I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Be on the lookout for more lore on Disney Town coming soon!

Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy © to Disney and Square Enix!

Final Fantasy © to Square Enix!

All OCs © to their respective creators!

Chapter 28: Midnight

"I really like this one."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites too." Roxas grinned as Riku looked at the photographs on his wall. "It was when Xion saw the comments on the video of her singing. She was so happy."

"I'm glad. All of us are really excited to see her perform."

"Same here. She's nervous, but she'll do great."

Riku sighed as he sat on Roxas's bed. "I'm really happy to know you two are doing well. And I know Sora would be too."

"Yeah…"

"Dinner!"

"Sweet!"

The two boys went into the kitchen as Isa and Xion finished setting the table. Axel came in, with Naminé behind him. "What's for dinner?"

"We made a traditional red wine glazed pork!" Xion grinned. "It is the wine tasting day after all!"

"And tomorrow is the one day a year with no sun at all."

"I'm so excited!"

Riku sat down at the table. "Is there anything special happening for that?"

"A huge party! There will be fireworks and we're hosting a cookout."

Xion sighed. "Yeah, there will be lots of people."

"And you are welcome to hide in your room as long as you need," Isa patted her head, "I'll be doing the same."

Axel flopped dramatically into a chair. "Oh no! Both of our star cooks are introverts! Roxas what will we do!?"

"Burn the house down by accident I guess."

"Sounds good."

Riku stifled a laugh. "Or I could cook. My dad is a chef after all."

"Hooray! The house is saved." Isa deadpanned.

Naminé glanced over at Xion. "I might be joining you in the hiding."

"You're totally welcome."

The blonde girl giggled. "Or I might be in the library looking through Axel's drawings. I didn't know you were good at art."

"I'm not that good. I mostly do the writing, but I do like to sketch out any ideas that are more difficult to describe. How is your art going by the way?"

She sat beside him. "I've been trying out other mediums. I really like sculpting. It takes a lot of muscle control and strength to use the chisel, so the ballet training has really helped with that."

"Do you have a recital?" Isa started dishing out the pork.

"Yes, in the spring."

"We'll definitely come."

Naminé blushed. "O-ok."

"If everyone is coming to my show, then we're totally going to yours too."

"Sounds fair to me."

"Who would've thought," Axel glanced over at Riku, "that the two shy girls we knew would be the ones on stage."

"I know."

Both of them smiled, remembering the shy and quiet nature of these two, and specifically the timidity they showed in the past.

But now these two were doing so much. They were still quiet and shy, and that was fine, but their spirit shone through every day.

"How are we getting through the forest to town!?" Roxas blinked, staring out at the strange and unusual darkness outside. "It's darker than the thunderstorms!"

"Here." Isa handed everyone a tall candle. "They were selling these in town. Let's go get everything we need and get ready for the big lunch.

The dark sky seemed so out of place.

The single day of night.

Xion took her candle, smiling in the soft light. "We should climb the clock tower and see what it looks like from there!"

"That's a great idea! Let's end the day with that!"

"That's when the firework show is anyway! We'd get the best view in town!"

When they finally reached the town after traversing the much spookier than normal forest, they could see lights covering every home. It didn't feel as dark here.

More… magical.

Lights of different colors hung from every window and balcony.

Most homes actually kept their inside lights off to let the ones outside shine bright.

Even the bistro lights were dimmed to give this effect.

"Come on!" Roxas grabbed Xion's hand and dragged her through the streets. Riku and Naminé followed.

Outside the bistro, a large grill filled the space normally reserved for tables.

Scrooge stood nearby, collecting munny.

Shocker.

And on the grill, a tiny figure dashed around the outside, cooking with his tiny paws. The little chef most people never saw.

The rat.

Eventually, someone figured out his name.

Remy.

He seemed to be getting some breakfast cooked up for anyone who wanted it. And there was quite the long line.

"Come get yer grilled breakfast wraps!" Scrooge called as he took someone else's manny with a smile.

"Let's get in line!"

"Yeah!"

Axel shook his head and glanced at Isa. "I guess we'll do the shopping."

"Probably. Let them have their fun."

"Yeah."

After standing in line, the four teenagers finally got their breakfast.

"This is so good!"

"Remy is the best!"

"I know!"

Xion felt someone grab her arm. "Hey girl!"

Turning around, Xion smiled at the sight of Iunia and Joy, both decked out in bright colors, Iunia still wearing that oversized sweater under it all.

"Hi!"

"We're still having the cookout at your place tonight, right?"

"Yes."

Joy glanced over at the two newcomers. "Are these two friends of yours?"

"Yeah." Roxas pointed. "That's Riku, and that's Naminé."

"Nice to meet you."

"Hello."

Iunia waved, her sleeve covering her hand. "Hi! I'm Iunia, and this is Joy."

"Um, your sleeve."

"I know." The girl flapped her arms, the sleeves flapping as well.

Roxas laughed. "Is that why you wear that sweater, so you can play with the sleeves?"

"It's one reason." Iunia smirked. "I also have a condition called hypothyroidism, and I'm always cold, so the sweater helps with that."

"Oh."

"Don't be so nervous, I'm not shy about it."

Joy smiled, but it faded fast. "Shoot! Triple L incoming!"

"Seriously!?" Xion whirled around, spotting the four bullies in the distance. She'd managed to avoid them after they stopped going to her school, but there they were.

It was a festival after all.

Why wouldn't they be here?

Riku followed her gaze. "Who are they?"

"They're the bullies who harassed Xion for months." Roxas growled.

"Roxas, don't. Let's just avoid them."

Naminé glanced back at the bullies. "They don't seem to have noticed you, Xion. Why don't we try ignoring them?"

"Sure…"

"You know what," Iunia huffed, "screw that. We're not at school, and they're not our classmates. If they harass her today, she has every right to defend herself. You don't need to hurt them, but you can probably scare them off and no one will bust your chops about it."

Scare them off?

"Maybe."

"And it might not come to that." Joy piped up. "But if they do harass you, we can come up with a plan to not only get back at them, but scare them enough to never mess with you again."

Riku stood, smirking.

Xion had some good friends.

And honestly, the chance to deal with some bullies that were harassing her sounded entertaining. And he already had a few ideas.

Naminé sighed and grabbed Xion's arm. "Let's find something else to do."

"Yeah. I heard they would have sparklers at the sandlot."

"Let's go then."

As a group, they went to the sandlot, and indeed, there were sparklers.

The ends lit on fire, people waved them around as the bright lights sparked at the end.

"I love these." Riku smiled warmly. "We would play with them on a few holidays back on the islands."

"I never took you more much of a party person."

"I actually like being around people. And holidays are one of my favorite things. You get to see so many people and do unique things. Even with traditions, each year things are different and feel unique." Riku stared up at the stars that were easily visible now. "And we have lots of holidays back home."

Everyone grabbed their own sparkler and began playing with it. Xion spun it around, giggling happily.

"Xi!" A new voice called. Olette waved as she can over, whispering. "Xion! They have a limited ice cream flavor!"

Xion gasped. "Nami! Come on!" She grabbed Naminé's arm, and the girls took off.

"Where are we going?"

"Limited ice cream flavor! We want to beat the boys there or we will never get any!"

As they ran through the streets, Xion's foot caught on something, and she went down, barely managing to catch herself before her face hit the pavement.

"Xion!" Naminé gasped before stepping out of sight. "Stop!"

Sometime splashed on Xion's legs. She turned around to see Naminé standing behind her, a bucket on the ground… and dirty water all over her and Xion's legs.

"Who do you think you are!?"

"Xion!" Olette appeared, helping the girl up as she glared past her. "What the heck!? Augh, it stinks!"

Xion shook her head before realizing the four who stood before them.

"I don't know who you are, blondie," Yunalesca glared at Naminé, "but you messed with the wrong people."

"What are you doing!?"

"Dealing with a pest, obviously." Lani smirked.

"Or trying to."

Naminé went to Xion. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. Thanks."

"No problem… I've had my fill of cruelty for a lifetime. I couldn't stand by."

"Hello!" Leblanc grabbed Naminé's shoulder and forcefully turned her around. "Don't you ignore us."

Xion clenched her fist before shoving Leblanc back. "Don't touch my friend! You've picked on me from the moment we met, but don't mess with my friends!"

"Oh, getting a spine again are we?" Dona laughed. "We can fix that again."

Glancing around her, Xion noted that the alleyway they were in seemed mostly empty, probably why they picked this place to dump whatever that was on her.

That was fine.

She'd kept her cool long enough.

And this time, they weren't at school and there were no rules to break.

Stepping toward them, Xion held out her hand, summoning her Keyblade. The three girls jumped.

"I've got plenty of spine. And this time, there aren't any school rules to protect you. I'm DONE!"

The air around Xion began to shudder as pillars of light shot down(1), landing around Xion.

None even came close to touching the four bullies.

But still, they screamed and ran.

When they left, Xion dismissed her Keyblade with a huff.

"Oh my gosh!" Olette stared, gaping. "You just… Oh man… they're not going to be quiet about this. They'll tel-"

"Tell them what? That I summoned a giant key and brought light raining down around me, nowhere near them, and they ran away like cowards? Or they can just say I used magic to attack them, even though they don't have a scratch." She turned, smirking at Olette. "Who's going to believe them?" She flashed a smile at Naminé. "They've never touched one of my friends before now, and anyways, we former Nobodies have to stick together."

Naminé nodded. "That's right."

"Though we should probably get changed." Xion sighed. "And it does stink… did they try and dump sewer water on my head?"

"I think so, but I was able to push the bucket away."

"Thanks for that."

"As you said, we stick together."

Both girls smiled, remember the time they first met at the mansion.

Both quiet and scared.

Both treated as worthless…

But here they both stood, strong.

"Xion?" Isa came around the corner, eyes darting around. "I saw some flashes from the plaza. Most people thought it was some fireworks, but it looked like one of your attacks. Is everything ok?"

"Yes. The Lucky Ladies tried to dump sewer water on me. Nami was able to push down the bucket and we both got a little on us. I scared them off. I promise they didn't get hurt at all."

Isa paused, staring down at the girl.

She'd scared them off.

Good.

And if their parents had anything to say, he'd have her back.

"It's about time we get cooking anyway. We should head back."

Olette sighed. "I'll try and get you both some of that limited ice cream."

"Thank you."

"Let's go."

"I can decorate, but you don't want me cooking." Naminé giggled as Xion tried to hand her a spoon, now that both of them had taken a quick shower and changed. "I am banned from the kitchen back home."

"Really?"

"I cut myself too much."

"It's just mixing. We need some desserts for the party."

"Ok…"

Xion handed her the bowl as she began gathering other ingredients. "Actually, Aqua gave me this recipe. She's a great baker. It's a salted honey pie."

"Those three came by Radiant Garden not long ago. They gave me tips on training for ballet. Aqua knows how to do ballet too, so she gave me some pointers. Terra gave me some tips for strength training, and Ven joined me on my morning runs. Ven really likes stories. He looked at my art and asked if I was going to make comics. I told him I'd think about it."

"Ven reminds me a lot of Sora."

"Yeah."

"Terra, Isa, and I said we should get all the former vessels of Xehanort together and have a party where we just bad mouth Xehanort the whole time."

Naminé let out a giggle. "I think the others would enjoy that. I know Demyx would."

"Is he still hanging around?"

"Kind of. He comes and goes as he pleases and doesn't really say anything about what he's doing." The blonde sat down, still mixing. "He's pretty nice, but we don't talk much. I do get along really well with Ienzo though. He's almost like an honorary brother to me now."

"Ienzo did always seemed pretty nice." Xion turned around, gently taking the bowl from Naminé. "Alright, next we need to…"

"Ugh… I'm so stuffed." Roxas lumbered up the stairs of the clock tower.

"You shouldn't have eaten so much."

"But Xion's cooking is so good."

Xion blushed."It's just too bad we missed the limited ice cream."

"Eh, we only missed it because of those bullies."

Riku sighed. "I'm really happy you took care of them, though I was looking forward to scaring the wits out of them."

"Wow, Riku!"

"It sounded like they had it coming."

"I mean they did..."

Xion stepped out onto the tower edge first, her breath catching at the sight.

Below her stretched the glowing town, glittering like a sea of stars. And overhead, a true sea of stars could easily be seen.

"Wow…"

The others came up, gasping at the beautiful, rare sight.

"And," Axel waited until everyone sat down before opening up a small cooler he'd brought with him, "guess who managed to snag a limited ice cream for everyone?"

"No way!"

"I thought everyone could only get one!"

"Well, Mr. Jabez likes us!" Axel handed everyone this black popsicle. "He didn't tell me the flavor though."

Roxas dug into his first. Unlike the normal ice cream he got, this one had a nutty flavor with a hint of earthiness to it. It still tasted good. And once he'd eaten through the top, he saw a hint of yellow running through the middle. This part tasted sweet and gave a warm flavor.

"The middle is honey!" Xion called. "I just made a honey pie today!"

Riku smiled. "This is delicious."

"Yeah."

POP!

The air exploded with color as the firework show began.

A rare and beautiful sight for this world.

Roxas and Xion stared wide-eyed.

As did Naminé.

The others glanced over, seeing the three entranced by the colors.

Just one of many new things they'd get to experience in their new lives.

Footnotes:

(1) This is Xion's attack "Laser Rain"