Meet The Party

Faraway from the current events on the Organization's stronghold and the Radiant Garden, faraway from Sora's desperation and Kairi's despair, others who were in the know were trying to react to the bargain that shook the entire universe to it's core. Currently, three such people were crowded in a tiny, dimly lit basement, sequestered and bunkered deep beneath the idyllic and peaceful sun-drenched suburbs of Twilight Town. Electrical equipment and notes were scattered about in a chaotic manner in the otherwise spartan room, the only feature of note being the dozens of computers monitors stacked upon one another, currently providing the only light for the room's occupants, two tall, cloaked men and one small blonde-haired girl dressed in a plain white sundress and and air of melancholy around her. One man, his cloak being red with bandages and masks obscuring most of his face, sat before the myriad of screens, a large, almost impractical-looking keyboard spread out before him, furiously clacking away at the keys, while remaining utterly silent, something which did not go unnoticed.

"You've been awfully quiet for some time." The other cloaked man observed, dressed in one of the Organization's black cloaks, the high hood pulled up and obscuring his entire head. Red Cloak responded with silence and the rapid clacking of computer keys. "What's going on. Tell us. You called me back here for something, but you haven't said a word in ten minutes." Black Cloak's voice was a deep, booming baritone, strong and commanding.

Red Cloak once again remained intractable.

The blonde girl sat in a corner, equally as silent, but she busied herself by doodling in a sketch pad, only sparing nervous glances at the two Cloaks.

Black Cloak huffed, exhaling sharply, as he continued to glower through his hood. He looked up at the screen, most were displaying text that was in either an absurdly small font size or in alien languages he didn't understand. Others showed diagrams of various things; hearts, keys, armour, two young men, one Black Cloak had tried to save and the other he wish he had saved. The other monitors showed black and white video feed of various points in the Nobody's castle. Video feed without audio, that chugged and jumped and skipped in a manner as smooth as sandpaper, and was frequently consumed by static snow. He had released several robotic camera drones created by Red Cloak on a previous mission – a kidnapping he now deeply regretted – in order to spy on Organization XIII, but the eldritch location of the castle severely hampered the transmission, and even then, they were only able to receive the video feed on certain days at certain times of day. To the Black Cloak, the hassle and difficulty of it all made it seem rather pointless.

More minutes passed, with the only sound being the clacking of keys, the scratches of a pencil on paper, and Black Cloak's continually frustrated sighs. He continually watched the monitors for something to inform him of the gathering and Red Cloak's silence, and that's when he saw it. Two people he recognized, a teenaged boy and girl, in the heart of the Nobody's stronghold, surrounded by the five surviving members of the Organization. Black Cloak watched in growing horror and anger as the girl rushed up to embrace the boy, followed by an exchange of muted words, the girl's expression turning from elation to terror and despair, before she was dragged off-screen by one of the Nobodies.

"DiZ!" Black Cloak bellowed furiously, grabbing the seat of masked man's chair and dragging him away from the screens. He spun him about, glaring and fuming right in his face. "What is this!?" He pointed back to the monitors, many of which were now looping the events that had set him off. The blonde girl had stopped drawing and was now focused on the two men, watching with large, fearful blue eyes. "Why am I seeing Sora and Kairi in the Nobody's fortress?" Tell me now!" DiZ's orange eyes remained still and emotionless through the tirade.

"That," he pushed Black Cloak's hand away from him, before spinning about back to the computer system, "is why I have called you here. As far as I can tell from our video surveillance and the energy readings on the Hollow Bastion, Sora was either kidnapped or forced into a bargain with the Organization and taken to their castle. Considering, however, that the girl was released, I would argue that a bargain was struck." DiZ's voice was impassive and utterly without emotion. It was a quirk that infuriated Black Cloak in situations like these.

"W-what... What kind of bargain?"

"Most likely her freedom in exchange for becoming complicit in their plans. I should have expected this, the boy is far too nice for his own good. Always selflessly putting others before himself, a terrible pawn all in all." DiZ explained in a cold and straightforward manner. Black Cloak bristled. He knew DiZ didn't care about anyone else, only his plan and his revenge, but to flagrantly display it at a time like this. "All in a all, this puts a massive wrench in my plan. No tool for revenge, no obstacle for the Organization, and now an impressive gain in their strategy.

"Never mind that, what happened to Kairi? How did they even find her? Tell me you can find her." Black Cloak demanded. He was hot. Fuming. DiZ had already worn his patience thin, and now, with this news and DiZ's reactions to it only further incited his anger. DiZ only showed a small, mocking smile.

"Calm yourself, would you. You're making a disgrace of yourself." DiZ returned to typing "The spell that sent her to your islands a decade ago also masks her presence as a Princess of Heart. It also make locating and travelling to that world exceptionally difficult, usually you'd only be able to find it by sheer luck. This is why it took so long for the Heartless to locate her and why the Organization didn't immediately take her hostage. However, the spell works in a unique symbiosis. It only masks her light when on the island and only shields the islands when she is on them. It is my hypothesis that she either found her way off the islands, or, more likely, a Nobody wandered onto them via dumb luck."

DiZ finished typing, motioning to one of the main monitors, which was now displaying a map of a city with a tiny radar blip flashing on it. "As I said, I was monitoring the world you know as Hollow Bastion, but I know it as my home, the Radiant Garden. The Organization launched a massive attack on it today and I kept track of the various energy readings. Several corridors of darkness transporting those to and from the world. The dark fae, Maleficent, appeared and then vanished, but not through a corridor. She is most likely deceased. Then, the unique readings of the Keyblade vanished – Sora being whisked away by the Nobodies. However, shortly before you arrived, a very unique energy appeared out of blue on the world. A combined Princess of Heart and Keyblade bearer signature." He turned to face Black Cloak. "Most likely your friend Kairi."

Black Cloak only shook his head in disbelief. "A Keyblade? That makes no sense, where did she even get one?"

"That is a trivial matter to me. I do not care how she came to have it, only that she does. We no longer have to scramble for a new strategy, simply change our current one." DiZ stood up and began to slowly cross the room towards the quiet blonde girl. "Travel to Hollow Bastion and retrieve her for me. I will prepare for the experiment. The same one we performed on Sora and his Nobody."

The blonde girl stood up from in seat in a start, backing away, her eyes fleeting between DiZ and Black Cloak, a pleading look directed at the latter. Answering, Black Cloak imposed himself between DiZ and the girl, roughly pushing him back.

"You're going to forcibly merge Kairi and Namine, just what you did to Sora and Roxas?" DiZ nodded at the rhetorical question, causing Black Cloak to tense again. "Absolutely not! That experiment did nothing! Sora didn't wake up any faster and he didn't grow any stronger because of it."

"Yes, the experiment failed, but there is nothing to suggest it was an utter failure. We may still see acceptable results between the girl and the witch over there." DiZ explained in his extremely robotic, sterile way. If an observer didn't know better, they would swear he was speaking of inorganic, inanimate things instead of actual people.

"Some would say that's the definition of insanity." Black Cloak growled back.

"Spare me your witticisms, you pathetic husk of a man." DiZ fired back, finally showing a little emotion. A mix of annoyance and mockery. "You collected the Nobody boy without any hesitation, like a good little lapdog, now you've grown a conscious?"

"Yes! What I did to Roxas was wrong and I regret it everyday. There's certainly no way I'll go through it again and I'm definitely not forcing it onto her." He looked over his shoulder to the blond, Namine, and gave her a reaffirming nod, trying to boost her spirits.

This only made DiZ laugh coldly. "You've grown a sense of morality and have grown fond of the witch? You're absolutely pathetic 'Ansem'." Another laugh. "Running from your past, yourself; even after a journey of self discovery you still hide behind that pseudonym and guise. Riku... on second thought, you and that miserable, trembling witch belong together."

"DiZ! I swear –" Black Cloak caught himself, clenching one hand into a fist. "...If you call her that one more time, you will pay."

Yet another bark of taunting laugher. "In the worthless state you're in, you can't achieve anything. Now, hand over the witch and –"

Black Cloak's hand shot out, palm spread open, and a black and violet fireball rocketed across the space between him and DiZ. It struck the masked man and blasted him off his feet, launching him straight into the cluster of computer monitors with tremendous impact. They cracked and shattered, sputtering sparks, as DiZ tumbled down across the keyboard and onto the floor with a hard crash.

"Riku!" Namine ran forth to the black cloaked man, whipping her head about wildly. She was afraid. Confused. Panicked. Slightly relieved. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago..." Riku muttered ruefully. He waved his arm and a corridor of darkness sprang into existence. "Come on, we're leaving. There's no way that I'm letting him use you for his crackpot science experiments." He stepped towards the portal, but Namine remained stationary, staring over at DiZ and his computers. The older man stirred slightly, groaning loudly in pain. "Namine. Please. I know I've done terrible things to you. What I did to Roxas, forcing you to stay and work here... But I want to do right by you. I want to protect you."

Namine turned back to him, eyes downcast at the floor. "No... I do trust you, it's just... I wish that we could do something. To help Kairi."

"I do too, trust me. But in this state, I don't know of what use I am to anyone." Riku sighed, dejected. "I failed Roxas, I failed Sora, I may have failed Kairi already... I don't want to fail you, again." He felt something clutch at his right hand, seeing that Namine was holding it in between both of hers.

"There's still hope... You can make it up to Sora and Kairi. And Roxas..." Namine trailed off, unsure of what to say, whether to lie or tell the hard truth or to just offer some vague platitude. She bit her lip, looking away and back at DiZ. "We should go."

Riku nodded, and the two vanished into darkness, their fates and own feelings about each other unknown, but, hopefully to someplace better than their lodgings the past year.

-O-SWLTW-O-

Kairi woke up the next morning groggy, with stiff and sore limbs, and absolutely famished, and this was despite her wolfing down every bit of food put in front of her last night and sleeping for almost twelve hours.

Running and cowering and panicking exhausts me, and I think that I can take on the Organization. This is going to end well...

A long, hot shower helped wake Kairi up and eased the soreness in her arms and legs away. The warm cascade of water running down, combined with the gentle, clean aroma of the soap and shampoo allowed herself to shake away the doubts that ran through her head, trying to counter the previous rueful assessment of herself. Splashing water across her face, she exhaled. "Okay. Okay. I can't think like that. No more psyching myself out, beating myself down. Like Yuffie and Leon said, Sora did this. Sora only knew his little kiddy spar fighting and he got stronger and stronger, but he even started out weak and untrained. Maybe even afraid like me. Just... baby steps. That's all I have to remember. I'll... I'll be okay."

She shut off the water, quickly drying herself off and dressing in her one pair of clothes. By this point in time, the scent of soap and shampoo had dispelled and Kairi could smell something alluring and delicious. Her stomach roared in response, with Kairi wasting no time in heeding the call after combing her still damp hair, heading down the hall to the kitchen, where she was greet by Aerith, Tifa, and an absurdly delectable-looking breakfast laid out before her.

While Aerith had been the one to offer Kairi emotional support and dinner last night and even gave up her own bed to Kairi, the young woman had learned that the home she was currently occupying was shared by the two women, who were old childhood friends, though Aerith jokingly told Kairi the living arrangement only worked because of Tifa's cooking. Looking at the spread before her, Kairi could see Aerith putting up with her roommate even if they were archenemies just to have access to this food. The everyday staple breakfast foods were well represented, hot and cold cereal and a tall stack of toast, stuff that normally Kairi would eat but would never crave, but in her famished state it looked incredible. But then her eyes fell on the real good stuff. The foodstuffs she would only normally have on the weekends when she had time to sit and enjoy breakfast. A platter of bacon and sausages, still audibly crackling and visibly steaming; golden, flaky hash-brown patties; a ridiculous amount of fruit, all of which looked perfectly ripe and fresh: apples, pears, nectarines, strawberries, bananas, bunches of grapes, and plump, dark red cherries almost as large as her thumb. There was even several croissants, bagels, muffins, and other scrumptious pastries. All in all, it caused Kairi to forget about everything but the hear and now, the sight and smell of the feast, the redhead practically drooling.

"You know, it's even better if you eat it instead of stare." Kairi snapped out of her reverie to see and hear a giggling Aerith sitting at the table. The kind and sweet woman was drinking a cup of coffee, only picking at some scraps on her plate. "And good morning, by the way." Tifa was at the stove top, cooking eggs in a large skillet.

"Uh... good morning. Sorry." Kairi bowed slightly before taking her seat. She looked between her two hostesses before asking, "Are you two going to eat?"

"We already have, Kairi. You were asleep for sometime." Aerith explained, which earned a blush from the teenager. "But, please, eat as much as you want." Kairi jumped at the offer, piling a nearby plate full of food. When that plate was crowded full, she did the same to another, as well as grabbed a bowl of oatmeal.

"How would you like your eggs, by the way?" Tifa called out over the din of Kairi scrambling for food.

"Either sunny-side up or scrambled. Either or." Kairi reached over to grab a pitcher of milk and another of apple juice, pouring herself a glass of each. She then surveyed the table once more, seeing that even with all of her rampant gluttony there was barely a dent made in the feast. "Um... beg your pardon, but don't you think you made a little too much?"

Tifa turned over to her to deposit two perfectly cooked sunny-side up eggs onto one of Kairi's plates "For the three of us? Yes. Though, I see you can really pack it away." She laughed, which earned another blush from Kairi. "But, we'll normally get all sorts of stragglers within the hour looking for food. Yuffie and Cid mostly. Sometimes Cloud. They know I make too much food and are always on a prowl for a free meal, so it never goes to waste."

Kairi nodded, before thanking her hosts from the food and then digging in, gorging herself on the absolutely delicious breakfast. For nearly a half hour, Kairi sustained her feast, relishing every single bite of food. To their credit, Tifa and Aerith were polite around the ravenous girl, mostly talking quietly to themselves and never giving Kairi anything else other than a wry smile, as the slight, slender girl took in more calories in a sitting than most professional athletes do in a single day.

"So, we do have everything ready for you." Aerith finally brokered as Kairi's hunger slowed down. The girl was using a piece of wheat toast to sop up a puddle of egg yolk, ketchup, and bacon grease. Stuffing it all in her mouth, she washed it all down with the last remaining dregs of the milk. "When you're ready, we'll head to our Central Command for final preparations."

Kairi finally managed to gulp down the too-large mass of food. "So... you found someone to join me? A party?" Tifa nodded in confirmation. "That's certainly a relief." She paused, fiddling with her fork, before quickly asking, "Who are they? What are they like?"

Tifa shuffled about, uncertain. "I'll... let you decide that one for yourself." A flash of worry crossed Kairi's face. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just tell us when you're ready to go, 'kay?"

"Mhm. I just need to sit for a couple minutes, let everything digest." Kairi groaned loudly, sinking back into her chair. "I ate too much, guys..." All three of the woman laughed gently at that, even Kairi, who was smiling slightly at her slight faux pas. This is rather nice, she thought. Just sitting around the breakfast table and conversing with friends. A nice, relaxing morning with everyone going at their own pace. Such a stark change from last night, almost making her forget about it entirely. Almost.

"So, I was thinking about something last night." Kairi started, before biting down on her lip nervously. She looked up at the two woman across from her. "I'm pretty much royalty on this world, aren't I?"

"If by 'pretty much' you mean 'most certainly are'? Then, yes." Tifa answered, quickly finishing her coffee before continuing. "The royal family is most certainly gone – no one has seen them in the decade since – but their youngest child matches up with you perfectly. You're the right age, right look, even the name's the same. So, unless you're some elaborately done up imposter, you would be the last scion of the royal family."

The girl nodded stiffly. "I see." For almost any other teenage girl, there would normally only be one of two reactions, depending on the type of girl: uncontainable joy or annoyed disgust. But, for Kairi, it all just felt muted. A huge, potentially life-changing revelation, and it really didn't resonate any kind of feeling with her at all. For a moment, she thought something was wrong with her, before remembering it was probably because of the events of last couple days and the fear and trepidation building in her for the near future.

Once more, Aerith broke the silence and Kairi's contemplation. "That isn't important at the moment. All Kairi should focus on is defeating the Organization and saving Sora."

"You're correct." Kairi nodded again, before pushing herself away from the table. "Well, with how nervous I'm feeling, my stomach is as settled as it will ever be. Let's head out."

"You two go on ahead then." Tifa offered, standing up herself to bus Kairi's dishes. "I'll clean up here and handle any potential stragglers wanting a free meal." She then looked back up to Kairi and said, "If I don't see you before you head off, please stay safe and good luck. We all believe in you."

"Thank you, Miss Tifa. I'll try and do my best." I have to do more than try and do more than my best. I have to give it absolutely everything that I have.

Together, she and Aerith travelled through the streets of the quiet town, encountering practically no one along the way, most likely due to the massive battle yesterday. Everyone was either to afraid to come out or were busy repairing the town and shoring up defences in case of a repeat. Kairi also couldn't get over just how cold the town was, crossing her hands over her upper arms to stop herself from shivering. Whether it was because the climate of Hollow Bastion really was that cold, or it was actually moderate and she was use to the balmy, sunny paradise of the islands, she didn't know, but she wasn't a fan of it. Looking up, she saw the entire sky was blanketed by a light grey overcast, obscuring the sun entirely.

I suppose I should get use to this. She thought idly. I can't imagine many worlds are as warm as the islands. They're probably even colder than this. Kairi didn't even know why her mind was focusing onto these odd topics. The loving warmth of the shower, the sumptuous breakfast spread, the utter non-impact of who she was and what she was to this world, and now the weather. In a few hours, she was probably going to be rocketing to parts unknown to pick up the war Sora had left off from. I guess that I'm just trying not to focus on that last part... Certainly is better than panic and crying like a baby.

Eventually, the two arrived to another house similar to the one owned by Aerith and Tifa. Kairi was rather confused when they entered, as the building was entirely vacant save for a large computer and multiple bookshelves crammed to capacity, as well as further books stacked precariously on the floor. The redhead shot a look at the older woman, who only smiled and walked over to the farthest bookshelf, pulling on a large, red book. The book tilted forward but didn't fall out, instead, there was a soft rumble as the entire bookshelf began to shift over to the left, revealing a stone staircase descending downwards. Kairi could only blink dumbly.

"You guys have a secret stairway behind the bookshelf." She shook her head and sighed. This was the stuff that only showed up in movies and books. "Of course you do."

"Well, it's Merlin's house, and you know wizards and their secrets." Aerith replied, still as cheerful as ever. "Everyone's downstairs, which is where the armoury, the Gummi Ship hangar, and launch way are." Aerith waved at her to follow and the two climbed down the short set of stairs.

At the bottom seemed to be some sort of meeting room, with a long table and several chairs dominating the majority of the large room. Cloud and Leon were in one corner, conversing quietly, while the other occupants were a trio of unfamiliar elderly women in bright red, green, and blue dresses who kept their eyes trained on Kairi as she entered. Strangely, they all had tiny little wings sprouting from their backs.

Leon took notice as well, for he walked up to the two of them soon after they arrived. "Good to see that you've finally arrived."

"And a 'good morning' to you, too, Leon." Aerith replied, her normal sweetness now tinged with sarcasm. Leon simply grunted in reply.

"So, Leon," Kairi started, ignoring the chilly reception she had been given, "if you don't mind me being so forward, where is my 'team' so to put it? I'm curious and nervous to meet them."

"They're in the armoury at the moment, getting their gear. You'll meet them in time." He explained, which really did nothing to assuage her feelings. "First, however, you need to get equipped."

Kairi quirked an eyebrow. "'Equipped'? I don't understand. I mean, I have my Keyblade. What else do I need?"

"Appropriate clothing." The older man put forth bluntly, causing Kairi to overlook her attire. He was definitely right. Adventuring and fighting in a pink mini-dress didn't seem like the most intelligent or most practical thing she could do. Leon then gestured to the older women on the other side of the room. "That's why I had the King ask for these three before he left. Flora," he motioned at the red one, "Fauna," now the green one, "and Merryweather," finally the blue one. "They're fairies whose magic specialize in creation and shapeshifting. They were the ones who created Sora's new clothing."

"Come closer now, dear. We don't bite." Flora beckoned to her, the trio perking up as Kairi approached them. "Oh my, aren't you a lovely young thing." The fairy declared happily, causing Kairi to shuffle, embarrassed, scratching the back of hear head.

"And she is very similar to Aurora. I can feel it from here." Fauna piped in.

Merryweather nodded and agreed in chorus. "Indeed. Now that we're up close, it's unmistakable. They have the same Light."

Flora flew "Now, we've been discussing since last night about what to do with your outfit. Unfortunately, we seem to be stuck on colour." She then shot a baleful look at her two companions. "Again. But, I'm certain someone like you can agree with me that red is the superior choice," the fairy said while motioning to Kairi's hair.

"We can't give her an all red ensemble." Argued Merryweather. "With her hair, it will make her look monochromatic and dull! It should be blue to compliment her hair and highlight her eyes."

"We're not doing blue," came Fauna, "we made Aurora's coronation gown blue, so you're not getting your way this time. It should be green."

The three fairies all then flew away from Kairi, collecting in a loose triangle, bickering loudly over which of their primary colours was superior, eventually breaking down into a repeated cycle of "Red!" "Blue!" "Green!" "Red!" "Blue!" "Green!" ad naseum for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"Uh, excuse me? Ladies? There's no need to this..." Kairi looked over to the other three in the room. Leon had his face clutched in his hand, Aerith's cheerful facade was starting to slowly crack, while Cloud looked like he wished he was anywhere else but here. "You know... if we're talking colour, there's really only one way to settle it. Pink, with purple as the secondary colour and then black and white as the highlights. That's, like, the best combination possible. Scientifically proven."

The three fairies suddenly went silent, turning to face the redhead. "That seems... acceptable." Said Flora, slowly. Flora and Merryweather both seemed pleased with this compromise, since permutations of their favoured colours were included. Fauna just huffed, her and green having been left out in the cold.

"The other thing we were debating – though, much more civilly – was design." Merryweather told her. "We were thinking of something elegant, regal, and feminine, but still dynamic and practical for adventuring." Staring at the blue fairy, Kairi was struck with a bit of inspiration.

"Actually, I might have something. Does anyone have paper and a pencil?" She was directed to the long table, which was covered in various papers, files, and writing utensils. Finding a blank sheet of scrap paper, Kairi quickly sketched her idea out. The redhead wasn't anything special when it came to drawing, but she thought she was better than the average person at the least. When finished the rough drawing, she passed it over to the trio. "Something like this. Do you think it could work?"

Flora took the paper for the group, all three huddling about and squinting at the drawing. After a while, the red fairy declared, "Hmm... I like it!"

Merryweather nodded. "I believe we can make this work."

"Colour aside, it should look excellent on you, dear." Fauna finished.

With the appraisal done, all three quickly hovered over to Kairi, surrounding her in a triangle, slight wands appearing in their hands. "Alright girls, on the count of three." Flora ordered, raising up her wand.

"One... Two... Three!"

In perfectly synchronized time, streaks of silver light shot out from the tips of their wands, all striking Kairi at the same time and covering her in a blinding light. When the bright light receded, Kairi's entire attire had been altered by the magic.

It seemed that her inspiration had come from her saviour from the previous day, Aqua. It was almost entirely the same, with the halter top, bicycle shorts, and thigh-high stockings all in black; the bell sleeves were also retained, though they were light red-to-off white instead of the blue-to-off white of Aqua's. The crossed belts and corset were removed and in their place was a near ankle-length dress, rose pink in colour. Instead of being one solid piece of fabric however, the dress split into three flowing segments of cloth, the split starting just below her waist and allowing her a full range of movements with her legs. Of the three segments, one was shooting straight down her front and tapering to a point – a narrower strip of fabric almost like a wide loin cloth – royal purple in colour and trimmed in white. Golden filigree decorated the narrow segment in fanciful, curving designs, as well as emblems of a golden phoenix and a dark blue heart. The other two segments covered her hips and back, the splits in the fabric making them resemble flared coat tails. They were, conversely, the same rose pink as the upper half of the dress, with black trim around the hem and floral pattern woven on both the inside and outside of the sections. The upper half of the dress eventually formed into a gold armoured cuirass, complete with triangular pauldrons strapped to her shoulders. Finally, the outfit was finished with black and pink gloves and armoured boots and greaves that cut off right below her knees.

"Oh, it's even better than I imagined!" Flora gushed as the light subsided, giving everyone a good look at Kairi's new gear.

"Oh, yes. She looks every part a warrior as she does a lady." Merryweather chimed in brightly.

Fauna only nodded and said, "Lack of green aside, this may be our best work yet."

Through all this, Kairi was examining herself. "It's really okay?" She turned back to Leon, Aerith, and Cloud. "It's not too over the top? The drawing was okay, but now that I see it realized, I feel sort of silly..."

"Nonsense. It's an excellent look for you." Offered Aerith with an encouraging smile. Leon had a more practical observation.

"The look isn't important, so much as the magic used to create it." The young man with the diagonal scar then walked over to a door near Kairi and the fairies. "Now, let's go. I think it's time you and your support team, such that it is, finally meet."

-O-SWLTW-O-

"So, when do you think we're gonna meet this Keyblade girl?" Rikku asked her two companions, looking over her shoulder at them. "I mean, it's been almost four hours now."

"Are you really so eager to do this?" Paine questioned, voice cool and bored. "Here I thought you were the most opposed to this."

"I still am!" The blonde fired back. "It's just we spend until, like, past midnight talking about this and then they get us up at about seven in the morning which is just criminal and they still forced us to sleep in those crappy cells and then they make us wear these stupid things," she tugged at an odd black collar that was currently clamped around the necks of all three Gullwings, "and they have the stupid ninja girl watching us in here, like we cant' be trusted. Treating us like a bunch of common thieves."

"We technically are thieves." Paine responded, still cool and detached. "And you did try and steal a bunch of stuff today already. And it's not even noon."

"It's the principle of the matter!"

Yuna only sighed. "I know I've buried 'just think positive' into the ground at this point, but we really should. And besides that, I'm personally very happy to be offered this mission. I'm glad that for the first time in a long time, we'll be doing some good."

Following the sudden appearance of Tifa and Yuffie the night prior, the trio of thieves and treasure hunters known collectively as the Gullwings were broached a deal, a "work release program" as Tifa had stated: their freedom in exchange for assisting a new Keyblade wielder in fighting the Heartless and Nobodies. Needless to say, the three young woman quickly agreed, though not with some reservations from Rikku's part. The following morning – the current day – they were gathered at the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee's Central Command where the situation had been explained. The previous Keyblade bearer they had met being kidnapped, the Blackheart Stones, the King desperately searching for a way into the Organization's world... the situation was rather bad, and it most instances it would be enough for the three to back out on the deal, but it had been made very clear that it was either this or they would spend the rest of their lives rotting in jail. Not a very difficult choice. Not much a choice at all, really. Of course, in return, they were granted their own set of new clothes – conjured by fairy magic nonetheless – and were currently in the HBRC's armoury, arming themselves with new gear for the upcoming mission.

"Eh... doing good is good an' all, I'm just not sold on this hole 'ferrying around a noob Keyblader', Yunie." Rikku was now clad in a light orange t-shirt and a thin scar of a matching colour, her headband now a sky blue and a set of goggles were lain over top the band. Dark green short shorts held up by suspenders, with black leggings underneath, covered her legs, and three satchels clipped to her belt, one on either waist and the third against her back. "Just seems like more trouble than it's worth. If it were with that Sora guy, though, that'd be a different story." She was also wearing olive green high-top canvas sneakers and tan, fingerless gloves.

"One, you need to stop crushing on every boy we come across. Two, I'm certain we can handle anything thrown at us while she gets up to speed." Paine stated, before pausing and adding, "save an actual Organization XIII member." Paine's attire was much more simplistic and monochromatic. Almost entirely clad in black, with black pants, black boots, a black jacket cropped halfway down her ribs, and black gloves long enough that they covered all the pale skin on her arms, the ends vanishing inside the short sleeves of her jacket. The only thing not entirely black on her was her shirt – grey with diagonal slashes of silver and red – her silver-studded belt and silver-plated greaves.

"I don't think it will even be that difficult." Came Yuna, who was wearing a ruffled camisole, coloured white with a large blue strip along it's top edge. Over top that was a long-sleeved hooded jacket, once again white with a bit of blue, this time taking the form of a trim along the hemming and two triangular panels on the side. Emblazoned on the back of the jacket was the image of a crescent moon and a pair of wings. Like Rikku, she wore short shorts, these ones dark blue and made of denim, but also had a frilly white and sea blue half-skirt clipped attached to her right hip. "We were able to defeat the grunt Heartless even in our fairy forms. I don't think the stronger Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization members will be that hard a fight in comparison. And, like Paine said, she'll get up to speed eventually." Yuna's outfit was finished with dark blue knee-high boots.

"Speaking of, you guys ever wonder why we're human again? Like, what happened to our fairy forms and the curse?" Rikku wondered aloud while flitting through the available gear in the armour, preferring something light and quick to fit her slight frame. Eventually she stumbled upon a pair of daggers, each with half-crescent shaped guards so they could also serve as knuckle dusters. Both blades were roughly the length of her forearm, but were mismatched otherwise, one curving with only a single edge, while the other was straight and double-edge, one a normal cutting edge and the other being serrated.

"A very good question." Paine answered, likewise looking for a weapon, though she preferred something larger and heavier. "We didn't even revert for the year she was gone after Sora beat her. Though, I suppose Maleficent always had her ways of sticking around regardless. If the curse is broken this time, she must be deader than dead." The pale woman also came across a pair of armaments; a kite shield with a snarling wolf's head blazoned on it and an over-large broadsword with a single cutting and a rectangular shaped hand guard over the hilt. She hefted it about, giving it a few practice swings with only one hand, despite it's size. Paine gave a sharp nod in approval, before taking it's sheath and strapping it across her back.

"If so, good riddance." Yuna declared. "If not, we can deal with it later. Again, I'm happy to be human again and to be able to help people. Finally do some good again." The weapon the brunette selected was certainly an odd one, though she had heard of it before; it was a 'shotstaff'. A polearm with a head resembling a tuning fork, two parallel blades that were shaped like crescent moons. The haft got slightly narrower as you travelled up the length to the head and, with the grooves built along the half, it seemed to be telescopic. Oddest though, were the rifle slide mounted beneath the spearhead, the butt which curved at the end and resembled a rifle's stock (complete with a trigger), and the fact that there seemed to be a spiral-bored gun barrel coming out of the haft, set in between the spearhead.

"And if she is alive and skulking around, we can finally settle the score with the witch personally." Paine added, punctuating the statement with another practice swing of her new sword.

"Hey? Are you three finally finished up there?" Yuffie popped in her head into the doorway, panning about and looking at the three with narrow, suspicious eyes. "Haven't started looting again have you?"

"No, little bossy ninja girl," Rikku started in a snotty tone, "we're behaving perfectly fine, thank you very much." The blonde stuck her tongue out at the other girl, who frowned in response, before pulling out a small remote control. She pressed a button on the remote, as a loud buzzing filled the air, followed by Rikku yelping loudly, in pain from something, and clutching the collar around her neck.

Yuffie snickered.

"Anyways, the others are all done so I guess it's finally time for everyone to meet."

After the statement, the armoury began to fill up with everyone else. Yuffie came in first, followed by Leon and Aerith, and then the three fairies. Finally, Kairi took up the rear, looking rather nervous and timid. Still, when she saw the Gullwings, she offered each a small smile, trying to start their relationship on a good note.

"Alright then, Kairi, this is your support team for the mission. Yuna, Rikku, and Pain." Leon introduced the trio, motioning at each in turn. Yuna returned Kairi's smile with a nod and a pleasant "Nice to meet you", Rikku winked and pointed at Kairi with a 'finger gun', while Paine just gave a curt nod. It seemed things were going well, but then Rikku narrowed her focus on Kairi, before opening her mouth.

"Wow, jeez, now that I get a good luck at you, the three of us are so plain looking and your duds are fancy and showy." Rikku commented, exaggerating her reactions so that she looked taken aback and a little offended. "I didn't know we were going to be travelling with some ostentatious show-off here."

Kairi opened her mouth in blank confusion, her nervousness ratcheting up a dial. Regardless, she tried to press on. "So, Leon. You guys have all been in the dark about my partners. Who are they? Members of the HBRC I haven't met before?" Now it was time for Leon to sweat.

"Not exactly..." The older man began to run his fingers through his hair. "The three of them, the Gullwings, they're-"

"They use to be Maleficent's goons." Yuffie blurted out, tactlessly.

"Yuffie!" Leon snapped.

"Wait, what?" Kairi blinked, head whipping wildly for an explanation.

The ninja girl sniped right back. "Gee, sorry. Here I thought you would appreciate that, Mr. Blunt Honesty."

"We did work with Maleficent, but only against our will." Yuna said quickly, trying to douse out this fire. "Our world fell into darkness and we barely survived. She offered to save us if we agreed to serve her. We would most likely be dead otherwise." She then paused, before muttering to herself, Rikku, and Paine. "...Now that I think on it, we get that 'work with us, or else' offer quite a bit."

"Oh. I see." Kairi bit her lip, looking each Gullwing over in turn. "But, still, you did work for her?"

"We didn't kill anyone, if that's what you're fishing for." Paine stated. "We were mostly just thievery and espionage." Kairi looked slightly relieved at that.

"Though, we did lead her to the location of one or two of the Princesses..." Yuna admitted quietly.

Kairi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Whatever they did in the past was just that, the past. Now they were going to have to coexist, so Kairi needed to play diplomat and make sure things went well from the outset. "Well, I suppose I can't hold a grudge on you guys. I don't know you yet and you seem like you're trying to turn over a new leaf." The redhead walked over to Yuna, hand extended. "I'm Kairi Shiratori. It's nice to meet all of you and I hope we can work well together in the battle to come." Yuna nodded and smiled again, accepting Kairi's hand with a firm handshake.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, pleasantries and introductions and all that," Rikku came butting in, breaking up the handshake with her own body and getting into Kairi's face. "What I want to see is this new Keyblader, you, apparently. I wanna see how you and your Keyblade match up to that cute guy." The redhead blushed and gritted her teeth at the comment, but chose to say nothing, instead summoning her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace. She didn't name it personally, nor did she know how she came to know it's name, she just knew that was the Keyblade's proper name.

She raised the flowery blade above her head for all to see, looking rather majestic and powerful due to the combination of the pose and her new outfit. Then the effect was entirely ruined due to Rikku snickering

"Woo boy! Lady, is that thing craaaaazy unsubtle!" She said, holding her hand up to her face to try and stop the giggles. Kairi was shrinking back again. "I mean, here I thought your outfit was the height of flashy and ostentatious, but wow, that weapon – OW! Paine!"

The woman in black had smacked her companion across the back of the head, then turned her attention to Kairi. "Ignore her. She likes to push people's buttons."

Yuffie then sidled up to Kairi. "And if that doesn't work, Cid cooked up something up last night to keep these three in line." The raven-haired girl held up the remote she had previously used, revealing it had four buttons, numbered one through four. "See those collars around their necks?" Kairi nodded. "Well, just press one of these buttons when they get all uppity and -" Yuffie pressed each button in turn, which was followed by a loud buzzing sound and each Gullwing reacting in someway. Rikku shrieked as her whole body spasmed, Yuna jumped slightly and gasped in pain, and Paine only grimaced and grunted.

"A shock collar?"

"Yep. Just like naughty dogs have when going through training." Yuffie replied with a mischievous grin that earned a rather hateful glare from Rikku. The ninja girl then passed it on to Kairi, who examined it

"Wait, what does that fourth button do?" The Keyblade-wielding girl pressed it out of curiosity, resulting in all three collars going off and all three Gullwings reacting. "Huh."

"If you're all done playing around," Leon stated with an authoritative voice, "we still have some last minute housekeeping to deal with. Cid has finished preparations on your Gummi Ship down in the hangar, it's ready for takeoff at anytime. We've stocked up it's pantry and freezer with food, but if you want fresh, perishable goods, you'll have to buy them from merchants on the various worlds you go to."

"We also should not somethings about your new clothing." Merryweather began. "Due to our magic, the fabrics are stronger than steel. They also project an invisible barrier around your entire body, extending that protection to even parts of your body that they don't cover."

Fauna continued for her blue counterpart. "They also have several enchantments attached to them. They breath in the heat, insulate your against the cold, and will automatically clean and repair themselves after a period of time."

Rikku let out a sharp whistle while rubbing the fabric of her shirt between two fingers. "Jeez, the next time I need to update my wardrobe, I'm coming back to you three."

Finally, Flora spoke up. "Also, Kairi dear, like how we sewed special powers into Sora's outfit, we did the same with you. With those clothes, you'll be able to channel your Light much easier and with more precision and skill. I hope it helps you on your journey."

"Um... thank you. Thank you for everything." Kairi bowed in turn to the three fairies. She then faced Leon and said, "I guess we shouldn't waste anymore time. Let's go. Um... that is, if you guys are ready." The redhead finished the statement sheepishly, looking back at the Gullwings. Travelling with a party would take some getting use to.

Paine, for her part, seemed to not care about the younger girl taking charge. "You're the leader here. We're ready when you are." With that, everyone began to follow Leon out of the room.

As she was leaving, Kairi overheard Rikku, though it wasn't that hard, as the blonde was being rather loud. "Gee, must be nice to have all these advantages – Keyblades and Light – and then for everyone to bend over backwards and treat you special." When Kairi turned around to face the other teenager, Rikku only flashed her an impish grin. Kairi sighed despondently and shuffled out of the room.

"Rikku, you've known her for five minutes. Try and act just a tiny bit friendlier." Yuna scolded her partner, trying to sound as tough as possible. "Especially considering what she's gone through recently."

Rikku waved the telling-off away in a nonchalant manner. "Hey! This is just how I treat people. Even Paine said so, I like to push people's buttons." Still, both her partners gave her disappointed looks while leaving her in their wake. Rikku went to catch up to them, but was pulled back into the armoury by Aerith, the brunette clamping down on the thief's shoulder with a surprisingly powerful grip.

The older woman crouched down to ear level with the Gullwing, whispering into her ear, "If you do anything to hurt her or cross her, then you'll be answering to me." Aerith's voice was as gentle and sweet as ever, but also cold and dark like a moonless night, tinged with audible venom. She then stood up, smiled at Rikku as if nothing had happened or changed and left the room without another word.

Needless to say, Rikku was quite freaked out.

"...What the heck was that?" She asked frightfully to no one in particular. "Who would have thought that of all the people running this, she was the scariest. The flower woman?" Rikku continued to stare in shock for a moment, before sighing, and running after the others, the threat very clearly ringing in the back of her head.

What followed was a very quick tour of the living quarters of Kairi and the Gullwing's new ship. Leon evidently wanted the quartet out on their mission as soon as possible, so it was all done in his own very efficient and spartan way. Admittedly, what was shown in the rushed tour seemed rather nice; a small gymnasium, a modern and open-spaced galley, homey recreation room, a pair of bedrooms, and two deluxe bathroom suites. Despite being attached to a sterile intergalactic starship, Kairi thought the living quarters were rather exquisite and inviting.

"Well, that's about everything we need to deal with." Leon told Kairi. The two were currently standing just outside the ship's bridge, the remainder of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee members waiting in the hangar, while the Gullwings were already occupying the bridge, waiting for Kairi. "Again, I understand that we're asking a lot of you, but we all do have faith in you, and we're here to support you."

"Leon, I'm not going to lie and say I'm no longer nervous. Because I am. Really nervous. Moreso than I ever thought possible." Kairi let out a burst of frightful laughter, before coughing and trying to steady herself. "Sorry. Sorry. I am nervous, though. But, I'm just trying to put myself in Sora's shoes. Honestly, it's giving me new appreciation for his optimism and spirit. I can't imagine how he never broke down before, but I just have to keep that in mind. I can do this if I just follow his example and his path."

Leon nodded, reaching into a pocket inside his jacket. "I do have one last thing for you." He produced a small spiral-bound book, presenting it to the teenager. "Sora's ship is still in orbit and we were able to get access to it. This is his journal. Not in his words, mind you, but he did add some of his own notes in the liner. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, he has terrible writing." This caused Kairi to giggle despite herself, she knew how true that fact was. "But, we figured it could help you find your way when you disembark on a world."

"Thank you, Leon." Kairi bowed once more, accepting the journal. "For everything. And tell everyone that, too. Especially Aerith and Tifa. You've all done so much to help me in such a hard time. I wouldn't be anywhere without all of you." Leon made no response, not even a smile, but to simply nod stiffly before taking his leave. That all finished, Kairi went to enter the bridge.

Everything outside the living quarters all followed a very sterile and metal motif of whites, steel blues, and gun-metal greys, with the bridge being no exception. Ultra-modern and hospital-levels of cleanliness, over half the room was comprised of the "windshield" (though Kairi was certain it was called something different on a spaceship, maybe a "vacuum-shield"), with four seats spaced around the room. Three were currently occupied by the Gullwings, two on either side of the room mounted next to computer consoles were seating Yuna and Paine, while the third (in use by Rikku) was set at the front of the room before a complicated series of switches, buttons, and joysticks.

Kairi took the final chair, which was on a raised mound dead centre of the room, though not with a little trepidation as she realized Rikku was sitting in the pilot's chair. "Um... is that really a good idea? Having her in that position." She voiced nervously.

"I know she doesn't look it, but she's a whizz when it comes to anything mechanical. That includes piloting." Paine explained without ever looking at Kairi, who only nodded slightly.

Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life, Leon's voice coming over it. "Okay, we're all ready on our end. Ramp way is clear and the hangar is open, just give us word when you're ready to go."

"No sweat, Squall-guy." Rikku chirped while tapping away on a keyboard before her. "All systems are green on are end. Well, they're green now. Whoever updated the O.S. on this thing did a real poor job. Bugs and inconsistencies and all sorts of stuff. Real amateurish stuff." Both Cid and Leon could be heard grumbling over the com about Rikku.

"Just...go already. Just go."

Rikku continued to tap away at the keys before taking both throttles on either side and pushing them as far forward as possible. The ship lurched to a start, picking up velocity in very short order. "Alright ladies, strap in. Goes double for you, Red. Atmospheric breaking can be pretty rough for a first-timer."

Kairi nodded, quickly buckling her belt and tightening it as much as she could. She could already feel the G-forces pushing her back into the chair, the ship rumbling and shaking as it still built up speed and speed. The darkness of the hangar was replaced by the slate grey skies of Hollow Bastion.

Please, Sora. Please just wait for me. I promise that I'll save you.

Eventually, the ship pierced through the thick layer of clouds, and for a fleeting moment, right before blasting off into space, all the four women could see were sunlight and endless blue skies.

11/14/17: While editing the chapter, I lost my original author notes at the beginning and end of the chapter, so what follows are slightly modified and partly incomplete notes. My apologies.

Point #3: Wide Scope, Narrow Focus: In the original Kingdom Hearts, while they are plenty of moving pieces in the background, the story is mostly about Sora and his adventures and our perspective is appropriately mostly from him. The only other major characters involved with the plot by that point are Riku and Maleficent, who do get another cutaways to them to give us a good enough understanding of what is happening to them. Similarly in COM (both Sora's story and Reverse/Rebirth) the focus is on Sora or Riku, but the game gives frequent breaks to the other major players - the Organization members - and I feel the five that serve as villains are more developed in COM compared to the six in KH2. One of the major issues with KH2 in comparison to it's two predecessors is that Sora's adventure is no longer the importance of the vast majority of the plot, nor do he have a huge amount to due in the plot (mostly killing the Org members). Meanwhile, the characters that are moving the plot forward - King Mickey, DiZ, Riku, Namine, the Organization - are largely absent for huge chunks of the game (Org members especially, who disappear for multiple worlds at a time and some of whom don't have their names uttered in dialogue), making the plot feel even more disjointed as our hero and POV character is not really critical to it. So in this fic, while Kairi is our main character and central POV character, we will feature frequent breaks and cutaways to our other major characters: King Mickey, DiZ, Sora, Namine and Riku, and the Organization.