he folds his arms and dozed off. Behind them, Riku was looking outside the window while occasionally glancing at Iris, studying her keyblade with a frown. He chuckled when she muttered complaints about the overall design of the supposed weapon of legend, wondering if this was a prop. He has yet to teach her the full basics of the keyblade and its ability to change into other forms via chains or tokens as Aqua refers to.

During the months leading to Lunafreya and Noctis' wedding, when not doing everything they could to help make it as glamorous as possible, he spent most of the free time teaching and mentoring Iris. It was a quick process given the girl had some experience with Gladiolus and years of watching him train helped her get an idea of how it worked. Luckily summoning the keyblade was a sinch for her after several attempts after the island, and over time she adapted to the ways of wielding the weapon, and Aqua assured him her magical potential was deep and with fine-tuning, it could turn out to be on par with the others.

Hence why he opted to become somewhat of a mercenary alongside Terra and Paine with Iris serving as his apprentice, at least he had two experienced fighters on his side for the trials. That and he still had a lot of Eos to explore from what Prompto's photos showed him, and now with this world being free of daemons and only the occasional heartless to deal with, this was a near-perfect vacation plus study abroad trip for them. Though he suspects Terra and Paine have other motives as well as he did if the glances they shared were anything to gleam by.

"Riku…", whined Iris, "How do I change my keyblade?".

Stirred from his musing, he gestures her chain and explains the method of change. Her frown deepened into a pout when he pointed out the specific tokens and chains were required to change it, something neither he nor Terra carried. Then she snaps her fingers and dug into her pocket and pulls out a chain with a toothy smile. She attaches the chain and soon her Moogle based key shifts into one of Sora's old ones, Ever After.

The handle is the magic flower whence the new princess of light's healing powers originate, with two curved sprigs of the plant as the guard. The length of the blade is her "mother's" tower, with the princess' hair flowing from the window at the top, spiraling down the blade. The teeth of the keyblade are the kingdom's golden sun crest. The chain is made up of a braided lock of the princess's hair, and the token is her frying pan. Iris beamed approvingly at the weapon and dismissed it back into her pocket dimension before she peppers Riku with dozens of questions about what she's gonna be learning and what they were gonna take on.

He chuckled awkwardly, pointing out she was far from ready to take on half of what the gang dealt with in the past and even less than what Sora took on back in his first year of a keyblade wielder. She whines more and starts to wrestle with him, demanding answers while he uses his superior strength to hold her back, laughing at her attempts to gain superiority over him. All the while Paine and Terra glance back at them via the rear-view mirror, Terra smirking while Paine rolled her eyes and says: "Kids if ya don't stop fighting back there I'll turn this car around".

They both laughed and settled back down in their seats, though Iris laid her head on Riku's shoulder and nuzzles into him. He wraps one arm around her and held her close, enjoying the moment. He still takes a glance out the window and stares at the clear skies, smiling. His thoughts fly back to Kairi and Sora, wondering what sort of troubles they'll cause without him, and hoping they're finally doing what they've wanted to do from the day they decided to go and escape their island prison. There is a small hole in his heart where their presence filled it up, but even that will be fixed in time.

Somehow he knew even at the end of their journey, being separated was going to happen sooner or later, but somehow their hearts were still tightly connected. He still thinks about Kairi's request to go camping the next time they met up, and already he was looking forward to a little camping with those two.

Suddenly, a very concerning sound boomed in front of the four, Paine cursing and started to fiddle with the controls of the car. Terra and the others sat up quickly when she slammed her foot on the break and carefully drove them to the edge of the road. She turns the key three times, getting the same sputtering and dying sound of an engine that had no intention of moving onward with their journey. Then to add more worries onto their plate, a plume of black smoke slithers through the closed hood of the car and Terra is the first to get out and lift it.

He coughs and waves the smoke from his face, but when it clears and he sees the problem, he grabbed the edge of the car and slumped his shoulder. "It's dead", he cursed, exasperated. The young adults groan and Paine cursed darkly before slumping in her seat. "What's the problem?", she asked, rubbing her temples. "Overheated from the looks of it…but the weather shouldn't have caused it to go and die like this", laments Terra.

Then Paine dropped her hand and seethed: "Riku…you DID refill the tank, right?".

Riku went pale and a sudden case of "oh shit" washes over him. Both adults glared at him with murderous looks while Iris scoots away from the potential brutality they were about to release upon him. "…not yet?", he tries. Paine groans loudly while Terra slammed a fist on the car, calling him an idiot. Maybe it was a good thing Kairi and Sora weren't here, they'd never let him live this down. To their credit though, he'd be no different if they screwed up.

"How far is Hammerhead from here?", Paine asked with a grimace. Iris picks up her phone and takes a peek at the distance and squeaks "at least two hours".

*Minutes later*

"Unbelievable", groaned Riku as pulls the driver's side door forward.

"Not exactly the best start to this journey, huh "Master Riku"?", Terra groaned as he pushes the car from behind. "We let our confidence be misplaced and got carried away", Paine huffed as she pulls the passenger's side forward.

"Great start to the road trip…huh?", Iris remarks, looking at Riku's sweaty face. "Says the one taking it easy!", he remarked, "How about a kiss for motivation?". "Don't you reward him! We're in this situation because of his negligence!", Paine groaned, "Damn it…Terra! You do the pushing!". "I AM pushing!", Terra groaned, "Not easy pushing a damn car ALONE!". "You two are superhumans aren't you? How are you having this much trouble pushing a car?", Iris teases with a smug grin. "Do I look like I can press bench a car?", Paine groaned.

Riku chuckles as they make the incredibly long journey back to Hammerhead. Despite this short roadblock, he knew this little road trip was only going to get better…

*Traverse Town*

This little vacation had certainly taking Ignis to places he never expected to go to.

Settled in the newly constructed bistro within the ever-changing world, he was already conjuring up delicious meals worthy of those gold stars his new employer sought along with that extra bit of cash. In his little haven with several other apprentices and cooks, he, as the head chef, was already finishing up the dinner course for a party of twenty and already working on the next order with grace and speed.

Many would call him a mad man for taking these long holidays and turning them into a regular working routine, but the man had opted to put his free time to use and busy himself. Too much free time on his hands often goes to waste and he comes back to work more tired and weary than before. So now that's he doing what he's grown to love and improving on them, he figured working for a bistro wouldn't be the most arduous task but a pleasant learning experience. After Noctis and Lunafreya left for their wedding, the party ventured to the bistro in Twilight Town where Sora served their meals.

Here he let slip this is where he learned to cook and curious to discover who taught the boy these amazing meals he prepared, Ignis requested to meet the chef. It was rather surprising and very concerning to see the master chef was a rat. But after everything these worlds had to offer, strangely a rat being the world's greatest tiny chef wasn't entirely preposterous. Truth be told he somewhat wondered if the boy was just being as accurate and attentive to the recipe's guidelines as most.

After he served the other dishes with the others, Scrooge had offered him to be the lead chef for the bistro in Traverse Town and even paid for accommodations. With no other means to pass the time, Ignis accepted the position and moved to Traverse Town.

Unlike Twilight Town, however, this bistro gets visitors from all other worlds and other savory customers that were not from around this city. One time he had a pair, couple, or just partners, come in requesting simple foods with a specific wine and mostly vegetables for his partner. A woman who had small rabbit ears and a tail yet had piercing red eyes, black armor and spoke softly yet otherworldly while the man was charming and had a similar accent to himself. Also…they were pirates.

Another time there was a woman dressed in armor with pink hair, carrying a beautiful sword, and wore sunglasses before entering the building. Her name was lost on him, but she only thanked him for the meal and then disappeared. Many say she comes and goes like lightning. Flash for a moment and then gone.

Once there was a party of other races that entered the restaurant and after learning they wanted to celebrate, a raid of sorts, he had the staff on full effort. They made quite a lot of coin for Scrooge, though there was that one woman with cat features though he could see from her eyes she was blind. She spoke to him wisely and full of the knowledge of his part in the war of the keyblades, thanking him and commanding him for remaining loyal to his king. How she knew about him he couldn't say, but based on her knowing Xehanort, he wondered if this woman was as knowledgeable as Mickey was.

But today was a special one, the bistro was closed for the public save for a party he had scheduled for today. Dinner was prepped and prepared to be consumed, quiet music filled the empty place and all he was doing currently was just sitting at one of the tables with ebony beside him and a book in hand, flipping the pages slowly to scan. A pair of footsteps tapped on the wooden floors and then the seat before him is taken over by another.

"Sheesh, can't believe you managed to close the bistro for today", Aranea comments looking around, "How'd you manage that without that grump of a duck going off on ya?". Ignis chuckles and closed his book, saying: "I've made him more munny in one week alone in less than a month. I do believe once I told him I'd double the earnings the next day; he was all for it". "Ahh playing to his wallet instead of appealing to his good side, genius", praised the dragoon. Those months of dealing with politics have paid off in the end.

"Still…can't say I don't like having all this space to ourselves", she comments, "And ya know…could lead to some fun things~". "We will NOT be doing anything risqué when the bistro is closed", Ignis says sternly and with his cheeks turning pink. Aranea smirked at those reddened cheeks, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively when Ignis cleared his throat. "Ooh? I was thinking of stacking chairs and seeing how many we could do or watch the crazy long list of movies we've missed", she teases. "What did you think I meant? Something…improper?".

"…why must you torment me?", Ignis asks tiredly.

Just then the door is knocked and before Aranea could tease him further, the man quickly gets to his feet and opened the door to greet the party. "Sorry we're late", Naminé apologizes, bowing to him kindly, "We got a little side-tracked".

Entering the bistro were the Twilight Gang along with Naminé, smiling warmly at Ignis while the others took in the homely bistro. Lea bringing some wine for the man as thanks for the service while Isa kept an eye on the more scatterbrained Xion, who was already chatting with Aranea. Seeing this, Ignis folds his arms and asks about the reason why they were late. Lea merely mentions "dalmatians" and says no more, the cook nodding his head and resumes his talk with Naminé, parsing her new dress.

She no longer wore the usual white dress but instead, a silver and grey jacket with a beautiful white laced shirt hidden within it with the Tenebrae and Lucian emblems on her breast pocket and her back for Lunafreya's homeland, a long skirt with silver and black checker pattern with teal flipflop with a bright blue flower pattern around the wrap on the start of her toes. Her hair was tied into a high tail while held together by a bright yellow star-shaped pin, a gift from Xion and Roxas.

"T-Thank you, Ignis", she says warmly with a blush, not used to such kind words. Though how she never got used to compliments was beyond the man, Xion and Roxas never hide their affection towards the girl.

Good on her word, once Naminé had regained an actual body, she was taken in by Lunafreya and Noctis. Granted while they "adopted" her they didn't put her down for next in line for throne due to the fact she was still by all accounts too young to even be part of a debate. Instead, she studies to become somewhat of an advisor, akin to Ignis, while studying arts such as painting and drawing after still possessing a love for it even after regaining her body. During the time of the preparations for the wedding, she passed the entrance exams and now attends a university within the Citadel, more out of her wishes as opposed to studying at home.

Roxas and Xion had been going to school with Hayner and the gang back in Twilight Town while their parental figures acted like mercenaries for Scrooge or took some odd jobs here and there for funds. After showing interest in pursuing an education while keyblade duties became less and less of a focus for the two, Lea had signed them up for school for a while before they returned to training as wielders of the keyblade, though Ignis and many of the adults believed they may only train if to keep their skills sharp for future threats.

Though while they liked school (which many of them found to be false), they outright admit they hated homework. Xion was the whinier between the two, claiming the school was bad enough that she was only in two classes with Roxas but now they load her bag with so many books and assignments it should be a crime to torture students. Roxas was more hands-on with the ordeal, just wishing he didn't have maths and geography.

Naminé had been splitting her time between home and Twilight Town so she was a regular guest at their home and would often spend her days helping them with their homework. Though she admitted to Ignis she wished Xion would stop attempting to distract her with cuddling to avoid her homework and wished Roxas wouldn't encourage her. Ignis found it more adorable than anything else.

After dinner, the teens were already playing a game with Isa and Aranea, a card game Hayner taught them before while Lea and Ignis cleaned up. Once they finished that, they settled against the counter to watch them play together. He folds his arms and watches as Xion accused Aranea of cheating while Roxas bemoans he lost again, all the while Isa and Naminé were watching with interest at the dragoon teasing the raven's poor poker face.

"Man…never thought we'd make it this far", Lea comments, hands in his pocket. Ignis glanced at him, seeing the genuine happiness in his green eyes. "It's weird seeing those two going to school…and not being worried about Xion", he remarks. "After everything that's happened to you three, this normality is strange to you?", Ignis asks. "Kinda. I mean after everything, you'd think the school of all things would be the last thing either of them would even consider", Lea clarifies, "Thought they'd leap for the chance to go on one of Sora's journeys or something".

Ignis folds his arms, nodding. "But this is what they want, isn't it?", he asked, "They're the ones who made this choice. Something that would never be theirs were they still in Xehanort or Xemnas' hands". Lea looks down at the floor, taking in the meaning. The power to choose what they want to do, how they wanna do it, and when they'll do it. They had already shown they had the will to choose when they put keyblade training aside for something as mundane and simple as school, wanting something normal for themselves.

Looking back in the recent year that came, he hadn't prepared them for what life outside of being a nobody was like, and every day it was like a new adventure for them. Full of wonders and questions about the world around them, and for all their complaints with homework and education being boring most days, he knew they loved going deep down in their hearts. Now with the worlds being at peace at last, maybe them giving up on joining the group in becoming keyblade masters, wouldn't be so bad.

Not all dreams have to share after all…

"Lea! Aranea is cheating!", Xion says, pointing at said cheater. "Pfft, where's your proof?", taunts the woman. "Your bosoms! I saw you stuffing your cards down there!", accuses the raven. Lea snickers as Isa shook his head while Ignis sighed. "Ara, you've been caught", he says with a casual smile. "*GASP*, Ignis! Are you siding with this brat? Are you calling me a cheater too?", gasped the dragoon with a mock look of hurt on her face.

"Never said that my dear", assured Ignis as he and Lea join the game before Xion becomes bold and dives for the evidence. It wouldn't be the first time she invaded personal space like that.

As the night goes on with card games coming and going, many jokes and accusations were thrown, banters made and more discoveries made, Ignis and Lea sit there enjoying it all, hoping that perhaps this may be a regular thing…

*Destiny Islands Atmosphere*

"Okay…okay…and…done!", Kairi exclaims with a wide smile, dropping her pencil onto the cup holder. She quickly jogged towards Sora in the captain's chair, just inputting some coordinates for their trip. She eagerly settles into his lap and shows him the list, and he grinned when he reads a few of them. "Whoa, you wrote all this in what, five minutes?", he asked with a raised brow. "Mental preparations come in handy when you're planning", she answers as his eyes drink in the list of worlds she's eager to see.

He leans back into his seat while Koko runs around their seat before she leaps into Kairi's arms, chirping happily. Sora looked at the list, trying to remember the distance between them and the islands. After a few weeks of planning and then some preparations, the two guardians had finally set everything ready for their worlds tour, ready to go off on their adventures. For the princess, it was a brand-new adventuring with herself and her boyfriend, at last, to fulfill their dreams of seeing the other worlds together.

Sora was somewhat nervous about this ordeal, after all, it was just him and Kairi. No Donald or Goofy to join them on their quest, or trip really, and no big bad guy to worry about either. Just him and her. His smile is warm and gentle when he looked at her playing with her fur baby, and one more glance at the list of worlds she wanted to visit, Sora sits up in his chair and says: "Well, better buckle up!". Kairi quickly scrambles to her chair and after buckling herself, she uses the controls to move closer to Sora as the ship's engines roar to life.

"Pick a world, and let's go!", he says, grinning. Kairi looks at her list and points at one with an eager grin, and soon enough the ship's engine burst with power. "Look out worlds, here comes the Heroes of the Worlds!", Sora proclaims.

Their ship blasts off into the unknown, leaving behind their world once again for new adventures.

But those are for another time…

The End

Author's Final Note:

You know, just two days ago, it's been two years since I started this story. And I still can't believe it went from just a small story to celebrate my love for Final Fantasy XV and the release date for Kingdom Hearts III.

Now we're at the end of this long story, and while I am happy I finished it, I'm sad too. Granted I've the short stories to do as well but they won't be the same as this, you know what I mean?

I mean this with all my heart and soul when I say, thank you all so much for the support. The reviews have really made the work load worth it, interacting with people was a great experience and I really feel like my skills as a writer has greatly improved thanks to this.

I do wanna give a big thanks to these reviewers though:

Jikker-Jack

Guest-Isa

KakeruPB

Keybladelight

Ninjafairygirl

For your constant support and feedback along with some ideas that helped with this story.

The biggest thanks to all goes to VashTheStampede0409. Who hands down is one of the reasons this story is as it is from the lore of FF XV, the ideas for Remind, constantly giving me feedback via messages and our conversations really helped shape this story. Seriously from the bottom of my heart, thanks for all your help.

Questions:

Q1: Thoughts on this finale?

Q2: Whose epilogue was your favourite?

Q3: Thoughts on this story ending?

Q4: You gonna read the shorts?

Q5: Did you catch all the guest characters?

Q6: Do you have a short story in mind?

Q7: Did you get the significance of Aqua's world?

As always everyone, thank you so much for reading. Thanks for the two years of support and reviews, and thanks for making this story celebrating Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts worth the work. Stay awesome but most important of all, stay safe.