Destiny Islands
Kira stepped out of the Dark Corridor and onto the footpath of the neighbourhood that she and her friends had once called home. Tsuki's house was to her right. Kira lived a couple of houses down and Roka's was right across the street. Kira crossed the road quickly and ran all the way to her friend's house. When she jogged up the front steps, she banged on the door a couple of times and waited. Not long after, Haruki opened the door and Kira greeted her with a beaming smile.
"Is Roka home?"
Haruki's mouth dropped open and the glass of water she'd been holding fell to the floor. The glass itself survived the fall, but the carpet on the inside of the house was soaked. Haruki threw her hands to her cheeks.
"I don't believe...Kira, is that you?"
Kira was feeling incredibly awkward after the small accident she had caused and hardly even knew what to say. "Um...I can help clean that up for you-"
"N-no, it's fine! Please, Roka's gone back to the Island, go see him! He's been waiting for you for so long!" Haruki waved her away, but in a polite and excited manner.
Kira, returning to her ultra-happy mood, nodded quickly, turned and ran off. "Thank you! Tell my parents that I'm okay! Tsuki's, too!" she called back over her shoulder.
"I will!" Haruki called back, waving.
When Kira turned a corner to head towards the beach, she bumped straight into Denzel, causing both of them to stumble backwards. Kira closed her eyes and shook her head before looking to see who she had hit.
"Denzel?!"
Denzel drew in a loud gasp. "No way! Kira?!"
Kira attacked the boy with a big hug. "You've gotten so tall!" she snuggled into him.
Denzel laughed, "This is amazing! I thought you'd never come back!"
Kira let him go and grinned. "It's so great to see you, Denzel. But listen, I really need to go find Roka, so-"
Denzel's expression turned serious. "Wait, before you go, there's something I should probably tell you about Roka first..."
Kira's heart was racing as she sprinted towards the Secret Place. It was good to see the special little shack again, but her reasons for coming there made it a little hard to get sentimental about it. She skidded to a stop and crashed her fist into the door in a panic, still catching her breath from rowing to the Island and running to the Secret Place as fast as she could. She tried to pull it open, wondering why she hadn't done so in the first place, but quickly found that it was locked.
Kira growled in frustration. "Roka, are you in there?" She waited for a reply, but none came. "It's me! It's Kira!"
The door unlatched and Roka threw it open from the other side. He screamed his friend's name as he embraced her and pulled her forwards into the shack. Kira gasped, losing her balance and stumbling forwards, causing Roka to fall onto his back with her on top of him. Roka grunted and pushed himself into a sitting position, pulling Kira into another hug on the ground.
"Kira...Kira, please tell me you're real. Tell me I'm not dreaming," he was crying.
Kira held onto Roka tightly, suddenly overwhelmed with several emotions at once. "It's me, I'm right here."
"Please don't leave me, Kira. Don't ever leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise, I'm going to stay with you forever."
Roka pulled back and smiled through his tears, laughing and sobbing at the same time.
"I'm so sorry, Roka. What happened to you, you look terrible..." Kira was finally able to get a good look at her friend, seeing the tired black marks around his eyes as she gently put a hand to his face and brushed back his long blue fringe.
"I...couldn't cope...with being alone like this," Roka let out a shaky breath.
"But, you weren't alone...you had Penelo and..."
"It's not the same without you and Tsuki. It almost..."
Kira looked around the shack and saw an large open treasure chest containing a couple of pillows and a blanket. Has Roka been staying the night here?
"It almost destroyed me," Roka choked on his words.
Kira looked back at Roka, "It's going to be okay now."
"No, I mean...I almost destroyed me," Roka pursed his lips sadly.
Kira suddenly realised what he meant and she gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. "Roka...you didn't..."
Roka looked away. "I thought about doing it. I was willing to try anything just to see you again. I was just so sad, I didn't even know how to smile anymore. I didn't see the point in fighting. But then I finally came back here after a whole year of avoiding this place. And when I saw that drawing..." he gestured to the drawing on the wall that he and Kira had made together when they were kids, "I knew that I had to just...go on doing the best I could. Because I was sure that you'd come back some day."
Kira saw that he had drawn himself giving a Paopu fruit to her just as she had drawn herself giving him one a year ago. It made her so happy to see the completed picture. She heard Roka breathe a short laugh and she turned back quickly to look at him again.
"Are we going to get Tsuki now?" he stood up and smiled.
Kira pushed herself to her feet as well and reached for Roka's hand, taking it in hers and holding it affectionately. She looked into Roka's eyes and grinned. "You bet."
Summoning a Corridor of Darkness, Kira sent the two of them to the World That Never Was.
Hollow Bastion
Opening that door was the hardest thing that Riku had ever done. Sure, he had betrayed his best friend. Sure he'd had to leave his own body behind to take on the form of a Heartless. But he knew that nothing could ever come close to being as hard as it was to open that door and see the sleeping Nobody lying in her bed. He was the cause of that. If he hadn't fought her, she would have had enough strength to take on the woman who killed her. Tsuki was just an innocent girl. Why did he do it? Just because some stranger in a robe told him to? I'm such an idiot, he cringed as he approached the bed.
Having completely forgotten about Tsuki, he had never planned to be there in the first place. But Kira had already left and was probably waiting for him at that time. He couldn't very well just leave her and Roka alone in the Organization's world. But now, he was starting to wish that he'd never returned to this place at all. There were too many painful memories stored within the walls the Hollow Bastion castle.
Staring down at the ginger-haired Nobody made his throat hurt a little. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm...sorry," he murmured to the sleeping girl as he pushed back the bed sheets and scooped her up in his arms.
She was still wearing the same torn black dress that she had been wearing the last time he'd seen her. Her hair had grown a lot in the past year. Her long hair that used to reach mid-back length now flowed down to her hips, which had also grown a small amount, widening into a sixteen-year-old's figure. Her facial features had matured a little as well, and her expression was calm.
Tentatively cradling her in his arms, Riku took Tsuki's Nobody and disappeared in a Dark Corridor.
The World That Never Was
Just as Riku had expected, Kira and Roka were waiting for him at the highest area of the Castle That Never Was. The artificial Kingdom Hearts shone brightly above them.
Kira ran up to Riku as the Corridor disappeared. "Thank you so much for doing this," she said, smiling down at her sleeping friend.
Riku looked away sighing, "You didn't exactly give me much of a choice. But I guess I can't go around with someone else's light in my heart..."
Kira pressed her lips together and gave him a cheeky grin.
"Come on, let's do this before somebody comes!" Roka called to them.
Riku nodded and took a few steps forward. "So...what exactly am I supposed to do, again?"
"Just stand there holding Tsuki, and will her light out of your heart. It'll find Tsuki's heart up there and return it to her!" Kira explained, pointing the heart-shaped moon in the black sky.
"Alright then," Riku was still a little confused as to how this was going to work, but he followed her simple instructions.
He closed his eyes, trying to search the depths of his heart for an unfamiliar light. When he finally felt its presence, he willed it to leave. Thanks for protecting me. But I think I'm strong enough to fight on my own, with my own light. You can go back to Tsuki, now.
With a small flash, a tiny beam of light was released from Riku's chest. Everyone stared at it; Riku in shock and Kira and Roka in excitement. The light hovered above their heads for a few seconds before shooting up into the sky. It disappeared into the Organization's Kingdom Hearts and soon afterwards, a bigger sparkling ball of light, a heart, floated down and into the sleeping Nobody's chest.
Tsuki's green eyes opened immediately.
She slowly turned her head up to look at Riku who was staring at her with his lips parted slightly in shock. She gazed sleepily into his gorgeous aquamarine eyes, a dreamy smile on her face.
Kira and Roka ran up to her, laughing quietly in relief. "Welcome back, Tsu," Kira grinned.
Tsuki breathed a contented sigh before her eyes slid shut once more. She was still awake, but something about her was a little off. Like she had fallen ill.
"W-what's wrong, Tsu?" Kira turned pale.
Riku's eyes narrowed and he turned his head quickly as he heard a Corridor of Darkness appear behind him. "We've got bigger problems," he said in a hushed, dark tone.
Axel stepped out of the darkness and scanned his eyes slowly over everyone. "Hey, long time no see, Riku..."
"A-Axel?" Kira gasped.
"Oh wow, is that you, Xarki?" the red-head's green eyes widened in shock.
Kira paused for a few seconds, a smile growing on her face as she was glad to see the red-head after so long. "Well, not quite. My name's Kira."
Axel coughed a laugh, "What are you, Xarki's twin sister, or something?"
Riku glared at him. Roka put a hand on Tsuki's limp arm protectively.
"Um, no. Axel, I'm not a-"
"Axel, what's taking you so long?" Kira recognised Xigbar's voice from somewhere not too far away.
"Uh-oh," Axel looked behind him with a serious expression. He turned back quickly and opened a Dark Portal. "Let's go. Now!"
"Where are we going?" Riku demanded.
Axel laughed as he ran forward. "Back to your place!" he disappeared.
"Come on," Kira gestured for the others to follow as she jumped into the darkness as well.
Riku gave Roka a nod before the two of them vanished through Axel's portal with Riku still holding on tightly to Tsuki in her sleepy state.
"Axel?" Xigbar ran up the white pathway. "Axel!"
He stopped, turning a full 360. After confirming that No. VIII wasn't there, Xigbar pursed his lips into a half-hearted frown before rubbing the back of his head.
"Ugh, now look what you've done. Now I have to tell on you, and that's not gonna be pretty."
"What happened to Tsuki?" Naminé asked worriedly as everyone appeared in the White Room.
"Come with me, we need to figure out how to fix her," Riku walked briskly to the door and left with Tsuki in his arms and Roka quickly shuffling behind him.
"O-okay," Naminé jogged through the door as well.
It was nice seeing Riku acting so protective over his Reverse, but knowing that her friend was in good hands, Kira had other things to worry about. Now that the two of them were alone, she made eye-contact with Axel.
"I'm not a Nobody anymore."
Axel opened with mouth as if he was going to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he closed his mouth, puffed his cheeks full of air, then blew out slowly. "Wow. Um, how...how..."
"My heart's connected to Sora's," Kira quickly started her explanation to save him the trouble of finding his words.
When she finished, Axel didn't look much less confused, but he still nodded like he understood.
Kira folded her arms. "Right, now I've got some questions for you." A little sadness filled her expression and she looked away. "Can you tell me what happened to Larxene?" she mumbled.
Even after a year, she still hadn't forgotten about the eccentric Savage Nymph.
Axel blinked a couple of times, then spoke awkwardly. "Um, well...she...Larxene...Larxene was eliminated."
Kira felt a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach and clenched her teeth as she cringed. Although she had been half-expecting that answer; Larxene had already prepared her for it; it still killed her inside.
She took a deep shivering breath. "How did she die?"
Axel looked down at the floor. "She was too careless. She got into a fight with Sora that she couldn't win."
Kira felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she nodded in response.
I'm gonna see you again, though. Right? Of course. I know we'll see each other again some day. Don't forget about me, okay? 'Course not! You're my friend, remember.
"And what about Zexion?" Kira asked suddenly.
Axel lifted his head and tilted it a little in confusion. "Huh? Zexion?" he asked as if he was confirming that he had heard her correctly.
"Yeah. What happened to Zexion?" Kira mumbled with a hint of demand in her tone.
Axel turned a ghostly white colour. His eyes darted left then right, a guilty look on his face. He eventually replied in a sorry voice. "He was eliminated as well."
Kira could hear the guilt in his voice and a few pieces clicked into place in her mind. "And who's fault was that?" her sadness was beginning to become mixed with anger.
Axel stared into space with empty eyes. "Mine."
Kira clenched her fists and her teeth, fighting back tears will all her strength.
"You...you...you bastard!"
With a violent scream, she stepped forward and kicked Axel as hard as she could in the chest. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps. Hunched over, clutching his chest, Axel looked up helplessly as Kira crashed a fist across his face. He fell sideways, using his hands to support himself on the ground. He stayed there, letting Kira throw punch after punch. Axel did nothing but grunt with each hit, feeling like he deserved every painful blow she delivered.
Kira hit him until her knuckles were sore and her throat hurt from screaming. Finally, she let Axel stand up. He was panting, but not as much as Kira was. His face was a little red in a few places, but not as much as Kira's hands were. But still, she refused to cry. Wherever you're going, Kira…do your best to keep smiling.
"How could you..."
"I'm sorry. I was following or-"
"No. You know what, I don't want to hear it."
I didn't even know she was friends with Zexion, Axel thought. I disappointed her. I bet that's why she acted out when she found out what happened to Zexion rather than when I told her about Larxene. Because she saw me as a friend, too. She trusted me. Dammit, it seems like I'm breaking everyone's trust nowadays.
"Axel, you need to think really hard about the people you're working for. Decide if you really want to be a part of a group like that. You were a good person, but...look at what the Organization's turned you into," Kira mumbled in a bitter tone.
She had a point. Axel had been a pretty decent person. But over the past year, he had been responsible for the deaths of two of his comrades and he had lost his best friend in the whole world and couldn't get him back no matter how many times he tried. He'd done the Organization's dirty work because Xemnas had promised him a heart in return. But it hadn't been worth it. Not at all. I'll fix myself up. I'll try to be a good person from now on.
"Kira, I'm really sorry," he said.
Kira couldn't make eye-contact with him. She had calmed down, but her anger still boiled violently inside her heart. "I think you should leave now."
Axel stood there for a second, but then a tiny hint of a smile appeared on his face. He nodded with closed eyes and opened a Dark Portal.
"Thanks, Kira," he said quietly as he disappeared.
An image of the chess game she and Axel had played together flashed through Kira's mind for a second and she silently hoped that wherever Axel was going, someday he could return to the fun and friendly Axel he used to be.
She was distracted from her thoughts and sadness as the door to the White Room opened. Tsuki stepped through it with a bright smile on her face. The black dress had been replaced by her normal attire; a brown and black shirt (that had been too long for her a year ago and now fit her perfectly) and black 3/4 length leggings (that now came up to her knees). Her smile faded when she saw Kira's serious expression.
"What's wrong, Kira?" Tsuki's voice had matured a little as well.
Kira shook her head and sprinted towards her friend. "Forget it, it's nothing," she grinned as she wrapped her arms around Tsuki in the biggest hug she could give.
Tsuki squealed in delight as she spun Kira around in a full circle. "It's so good to see you!"
The two best friends pulled back a little and smiled at each other, giggling happily.
"I'm so glad you're okay! How did they manage to wake you up?" Kira asked, still holding onto Tsuki's arms.
The flame-head gasped as she pulled Kira to the door. "Oh, it's the weirdest thing ever! You have to see! Come on, I'll explain everything on the way."
Tsuki linked arms with Kira and the two of them made their way to the mansion's basement.
So from what Kira had gathered during their short journey to the Pod Room...
Tsuki's strong darkness, that had been the only active force inside her sleeping Nobody, had been rejecting the light that was trying to fill her heart. The conflict that was taking place inside her prevented Tsuki from waking up properly. So in order to fix this, DiZ took enough light and darkness from Tsuki's heart so that exactly half of each remained. This was actually quite easy for him to do as Tsuki's sub-conscious was more than aware of what was going on and was able to will the light and darkness from her body. With a perfect balance created, Tsuki was revived completely. As for what became of the left over light and darkness, DiZ kept the two forces safe inside Sora's empty pod, which he had woken up in and left a little while ago.
No further explaining was needed, because Kira could see very clearly what had happened next. She stared at the open pod in front of her, her mouth gaping open. There were two other sleeping Tsuki's floating there. Perfect clones. The only differences between them being that one was wearing a short torn black dress and silver chains around her wrists, and the other was wearing a long white skirt that flowed down to her ankles and white bandages wrapped around her torso and arms.
Kira was woken from her shock as Naminé spoke up from behind the control panel. "Isn't it amazing? The light and darkness each took up a form of their own. When they wake up, they'll be able to exist as their own beings separate from Tsuki."
"But won't it be kinda weird having three Tsuki's?" Kira could hardly get her head around it.
"I'm currently working on giving them and individual look of their own. Soon they'll be three different people," Naminé smiled.
"And when the two of them become strong enough to work together as one, they can return to Tsuki's heart without conflict," DiZ explained.
Kira nodded slowly, deciding to accept the strange information she had just learned without question. She decided that she didn't care what happened, as long as it meant that Tsuki was going to be okay.
"The only thing left to worry about is...what to call them."
"Hm?" Tsuki made a questioning noise at DiZ's comment.
The man in red stood beside Naminé as she tapped away at a keypad.
"Well, they're not Heartless or Nobodies. So what shall we call them?"
Tsuki reached out a pointing finger towards the girl in black. "Her name is Tristis," then she pointed at the girl in white, "And that's Laeta."
"You're naming them?" Roka guessed.
"That doesn't really help solve the problem," Riku said matter-of-factly.
Tsuki turned and looked at the two boys. "Of course it does! Look, you could go on forever trying to think of a proper name for them. They'll look similar to me, so you could call them my sisters. But they also came from me, so heck, you could go as far as to call them my daughters! But all those ideas just hurt my head...their whole existence hurts my head! So it'll be a lot easier if we just keep things simple and call them 'people'. So everybody, this is Tristis and Laeta!" Tsuki grinned.
DiZ thought it over in his logical brain, then smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot," he looked serious again as he suddenly remembered something. "It slipped my mind during everything that's happened. But very recently, I've become aware that certain people have gone missing from their worlds. They've been somehow transported to worlds far from their own."
Everyone gasped, each having something to say about the matter.
"Who?!" "That's horrible!" "What can we do?"
DiZ raised a hand to calm them down. "I have found a connection between all the people who have been scattered to other worlds. Kira, each person is from a world that you visited and sealed its Keyhole with darkness."
Kira raised a hand to her mouth. "You mean the darkness had some kind of weird affect on the world and somehow sent people...wait, how does that even work?"
"It took a whole year for the darkness to take effect, but yes, it has somehow sent people to other worlds. One person from each of the worlds you visited on your journey a year ago has gone missing in the past few days," DiZ finished.
Kira shook her head and ran a hand over her hair. "Oh man, this is all my fault. I'm going to get them back!"
"You're not going anywhere," Roka stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
Tsuki nodded. "He's right. You deserve a break more than any of us. I'll go and save the lost people," she made a determined fist.
Kira looked as though she was about to protest, wanting to take responsibility for her actions. But she could just picture the argument that she would start when Tsuki refused to back down. And besides, she promised Roka that she wasn't going to leave him.
She smiled gratefully, "That would be awesome."
"And Riku will be going along with you," DiZ made that decision for him.
A decision which Riku was apparently not very happy with. "Hey, I never said-"
"Come on, you know you've got plenty of time on your hands," Naminé glanced up from her work to give Riku a sweet smile.
"Yeah, come on Riku! It'll give us some Reverse bonding time!" Tsuki giggled. "Besides, you owe it to me after all the trouble I went through because of you," she added with a wink.
For a second, Riku hated her for even bringing that up. But he quickly realised that she had a good point. He gave in with a sigh, "Fine. But only if I get to check up on Sora every once and a while."
"Don't worry, we'll come back here after each world we visit, so you can use that time to go see him. Now...um...who's Sora?" Tsuki tilted her head in confusion.
Kira laughed, "That's right, you've missed a few explanations, haven't you."
"Yeah, I guess. I only knew that Riku was connected to my heart because Roka had a little habit of talking to the dolls we gave him a year ago. So he told me all about Riku when my light when my sub-conscious mind was with him," Tsuki smiled.
"H-hey, don't tell her that! Talking to dolls...it makes me sound crazy or something," Roka blushed nervously.
"Alright. Tsuki, you stay here for now and I'll bring you up to date on anything. Oh and Kira, there's another thing I need to tell you as well. There were some girls that came to Twilight Town asking about you. They've been travelling to many worlds, looking for you. You should be able to find them in the Tram Common," DiZ told both Tsuki and Kira in turn.
"Wh-...who could that have been?" Kira wondered.
Riku spoke up, "Before I go anywhere, Naminé, I need you to come with me."
Naminé stood up from the control panel. "There, I'm all finished. The changes I made to Tristis and Laeta's appearances should start to show soon, and I gave them both a unique voice as well. So, where are we going, Riku?"
The silver-haired young man smiled a little, "Come on, let's go get your sketch book. You won't be coming back here for a while."
Naminé stared at him for a few seconds in confusion, then slowly tilted her head to look down at her feet. "You're sending me away?"
"It's not like that. Things are gonna get pretty hectic around here, so I'll take you to someone who can take care of you for the time being," Riku started to walk towards the Pod Room's door, gesturing for her to follow with a quick flick of his wrist.
Understanding that Riku meant well by what he was doing, Naminé breathed out quietly into a smile. "Okay, Riku," she said as she started to walk with him. She turned and looked over her shoulder at everyone. "Goodbye. It was nice to meet you all," she sang.
Kira stepped forward quickly. "Hey, Naminé?"
The blonde Nobody stopped to hear what she had to say.
"Thank you. I mean it. You've helped me a lot. So thanks, Naminé," Kira flashed her signature grin.
"Yeah, thank you, Naminé!" Tsuki joined in.
"Thanks, Naminé," Roka was just as grateful for the help she had given his friends.
Even DiZ nodded in gratitude for everything she had done for him as well.
Naminé's lips parted a little in surprise and she placed a hand to her chest, suddenly overwhelmed by a wonderful new feeling. It took her a moment to find her words. "Y-you're welcome," she said finally, a happy smile spreading across her face.
Riku gently put a gloved hand on her shoulder and pulled his hood over his head as he walked out of the room with Naminé walking beside him. She looked back over her shoulder one last time to give everyone a bright grin.
Kira took Roka along with her as she left for the Tram Common in a Corridor of Darkness. The two of them walked along the dark red tram tracks together in the direction of the shops, all dotted around in their own little sections of the open area. The air outside was a little warm and smelled fresh, and it was a nice change from being cooped up inside the dark old mansion for so long. Kira breathed in deeply and let it out in a contented sigh.
"So, who are these girls that are looking for you, anyway?" Roka asked.
Kira folded her arms as she walked, suddenly finding her vest to be uncomfortably tight. "I have no id-... Wait...is that...?"
Roka followed Kira's gaze and saw three tiny girls with wings hovering by the Candy Shop window.
"Oh my gosh!" Kira screamed in excitement as she sprinted towards them.
"Look, we don't want any trouble. Just give us all the gummy bears you have," Paine put her hands on her hips.
"And a packet of watermelon bubble gum!" Rikku added in a cheerful tone.
"Do you maybe have any sour cola bottles?" Yuna asked politely.
The old shop keeper was terrified, "I-I already told you, I'm completely out of stock!"
"Liar!" Paine pointed a fist at the shivering woman.
"Yuna! Rikku! Paine!"
The three girls gasped in unison as they turned and saw Kira running towards them.
"Kira~!" Rikku flew forwards with outstretched hands and took hold of Kira's.
They spun each other around and Yuna flew up to attack Kira with a big hug. Roka caught up and stood behind the girly, hyper reunion that was happening in front of him. Paine stood back on the other side of it, staring at Roka with an unfazed expression.
"Hey," she greeted him in a deep voice.
Roka just smiled back awkwardly.
"We've been looking EVERYWHERE for you! You wouldn't believe the miles we've flown! The fiends we've faced!" Rikku cried dramatically.
"I can't believe you're here! I'm so glad to see you, it's been way too long! But...why have you been looking for me?" Kira laughed.
"Well, why not? We shouldn't need an excuse to see our favourite Keyblade wielder!" Yuna said.
"That, and you made us a promise to see us again. And then we didn't hear from you for a whole year," Paine added.
"We were so worried about you!" Rikku exclaimed, giving Kira a hug.
"Promise?" Kira looked back on her last meeting with the Gullwings. "Oh! Oh...right. Sorry, I couldn't get those accessories I promised to give you. I...ran into some troubles," Kira used a euphemism for 'I'm actually lucky to be alive right now.'
Yuna laughed, "Don't be sorry! We learned something really important on this journey, didn't we girls?"
Rikku and Paine floated there, tilting their heads in confusion.
Yuna looked at both of them in turn. "Oh, you two are hopeless. We learned that friendship is a far greater treasure than any accessory!"
That earned an "Ooooh~" in realization from her two companions.
"Don't worry, I know how I can make it up to you. I've still got all the money Tifa gave me when I first started my journey. Why don't you use it to buy yourselves an accessory each?" Kira offered as she took the munny pouch containing 100 munny from her shorts pocket and held it out towards Yuna.
The brunette gasped, "We can't take your munny!"
"Sure you can," Kira insisted, "I won't ever use it, anyway. Besides, I promised I'd get you guys some accessories! And a promise is a promise, right?"
The Gullwings exchanged questioning looks before Yuna reluctantly took the pouch and held it to her chest. "We really appreciate this. You're such a great friend, Kira!" Yuna said, thankfully.
Kira gave her a playful wink. "Spend it wisely!"
"Let's spend it now!" Rikku started to fly in the direction of Twilight Town's Accessory Shop.
But she was quickly stopped by Paine as she tightly grabbed hold of her red scarf-wings and pulled her back. "Not yet."
Kira laughed dreamily as old memories came skipping back to her. "So how's Tifa doing?"
"She never came back, actually. She went looking for some guy named Cloud and we haven't seen her since. Poor Morty's had to run the Seventh Heaven all by himself!" Yuna recounted.
"Aw, poor little moogle. Oh, what about Mickey? Have you seen him around, at all?" Kira asked, filled with anticipation.
Rikku gasped, "Funny you should ask!"
"We ran into him not too long ago. In fact, he's the one that told us that we could find you here," Paine said.
Kira covered her mouth as a big smile grew on her face. He's been checking up on me, hasn't he. Heh, I wish he'd say hi every once and a while, but I guess he's got lots of important stuff to do. I'm so glad he's okay.
She sighed in relief.
"Well, it's been so great seeing you again. I'm so glad you're safe, we were starting to fear the worst! But we better go now if we don't wanna miss the big sales in the next town we're going to!" Yuna flew forwards and gave Kira one last hug.
Rikku joined in too. Paine stayed back, respectively.
"Don't go getting yourself into anymore trouble, or you'll have me to deal with. Got that?" Paine smirked.
Kira nodded, grinning. "Just as long as you guys stay out of trouble, too!"
"We can handle a little trouble, can't we? 'Cause we're...Y!"
"R!"
"P!"
"Gullwings of Friendly Neighbourhood!"
The three girls jumped into a cute battle stance. Paine breathed a short laugh before disappearing in a puff of sparkling white smoke. Rikku giggled, making a peace sign with her fingers as she disappeared as well. "Later tater~!" Yuna bowed and smiled, "Bye now! I hope we see each other again soon!" she sang as she vanished in a white flash.