Well, hello there. Trust me, I am as surprised to see this again as you all are.

Now, as much as I want to just go right into the chapter, I do feel I owe some explanation as to why I just let this die for four years of real time. I don't really want to get into things right now, but it's was a very up and down time for me. A lack of creative energy, high stress and anxiety, dealing with depression all over again. And even when my personal life got back on track, I was still struggling finding the time and energy and motivation to write anything.

But, then, you'll notice, in the last four months, I've written five short stories – KH one-off fics. And now we have this, which I've been hinting at for a little while, and you may be asking "What has changed"?

And that answer is Kingdom Hearts III came out.

Now, clearly, either I or someone else wish one a monkey's palm, because as much issues as I have had with Kingdom Hearts II (points to this entire story) I never imagined, never ever ever, that I would HATE KH3 more than KH2. I hate it so much. Absolutely, utterly despise that awful, garbage game from the very bottom of my core. I won't go into detail (there's enough of my bile about this game on the internet already) but just various points particularly stick with me from spending too much time setting up to sequels, unneeded and quite simply baffling Face Turns, poor pacing that leads to most of the plot happening in the last several hours, the continued abjectly cruel treatment of Kairi and Namine, every heroic character being short-changed in their arcs and cut-off at the knees in favour of building up Sora (Roman Reigns booking, nice!), and the even more cruel ending.

So, too long, didn't read, spite. I'm doing this out of spite. Not the most noble of motivations, but here were are...

In the aftermath, I was left with a lot of anger and bile and energy. I felt like I had to do something in response to this. To both my emotions and to the game itself. And I had this story left undone. And I had an idea for another story, as well.

So, I knuckled up, took all my energy and focus, and I sat down and I started again.

I felt like I had to do this, to at least try and put some headway into She Will Light The Way. When I came up with this idea four years ago, I was super excited. I thought it was such a great idea – not only as a story, but as a way to work through my feelings on the franchise. And now, in the wake of 3, I feel like I not only owe it to myself to do this story, but to do it for other fans like me who want more from Kairi, and to have it serve as a counterpoint to the series and it's continued, awful, garbage treatment of Kairi.

As for the second story, well, if you're a longtime or recent reader, you may have noticed this story has a new super-title. The Saga of Light. I'm not saying this is part of a new, sprawling epic series, but the second story I am working on is a sequel to this one. And I'm writing both of them at the same time, and will be alternating on publishing them. Now, you may be saying "Wow, working and publishing on a story and the sequel at the same time sound really dumb". And you'd be write. But I feel like I owe it to myself to try and do these stories, and the second story in particular contains concepts and ideas that I have always wanted to do in a Kingdom Hearts story.

So, to hell with all of it, I'm just going for it. I want it all, and desire is the energy of life!

Quick side-note, if you got to my profile, you'll also see that two of my previous stories have been retroactively added to the Saga, servings interequels between this story and the next one.

But anyways, I've talked far too long, so let's to waist anytime. It's back, it's back. After so long, I am happy to bring back She Will Light The Way! Please enjoy everyone!

She Will Light The Way
Chapter Four
First Steps

"...And those are more or less the basics." Yuna concluded while folding up her shotstaff. "Again, I'm sorry we couldn't give you anything more than a crash course. We'll teach you more sometime down the road."

"Experience is the best teacher. She'll learn far more far quickly in the field." Paine rebutted gruffly.

Kairi nodded at the two while dismissing Destiny's Embrace. Immediately after breaking through the atmosphere and establishing a stable course to their first Blackheart Stone, the foursome gathered in the small gym built into the ship's lodgings to give Kairi a quick lesson on combat, in order to give her some sort of grounding for the coming battles. Paine taught her swordsmanship, Yuna taught her magic, and Rikku... Well, Paine taught her swordsmanship and Yuna taught her magic, that's what was important.

Admittedly, it certainly was only the very basics of training that could be imparted on her in such a short time. Paine showed her several correct stances in wielding the Keyblade, as well as proper technique and motion for slashes, thrusts, and parries. She then followed up by teaching her proper footwork and how to dodge quickly (Kairi's first instinct from years of dance was to pirouette away, something Paine wanted to quash immediately, though she noted being a Keyblade bearer may cause the rules to not entirely apply to Kairi). Yuna followed up with teaching Kairi how to channel her mana, something which came rather easy to Kairi. Converting it into actual an actual elemental spell... not so much. At the moment she could only conjure small fireballs and shards of ice. Yuna wanted to complete the triangle and have the redhead try a Thunder spell, which was followed by protesting shrieks from Rikku. According to Paine, the blonde was still in the process of learning to handle her longtime astraphobia (something she vehemently denied) and still wasn't entirely okay with thunder and lightning. Though, Kairi could see the logic of not firing around lightning bolts in a confined area which was floating around the vacuum of outer space.

"Do you really think this is wise, though?" Kairi asked as the four were now transferring back to the bridge. "I mean, I know the first hit on the radar was only a few hours away, but having me out and fighting right now? Seems kinda risky. I barely know what I'm doing and I have practically no strength in my arms." She held up a slender arm, prodding at skin and fat. Despite her constant inner monologues to herself tell her to step up and be strong and courageous, with the moment of her first fight fast approaching, her inexperience, fear, and nervousness were getting the best of her.

"I can certainly lead you in some strength training later, but it isn't entirely necessary." Paine explained. By now, they had returned to the bridge, each quickly sitting down in their assigned seats. Swivelling her chair to face the young Keyblade wielder, the pale woman said, "The Keyblade draws it's power from the user's heart, not their body. Being a Princess of Heart, you have a very powerful heart by default. So long as you don't let that sense of dread around you beat you, you'll be able to perform things that would otherwise be impossible."

"You also have the workings of being a very good mage." Yuna added in a comforting tone. "There's only one other person I know who was able to channel magic as easily as you during their first time. And you were able to cast all those spells in a row without getting tired, even if they were very small." After a pause of consideration, the brunette finished. "That must be because of your Light, too." Kairi bit on her bottom lip, clutching at the teardrop jewel at the end of her pendant.

"Though, you should take care, just so you know," Rikku added with an easygoing smile, "I may not be a magic-user myself, but I heard that female mages lose their spell-casting abilities when they're – y'know – having the special time of the month and all." There was a small beat. "If you catch my drift." Another beat. "Hint hint."

An utterly baffled and confused Kairi stared at the talkative blonde with a raised eyebrow and gaping mouth. Before she could vocalize that confusion, Paine jumped in to shoot Rikku's claim.

"Stop being ridiculous, Rikku. There's no such thing as that."

"I heard it from some guy. Figured it was a possibility and should pass it on. It's good advice."

"It's asinine nonsense." Paine fired, an edge to her voice. In her short time interacting with the two, Kairi had noted that Paine tended to be (slightly) more gentle and patient with her, but offered no such leniency for Rikku and her mischievous nature. It was something she was thankful for. "The world and magic do not operate on such backwards rules and whoever argues otherwise is an idiot."

"Paine's right." Yuna – the only true magic-user of the three – confirmed to the still confused redhead. "What Rikku said is just a ridiculous rumour, pay no mind to it."

"Uh...okay. Sure."

"All that aside, though," Rikku turned about in her pilot's chair, the ship being on autopilot for the past three hours or so, "you really do have a pair of noodle arms." She flexed both her arms, revealing that even the lithe blonde had more impressive biceps than Kairi. "I take it that you're not the most athletic girl back home?"

Kairi let out a tiny chuckle and shook her head. "I mean, yes and no. I do enjoy watching sports, and I almost always jump at getting in on a pick-up game of soccer or volleyball, but I've never been good at them. I'm a part of the drama club, choir, and student council at school, and the closest I get to regular exercise is dance and yoga, so all of my muscles are mostly in my legs But, growing up, my two best friends were Sora and Riku, right? I had to be at least be tough enough to keep up with those two dummies." The redhead smiled fondly and forlornly at her childhood memories.

"Yep, not surprised. I had your type pinned down." Rikku said, not really talking to Kairi or anyone.

Not knowing exactly how to take the comment, Kairi decided to let it slide. It did, however, get her thinking that she really didn't know all that much about her companions. True, they had only know each other for about four-five hours, but the three Gullwings certainly did have a general idea of Kairi's history, particularly when it concerned recent events, whereas she knew next to nothing about them... other than them formerly being employed by Maleficent, something she tried not to dwell.

"What about you guys?" She asked, causing three heads to turn and look at her. "How did you all meet? What did you do before all of this?"

Yuna nodded and began to explain. "It's not a particularly exciting story, but I was...on a quest to save our world, I suppose. And I had my companions. Rikku joined second to last, Paine not too long after. It was a long and hard journey even after that, but we succeeded against all odds. We saved Spira. From then on, we started to drift apart, but Rikku and I kept working together, exploring the world and looking for hidden ruins and treasures and whatnot. One time, while searching an abandoned mountain fortress, we bumped into Paine again out of the blue. We were each working for different goals, so we decided to team up and help one another. In the end, we were glad to be united again, we figured it would be better if we stayed together from them on."

"Paine wasn't too keen on that though. Stubborn as a mule, she is." Rikku teased with an impish smile writ large across her face. "She tried to play it off all cool and aloof like she does with everything, but she warmed up eventually. Now, she wouldn't be able to live without us if she tried!"

"Keep thinking that." Paine said, cool and aloof like she was with most things. The white-haired woman then continued on where Yuna had left off. "The Heartless eventually made it to, and destroyed, our world, however. This was around three years ago."

"And people with strong enough hearts can survive a world's destruction and usually wind up somewhere else, that's what happened with all of you." Kairi interrupted, only to be shot down with a shake of Paine's head.

"No. For whatever reason, we were strong enough to not be killed or turned into a Heartless when our world fell, but not strong enough to find our way to another world. We may not even have had physical forms. All we could do for that time was speak to one another. Then, Maleficent showed up and offered us the deal: servitude in exchange for proper bodies." The dark woman then snorted in disdain. "And she turned us into pixies out of spite. Three years of working for her and working in that body..."

"Makes you pine for the old days of tombs full of ghosts and zombies and running from giant, rolling boulder traps, eh?" Rikku joked, wiggling her eyebrows to punctuate it. Paine only grunted, turning away and putting her legs up, fully outstretched, on the edge of a nearby console.

"As for the quest we were on before then," Yuna spoke up, "I won't get into that right now. Rather long and complicated stuff, I won't bore you with the details. But I'll let you know that Rikku and I have know each other for almost our whole lives. The two of us our cousins."

Blinking in confusion, Kairi looked wildly between the two. Between the kind, supportive brunette and the talkative, mischievous blonde, unable to connect the dots from what she knew. "Cousins? Like, third cousins, twice removed? That sort of deal?"

Now it was Yuna's turn to look confused. "No, firsts. My mother and her father were siblings."

"I see..." Kairi really didn't see. Like, at all.

"Hey hey!" Rikku broke in, arms raised wildly in the air like a student desperate for the teacher to call on them in class. "Do you know what I just realized?"

"No." Paine said. It wasn't an answer, rather, a statement that she didn't care for what Rikku had realized.

To her credit, Rikku continued on, unabated. "This ship doesn't have a name." She turned to Kairi. "We need to give it a name."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Why do we need to name it? Doesn't really matter in the long run."

"Oh, come on! All iconic air-and/or-gummi ships have names. It's how we brand ourselves. Set ourselves apart from all the others. Think about it: The Enterprise, the Invincible, the Falcon, the Strahl. There's, like, twenty different Highwinds. Heck, our last two were the Fahrenheit and the Celsius."

"Then by that theme, this one should be called the Kelvin." Pointed out Paine with atypical dryness. Rikku bounced up, she seemed to like that one.

"I still don't really get the point of it all." Kairi said, shaking her head. "It's a ship. It gets us to from world A to world B. That's all it is." Sora and Riku had both been gung-ho on naming their raft, just over a year ago, but Kairi... She stopped herself. She was reminiscing about those days far too often.

Before the conversation could continue any further, a chirping 'brirr-brirr' noise rang out throughout the ship, followed by a clipped, synthetic voice sounding out from the many speakers placed all over the ship.

"ATTENTION: ARRIVAL AT DESIGNATED WORLD. ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH TRANSPORTER LINK. LINKING... LINKING... LINK ESTABLISHED AND STABLE. ALL CONDITIONS ON WORLD ARE STABLE. LANDFALL MAY BE COMMENCED AT ANYTIME. THAT IS ALL."

"Alright, ladies, all to shore who's coming to shore!" Rikku popped right up to her feet and began to make advances to the door with her manic pace, apparently instantly forgetting about her want of christening their ship. The girl honestly perplexed Kairi. "Finish your final preparations and we'll reconvene in ten, 'kay? Okay!" The blonde then bolted out the door before any of the other three women could stand out of their chairs.

Kairi was rather surprised that they were able to get to another world in such a short amount of time. Then again, she knew next to nothing about interplanetary travel, so all worlds could be less than six hours away from one another. Or maybe just this world and Hollow Bastion were the only pair so close to one another. Either way, the fact that she had such little prep time – and now would be on the battlefield within minutes – caused her nervousness to bubble inside her once again.

While standing up, the redheaded Keyblade bearer idly looked up at the screen, pastel oranges and coppery tones catching her eyes, causing her to take a double take. "Twilight Town!?" She blurted out, instantly recognizing the sleepy, idyllic town she had briefly visited.

"You're familiar with it?" Paine asked, her voice showing no surprise that she had recognized the world. Yuna did, however, cocked an eyebrow at Kairi when the girl turned to speak to them.

"Yeah... actually. I've been here before." She began, slowly, slightly embarrassed. "This was the place where I was kidnapped by the Organization."

"Fortunately for you, then, we won't have much time for you to reminisce on all those pleasant memories." Paine commented. For a brief moment, Kairi thought she actually saw a small, wry and sarcastic smile across the face of the woman in black, but made nothing of it, instead following the two out of the cockpit.

Alright, here we go. I can do this, remember that. Everyone has faith in me, remember that, too. Sora started out just like this. Remember that most of all.

-O-SWLTW-O-

To it's residents, Twilight Town meant peace and relaxation and stability in an increasingly hectic life. The town, eternally drenched in the golden-orange light of either a sunset or sunrise (depending on who you asked), allowed everyone to move at their own pace, nice and gentle, never rushing. Due to minimal traffic and the trains always running exactly on time, most people found they never had to rush to make it to work or school on time, even for the laziest of people Weather was always mild, with neither too much or too little rain or wind, and temperatures were always warm but not hot, or cold but not freezing during the appropriate seasons. Indeed, unless you peeled back the surface to look deep enough, the lovely little berg was paradise.

However, if you did look beneath that veneer, it was very easy to find some strange and odd things occurring in the town, in particular in the most recent months. The latest of this, happening down a back alley off of the open Sandlot, was a loud distorted buzzing and a blinding flash of electric blue light, four people materializing from literally nowhere.

Kairi and the Gullwings strolled rather casually out of the alleyway, with the redhead examining her body as they did so.

Yuna took notice of this. "Is something the matter?"

"No, but that's sort of the problem." The teen muttered, before looking up and speaking more clearly. "I just thought that beaming down to a world, teleporting, would feel like... something. Tickle or hurt or something like that, but that was sort of like opening your front door and walking outside. It felt like nothing."

"The wonders of modern technologies." Rikku declared, while stretch out her limbs. "Use to be like that, y'know? Teleporting to a world would feel like a real nasty electric shock, but as technology improves and whatnot, all the bugs and kinks were worked out and it got smoother." The blonde then paused, placing a finger on her chin to think. "Though I am surprised that the old coot would splurge for a modern teleport system. Figured he would be more for cutting corners on stuff like that."

"Regardless of that, we're on Mission Time now, girls." Paine abruptly said. The pale woman had instantly shifted into another gear, as it were, when they touched down on the surface of Twilight Town. Steely red eyes were scanning the vacant lot for any sort of movement while her posture was loose yet attentive, ready to strike or draw her weapon at the drop of a dime. It added another dimension to Paine's already intimidating presence. "We need to find this Stone as quickly as we can."

"Do we have any idea where it is? Anyway of locating it?" Questioned Yuna. Paine just shook her head.

"All we know from the radar is that there's one on this world somewhere."

"And that's super helpful." Quipped Rikku. "Gives us a good starting point. I guess I'll have to work on some sort of compass when I have some free time... Oh, who am I kidding? I really want to tinker around with something like that!" The bubbly blonde became even more elated at the prospect of inventing the gadget.

Paine, for her part, ignored her smaller companion and turned to Kairi. "What do you think?" Kairi looked up with querying eyes. "You're the Team Leader. It's your decision and your's alone. Plus, you've spent time here, you at least somewhat familiar with the town."

"I was only here for about a day and half, I don't really have the lay of the land." Kairi began, slowly, a little overwhelmed at Paine's previous statement. "As for being Leader... I can't be that. I have no idea what I'm doing. Are you really comfortable thrusting that responsibility onto me?"

"That part is irrelevant." Paine put forth mildly, still scanning the area. "We've all be given our roles, and you're a Keyblade wielder. On Missions, that clearly makes you Team Leader. We're just your Support Team." Paine's gaze then dropped down to consider Kairi. "Besides, I have no basis on how you'll perform. I'd have to be rather cruel not to at least give you a shot."

Even though she had only known her for a handful of hours, Kairi had immediately grown use to Paine's blunt honesty. This time, however, there was a level of sincerity in the older woman's voice that took Kairi back, even if the statement was a fairly neutral observation. Still, despite not endearing herself well to the Gullwings in terms of her mental state, Paine was still willing to give Kairi more than a fair chance to perform, to have faith in her untested self.

"Kairi!"

Her introspection interrupted, Kairi whipped about and the sound of her name to see three very familiar and very welcome faces approaching her and her "Support Team".

"Olette! Hayner! Pence!"

The trio of Twilight Town teens that Kairi had been fortunate enough to encounter during her brief stay had entered the Sandlot form the opposite side, instantly recognizing the girl (though, in her new outfit, that was far from a difficult task; she really stood out in a crowd, let alone four people) and rushed to meet her. Kairi returned the gesture, running up to meet them halfway with a big smile on her face, embracing Olette.

"Guys!" She cheered, swaying back and forth in the hug. "I'm glad to see you're all okay."

"We should be saying that about you." Hayner said, as the two girls broke their embrace. "After that freak in black took you away, well... What happened? How did you get away?" He then leaned over to spy upon the Gullwings, who were still in their own group. Both threesomes looked at one another with a bit of hesitation and wariness, though Kairi could sympathize more with the Twilight Trio, seeing as how the others had their weapons bared out in the open. Yuna's shotstaff was clipped to a leather strap and slung over one shoulder, whereas Paine had both her sword and shield strapped to a harness on her back. At least Rikku had her daggers tucked away out of sight.

Sensing a bit of tension, Kairi jumped in to diffuse it. "Um... those three are with me. They're friendly enough, you don't have to worry about them." She hurried out in a high voice. "As for the other stuff, well... that's a bit complicated, but the long and short of it is I'm sort of doing what Sora does." She had made the conscious decision to keep Sora's capture a secret from the people he had already met and affected. Sora was a figure of hope and inspiration, and she wouldn't let her own dumb mistakes tarnish that reputation he well deserved. "I'm traveling around the worlds now fighting the Heartless, too."

"Ah, well, I guess that explains the fancy new clothes." Hayner teased, prodding one of her pauldrons. Kairi laughed in response.

"Yeah, it's a little ostentatious. Didn't really consider that. But, you guys are okay right? Nothing happened to you after I was kidnapped?"

Olette shook her head. "No. It's been mostly quiet around here. Mostly. Though, we do feel guilty for not being to help you more. Especially since Sora showed up the day after it happened."

"For the record, we did try to help out." Pence put forth. "Hayner and I. You just sort of sat there and watched." Olette shied away, looking very sheepish.

At that point, Rikku sidled up to Kairi, throwing and arm around the other girl's shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey, don't mean to interrupt this pleasant moment and all. I'm Rikku, by the way. Pleasure's yours, I'm sure. Thickness. No Name. Hayner." She pointed in turn to Pence, Olette, and Hayner, drawing mixed looks of confusion and annoyance. " But the thing is we're sort of here on business and have to get on our way. Remember, Red? Mission Time?"

"Uh, right. Listen, guys, have you seen this sort of black obelisk looking thing anywhere around town." Kairi started to gesture with her hands and arms to portray the shape accurately. She heard heavy footfalls coming from behind her. Paine was approaching them now. "It's kind of the reason we're here. It sort of summons and draws the Heartless here, like a magnet."

Hayner's eyes grew wide in understanding. "So that's why they've been showing up more frequently the past couple of days." Paine was now standing right behind Rikku and Kairi.

"Wait, what?"

Paine sprinted forth, moving like black lightning, expertly weaving in between the narrow gaps formed by the five bodies. Once clear of the others, in a single, fluid motion, she drew her broadsword and swung it down with a powerful diagonal chop.

"They're here."

Paine's sword had cleanly severed in half a hulking, armoured Heartless, causing it to burst into motes of blackness. Even before it had destructed, dozens and dozens of Heartless varying species began to pour into the lot, crawling from the shadows and corners and cracks, or just materializing from nowhere into existence.

"Yeah, that's what I was saying." Hayner spoke up, nervously. He, Olette, and Pence were all slowly backing away from the squadron of Heartless all amassing towards the group. Or, more specifically, towards Kairi the Keyblade Bearer.

"For about a day or two, these things have been appearing all over town. Way more than usual." Olette added. "No one can explain why and the police have been trying to do their best, but... it's not going well."

"What!?" Kairi summoned her Keyblade solely on instinct, jumping ahead of the trio. Yuna and Rikku joined her and, together, they formed a loose line of defence. "What are you guys doing outside if it's so dangerous around here?"

"Well, they haven't been showing up here so much." Olette explained further. "They've overrun the train stations and Sunset Terrace, but it's still relatively safe in this part of town."

"Relative to a part of town that's entirely abandoned and overrun by monsters..." Pence said, half-joking with a nervous chuckle.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to get to work then!" Rikku rang out, pumping her fist in excitement. The blonde quickly drew out both of her daggers – one held in a backhand grip – while her cousin had already unslung her shotstaff off her shoulders. The Gullwings looked ready to charge headlong, when...

"No!" Kairi shouted, drawing odd looks from both trios. "No, we go after the Blackheart Stone. That's our mission, that should be are priority. Not wasting our energy on endless numbers of small fry like this. Especially since they aren't hurting anyone, they're most likely after me. After this." She held Desitny's Embrace up slightly, which seemed to draw anticipation and anxiety from the horde of black monsters.

"Probably correct." Paine surmised. The older woman shuffled backwards to join her companions in their defensive formation, but kept her eyes trained on the Heartless, who, despite moving listlessly and impatiently, seemed a little hesitant to charge the Keyblade wielder and her companions. "If they aren't common in this part of town, they probably spawned here simply because of Kairi's presence and are only focused on her. If we went after the Stone, they'd probably pursue her, but ignore civilian targets."

"Well, that's great and all, Paine, but you're forgetting one important detail: we have no idea where the Stone is and no way of locating it." Rikku pointed out. Some of the Heartless were now beginning to approach at a ponderous pace, Paine responding by swinging her blade in a wide, wild arc to discourage them from coming too close.

"It's still a sound idea, but we need to decide now." Yuna said. Kairi could tell from the tone of the brunette's voice that when she said "we need to decide" she clearly meant "you need to decide". "What will it be? Run or fight?"

The redhead instantly whipped about to face Pence, Hayner, and Olette. "Are you guys sure you haven't seen anything like that? A black tower sorta thing?"

"Sorry, but I can't say we have." Hayner winced while admitting the fact. "Something like that would be fairly hard to miss."

"Unless it's hidden or disguised as something!" Pence declared, a sudden look of clarity lighting up his face. "That has to be the answer. And if the Heartless first started showing up in high numbers in Sunset Terrace and the train stations, it's probably hidden there!"

Kairi nodded along, but still needed some more before charging off. "That makes sense that it would be hidden. But, we need to narrow it down. Sunset Terrace is pretty big from what I remember and there are a bunch of train stations in town, too."

By now, the Heartless had begun a more earnest approach and attack of the group, with Paine and Rikku alternating between cutting them down with swipes of their blades and discouraging their approach with stiff kicks. Yuna was taking a different approach, collapsing her telescopic staff to a shorter length and holding it like a rifle, stock braced against her shoulder and finger on the trigger. With each press of the trigger, the weapon unleashed it's ammunition. Not bullets, but small bits of glowing energy that tore into the Heartless with frightening speed and accuracy. And suddenly the name 'shotstaff' made much more sense...

While the Gullwings did their best to keep the monstrous forces at bay, Pence was still in deep thought, trying to figure out where exactly a nebulous villainous organization would hide a giant black obelisk. "Well, on of all the stations, Central Station is probably the best bet. It's the largest and it has the Clock Tower, too. As for Sunset Terrace, it's all residential areas, so probably Sunset Hill would be the best bet." After a pause, he hurriedly added. "But, if you do go to the Terrace, because the trains are all down, you have to go the long way around and go through the underground passages."

"Okay, Sunset Hill or Central Station. Sounds good." Kairi, during her day and a half on Twilight Town, had mostly confined herself to the trio's hangout of the Usual Spot. However, they had briefly taken her on a tour of the major sights of the town, Sunset Hill included. She was about to enter a mental debate as to which was the most likely hiding spot before Olette broke in.

"I don't think it's at either of those places." The young girl said. "Sunset Hill is too open to hide anything large and Central Station is way too heavily trafficked. Hiding something there would be too difficult. My bet would be in the woods just outside of town. It's large and secluded, perfect for hiding something like a tower."

Kairi grinned nervously. Well, this certainly complicates the matter... Panic began to set in, as her heartbeat began to ring and swell in her ears, accompanied by the din of the Gullwing's skirmish. This was a terrible idea. We have no way of finding this stupid thing, running around town blindly while the Heartless constantly harass and follow us. First freakin' decision as leader and I blow it, I'm – Stop thinking like that! You're not getting anywhere beating yourself down like this! Paine even said so long as I don't let despair get the best of me, I can do the impossible. So... do the impossible, Kairi!

"Hey! Red! Pay attention!" Rikku called out, breaking Kairi's concentration and dialogue with herself. "Don't freeze up on us now, it's your plan and your choice. Which one are we tackling?" Kairi shook her head wildly, trying to clear her head of her own negativity.

"I-I... I don't know!" Kairi stammered helplessly. She looked over her shoulder to the Gullwings, stunned to see that there were even more Heartless in the Sandlot now then there were five minutes ago. "I need time to think, guys. I just need to think-"

"Don't know, don't think. Just feel and act!" Paine advised harshly, never turning away from the Heartless. Several tiny, mage-like Heartless launched a stream of fireballs at the trio. Paine set her sword down, swinging her shield up to cover her body. The wolf head painted on it's surface began to glow and pulse with eldritch light, eventually bursting outward, the light forming a shimmering, translucent wall that covered herself, Yuna, and Rikku and then some, stretching almost twenty square feet. The fireballs struck the barrier, petering out uselessly, with Paine stowing her shield away again, the barrier dissipating.

Through all this, Yuna tried to offer more reassuring support. "Your heart is strong, and so is your Light. I've heard that that sort of power can do amazing, unbelievable things. If you can't think, just calm down, push everything out, and listen to that. Let it be your guide in times like this." A Heartless wandered too close to Yuna, who responded by extending her staff to it's full length and swinging it like a golf club. The resulting blow punted the hapless beast high into the air.

"Alright, alright..." Kairi turned away from the battle, taking a deep breath, before expelling it all through her mouth in a single, controlled motion. She never gave much thought to the meditative side of yoga, simply using it to increase her flexibility and stretch out her muscles, but now had to try and fine her centre.

While a loud and violent fight took place right behind.

Easy as pie.

Sunset Hill. Central Station. The old forest. It has to be one of these. There was the high, very high, possibility that all of these locations were entirely wrong, but Kairi absolutely couldn't think negatively at this point in time. The Blackheart Stone just had to be at one of those areas. The forest, from what I remember, is just outside the boundaries of the town. It seems like a good place to hide it, but... it feels way too obvious. Sunset Hill. It can't be at Sunset Hill. It's just an opened, peaked hill. There's no hiding spot. And that leave's the Central Station. Olette said that it was really well trafficked, so it can't be it. They couldn't hide it there, could they? Nervousness and anxiety began to take hold, Kairi bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, clutching her left hand in a tight fist. Then it has to be the forest, that's the only option left. But it still doesn't feel right. Even though a thick, secluded forest made total logical sense, for whatever reason, something inside of Kairi kept flaring up and telling her it was wrong, logic be damned.

Come on! Come on, you stupid little girl! Make a decision. This what you're suppose to do, this what you're here for. Be a better leader! The sounds of combat still ringing out behind her, Kairi took a couple more sharp breaths that eventually devolved into smoother, calmer breaths. Step back, step back. Start all over. Sunset Hill. The forest. Central Station and it's Clock Tower. Like a flash of lightning, it hit her. Her eyes shot open, Twilight Town's iconic Clock Tower clearly visible inside of her mind's eye, even though Central Station and the Tower were one of the landmarks she hadn't seen. And yet, now she could see it as clear as day, and a similar feeling to the one that told her the forest was wrong shot up again, though, this time it was one of confirmation. But why? Why do I feel this way... wait!

Kairi. I know you. You're that girl he likes.

Who? Please, a name.

I'm Roxas.

Roxas. She had never been to the Clock Tower, but Roxas had. Roxas was there the moment his thoughts wandered into her, and they spoke to one another through their hearts. Roxas, the unknown boy who knew Sora and had sparked her memories of her. And, for whatever reason, even though she only heard Roxas's voice and could not put a face to the voice, the Clock Tower stood out perfectly in her mind, both now, and in the memory of the day she and Roxas briefly conversed.

Within that moment of extreme clarity, Kairi knew without a shadow of a doubt, where the Blackheart Stone was.

"The Clock Tower!" She exclaimed. Olette, Pence, and Hayner jumped at Kairi's sudden declaration, though she paid no mind to them, instead turning to the Gullwings. "The Stone is hidden inside the Tower at Central Station." She repeated with absolute confidence, not even a shadow of a doubt or hesitancy.

"If our fearless leader says so..." Rikku muttered, as the trio shuffled backwards in retreat. "So, where to?" She asked the native Towners.

"Straight up the hill on Market Street. You can't miss it." Hayner told them.

Kairi nodded. "Alright. We'll lead the rest of the Heartless away from here. After we leave, I want you three to get out of here. Go to your homes or the Usual Spot or wherever safe and hold yourselves up for however long. Don't follow us, do you understand?" Kairi told her friends, trying as hard as she could to be stern, strong, and commanding.

"Hey, you don't have to tell us twice." Hayner back up, hands held up defensively. Once again, the redhead nodded.

"Okay, then. Let's make a break for it, girls."

"Finally! We're on proper Mission Time." Rikku clapped her hands together. "Yunie, lead us off properly, would you?"

Kairi looked on confused, as Yuna gave a small smile. "Alright, then. Gullwings, ready... ACTION!"

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine all bolted forward at top speed, whereas Kairi stumbled and staggered, caught off guard by the suddenness of the movement. She eventually found her feet and her pace, trailing behind the three, with the remains of the Heartless battalion trailing her. Seems that they were indeed only focused on Kairi and the Keyblade, ignoring other potential targets.

I don't know if I should be happy or worried that I was right about that fact... Kairi thought drearily.

As the quartet managed their way up Market Street, Yuna and Rikku began to deliberately slow down, so that they were in the back of the party, Yuna occasionally turning about to take pot shots at the Heartless with her shotstaff, unleashing salvos of magic bullets. Her blonde cousin had stowed away her daggers and was digging through the pouches clipped to her hips. Her hands came back holding a pair of cylinders roughly the length of her hand. Depressing a button on the top of the cylinders, Rikku lobbed them into the air, the objects falling down in a lazy arc and landing within the horde of Heartless, who paid no mind to them or the rapidly blinking LED lights mounted at either end of the canisters. They really should have paid attention, as after a short while, both canisters erupted in massive, roaring fireballs that annihilated the vast majority of the monsters with a combination of heat, flame, and concussive force. Those that weren't immediately destroyed were either set aflame or knocked off their feet and sent staggering in every which direction, with Rikku laughing joyously over her entire scene of mass destruction.

"Um... that's quite a little trick you got there." Kairi commented. In all honesty, she was a little nervous due to the other girl's jubilant reaction.

The blonde laughed again. "Yep! Especially so considering it's all hand-crafted." Rikku proudly patted the pouches on her hips. "It's one-hundred percent, homemade Rikku brand fun and destruction!"

Kairi's nervous chuckle joined in chorus to the ebullient laugh. Ah jeez... and only now am I seeing just what I've gotten myself into.

-O-SWLTW-O-

Eventually, the foursome managed to make their way up to the open plaza of the train station, now free of any pursuing Heartless. Rikku's bombs had obliterated most of them, with Yuna serving as mop up, sniping down the remaining stragglers.

The plaza was silent and vacant, with the actual train station building wrapped up in yellow police tape, with several signs attached to the glass walls, all warning to vacate the premises and stay away. The monolithic, triple-spired Clock Tower rose high above the building, dominating the skyline, as clear now as it was in Kairi's mind.

Wow, this whole Town really went downhill in a hurry. Kairi thought, seeing the closed up Train Station up close. The rapid decline was both depressing and a little startling. It was nowhere near a week since she had been here, and yet, one of the central landmarks of the town was abandoned and entire areas of the Town were overrun and plagued by Heartless. I suppose it's possible they had the Stone in place before I even got here and it's been a gradual decline. But still... just how many people have been hurt because of the Organization's plan? She then mentally saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette and realized that if she was wrong about the Stone (she was still entirely confident she was right) or failed to destroy it here and how, they could be next. I'm not doing this just for Sora's sake. There are good people who's lives are at stake. People who extend their kindness to total strangers like me. My friends, and all of Sora's allies, and even more. I'm fighting for them, too.

"Fantastic. More of these creeps."

Kairi looked away from the train station towards Rikku, who had just spoken. More Heartless had spawned in the plaza, forming a loose barricade that blocked the party from the only exit back down Market Street.

"They just don't know when to quit, do they?"

"I suppose we should admire their tenacity." Paine remarked dryly while drawing her sword. Yuna and Rikku followed suit, bringing out there weapons. "Let's finish this quickly and then try and find this Stone." The dark woman then looked over to Kairi and asked, "You ready for this? Your first real fight." Kairi simply responded with a steely gaze, summoning Destiny's Embrace, and taking a fighting stance. This seemed to earn an approving nod from the older woman. "Very good... Then let's go!"

Paine's voice raised only slightly higher than it's normal volume, but it was still enough to order a charge, the four young women each breaking off to handle their own part of the swarm, though Kairi instinctively kept herself close to Paine, who, for her part, didn't go off into a full charge just in case the new Key Bearer needed to be bailed out.

The woman in black moved less like a human being and more like a machine made for combat and slaying Heartless. Quick, sudden, powerful, with no wasted motion in each and every movement, Paine slaughtered every Heartless that came near her with ease. Despite the weight and size of her broadsword, Paine's strokes were quick enough to clip and cut the small, agile Heartless with unerring accuracy. At the same time, she had enough power with just one arm to break and tear through the bulky, heavily-armoured Heartless with a single blow. Each and every Heartless fell to a single blow, with Paine paying no mind to them or their dissipating corpses after her blade made contact, simply moving onto her next victim.

One Heartless – a large, bronze knight with a hollow stomach cavity filled with rusted gears – decided to test Paine and her warpath, charging her immediately after the red-eyed woman had filleted a bird Heartless in two. Paine quickly turned to face her new foe, which was already in mid-attack with the giant battle axe that was fused to it's right arm. Unable to stop the stroke, Paine raised one of her legs, blocking the blade with the greave over her shin and then kick outward, causing the knight Heartless to stagger. With her foe off balance, Paine brought forth her shield and launched forward, repeatedly bashing the defensive armament against the head of the Heartless, pressing it backwards even further, the shield glowing brightly once more. Thrusting the shield again, this time towards the chest of the Heartless, Paine conjured her forcefield wall and then willed it forward. The wall glided across the ground with surprising speed, impacting the knight and sending it flying into the air, where it soon crashed down on a group of the tiny, fast Heartless, flattening them. The momentary distraction dealt with, Paine turned her attention to the remainder of the Heartless that had gathered about her, ready to continue her spree of violence and destruction.

Rikku's approach to things took a different path, as the blonde began to strafe and weave an erratic path in attempt to catch the eye of as many Heartless as possible. While she slipped and dodged and moved about, between and behind the myriad of monsters, she would badger and harass her targets as well, striking them with little prods and nicks from her daggers. Nothing that would inflict any lasting damaging, but, like her dodging, it served to focus fire on her and annoy the enemy. Multiple attempts were made to bring down the lithe and agile girl – claws and stamps, sword and axe blades, fireballs and bolts of darkness – but they all proved fruitless, as Rikku's dexterity and speed were too much for the Heartless to get a beat on her, the attacks either hitting only empty air or striking the cobblestone streets.

With countless pairs of fetid yellow eyes trained on her, Rikku continued manoeuvring about, wheeling and weaving as to corral the Heartless into one cluster with herself on the outskirts of said cluster, an impish smile spread across the energetic girl's face. Taking hold of both daggers with her right hand and reaching into one of her satchels with her left, Rikku retrieved another device – a handful of tiny black spheres studded with small silver rivets. With the Heartless still bunched up, Rikku hopped several steps backwards while simultaneously throwing the black orbs into the group, all of them missing the Heartless and falling into the spaces between the black beasts, yet hitting their mark all the same. As the spheres impacted with the ground, they split open and unleashed their payload: a billowing cloud of thick white gas which swallowed up all the Heartless the blonde had gathered together. The temperature in the vicinity of Rikku's bombs dropped drastically to freezing levels, before the gas quickly subsided and vanished, temperatures rising back to normal. The dissipating gas revealed that all of the Heartless were now covered in a thick coating of ice, which Rikku knew had penetrated down beneath the surface, freezing the very being of it's prisoners. Wicked smile getting broader and broader, Rikku gripped both dagger and began to jauntily skip through the field of ice statues, striking at each frozen Heartless with a lightning-fast blur of a stab – one per target – and crossing through her victims with ease. Cracks and splinters began to form along the icy coating of each and every Heartless.

"Oh, sorry fellas. It was in bad taste of me to give you guys such a... frosty reception!" Flashing a crooked grin at her own lame joke, the mischievous girl struck a victory pose with perfect timing, as at that very moment, every frozen Heartless simultaneously shattered and crumbled into chunks of ice.

"Now, see, Red here should take a page out of my book. If she's gonna be the hero, you need a dry wit and snappy one-liners like that." Rikku said to herself, the icy remains behind her beginning to slowly melt in the sunlight. Another Heartless took the opportunity to swoop at Rikku, who casually leaned to the right to avoid the attack, executing the attacker with two deep dagger gashes across the back.

Yuna's strategy took a form similar to her cousin's, strafing around her selected group of Heartless as opposed to charging right into them. But, instead of strafing to draw fire on her, Yuna did it to to keep her distance of the monsters, her shotstaff collapsed into it's shorter 'gun mode'. The weapon lacked any form of cartridge, chamber, or ammo belt, but that's because it didn't fire conventional ammunition. Taking aim, Yuna unleashed a short burst of glowing, oval-shaped ordinances, all of which zoomed across the space between the gun's barrel and the Heartless, tearing and boring into the bodies of the monsters, causing them to stagger back with gigantic, searing and smoking holes ripped into their bodies, exploding into nothing shortly thereafter. The projectiles produced by the staff were, in reality made of raw mana that had been drawn from Yuna. The shotstaff was far more than just a magic-shooting gun, as while the projectiles moved at a similar speed to a bullet shot by a conventional rifle, the projectiles were larger (creating larger wounds) they were also made of pure energy and they possessed far greater penetration power than even the largest calibre rounds.

Yuna kept moving about while sniping down various Heartless, positioning herself so her back was up to the walls of the train station with all the Heartless (as well as the rest of the battle) in front of her, preventing any sneak attacks catching her unaware. The black beasts were undeterred, pressing forward in droves at Yuna, attempting to pin her against the station wall. Little did they know that they had wandered right into a trap.

Cocking the slide of the shotstaff, a smirk spread across Yuna's face. "Firaga Bullet!" Another lightning-fast salvo of magic bullets were unleashed on the horde, except that these one's were a gradient red and orange instead of bright white. Upon impact with their various targets, the mana bullets exploded in a bright, searing bonfire that scorched and ate at the Heartless, who were so bunched up that each singular Firaga Bullet eliminated three of four of them. The gaggle of fiends all staggered again, slowly sifting apart from one another to prevent being destroyed in bunches, and once again, falling into another of the brunette's traps. Another cock of the slide, Yuna levelled her gun skyward and fired.

"Thundaga Mortar!"

A yellow and black orb ponderously streaking upward in an arc, hanging in mid-air at the peak of it's arc, electricity surging and sparking around the orb. The attack's payload bombed downward in the form of multiple crackling lightning bolts that smote even more Heartless, reducing them to nothing and leaving only black soot marks staining the cobblestones. With even more Heartless destroyed – their group heavily thinned and depopulated – Yuna bolted forward through a gap in their ranks, bringing herself to a skidding stop once clear of them. While still drifting on the soles of her boots, Yuna tucked down to one kneed and pivoted her body about as to face the Heartless, with the all-devouring monsters now the ones pinned against the train station wall.

"Magi Gatling Gun!" One more cock of the slide and it was over, Yuna clamping down on the trigger and not releasing until they were all blown away, fanning the staff left and right while unleasing an endless torrent of small, rapid mana bullets.

With the Gullwings each taking on their own personal horde of, Kairi was left to watch and marvel at it all. She had never seen anything like it in her life, each of the three women rampaging and eliminating Heartless with an insane combination of power, speed, grace, and their own unique style. Kairi was so absorbed in spectating the fight, she almost forgot she was an active participant and had just come across her first opponent. A lone Heartless – one of the bronze knights with clockwork innards – began to lumber towards her, intending to snuff out the Keybearer's light with it's spiked axe.

Okay. Okay. First fight. I can do this. Just remember what Paine and Yuna taught me and it'll be okay. Okay.

That thing is pretty big and strong. One shot from it and I'm probably done.

It's okay. I'm really quick and nimble. I can dodge it.

It's really well armoured, too. I don't think my noodle arms could dent it.

It has to have a weakpoint. Just find it and exploit it. Easy enough.

I don't think I can do this. I should just retreat until one of the others is free up to take it out.

I got to take it out, I have to be the hero. It's not just Sora that's counting on me. There are people counting on me, lives at stake. I have to be the hero.

Whoa, this thing actually moves really fast – MOVE MOVE MOVE!

Not gonna count myself out, I have to – HOLY CRAP!

The large knight proved to be a little quicker than it's bulky frame belied, already close enough to take a swing at Kairi. The redhead was barely able to react quick enough, bringing up Destiny's Embrace to successfully block the axe, but the strength of the blow sent her reeling backwards and launched a wave of numbing sensation running up and down her right arm.

The Heartless continued it's assault, relentless in it's single-minded pursuit, Kairi doing everything in her power to parry and block each strike. Every strike and block caused her to step back, but she did her absolute best to be aware of the things going on in her periphery, to feel and sense if anything was creeping up behind her; the last things she wanted was to boxed in or pinned down.

A wild, overhead chop came down at her, Kairi's body moving before her mind did, using Destiny's Embrace to bat the blade away, the force rocking the Heartless and staggering it slightly.

What was it that Paine said? Something like, 'Be patient. Find a weak point and pick your spots'. Her eyes fell on the hollow cavity in it's chest. Yeah, that looks like a weak spot if I ever saw one.

Gripping her Keyblade in both hands, Kairi lunged forward, thrusting the flowery bouquet of teeth deep into it's gear-packed innards. The knight seized in apparent pain.

Seeing as how Paine's advice had worked so well, Kairi reminded herself of Yuna's basic steps for casting a spell. Feeling the mana well up in her center, she forced it to travel down the length of her arms, into her hands, and then all the way through her Keyblade. With all that energy focused in her weapon, she gave it form and unleashed it, brilliant crystals of ice erupting from the back and shoulders of the Heartless.

Kairi withdrew her Keyblade, as the Heartless crumpled to the ground, it's being disintegrating into shadowy motes. She was short of breath, surprised, and thrilled at the same time.

It was a tiny, tiny thing, but she had bested her first Heartless. To a fledgling warrior, it meant so much.

"I did it! I did it!" Kairi cheered, forgetting herself and the moment. "Did you guys see? I did a proper spell! I beat a Heartless!"

"That's super Red, and we're all so happy for you," Rikku called from across the plaza. "But, uh, in the time it took you to beat one, we each took out, like two-dozen a piece."

Indeed, the entirety of the plaza was quiet, the Heartless threat vanquished. Kairi deflated a bit when she saw that.

Yuna walked over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't get so down. You did acquitted yourself well in your first real fight." Kairi perked up slightly at the encouragement. "Even if it's a little step, it's just beginning of something bigger. Good work."

"But for now, we need to get down to business and find that Stone." Paine said, her red-eyes scanning the are intently.

Right, the Stone. At first glance, it looked like she had led them to a dead end – there was nothing matching the description of a towering black spire anywhere in the vicinity, but Kairi just couldn't shake the feeling it had to be here.

More Heartless suddenly materialized, the Gullwings snapping back to fighting positions.

"Especially if this keeps up," Paine growled, lowly. "There doesn't seem to be an end in sight to these things in the entire town."

As Kairi whipped her head around wildly, trying to survey the new gaggle of enemies, her eyes looked up to the steeple of Clock Tower, and it's three spires.

An image flashed in her mind, her brief connection with Roxas. Something was wrong.

Did it always have three spires? Or was it two?

"Yuna! I need you to shoot at the spires up top!" She pointed at the target.

The brunette looked confused at the order, but trusted her instinct, and trusted Kairi. Quickly, she took aim at the peak of the Tower, firing a shot big enough to strike all three in one blow. The spires at the left and right were damaged, chunks of stone and tile flying off in all direction. But the one in center produced an event more violent reaction, as the entirety of it's stony base and red, slatted tiles peeled away, revealing underneath the veil was an ominous obelisk of jet-black stone.

The Blackheart Stone was revealed.

Immediately upon the revelation, a shadowy nimbus covered the Stone, the sky reflected similarly, with a shadowy cloud forming over top the Stone. The energy surged and crackled and coalesced, eventually taking shape – a great bat-like monstrosity with an enormous wingspan, metal clad jaws and teeth, and eight curving blade-like appendages extending out from it's underbelly.

Immediately, it's yellow eyes fell upon Kairi.

"Well, that would be it. The Guardian Heartless." Kairi declared, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. She couldn't help but be nervous in this situation. And she wasn't entirely sure if the adrenaline surging through her body was helping to calm or exacerbate her nerves.

The Gullwings had gathered around her, all eyes locked on the Heartless perched on the Tower. Taking a deep breath, Kairi tried once more to settle herself, and trying to mimic the steely, determined looks of her companions.

"Okay girls, let's do this. Now, we're really on Mission Time."

Whew! Feels good, don't it? Especially considering I've had over half this finished on my PC for years, and just stalled for an eternity. Glad I got that monkey off my back.

-This chapter was suppose to be much longer, but by the end, with it approaching 10K words, I made the executive decision to cut it into two parts, shuffling the rest of it to Chapter 5. I feel like I don't need to make, long, sprawling 15K chapters every time. Chapters only need to be as long as they need to be.

-Going through so old notes, I found out my original idea featured Tifa and Aerith as Kairi's party, serving as very noted diametric opposites to Donald and Goofy. Final Fantasy characters versus Disney characters. Female versus male. A powerful brawler and a (mostly) white mage versus a shielded defender and a (mostly) black mage. But, I changed course and went with the Gullwings, and I think I made the right choice. They have a strong dynamic with each other, Kairi (or another character...) can fit into the dynamic without interrupting the flow, they all have a unique fighting style and power set derived from Final Fantasy jobs (Paine as a warrior, Yuna as a mage/gunslinger mix, Rikku as a cross between thief and alchemist/gadgeteer), but are still different enough from Donald and Goofy to stand out. So, yeah, that's why that is.

-I went back and forth on how to incorporate the backstory of the Gullwings; whether to go full ahead with what was established or make something whole cloth, and in the end, I decided to work with the stuff from their games. For the purposes of continuity, imagine a broadstrokes version of the plot and story of Final Fantasy X, with Paine, but without Tidus and Wakka. It won't come up a whole lot, but just to establish some stuff and to give you and idea of where Yuna and the others are, and what they have already gone through.

-While the fight scene in this chapter serves a purpose – to show-off how the Gullwings fight and their level of skill – I am aiming to keep most of the action beats to major opponents (Organization members and Guardian Heartless) to keep the flow at a good pace. Probably wouldn't make the most entertaining thing to read, having Kairi power-grind off mook Heartless for hours on end.

-One thing I want to try and do is show Kairi's growth, not just as a fighter, but her motivation and her reasoning. She was sort of pushed into this situation for Sora's sake, now she is starting to realize how many others – people she knows and people she doesn't - are affected by this. And her mindset is going to continued to grow and evolve as she continues on this journey, and I want to communicate that. Because, if there's one thing this poor girl needs, it's actual screentime and development, Nomura.

-One last bit of housekeeping before I go, I have a schedule planned for this month (as of publication) April 2019. April 8, 19, and 26 will all feature new chapters of Light, while April 12 and 15 will be the debut of the new story. Beyond that, I have a bit of a back-log already set up, so expect chapters every Friday beyond that point for the next little while. I make no promises that I will complete either of these stories, but I will certainly make an effort, for my readers and for myself.

But beyond that, I would love to hear your thoughts about the chapter and my return after a long, long hiatus. What did you like? What didn't you like? What thoughts do you have on Kairi's first steps into a much larger world – her actions, fears, and thoughts? All criticism, comments, and contacts are welcome, and I would love to hear for you guys – readers old and new alike. So, please, don't be shy, drop a line!

I hope I can make this up to everyone and follow-through on my ambitions and desires and do this story to the best of my abilities. And I hope you enjoy the ride with me, too. Thank you and take care, everyone.