Hey all, been awhile. As you can see from the scrollbar on the right, this chapter is a long one. To make up for the short one last time.

Yami won't be too happy with Rito for a multitude of reasons, as you will soon read.

I don't own To Love-Ru or Kingdom Hearts.


Past & Present Matters! Let's Stick Together!

Troubling World - Sainan Park (The Past)

"Lately, Momo-san has been clinging to Rito too much. No matter how much I try, I just don't understand what she's thinking..." Mikan complained to Yami; who was sitting at Mikan's right side not wearing her usual black combat dress, but wearing a Sainan High School Uniform.

"Certainly..." she replied simply to Mikan's plight. Momo always had the aura of planning things behind the backs of others. As for what those plans were, she had no idea...

"Oh! Sorry about making you listen to my complaining." Mikan apologized as she looked in the blonde's direction.

"I don't mind..." Yami wistfully stated while looking into the distance. Mikan observed her friend in silence, noting that she had a more dour energy compared to her usual cool and composed demeanor during other times they've hung out with one another.

"Yami-san, are you okay? You seem a little down."

It appeared that Mikan had hit a mark, for Yami lightly blushed, trying to keep her stoicism as she looked down "T-That's not true." she tried to deny.

"Hmmm? Really?" Mikan sounded unconvinced.

'How can Mikan tell?' the blonde wondered in her head.

"Oh! I just remembered!" chipped Mikan as she reached into her school backpack "Here you go! A Taiyaki Keychain!" she happily offered it to Yami after pulling said keychain out. Yami accepted it in silent wonder and held it up for study. "It's well crafted, isn't it? I saw it at a shop and thought it would be perfect for you, Yami-san." she reached into her backpack "Also..." and pulled out another Taiyaki Keychain.

"Ta-da!" Mikan happily exclaimed while bringing it to the side of her head "I have one too! See? We're a matching set!" she closed her eyes and smiled.

Yami broke herself from studying hers to look at Mikan's Keychain. It may have been small, but the token of kindness and the bond it represented between the two was very clear. The blonde softly smiled and brought her hands together overneath the Keychain she was holding.

"Thank you...Mikan."


Traverse Town - Third District

Yami was staring at the Keychain in her left hand. She didn't even know why she packed it into her backpack along with her other choice belongings...It just didn't seem right to leave it behind.

Regardless, the way back to Sainan that was inside her bag is now very much gone.

"Oh no..." Rito spoke from behind her as he dismissed his Keyblade. "Was that bag important?"

She stopped staring at her Keychain and put it inside her dress before she looked down to the floor 'Yes it was, idiot.' she mentally insulted.

Kairi came up from behind Rito and stood next to him asking "Are you guys okay? The rest of us finished off the other Heartless that arrived after she got pulled into the wave."

"We're fine Kairi. But...I think she lost something."

Lea arrived soon after "Not bad, Rito! Wasn't expecting that outta ya! Especially the giant light show!" he was praising Rito, but was also hiding caution. That 'light show' he saw seemed...corrupted.

Rito rubbed the back of his head "I-uh, actually don't know where that power came from."

The blonde scowled. 'I didn't ask for his help...'

Yuffie and Leon got closer to the group. "So who is this girl anyway?" she asked, studying the trans-user. "The way she was transforming was wicked!"

"...Yami."

"What?"

Not a moment later after she spoke with a such a icy tone, Rito quickly hid behind Lea and Kairi for safety. The others; except Kairi, had already taken a defensive stance in case she resumed her attack on him.

"T-That's your name, right?" he asked from where he was.

She turned to him and his group of friends "Yes. So you've remembered now?"

He shook his head "It just came to me. I still don't really know or remember anything about you. Sorry..."

Her left hand clenched into a fist as she felt a silent anger burn inside of herself. He always had a way of getting under her skin, but this was just asinine...

"Sorry?" she repeated with emphasis. "That is all you have to say for yourself?" The low icy tone continued as she began to list her series of unfortunate events indirectly caused by him one by one "I come out here looking you; losing the only two companions I left with in the process. Get attacked by 'Heartless'; beings I can't truly defeat on my own. I nearly fall victim to that Witch's spell, then I fall victim to your perverted antics once again. Lose the way back to our World, only finding that the person I'm looking for; you, doesn't even remember who I am...and all you have to say is 'Sorry'?''. She made it clear that she was not pleased at all. Rito could only look down to the ground with a choked-up sensation. He felt...bad, especially after hearing her side of things.

"Hold on. That's a lot to unpack." Kairi commented while making a hand motion for her to take it easy. "Yami was it? You're from Rito's World?"

Yami shifted her attention to the girl. Something about the energy she was giving off was...calming her nerves...how odd. She very much doubted that this girl would have ulterior motives in regards to Yuuki Rito's Amnesia. And from the way the rest of the group reacted after she accused them of his memory loss, perhaps neither did they.

"...In a manner of speaking, yes. His hometown being Sainan." she disclosed the name of Rito's town to her, being the only one she's willing to talk to at the moment.

Rito's brows furrowed 'Sainan...?'

There goes that feeling again. Like with Yami, it's something he felt he should know about but just doesn't. An inkling of forgotten times...?

"I had the dial to go back inside of my backpack. But unfortunately, thanks to his 'giant light show'..." she shot an accusing glare passed them to Rito "The backpack disappeared along with the Swarm."

"...Oops."

"From what I understand, it sounds like you left by choice..." the Princess of Heart smiled, reaching a favorable conclusion "That means Rito's World is not destroyed by the Heartless."

"Hold on. Before we celebrate, we gotta know...is she a friend or an enemy?" Leon questioned with a glower, unsure of they should trust Yami just yet. "She was coming at him pretty hard before we fought that swarm, too hard if you ask me."

"...Only because I did something that bothered her." It was quiet, but everyone was able to hear Rito's rebuttal. He poked his head out from behind Lea and desperately closed his eyes "I'm...really sorry about earlier!" he apologized loud and clear, bowing his head before moving on. "I know you might still be mad at me, but can we please just talk? You said I should know who you are, but I don't understand why. Can you tell me?"

Silence followed as she stared at him with her usual unreadable stoicism. His subconscious fear of her is understandable...

'Because...you're my target.'

She completed the sentence that was cut off by the Heartless swarm's arrival in her head. The very basis of their...'relationship'. It was no secret between the two, it never had been, and she was going to remind him to it yet again. But it would appear he's been with these new friends of his for some time now, perhaps ever since he disappeared. Just what has he been doing? And did he say 'came to this World'? Does that imply that he has a way to travel across other Worlds? What exactly are those 'Keyblades' they use as weapons? Why does Yuuki Rito have one? Why did it cause her some nausea and pain after colliding with it? So many questions circled through her head, questions that he and his new friends more than likely had answers to. However, if she spoke of her usual motives on Rito, combined with their reactions to her typical assault on him, she very much doubted they would be willing to give him up or the information she desired. Even morso with him having a case of Amnesia. Besides, she needs to remember to bring Rito back to Mikan. Right...that must take priority for now...

'It would be best to keep Yuuki Rito and his new allies in the dark about me being an assassin; his assassin, for the time being. I should keep my transform abilities to a limit as well, to make myself appear more approachable. I must know more...'

"Very well then." she relented. "I don't really have more favorable options anyway."

A low sigh of relief escaped Kairi and Rito before Yuffie voiced an idea she had "Hey! Before we all start talking, why don't we all head to the First District Café to catch each other up? Lea and Kairi cleared out the Heartless from there! So we can have something to drink while we're at it!" she returned to her energetic self with a bright smile.

Leon nodded "Sounds like a plan, I can move all the refugees from our old base over there too, they don't really like being in one confined space."

"One moment..." Yami stated as she looked over her body. Apart from a few nicks and scratches on her body and tears surprisingly not too revealing on her combat dress, she was fine but. "Yuuki Rito."

Rito's face lit up at being addressed by her "Yeah?"

"You were the one who freed me from that swarm, correct?"

"Y-Yeah. I used Aero; it's a type of Wind Magic." admitted and explained Rito from Lea's place.

Yami remained silent before she frowned "Wind?" and glared at the boy "You saw something lewd, didn't you?"

Rito felt a chill before hiding behind Lea once again, who sighed and rubbed the back of his head while it turning away, feeling like a creep once he put things together.

"If you know you have that problem when you fight, you should really consider wearing shorts..."


Traverse Town - First District

The First District was no longer empty and now had beings here and there from Worlds lost to the Heartless,with most of them taking residence inside buildings. Yami was sitting at a round brown wooden table at the Café/Bar outside the Item Shop along with everyone else except Leon and Rito. Leon was laying back in his usual fashion on one of the columns stabilizing the building. As for Rito? Well...despite wanting to talk, he didn't exactly feel secure from Yami if he sat down with them, so he elected to be stay behind Lea and Kairi's chairs.

He did give Kairi a Hi-Potion to hand to Yami though...

"Hi-Potion?" Yami was looking at a thick rounded dark blue see-through bottle. The liquid inside was clear, glittering, and had two green stars and one yellow crescent moon floating inside.

"Y-Yeah, It's used to heal half of your injuries." Rito informed her of the Hi-Potion's capabilities.

Kairi added onto Rito's explanation with a kind smile "You can either drink it or use it as a rub on."

Yami opened the bottle and examined the contents with suspicion further from above. 'Is this some form of peace offering?'

Lea grinned, amused by her skepticism "Chill out. It ain't poisoned Little Blonde."

"...It's Yami." she coldly told him with emphasis and a small scowl, not liking the nickname the tall red-headed man had given her. She downed the Hi-Potion and not too long later, she felt a soothing effect all over her body. The blonde let out a short breath after the effects had passed and looked over her body once again, for many of the scratches and scuffs left by the Heartless swarm had indeed healed and disappeared.

"Cool, huh? You can get all kinds of Items like that from the Shop next to this Café." cheerfully advertised Yuffie.

"Look, I can see that you still don't trust us completely." Leon chose to break the ice. "If it's about Rito's forgotten memories, it wasn't our doing. We found him that way."

Yuffie nodded, her energetic self going away and being replaced by some somberness "Yeah, in this town actually." she pointed at the Item Shop "In the alleyway just around and behind this shop. Back then, he was way worse for wear than just forgotten memories."

"What were his symptoms?" A reverbed voice suddenly broke through the air. Causing Yami and Leon to visibly tense up. That voice again...

"Um! It's okay! That was just Link!" Rito sported a tiny smile and looked down to his strange necklace "Say hello."

The light Mythril token 'blinked' with its glowing blue 'eye' and the star shape outline embedded on it detached from the base and floated next to Rito's head. "Greetings. I am 'Login Intranet Navigational Key', or Link." he gave a very stilted, by the book introduction.

Leon gave a small smile "Well, it looks like Cid was able to come through."

'Some of Tron may have came through as well.' he mentally added, recognizing why he sounded familiar.

"An A.I..." Yami stared at the floating device. "It was you who caused my focus to be thrown off when you suddenly spoke from Yuuki Rito's vicinity."

Rito stood confused "Uh...vicinity?"

"She means your placement; where you were standing." the program put it in Layman's terms, clearing Rito's confusion.

"My apologies, I was collecting data on everything that was occurring during the battle." explained Link "Once User Rito asked his question, and you replied, I presumed it was an appropriate moment for me to add-onto your observation.". He went back on topic "Going back to User Rito's illness, I've grown curious as to what his symptoms were. I was told on the way here about his situation and Amnesia is already a dire diagnosis, anything further with more severity is something I would like to collect and store as data."

A heavy silence followed, it was never easy for them to recall when he was all zombied out.

"He was...completely spaced out, like he was constantly off in his own world, not even aware of what was going on around him." Leon explained while looking the boy over. "He wasn't like everyone else. The others were aware and responded accordingly, even if they were more than uneasy. But the only thing he responded to eventually was when we asked his name. We've been taking care of him ever since."

"So when you Restoration Committee members found him here, you took him in and allowed him to rest and recuperate at Radiant Garden under Headquarters."

Yami stared at Rito, wondering about a lack of something whenever they called him "...He gave just his Given Name? Not his Surname as well?"

"Surname?" Rito felt confused again, having never heard of it before.

'He really has no idea...well, let's put him to a test...'

"Surname is a grouping name of sorts, used to associate family members with one another." a pretty waitress came by and set down a cup of Green Tea for Yami as well as other drinks for everyone else at the table (Leon decided to opt out of his usual black coffee). She used her right hand to take a sip before continuing on.

"For example...his younger sister's name is 'Yuuki Mikan'."

She somewhat emphasized the name of his little sister, causing Rito to freeze up before releasing a small breath. Now THAT feels like someone he needs to remember...above all else.

"He has a little sister?" Kairi was surprised, along with everyone else who were slowly becoming more intrigued.

"Yes. Mikan...she is one I can call my closest friend." she stared over the boy "Does that sound familiar, Yuuki Rito?"

He furrowed his brows, trying to recall her. "You said younger, is she shorter than me?"

"Yes."

"...I"

He felt a strong choked-up sensation overcome him again as he tried to remember. But alas, no matter how much he tried, despite the feeling of familiarity...

She was just...beyond him...

"...I don't remember her either." he took on a look of sorrow. "I'm sorry..."

'How disappointing...' her mental remark was very harsh and drowned with irritation. "How do you recall my name as soon as you crash into me, yet you cannot remember someone who you held so close to you?"

Rito somberly crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, thinking it over. "Hmm...well...I remember you because..." his mind went back to when his hand felt something soft and squishy after crashing down on her, only to realize it was-

He felt another chill as Yami glared at him "I don't wanna say..." and sunk down behind Lea and Kairi's chairs. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Kairi decided to ease Rito's discomfort by changing the subject to Yami herself.

"Yami, you said something about losing your companions, you didn't come to Traverse Town on your own?"

"...Rather I didn't set out on my own. I set out with two others, Momo Belia Deviluke, and Zastin." she paused to take another drink of green tea before she turned her attention to Leon and Yuffie "You two are in charge of refugees here, correct? Then it's safe to assume this World has some connection with people who have lost their World to the Heartless."

"You'd be right." Leon confirmed from where he was leaning as Yuffie drank her vanilla latte. "Some who have had their World consumed by the Heartless; the Darkness, come here. It's a World that appears to those that need shelter."

'Some?' She noticed the man's word choice, but decided to put it aside for now."Have you found anyone introducing themselves with the names I've given? Momo and Zastin?"

Leon and Yuffie looked to each other, faces questioning one another before they shook their heads 'No.'

"Hmm...It's just as I thought. We may have been split across Worlds after all." she contemplated to herself before explaining her situation further. "After Yuuki Rito suddenly vanished, we tried to search for him in our World, but it was all for naught. That is until around two weeks later, I was attacked by creatures in white who were in league with a man wearing a black coat..." she sent cold eyes of suspicion in Lea's direction. "A coat just like his..." Lea's face twitched "He appeared and told me of other Worlds and that by reaching out to them, I can claim what is...missing."

Leon put two and two together "So that's why you assumed we brainwashed Rito. You thought that Lea; and by extension us, were working with Organization XIII and kidnapped him."

"But Lea's not with those guys anymore!" Rito quickly defended his friend, even coming out from behind him and Kairi."He left because he didn't like what they were doing!"

"...And just what were they doing? What is this 'Organization XIII'?" Yami questioned, almost as if challenging him.

"They're a group of bad people." he plainly stated.

She wasn't impressed by that simplification "And why are they bad?"

"They're after Kairi and...uh...um..." The boy drew a blank, For Lea and the others didn't really say anything beyond that.

"Why are they after Kairi?"

He remained silent, not really knowing about that either...

"They plan to assemble the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, and create the χ-blade."

Lea spoke with grave seriousness. "You're asking all the specifics, and you leave no stone unturned. I'm impressed..."

'Little Blonde is WAY sharper than she oughta' be.' thought Lea. He also couldn't help but sense something off with her, like an underlying darkness. Call it him having a nose for that sort of thing after working with the old Organization. 'I'll have to keep an eye on her, for Rito's sake.'

"Uh...The 'χ-blade?'" 'The newest Keyblade wielder felt confused...and uneasy. It was rare for him to see Lea with such a deep look. "Is that like ours?"

"Rito." Kairi addressed him with ease "This might sound scary to hear. But if the Organization is behind your missing memories, then you're gonna get dragged into this...one way or another. Especially if you wield a Keyblade along with us."

"Yeah, she's right." the Pyromancer agreed while exhaling, getting his thoughts together as he looked down to the table.

'This is gonna be rough...'

After his passing thought, Lea brought his head back up "Anyways...the Keyblade I mentioned is Keyblade spelled with a 'X'; like the ancient letter 'Kye' but can also be pronounced as 'Key'. Therefore: χ-blade."

"...I'm sorry?"


"So let's see if I have this all in order..." The off-season assassin began with a very serious yet ever so slightly frustrated tone "The 'Keyblades' that you three carry are legendary magical weapons that are effective against The Forces of Darkness; like the Heartless to point an example. But this other 'χ-blade' is the key to 'Kingdom Hearts'; The 'Heart of All That Exists', is that right?"

"Yeah." Lea's response was simple.

"And this 'Organization XIII' is attempting to re-create the χ-blade by having Seven Guardians of Light; your group, and Thirteen Seekers of Darkness; them, clash in what you call a 'Keyblade War', correct?"

"That's about right."

"And who's the leader of their group?" Link inquired, making sure to record and encode all this new information.

"Master Xehanort..."

Yami felt an unpleasant aura surrounding the name. 'That may be the 'Old Coot' the other one mentioned'

"They're gonna go after the Princesses of Heart if you guys don't fight?"

Rito had been listening to the conversation, silently absorbing all the information that has been shared between the group. In the middle of Lea's long explanation, he briefly told Yami about the Princesses of Heart; those who have pure hearts of light (Rito was already informed about them during training). Only seven exist in the entirety of the Realm of Light. But this Organization XIII...do they really intend to hunt down those Princesses if Lea, Kairi, and the other guardians don't fight them? Kairi was right, it all sounds really horrible.

"Yeah, but one of them has already elected to fight right alongside us." Lea gave a confident chuckle as he made a gesture to the girl sitting next to him.

"Wait..." Rito's eyes went wide "Kairi's a Princess of Heart? Really?!"

Kairi seemed uncomfortable to admit it but "Yeah, I am." she did anyway. "Even I didn't know for most of my life. But that's another story all together."

Rito made the connection as he thought things over. "So that's why your light is so strong. Your heart is of the purest of light." He never considered Kairi being one of them until now...It would certainly explain a few things about her.

If she's gonna be fighting...If they're gonna be fighting...then-

"I wanna help to!" he declared to the group. "I know I'm not the strongest but it sounds really dangerous. I don't wanna leave you guys alone when you might need me!"

"Out of the question."

He was quickly shot down by Yami making her dismissal immediate and clear "You want to help the Guardians of Light fight in this Keyblade War of theirs? Don't make me laugh. You don't have any idea of what you're getting yourself into, do you?"

"But-"

"Do you even know what a war is?"

He looked to the ground "Um...no..."

The blonde closed her eyes in annoyance, not feeling too surprised. "Typical. Jumping into affairs where you really should not meddle. You've always had that irritating habit. A habit I've had difficult time understanding."

"Hey now-"

"A war is a massive conflict between two; possibly more, opposing forces. Most of the time it's not just one battle. It's a series of battles that can usually end with many people dead and/or dying as the battles keep on raging without an end in sight. Wars can go one for not just days, but years. Hundreds of years even." her mind flashed back to her personal history and her experiences of battle...of death...

"And from what I've seen, if you were to fight on your own as you are now, in battles of that scale, you'd just be hindering everyone else who has to look after you, perhaps even dooming them to take the ultimate fall with you."

'Ouch...' Lea thought she was being rather harsh with her words, even if she did have a point.

Her hard words of truth were having an effect, for Rito was starting to get cold feet "I-"

She grew more irritated and shot him a glare. "Someone who has preached to others about living peacefully should not be preparing themselves for battle."

"Um..."

"Let me guess? You forgot that too, right? Not a problem for you I suppose." The small blonde kept going with a tinge of disappointment "The fact that you forgot is just evidence that it must have not been important to you to begin with." she ended off sounding extremely cold with expression to match. Yuffie had been listening to her slam into Rito and was going to protest in the boy's defense when-

"That's not it!" shouted Rito. A few moments of silence followed with Yami caught off guard, definitely not used to the normally kind boy outbursting like that. He had his gaze at the ground with his body slightly shaking, lost in his thoughts until he looked up towards Yami again. Upon analysis of his face, she could see some form of extreme grief. Such a forlorn look was something she thought she'd never see on him. He's usually such an optimist it looked downright unnatural.

"Okay...your right. I did forget things. Like who I was, who I knew, and where my home is, a lot of things really. But, the things I forgot...they have to be important to me!" Rito claimed with desperation.

"What makes you believe that?"

He started to explain "Because when I try to remember..." He lowered his gaze and brought a hand to his chest "I feel...hurt. I feel awful that I forgot." A pause before he went onward "You get what I'm saying? If I really didn't care, then I wouldn't feel this hurt. The hurt itself lets me know that what I did forget was important. And that hurt is why I wanted to come to Traverse Town, to see if I was truly alone or there were other survivors...maybe even other friends."

"...Because you were told our World was lost to the Heartless, if you arrived here." during Lea's long explanation, she was informed in detail on what befalls a World should its Heart be consumed. It disappears completely into the darkness, and the people fortunate enough to not disappear along with it or become Heartless themselves come here.

"Yeah but a part of me didn't believe it though...'Undo the hurt, to unbar the way forward.'" he repeated the words of a small Mouse he met on the same day he met Kairi. "So I wanted to see things through...even if it did turn out that I was all alone."

"...Is that so?" It was slight but Yami's face softened, a change that didn't go unnoticed by those around her.

"Just give me some time. I promise I'll remember everything eventually, because you're here now."

Yami found herself in silence as he went further. "When I look at you...I feel afraid but..." he struggled to find the right words. "I also feel that my memories are closer somehow...does that make sense?"

"You're like...a guidepost to his missing memories." Kairi supported. The blonde was beginning to understand all too well, memories of a particular day being attached to his hand flowing in her thoughts. But...

"I'd rather not be his guidepost." Yami deadpanned as she took another drink of her Green Tea. Being the guidepost of the pervert who is also her target is certainly not ideal, no matter how she went about it. Meanwhile, Lea kept silent as he watched the scene play out before him.

'We have to get her to come with us, it's our best shot at having him regain his existence.' his thought echoed.

"What I'm getting at is, if we stick together...maybe I'll remember more things."

"You want me...to travel with you?"

Lea couldn't believe his luck. 'Now's my chance!'

"Well why not?" Lea chimed in, using this moment to aid Rito. "I mean, you showed up here just as he shows up to look for someone from his World, at the same time no less! And it just so happens that we have a ship to go to other Worlds to look for those missing allies of yours. This kinda thing doesn't happen everyday. You know what others would call this?"

"A contrived coincidence?" she deadpanned yet again.

"...Well if you're a cynic yeah." he admitted softly. "But most others...they'd call it fate."

The blonde's face twitched "Fate?"

"What's fate?." asked Rito.

"Fate is like...hmm..." Kairi was trying to figure out how to describe it to Rito without making it sound too confusing. Meanwhile, Yami retreated into her mind. Honestly, with what she's been told about all this Light vs. Darkness business, the her of the past would've deemed all this as nonsense. She understood that she had a fate tied to the boy, to be his ultimate end. To be the one who he loses his life to; so says her contract as 'Golden Darkness'. But the way Lea made it sound was as if she had a spiritual tie to him rather than a factual one. There was her mysterious hesitation of dropping her old assassin persona and accepting her newfound life after arriving on Earth and socializing with its people (That in itself being caused by Yuuki Rito's existence...indirectly). That, combined with her interactions with Rito and her own conflicting emotions within her heart; emotions she had a difficult time understanding...

"Perhaps you have a point."

Everyone gave their attention to Yami as she continued with closed eyes "Maybe there is some force at work that connects my existence to Yuuki Rito's. Furthermore, if you have a way to traverse across Worlds...then It's as you say." she opened her eyes and focused her gaze on Rito "The other two I left with are most likely on some other World, we've met up with each other once again, both completing steps to our goals, and I unfortunately cannot defeat the Heartless on my own, yet your Keyblades can. So as much as I would rather not...it would be best if we traveled together."

Stunned silence was the response from the boy before he lit up with a smile and a laugh "Alrighty! Glad to have you-"

"However..." she interrupted him as she shifted to a uncaring cold stare again "This does not mean we are friends, Yuuki Rito."

His smile froze "HUH?" before he frowned "But you came out here to look for me-"

"Only because Mikan asked and gave me the confirmation to search for you." she got up from her chair and began walking in Rito's direction, stopping next to him as he froze in place. "I'm only fulfilling a promise to her by bringing you home...you'd be wise to remember that." she was unfeeling, frank, and to the point. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to obtain more Hi-potions from this Item Shop." and with that, the blonde went away from the group to said Item Shop.

'He has no idea of what he's gotten himself into, becoming a wielder of the Keyblade.' the thought went through her head before the moment he summoned that large pillar of light replayed itself. 'Even if he can learn to summon that power again, it's a mistake he's going to regret...'

Once she was out of ear shot and inside the Shop-

"Well, isn't she just a ray of sunshine." Yuffie commented with sass, arms folded across her body. "She could've at least said 'Thanks'."

"No kidding..." agreed Leon with a frown.

"I don't mind." Rito quietly stated before a smile found its way onto him. "She still came out to look for me in the end, and I found out my World is still out there...I'm happy." he turned to Lea and Kairi "Thank you guys, for pushing me to go looking."

Lea gave a soft small smile "Don't go thanking us completely. Remember, we may have steered you in the general direction, but all this was from your own choice at the end of the day. Give yourself some credit too, for having courage in such an unknown time of your life."

"Hmm? Courage?" Rito tilted his head with a lack of understanding.

"Courage; noun. The ability to do something that frightens one. Or; Strength in the face of pain or grief." Link defined for him. "You knew about the dangers in your way and the grief you might have found if you were alone. Yet you took the steps forward regardless. Courage; or Bravery, would be the exact definition of your actions."

"...Is that good?"

"Of course it is." Kairi confirmed with a smile of her own "Being brave when the situation calls for it. It's a nice quality to have."

"Yeah! You even stood up to that girl." Yuffie noted. "The minute she suggested you didn't really care, you didn't just take it. You made your feelings known to her, which is good!"

"Was it really?" he was uncertain "I didn't mean to raise my voice."

The ninja girl bent over and pointed a finger "You shouldn't let her bully you so hard! You've got feelings too!"

He stood quiet for a few moments before talking further "You know, I'm sure she has her reasons for still being mad at me and saying we're not friends, But I wonder-"

"Pardon me."

"WAH!"

Rito jumped, not expecting Yami to be suddenly behind him. Unfortunately, he tried and failed to regain his footing and fell in Yuffie's direction, falling down on top of her.

Thud!

"Uh-oh..."

Lea's response was well warranted, for the boy was on top of Yuffie with his face between her breast and his hands going around her waist, cupping her rear.

"Rito..." her face was flushed with red as her voice was one with increasing irritation. "Get off!"

He instantly released her and got back up "I'm sorry!".

'It appears some things haven't changed...' Yami commented in her mind as Yuffie got up from the floor.

The ninja girl bit her lip and held her rage before releasing it with a frustrated sigh. "Just watch your footing next time, Okay?!" Kairi had been watching, impressed and glad at her being able to keep her word despite the difficulty. Rito always seemed so afraid whenever his particular quirk happens, like he's always expecting a hard beatdown on him to ensue. Honestly that worried her, and it was one of the reasons why she wanted Yami to come with them as well, to find out about his relations at home. That is not to say she believes Yami to be bad, but there was a definite darkness within her heart, she could feel that much.

Maybe she can be the mediator between them and improve their relationship...

"So what's wrong?" she asked the blonde that had returned.

"I came across an issue in the shop." her face was blushing a bit, feeling humbled. 'Right after my statement as well.'

"I...need 'Munny'. Spelled M-U-N-N-Y." she felt rather dumb.

"Excuse me. Ms. Yuffie?"

Yuffie turned to see the waitress from earlier. "Oh! What's up?"

The waitress gave Rito a unpleasant leer "Is this boy harassing you?".

"Huh?!"


Meanwhile, on the rooftops of the district. Two of the Seekers of Darkness; Ansem and Xemnas, were looking down at the group when a dark corridor opened behind them, with Xigbar emerging from it. He cast his gaze down and at the group along with them as the waitress left.

"So, looks like Goldie-locks had the luck of running into the kid right after she left." he observed the two.

"Luck has nothing to do with it..." Ansem wasn't surprised in the least. "Darkness is drawn to Light. Even if it may be a false one in the end."

"Yes..." Xemnas began "Golden Darkness has decided to keep its true motives a secret from the boy and his companions as it journeys along with them." He watched as Rito took out munny from his pocket and handed it over "He has no idea of the threat that lays right before him."

"Eh, she won't kill Little Playboy just yet." Xigbar doubted that much. "In fact, I think she might even grow to like this kiddo. But wouldn't that derail the Organization's plans?"

"No...whether Golden Darkness grows closer to him, or if it decides to reject his false light, it will be beneficial to us all." Xemnas let the smallest of prideful smirks grace him "Neither of the two have any idea of their true natures. A perfect loose thread for us to tug on. The path to darkness has been set."

"Hmph, fair enough. But what about Sora?" asked the scarred man. "Let's not forget how many times he's managed to rain on our parade."

"If they waver from the path we lay, we destroy them." Ansem made the bold statement, causing Xigbar to sneer.

"But in that case, we've gotta find ourselves another vessel."

Xemnas watched as Yami went back inside the shop, his smirk never leaving his face.

"That is why we never have just one iron in the fire."


While I'm not a fan of writing long chapters, I believe this one came out much better than Chapter 3.

The World has gone Topsy-turvy ever since the last chapter and the time of this chapter post. All I will say is, please stay safe folks. Don't go outside unless absolutely necessary.

(Update 4/1/20: Edited Yami's thought before she goes into the Item Shop to better suit the story)

(Update 4/7/20: General Updates)

(Update 3/16/21 General Updates)

(Update 12/19/21 Very minor update)