[Open to the Owl House kitchen]

[Play Kingdom Hearts Ⅲ OST - Le Grand Bistrot]

Sora: *from the kitchen* Everyone! Lunchtime!

When they heard that, they ran to the kitchen to see the table loaded with bowls of chopped meat stewed in a dark red broth with rice inside. The food, of course, was beef tendon curry.

Sora: *chef's bow* Beef tendon curry is served.

Before they took their seats and began eating, everyone was in awe of the food's sight and smell. Just as they took their first bite and swallowed, they all felt bliss.

All: Woah!

Luz: First time having curry, and it's awesome!

Amity: Of course, anything Sora makes is awesome.

Eda, Willow, Gus, and King nodded in agreement.

Emira: Same thoughts from Luz. The veggies in here meld together like harmony.

Edric: And the meat is just so tender. I love it.

Sora: Funny you should mention that... I always emphasize richness with any dish that has beef tendon.

Emira: Really?

Kairi: And for good reason.

Everyone turns to Kairi.

Kairi: The longer you cook beef tendon, the softer and more savory it gets.

Sora: That's right. And in this case, the meat will practically melt like smooth butter.

Kairi: Mmmm. So good.

As they continued eating, the twins noticed a plate of what seemed like bread.

Emira: Hey, Sora. What's that stuff on that plate?

Sora: That's naan.

Edric: Naan?

Sora: It's a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It comprises yogurt, milk, sometimes eggs or butter, making it softer than most bread. You take a naan and dip it in the curry.

Everyone, aside from Luz, tried out the naan and did as Sora said to, much to their delight.

Emira: Not bad at all.

Edric nods while chewing.

As lunch continued, the twins noticed Kairi had quite an appetite despite being slimmer than everyone else. She was already on her fourth bowl. Curiousity getting the better of them, the twins asked Kairi the question on her mind.

Emira: Hey, Kairi?

Kairi: Mm?

Emira: Forgive me for the asking...but...were you on some sort of strict diet before?

Everyone else froze as they remembered the twins didn't know how Kairi came to be this way with her physical state. Amity sweated in utter nervousness, as she didn't want her older siblings to discover her involvement in it. Fortunately, Sora had already thought of that.

Sora: Actually...that's not the case.

The heroes looked over at Sora with surprise. They thought that Sora was flat-out going to reveal what happened with Kairi.

Emira: Whaddya mean?

Luz was about to say something until Sora kept speaking.

Sora: To make a long story short, Kairi and I accidentally discovered a portal to the Isles. As Kairi stumbled into it, I immediately ran after her to help. We got separated just as we were about to end up in the Isles, and I've tried to find her since then.

Both twins swallowed their food and looked at Kairi, distraught.

Edric: Oh man.

Emira: You poor thing.

Meanwhile, the rest were surprised that Sora had already thought of a good cover story for Kairi. They then realized that they shouldn't have been so surprised, as they had seen Sora capable of thinking ahead and planning from prior events.

Emira: Where'd you find her?

Sora: She had been hiding in one of the abandoned houses near the market.

Kairi: I survived on nothing but vegetables and griffon eggs.

Sora: And by the time I found her, Kairi barely had enough food to survive. Needless to say, we were both happy to have found each other again and of course, I made sure to get her fed.

Kairi just finished her 9th bowl, which everyone else just realized.

Kairi: *sigh* And he's done such a good job.

The twins were surprised, while the others weren't so much.

Emira: She just ate 9 full large bowls of curry.

Edric: Really? I lost track around 5!

Kairi: Sora, can I have another bowl, please?

Sora: Sure!

Twins: *thinking* ANOTHER BOWL?!

Amity shook her head out of amusement at the twins' reaction.

Amity: Oh yeah. She's always had a big appetite, apparently.

[End Kingdom Hearts Ⅲ OST - Le Grand Bistrot]

After everyone finished eating, the twins thanked Sora for the meal and went on their way as they received a message from their parents to come back home. Luckily, Amity wasn't mentioned in the message, so she was free to stay with the group. After the twins left, the rest gathered back in the living room to finish where they left off.

Kairi: Okay. So, where were we?

Luz: We just finished King's story.

King nods.

Luz: So, I believe next should be...Eda!

Eda: Hm? Mio?

Kairi: Oh, yes. The woman who was kind enough to take in Luz, Sora, and myself. The infamous...or I should say...famous Owl Lady. The strongest witch in the Isles who stuck it to the emperor's coven for so long.

Eda: Aw, shucks. You're gonna make me blush.

The others chuckle.

Kairi: So, do tell me. Who is...Eda the Owl Lady?

Eda lets out a chuckle herself.

Eda: Well, I'm the youngest in my family. Which meant I had the spunk for a crazy life. Not only was I the star of chaos at Hexside back in the day, but I was also the star player on the Banshees.

Sora became in awe.

Sora: You were grudgby captain?

Eda stands and boastfully poses.

Eda: Yup. DESPITE the teachers giving me the evil eye on my moments of glory at school, I still worked hard to try and study every magic track, and I became powerful enough to surpass even the older students. Haha!

Eda noticed the sparkles in Sora's eyes and smirked with pride and amusement.

Eda: I've had renown, I've had friends, I've shared laughs. It was a good time.

Eda smiled, then faltered.

Eda: Good time, that is...until the day of coven tryouts.

[Play Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep -Aqua- Extended [Redux]]

Amity raised an eyebrow.

Amity: Coven tryouts?

Eda: Yeah. Back then...I wanted to try out for the Emperor's Coven...along with Lilith.

The teens widen their eyes.

Eda: Of course, that was before I knew Belos was a secretive tyrant.

The others couldn't believe it. They never thought Eda would ever want anything to do with their recently made enemies, even as a child.

Amity: Never would've thought we'd be in the same boat.

Eda looked to Amity.

Eda: Lemme guess, SHE wanted you to try out?

Amity nodded.

Eda: *mutterring* Figures.

Kairi: What happened during the coven tryouts?

Eda paused, then harshly frowned while looking at the ground. Sora looked at Eda with sympathy as he knew the reason behind it.

Eda: ...By the time the Emperor's Coven tried out, Lilith and I were excited and wanted to be in it. But... Only one spot was available, so a witch's duel was to decide who'd get in. Later that day, I actually thought about it more and more and decided to forfeit. Let Lilith have a chance to do what she wanted. But when night came, everything took a dark turn.

Kairi: What happened?

Eda and Sora remembered when Lilith confessed her reason and what really happened to have Eda become cursed. The Owl Lady felt her anger rising, causing Sora to stand and put his hand on her to comfort her. Eda placed her hand on his, signaling she was okay.

Eda: *whispering* Thank you, Sora.

Sora: If you want, I can take over.

Eda: No. I got it.

Sora nodded as he sat back down.

Eda: LILITH...cursed me.

The teens, aside from Sora, widened their eyes in utter shock. Luz and King, especially since they've known Eda longer.

Eda: Lilith told me everything she had done. Because I was stronger than her when we were younger, she felt the need to cheat to win the Emperor's Coven tryouts. She went to the night market, found the cursed scroll, and placed it into me when I was asleep. Then, on the day of the match, I did what I thought about doing. I willingly forfeited, refusing to fight her. The real reason was because, at that moment, I found that covens were not my style.

The others continued to listen intently.

Eda: And just as I was about to walk away...IT happened.

Eda briefly remembered what happened that day, then sighed deeply.

Eda: The curse reared its ugly head and transformed me into the Owl Beast. From there, I was completely horrified as I saw myself and everyone watching me, who were also shocked. They began to throw rocks at me—I had no choice but to run away. ...All while Lilith was praised and accepted into the emperor's coven. She got what she wanted...and I had to pay the price for it.

The teens were completely saddened by the revelation and sympathized with Eda. They then had different feelings. Willow and Gus felt contempt towards Lilith. Luz felt like she wanted Lilith to pay for what she had done. Amity felt anger from what happened at the Covention but now held slight hatred and lost all whatever respect remained. Seeing Lilith, her former mentor, as nothing but a cheating liar, a horrible person. She even thought quickly about how she thought her siblings were bad, but they never did anything like Lilith did, for which she was thankful. Kairi felt anger as well. Finally, Sora felt the same way he felt toward Xehanort and a few members of the Organization back in the day. Hatred. At first, he was put off by that feeling, but remembering everything he witnessed and learned back during the raid, he kept that feeling. He had hoped that Lilith would never show up ever again.

Eda: Ever since then, I've had to live with this curse, and I've taken elixirs day in and day out just to keep it at bay, even though it was a temporary measure. All the while, I was constantly chased by Lilith and the emperor's coven. And, of course, it wasn't until we rescued Kairi that I finally got to learn the truth.

The teens lowered their heads in silence.

Kairi: To think...your own sister would curse you...out of stupidity, envy, and desperation.

Eda: Lilith is no longer my sister.

Aside from Sora, the teens raised their heads to look at Eda in shock.

Eda: The moment after I finally learned the truth, I made sure to give Lilith *clenches right fist* her just deserts. As of that night, I've disowned her. She is NOT my family.

Luz: ...R-really?

Sora: It's true.

The others turned to Sora.

Sora: That night, when you guys went back into the castle, and I told you to go ahead, I stayed behind with Eda and heard and saw everything.

Eda nodded in agreement.

Sora: And after all that was said and done, I healed Eda's hand when she slammed Lilith into the bridge. And, of course, I healed Lilith's injuries since I...you know.

The other teens nodded in understanding.

Amity: So...that's really it, huh? Lilith's nothing to you now.

Eda: That's right.

[End Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep -Aqua- Extended [Redux]]

Luz: Not that we can blame you...but...

Eda: What?

Luz squirms in nervousness, giving Eda a clue as to what the young girl was thinking.

Eda: Hmph. You're probably thinking...I've got no one left, huh?

Luz slowly nods.

Amity: Well, that's not entirely true, is it?

The others turn to Amity as she folds her arms with a small smile.

Amity: If I recall correctly, Eda does have someone to call family.

Luz: Oh, that's right!

That's when the others remembered.

[Play Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMix -Friends In My Heart- Extended]

Eda: Sora...kiddo...

Sora slowly turned his head to Eda.

Sora: E...da.

Eda: That's right, it's me. Listen... You already know what I think about you. I think you're one of the coolest kids I've met. You're strong, brave, kind-hearted, and loyal. But there's...something else...

Everyone paused as they were curious about what Eda wanted to say. Even Lilith became curious as to what Eda wanted to say.

Eda: ...Do you remember that night on the roof? When we shared our pasts?

Sora: Y...es.

Eda: Then you know the part where I said: "I'm glad to have you around. You're like freaking cool, kid. The coolest kid I've ever known!"

Sora softly chuckled.

Eda: Well... The truth is...I almost said how I really felt about you coming into my life. I wasn't ready to say it yet because I didn't want to make things awkward between us. I was hoping to tell you this later, but now's as good a time as any. When I said, "You're like freaking cool, kid." What I wanted to say was...you're like family to me.

Everyone else, especially Sora, Luz, and Lilith, widened their eyes in complete surprise. The witchlings thought it was the sweetest Eda's ever been. King and Lilith never thought Eda would have that level of sentiment. Luz felt like her heart melted from awe as she remembered the time when Sora told her that he saw Eda as a mother figure. And it seems like Eda feels the same about Sora.

Sora: W...wh...what?

Eda maternally smiled at Sora.

Eda: You heard right, Sora. Truth be told, I heard what you said to Luz.

Luz turned to Eda in surprise.

Luz: You heard that!?

Eda: At first, I thought, "Geez, Sora." Am I like that much?

Sora lowered his head as if he was blushing.

Eda: Hey, don't be embarrassed. As I see it, we make a great team when we fight. I am always proud of you for winning your fights by never giving up. I have always loved how you find a way to be sweet to those around you the best you can. You've got as much spunk as I do. And we're certainly good at rule-breaking! Haha *snort* And for the record, everything you said to Luz that day...I don't think it's dumb. I think it's really sweet. I mean, sheesh, to think I'd meet a kid with that much love in his heart.

Sora raised his head to look at Eda.

Eda: Sora...you said you saw me as a mother. Well...I see you...as a son. The son I never had. And right now, I want my kiddo to return to normal. I wanna give you a hug too.

Tears streamed down from Sora's eyes. The dark aura covering his body disappeared even more. The energy still lingered but calmed down immensely. His upper arms, shoulders, neck, and face from his nose bridge to the rest of his head remained black. His eyes dimmed almost completely, only leaving behind a small red twinkle. You could almost see his pupils.

Sora: *hic* Eda...

Luz: You two did say you saw each other as family.

Amity: Loud and clear.

Willow/Gus: Mmhm.

Both Eda and Sora became sheepish.

Eda: Oh...right.

Sora: *chuckles* Yeah.

Luz: Oh, I'm actually curious about that, Eda.

Eda: Wha?

Luz: *eyes sparkle* Ever plan on making that official?

Both Eda and Sora looked at one another wide-eyed, then averted each other's gazes with slightly flustered smiles.

Eda/Sora: Uhhh...

The teens looked at the two, all smug-like.

Eda: How about we put a pin on that for now...?

Sora: Yeah.

Kairi smiled sweetly at the two, mainly at Sora, as she thought back to how he had been, as far as she could remember, able to make connections whenever he went. As this thought went through her head, Sora said something that caught everyone's attention.

Sora: Also, Eda, I still plan to keep my word about what Lilith claimed to do.

Eda: Huh?

Sora: Lilith always claimed to have a cure for the curse on the ready for you. But, like you, I trust Lilith as much as I trust Belos. And you don't need them either way, not when you have me. I bet we can find a cure ourselves.

Eda widened her eyes a bit. As she was about to say something, Sora cut in.

Sora: And before you say, "You'd really do that?" or "You don't have to do that. I can handle this myself.", I still want to, and I insist on it. I'm sure we'll find a way if we put our heads together. Plus, there's Master Yen-Sid, the Restoration Committee, and the researchers of Radiant Garden. We could even ask them for help if need be. Anything it takes to help you be free.

Luz suddenly jumps in.

Luz: Oh! Oh! Don't forget about me! I wanna help in any way I can, too!

Sora: And we have Luz in the mix. All of us together. We'll find a way someday.

Eda felt so moved to hear how the two humans were ready to stand by her on this new quest to the very end.

Kairi: Well, one thing's for sure about Eda. She won't be alone.

Eda huffed in appreciation of Kairi's words.

Kairi: But for now, I believe it's now your turn, Luz.

Luz saw everyone's eyes were on her and then slightly lowered her head, remembering all her experiences up to now.

Luz: Ooh...boy. *looks up, nods at the others* ... Okay.

[End Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMix -Friends In My Heart- Extended]