It was nice getting to incorporate Uzuki and Kariya. They were rather entertaining in the game and I did like their friendship. You will see them some more. Potentially with backstory hints. Which, considering the video game that they're from, will probably involve references to various types of causes of death.

I am also very excited for you guys to see some of the other characters. Starting with Lea and Kairi having an interesting visit to the Realm of Darkness.

The Realm of Darkness was not a safe destination by any stretch of the imagination. Even during his Organization days, they rarely strayed beyond the edges. There was no need to journey into the deepest depths where the most powerful Heartless lurked. They might obey those with power while in the Realm of Light, but they listened to no one in those deeper shadows and some were strong enough there to challenge even the toughest Nobodies. The Heartless within the Realm of Darkness were vicious and deadly. Organization XIII didn't need to explore that deep in order to pursue their goal.

But if anyone was going to wander into the deeper, more dangerous, and more unnerving corners of the Realm of Darkness by himself because of a faint hope that maybe Sora might be there… Yeah, it would be Riku.

Lea knew where the boy was coming from when it came to desperate acts for friendship. But unlike when he lost Roxas, there were still better options available to Riku and people willing to help. Which was why he would let Kairi hit Riku a few times with her Keyblade when they found him.

They were in a large cavern with dark purple walls. Lines of blue crystalline material ran down them before covering the floor. Like streams of water pouring down the walls into a pool across the ground. But it was completely solid and glowing faintly. The effect would be pretty if it wasn't for the thick purple mist that filled the cavern to the point of making it hard to see more than a couple hundred feet in any direction. Not to mention the general unnerving feeling of darkness pressing in on them.

Once again, he second-guessed his decision to leave his coat behind. The fairy-spelled clothes might offer just as much protection against the darkness, but the heavier weight and thicker material always seemed more solid and secure.

Kairi stayed close. That was the agreement when Lea picked her up for the rescue mission. She stayed close and did whatever Lea told her. If she didn't, then he would open another dark corridor to dump Kairi back on her island.

They weren't taking any extra risks in the Realm of Darkness. They could get killed or trapped there for years if they weren't careful. And if that happened, his friends would save him specifically so that they could whack him with Keyblades and claymores for leaving in the first place.

"Are your magic friendship fruit powers telling you that Riku is this way?" asked Lea, eyeing their surroundings suspiciously as they walked deeper.

"You mean the paopu fruit? It doesn't work like that, Axel." Kairi gave him a look that tugged a smile to his face despite the potential dangers around them. "I can't track him like that. I…" She bit her lip, clearly trying to put it into words. "I just know that there's something important in this direction."

Keyblade balanced on his shoulder, Lea shrugged and said, "Not like I have a better idea. And at least there doesn't seem to be a lot of Heartless in this direction."

That was another reason that he felt particularly unnerved. They should be knocking away swarms of Shadows at a minimum or facing something stronger leaping out of the mist. Two Keyblade wielders in the Realm of Darkness? There should be something after them by now. Maybe they found somewhere that was just coincidentally empty. Or maybe it was some kind of trap that would lead to an ambush by a pack of Heartless or just one terrifyingly powerful one.

Or maybe he and Kairi were heading towards something in the Realm of Darkness that even Heartless avoided. Which was even more disturbing to consider.

Regardless, Lea would stay on his guard. And since Kairi kept her flowery Keyblade in her hand, he knew that she was on edge as well.

She had decent instincts for it. Watching for threats and taking in all the details around them for information. She wasn't Xion, but sometimes there would be a look in her eyes or the way that Kairi moved that would remind him of his half-pint.

But they were both different. Just like he would see the similarities, Lea knew their differences by heart.

And Kairi was still learning. She might be picking up the skills fast, but her experience with other worlds was limited. She'd only been to friendly worlds like Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, or that timeless place that Merlin sent them train, or worlds that she was facing known threats and active combat such as the World That Never Was or the Keyblade Graveyard. Exploring places where she needed to be stealthy, observant, and ready for sneak attacks was new. Lea would probably spot any threat first simply because reconnaissance missions were more familiar for him.

But if he had to handle the initial strike, Lea knew that Kairi would immediately jump in to back him up. And he could depend on her in a fight.

Kairi suddenly paused and turned. Looking towards one of the walls. A rougher section with another thick line of blue crystals, not much different from the rest of the purple cavern. Except Kairi seemed to find it particularly interesting.

"Everything all right?" he asked carefully.

Kairi didn't immediately answer. Instead, she leaned first one way and then the other. Frowning in concentration as she studied that section of the wall. Then she took a few steps closer.

"It looks solid," she muttered, "but… I think there's something there."

Lea opened his mouth to ask what she saw, but froze. He wasn't certain if it was a sound or a flash of purple light out of the corner of his eye, but his instincts screamed a warning at him. Lea spun around and threw his flame-engulfed Keyblade hard. His Firaga Raid struck the large swirling mass of black-and-purple that was moving towards them out of the mist. An amorphous dark cloud-like entity with no visible eyes, no obvious symbol of the Emblem Heartless, and giving off a deep violet glow. He didn't recognize the subtype; it was definitely a new one for Lea. The entity was bigger than a Large Body, barely seemed solid enough to hit, and durable enough that the strike barely slowed it down. Nor did the flames.

Fire-resistant. Lea hated fire-resistant Heartless.

But it was less resistant to the stream of light orbs that Kairi fired in rapid succession at the Heartless, driving it back briefly.

"Axel," she called.

Summoning his Keyblade back, he shouted, "I'm fine."

He would have said that they could handle it. One strange new Heartless was manageable. But it was only the first of the approaching pack of them. He could see their faint glow through the mist as surrounded him and Kairi. They were swarming in from the far corners of the cavern. Moving into a thick enough group that it would be hard to get past them. And some instinctive unease warned him that they didn't want to get too close to these new Heartless. They didn't have any obvious limbs, but the way the tendrils of smoke or whatever they were swirled and lashed out almost reminded him of amoebas that he'd glimpsed back in science class when he was a teenager. Lea held no doubt that they would be capable of grabbing and dragging him or Kairi into their shapeless mass. A fate that he didn't want to experience.

Escape would be tricky. And fighting their way out would be risky.

He could try a corridor of darkness or…

"You said the wall isn't solid?" he asked, watching the approaching danger as he spun his Keyblade in his hand.

"There's an overhang or a tunnel or something," she confirmed. "You slide to the right. But we don't know where it goes. We could get cornered and trapped."

Walking backwards, he said, "I wouldn't call it Plan A, but we're already cornered and there's too many to risk fighting. We'll take our chances with your tunnel. Get moving."

A sharp slash of his Keyblade sent a wave of flames forward to keep them at bay. Fire-resistant didn't mean fire-proof. Put enough power into it and he could still do some damage. Lea kept backing up as he sent another flare of heat to scorch at them.

Tugging at his elbow, Kairi said, "This way. You've got to move sideways to get in, but there's plenty of room. Come on."

"We've also got to keep them out," he said, sparing a brief look to get an idea of how big of a space the tunnel was. "Get ready to run. It's going to get hot in here."

As soon as he stepped into the hidden tunnel, Lea drove his Keyblade straight down with a yell. Flames erupted up, hotter than he normally called upon. Hot enough for stone to crack and try to melt. The ceiling of the large hidden tunnel started coming down in places, red-hot and scorching. Molten droplets and larger chunks of solid stone came crashing down seconds later. Lea dove deeper into the tunnels to avoid being crushed by the debris, but his efforts thankfully didn't collapse the entire space. Merely sealing the entrance and keeping the amorphous black-and-purple Heartless out.

Granted, he'd trapped them in a now-rather-hot-and-smoke-filled tunnel, but Lea could always use a corridor of darkness to get them out if they ended up with a dead end.

"That could have gone better," he muttered, breathing a little harder than normal. "Don't touch the rocks, Kairi. They'll burn you if you do."

Pushing back her hair from her face, she said, "I didn't know you could melt stuff like that."

"I don't usually need to go that hot. Not when I can win the fight using less energy," he said, straightening back up. "Set a floor on fire? Sure. Go hot enough to completely melt stone? Overkill. But the sudden change in temperature? That'll crack stuff and cause just a little melting."

Lea looked around carefully as he recovered from his stunt, the glow from his Keyblade providing the only light. The tunnel seemed to snake back and forth away from the now-sealed cavern. Wide and tall enough to allow those particular Heartless through if he hadn't blocked the entrance. Kairi didn't seem to be hurt, but sweat was starting to make her hair stick up at weird angles and a light dusting of soot coated her face.

"Well," he said slowly, "this is going about as badly as I expected when you called me."

"At least we didn't get hurt," she pointed out. Starting to walk down the passageway, Kairi called, "Come on then. This way."

Lea didn't point out that they still had no evidence that Riku was in this corner of the Realm of Darkness. It wasn't like they had many other options to search at the moment. Keyblade held in front of him so that they could actually see where they were going, Lea stayed right beside Kairi as the tunnel weaved back and forth like a giant serpent. The sharp turns meant that they could never see too far ahead. And they wouldn't see any enemies until they were right on top of them. Yet another reason for Lea to remain on edge.

What were those things? Lea was familiar with most of the common Heartless and several of the less common subtypes. A benefit of his years of experience. But those particular ones had been new. The lack of Emblem meant that they were Pureblood Heartless instead. Most of the ones this deep in the Realm of Darkness were. But he had no idea what they were. And some instinctive dread told him that he didn't want to let them anywhere close to him or Kairi, despite the two of them being armed and capable of defending themselves.

"There's something… familiar," she said, quiet and uncertain. "I… I know I've encountered this feeling before. It's not Riku. But… I know it."

"Do you think it's dangerous?"

"No," said Kairi without hesitation. "It won't hurt us."

Letting his free hand move to her shoulder, Lea asked, "Try describing it. Maybe it'll spark your memory if you try to put it into words."

"Bright," she said slowly, her tone thoughtful as they continued along the tunnel. "And warm. Like…"

Kairi paused for a moment, coming to a complete stop in the middle of the dark passageway. When Lea looked towards her face, he saw her furrowed brow and frown as she concentrated hard. Then her expression lit up and she suddenly dashed forward. Running ahead in the split second that it took for him to realize what she was doing.

"Kairi! Wait," he shouted as he chased her.

"Hollow Bastion," she yelled back. "I felt it at Hollow Bastion. It was the others."

"What?"

Lea turned a corner and nearly ran her over when Kairi abruptly stopped. She stared at the end of the tunnel and the strangely ominous sight waiting there. A beam of roiling violet-blue darkness erupted from the floor up towards the ceiling. Or perhaps it was pouring down from the ceiling to the floor in a churning flood. Lea couldn't tell for certain. All that he knew was that it reminded him too much of the stream of darkness produced by the machine that the other apprentices built over a decade ago and nothing good could come of messing with the thing. It couldn't look more like a trap if it tried. Lea was smart enough to avoid such a temptation.

Which was why he was shocked when the sensible Kairi reached for it.

"Kairi," he shouted, grabbing for her.

But it was already too late. Lea saw the girl dissolving into dark mist that was immediately pulled into the ominous beam of darkness, vanishing right in front of him. And where his hand grasped her arm, he immediately succumbed to the same fate. No pain, but a heartbeat later, the Realm of Darkness vanished around him.

Or rather, he vanished.

It wasn't a long walk to Hachiko from Scramble Crossing. But Kariya could use the time to study the newest pair of Players. The rather unusual circumstances of the Game were enough to intrigue anyone and so far they hadn't disappointed. Kariya had seen countless Players over his long time as a Reaper, but they were certainly unique.

Even if he only limited his observations solely to what could be seen, there was plenty to observe. Despite the assertion that they weren't twin brothers, Sora and Vanitas clearly shared the same faces and hairstyles. Only the hair and eye colors separated them on that front. Of course, there were also their outfits. Sora's clothing could have passed for mildly eccentric Shibuya fashion, though his large flat cellphone with the screen that took up all that space without any buttons was noteworthy. But Vanitas seemed to be wearing some type of full-body, skin-tight, and not-quite-leather outfit that almost looked like part of his body, but with some extra belts and a shredded half-skirt. If he wasn't currently invisible to the living, it would be earning him numerous stares. The strange, oversized skeleton keys that the two could summon and disappear only added to the spectacle.

And then there was their body language. Both moved like experienced fighters, but there was still a difference. The uncertain, curious, and open Sora. The aggressive, suspicious, and defensive Vanitas. Kariya had seen numerous reactions to someone's first day in the Reapers' Game. Sora seemed to be adapting to his unexpected circumstances quite easily. But Vanitas… Kariya had his suspicions regarding him and how he was reacting. And what it meant about his life previously.

He'd seen more Players than he could count. And they all became eligible for the Reapers' Game in different ways. Accidents and freak occurrences were a common cause. Those that tried to end their own lives, but changed their minds and entered the Games because they wanted live after all were not as common, but he'd seen it enough that they rarely surprised him anymore. Those who were murdered by a random stranger were rare enough to catch his attention. Most of the time, murderers know the victim.

And then there were those who died in "accidents." The ones who would suffer injuries before the one that killed them; people with experience explaining away bruises or broken bones by claiming that they ran into a door or fell down the stairs. People with spouses, boyfriends or girlfriends, parents, or other loved ones who expressed that love with violence until it finally went too far.

The Players who came from those backgrounds tended to share some traits. The guarded look, the high awareness of their surroundings in case of threats, and the tension in the way that they moved. A certain glint in the eyes that Kariya had never been able to name, but knew intimately. He could recognize it in people even when they didn't want to say how they died.

It manifested itself in different ways. Some people became very meek and docile. Some behaved as if they didn't care about anything and that nothing mattered. Some became aggressive and confrontational. From his brief interactions with the teenager so far, Vanitas seemed to be one of the combative and defensive types due to whatever upbringing that he'd experienced. His body language screamed that he was ready to be attacked at any second and would fight back hard when it came.

A surprising number of Reapers came from similar backgrounds. For fairly obvious reasons. They didn't want to disappear, but they didn't want to return to the stressful and violent life that caused their deaths either.

It was tragic how easy it all could go wrong. An alcoholic father with a temper. A refusal by anyone to intervene on behalf of a wife or child because it was "a family matter." A drunken, violent, and threatening rant with a knife that was so similar to countless other bad nights. But instead of bruises, a black eye, or shallow cuts that would heal in time, a knife slipped through the ribcage between alcohol-fueled shouts. Pain, fear, and a sense of finality followed, providing a permanent reprieve from that household and the suffering it caused.

His teeth tightened slightly on the stick of the sucker; not the candy itself since he didn't want to shatter it. Kariya focused the sweetness in his mouth, grounding himself in the present. He found it to be an effective method of keeping his thoughts away from the distant past. Things that happened long enough ago that there was really no point on dwelling on them. Far better to focus on the present. He had years of practice and knew how to distract himself away from those trains of thought. If Uzuki was there, tempting her into a game to decide who would buy ramen that day would have been just as effective at banishing them

Regardless, Vanitas had clearly experienced violence and mistreatment. Probably from an authority figure, if he was any judge. Someone was cruel to him and at least some of his attitude and lack of trust was born from those experiences. He was prepared for someone to hurt him at any moment, but willing to go down swinging when the attack came.

Clearly he and Sora came from different backgrounds. Trust would come easier to one than the other. Hopefully, when the more lenient version of the Game was over, Vanitas would find a way out of his previous situation. Maybe his not-twin could help him with that.

Kariya would have had enough to contemplate based solely on what he saw. But he'd managed to listen to them for a little while before they noticed his presence. He heard their mysterious comments about hearts. Then there were the giant keys. And the special round of the Reapers' Game arranged just for the two Players with instructions for easier missions. They clearly had friends in high places.

And Kariya had been around longer than almost anyone else, carefully avoiding Erasure or being promoted above his preferred rank. Long enough to outlast at least one previous Composer, even if he'd never met either one. Long enough to learn a few secrets that he wasn't supposed to know. Tiny tidbits of how everything behind the scenes worked. Combine that information with his suspicions about their temporary Conductor and the latest pair of unusual Players… and it painted a very interesting picture.

He wouldn't say a word about his theories or any conclusions that he might draw. Kariya knew how to observe and keep his mouth shut. A lesson that he only learned after death, but he had learned it well.

"Hey, Kariya?" asked Sora suddenly. "Everyone keeps trying to walk through me and Vanitas, but—"

"But you noticed that they don't run into me?" Smirking around his candy, he said, "That's one of the advantages of being a Reaper. The people of the RG can still hear and see me when I want them to. Not the wings and not if I want to use any of my abilities. But I can still have a bit of a life outside of the job. I can properly enjoy Shibuya on the weeks that don't have a Game running or when I'm off-duty. I know of at least one Reaper who was a fairly well-known musician during his off hours."

He stopped in front of the familiar sculpture of a dog. The famous bronze statue created in honor of the loyal canine that kept waiting for his owner at Shibuya Station for nine years after the man's death. It was a good story and the statue served as a popular meeting place for people. It was a convenient location and a beautiful one. The handful of trees around it only increased the picturesque quality of it.

It was a good example of what Kariya loved about Shibuya. The history and the stories of the city. The people from all the different backgrounds, different lives, and different points of view meeting together. All that life, energy, excitement, and emotions swirling together as everyone encountered each other before separating again, changing slightly by those brief moments where they met. He loved the dynamic, bright, and varied city.

"All right, before you two go chasing after the biggest and scariest Noise around the statue," he said, taking the sucker out of his mouth to gesture at Hachiko, "you should know about pins. Even if you can obviously fight without them."

"Pins?" asked Sora.

This time, Kariya indicated the two metal pins fastened to Sora's jacket and the pair on Vanitas's half-skirt. They startled slightly when they looked. Clearly they hadn't noticed the new accessories attached to them.

"Most people can't just casually call down a lightning bolt. No one in the RG ever has. But in the UG, with enough Imagination and the right pins to direct it…" Kariya shrugged briefly. "That's how most Players fight."

"Sounds like how we use magic by channeling it through our Keyblades," said Vanitas.

Silently filing away that information about the unusual weapons, he said casually, "I guess you have different names for the same power. Even Reapers can use some pins, though most of ours are a bit different than what the Players use. But we keep a few to hand out as bribes or rewards occasionally. And I'm not opposed to keeping some similar ones around in case it might be useful."

Kariya pulled out one from his pocket. The design consisted of a classic skull-and-crossbones drawn in pink on a black-and-white background with a ring of hearts around the border. One of the Lapin Angelique pins, Lolita Skull activated a healing psych. Kariya liked to think that he was a practical guy. It paid to keep something capable of healing around in case of an emergency and four uses before it needed to recharge wasn't too bad. He approved of backup plans.

"Some pins can be used less directly for combat. Like healing," he described, twisting it briefly between his fingers before returning it to his pocket, "or boosting something else. And then there's the Player Pins, which have zero combat abilities and yet every Player has one."

This time, Kariya reached out to poke at one of the pins on Sora; it seemed like the safer option than trying the same thing on Vanitas. Specifically, he touched the black pin with a stylized white skull. It was supposedly one of CAT's designs. It looked similar enough to that style.

"And what exactly does it do?" asked Vanitas suspiciously.

"Two main things. First, since the Noise stopped paying attention to you after you made your Pact, you can touch the pin to get them interested again. Which you'll need to do if you want to take out the Noise for your mission."

"And what's the other use?" asked Sora, looking at the pin curiously.

Smirking faintly as he slipped the candy back into his mouth, Kariya said, "Touch it and see what happens."

Vanitas glared warily at his suggestion, but Sora seemed to be the more trusting of the pair. He found the correct pin on his jacket and pressed his fingers to it, activating the power. And with the number of people that wandered around Shibuya, they didn't need to wait long for one to walk through him. Sora immediately stiffened, eyes widening and his jaw dropping. His head snapped around to watch the person walking away, the astonished expression etched on his face.

"Was that… Did I…" A huge grin spread across his face. "Can I read minds now?"

'Yep. Mostly whatever they are currently thinking about rather than any deeper thoughts or memories. But it can be useful for some situations. And you can influence those thoughts a little by pushing a simple word or concept into their minds. Imprinting an idea. Though it is up to them how they will react or interpret it. For example, you imprint the word 'key' in most people's minds, they're not going to think about a weapon like you two might. Some missions or tasks might need you to encourage people in the RG to do things." Shrugging, Kariya added, "Or maybe you'll just feel like improving someone's day. Some Players like doing that."

"Why?" asked Vanitas bluntly. "We're on time limits, aren't we? Why waste it?"

"Vanitas," said Sora quietly as he took his hand of the Player Pin.

"Every Player can use that specific pin," continued Kariya before the conversation could derail. The two partners could hash out that issue later. "As for the rest of the pins, most Players can only activate a handful of psychs. Only certain powers. So maybe one, two, or possibly three pins other than the Player Pins. Most Players don't have the Imagination to pull off a wider variety, so they have to depend on their partner or even other Players in the Game occasionally to work around those limitations." Kariya looked away and remarked absently, "We did have one Player who could use every pin that he could lay his hands on, but he was an exception."

Neku had certainly left a strong impression in his wake. It took him three weeks, but he won. In more ways than anyone expected. Kariya didn't have all the details, but he knew that Neku managed to wipe out the entire upper ranks of the Reapers and also reverse the conformity that nearly consumed the city. Returning Shibuya back to the way it should be.

Not to mention the other rumors about what was going on during those three back-to-back weeks of the Game. The supposed reason for the O-Pins and the mass imprinting of Shibuya. The concentrated effort to take down Neku specifically, to the point of rigging the Game and bending the rules to try stopping him at any cost. And the faint whispers of "Purification" of the city that they barely escaped, something that would have been nearly as devastating as that awful night that still felt more like a nightmare than anything real. A private wager between the Composer and the previous Conductor that could have wiped out everyone in the UG and possibly more. Neku managed to win back his life and save Shibuya. Kariya couldn't help feeling mildly fond and grateful to the teenager for keeping the city that he loved safe.

He did see him around Shibuya sometimes. Him and his friends. He mostly kept his distance or stayed fully hidden in the UG when he glimpsed the former Players. But it was nice to know that he was doing all right. Neku had earned a peaceful life.

"Some of the other Reapers might give you tasks to get past them at different points and might hand over pins afterwards," he continued. "Any that you can't use, you can sell for munny."

Narrowing his eyes with the suspicion that never seemed to leave his face, Vanitas asked, "If no one else can see us, how do you expect us to sell pieces of junk?"

"Well," said Kariya, taking the sucker out of his mouth, "there's a few shops and restaurants scattered around Shibuya that are marked with a logo. It tells you that it's approved by the Reapers and it'll adjust your vibe a bit when you enter. As long as you're inside one of those marked shops, people in the RG can see you. Once you leave, you're invisible again. But that's gives you the chance to buy some new threads," he pointed at Vanitas's outfit with the sucker, "or a decent meal. In fact…"

Kariya craned his neck, ignoring the Noise symbols scattered through the crowd as they followed people with darker moods. He considered the closest available options. It wouldn't be any of his favorites around here, but there were sacrifices to be made. He was on tutorial duty and Uzuki would not be happy if he abandoned the job halfway through because he got hungry. And since he didn't know if either of the boys had much munny yet, he could at least get them a cheap early lunch for their first day.

Plus, he could probably convince Uzuki to pay him back if he called it a work expense or something. She's the one that asked him to explain all the basics, after all.

"You have over two hours still to take out some Noise. I think you can spare a moment for a meal," he said.

"We shouldn't waste our time on pointless nonsense," snapped Vanitas.

Hands tucking behind his head as he tilted it casually, Sora said, "I mean, even if we're not completely alive right now, some food might do us some good. Last time I ate anything was before the Keyblade War. And you?"

The way that Vanitas scowled and crossed his arms suggested that the answer wasn't much better. Not that Kariya knew what a "Keyblade War" might be or how long ago it was. He simply filed the information away as another tiny clue about the increasingly interesting Players. And then he started walking the short distance over to the Sunshine Stationside burger shop.

The more that things changed, the more that they stayed the same. His very long existence had ensured that Xigbar was quite aware of that fact. The players were different, but he was still subtly manipulating everyone while pretending to be subordinate. Previously, it had been Xehanort and his various incomplete pieces that he was trying to guide without making it obvious. And now it was Ira since his old friend was still technically tasked with the role of their leader.

Honestly, it was a little easier than his previous attempts at manipulating people. Ira still wanted to make the Master of Masters happy and believed that Xigbar had the closest idea of what he might need from them. All Xigbar had to do was give Ira "advice" and he was eager to pass the new orders along.

Xigbar crossed his arms and leaned back against the stone surface. Right now, they were keeping a low-profile. Mostly reconnaissance and similar. It offered them a chance to get used to the changes that occurred since the original Keyblade War ended. Numerous smaller and scattered worlds rather than the unified World that they once knew. The need to keep out of sight. And that the current Keyblade wielders had strayed from their purpose and couldn't be trusted. Xigbar gave them just enough real information and a few carefully-chosen lies to keep control as he sent them out for minor tasks. None of them very important. Not yet.

One of the key components that they needed was currently out of reach. Which meant that he had time to keep his fellow Foretellers busy. Xigbar knew that it would turn up eventually though. The kid always showed backup. It was simply a matter of time.

But there were a few other pieces of the puzzle that he could send them after. Some vital and others that were more like contingencies. All of them perfect to keep his old friends occupied until the time arrived.

Guardians to spy on in order to predict threats. Worlds to explore for suitability. Spells to research. Books to find. And a few final hearts to locate.

He smirked to himself. They would be a backup plan, but it was always useful to keep track of them. Just in case. He couldn't ignore such a potent element. And Master Xehanort had already found half of the new set prior to the latest Keyblade War. Hunting down three more was not too bad.

Though he did suspect that one of them wouldn't appear yet. Part of his own contingency arranged ages ago when he was still in his original body. Because even then, he was a little uneasy about aspects of the Master's plan. He'd wanted to send a little light and hope ahead. Like Ava's Dandelions.

Of course, that was a long time ago. When he was more idealistic and believed there was still a way to make everything right. When he thought that he could counter the cruelties that he would participate in by safeguarding something bright and good.

Now, Xigbar simply wanted it to be over. The end was finally within sight. All that he needed to do was finish his part and prepare everything.

Reaching out his hand, he summoned the sharp-edged Keyblade to his hand. Staring at the Gazing Eye and knowing that the Master of Masters could see him across the ages. It felt right to hold a Keyblade again. He might need to use it again soon. Hopefully he wasn't too rusty with it. His current body didn't have the muscle memory for that particular weapon.

Perhaps he should spar with Ira, Aced, or even Invi before everything started happening. Because he had a feeling that the action was about to pick up.

"Everything is going according to your visions of the future," he said thoughtfully. "You're watching us right now, preparing for your grand finale even back when you first bequeathed the Keyblade to me. You've seen all of this. Which means it can't go wrong. I guess we'll see your perfect world soon. And then we'll find out if it was worth it in the end."

And if it wasn't, if everything that they'd done turned out to be for naught, it didn't really matter by now. The path was set, the future was etched, and Xigbar couldn't deviate from his destiny even if he wished. There was no point, so why not enjoy the show?

Lots of exciting things in this chapter. Lea and Kairi ran into a few complications. And while they haven't seen Heartless like those before, they are not something that I invented myself. Those black-and-purple amorphous shapes are foreshadowing…

Yes, I've converted from using yen like in TWEWY to munny in order to make it consistent with every other world in "Kingdom Hearts." I don't think that will be the breaking point to make all of you turn against me.