Taking Back the Crown

by JCMorrigan

Mozenrath. Archibald Snatcher. Roman Torchwick. Mad Madam Mim. Yzma. The Huntsman. Wuya. Ayam Aghoul. Their mission: take over the multiverse, or look fabulous trying. Rated M for swearing, steamy implications and VERY bloody battles. Contains slash and het shipping.

67. Bad Reactions

A/N: The Tangled continuity picks up around the same time as episodes 2 and 3 of season 2 of Tangled: The Series (specifically, the Vardaros episodes).

...

Corona had looked garish from a distance; it was even worse up close, with its decorative flora and winding streets that led past mosaic-mural walls and fountains in the centers of squares.

"So if we can all agree on one thing already," Demyx suggested, "it's that this place is just ugly?"

"That's quite fair," Snatcher agreed.

"Who thought all these flowers were a good idea?" Roman grumbled.

"It actually reminds me a lot of home," Hans observed. "So, naturally, I hate it."

"Where to?" Roman asked. "I'd ultimately like to spend as little time here as possible."

"We all would," Snatcher agreed, leading on. "Our best bet is to find a source of knowledge. This kingdom ought to have a library of some sort. Somewhere we can peruse information regarding the subject of history and legend. All we've got to do is discover its location."

"What," Demyx teased, "are you just gonna walk up to someone and admit you don't know where – "

"Pardon me, good sir!" Snatcher had already flagged down a civilian. "My associates and I seem to be a good bit turned around. Might you be able to point us in the direction of the library?"

"It's that way," the man he'd addressed answered, pointing in a direction. "About ten blocks up and three to the left."

"I thank you, good sir!" Snatcher said politely, tipping his hat.

The four soon entered the indicated building, which was fashioned of wood that creaked underfoot. Shelves laden with leather-bound books lined every wall; a spiral stairway led to floors both above and below. Large windows let altogether too much light for the quartet's liking pour in, but it was still better than being outside.

"Let's stake a claim," Hans decided. "Somewhere we won't be disturbed. After that, we split up. Demyx and I will grab anything we can find about local legends, and Mr. Snatcher and Roman can pick out the best history books."

"That sounds reasonable," Snatcher agreed.

They chose a tucked-away alcove on the upper level before splitting up. Three of them – Hans, Snatcher, and Roman – reconvened with piles of books in their arms; Demyx was inexplicably absent.

"Tell me one of you didn't tie Demyx up and throw him in the broom closet when I wasn't looking," Hans sighed, setting down his books.

Roman was already stretched out on his stomach on the floor, paging through the first of his finds. "Knowing that guy," he remarked, "he probably just ran off once he realized how much work this was gonna be."

"That's…" Hans began to argue before realizing how in-character that was for Demyx. "Probably what actually happened."

Snatcher had taken up a seat on a purple-and-blue-cushioned bench positioned near a window, cracking open a tome of his own. "We'd best begin. No sense in waiting for him to return, or we'd be waiting past sundown."

Hans sat on the floor, opening his own book.

Demyx showed up a few minutes later, holding a tray of cupcakes frosted with neon colors. He walked quickly and furtively, keeping the tray close to his chest. He relaxed once he got to the alcove, declaring, "Look what I got!"

Roman scrambled to his feet immediately. There was a chance that nothing bad would come of this. All the same, cupcakes had just gotten involved: the sort of cupcake that was likely to be made with copious amounts of milk. "Where did you even get those?" he sighed, trying to sound casual about it.

"There's a bakery down the street," Demyx explained. "I saw it on the way up here. I didn't expect the owner to be such a big scary guy, but getting these out the door wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Then again, I am kiiiiiiind of a master thief, so I don't know what I was even worried about. Anyway, in the spirit of team bonding, I got enough for everyone." He approached Snatcher's bench first, plucking a cupcake frosted in bright blue from the tray and holding it out to him. "Here! I would've gotten you a red one, but I don't think this kingdom gets the concept of colors that aren't pastel."

Snatcher eyed the cupcake. He did, deep down, know better. As long as he could get out of this with a simple excuse, there needn't be a problem. "I'm not hungry at the moment," he grunted, swinging his eyes back to his book.

"Awww, come onnnnn," Demyx cajoled. "Don't be rude. I went to all the trouble of getting this whole tray so everyone could have one."

He'd just fenced Snatcher in with societal convention. Snatcher, in turn, convinced himself there wouldn't be a problem. With an "All right, then," he put out his hand to receive the cupcake.

Roman quickly intervened, slapping Demyx's hand upward so the cupcake crashed into his face, spreading icing and crumbling cake all over it.

"Heyyyyyyyy!" Demyx whined, scraping at the dessert with the hand that had previously held a cupcake. "What was that for?"

"I thought it would be funny," Roman replied with a grin. "And it was." Just because it wasn't his primary reason for sabotaging Demyx didn't mean it hadn't become an honest reason.

Snatcher only barely managed to cover a laugh of his own.

"Wow," Hans commented. "Is this how you two act when anyone tries to be nice to you?"

"I did say I wasn't wanting for food at the moment," Snatcher reminded him.

"Huh," Hans remarked. "I didn't realize you were allergic to nice gestures."

The phrasing struck Snatcher like a ballistic, but he forced it out of his mind. It was a mere coincidence, and besides, that choice of words shouldn't matter to him at all as far as he was concerned. He refused to admit there was a reason for them to do so.

Roman, however, was experiencing alarm bells going off in his own brain. Why had Hans used the word "allergic"? He had to have known. Of course he knew, Roman told himself. Mozenrath had probably informed him. But then why not call Snatcher's allergy out directly? Why watch as Demyx offered the cupcake? It all reeked of subterfuge. Before, Roman had merely disliked Hans and Demyx. Now he was downright suspicious of them.

The librarian hustled onto the upper level, having remembered seeing patrons enter earlier. As Roman, Snatcher, Hans, and Demyx were the only four inside the building, she rushed to them, crying out, "A proclamation!"

Demyx shielded the cupcake tray with his body so it would not be seen by the librarian's prying eyes.

"King Frederic is giving a proclamation before the whole kingdom!" the librarian announced without waiting for any of the four to respond. "The news only just reached here! We need to get to the castle immediately!" With that, she rushed off.

"Hm…" Snatcher pondered this. "This could be important."

"You really think he's going to say anything about the sundrop flower?" Demyx asked.

"One never knows," Snatcher answered. "But we'll certainly learn something by attending, whether it is pertinent to our current situation or will be more useful later on."

"Well, then, let's go!" Demyx urged, flat-out dropping the cupcakes on the floor before bolting toward the spiral staircase.

"Wait for us!" Hans yelled as he followed.

As Snatcher rose from his bench, Roman stood directly before him, preventing him from passing. "Um, no," Roman said firmly. "We need to talk."

"Never pleasant words," Snatcher muttered.

Roman leaned in close; Hans and Demyx may have been out of sight, but he wasn't taking any chances. "This has to stop now," he hissed.

"We can't stop," Snatcher reminded him, keeping his own tone low – if Roman was being quiet, it was obviously for a reason. "Lord Mozenrath insisted – "

"Not the mission!" Roman growled. "This whole denial thing you have over your allergy!"

Snatcher flinched. "I don't know what you're – "

"Yes, you do," Roman insisted. "You damn well do. I've been shielding you so far, but that was too close. Do you know what would have happened if you'd eaten that cupcake?"

"It…would likely have been too sweet for my tastes, but all the same – "

"You would've blown up like a fucking balloon and thought you were a hundred worlds away from here!" Roman snapped. "Seriously, this doesn't matter anymore! You're not in Jerktown! No one cares if you can't eat a piece of cheese! But I don't trust those two, and I am sure that cupcake was an act of premeditated murder! Dishwater knew EXACTLY what button to press to get you to try and put that thing in your mouth! If they're going to start coming at this from THAT angle, I can't protect you every waking hour of the day. You have to drop this fucking act and protect yourself for once in your life!"

"Don't take up that tone with me, Torchwick," Snatcher replied sternly, "and don't accuse me of things that aren't true."

"It literally does not matter!" Roman urged. "I don't know if you're keeping this up because it's a bad habit or because part of you still wants in with that crowd!"

"I most certainly DO NOT – "

"You have already come so far since I met you," Roman went on. "Can you please just be mature about this for long enough that I don't have to worry about someone using a glass of milk to assassinate you behind my back?"

"Drop this matter, Torchwick. Drop it immediately – "

"No. You're lying to yourself and everyone else so you can try to fit in with a power structure you promised you were done with," Roman reiterated, his tone escalating. "You don't even fucking care about us long enough to watch out for your own health. You're just waiting for the day you can go groveling back to that bunch of assholes and prove you can be in charge of a bunch of IDIOTS!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT ME, TORCHWICK!" Snatcher positively yelled in return. "IF YOU INSIST ON TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD WHO CAN'T FEND FOR HIMSELF, I'D RATHER YOU NOT SPEAK TO ME AT ALL!"

"I'M TREATING YOU THIS WAY BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FEND FOR YOUR FUCKING SELF! ALL THIS TIME, I'VE BEEN GIVING YOU CREDIT FOR BEING ONE OF THE SMARTEST PEOPLE I KNOW, BUT YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

"ME, THE IDIOT?" Snatcher countered. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CAN'T FEND FOR HIMSELF, AND FURTHERMORE, DOESN'T KNOW WHEN TO BACK OFF."

Roman's entire demeanor changed then, from charged to calm. "You want me to either stop treating you like a kid or stop talking to you?" he resolved. "Fine. But you're not going to like the option I pick."

He stormed toward the stairway, his mind already brimming with machinations of how to get the upper hand in this confrontation.

Snatcher watched him leave before straightening out his jacket and striding afterward. He didn't feel like dealing with this matter at all, so he simply decided not to. Roman would come around if given enough time. There were currently more important matters to pursue.

...

The entire contingent had gathered in the library once more to discuss the issue at hand. No sooner had the Committee regulated against outsiders entering the castle than Sora had brought home Kazuichi Soda, insisting he needed to stay at the castle for some time. Sora found himself in the center of the floor on the lower level, all eyes on him as he was expected to explain himself. Kazuichi had moved to a table near the edge of the room, trying to put himself in the periphery as everyone else argued over him. He pulled up his hood, pinching its edge between his fingers.

"It's a stupid rule!" Sora yelled at Leon.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had been here," Leon told him calmly. "Snatcher and his minion had us all fooled. They had the same story as everyone else. The difference is everyone else here has had time to prove their trustworthiness."

"So you're just going to close off the doors to everyone who needs you?" Katara snapped, moving next to Sora.

"Man, you make it sound so icky when you put it like that," Lea sighed.

"Because it is icky!" Sora barked. "You got fooled once, and you think that means EVERYONE'S out to get you?"

"Yeah, well, once was too many times!" Nick yelled from the upper level.

"We thought they were our friends!" Donald added.

"They were perfectly convincing, as anyone else could be!" Merlin punctuated.

"Now, hold on!" Sadira broke in. "If we'd had this rule, we could've kept Snatcher and his friend out. But we also never would've met Pleakley! Or Jumba or Lilo. But especially Pleakley!"

"We do owe a lot to Jumba," Mickey reiterated.

"How do you even KNOW he stopped the Claymores?" Donald snapped. "We didn't see it for ourselves!"

"But he DID stop the data Organization from overrunning the castle and the town," Mickey reminded Donald.

"Mickey's right!" Goofy added. "If we hadn't been open to lettin' in new friends, we never woulda figured out how to beat that data!"

"But that ain't even gettin' into the real problem here!" Cid chimed in. "At least that Snatcher fella put up a disguise and everything! You just went and picked up a guy wearin' the Organization cloak off Xehanort's home base! How fuckin' STUPID do you have to be?"

Sora was taken aback at this comment. Before he could think to say anything – and he had a lot to say about it – Riku and Papyrus yelled right back at Cid:

"IT WASN'T STUPID!"

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!"

"Then whaddaya call what he just did?" Cid huffed.

"I wore that same coat when I was working for Mickey and Ansem the Wise!" Riku argued.

"KAZUICHI WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY FRIGHTENED!" Papyrus added. "WE COULDN'T JUST LEAVE HIM THERE!"

"This is the most obvious fuckin' trick in the book!" Cid argued.

"Then maybe that proves it isn't a trick!" Katara argued. "Why would Xehanort try to plant someone in our ranks who he KNEW we'd all suspect and try to throw out?"

"Unless," Donald suggested, "he knew you'd think that person was too obvious to be suspicious and argue for keeping him here!"

"Well," Sora rebutted, "what if he knew sending someone for that reason would be a dumb idea, because if the person was too obvious to be suspicious, then we'd think Xehanort planned it on purpose, so Xehanort wouldn't do that for that exact reason?"

"My head hurts," Goofy complained.

"I know what we decided," Aerith broke in, "but Sora's new friend did seem to be in a bad place."

"I'm not saying it was wrong to save him from Xehanort," Leon clarified.

"I'm sayin' that!" Cid argued. "I'm sayin' exactly that! Because it wasn't no rescue!"

"He just can't stay here," Leon asserted.

"Well, where else is he supposed to go?" Katara asked angrily.

It was like being in a class trial all over again, Kazuichi thought as he remained still, not quite of the confidence to argue for himself. Like a class trial where half the room thought he was guilty of murder.

"I don't know," Leon ruled, "but it isn't here."

"That's not fair!" Katara yelled.

"Mozenrath's lackeys weren't fair to us," Leon reiterated.

"You said this wasn't even about that!" Katara snapped. "You said this was about Kazuichi being with Xehanort!"

"I was the one who said that, not him!" Cid groaned. "Keep your damn arguments straight!"

"EVERYONE NEEDS TO CALM DOWN!" Papyrus declared. "WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A HUMAN WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH TRAUMATIZING THINGS! NO MATTER WHAT, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SHOW HIM KINDNESS!"

"Oh, for the love of – you're just as stupid as Sora is!" Cid groaned.

"STOP CALLING SORA STUPID!" Riku growled.

"And stop calling PAPYRUS stupid!" Ruby chimed in.

"Just stop calling people stupid, you sexist pig!" Yuffie added.

"Whose side are you on?" Cid retorted.

Jasmine made her way to the center of the room. "Can I say something?"

"Well, the situation can't be made much worse, now, can it?" Merlin relented. "Speak your mind."

"What about the hourglass?" Jasmine asked. "Couldn't we ask it to show us who Kazuichi is working with? The only reason no one thought to use it on Mr. Snatcher was because no one expected the new visitor to really be him. If you had used it, you would have seen the truth."

There was a silence before Sadira said, "She's got a point."

"The only problem is that the hourglass's answers are cryptic," Leon reminded her. "We might not get a straightforward answer."

"Or we might get one that clears up everything," Jasmine argued.

"Wait a minute!" Yuffie realized. "If we can ask the hourglass who Kazuichi is working for, we can also ask it where his homeworld is!"

"That's true," Leon realized. "And once we've figured it out, you can take him home."

That got Kazuichi to stand up. "You can get me back home?" he asked eagerly. He knew it was not too long ago that he had wanted to leave Jabberwock Island. But so far, since doing exactly that, he had gone to two different worlds entirely, and neither one had been nice to him. "Please. I wanna go back home."

"I don't know," Stork piped up. "If Xehanort knew where to find him the first time, he'll know where to find him again, and then we'll be right back where we started."

"Or maybe he gave up after you escaped," Chip volunteered.

"I'll take my chances!" Kazuichi insisted. "I just want to get out of all this craziness and go home!"

"Then you'll get to go home," Leon promised. "Just as soon as we learn where your home is."

"Y'all can drop him off on your next mission," Cid decided. "Whatever you decided that is."

"We just got back!" Sora grouched. "And now you want to send us right back out again?"

"That is a good point," Aerith stated. "It is very soon. Perhaps someone else should bring Kazuichi home while the others rest."

"NO," Papyrus decided. "WE WILL DO IT. WE'LL BRING HIM BACK WHEN WE GO OUT ON OUR NEXT MISSION. HOWEVER, OUR NEXT MISSION BEGINS WHENEVER WE DECIDE IT DOES."

"Yeah!" Sora agreed. "And that's not gonna be for at least a while!"

"Sora," Leon began to say sternly.

"I think they should get to stay!" Kairi said firmly. "If you're not going to let Kazuichi stay permanently, at least let him stay long enough that everyone can get a break!"

"It's not like having him around for a day is going to ruin us," Jaune added. "What can he report back that our enemies don't already know? They all know we're here."

"We at least need to let them stay long enough to join us on that beach trip we planned!" Kairi insisted.

"Beach trip?" Sora asked quizzically.

"After Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley went home," Nora explained, "a bunch of us were talking about taking the train down to the beach."

"It's been so long since I've actually gotten to see the ocean," Moana asserted.

"It would remind a lot of us of home," Kairi added.

"And we could have some fun!" Chip contributed.

"We ain't riskin' lettin' anything on to the enemy so y'all can splash around at the beach!" Cid snapped.

But it was too late, as Nora was already chanting "Beach trip! Beach trip!"

This, in turn, got Yuffie to chime in: "Beach trip! Beach trip!"

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU EVEN ON?" Cid yelled at Yuffie.

The chant of "Beach trip!" was now echoing throughout the entire library.

"All r – " Leon attempted. "Fine, you – " He hung his head and growled.

Donald, seeing Leon try to break through, held his staff up high. As a bolt of lightning struck an unoccupied patch of floor with a great BOOM, Donald screamed, "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

That got the room quiet enough for Leon to say, "All right. You can all stay for the beach trip. But no one says anything to the stranger about who we are or what we're doing."

"Well, what if I already told him?" Sora asked indignantly.

"Probably shouldn't have said that," Kazuichi muttered to him.

"How dumb can ya get?" Cid groaned.

"No one says anything ELSE about who we are or what we're doing," Leon amended. "And after everyone's rested, then Sora and whoever else is going with him on the next mission can take the stranger back home where he belongs."

"Fine," Sora agreed. "You have a deal."

"Now let's learn where our stranger came from," Leon declared, fixing his eyes upon Kazuichi.

Just when it seemed like Kazuichi had found friends, he was met with hostility on their world. It was altogether another argument for despair.

...

It seemed improbable that the entire kingdom's population could squeeze into the courtyard over which the king's balcony loomed, and yet they did. Snatcher made sure to position himself just off-center of the crowd; either the exact center or any of the edges would draw the king's eye, and though he didn't expect to cause trouble here in Corona itself, he thought it better safe than sorry when it came to being noticed and remembered. Hans, Demyx, and Roman followed his lead.

Once the crowd stopped filtering in, the king himself appeared, imposingly tall and strikingly brunette, clad in robes of violet. His queen stood at his side, with hair of matching brown and a gown of coordinating violet.

"Attention, citizens," King Frederic began, and the crowd settled down. He hadn't been looking forward to this particular proclamation, but it was imperative to say. "Thank you all for coming to hear what I have to say. As you all know, we recently celebrated the nineteenth birthday of Princess Rapunzel."

This elicited a cheer from the crowd. Frederic had to wait some time for it to die down so he could proceed. "It was a joyous occasion for us all," he agreed. "However, it was not the only event that took place that is worth noting on that day. Any of you who have traveled here from Old Corona know that a battle took place there on that day. It is time I explain the circumstances of that battle…and apologize for a wrong I committed so long ago."

Feeling the confused silence of his people settle heavily on his shoulders, Frederic hesitated to speak again; it was only when Queen Arianna put her hand comfortingly on his upper arm that he found the strength.

"Old Corona has, for some time, been plagued by the growth of the black rocks," Frederic stated. "The presence of the rocks…is my doing. Nineteen years ago, when my wife Arianna was ailing from childbirth, I sought the magic flower of legend, said to have grown from a sundrop. I was warned that removing the flower would come at a cost, but I paid it no heed. From the place where the flower once grew, the rocks erupted and began to consume Corona from the outside in. You have me to blame for their presence, and I do apologize for all of the complication this has wrought upon our kingdom.

"Furthermore, a citizen of Old Corona was denied help when he needed it most. I do not believe this was out of any fault of the royal family, but all the same, he felt a sincere sense of betrayal. The battle of Old Corona ensued when he…lashed out against the royal family. And due to my involvement in the destruction of his home, I could not say it was entirely unfounded. He has since been taken into custody, and we are attempting to give him the help he sorely needs. During his outburst, however, he stole and destroyed the remains of the magic flower in a fruitless attempt to break through the stone. Failing that, he turned to Rapunzel herself. She is all right, and was in fact instrumental in bringing the battle to its end. That, however, brings me to my next announcement.

"You will not be seeing the princess within the kingdom's walls for some time. She has departed, along with trusted companions, on a journey to discover her destiny. Only time will tell what she will accomplish, though I am of no doubt that it will be something truly great. I do not know when she will return. I only know that she will, in fact, return. And when she does, I am certain she will have quite the story to tell.

"I will understand if you are angry with me. Goodness knows I let a situation escalate for nineteen years that should not have gone unchecked. Henceforth, I shall put every effort into deciphering how to stop the growth of the rocks, in Old Corona and elsewhere. In the meantime, Queen Arianna and I are organizing a relocation of those whose homes have been disrupted of destroyed by the rocks to better housing. If this is a service you need, do not hesitate to submit a statement to the royal staff. Once again…I do apologize."

Frederic hadn't known what to expect. He knew he wouldn't be met with a round of applause. He had feared a cacophony of booing. What he got instead was confused murmurs among the crowd as they tried to make sense of it all. "Once more, thank you," he said before turning to re-enter the castle.

Arianna, in step beside him, told him softly, "You did great."

"I merely did what I could," Frederic told her. "In these times, it is actions that will speak louder than words."

Outside, Demyx was flabbergasted. "The flower was destroyed?" he blurted. "The whole REASON we came here ISN'T HERE ANYMORE?"

"That fucking figures," Roman sighed.

"I guess now we have no choice but to turn back," Hans sighed. "So. Who wants to make the call?"

"I will." Demyx had already retrieved his scroll. "I've had enough of this mission already."

Snatcher held up a hand. "Now, hold on," he said, his gaze fixed on empty air as thoughts raced around his mind. "Just…hold on."

"What is iiiiiiiit?" Demyx sighed.

"Mr. Snatcher," Hans asserted, "it's over."

"We're just going to have to go back empty-handed," Roman resolved.

"Aw, maaaaan, Mozenrath is gonna kill us!" Demyx groaned. "We didn't get the flower AND we didn't have a serious bonding mission! Wait. Is THAT what Snatcher's thinking about? A way to trick him into THINKING we got the flower? Yeah! We could just pick any old flower and dress it up with some paint – "

"We are NOT doing that," Snatcher interrupted. "Quite the opposite." He finally turned to look his teammates in the eye. "As far as experience among the WHAM ARMY goes," he admitted, "I am yet a novice where magic is concerned. However, several pieces of his majesty's proclamation seem to be falling into place quite nicely…yes, quite nicely indeed. After all, the compass has still been pointing a definite direction. The flower may be gone, but the sundrop most certainly is not. I do wonder…" He lowered his gaze a moment, considering what he had just theorized. "I wonder. How likely is it…?"

"Just spit it out, old-timer!" Demyx blurted.

Snatcher chose to ignore the insult; Roman was in no mood to jump to his defense. "Consider this," Snatcher said. "That flower was used to make a healing brew of sorts for the queen when she was in labor with the young princess. Once the flower's essence was ingested, the girl was born. Of course she was, you might say. How else would you expect things to turn out? Either that, or the queen dies. Yes, all a very obvious conclusion. And yet…

"This rebel citizen who caused so much upheaval, in what are still very vague terms that cause me to doubt this speech's validity as anything but pure propaganda, sought after what remained of that flower, did he not? If his majesty is telling the truth, that flower was destroyed in the process. Now, we may have simply been fed a convenient lie. Assuming, however, that we have not, we now are left with a fascinating observation. This citizen's goal was to procure the sundrop. After destroying the flower, he turns to the girl. The girl becomes instrumental in whatever scheme this citizen attempted to carry out.

"And finally, the girl has as of late disappeared in order to fulfill some sort of destiny. Everyone's taking this quite well, not questioning a thing. Which begs the question: what sets this girl apart from everyone else? What could possibly tie this girl to a destiny that no one else has? Considering the timing of the flower and the scheming of the rebel citizen, I've come upon a theory. Again, I'm no expert when it comes to magic. But say when her majesty consumed the flower's essence, its powers were transferred to the girl. What if our sundrop is no longer a plant…but a person?"

Roman, Hans, and Demyx regarded Snatcher in stunned silence for a moment. Then Demyx said, "You better not have come up with a reason that we need to go on a stupid cross-country trip to find that princess."

"Mr. Demyx," Snatcher urged, "you out of all of us are most familiar with the magical arts. Would such a theory as the one I've posed be possible?"

All eyes turned to Demyx, who uttered a "Nyyyeeeeehhhhh…" as he weighed the pros and cons of giving his opinion. On one hand, he really wanted to just give up and go back to base. On the other… "It actually sounds possible."

"The compass does point somewhere," Hans agreed. "It could be pointing to her."

Roman just gave a noncommittal shrug. So he'd decided to opt for the silent treatment, Snatcher thought bitterly.

"Just a bit more information," Snatcher muttered. "What I found in the library seems to corroborate, but I require only a bit more – "

"Wait, wait, wait," Hans broke in. "What did you find in the library?"

"Well," Snatcher explained, "I hadn't thought much of it at the time. I'd already read through quite a bit of Corona history at that point, not sure which was relevant and which was not. Some irregular weather patterns, some wars, the like. I only made a brief note of each, focusing on relevance to our sundrop. It now appears I may have read exactly what I needed to without realizing it. The book I had couldn't have been more than twenty years old – no, given the proclamation, nineteen. Its last chapters spoke of the 'lost princess.' A girl born to the royal family and then taken away by some mysterious kidnapper. And yet it seems that girl made it back home for her nineteenth birthday. Such peculiar circumstances only convince me that my theory is indeed correct."

"This is actually sounding more and more probable," Hans admitted.

"I didn't want a roooooad triiiiiip," Demyx moaned.

"I did want to know more about the kidnapper," Snatcher muttered. "And the place to find that out would be…gentlemen, follow me!"

He took off at a brisk walk down through the city. Hans, Demyx, and Roman, all puzzled, followed him until they reached a mosaic mural expertly set into a wall. "Admirers," Snatcher said by way of explanation, approaching some of the people looking at the mural. The image depicted the king and queen holding a baby with striking blonde hair.

"Why would she be blonde?" Demyx wondered out loud.

"If she had sun magic in her," Hans proposed. "I kid you not, my first experience with magic was with someone who had power over snow and ice, and her hair was stark WHITE."

Roman just gave another shrug. His gaze then wandered over the square, seeking out something only he knew he was looking for.

"What's eating him?" Demyx wondered out loud.

"Okay, this time, I actually DIDN'T do anything," Hans said defensively.

Snatcher sidled in among the observers of the mural, slipping into casual conversation with one woman; "And to think we almost didn't get her back where she belonged. Nasty business, that kidnapping. Wouldn't want to run into that one at night. The kidnapper, not the princess."

"Oh, I agree," the woman said with a nod.

"What was that one's name, again?" Snatcher went on. "Something grisly."

"'Gothel,'" the woman confirmed. "It was 'Gothel.'"

"Yes, quite grisly, that," Snatcher commented. "Was it ever learned why her highness was taken?"

"Well, you know the rumors," the woman said.

"As they are rumors," Snatcher replied, "they seem to have escaped my ear."

"Well," the woman explained, "some people say Princess Rapunzel's hair had the power to heal any injury, just like the flower did. That's why it grew so quickly and changed color after she came back home, you know? But no one can prove it."

"Intriguing," Snatcher commented. "But surely, a bit far-fetched."

"You never know," the woman said cryptically. "After all, it turned out Lord Demanitus' machine was real."

Snatcher hadn't read about that one in his brief skim of history. It must have been a legend, which had been Hans' department to read about. "That it did," he agreed, backing away slowly.

Once he rejoined his companions, he hissed, "Did you hear? Magical, GOLDEN hair that could cure any ailment! Our sundrop is that girl!"

"Please tell me her destiny isn't far away," Demyx groaned.

"I have to admit," Hans said, "you actually hit upon something useful there. I'm pleasantly surprised."

"It should come as no surprise whatsoever," Snatcher stated. "You'll learn that after we've spent more time together. In the meantime, we've an expedition to plot. And furthermore, perhaps we can make use of what else we've learned. Particularly the name 'Gothel.'"

"Do you know how much I hate the word 'expedition'?" Demyx cried.

"Oh, do calm down," Snatcher groaned. "It isn't as though we'll be walking. We'll need horses. Purloined horses. Torchwick – "

"Yeah, yeah, I can steal a horse," Roman huffed.

"Four horses, to be exact," Snatcher clarified.

"Whatever," Roman retorted.

"Trouble in paradise?" Demyx said softly to Hans, though not softly enough to escape Snatcher's detection.

"You mind your own business," Snatcher snapped at them both.

"Hey, as long as you're making me actually do stuff," Demyx pointed out, "I bet I could get you into the nearest stable without anyone noticing."

"I'll take you up on that, Dishwater," Roman replied. "Just as soon as I finish doing a little shopping."

"A splendid idea," Snatcher noted. "Who knows how long we'll be riding? We'll need provisions. Enough to last four people several days. Or…perhaps five."

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Hans asked. "Because I was kind of thinking the same thing, weirdly enough. Either I just got stupid or you're on an actual roll."

"Mr. Westergard," Snatcher admonished, "can you not find even one genuine compliment in that rotted husk you call a heart?"

"I prefer FROZEN heart," Hans corrected. "Also, how exactly are we going to pay for all the stuff we're going to need?"

"Um…" Roman reminded him, "we don't."

"Master thief, remember?" Demyx chipped in. "No one will even notice their stuff's gone until it's too late."

"And for the stores that are watching their shelves too closely," Roman added, "you can be sure there are enough people who aren't doing the same to their pockets. What we can't pay for, the good people of Corona will!"

"This is actually starting to sound fun," Demyx admitted.

"Of course it'll be fun!" Roman insisted.

"Yeah, but you're usually a major killjoy," Demyx stated.

"Not today, Dishwater," Roman replied. "Not today. Anyway, we are burning daylight right now."

"Let's go!" Demyx cried.

"And where exactly are we to meet?" Snatcher asked.

"Right back here in an hour," Roman decided. "You two…do whatever you want, I guess."

He and Demyx took off, disappearing into the everyday crowd.

"So now what?" Hans asked. "We open up about our feelings to each other? Try and figure out what we have in common?"

"We split up and cover ground," Snatcher told him. "We're seeking the kingdom's stables, and the best horses to boot. We'll get further working separately than we will together."

"I was afraid for a minute you were gonna think I was serious about the opening-up thing," Hans admitted in relief.

They parted ways as well.

After Roman slipped the first coin purse beneath his jacket, he spotted the exact shop he'd been seeking. He meant to bring an end to his disagreement with Snatcher once and for all, and he knew just how to win. It would not, however, be pretty.

...

The ones who ended up in the hourglass chamber were Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, Stork, Jasmine, Katara, Kazuichi, Leon, and Merlin; Riku and Aladdin, having already decided they trusted Kazuichi's word, had gone off with the others to make beach plans. Leon and Merlin, however, knew they needed to see the hourglass' answer, and Merlin was ever the one to decipher it. Merlin kicked things off with an enormous bolt of lightning struck to the hourglass' gem.

Once the sands had begun whirling, Leon commanded, "Ask your question."

Kazuichi stared, wide-eyed, at the completely inexplicable device before him. "Just…ask it a question? Like, out loud?"

"Not you," Leon said sternly. "Someone we actually trust is going to ask it."

Sora stepped forward, and no one argued with him being the one to inquire. "Who is Kazuichi Soda working with?" he asked the hourglass.

The sands shifted, revealing an image of the dining hall of the Jabberwock Island hotel. The picture painted was a morose one. Fuyuhiko sat at the table, head down on his folded arms. Hajime paced back and forth, deep in thought. Akane was trying very vehemently to say something to Sonia, though the lack of any audio on the part of the hourglass prevented the audience from knowing what. A clue, however, was the fact that Sonia's face was streaked with tears: tears that were still flowing.

"It's them!" Kazuichi cried, surging forward to get a better look, his hood falling down in the process. "It's Hajime and Fuyuhiko and Akane and…and Miss Sonia…" He neared the hourglass enough to touch it. "She's crying," he realized, reaching out to press his palm to the vision of her face. "She's actually crying over me." He was touched, actually happy for a moment before realizing that he was taking pleasure in her sadness, which brought his own mood crashing down. He pivoted back around on his working leg; "I have to get back to her! I have to tell her I'm okay!"

"The sooner you do that, the sooner we all get what we want," Merlin huffed. "Now, my good hourglass, show us this young man's homeworld."

The vision instantly changed, taking away the images of the four survivors of Jabberwock and replacing them with scenes of fire, rioting crowds, skies black with ash, and looming above all, the visual of a toy bear, half black and half white, its left eye a jagged lightning-bolt shape.

"So it's THAT bear," Merlin muttered.

"You know about Monokuma?" Kazuichi said in awe.

"Monokuma, is it?" Merlin repeated. "I never bothered to find out if that wretched thing had a name. The world it's from isn't a large one on the radar. No fonts of magic to be found there. But I have visited it at several points in its history, and it is a curious world, to be sure. One moment, it seems to be an ordinary civilization, and but a few years into the future, it's all gone to the dogs, as you can see from the hourglass. I've yet to determine what exactly happened, but that bear showed up when everything went wrong. I wouldn't want to cross paths with whatever villain orchestrated this catastrophe…for THEIR sake."

Kazuichi felt his limbs tremble at that. No, it hadn't been his idea, but he'd still had a pretty big hand in it.

"And it seems you've got to bring him back to after its destruction," Merlin lamented. "I wouldn't stay long."

"How awful," Jasmine remarked. "We're just supposed to leave you there on a world that's falling apart?"

"Yeah, well, my friends are there," Kazuichi insisted. "They're all I have. And Miss Sonia is there."

"I get that," Sora said. "I'd go anywhere to be with my friends."

"THEN AGAIN," Papyrus pointed out, "SORA HAS FRIENDS JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE!"

"Then it's settled," Merlin decided. "I'll have coordinates drawn up, and you can drop this young man off on your way to…to…blast, where was it you were going, again?"

"We hadn't decided," Sora replied. He then turned to Ruby; "Do you wanna keep chasing Cinder?"

Ruby shook her head. "When we did that, then Mozenrath showed up and made things worse. He even apparently beat Cinder. I think it's more important to find him and stop him before he hurts someone else."

"If we hadn't been there to take care of Midna…" Katara began.

"Let's not go there," Stork halted.

"We still haven't figured out what Mozenrath is even after," Jasmine reminded the group.

"Um…so…I'm new here," Kazuichi broke in, "but if you don't know something, why not ask this thing? It seems to have all the answers."

"We tried that," Sora explained. "The vision was just…black. Like nothingness."

"Which can't mean anything good," Stork commented.

"THEN IT'S SETTLED," Papyrus declared. "WE ARE GOING AFTER MOZENRATH!"

"Okay, so I should probably ask," Kazuichi broke in. "What's a Mozenrath? Does it have anything to do with the Nort people?"

"No," Sora replied, "he's different."

"Mozenrath is a sorcerer who's been tormenting multiple worlds so he can collect magic," Jasmine explained. "He came from Aladdin's and my world, and he used to work all on his own there. But then he somehow got people working for him."

"OR WORKING WITH HIM," Papyrus corrected. "I GET THE FEELING THEY ARE FRIENDS."

"Mozenrath doesn't have friends," Jasmine argued.

"We've been following him from world to world," Sora summed up. "The six of us have kinda been in charge of going after him."

"If he's that big of a problem," Kazuichi asked, "don't you think you should be sending more than six people? You have a whole castle here!"

"The problem is we already know we're stronger than him," Katara explained. "He just keeps getting away in time."

"I think this is getting into the territory of telling things we don't want told," Leon broke in.

"Suffice to say Mozenrath is one of many, MANY world-hopping evildoers we've been trying to stop," Stork concluded.

"This just keeps getting crazier," Kazuichi commented. "I thought shit was real on my world, but this is a whole other level!"

"So…Mozenrath?" Ruby confirmed.

"MOZENRATH," Papyrus agreed.

The sands were still portraying the montage of destruction that covered Kazuichi's homeworld. Sora took another step forward, asking clearly, "What does Mozenrath's group want to take now?"

The picture changed yet again to the silhouette of a castle superimposed on a brilliant violet background with a golden sun emblazoned on it like a flag's heraldic symbol. The castle then faded, the purple shifted to blue, and the sun became a realistic sun upon a cloudless sky. A single drop of light fell from that sun, and the vision tracked its fall through the air until it hit the earth and sprouted in the shape of a flower.

"Now, that is a simpler answer!" Merlin declared. "You're looking for the sundrop of Corona!"

"You know what we're gonna ask," Stork replied.

"A long time ago," Merlin explained, "there was a cosmic upheaval over Corona. I won't bore you with the details, but a single sundrop fell to the earth. Legend says it sprouted as a flower that could heal any affliction, and from what I know, that legend is absolutely true. It simply hasn't been proven because no one has found the flower, or at least found it and disclosed its location. Or have they? Hmm…I haven't been to Corona in quite a while. Things may have changed. In any case, if Mozenrath gets his hands on that sundrop, he will at the very least have the power to cure himself of any injury. Perhaps he could permanently reverse the effects of the gauntlet. But with such pure life force, there may be even more he could do with it that we do not know. You mustn't let it fall into his hands!"

"You can count on us!" Sora declared.

"Yeah," Stork snorted, "just like you could count on us to save every other thing Mozenrath already stole."

"This really sounds bad," Kazuichi commented.

"I know we failed a lot of other times," Sora reiterated, "but we won't this time!"

"AND WE WILL DEFINITELY FAIL IF WE DO NOT TRY!" Papyrus asserted.

"Very well," Merlin declared. "I will write you up coordinates both for our young stranger's homeworld and Corona. Until then, I believe you have a beach outing to plan."

"That's right!" Sora remembered. "The beach!"

"I just remembered I don't have anything to wear to the beach!" Ruby cried.

"Yeah, I'm not getting in the water," Stork huffed. "I will be wearing what I'm wearing right now, thank you very much."

"Well, I could use a change in clothes for this," Katara stated.

Ruby gasped. "WE CAN ALL GO SHOPPING TOGETHER!"

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN!" Papyrus agreed.

"It definitely does," Jasmine concurred.

"We should definitely go!" Katara proclaimed.

"Eh, why not?" Stork shrugged. "I'm still not changing, but I'll tag along."

Kazuichi was just wondering what was to become of him when Sora turned to him and asked, "So, how about it, Kazuichi?"

"Huh?" Kazuichi was taken aback.

"You're coming with us, right?" Sora asked. "To get something to wear to the beach. Or, you know, just to wear in general besides that Organization coat."

"That would be nice," Kazuichi admitted.

"Then come with us!" Sora encouraged. "We'll find you the perfect outfit!"

What Kazuichi wanted was his yellow-green jumpsuit. He severely doubted he would be able to locate anything like that again. However, he was quite glad to have been invited along by the few people who seemed not to want to pack him up and ship him home immediately. "Okay!" he resolved, confidence growing. "I'm in! Engines revving!"

"TO THE TOWN!" Ruby cried, speeding out of the room at an accelerated rate and leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. She then turned around and zoomed right back into the room. "Right," she recalled out loud. Pointing to Kazuichi, she reiterated, "Can't run." Then to Sora, Papyrus, Stork, Jasmine, and Katara, "Don't have speed Semblance."

All six nodded slowly.

"We'll walk," Ruby declared.

...

Hans and Snatcher returned to the mural with news of stables; they compared, and it turned out, to Snatcher's chagrin, that Hans had located a source closer to the edge of town (making the theft easier) and with stronger-seeming horses than what Snatcher had found.

Within time, Demyx showed up, carrying large canvas bags full of supplies. "I think I got everything we need," he announced. "I got food, I got soap…"

"Where are we going to have the opportunity to use soap on a horseback journey across a low-technology world?" Snatcher asked.

"Of course you wouldn't think the soap was important," Hans commented. "You hardly do in your daily life anyway."

"I'll have you know, I have increased bathing dramatically since being given access to better facilities," Snatcher argued.

"I'm hearing 'increased,'" Hans replied. "I'm not hearing 'do it every day.'"

"As though I want you picturing me in such a state anyhow," Snatcher grumbled.

"I wasn't picturing you in the bath," Hans clarified, "but then you said that, and now I have a mental image I will have to live with having pictured for the rest of my life. So thanks for that."

"Can someone at least help me carry these bags?" Demyx moaned. "They're getting heavy."

"Okay," Hans resolved, taking a few of the bags from Demyx.

"You can hold more," Demyx encouraged.

"I already have half of them," Hans pointed out. "You can carry half of what you had."

"Oh, fine," Demyx grunted, kicking a loose pebble. "I should've known you'd all make me do the grunt work."

"Mr. Westergard is carrying half of your bags!" Snatcher growled. "That is hardly you doing the grunt work!"

"Yeah, well, you're not carrying any of the bags!" Demyx argued right back.

"He's probably waiting to take them all off Roman," Hans stated. "Watch ROMAN be the one who doesn't have to carry any bags."

"We will all do our equal share," Snatcher asserted.

That was when Roman turned up, carrying about as many bags as Demyx had – but also a small white box held gently in one hand as bag handles were looped over that arm. "Well," Roman declared, "I have procured us quite the haul. Oh, and Archie, I thought about what you said earlier, and I've come to a conclusion." He set down the bags, carefully keeping the small box aloft while removing the handles from his arm.

Snatcher was surprised that Roman was bringing up the topic in front of Hans and Demyx. "And what conclusion, exactly, did you come to?" he asked.

"Well," Roman said with a smirk, already plotting how he was to execute the blow, "you asked me to either treat you like a grown-up or stop talking to you. So I thought it over and I ultimately decided I'm going to treat you like a grown-up. You make your own decisions. Of COURSE you know what's best for you. Why should I ever doubt that?"

There was something altogether too amused in Roman's tone. Still, Snatcher bade him, "Go on…"

"Was this supposed to be some kind of private discussion?" Hans wondered out loud.

"Look, it's all gonna be okay after this," Roman said. "I promise. Anyway, Archie, while I was out and about, I got you a present. I spent a lot of time trying to find the exact right one." He offered the box.

Snatcher swatted it away from Roman, taking it into his own hands. Roman was playing some sort of game, he knew, and it involved the contents of the box. He gently pried open the lid to behold what was inside…

"Doesn't that just look delicious?" Roman egged on. "It's one of those tasty little delicacy bries! You know, one of those things that costs waaaaaay too much for that little bit of cheese, but it doesn't matter, since the money wasn't mine anyway? I thought you might want one. Now, if there's any problem at all, say, any reason you couldn't eat it, just say the word and I won't get my feelings hurt. But if there isn't, well, I did go out of my way to get this for you, and if you just threw it out without a good reason, I would be very, VERY upset."

So that was the trick, Snatcher thought. Well, it wouldn't work. Largely because – he still clung to this thought tightly, despite reservations beginning to creep into his mind – there wasn't a problem at all. "I quite appreciate your thoughtfulness, Torchwick," Snatcher declared, flashing a smug smile of his own.

"So?" Roman prompted. "You wanna…let me know how it tastes?"

Without hesitation, Snatcher took a rather ungraceful bite out of the brie. The other lie he had always told himself was that cheese tasted good enough to be considered a delicacy in the first place, when in truth, if he really wanted to stop and think about it, he would categorize it on a sliding scale of "not noteworthy" to "rather disgusting, really." This brie was a prime example of the former. If Snatcher had been truly honest with himself, it did taste good, but not in the way that one would want to acquire much more of it. However, he wasn't being honest with himself, and so it was practically a script he read from when he spoke, mouth full: "Now that is quite delicious. One can vaguely make out a hint of…of…fine taste." He swallowed, taking another bite.

Demyx's eyes widened; Snatcher's lower lip was already beginning to swell. "Um," Demyx began, "are you oka – "

"Not now, Dishwater," Roman said hurriedly.

"One can definitely tell this is in the upper tier of the food of the elite," Snatcher went on, ignoring the itching that had suddenly broken out all along his neck.

Hans, observing the rash of rapidly growing hives, flinched and gave an inaudible "Yeesh."

"Most certainly, a cheese of the most well-respected men," Snatcher continued, finishing off the brie entirely and discarding the box by simply letting it fall to the ground before he stomped on it. "An exceptional find, Torchwick. Now, shall we proceed onward to the stables? I do believe Mr. Westergard has found what we need." His hand free, he now began to scratch at the hives; by this time, the swelling had affected half his face. At the same time, he began to walk away, headed in the general direction of the stable Hans had indicated a while ago.

Demyx, Hans, and Roman stood together as they watched him leave. "I do not have a good feeling about this," Demyx said in a quivering tone.

Roman placed one arm around Demyx's shoulders and the other around Hans' in a playful manner. "Don't worry about it, boys," he said smugly. "Just sit back and watch the fireworks."

...

Ruby had the self-control to walk all the way into town, making sure her six companions could keep up.

"All right," Sora declared when the group had entered the town proper. "I say the first order of business is getting Kazuichi a new set of clothes."

"I think that's the best idea," Jasmine agreed. "I'm just guessing, but I don't think you want to be wearing what Xehanort and his people gave you."

"Fuck no," Kazuichi confirmed. "Also, I know this kind of tight leather is sexy in theory, but it's really uncomfortable to move around in!"

"I hear it gets better once you wear it for a while," Sora commented, thinking of what Lea, Mickey, and Riku had all had to say on the subject. "Anyway, what DO you want to wear?"

"Well, nothing too fancy," Kazuichi declared. "Something casual. And actually comfortable. Something I can get dirty, too. Are they even going to take my money here?" It then occurred to him: "I don't actually have any money."

"Don't worry about that," Sora reassured him. "This one's on me!"

"I couldn't let you do that!" Kazuichi said in surprise.

"Well, if you don't let me buy you what you want," Sora threatened, "then I'll pick something out FOR you and spend my money anyway!"

"You talked me into it," Kazuichi said with a grin that showed off his sharp teeth. "Can I ask for one favor, though?"

"Sure!" Sora replied.

"I don't wanna make you go overboard on me or anything," Kazuichi said, "but I really would like a hat. I'm just too used to wearing one."

"Then you get a hat!" Sora declared. "Hmm. Now where should we start? This is kinda the fancy district because it's so close to the castle. If you really want something casual, it's gonna be a bit of a walk. You gonna be okay?"

"Believe me, I've gone on plenty of walks with this leg," Kazuichi told him. "I'm slow, but I can keep going for a while."

"Great!" Sora cried. "Then let's go!"

As the group set out, Ruby decided to poke the elephant in the room: "So, uh…speaking of that…can I ask how it happened?"

"What, you mean my leg?" Kazuichi clarified.

"Ruby!" Katara scolded. "You can't just ask about things like that!"

"No, no," Kazuichi assured, "it's…it's fine. I'm just not sure you're gonna like the story."

"Is it gross?" Ruby asked. "Because I can handle gross stories."

"No, it's…" Kazuichi found his gaze meeting the cobblestones he trod upon. "It's not that…"

"You really don't have to tell us," Katara insisted.

"We can talk about something else," Jasmine agreed.

"No," Kazuichi resolved. "You guys went out of your way to save me, and you don't even know the first thing about me. I can't let you keep on doing nice things for me without knowing the truth!"

"Nothing good EVER follows those words!" Stork cried. Then, in a complete change of demeanor, complete with smirk, "So, let's hear it."

Kazuichi inhaled deeply. There was no real way to prepare for what he was about to say. "So, uh…you know how that wizard guy said he didn't know what happened to fuck up my world?"

"Ohhhh, this is already just as bad as I thought it would be," Stork said in a bemused tone.

"Well, uh…" Kazuichi admitted, "I know how it happened. And I'm…kind of…involved."

"WHAT?" Sora, Ruby, and Papyrus all cried at once.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds!" Katara said immediately to try and smooth the situation. "Why don't you tell us from the beginning?"

"From the beginning?" Kazuichi repeated. "Well, it started out when I got scouted for Hope's Peak Academy. It's this really big-shot high school – okay, it WAS this really big-shot high school where everybody who went there was the best at something. Like, I got picked out to go there because back home, I'm the Ultimate Mechanic. The class I got put into was a little weird. We tried to act like a normal high school class, but at first, we didn't really get along that well. Turns out pretty much everyone there had some kind of fucked-up life and that made it hard to get really close to each other."

"You had a hard time growing up?" Katara singled out. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but…now I'm curious."

"Well, my dad wasn't the greatest guy," Kazuichi explained. "He kinda stuck me with all the grunt work in our shop 'cause I was so much younger. Scared me sometimes, too. He would always get so mad about things, and when he did…" Somehow, explaining this part was more difficult than talking about Hope's Peak. "Bad things happened."

"He hurt you," Jasmine realized.

"Not all the time," Kazuichi said hurriedly. "Just…just enough to make me feel like I had to be careful. But it was okay when I was in middle school, because I had the greatest friend ever, I thought. He was always so cool and confident, and we talked about our dreams all the time, like how I was gonna work on rocket ships. Then he cheated off me for a big exam, and we got caught. I totally took the fall, because I was ready to do that, y'know? That's what you do for good friends. But then he just stopped talking to me. That was when I first realized you couldn't count on people.

"Anyway, a lot of the others at Hope's Peak had it worse. Man, I don't even know half the shit that happened to Mikan, but it fucked her up real bad. She was always crying and acting submissive to people, and it freaked me out. I felt bad for her, but I was too wrapped up in my own problems to ever do anything about it. We all were. We ended up making friends, but nobody ever offered to listen to anyone else's life story or help them out.

"That's when Junko Enoshima happened. She came in the year after we did, in the calss after us. We all thought it was weird that she wanted to hang out with us so much, but, hey, we were the cool upperclassmen, right? And she was real fun to be around. Like, you couldn't meet her and not like her. She knew just how to act to get everyone interested. Like around me, she always asked me to talk about stuff like engines and rockets and tanks because that's the stuff I liked.

"And that's when things started going bad. Fuyuhiko's sister got killed, and I think that's what set it off. I guess it turned out some reserve course kid who was friends with Mahiru did it? But I wouldn't be surprised if Junko was involved somehow. That got us all stirred up, and that was when Junko started talking to me about despair. How it was okay to feel despair, because that's what the world was made of. Nobody trusted each other after that girl died, and I know Fuyuhiko and Mahiru stopped getting along after that, so somebody figured out something. It just confirmed what I knew all along about people. And Junko agreed with me! She said you really couldn't trust anyone, and I was right about that from the start! The weird part is, that's what made me trust HER above all the others."

"What about Sonia?" Ruby asked. "I saw the way you touched that magical projection of her!"

"Well, I've always loved Miss Sonia," Kazuichi admitted. "She and I just didn't get a chance to hang out much. Junko actually used that against me later on, too. She said Sonia never loved me, and wouldn't love me. But Junko claimed SHE did, and by that time, I was already too deep into her bullshit, and we, uh…well, we…I didn't know I wasn't the only person she tried that trick on. Telling 'em she loved 'em, I mean. And everything that went with that. Even if I did know, it wouldn't have mattered, 'cause I really thought she could love all of us. And I thought she was hot, too! Boy, was that a mistake.

"I'm getting ahead of myself. She teamed up with this guy Izuru, who I guess was Hope's Peak's secret science experiment to see if you could give someone every talent at once. And it worked, but the problem was he stopped acting like a human once he got all that talent. He didn't know how to be nice or have emotions anymore. He was basically a monster. Then Junko got her twin sister Mukuro on board. That girl was the Ultimate Soldier – "

"What was Junko's talent?" Ruby asked. "Ultimate Manipulator?"

"Fashionista," Kazuichi answered. "Like a supermodel."

"You're telling me this giant end-the-world scheme was put together by a supermodel," Stork clarified.

"Yeah," Kazuichi affirmed. "I am."

Stork shrugged. "I've heard weirder."

"So anyway," Kazuichi went on, "Junko, Mukuro, and Izuru decided they wanted despair to be the only thing that mattered in the world. I still don't know how they did it, but they got our student council to murder each other. Actually, maybe I do have an idea of how they did it. Because Junko got so close to me and made me feel so loved that if she told me to kill myself, I totally would.

"That was the start of it. They called it the 'Tragedy.' It was the biggest, most awful, most despair-inducing event in human history. Because at first, it was just the student council. Then when the entire school started freaking out, Junko and her goons played off that and made them start riots. She acted like she was a champion of the underdogs for the Reserve Course, and after she made them all into her personal army, she made them all commit suicide! How fucked up is that?

"But then there was…my class. I think she picked mine instead of hers because her classmates were actually well-adjusted. We were fucked up. It was easier to convince us that despair was all that mattered. She wore us down and talked us all into losing faith in humanity. That's when she told us she was taking her whole despair scheme to the world, and she wanted our help. Because we were special. We were all her 'dearest friends.' What a fucking lie. But we bought it. I bought it. And the next thing you know, I'm making machines that are built to destroy cities.

"When Hope's Peak fell, the rest of the world started going with it. Part of it was because Hope's Peak was supposed to be such a big deal, and if it went down, then nothing was safe. But Junko and the rest of us Ultimate Despairs – her, Mukuro, Izuru, and my class – we went around the world and stirred up riots. We told people, if the Reserve Course could rise up and overthrow the upper class, why couldn't you? But we set it up so they were never really organized, and we said violence was the only way. Then we went and armed the other side. That got everyone to fight each other and just end up dying all around."

Ruby said "It's just like Beacon" at the same time that Sora said "She sounds like Snatcher." The two exchanged a surprised look.

"Is it really the same story on so many worlds?" Jasmine said worriedly.

"That isn't even the worst part of it, though," Kazuichi said mournfully. "Junko's class back at Hope's Peak, the actual not-messed-up kids, they just barricaded themselves inside the school to live in there. Which was a good idea. But Junko made sure she got locked in with them. Nobody actually knew she was the one who started everything, so they just assumed she was there to live with her friends. That's when she set up the…the killing game." His throat caught for a moment, and he forced himself to keep talking. "She broadcast it to the world. She made everyone in the school think they needed to escape and that the world outside was worth getting back to. I know it sounds like bullshit, but she erased years of their memories."

"Oh, trust me," Sora said, "I know about memory loss. That isn't far-fetched at all!"

"She gave those kids motives to kill each other off," Kazuichi continued. "They were all in her class. They coulda been her friends! They THOUGHT they were her friends! But she got them to kill each other. And if you got caught doing a murder, then you had to be executed. She…she needed machines for that. A lot of machines. She wanted to kill the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader with a super-fast bike, and the Ultimate Programmer with a setup that looked like a giant video game…" His voice became almost inaudible. "The fire truck hitting the Ultimate Gambler was my idea. Junko just wanted to burn her, but I said we should use the fire truck."

"You built all of those machines," Katara realized in shock.

"Yeah," Kazuichi finally confessed. "I basically killed 'em that way. I mean, it wasn't like I hadn't already killed a ton of people. Junko asked me to prove I was loyal to her by doing one murder in particular, and I was already mad at my dad for being so shitty, so I – "

The gasps from his companions silenced Kazuichi for a moment. He said in a whisper, "I should probably stop now."

"But it can't end there!" Ruby cried. "You're so nice now! How'd that happen?"

"Well…first, Junko died," Kazuichi explained, his tone meek. "The guys in the killing game figured her out and turned against her. She was the one who decided to kill herself, though. We Despairs were all marathonning the game to have some fun together, but when we saw her die, we kinda lost it. We salvaged her corpse. We took it apart. Some of us…some of us took pieces of her and…added them to our own bodies so she would live on with us. I have her leg. That should answer your first question."

"So let me get this straight," Stork reiterated. "You cut off your own right leg, stitched on a DEAD WOMAN'S LEG in its place, and built that brace so you could use it to walk."

"Yeah," Kazuichi confirmed. "That's what happened."

"I am simultaneously impressed and nauseous," Stork stated proudly.

"After Junko died," Kazuichi went on, "then the guy who brought her down in the killing game tracked us all down. His name's Makoto, and he's the greatest. He knew deep down, the Ultimate Despairs were all fucked-up people who needed a second shot. So he rounded up my class and Izuru and put – "

"Waaaaiiit," Ruby broke in. "What happened to Mukuro?"

"Well, she was in Junko's class," Kazuichi explained, "so she got killed in the game too. Junko actually pulled the trigger on her. Or the Spears of Gungnir. It's complicated. But we all thought it was a hilarious twist when Junko killed her own sister. Makes me sick now."

"So what did Makoto do to you?" Sora asked.

"Well, he put us all in a coma and sent us to this virtual island that was supposed to be like a paradise," Kazuichi explained. "We all got our memories erased so it was like we were meeting each other all over again. We were supposed to be brought back into the real world after we made friends with each other and rehabiliatated from despair. That's when we found out Izuru was actually a pretty chill guy. His real name's Hajime Hinata, and he's the guy who taught me that you actually really can count on your friends. That's how it's supposed to be.

"But Junko ended up getting into the virtual world, too. She had an AI stored away and released it. That's when she turned on us, her own Ultimate Despairs, and made US kill each other for her own entertainment. And also so she could take over the bodies of the dead people. The thing is, the people who died in the virtual world weren't totally dead. Just their minds. Their bodies are fine, and Hajime thinks that there's a way to get them back and wake them up. Anyway, five of us got out alive. Me and the other four you saw in that hourglass thing. Thank God Miss Sonia survived it! Now that Junko's out of the way, we can get to know each other better, and I know I love her for real!"

"I'm sure you two can make each other happy," Jasmine commented.

"Yeah," Kazuichi replied. "I just have to get to the part where…she actually loves me back. But it'll happen! I know it will! Anyway, it's just been the five of us on the island. Makoto's been helping us readjust, but the government kinda hates us because of what we did to the world. And the thing is…there are days when I still feel like despair is the only choice. But I know I don't want to be what I was with Junko. I don't wanna hurt people again! I've…already killed so many people. I can't…"

He had stopped walking. The others all looked sympathetically to him; his eyes were cast down to the ground.

"And that's the truth," Kazuichi concluded. "I helped fuck up the world. I don't know if I actually deserve to be saved by all of you. You…you're REAL HEROES. You've never done anything bad in your lives."

"Except for the time my ship got blown up," Stork admitted, "so I murdered an entire Terra's worth of Raptors and tried to kill myself without letting anyone else I knew know."

"We know a lot of people who've done bad things," Sora said encouragingly, thinking of Lea, of Ienzo, of Aeleus, and especially of Riku. "But people don't have to stay bad. People can change. I know it. And a lot of those people who did bad things are doing good now."

"THERE'S ALWAYS A CHANCE TO DO BETTER," Papyrus insisted. "WHAT YOU DID IN THE PAST DEFINITELY WASN'T GOOD. BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S WHO YOU ARE NOW! NOT ONE BIT! AND IF IT WERE, I WOULD STILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO CHANGE!"

"You really don't seem like the kind of person who would murder other people," Jasmine added. "Maybe you were then, but I don't get that impression from you now at all."

"The only way to really know whether or not we can trust you is to get to know you," Katara added. "That's why I want to get to know you a lot better."

"We don't hate you, Kazuichi," Sora insisted. "I think it's a good thing we picked you up."

"IT WAS PROBABLY FATE!" Papyrus declared.

"Thanks," Kazuichi said softly, blinking rapidly to try and dispel the tears that were building up in his eyes. "You just all seem like such cool people, and I was hoping that maybe we could all be friends, but I did so much bad shit that I don't even know if we SHOULD, and now I'm talking like goddamn fucking Nagito, and that's the LAST thing I wanted, and – " He found himself unable to hold back, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve and learning how bad leather was for absorbing water. "I'm just glad you guys are willing to give me a chance."

"Of course!" Sora said with a bright smile. Then, more somberly, "But you miiiiiight wanna hold back telling any of this stuff to the others. Especially Leon and Merlin and the rest of the Committee. I don't know if they'd take that so well."

"Yeah, probably not," Kazuichi admitted. "We'll just keep this between us seven." He liked that they had a secret between them. It made him feel closer to them. He already regretted the moment he would need to part from these six, and it hadn't happened yet.

"Anyway," Sora pointed out, "we're in the less fancy district now. Just pick a store and go on in."

Kazuichi entered the nearest door, and the others followed to find a sales floor lined with shelves of nothing but crystal spheres. "I think we're in the wrong place," Ruby commented.

"Hello!" An eager salesman waved to the group from behind the counter. "Is there anything I can help you find?"

"We were just looking for clothes," Katara explained. "These are neat, but they're not what we wanted."

"Actually, if you want clothes, you've come to the right place!" the salesman said with a wide smile, approaching the group.

"I don't understand," Jasmine replied.

"You mean you don't know?" the salesman countered. "These are dresspheres! They're all the rage in fashion circles! They free up shelf space for more inventory, and they're portable! Try one out for yourself!" He picked up one of the spheres, tossing it gently. "Catch!"

Kazuichi nearly fumbled the sphere in his hands, finally getting a good grip on it. He then tapped it a couple times, wondering what he was supposed to do with it. A brilliant light surrounded him; when it cleared, his Organization cloak had been swapped out for an ensemble featuring a bright red jacket and pants, with an orange-flame-patterned tee.

"Whoa!" Kazuichi cried. "That's pretty neat! This isn't exactly my style, though."

"Of course, of course!" the salesman said with a nod. "What tickles your fancy?"

"Well, uh…" Kazuichi decided to shoot for it. "Have you got anything more like…a jumpsuit?"

"Sure thing!" The salesman soon swapped out the dressphere in Kazuichi's hand for a second. The red outfit was taken away in a brilliant flash, replaced by a shiny black jumpsuit with a stark white tee beneath it.

"That looks nice!" Katara complimented.

"Yeah, too nice," Kazuichi grumbled. "This is something some hotshot would wear. Not me. What else have you got?"

He rejected five more jumpsuits of varying colors before the salesman admitted, "Well, there is the one…"

"What one?" Kazuichi asked.

"The one no one will buy, so we have about thirty of them in stock that haven't been touched," the salesman grumbled, his smile fading. Then, realizing his mistake, he corrected himself: "The one we have an extra-special sale on, I mean!"

"I'll give it a try," Kazuichi said with a shrug.

He was handed a dressphere that changed his clothes with another brilliant flash. Once it faded, Kazuichi looked down at his newly clothed body and let out a gasp.

"I know," the salesman groaned. "I'll find you another – "

"Can I see this in the mirror?" Kazuichi asked eagerly.

"Um…sure!" the salesman replied, surprised.

Kazuichi was led to a full-length mirror where he beheld himself clad in a familiar look: a jumpsuit of yellow-green with a white shirt beneath.

"This is PERFECT!" Kazuichi's eyes sparkled. "I'll take it!"

"That, uh…" Ruby commented, "that definitely is a…color."

"It suits you!" Sora laughed.

Papyrus leaned over to Jasmine, attempting to whisper, "IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T THINK WE CAN TRUST HIM. HOWEVER, HIS FASHION SENSE IS A LITTLE SHIFTY."

"I heard that!" Kazuichi snapped.

"I take it you don't have a garment grid," the salesman guessed.

"Uh…no?" Kazuichi replied.

"They're a convenient way to store your dresspheres," the salesman explained, retrieving a small tablet bearing several hemispherical slots from behind the counter. "If you take that jumpsuit off my hands, I'll knock this down to half price."

"Sounds reasonable to me!" Sora declared.

"Man," Kazuichi remarked as the group departed the store, "I can't wait to get some new patches on this! Make it my own, y'know?"

"We still have to find you a hat," Sora remembered. "And some shoes."

"Well, one shoe," Kazuichi corrected.

"And the rest of us still need swimwear!" Ruby chimed in.

An outdoor display featuring a tree of hats caught the group's attention. As Kazuichi began placing various of the hats upon his head to test for feel, he remarked, "Every time I think I'm used to things out here, shit gets weirder. Hourglasses that show you what you want to see, actual lightning indoors, crystal balls with clothes in them…you have actual magic out here. Actual fucking magic! Talk about showing them all you're not the ordinary type." A thought occurred to him. "Hey…you remember what I said about my friends back home, right? Their minds are dead, but their bodies are still alive, and they might be locked in there somewhere. Do you think you could do anything to help them?"

"I dunno," Sora answered. "I know Riku learned how to unlock a sleeping heart. I'm not sure if it works on people who died in a virtual world, but we could always try!"

"You'd have to tell Riku the truth about us," Kazuichi reminded him.

"Oh, trust me," Sora told him, "Riku would be cool with you."

Kazuichi gasped, having located a black beanie on the lowest rung of the rack. "It's gotta be this one!" he declared.

As he and Sora moved to the payment counter, Jasmine and Stork hung back. "So, uh," Stork said tentatively, "when do you think we should tell him about the whole thing regarding our enemies coming ack-bay from the ead-day?"

"I don't see why we would need to," Jasmine replied.

"Because his Junko ended an entire world!" Stork hissed. "First of all, if her name is spelled how I think it's spelled, that's going to get awkward for me really fast."

"Why?" Jasmine asked.

"You don't picture names in your head when you're saying them?" Stork asked.

Jasmine shook her head. "No, but I believe you that you do. A lot of people probably do the same."

"Second," Stork went on, his voice going lower, "anyone with THAT MUCH POWER sounds like EXACTLY the kind of person who has been coming back from the dead to harass us on a REGULAR BASIS."

"Merlin said it wasn't a well-known world," Jasmine reminded him. "Not every villain is a threat. I'm pretty sure this one will stay dead."

"I really, really, REALLY hope you're right," Stork sighed.

...

It was already nighttime when the Huntsman arrived in New York. Keeping to the shadows and the alleys, he was partway to his previous residence when he recalled the Huntsclan weaponry that Maleficent's forces had borne into battle in Fantastica. Doubtless they had compromised at least one stronghold, and that meant the Huntsman would have to assume they had compromised them all.

He used the huntstaff to knock down the lower ladder of a fire escape, scaling it nimbly. His mind raced as he thought over his options. He had no resources and no allies remaining in this city. That could very easily be changed. He couldn't obtain weapons of the same level of technology that the Huntsclan had enjoyed, but he did know where to go in a pinch. As for allies, those would come soon enough if he put out the right word.

Putting out the right word risked it being picked up by the other side. It would doubtless also attract his enemies. But that was exactly what he wanted. Here, every enemy was also a target. If they came to battle him, he would gladly harvest the spoils.

He came to the top of the fire escape, stepping out onto the roof. No one would notice him here. He had scaled it for no strategic reason, but instead one he could almost call sentimental. It had been such a long time since he had laid eyes on the New York City skyline, glittering with thousands of lights. This city, its residents already knew was special, but most of them had no idea of exactly what secrets it held in its underground.

Could the Huntsman truly call this home? He wondered about that. For he believed it plagued, festering with magical creatures of all sorts that he did not wish to roam unchecked. And yet he had made his legacy in this city, getting to know its vast breadth and its labyrinthine corridors as he pursued his quarries. Viewing its lights again brought up a sensation within him that he hadn't expected. It was like gripping a weapon he and only he had brought into battle hundreds of times.

A flash of red caught his peripheral vision; he turned to look, then immediately bolted, descending the fire escape. There had been no mistaking it; he'd spotted the American Dragon in flight. So nothing else had gotten to him yet. That was almost satisfying; after their history, the Huntsman had rather hoped to strike that killing blow himself. He was surprised to think he had that in common with –

No. Not here. Not now. The Huntsman didn't even want to think of any of them, least of all him. This mission was to be performed divorced from the context of them entirely.

And the name of the mission had just written itself in red ink: the American Dragon. The Huntsman was confident some well-placed gossip would draw the dragon out to exactly where he wanted him. All he had to do was threaten the right creatures. And if the dragon failed to show, it would simply make the Huntsman's conquest of those creatures easier. The plan was taking shape.

The American Dragon himself, gone by the name of Jake, had already been through an interesting night; there had been a slight incident with vampires who had been framed for the workings of a chupacabra (the latter had learned to improvise in a setting with no goats). Jake had thankfully been able to put the incident to rest, and the vampires had been quite grateful. He had merely needed to rise above the line of sight of the night traffic and return home.

He was halted by a figure at the corner of his vision. Chills ran through him as he pivoted in the air to get a better look and viewed only an empty rooftop. It had been nothing, he told himself. Just his eyes playing tricks on him.

But for a moment, he was sure he had spotted the Huntsman.

That was impossible, he thought. He had seen the Huntsman die. Rose had made sure of it. If anything, he was surprised he hadn't been mistaking innocent people and random objects for the Huntsman up to this point, given the prominence of that figure in his mind. This truly was the first time he had ever had that exact hallucination, and it unnerved him. Because if it turned out the Huntsman wasn't dead after all…

"No way," Jake told himself as he hovered. "The Huntsman is DEAD. I just need to get some sleep already."

Returning to his course, he vowed to put it out of his mind. But that was easier said than done.

...

When the Radiant Garden contingent set out for the beach trip, all went except for Cid, Leon, Aerith, Merlin, Lea, Aeleus, and Ienzo, making Yuffie the only Committee representative. In order to reach the beach from town, they all boarded a train at a station at the city's edge, taking them over wide, grassy fields and past thick forests for half an hour.

Another half an hour in which Kazuichi bit his lip and vowed not to vomit. At least the train was slower and less turbulent than the Gummi ship, making that task a lot easier.

Ruby had alarmed everyone's suspicions by bringing a rather large red plastic bucket aboard the train. "What's that for?" Ren had asked.

"Oh, just sand castles," Ruby had replied in a tone that suggested she was hiding something.

"Okay," Ren had responded.

"It's definitely for not dumping cold water on people when they're least expecting it," Ruby had gone on.

"I somehow doubt that," Ren had sighed.

Now, with the trip well under way, Sora sat next to Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy on the plush seats, looking out the window. "I can't believe we're going to see the ocean again!" he laughed.

"That's gotta feel like goin' home for you three!" Goofy said with a smile.

"In a way, it kind of does," Kairi confirmed.

Across the train, Moana was awestruck by Sadira's claim; "You've never seen the ocean?"

"Nope," Sadira replied. "All my friends have, but I never traveled too far out of the desert. The whole idea is weird to me. So it's just water that goes on and on forever?"

"Well, not forever," Moana corrected.

"You know what I mean," Sadira clarified. "It just looks like it does. Like the desert."

"I guess that's right?" Moana offered. "I've never seen the desert, so I don't know for sure."

"You've never seen a DESERT?" Sadira said in awe.

"I hope you don't mind if I ask a question," Katara broke in.

"Go ahead," Moana told her.

"Well, the ocean has a special relationship with you," Katara recalled, "and she's one of the most powerful forces we know. Is she going to be okay with everyone splashing around and playing?"

"She's used to it," Moana replied with a smile. "She'll actually love the attention."

Kazuichi took special note of where all of the others he had gotten to know were distributed. Sora was with his friends, Ruby was catching up with the "NJR" of Team RNJR, Papyrus was conversing with the pair of talking horses that had only been further confirmation that Kazuichi didn't know how the worlds worked at all, Stork was listening to Yuffie relate tales of her exploits, Jasmine and Aladdin were striking up conversation with the Mystic Rangers and Genie, and Katara was still caught up with Sadira and Moana. Whenever Kazuichi tried to approach one of the groups, one of those who hadn't met him on the World That Never Was gave him a distrustful glare that warned him to back off: Donald, Nora, Luna, Yuffie, Nick, Moana. The group wasn't taking the Committee's words lightly.

At last, the train arrived at the stop bordering the beach. All spilled out of the train to find a lengthy strip of sand before them and a bright blue ocean extending beyond; it was utterly enticing. Most simply charged right down toward the water, stripping off their outer layers to reveal their swimwear. Those who didn't, such as Stork and Luna, staked out claims on the sand where they could stretch out a towel and bask in the sunlight.

"Come on!" Sora encouraged, laughing as he, Riku, Donald, and Goofy pealed toward the water. "Bet I can beat you all in a splash fight!"

Jaune and Kairi reconnected by that point. "So, what do you usually do at the beach?" Jaune asked.

"Well," Kairi answered, "I like looking for seashells. I sometimes make jewelry out of them. Like my good-luck charm."

"Then let's find some shells!" Jaune decreed, kicking off a quest to search for the most colorful shells left on the shore.

"Hey," Nora called out, observing an odd structure some ways down the shore. "What's with that barn?"

"Huh?" Yuffie turned to look where she had indicated. A great red barn was situated on the shore, close to the water, some distance from where everyone had disembarked. "That's weird."

"Who puts a BARN on the BEACH?" Nora wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Yuffie admitted. "I don't really come here that often, so I'm not sure what it's there for. I know Lea used to come here all the time when he was a kid. He probably knows."

"Should we check it out?" Nora asked.

"I wouldn't," Ren broke in. "That barn probably belongs to someone who doesn't want us trespassing."

"Or it could be a shed for beach stuff that just happens to look like a barn," Yuffie suggested with a shrug. "We'll ask Lea when we get back to him."

"Wait," Nora realized. "You don't come here every chance you get? WHY?"

"Well, because I was a little kid who didn't remember the beach well when Maleficent took over," Yuffie explained, "and then once we came back, it was dive right into Committee work."

"Then we gotta have a lotta fun while you're here!" Nora insisted. "Come on, let's get in the water!"

While the people around her splashed and played, Moana walked out into the water, staring out at the horizon. "Uh…hi," she began. "So…it's been a while. How are you? Well, okay, that's kind of a silly question. You're the ocean. Obviously, you're in a lot of places that are doing good sometimes and bad sometimes."

She saw the waters move in a way that almost looked like a polite laugh.

"Well, I just wanted to say I didn't forget about you!" Moana explained. "Things are getting complicated, and I'm glad I left home, but I do miss you. It is VERY good to see you again. Anyway, I hope you like all my new friends."

A small mound of water rose up to give a nod of approval.

"That's about all I have for now," Moana concluded. "I'll try and keep you posted."

The mound settled back into the mass of water. The ocean pondered all that Moana had been through since leaving her homeworld, thinking of what it had observed and pieced together regarding the many incidents that all seemed to be connected – Mozenrath crossing the seas of the World of Twelve, Grimhilde setting out over the seas with the Dark Ace, Katara and her friends disappearing from the beach to join Sora. Perhaps it was time to contribute to these events in the favor of those doing good.

"So that's the ocean," Sadira remarked, looking out over the waters. "It really IS like a big desert made of water."

"That's one way to describe it," Aladdin laughed.

Genie, having donned a red shirt patterned with white flowers, cried out "SURF'S UP, DUDES!" before materializing a surfboard from nowhere and plunging it out into the waves further away from the coast.

From the far edge of the sand, Kazuichi watched the others laugh, play, observe, converse, and generally enjoy themselves and the water. He had always loved the beach when he was younger and even in Neo World. It was a fun place to splash around with friends and hope to catch a glimpse of Sonia in her beachwear. But now, he was isolated, with no one to share this moment with him, and to run into the water alone seemed disingenuous. He let the sun shine down on him, feeling its heat on his exposed skin – against everyone else's judgments of what was and wasn't fashionable, he had talked Sora into purchasing for him a camouflage swim brief, which he now sported along with the metal brace and nothing else.

He had felt that he'd truly grown closer with his six shopping companions while they were all out. However, now, they were all split up and hanging out with the friends they had known longer. Every now and then, someone, such as Donald or Madison, would turn an eye upon Kazuichi to make sure he wasn't getting into any trouble. This made him cautious to even move any further down the beach.

Maybe it had been foolish to think he could make friends in this environment. Maybe they were simply going to drop him whenever it wasn't convenient to include him. Maybe his hopes had been unfounded.

Kazuichi first sat, then lay back on the sand, not even having a towel to shield his body from the grains. He placed both hands behind his head and closed his eyes, simply feeling the sun's heat all the more. It was probably best just to stay back and then go home when it came time to do so. After all, it wasn't as though peace of mind was simply going to drop on him out of the sky.

But a whole lot of cold water did.

Startled by the seawater that had just been launched over him, Kazuichi struggled into a standing position. He might have been angry but for the timing; someone had gotten him good, and he had to appreciate how humorous that was. It didn't take him long to spot the culprit, as Ruby, with red bucket in hand, was making no move to escape. "Oh, come on," she groaned, "you totally knew what this bucket was for, and you didn't even try to make yourself not be an easy target!"

Kazuichi broke out laughing at that.

"Okay, good," Ruby replied. "I was worried you might be mad. But then I thought it would totally be worth it."

"You just be glad I don't have my own bucket," Kazuichi laughed, "or I'd be getting you back for that one!"

"Ruby!" Sora jogged over to the pair. "That bucket was supposed to be for sand castles!"

"I can't believe you actually believed that," Ruby stated plainly.

"Why don't we use it for what it's actually for?" Sora suggested, grabbing the bucket and beginning to pack it full of sand. "Kazuichi, you should help us build a sand castle!"

"Sand castles?" Kazuichi repeated, still beaming. "That's kid stuff."

"Well, yeah," Ruby admitted. "That's why we're doing it."

"Hey!" Katara jogged over, followed by Jasmine and Papyrus. "Are you making a sand castle?"

"Sure are!" Sora confirmed.

"Eh, what the heck?" Kazuichi decided. "I'll help out."

"You're going to need to get that sand wet," Katara suggested.

"Whatever we build would look nice with some decorative seashells," Jasmine added. "I'll find some."

"YOU'D BETTER HURRY BEFORE JAUNE AND KAIRI PICK THEM ALL UP," Papyrus encouraged.

Stork eventually made his way over, declaring, "It was too noisy to sunbathe anyway."

"How are you even sunbathing?" Ruby asked. "You're wearing all your normal clothes!"

"Which is how I like to sunbathe!" Stork insisted. "So I take it we're doing a sand castle now."

By then, two bucketfuls of sand had formed towers. "You know," Katara said, "Toph made whole cities out of sand back home. She would love to be here now."

"We'll have to bring her sometime," Sora decided.

Jasmine returned with a bounty of seashells, and more towers went up, forming a rather impressive fortress. "Soooo," Kazuichi said, bringing up his favorite topic, "I know who Sora and Jasmine are with. What about the rest of you?"

"Eh, haven't found anybody yet," Ruby stated. "Not even sure what I'm looking for."

"My one true love is the Condor," Stork said plainly. "I'll consider dating an actual person IF and only IF they can measure up to the Condor's beauty."

"Wait," Ruby broke in, "are you saying you're actually in love with your airship?"

"Hey!" Kazuichi defended. "Don't insult the bond between a man and his vehicle!"

"Compare it to the bond between a girl and her giant scythe," Stork suggested.

"It's also a gun," Ruby reminded him.

"REGRETTABLY," Papyrus contributed, "I HAVE NOT YET FOUND ANYONE TO FALL FOR. I HAVE ONLY HAD OTHERS FALL HOPELESSLY IN LOVE WITH ME, AND I UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO BREAK THEIR HEARTS. IT IS SIMPLY MY CURSE."

"Well, I…sort of have someone back home," Katara confessed.

"It's Aang, isn't it?" Sora recalled.

"Yeah," Katara said with a blush. "I still don't know how serious you can call our relationship, but we're definitely something."

"WE ALREADY KNOW YOUR ANSWER, KAZUICHI," Papyrus recalled. "YOUR HEART BEATS ONLY FOR SONIA!"

"It does!" Kazuichi confirmed. "She'd love all this."

"Maybe one day, we could bring her here too," Sora mused.

"Your friends don't even like me," Kazuichi pointed out. "Why would they let in more Remnants of Despair?"

"Leon's gotta let up eventually," Sora said with a shrug. "I just wanna meet everyone's friends."

"You're really somethin'," Kazuichi told him. "And I mean that in a good way."

"That's what most people who know Sora come to realize," Jasmine confirmed.

Sora stood up. "Well, I think this castle is pretty awesome," he declared. "I don't see how we can make it much better." It had almost become a metropolis in its own right, with sculpted towers that housed shells and leaves as it stretched out over the beach. "I think we should have a splash fight instead!"

"Count me out," Stork said immediately.

"I think I'll pass too," Jasmine stated, "but the rest of you should go have fun!"

"Can you even get that brace wet?" Katara asked Kazuichi.

"It'll be fine so long as I air it out," he replied. "But I should warn you, if we're having a splash fight, I'm gonna kick all your asses!"

"That's what you think," Katara said with a wink as she turned and rushed for the water.

Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, and Kazuichi followed her, each hitting the water at their own pace. As the five were just beginning to square up, a large wave of water suddenly erupted from in front of Katara; she shoved it forward, drenching her four opponents.

Papyrus coughed as he surfaced. "I HAVE SUDDENLY REALIZED TAKING ON A LITERAL WATERBENDER IN A SPLASH FIGHT WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA," he declared.

"You only just figured that out now?" Katara teased.

Ruby spat a stream of water out. She then took one look at Sora and Kazuichi and was set into giggles. "Your hair both does that thing," she observed.

"What thing?" both asked.

"It got all flat when it was wet," Ruby described, "and then all the spikes just sprang right back up."

Kazuichi and Sora looked to each other to realize Ruby had been correct in her observation.

Sora then looked around at Kazuichi, Papyrus, and Ruby. "You know what this means we need to do," he suggested. "Make it four on one!"

"YOU'RE ON!" Katara yelled, water swirling around her upper body.

Stork and Jasmine watched the other five laugh and scream as they attempted to drench each other. The sight brought a smile to both of their faces.

Others took notice as well. Most were still quite suspicious of Kazuichi's presence. But if Sora wanted to trust him, they weren't going to stop him. And perhaps, if Sora trusted him, that suggested he had picked up on something they were missing.

...

In a room on the lower level of Villain's Vale, near the castle's exterior, Bill Sykes waited, his back turned to the door as he faced a tapestry depicting Maleficent's dragon shape. The sound of voices conversing with each other signaled him to the fact that those he had messaged had arrived. He let them open the door and see his well-dressed back, not yet giving them the satisfaction of looking at his face, letting them wonder.

" – this is all about," Madame Medusa finished as she stormed into the room. She then pointed an accusing finger at Sykes; "You! You're the one who left those messages!"

"Whatever you brought us all down here for," the Joker warned, "it better be good."

"And what an odd selection, too," Scar noted, looking over those who had all entered.

"It's got to be for a reason," Horace Badun stated. "There's a reason it's all of us."

"And that reason better not be to bump us off while the bosses ain't lookin'," Jasper Badun chimed in. "Or 'cause they told you to take out the trash."

Sykes took a long drag from his cigar. "Nothing so banal," he said as he exhaled an utter cumulonimbus of smoke. "I merely called together the people I thought had the skills I needed most."

"Do I sense an incident in the air?" the Joker sniffed out. "Something you want us to do? Cause a little anarchy?"

"I'm hardly predisposed to take orders from the likes of you," Scar huffed.

"Think of it as a proposition," Sykes said coolly. "Not an order. I'll spell out what I want, and you can decide whether or not you want a part of it. It's completely your own free will. I just thought you might all find it interesting."

He picked that moment to turn and face the five he'd summoned. "It struck me a while back that we live in a fairy-tale kingdom filled with otherworldly treasures, and we haven't been taking advantage of this."

"Surely Maleficent has been holding back for a reason," Horace suggested.

"She ain't stupid," Jasper agreed.

"Maleficent is withdrawing from a war with the ones who live in the castle," Sykes explained. "She's calculating her risks. Looking at the big picture. But you know what really makes a masterpiece great? The little details. The things the artist put in the background and thought no one would notice. Sometimes, you gotta stop looking at the big picture, because when you do, you'll realize that you can still avoid ten years of war and also have one real good night on the town." He flashed a sly grin. "I've been filling in a few of those little details myself. Had a lot of spare time, got to know the city for what it really is. And I have everything lined up for that one real good night. I just need to know how many of you are in."

"In for what?" Medusa huffed. "You can't expect us to agree to something we don't know about!"

"That I can't," Sykes agreed, taking another puff of the cigar. "Picture this with me. One night, as the last rays of the sun finally fade out of the sky, the city suddenly goes dark. No more electricity. No lights. No defenses. Now, I'm not talking about the castle. I'm talking about everything around it. The houses and shops run by the everyman. We use the night. We break the windows, we get into their homes and their stores, we take what we want and leave the rest of it in ruins." He paused then, waiting for a reaction.

"Well, I like it," the Joker commented.

"Somewhat disorganized," Scar added, "but not ultimately unappealing."

"But ain't that a lot of work to do for just the six of us?" Horace asked, baffled.

"It would be," Sykes agreed, "if it were just the six of us. But you five are just the icing on the cake. At the end of the night, I want you with me to claim a bigger prize. But for the opening act, you get to do whatever you want. Thing is, I already have the manpower I need to do most of the heavy lifting. I don't know what Maleficent's savin' 'em for, but we're sitting on a powder keg ready to blow, and I figure I can light the fuse just this once.

"And that's not even getting into the connections I've made outside this castle. I said I got to know this town for what it really is. On the surface, it seems like a happy little paradise. But every city has an underbelly. And this one has not one but two gangs controlling the crime circuit. I managed to get my foot in the door with both, and they tipped me off to the prize of the night. There's a vault they've both been trying to get into, with no success. Of course, they don't have the weapons we do. They don't have the brains we do. They don't have the raw power we do. I think we can succeed where they failed. Of course, they get a cut for their part. Their cut is whatever they can take once the storm begins. But the vault is all ours."

"And what, might I ask, is in this vault that we might want?" Scar inquired.

"The thing that matters," Sykes answered. "Money."

"Can never have too much of that," Jasper said in agreement. "I'm in."

"Me too!" Horace volunteered excitedly.

"Madness, mayhem, money!" the Joker recapitulated. "It's everything I love!"

"There had better be diamonds in this deal," Medusa spat. "You have me."

"While this sort of crime isn't my usual mode of operation," Scar added, "I find myself intrigued by the offer anyhow. I'll go along with your little game so long as it stays interesting."

"Good," Sykes said with a smile. "Now. I've asked our assistants to meet us outside. Would you like to meet the criminal underworld of Radiant Garden?"

"Would I?" Horace repeated excitedly.

"They sound like my kind of people!" the Joker added.

"I'm hoping we can all just be one big, happy family," Sykes said, brushing the tapestry aside to reveal another door.

That door led directly outside, where a group of people had already assembled, varying in height and build, their only unifying factor being the jet-black suits they wore.

"Meet the Turks," Sykes introduced. "They started out as do-gooders, but turned to a life of crime after Maleficent overtook the city, and even when she was chased to this hideout, they never looked back." He turned to the leader of the Turks, a man with long, dark hair the same color as his suit. "Tseng, these will be your go-to people," he explained. "Do what they say and we'll all get what we want."

Tseng nodded. "I trust your judgment."

"Well, I still have yet to be impressed," one of the Turks, sporting a crimson ponytail, remarked. "So far, you've been all talk. When are we gonna get results?"

"Soon, Reno," Sykes promised. "When all the pieces are in place, we're going to give this town a night it will never forget."

"Just make sure to do your part in breaking down the power grid," Tseng warned.

"All right, all right," Reno sighed. "But if this is just a load of crap, you can count me out of the next time you want help."

A tiny winged figure, the size of an extended hand, flitted over Reno's shoulder and hovered in the air next to Tseng. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a blonde woman in a revealing pink ensemble. "And your promise holds true?" she asked. "We get to keep whatever we take? Or are you going to demand we turn it over to you?"

"She doesn't match the others," Horace pointed out.

"Leblanc is new to the Turks," Tseng said flatly. "She also refuses the notion of a unified dress code."

"The point of the suits is to make everyone blend together," Leblanc complained. "I need to stand out!"

"You can keep all the spoils you reap," Sykes promised her. "I'd worry more about how Tseng is going to divide things up between the Turks if I were you."

"You had better not be contemplating cheating me, Tseng!" Leblanc snapped.

"I intend to keep things fair," Tseng stated. "Even when it comes to you."

"Didn't you say there were two gangs running Radiant Garden's underworld?" Medusa recalled. "Where are the others?"

A shining black car revved in the distance, teetering from one side of its wheels to the other as it barreled toward the castle.

"That would be them now," Sykes observed.

The car came to a grinding halt in the open space, forcing several of the Turks to backpedal in order to not be run over. The doors popped open, and five figures spilled out who seemed the exact opposite of the Turks in every way: all were anthropomorphic weasels, each dressed in a wildly different ensemble from the other. When they arranged, the one in the lead was the one who sported a bright white suit coat and hat, cigar in hand as a diamond sparkled on his bright pink tie.

"What's this we got here?" the lead weasel demanded, looking around at the assorted criminals already gathered. "Some kinda losers' convention?"

"The Patrol is at the helm of a criminal network simply known as 'The Weasels,'" Sykes introduced. "The full contingent even outnumbers the Turks."

"That's 'cause the Turks is stupid," the weasel commented. "And judgin' from first sight, the rest of youse ain't lookin' any better. C'mon, Bill, I thought we was workin' with professionals here. Not half-wits like the Turks. And what's with these nincompoops and their pet lion? At least the Turks knows how to coordinate."

"You be quiet!" Medusa snapped. "Is it NECESSARY for you to be such a…such a…"

"Smartass?" the weasel quipped smugly. "I'd say so, sister, seein's how that's my name."

"Oh, goody," the Joker groaned. "I suppose every family has one, doesn't it?"

"You's underestimatin' the raw weaselpower we're bringin' to the operation," Smartass retorted. "If youse knew how many weasels we got, you might think about showin' us a little depreciation."

"The Patrol is more than efficient," Sykes clarified. "They successfully ran a protection racket on the southeast district before the Committee stuck their noses where they didn't belong."

"Now we's just layin' low 'till they back off," Smartass clarified.

"If you want information or a piece of fine jewelry, you hire a Turk," Sykes continued. "But if you want a man dead…you hire a Weasel."

"Never thought I'd see the day they had us working with the Weasels," Reno groaned.

"You got some kind of problem with that?" a weasel in a bright green suit retorted.

"Reno," a tall, bald Turk sporting a pair of dark sunglasses said in a warning tone.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Reno grumbled. "Shut up."

"The Turks and the Weasels don't have the best history," Sykes admitted. "But I think we can all come together for just one night."

"Youse still hasn't answered the most imperative question," Smartass pointed out. "Who gets the vault?"

"We were the first to tell you of the vault's existence," Tseng said coldly.

"Boys, boys," Sykes said, then, remembering Leblanc and a few other female members of the Turks, "and ladies. There's plenty to go around without worrying about the vault. If neither of your forces could break in, we certainly can't. We're just going to focus on what we can get."

"But, boss," Horace said confusedly, "you said – "

"QUIET!" Medusa hissed, bopping Horace over the head with her fist. She had caught on to Sykes' scheme; he wanted the Radiant Garden thugs to be content believing the vault wasn't a factor while Sykes took the vault's contents to divide among his elite team out of sight of the others.

"Now that we're all here," Tseng said, "we can talk about particulars. For instance, when we strike, and how to divide ourselves throughout the town."

"Not to mention you still ain't told us about this army you got hidden up your sleeves," Smartass reminded Sykes.

"Now is the perfect time to discuss things," Sykes agreed, "and we're going to plan this to the letter. Which isn't to say there won't be room for a little improvisation."

He began to lay out the specifics of the plan. As he spoke, those around him gained more confidence that he would, in fact, be the one to lead them to great riches and a place in the history books as the criminals that brought Radiant Garden's citizenry to their knees.

...

In a hazy rage against the Portley-Rinds, who he apparently believed were hiding somewhere in town, Snatcher had already upended three vendor carts and chased several innocent civilians a good ways down the road. By that point, his entire body was affected by swelling, his clothing barely but thankfully holding together.

Demyx, Hans, and Roman had trailed his every move, not letting him get too far out of sight. Roman's scroll had been out all the while, trained on Snatcher the whole time.

"This is insane," Demyx marveled. "You're not just gonna let him keep going like that, are you?"

"I…ALMOST feel bad for him," Hans said in an awed tone.

"Trust me," Roman said as he focused on his scroll, "this had to happen. Call it a necessary evil."

"You realize you did this," Hans pointed out. "Boyfriend of the year."

Roman rolled his eyes as he ended the recording, pocketing the scroll. "I got enough. I'll fix him."

"How?" Demyx asked as Snatcher hurled a fourth cart into the middle of the street.

Roman withdrew the medical pen from where it was always concealed in his jacket. "Never leave home without it."

"But I know how those things work," Demyx recalled, "and you have to get close enough to him to stick that in his leg, right? How are you going to – "

Roman was already loading the pen into the chamber of the Cudgel.

"It truly is amazing that Vexen is in charge of our medical operations and not you," Hans said sarcastically.

"I just need a good shot to snipe him from," Roman muttered. "But I got this." He took off in a perpendicular direction, shooting down a side street.

"You really think we should trust him with this?" Demyx wondered out loud.

"Whatever happens," Hans told Demyx, "we can honestly say this was not our fault."

"That argument really makes me want to sit back and not interfere," Demyx replied.

"Then I did my job right," Hans said with a smile.

Roman eventually caught up with Snatcher from a block over, sneaking up on him from an alley. As Snatcher bellowed a tirade of accusations to a street vendor about not giving him the honor he deserved, Roman saw his coat billow back from his leg. It was a perfect shot.

Without overthinking it, Roman let the projectile fly.

The pen stabbed right through Snatcher's pant leg and into his skin; Roman had still kept the model from Knightdock, which was relatively advanced compared to the technology found on other worlds. It took a minute for him to realize that the person he was yelling at was not, in fact, Lord Portley-Rind, and he was still in Corona. He slowly pried open his left eye, which he hadn't even been aware had swollen shut and was only now being given the relief to move. The vendor was backing away from him, terrified, and it was only beginning to sink in what a scene he must have caused in a very public environment.

"…I may have said some things just now that – " he attempted.

The vendor turned and ran, screaming.

The pen was wrenched from his leg, and a hand clapped onto his shoulder. "So!" Roman said cheerily. "That could've gone better, couldn't it?"

Snatcher roughly shoved Roman away. Perhaps he could still salvage the situation. "This means nothing."

"Oh, I don't think you have any way to deny this one," Roman said with altogether too wide of a smile.

Gradually, Snatcher's clothes felt less constrictingly tight, though he still had a little ways to go before he was completely free of swelling. "I merely…lost control for a moment."

"Oh, I know you did," Roman confirmed, holding out his scroll and playing back the recorded footage. "You wanna see how much you did? Because I got the whole thing on camera."

"You…" Snatcher regarded Roman with horror, as though he had been betrayed in the worst way.

"Do you have any idea how many people I could send this to?" Roman laughed. "You can try and excuse your way out of this all you want. But I have the footage. I have the proof. And EVERYONE in this town can attest to what they saw. You know damn well why this happened."

"You…you…" Snatcher sputtered. He made a lunge for the scroll; Roman quickly yanked it out of Snatcher's way and danced backward, hiding the device within his jacket. At his breaking point, Snatcher roared, "HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE?"

"Forced you to confront the fucking truth," Roman replied. "If you'd just spit it out, this wouldn't happen again."

"You're out to RUIN me!" Snatcher accused.

"I DID THIS TO PROTECT YOU!" Roman yelled.

"BY VERY NEARLY KILLING ME IN THE PROCESS?" Snatcher retorted. "IS THAT YOUR IDEA OF PROTECTION?"

"SO YOU ADMIT IT!" Roman cried triumphantly. "YOU ADMIT THAT ALLERGIC REACTION COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"

Snatcher realized when his arguing was fruitless, but did not yet want to admit defeat. "I preferred when you weren't speaking to me," he growled in a low tone.

"Oh, would you prefer that to actually being honest?" Roman asked. "Because we can go back to that."

"Then stop…talking," Snatcher demanded.

Roman then just gave a shrug in response.

"That's already quite preferable," Snatcher said sternly.

Hans and Demyx had caught up a while ago; they were merely waiting it out to find a time that was at all appropriate to break back into conversation. Snatcher turned to address them directly. "Gentlemen," he announced, "we are to ride out at once." He dug the compass back out, noting the direction its needle pointed.

"I feel like we just watched a train crash," Demyx said.

"You're to FORGET what you saw," Snatcher ordered. "It isn't pertinent at all to the mission at hand. Mr. Westergard, lead us to our horses."

"Okay," Hans replied. "So we're just going to pretend – "

"I SAID LEAD ON, MR. WESTERGARD."

"All right, all right!" Hans said defensively, charting the course and setting out.

Snatcher and Demyx followed him immediately. Roman trailed behind, trying to figure out whether he had just landed a victory or dug the hole deeper.

...

The ocean has always been close to the moon, for the moon controls its tides. Every world has a different moon, but all moons are connected. Each moon is represented by some sort of guardian, be it Luna, the legendary Man in the Moon, the titan Selene, the goddess Artemis, or another. There is very little the ocean knows that the moon, no matter which moon, does not also know. What the ocean sees on one world, the moon thirty worlds away is aware of. The ocean keeps no secrets from the moon, nor does the moon keep secrets from the ocean, and in times of turbulence, they rely upon each other.

When the ocean was addressed by Moana, she spoke to the moon of Radiant Garden of all that had transpired before her regarding Mozenrath, Maleficent, the Radiant Garden contingent, and even what she knew of Xehanort. It could only be leading to things that would shake all worlds at once, and she knew more attention had to be paid by the cosmos.

The moon of Radiant Garden relayed this information to the moon over Agrabah, who passed it on to the moon shining above the Fire Nation, who in turn spoke to the moon that rose high above Atmos. The moon of Remnant was attempted for communication, but in her shattered state, she could not respond.

Eventually, word reached the moon over Corona. This moon had a particularly special relationship with her world; the sun was not the only cosmic force to have touched the earth. The moon knew that soon, visitors would reach her domain, both good and evil. She, unlike many moons, could interfere.

She reached down and called the attention of the black stone spikes that had erupted from the ground when the sundrop flower was plucked. She told them of all that had happened, and what she speculated would come. Obediently, they listened.

The rocks that had lay in a neat pathway pointing toward a forgotten kingdom and its hazardous gem straightened up, pointing toward the sky, awaiting the arrival of the chosen.

The sundrop was in peril. At the moon's behest, the rocks had decided to change course entirely in order to protect her. Destiny could be achieved some other day; first, there needed to be a sundrop still existing to achieve it.