Isa sipped his coffee at the dining room table, trying to read his reports by the morning's faint pink light. He could have turned on a lamp, but he was aware that each watt of electricity came directly from Vanitas's Inversed. There was no reason to drain them if he could get by on natural light from outside and from the magically-repaired table. He had to squint through his reading glasses, but it was hardly a sacrifice; he still preferred the dimness. It was one of the benefits of rising before the dawn.

The other benefit was that none of the mansion's other inhabitants were around to snoop on his candid note-taking.

Improving. Xion's ribbon found in Naminé's hair, he updated Xion's row under the Affinity column on Naminé's file.

There wasn't much else to add. Naminé's file was the most blank of the records Isa kept—only in part because she was still a recent addition to their… 'Organization' wasn't the right word. But neither did he feel secure in using the term 'family.' Their… home, he supposed.

Regardless, Naminé's file had a lack of Affinity that was only reflected in… well, in Isa's own. He wasn't overly concerned about Naminé's socialization, personally, but he knew that Aqua was. (He had listed that concern in the Objectives column of Aqua's file.) And if spending time with the keyblade wielders had taught him anything, it was that what concerned Aqua tended to concern the Organization group, whether they liked it or not.

At least Naminé's Affinity markers were trending upwards, if slowly. Isa could avoid taking direct action on that Objective. Lea's Primary Objective was currently fulfilled with Roxas and Xion alive and well, and Isa had assisted in his Secondary Objective—to adopt them legally—by forging each of them a birth certificate. He would do the same for Naminé, as soon as Aqua voiced her clear desire to become the girl's legal guardian.

With those most immediate hurdles out of the way, Isa's schedule was open for Objectives of his own.

He stacked the Character Files neatly, leaving his own on top. There were no Affinity markers to update there; he had been rather distant throughout the past few days of his current Reconnaissance Mission. It was unlikely that anyone had noticed. The novelty of their mansion home—and the many tasks required for its upkeep—had kept them all preoccupied. In fact, Isa still needed to dole out the chore assignments for the upcoming week…

Not yet. Focus on the task at hand. He drew his attention back to the other folder he'd brought into the dining room.

Receipts. Reviews. Recipes. All were gears in the mechanism of Le Grand Bistrot. All were sorted and meticulously aligned against the table's hardwood backdrop.

All, with Isa's help, would lead to Scrooge McDuck's downfall.

Perhaps it was a petty Objective. But it would benefit the town to avoid further gentrification, and it would benefit Vanitas to return to work under a boss who wouldn't run him ragged, and it would benefit the whole Organization family group of roommates whatever they were to remove the duck from play before he could take them to court over breaking their lease. Besides, this Objective was one that Isa had the most experience working to achieve: dethrone a Superior—or, in this case, a business tycoon—by dismantling their foundation. By turning the minds of their followers against them.

Saix may not have been successful, but Isa wasn't bound by the same constraints. And the duck was hardly the mastermind of manipulation that Xemnas had once been. So far, the Mission had been child's play.

Of course, that didn't mean he could become complacent. So far his Mission had primarily involved Reconnaissance. Intel-gathering. Seed planting, metaphorically speaking. Nothing quite as direct as what should begin today.

Isa opened his laptop, triple checking his bank account against his checkbook. He may not have the steady flow of income that Lea did, but selling items from the mansion—antique furniture Aqua had helped him restore, books that were out of print, an extensive vinyl record collection that must have belonged to Demyx—had earned him enough to finance the final stage of his plan.

"Isa?" Aqua poked her head into the dining room once the sun had risen a considerable amount.

He didn't jump. He did sweep the Character Files under his other folders, on instinct.

"Aqua." He nodded. "There is coffee in the kitchen, if you would like some."

"Trying to get rid of me before even saying hello?" She grinned a little. Her good humor was less rare than it used to be. "I was going to ask if you wanted to join us for morning training."

Isa's brow furrowed. That was certainly an unusual offer.

"That would be keyblade training, I assume?"

She nodded.

"It's important to practice the basics daily. I used to go out past the edge of town to warm up in the morning, but since we have so much space here, I thought it might be nice to all exercise together." She bounced on her toes. The half-skirt of her battle outfit fluttered with the motion.

"I am sure that it would." He nodded back, still a little confused.

"So…?"

"Aqua. You are aware that I am not a keyblade wielder, aren't you?"

He still had his claymore, but it had been longer than he would like to admit since he had practiced with it. The weapon brought back unpleasant memories, to say the least.

But he needed to press through that. If he wanted to defeat Xemnas and the other members of the new Organization, he would have to wield Lunatic once more. He was fortunate to still have a weapon at all, considering what had happened to Riku.

Aqua sighed, resting her weight back on her heels.

"I wasn't sure…"

"I haven't wielded a keyblade in the entire time that we have shared lodging. Why would that have changed?"

She looked reproachful at the question. As if he'd caught her in an act.

"Should I have gained the ability?" Isa asked.

For all of his reconnaissance—both during his Organization days and since—he had never found clear instructions on how one typically obtained a keyblade. Sora, as far as anyone could tell, had simply manifested the ability naturally. Kairi had been given her weapon by Riku within the Castle That Never Was' walls, though Aqua claimed she'd had a hand in Kairi inheriting the power. And Riku—his case was even less clear to Isa. Apparently the boy Master had gained and lost and gained and lost again. Then there were the outliers of Roxas, who was also Ven, who had once manifested two keyblades before returning one to Xion.

So, perhaps the idea that Isa would spontaneously summon one wasn't too far-fetched.

"I… kind of hoped Lea would pass it on to you?" Aqua admitted. "Not that he should. He isn't a Master. So I could never ask him to, and it would be against tradition and protocol—"

"But more keyblade wielders would be beneficial in our efforts against the Organization," Isa surmised.

Aqua frowned a little. Had Isa guessed incorrectly? But what other reason could she have for wishing he had a different weapon?

Unless… did 'passing on' a keyblade imply something more intimate than Isa knew? She'd told him that she would support a partnership between Isa and Lea. That Objective was still high in Isa's priorities, but he really did not want to discuss his progress on that front with Aqua at the moment.

"Yes. Of course," she said carefully.

"But?" He raised his eyebrows, feigning a normal curiosity, and not the nervousness he felt.

"...It's more of an and."

"And?"

"And… I don't want you to feel left out," she finally finished.

Ah. Isa relaxed; that was a much easier worry to dissuade than anything involving his relationship with Lea.

He was eternally used to feeling left out. This family group was the first place that he could honestly place himself in more than two Affinity categories. (And one of his former Affinity connections had been with Xemnas, which was founded on deceit and hardly counted.)

Isa did not tell Aqua any of that, of course.

"I am hardly the only non-wielder in our ranks," he said calmly, closing his laptop. "Are you equally concerned with Naminé and Riku?"

He knew she fretted over Naminé, so maybe this was simply Aqua's roundabout way of asking how she could assist the younger girl. Not that Isa had any answers there. He could identify issues to be addressed, but solving them was another matter.

"Riku?" Aqua's head tilted.

Isa paused in organizing his papers. He stared up at her, dumbstruck.

"You—you certainly know of Riku's ailment."

Roxas had taken the opportunity to flaunt Riku's failure until Xion had asked him to stop, embarrassed and guilty about the whole situation. If she had been in control of her actions when she'd allegedly snapped Riku's blade in half, she hadn't admitted so within Isa's earshot.

He was inclined to believe she wasn't fully responsible, considering his own experiences under Xehanort's influence. The dark taint on one's heart amplified negative emotions to a fever pitch. It had turned Saix's already overwhelming loneliness into a veritable black hole.

Regardless, what was done was done, and Xion and Riku had somehow made amends. Their Affinity was now neutral-to-positive, based on their ability to make polite but not enthusiastic conversation.

"But he's still a Master." Aqua looked at Isa like he was stupid. "You can't stop wielding a keyblade. He's just going through a hard time. He's in therapy; he'll work through it."

Isa sipped his coffee to hide his expression of doubt. Though, he supposed if anyone would know, it would be the other Master herself.

"You… also said Naminé." Aqua bit her lip. "Is she not…?"

Isa shook his head.

"Despite her status as Kairi's Nobody, the power did not appear to transfer to her. The Organization surely would have taken advantage of it if it had."

"Of course. Of course." Aqua dropped her forehead against the doorframe. "I'm so stupid…"

"Keyblades are not the only weapons in the Worlds," Isa reminded her, attempting to keep his voice gentle. "If you would like her to be more capable of defending herself, I am sure we can fashion her a weapon."

They may not even need to do that much. Riku had kept the dual-bladed halberd that Ansem had left behind. Perhaps it would be too large for Naminé, but if they divided it in half, it could create two manageably-sized swords.

"Right…" Aqua didn't look convinced in the slightest.

Isa tried not to be annoyed. It seemed rather counterproductive for her to worry that he was ostracized for not wielding a keyblade, then go on to further imply that a keyblade was essential to one's importance.

He sighed. Perhaps he would just have to give her a demonstration.

"Regarding your earlier request," he changed the subject, "I will still join you for your training, if you will have me and my claymore."

"Oh!" Aqua straightened. "Yes, of course! We'd love to have you. It's great to practice fighting against all sorts of weapons."

Against. Not alongside. Irritation prickled the back of his neck, but he forced it down.

"I will meet you in…?"

"The courtyard, out back," Aqua said.

"The courtyard," He dipped his head in acknowledgement, "as soon as I have filed away my paperwork."

"Great! See you soon, Isa!" She grinned and waved goodbye, seemingly unaware of her social fumbles.

He shook his head, snorting softly. What a hypocritical thing for him to judge her for.

He slipped his file back into its folder. Hopefully after a training session or two, he would have a positive interaction to input in his Affinity chart.

XXX

Riku watched his friends through the weathered window of his tower bedroom. Kairi was executing a kata with perfect attention to detail, her footwork solid enough to elicit proud applause from Aqua. Sora and Xion practiced healing magic with Vanitas, who was attempting to use it to restore the shriveled herb garden. Roxas sparred with Isa, who appeared to be losing despite his weapon's much longer reach. Lea watched on, calling out with his hands cupped around his mouth, though from this distance Riku couldn't make out if he was cheering or heckling, much less which party the shouts were directed at.

His breath fogged the glass. He stared at the condensation for a long moment before deciding against wiping it away.

There was no point in staring out at a life he could no longer live.

After an even longer moment, he scrounged up enough resolve to change out of his pajamas. It was difficult to see the point, but Kairi would get onto him if she found him up here moping again.

She was still convinced that there was a way to fix his keyblade. Sora was, too. But if there was a way, wouldn't Aqua have mentioned it? Instead she was ignoring him, as if he no longer existed.

He pressed his palms to his eyes. It was too early to have a headache.

With a sigh he shut the drawers of his dresser, accidentally bumping the dual-sided spear that was propped against it. He grimaced, adjusting the blindfolds tied around each of the weapon's slitted eyes.

"I have… already… prevailed!" Ansem had declared.

The spear left behind should've been proof that wasn't the case. That Ansem was gone for good.

But Riku was afraid Ansem didn't have to be alive to win.

He felt like a ghost, floating down the stairs, making his way to the kitchen. Pouring the dregs of Isa's morning pot of coffee into a mug shaped like a Moai head. It had been an apology gift from Roxas for days of mockery. It still had the ¥200 clearance sticker on the bottom.

Light footsteps padded across the floor behind him. He was careful not to move too quickly and startle the rare visitor.

"Hey, Naminé." He forced a tired smile. "Coffee?"

"A-ah… no, thank you…" she mumbled, slinking towards the refrigerator.

Despite her thick "Dog Street" sweatshirt, she shivered as she opened the door. The appliance was powered by Vanitas's Blue Sea Salts, and often ran colder than a normal fridge.

"H-hello there…" she greeted the Inversed inside the fridge while removing the jug of milk. The light-blue monster cheerfully chimed back.

Riku found his cheeks warming, despite the cold.

He hadn't intended to share breakfast with anyone else, but it would be rude to leave Naminé when she'd finally come out of her room.

I wonder if she feels the same way, he thought wryly.

"Milk?" she asked.

"Sure. Thanks."

He let her pour a bit—more than a bit, as her hand slipped—into his coffee. He toasted them a pair of cinnamon raisin bagels. They ate them without plates, hovering on opposite sides of the kitchen island.

"Are you going back to the Datascape today?" Riku asked.

Normally when she left her room, it was either for that reason, or because Aqua or Vanitas or Xion specifically invited her out somewhere. It had never occurred to Riku that he was allowed to invite Naminé out, too.

"Mmm… I was going to try drawing, actually." She clutched her glass of milk close to her chest. "I think… some new pictures in my room would be nice."

The drawings she'd done while restoring Sora's memories had been left untouched, even when the Organization had lived here. Naminé had taken them down after Aqua had painted her walls.

"What are you going to draw?"

"I'm not quite sure yet," she admitted. "I usually just start, and see what happens…"

Riku nodded thoughtfully. He didn't know enough about art to ask anything deeper than that.

He didn't know anything about art. But Naminé's drawings had always intrigued him. Many of them had been quick, wild in their urgency, meant only to convey an idea. She hadn't had time for anything more detailed while restoring Sora's memory, which had required hundreds upon hundreds of sketches.

What would she do now that she could create anything she wanted?

"Would you mind if I drew with you?" he asked before he could lose his nerve.

She blinked up at him, blue eyes wide.

"You draw?" Disbelief edged into her voice.

"It doesn't sound that crazy, does it?" he joked, even though she was right to doubt him.

He didn't draw. But without his keyblade, he didn't do a lot of things anymore. He might as well pick some sort of activity to stop him from staring out the window morosely.

"N-no, I didn't mean that…!" Naminé replied before stuffing a bite of bagel in her mouth.

He laughed and nearly choked on his coffee.

Vanitas had bought Naminé a seventy-two pack of colored pencils. With the old long table removed from Naminé's room, she spread the art supplies out across her cold floor for them both to use. Carefully, she tore free a perforated page of her sketchbook for him. And then…

He had no idea what to draw, either.

He laughed, staring down at the blank page.

Naminé looked up in surprise.

"It's nothing," he told her, reaching for a colored pencil at random. A bright teal, still freshly sharpened.

He felt a little bad ruining the paper she'd gifted him with his careless scribbles, but figured it would be less weird than just sitting there. He drew a small circle, giving himself something to color in.

Even without the slitted pupil, it looked like Way to the Dawn's eye.

Ugh. Bad idea. He didn't dare crumple the page, but he flipped it over and picked up a different pencil.

Naminé picked up the teal one he'd discarded. He peeked over at what she was drawing, hidden behind her arm.

"You're kidding," he mumbled when he saw Way to the Dawn staring back at him.

"Is it that bad?" Naminé grimaced.

She'd drawn him holding his old weapon. The likeness was perfect, down to his taunting stance. That was what was so uncanny—so painful—about it.

"No, no, it's… it's great." His voice cracked a little.

To his surprise, she tore the page free and balled it up in her fists.

"I'll try again," she promised. "I'll get it right."

"Naminé, wait—it was perfect." He placed his hands over hers. It was too late to save the beautiful drawing, but he extracted it from her grip and flattened it out anyway. "But why did you draw me?"

"I just… want to help," Naminé whispered fervently. "I know it bothers you. If I can trace your memories—if I can find out where your keyblade's gone…"

"It's broken, Naminé."

He held out his hand, reaching for the severed connection. He clenched his teeth against the electric pain that radiated down from his elbow. Only a faint glimmer appeared in his fist to show for it.

Then even that vanished.

"I keep trying. There's nothing there to find." He lowered his trembling arm.

He didn't unpack how he felt about Naminé peeking into his memories without asking. It wasn't like he had anything to hide—nothing more embarrassing than what she already knew—but still.

"But… I can still feel it in your heart." Naminé placed a hand over her chest. "Maybe the pieces are scattered, but the connection is there."

Riku squeezed his eyes shut. A pressure was building behind his skull, but he didn't want tears to drip on his drawing paper.

Everyone seemed to have hope except him. Sora, Kairi, even Xion, who had lost her keyblade before. She'd said that Roxas had loaned his to her during that time, and that had eventually worked. She hadn't been willing to part with hers, though, and Riku couldn't bear the guilt of asking Sora or Kairi.

Maybe Naminé had a point. There were possible solutions; he'd just been unwilling to try them.

"Thanks," he finally mumbled. "But don't worry about it, okay? Just draw whatever you want."

She deserved a break from only drawing for others.

"But… you're nice to draw…" she mumbled.

"H-huh?" He blushed.

"Your arms have nice shapes." She gestured towards his bare biceps; his current outfit, like most of his, was sleeveless. "And your hair isn't too complicated."

That caught him off guard enough to laugh.

"Heh. Fair enough." He wiped his eyes and picked up a yellow pencil. "Your hair doesn't look too hard, either. Promise me you won't laugh if I screw it up, though."

Naminé smiled behind her sketchbook.

"Promise."

XXX

It was wonderful to have a study again.

Late afternoon sun flowed in through the turret spire's skylight and illuminated the round room in orange and red. Her tools and synthesis materials were spread across her desk; she didn't have to hide them from Van every time she got up for a break anymore. She had tacked a "no Vans allowed" sign to the door, and hidden a Mine Shield-slash-Zero Graviga combination spell on the threshold for anyone (one specific someone) who pretended they couldn't read.

So far, Van had only triggered it twice. His pout as he floated helplessly had been even funnier the second time.

Normally she wouldn't be so particular about her privacy, but the project she was working on was special.

It was her gift to Van for their six-month anniversary.

She could hardly believe it had already been half a year since they'd escaped the Realm of Darkness—a little longer for her, even. Each sunrise still felt like a miracle.

January ninth would be the day. She was on track to finish her gift in time, but she wanted to ensure there was enough buffer in case more modifications were needed after further testing. The science of crafting keychains wasn't exact, so there was a good bit of trial and error involved in creating the exact shape she wanted.

Her tongue stuck out as she shaved off a sliver of Lucid Gem with her adamantine knife, then grafted it into the chain's gear-like structure.

Gravity elemental synthesis materials were convenient to work with, as they naturally congregated together. But Aqua wasn't just using it for convenience. The gem would help stabilize the keyblade she was crafting. Placing the sliver near the bottom end of the chain should correspond to a greater weight in the keyblade's tip, which was important for the specific purpose it was to serve.

This wasn't going to be a regular keyblade. In fact, it might barely be a keyblade at all—it would function as a walking cane.

She summoned her keyblade, Stormfall, and attached the new keychain before unclipping the original. The transition went more smoothly that way; the weapon could get confused if left without any keychain for even a brief time.

In a flash, Stormfall was replaced with Void Staff.

She held it tip-down against the ground, appraising its weight and feel. She'd managed to align the jagged handguard so it was parallel to the ground, allowing one to easily grip the handle from above. The shaft was slim and light, so it would be practical to maneuver. The tip was mostly flat, but a rough sandpaper-like texture on the metal allowed it to grip different floor materials without sliding. She'd shrunken the gear-shaped teeth as much as she could, so Van wouldn't accidentally cut himself on them while walking.

The end result hardly looked like a keyblade at all. But she knew Van, and he would care far more about function than appearance. If it helped him get around more easily, he'd love it.

That didn't stop her from fiddling with the non-essential bits of the keyblade. If she was going to give him a present, she might as well make it look as nice as she could. Maybe more chainlike filigree spiraling up the shaft…?

Before she could replace Stormfall's keychain and return to crafting, she heard a timid knock at the door.

Her brow furrowed. The knock wasn't loud enough to be Van, but who else would come to visit her up here?

"Um… Master Aqua…?" Naminé's voice barely made it through the thick wood. "It's Naminé, not Vanitas, so am I allowed to talk to you…?"

Aqua was at the door disarming her trap spells before Naminé finished talking.

"Of course!" Aqua beamed down at the younger girl. "Come on in!"

Naminé's eyes widened, staring at the unorthodox weapon in Aqua's hand.

"Oh—ah—" Aqua hid Void Staff behind her back, though she knew it was too late. She whispered, "Don't tell Van about this, okay? It's a surprise for him."

Naminé nodded, holding a finger in front of her lips and smiling a little.

"Don't worry. I can keep a secret."

"Good. Thanks." Aqua grinned, gesturing for Naminé to follow and propping the keyblade up against her desk. "So, what can I do for you?"

"For me? Oh, nothing." Naminé shook her head. "It's about Riku, actually."

"Riku?" Aqua asked as she looked around for a spare seat.

Her study wasn't a large room, and it was already crowded with shelves and drawers, so she didn't keep any chairs besides the one at her desk. The broad trunk that stored her extra synthesis materials would have to do. She sat down close to the edge and patted the other side in invitation.

"He still hasn't gotten his keyblade back." Naminé laced her fingers together in her lap as she sat down. "I tried to help, but he didn't think I could. But you're a Keyblade Master, right? You have to know a way to help him."

She looked up at Aqua, her expression so earnest. So hopeful.

"Do you think he'd want my help?" Aqua asked, trying not to show her trepidation.

Riku was a Keyblade Master, too. He'd been there to help her when she'd needed it most. If he'd wanted her help, wouldn't he have asked her himself?

Unless he thought she didn't have anything to offer. Since she'd been so weak and useless when they'd first met…

"I don't know what he wants," Naminé admitted, "but I know what he needs. He hasn't looked this sad since Sora was asleep. Please, Master Aqua."

"Of course," Aqua folded easily.

As if she'd ever turn down a request from someone who believed in her.

"Thank you!" Naminé clasped her hands under her chin. She was so cute. "Thank you so much!"

Aqua's chest tightened. If only Naminé were a keyblade wielder… or if only Aqua hadn't already chosen her one heir by mistake. What she wouldn't give to have an apprentice who looked up to her like that.

"It's no problem, really," Aqua reassured her. "I actually have an idea already."

She looked at the keychain hanging from Void Staff and smiled.