On the Way to a Smile

by Regiss

Axel made a promise that he'd always be there to bring them back, but now Lea finds that he can't remember who one of "them" was. With his heart weighed down by guilt, Lea will do anything to get his friend back—and his memories with her. Part 3 of Remember the Tides.

4. Nothing Left

Chapter 4: Nothing Left

Lea took a deep breath to brace himself as he stood in front of the large, bleak building built into the rocky blue mountainside. The stark white building with darkened one-way windows certainly made it look official, but at a glance no one could tell what it really was. And Leon had wanted it that way; it wouldn't do to worry the people of Radiant Garden, not when they were still busy putting their lives back together. Radiant Garden's new prison was not large, for it had only been constructed to hold a small handful of prisoners. But it had security despite its size, because that handful was incredibly dangerous.

There were two security guards posted outside the front doors, and probably more watching via camera from some control room. The two men held lances in their hands, but gripped them awkwardly, not used to the oversized weapons—or probably any weapons. Adding to their less-than-imposing aura was the fact that, while they wore the dark blue-grey button-up uniform of the old Bastion guard, it was about a size too big on their spindly frames and obviously not actually made for them. At a guess, the Restoration Committee has raided the Bastion for any leftover uniforms when they reestablished the guards.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Lea quipped with a wave and a nod as he made his way to the doors of the prison. His reply was two lances crossing in front of the doors and barring his path. "Or maybe not so good. What's the deal?"

"We can't just let anyone walk into here willy-nilly," said the first guard. Lea peered at him with a frown, studying him. This kid couldn't have been any older than sixteen, tops. His hair was meticulously brushed, and he was trying way too hard to look stern.

"'Just anyone,' huh?" Lea put his hands on his hips and turned to the other, much older, guard. "Squall should have said I was coming. Name's Lea."

The two guards exchanged glances with one another, and though they lowered their weapons slightly they didn't remove them from in front of the door. The older one spoke slowly as he looked back to Lea. "Mister Leonhart did contact us, but he only said Mister Tuesti would be coming by."

Lea let loose the frown he had felt tugging at his lips the last few minutes. Really, he only told them Reeve was coming? Thanks for that. Guess he didn't see this whole thing with Isa as too important after all. Well, Lea supposed he couldn't blame him too much for that. After all, it was something personal Lea was doing. Reeve was here on official business.

Still, way to help out a friend.

"Pardon?" When the older guard spoke up again, Lea realized he had said that last part out loud.

"Forget it. I don't suppose you two could let me through just this once?"

While the older guard hesitated a moment, the younger guard didn't even give it a moment's thought. "This is an official site of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, and only those with express permission from Committee heads are allowed inside. I apologize, but we will have to turn you around. Have a good day, sir."

"You read that off a notecard or something?" Lea glanced over at the elder of the pair. "Come on, be a little lax. You guys know me, I'm a friend of the Committee's founders."

"We cannot do that, sir!" said the younger guard.

The elder guard sighed. "Rules are rules, as they say. You're right: I've seen you around and know you're a friend of theirs, and I'd like to let you just walk on in, but unless we get some confirmation from people above us we can't do that."

Then the younger spoke up again. "If we let just anyone pass without the okay, even you, then that could lead to more dangerous people accessing this building."

Lea sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. For crying out loud, these two sure were sticklers. Though their hearts were in the right place at least, even if that was kind of a slippery slope analogy. Though even they didn't seem to quite understand what they were guarding, unless the kid just didn't want to say the word prison out loud. "Alright, I guess I'll go pester Squall a bit more. Be back later."

But just as Lea was about to turn on his heel and grumble his way back to Merlin's place, the front door slid open. "There's no need for that." The two guards quickly lowered their weapons and stepped aside for the man as he made his way out of the prison.

Lea crossed his arms and allowed himself a smile. "Well, well, if it isn't Reeve Tuesti himself. Squall told me you were speaking to Ienzo, but I didn't think you'd still be here."

"Hello to you too, Lea. And it was a very enlightening discussion, I must say. I think we may be moving ahead on the Materia plan after all." Wait, what? Did he mean that Ienzo was cooperative? That certainly gave Lea some hope, but it didn't make much sense to him. His confusion must have been written on his face, because Reeve raised an eyebrow and asked, "Leon did mention that as well, didn't he?"

"Huh? Oh, no, yeah. He did. Briefly, anyway." Lea shook his head. "I just didn't expect anyone in there to be helpful."

Reeve chuckled. "I had hoped, but I must admit I was very surprised as well. Though I suppose when it gets right down to it, those four still want to live and know they need a steady supply of food and water to do that." Reeve chuckled once more and then rested his eyes on Lea for a short moment. "So, you're looking to speak to them as well, right?"

How the hell did he know that? "Uh, yeah, though your two guards aren't being too cooperative. I mean it's their job and all, but still…"

Reeve nodded and turned to the two of them. "It's alright, you two."

"Sir?"

"Lea's a friend. And I do have the same authority in this matter as Leon, don't I?"

The older man nodded and the younger saluted. "Yes, sir. Of course, sir."

Reeve smiled and then turned back to Lea. "There, you see? I have no idea what you plan to achieve talking to them, but it's not really any of my business, I suppose. What's the harm?"

"Guess I owe you some thanks." Lea moved forward, this time unhindered by the two guards or their lances as he moved toward the door and it slid open upon proximity.

"Think nothing of it."

"Good, then I won't." Standing in the open doorway, Lea turned around and smirked at Reeve. "That was way too opportune timing, man. How long were you listening behind the door, waiting for an opportunity to do some favor to get on Leon's good side?"

Reeve simply smiled. "I was just doing what anyone in my position would do. Have a good day Lea, gentlemen." He made his way back into town with a wave over his shoulder.

Shrugging, Lea turned back around with a shake of his head and moved into the prison, letting the door shut behind him. The entry room was simple and small, with bare white walls, one-way windows looking outside, and three doors: the one behind Lea, one to his left going to the security room, and one right ahead of him that led to the cells. Lea pushed the door open, revealing a long, thin, well-lit staircase going down and down into the blue rock of the mountainside until it ended at an identical door about a story underground. His footsteps left dull echoes as he made his way down the metal stairs in silence, his heart beating at the thought of seeing those faces again.

Beyond the second door there was a shift in the atmosphere that Lea felt immediately. It was as if all the spells he had learned suddenly vanished, and all his magic power stripped away. Amidst the bright, plain white walls of the prison, Lea heard a dull hum that wasn't coming from the air conditioning. Up above, attached to the ceiling, was a machine hooked up to a purple crystal. Nethicite. The ore absorbed the magic in the area and prevented spells from being cast, preventing any sort of escape by the prisoners whether it be destroying their cells or teleporting out. Not that anyone was sure they could teleport out; Lea hadn't been able to use corridors of darkness since he came back, so it stood to reason the apprentices couldn't either.

Speaking of the apprentices, only Dilan bothered to turn his attention to Lea when the redhead entered the room. Lea wasn't separated from them by barred doors, but rather by some sort of reinforced glass. Their cells were sparsely furnished, but they had the essentials including small beds and desks. It wasn't that different from how their rooms had been in the Castle That Never Was, really, and there were even a few personal touches among them, objects that they had been allowed to request from the guards like books or puzzles.

Dilan, sitting on the edge of his bed with his back hunched over and his arms resting on his legs, glowered at Lea from behind the glass. A finished plate of food sat on the small desk in the corner of his cell, neatly cleaned and ready to be taken the next time the guards stopped by. The ponytail of dreadlocks that Lea remembered the former castle guard sporting was undone, his long black hair framing his face and falling down his back. His jaw was clenched tightly as he continued to hold his steady gaze, but he said nothing. Dilan and Lea continued their staring contest until dry laughter wafted up from the next cell over.

"So the traitor has come to speak with us, has he?" Even asked without looking up from the desk in his cell. The (former?) scientist looked a mess, with his long hair disheveled and seemingly beginning to go gray. From what little Lea could see of his face, as he still had not looked over at him, Even was also beginning to show wrinkles. It was kind of shocking to see, he hadn't looked anything like this just a few months ago. Stress, maybe? Bright green eyes flicked in Lea's direction for only a moment, but quickly returned to the desk as Even wrote down something-or-other in a journal.

"Yeesh, glad to see you too. But I guess I should've expected such a cold reception from you," Lea deadpanned.

"Spare me your puns." Lea could practically hear Even rolling his eyes. "If you have come to hound us as Reeve Tuesti did to Ienzo, I can assure you that only he knows what the process to Materia creation is. As we all already told him. Repeatedly."

"I'm not actually, though I did run into Reeve on the way in." Lea turned to Ienzo, who hadn't even acknowledged his presence yet. "I'm surprised you agreed to help him."

Ienzo sat in a chair against the far wall of his cell, lost in whatever book he was reading. Lea tilted his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the cover. No dice. Ienzo's hair still fell over his eye, but the slight blue tint it had as Zexion was gone, back to the silver-grey he had as when he was a kid, in fact. It seemed he had gone back to being as quiet as back then too, since still hadn't said a word even with Lea looking right him. When at he finally did speak up, he still didn't turn away from the book and just flipped to the next page. "We're not irrational, Lea."

Well at least he wasn't deaf. "So then why not look into the goodness of your new-found heart and help me out as well?"

Ienzo finally looked up from his book and shot Lea a glare, while behind Lea Even barked out a laugh. The redhead turned around to see Even leaning back in his chair, his head tilted back and his hand on his forehead as he continued to cackle. "Help you?!"

Lea frowned while Even's laughter filled the prison. "Yeah, why not? You had no problem helping Reeve."

"'Why not'? Why not, he says!" Even still laughed, and Ienzo was still glaring at him. "Lea, you tell others to get things memorized but do you have any sort of recollection in that tiny little peanut you call a brain? Do you even know why we are in this predicament in the first place?!"

"You were recompleted after dying—"

"After you killed us, you bastard!" Even shouted, leaping from his chair and slamming his fists against the glass. Lea took a step back, shocked by the sudden surge of emotion, though it only served in bringing him closer to Ienzo who had stood up as well.

"The Organization was the string that tied us together." Ienzo spoke calmly but had an edge in his voice as he marked the page he was on and left his book shut on the desk. "Everything was almost in our grasp until you had to go and break that tie."

Lea almost quipped that technically he wasn't the one to actually kill Zexion, but he held his tongue on that. "What the hell, you two? You're mad that I gave you your hearts back? That was the whole reason you went along with Xemnas's plans anyway!" Lea turned from Ienzo's stone-cold glare to Even's barely restrained fury, then spared a glance at Dilan and Aeleus watching in silence. "I didn't even have anything to do with you guys, you got something against me as well?"

"You turned against the Organization," Dilan commented dryly. "You gave into the weakness of the heart and worked against all logic."

"The weakness of the… Don't tell me you guys liked being Nobodies?!" For an answer, Lea looked at each of the former apprentices in turn: Dilan kept his face steady, Ienzo's was cold, Even was grinding his teeth as he seethed with rage, and Aeleus…wasn't even looking at him anymore.

The silent giant of the apprentices sat on his small, hard bed, his bright sky blue eyes eyes focused on what it was kept his hands busy. Aeleus was toying around with some sort of puzzle made of interlocking metal pieces that he had to try and take apart. Aeleus seemed utterly focused as he worked on it, his eyes narrowed and lips pursed, but he apparently wasn't putting everything he had into it because he spoke up—albeit without taking his eyes off the puzzle. "Lea, if you aren't here for the Materia then why are you here?"

"I…" Lea trailed off before finally getting around to hounding them about Isa, because at that moment a thought occurred to him. The conversation with Cissnei and Leon replayed in his head. Slowly he looked over to Even, who had calmed down though still had a flash of anger in his eyes, and thought over his words carefully. "…Even, did you ever make any replicas besides Riku's?"

Even quirked an eyebrow. He lowered his fists from the glass separating him and Lea and unfurled his fingers before cupping his chin in his hands. To top it off, Even gave one of his signature creepy smug smiles. "Of course. What kind of scientist has only one subject in an experiment? But I have no idea why you care about that; none except for Riku's were in any way successful. They barely moved at all and couldn't even copy memories like the Riku Replica." Even's voice took on a wistful tone. "Ah, he was my most incredible work…"

Something bothered Lea about what Even said, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he suppressed it and moved on. That question had simply been asked on a whim, it wasn't what he had come for. "Whatever. That's not why I came here anyway."

"Then get to the point," Ienzo said.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Lea crossed his arms and stared them all down. "Where's Isa?"

There was an uncomfortable, and perhaps confused, silence that washed over the prison at Lea's question. The four men seemed completely befuddled at his question, Ienzo and Dilan exchanging glances with each other through the glass walls of their cells and Even staring at Lea like he had lost his mind. "What in the world are you talking about?" Dilan asked.

"Isa. Saïx!" Lea practically shouted the second name, hoping it would jog their memory. He snapped his fingers and whirled on Ienzo, pointing at him. "What happens to someone who loses both their Heartless and Nobody, like we did?"

Ienzo said his response almost robotically. "When someone who's lost their heart is recompleted, they should return to the place where it happened. And if that world is unavailable for whatever reason, a refuge is made for them in the Realm Between—a world called 'Traverse Town'. They would be sent there. Or perhaps—"

Lea held a hand up, cutting him off. That was what he wanted to hear; or rather, what he wanted the others to hear. "Look, okay. The fact is—we're here. We've been recompleted, right? So Isa should be here too—plain and simple. So was he blasted off to some other world or what?"

Aeleus once more spoke up without looking up from his puzzle. "Saïx is not here because there is nothing left of him to be here."

"…The hell are you going on about?"

"Are you really so dense as to not notice his golden eyes and pointed ears?" Dilan shook his head in a disappointed manner.

Lea grit his teeth. "Of course I—"

"And here I thought you were somewhat intelligent. What, did you think that was some sort of taint of the darkness? Then why do Riku or Maleficent not have the same physical mutations, Lea? No, what happened to Saïx had nothing to do with powers of darkness. What happened to him was far more…" Dilan grasped for words.

"It was something from the heart," Even offered.

Lea was growing impatient. "Stop beating around the bush before I set this whole place on fire." Not that he could back up that threat with the nethicite still active.

"Saïx—and Braig as well—held a fragment of Xehanort's heart," Ienzo said. "In somewhat the same manner Ansem was able to control Riku, though far more limited in fashion. It allowed Xehanort to coerce Braig from beyond the grave, who in turn coerced Xemnas, the amnesiac that he was, into moving things toward their plan with the χ-blade."

"…You're making that up." No way he'd believe it.

Ienzo shrugged and turned back to his book. "Believe me or don't believe me, I don't care either way."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Lea snapped. "What purpose would Xehanort have for—for possessing people? This isn't like when Ansem didn't have a body. He could move through Xemnas already!"

"Why do you think we were called Organization XIII before there were thirteen members?" Aeleus finished his puzzle, separating the metal pieces, and looked up at Lea as he lowered his hands to his lap. "That was all a part of Xehanort's scheming as well. He planned on separating his heart into thirteen pieces, all on his way to get his hands on the χ-blade. When he learned Roxas held Ventus's heart, however, he used Braig to move things down the Vanitas route instead."

"I…I…" Lea's throat was suddenly incredibly dry, and he felt an overwhelming sense of vertigo. Pieces were all now fitting together. He had never actually questioned the Organization's name before, but now that he knew, coupled with what little he knew about the χ-blade… "You knew all of this?!"

Even shook his head. "Not at first. Aeleus was the only one to learn firsthand; the rest of us learned from him while we were locked up in here."

Lea turned to the broad-shouldered stalwart, who was now gently tossing up and down the two metal pieces of his puzzle in a single hand. "Explain, big guy. Now."

Aeleus, face hard, nodded. "It happened in Castle Oblivion. During my battle with Riku, Ansem—Xehanort's Heartless, need I remind you—took control of him and finished me off. A shameful defeat, but an eye-opening one. In that moment, I…connected with him. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was through my heart. And though Ansem's memories were a jumbled mess, I was able to make out the remnants of Xehanort within him. I saw everything, then and there." He stopped bouncing the puzzle pieces in his palm and stared down at his open hands. "My final words were regret that I had started a fight I should not have. Riku and Ansem both believed it to mean our battle, but that wasn't the case. The fight I should not have started was long before that, when I argued with Master Ansem to move forward with Xehanort's vile experiments!"

Lea stared at him with a newfound sense of…pity, maybe? Or pride? He wasn't sure, but it was clear that Aeleus was, unlike the other three, filled with immense regret over what it was he had done during his apprenticeship and further time as Lexaeus.

"Anyway…" Aeleus looked up at Lea. "The reason that Isa is not here among us now is because of Xehanort's taint. He wasn't Isa anymore, Lea. He was Xehanort. And so he became a part of the completed Xehanort the day Xehanort reappeared in the castle. There is nothing left of Isa to be recompleted."

"So there you have it," Even said coldly. "Now leave us alone."

Lea's head was spinning. A chill was running down his spine, and his shaking legs had rooted him in place. This was…a lot to take in. Isa was just…gone? That couldn't… How could somebody just be erased like that? Without anything but memories of them left behind? "Y-Yeah…" he managed to wheeze out, and turned around on his stiff legs. "I just might."

"Hold on." Dilan's order stopped Lea just before he began the long, slow climb up the stairs to the surface. "Why ask now? Why do you care about what happened now, but not when we first appeared months ago?"

"I…" Lea took a moment, taking in a deep breath. "I thought I remembered something. You were there, Dilan—the day the Organization attacked Radiant Garden. Was Saïx on my side?"

He didn't look back, staring at his hand on the doorknob, but he could feel Dilan's gaze boring into him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I remember…speaking to Squall, and counting Sora and someone else among my friends. But it's like—like someone took some white-out and erased whoever it was

"And why the hell would you count Saïx among that number? Think, you idiot. He killed you that day. Whatever 'friends' you were listing off, it was definitely not Saïx."

Of course. That made sense, and it's not like he had forgotten Saïx's attack. But, if there was no one else there…and Lea was certain he remembered saying more than just Sora's name… Lea's grip tightened on the door knob.

Then who was it?

Who had he forgotten?

x-x-x

Aqua moved down the streets of Radiant Garden at a leisurely base, but nonetheless with purpose. Just about everyone had spotted the Gummi ship flying over the city, and she had passed a handful of groups of people talking about it amongst themselves. The Highwind coming to Radiant Garden wasn't that uncommon of a sight, but it became less frequent as rebuilding started to slow down, and it'd been a few months since the last time. But all the more reason to stop by Merlin's house, where she knew its passengers were sure to head first thing.

Aqua knocked on the door, though didn't wait for an answer before creaking it open and popping her head in. A small crowd was gathered at the coffee table, including Ven—as Aqua had expected. But a smile came to the Keyblade Master's face as her eyes were drawn to the two newcomers seated and chatting happily with everyone. Sora and Kairi were the Restoration Committee's visitors this day.

Sora seemed slightly taller than the last time Aqua had seen him, and his hair contrasted that by being slightly shorter and somewhat less wild—still wild, just less. But the more things change, the more they stay the same; he still had on that same outfit of his, the one he had gotten from some friend before the final siege of Hollow Bastion last year, with dark blues and reds. He and Ven were laughing at something Yuffie said. Those two continued to be spitting images of each other, in spirit if nothing else.

As for Kairi, she had foregone the pink dress that Aqua had grown used to seeing her wear. It had been swapped out for a sleeveless, white hooded jacket partly zipped up over a black tank top and lilac shorts with a familiar crown-shaped emblem sewn onto her left back pocket. Her red hair was still the same length as before and, of course, she still wore that necklace that Aqua had enchanted so many years ago.

"Oh! Aqua!" Kairi stood up and waved over to her friend, and Aqua greeted her in kind. She moved over to the gang and ruffled Ven's hair before sitting down between him and Kairi.

"Hey there, how are you two doing? And Riku's not here with you?"

Kairi shook her head. "Riku has some school stuff to deal with. The year's almost over, but not quite yet."

Yuffie groaned loudly. "Ugh, don't remind me! Me and Ven just got back from school a little while ago."

"That's 'Ven and I', Yuffie," Merlin said with a chuckle. Yuffie stuck her tongue at him in reply.

Kairi let out a small giggle before continuing. "Since Riku and Sora missed so much, things were a little bumpy with classes when they got back. They've mostly leveled out, but Riku still has some things he needs to take care of."

"And Sora doesn't?"

With perhaps the smuggest grin Aqua had ever seen, Sora crossed his arms and raised his nose into the air. "For once I actually beat Riku in school! All my credits and classes for the year I was asleep are taken care of."

Kairi smirked. "Sure, after you spent five straight weekends up in classes."

"T-The point is I'm free!"

Light laughter lit up Merlin's house, and Merlin himself waved his wand over in the direction of the kitchen to get everyone some drinks. A fresh cup of tea gently floated into Aqua's hands like a feather on the wind, and after taking a sip of it she looked to Sora and Kairi again. "So, what brings you two out here? Just dropping by?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. We wanted to see everyone, and to help out if you guys need it."

"Reconstruction is going along fine," said Aerith, who wasn't seated but instead arranging a floral arrangement across the room. "Cid and his new assistants, Biggs and Wedge, are working on the town's defenses and Leon is caught up in some debate with Reeve over what our priorities should be, but right now everything has kind of settled down. Everyone has a place to live, even if the town's a bit cramped."

Aqua set her cup down. "I've been helping around town with odd jobs, whoever needs me. I was at Scrooge's shop just earlier. Oh! That reminds me. Sora, next time you see Donald, can you tell him that Scrooge says—"

Slam!

Aqua was interrupted by the front door to Merlin's house shutting loudly. Heads turned to see a redhead, eyes low and shoulders slumped, looking back at the door. "Sorry about that," he muttered to the assembled group.

"Hey, Lea!" Sora waved him over, but Lea gave him only the barest of bare acknowledgments. He nodded at Sora without saying a word, then made his way toward the staircase leading upstairs.

"I won't be long. I just gotta get something I left here."

"Um… Of course…" Merlin said with a raised eyebrow. He frowned after the redhead, brushing his hand through his beard with concern. "Oh my, it appears our friend appears rather out of sorts."

"What's wrong with him?" Kairi asked.

Ven shrugged. "I have no clue. He was kind of out of it when Yuffie and I ran into him earlier, but not that bad. He said he was having a pretty bad dream last night, too. Something about that one world you guys have talked about, Twilight Town?"

Something about what Ven said seemed to trigger something inside Sora. At first, at the mention of a bad dream, he looked suddenly alert. When Ven mentioned Twilight Town, he stiffened up. Aqua didn't miss the way that Kairi gazed at him worriedly, either. Something wasn't quite right with him, and Kairi seemed to know what it was.

Then, suddenly, whatever it was had passed. Sora turned to Merlin. "Hey, Merlin. Where do you keep your books now?"

Merlin adjusted his glasses. "My books? Well now let's see… It's not in the basement, no, no, not since Cid converted it into his confounded laboratory… Is it—no, I wouldn't keep books in the kitchen. Of course not. Books, books…" Merlin had gotten up out of his seat and wandered back and forth along the length of the room, tapping his head with his wand. "Aha! Oh, Sora, you clever lad! I know what book you're looking for, and I do know where that one is at the least!"

Sora smiled and stood up as well. "You know me too well, Merlin."

"You're going to introduce them to Lea, are you? Hoping to cheer him up? A capital idea, if you ask me!"

"What's he talking about? What book is this?" Kairi asked.

Still smiling, Sora held his finger up in front of his lips. "It's a surprise!"

"A pleasant surprise at that! Sora, you should take Kairi along as well." Merlin opened a drawer in a nearby desk and pulled out a book with a brown cover, held tight by a gold-locked strap. Aqua's eyes fell on the cover, featuring colorful characters beside a boy with brown hair.

"Wait, that title…"

"Hey, I recognize that book!" Ven exclaimed beside her. "Or uh, do I? The cover's different."

Kairi had joined Sora as Merlin handed the book over to him. "Sora, is that you on the cover?"

Sora flashed a toothy grin. "It's a long story. To put it shortly, this is exactly what we need to put a smile back on Lea's face!"

Lea came back down the stairs with a sea-salt ice cream bar in his hands. "I don't need help anyway. I'm fine guys, just got something on my mind. Don't worry about it."

"No way, Lea!" Sora sprinted over to him with the book clutched tightly in his grasp, almost reverently. The way he held onto it, it was clearly important to him. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, we're going to cheer you up!"

Lea sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then rolled his eyes. But he didn't move away. "Well how's a book gonna do that?"

"That's kind of what I'd like to know," Kairi said.

Sora looked to both of them, then turned around and held the book out so all three were facing its cover. Lea's brow furrowed as he registered the younger Sora on the cover, holding the hand of what appeared to be a little yellow bear in a red shirt.

"Just watch!" Sora unlatched the golden lock and opened the book before the three of them. From her position Aqua couldn't see what was happening, but Kairi and Lea both gasped in surprise. A moment later, a brilliant glow illuminated the room…and then the book snapped shut on the ground, with all three of them gone.