**Author's Note: So I did this little ask game with some friends where we got some questions and answered them in our character's voice. I got really inspired by it and wrote my answers out like a fic. Since it ended up being a full little story, I thought I'd share it here! It's set a little after KH3. Enjoy!**

Interview with Samantha Ainsworth

Sam's morning started like any other. The fresh smell of coffee and the promise of breakfast coaxed her out of her dreams. With heavy eyes and a pair of slippers on her feet she scuffled out of her room and beelined towards the kitchen. Just like every morning, she discovered Velcia cooking while Hinata brewed pots of both tea and coffee. They greeted her, but something in their voices was different. Sam usually would have noticed it, if not for the sleepy blur that was taking longer than usual to clear up.

With a noncommittal grunt paired with a nod, she greeted them in return and plopped down on her usual stool. Her food was already there awaiting her, but this time, it was accompanied by an official looking envelope sticking out from beneath her plate. Sam stared at the envelope, blinking, her half-asleep state kept her from immediately grasping what it meant.

"What's this?" she asked, amid stuffing a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.

Velcia looked at Hinata, who smiled with a soft laugh. "The invitation to the interview?" Hinata reminded her. Sam stared at her blankly, and Hinata sighed. "From Radiant Garden…?"

Sam's eyes widened, her fork dropping. "Me? Why the hell would they want to talk to me?"

She snatched up the envelope and tore it open, pulling out the thick card lined with gold. "Good Evening Samantha…" She read aloud, then commented under her breath, "God I can almost hear your dad's voice reading this."

"I believe DiZ said he wished to interview each of us eventually," Velcia told her, turning around and wiping her hands on a towel.

"Something about having a record of us," Hinata said. "Things more personal than you'd get from normal mission reports."

Sam paused her reading and looked up from the letter. "Personal?" she repeated.

Hinata nodded slowly, chewing on her cheek. "You'll see what I mean. I was caught off guard by them, at first. But I think I get what he means. Like it or not, we've done a lot of things that affect history for a lot of worlds. People eventually might want to know more about us."

"Hmm," Velcia hummed. "I hadn't thought of it that way."

With a heavy sigh, Sam tossed down the card. "It's not like I'll have anything interesting to say. But the letter mentioned I'd get a tour of the gummi ship bay if I do the interview, so—" she shrugged. "Guess I'll give it a try."

Both Hinata and Velcia snickered. "Of course he'd know how to hook you in," Hinata teased.

"Yeah," Sam scoffed with a chuckle, picking her fork back up to continue eating. "Guess he does."

"Sam," Ansem the Wise greeted, standing from his seat as Aeleus pushed open the door. "It is good to see you."

"Um, yeah, good to be here." Sam walked into Ansem's office, rubbing the back of her neck. She said a quick thanks to Aeleus, unsure what to do when he bowed respectfully in response before turning and closing the door behind him.

Silence filled the room as the sound of Aeleus' footsteps faded the further down the hall he went. Ansem waited patiently, allowing Sam to be the first to speak. She glanced around the office, unused to the bright lighting and the lack of computer screens. Her fingers fidgeted in front of her, her nails clinking against the metal of her mechanical hand.

"So…" Sam hesitantly walked forward, sitting on a cushioned seat in front of Ansem's desk. "You wanted to see me?"

Ansem's brow raised at her lack of camaraderie, but accepted it and sat back down as well. "Yes, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my invitation. No doubt Hinata prepared you for the questions?"

"Not really," she admitted with a shrug. "She told me they would be personal, but that's kinda it."

"Really?" Ansem seemed surprised, but didn't question it further. "Well then, I am sure you have important matters to attend to. Are you ready to begin?"

Rather than reply, Sam nodded and Ansem cleared his throat, straightening some papers in front of him.

"I will first ask simple questions, before diving deeper," he explained. "If you were to go to the local candy shop in town, what would you purchase?"

Sam blinked. "I'm…" She shook her head. "You called me here for my candy order?"

Ansem paused before beginning to laugh. "I did say I would begin simply."

Sam joined in with a chuckle, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms. "Well alright. I'm not really the type that eats a lot of candy. I mean I like frozen fruit stuff. The Benbow back on Montressor had this blueberry sorbet I liked. Does the shop out here have anything like that?"

"In fact I believe they do," Ansem replied.

Motioning her hand towards him, she said, "Then that's what I'd get."

"I'll send Ienzo out to buy some." Ansem turned his seat towards a tablet embedded in his desk and began pressing buttons across its screen.

"Hah!" Sam snorted, crossing her legs and lounging back in her seat. "Tell him I want extra cherries on top."

"Very well," he replied, a smile obvious in his voice. He turned back to face Sam once again. "Are you ready for the next question?"

"Shoot."

"Is there anything you are particular about?" he asked.

"Like what?"

He hummed in thought. "Such as, being opposed to being touched, or adverse to certain textures of food. Habits or things that cause irritation."

Sam chewed on her lip, her foot bouncing over her knee. "I mean… I guess I don't really like people being in my personal space. Something Ben doesn't seem to ever understand."

Ansem laughed. "Yes, that is something he struggles to comprehend."

"He's gotten a few dents from me throwing my tools at him," Sam said.

"Has he?" Ansem asked.

"If he didn't want them, maybe he should stop sneaking up behind me every time I'm working on something," Sam suggested with a lace of sarcasm. "Till then?" She shrugged.

Ansem chuckled softly, asking, "Is there anything else?"

"Probably," she answered honestly. "But I don't really know anything else from the top of my head."

"Very well," he accepted, moving on. "Then imagine a dear friend is struggling and is in need of comfort. What would you do?"

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Would you prefer a different question?" he asked in return.

"No, it's just," she sighed. "What am I supposed to say? There's the obvious answer of just being there for them. I don't know what you're expecting."

"Perhaps you can be more specific, or recall a time where someone in your life was struggling," he suggested.

She took in a long breath. "Alright. When someone's hurting, I guess I try to relate to them. Let them know they aren't alone, cause sometimes it can feel like we are…" Her voice trailed off.

Ansem looked up from taking notes. "Is that all?"

With a huff of breath, Sam chuckled. "Yeah, just realizing I don't really do a lot of making others feel better. It's usually the other way around."

With an understanding hum, Ansem placed down his pen. "That is a difficult thing to realize, though I believe you are not giving yourself enough credit."

"Yeah, maybe," she replied, while taking a breath. "Let's just move on to the next question."

"I should warn you they become more personal from here," he told her.

"Just ask," she said, slightly exasperated.

"Very well," he continued. "Is there anyone in your family that you would consider yourself the closest to?"

"Ha," Sam caught herself from laughing bitterly. "You don't already know the answer to that?"

"I'd prefer to have it on record with your own words."

"Of course you would," she muttered under her breath. "Um, I guess it'd be my dad. He's the only one still around. I mean, my mom's alive, but we don't really talk."

"Do you still communicate with your father?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's busy, we both are, but we talk a couple times a week," she said, a smile forming. "He's been going on about wanting to build a ship together again. But who knows when that will happen."

"Has he seen your mother?"

"I haven't asked," Sam answered quickly. "And I don't really care either way. After how she treated us after he disappeared, I know I wouldn't go back. But who knows with him."

"How is your relationship with the rest of your family?" he asked.

"When James was around, our relationship was up and down. After he went sober—or mostly sober anyway—we were pretty close. He was always way over protective of me. But, he cared. More than I realized, I think." She paused, blowing out a breath. "My only other living family besides my dad is my mom and that's… tense at best."

"She did aid you in finding your father, did she not?"

"It was mostly Jim and Clarisse," she set the record straight. "All she did was give us the name of dad's homeworld. Could have said it at any time. But only did once I agreed to see her again." She scoffed, her hands tightening along her arms. "That was the last time I talked to her."

Ansem was silent for a moment, questioning if he should press further or move on. "Did your father have anything to say on the subject of your mother?"

"Do we have to go into this?" she bit, closing her eyes and inwardly wincing. "Sorry, it's fine." She sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Dad… didn't seem all that surprised that Mom basically shut down after he disappeared. Apparently she wasn't exactly stable when they met and she'd been dependent on him, especially after her dad died. So my Dad took up the shop, married my mom, and made some crazy promise he'd always be there for her… Until he wasn't and… she broke."

A tense silence filled the room after Sam finished and Ansem let out a breath. "I apologize if these questions upset you."

"It's fine," Sam assured, swallowing hard. She pushed back her hair. "I need to get over it at some point. Mom broke, I had to drop out of school and James… I guess it doesn't matter. I'm not stuck there anymore."

Ansem stood from his seat. "I believe I'll check to see if Ienzo has returned with the dessert."

"God please, thank you," Sam groaned, leaning back her head to stare up at the ceiling.

She blew out a breath, closing her eyes as the door shut behind Ansem. She took the brief reprieve to calm down her aching and pounding heart. Knowing Hinata and Velcia had already done the interview helped in a weird sort of way. If they could get through it, maybe she could too. She couldn't imagine how Hinata must have answered the family question, especially with her dad asking it.

It didn't take long for the door to open once again. Sam resituated the way she was sitting to be straighter, looking over her shoulder to see Ansem carrying a pint of ice cream and a sea salt popsicle in his other hand.

"Ienzo informed me that the only fruit flavor available was matcha berry, I hope it is still enjoyable," he informed her, handing her a green and red swirled treat.

"They didn't even have strawberry?" Sam asked, looking at it before catching herself. "I mean, it's great, thanks. I'm sure it's fine."

Ansem chuckled. "I will admit, Radiant Garden has never been a town with simple tastes."

Sam smirked, lifting off the lid of the ice cream. "Would explain a lot about you and your obsession with sea salt ice cream."

Ansem's laugh grew. "I suppose it would."

They enjoyed their treats in silence for a few minutes. The cool, refreshing taste helped Sam's nerves settle. Ansem finished his popsicle well before her and placed the stick in a trash can filled with similar popsicle sticks.

"Are you comfortable continuing?" he asked, folding his hands on his desk.

Sam took another bite and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"We'll do two more questions today," he explained. "Though those questions may lead to further questions as we discuss, as the family one did."

"That's fine." She sat up straighter.

"Very well." Ansem straightened the papers in front of him. "If you had the ability to travel through the past, where would you be most likely to go? In the past to fix a mistake, or perhaps to relive a perfect moment."

Sam's eyes widened slightly. "Wow. Um…" She leaned back, stirring her half melted ice cream. "I'd…" She blew out a breath. "I feel like I can't half-ass my answer here."

"I would prefer honest answers," he told her with a half smile. "Though if you would like to come back to it."

"No, it's just—like Hina said it'd be—personal." She stared down at her ice cream, no longer the crisp colored swirls it was when she'd first opened it, but muddled and gloopy, matching the way her heart ached in her chest. "There's this one moment that I think about a lot. One of those stupid things that keep you up at night, you know? It was back on Kamino, when we found James and Hinata."

Ansem hummed. "The first time you saw Hinata after your memory of her was erased."

Sam nodded, her gaze still settled on the ice cream. "We got there hoping to save James, but instead we found him… dead. And to me I saw this random girl there with him that managed to make it out alive when he didn't." She roughly put the ice cream pint on the desk and abruptly got up from her seat. "What's stupid is that even if that was the case, why would I scream at her? She's beat up, obviously freaked out and barely alive, and I start yelling and saying she should have died instead. Like how sick is that?"

"You were reacting out of shock and extreme grief," Ansem reminded her gently, watching as she scoffed and began pacing around the office. "As unfortunate as it was, I don't believe Hinata holds any ill will towards you."

"I know she doesn't," Sam admitted, crossing her arms and staring up at a painted portrait of Ansem, Kairi, and Hinata hanging on the wall. "Hell, she agreed with me when I said it all back then. And that… God that makes it worse. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive someone that did what I did. Especially when that person was supposed to be my best friend."

Ansem took a moment to respond. "With the power to go into the past, you would refrain from lashing out at Hinata?"

"And instead be someone she could have grieved with, rather than being avoided by everyone, left alone to deal with everything," she said softly. "I think about it a lot. And I'll probably be trying to make up for it for, who knows how long."

With a heavy sigh, Ansem folded his hands over his desk. "I too have things I will be forever striving to make up for, especially with my daughter. It is important we do not allow these transgressions to hold us down longer than necessary. Hinata has forgiven you and values your connection dearly. I don't believe she would like either of us to punish ourselves on her behalf."

Sam didn't reply right away. Her brow furrowed, then slowly softened. "Heh," she eventually chuckled under her breath. "I don't think I expected you of all people to make me feel better."

"Life is full of surprises," he jested, making Sam's laugh grow into a snicker. "But I believe that is a good stopping point for today. I believe we could both use some air. If you would like, Aeleus will prepare a room for you here and we may continue tomorrow."

She turned around to face him, unsure what to say. Rubbing the back of her neck she shrugged. "Um, sure. It'd give me more time to check out the gummi bay."

Ansem laughed, getting up from his seat. "That it would." He walked past her towards the door. "I think you'll find you enjoy it. We could always use someone like you here."

"God I don't think I could stand working for you again," Sam remarked, following him out. "This was hard enough as it is."

"It is good to know you think of our time so fondly," Ansem replied with a hint of rare sarcasm, opening the door.

"Oh like you thought it was perfect," Sam countered. "Mister, try to send me back to Montressor every chance you got."

Both of them began to laugh as the door shut, leaving the office and the interview behind.