A/N: Another chapter for y'all!
I cheated and watched the gameplay and cutscenes of KH: 3DS online. I won't give away any spoilers, but the ending did send me screaming and crying into my pillow. I think I got a little too worked up about it...
Once again, Thank you to my awesome beta-reader: Mystics Apprentice!
Disclaimer: Disclaim ownership of ALL the Disney and Kingdom Hearts things!
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"Tidus, get your lazy butt out of bed! How can you have fun all day if you've slept it all away?"
The young autumn faery groaned at the sound of Vanille's voice. Did she have to wake him up this early? He groggily rolled over and stared at his alarm clock. 12:45 P.M. glared back in angry red numbers.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't that early. Still, Tidus wished that he'd be allowed to wake up naturally for once. After several minutes of staring at the ceiling, he finally mustered up the courage to pull himself out of bed and wandered over to the kitchen.
About halfway down the hall, something in a family portrait caught his eye; there appeared to be another figure besides Vanille, Hope, and himself inside of it. Since when had there been another person in the family portrait? Tidus moved towards the painting to get a closer look. The figure appeared to be a boy around the age of ten, with small translucent wings and chestnut-colored hair that was strewn wildly all over the top of his head. The said figure's eyes were a shocking shade of blue with clouds that danced around playfully within them.
Tidus's brain told him that he had never seen this faery before, but there was still something familiar about him that Tidus just couldn't put his finger on. He'd have to do a little research on this strange predicament, but how?
"Mom, come over here!" Tidus yelled.
Problem solved. Shortly thereafter, the perky pink faery bounced into the hallway.
"What is it?" Vanille asked him as she approached.
"Who is this in the picture?" Tidus asked, gesturing to the brunette in the family photo. Vanille stared at the picture for a moment.
"Oh, there's someone else in the portrait! He's a cute little kid; I wonder who he is," Vanille said thoughtfully.
Tidus slapped his forehead. "That's what I'm asking you. I figured that you'd know if you had another kid at some point, but I forgot about your sucky memory."
"Excuse me, you don't know him either!" Vanille retorted. "If it is someone we've forgotten, then your memory is just as bad as mine."
"I wasn't the one who forgot a meeting with the freakin' mayor."
"Hey, that was a misunderstanding!"
While Tidus and Vanille were bickering like a pair of siblings, the front door swung open.
"Hello, I'm back for my lunch break!" Hope called from the doorway, setting his large work bag down on the ground. "I gotta fuel up for the next long shift."
"Dad, you're back just in time!" Tidus exclaimed. He hovered over to the guard faery, family portrait in hand. "Do you know who this is?"
Hope frowned. The brunette seemed vaguely familiar, as if from a distant memory. He rubbed his temples, attempting to delve further into the back of his mind. A young brunette, a secretive phone call…
"I'm not sure," Hope finally admitted. "I'll have to think about it."
Meanwhile, down in the ocean, a raven-haired mermaid was doing the exact same thing in her own clamshell house. Melody had been examining a photograph on a side table taken about a year ago, back when she had visited the shore with her mother to see her dad. In it, her father, Eric, was perched on a rock with her human self in his arms. Her mother, Ariel, rested on the side of the rock, her jade fishtail barely visible in the clear waters. On her back was a twelve-year-old girl with short, dark auburn hair, a color somewhere between Eric's inky-black and Ariel's bright-red tresses. She too had a mermaid tail submerged in the water, rosy-pink in color. If she didn't know any better, Melody would have believed that the young girl was…
"Mom!" she shouted. "Come over here!"
The redheaded mermaid swam over, her gray-blue eyes filled with curiosity. "Yes, Melody? What is it?"
"Look at this picture; there's someone else in it," Melody said urgently. Ariel glanced over the picture, and then frowned.
"Who's that?" she asked her daughter.
"Beats me, that's why I asked you," Melody retorted. "She looks like she could be my sister or something, but I don't recall ever having one."
"I don't either, but…" Ariel's voice trailed off, before adding, "Let's show it you your grandfather. He'll know something, I'm sure of it."
While it appeared that Sora and Kairi had been completely forgotten, Riku and the Calling Ceremony had been anything but. Whispered rumors passed through both the young and elderly crowds, but none of them had any backbone. Tifa was still under the care of the healer, for the enchanted dagger that Serah used left a wound that refused to heal properly. Serah herself had virtually disappeared from the public, never attending council meeting or making nighttime appearances. The curious public questioned her sister Lightning, but the pink-haired elf would merely say that Serah had been troubled by that night's event and needed time to think.
The moonlight-colored elf was perched in a large pine tree and staring blankly at the half-moon, deeply submersed in thought. It was her duty to allow the ancestors to possess her during certain nights, and she was normally fine with that. However, none of them had ever displayed such violent tendencies through their host. She had nearly murdered a child, and brutally attacked his mother at that! Despite Lightning insisting that no one but the spirit was at fault, the Moon Elf still felt responsible for not stopping it.
Then, there was the fact that another Moon Elf besides herself was on the loose. Serah rubbed her temples, head aching from pondering this idea. She had no idea what the Fates were up to, but they were definitely planning something. What could they be weaving now?
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Ienzo and Lea finally worked up better names for the three newcomers. The little blonde faery and the indigo-haired girl were both given names relating to the water due to their unique blue eyes: Naminé and Xion respectively (Xion was originally 'Shion,' but Lea insisted that spelling it with an 'X' would be a hundred times cooler). Coming up with a name for the young elf, however, was another story.
"We could just call him Riku," Lea said irritably to Ienzo, who didn't appear to hear him.
"But apparently I'm not Riku," the silverette pointed out. "I saw him in the lab. Plus, he looks a little different."
"How 'bout Clone of Riku?" Lea suggested.
"That sounds too awkward and impersonal," Ienzo said dismissively. "How about Riku Replica?"
"Isn't that basically what I said?" Lea said exasperatedly.
"No, my suggestion has alliteration. It makes it less awkward-sounding."
"A lil'—wha? Jeez Ienzo, you don't have 'ta rub your smartness in everyone's face."
While Lea and Ienzo bickered, the other three watched them in the background.
"Tidus, where's my sword?"
"Beats me, why would I wanna use that stupid thing?"
"It's not stupid!"
"Melody, I wanted the last kelp cookie!"
"Too bad, I already have it."
"Meanie-butt!"
Naminé looked over at the unnamed elf, who returned her gaze upon this.
"I wonder what's wrong with the blue-haired girl," the elf finally said. It was true, for Xion had done absolutely nothing except stare blankly at her surroundings thus far.
"It's just a theory of mine, but I don't think she has any memories," Naminé said uncertainly. "Every time a situation comes up, I suddenly see memories of similar situations and how to react, if that makes sense. Do you know what I mean?"
"Kind of," the elf admitted.
"If she doesn't have the memories, than she can't react," Naminé explained.
"Well, we'll have to make some memories for her then, and some of your own," Lea said, wearing a mischievous grin. Since when had they stopped bickering?
Ienzo cleared his throat. "Anyway, what do you think of the name Repliku?"
The silverette frowned, for he wasn't sure what to make of the name. "Um, sure," he finally said.
"Good. Now, if you don't mind, I shall leave you with Lea. I have some reading to do." He whipped around, sending water flying from his drenched locks as he disappeared into the back room.
Lea turned to face the trio. "Let's show you kids around Radiant Garden."
"Radiant Garden?" Repliku asked curiously.
"It's the name of the town. Got it memorized?"
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"…And this over here is the middle-class area," Lea announced, gesturing to a small suburban-like area. Flowers and traditional brick houses covered the landscape similar to that of the area around the laboratory, although on a less extravagant scale. In the middle of the housing and small businesses was a stone town center filled with quaint little kiosks.
"What are those for?" Naminé asked curiously.
"Mainly small business owners tryin' to save some money," Lea replied. "Hey, one guy down there has the best ice cream 'round. Wanna try some?"
"Ice cream?" Repliku repeated blankly.
"Yeah, the frozen sweet stuff. You guys've never heard of it before?"
Repliku shook his head in response. Naminé, on the other hand, looked down at her feet.
"I've heard of it, kind of," she said nervously. It's hard to explain that you've heard of it through another person's memories, after all. "I haven't tried it myself though."
Lea's eyes widened in surprise. "What! You guys been under a rock or somethin'? You guys are gonna haveta try some. Tell you what: I'll treat you a bar of my personal favorite."
He darted off into the stone area, gesturing for the trio to follow. Naminé grabbed Xion's wrist and guided her to the kiosk that Lea and Repliku had arrived at. It was nothing more than a wooden stand with a large cooler attached. "Ice Cream: 50 Munny" was painted neatly on a blue poster in curly white handwriting. Behind the stand, a large anthropomorphic duck with scruffy white facial feathers and a tidy suit jacket observed his customers.
"Why, if it isn't young Mr. Lea!" he said warmly to the fire spirit. "You here for your sea-salt ice cream?"
"Aw, hell yes!" Lea responded enthusiastically. "I'd also like to get three bars for the newbies over here, my treat."
"Ah, who might your new friends be?" the duck asked kindly.
"The blonde's Naminé, the dark-haired one is Xion, and the guy is Repliku. They're new to the area," Lea explained. "Guys, this is Mr. Scrooge. Got it memorized?"
"Ah, why hello! You're in for a treat; sea salt-ice cream is my specialty," Mr. Scrooge said with a wink. He pulled four glistening blue objects out of his cooler and handed them to the fey.
"That'll be 200 Munny, please."
Lea grudgingly pulled the colorful orbs from the pocket of his torn jeans and took the ice cream. He handed one to each of the younger fey before finally tasting his own. Naminé, Repliku, and even Xion watched him eat his before attempting to take a bite of the blue substance.
Cool. Sharp. Earthy. Salty?
Warm. Soft. Melting. Sweet?
What was this?
"Woah, she has emotions!" Lea declared with mock surprise, staring at Xion's shocked expression. After the initial surprise, the said girl hurriedly finished her ice cream and looked over at the stand. Naminé and Repliku soon followed, licking the strange salty-sweetness off their lips.
"Could we get more ice cream?" Repliku asked. "We got a reaction out of Xion with it."
"Only if you buy it. I offered y'all one each, and that's my limit. I'm not that rich," he said lazily, slouching over the stand.
"We don't have any money," Naminé pointed out.
"Well, get a job then."
"If you kids are looking for a job," Mr. Scrooge said suddenly, "I could always use some help back in the kitchen making the ice cream and selling it here. I'd be willing to pay you, if—"
"Sign them up; we could always use some more breadwinners 'round here!" Lea interrupted. "How soon can they start?"
"Well, shouldn't you see if they actually want this—"
"They do, right?" Lea turned to the trio with a glare, causing Naminé and Repliku to nod out of intimidation. Satisfied, the fire spirit looked back to the duck. "Well, there you go."
"Is Naminé even of age to be employed?" Mr. Scrooge added persistently as he looked over the petite blonde faery. "She hasn't even bloomed yet."
"I'm fourteen," Naminé stated automatically. Mr. Scrooge raised an eyebrow, but he merely sighed. "I guess if you aren't being pressured to, I can hire you and put you three to work starting tomorrow."
"Great!" Lea exclaimed. "Thanks again, Mr. Scrooge. See you 'round."
"Goodbye!" replied the duck, waving a white feathered wing. "See you three tomorrow!"
As the four fey walked away to continue exploring the city, Lea slowed his pace to match with Naminé's. "Wait, you're fourteen?" he asked disbelievingly. "I thought you were ten or somethin'."
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Meanwhile, within a dark room at the research lab, Even was scrutinizing the security tapes of his office. There had to be some other reason for the failure of his project, because he had executed his signature cloning experiment perfectly!
Finally, he found the evidence that he had been looking for. About halfway through the current footage he was observing, he noticed three black shadows following his assistant into the lab.
"Hm, what in the worlds could those be?" Even wondered. He hit the zoom button to get a closer look at the creatures, but the footage merely blurred. Sighing, he zoomed back out and watched as they examined the room, disappearing whenever Myde approached them. As the faery assistant walked away from the evidence, however, the creatures jumped out of hiding and began decimating it.
"What on earth?" Even exclaimed. Suddenly, the creatures turned towards Myde and began cornering the frantic faery. In an act of desperation, Myde grabbed one of Even's own acid bottles and hurled it at the creatures, dissolving the shadowy beings on impact. Then, the assistant began hurriedly sweeping up the contents and placing them into new containers.
"I must show this to Master Ansem!" Even said to himself. "This is definitely a new turn of events."
"Show me what?" a booming voice inquired. The amber-eyed head scientist entered the surveillance room, wearing a curious expression upon his face.
"Footage of my DNA samples being sabotaged," Even said pointedly.
"Sabotaged?" Ansem echoed.
"Sabotaged indeed, sir. Come, have a look yourself." Even rewinded the video several minutes back, and then hit the 'play' button.
Ansem watched the tapes intently, searching for any sign of sabotage. After a few moments of silence, he sighed heavily.
"I see nothing out of the ordinary," he observed.
"Just wait, they should be coming soon." Shortly after Even said this, the shadowy black creatures creeped into the scene. Ansem froze, tensing up at the sight of the beings. His pulse quickened as the beings slinked in and out of view, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. As soon as he saw them violate Even's DNA collection and turn on Myde, Ansem stormed out of the room and slammed the door.
A bewildered Even stared blankly at the door, which was still trembling from being slammed shut. "I wonder what's gotten into him," Even wondered aloud.
Down the hallway, Myde was just returning from smuggling the misfits from the lab. He was pulling a broom out of a cabinet when a panicked Ansem appeared in front of the faery.
"What were they!" Ansem demanded, looming over Myde. "What did they look like!"
"What were what?" replied a frightened Myde, clenching the broom tightly.
"The creatures! The ones that defiled the evidence!" Ansem practically yelled.
"Um, I don't know, sir," Myde replied, shaking. "They were very scary. Big red eyes and lots of teeth."
At this, the scientist seemed to calm down. "Okay...false alarm," he muttered under his breath.
"False alarm?" Myde repeated disbelievingly.
"Yes, false alarm. Go back to work."
"You aren't gonna fire me?"
"No, not today; the incident wasn't entirely your fault. Now, why don't you go check on the guests we brought in earlier today? They probably won't be awakening anytime soon, but it never hurts to check. "
Myde was practically dancing with joy at this. His job was saved! "Mister Ansem sure was acting weird about it, though," Myde thought curiously.
Master Ansem himself was too preoccupied in his own thoughts to consider the young assistant watching him saunter down the hall. That had been a close call, much too close for his own comfort.
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