It was nighttime in Radiant Garden as a bright flash of light appeared in the empty marketplace, depositing two young Keyblade wielders, one of them being a Princess of Heart, where the light once appeared. The two were soon joined by Sora and Aqua on their Keyblade Riders.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever been here at night." Sora said as he and the others looked up at the star filled sky.

"Come on, we can't linger. We've got to get to Merlin's House before the Heartless start showing up…or worse." Aqua said as they silently nodded and started following her. They soon arrived at Merlin's without incident, but before they even reached the door, it opened for them, revealing Snow on the other side.

"Hey-hey, you guys made it. We were getting worried there for a while." Snow said as he and Riku knuckle bumped as the latter passed by. Kairi also promptly glomped Serah.

"Looks like you found some of the people you were looking for." Lightning said to Aqua who shook her head.

"Not them. We knew where they were. I assume Leon and the gang have filled you in on our mission?" Aqua asked as Lightning nodded.

"Mmm." She replied. Leon was sitting at the desk in the far corner while Kairi, Serah, Yuffie, Tifa, Aerith, Yuna, and Rikku were sitting off at the adjacent corner, gossiping while Riku pulled Sora and Snow over to the other end near Cid's computer. Hope took notice and joined them.

"Alright you spiky haired lug, now we can talk." Riku said, shoving Sora against the wall, earning a confused look from the surrounding men.

"Something wrong, Riku?" Snow asked as Riku nodded.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get Sora to talk to Kairi." Riku replied, again gaining confused looks from the guys except Sora who understood.

"Whaddya mean? I thought that the two of 'em talked to each other just fine." Cid said as Riku rolled his eyes.

"I mean talk as in 'about feelings." Riku replied, eliciting a chorus of "Oh's" from the other guys.

"Sora, you mean after all Serah and I told you, you still haven't told Kairi how you feel?" Snow asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration.

"I've tried! I just can't get it right." Sora said as Riku sighed and nodded.

"He's right actually. Fate just seems to hate him. We tried using a plastic rose in Disney Town but a dumb horse ate it. We were going to try…hey, wait a minute, Sora do you still have that Paopu fruit you bought?" Riku asked as Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out the Paopu fruit.

"What's that?" Hope asked.

"It's a Paopu fruit, Hope. They grow on the Destiny Islands where it's said that whenever two people share a Paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined. That they'll remain a part of each other, no matter what." Snow explained.

"Oh…OH!" Hope replied in realization before giving Sora a playful elbow to the ribcage, "Nice, so which one is Kairi?"

"The red head in the pink outfit." Cid replied as Hope spotted her. He then turned back to Sora.

"You sir have good taste." Hope added.

"So what are you waiting for Sora? A written invitation? Go get her." Riku said as Sora gave him an exasperated glare.

"What? In front of everyone?" he asked in a whisper.

"Oh that's no problem. We can just have everyone step outside for a while." Snow said with a shrug but Riku had a better idea.

"Wait a sec, Snow. Better idea. Sora, go ask Kairi if she would like to take a walk. Take her out to the Dark Depths; you'll get the better view of the stars out there." Riku said as Sora smiled and nodded. He then took a deep breath and started walking bravely towards the cluster of women. Aqua took notice as she saw him pass by. He took another deep breath as he reached the women and cleared his throat. All heads spun around towards him.

"Um Kairi…" Sora said, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Yes, Sora?" Kairi asked curiously.

"Would…would-you-like-to-go-for-a-walk?" Sora asked quickly before bracing himself for rejection.

"Sure, why not." Kairi said as she hopped off the chair she was sitting for, causing Sora to blink in confusion.

"Huh?" Sora asked in disbelief. The men were silently cheering to themselves in the corner.

"Well it's a beautiful night outside and I've always wondered if the stars are different on other worlds. So sure, I don't mind going outside with you." Kairi said as Sora grinned excitedly.

"Oh-uh-yeah-uh-sure-um-after you." Sora said motioning for her to pass by. He then followed her out the door, closing it behind him. Aqua couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well I better go keep an eye on them. Never know when they may need help." Aqua said as Riku nodded in agreement.

"You mind if I come along?" Riku asked as Aqua nodded.

"Sure, it's fine with me." Aqua said as they walked out the door. Snow unexpectedly felt a painful tugging at his ear, causing him to yelp as he was yanked down to Serah's level.

"How come we never go and look up at the stars anymore, Snow?" Serah asked as Snow grinned innocently.

"You first?" he asked as Serah smiled back and started heading for the door. Snow wiped the sweat from his brow but caught a warning glare from Lightning as he passed.

…

Outside, overlooking the vast blue stone canyon, Aqua and Riku sat on the wall watching as Sora and Kairi walked out into the canyon.

"Oh for crying out loud Sora, hold her hand at least." Aqua mumbled as she watched them with a pair of night-vision goggles a-la-Cid. Riku had a pair of his own as well.

"Sometimes I worry about that guy. Was Ven ever this timid?" Riku asked as Aqua sighed.

"He was at first. Then he got a little braver. You know, it's funny. Sora has faced some tough opponents before. Xehanort's Heartless, Xemnas, almost all of those Organization guys and each time he's emerged victorious. Yet when confronted with simply expressing his feelings, he could almost faint on command." Aqua said as Riku shrugged.

"I guess that's just love for you." Riku said.

"Yeah." Aqua added with a nod as Snow and Serah approached.

"Mind if we join you guys?" Serah asked.

"My wall is your wall." Aqua said as the two sat down next to her.

"It sure is beautiful out." Serah said as she snuggled up to Snow's chest with his arms around her.

"It sure is. Hey Riku, bet you're feeling left out right now huh?" Snow asked as Riku lowered his goggles again in thought and smacked his forehead.

"Oh! Stupid! (Sigh) Well there's no point in trying to stop it. I'd just get in the dog house with those two." Riku said earning confused looks from the others.

"Why? What is it?" Aqua asked. (Music Cue: Lion King: Can you feel the love tonight)

"I can see what's happening…" Riku said.

"What?" Aqua asked as Riku continued…

"…and they don't have a clue!"

"Who?" Snow and Serah both asked in unison as Riku continued…

"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line,
Our trio's down the tube."

"Oh." The other three replied as Riku continued, motioning around them as he sang…

"The sweet caress of twilight.
There's 'magic' everywhere…"

"It's Radiant Garden, there's always m-…" Aqua said but was interrupted as Riku finished sarcastically…

"…and with all this romantic atmosphere,
disaster's in the air!"

The other three chuckled for a moment before Serah then started singing…

"Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings.
The worlds, for once, in perfect harmony,
with all their living things."

Down in the Canyon, Sora and Kairi were passing over the field where the Thousand Heartless Battle took place. In his mind Sora was thinking…

"So many things to tell her…
but how to make her see.
The truth about my heart? Impossible!
She might turn away from me."

But he didn't realize that Kairi was thinking something very similar…

"I'm holding back, I'm hiding,
but why, I can't decide.
Why can't I say the things I know I feel,
my feelings deep inside!"

Kairi thought before they saw a shooting star overhead and they both gave chase after it on foot towards the Dark Depths as Serah and Aqua both started singing in unison…

"Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings.
The worlds, for once, in perfect harmony
with all their living things."

Then Snow joined singing with them…

"Can you feel the love tonight?
You needn't look too far.
Stealing through the night's uncertainties,
love is where they are."

Then Serah, tears of joy running down her face, sang…

"And if they fall in love tonight…" (Sniff)

Snow then replied, handing her a handkerchief…

"…It can be assumed…"

Riku added with a sigh…

"…those carefree days, of just us, are history…"

Then Aqua finished with a grin…

"…In short, our pal is do-omed!"

(End Music)

At that the foursome immediately erupted into laughter at Aqua's final line. But in the Dark Depths, Sora and Kairi lost sight of the shooting star and stopped to catch their breath.

"That was amazing! I don't think I've ever seen a shooting star before." Kairi said as Sora smiled.

"It really is amazing, huh Kairi?" Sora asked as he looked at her, bathed in the light of the moon. His heart almost melted at the sight.

"I'm glad you asked me to join you Sora. It's really beautiful out." Kairi said as she turned towards him.

"Well, I'm glad I asked you to join me." Sora stammered.

"Hey, I just realized something. You were trying to ask me something while we were in Disney Town before Pete grabbed me. What was it?" Kairi asked as Sora gulped and he reached into his pocket for the Paopu fruit.

"Well…um…I was wondering if…well…" Sora said hesitatingly as Kairi looked at him with an expression almost begging him to say what she wanted to hear.

"Well…" she said softly and hopefully.

"Kairi, would you…" Sora said, putting his other hand behind his head nervously.

"Yes?" She asked expectantly, both their hearts racing.

"Would you like to share-…" Sora said as Kairi looked deep into his eyes.

"Share what?" She asked. Unexpectedly he then grunted in pain and clutched his chest with both hands. Kairi's eyes widened in panic as he staggered backwards.

"Kairi!" He wheezed, but she didn't dare move, because what she saw was chilling her right to the bone. There appeared to be a flickering image of someone else appearing over Sora. He then placed his hand to his head in agony. Then for a brief moment Kairi saw the image solidify over Sora. To her mind it looked like Roxas, but she knew it wasn't him since he also had an armor piece on his shoulder. The image then vanished and Sora collapsed onto his knees before passing out completely.

"Oh no! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP!" Kairi shouted into the night. Fortunately Aqua and Riku were first on the scene thanks to Aqua's Keyblade Rider.

"What's wrong! What's happened?" Aqua asked as she checked his vitals.

"I dunno! He just started flickering like you would in a sci-fi movie and I saw this guy appear over him…He looked almost completely like Roxas but he had an armor piece on his shoulder!" Kairi explained as Aqua's eyes widened in shock.

"What does that mean?" Riku asked as Aqua picked up her apprentice.

"It means we're close to awakening Ven's heart. Once it's fully awakened, we'll need to head to my homeworld to put his heart into his body." Aqua said as they started running back to Radiant Garden.

"What will happen to Sora then?" Kairi asked.

"Sora will still be the same. Nothing should change with him." Aqua replied, although mentally… "At least, I hope nothing changes with him."

The Following Morning…

Sora cracked his eyes open tiredly to find himself lying on the bed in Merlin's house.

"Morning!" Yuffie said as she appeared staring down at him, and subsequently scaring him half to death.

"YAHH!" He yelped as he jumped up onto his feet, causing Yuffie and Rikku to nearly die laughing.

"You're too easy Sora!" Yuffie laughed.

"Leave him alone." Leon said, shooing the two off before turning to Sora, "You alright Sora?"

"Yeah, I feel alright. What happened to me?" Sora asked as he looked around. He noticed that it was just him, Leon, Aqua, Tifa, Kairi, and Riku in the room. Yuffie and Rikku had fled when Leon stepped in.

"From what we can gather, Ven's heart tried to take control of you." Aqua said, confusing Sora.

"What?" Sora asked in silent shock.

"Ven's heart is awakening within you Sora, which means that you're close to becoming a master." Aqua said as Sora looked down at his chest and placed a hand on it.

"And if that's the case, then the two of you need to hurry up and finish training him." Leon said as Aqua nodded.

"You've got that right Leon. Sora, I think it's time we get going. We've taken this long to relax, so now we need to start moving again." Aqua said as Sora took a deep breath and sighed.

"Alright. I'm ready to go master." Sora said as Aqua nodded and headed for the door with Riku, Tifa, and Leon behind. Kairi was following after them but Sora caught her.

"Hey, Kairi, did I say or do anything before I blacked out?" Sora asked as Kairi paused and glanced away from him.

"No. You didn't do anything Sora. Nothing at all." She said quietly before she walked out the door. Sora mentally wanted to smash his head through the door in frustration but hung his head in shame, following after the others. Outside, Aqua had just summoned her Keyblade Rider.

"Hey, do you guys mind keeping an eye out for Cloud and our friends? They've been gone for a long time and I've heard nothing from them. I'm starting to get worried." Tifa said as Sora summoned his armor and Keyblade Rider.

"We'll keep both our eyes peeled for you Tifa. Though we'll have to rely on Sora more than me since he knows what he looks like and I don't." Aqua said with a chuckle. Tifa smiled and nodded understandingly.

"Come on Sora, daylight's burning." Aqua said as she hopped onto her Keyblade Rider.

"Hurry back Sora." Kairi said as Sora hopped onto his Keyblade Rider.

"Don't worry Kairi. Hey, maybe the next time you see me, I'll be a true Keyblade Master." Sora said as Kairi smiled up at him.

"Take care out there buddy." Riku said as Sora nodded. Soon he and Aqua rocketed out towards the stars. While in flight, Sora flew up next to Aqua.

"So where are we going now?" Sora asked as Aqua glanced in his direction for a second.

"You need some practice with your new abilities so we're going to the best place to do that. A place better than Olympus Coliseum." Aqua said, earning Sora's attention.

"Really? Where's that?" Sora asked before Aqua replied…

"A place called, Mirage Arena."

End Chapter 24.

A/N: Bom-bom-bom! The plot thickens!

The song above was "Can you feel the Love Tonight" From Disney's Lion King. The lyrics were altered to fit the scene.