***Author's Note: This is an idea I have a for a possible story I will write after 'The Forgotten Traveler' is completed. It takes place about 20 years in the future, following a couple new faces. It's still in concept mode right now, so keep that in mind as you read. But if you like it, be sure to let me know if you would be interested in reading a full story of it!***
Nellie
Waves crashed against the sand. Their roaring sounds mixed with the call of seagulls that flew overhead and occasionally swooped down in an attempt to catch the shimmering silver fish that jumped out of the sea. Colorful kites swirled in the breeze, being flown by laughing children, running along the sandy beach.
An eleven year old boy gazed up at a dragon styled kite with a distracted grin. His red messy hair ruffled from the wind, making him shake his head when strands would get in the way of his golden eyes. The color of his hair popped against his black and white striped t-shirt that hugged his thin body. His arms were wrapped around paper bags filled with various bought supplies as he walked a few feet behind his older sister, who also held her own share of bags.
She stood tall, her silver hair tapered down her back, softly flowing behind her as she walked. She could feel the sun's heat against her bare arms, as she only wore a flowing blue tank-top and black shorts. Her teal eyes scanned the supplies in the paper bags she held in her arms and she lightly bit her bottom lip, tasting the slightest hint of the strawberry lipstick she had put on that morning.
"I hope we got enough…" she spoke up. She stopped when she didn't get a reply and spun around, only to be bumped into by her brother. "Des…" she sighed, staring down at his sheepish grin as he chuckled.
"Oh-uh, sorry, Nellie," he apologized. He glanced back towards the dragon kite that had mesmerized him. "But did you see that kite? We should buy one for the trip!"
Nellie followed her brother's gaze, seeing the colorful dragon swirl and flip in the wind. She raised her eyebrows for a moment in mild interest before looking back at her brother. "Aren't you a little old for kites?" she teased, smirking when he whipped his attention back to her with a slight pout.
"Oh come on, you know you'd be all over that if we had one on our trip," he countered, readjusting the bags in his arms as he walked past her with his head high.
"Yeah, maybe," she glanced back at the kites once more before turning to walk along with him. "I doubt we'll have time for it even if we did. Mom says there's a lot of stuff planned."
"Any idea where we're going yet?" Destin asked with an already distracted voice, eyeing the pretzel stand as they went past the pier.
"Not a clue," she sighed in response, rolling her eyes when she noticed him diverting his path towards the line of food stands on the pier. "We have lunch waiting at home, numbskull!" she called after him. She sent him a look as he stumbled back to her side, before going back to their conversation. "Mom and Dad seem to think it's going to be pretty big though."
"As long as we get to make s'mores, I won't complain," Destin beamed, licking his lips.
"Is food all you think about?" she asked him, making him laugh.
"Only when I'm hungry," he admitted, finally looking away from the delicious tempting delicacies at the pier and instead towards the steep hill they were approaching.
A stone paved street went up the hill, lined with colorful flowers and paths that led to all the neighborhoods around the island. Destin looked up at the large school that stood at the top of the hill, smirking at how empty and desolate it looked since summer vacation had just begun the week before.
"It sure is nice to see the school empty," he spoke up, making Nellie follow his gaze. "I wish Mom and Dad would just homeschool us or something. I hate that place."
Nellie scoffed, "With how often they're gone on their super secret business trips," she rolled her eyes as she finished, "they wouldn't be able to teach us much."
Destin glanced over at his sister from her tone and nudged her with his shoulder, "Hey, at least we're getting this weekend to hang out with them."
"Hopefully," she sighed, shaking her head, "I'm not convinced they won't bail out last second because-" she mimicked her mom's voice, "something just came up last second. We'll make it up to you guys, I promise."
He snickered from her impersonation, despite himself, before clearing his throat, "Don't let Mom hear you do that." Nellie simply smirked in response and they fell to a comfortable silence for a few minutes as they ascended the hill. After a while, Destin spoke up again, asking, "Are you bringing your guitar on the trip?"
"Of course," she replied almost as soon as the words left his mouth. "Might be able to give Mom that guitar lesson she's been asking about for years."
"Yeah, that'd be-" his voice trailed off as he abruptly stopped walking, making Nellie glance back at him to see his widened eyes staring down the hill.
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she followed his gaze, but then gasped. "Grandpa DiZ?"
The man approaching them from a bit further down the hill stopped, his golden-orange eyes narrowed in a bit of confusion before he let out a hearty laugh, "I keep telling those parents of yours to call me Ansem." He let out a breath as he continued towards them, his pale blonde hair swaying in the wind. A scarlet scarf was wrapped around his neck, looking rather odd paired with the navy blue pullover sweater and black pants that made him look as if he was ready for a day in the snow rather than a day on the beach. He ruffled Destin's hair, making Destin laugh as he shook out of his grandfather's grasp. "It is good to see you both. My how you've grown."
"Good to see you too, Grandpa DiZ!" Destin greeted with a beaming grin.
Ansem chuckled, shaking his head from the name as he looked over to Nellie. "If my memory serves correctly, you were barely over ten years old the last I saw you."
Nellie smiled, unsure what to say.
"Hard to believe six years have already come and gone," Ansem added, giving a warm smile as he reached towards one of the large bags in her hands, "May I?"
"I've got it," she replied with a quiet voice.
"Ah, yes," Ansem cleared his throat.
"You can have one of mine if you would like," Destin chimed in, already holding out one of his bags.
"Thank you, Destin," Ansem gratefully took it, giving him a small smile, adjusting it in his arms, he motioned forward on the path they were on, "Shall we then?"
Nellie wordlessly nodded, turning and leading the way. She remained silent as Destin struck up a conversation with his grandfather, rambling on about everything he'd done during Ansem's six year absence. The stone path had changed to a dirt one as they entered a neighborhood. Wooden homes lined the street on either side, each one was painted pastel colors, often reminding Nellie of the spring time. She gazed at them as they walked on, mostly ignoring the chatter between her brother and long lost grandfather. She heard the occasional bark of a dog as they walked, seeing the small animals wagging their tails as they watched the group pass from the window. Their barks mixed with the ring of wind chimes that were hung on the front porch of nearly every home they passed.
Soon Nellie came to a stop in front of the white picket fence that was months overdue for a repaint. A fresh garden was beside the stone walkway that led up to the front porch, yet a few obvious overgrown weeds peeked out in between the colorful brush.
With a sigh, Nellie looked back towards Ansem and Destin, straining a smile. "We're here."
Ansem looked over the home with a warm smile, "It doesn't look a bit different."
"Wait 'til you see the inside," Destin told him, going forward and unlatching the lock on the fence. "Mom's been letting me paint some of the walls."
"Has she now?" Ansem replied with an amused voice as he followed Destin through the gate.
"Yeah, the plain white walls were too boring," he explained, walking backwards to face Ansem. "so I'm trying to add some color to the place!"
"It isn't half-bad, either," Nellie spoke up, quickly quieting back down when she noticed Ansem smile at her over his shoulder.
Destin stopped at the front door, holding his shopping bag in one arm as he reached into his pant's pocket, pulling out a set of clanging keys. As he tried to remember which key unlocked the door, Ansem took the time to look over the porch. A few potted plants stood on the weary wood. One in particular was a polished blue pot with a single sunflower sprouted from the center of it. It stood beside a rocking bench with blue cushions that were worn from obvious use. Ansem smiled to himself before glancing over his shoulder towards Nellie. She watched him silently, her teal eyes looking him over with a sense of confusion and uncertainty.
He opened his mouth to say something to her, but was unable to as Destin unlocked the front door and called in, "Mom! We're home!"
Destin grinned back at the others before going in. He precariously kicked off his shoes at the entrance, trying but failing to land them on the wooden shoe rack before running to the kitchen.
Ansem followed him inside, taking a moment to look at the living room as he took off his own shoes. The room was small, yet comfortable in size. A few bookshelves lined the burgundy walls and two long black leather couches were situated to face each other with a glass coffee table in the center between them. A staircase was mostly hidden behind the back wall, leading to the second floor with the bedrooms and bathrooms. On the right was another wall with a rounded archway leading to the kitchen. Ansem could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen as Destin spoke with his parents. He stepped aside as Nellie came inside and sent her a small smile as she took off her shoes. She apprehensively looked back at him before walking past him and situated herself against the armrest of the nearest couch. She placed her shopping bags on the floor beside her before crossing her arms. An awkward tension began rising between them before Destin ran back into the living room with his mom in tow.
His mom stopped mid-step, her golden eyes widening when she saw Ansem standing in her living room. Her vibrant, long red hair was pinned up into a bun, keeping it out of her face. A light blue tattoo dimly glowed on her left cheek under her eye: a crescent shape with two dots beside it. Faint wrinkles barely showed on her matured face, but a youthful glow was still apparent in her eyes.
"Dad!" Her surprised expression transformed into a grin as she greeted, "What a surprise!"
"Hinata," Ansem smiled warmly, "It's been too long."
"Told you he was here," Destin chimed in, leaning back on his heels with a smirk.
"What are you doing out here?" Another male voice spoke up from the kitchen.
Ansem's smile grew when he saw a familiar face come up behind Hinata and wrap his arm around her shoulder. He was tall and fit, his silver hair framed his grown face. His teal eyes looked over his family before meeting back with Ansem's, a smirk tipping at the corner of his mouth.
"It is good to see you, Riku," Ansem greeted him, slightly bowing his head towards him before explaining, "I have some important news to speak with you about and decided it was high time I pay you a visit."
"Does Kairi know you're here?" Hinata asked, crossing her arms.
"Not yet," he admitted a bit sheepishly, "Your children caught me shortly after my arrival."
Riku looked towards Nellie, taking notice of the frown and her crossed arms. She caught his stare and met her eyes with his; her tense stature immediately relaxed as she sent him a small smile. He smirked back at her before looking back to Ansem.
"Oh, well we were about to sit down for lunch," Hinata pointed behind her towards the kitchen, "if you wanted to join us."
"Then you can talk to us about that news," Riku added, slipping his arm from around Hinata to allow her to walk back into the kitchen.
"That sounds lovely," Ansem smiled. "I appreciate the hospitality."
"You can sit next to me, Grandpa DiZ," Destin offered, motioning his arm towards the kitchen.
Riku chuckled from the name, noticing the look Ansem sent him. He waited for Destin and Ansem to go to the other room before turning back to his daughter. She stayed leaned against the couch's armrest, her eyes downcast and arms still crossed.
"You alright?" he asked her, getting her to meet his gaze.
She blinked for a moment before nodding, without saying anything in response.
"It's odd having him show up here, huh?" Riku motioned his head towards Ansem in the other room.
"Six years is a long time to be away," she finally spoke up, her voice hushed as she glanced past her dad towards the rest of her family setting the kitchen table. "Then he just shows up like it's no big deal… it's weird."
"Yeah, I know," he sighed, crossing his arms. "You get used to it."
Nellie met her eyes back with him, slightly smiling. She watched him as he looked over his shoulder before speaking up again, "I'm… a bit worried, too."
He looked back at her with a furrowed brow, "What do you mean? About what?"
Her expression fell to a frown, "Come on, Grandpa shows up right before our family trip? You and Mom have another business trip, don't you?"
"We don't have one planned," he admitted, averting his gaze towards the bookshelf behind her. "But that doesn't mean one won't come up." He looked back at her just in time to see her roll her eyes.
"Of course," she scoffed, looking away with a shake of her head.
"Hey," his tone became firm, yet still remained kind. "You know we don't get much of a say when we go. You'll understand-"
"When I'm older," she finished for him with a sigh, bringing her gaze back to him and straining a smile. "Don't worry, Dad, I remember."
"I know it's hard." He placed his hands along her arms. "We aren't around a lot, but that doesn't mean your mom and I don't want to be. There's just things we have to take care of sometimes."
She took in a long breath, glancing down towards the shopping bags by her feet. "I know…" She whispered.
A slight frown tugged at his mouth as he patted his hand on her arm and put it back down at his side. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Hinata looking over at them with concern. He sent her a reassuring smile, waving her off as he turned back towards Nellie. "I hope you know your mom and I love you."
Nellie lifted her eyes to his, a smirk appearing as she nodded with a breathy laugh, "Yeah, I know." She averted her gaze, as if embarrassed to admit it, "I love you guys, too."
Riku smirked in return, holding back a chuckle as he went and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "Come on, let's go eat."
Hinata watched as they entered the kitchen and sent Riku a questioning glance as he sat down beside her. Riku simply smiled in return, planting a small kiss on Hinata's temple, before pouring himself a bowl of the chicken curry he made for the family's meal. As he leaned back in his seat and enjoyed the spicy delicacy, the rest of the table talked amongst themselves. The conversation was mostly led by Destin, asking his grandfather questions about what he had been up to while he was gone, of course getting vague roundabout answers. Hinata occasionally joined in, as well as the seldom comment from Nellie as she slowly began to relax.
After some coaxing from Hinata, Destin proceeded to gather up the dishes once everyone had finished eating. He carried the dirtied dishes to the sink, precariously stacking them until Nellie stepped in and began rinsing the dishes and putting them away in the dishwasher. While they worked on cleaning, Riku and Hinata went with Ansem to the other room.
Ansem sat down on the far end of the couch in the living room, leaning back and letting out a breath. "Your children are lovely, they've grown so much."
Hinata smiled as she sat beside Riku on the other couch facing her dad. She leaned into Riku as she placed her hand along his leg and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "They are pretty great." She agreed, looking over at them working together in the kitchen.
"I wish I could have been here more," Ansem confessed, making Hinata look back at him in surprise. "I feel like I've missed so much."
"We understand, though." Hinata assured him, running her hand along Riku's leg beside her. "You aren't really in a position to visit very often."
"Indeed," he agreed, allowing the conversation to fall to silence after he spoke.
Riku glanced towards the kitchen. Nellie had a smile on her face, but continually looked over her shoulder at them as if trying to decipher what they were discussing. His heart sank as their gazes met and he looked back towards Ansem, breaking the silence with a quieted voice. "Is it another mission?"
When Ansem nodded, Hinata let out a quiet groan and planted her face in her hand. "We're going to have to cancel our trip with the kids again."
"Nellie already had a feeling we would." Riku told her, running his hand along her back. "She'll be alright."
"I'm not so sure," Hinata sighed, looking over at the kids. They had finished cleaning the dishes and were sitting at the table. Nellie was bringing out her guitar to play while Destin listened with a sweet smile on his face. "They were really looking forward to it." she looked back to her dad and admitted, "I sort of talked up the trip to them."
"I kept telling you not to," Riku reminded her. "We never know when we'll need to go on a mission."
"I know…" She agreed, leaning back in her seat with her eyes downcast. "We've just let them down so many times, I wanted them to be excited about something."
"I wouldn't have come unless it was the utmost importance." Ansem assured them. "They will understand."
"If you actually came here yourself, it has to be." Riku surmised. "What's going on?"
"I was sent here by Master Yen Sid, himself," Ansem began to explain. "He needs all of you for an-"
"Mom," Destin interrupted, walking into the living room. He slowed to a stop when all of them looked over at him expectantly. With a sheepish grin, he rubbed the back of his neck and finished, "Uh-sorry to interrupt. Nell and I were just wondering if we have enough time before the trip to hang out at the pier for a bit?"
Hinata glanced over her shoulder, frowning at Riku before she stood up from her seat and clasped her hands in front of her. "Actually, Destin…" Her voice trailed off.
"We won't be going after all," Nellie finished for her, walking into the room with her guitar strapped behind her back and her arms crossed. "You have another business trip, don't you?"
Hinata rubbed the back of her neck as she averted her gaze, trying to find the words. "We… we didn't know about it until just now." She forced herself to look back at them and strained a smile, "We'll make it up to you-"
Nellie scoffed with a roll of her eyes, immediately feeling the warning glare from her dad, but she ignored it. "It figures, I knew something would come up." She shook her head and asked, "Can you at least tell us where you're going this time?"
"We don't know yet." Hinata admitted. "But even if we did, it's safer if you don't know, at least for now."
"But why?" Nellie asked in return, holding out her arms at her side. "I'm almost sixteen years old and I barely know anything about you guys. The least you could do is tell us where you're always disappearing to for weeks at a time."
"Nell, I'm sorry, but it's not that simple." Hinata stepped towards her. "We're just trying to keep you safe and give you a normal life. We'll tell you everything when it's time, but for now, you just need to trust us."
Nellie shook her head, feeling the strain of tears in her throat as she averted her gaze from her mom, her eyes falling on her grandfather. All at once her hurt turned into anger and she let out a huff as she turned around and stormed out of the house.
"Nellie!" Hinata called, about to go after her before Riku grabbed her arm.
"Give her some time," he told her calmly, "She'll be alright."
"I can go talk to her, if you want." Destin offered, the cheeriness in his voice diminished.
"It's alright, Sweetie," Hinata assured him with a defeated tone. She turned towards him and added, "I'm sorry about the trip."
"It's alright," he sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I've sort of learned not to get my hopes up about that sort of thing." He noticed the pang of hurt in his mom's eyes and quickly added, "I-I more meant I don't mind hanging out here. I'm happy wherever we go."
Hinata nodded, straining a smile towards him even though she could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She looked up towards the ceiling, taking in a deep breath to reign in her emotions before letting out a gasp as Destin rushed forward and gave her a hug.
"I know you don't do it on purpose," he whispered to her, smiling as she hugged him back. Clearing his throat, he pulled away and looked up at his parents. "I guess, I'll-uh, head to my room so you guys can talk. Is it alright if I play some video-games?"
Riku chuckled, "Sure, Bud. Just make sure not to have the sound up too loud."
"Sure thing," he smiled back before sending a wave to Ansem, "I'll see you in a bit, Grandpa DiZ."
Ansem smiled as the boy turned and ran up the stairs. Once Destin was out of earshot, Ansem spoke up, "I must say I'm surprised you haven't told your children about your pasts. Both you and Riku were barely older than Nellie is now when you were living in Twilight Town."
Hinata frowned from his words, "This is different..."
"How so?" Ansem pried.
"We didn't have a choice with the life we were given." Hinata turned towards her dad, motioning her hand towards Riku. "We were fighting for our lives against the Darkness, but it's not like we necessarily wanted to. The island was destroyed and… we did what we had to do to survive." She looked back towards her dad, "And that isn't something a couple of teenagers should have to deal with."
Ansem let out a hearty chuckle, getting a confused expression from Hinata. "You talk as if you had no opportunity to return to the island and resume your life. There were many occasions while you were living in the mansion, where I would have allowed you to return home if you wished."
"At that point, we had a job to do." Riku pointed out, motioning for Hinata to come sit back down. "We weren't about to abandon that to go back to a normal life."
"We left the chance of that behind the moment we woke up in Hollow Bastion all those years ago." Hinata added, sitting beside Riku once more. She leaned forward, her hands clasped in front of her. "But… we didn't want that for the kids. We wanted them to have as normal of a life as they could. A life where they wouldn't have to lose the ones they care about or put their lives in danger on a daily basis."
"You're trying to protect them." Ansem surmised, leaning back in his seat with a thoughtful expression.
"Essentially, I guess." Hinata sighed, glancing back at Riku.
"It doesn't help that we're called out on missions every couple of weeks." Riku added, running his hand along Hinata's back. "We aren't exactly a normal family to begin with."
Ansem frowned, averting his gaze towards the stairwell as he let out a slow breath. "I once thought the same as you." He looked back at the couple. "I thought if I kept my life's work and studies a secret from my family, I would spare them the trials I had to face." Clearing his throat, he added, "However, as you know, it did not work in my favor. In the end, everything that I had worked to preserve was taken and destroyed. My family was scattered and unprepared for the life ahead of them, when I had more than enough opportunity to prepare them."
"So basically, you think we should tell them the truth in case the island is destroyed again?" Riku assumed, not entirely sure he understood why Ansem was telling them this.
"With your line of work, it would not be uncommon for the enemy to seek out your kin." Ansem pointed out, noticing Hinata tensing considerably from his words. "It is an unfortunate truth. Your very lives put them in danger, whether you intend it or not." He looked towards Hinata, his eyes softening as she met her gaze with his. "This secrecy will only continue to forge a rift between you and your children. That is something I have learned personally.
Hinata sent him a sad smile, averting her gaze to the front door as the lump in her throat grew. Riku's hand went up to her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze as she closed her eyes.
"That'll have to be something to consider once we're back from this mission." Riku told him, letting out a breath. "Sora and Kairi haven't told Ciel either. Maybe we can discuss it with them later."
"I don't know…" Hinata whispered, leaning back in her seat as she opened her eyes and focused on the coffee table between the couches. A slight frown curved her lips downward. "It's been getting harder to lie to the kids… I mean, it wasn't ever easy to lie, but we thought we were doing what was best for them." She glanced up at Riku. "What if we weren't? What if we should be including them? Sharing our secret life with the only two people that are desperate to know who we are…" Shaking her head, she stood up from the couch. "If we're going to tell them, we should do it now. Maybe bring them with us, be completely up front."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Riku stood as well, crossing his arms. "They have no idea who we really are. And then we suddenly turn around and tell them everything… it's a lot to take in."
"It was for us too, when we woke up in Hollow Bastion." Hinata reminded him, motioning towards her dad. "We gave up on normal lives the day that happened. We were a bit foolish to think our kids wouldn't eventually get roped into it. We gave them normal lives for as long as we could, but… maybe it's time we let them in… Give them a chance to make their own decisions."
Riku stared back at Hinata, before sighing and looking away. "But you remember everything we had to go through. Everything we lost, the missions where we were weren't sure if we'd ever even see each other again…" He shook his head and outstretched his arms. "You really want to put our kids into that?"
"Of course not," Hinata assured him, running her hand over her hair. "I just… hate that we're lying to them."
"It is a rather difficult decision to make." Ansem spoke up. "I apologize if I spoke out of turn. There are many other more pressing matters for us to discuss."
"No, it's fine, Dad." Hinata shook her head, relieving a sigh. "It's something we think about a lot." She slowly lowered into her seat, leaning forward with her elbows against her knees and her hands clasped in front of her mouth. Her eyes stared absently at the coffee table, barely listening to Ansem's words as he began to explain the details of their upcoming mission.
….
Melodious tunes mixed with the whistling breeze and ocean waves as Nellie strummed on her guitar. She was leaned back on the tilted trunk of the paopu tree, her eyes closed as she tried to lose herself to the music. Her heart twisted in her chest, thumping in rhythm with the cords on her guitar. A lump gradually formed in her throat the more her mind wandered to her family, but she did her best to ignore it.
The sound of creaking wood broke her trance as she peeked one eye open to see her cousin approaching across the rickety wooden bridge that led to Nellie's hiding place. Her cousin's messy brown hair was pulled back into the ponytail, barely a spiked puff emerging from the thin elastic band as her hair was too short to even fall past her shoulders. Her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her sheer floral sweater, mostly covering her maroon crop top and high waisted black shorts. Her dark blue eyes met with Nellie's and she sent her a toothy grin that reminded Nellie of her Uncle Sora.
"I'm surprised to find you out here." Her cousin spoke up, pulling herself up on the trunk of the tree as Nellie sat up to give her room. "Thought you had that big trip?"
Nellie sighed as she averted her gaze out towards the ocean.
"Don't tell me," her cousin leaned back on her hands before surmising, "business trip?"
"Of course," Nellie replied with a low voice. She began digging her fingernails into the bark of the tree, absently picking at it as she lightly chewed on her lip. "I should have expected it."
"Not your fault Aunt Hinata was talking up the trip." Her cousin nudged her with her shoulder. "She was getting me excited! And I wasn't even going with you!"
"Yeah," Nellie chuckled, despite her foul mood. "She's like that…" Her voice trailed off for a moment, before she asked. "What about you, Ciel? Do your parents have to leave. too?"
Ciel shrugged, swinging her legs back and forth in front of her. "I dunno. I've been out here all day. I wouldn't really mind either way, though."
"I don't know how you're so nonchalant about it." Nellie shook her head.
"Well you know my parents." Ciel let out a loud wistful sigh, "Dad treats everything like some sort of joke and Mom never tells me anything about anything, always busy with something. So I don't really care if they're gone or not."
"They aren't that bad." Nellie pointed out, downcasting her eyes and silently wishing she could be left alone. She licked her lips, tasting the strawberry lipstick Ciel had convinced her to start wearing. The taste made her feel sick to her stomach as she added. "I just don't get why they have to be so darn secretive all the time. Our whole family's like that."
"They're probably into something shady." Ciel suggested, jumping off the tree and landing on the sand. She walked forward with her hands on her hips. "We don't know anything about their past or where they go off to on their business trips." She spun around to face Nellie and spread out her arms at her side. "Who knows? And who cares? At least they're letting us live our own lives without dragging us into their problems."
Nellie averted her gaze, biting the inside of her cheek as she rolled her eyes. Frustration bubbled inside her from Ciel's nonchalant tone. A swirl of thoughts went through her mind, each one a different remark she could make against her, but she kept them silent. Instead, she took in a breath and asked. "It doesn't bother you that they don't trust us enough to tell us anything?"
Ciel shrugged as she turned back around to stare out at the ocean. "If it supposedly keeps us safer to not know, I'm not sure I care."
"God, you're so annoying sometimes…" Nellie grumbled under her breath, turning to lean back on the paopu tree again. She situated her guitar in her hands before strumming a relaxing chord. She listened to the notes she played, allowing them to calm her twisting heart. After a couple minutes, she spoke up again. "It just doesn't make sense. I feel like I keep getting punished for actually wanting to spend time with my family. It's like every time I get my hopes up for some quality time with them, they have to leave."
Ciel moved her head upwards to look up at the sky as she let out an exaggerated groan. "Oh pleeease, I forgot you're such a fan-girl for your parents."
"I am not!" Nellie objected with anger flushing to her cheeks as she abruptly sat up. "I'm just saying I'd like to spend some time with them!"
"Yeah, and I'd like to go through an entire conversation with my dad without him making some lame joke," Ciel rolled her eyes, turning around to face Nellie. "Even having a whole conversation with my mom would be nice too, but I'm not going to get my hopes up about it. Just get into the habit of not expecting anything from them..." Putting her arms out at her side, she finished "Then you'll never be disappointed."
"That's not very good advice," Hinata's voice caught their attention.
Nellie gasped as she whipped her attention back, seeing her mom walking across the wooden bridge towards them, carrying a large book in her hands. "M-mom?" she stammered.
"Hey Aunt Hina," Ciel waved, a toothy grin appearing on her face. "I heard you have another business trip to go on."
"Hello Ciel." Hinata greeted with a small smile before sighing, "And unfortunately yes. You should probably head home. Your parents need to talk with you about it, too."
"Figures," Ciel sighed, lacing her hands behind her head as she walked past Hinata. "I'll see you later Nell!"
"Yeah," Nellie replied with a quiet voice. "Later."
Hinata watched as Ciel walked off, her hands tightly clasped around the book in her arms. Nellie silently looked it over. It had a brown leather cover with a thin shimmery golden border. The edges were scuffed and worn from obvious years of use and papers and pictures protruded from the pages. She was unable to make out the title of the book since Hinata's arms were in the way.
"M-mom," Nellie broke the silence, downcasting her gaze once her mother's golden ones looked back at her. "I'm sorry I ran off, I just…" her voice trailed off as her hands dug into the bark of the tree.
"It's alright, Nell." Hinata assured her with a soft, gentle voice. "I understand where you're coming from." Nellie looked up at her with surprise, making Hinata chuckle, "I know, it's hard to believe." She pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear as she hesitantly stepped forward. "But, I know what it's like to feel left in the dark."
"I-It's not," Nellie tried to reply, suddenly finding it hard to talk as a lump constricted her throat. She licked her lips and took in a sharp breath. "It's not that I want to know everything. I just… want to know you and I feel like you won't let me."
"I know…" Hinata admitted as she came to a stop in front of her daughter and slowly held out the book. "But today, I want to change that."
Nellie looked over the book, seeing an intricate beautifully golden lettering writing out, Journey Journal. She glanced up at her mom before hesitantly reaching forward and taking the book from her.
"What… is this?" she asked as she opened to the first page.
Her eyes widened when she saw it was a picture of her parents, Uncle Sora, and Aunt Kairi. They were all at the paopu tree watching a sunset, just like Nellie did with her brother and cousin almost every night. Her dad was leaning against the trunk; he looked about her age, just a bit younger. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she realized it was the first time she had seen what either of her parents looked like when they were her age. Her eyes drifted to her mother in the picture, she sat on the trunk beside Riku, her leg brushing up against him as she smiled down at him.
"You were very beautiful." Nellie's words came out, before she caught herself and looked up at her mom, "I-I mean-"
Hinata giggled, "It's fine, Sweetie. I know what you mean." She walked over to the trunk of the tree and pulled herself up to sit beside her daughter. "The four of us used to sit here and watch the sunset, just like you do with Destin and Ciel."
"I had no idea," Nellie whispered as she looked back at the page. "Are you sure it's alright if I look through this?"
"I should have shown you a long time ago." Hinata sighed, clasping her hands in her lap. "But… I was worried."
"About what?" Nellie asked, looking over at her. "Is it about where you go on your trips?"
"A bit," Hinata looked down at her hands. "But mostly… Your father and I just wanted to make sure that you and Destin got a normal childhood. We didn't… and we didn't want that for the two of you." Taking a deep breath, she looked back at her daughter's innocent, confused eyes. She softly smiled, "But, we should have given you the right to make the choice for yourselves, rather than making it for you."
"I'm… not really sure I get what you mean." Nellie admitted, bringing her gaze back to the picture. "What was so strange about your and dad's life growing up?"
"A lot," Hinata answered with a laugh in her voice. "But, I'm ready to tell you about it, if you're ready."
Nellie took in a sharp breath as her heart fluttered nervously. Those were the words she had dreamed of hearing for years. Without realizing it, her hands began to tremble. She often fantasized about the people they could be or what they did on their missions. When she was a child, she often thought of them as superheroes, going off to save the world. As she grew and matured, she began to realize that the reality of where they went was most likely more mundane, yet, in that moment, she couldn't help but allow her imagination to flare with ideas. She raised her gaze to her mom's expectant ones, unsure what to say.
"A-are you sure?" she muttered out.
Hinata's smile grew as she leaned forward and planted a sweet light kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Yes, I'm sure. It's been something your father and I have discussed a lot over the years, it just never seemed to be the right time. But after hearing about this mission… we knew you and your brother deserved to know the truth." She pushed her hair daughter's hair behind her ear. "You were right. You're almost sixteen, you aren't a child anymore and it's about time I start being more open."
Tears welled up in Nellie's eyes as her heart jumped. Swallowing hard, she nodded and looked back to the opened book, turning the page….
***Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! So as you've read, this is a story concept that will follow Riku and Hinata's children, Nellie and Destin. It's exciting to me, because it would not be following any premade Kingdom Hearts game, meaning there are no barriers for me to worry about! And I already have so many ideas! I've just fallen in love with Nellie, and will definitely be using her in future one-shots, even if her full story is never created.
Also, regarding, Ansem the Wise (DiZ)... I know he was killed in Kingdom Hearts 2, but then you see him in Sora's heart/mind in Dream Drop Distance, speaking with Riku. So I have a bit of a headcanon, that he is still alive. He is in the Realm of Darkness and is able to escape, either with Aqua, or in some other fashion. I may be wrong, but I mean, it's my story, so it works for me.
Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this small excerpt of an idea! There will be plenty more! If you have any ideas of things you would like to see: slice of life, worlds, scenarios, anything! Feel free to let me know! Have a great week! ***