Takes place immediately before Bachelor/Bachelorette

"It's definitely around here somewhere," Telary says, though as per usual the wizard sounds far from confident. "Right? I mean, I remember that Mr. Hewley's house was a few streets over, but not if that was a few streets north or south." Heaving a sigh, he turns to his companion. "Do you have any ideas, Kairi?"

His words appear to startle the Princess of Heart, whose head quickly snaps down from observing her surroundings with careful scrutiny. Instantly, he feels bad for interrupting her reverie. After all, this is the first time she's been back to Radiant Garden since she was four years old.

"I, uh, really can't say I do," she replies, rubbing sheepishly at her arm. A moment later, she shakes her head and scoffs. "Ugh, this whole thing is really messing with me. How about you?"

Telary releases a chuckle he didn't even suspect he had stored up in him. Rubbing once at his eyes, the redhead leans back against the closest building.

"Definitely," he replies after a second. By then, his sister has come to lean beside him. After sparing her a quick glance, the wizard turns his gaze outward again.

The street stretches out to either side of them, its paved walkway splitting off in a dozen different directions. Either way could lead the pair to their goal, or totally astray. Once again, Telary is struck by the total unfairness of their life situation. Leon and the others don't seem to have had any trouble relocating their old haunts, from before The Fall.

"Was Mr. Hewley the guy who had that sword Azlyn always wanted to look at?" Kairi asks, frowning at the half-formed memory.

"Oh, yeah," her brother replies, smiling as his own recollection sparks up in his mind. "Yeah, she got thrown out of there like, three times. And guess who always had to make her apologize?"

"But after that," she says with a twinkle in her eyes, "which direction did you take to go back home?"

Once again, his sister proves a tremendous help in the arena of memory jogging. "We went north!" the wizard blurts, pushing excitedly off the wall as obfuscating mist clears away from some old memories. "There was some stand that sold little pieces of rock candy, and I used to have to keep her from snatching some when we walked past."

"So, north it is then," Kairi says, leaning away from the wall and clapping her brother heartily on the shoulder. They set off in that direction, and it isn't a minute later before she asks, "Isn't it nice, having a partner for this? I think it's really nice."

"I totally agree," he replies, nodding amicably.

A group of kids rush by them in the opposite direction, giggling amongst themselves. Up the street, an old woman sits on her porch in a rocking chair, enjoying the warm day. Everywhere Telary looks, life has returned to what was once Hollow Bastion. It's far from the first time he's realized this, but every time hits him just as powerfully.

"It's too bad Azlyn wasn't interested," Kairi says, shaking her head only just slightly. "Is it just me, or is she just in general not as gung ho about rediscovering our roots?"

"It isn't just you, believe me," he answers, unable to keep his mouth from turning down into a frown. "She keeps telling me that she's the kind of girl who only wants to move forward, and that's true enough I guess, but…" The wizard sighs, shrugging. "I think there's also something to the fact that, even if she starts recovering memories with us, she was still an orphan to begin with. Maybe it makes this all a bit too bittersweet for her."

"I can see that," his sister agrees amicably, taking another look around. One eyebrow raises just slightly, and suddenly she's turning left down another street. Telary follows along after her. "But, for me, there's just something about my life here that, I don't know, compels me to find out more." She chuckles. "Maybe that's just me being a nerd. I love learning new things, discovering."

"You said your grandpa on Destiny Islands was a sailor," Tel chimes in thoughtfully. "Maybe there's some wanderlust that got passed down."

"He was always talking to me about his glory days," Kairi replies. "It all sounded so exciting. So, yeah, I guess I caught a bit of the exploration bug."

The mention of grandparents can only lead to one shared thought between the redheaded pair. So far, all attempts to locate their grandmother had failed. What they haven't said, quite pointedly in fact, is that that can only mean one thing, and it isn't very pleasant to contemplate. The Fall of Radiant Garden had been, according to those who had lived through it, a very brutal time. An older woman, living all alone, most likely would not have been lucky enough to be among the escapees.

At the very least, that conclusion spurs Telary and Kairi on to more aggressively pursue any memory of the past they can. If the real thing is gone, intangibles are the next best option.

"We're close," Kairi suddenly says, breaking her brother from his rather morbid thought process. He looks at her, sees how wide her eyes have suddenly become. "I remember that I tripped here and skinned my knee. You practically carried me back to the house, so it can't be far now."

The wizard chooses to ignore that inadvertent dig at his strength, instead focusing on the fact that their goal may be just around the corner now, possibly quite literally. Without thinking, he reaches out to clasp his sister's hand.

Looking up, he lets out a gasp as he reads a street sign. "This is it," he says, having to fight his emotions back in order to get the words out. "Chocobo Avenue. I remember now. This is… This is…"

"Our street," Kairi finishes, her own jaw dropping incredulously. The siblings exchange a quick look, and then she's pulling Telary forward.

The street they find themselves on is so much like any of the others, comfortably sized houses lining the paved pathway. But somehow, in their hearts, Kairi and Telary know that this place is special. Bracing themselves, they walk down the avenue, opening themselves up to any sign they can get from the universe.

Until finally, they stop at a townhouse about halfway up the street. A squat, one-story building with light blue siding and an orange roof. The front door is painted a vibrant purple, which Kairi instinctively recognizes as her favorite color. There's no mistaking it, this is the place.

Tears prick at Telary's eyes and he lets them fall without any shame. A quick glance to the side tells him his sister's reaction is much the same.

"This is it," she says, her voice thick with so many emotions that Tel can't even begin to pick apart. "I almost can't believe it's real but… This is it."

Telary lets go of her hand, instead placing his arm over her shoulder and pulling his sister against his side. She leans into him, and together they simply stand and let the beautiful feeling of home flood into them.