10 years later….

'How did they make such a mess? Sky sighed, grabbing another book from the disarray on the library floor.

It was 'Read and Play' Friday, which meant that children from all over the island flocked to the library for reading and arts and crafts. And every Friday, without fail, the children would turn the library into a war zone. Books laid haphazardly across the floor, and tables were covered in glitter.

'We should really teach them to clean up after themselves,' Sky huffed and began reorganizing.

After the first few Fridays, she thought she would get used to it. While she could have asked Cass for help, Sky figured she already had enough to deal with. It was only fair that she helped with the clean-up.

For the past ten years, Sky had been helping Cass run the library. It was the least she could do. Terra hadn't returned, and she had nowhere else to go. When Cass brought up the possibility of adoption, Sky enthusiastically agreed, and they have been living as a little family ever since. Everything was perfect.

Well… almost perfect.

'These go up here,' Sky noted, grabbing the step ladder.

As time passed, Sky was convinced that something terrible had happened to Terra, Aqua, and Ven. She was sure they wouldn't leave her alone for this long. Xehanort must have done something. If he could kill Master Eraqus, then the others must be…

'No.' Sky shuddered at the thought. 'They have to be okay.'

Despite her fears, she held onto hope, knowing the trio had been well-trained by Master Eraqus. They wouldn't lose without putting up a good fight. Even someone as powerful as Xehanort would struggle in a three-on-one battle.

'Maybe they're still dealing with him or-'

"Are you okay?" A voice asked, breaking the silence in the library.

Sky jumped, nearly losing her footing on the step ladder. The book in her hands tumbled to the ground with a resounding thud.

Clad in his usual yellow vest with black and blue jeans, a silver-haired boy leaned casually against the wall, an amused expression plastered on his face.

"Riku! Don't scare me like that!" Sky exclaimed, shooting him a glare. "How long have you been there?"

Pushing himself off the wall, he walked to the ladder, stopping to pick up the dropped book.

"A while," he replied nonchalantly. "Why are you so spacey? Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar that great of a book?"

"Haha, very funny," Sky scowled, bending over to snatch back the book. Once filed in its rightful place, she hopped down to grab another stack. "Did you need something? I'm super busy."

Riku tilted his head, a playful glint in his eyes. "What? I can't steal my best friend away from her chores to hang out?"

"Best friend? You better not let Sora hear that. He might throw a fit," she joked, climbing back up the ladder.

"Oh please," Riku rolled his eyes. "I hung out with Sora and Kairi yesterday. It's like I didn't even exist."

"How cute! They're totally going to get married someday."

"Gross."

"Awwww… are you jealous?" Sky teased.

"What? No. Definitely not," Riku frowned, arms folded across his chest.

"Sora and Kairi are going to get married-"

"Ugh."

"-and they'll leave you to be all bitter and old. Whatever will you do without Sora?" Sky continued, poking fun.

"And you're just going to sit back and watch?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Of course not. I'll be your emotional support."

"I don't need you."

"Did you not walk into my library to bother me because you're tired of Sora and Kairi ignoring you?"

"…Touché."

"That's what I thought."

Sky laughed and turned back to her books. Nine years ago, Kairi appeared alone on the beach and was taken in by the mayor. Sky, Riku, and Sora welcomed her with open arms, and friendships quickly formed. Sora, however, had developed a fondness for her. As the years went by, it became painfully obvious that he had developed a massive crush on her. Though he would never admit it, Sky knew Riku thought the pair was cute too.

'Now we just need them to admit their feelings for each other…' Sky thought.

"Are you almost done?" Riku drawled.

"Do I look like I'm almost done?" Sky gestured to the remaining mess. "Why are you in such a rush? Have somewhere you need to be?"

"Yeah, and so do you."

"Why me?"

"Sora wants to talk to us about something," he replied. "He went to find Kairi, and I'm supposed to bring you to the beach."

"Well, it's going to be a while," Sky said, walking past him to grab another stack of books. "You can always hang out with the lovebirds, and I'll drop by later."

"Ugh. No, I'd rather not," Riku grumbled.

"Or you can help so I can finish faster," Sky offered.

"…Fine, but you owe me one," he said, grabbing a towel to wipe down tables.

"Yeah, sure…" She rolled her eyes.

An hour, five clean tables, and three full bookcases later, the pair finally finished cleaning.

"Do you think they'll be mad we took so long?" Sky asked.

"Nah. They probably didn't even notice," Riku replied, glancing at the wall clock. "We should get going, though."

Sky nodded, and they made their way to the exit. Stretching his arms, Riku let out a strained groan, drawing annoyed glances from the people they passed.

"And just where are you two going?" A woman's voice called out.

Pen and clipboard in hand, a woman appeared behind the checkout counter. Her black hair was tied up in a messy ponytail. She wore a floral dress that cut off at the knees. She gave the pair an expectant look, waiting for their response.

"Oh, Cass… we were actually headed to the beach to meet Sora and Kairi," Sky answered.

"Hmmm," Cass thought, tapping the pen against her chin. "Did you finish cleaning? You know how those kids can be."

"All books have been put away, and the tables are clean," Sky replied.

"Well, if that's all done…" she stared, then turned to Riku. "Just have her back by 8 PM."

"Will do," Riku acknowledged, inching closer to the door.

"H-hey. I can get back by my-" Sky started.

"I'll bring her back later," Riku called, catching her wrist and practically dragging her out the door.

"Have fun!" Cass' voice faded as they left the building.

The warm summer breeze hit Sky as she stumbled out the door. Riku led her down the tree-filled path that led to the beach. Though it was still early afternoon, the streets were quiet, with most people seeking refuge indoors to avoid the heat. The sun hung high in the sky, giving them plenty of time to meet their friends.

"Aren't you a gentleman," Sky teased, prying her wrist out of Riku's grip.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Riku replied, eyes fixed on the path ahead.

"You don't have to look after me. I can take care of myself," she said. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can defend myself in a fight better than you can. What was our score again?" She flashed a playful smile.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "I promised her I'd get you home. You know I don't break my promises."

"Fine. I'll let it slide this time," Sky teased. "But only because you promised."

She knew he would have walked her home regardless of his promise. Despite the arrogant front Riku displayed, he cared deeply for his friends. If anything bad were to happen, he would blame himself for not being there.

The pair continued their walk in comfortable silence. Eventually, the trees thinned out, revealing the vast beach. Sky spotted Sora and Kairi sitting on beach towels closer to the water's edge.

"Hey!" Sora called, furiously waving his arms. "Over here!"

"What took you so long? Did Riku have to drag you out of the library again?" Kairi asked as the pair approached.

"Always," Riku replied.

"Hey…" Sky pouted. "I hang out with you guys almost every day. You don't need to drag me anywhere."

"Oh please," Sora suppressed a laugh. "If someone didn't come get you, you would never see the sun."

"That's not true…"

The three shared a laugh. When Sky arrived on the islands, she would hardly leave the library. It wasn't until Cass locked her out that she started playing with the other children.

"Did you have something you wanted to talk about, or am I just here for you to make fun of me?" Sky asked, annoyed.

"Hey," Riku nudged her arm. "He's only kidding. Right, Sora?" He gave the spiky-haired boy a pointed look.

"Uh, yeah," Sora said, running his hands through his hair.

"So, why are we here?" Kairi asked. "Not that I don't like hanging out with you, but you said it was important."

"Oh, right!" Sora perked up, producing a piece of paper from his pocket.

"We're going to build a raft!" He declared.

None of them were particularly surprised by the idea. Sora often came up with little projects for them, whether it be scavenger hunts or arts and crafts. It made living on the sleepy islands a little more exciting.

"That sounds like fun," Sky said. "But why? We already have boats."

"So we can go to other worlds!"

'Ah, of course,' Sky thought.

For as long as Sky had known Sora and Riku, they both had an obsession with visiting other worlds. The adults chalked it up to childish fantasy as they knew there were no other worlds out there.

Sky knew better, of course. Though it was only once, she had traveled on The Lanes Between. Travel between worlds was possible, but there was an issue with Sora's logic…

"Can you even get to other worlds from the ocean?" Sky questioned. "Wouldn't it make more sense to build-"

"That's a great idea," Riku interrupted, eyes shining excitedly.

"What?" Sky blinked. While Riku was the more practical one of the bunch, Sky knew he was serious. Whenever the topic of other worlds came up, logic seemed to fly out the window.

"Oh, come on, Sky. We'll never know until we try," Kairi urged.

"I know, but maybe we should think this through."

"You don't think we can do it?" Riku asked.

"I didn't say that. It's just-"

"Pleeeeeaaaassseeee," Sora cut in with huge puppy dog eyes. "We really need your help."

'Ugh… They're never going to listen to me,' Sky pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Fine…" she conceded. "What do we need to do?"

"Well, I figured there was some book in the library that could help us," Sora smiled sheepishly. "And you and Kairi are really good at planning, so…"

"So you want to leave the hard part to us?" Sky mumbled.

"Riku and I can do the actual building. You just need to figure out how to build it!"

"Fine," Kairi said, "At least look for materials while we figure something out."

"Got it," Riku said, giving them a thumbs up.

The two of them watched as Riku dragged Sora up the path to the forested area of the beach, presumably to look for building materials.

"Those two, I swear…" Kairi sighed and turned to Sky. "Any ideas?"

"Hmmm…. Where to begin?"

"Fish and mushrooms?" Kairi suggested.

Sky nodded, jotting down notes on the paper Sora had given them."Let's not forget freshwater," Sky noted. "I don't think we'll survive long off of ocean water."

"Oh! Put down coconuts too, and-" Kairi stopped. "Do you think they're finding the right materials?"

'That's… a good point,' Sky thought. Just because Sora and Riku wanted to build a raft doesn't mean they knew what they should be looking for.

"I'll look find a book on rafting building and bring it tomorrow," Sky said. "Hopefully, they found something useful."

"At least we're good at the planning part," Kairi smiled.

"Well, we kind of have to be. Look at who we're dealing with," Sky gestured in Sora and Riku's direction.

"I guess that's true," the auburn-haired girl laughed. "They would be pretty lost without us."

Sky and Kairi have been the masterminds behind Sora and Riku's ambitious plans for years. Without the girls' assistance, many of their projects would have never seen the light of day.

"Okay!" Sky exclaimed. "You make a list of essentials we'll need for the trip. I'll find the book and come up with a list of materials to build the raft."

"Sounds like a plan!" Kairi agreed. "We should go find the boys. Who knows what they've been up to."

"Right," Sky nodded, and the pair walked further down the beach. Sora and Riku were spotted a fair distance away, locked in fierce combat. Well, as fierce as it could be with wooden swords.

"Hey! I assuming you two have been looking for things and not slacking off?" Kairi teased as they approached.

"Of course!" Riku replied, knocking Sora to the ground.

"No fair!" Sora pouted, glaring up at him.

"Now the score's 5-0," Riku smiled triumphantly.

In terms of athleticism, Riku was the clear winner. His height, strength, and agility made him a tough opponent. Despite spending his life on the sleepy islands, he also had a good grasp of combat mechanics.

While not bad at fighting, Sora's weakness lay in dodging and blocking, which Riku exploited to gain the upper hand.

"Awww, don't be mad, Sora. You'll get him next time," Sky extended her hand to help him up. "Besides, Riku's not that great of a fighter."

"Hey!" Riku protested. "Like you're any better!"

"Better than you," Sky sneered. "Pretty sure our score is 13-9."

Sora and Kairi burst into laughter. Though Sky's formal training was limited, it was clear that she was the better fighter between the three of them.

"You're never gonna let me live it down, are you?" Riku sighed.

"Never," Sky replied, grinning mischievously.

"How did you get so good at fighting, Sky?" Kairi asked. "Are you secretly practicing?"

"She probably learned it from a book," Sora said.

"It's probably just luck…" Riku mumbled.

"I've only ever practiced with you guys. Maybe I'm just naturally talented," she said, shooting Riku a glare.

Sky felt guilty for lying to them, but her promise left her no choice. Even though her Keyblade hadn't appeared, she could still sense the magic from the inheritance ceremony. In the meantime, she had been practicing her swordsmanship and magic every day. She had mastered a few basic spells in the privacy of her bedroom. And with the boys around, she'd been able to keep up her combat skills.

Some day, Sky would leave the islands to find Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Maybe then she could start her formal Keyblade training.

"I bet I could take ya!" Sora exclaimed, readying his wooden sword.

"Maybe tomorrow. It's getting kind of late," Sky said, glancing at the ocean's horizon. "Besides, Riku has a promise he needs to keep."

Riku looked away, gazing at the ocean waves.

"Awww…" Sora pouted.

"Alright," Kairi giggled, taking Sora's arm. "We'll catch up with you guys tomorrow!"

Kairi whisked him away, their voices hushed as they talked.

"Well," Riku said, a few steps ahead. "Wouldn't want to keep Cass waiting."

"Hey! Wait!" Sky called, jogging to catch up.

The pair walked in silence, enjoying the coolness of the setting sun. Crickets chirped as they walked through the grove of trees.

"Do you really think we'll be able to go to other worlds?" Sky asked hesitantly.

"You don't think we can?" Riku questioned back, shooting her a quick glance.

"It's not that," Sky started. "It just seems very… impossible."

Riku fixated on the path ahead, lost in his own thoughts.

She wasn't wrong. Without a Keyblade, travel between other worlds was nearly impossible.

"I mean, the worlds are in space. Shouldn't we build a rocket or something?" She chuckled awkwardly.

Sky mentally scolded herself. Exploring other worlds was Riku's dream. While traveling by raft probably wouldn't work, the last thing she wanted was to sound unsupportive.

"Hey," Riku reached out, grasping her arm.

Sky paused, looking up at him curiously.

"Do you trust me?" Riku asked.

'Trust?' She thought. The issue was less about trust and more about logistics. She would love to travel the worlds with her friends, but there was only one definite way. 'I guess we can't rule out other possibilities…'

"Of course," Sky answered confidently.

"Then know that we'll get there. Even if it's not by raft, I'll find another way," he assured.

Sky thought for a moment.

"Okay," she smiled. "I'll do my best to help."

Riku relaxed, releasing her. The two friends continued walking in comfortable silence, the tension of their conversation melting away. It wasn't long before they arrived at the library doors.

"Wanna come in? I'm sure Cass would love it if you stayed for dinner," Sky teased.

"Nah. I better get going. We have a long day tomorrow," Riku said. "Besides, someone has to wake you up in the morning."

"I'm not completely hopeless, you know," Sky said, rolling her eyes.

"Sure," he teased, turning to leave. "I'll be by at seven."

"Wha- that's earlier than school!" Sky shouted.

Riku hummed in response and continued walking, not bothering to look back.

"That jerk…" She mumbled and walked into the library.

It was quiet, a stark difference from the chaos that morning. Sky made her way to the library's engineering section, intent on finding the book they needed.

Determined to focus, she scanned the shelves, but her thoughts drifted back to their conversation. Maybe it was time to tell the truth. It was only a matter of time before she would need to leave anyway.

Despite her guilt, she couldn't help but replay her promise to Terra in her mind.

With a frustrated sigh, Sky snatched a book from the shelf and opened it. The negative thoughts soon morphed into confusion.

'It's going to be a long night…"