Just a little breather before we inch closer to the big battles to come. We're gonna need it at this point.

Considering all the crap that's happened, I'd thought it'd be nice if Kairi recovered a little of her memory (at least on Luna's account); and just to add a little sugar before the salt and spice come in, I also thought it'd be fair if there's one last brief moment we get on the Pinocchio spectrum, since it'll be quite a long while before we see them again.

Of course, after things get cleaned up in Hollow Bastion, I intend to have a little side preparation at the good old coliseum. And *spoiler warnings for those who know about Scattered hearts and are aware of what FF characters I expanded on* I'm gonna throw something unexpected at Luna's direction. Let's see who can figure out what I'm talking about.

So, without further ado, enjoy!

Oh, and if you're new and you just discovered my fics, let me know what you think thus far. Leaving reviews in Broken and Scattered Hearts are optional. I'll notice them, no worries.

I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except my OCs.

Read, leave me a review, but no flames.

Chapter 18: A Promise to Keep

Returning to Traverse Town was a bittersweet moment for Sora and Luna. On the one hand, they were able to get Kairi back after searching for her across the worlds – almost at the expense of Sora's life. But on the other hand, they weren't able to get Riku back, and they don't know what's happened to him now. To make things more difficult, the keyhole of Hollow Bastion is unlocked, and the Heartless are now becoming an even bigger threat than they already were at the beginning.

For Sora, it was very troubling that he put so much effort to find their friends, only to not be able to prevent Riku's downfall. He almost felt like he had failed Luna, so to speak, and that man – Ansem, if he recalled that name right – is responsible for that painful failure. But he knew that because of their failure the first time, he would have to double his efforts to bring Riku back to them; he already came this far, with the help of his friends, and he doesn't want to give up on Riku now – and certainly not on the worlds.

But Luna was affected the hardest from the ordeals she had to experience; not only did she have to go through the turmoil of not having Kairi – who was a sister to her – beside her to support her, but she had to deal with Riku being used against them until Ansem stole his body from him and continued to seek the dark power he so desired. She didn't want to lose another loved one after how much she lost ten years ago, so it broke her heart when she came very close to losing Riku just as she lost the connection with her older brother. Although there was a spot of hope for him to be rescued from his nightmare, she didn't have the slightest idea as to how they'll be able to find him after everything that happened. For that matter, what can she do, as a Shadow Mage, to stop Ansem from fulfilling his pursuit of the dark power he sought for himself?

"I'm sorry, Luna. We came so close, and look what's happened," Sora apologized.

Luna shook her head. "No, Sora. I should've tried harder. I tried to warn him, but Riku…"

"Don't you start, Luna. We just gotta tell the others, and maybe they'll know how we can fix the problem," Medea interrupted sternly. "The only thing we gotta worry about is how we'll get back to that damned castle."

Not long after they landed in town, Sora and Luna were greeted by Shantotto, Seymour, and Zidane; but it was easy to tell that all three had the niggling feeling that something went horribly wrong on their first trip.

"You were gone for quite a while, little pups," Shantotto noted, "so tell us what's up."

"I see you found your friend, Kairi," Zidane added, looking around a bit when he noticed someone's missing. "But where's your other friend? You didn't find him again?"

Sora hung his head sadly. "It's…it's a long story."

Seymour quickly caught on what he meant. "I see…There's been a hindrance to your original plans. We have to inform Leon about the situation as soon as possible."

"Hmph! The Heartless were already annoying enough," Shantotto sighed with chagrin in her voice, "We really didn't need so much more to push us into a trough. Unless I am wrong, it wasn't the witch's heinous craft, but something else entirely that is delivering the fiends to us with a very harsh draft."

"That is the case, unfortunately," Luna admitted. "And that's only the half of it."

Not wasting any more time to discuss about the details, Sora, Luna, and the others were immediately brought back to the hideout where the rest of the refugees were waiting for their return. But for some of them, it was not hard to determine that a wrench in the works have plagued their progress to stop the flow of the Heartless, and only Sora and Luna have an explanation as to what went wrong at Hollow Bastion.

"I fear something fell into disarray, didn't it?" Larsa asked.

Leon looked up. "Tell us what happened."

Sora, with a little help from details Luna remembered, filled everybody in as to what happened from the moment they arrived at Hollow Bastion – their confrontations with Riku not long after arriving, the pursuit of Maleficent and their battle against her, the unforeseen corruption of said witch and what resulted from it, the strange keyblade that they saw firsthand, and the horrors they've gone through upon discovering that Kairi is actually one of the seven Princesses of Heart needed to unlock the keyhole in the castle orchestrated by somebody else from behind the scenes. It was very hard to explain all of it in one go, but after all the hellish events that transpired, it was only fair to warn everyone that the situation has gotten a lot more complicated than they initially thought.

"…And as we speak, the Heartless have begun to overrun the place. We were barely able to get out of there because of the extra help we got upon arrival," Sora finished up the story. "But Riku…we don't know what happened to him. And with that Ansem guy thrown into the mix, things just got even worse from there."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, taking in the terrifying dilemma like a bitter pill without water to help them, before Leon decided to talk.

"So the darkness is flowing out of the keyhole…"

"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere," Aerith confessed, "The only way to stop them is –"

"Seal the keyhole, right?" Sora filled in.

"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's been sealed," Leon replied vaguely.

Zidane gave out a sigh. "Always have to sound cryptic, don't you?"

"Well, I sure as hell don't want more problems to pile on us than it already did," Medea admitted in annoyance.

"She's right. We can't just stay here," Sora agreed impatiently, "We can't just stay here. We've got a friend back there."

"That's right. You have one more friend to worry about," Leon agreed on that. "Riku's keyblade must've been born of the captive Princesses' hearts – just like that keyblade you both saw." He looked toward Kairi. "Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete."

"Maybe…Kairi's heart being kept elsewhere slowed down the progression," Luna wondered aloud.

"That might've been possible. And once that keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should've been freed," Seymour finished, agreeing to the theory.

"Don't worry, you two. If anyone can save your friend, both of you can," Leon assured them.

Sora certainly felt more motivated than ever to save Riku, but Luna knew that there was still one problem: how are they going to be able to return to Hollow Bastion, what the Heartless overflowing from there and – quite possibly – clogging up the roads to the other worlds? They don't have the necessary resources to make a second trip back to the barren castle, much less the strength to continue the fight.

"How can we go back? The main roads are most likely blocked off," Luna asked nervously.

That got Larsa's attention. "Perhaps Cid might have something that can resolve the problem. If anyone has the means to make a second trip, it has to be him."

But Gabranth was not so sure about it. "How would he know a way back? The Heartless have poured out of Hollow Bastion too much. There's no alternative route back to the castle."

"Wow, when did you become such a skeptic?" Medea questioned sarcastically. "Unless whatever crap you went through turned you into such a depressing cynic. Seriously, even Larsa's trying his damned best to clean up the mess made around here!"

"Not now, Medea. We'd better go find Cid and talk with him about the ship," Donald interrupted her.

"Yup. We'd better get ready before we go anywhere," Goofy agreed.

"Then, should we get going?" Luna asked.

But Sora had something else in mind. "Actually…I think you get some rest, Luna. You've had it pretty rough throughout our trip in Hollow Bastion. Besides, you're gonna need your strength when we go back there to finish the job."

Although it was rather odd for her to hear that coming from Sora, who is eager to just keep going with their adventure most of the time, at least she understood where he was coming from. Most likely, either Kairi or one of their friends told him about what happened after he had sacrificed himself to restore Kairi's heart, and it got him worried about her well-being after all the crap she had to go through – especially considering how Medea had a close call and she was left on her own with Donald and Goofy for a little while.

"…Well, alright then. If you say so," Luna agreed.

"You might as well take his word for it, after all the crap you've through," Zidane interjected. "It'll probably be a while before you guys can go back there, so try and take a load-off before you go anywhere."

"We'll talk with Cid while you girls head to the inn," Donald suggested. "Once we're done, we'll come back when we've got news for ya."

"Do what you want. It's not like we're gonna run off on you," Medea agreed, "and there's no way Luna would've known how to pilot a ship by herself. I sure as hell wouldn't have known about it either – not that I have the brain of a mechanic, anyways."

That was true. Although they don't want to stick around for too long, they might as well be extra prepared for their next trip back to Hollow Bastion – especially so that they can be ready for the rampant Heartless now let loose on the worlds what with the keyhole unlocked. This would be their only chance to recuperate before jumping right back into the belly of the beast, because once they leave for Hollow Bastion again, there's no knowing what's going to happen afterwards.

"…Did you seriously travel all over the place, with Sora alone, just to find me and Riku?"

After Sora and the boys dropped off Luna and Kairi at the inn for a moment while they were off to speak with Cid, Kairi immediately asked Luna to tell her about what they went through after they've been separated, most likely curious as to what kind of mess the both of them got themselves into without them. Whether it was simply curiosity or because she felt like she was missing out on a lot of the misadventures (in a manner of speaking) is debatable, but she obliged to her sister's wishes and told her all that she could about what they experienced throughout their journey.

She told Kairi about how she met the main protectors helping the refugees in Traverse Town – not leaving out a single detail of some of the residents that she regained memories of after meeting them, and of how they met Donald and Goofy and joined forces to find their friends and help them find what they're looking for. She told about their attempts to foil a kangaroo court and their training at a coliseum run by an obnoxious satyr; she told about their efforts to protect gorillas from being wrongly poached, their adventures across the desert to foil the conquest of an evil sorcerer who aimed for the throne, and their hijinks inside the belly of a whale; she told about their adventures under the sea, their quest to save a holiday from ruination at the hands of a boogeyman full of bugs – not leaving out Medea's badass moment of demolishing a possessed house, and of their fight to escape a pirate ship leading to their journey to Hollow Bastion to help two sentient dolls find their owners and reunite them.

As she regaled Kairi with these adventures and perils she went through, Luna sometimes would tell her about what went on between her and Riku (under Kairi's insistence because she worried what happened between them); but it was a rather sensitive topic, to say the least. However, since this is a family matter, she complied with relaying what went on between them. But the instant she brought up those occasions where he tried to convince her to join him in helping the witch with her plans, Kairi was horrified to know that their relationship soured over opposing ideas on saving her; but at the same time, she couldn't help feeling heavy-hearted over the pain Luna had to deal with on her own.

However, after all the nightmarish ordeals, it surprisingly felt relieving for Luna to spill everything to her surrogate sister; at least that was something worthwhile to have after all the trouble she pulled herself through to this point.

"Yes, Kairi, we really went through all this just to rescue you guys," Luna replied to her sister. "But, like I've told you, every enemy made sure it wouldn't be easy."

"Though, to be fair, we probably would've been through a lot worse if we didn't have a little help time to time," Medea admitted.

"That's true. But what we've been through…" Luna agreed. But her mind wandered back to her encounters with Riku. "I just couldn't understand why Riku was so hostile… But after what happened back there, I was so sure I lost him, just like I lost…" She faltered, not wanting to rethink on that horrible memory.

Abruptly, she felt herself being pulled close to Kairi, held into a strong, comforting embrace that she sorely missed for a while.

"It's okay, Luna. You don't have to talk about what happened in your past," Kairi assured her softly. "Remember what we agreed on? If you don't want to talk about certain things, then don't. I'm sure it's been hard enough not being able to help Riku, but there's still a chance. I'm sure about it."

Though it was a bitter pill to swallow, it felt a bit comforting that Kairi is trying her best to ease Luna's fears and reassure her that things will get better, just like back when she was going through her first years of recovery. After all, she wouldn't have been able to make this journey with Sora if she had remained mentally broken, much less be able to confront the Heartless for as long as she has up till now.

"Maybe you're right…Maybe there's still a chance for Riku," Luna confessed, "I know he would never let that monster who stole his body eliminate us. Maybe we can find a way to help him, like how you and Sora and Riku have helped me when I was still so badly broken." It made her smile a little. "And you know, we did pretty much become family when we met on the islands, brought together by different circumstances."

"Yeah, we sure did," Kairi agreed with a giggle. But then, she paused a moment with a strange feeling of déjà vu – until a sudden thought crossed her mind. "Wait…I think…No, I know I said something like that before!"

Medea raised a brow at her. "What do you mean? Are you recalling something?"

It took a moment for Kairi to answer that. "Oh…! I think I remember a little something…" Did that mean what Luna thought it meant? "It's still fuzzy, but I remember when I first met Luna, and how shy she was. And I remember that I saw her a second time, but she was sick, just as she was when we met at the hospital back on the islands."

Luna was stunned to hear this. "You mean…your lost memories are coming back?"

"Not a lot, most of it is still a blank or too blurry," Kairi replied, "But I guess being around you again brought a small tidbit back to me. It sounds weird, but…it makes me happy that I can remember you again."

As surprising as this was, it was a pleasant little reprieve to talk about something different, however trivial it might be. After all the crap she's been through, she really needed somebody to talk to just to distract herself a little bit. So, both girls conversed a few minutes longer, mostly of trivial things to console one another, while Medea kept watch for the boys' return. But when they haven't been found yet, the three agreed to stick together and find out what was taking them so long.

"I wonder if that old man had the boys go on some errand," Medea commented.

"Is it that hard to ask for a repair?" Kairi had to ask.

"Not to my knowledge," Luna admitted. "Unless Cid had something going on that required them to run around town for a secret treasure…or something like that."

Well, on the boys' side of the spectrum, they arrived at Cid's shop to get his help on finding a way back to Hollow Bastion without further delays. But just convincing him to help was no small feat in itself, most likely because he learned from the others about the overflowing Heartless and the dangers that came with it. But still, if there's one thing that Sora knew, it was that he had to try and get help any way possible.

"Cid, we need to go back to Hollow Bastion."

Cid gave Sora a confounded look after he said that. "I don't think I can let you do that, kid. The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. They'd eat your ship up."

"Then what can we do?" Sora asked impatiently.

That's when the mechanic had an idea. "Simple. Go around 'em instead of through. Install a new navigation gummi and take a new route."

That stumped Donald a bit. "Uh… A new gummi? From where?"

It was a rather good question. They've had their fair share of finding some useful gummis to get them by as they traversed across the worlds, but how were they going to find a navigation gummi block that can deliver them to Hollow Bastion a second time? For that matter, how can it provide another route back without dealing with the overwhelming number of Heartless blocking off the main road?

Cid had the answer to where to look. "The secret waterway. When I came here nine years ago, I stored it in there in case I ever need it." He shook his head. "Never thought a kid would be the one to use it!"

Goofy actually felt pretty good about it. "Well, at least we know where to look."

"Yeah. We'd better go get it and not keep Luna waiting any longer," Donald agreed as he began to walk away.

"If anything, she's probably wondering why we're taking so long to ask for repairs," Sora added as he followed close behind.

.

.

.

After their second visit to Traverse Town, Sora thankfully remembered where the waterway was after they were led there to speak with Leon again. The only thing that was a bit bothersome was where to find that navigation gummi block was hidden exactly; they should've asked Cid where he hid it specifically before they went on their way to find what they needed to make another trip back.

"I wish we had more help finding something so small," Sora confessed with a dismayed sigh.

"Now where would I be if I was a gummi block?" Donald questioned, trying to think it over.

"Wouldn't it be hidden someplace nobody would think of looking?"

Sora jumped a bit when he heard the soft voice behind him, and turned to find Luna in the waterway along with Kairi and Medea.

"How'd you three get here?" he asked.

Medea rolled her eyes. "C'mon, you should that two of us have been in this place previously. And besides, we wanted to know what the hell was taking you boys so damn long."

"So, what are you boys doing down here?" Luna asked out of curiosity. "Are you looking for buried treasure or something?"

"No, we're trying to find a gummi block that Cid had hidden down here," Sora replied, "Problem is, I wish I asked where exactly he hid it."

Kairi chuckled at him. "Sora, you should know how to find hidden treasure. Didn't you and Luna go on adventures and hunt for treasure yourselves on your travels?"

Now, she had a good point there: during their journey, they've sometimes acquired useful resources in order to keep progressing across the roads to different worlds; sometimes these useful items dropped into their hands where they least expected it, like those gummi blocks they found time to time. If that's the case, then it's no different as to what he is doing right now. In fact, maybe he should try…

"Now that I think about it…" he wondered as he shifted his thoughts towards what looked like a mural with a sun-and-moon on it.

That thought was confirmed when he found a cleverly disguised niche within the wall and – sure enough – there was a gummi block hidden inside! That meant Cid will help them install it into the ship, and they'll be ready to go again.

"Well, that was underwhelming," Medea commented, "I'd laugh my ass off if that mechanic so much as hid a gummi block under his pillow or something."

"Why a pillow?" Goofy had to ask.

Luna shrugged. "I don't know. But it would be funny."

"Oh, well. We found it," Sora brushed off the topic. "Let's go back and join the others. We should rest up."

"Okay," Kairi agreed, but there was something else on her mind.

Not long after Donald and Goofy left the waterway, Luna noticed that Kairi seemed to have something on her mind, like a wave of nostalgia crossing her mind. Sora noticed this, too, and suspected something was up.

"A light at the end of a tunnel…" she mused thoughtfully.

Sora had an idea. "Oh, your grandma's story, right?"

Medea raised a baffled brow at him. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

Kairi turned to Sora with a bit of a surprise. "That's right. We were together."

"Grandma…? Oh…I recall you had one," Luna remembered, looking back on years before.

Sora gave a small smile. "You know what's funny? I looked everywhere for you with Luna, but you were with me all along. Finally we're together, Kairi. Now it's time to get Riku back."

Luna's face fell when she thought back on Riku. She still feared the worst: is there still a chance for him? Her sister certainly understood what she was thinking, since she, too, had her worries about their still missing friend.

"You think it'll ever be the same again between us?" Kairi asked, uncertainty worming its way in. "Riku's lost his…"

Sora held Kairi's hand gently. "When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember? I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things – my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me." He paused. "But then I heard a voice – your voice. Not long after, Luna's voice came through." He smiled. "You brought me back, and you had help on that."

"Sounds like Kairi snagged you out, and Luna gave ya a little push back home, huh?" Medea deduced.

Luna blushed shyly. "I…I don't understand that. But, if I helped a little…"

Kairi giggled. "I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't. And my sister would cry if she didn't have her friends."

Hearing all of this gave Sora a bright idea. "That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within." He paused a moment. "I guess it's more than just a fairy tale."

"It does sound that way. It's much different than what I used to be told of," Luna admitted.

"I'm no expert in that stuff, but obviously our monster of the day hasn't thoroughly examined how people can lean one way or another and not go as he thinks," Medea agreed.

"Then let's go," Kairi suggested.

But Sora wouldn't have that. "You can't go."

She frowned a bit. "Why not?"

"Because it's way too dangerous," he insisted, failing to be firm about it.

"C'mon, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together," Kairi implored, "You can't go alone."

"Honey, who do you think you're talking to?" Medea grilled, "He's gone through a lot of hell, and Luna went through a lot of trouble just to save your ass. I don't think they're gonna be alone after all the crap thrown on us."

"Unfortunately, Medea's right about that," Luna agreed, "What's worse is that you don't have a weapon, and I can't protect you from everything."

As disappointing as that was, it couldn't be denied that it's the truth.

But there was one thing Sora could do to console her. "Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?"

"I can't help?" Kairi asked.

"You'd kind of be in my way," Sora insisted.

Luna had half a mind to believe that Kairi would still want to tag along, most likely not wanting to be separated from her friends again after all the trouble they've gone through to rescue her. But then again, she didn't help the situation when she pointed out Kairi's lack of defenses.

Surprisingly, though, she relented. "Okay. You win, you two."

"Three," Medea corrected.

"Medea…" Luna sighed.

Then, Kairi took out the shell charm from her pocket and handed it over to Sora. "Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."

Sora smiled at this. "Don't worry. I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Hey, in case he does forget, we can just smack him upside his head until he remembers," Medea suggested.

"Medea, don't suggest that," Luna protested.

Kairi smiled and shook her head at their comments. "Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

It almost made Luna start crying again when she heard her foster sister say this, but she knew that Kairi was just trying to let them know that she'll be okay. After all, they still have a mission, and a friend to rescue from the clutches of that monster called Ansem, and they have to do whatever it takes to put a wrench into his machinations for good. If it meant her family and her new home would be saved and delivered from the terrors of the Heartless, then she needn't worry too much, would she?

After delivering the gummi block to Cid, he immediately went straight to work on making the installments on their ship – most likely as an excuse to make a couple modifications to make sure the Heartless on the roads don't make too much trouble for them as they head back to Hollow Bastion. Donald and Goofy opted to lend a hand on that, so Sora and Luna were told to just chill out for a bit until they've finished repairs.

Just to pass the time, Luna convinced Sora to help her restock on supplies, mostly with the suspicion that this may be their last chance to buy what they'll need before they inch closer to the point of no return. Not one to say no, he agreed to lend a hand and followed her around to pitch in the munny he acquired to help pay for the bare essentials and then some.

Along the way back to the gummi ship, they had a little run-in with Pinocchio after having reunited father and son back in Monstro's belly; but he wasn't alone: he had Alex accompanying him through town.

"Hi, Sora! Hi, Luna! What are you doing?" the little puppet asked.

"Just helping with a few things before we head out again," Sora replied casually. "Luna needed a helping hand."

"Hello there, Pinocchio. What are you doing with Alex?" Luna greeted sweetly. "Are you playing with him?"

"Not really…We were exploring around," Alex replied shyly, "But because of…those things…we had to stay with Mr. Geppetto more often."

At first, Luna didn't fully understand what the cursed child was talking about when he mentioned the puppet's father; but when she thought back on their return to Traverse Town, she didn't realize that the boy was not with Seymour as he normally would be…until now. Now is as good a time as ever to get a summary as to what she missed while they were off exploring further across the worlds.

"Oh…Pinocchio, were you and your father asked by someone to look after Alex?" Luna asked the boy.

"Yeah. A guy called Seymour visited us, and told us about Alex's situation," Pinocchio answered honestly, "He asked me and father if we would take care of him until his family can be found again, since his parents are nowhere to be found."

"That's a good thing to know," Sora admitted in relief. "I bet Geppetto didn't mind helping a lost child."

"Yes, it must be," Luna agreed. She shifted her attention to Pinocchio. "In that case, let me ask one favor of you: can I trust you to be good with this little boy, maybe be a good brother for him?"

Pinocchio didn't hesitate to answer it. "I'll be good to him. Honest I will."

Hearing such a selfless dedication was impossible to not crack a smile on, especially on Luna's part since she was more aware of the situation after hearing of Seymour's exploits a bit. Sora was also impressed to hear this, even though he hardly knew the children beforehand.

"I'd bet he'll do a good job at it," Sora said confidently.

"I think so…" Luna agreed.

Just then, Medea emerged from Luna's shadow. "I hate to kill the mood, but we're about to get news from our resident knight."

And by 'resident knight', she was talking about Goofy, who had just arrived to give them an update on the repairs made on the ship.

"Hey, guys! We've got the gummi ship modified for our trip back to Hollow Bastion," Goofy announced. "Cid's waiting by the ship, and Donald's got everything running and ready to go."

"Oh, alright then," Luna answered. She turned to Sora. "I guess we'd better get going."

"Yeah, we have a promise to keep," Sora agreed. He turned to the boys a moment. "Sorry, but we have to go. Take care of yourselves, okay?"

"Good luck!" Pinocchio called out as they started to take their leave.

Cid was certainly not joking when he finished installments on the gummi ship, priming it for another run back to Hollow Bastion to finish the job there. Not to mention, he made sure that the ship was restored well enough to handle the ride back.

"All set! You can get going any time," Cid said as he finished last-minutes touches on the craft. He then shook his head with a sigh. "Kids, I gotta say, I wish you didn't have to face the danger."

"We have to go back there," Sora insisted strongly. "We have a promise to keep."

"I want to find Riku. I don't want to lose him," Luna added, "Not after… I just can't bear losing another person important to me."

"Damn straight you don't," Medea agreed.

"Well, then, let's shove off!" Donald announced as he climb aboard the ship to ready for launch.

"Wait up!"

Kairi's voice reached out, causing Sora and Luna to turn and find her running towards them in a hurry. What was she doing here now, after what Sora had told her?

"Kairi? What are you doing?" Luna asked in confusion.

Kairi stopped to catch her breath before she replied, "I just wanted to see you guys off, that's all. Someone's gotta do that, at least."

"That makes a bit of sense," Medea confessed, "We're about to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, and there's no knowing what's gonna happen afterwards."

"That's very nice of you, Kairi. But you didn't have to force yourself to…" Luna was cut off when her foster sister hugged her tightly for a brief moment.

Kairi shook her head, trying to hold back tears. "Just promise me that you'll stay safe, and I can rest easy. You and Sora have to come back alive, you hear me?"

Luna nodded with a sad smile. "Okay, Kairi. I promise we'll be safe."

It was a rather emotional scene when Kairi gave both friends a sendoff hug before they departed for Hollow Bastion once more, knowing that things will get more dangerous for them further on down the line. It gave Sora and Luna all the more reason why they have to finish their mission and stop Ansem's schemes from coming to fruition; they had to find the king, and they have to bring Riku back to their side, no matter what it takes to fulfill the promises they've made to their loved ones.

But at the very least, it gave them a greater drive to continue their journey and see it through until they've finally got the chance to go back home with all their friends back together.