Takara raised her arms, and stretched, working the cramps out of her muscles from sitting in the Gummi ship for nearly three hours. The bright sunlight that reflected on the now pale neon signs shone in Takara's eyes, turning them the color of cherry wood. She smiled at the sight of her familiar hometown, Radiant Garden. The bustling people, the ever present optimistic atmosphere—everything was perfect about this place. Except today—something was off. There was an unfamiliar presence in the town that Takara couldn't recognize. She shrugged, dismissing it.

She whirled around to Riku, Sora, and Kairi, showing them a blinding smile full of perfectly straight teeth. She soon focused her gaze on Kairi, whose eyes were wide with admiration. Takara giggled—her expression was as excited as one of a child in a candy store. "Kai, you're home." Kairi smiled back at her, nearly in tears. "It feels good to be back—y'know? All those memories of racing through the streets? As i remember—hehe—you were always mad at me because I beat you at nearly every race!"

Takara grumbled. "That's not true! We're going to have to have a rematch sometime soon..."

"Takara Hisaishi? Princess Takara? Is that you?" A familiar black-haired seventeen year old ran up to greet the four teens, an enormous smile on her face. Takara smiled back in response and ran up to greet her long time shuriken-wielding friend. "Yep, the one and only!" Yuffie wrapped her arms around Takara in a bone-crushing hug, and soon acknowledged the rest of the group. "Oh, hey, Sora, Kairi, Riku! I would say long time no see, but it really hasn't been that long, sooo—OH! Leon and the gang will wanna know you're here! Come on!"

Takara chuckled. Same old Yuffie, hasn't changed a bit...

The four of them started to follow Yuffie through the narrow streets of Radiant Garden, with Kairi and Sora walking ahead of Takara and Riku. Takara breathed in deeply, smelling the familiar scents of her childhood home, now her kingdom. She sighed—there was bound to be plenty of work to do.

"Something wrong?" Riku's voice remained indifferent, impassive, but Takara knew that behind that, there was truth to his words.

"Oh, not really, just—thinking about how much I've missed this place. Two years is a long time to be away from home..."

Riku looked straight ahead, focusing his eyes on the newly restored castle looming on the outline of the horizon. "Yeah. So where're are all the massive crowds welcoming you home, and the royal procession and all that?"

Takara scoffed. "Oh, don't worry. Once they learn I'm here, it'll be impossible for me to go out in public. I mean, anywhere. Of course, there are exceptions."

Riku was startled when Takara turned to him, winking.

Finally, the familiar door of Merlin's House was in front of them, and Yuffie stood to the side of it, gesturing for Takara to be the one to open it. But she was hesitant—what if they were mad at her, disappointed for running off again? Suddenly, a hand on Takara's shoulder made her look up at the person who it belonged to...Riku.

Just like she had before, Riku leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Don't be afraid. Everything will be fine." She cast him a grateful smile then took two steps forward, opening the door.

Leon, Cid, Aerith, Merlin, and even Cloud were crowded around the huge computer that took up half the space in the tiny bungalow. Takara couldn't suppress a giggle—they were exactly the way she remembered them.

Clearing her throat, she clasped her hands in front of her, and struggled to keep her voice strong as she spoke. "Guys? I'm...home." They all whirled around to face her, startled and confused looks on their faces. But as seconds passed, those stares grew to be ones of complete happiness and relief. Aerith was the first one to walk up to her. "You're back." Both girls hugged, Aerith's crystal green eyes sparkling. Cid was the next to come up, and Takara shook his head as his appearance. Scraggly, beard, unkempt hair, and a toothpick in his mouth—always impatient and busy. "Well, kid, it's about time you got back here and started acting like a girl instead of the gun-shootin', legendary weapon-wielding tomboy I know you are."

In other words, that meant, "I'm so glad you're home."

"I missed you too, Cid!" Takara wrapped the grumpy old man in a vice-tight hug, and surprisingly, with no complaints from the man himself. Leon did very much the same, a small smile on his lips. Takara sighed. He was the only one out of the group that treated her like a princess. True, he was her friend, but he was very reserved around her.

I'm still the same no matter what...I'm still the same Takara....

"I knew you'd be all right." The deep, calming voice that reached Takara's ears made her smile, and she recognized the person as Cloud. She looked up at his tall towering figure, his blond spiky hair hanging in front of his face, and his light blue eyes seemed clearer now that Sephiroth was dormant—for a while, at least. "Cloud! You're home!" Earning another hug from him, Takara's heart was so full of joy that it seemed about to burst.

Kairi watched her friend reunite with her companions, while Sora put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Riku stood with his back against the door, watching Takara with those cold aquamarine eyes of his. She cast a glance in his direction, and motioned with her hand for him to come over, but he stubbornly stayed where he was.

What's wrong with him?

As soon as that thought entered her mind, Riku opened the door, walking out. Takara detached herself from her friends' welcoming gestures and compliments on how much she had grown up. She walked outside, where Riku was standing in the middle of the cobblestone courtyard. "Do you sense that?" Riku didn't even have to ask: there were definitely Heartless in the area.

"Look out!!" Takara spun around at Riku's warning, seeing a Neoshadow looming over her shoulder. A scream threatened to escape her lips, but in less than a second, her Keyblade materialized in her hand, and she sliced through it with ease. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she saw a swarm of them coming towards both her and Riku, and they both ended up standing back to back, guarding the other.

"What the heck is this?" Takara swung repetitively through the mass of Heartless in front of her, her anger grew with each hit.

"Don't know! Just keep--" The sound of Riku's voice soon ceased over the panic that the Heartless were creating, and no matter how much Takara called out his name, Riku wouldn't answer.

"Riku! Riku! Where are you? Answer me, you idiot!"

Caught off guard, one of the Neoshadows swiped her Keyblade out of her hand, and she was rendered weaponless. The Heartless relentlessly clawed at her face, her arms, and soon her whole body was covered in deep gashes and cuts. Her eyes threatened to close, but all of a sudden, a hand grabbed her own and pulled her to her feet. Strong arms wrapped around her body, supporting her weight. "Takara, don't worry, I'm here."

"Riku?" Takara forced herself to open her butterscotch eyes, only to rest them on her savior's face. But the eyes she met were not the aquamarine ones she had been hoping (1) to see, they were unfamiliar and strange. They consisted of the deepest blue—they were almost a navy color.

Suddenly, it clicked in her mind and Takara gasped in recognition.

"No, it's me, Taki...it's Tai."

And then, for about the second time in her life, Takara let the sweet sleep of unconsciousness consume her.

...Author's Notes...

(1) Hint, hint.....

Ooh...CLIFFY!! Hehe.....

I feel kinda "iffy" about this chapter. It started off good, but eh.....IDK. You be the judge.

P.S. Sorry if this chappie makes Taki seem kinda Mary-Sue-ish. That's not her at all!

Reviews appreciated! :D