Legacy's A/N: Hi! I hope that everyone has been doing well considering the situation the world is in right now. Despite having a lot more time now, I haven't really worked on this story because I've been working on the plans for a couple other stories I intend on posting on my account (shameless plug). Wolfie's been crazy busy through all this coronavirus, business, still so the blame's pretty much mine, haha. We had a good chunk of the chapter finished already so we finally decided to sit down for a few hours and write out the rest of it. Hope you all enjoy it! Oh! And a huge thanks to everyone who sent in an OC or is currently working on an OC. This story wouldn't be possible without the contribution that the readers provide with their OCs. As of right now, we are STILL ACCEPTING OCS so please send them in if you have any ideas for them. Heck, if you want to make a minor villain OC to play a decent sized role in the plot, that'd be appreciated too! Just make sure to give us heads up so we can pm you a form specifically for villains.
Wolfie: I don't have much to add, Legacy covered a lot of what I wanted to say (except don't believe them for a second, this is just as much my fault as theirs, I wasn't even the one who brought up finishing this chapter yesterday, that was them!), but I DO want to say that I hope all of you are well and are staying safe (I'm a person who works in health care myself, so I know how scary this all is, so just make sure you wash your hands and follow whatever rules your state or country has put in place!) and that this chapter can bring even just a little smile to your face. Ah! Almost forgot! Thanks to Antext-the Legendary Zoroark (Thank you for the nice words!) for reviewing, all 8 followers, 4 favorites and 553 readers! Now I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!
Chapter 5: Crescentia
Location: Radiant Garden - Marketplace - Cid's Shop
Riku seemed uneasy. At least, that's how Lia would describe her master when he heard that Cloud had gone missing. "How could someone just up and leave without telling their friends, not even their wife, goodbye?"
Cid answered, "He told me, g'bye." Tifa shot daggers at him and rightly so. He wasn't helping the situation. Cid held his hands up and backed away from the woman. He knew what she was capable of. "H-he also said somethin' else. Somethin' about feeling some kinda disturbance. He said he needed to face his darkness?"
"Sephiroth." The word came from Riku and Tifa simultaneously. Despite never hearing his name, all of the apprentices felt the air shift. It was the kind of name that rose hairs and chilled to the bone. Whoever this Sephiroth was, the apprentices could tell by their master's demeanor that he was not to be taken lightly.
"Do you see why I need to go with you?" Tifa asked.
"Well, I see why you're worried. What about Denzel and Marlene?"
"Cid's agreed to watch them."
"Kids'll sleep comfortably at my place," he said as he wiped the dust off of his goggles before placing them back on his head.
Riku still seemed hesitant to let her come. "Tifa, are you sure? It's been a while since you've been out in the field."
"Of course I'm sure," she said with conviction.
Riku sighed. "Alright. I'll give you half an hour to get ready."
Tifa pulled a backpack off the ground and slung it over her shoulder. "No need. Ready when you are."
Location: ?
When Sari came to, pain was lacing up her entire body. With a small groan, she opened her eyes and pushed herself up as she examined her surroundings.
She was in...a forest or swamp, most likely. All around her were trees. She could see broken branches above her head where she probably made her less than stellar entrance (she winced in brief guilt for that), and she was pretty sure she could hear what sounded like animals swimming in water not too far away. Altogether, not too bad considering she crash landed, but...she was alone.
Fear struck Sari's heart as she shot up, ignoring all twinges of pain as she pushed herself to her feet and looked around the bushes nearby. Maybe she missed him...maybe he was still unconscious…
Maybe…
But no, he wasn't there. And Sari's heart began to race in fear and worry. Why wasn't he there? What could've happened to him? They fell together, didn't they? So...why…?
Panicking wasn't going to help her, not now...she needed to calm down and look for him. At the very least, he was somewhere on this world. She just had to find him.
"Don't worry, Ricky. I'll find you." Sari whispered, her hands clenched in fists right over her heart.
Without another word, she walked off into the foliage, determined to find her boyfriend before his own worry got too bad. Sari told herself that they would be fine and they'd be heading back home before they knew it, she just had to believe that. Everything would be fine.
Location: The Ocean Between - Just Outside Radiant Garden
Kairi, Roxas, and Xion sat inside the Gummi Ship, discussing their next course of action. After the revelation they'd had from meeting with Ansem, it seemed like they were following the right path by letting Kairi's heart lead them.
Roxas placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder as he said, "Remember, Kairi. Just focus on Sora. If what Ansem said is right, then the worlds will call out to you like Radiant Garden did."
Kairi placed one of her delicate hands on Roxas's larger, gloved hand and smiled up at him warmly. He truly was Sora's other. No one else could put her at ease as easily as him.
Roxas smiled back and said, "Let me know when you're ready." He then removed his hand from her shoulder and walked over to his seat at the head of the ship.
Kairi nodded to him and took a deep breath so she could concentrate on what her heart was telling her. It was a strange feeling to her at first when she first learned to use this power but over time, it had brought about feelings of warmth and confidence in her as a Keyblade wielder. Despite being so familiar with it now, she could not describe it to an average person if she wanted to. The feeling was like a sixth sense. When her heart had locked onto a signature, she summoned her Keyblade and aimed it forward to open a portal to their next destination.
Location: ?
A tall, lanky man walked through the dark and damp streets of New Orleans on a rainy evening, his back hunched and his hands crammed deep into his pockets as he tried to keep the droplets from touching his exposed skin. The large tophat he wore assisted with that. Though he was uncomfortable with his damp clothes clinging to him, he could not have been happier. After all, he had just hit the jackpot earlier that day and had no fear confronting his "friends on the other side" on this particular evening.
He approached his magic shop and flung the doors open with little care for damage. He was far too excited to care, his violet eyes wide with madness and his large teeth on full display by his crooked grin. Soaked dress shoes marked the wooden floors of the workshop with wet grime as the man made his way to the back where some sort of shrine consisting of large totems loomed over him on the wall.
"Friends!" he said, greeting them with as welcoming a demeanor as any man could provide. "I know that I'm in hock to ya'll pretty deep already, but seems our froggy little prince lost his way and I need your generous assistance getting him back." The faces scowled with annoyance as the violet glow in their eyes brightened with emotion. This did not seem to bother him as he laughed confidently. "I hear you! Now what's in it for ya'll? Well, I just so happen to have something to pay my outstanding debt to ya'll."
Behind him sat Rickson, his long violet-streaked red hair, which was usually tied in a ponytail, was now loose, unruly, and dampened by the rain from outside. The young man had been restrained by a string of totems that glowed bright violet from the eyeholes like the larger ones on the wall and was, at the time, unconscious.
The largest totem, the one in the middle, looked to the others, unsure of what the man intended with the boy. Taking note of this confusion, the man continued to say, "He may not seem like much, but I guarantee that this soul is one that'll interest ya'll. Why not have a taste?" The man practically licked his lips excitedly. Once again, it was the central totem that looked to the others for counsel. They all shared intrigue so it opened its mouth, parting its knife-like teeth to produce a swirling vortex of green mist. From it, a shadow slithered across the floor until it wrapped around Rickson. Suddenly, the central totem's eyes burned brighter, blazing with cackling flame licks. The others seemed excited as well as they watched their leader become more powerful. More shadows spawned from the central totem's mouth and wrapped around Rickson, completely covering him in a black filter. The lanky man began to roar in laughter as the shadows that once encircled Rickson now raced off through the door in hot pursuit of the "froggy little prince."
Location: Crescentia
Another warp jump and a couple hours later, and Riku, Tifa, and the apprentices had arrived at the crescent satellite port that orbited Montressor. Gia's second warp jump was not as bad as the first for her. She had not vomited, but the breaking apart and reconstructing of her body at the molecular level was disorienting and nauseating, nonetheless. Though it took a moment for her head to stop spinning, the rest of the flight to Crescentia felt very smooth. This was her first time in a Gummi Ship with Riku, but she could tell that he had plenty of experience flying ships.
As the Highwind neared the port satellite, the apprentices marveled at its size and activity. People scurried throughout the port, all running in different directions, for different reasons and with different people, and they all even looked different too! Gia could see that some of Crescentia's inhabitants had an animal-like quality (she swore up and down when she saw a dog-like inhabitant, similar to Goofy) while others had a more human-like one. And even without that, all the activity was a rather large departure from the Land of Departure itself.
Whereas the Land of Departure was a rather small town, Crescentia was a bustling metropolis, with people coming and going on structures similar to pirate ships, yet they appeared to be made from Gummi blocks all the same. It was incredible! Gia felt even more vindicated as she gazed at her fellow apprentices, who were all in various shades of awe similar to her, well, except for Marta, who was either asleep again or had already seen worlds similar to this one. She couldn't wait to get down there and explore, hopefully with her sister this time. Gia and the other apprentices did not have to wait long since Riku was able to find a vacant dock where he left the Highwind suspended in space as they all exited their vessel.
Riku approached a three-eyed creature that held a clipboard in one of its three-fingered hands and a pencil in the other. The silver-haired man dropped some munny into the dock worker's hand to cover the docking fee and led the others into the port.
The port was even more extensive up close than from above, filled with people of all sorts and species running to and fro, focused on their destinations and not on the people around them. Gia honestly wondered how anyone could find what they were looking for in chaos like this, feeling just the tiniest bit claustrophobic with so many people surrounding them.
"Master Riku!"
Thankfully, or perhaps not, it was debatable, a familiar voice called out right then...from right beside them, causing Gia to jump up at least a foot in the air. Her hair, practically standing up from fright. She could tell her sister was stifling laughter, even through her fortified combination of cowl and mask, so she glared at her, only getting twinkling eyes shot back at her in return.
"You made it, thank goodness." Jack grinned brightly up at Riku, drawing Gia's attention once more.
Riku looked down at the apprentice, who stood about four and a half feet tall, even shorter than the twins. The man smiled down at Jack in return, glad to see him in one piece. "Jack, it's good to see that you're alright. You are alright, aren't you?"
"Not a scratch on me," Jack said with his arms stretched out to emphasize his point. "I am a bit hungry, though. Did you guys bring anything to eat?"
"Back on the Gummi Ship," Riku said. "Jack, who had the keychain from The Caribbean?"
"Rickson, sir." Jack answered promptly, falling into the expected attitude of apprentices meeting a master easily. "He was the most compatible with it, so we entrusted it to him."
"Right...that makes this a bit tricky then…" Riku hummed thoughtfully as he observed the entire party he had accumulated. "Alright, here's what we'll do: Jack and I will track down Rickson and Sari, see if there's a way to get a signal on either of their Gummi Phones since they haven't been answering our calls. The rest of you will follow the materia trail here, see if you can find the source of the thefts."
"Oh! Oh! I heard something about that!" Jack's eyes widened as he eagerly jumped up to get the group's attention. "I overheard something about a map to Treasure Planet being found and a group was going after it! I think their ship is the RLS Lega…Lego?"
"You mean that ship over there?" Marta pointed out as she snapped awake before slumping sleepily once more.
Just as Marta pointed out, there was a boat at a nearby dock, named the RLS Legacy. It seemed to be getting ready to depart since most of the sails had been opened and the engine hummed, getting louder by the second.
"No! It's leaving!" Gia yelled.
"We can't lose that ship," Riku said. He looked directly at the helm of the ship, focusing his vision on that exact spot. Everything around him began to slow down and blur in his periphery. When he had marked the exact spot he needed to go to, Riku glowed with a bright purple aura around him.
Lia turned to ask him what they were going to do, but found that he was no longer next to her. Only a trail of fading light effects was left behind. Riku, on the other hand, stood right next to the captain of the RLS Legacy, a humanoid woman with cat-like features.
"My word!" the woman exclaimed. She was not afraid of Riku, just slightly startled. She coughed into her gloved hand and then placed both hands behind her back as she asked, "Sir, where did you come from?"
Riku failed to answer her question. Instead, he responded with one of his own. "Are you the captain of this ship?"
"Why...yes I am. Who would like to know?"
"My name is Riku Hinode. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you before you depart from this port. Your life and the lives of everyone on this ship could be in jeopardy."
The captain eyed Riku suspiciously. Though she did not know him or trust him, she knew that she could not take his words lightly. She looked him up and down before finally telling him, "We can go speak in my private quarters only if you answer this question. Where did you come from?"
Riku smirked and said, "I'd have to tell you that in private as well."
Amelia continued eying him before she finally conceded with a sharp, militaristic nod and gestured further into the ship, no doubt where her office was, and Riku followed, leaving the apprentices staring after him in shock that was so silent and so deep, they looked like statues...for all of five seconds.
Gia broke the silence by saying, "Wow! How did he do that?!"
Lia wore a grin as she said, "That's Flow Motion. It's a technique only the masters can use."
"Lea's never done anything like that," Gia said, pouting in disappointment and wondering if her master had been holding out on her all this time. Ooooh, if that was true, she was really going to kill him this time!
"He probably never learned to do it. I've never seen Master Aqua do it either, but she's a master nonetheless. All that matters is that it's a very advanced technique. Not one, we're ready for."
"Well, I mean, yeah! By this point, if any of the apprentices would know how to do that, it'd be us."
Lia acknowledged her sister's statement with a simple nod, leaving the silver-haired woman to fawn over the ability, while she, herself, turned to Jack and asked, "So Jack, what happened to you and the others?"
"Y-yeah, you're not the kind of guys to mess up that easily." Ryo nodded in agreement.
Jack scowled, hearing Ryo call his performance on his mission a mess up, but ignored him to answer Lia. "We were on our way here when we were ambushed by two silver-haired men. It was strange. They didn't need any armor to protect them from the darkness."
"Silver hair is a sign that someone has let darkness into their heart," Lia explained.
All eyes went directly to Gia. "Hey! Don't look at me! I'm the sweetest person you'll ever meet!"
"Then how's your hair silver?" Marta, obviously more awake now, asked while tilting her head to the side innocently, a finger tapping her chin.
Tifa laughed as she explained, "That's more of a general trend, rather than a law of nature."
"Yeah! Besides, my dad has silver hair! Duh!" Gia stuck her tongue out childishly.
"Plus Ienzo has silver-ish hair," Tifa added. "Riku's is silver too."
"To be fair, he did let darkness into his heart, once," Marta pointed out.
"Don't let him hear that," Tifa said with a finger on her lips. "This is something to be concerned about, though. My husband, Cloud, had a dark half a long time ago by the name of Sephiroth. If these men you encountered are connected to him, then we might be on the right trail by looking for the missing materia."
"I'm glad you agree, Tifa, because you're following it." Riku stated as he returned to the group at that exact moment. "Lia, Marta, the two of you, Gia and Ryo will be joining Tifa in following the materia trail on the RLS Legacy. Jack and I will track down Rickson and Sari in the meantime. The Captain, Amelia, understands the situation and has decided to keep it between the five of you, herself, and the first mate, Mr. Arrow. Thus the five of you are posing as her personal crewmembers. Keep your heads low, but your ears open. So you guys can know where we're going," he turned to Jack and asked, "what area were you and the others in before you were separated?"
"We were in the eastern sector of the Mistry Stream, just passing by Arendelle and Agrabah."
Gia interjected, "Oh! Lea and I were just in that area! We'd just left Agrabah before going home to the Land, but we went to a bunch of different worlds over there."
"I'm not too familiar with the worlds down there," Riku explained. "Before we started taking in apprentices, Sora, Kairi, and Ventus took most missions in the Misty Stream. Aqua and myself mostly stayed at the Land to keep it safe, and only went on missions in the Starlight Stream to stay close. After all, our bounty hunter friends were able to cover the rest and keep us updated."
"Master Roxas and Master Xion," Lia said.
"They never took the Mark of Mastery, but I'm sure they'd appreciated that you hold them in such high regard," Riku joked with his apprentice. "Gia, since you're familiar with the area, I'd like you to come with us."
"Really?!" Gia cried excitedly, her eyes sparkling."Let's get to it, come on, Lia!" She wrapped an arm around her sister and pulled her towards the Gummi Ship.
"Actually Gia, I think Tifa will need Lia on their mission. Ryo is still fairly new and Marta's...Marta."
"Hey!" Marta protested. Two short seconds later and she was snoozing again, though.
"B-but she and I just reunited after going so many months without seeing each other."
Lia shook her head and slipped her arm out of her sister's hold. "Gia, we've been given our orders. Think about the people that need you right now. Besides, it'll be good for you to get used to fighting with other styles outside of mine and Master Lea's. We won't always be your mission partners, after all."
Gia didn't like it but she did as Riku and her sister told her, walking with her new, smaller team back to the Highwind. She turned around to look at Lia, who offered her a small smile and wave. Gia returned the gestures and turned back to follow Riku and Jack into the ship.
When Lia turned towards the RLS Legacy, she was met with a wall of red obscuring her vision. "Excuse me, Ms. Geraldine, was it?" The voice came from above. Lia looked up to find that the wall had a face and clothes, even a black hat.
"Um...yeah, that's me."
Sounding as professional as anyone could be, the rock man informed her, "Captain Amelia has requested that you and the rest of your team board the ship at once. We are prepared to disembark."
"Oh! Yes. I apologize for keeping you all, Mr…"
"Mr. Arrow."
"Mr. Arrow," Lia repeated to end her sentence.
The rock man stepped aside so Lia could lead the others up the ramp and onto the ship. Mr. Arrow followed and gave orders to retract the ramp so that the ship could leave port. He then took them to the captain's quarters for some privacy. "I'd like to welcome you all aboard the RLS Legacy. Captain Amelia has informed me of your mission. I'd like you all to know that while on this ship, you will all be assigned jobs to provide the facade that you are sailors. Ms. Geraldine, you will be my personal liaison with your team, but I need you as a hand on deck."
Lia nodded and allowed Mr. Arrow to continue. "Ms. Lockhart, I will be appointing you as Dr. Doppler's personal bodyguard. Between us, neither the captain nor myself think much of the crew that the doctor has hired. You too will be a hand on deck, but make sure to always keep the doctor within your field of vision.
"Understood. Where would I find him?"
"He should be at the helm of the ship with Captain Amelia. Mr. Grace-"
Ryo jumped. "Y-yes, sir?"
"You will be down in the kitchen with the chef, Mr. Silver, and the young Mr. Hawkins."
"Y-yes sir."
"And that leaves Ms. Lesia."
"Ooh! Can I be up at the tippity top of the ship? Pretty please?"
Mr. Arrow nodded and said, "The crow's nest for you then. Do you all understand your responsibilities while onboard this ship?"
They said in unison, "Yes, sir."
"Very well. To your stations, then."
Lia and the others exited the captain's quarters to take their temporary posts. Mr. Arrow locked the door behind them and went to the deck to direct the crew for take off. Lia stood by him, while her teammates dispersed, all watching the departure in process. The sails glowed a bright golden color as they picked up solar winds and Crescentia shrunk behind them as they sailed through the stars.
"It's strange seeing the Ocean Between without glass in between," Lia said to herself. It was loud enough for Mr. Arrow to hear, though.
"Oh, yes. In other galaxies, ships are shaped differently, aren't they?"
"Yes. Our Gummi Ship has wings instead of sails and a protective dome around a cockpit. It doesn't need as many people to pilot, either."
"They're much smaller, though, are they not?"
"Yes, they are. You know, this ship does remind me of my home, though. My true home. They just sailed through clouds, not stars."
"The civilizations in these parts started out similarly."
As Mr. Arrow and Lia talked, they noticed a growing murmur coming from the deck. They both went to see what was happening only to find a brown-haired adolescent boy, an insectoid, and a cyborg in the middle of it. The insectoid held the boy up against the mast but released him when his arm was twisted by the cyborg.
"What's all this then?" Mr. Arrow thundered as he made his presence known to the crew. "You know the rules. There'll be no brawling on this ship. Any further offenders will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage." He approached the insectoid and looked him in the eye with conviction. "Am I clear, Mr. Scroop?"
Scroop was hesitant to respond, looking rather annoyed, but finally agreed. "Transparently…" he said reluctantly.
"Well done, Mr. Arrow!" the cyborg cheered as the crowd broke. "A tight ship is a happy ship, sir!" Though Mr. Arrow left, Lia lingered behind. She noticed that Ryo was nearby as well. The cyborg picked up a mop at the other boy's feet and said, "Jimbo, I gave you a job-"
"Hey! I was doing it until that bug thing g-"
"Belay that! Now, I want this deck swabbed spotless and heaven help you if I come back and it's not done. Morph?" A small, gelatin-like creature with large eyes floated over to the cyborg with a curious look in his eyes. "I want you to keep an eye on this pup. Let me know if there be any more distractions."
As the cyborg faced away from the "Jimbo," (better referred to as by his actual name, Jim), he found himself facing another young adolescent, this one with black hair and a pale face. The cyborg's mechanical eye made a buzzing sound as it adjusted itself to take a good look at him "Another cabin boy?"
"Y-yes, sir. I-I'm Ryo."
"Well put 'er there, lad. You can call me Mr. Silver. Be a sport and help Jimbo out with mopping the deck, will 'ya?"
"Y-yes sir! Right away, sir!"
Mr. Silver handed him a mop and began walking towards the stairs that led down to the kitchen. While doing so, he noticed Lia, who was standing at the bottom of another set of stairs that led up to the helm of the ship. He eyed her, making sure to offer a flattering smile to her before continuing down below deck. Lia watched him carefully after what Mr. Arrow had told her and the others about the crew. She made a mental note to keep an eye on them before leaving to go with Mr. Arrow.
Now with only one other person on the deck, Ryo thought he should introduce himself to his fellow cabin boy. "H-hello…" Jim's brown eyes rose to meet Ryo's green eyes, though he seemed very sullen.
"Hi," he said weakly before dipping his mop into the bucket and squeezing out the water.
"S-so you're J-Jimbo, correct?"
"No, my name is Jim. Jimbo's the stupid nickname that that freak keeps calling me."
"Mr. Silver? But he protected you from M-Mr. Scroop."
Hearing Ryo's words seemed to have stricken a chord inside Jim. The brown-haired boy looked out into the Ocean Between, letting that sink in. When he looked back down to continue ringing out his mop, he told Ryo, "Yeah, I guess you're right. So what brings you onboard? You don't seem like the others that Delbert hired."
"That's because I'm not."
This caused Jim to eye Ryo curiously, making the other boy feel nervous. Ryo scrambled through his thoughts, trying to remember what Riku had told Tifa and the apprentices about their arrangement with Captain Amelia. "Um...uh...yeah, we've sailed with Captain Amelia before so she asked us to come along for this trip. I-It's supposed to be dangerous so she thought it best to bring people she could trust. N-not that she c-can't trust you, of course!"
Jim chuckled, "Don't worry. I barely know that lady. She doesn't have much reason to trust me. No one on this ship does, really."
"Well I trust you," Ryo said as he squeezed the water out of his own mop and began mopping.
"How come?"
"I don't think you're a bad person, Jim. I can just k-kinda tell, you know?"
Jim nodded along to Ryo's words and smiled. "Yeah. I get that same feeling from you. You're alright, Ryo. Come on, we've got a lot to work to do."
Ryo smiled back at him. "Yeah." The two spent the rest of the day cleaning the deck spotless from top to bottom.
Location: The Ocean Between - Near the Dark Margin
As Kairi, Roxas and Xion gazed down at the world Kairi's heart had led them too, there was no denying the unease Kairi felt in her heart. After all, if she was following Sora's heart, then what did it mean that they ended up first in Radiant Garden and now...here of all places?
The world she was staring down at was yet another world she had been taken to when kidnapped. Formerly known, as The World That Never Was, it was a world with dark skyscrapers that stretched up to the sky and rain fell more often than the sun ever shone. It was a world that looked like an eternal night, lit only by the buildings it housed. It was a world that now went by the name Midnight City.
"Why would Sora's heart lead me here?" Kairi questioned aloud, confused.
"I'm not sure, but it could be worse." Xion smiled in conciliation. "I mean, we could've ended up on a world filled with people who wanted to kill us."
"Yeah, no, we're not going back to the Coliseum any time soon, I'm not letting Phil rope me into fighting more Heartless only to fight a Titan sent by Hades to kill me or Sora again." Roxas sarcastically stated, earning a small laugh from Kairi, which seemed to be his goal as he smiled slightly.
Xion quipped, "Still, it looks like Sora's trying to remind you of all those times he saved you."
"Right, like I need a reminder," Kairi said, unknowingly sounding resentful.
Roxas and Xion glanced at each other. Roxas asked, "Everything okay over there, Kai?"
Kairi blinked her eyes rapidly and said, "Um...yeah. We should get going."
"Where?" Xion asked.
"Well I connected to Sora's heart on Radiant Garden when I was in a place tied very closely to us, so I imagine it would be the same here."
"Where would that be, though?" Xion was full of questions that day.
This time, Roxas answered, "If I were a betting man-"
"Which you are," Xion cut in.
Roxas rolled his eyes as he continued, "Then I'd say that it's at the top of the Castle That Never Was or now known as Rose Castle."
Xion threw her hands up, exasperated. "Right, of course. We just have to go to the most heavily guarded place on this world, which is now under the control of our former colleagues, who guess what? Know Kairi. How are we supposed to get her there without Lauriam and Elrena knowing?"
"Yeah...Ansem is one thing, but this is a whole different situation. Especially since they'll know as soon as we dock." Roxas nodded in agreement, trying to puzzle out a solution.
"Kairi. Are you sure you don't want to just tell Riku what's going on? Truly sure?" Xion questioned, turning to Kairi with deadly serious eyes.
Kairi fell silent, hesitant in a way she hadn't been this whole trip as she pulled her Gummi Phone out of her pocket and just...stared at it. The interior of the Gummi Ship was dead silent as the bounty hunters waited for her answer. Kairi just stared down at her phone...and opened her mouth to answer.
Wolfie: And there we are! So quick explanations: yes, Riku has a last name now, all the guardians will and shall pop up as needed (Hinode means 'sunrise' in Japanese, fitting his dawn theme, cause dawn in Japanese wasn't as pretty sounding). And yes, finally, after so long, we have finally given you the twins' full names! Combine that with the flashback dream from a few chapters ago and I'm sure you can figure out just who the twins are supposed to be and who their parents are! And now we have three plots on three different worlds happening at the same time! It's gonna be fun, I know it!
Also, as Legacy said before, we ARE still accepting OCs and just so everyone knows, I'll keep track of how many Reapers and Ninjas we have at the chapter ends. Also, do let us know if you have any villain OCs, we will do our best with them as well!
I don't have much else to say, but everyone please stay safe and healthy, okay? The world isn't ending, but focus on yourselves and families first. I'm gonna do my best to and I know Legacy will too. We'll get through this, just like most of you did waiting for KH3 for so long.
We'll see you all again as soon as we can!
May your heart be your guiding key!
Reapers: (3/?)
Ninjas: (1/4)