So as a dark cloud looms over Radiant Garden, we head back there for a while to see how it has affected the characters who act as Sora's building blocks of courage throughout the series. But first, a little detour for our actual characters. Until next time, stay breezy readers and keep up the follows and reviews not just for this but Dual Destinies and Through Smoke and Flames as well.


Chapter 64

Enemies Within the Walls

Luna's favorite place to go to in all of the school was the pergola just outside of the gym department building. It was a beautiful garden, home to the famous red pitaya or the dragon fruit flower to call it by its other name, something that was incredibly rare to find in Alexander and as far as anyone knew, only grew on the school grounds. Rumor had it that the school's founder had been the first to discover the plants on one of his excursions and so had the middle school built around them because they had become his favorite. Luna would have done the same thing too.

She set the book she was reading down next to her on the bench, closed her eyes and leaned back to soak in the sun's warmth. She had wondered before what it would be like to be photosynthetic. When Astra had asked her sometime two months ago what kind of superpower she would like to have, that was what she had told her. Her first reason had been that it was a "pretty original power compared to other things like laser vision and invisibility" and her second was that she would never have to eat but could simply absorb the nutrients into her body. Of course, the power had its drawbacks, the first being that it wasn't very effective if there was no sunlight and the second being that she wasn't a plant. Staying under the sun all day would more than likely be more detrimental for her than it would be for a plant even with photosynthesis.

This arguing for and against was usually the state of Luna's laden mind—at least it had been until she had found her first friend in Astra. The nice thing about having a friend was that when Luna wanted to hear a different opinion, she didn't have to make up a person in her mind to give her one… okay, well maybe she did still have inward arguments with herself from time to time. As they say, old habits die hard.

"Well if it isn't Luna the Lunatic. I'm sad. It's almost like you've been avoiding us lately."

The familiar voice of Wedge knocked her out of her happiness. She opened her eyes to see three boys towering over her like imposing Moai statues. Along with Wedge tagged Biggs as always, for it seemed they were conjoined twins for every time Luna saw them. Everett and Alfie were on either side of the two. They just seemed to tag along usually to be cool. The Everett kid in particular wasn't too bad, or at least he wasn't in the past. He lived on the same street as her and he hadn't treated her in elementary school like he had here. She wouldn't say that they had been really good friends but he had helped her on more than one occasion with her math homework. That he treated her completely different now that he wanted to fit in proved to Luna only how easily people could change. It was a fear whenever she met up with Astra that one day she too would desert her. That Luna would again be sitting on a bench alone wishing she had friends.

"What do you want, Biggs?" Luna asked.

"Oh, just the usual," he replied, the usual being her lunch money. Perhaps she would have given him if it had been two months ago but this time it was different.

"I'm not giving it to you," Luna said with a low voice.

"What did you just say?" Wedge asked.

"I… I said I'm not giving it to you!" Luna repeated a little louder than she had meant to. She wasn't sure whether it was her refusal or loudness that had stunned them into silence, but it had worked.

"Well look here boys. The little fish has grown some big gills," Biggs said, waiting as usual for his posse to laugh at his jokes.

"Say whatever you want about me. I'm not afraid of you anymore. Now can you please leave me alone? I don't want any more trouble," Luna recited, using the words Astra had taught her. The truth was she was still scared but if she made that clear to them then her words would mean nothing.

"Not afraid, huh? Yeah, we'll see about that. Oh, look at this." Before Luna could react, Biggs swiped her book from right under her nose and held it to his face.

"Hey, give that back! That's mine!" Luna yelled. She tried to get up but Biggs pushed her back down and went onto reading the title.

"The mira- mirac- miracule-?"

"The Miraculous Eight, man. I don't wanna be here all day," Everett said.

"Come on, I was just having some fun," Biggs said. He tapped Luna's shoulder. "Where'd you get this book from, Loony?"

"From my friend. Will you please give it back now?" Luna pleaded. Wedge was the first to laugh.

"Yeah, like you have any friends. Anyone who says they are probably just pities you," he said.

"No. No, you're wrong," Luna said, though her voice didn't seem to hold as much conviction as it had previously. She didn't even realize that she had been clenching her knuckles hard until she had focused on anything but the bullies in front of her.

"Nuh uh, he's right. In fact, we'd probably be doing you a favor if we got rid of this," Biggs said.

"No, don't!" Luna once again tried to get up but it was too late. Biggs quickly grabbed at handful of pages and pulled hard. The loud tearing sound broke Luna's heart and she fell back in her seat, any resistance having been ripped out along with the pages. The sound of laughter echoed in her ears and she closed her eyes to keep the water in them from leaking out. In between the laughter, she could hear Astra's present hitting the ground with a thud.

Biggs broke up the laughter and roughly ruffled Luna's hair. "That'll teach you think you're superior to us. I expect my money tomorrow."

"Like hell she will! You'll have to deal with me first."

Luna looked up and smiled, allowing the tears to finally fall from her eyes. "Astra!"

Astra smiled at her before addressing the others. "You have a reason to be here?"

"Astra, oh, uh, we were just-"

"Just bullying my friend, is that right?" Astra cut in harshly.

"Why hang out with this loser, Astra? You used to be cool with us. What happened?" Alfie asked.

"I grew a conscience, that's what happened. There's nothing cool about bullying someone. You think you can just push her around and get away with it? Not while I'm around," Astra replied. Her eyes then looked to the ground and caught sight of the scattered pages and the book it came from. When Luna saw her look back up, livid was the word that came to her mind. "You've gone too far this time."

"What are you gonna do about it? As if I'm afraid of a girl-" As Biggs turned from his laughing friends to look back at Astra, he instead saw an approaching fist. Luna's mouth fell open as Astra's fist connected with Biggs' nose, causing him to stumble and fall onto the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL? OW! SHE HIT ME! SHE HIT ME!" Biggs yelled, sprawling back and forth on the floor while clutching his face.

"Woah, man, calm down. Let me see… oh, yeah, I don't- I don't think that looks right," Everett said. "Come on, let's get him to the nurse."

The other three dragged Biggs away who seemed as if he was on the verge of crying. He certain made sure his displeasure was known as loud as possible by ranting and raving about how he was going to get back at Astra.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. Keep coming back for more and I'll keep giving you more! Assholes," Astra muttered the last word just so she and Luna could hear it.

Luna giggled and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "You didn't have to break his nose, you know. You're going to be suspended again."
"And that's all they can do. They can't really do much to a girl who's had an abusive father, you know?" Astra asked.

"You're really exploiting that, aren't you?" Luna asked.

"You work with the cards you're dealt, Luna m'dear," Astra said. She sat down next to Luna and pulled out a tissue from her pocket before using it to dab at the wetness on Luna's cheeks. "Gosh, that hurt a lot. I've never really punched someone before but I won't lie, it felt good. Enough about me though. Are you okay? I'm sorry about the book. Don't worry, I'll get you another."

"Oh, that's okay. I wouldn't want to be a burden to you especially when you've been saving up for your grandmother's birthday," Luna said.

"You're not a burden. You're my friend," Astra said.

"And you aren't spending time with me just because you pity me?" Luna asked.

Astra's eyebrows raised quizzically before lowering again. "Is that what they told you? Luna, I did feel sorry for you, but I would never talk down to you and go 'oh, you poor thing'. I felt sorry because no one should have to be in the position that you're in. You need to stop doubting yourself. You're the kindest friend anyone could ask for and if the rest of the school don't see that well tough luck to them. You enjoy our conversations, right? You've never felt like I was talking to you just because I felt sorry for you?"

"No, I love our conversations. You genuinely seem interested in what I have to say," Luna said. Astra lowered the tissue from her face once she was satisfied with the patch up and crumpled it in her hand. Of course Astra wanted to spend time with her because they were actually friends. How could she think so otherwise? Luna knew Astra was also right about needing to have more self-confidence. When Biggs and the others could make her doubt so easily the strength of her bond with Astra, there was a problem. "Thank you, Astra. I feel like I'm being supported by you right now but that'll change, I promise. I want to become stronger so I don't have to rely on you when Biggs, Wedge and the others try to ruin my day. I won't let them."

"Honestly, sometimes I think I rely on you more. We'll get stronger together, Luna, but we'll still be there for each other. Now what do you say to cheering you up? We'll stop by the parlor to get some ice cream," Astra suggested.

"Yay! I can finally get you to try my favorite flavor!" Luna exclaimed.

"You don't mean that Sea Salt flavor you keep mentioning? Doesn't it get kind of tiring, just having one thing all the time?" Astra asked.

"Sure. That's why you have Sea Salt Gelato and Sea Salt Sorbet too, silly!" Luna answered gleefully.

"I- That's not what I… you know, I've thought of a pretty good nickname for you," Astra said.

"Please don't tell me it's 'loony' or 'Luna the Lunatic'. Those are so not original anymore."

"Oh hell no! How about 'Sea Salt' instead?"


As Luna stared at the stars in front of her, she thought back to that day and how it had been the defining moment of her and Astra's friendship. They had promised each other that they would get stronger. There was a reason she had been thinking about it too. She felt that promise had been one of the reasons they were so far apart now.

No, it wasn't the promise she could blame exactly, and blame didn't lie with Astra either. The fault lay entirely with Luna. She had changed. There was nothing wrong with that in itself; that came with growing up after all. The problem was that maybe she had changed just a bit too much. Travelling to other worlds did that. There was no one person who could go to so many of them and come out the same person as they were before—child or adult. Luna had kept on walking, but she had forgotten to walk alongside Astra and because of that they walked at different paces. She couldn't blame her amnesia either because as of right now she was still walking a great distance from her best friend.

Some best friend I am. Maybe she's found someone else at Moira's Crescent? Rhea seemed quite nice to her… argh! I want to talk to you again, Astra! Luna buried her head into the console panel and let out a zombie-like groan.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Kairi, who had been raiding the fridge for something to eat, asked after hearing the loud noise.

"I'm just thinking about Astra. I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that when we next meet, we won't see eye to eye like we usually do. I just… I want her to know how I feel right now," Luna explained.

"You feel like you want to scream, right? I know the feeling. I once waited a really long time for Sora and Riku to return to the islands. I knew they were off fighting and I couldn't do anything to help them. I kind of wanted them to sense my frustration and come and pick me up. I got my wish but it wasn't exactly how I imagined it to be." Kairi sat down next to her and held up a bar of milk chocolate. "I'll tell you what. Holding that stuff in isn't usually good so if you let it out and scream right now I'll give this to you."

Luna looked up from the console and at Kairi with a look of surprise. "You want me to wake everyone up?"

"They'll understand. Hey, I'll even do it with you," Kairi said. She began slowly waving the bar of chocolate in Luna's face. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Oh, you're such a tease. Fine. Whenever you're ready," Luna said, rubbing her hands together. She was about to make an absolute fool of herself but it didn't matter. This was the kind of things she and Astra used to do too.

"Oh, I'm ready. We're going to blow the boys' eardrums out. Okay. One… two… three-"

What followed was the shrillest combined scream of two girls ringing out through the ship. They could only last a few seconds before bursting out in a fit of laughter. Riku, having come into the room just before they had screamed, was taken aback by his encounter with the strange phenomenon and quickly stuck his fingers in his ears.

When they finally stopped laughing and looked at him, he put his hands up. "Don't. I don't want to know. I just want to forget this ever happened."

"Aw, Riku, come on, don't be like that! Do you want to share some of this chocolate with us?" Luna asked.

"Is it the kind of chocolate that turns people in chimpanzees? If so, you can keep it," Riku said.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Kairi asked.

"Well, let's just say I wouldn't compare it to the Muses of Mount Olympus," Riku said. "Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Are you doing better, Luna? After what happened back in Pocahontas' world?"

"Oh yeah, that's water under the bridge at this point-" Luna swept the air with her hand, pretending to be dismissive of it. "-is what I wish I could say. I do wish I could have done something more to help him but I know that in the end there really was nothing I could have done. His fate was set even before we saved him. So I'm going to move on and make sure the next Chimera we help, be it animal or person, doesn't suffer that same fate. So I'm positive for the future. What I'm worried about is Sora."

"Yeah, he's taken it a lot harder surprisingly. When I asked if he were willing to talk about it, he just put on a smile and said there was nothing to worry about. He should know by now that that just makes me worry even more," Kairi told them. She split the bar of chocolate down the middle and handed the other half to Luna.

"Well, he did mention to me that he'd made a promise to the guy from Moira's Crescent he fought that he would be able to save him. That guy let him go on that condition. It's no wonder he feels down at the moment," Luna said.

"He… he told you that? He didn't mention anything to me," Kairi said, looking down at her lap.

Noticing that Kairi's mood had changed, Luna quickly added, "Oh, I'm sure he just didn't want you to worry about him is all. I kind of cornered him on it. I'm sure he wouldn't have told me otherwise."

"Don't worry about him. If I know Sora, he'll be back to his chipper self by the time we get to the next world," Riku said. As if on cue, Sora appeared from his room appearing a little more dishevelled than usual. Behind him was Kupopo who looked as equally as annoyed.

"What is going on in here, kupo? Have you guys finally turned crazy?" he asked.

"What do you mean finally? We always were," Kairi said, sticking out her tongue.

"Don't rope me in with you two," Riku said. "That said, I was just about to discuss our mission with them. You want to join in, Sora?"

"Depends on what you have to say," Sora replied.

"Well can we think of anyone that might be suitable? I feel like we're wandering aimlessly with no actual goal in sight."

Sora could agree with Riku on that, but he didn't want to offer a solution either. He put his index finger against his left temple and began messaging it as he talked it out with Riku and the others.

There were only a few potentials on his mind that could be capable of withstanding whatever the procedure was that Yen Sid had in mind. There was Ariel who was no longer a mermaid but the last time Sora had seen her, she had announced to them that she was expecting a baby soon. Sora made a quick note to go back to check on her and the new addition to the family before moving on to the next person.

The next person that came to mind was Wendy, who had given him a similar impression to Alice when he had first met her. She would have made the most sense if it wasn't for the fact that Neverland was in completely the opposite direction of where they were going. Then there was Sally in Halloween Town who… wasn't created through the most natural of means so Sora wasn't sure if it would work. Mulan was busy protecting the princesses, and Esmeralda as she had explained many times loved her freedom and had Quasimodo to look after in case he started acting up again.

"Look, I can't think of anyone or they're too far away to even consider. It's not like we're in any hurry anyway. If we can find KRONOS' base and take them out before we find someone then it won't even matter," Sora said.

"Easier said than done. How do you even suppose we do that?" Riku asked.

"I… I'm still thinking about," Sora admitted, moving his left hand to the back of his head.

That was when Luna had an idea. She spun around in her chair to face them. "Sora, didn't you say that Syndrome had a computer in his base that had our files on it?"

"Yeah, I could never forget that. It really freaked me out," Sora replied.

"Maybe there's something else on there then. About KRONOS. If we could send the data on that computer over to Cid, he could figure out whatever is on there."

"Great idea, Luna! That could work. It's not like we have anything to lose and Syndrome wouldn't have been able to get back to the base to do anything to the data. So do we just turn around and head back to Nomanisan Island?" Sora asked.

"We're too close to the next world to just turn around. Maybe we can ask Mickey and Neuge or any of the others to go if they're not busy," Riku proposed. In truth, Sora had been looking for any excuse to delay his mission further but Riku had just taken away his excuse. He tried to think of another reason for them to do it but when none came to mind, he let out a resigned sigh and nodded.

"Yeah, just… just do it," Sora approved reluctantly.


"Why? Why now?"

Leon slammed his fists onto the table unexpectedly, prompting all the people in the room along with him to jump in surprise. It was a rare occurrence to see him this angry, in fact, they weren't even sure rare was the right word. The only time Rinoa could remember him being in this state was when they were kids—when Maleficent had invaded their home.

"I'm sorry. I should have made more of an effort to stop them but my silly warrior pride got the best of me," Mulan said, bowing as low as she could.

"Hey, it's not your fault. You were facing three against one. Those cowards! That's hardly fair. Anyway, that warrior's pride of yours stopped much worse from probably happening. It's like my ninja's pride. Always in the right place at just the right time," Yuffie said.

Mulan stood upright once more and her expression softened, a smile soon taking over. "Thank you, Yuffie."

"Aw shucks, you're making me blush," Yuffie said. Cloud, who Rinoa usually found hanging out by himself most of the time, leaned against the wall and smirked at the two.

"If you're done flirting then we have a problem. As far as we know, we have three KRONOS members potentially still in the town. They might have gone by now but if they were able to get in so easily then there could easily be more of them that we don't know about," he said.

"Paranoia is the name of the game. They know we want to control what gets out to the people and they're taking advantage of it. We don't know who or where their members are. That's their ultimate weapon," Rinoa replied. "So I suggest we don't do anything, otherwise we'll be giving them what they want."

"And if they actually go after the citizens? What then? Do we do nothing?" Leon questioned. His words rang out cold, alien and with traces of fear present in them. They forced Rinoa to retreat, but only slightly. "They targeted somewhere that was uninhabited. The next time they attack it might not be so random. I won't allow anyone in this town to come to harm."

"Neither will we, but at least we know where to start. The enquiry is starting soon, isn't it?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah. Leon, Aerith, Rinoa and I are chairing the commission. If we want to get any answers about KRONOS, then finding out how or if David Xanatos is connected to them is a good start," Yuffie replied.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly did Kefka blow up in the castle? I haven't been there yet," Tifa said.

"Nothing of importance except for caving in the basement level. A declaration of freedom from him, I'd think. 'You can't keep someone like me in no matter how hard you try' or something to that effect," Aerith said.

"Did he really let himself get captured just to make that point? Somehow I really doubt that," Cid said as he typed away furiously on his keyboard.

"I don't think he's the kind of person that has a method to his madness. Oh, it's starting! Leon, we need to get going," Aerith said. Leon nodded slowly and stood up. Despite this he still seemed aimless, without purpose or a direction to follow. As he made his way around the table with a hand on its satin finish to concealing his trembling, Rinoa went to his side and held his other hand. Leon turned to her and gazed into his eyes with the same look of mystery that had attracted her to him in the first place.

"We'll be okay. Whatever happens after this, whatever we find out, I believe in the Restoration Committee's ability to set things right and more importantly I believe in the citizens of Radiant Garden. No matter how hard KRONOS try to destroy us, they'll never be able to shake our faith as a community and the dreams we've rebuilt this town on. They didn't die with Maleficent, and they won't die with Kefka or anyone else," Rinoa assured him.

"Community, huh? Thanks, Rinoa. It's still muddy but I'm starting to see what I need to do," Leon said. That was when he did something that Rinoa or anyone could not have expected. He leaned and met her lips in a chaste but appreciative kiss. When he pulled back, Rinoa had her mouth hanging open for a while in surprise. Then her mouth closed and she returned her husband's smile.

"O' such sweet elations! Now let's get a move on, you lovebirds. We don't have all day now, do we," Yuffie said.

The location where the inquiry was to be held was within the only building in the town suitable of hosting it—the Garden Community Centre. Here, the townsfolk would come to apply for jobs in the different sectors that needed it. It was also where the majority of social activities took place. The town as a result was slowly but surely flourishing because of it, even better than it had been before, some might say. Still, there was a long way to go and Leon had a much bigger plan in mind, something that he planned to talk to Mickey about when he returned from his journey.

For today only however, the building was closed off to visitors for private purposes. Rinoa took her place alongside Yuffie, Leon and Aerith at the rectangular table at the very back of the small hall the inquiry was scheduled to take place. Sitting in front of them behind a smaller table that looked very much like it was fit for a courtroom was David Xanatos, cupping his hands and placing them on the table. He appeared confused and he had every right to be, after all, they had decided to bring him in without telling him of what he was being brought in for. They made sure to word it in a way that did not imply an arrest of any sort, though having to stay in a hotel room for a day would probably have made it feel like one anyway.

Leon waited until the minute hand hit thirty on the dot before beginning. "Could you please state your name and occupation into the microphone. It's for reference purposes, you understand."

"My name is David Xanatos. I am the current CEO of Xanatos Enterprises," he answered exactly as he had been instructed to, leaning over the table to do so.

Leon nodded and continued. "Thank you, Mr. Xanatos. Now you've been brought here today based on damning accusations that, if proven true, could spell disastrous for you and your company."

"I wasn't made aware of these accusations or anything to do with why I was placed in a hotel room for an entire day. I was actually in the middle of preparing for a date with Colette when a strange fellow with spiky blonde hair rang my doorbell and insisted I come with him. You understand my confusion."

"Cloud is Cloud," Rinoa heard Aerith murmur to herself to her immediate right.

"That's fine," Rinoa said. "We'll tell you the accusation now. It was brought to our attention just yesterday morning that canisters with your company's logo containing what we suspect to be liquid nitrogen were found in a completely different world. What's more, we also have reason to believe that the canisters contain a powerful virus engineered by a group named KRONOS. One of their members being there confirmed that connection."

"I see…"

"I see? Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Leon asked upon hearing Xanatos' reaction. He appeared stiff and apprehensive. Furthermore, Rinoa could see his clenched knuckles visibly whitening on the table.

"I'm just shocked. Our company, as far as I know, does not sponsor terrorism or any other group than the Radiant Garden Restoration Project at the moment," Xanatos explained.

"As far as you know? No offence but you really should know all about your company's operations if you're the CEO," pointed out Yuffie.

"Thank you, Yuffie," Aerith said before looking back at Xanatos. "Continuing on, we launched an investigation into your company throughout the day. We specifically focused on the bio lab facilities. I hate to say this but we found canisters of the same type in the other world. They were filled with liquid nitrogen and had traces of other compounds also. Mr. Xanatos, I would like more than anyone to believe that this isn't true but the evidence speaks otherwise."

"That would seem the case, yes, and I can attest for the liquid nitrogen. It's a useful way of storing and transporting certain materials around the town. What I can't give an explanation for are those other compounds you found. I don't know how they ended up in those canisters much less in the lab but I would be happy to co-operate in any way I can," Xanatos said.

"While that's all well and good, as far as your involvement in KRONOS is concerned, that's still to be decided. Simply put, how can we trust that you aren't involved with them? We've given you our evidence. Now you need to give us yours," said Leon.

There was a brief pause before Xanatos spoke. "I can give you the name of the person in charge of the science department. There are so many facilities that not even I know everything that is going on. I don't oversee development, I only approve projects. It would be the head of each department that knows every single thing that goes on in their division."

"And who would that be, Mr. Xanatos?" Rinoa asked.

"It would be a Doctor Drew Lipsky. It's funny. The boys in the department I hear have a nickname for him. Dr. Drakken or something like that. I think it's based on some of his theories being rather cuckoo. Generally a smart lad though when he stays within the realm of reality."

The room was shocked into silence by the revelation of the name. Rinoa looked uncomfortably from left to right to see everyone's reaction only to find that they were all doing the same.

"Is there a problem?" Xanatos asked, breaking the eerie silence.

"No, not at all," Aerith dismissed quickly. "Thank you, Mr. Xanatos. You've been quite helpful. For now I think it would be best if we keep the bio lab facility shut until we're thoroughly done searching. Secondly, it's not that we don't trust you but we've decided to place you under a supervisor for the time being. The guy who came for you yesterday will be keeping an eye on you for the time being."

"Even in the men's room?" Xanatos joked but Aerith either didn't seem to find it funny or hadn't realized it was a joke.

"If that's what it takes," she replied sharply.

"Heh. Oh," was Xanatos' response.

Yuffie chuckled. "Hey, ease up there. You have nothing to worry about if you're innocent. Besides, don't think of yourself as being watched over. If it makes you feel better, you can order him around and stuff, kind of like a personal chauffeur. He's used to it."

"I feel better already," Xanatos said with a small smile.

"Then you're free to go. Thank you for your co-operation," Rinoa said. Xanatos gave a prompt nod before pushing away from the table and standing up. His freedom proved to be short-lived for he had only taken a few steps when Cloud, who had been standing in the back along with Cid, appeared in front of him.

"Do lead the way," Xanatos said to him.

"Just pretend I'm not here and go where you would normally. That is, unless I have a problem with where you go normally," Cloud replied. Xanatos flashed a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder as he walked past him.

The two soon left the room, leaving Cid to join up with the group at the table. Aerith sunk back into her seat and let out a sigh.

"Dr. Drakken. And to think one of the people Freya mentioned involved in the Chimera project would be working here. Am I dreaming, Rinoa?"

"Well unless we're all having the same dream then no. The enemy within the walls, huh… sounds like a book I've read," Rinoa said. "But at least this confirms our suspicions. KRONOS could be anywhere. It's best then that we take this one step at a time. The last thing I want to do is cast suspicion against the people in this town. It hurts too much to do so."

"I'm not Ansem the Wise." Leon's sudden comment saw heads turning in his direction. He ignored this and continued, looking at his now unhooked hands. "I could never lead with the same passion and commitment. But I also couldn't do what he did. In the end, he betrayed his people. His research into hearts, using his own subjects in experiments… The Heartless, the Nobodies, they all came from his research. He betrayed us and even when he realized it, it was too late. He's gone now, but the shadows of his research still exist even today and were they to get into the wrong hands… I won't make the same mistakes as he did. I won't betray the townsfolk. Where we've been divided before, this town now and forever will stand united. That's why the first step we take is… from now on, call me Squall."


A/N: Oh, what's this? The return of these little footnotes at the bottom? Yay! *Insert jumping Clover from 999 here*. So starting next chapter a familiar world that has appeared in recent Kingdom Hearts III trailers. That should get you hyped. It certainly does for me since it's one of my favourite Disney movies in recent years. Just let it go, Frozen, your time isn't here yet.