A/N: I hope this chapter doesn't get affected by that glitch that had recently occurred that prevented new chapters from being viewable from the website.

At the time I'm posting this, Kingdom Heart Melody of Memory is only a couple days away. I can't wait to play it!

So here we have more of the aftermath of that crisis.

New Beginnings II

KAIRI: It was a strange feeling. Stuck on a strange world, unable remember where I came from, or how I got here. And I was surrounded by people I didn't know, but are all showing so much kindness to me. I though, maybe...I would like it here.

"Hey! Anybody!" Cid shouted into his communicator. "Where the hell are y'all? Respond! RESPOND! Dang it!"

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked as he walked into the cockpit.

"Don't have a damn clue! I have not been able to contact the other ships since before we took off!" The engineer leaned on the control panel in frustration. "We took too long, they got too far ahead, and now I have no idea where they went."

"That's...very worrying. I hope they're going the direction I told them to."

"And if not then there's no telling where they'll land. And that's assuming nothing happened to them! Where did you say our destination was again?"

"A world called Traverse Town. It's a safe haven for those who have lost their way in the reaches of other worlds. Survivors of worlds lost to darkness are normally sent there. Everyone should be safe there."

"We better be! And better hope the other ships make it too. I swear, without Braig, Dilan, and Aeleus, Laguna was about the only competent guard we had left. If they got themselves lost, I won't be surprised!"

Outside the cockpit, Squall had overheard their conversation. His mind was focused on the fact that they couldn't get in contact with the other ships. Rinoa... Tifa... please be alright...

Meanwhile Skadi sat with her parents, until Aerith approached her.

"Excuse me, Miss Bruta?" the flower girl asked.

"Please, call me Skadi," the tall girl said. "I'm done with false names."

"Um, Right... uh Miss Skadi? Laguna wants to speak with you."

Skadi looked at her parents who nodded in approval. "Alright..."

She then got up and walked over to where Laguna laid.

"Hey there, Skadi!" the guard said cheerfully. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright!" Skadi said. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"Well aside from the fact that that pile of rubble crushed my spine, and now I'm paralyzed from the waist down, I'm good."

The dark skinned girl looked down in sorrow. "I'm...sorry I didn't show up in time to prevent that."

Laguna held up his hand. "Skadi... As far as I'm concerned, I'm lucky to still be alive. And if you hadn't shown up when you did, I would've been a goner for sure.(1) So I wanted to say thank you... for saving my life, and a lot of others in the evacuation! You did good!"

Skadi nodded before looking away. "Can't help but wonder though. What's gonna happen to other experiments? I wish I could've gotten some of them out."

"Not sure you could've done much... Those monsters were overwhelming even for a strong young lady like you. As sad as it is, we can't save everyone. We can only hope that they managed to escape this catastrophe on their own. But while we're on the subject, can you tell me more about the experiments, just in case they turn up? I know Lightning and Serah were in there, and I'm pretty sure Cloud and Kai were too, but did you see anyone else?"

Skadi thought for a moment. "Most of them were either dead or turned into one of those creatures we fought. Only a few were still alive. There was one who they called Cyclops, brown hair, a gray left eye, apparently he lost his right eye and got it replaced with a blue grotesque one. He and Braig were always the ones checking up on me after they let me out."

Laguna thought for a moment. "Doesn't sound like anyone I'm familiar with."

"I remember seeing one, I think they called him Reptile. He had violet hair, green eyes, he had a monstrous left reptilian arm, and he..." Skadi shuddered, "...didn't seem right in the head. He was definitely crazy."

"Hmm... That sounds like Ryu Kurai. Witnesses said Kai chopped off his left arm before he plummeted into the depths. We thought he was dead. If that was really him, then I guess he got it replaced. Anyone else?"

"There was one who I saw just before they let me out, Dhampir I think. I doubt you'd recognize him since he looked like a straight up vampire. But I remember seeing a pink haired girl, before Lightning and Serah mind you, I think they called her Insetto. She had greenish hardened skin and purple butterfly wings on her back. She seemed like the only one I saw who didn't like what happened to her. I...think it might've been Lucky Holt."

"The first of the missing kids, unless you count Kai before he showed back up with his beast."

"She seemed alright if a bit sad when I saw her, but after what happened back there...I don't know anymore." Skadi looked down in shame. "I spoke with her mother, who begged me to find her. Of course, that was before I came clean about all this. Assuming her mother is one of the survivors, what am I supposed to tell her now?"

"The truth..." the paralyzed guard sighed. "Mrs Holt won't like it, but she deserves to know what we know."

The girl started trembling with uncertainty. "But I told her I would do what I could to find her daughter. I knew her picture looked familiar. I practically lied to her face. And now there's no telling what became of Lucky. And what about the other parents whose children those scientists abducted, especially the many who didn't survive."

"Hey!" Laguna then grabbed the tall girl's arm in comfort. "You did all you could. That's all anyone could ask of you. I know it's gonna be hard to accept, both for you and the parents, but all we can really do is learn to live with it. Just focus on the people you were able to save. In my book, that should be what matters most. And if you choose, you can continue to help them in these trying times."

"I'm not sure they'll want my help after they learn I turned a blind eye to the kidnappings."

"Maybe... but it's not about what they want you to do, nor about what you did in the past. It's about what you choose to do from this point onward. Now if you wanna just lay low from now on, I won't hold it against you. But I believe you can still do a lot of good if you're willing to. And maybe... just maybe, the people will give you a second chance. I think everyone deserves one."

Skadi thought about Laguna's words. Part of her just wanted to hide from the rest of the world. Why bother helping those who might not appreciate it? Would the possibility of getting flak for it really be worth the hassle? But at the same time she knew she had the capabilities to help them, and it just didn't feel right to leave them hanging, whether they wanted her help or not. What should she do? "I...need to think about that."

"Take all the time you need."

A delicious scent stirred little Kairi awake.

She opened her eyes, finding herself in the same place as before. She didn't feel as weak as she did yesterday, as she sat up on the couch she had slept. She looked around and found a coffee table next to her, with two soup bowls lying on top a tablecloth, each with a spoon. She also saw a small glass of juice sitting next to bowl closest to her, and a cup of tea next to the other.

Soon she saw Hitomi walk in, carrying a hot covered pot. "Oh! Good morning, Kairi!"

"Um... Good morning...um...Hitomi?"

Hitomi nodded as she placed the pot on the coffee table before sitting next to the girl. "How are you feeling?"

"Um... A little better...I think..."

The mayor place her hand on the child's forehead. "Looks like your fever has gone down considerably. But just in case..." She then gave her another spoonful of medicine, which she took without question. "It's good to know you're recovering. Here, you must me hungry." She lifted the lid off of the pot, steam bursting out. "I hope you like vegetable soup! I even gave you a glass of pineapple juice."

Kairi wasn't sure if she ever had them before, but the soup smelled good to her, and she could feel her tummy rumbling. "Okay..." she simply said.

With that, Hitomi took a soup ladle and poured the soup into the bowls. "It's a little hot, so you might wanna give it a little blow before you take a bite." She then took her spoon and scooped up some of the broth and veggie bits, gave it a light blow, and gently bit on the food. As she chewed, she gave the little girl a smile and encouraging wink.

Kairi then did just as her host had done, though she did hesitate for a few seconds before putting the food in her mouth. She chewed as she savored the taste before swallowing and giving a bright smile. "It's yummy!"

Somehow just hearing this girl like her cooking filled Hitomi's heart with joy, even more as she watched her take a sip of her pineapple juice with smile. The two then spent the next few minutes enjoying their meal, the woman deciding to take things one step at a time with the girl to make sure she's comfortable here.

After she had finished her bowl, Kairi's attention was drawn to the window. Hitomi noticed this and asked, "Would you like to see what's outside?" The girl nodded. "Then take my hand, we'll look together." She offered her hand, and the girl took it.

Kairi was a bit unsteady when she first stood up, but the woman helped her stay on her feet until she manage to walk steadily. They reached the window, and the girl stared in awe at sand, the sea, the sky, the plant life, especially the flowers in the front yard. It looked so breathtaking to her. "It's so pretty!"

Hitomi giggled. "I'm glad you think so, Kairi. It's a small place, nothing too exciting goes on here, but it's home, and it's peaceful."

There a moment of silence before Kairi started to wonder out loud, "But...how did I get here?"

Hitomi sighed as this conversation was starting a little sooner than she had planned. "Well, I was kinda hoping you'd tell me." She then brought the girl back to the couch and they both sat. "All I know right now is that two boys, sons of a few friends on mine in fact, found you washed up on the beach, and that apparently no one on this island has ever seen you before. You had a high fever so we had a doctor check on you." She noticed the girl seemed to looked slightly uncomfortable at the mention of a doctor. Something told her she might not have had a pleasant experience with one in the past. "He told us it was nothing too serious, and was easily treatable. Then I volunteered to take care of you."

"Th-Thank you..."

The mayor hesitated for asking, "Kairi, can you tell me what happened to you?"

Kairi looked down in thought. "I..." Her head started to ache as she tried her hardest to remember, but... "I...I don't know...I...I can't remember anything..."

Hitomi put her hand on her heart in concern. "Nothing at all? Where you came from? Anything about your family?" The redhead shook her head with sadness in response. The mayor was afraid this might've been the case after last night, when the girl seemed to struggle just to remember her own name. She had hoped it was just delirium from her illness, but that doesn't seem to be the case. She then wrapped an arm around the child comfortingly. "It's okay. I'm sure it'll come back to you in time. In the meantime, my friends will see if they can find anyone or anything. And you're welcome to stay for as long as you need to. I'll be here for you. Okay?"

Kairi looked up at the warm smile the violet haired woman was giving her. That smile made her feel safe. The little girl just couldn't help but hug her new caretaker. Hitomi felt touched by the gesture as she returned the embrace.

The mayor then had an idea. "Say! Would you like to meet the boys that found you?"

Kairi thought for a moment. An image of a brunette boy entered her head. She remembered him asking her questions, but she was too weak to respond. She really wanted to know who that boy was. "Yes..."

"Well, I think you're well enough to have visitors. If it's alright with you, I can invite the boys and their parents over. I'm sure they're all worried about you."

"Um...Okay!"

Soon the front door opened, and in walked a woman with brown hair and green eyes, wearing a business suit, and carrying a folder of paper. "Mayor Hitomi, I-" she paused after she noticed the girl. "Oh, she's awake!"

Hitomi giggled. "Kairi, this is my secretary, Rachel Tilmitt."

"Um...Hello!" Kairi waved shyly.

"Hello Kairi!" Rachel waved back. "How are you feeling?"

"Um...better I think."

"That's good to hear." She then turned to the mayor. "I came to drop off some paper for you to sign. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Not at all!" Hitomi walked up to her secretary and took the folder.

Rachel then looked at the girl. "Seeing her awake now, I gotta say she's quite adorable."

"She is! And she's such a sweetheart too! I think your daughter, Selphie, would like her."

"Really? Perhaps I should bring her over sometime."

"Perhaps!" The mayor then thought for a moment. "Say Rach... I have a favor to ask."

Two men wearing scuba gear were dragging a brown cylindrical object with an open hatch to shore. One was Riku's dad Genma, while the other was a muscular man with black hair and a unique tattoo on his chest. They successfully reached the dry sand before tipping it to pour out all the water inside.

Genma sighed tiredly. "Thanks for the help, Jecht."

"Don't mention it." The muscle man stretched his shoulders. "But just what the hell is this thing anyway?"

The silver head examined the object. "Looks like container of some kind. But I've never seen anything like this before. And it definitely wasn't in that spot before." He had scuba dived all around the islands more times than he could count. And this container was in a spot that was right in plain sight. There's no way he could've missed it if it had been there before.

"A container huh?" asked Jecht. "But for what exactly?"

"Well, judging from the window, something meant to be seen from the outside. But the fact that this thing looks big enough to contain a human being, even having some kind of cushion inside it...makes me uneasy."

"Hold up! You don't think this thing has anything to do that that new girl you guys found, do you?"

Genma sighed. "This thing found after her, and from the same side of the beach. Hard not to think so."

"Damn..." Jecht scratched his head. "So what are we gonna do about this?"

Soon a new voice called. "Honey!"

Another called. "Mr Kurotsuchi!"

Genma look at the two approaching women, one with black hair and teal eyes, and the other was the mayor's secretary. "Ah, Mikoto what are you doing here? And Mrs Tilmitt... what can I do for you?"

"Mayor Hitomi wanted be to in-" Rachel cut herself off as she saw the strange capsule. "What the-"

"Wh-what is that thing?" asked the black haired woman, Mikoto.

Genma looked back at the capsule. "Something Hitomi needs to see as soon as possible. And something we should probably keep quiet. I don't want the citizens freaking out."

"R-Right!" Rachel continued. "But um...Mayor Hitomi wanted me to inform you that your family and Ayame's have been invited over to see the girl. I've already informed Ayame and she went to the island to fetch her husband and the boys."

"Really? Is the girl doing okay?"

"For the most part, it seems," said Rachel. "She's well enough to have visitors, however it seems she doesn't remember anything other than her own name, Kairi."

"Oh my... Poor girl..." lamented Mikoto.

"I see. Well, we should go to the docks and meet up with the others. But first we should hide this thing until we show it to Hitomi."

"Leave that to me!" declared Jecht. "I know a spot where no one will notice it."

"Alright."

A man with light brown spiky hair and some stubble around his chin was sitting on the dock on the play island.

"Ichigo!" he heard a voice call.

He turned to see Ayame rowing up to the dock on a canoe. "Ayame!" He helped her onto the dock before giving her a quick hug. "What's up?"

Ayame looked around. "Where's Sora?"

"I overheard him and Riku talking about a monster Sora thinks he heard coming from that hole next to the large tree." Ichigo chuckled. "Kids and their wild imaginations! Our boy is probably disappointed to find out it was just the wind."

Ayame smirked. "Yes, I seem to recall that you thought the same thing when we were kids." She giggled at her husband's expression, which looked like a child that got caught with their hand in a cookie jar. "Like father like son it seems."

"Yeah yeah! Very funny! So what brings you out here when it's my turn to keep an eye on the boys."

"Oh just wanted to let you know that Hitomi has invited us all over to meet the girl."

"Mom! Dad!" Sora called as he ran up to them.

"Sora!" his mother called back as he approached. "Guess what! The mayor invited us over to her house to see the girl!"

"Really! Is she alright?!"

As they were talking Riku had rushed up to the group, having lagged behind Sora due to seeing something strange in the cave they were just in. First it was some kind of door with no knob her handle one minute, but then he looked again as Sora was exiting and a there was a large keyhole on it that wasn't there before. Something about it just mystified him. But then when he looked back at the exit after hearing Sora's call and looked back, it was gone. Needless to say, Riku didn't know what to make of it. He decided to keep it to himself though, thinking no one would believe him.

Ayame nodded. "She not all better yet, but she's well enough to have visitors." She then frowned. "I should mention though that it appears the poor girl doesn't remember anything. Where she came from, what happen to her before we found her, or even who her family is."

"Dang!" said Ichigo. "That's rough!"

Sora couldn't help but feel bad for her, while Riku was disappointed that his plan to ask her about other worlds went out the window.

"The only thing she does seem to remember is her own name."

"Really?" asked Sora. "What is it?"

The mother giggled. "I think it'd be more polite to ask her yourself. Come on! We should head back and meet with Riku's parents before we head over to the mayor's."

"Oh yeah!" Sora shouted excitedly.

Later on, Hitomi and Kairi were sitting on the couch, the little girl was drawing hearts and flowers on a sheet of paper. Soon the two heard a knock and the mayor got up and opened the door. Awaiting outside were Sora and Riku, along with there parents, Ayame, Ichigo, Genma, and Mikoto.

"Ah! You're all here! Come on in!" Hitomi led them inside. "Boys, why don't you come over first." She walked over to Kairi with the boys close behind. The girl eyed the boys as they approached, especially the brunette, recognizing him as the boy she saw before. They stared at each other for a bit as Hitomi sat next to the girl. "These are the boys who found you on the beach."

"Hi! I'm Sora!" the brunette waved enthusiastically.

"I'm Riku!" the silver head waved lightly.

"Um... H-hello! My name is Kairi."

"Kairi," Sora repeated. "That's a cute name." This caused the girl to blush, and the boy's parent couldn't help but quietly snicker at their son's compliment.

The light brown haired man approached with the dark brown haired woman. "My name is Ichigo Kazekiri(2)! This is my wife, Ayame. We're Sora's parents."

Ayame put her hand on her chest in relief. "I'm glad to see you're doing okay."

Then the silver haired man approached with the black haired woman. "And we're Riku's parents. My name is Genma Kurotsuchi. This is my wife Mikoto."

Mikoto bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kairi."

Kairi looked at everyone. "Um...Nice to meet you too." She looked back at the boys before bowing to them. "Thank you...for finding me."

"You're welcome!" exclaimed Sora. "Um... Are you feeling okay?"

"Um... My head still hurts a little, but I feel better than before."

"That's great!"

"So," Riku inquired, "Is it true that you don't remember where you came from?"

Kairi nodded. "Nothing..."

Hitomi than put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Well, you remembered your name at least."

"And don't worry," said Ichigo, "I'll be going out to sea to see if I can find your family."

The girl looked down in sorrow at that, which everyone immediately noticed. "What's wrong?" asked Sora.

"I..." Kairi paused for a second. "I don't think you'll find anyone."

"Why do you say that?" asked Riku.

Truthfully, the redhead didn't know why. She didn't have the memories to explain it, but something inside just told her she would never see her family again. "I just...know..."

Ichigo scratched his head. "Well...I'm still gonna search for a while anyway. Don't give up hope just yet."

Unfortunately, it didn't cheer her up. For reasons she couldn't explain, she had already given up hope.

Sora looked at the girl with sorrow. Seeing this girl looking so sad made his heart ache. He wanted nothing more than to cheer her up. "Hey, Kairi! When you're feeling all better, do you wanna play with us?"

Kairi was surprised by this. She certainly didn't expect anyone she just met to ask her to play with them. After staring at the boy with stunned silence, and seeing the other boy just shrug with a smirk, she managed to smile. "I would like that very much."

Sora smiled before hopping excitedly. "Alright! The three of us are gonna have fun!"

"I just hope she likes what we do for fun," said Riku.

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Well, everybody's different, Sora. We don't know what she likes or doesn't like."

"Oh come on! What could be more fun than our adventures?"

"Just be sure to ease up, son," said Ayame. "You have gotten yourself hurt a few times."

"Hey, I'll be careful! I promise!"

Kairi giggled before saying, "I'm...sure I'll like whatever we do!"

"By the way, Hitomi," said Genma, "I found something that I think you should come to the beach to see."

The mayor noticed his serious expression, realizing it was urgent. She then looked to her new ward. "Kairi... I'll be right back, okay? Ayame and Mikoto will look after you and the boys until I get back."

The girl didn't want her host to leave, but she felt assured that she would keep her word. "Okay..."

With that, Hitomi, Ichigo, and Genma left, while the kids talked and Ayame and Mikoto watched.

Hitomi, Ichigo, and Genma met back up with Jecht at the beach, who showed them to the hiding spot he put the capsule, behind a bunch of tall rocks that blocked its few from the beach.

"My goodness..." Hitomi uttered at she looked at the pod Genma found.

"What do you make of this?" asked Genma.

"I...don't know. I've never seen anything like this."

"I found it off the same beach we found Kairi. It wasn't there before. Big enough to carry a human being. Has something akin to a bed inside. Do you think Kairi could've been inside this thing?"

"I...can't be sure. But...why would someone put a little girl in a capsule? And how did she end up here?"

"Hmm..." Ichigo held his chin in thought. "You know, Sora told me that he saw a meteor shower the night before we found her. And he swears that one of them landed in the ocean just near this very beach. It was the reason he and Riku went over here."

Genma crossed his arms. "Three things happening on the same beach in such a short span of time. Hard to believe this is a coincidence."

"Hold on!" exclaimed Jecht. "You saying that this capsule with the girl in it just fell outta the sky?"

"Maybe... But coincidence or not, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

Ichigo scratched his head. "But say she did fall out of the sky...what would that mean?"

"Heh. Well for one thing it might mean searching the seas for her family might be a fruitless endeavor after all. On other hand... maybe one of those old myths we used to hear about as kids has some truth to it."

"You don't mean that mumbo-jumbo about other worlds do you?" asked Jecht.

"Yeah, but like I said we shouldn't jump to conclusions. And admittedly it does seem like a bit of a stretch."

"Whatever the case," Hitomi interjected, "we should keep this quiet, at least until we can figure this out. I don't want any unsavory rumors spreading, least of all about Kairi. She's gonna have a hard enough time adjusting as it is."

"Probably best not to let her know about this for the time being," suggested Ichigo. "Especially since we can't prove anything right now."

"I agree. As young as she is, there's no telling how she'll handle this." The mayor sighed. "She seems like such a sweet and innocent little girl. I don't wanna burden her with ideas we are not even certain about, ideas that...might make her think she is unwelcome here."

"Alrighty then," said Jecht. "So what should we do about this capsule? People might not notice it here at first, but sooner or later someone is bound to stumble upon it."

Hitomi thought for a moment before answering. "Tonight, when everyone else has gone to sleep, I want you guys to sneak this over to my place. I'll unlock the old cellar and you will put in there, and then lock it up. I'll show it to her myself when I think she's ready. Understood?"

They all nodded in agreement.

The subjects of the chaos program gathered in the castle chapel.

Ryu Kurai, aka Reptile, sat while leaning on his monstrous arm with a gleeful smirk on his face. Jack Hawk, aka Cyclops, stood up with his hands behind his head. Clair 'Lightning' Farron, aka Avatar, sat down trying to comfort her frightened sister Serah, aka Crystal. Cloud Strife, aka Diablo, stood leaning on a wall with his arms crossed. Lucky Holt, aka Insetto, sat leaning on the opposite wall of Cloud while hugging her knees. And Kai Hikaru, aka Lycan, sat near her with one knee raised and an arm resting on it.

Standing at the front of the others, facing the others with his hands behind his back, was Ejder Gölge, aka Dhampir. Soon he was joined by two other figures. One was the dark sorceress who called for them, Maleficent, with her raven companion, Diaval(3), perched on her shoulder. The other was a large chubby cat-like person, Pete.

Pete looked over to Maleficent and whispered. "Yikes... I don't think I've ever seen such a disturbing looking bunch in my life."

"What you see as disturbing, I see as fascinating," replied Maleficent. "Each one of them had the darkness in their heart transform into a state similar to the Heartless without they themselves becoming Heartless. Imagine the possibilities that could bring. I am certain they will serve me well."

"If you say so!"

The sorceress then stepped next to Dhampir. "Welcome! I am Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil! I am in the market for some followers, and here I find some of the perfect candidates. While my cohort here, Pete, and I will still be gathering more followers, you all in particular, with your unique chaos powers, will be a special team, my elite squad. In due time, we will set out to conquer all worlds. But first there are a lot of preparations to be done. This includes gathering Heartless for us to control, followers from other worlds, and most relevant to you all, training to fully realize your dark powers. Not only will I help you all learn to use your Chaos Powers to their fullest, but I will be teaching you other areas of the Dark Arts. I will see to it that this team is a force to be reckoned with."

Ryu chuckles. "Oh I like the sound of that!"

Lightning holds her sister tightly. "Do what you want with me, but leave my sister out of this!"

"Relax, Avatar!" said Dhampir. "I've already informed our mistress of Crystal's defectiveness. As far as we're concerned, a subject unable to control her powers to the point where she harms herself is useless to our future mission. I'll still be keeping her powers in check so long as you obey, but you needn't worry about her participating."

This seemed to settle the sisters down.

"Now then," Maleficent continued, "I am appointing Dhampir as the leader of this team. I trust you will keep them all in line."

"Of course, Mistress!"

"Good!"

The vampire then stepped forward. "My Chaos siblings! We have been given a new opportunity to make our rebirth worth while! It is time for us to rise and claim what is rightful ours! We shall use our newfound power to proclaim dominance over the weak! Let our name be burnt into the mind of many! From this point onward...we shall be known as the Chaos Squad."

Cyclops smirked. "That's exactly what I like to hear. We'll show everyone that we are not trash to be discarded!"

Kai scoffed. "Whatever... As long I get what I want, it makes no difference to me."

"Ditto," said Cloud.

"Now then," said Maleficent. "You are all dismissed for the day. Tomorrow your training officially begins."

With that, Maleficent and Pete left, leaving the now dubbed Chaos Squad alone.

"Let today be the dawn of a new era!" Dhampir preached before leaving himself.

"No argument here!" Cyclops said as he warped out.

Cloud just walked away without word.

As the Farron sisters stood up, Serah questioned, "What are they gonna make you do, Clair?"

"Don't worry about it," answered Lightning. "Just know that you'll be well taken care of." With that, the sisters left.

Ryu turned to Kai. "Well, well! Looks like we're gonna be working together once again, huh Hikaru! It'll be just like old times."

Kai only gave the reptile freak a red eyed glare before he started walking away.

"What's wrong, wolfie? You upset now that that little parasite is gone?"

"Don't test me!" Kai shouted, not even looking at Ryu, as he continued walking with Lucky quietly following him to their apartment.

The psycho watch them go as he chuckled to himself. "Oh I'll test you as much as I please."

As the roommates walked through the hall, Lucky turned to Kai. "A-are you ok-kay, Kai?"

She received no answer. She looked at her new roommate's face and could see the hatred plastered all over his face, his eyes still burning red. However she also saw a tear run down his cheek, an obvious sign of sadness. She could tell that losing his sister had put his heart in so much pain. And she couldn't blame him. The Kairi had become like a sister to her too. She could feel the same pain he felt, but she knew that his pain was greater than her own.

Regardless, she felt a small connection to Kai through their pain of losing the same person. And she wanted nothing more than to be there for him in his turmoil. She thought it was what Kairi would want her to do. She told herself she would do whatever she could to help him.

KAI: The witch's goals meant nothing to me. As far as I was concerned, she had delusions of grandeur. But whatever... As long as I could destroy Xehanort, I was willing put up with whatever crap she threw at me.

A/N: And that'll do it for today. Hope you all liked it.

Footnotes:

(1) Yeah I would've had Laguna die if I didn't decide to have Skadi save him. He may be paralyzed, but now he's gonna serve as an advisor to Squall/Leon's crew, so yeah, expect to see him alongside them occasionally.

(2) Not the first time I've used that surname.

(3) I'm using the raven's live action movie name, Diaval, to distinguish him from Cloud's code name, Diablo. Don't expect this raven to have shape shifting powers.