Hey, yeah, you guys from the original remember the original chapter 2? Yeah...this is a completely reworked version of that. In any case, we're back, everyone, and I hope you're ready! Legacy and I have actually had this chapter finished for a while, but we wanted to work on the next chapter a bit before posting this one and we both have real life responsibilities to attend to as well. Sadly, I can't say when the next chapter will be.
What I CAN say is that both myself and Legacy are, probably ridiculously, proud of this chapter. Back when I wrote the original chapter 2, I didn't yet have my full list of OCs nor did I understand all of them as well as I would have liked to. Now, I feel like I have a strong grasp of these characters and so the foreshadowing I had planned for the original DD can now be moved to much earlier in the story than it originally was or planned to be. Plus there's also the opening hiding all sorts of other foreshadowing (in case some of you missed it ;))
Anyways, thanks to Antex- The Legendary Zoroark (Thanks so much for your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the last!) and ShadowWolf223 (I'm glad you liked it, I was so proud when I came up with it, considering how clear I imagined it!) for reviewing, all 3 followers, 3 favorites and 60 readers!
Now, for a correction: last chapter, I said that the encyclopedia would be gaining a new chapter for each chapter posted here. That is not true anymore, as I've discussed it with Legacy. There will only be one encyclopedia chapter, which I will update with new info for each chapter. For example, after this chapter, all the OC profiles will be added to the encyclopedia as well as new Keyblade info. Also, when Gia wears a new outfit, for example, I will add that to her specific profile with the specific chapter she's wearing it. I hope that makes sense and sorry to everyone who wants to review the encyclopedia, but now can't unless they're on guest! I should've figured that out with Legacy sooner than I did. It's my bad.
In any case, that's all I have to say for now. I'll see you all down below with some trivia! Enjoy now!
Chapter 1: The Twins Reunite
Location: The Land of Departure - Forecourt
During the years after Xehanort was defeated, the Land of Departure had become a seat of power for all Keyblade wielders. The castle that sat at the summit of a mountain, anchored to other mountains by its glimmering golden chains, served as the home and school for new apprentices. Those who oversaw the training of these apprentices were the current Keyblade masters: Aqua, Ventus, and Riku.
Currently, five of the nine apprentices that lived on the Land of Departure were gathered in the courtyard, along with the sole two year old. Standing on the edge was Alexina, the newest recruit of the nine. She was still not used to the vast range of mountains that surrounded them. Where she came from, there was only one large mountain which she had been taught to worship. Now residing above the townsfolk was something surreal to her.
One of the other apprentices snapped Alexina out of her thoughts when she beckoned a boy named Ryo. "C'mon, Ryo! Train with us!" Maia pleaded as she attempted to drag Ryo to the center of the courtyard where the others were playing a game of some kind. Alexina could see Marta standing by a net with a ball in her hands and little Silva right next to her, happily chatting with the dreamy girl, though what their conversation topic was, Alexina didn't know.
"I-I don't th-think so, Maia…" Ryo stuttered as he effortlessly dodged Maia's attempts to capture him.
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad!" Mahir said with a grin as he trapped Ryo in a headlock. "Master Ven created this game just for us!"
"B-but I don't see how it helps with training!" Ryo protested as he fruitlessly attempted to escape the other boy's grasp.
"I agree." Alexina spoke up, attempting to get the attention off of the obviously uncomfortable Ryo. "How is hitting a ball back and forth considered training?"
"It's good practice for hitting moving targets." Marta answered, a dreamy smile on her lips, as she held up the ball, which Alexina now noticed was decorated like a Heartless. "The Heartless and Nobodies can be unpredictable. Master Ventus said that we have to be creative with our training."
"I see…" Alexina nodded thoughtfully.
"Plus it's a lot of fun!" Silva happily piped up before she crossed her arms and pouted. "But Mommy says I can't play with you guys."
"You will when you're older!" Mahir grinned as he finally released poor Ryo and bent down so he was eye level with the little girl. "And by that point, you'll have seen us play so much, you'll be an expert!"
"Really Mahi?" Silva smiled at the dark skinned young man.
"Really really!" Mahir grinned, ruffling the little girl's dark brown hair as she happily cheered.
"Will you join us, Lexi? Please?" Maia turned on Alexina, her eyes large like a puppy's as she drew the gladiator's attention.
"L-Lexi…?" Alexina repeated. She flinched from surprise.
"Come on, it's not that bad." Mahir smiled as he stood up, picked up a wooden sword and held it out to Alexina. "Using a Keyblade is no different than using any other type of sword so the more you get used to swinging one around, the easier it'll be when you finally get your own Keyblade."
As the sole apprentice without a Keyblade, Alexina felt her cheeks burn. "I know how to use a sword. Alright." She agreed with a nod.
"Yay!" Maia grinned brightly as she stopped badgering Ryo. Silva joined the cheering too, before she ran to Ryo's side so she was out of the way.
"Alright! Then Ryo and Silva, you can keep score, okay?" Mahir grinned.
"S-sure…" Ryo agreed as his breath finally evened out and he easily picked up Silva to carry her towards the small toy scoreboard. Alexina reasoned that Mahir may had used more strength than intended.
Now with enough players, the four Keyblade wielders each took their respective positions on either side of the net. It was Mahir and Maia against Marta and Alexina.
"It's her first time playing so let's let Lexi go first," Mahir said to Marta. She nodded and then promptly tossed the ball to her teammate which Alexina caught with ease in her left hand.
"How do I hit it?" she asked as she raised and lowered the ball's altitude, unsure of the proper form.
"Like this," Marta said as she pretended to toss a ball in the air and hit it with her sword.
Alexina nodded as she got into her battle stance. She stood sideways with her feet parted at shoulder-length. Her knees were bent slightly and her sword was at hip level. She planted her left foot forward but took a moment to adjust it until she deemed it proper. When she was ready, Alexina tossed the ball into the air, high enough that everyone had to look up - Mahir and Maia shielded their eyes from the sun for a second. Mahir whistled to emphasize how high she had thrown it up. Once the ball reached its pinnacle, it started to drop quickly but Alexina smashed her sword into it with perfect timing. The ball flew into the net and returned to her so she rolled out of the way.
Mahir and Maia erupted into laughter, the former even stooped down to his knees because of his laughing frenzy. Alexina picked herself off the ground and dusted her clothes with her hand. She then shot daggers at Mahir and Maia. She was pretty sure she could hear Silva laughing and clapping her hands behind her too, but she didn't dare look.
Marta approached her and said, "Don't take it personally. Those two are just being silly and Silva's just a toddler. They don't mean any disrespect."
Alexina understood, but still felt embarrassed. She looked over at the laughing duo with a determined look. She was going to show them she could play the game right and win. "Alright, Marta. Ready to-" That's when she turned around to find Marta with her head down. Her eyes widened with frustration as she said, "Marta, now's not the time to fall asleep!"
Mahir ducked underneath the net as he made his way towards them, saying, "That's just something you're going to have to get used to with her. She might be asleep, but she's not useless." Mahir thrust his sword at Marta who simply shifted slightly to the left and raised her right arm to avoid the jab. "She's still partly with us but I don't think she'll be able to continue training."
"Oh, Ryooooo~" Maia said eerily.
The young man whipped around to find the ruby-haired girl standing right behind him. "Ah! How did-? Where did you-?" He looked back and forth from Maia to where she stood before. Maia just giggled in response as he started running. She began chasing after him again around the net. Thankfully, he had already set Silva back on her feet. Unfortunately, that meant the little girl joined in chasing him, thinking it all a game. "Come on, Maia, I don't want to play."
"Just try it!"
" L-leave me alone."
"Pleeeease?!"
"I have chores to do!"
"Yeah, all of a sudden."
"Play, Ryo, play!"
"Yeah, listen to Silva!"
"Not fair! She's a kid! You can't use her against me!"
Mahir laughed at them and Alexina unknowingly began smiling. That smile faded when she saw a Corridor of Darkness appearing in the corner of her eye. Without warning, a silver haired young woman ran through excitedly. Alexina's body moved on its own, closing the distance within seconds. Before the silver-haired woman could do anything, she found a wooden sword pointed at her neck.
"Don't move." Alexina whispered threateningly. "Or you'll see that I don't need a real weapon to dispatch an enemy." The woman met Alexina's eyes, her own blue eyes becoming hard, like ice. Suddenly, a whirlwind formed around Alexina, lifting her high into the air.
"Well that takes care of that," The woman said confidently with a smile.
Alexina was aggravated by this woman's audacity and trickery. She recovered in the air and with pinpoint accuracy, tossed her sword down at the stranger, who narrowly dodged it by jumping back. Alexina then reached for the xiphos at her waist and came down on the stranger. The silver-haired woman dodged again and summoned her Keyblade to block the brunette's next strike. To the stranger's apparent surprise, Alexina had a lot of power behind her swing, easily managing to break through her defense. Alexina charged forward with another swing, but only sliced through air.
The girl staggered and blinked her eyes, taking a moment to realize what had just happened. Once she did, her face lit up, to Alexina's confusion, and she turned to see a woman with an uncanny resemblance to her, except for her emerald green hair. A light blue cowl covered the lower-half of her face, but Alexina recognized her easily after living there for three months..
"Lia!" The stranger shouted excitedly, startling Alexina, before embracing the oldest apprentice. Lia smiled behind her cowl and returned the hug.
"Really, Gia? You couldn't have given us some warning before you charged here?" She asked.
"Sorryyy~, I thought Master Ventus would tell you all!" The young woman, Gia, whined, whined!
The Corridor of Darkness closed behind a red haired man, who captured everyone's attention by saying, "To be fair, I just got off the phone with the guy, Lia."
"I'm Gia!" the silver-haired woman snapped at him.
"Oh that's right!" he said insincerely as he slapped his forehead. "It's just that when the two of you are right next to each other, it's difficult to tell you apart. Anyways, good to see you, Lia." That time, he addressed the right twin.
"Gigi! You're back!" Silva screamed in delight as she stopped chasing Ryo and instead charged at the woman.
"Ahhh! There's my little Sil!" The woman, Gia, grinned as she bent down and swept the little girl into her arms before spinning her in the air. "Have you been good?"
"Mhm!" Silva nodded firmly.
"Master Lea," Lia addressed him with his title and bowed in respect, turning all eyes away from the woman and child. The other apprentices, even the sleeping Marta, did the same. Alexina was...horribly lost, but once she saw everyone else bow to Lea, she followed suit.
"Well, I gotta say, it's good to feel a little respect every once in a while. Speaking of which, why aren't you bowing?"
Gia turned away and responded, "Why should I? It's just you. Besides, I'm holding my little Sil right now! She's more important!"
Alexina and Ryo shared a look of shock, both thinking the same thing. Even in their short time there, never had either of them seen an apprentice speak to any of the masters with such disrespect, but here Lea was laughing at it instead of correcting her.
"Gia, you really should show Master Lea some respect," Lia advised. "He is your personal master, after all."
"Nah, he's just a big hot head."
"Hot head?!"
"Careful, Lea. Your Hades is showing," Gia teased.
Mahir and Maia laughed along with her, having heard stories of the ill-tempered god from Olympus and Lia smirked and rolled her eyes at her sister, but Ryo still looked lost and a little uncomfortable. It was Alexina who had heard enough and finally spoke out, "How dare you speak so disrespectfully about an Olympian, you sacrilegious little imp!"
"Little?!" Gia shouted. Lia quickly grabbed Silva from Gia before her twin dropped the little girl.
Both Gia and Alexina got into their battle stances, but Lea, Mahir, and Maia all summoned their own Keyblades, ready to intercept. Lia joined in after gently placing Silva down on the floor. She stood face-to-face with her sister, giving her a look that ordered her to stand down. Lea and Maia got in the middle as well and Mahir prepared one of his spells, most likely Bind. Ryo's eyes darted back and forth, unsure of what would happen next or what he should do.
"Geez, this sure isn't the welcome party we were planning," Ventus said as he made his way down the stairs that led to the castle. His hair was shorter than it was in his youth and he now wore ceremonial white robes with gold symbols around the black collar and sleeves. He was accompanied by Riku, who wore a more combat-oriented outfit that made him look like some kind of huntsman.
"Everybody, put your weapons away," Riku ordered. Without a second's delay, all of the Keyblades disappeared. "Stand by," he said to them without taking his eyes off of Lea.
"What do you mean it's not a welcome party?" Lea asked sarcastically. "We were just about to hit a piñata."
"What? They filled your hollow head with candy?" Ventus teased. Gia tried to keep herself from erupting into laughter but her hands could only do so much to muffle her voice. Some of the other apprentices wore some cheeky smirks of their own.
Riku cracked a smile as he told his peers, "You two really know how to break the ice." He then went in to hug Lea. So did Ventus right after.
The blonde put a hand on Gia's shoulder and said, "Good to have you back, Gia."
"It's good to see you again, Master Ven."
"Uncle Ven! Pick me up!" Silva demanded, holding her arms out to her uncle.
"What did your mom say?" Ventus teasingly scolded her.
"Please?" The little girl added and the blonde master happily picked her up, briefly tossing her in the air before bringing her close again.
Marta began to yawn and stretch out her arms, letting everyone know that she was awake. She looked around and asked, "Huh? What's going on?"
"I'll explain later." Maia whispered, to which Marta nodded in agreement. This seemed to be a common situation with the sleepy woman.
Riku turned towards Mahir, Maia, and Marta and said, "You three are already familiar with our visitors, correct." They responded with nods. He then turned to the two newest apprentices and continued, "Alexina, Ryo, this is Master Lea. You haven't seen him around, but he is a Keyblade Master just like the rest of us. He doesn't come here often because he and his apprentice, Giana, here-"
"Hi!" Gia said quickly with a cheerful wave. That is until she looked at Alexina and her smile dropped.
Riku continued, "...travel the various worlds to deal with any forces that threaten the balance between light and darkness. Now if you will all excuse us, Master Lea will return with myself and Master Ventus to meet with Master Aqua regarding his most recent report. We will fill you all in afterwards. Until then, continue your training as you wait to be assigned another mission."
"Master Riku," Lia began as she bowed to him. "With all due respect, may Gia and I attend the debriefing?"
"Whaaaa~?! But Lia, I wanted to go into town to get some pastries from that little bakery in the plaza!"
"Don't you think that this is more important?" Lia said with narrowed eyes. "Especially considering what I've heard about how your past few missions have been going."
"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" Gia protested.
"You fell through a roof in Agrabah." Lea threw in.
"And my sister doesn't need to know that!" Gia hissed as she whirled around to her master. The redhead nonchalantly tossed his arms behind his head in response.
Riku smiled at the twins and said, "Liana, you should spend some time with your sister. The other masters and I trust you to stand by our side during meetings like this, but it's not every day you get to see her. There will be time for the serious business later."
Lia nodded with her eyes closed and responded, "Yes, Master."
Riku offered her a gentle smile as he turned around to walk back to the castle.
"You stay with the others, okay, Silva?" Ventus told the little girl in his arms.
"Yes, Uncle Ven!" Silva nodded before she kissed his cheek.
"Good girl." Ventus smiled, kissing her cheek right back before he set her down. Silva then quickly made sure to wave at Riku and give Lea a high five before she ran towards the apprentices happily.
Riku then stopped by Alexina and told her, "Master Aqua will discuss with you regarding your impulsiveness."
"Yes, Master Riku," she said with her gaze low. She found herself unable to make eye contact with him. Riku, Lea, and Ventus all walked up the stairs and into the castle, leaving all of the apprentices alone in the courtyard.
For a while, there was a tense, uncomfortable silence hanging over the seven youth. Alexina looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground, but before any of the apprentices could say a word to her, Alexina bowed. "I should be going." She muttered and turned to leave without another word.
As she walked away, Lia shared a look with Mahir and she saw the same concern for the girl reflected in his eyes. Mahir, however, subtly shook his head at her. Now wasn't the time to confront Alexina about all of this. Lia quietly sighed under her breath, but nodded subtly in agreement.
"Say, Gia, weren't you just mentioning something about going into town?" Mahir said aloud, catching everyone's attention.
"Oh, yeah, you're right! C'mon, Lia, let's go! Please?!" Gia begged, clutching her sister's arm in a vice that she called her hands.
"I never said we couldn't. Come on, let's all go together." Lia said as she lowered her cowl, revealing her and Gia's identical features.
"Yay~! Ryo, you're gonna love the town, it's so cool!" Maia grinned brightly as she grasped Ryo's hand and began to drag him down the path they needed to take. "Come on, Sil!" She added as she grasped the two year old's outstretched hands.
"I-I've been to town, Maia! Hey! Don't pull me, or I'll-woah!" Ryo barely managed to catch himself as he tripped, to Maia's delight as she continued to pull him and Silva along.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Silva cheered, to Maia's delight as she just sped up, to Ryo's dismay.
"Wait for us!" Gia cried as she chased after the younger apprentices and the child.
"Yeah, wait up!" Marta chirped in agreement, only a few paces behind Gia. Somewhere along the way, the two young women started racing each other instead of attempting to catch up with Maia, Ryo, and Silva.
Just as well, Lia fell into step beside Mahir, the two of them walking at a normal pace compared to their fellow apprentices.
"C'mon, Lia, what's eating you?" Mahir finally asked, as she had known he would.
"Nothing, just...I feel responsible for Alexina and I don't want her to feel like an outcast, simply for reacting as she should have had Gia been a real enemy." Lia confessed.
"You worry too much. It's no different than how you reacted when I first came. If I remember correctly, I ended up on the floor with one of your ninja knives to my neck." Mahir chuckled as Lia's cheeks turned bright red at the memory. Of course, it was what happened after that which made Lia dislike that memory so much.
"I thought we agreed to never discuss that." She hissed at the young man.
"In front of others, yeah. But when we're alone, that's free game, Lia." Mahir grinned as he quickly dodged Lia's swipe at the back of his head, laughing as he ran ahead to catch up with the others. Oh, he knew Lia was going to kill him, but he also knew it was all in good fun. It was just how they were. Lia was the older sister he never really had growing up and teasing her like this was the best. Besides, she always gave back what she got and it was nice that the two of them, who were expected to be the role models, the 'big siblings' to the other apprentices, got the chance to relax when they were with each other, if nobody else.
Location: The Land of Departure - Town Plaza
In the three years that Lia had lived at the Land of Departures, and even in the seven years before she and her sister had been found after the Second Keyblade War had ended, the Land of Departure had become well inhabited. It had started as a plan proposed by Ventus to give aid to refugees who couldn't return to their home worlds and Aqua had encouraged it, saying it was something Master Eraqus would have wished for. Eventually, however, the town had grown to be open to anyone wanting to live under the protection of the Keyblade masters.
True to her word, Gia led the apprentices and Silva directly to a bakery that she enjoyed visiting whenever she came to visit. She came so often that the pastry chef lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw her. Somehow, between all of them, the group managed to get Ryo to relax a little and begin to enjoy himself.
"You're from an island?" Gia asked Ryo with wide eyes. "That must be like summer all the time!"
"Not really." Ryo said. "It's mostly just hot. And it means I'm not used to other seasons."
"Sounds more like my sandbox of a home then." Mahir commented as he stretched his arms, carefully balancing a happily eating Silva on his shoulders, a cookie based on King Mickey in her hands. "Agrabah is no picnic, let me tell you."
"I won't argue with you there," Gia threw in.
"It isn't that bad, guys!" Marta disagreed. "And the royals are all really nice!" she smiled, remembering her own time visiting Mahir's home.
"You got to meet the royal family of that world?!" Maia asked excitedly. "You're so lucky! The only royalty I've ever met is Mahir, our resident royal pain in the-"
"Maia!" Lia hissed. Her deep blue eyes darting back and forth between Maia and Silva. Luckily for Maia, the two-year-old did not notice as she was happily distracted, eating her cupcake.
"Oh…" Maia simply grinned and blushed.
"You've never met royals?" Gia asked. Maia shook her head. "Well, when Lia and I find out home world, we'll take you to meet royals. In fact, we'll take everyone from the Land of Departure there!"
"Whoa…" Ryo and Maia whispered in awe.
"You know royal family on your world?" Marta asked.
"Well, not to toot our own horn, but Lia and I are royals."
The others were left in complete bewilderment, which confused Gia. She knew that Ryo was new but the others had been at the Land of Departure for at least a year so she figured that Lia would have shared a little bit of their past with them by this point. The silver-haired woman looked over at her sister, who she just now realized had been silent the entire time.
Gia caught Lia biting the inside of her lip. She did that when she was uncomfortable, though most people would not notice because she usually had her cowl covering her face. The green-haired twin said, "Hey guys, so who wants to go to the library? There's a book I wanted to check out."
"Ok, who do you think you are? Belle?" Mahir joked with her.
"Better than looking like Beast," Lia shot back, which earned plenty of "Oh's!" from their peers.
"Pssh, you wish I was your prince," he said as he combed his messy black hair back.
"You can be Silva's prince!" Maia eagerly suggested. "She's our princess after all!"
"Yes! Great idea, Maia! You want me to be your prince, Silva?" Mahir grinned.
"...I'd rather Sari, she's prettier." Silva stated, entirely serious. This caused all the apprentices to crack up and Mahir, carefully of course, tipped back, as if the shock dealt him a blow, so Silva slipped off his shoulders and into Lia's waiting arms, to the little girl's delight.
Lia rolled her eyes as she stood up, adjusted Silva and asked, "Are you coming or not?"
"Sure, I'll lend you another pair of eyes," Mahir responded.
For the next several hours, the six apprentices and Silva ran around the town, acting like the young souls that they were rather than the soldiers they were trained to be. All three Masters often encouraged them to relax and take time off from training, knowing what it was like to have to be thrown head first into a war at a young age. The apprentices may have been young, but they weren't expected to carry the weight of the worlds, not like how Sora and Riku once had before they had found the other Guardians of Light.
"Hey, Lia." Gia said as she and her sister sat on the fountain in the center of the town while Mahir took the other apprentices and Silva through the pet store, with the strict warning to not buy the little girl a pet, less they anger Aqua. When the ninja hummed in answer, the summoner continued. "Have you gotten any further in finding anything about home? That's why we went to the library, right? So you could try and find anything about it?"
Lia was silent for several moments, her expression frozen. She turned to her sister, seeing the hope shining in Gia's eyes.
"Gia, I-" Lia started to say when a familiar ringtone went off and she took her Gummiphone out of her pocket. With an apologetic look at Gia, the ninja answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey," Riku said on the other end, smiling slightly. "Mind rounding up the others and coming back? We need to debrief all of you."
"Of course, Master, we'll leave right now." Lia nodded, easily slipping into the role of apprentice.
"Thanks, Liana. It's good to know we have you to keep the others in line. You'll make a great Master one day." Riku smiled proudly. Liana caught the hint instantly and turned bright red, attempting to hide her face in the strands of hair hanging in her face.
She wasn't very successful.
"Master..are you saying that-"
Riku teased her by cutting her off, "That I want you all up here immediately? Yeah."
"Yes, Master."
"See you then." Riku smiled and hung up with a good natured goodbye. Lia refused to meet her sister's eyes as she recovered her composure. Somehow, she managed to not give in to the urge to hide in her cowl and was soon on her feet, calling Mahir to get the others so they could head back.
Gia didn't say anything as they walked back, simply watching as her sister and the thief seamlessly slipped behind the masks of leadership that they were expected to be as the oldest apprentices and, most likely, the two who would soon be taking the Mark of Mastery exam. Though it was a bit disconcerting, watching her sister, whom she had known all her life, vanish behind the facade of a warrior and a protector, it also made Gia so very proud. Her little sister was growing up so fast.
Gia failed to notice that the spiky-haired apprentice, Ryo, had approached her. He shyly said, "Uhm, so I meant to say this earlier, but it's nice to finally meet Lia's little sister that I heard so much about." Ryo said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ryo, no!" Lia and Mahir shouted in wide eyed panic as Maia looked excited for the explosion that was to come. Marta did not look like she was going to intervene either since she was having a hard time staying awake as evident by the dreamy look on her face. Silva looked torn between laughing or running to avoid Gia's reaction.
Gia found no difficulty in waking Marta when she shouted, "I'm older than her! How is that not obvious to you?!"
"Uh, I, uh, w-well…I…"
"Don't answer!"
Thankfully, this time, Ryo listened to his senior apprentices. Maia giggled happily as Mahir led Ryo, Marta and Silva back to the castle and Lia took to calming her sister down, before they arrived and the Masters would all see her.
Location: The Land of Departure - Forecourt
Lia sighed in relief as they finally reached the castle again, grateful for her now calmed sister. All it took was a caramel apple from the candy store in town but then they ended up waiting for Maia and Marta to finish filling their plastic bags with sweets, and attempting to share a bunch with Silva which the ninja had to put a stop to instantly. Regardless, they were all back and ready for their meeting. Before she made it to the steps, Mahir suddenly grab her arm and pulled her to the side, hard enough that she stumbled into his side, glaring up at him.
"And what was that for?" She demanded.
"Just wanted to share a little observation I made." Mahir shrugged. "Gia freely offered up that you guys are royalty in your home world, like it was no big deal. But you're not as open about your background and home world. I always thought that it meant that something really bad happened, but Gia doesn't seem all that worried."
Lia looked down, her bangs hiding her eyes as she slowly pulled her arm out of Mahir's loosened grasp. "Something bad did happen. Gia just chooses to block out the bad stuff from our past."
Mahir's face softened as he apologized, "Oh...sorry, I didn't-"
"We don't have time to discuss this right now, Mahir. The Masters are waiting." She stated.
The thief was silent for several moments, trying to get a read on the ninja, but to no avail. Mahir let the green-haired woman go and followed behind her.
Location: The Land of Departure - Castle - Main Hall
The main hall inside the Land of Departure's castle was a large room with thick cream-colored columns on each side. There were gold accents all over from the rails to the edges of the walls and all around the windows. Most elegant of it all was the gold marble floor that was shined spotless. At the far end of the room were three thrones but the masters all stood in front of them, waiting for the rest of the apprentices to arrive since Alexina was already waiting patiently. When Maia's head popped out from the staircase at the opposite end of the room with the others following closely behind her, the masters all turned towards them. Now that all of the apprentices were present and lined up in front of them - with Gia intentionally avoiding Alexina - Ventus, Aqua, and Riku sat down from left to right in their respective seat with Lea standing at Ventus' side.
"Welcome back and thank you for joining us," Aqua said to them all. She wore a blue-gray ceremonial robe over her combat outfit, now sporting a pair of leggings. She retained all of the armored accessories that she wore in her younger days but her hair had grown to pass her shoulders and fell in waves with neat bangs framing her face. "I hope you all enjoyed your time in town because in our profession, we have to take the breaks when we can and unfortunately, now is the time to go to work.
"As some of you know from visiting other worlds, Heartless appear whenever a person's heart submits completely to darkness. Since Master Xehanort was defeated and all of the Keyholes were sealed, less Heartless have appeared across all of the worlds that we have visited and most of the Heartless that do appear have just been Shadows. Recently, Master Lea had begun reporting larger quantities of Heartless spawning and in the past few worlds that he and Giana have visited, there have been more powerful Heartless than what they normally encounter.
"We believe that this has something to do with greed spreading throughout the worlds and that the increase of Heartless spawning is tied to the case that Sari, Jack and Rickson are currently working on right now. For those of you who are not aware, we have three apprentices who have been following a trail of missing materia. With less materia available in a world for the moogles to harvest, less moogles appear in those worlds, which lead to less resources in that world, and that creates greed. Greed on its own can overturn civilizations but it can be a gateway to stealing and that can eventually lead up to murder. The more a person falls down that path, the easier it is for the darkness to consume them."
With the wave of her hand, Aqua effortlessly created a holographic map of the galaxy large enough for everyone to see. "This is our location," she said while pointing to a flickering dot on the map. She swiped once, causing the map to shift over, and then zoomed in to a world on the map. "Sari's team is currently on Rickson's home world, The Caribbean, which is in the Misty Stream. Just a few hours ago, she reported that they were able to procure a keychain that, when equipped, will allow them to locate materia more easily. According to her, when Rickson equipped the keychain to his Keyblade, his Keyblade was pulled in the direction of Montressor, in the Etherium." She swiped at the map, once again shifting it. "There is a small artificial satellite, called Crescentia, that orbits Montressor and serves as its main port which is where the Keyblade is most likely pointing to."
Mahir raised his hand, asking for permission to speak. "You mentioned a port?" he asked.
"For Gummi Ships," Riku responded. "Many of the planets in that galaxy have figured out how to mine for gummi blocks and create ships sustainable in the lanes between. That galaxy is also well known for the abundance of interworld pirates so we have the suspicion that a pirate has been going around collecting materia and passing it through Crescentia."
Aqua nodded and said, "That's right. So tomorrow, we will be sending a team consisting of Marta, Gia, and Lia to go investigate Crescentia and see if there is any information that they can find regarding this case. Lia, you're in charge of this one."
Lia was in disbelief. She just stood there with a blank expression as Aqua looked back at her, waiting for a response. Lia felt a nudge at her side so she turned to her sister who was looking at her with a wide smile. The emerald-haired girl still had a confused look on her face so Gia gestured with her eyes and the tilt of her head towards Aqua.
"Oh! Yes Master Aqua," Lia responded.
Aqua chuckled slightly as she said, "Getting cold feet already, Lia?"
"No, ma'am," she answered quickly.
"Good. Sari's team should be meeting the three of you on Crescentia. Once you land there, call them to regroup and from there you will be expected to gather information on any top priority wanted pirates in the area. Rickson's Keyblade pointed in that direction for a reason. It's most likely because our materia collector is hoarding all of it somewhere around there. Be quick but be tactical in collecting the information you need. Is your mission clear?"
"Yes, Master Aqua," the three young women answered.
"Everyone else will remain here on standby and will be expected to be ready to depart to assist the others if the need arises. I fear that things are beginning to change in the World and we must be ready to fight at a moment's notice. That is all for now. I advise you all to go to your quarters and get some rest for tomorrow."
"Yes, Master Aqua," they all said in unison.
"May your heart be your guiding key," she told them all.
"And may your heart be yours," they responded. Gia was the exception. Instead, she looked over at Lea with eyes full of panic, having not been taught that formality. Lea merely smirked and shrugged in response, much to her annoyance. None of the other masters pointed Gia out so she felt a wave of relief wash over her. With nothing left to do, the apprentices all began walking together to their rooms.
"And where are you going?" Lea asked his apprentice.
Gia spun on the tip of her toe to face him but she was confused so she cocked her head to the side. "To my sister's room?"
"You seem surprisingly unsurprised to find out that you won't have yours truly to watch your back on this mission."
"Huh, you're right. Wonder what that's all about," she said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'll catch you tomorrow, Lea. Gonna go have some girl time with the sis."
"Gah! Are you serious?! You're not even interested in what your wise master will be up to during your absence from his side?"
"Wise master? Wait!" Her eyes beamed and a large smile stretched across her face. "Is Master Aqua finally going to be my master?! Ooh! What about Master Riku?"
The other masters laughed at Lea as his blood boiled with frustration. Finally, he stood up straight, turned to the side, and crossed his arms as he pretended to be nonchalant about it. "Fine, I guess I won't tell you then."
"Kay," she said as she turned back around and started walking with Lia towards the dormitories.
Location: Land of Departure - Castle - Lia's Room
"Ugghhhh, man am I jealous of you, sis." Gia sighed as she leaned back against Lia's bed. "You get to stay here and get this awesome room all to yourself, while I'm stuck with the hot head and don't even get a real bed!"
"Come on, this isn't all that." Lia disagreed, smiling in amusement as she sat down beside her collapsed sister, her eyes skimming through a stack of papers that she flipped through. "I mean look at all these entries you've made in your journal. You've seen so many worlds, while I've only seen half a dozen at most."
"Still, I like exploring and all, but some luxuries would be nice too!" Gia groaned, trying to bury herself into the bed.
"Princess…" Lia snorted, leaning against her headboard.
"And rightfully so!" Gia countered, pointing a finger in Lia's face.
The two stared at each other in silence for a few tense moments before they collapsed into laughter, Gia pushing herself up to lean against Lia's bent legs instead.
"I really did miss you though." Lia smiled softly, placing her hand on her sister's. "It's not the same, waking up and not hearing you have an enthusiastic conversation with someone."
"Same back to you. It sure isn't fun traveling around with the same person all the time. He takes all the fun out of it, not like what traveling back at home with mom and dad was like." Gia said while pulling a face to show her distaste.
"And yet there's no other master for you." Lia countered.
"I guess…" Gia sighed, overly dramatic. "But the same is true of you and Master Riku then."
"Of course." Lia nodded in agreement, playing with the chain she wore around her neck.
"You're doing better now, right? With getting your ninjutsu back to normal, I mean." Gia asked.
"A bit, but I still have a ways to go." Lia admitted, refusing to meet her sister's eyes.
"Well, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it back before you know it!" Gia grinned, her belief palpable.
"Thanks, sis." Lia smiled, looking up a bit.
"Always!" Gia grinned, taking Lia's hand in her own.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, interrupting them.
"Come in." Lia called.
The door opened to reveal Ventus on the other side.
"Hey, good to see you two catching up," he said with a smile as he entered the room.
"Hi Master Ventus! Did you need something?" Gia asked.
"Yeah, we just finished working out the last few details on the mission for tomorrow. Riku asked me to come get Lia so they could train in the garden, just as a precaution." Ventus explained.
"Awww, fine." Gia whined before she whirled around on her sister. "You better do well, sis, we need you in top shape for this mission, okay?"
"Yes, Gia." Lia chuckled as the summoner freed her legs, allowing her to get off the bed and follow Ventus. "I'll be back late, don't wait up for me."
"If you say so." Gia sighed as she fell back on the bed once again. "Good luck and have fun!"
Location: Land of Departure - Castle Gardens
Lia made her way down the road from the forecourt until she reached the fork that would take her either to the garden area or down the mountain into town. She had not expected to do any training so late, especially the night before her first mission without Riku by her side, but her master was a rather diligent one who preferred to work than rest so this was not out of character for him. Lia stepped onto the cement walkways that cut through the dirt and ran throughout the gardens like veins in the body. When she reached the fountain in the center, she found it odd that Riku was not there so she called out to him, "Master Riku? Are you here?"
There was no response so she decided to wait for him. After only a few seconds, though, Lia felt someone's hand grab her shoulder so she whipped around, summoned Kiku no Kizuna in her right hand, and pinned him against a hedge with her forearm pressed against his chest and her Keyblade held against his throat. Her eyes widened when she realized it was only Ventus.
"Sneaking up on you is no fun," he said jokingly.
Lia's body relaxed as she rolled her eyes and made her Keyblade disappear. She asked him, "And when will you get that through that thick skull of yours? What are you even doing here? I thought Master Riku was to meet me out here." She crossed her arms and turned her body to the side, leaving her open to a hug.
"Aw, don't be like that," Ventus pleaded with her. He took hold of her waist, turning her to face him with ease. "Can you blame a guy for wanting to see his girlfriend before she leaves on her mission?"
A pink tint burned Lia's cheeks behind her cowl. Before she could react, Ventus had pulled it down and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. Lia immediately pulled away and whispered aggressively, "Are you out of your mind?! What if someone sees us? We're out in the open." She looked up at his deep blue eyes, which relaxed her more with every second that she lost herself in them. They sparkled like sapphires when the moonlight hit them.
"You know that the only person that comes down here is Sari and she's still on her mission. Relax, will you? We're perfectly hidden by the hedges."
"Oh yeah? And what if my sister opens her mouth to somebody that Master Riku told me to come out here and it reaches his ears?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there?" He offered her a shameless smile.
"Ventus! I'm serious."
Ventus held his hands defensively and said, "Okay, okay. What's got you so worked up, Lia? Be honest. Is it the mission?" Lia looked down at the ground as she sat down on the edge of the fountain, remaining silent as she did so. Ventus joined her and placed a hand on her knee, which she did not swat away. "You know you can talk to me about anything."
She nodded and then placed her head on his shoulder as she slipped her fingers through the spaces between his. "It's going to be my first time outside of this world in three years. I don't think that Master Aqua made the right call by picking me. Sure, I've been an apprentice the lo-" She paused for a moment and then shook her thoughts away to continue, "for the longest, but Gia has far more experience in other worlds than I do. Even Marta has more experience."
"That's true but you're the most level-headed. We didn't make a mistake when we picked you to lead. Riku didn't say it just because he's your master and I definitely didn't say it because I'm your boyfriend." She gave him a skeptical look. "What? I'm serious." That look didn't go away. "Okay, maybe I did a little bit but can you blame me for wanting you to succeed?"
Lia sighed and smiled softly. "No, I guess I can't. I just...really don't want to screw up the mission. You and Master Riku might not be too hard on me but Master Aqua doesn't have a personal attachment to me. She might never let me leave from this world again if things don't go well." Ventus chuckled which made her look up at him. "What's so funny?"
"Aqua would never do that. She understands more than anyone that making mistakes can happen on a mission, especially on important ones. Those are the ones you learn the most from. Look, you've prepared for this day for the past three years of your life. You'll do amazing and to show you that I think so too, I actually made something for you."
Lia eyed Ventus curiously with the tilt of her head as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a star-shaped charm made of bright emerald green glass. Ventus gestured for Lia to take it but she looked at it wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to take it.
"Isn't that the wayfinder you placed on Master Eraqus' tribute?"
Ventus smiled and shook his head, "No, I made this one myself. The same way that Aqua gave me and Terra our wayfinders to symbolize an unbreakable bond, I want to give this one to you." He took Lia's hand by the back and flipped her palm face up to place the wayfinder on top. It was very small, small enough for her to close her fingers over it.
Lia could not believe it so all she did was just look into his eyes, again, captive by their glow. Finally, she smiled at him and tilted her head up to kiss him. He pressed his lips back against hers, moving them this time. Lia placed one of her hands on the side of his face and he put his on the small of her back, pulling her as close to him as possible. When they broke the kiss Lia rested her head against the crane in Ventus' neck once more and buried her body under his arm. The two sat just like that for some time until they decided to go back to their rooms.
Location: The Ocean Between
The large expanse of space between worlds was, despite being vibrant and colorful, teeming with darkness and its denizens. This is why Sari, Jack, and Rickson were flying through the lanes in between the worlds on their Keyblade Gliders with the protection of their Keyblade Armor to shield their bodies and their hearts from the invading darkness that surrounded them. It would consume them at the first opportunity that it had, but the trio were safe as they journeyed to Crescentia.
Of the three apprentices, Rickson was the most relaxed. They had the time, after all, before they would reach Crescentia. That is why he had taken the opportunity to lay back on his glider, kick his feet up on the ship's wheel, and pull out his guitar, strumming and humming as he flew through the Ocean Between.
Suddenly, however, he was knocked from his peace by a Gummi Block nailing him on the head. Rickson caught it just in time, considering Chip and Dale would be angered if they learned he lost them a Gummi Block, and turned to glare at the culprit. Despite most of her face being covered, the sweet smile that Sari wore was clearly visible. Rickson felt his veins turn to ice. This can't be good, he thought.
"Ricky, dear, we're currently under attack…" Sari started to say, her voice as sweet as honey, when her eyes suddenly sharpened and her smile vanished as she glared at him. "So would you mind HELPING PLEASE?!"
It was only then that Rickson thought to look at his surroundings to find that there was a horde of wolf-like heartless chasing after them. His eyes widened from astonishment as he yelled, "Heartless?! Hey don't look at me!"
"I'm not accusing you!" Sari yelled back as she leaned into the handle of her scooter-shaped glider, applying more power into the thrusts to take off.
"Oh, right…" Rickson fumbled in his seat as he pulled his guitar over so that it rested on his back, took hold of the ship's wheel, and channeled his energy into it to make his motorcycle-like glider move more quickly. Up at the very front was Jack, in his go kart-like glider, guiding his allies towards the icy asteroid field that surrounded Arendelle. Both Sari and Rickson followed him through the field, maneuvering around the large rocks that floated nearby. Unfortunately for them, the heartless pounced from asteroid to asteroid in hot pursuit. They danced around the field with their shadowy tails trailing behind them like a flickering torch flame.
As one of the Heartless pounced on Sari, Rickson yelled out, "No!" The Heartless seemingly slowed its advances which provided enough time for Rickson to ram his glider into the Heartless' side, sending it flying in some direction.
"Thank you!" Sari shouted as she kept her focus on the asteroids that floated in front of her and the enemies that continued chasing them.
"That's all I get?" Rickson asked, teasingly, not far behind her.
"If you haven't noticed, we're in-" She paused to whip her glider at an incoming Heartless but continued when she planted her feet on her vehicle, "the middle of something!"
"Fine, fine" Rickson said nonchalantly. "So what are these things called?" he asked as he whipped his glider to knock one of the Heartless away.
"I've never encountered Heartless like these. They seem to be purebloods."
"I say we call them Wolf Shadows!" Jack called back.
Rickson responded, "Nah, it needs to be more creative like Night Howlers."
"Taken," Sari called back.
"There's a Heartless like that already?"
"No! Nevermind, it's a long story."
"What about Shadowlers?" Jack suggested.
"Sha-what now?" Rickson asked.
"Guys, we should focus!" Sari called as she narrowly dodged one of the Heartless' claws.
"Yeah, cause that's a stupid name," a man said mockingly, his voice teeming with disgust. "They're called Dark Howlers, dummies."
None of the apprentices recognized the voice so they looked around only to find a muscular man in black leather with short grey hair flying at top speeds on his motorcycle-like vessel. He wore a malicious grin as he dove towards them, amused by the shocked looks on their faces. The man pulled back his left fist to charge the taser on his gauntlet and slammed it onto Rickson's glider, which made the young man lose control.
"Rickson!" Sari called out as she took a nosedive to protect Rickson from the incoming Dark Howlers. Just as she neared Rickson, the man readied another attack, this time intended for Sari. Luckily for her, Jack came from behind and slammed his glider into the man's vessel which prevented the attack. This allowed Sari to cast Reflera on Rickson, encasing him inside a transparent crystallized bubble. The Dark Howlers bit and clawed at the barrier, unable to make a scratch on it.
Inside the reflera, Rickson could only see ravaging monsters whirling around him like a dark cyclone. Unable to stop spinning inside the reflera, he began to panic. His eyes shut from anxiety and he gripped the side of his helmet as he yelled out, "Go away!"
The man looked on in awe is as the Dark Howlers disappeared around Rickson. This left him open for another attack from Jack but the apprentice was clipped in the shoulder by a bullet, causing him to flinch from the shock. Sari turned her attention away from Rickson to find another man on a motorcycle, this one with long silver hair.
"Having some trouble, Loz?" the long-haired man asked.
"Bug off, Yazoo! These runts are mine."
A volley of fireballs sprouted from Sari's hand, crashing into Loz and Yazoo. This singed their skin a bit but they were much more resilient than they appeared. They were not average humans. In fact, they were very agitated super humans. Loz yelled as he put power into his vehicle and rushed Sari and Rickson with a charged punch. Sari quickly set up another Reflera around herself and Rickson and yelled to Jack, "Run! Call the masters!" Loz's punch caused a large explosion on Sari's barrier which sent them flying off into the distance. Sari maintained the barrier until the constant whirling made her pass out from dizziness, in turn, dispelling her Reflera.
Just as Loz was about to take off after them, Yazoo said, "Leave them. We can deal with them at our leisure. We can't let this one get away and call for help."
Loz had to fight the urge to go after the other two but he finally resigned and said, "Fine!" He then shot Jack a smug smirk as more Dark Howlers spawned somewhere behind the duo and targeted Jack. The short young man looked around for Rickson and Sari, unsure of where exactly they drifted off to but when he could not find them, he decided it best to do as Sari said and call for help but first, he had to get as far away from Loz and Yazoo as possible. He turned his glider around and applied as much power as possible to the vehicle but he could hear Loz and Yazoo revving their engines too. To make matters worse, the Dark Howlers were quickly catching up to Jack. He could hear their snarls growing louder by the second.
Off to the side, Jack could see something dazzling making its way towards him. It curved around him, eliminating the Dark Howlers before returning to its origin like a boomerang. Further ahead, Jack could see someone riding a vehicle similar to his pursuers', but this person wore protective armor and a helmet. The stranger caught the blade with one hand and slipped it into one of the motorcycle's compartments.
"Get as far away from here as possible!" the man yelled as he passed by Jack.
Jack was tempted to turn around to help him face Loz and Yazoo or even to search for Sari and Rickson but he had to get somewhere safe to make the call to the Land of Departure.
Location: The Land of Departure - Castle - Aqua's Room
Aqua's room was very well kept. She dusted the shelves, shined the furniture, and swept and mopped the floors herself, afterall. Outside of training her apprentices, there was not much to do around the castle, though Silva made sure her day was never boring. Aqua's room faced the direction of the moon so it was often bathed in a white light at night, which would sometimes keep her up and sometimes her daughter too.
That night, she could not sleep but not because of the moonlight. The call she received from Jack had her worried. She was right that something was coming but she had no idea what and considering that some of the oldest apprentices at the Land of Departure were defeated with such ease, she was reasonably worried about whether they were ready to face whatever was on its way.
"Two silver-haired men who didn't need any sort of protection from the darkness. Could they be connected to…" Aqua shuttered at the thought of the old man.
She looked out through the window at the full moon, watching as small dark clouds would try to eclipse it. At one point, there were enough of them to dim the moonlight for a moment. Aqua let out a sigh before allowing herself to fall onto her bed. Air rushed under the sheets, making bubbles form but those bubbles quickly deflated. Her arms were stretched out wide as she still held her gummi phone in her hand.
"Is Mommy okay?" Silva asked, sitting up from where she laid beside her mother to look down at her instead.
"Mommy's okay, just stressed, baby girl." Aqua smiled softly.
"Don't worry, Mommy! I'll protect you from the monster!" Silva proclaimed.
"Heheh, thank you, baby girl." Aqua chuckled as she grabbed her daughter and held her against her chest, sighing as her comfortable weight settled on her chest.
With everything going on Aqua needed to take a breath. She needed to think about something that would put her to ease and when she began contemplating, her mind drifted to a particular person. She had not seen him in so long, not since before the absolute bundle of joy in her arms had come into existence, but she had the ability to speak to him at her fingertips. After debating it for a few minutes, Aqua brought her gummi phone to her face and searched for the man's name. She dialed it hoping to see his face but all she saw was the word "Disconnected" in large white letters. Aqua let her arm fall to the side as she whispered to herself, "Please be okay."
"Mommy thinking about Daddy?" Silva questioned. Aqua paused, not sure what to say. "Don't worry, Mommy! Daddy's strong! He'll be okay and come home to us soon!"
Suddenly, before she could say a word in response and as if in answer to her daughter's words, her gummi phone began ringing so she brought it in front of her face with lightning reflexes and hit the answer button without seeing who it was. "Terra?!" she shouted, partly hopeful, partly concerned.
Instead, the auburn hair and cobalt eyes appeared on Aqua's screen. It was her friend, Kairi, who also seemed distressed.
"Terra?" Kairi asked. "Aqua, were you expecting a call from him? I-I'm so sorry! I can call back if you'd like me to."
"Aunt Kai!" Silva called out and the red haired woman briefly waved at the little girl, though the movement was tense and not nearly as enthusiastic as it normally was.
Aqua shook her head, "No, no. I just...nevermind. Is everything okay, Kairi?"
"Actually Aqua, it's not. Sora didn't come home the last two nights." Aqua could see that it was already morning for Kairi.
"Uncle Sora?" Silva gasped. "But he promised he'd visit soon!"
"Sora is missing?" Aqua clarified, petting her daughter's hair to calm her.
"Yes. Yesterday, I called Tidus and Wakka to see if he spent the night with either of them but they said that he didn't. I asked around for him all over town and I even went to our island to see if he was there but I can't find him. I'm really worried about him. He's been distant lately but this...he's never done this and I-I don't know what to do…" Kairi was on the verge of tears, barely able to finish her sentences without her voice cracking. "No one has seen him anywhere. I'm beginning to think that he's not on this world anymore."
"He's not answering his phone?" Kairi shook her head. "Should I tell Riku to go to Destiny Islands to help you look for him?" Again, Kairi shook her head.
"I already called Roxas. He and Xion are going to come with me to look for Sora. Riku has a lot of responsibilities on his plate. I don't want him to just abandon everything. The rest of us can handle this. I just...I just wanted to fill you in. I know I'm asking a lot of you by keeping this between us but I want to tell Riku when I feel that I should tell him."
"When would that be?" Aqua asked.
"Either when we've found Sora or when I can't keep it from him any longer."
"Kairi, I really don't feel comfortable keeping this from him. How can I teach my apprentices the value of teamwork when I can't even be honest with my fellow master? What would I be showing them?"
"Blame it on me?"
"Kairi, I-"
"Aqua, please? I know that I'm putting you in a difficult position but I really don't want to bother Riku. I promise that I will tell him about this. I'll explain that this was all my idea and that you have nothing to do with this. I'll even explain it to your apprentices. Yes, honesty is important, but so is maintaining harmony."
"Aunt Kai! Lying is bad! You'll be grounded!" Silva warned, very concerned for her aunt's possible punishment.
"I know, sweetie, but I'll take my punishment, just like you always do." Kairi tried to smile.
Aqua stared at Kairi, slightly frustrated and annoyed by her request but in the end, she felt like Kairi had a point. Aqua told her, "Again, I really don't feel comfortable doing this but I will keep this between us. I won't even tell Ventus. I don't think it would be right to tell him but keep it from Riku. As for the blame, I'll take it all on myself. I am making this decision."
"Aqua, I don't-"
"Kairi, this is the only way I will agree to this."
With a sigh, Kairi nodded and said, "Okay, but can we at least leave that condition to be discussed later?"
Aqua pursed her lips. Maybe it had something to do with Kairi's unique powers but she could not bring herself to say no to the younger woman. With a sigh, she said, "Kairi, I'm going to trust that the three of you can bring Sora back."
Kairi's lips curled into a smile, "You can count on me! Thanks, Aqua!"
"Mommy…?" Silva asked, looking up at her distressed mother.
"Don't worry, baby girl. Mommy and Aunt Kairi will take care of everything. You just trust us." Aqua reassured. "Now, time for sleep, okay?"
"Okay!" Silva smiled with a nod. She then laid down with a whispered 'good night'. Aqua just sighed. She hoped she was doing the right thing...and that her too trusting daughter wouldn't suffer from this.
And there we are! Now for some fun explanations!
That very first scene, the game the apprentices are playing? That was based on a game shown in episode four of the anime, Assassination Classroom. I was watching the anime again right around the time this reboot was being thought up and that game stuck with me, especially when I was thinking of how to originally start this chapter, since Legacy and I agreed that I knew the OCs better so I would be the one to start this chapter.
And MAN, did this chapter turn out long! I had no idea how many words were in it until editing it, but I knew it was pretty long. Legacy and I just kept writing, heh. I don't know if every chapter will be this long, but we'll keep working and give out just as good quality as I think we did here.
Oh, for the record, the new details that are highlighted here that seem new from DD (such as Lia/Ven for example), these were always planned, I just never got to them by myself. I'm glad I can finally write all these plot points I had planned now! And, as you can see, the subplots I had set up in the original DD (being the Roxas/Kairi subplot and the Sora/Namine/Xion subplots) have now changed, but I do promise that they have the same essence even if their original presentation is now different. I promise, what happens with these guys was always in the plan with the original as well.
And I have to admit, it's a lot more fun with all the OCs being available to write right off the bat rather than waiting a bit. Having them all interact really is fun for me, the dynamics between them all are fun to explore! Oh! Speaking of the OCs, when DD was first written, I messaged all the creators and asked if it would be okay to pair everyone off. I want this on the record now that not all OCs are gonna have obvious romance arc, though remnants of the original planned pairings will probably still be seen. Oh, and before I forget, no, Mahir calling Lia 'Lili' is not a typo left over from the days of Lili and Mili, that's simply his personal nickname for her, just letting you guys know! There should be no name mix ups now, but thanks for keeping an eye out for them last chapter!
That was a heck of a long author's note, I know, but I'm done talking now, haha! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Legacy and I have quite the plan for this story, lots and lots of things to come! This is probably gonna end up a huge epic, and I cannot wait to see the finished product and your guys' reactions to every twist we pull (and trust me, there's a lot *evil laughter*)
We'll see you all again soon, okay? May your heart be your guiding key!