"So like…rounded down and proportionally speaking… Are you 10?"

"No."

"11?"

"No."

"12?"

"No."

"13?"

Alakazam drilled his exasperated gaze to Loudred's back. "Did you really have to tell him?"

"Well you guys haven't fought once the whole time I've been piloting, so I think it was well worth it!"

Al rolled his eyes.

After an eventful adventure at Green Hill Zone, the four of them were once again back aboard their Gummi Ship traversing the universes. The awkward tensions and raucous scream fests that normally accompanied their trips seemingly became a thing of the past. Cody and Al had done the impossible and spent an extended amount of time just chatting idly and normally like they finally managed to form a normal friendship. And it was a good thing their feud winded down too.

If they made even one wrong move, the very foundation of the ship could fall apart on them and cause them to die stranded in space.

"Are we there yet?" Cody groaned.

"Just be patient," Loudred laughed unevenly. "After that crash, it's a miracle this thing is even still flyable."

"Surely we can go maybe a little faster?"

"Do you want to die?"

"No, sir."

"Hey, I think I see Traverse Town!" Mokona excitedly leaped onto the dashboard; a move that set the entire ship into a crazed panic.

"Mokona, what are you doing?!" Al grabbed his head in distress. "Get off, now!"

"Huh?" The rabbit stepped on another set of buttons. "Why?"

"Mokona, please," Cody begged.

"But look!" He hopped around jovially as he turned to point happily out the window. Each movement he made earned another bout of fright from the rest of the passengers. "We're almost there!"

Loudred reached out his arm in an attempt to grab hold of the noisy creature. But as he was still trying to keep a steady grip on the fragile steer, Mokona easily slipped off and started to wreak even more havoc across the dashboard thinking it was all just a game. Things went south fast. Their first peaceful ship ride in what felt like forever devolved into a nightmare.

oOo

"Hey, Aeri. you've seen Tidus recently, yeah?" Yuffie asked while she tugged on to a small bag.

"Yeah. What about him?" Aerith shifted around her own bags over to her opposite arm as she took a quick nibble of a crepe.

"Those two girls are still hanging on to him," she snorted. "I saw him hiding in the back of an alleyway just earlier."

"Since when was Mr. Star-Blitzball-Player afraid of girls, nyo?" The youngest member of the group, Dejiko, munched loudly and messily on her own cream filled crepe.

"Guess he finally met his match, huh?" Aerith giggled boldly.

"As long as that ego of his shuts up, I'm all for it," Yuffie concluded.

A brief moment of peacefulness had returned to Traverse Town, and Aerith, Yuffie, and Dejiko had taken the opportunity to enjoy a nice stroll around the area. These days, quiet moments of leisurely shopping and play became few and far between. To those who had no choice but to call this world home, they had to make the most of what little they had. It wasn't uncommon for mass Heartless outbreaks to devastate a district one day and for denizens to lull around as if nothing happened the next. The whiplash was never ending, but after all this time, they had no choice but to accept it.

Aerith stopped in her tracks as she finished off the last of her crepe. She stared up at the perpetual starry skies above.

"What's up?" Yuffie asked.

The other two girls stopped alongside their friend and tried to make out what exactly caught her attention. Lo and behold, up in the stars, a strange object jutted around in jagged motions.

"Is that a ship?" The ninja tried to peer further.

"What a crappy pilot, nyo."

The object quickly grew larger in appearance and its movements more erratic the closer it got to landing into town.

Or rather, crash landing.

"Wait," Aerith coughed in realization. The ship's design looked awfully familiar. "Isn't that their ship?"

Alarms rung through all three of their expressions, forcing them to race all the way to the next district over where the ship was projected to "land".

Not that they had any power to help them even if they wanted to.

Closer…closer…closer…

The three braced themselves. They were about to witness a tragedy.

SSSCCCRRRREEEEEEeeeeeeeeeccccccchhhhhhhh…

It was truly a miracle. Not only had the ship managed to ground itself without any deaths or explosions, it halted in place just inches away from slamming straight into a brick wall. The four occupants popped out, two of them waxing praises to every conceivable god for their safe(ish) arrival and the other two laughing like madmen.

"We're alive." Tears erupted in Cody's eyes. "We're really alive."

THUD!

The ship finally gave in and fell apart.

"What in the…?" Yuffie gaped.

"A-are you guys okay?" Aerith ran over with the intent to perform first aid, but was completely taken aback by Loudred and Mokona's deranged laughter.

"...I'll go get Cid, nyo."

By the time the man arrived, alongside Gema and Puchiko for extra assistance, his face contorted in all directions. He wasn't sure whether to marvel at this miracle nightmare or start screaming his head off at the careless pilot and passengers.

Alakazam looked sheepishly at the three new witnesses. One looked just about ready to tear them a new one, one was so shocked, he seemed about ready to have a heart attack, and one stared eerily like she was showing off her disgust as politely as possible. And of the three who were already present, two were ridiculing them and one was keeled over in distress. There was no way to explain why the ship was in such a state without making absolute buffoons of themselves.

"So, uh," he coughed. "Cid, right?... Can you fix it?"

"Fix it?" Cid scrunched his nose. "Boy, I might as well be building a new ship at this point."

Despite his complaints, Cid already started to slog over to the wreckage and signaled Dejiko, Puchiko, and Gema to follow. In almost no time flat, the four began to work, silently and diligently.

Cody had a feeling they were going to be here for a while.

"Hey, uh," he tiptoed nervously towards Yuffie and Aerith. Believe it or not, there was another reason why they were there. "Do you guys know where Leon is?"

oOo

"Aaaaaand here we are!" Aerith jumped ahead of the group and proudly presented a dark waterway entrance at the end of a secluded canal.

Cody, Loudred, and Al glanced at each other with furrowed brows. This place was a lot more shady looking than they expected.

Yuffie snickered before she leaned mockingly against the meeker teen's face. "What? Are you chicken?"

"Look, guys, I know it looks bad, but this place is 100% safe," Aerith said reassuringly. "Just ask Mokona. He's been here plenty."

"Yup, yup!"

"If you say so." Cody replied roughly.

The teen and the Pokemon were still visibly reluctant to enter the watery gate, but the girls and Mokona had already skipped along giddily inside. It was a wonder how they could enter what looked like a would-be murder scene so merrily. The trio gave each other another quick round of glances before holding their breaths and following along.

"Seriously," Aerith smiled while rolling her eyes playfully. "It's really a nice place." She softened her face and looked around the damp and gloomy walls with heartfelt nostalgia. "We were all pretty young when our world fell. A small group of kids suddenly ripped away from their home before their very eyes…we needed a quiet place to cool down and destress. One that even the Heartless didn't want to come near."

Cody frowned as he contemplated his friends' situation. He was still haunted by the last images he held from his world; the lost friends, the dying light, the unfathomable amount of monsters that just crawled over and destroyed everything that was familiar to him. He couldn't imagine how it must've felt going through that as a child. And to live year after year in fear of those same monsters stealing away the new home they were forced upon? He could only assume the countless struggles that drove mere children into seeking a decrepit place like this as a refuge. He and the others already started to feel guilty about the fear they expressed earlier over this sacred place.

Yuffie puffed out her cheeks. There was something about their special hideout being met with a pity party that really pissed her off. "This place is pretty cool y'know," she pointed out the countless rows of drawings and graffiti that lined the walls. "It's like our secret hideout. We used to play here all the time.

"And now…" Yuffie pointed forward confidently where Leon stood swinging around his Gunblade. "We use it as a training ground."

Leon was as stern and intimidating as he ever was. Even as the large group made their way into the widened passageway, he paid them no mind and continued on as if they weren't there.

Cody gulped. The last time the two of them were near each other, he snarled his face off at him during their fight against Guard Armor. After a botched first meeting, constant fleeing, and that pathetic display from way back when, he knew for certain that the man already had enough of his shit.

Sweat trickled down his nervous face as Cody lifted a weak wave over to him. "H-hey, Leon."

Leon's practice session came to a stop. After one last swing, he coldly turned towards the others, his face already ripe with disdain. Yup. It was exactly how the teen expected him to be.

"I'm surprised you're all back in one piece," he muttered.

"Oh, you should've seen us earlier," Loudred laughed. "Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you!"

Alakazam stomped on his feet.

Leon shook his head and sighed. "So, what do you want?"

"Well," Cody bit his lip before flashing out his Keyblade and showing it off quizzically. "You know a lot about this thing, yeah?"

"Did it react around a strange keyhole?"

The teen's eyes widened. He rapidly nodded in response. "Yeah, what's the deal with that? There's been one in every world we've been to so far. What are those things?"

"Keyholes. Exactly what they look like," he shrugged matter-of-factly. "They appear where the hearts of every world is. Lock them up and you help shield the world away from the Heartless for good."

"Seriously?" Cody attempted to hide the slight grin that formed on his mouth. "So we saved them all?"

There was the cockiness Leon couldn't stand again. He shook his head as he grunted out a forced "Yeah…"

Leon stared off into the distance and suddenly slipped into a much softer tone. "There should be one of those here too…"

"Should be," Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Like we're ever gonna find it."

"You guys don't know where it is?" Al asked. With how long they had lived here, he was genuinely surprised.

Mokona's body drooped to the ground like he was forcing himself to melt. "Nope…"

"We've been searching for years and there's still no sign of that thing," Aerith sighed. "It's a shame too. People come here expecting it to be a safe haven, yet the Heartless come and go however they please."

"I swear, the swarms have gotten even worse lately," Yuffie whined.

"Well, how about we help you guys look for it?" Cody piped in. "I'm the one who can seal it after all. You guys have helped me tons so far, so it's the least I could do."

"Thanks, but no," Leon shook his head once more. "You have a bigger mission up ahead. We'll fend the Heartless off in the meantime. After all…" He stared over towards the scribbled walls, a sign of resignation in his eyes. "We're used to it."

Leon was no longer in the mood to talk. He sheathed away his Gunblade and began to make his way out with the girls following after him.

"...Oh. Almost forgot."

The sullen man halfheartedly tossed a beaten book back behind him which forced Cody to scramble around before it hit the floor.

"Mind delivering that to a woman named Yuuko? Her shop should be deeper into the cavern."

Mokona, who had been forcing himself into an almost flattened state on the cobbled floor, perked up in an energetic fervor. "We're gonna visit my master?!"

With no room for explanations, Mokona instantly bounced off into the distance. The others called out to him desperately as they hurriedly trailed behind.

Jeez, how big is this place? Cody couldn't help but think to himself the further away they were from their entry point.

Lost in his own pace as usual, Mokona continued on the path that he remembered oh so thoroughly. They had long left the sewer like tunnels. The area they were in now had a strange natural veneer to it. The trickling waterway paved way to a bountiful lake with small grassy islets scattered about. In an image that resembled something straight out of a fairy tale, a lone Japanese styled building laid in the very center of the makeshift lagoon. This was Mokona's home.

"Hey," Cody gasped for air, having expended much more energy than expected in this unprompted chase. "Could you…slow down…just a little…"

Completely out of breath, he stopped just short of the platform passageway leading towards the mysterious house. His companions sped right past him without a second thought.

Hands on his knees, he weakly lifted his head and examined the area. As one should be, he was completely taken aback by the sudden pastoral scenery. One would expect any sort of greenery in a place like this to be nothing but muck and moss, but the patches of small meadows were just as natural as any other. It was hard to understand how they found a way to thrive despite the musty air and lack of light. There was almost a kitschy sense of charm seeing the misplaced pastures alongside the graffitied walls.

The crude writings and doodles had lined every inch of the cavernous waterway, and the walls of this strange lake were no different. Cody thought back to the nostalgia that beamed from his Traverse Town friends. He had started off being weary of this dark and damp hideaway, but he now began to see its allure. There was even something about it that felt comforting. Almost familiar.

"It's kind of like that cave back on Wawanakwa. The weird one."

…?!

Cody gaped at the figure beside him.

It was Gwen.

Was it?

"A lot nicer looking I guess… Er, sorry, I guess you've only been there like twice, huh?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. This was far from the first time she'd appeared before him, but now she was there right next to him. His thoughts were cloudy. It was like he could sense she wasn't there even though she was. If so, who was speaking to him right this moment?

Cody opened his mouth but couldn't find the mental drive to ask one simple question:

Are you really here?

"BOO!"

No words came out, but a flailing cry of surprise took its place. The hallowed lakeview was soon filled with the echoes of a high pitched cry for help alongside small waves of water splashing and splaying about.

He splashed around and spat out every ounce of liquid that entered his mouth (sure, this looked like a lake, but you could never be too careful). He rubbed his eyes that now stung from the unexpected clumps of questionable liquid that had entered it. And of course, by the time his vision regained itself, the phantom Gwen had once again slipped away from under his thumb.

Standing before him instead was a familiar redhead who looked oh so proud of the mischief she just pulled.

"Izzy?!"

"Heeeeyy, whaddup, my dude?" She waved her hands and cackled as if she were completely unaware at just how displeased her victim was.

Cody continued looking at her with eyes of contempt even as he lifted his completely drenched self out of the artificial spring. Knowing Izzy, there probably wasn't any point to try to get a reason for her actions or an apology.

"What are you even doing here?"

"Training with my master of course, duh!"

Huh?

With a snap of her fingers, a green puff of smoke surrounded Cody. His face stretched in horror, and he almost instinctively started to cough and ag at whatever noxious chemical she must've hit him with. And when the smoke finally blew away…

…He was all dry now?

Cody desperately grabbed around his clothes and skin in complete disbelief. "Wh-huh-how did you?..."

"Helloooo? Did I miss some water in your ears? I already told you, I'm training under Master Yuuko. Speaking of which…" She pulled out a sketchbook from behind her and spun it around on her fingertip like it was a sports ball. And it wasn't just any sketchbook. It was the same book Cody had been carrying up until his watery tumble, not a wet stain in sight. "Thanks for the delivery! Don't think you're unionized though, so I don't feel like tipping you."

Cody grabbed around his body once more and attempted to rationalize with himself that the book in her hand was fake. "How-I thought I had it-what?"

"If you want a tip, you'll have to beg Master Yuuko for one!" Izzy continued to yell non sequiturs while she leapt platform to platform all the way to the strange Japanese building.

Despite having had his entire life completely upended thanks to all this Keyblade nonsense, there was still nothing else in all the worlds that puzzled him more than Izzy. Frazzled and confused, as was normal when being around her, Cody hobbled along through the same path.

He wasn't exactly sure what to expect within the building. The entire area surrounding it gave a bizarre and surreal air like it wasn't supposed to exist to begin with. In this world that was made up of the broken bits and pieces of countless others, this quaint little structure was somehow the odd one out.

Cody took a deep breath and pulled the door open…

…And was sent into a coughing fit the moment the immense wafts of smoke blew onto him.

He rubbed his eyes once more, this time from the irritation the very atmosphere around there was giving him. The inside of the house was so clouded in mist and a distinct tobacco scent, that it somehow seemed more mystifying inside than out.

Al and Loudred were of course already situated inside, marveling at the exotic drapes and woodblock patterns that lined the floors, walls, and furnishings. Izzy had already taken to introducing her own brand of nonsense to the two; something that seemed to fill Loudred with much amusement and Al with much displeasure.

And in the very back of the small antiquated flat was a woman lounging around on an intricately designed couch. She was someone who commanded a graceful yet unnerving allure through her very presence. Her long and slender form was adorned comfortably in an extravagant red kimono. Her hands that sheened with the skin of an almost snow white tone lovingly caressed the fur of the now tamed Mokona who rested peacefully beside her. She brushed aside her long ebony hair before resting her shoulder in an almost seductive manner on the arm of the couch, a thin pipe in hand.

"Hello there," she smirked. The stare of her blood red eyes nearly sent shivers down his spine. "Welcome to my shop."

I have not watched xxxholic since I was like 14 and I don't wanna bother rewatching it just for this dumb fic.