The Tides Go Out Chapter 61: Almost There, a kingdom hearts fanfic

Chapter 61: Almost There

Tick, tock, tick, tock. All around, the ticking of a myriad of clocks resounded. There were so many of them it was impossible to tell one from the next, and yet the sound could hardly be called a mess. Rather, the ticking clocks all came together into a melody, into a song that was only missing lyrics. And soon enough they were joined by cheerful humming, not from a man, but from a little cricket.

On a shelf in Geppetto's workshop, Jiminy Cricket hummed out an old timey toon, a favorite of his about wishes and stars, as he worked to polish his most beloved possession: the golden badge that the Blue Fairy had gifted him. To his left, right, and in fact all around him on the shelves were a myriad of carved wooden toys. They hung from the walls, sat on the shelves, and decorated the furniture. And each and every one was lovingly hand-crafted by the one and only Geppetto.

A whistle came from down below, and Jiminy let out a soft chuckle. Of course, how could he forget Geppetto's most beloved? But he wasn't a toy any longer, if he had ever really been. Little Pinocchio sat in a green chair below the shelf where Jiminy sat, a smile on his face as he curled up with—why! Those books were Jiminy's journals! Now where had Pinoke gone and gotten those?

Holding his hat down to his head, Jiminy opened his umbrella and took a leap off the shelf, floating down to land on Pinocchio's shoulder. He hadn't been seeing things after all, those were his journals alright. Pinoke even held a magnifying glass up to his eye as he read the tiny writing. Jiminy chuckled. "Havin' fun there, Pinoke?"

"Oh! I didn't even hear you there, Jiminy!" Pinocchio turned his head away from the journal to give his conscience a bright, toothy smile. His smile faded, however, and he looked aside with…shame?

Jiminy rested his hands on his hips and tapped his foot. "Pinocchio, what did you do? Come on now, ya gotta come clean."

Pinocchio's shame grew more apparent, his frown deepening. He looked with downcast eyes at the two tiny journals in his lap, as well as the one he already held in his hands. Shutting the latter, he stacked it up with the other two and then handed all three journals over to a now bewildered Jiminy. "I'm sorry, Jiminy. I took these without asking."

Jiminy blinked, lifting his hat and rubbing his head. Golly, was that all? Pinoke didn't have to go apologizing for reading his journals! Still, Jiminy couldn't help but feel a little pride; looks like he had done good as the boy's conscious after all. And even if Jiminy was fine with Pinocchio reading his journals, that sure didn't mean others would always let him use their things. So with that in mind, Jiminy smiled at his friend.

"Pinoke, don't you worry about anything. From now on, you can read my journals any time you like without askin'—just remember to ask for something else if you need it, though!"

Pinocchio's eyes grew wide and bright, his frown flipping upside down just like that. "Really?! Golly Jiminy, you're swell!"

Jiminy laughed and rubbed the back of his head as a blush crept up his face. "Aw gee, I'm just glad to see you readin'."

At that Pinocchio coughed and turned away. "Well uh, I'm kinda having trouble with that, actually…" He perked up and let out a quiet gasp, as if having an idea. Spinning to face him Pinocchio held out the first journal to Jiminy. "Could you read it for me, Jiminy? Would ya?!"

Shocked at the sudden outburst, Jiminy stumbled back, tumbling off Pinoke's shoulder and catching himself only just before he fell off the chair's arm. Climbing to his feet and dusting himself off, Jiminy adjusted his hat and chuckled. "Well, if you're so eager how can I say no? Give it here, Pinoke!"

Taking the journal from his pal's outstretched hand, Jiminy then leaped up into Pinocchio's awaiting palm. He tapped the journal with one hand and made a show of polishing it with the fabric of his coat. But he didn't open it, not yet.

"So, now we've taken three journeys. Two to stop the darkness from spreading, and one to put all the lost hearts back where they belong." Pausing for a moment, Jiminy looked up at the positively enraptured Pinocchio and poked him in the chest, earning a giggle from the little boy. Smiling again, Jiminy let out a wistful sigh. "To tell the truth, none of 'em were easy, but I sure was glad to be the cricket to write down what happened."

He turned down to the brown tome, brushing his fingers lightly on the cover. His smile softened but didn't vanish, and when he spoke his voice was ever so slightly quieter. "Three journeys, both sittin' quiet right here in these three books."

Opening it now to the first page, Jiminy and Pinocchio were greeted by pages upon pages of neat handwriting accompanied by the occasional sketch and off-hand notes. As Jiminy read the story aloud to Pinocchio, he would stop and point out the drawings he had made. There was when Sora had blacked out after being attacked on Hook's ship, here was a sketch of the summon gem that had called Simba, this was when they began to climb Castle Oblivion…

But when Jiminy turned to the next page, he could come up with only silence.

"What is it, Jiminy?"

"I…I'm not quite sure, Pinoke. Gee, I don't remember writin' this down."

The page was completely blank except for one sentence, a sentence that—as Jiminy had said—he did not for one moment remember writing down. Holding a thumb on the page to keep track of it, he quickly flipped through the rest of his journal, scanning the remaining pages for any anomalies like this one. But no, the rest of the journal was exactly as it had been. From meeting Sora at Traverse Town all the way to the top floor of Castle Oblivion, it was all here. Shaking his head in absolute bewilderment, Jiminy returned to the single line and stared at it once more.

Thank Naminé.

Jiminy raised an eyebrow. "Now just what would I have to thank Roxas's sister for?"

x-x-x

Ask anyone, and they'd tell you there is nothing as pleasing to the grateful employee as his two weeks vacation—with pay! Sunrise in the Rockies, basking on the beach, dude ranching, golfing, boating, hunting in the north woods…and most of all, fishing at Lake Destiny! Goofy had been planning this trip with his boy for years, a trip he had done with his father, and his father before him, and his before him. It was a time-honored tradition passed on from Goof to Goof to Goof, and he was glad to finally experience the fishing trip with Max.

Of course, they didn't exactly have the easiest time getting there. While Max had been all for the trip, the open road had brought its fair share of troubles to the duo. RVs that took up the whole road, rude hitchhikers, flat tires, and repairmen who never stopped talking and had no idea what they were doing. Yet throughout it all, through the storms, low-quality motels, and ice-cold desert nights, nothing soured their moods. Not even that awkward night in prison.

"Nobody else but you!
"We've turned into, a true blue duo!
"Hard times, we've had a few..."

"Like we're thrown in the drink..."

"Like we're tossed outta town..."

"But when I start to sink,
"Hey, I'd rather go down...
"With nobody else, but...
"Y-O-U!"

Because despite all the trouble, the father and son duo had the time of their lives on the way there and continued to have it when they arrived. Floating in the middle of the lake on their car (long story), Goofy and Max sang cheerfully while casting their family heirloom fishing poles into the crystal-clear water.

Goofy leaned back and shut his eyes. "Y'know, Maxie, I haven't been this happy in a long time."

There was a brief moment where Max didn't answer, the only sound the zip of his line as he cast it out over the lake. But it was only a moment, and he looked back over his shoulder with a smile. "Why's that, Pop?"

"Oh, adventurin' around everywhere with Sora was fun and all, but I'm glad to finally spend a day with my boy!" Goofy reapplied some bait to his hook and sent his own line out. "I've needed this."

"Really? And here I was thinking I was just a replacement for Donald," Max joked.

"Now you know that even if that were true, Donald is off with the King today."

"I was just messing with ya, Dad."

Goofy laughed. "A real jokester, you!"

Silence soon descended over Lake Destiny, but not an uncomfortable one. Rather, with the soft brustling of the pine needles in the wind and the utter stillness of the lake water (Goofy wondered how it was the water didn't move when the wind moved the trees, but didn't dwell on it), it was a serene type of silence. The kind of silence brought on a warm summer day that you could fall asleep to. In fact, he was starting to doze off as it was.

Honestly, it felt like he hadn't gotten sleep in a few days. Rubbing his blurring eyes, Goofy tried and failed to stifle a yawn. His eyelids were growing heavy, and as much as he enjoyed the simple sounds of fishing the monotony of simple casting line after line into the lake without a bite was wearing a bit thin. Was that a frog he saw swimming around just beneath the surface? It certainly wasn't a fish, that was for sure. Goofy yawned once more and leaned his head back further, resting it on Max's shoulder. Maybe just a bit of shuteye before dinner? Yeah, that was fair. He'd be up before Max realized what was goin' on. Gawrsh, the boy sure was invested in his fishing.

"Hey, Dad! Dad! I think I got one!"

Goofy would swear up and down he had only shut his eyes for a few seconds when he opened them next to find the sky a bright orange, mimicked by the shimmering water below. The winds in the trees had died now, and now the forest was just as still as the water—or was the water still? Goofy heard splashing behind him. Still leaning against Max, Goofy suddenly found the back of his head smashing into the car when his son quickly jumped up to his feet with a cry of alarm.

"That's nice, Maxie…" he mumbled while yawning.

"It's a big one!"

"That's ni—WOAH!" The entire car lurched forward several feet, and Max tumbled down, landing face-first on the front window. He wasn't kidding! If that fish had pulled the car like that, it was a big one. Forget dinner, with a mackerel like that they'd be set for a week! Grabbing his own fishing pole, Goofy jumped up and looked out over the lake as Max climbed to his feet. "Do ya still got it hooked, son?!"

"I think so." Max was gripping his rod so tight that his knuckles were surely white under those gloves. Ripples and splashes continued to tear up the water in front of them as the thin line of Max's fishing pole swerved this way and that. With the glare of the setting sun on the water, though, it was impossible to see just what it was he had hooked.

Well, Goofy was wide awake now. Rushing over to his son, Goofy gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. "Okay, Max. Hold it steady. Keep your grip tight."

"It's strong!"

"So's our fishin' line, so don't you—" crrrrrACK!

Goofy and Max stared down at the latter's hands, where the splintered remains of a fishing pole now rested in his open palm. As one their heads turned up and out toward the water, where the upper half of the Goof family fishing pole flailed madly in the air and skipped across the water like a flat pebble, its line still attached to the massive fish that Max had caught.

Max let out dry laughter. "Well, the line is strong."

Goofy laughed himself and brought Max into a one-armed hug. "How's barbecue sound for dinner instead?"

x-x-x

"Alright boys, you ready?"

"We sure are, King Mickey!"

Deep in the forest, where civilization was a distant thought and the clear blue sky and crisp green leaves were all you could see for miles, a small group of hikers finally made their way to a small clearing after hours of traversing the wilderness. This far from Disney Town, out in the wilds beyond the Timeless River, King Mickey adjusted his explorer's hat and peered up at the setting sun. "Looks like it's gettin' late. You boys know what to do?" He turned to face three saluting ducklings.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Huey, Dewey, and Louie said together. The three of them set their backpacks down in synch with each other and bowed deeply to the king, but he shook his head and held up a finger.

"No, no, boys; none of that. Out here I'm no King, I'm just your Uncle Donald's pal!" Mickey paused for a moment and turned toward the path where they had come. Scratching the back of his head, Mickey frowned and turned to the boys. "Gosh, where is Donald?"

"Over here!"

Heads turned as Donald approached not from the trail, but from some bushes across the clearing to the right. Mickey looked back and forth between his friend and the path; Donald had not gone ahead of them, so when had he split off and how had Mickey not noticed?And perhaps more importantly than that, just what was he up to with his hands behind his back and a mischievous grin on his face?

"Gee Unca Donald, you sure are good at this forest stuff!" Huey said.

"Yeah! We didn't even notice you goin' ahead of us!" Louie chimed in.

Practically glowing with pride, Donald tilted his head back and rested his hands on his hips. "That's from years of fighting Heartless! Fighting all over the universe gets you fit, a forest is nothing!"

"Wow!"

"That's our Unca Donald!"

As the ducklings cheered and admired their uncle, Mickey shook his head and smiled. "Say Donald, what were ya doin' goin' on ahead of us though? We were supposed to be helpin' the boys earn their Junior Woodchucks badges."

Donald grinned and winked down at the boys. "That's exactly what we're gonna do! Y'see, I brought a surprise up the mountain. Close your eyes, boys." The ducklings did so, their bodies shaking as they tried to keep their excitement bottled up. Donald gave Mickey a quick thumbs-up before darting off into the bushes once more.

"Now let's see, I know I left then around here…" Kicking away a frog, Donald started searching through the underbrush, shoving aside growth and kicking at bushes. It had been a heck of a struggle to get those things up to the mountain the night before, but for his boys? It was worth it. Even if he would never admit that to them."Aha!"

Hidden in the bushes by the shore of the nearby lake, painted red, green, and blue, were three one-man speedboats with the names of his nephews written on the sides. He, Daisy, and Uncle Scrooge (well, mostly Scrooge) had come together to get the boys this trip into the mountains under the guise of a Junior Woodchucks expedition. Actually, Donald just wanted to be the uncle he couldn't be while he had been away with Sora, Xion, and Goofy. And a ride on the lake would be how they'd kick things off!

Turning around at the sound of footsteps, Donald found Mickey approaching him with confusion coating his face. "Boats?"

Donald held his fist over his chest and stood straight. "The boys are gonna have the time of their lives sailing! Probably racing too, you know how much they loved to do that back in town."

Mickey chuckled and rubbed a bruise he had gotten from his last round of Rumble Racing. They sure did. "So this was all just an excuse to hang out with the boys? Why call me along, Donald?"

"Oh, do you have to ask?" Donald crossed his arms and shook his head. "You're my friend, Your Maje—" He paused for a moment. "…Mickey."

"Gosh…" Mickey blushed and looked aside while rubbing the back of his head, abashed. "Well uh, what do ya say we call on the boys then? Huey! Dewey, Louie! Come on over here, fellas!"

"What?! No, not yet!" Donald leaped forward and tackled Mickey to the ground with his hands over his mouth, but it was too late. The call had been sounded, and the ducklings had already arrived. As Donald hurried to his feet he started talking rapidly, his scratchy words melding together until they were incomprehensible. But even if he could have been understood, his nephews weren't paying attention. Their eyes were glued to the boats.

Donald laughed awkwardly. "Uh, surprise, boys—WAK!" Three multicolored blurs slammed hard into Donald's gut and knocked him onto the ground.

"Are these boats for us?!"

"Thank you, Unca Donald!"

"This is the best gift ever!"

Donald's face softened and he rubbed each of the boys' heads in turn. "Aw, it was nothing, kids. Don't forget to thank Daisy and Uncle Scrooge when we get home, too. But for now, go out and have fun! You should go race with them or something!"

But despite expectations, Huey, Dewey, and Louie turned to face each other instead of the boats. Huddling together in a tight circle, they began speaking in hushed tones that neither Donald nor Mickey could make out. As the ducklings continued to chatter at each other, the two adults just glanced at the other and shrugged. Finally, after several minutes of mysterious conversation, Donald's nephews dispersed and turned to him.

It was Huey who spoke up. "But…where's your boat, Unca Donald?"

Donald blinked. "Mine? No, I got these for you boys!"

Louie shook his head. "But we came up here to hang out with you! We don't wanna play without you, Unca Donald!"

"Oh, boys…" Donald smiled and got down on one knee. Holding his arms wide open, he beckoned his nephews over. "Come and give me a hug!" But as the ducklings lovingly embraced their uncle, with their faces buried in his chest, Donald grew whiter than normal. He had no idea how to sail a boat, and he only wore that sailor's outfit because Daisy loved a man in uniform! Still…they didn't need to know that. Not today. He'd be their great, unshakable Unca Donald for just a little bit longer.

x-x-x

"…so as you can see, through this the sums of each problem become…"

Sora had long ago stopped paying attention to the teacher's lecture. As he fiddled with his pencil with one hand, the other one was balled into a fist and propping up his cheek while he stared out the window. The Destiny Islands were the same as always, with bright green jungles giving way to golden beaches and clear blue waters. And inside, school was just as he remembered: boring and way above his head.

And he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Of course, Sora wouldn't trade his adventures for anything either. But he had found himself really missing just goofing around on Destiny Islands, and when it was all said and done that was what he had wanted most of all. He, Riku, and Kairi had fallen right back into their routine as if the last few years had never happened, and Sora couldn't be happier. All that stuff dealing with the many worlds out there felt like a dream, and now he had everything he wanted. And he did mean everything; Sora's was a simple mind, after all.

Thump. Something small and light hit Sora in the side of the head. It fell down, bounced lightly off the shoulder of his white school uniform, and then landed on his desk in front of him. A crumpled piece of paper, huh? Lowering his hands onto the empty desk (he should probably get his notebook out so it isn't totally obvious he's slacking off), Sora turned to his right. Sitting next to him with a knowing and anxious smile on her face was Kairi.

She was eyeing the paper she had thrown at Sora. Oh, a note then? Unfurling it revealed Kairi's neat handwriting up in just the corner of the small paper, a simple sentence: Still on for tonight? Of course, under the writing Sora could make out the faint remnants of a first message Kairi had written, one that perhaps better fit what was on her mind: Do you remember tonight? And while normally she'd be right to be worried about plans slipping Sora's mind, this time there was no cause for concern. He'd been waiting for tonight for a long time. He'd been the one to suggest it, after all!

So Sora gave Kairi a smile and a thumbs-up to acknowledge that, yes, he was still on for dinner tonight. After rolling her note up again and flicking it out the open window, he soon enough returned to studiously not paying attention in class…until something else thumped against his head. This time it came from behind, and he turned around to see Riku with several half-made paper footballs sitting atop his open notebook.

"What?" Sora whispered.

"You think I wouldn't notice that exchange with Kairi?" Riku whispered back with a smile. "What are you two up to? Seems a bit more planned than just a date. Big night at your place?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Xion would be cool with you guys keeping her up."

"Xion won't be home." Riku's eyebrows shot up at that and he gave Sora knowing look. Sora's ears burned, and he had to resist the temptation to shout as he hurriedly defended himself. "N-No! I didn't mean—Xion won't be home, but we won't be either! We're all—" Thump!

Another piece of paper rolled down from Sora's hair, and he cast a glare over at Kairi while Riku reached forward caught the note before it hit the ground. "You know I'm just messing with you," he said while dropping it onto Sora's desk. "Still, must be big if Kairi is doing this note thing. She's usually a better student than that."

"You're one to talk."

"I never claimed to be!"

Sora was keenly aware of Riku looking over his shoulder as he unfurled Kairi's next note. Did Xion buy that dress I showed her?

"So Xion is going to be with you guys?" Riku asked. "And you didn't invite me? Man, talk about harsh."

Sora didn't answer immediately, scribbling a response to Kairi's question first: She's not a fan but yeah. After tossing it her way, Sora turned around to face Riku. "I told her to invite you, then she said she'd ask Naminé to do it."

"Naminé too? And here I thought this was a double date thing. Just who exactly is showing up?"

"Uh…" Sora held his hand out as he counted on his fingers. "Donald, Daisy, Goofy, the King, Queen Minnie, Xion, Roxas, Naminé, Axel, me, and Kairi." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and Jiminy too, though Geppetto doesn't want Pinocchio out late so those two aren't joining us."

"So once again, you didn't invite me." Riku leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and shook his head. "Really, Sora? Ignoring your best friend because of a girl. Kairi should be ashamed she turned you into this." He grinned.

"I told you, Xion said Naminé was going to!" Sora shot back with as quiet a laugh as he could muster while in class. "Anyway, you'll want to show up in something nice—"

"Oh, so I am invited now?"

"Something nice, Riku," Sora repeated for emphasis. "This is a really fancy restaurant we're going to, with chandeliers and a live band and everything."

"Sounds a little above your budget. Mickey's footing the bill, I guess?" Sora shrugged awkwardly, and Riku laughed. "Anyway, I think I can borrow my dad's tux or something. What's this place called? I'd think I'd have heard of some fancy restaurant on the island."

"It just opened the other day." Sora reached down to his backpack resting at his feet and began digging through it. "Hold on, I have a poster…" Where was it? He knew it was in here; he had shown it to Xion the other night and then put it back in his bag. Geeze, maybe he should clean this thing out some time… Aha!

"A name, man! I can't get there with just descriptions."

"Here!" Sora slapped the paper down on Riku's desk. An advertisement made before the restaurant's opening, it showed men in tuxedos and women in dresses dining on an orange backdrop. "Tiana's Palace, tonight at eight. Don't miss it, alright?"

x-x-x

The tide was in. The rolling waters came and went every few seconds, and when the moved up onto the beach they came far enough to brush against her toes. A soft breeze blew around them, brushing the strands of her hair and bringing a slight chill with it, so that she scooted closer to him. Out on the horizon, the blue sky was only just barely starting to shift to orange. The sunset hadn't really started yet. The water in front of them was crystal clear, but not quite beginning to sparkle in the fading sunlight.

Part of that was probably due to the water not exactly being calm at the moment. The two of them weren't the only ones at the beach that afternoon; Olette, Hayner, and Pence were out in the water, while the latter were getting into a splash fight…or rather, Hayner was splashing Olette and she kept telling him to stop. A bit further up the shore, meanwhile, a furry blue head popped out ofthe sand and turned around to investigate a halfway finished sand castle. Stitch pulled his whole body out from underground, carrying some stones he had found while digging around, and used his lower arms to finish constructing the castle while his upper arms decorated it with pebbles.

As for Xion herself, she hadn't gotten in the water yet. Yeah she was wearing her swimsuit, but she just hadn't felt the need to. Ever since their group had arrived at the beach—finally arrived at the beach, after all this time—she had sat on the sand and just enjoyed herself. Enjoyed herself with Roxas, to be more precise. Her best friend hadn't gotten in the water either, and the two of them had just been chatting away, or even watching the waves in a shared, comfortable silence between the two of them. They had finally made it to the beach, and that was enough.

"It's kind of funny, huh?"

"Hm?" Xion turned to face Roxas as he asked the question. It was the first thing either of them had said in about ten minutes. His face, in profile, stood out against the slowly darkening sky. "What is?" she asked.

Roxas shrugged awkwardly, clearly not sure himself what he was saying. Xion smiled at the expression on his face and nudged him in the shoulder, which finally got a response out of him. "Just…how we've all kind of gone full circle, I guess."

"Full circle?" Xion repeated. She looked out to their friends playing in the water, to the sun slightly lower on the horizon than it had been a moment ago, and then turned to Roxas with a raised eyebrow. "Not sure I get it. I mean, we certainly aren't in any dreary castle."

Roxas rubbed his neck. "Well…yeah, not like that. But I mean…I dunno." He laughed softly and looked over to Xion with a smile. "I guess just that everything that's happened, here we are again, watching the sunset. You, me, and—"

"Hey, beach bums!" Xion and Roxas both turned at the voice calling over to...well, they were the only ones on the beach, so it had to be them. Oh yeah, there was one more person who had joined Hayner, Pence, and Olette out in the water today. Standing in the shallows, Axel leaned forward with one hand cupping his mouth and the other waving back and forth in the air. "Aren't you two ever going to get in the water? Or are you just going to make googly eyes at each other all day?"

Almost reflexively, Xion and Roxas scooted slightly away from each other at Axel's words. Feeling the blush forming on her face, Xion averted her gaze and stared down at the sand while bringing her hands together up in front of her chest. She spared a look at Roxas out of the corner of her eye. He looked equally embarrassed by Axel's words, though he was laughing it off and rubbing the back of his head. Taking in a deep breath, and then once more for good measure, Xion climbed up to her feet.

"We'll be right there, Axel!" she called back to him. Dusting some sand off of her legs, she turned to Roxas and held her hand out. "You coming, Rox…as?" She trailed off, because Roxas wasn't looking at either her or Axel anymore. No, his attention was turned further up the beach, where Stitch had run up to greet—ah. A soft smile crossed Xion's face. "Hey, Naminé. We're all glad you could make it!"

Naminé stood up from petting Stitch then greeted Xion and her twin brother with a smile. But it wasn't quite cheerful; almost forced, really. And she kept looking away, one hand nervously twirling a lock of her hair while the other clutched tightly to a thin, oversized jacket. She was still wearing her blue sandals as well. Roxas, oblivious though he could be sometimes, caught on to his sister's plight quickly enough. He climbed up to his feet and the two of them moved together over to her.

"You okay, Naminé?" Roxas asked as they approached.

"I-I'm fine," she said in a soft voice while clutching the jacket tighter. "So, uh…how's the beach, you guys?"

The two of them exchanged glances at each other. Yeah, the way Naminé was holding that jacket so tightly to her body, it was more than clear. She always had been quiet and shy, so it made sense. Xion also wasn't exactly a fan of wearing a swimsuit, but while it still embarrassed her to some extent it wasn't really a problem around her friends. With Naminé, though…she was so timid. Even with them, Xion had figured Naminé would have trouble.

"Roxas, can you give us a sec?" Roxas was already nodding before Xion had finished her question. Leaning down to pick up Stitch, he returned to the edge of the water to speak with Pence as he climbed onto land.

Xion turned back to Naminé and shook her head. "You know there's no reason to be worried, right?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Xion sighed. "Naminé, you're one of the shyest people I've ever met—and I love you that way! But it does mean I'm not surprised. Come on, isn't that the suit Kairi picked out for you under that jacket? You know it looks good on you."

Naminé quirked an eyebrow. "Didn't Kairi pick out the one you're wearing too?"

Xion sputtered for a moment and rubbed her arm. "Uh, yeah, well… I mean, I'm not exactly a fan either," she said while gesturing to the halter top she wore. "And she fought me every step of the way when I tried to convince her that shorts were all I was willing to wear for the bottoms, but still. The point stands that I'm not uncomfortable in it, because we're just with friends. Naminé, trust me: you look great."

"I…"

"And if Hayner does say something—because if anyone was going to, which they're not, it would be him—you know Olette is going to give him hell."

Naminé cracked a smile. "Yeah. I suppose so, huh?"

"Right." Xion took Naminé's hand in hers and slowly moved it away from her chest. "So lose the jacket and let's go have some fun, okay?"

Naminé took a deep breath. "…Okay. You're right, Xion. Thanks," she said with a smile. She slipped the jacket off her shoulders and kicked her sandals off.

"Any time." Xion smiled back. "Just…don't let Kairi know I'm not a fan, okay?"

"Deal."

"About time, you slowpokes!" Axel shouted from the water, where he was holding Roxas's head under the surface. "Hurry up already! The fun doesn't really start until we're all in the water, right?!"

At that moment Roxas broke free of Axel's grip and burst out of the water gasping for air. After smacking Axel upside the head, he turned to the girls and cupped both his hands over his mouth as he called out to them. "Are you two coming or not?"

Xion looked up to the horizon, where the sun finally began to drop beneath it. The sky and sea were bright orange, and the darkened clouds were glowing yellow at the edges. She breathed in the sea breeze and felt it brush through her hair. Everything ever she wanted was all right here.

Tightening her grip on Naminé's hand, the two began to run toward the tides as well. "We're coming already, hold your horses!"

x-x-x

It was a night weeks in the making. Everyone had their schedules open at just the right time, but still they had been planning it out for so long in advance. Now, finally, the group was all coming together again for a celebratory dinner down at a fancy new restaurant called Tiana's Palace. The reviews for it had all been top of the line; it was the best food in the world, and as world travelers they could vouch.

Long after the sun had set, Xion walked down the road with Roxas, Axel, and Naminé at her side. They were meeting the others there. It was kind of awkward, though, because Xion was absolutely not used to dresses. Though a far cry from the ball gowns she had seen people out in other worlds wear, the black party dress that Kairi had picked out was still alien compared to the simple shorts and tees she was used to. Still, at least she wasn't stifling from the islands' humidity like Roxas and Axel probably were in their tuxedos.

Well, there it was coming up on them. With flashing lights and a neon sign on the front, Tiana's Palace was a far cry from the empty warehouse it had been a scant few months ago. It wasn't opening night but it was still fairly new, so the crowds were big and dense. Parking was probably a pain in the rear. But they had reservations, so the wait wouldn't be long. Er, hopefully.

"Hey! Xion, Roxas! Over here, guys!" Who could mistake that voice? Sora was calling out to them from in front of the doors, and everyone else was already with him.

"Hey!" Xion called back to him with a wide smile. Her group quickly joined up with the rest of them, delivering hellos, how are you doing, it's been such a long time. After everyone was introduced, or re-introduced, they moved as one into Tiana's Palace and, to Xion's relief, were seated immediately. It was a miracle given how packed the place was, though Xion did notice one table that seemed to only have a single man in purple sitting at it. What a jerk, reserving an entire table for himself on such a busy night.

Woo, head rush. As Xion sat down, she rubbed the side of her head with a slight frown. "You okay?" Roxas asked as he sat down beside her.

"Fine, just a bit of a headache," Xion responded.

The night went off without a hitch, though every now and then Xion would see something else that gave her a bit of a headache. The owner, Tiana, or Faci—the purple man. And were those flamingos? No, she had to be seeing things; she blinked and the birds were gone. While most of the group seemed as fine as ever, Xion did not fail to notice that Jiminy, Sora, Goofy, and Donald would occasionally rub their heads as well.

Partway through dinner, Xion felt a hand on her thigh and looked up to see Roxas looking at her with concern. "Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Really, I'm fine!" Xion assured him, once again. "I probably just didn't drink enough at New Or—at…at the beach." New Orleans? What? Roxas didn't seem to notice the slip up though, and shrugged.

"You got to dig a little deeper
"Find out who you are
"You got to dig a little deeper
"It really ain't that far"

"Where is that music coming from?" Sora asked with a frown on his face.

Kairi turned to him and then closed her eyes and listened. "What music?"

Riku laughed. "Yeah, Sora. I don't hear anything at all. Probably from those flamingos Xion saw, right?"

"I…guess…"

By the time they got to dessert, the restaurant's owner, Tiana, was standing in the middle of the room with a baffled expression on her face. She looked around in surprise and confusion at everyone and everything, them included. Recognition flashed over her features and she locked eyes with Xion.

"You know that lady or something?" Axel, sitting on the other side of Roxas from Xion, asked.

"I…don't think so?" Xion responded with a shrug.

A good-natured cackle came from the doors then as they flung wide open. Into Tiana's Palace walked a small, round old lady dressed in white with sunglasses over her eyes. She marched into the restaurant like she owned the place, walking right past Tiana (who stared after her, baffled) and up to the purple man.

"How you doin' there, Facilier?"

The man spit out the drink he had been sipping. "M-Mama Odie?!" Before he could do anything else, the old woman grabbed the red pendant hanging around his neck and pulled, snapping the string that kept it on his person. Then, spinning around, she tossed it at the still shocked Tiana.

As if struck by a bolt of lightning, at that moment Xion recalled everything. Voodoo Bayou, Mama Odie, the chase with Facilier, Ray, Louis, Naveen, Tiana… But…how had they gotten here? What? Around her, Sora, Jiminy, Donald, and Goofy blinked in the light as if they had just woken up from a dream. But no one else seemed to notice the commotion that Mama Odie had caused. Facilier was up on his feet in a panic, and no one was doing anything.

Xion put a hand on Roxas's shoulder and nudged him. "Hey…aren't you seeing any of this? Roxas?" But he only continued to eat his ice cream and laugh at something Axel said. "Roxas…? Come on, answer me! Please…?"

"Kairi? Kairi, are you okay?"

"Daisy? King Mickey?!"

"They won't hear you, dearies. I'm sorry." Mama Odie walked up to their table and tapped her Keyblade against the cloth. "This whole thing is born of the darkest Voodoo. I told y'all to look for what you needed, not what you wanted! Come on, now!"

"What…?" Xion turned from Mama Odie back to Roxas with wide eyes. No…not again…

Facilier had not been able to hide the absolute terror that passed over his face when Mama Odie had taken his heart from him, but he had been able to overcome that, or at least put on a façade of overcoming it. Now by all appearances calm, with only a slight twitch in his left eye to show that anything was wrong, Facilier took a sip of the champagne that had been sitting at his table.

"Now Tiana, isn't this a whole lot better than hoppin' 'round the bayou for the rest of your life?"

"Shadowman…" Tiana took a step back and clutched her fingers tighter around his heart. "What have you done?"

"Heh. What haven't I done, rather? Isn't this everything y'all—all of y'all," he gestured out to the entire group, "ever wanted? All you ever dreamed of? And I've got to hand it to you, Tiana: when you dream, you dream big. Just look at this place!" Facilier spread his arms out, looking around at the restaurant with a wide grin on his face, the customers continuing to dine and chat without any awareness of what was going on. "Gonna be the crown jewel of the crescent city! And all you gotta do to make this a reality…is hand over that little ol' talisman of mine."

Tiana hesitated. She stared down at Facilier's heart, looked up at the dozens of happy people, at the fancy decorations, at Xion and Sora's friends… Her hand quivered, and she grabbed her wrist to stabilize it. "No… This isn't right…"

Facilier frowned, but it only lasted for a moment. Putting his hands behind his back, he walked past her as the air grew thick with Voodoo magic. "Come on, darlin'. Think of everything you've sacrificed… Think of all those nay-sayers who doubted you…" Images of many faces making fun of Tiana shifted around the room, their voices echoing. Facilier stopped in front of a window and gestured outside. "And don't forget your poor daddy…"

The window shifted and grew, showing an image of an old, run-down neighborhood where a man came home to a tiny little household, absolutely exhausted, but cheered up when he greeted his excited little girl, so glad her father was home.

"Now that was one hard workin' man," Facilier continued. "Double, sometimes triple shifts. Never lettin' on how bone-tired and beat-down he really was. Shame all that hard work didn't amount to much more than a busted-up old gumbo pot, and a dream that never got off the back porch." Throughout it all, Tiana had stared enraptured at the images of her childhood, and Facilier grinned. "But you… You can give your poor daddy everything he ever wanted."

Tiana, misty-eyed, stared down at Facilier's heart. The group continued to watch with bated breath. "Tia…" Xion whispered.

"Come on, Tiana…you're almost there."

Her hand lowering down to Facilier's awaiting palm and her eyes continuing to watch the images in the window, Tiana shook her head. "My daddy never did get what he wanted…" Looking back over her shoulder, she glanced at Mama Odie. "But he had what he needed. He had love. He never lost sight of what was really important!" Tiana raised her hand high above her head, ready to throw Facilier's heart to the floor.

"Easy with that! Careful!" Facilier begged, flinching backwards with each move Tiana made.

"And neither will I!" Tiana made her move, but too late. As his heart flew through the air, seconds from impact, Facilier once again shifted from horrified to on top of the world. Catching the chain in one hand, he used the other to coat Tiana in the same pink dust that had gotten them in this situation. As Tiana shrunk down to a frog once more and Facilier reveled in his victory with mocking laughter, the restaurant began to vanish.

The cheerful chatter and bright lights melted away like paint in water, giving way to the New Orleans cemetery once more. But something was different. It was dark now, very dark. Midnight dark. Heads turned to the large clock tower in the distance. 11:30… Just how long had they been in that dream world?!

Facilier had Tiana pinned down under his cane, leaning on it and dangling his heart in front of her. "Y'all should've taken my deal!" he shouted. "Now you gonna spend the rest of your life bein' a slimy little frog!"

"Tia, we're coming!" Sora called out. He, Xion, Donald, and Goofy had already made their move, as they had not been shrunken down like Tiana had. Unfortunately, Facilier already anticipated them. Heartless appeared from every nook and cranny, intercepting them and keeping them from getting near.

But there was one other Keybearer in the fight tonight. "Now what do you think you're doin' you naughty dearie?!" Mama Odie demanded, stepping up behind Facilier. "Shadowman! This ain't what Voodoo be about!"

"You're too late, Mama Odie!" Facilier turned around, though kept one hand on the cane pinning Tiana down. "And who needs that Voodoo rubbish you taught me anyway? With my Friends, I've got all the power I need! With them I'm gonna rule this city—no! This world! Every world!"

Mama Odie huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Sure, your 'Friends on the Other Side.' Fair-weather friends, more like. Tell me dearie, you got what you want…but what about what you need?"

"I heard more than enough of your rubbish years ago, you blind old—"

"You listen to your Mama, you naughty child!" Mama Odie cut him off. "Your 'Friends' ain't nothin' but a shadow of what you really need…what I couldn't provide you with back in the day. You don't need Friends on the Other Side, Shadowman. You need real friends. Friends like these dearies got! And friends like mine."

Facilier rolled his eyes. "Please, you old bat. Your only friend is—"

"JUJU!"

At Mama Odie's call, her pet snake shot out of the shadows and dug his teeth into Facilier's hand. Facilier cried out in pain and tossed the snake away, but in doing so release his grip on the cane holding Tiana down. In that brief moment of freedom Tiana shot her tongue out and grabbed Facilier's heart, pulling it back to her. Before he even realized what was going on, she had tossed it to the ground and shattered the talisman. Voodoo magic released, causing multicolored shapes of light to fly all around the area as the sky shifted to a purple hue.

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum…

"No… NO!" Facilier dropped to his knees and hurriedly grabbed the pieces, trying desperately to put it back together again, but it was too late. "How am I ever gonna pay back my debt?!" The life left the talisman as a pink orb floated up from the remains and into the sky. Desperately grabbing at it, Facilier reached as high as he could…and his heart vanished into the darkness.

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum…

The Heartless that Xion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been fighting all turned on a dime to face Facilier instead. And up above, the tombs around them rumbled as more mask Heartless manifested into the world, singing their song in time with the drumming dolls' beats.

"Friends!" Facilier cried out in wide-eyed terror. A wind kicked up, knocking Facilier's hat off of his head and whipping his hair around wildly.

Are you ready?!

Jumping up to his feet, Facilier took steps back and held his shaking hands up in front of him. His breathing was frantic, erratic, as his chest heaved. "No… I'm not ready at all! In fact, I still got lots more plans!"

Are you ready?!

"This is just a minor setback in a major operation!" Facilier jumped and screamed as more Heartless burst out of the earth. "S-Soon as I whip up another spell, we'll be back in business! I've still got that froggy prince locked away…!"

That was what they were waiting for. In Mama Odie's hands, Tiana—still a frog—let out a sigh of relief. "Naveen's not hurt… Thank goodness."

Donald turned his head back toward the clock tower. "But it's almost midnight! We've got to hurry, or else—" Mama Odie shushed him and pointed ahead as a bright light emerged from behind Facilier.

"I just need a little more time!" Facilier begged. He pressed up against a tombstone, but the light flashed behind him and he hurried away from it with a gasp of fright. The tombstone transformed, taking on the appearance of a tiki mask that opened its mask wide, wider, and wider still. Within was a purple and black void, a swirling storm of darkness that was unfathomably deep.

"That's it!" Mama Odie shouted, pointing her Keyblade forward. "Children, that's what you been lookin' for! The Realm of Darkness is right before us!"

"That's it?!" Sora asked with a gasp. The wind began pulling toward the door as the darkness attempted to suck Facilier in, though the Shadowman resisted.

"After all this time…" Xion breathed.

Facilier backed away, begging, crying, but the Heartless grabbed him by the legs. Pounding on their drums and singing loudly, they pulled him kicking and screaming toward the door as it opened even wider.

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum…

"Please! Just a little more time!"

Mama Odie smacked all four of them upside the head with her Keyblade. "So what are you waitin' for?! Get goin!"

"But Tiana…"

"We'll get Naveen!" Tiana assured them, standing up on her hind legs and giving a thumbs-up. "This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it? Then get goin', all of you!"

"You ain't got any time!" Mama Odie shouted at the top of her lungs.

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum…

Facilier, inches from the darkness, clawed at the earth until his fingers bled. He kicked at the Heartless dragging his feet, but it was a futile gesture. Eyes wide and hair matted to his face by sweat, he looked more pitiable than anything at this point. "I promise I'll pay y'all back! I PROMISE!"

Facilier vanished into the darkness and the wind shut off. Mama Odie was right, they had absolutely no time left. The door would close any second. Holding their hands tighter, the group leaped as one into the darkness. Mama Odie's voice rang out in an echo as the door slammed shut behind them.

"And remember, dearie: You are the one who will open the door!"