Cloud's eyes narrowed as the Witch recoiled, grunting in pain after the former gave it a solid smack to the nose with the flat of his blade. It stared at him in confusion before opening its maw again and attempting to eat the mercenary whole.

"I don't think so." Cloud casually stated as he propped the Witch's mouth open with his sword like an overgrown toothpick. When it attempted to bite harder, it found itself stabbed through the roof of its mouth by the very sharp object. Cloud withdrew his blade and slashed at the Witch's face three times, once at the eyes to blind it temporarily, once at the mouth so it wouldn't get any ideas, and another right down the middle.

The Witch lashed out in pain, and attempted to just eat the entire section of the floor where Cloud was, but by then, the mercenary was long gone, having leapt back slightly as to avoid being consumed. He then ran forward and jumped right over the Witch's head, landing on top of it. He followed up by running forward with a series of diagonal slices as the Witch desperately tried to fling him off. But it was to no avail as Cloud reached the doll-like body of the Witch, and jumped up again, holding his sword out to slice the entire creature in half.

Cloud landed in a kneel as the Witch fell apart and died behind him. He got up from said kneel, slinging his sword over his shoulder with minimum effort. He then spun it around in his hand and holstered it on his back once again, sticking out his hand and catching the flying Grief Seed.

"Cloud..." Sora muttered.

"Sora." Cloud remarked.

"So, this is where ya disappeared to during your fight with Sephiroth." Jiminy guessed.

"Guess so." Cloud casually agreed. "Don't worry. He won't be causing anyone trouble anytime soon."

"Good. I do not want to see him again." Sora chuckled, shivering slightly when he remembered his duel with the One-Winged Angel. Even when he was arguably at his strongest, he still put all of his effort into defeating Sephiroth, and even then he barely made it out. "So... How long have you been here?"

"Two months. Why?"

"Cloud... It's been half a year since you vanished."

"Huh."

"Uhm... Sora? Do you... Know him?" Sayaka suddenly asked, coming up behind him, still a little shaky from the close call with Mami.

"Oh, right. You probably wouldn't know him. This is Cloud Strife. He's..."

"An acquaintance." Cloud said dismissively. "And you?"

"S- Sayaka Miki..."

"And the others?"

"Madoka Kaname, it's nice to meet you..." Madoka shyly introduced.

"Homura Akemi." Said girl stated without missing a beat.

"Mami Tomoe..." Mami trailed, her eyes still a bit wide from nearly dying minutes prior. "Uh, thanks for the help back there, Cloud."

"No problem." Cloud accepted casually.

"Hey, wait a minute... Where's the Grief Seed?" Sora wondered.

"Grief Seed?" Cloud asked. "You mean this thing?" He said, pulling out the Grief Seed he caught. "Why? What's it do? I haven't figured it out yet."

"Well... That's a bit..."

"Complicated? Sora, our lives don't know complicated."

"Uh, basically, Mami and Homura can both use them to restore their magic."

Cloud hummed, and then tossed the Grief Seed through the air to Mami, who fumbled a bit before catching it. And then the mercenary would turn and start to walk away.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going!?" Sora called as the only other face from his world besides Jiminy went to leave. In response, Cloud simply shrugged.

"I'll figure it out. I have been all this time."

"No. You're not." Homura suddenly said. "You're coming with me, Cloud."

"H- Homura?" Sora muttered.

"You could prove to be as valuable an asset as Sora, and because of that, I can't let you roam free. I need to keep a close eye on you."

"Sora? Is she always like this?" Cloud wondered.

"No. She's usually a lot more quiet and reserved. Not as impulsive."

"Okay, good to know I'm not the only confused one."

Homura turned back, making sure Cloud was coming, and then turned again to face Madoka and Sayaka, still looking shaken. "Never forget what could have happened here. This is what it means to be a Magical Girl."

And she said no more, grabbing Cloud by the arm and pulling him away, leaving only Sora, Mami, Madoka, Sayaka, Jiminy and Kyubey in front of the hospital where the Labyrinth once stood. Mami was spacing out, her eyes wide, Madoka and Sayaka were trying to calm themselves down. Overall, not good.

"That... Could've been a lot worse." Jiminy sighed. "If we'd been much later..."

"Don't get me thinking about it." Sora muttered.

"Well, if it'll take your mind off things, you've got a few calls to return."

"Calls?"

"Yeah! You've been getting them since before Homura came to bring you here!" Jiminy explained, and Sora pulled out his Gummiphone to check. It was currently silent, but he could see just what he'd missed.

109 Missed Calls

Riku

Riku

Riku

Riku

Donald

Goofy

Riku...

A hundred and nine missed calls. Most from Riku. His Heartstagram had also exploded, around 680 notifications. If it meant contact with home, Sora was willing to step away for a little bit. He walked behind a corner to return the calls in private. He decided to at least return one from each person who called. Going through all 109 would be a pain.

His phone rang for barely a second before the connection was made, and there was Riku, standing in Master Yen Sid's tower, and he looked less than pleased.

"Ri-"

"SORA!"Riku shouted, it was so sudden and loud that Sora both nearly dropped his Gummiphone and fell back into the wall behind him. "Where have you been!? We haven't heard anything from you!"

"Uh, that's sort of a long story..."

"I'll say- Uh?" Riku looked off screen, and his familiar smile returned. "Yeah! I finally got him!"

"Wait, Riku, who's with you?"

"Sora!" Donald's voice quacked as the duck filled the entire phone screen.

"Hey! Donald! Stop hogging the phone already!" Goofy scolded, pulling Donald away. "Howdy, Sora!"

"Donald! Goofy! How are you guys?"

"We're all okay." Riku explained. "The King was just in here earlier. I think Axel left to go get some snacks with Roxas and Xion. No idea where Aqua went. So for now, it's just us three."

"Oh. How long have you been trying to get ahold of me?"

"It's been about eighteen hours since we really started trying. But I'd say we made a few attempts over the past three days or so."

"Uh, yeah. I think my phone really started going off, oh, what was it...?"

"An hour and forty-five minutes, give or take." Jiminy stated.

"Yeah. That long ago. I would've answered sooner, but a friend needed my help."

"A friend? Is it that Mami girl?"

"You know her?"

"Thanks to Jiminy's post!" Goofy said calmly.

"Jiminy's... Post?"

"Uh..." Jiminy muttered quietly.

"Yeah! Look!" Donald requested, whipping out his own Gummiphone and fiddling with it for a moment before turning the screen to face Sora. It was the post that Jiminy had made the night before, of Sora following Mami into her bedroom for the night. Sora's face felt hot just thinking about that night, and now it was even warmer with the fact that Jiminy had leaked it to everyone.

"Ha! So it is like that!" Riku laughed upon seeing Sora's blush. "Looks like Kairi's gonna have some competition~"

"R- Riku...! Don't say that so loudly! She might hear you!"

"Kairi?"

"No, Mami."

"So... have you found Kairi?"

"I'm afraid not... I've looked all over the place."

"Typical Sora." Donald sighed. "Can't do anything without us!"

"Hey! I'm handling things on my own just fine! I saved Mami's life just fine without help!"

"What-"

"No you did not, young man!" Jiminy countered. "Homura was the one who got you to that Labyrinth in time! And even then, you didn't act fast enough and Cloud had to do all the work!"

"Jiminy..."

"Wait, wait wait." Riku said, sticking his hands up. "What do you mean Mami's life was in danger? And Cloud's there too?"

"It's a long story. But yes and yes." Sora then peeked out from behind the corner and saw Mami, still shaking slightly, being led away by Madoka and Sayaka. "I should get going. I'll talk to you guys later."

"You'd better, Sora. And tell Mami I said hi, and congratulations on not getting separated right after getting together with you."

"Riku, I swear to-" But Sora was unable to finish as Riku hung up, leaving Sora to just sigh and put his Gummiphone away, running towards the girls. "Hey! Wait up!"

"Oh, Sora. There you are." Sayaka said, her usual fiery emotion gone. "Who were you talking to?"

"Uh, just some friends from out of town." Sora said. Another half-truth. "Is Mami okay?"

"She... She hasn't said anything since Cloud arrived." Madoka explained.

"I'll deal with her." Sora reassured them. "You two should just get home. We'll be fine, I promise. Just... Just try to think of anything other than what didn't happen. Okay?"

He got a halfhearted nod from both girls as they started walking away, still holding onto each other for support, and thus, it was Sora and Mami alone as the sun continued to set over the horizon. "Come on. Let's go." Sora said, turning to walk away, turning back when he didn't hear a second set of footsteps behind him. He turned, finding Mami still standing there with a wide-eyed expression. "Hey, come on. I know how you feel, but just standing here isn't going to help anything."

Mami still didn't budge, and Sora eventually resorted to grabbing her wrist and leading her along, which finally made her start walking along with him. The whole walk back to Mami's apartment was silent. Not a word between the two. Upon returning, Sora sat Mami down on the armchair across from the sofa he usually slept on, and then sat himself down. Mami still looked terrified and was basically catatonic.

"Mami..." Sora muttered, trying to find something to say to break the silence. "Are... Are you okay?" As soon as he asked it, Sora wanted to kick his own shin. Of course she wasn't okay. She was mere seconds away from dying, and it was sheer luck that she made it out. "No, nevermind. That was stupid..." He said, and his humor seemed to just hit a brick wall. No reaction.

"Poor girl. She's still in shock..." Jiminy surmised. "I think she just needs some space..."

As if on que, Mami abruptly stood up, still shaking a little bit. "I'm going to turn in early tonight." She declared.

"Huh?" Sora wondered. "But it's only seven th-" He was interrupted by Jiminy, who just stuck his hand out to shush Sora.

"We understand." Jiminy said. "But I have to agree with Sora. It is pretty early. Don't you at least want something to eat or drink before heading to sleep?"

"I lost my appetite." Mami denied tersely. "Thank you for offering." And with that, she turned, headed up the stairs, and went right into her room, saying no more.

"Leave her be, Sora." Jiminy advised. "She'll be fine now that she's back home. But like you said, it's barely seven thirty. There's still plenty of time to go out looking for Kairi, or fighting the Heartless, or maybe you could try and figure out what Maleficent's up to?"

"I'm going to stay here. Just in case Mami needs anything. Maybe call Riku and the others."

"It's always your friends first, isn't it?"

"You know me too well." Sora said with a trademark smile, lounging out on the sofa and pulling out his Gummiphone. He scrolled until he found Riku's number. Placing the call, Sora sat up and propped his Gummiphone on the glass coffee table. However, when the call picked up, he was greeted by definitely not Riku. Instead, this person stood at about his height with spiky blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

"Hey, Sora!" Roxas cheered. "Good to see you're not dead!"

"Roxas!? But I thought I called Riku..."

"You did. But he's not here right now. He was stupid enough to leave his phone behind. So until he comes back, you're stuck with me. Anyway, what's with the call? Usually we're the ones trying to get ahold of you."

"Just thought I'd check in. I didn't really have the time to say everything I wanted earlier."

"Cause of everything happening?"

"...Yeah."

"Well, it looks like you're free now, so spill it. What's going on?"

"It's a really long story."

"We've got time."

"I guess that's right. Anyway, the biggest thing I think you need to know is that there have been Heartless here."

"Heartless? There? Really?"

"Nothing but small fry so far. But still, it's worrying. And it seems like Maleficent is behind it."

"That isn't good at all... Another one of her evil schemes?"

"Probably. But I'm willing to bet she's travelling between worlds. So if you guys could do me a favor and try to figure out what she's doing? At least hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"Heh, you know who you're talking to? We'll handle it. But you better tell us immediately if she's causing trouble over there. We still don't know what world you're even in, or where it is, so we need to know immediately if we need to focus more on getting backup to you."

"We should be okay for now." Jiminy explained. "I mean, the residents of this world are quite powerful, and Cloud's here too. I'd be worried if something came up that we couldn't handle."

"Yeah, I've heard." Roxas agreed. "Speaking of the people, Sora, we haven't really met any of them. When are you gonna introduce us to your girlfriend, huh?"

"She's not my-! Ugh..." Sora groaned, which just made Roxas laugh. "Well, I would've introduced you, but a lot of things happened and Mami isn't really feeling like herself right now. Maybe later."

"That thing where her life was in danger or whatever?"

"You heard about that?"

"Riku told us before he left. But he didn't give us any details."

"I, uh, didn't exactly give him any..."

"Yup. That sounds like you alright."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Oh, nothing. Anyway, life-or-death thing, spill."

"It's a little complicated, but I'll try. Basically, this world has these things called Witches that Magical Girls like Mami fight, and one was about two seconds away from chomping her head off before Cloud showed up. I guess I owe him a favor now..."

"I'm... Not even going to question any of that. Anyway, where even are you? It looks... Actually kinda cozy."

"Here? I'm at Mami's apartment. I've been staying here the past few days."

"You mean you're currently living with her? Jeez, Sora, you sure move quick."

"Oh, for the love of- For the last time, Roxas! We're not a thing!"

"You should be, though. I think she'd like that." Jiminy remarked.

"You think I don't know that? But what am I gonna do about Kairi?"

"You'll figure it out eventually." Was all Jiminy had to say.

"Oh, yeah, real helpful."

"Well, it looks like you're okay. I'll tell the others to keep an eye out for Maleficent. You just worry about finding Kairi and keeping the Heartless away."

"Sounds like a plan."

"And you'd better take good care of Mami, you hear?"

"Good grief, Roxas..." Sora sighed as Roxas laughed again. "You won't stop about this, will you?"

"Only an idiot would think otherwise."

"I figured as much..."

"Okay, for real this time, see ya around, Sora. And you'd better pick up the damn phone next time."

"Okay, okay, jeez. I get it. Later, Roxas."

"Good." Roxas concluded, and then hung up. Sora looked at the clock on the wall nearby. It was only 8 PM, but by then the sun had gone down, and Sora figured it wouldn't be good to go searching for Kairi in the darkness, and the Heartless were weaker during the day, so he would prefer to wait.

"Well, now what?" Jiminy questioned after Sora voiced his concerns. "I mean, what is there here to do? You know if you go out, you'll somehow end up on the hunt for Kairi or fighting Heartless anyway. And you said it yourself, you want to be here in case Mami needs anything."

"I guess I'll just turn in then. She can wake me up if anything happens."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's not like there's anything better to do."

"Alright then..." Jiminy muttered as Sora got up to go and change out of his usual outfit and into his nightclothes before coming back, laying out on the couch, shutting the lights off, and beginning to doze off...