Akari opened her eyes blearily. Bright sunlight immediately hit her eyes and she covered her face with her hands to block it.

"Ugh...what happened?" She glanced around. Water was gushing behind her and she turned to find the same fountain she had landed in before. "This is Kairi's home." She realized as she walked away from the fountain. Her hand immediately went up to the chain around her neck.

"What happened to me…" She closed her eyes but was only met with shooting pain.

"Ahhh!" She cried out. An old man suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke and Akari looked at him through her tears of pain.

"What's wrong, child?" He asked. Akari blinked away the tears and looked at him. She found herself face to face with the blue robed wizard from before. His beard was really long and he wore spectacles that rested on the bridge of his nose. What really caught the little girl's eye was the blue pointed hat that the man was wearing. He bowed.

"Allow me to introduce myself! I am Merlin! I saw you earlier with your friend."

"I'm...Akari." She replied hesitantly. Merlin nodded.

"I know. And I know you want to go home." Akari peered out him curiously before she remembered something.

"Wait! No! What happened to Ven?" She questioned, her face morphing into and expression of worry. Merlin sighed.

"That is beyond my sight. I do not know what has happened to your friend. But you, child, have had a long journey, and I think it's time to send you home." Akari backed away.

"No! I want to find Ven!" Merlin shook his head.

"If you continue down this path you will not find him. You must return home. It's not your time." He replied cryptically. Akari glared at him and Merlin chuckled. "I will have my friend, Yen Sid, look out for them. Will that be alright?" The young girl seemed hesitant but Merlin smiled. "Don't worry. He too is guided by the stars. If anyone can find them, he can." Akari walked to Merlin and nodded, hesitant, but willing.

"Okay." She replied. Merlin clapped his hands.

"Excellent. Now, take my hand." He offered a hand and Akari put her small hand in his. "Now, we're off!"

They vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Traveling with Merlin was nothing like traveling in the Lanes Between. It happened instantaneously and there was no darkness anywhere. They arrived on the island within a matter of seconds and Akari looked around surprised. She raised her head to look at Merlin, but he was already gone.

"What…." Akari glanced around at the island she'd left behind. It looked the same, as if all the damage Vanitas had done with his storm was fixed. The young girl ran over to the docks and noticed something.

"Those are Riku and Sora's boats!" She immediately scanned the island, looking for her friends. "They must be on the other side of the island." She realized.

Suddenly scared, Akari ran over to the waterfall in the corner and hid slightly in the shadows, in case anyone came. She really didn't want to face them yet. Maybe she could spend the whole day here and go home later. Yet something curious caught her eye. She noticed movement on the small island that was bridged to the island she was on. A man was walking around it. She could only see the back of him but he had brown spiky hair and wore a gray shirt. Her eyes widened as he turned his head to glance at the bent tree, where paopu fruits were now in full blossom.

Terra!

Akari jumped down from the white rock and ran into the wooden building. She sprinted up the steps and across the bridge to the other island. Terra, hearing her, turned around in surprise.

"Akari?" She nodded, panting and leaning over as he kneeled down to match her height.

"What're you doing here?" He asked her. She caught her breath before responding. Standing up straight, she smiled.

"This is my home." Terra smiled.

"So you did make it back. That's good to hear." Akari grinned and looked at the paopu tree.

"Yeah, thanks to everyone's help." Her hand went up to clutch her necklace. "I'm worried though." Terra looked at her curiously.

"About what?" She sighed.

"I feel like something bad's about to happen. When I met the masked boy...he said my friends would…-" She stopped herself, tears piercing her eyes. Terra put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing bad will happen. I promise. We'll defeat Vanitas and make sure you and your friends are safe." He rose and Akari watched him helplessly.

"You're leaving…" Terra nodded.

"I have to. We have to stop Vanitas." Akari looked down and Terra walked away, but he turned.

"I ran into two boys." Akari's heart suddenly felt a pang.

Sora and Riku

"They both seemed really close, so I left them a gift. I hope it'll help protect them and you." He hit his armor and light covered his body, encasing his skin in gold and red metal. He tossed his keyblade up and jumped, landing inside a vehicle which he soared off in, diving straight for the blue and purple portal. As he vanished, Akari felt a tear trickle down her face.

"You're my friend too…" She murmured, lifting her hand to the place he had vanished. "I want...you and Aqua and Ven to be safe too."

She couldn't shake the feeling that what Vanitas had said was not meant for her, but for her other three friends, and she was deathly afraid she would never see Terra again.