Years came and went all to fast for the Takehanta family. Korey was quick to learn from his sister; rolling and walking just to keep up with her actions.

Soon he toddled alongside her. The two were simply inseparable. They did everything together, much to their parents delight and dismay. Dirtied themselves with attempts to catch frogs, helped each other clean off, caught each other's colds, slept in the same bed snuggled close to one another. Many long winter nights were sat next to the fireplace with fat mugs of rich cocoa, paging through fairy tales and re-enacting scenes. Rose led them out to frozen shores to show them how to ice skate. Kin-Kin was shockingly agile while Korey kept falling over. Kenji watched them in awe of how it resembled his relationship with his brother once upon a time.

But slowly, surely, Korey started to become more independent. He enjoyed rough housing a bit more than Kin-Kin wanted to admit. More often than not, he'd be swinging about a stick while she attempted to sneak behind to snatch it from his hands. His forth birthday brought a chunky tricycle, a gift given to both of what they now lovingly referred to as "the twins".

Kin-Kin never quite outgrew her wheels.

Spring arrived once more. It was magical and filled with song and flora.

Kenji scratched his head, concerned as he faced Rose while they cleaned the daily mess away from the bakery's interior. He nervously gripped the broom handle, turning to her. "Korey wants something…special for his birthday."

"Alright…what is it?" She perfectly balanced a plate on her palm, cocking her head.

"He wants to visit Maymie."

"What?" She was a bit taken aback, glancing down, "Oh but…Emerald and Damien warned us about taking Kin-Kin off world. She might not be stable enough…"

"Honey…I was thinking we could just take him…I know it's sad to consider but…it's only fair. Maybe we can bring her back here someday too. But I'd like to see Karen too. She's…not dealing with the situation very well. At least I can make amends on my brother's behalf."

Rose tilted her head, sighing, "Alright. I suppose. I'll try to figure out a way to tell her."

"Thank you, dear. It'll be okay. I promise." He leaned in and tugged her apron, bringing them into a kiss. "I'll ask Damien and Emerald for their blessing…and to borrow their Gummi tomorrow. I think a Wayfinder would do a bit better, but I don't want to scare the poor boy."

Korey dressed in his favorite outfit: A dark blue t-shirt with a dragon twisting around the center looking like it was clutching the fabric and a comfortable pair of beat-up jeans with his red tennis shoes. He bounced as he watched the world shrink below them, waving desperately to Kin-Kin. She waved back, jumping up hoping he could see better. Soon Dawnbreaker Mountains were just a speck below them, condensed into chunky peaks and forests mingled among specks of waterfalls and lakes, a cavern system peaking just above the surface. There was a hazy filter, something akin to a special cloud just at the very peak of sight. It radiated different colors, images popping up of signs and things that might be special to different people.

Korey cocked his head, pointing to it, "What's that dad?"

"Emerald and Damien explained that one to me. It's called the Realm of Sleep…it's where dreams come from. That's why strange things happen something at our little abode, we're very close to its entrance."

Korey's eyes lit up, "Oh…so that's why…"

Kenji did not question his tone, letting his childhood wonder take over. The two slowly moved into the fractured Realm of Light.

Relatively, Twilight Town was not far from their home world. Very little Heartless ships were seen roaming about, if any. The occasional one, which was easily fended off by a few laser blasts.

Ensuring they landed somewhere far from sight, once they were past the forests, they came into the town, shops and people spreading out before them. The whole of its atmosphere taken into a strange, dreamy curl of oranges and yellows. Walking through the cobblestone streets, the first signs of spring were teasing. The trees that line Market Street, with their twisted, ancient branches, were just beginning to sprout the softest green buds. A slight chill hung in the air, between the heavy scent of pastries lingering at the Moogle Shop.

Kenji spotted Karen there, looking aged and a tad haggard. Her hair had started to twinge into slight grays, lining through her usual off-blonde hair. But despite this, she had a smile on her face. Maymie was not far from her, crossing her arms as she watched the trams passing by. Korey gasped as he spotted them, the conductor in his oversized hat ringing the bell as he waved.

Karen nudged Maymie, who still had longer black hair then. The girl, just a tad older than Kin-Kin, refused to move, tightly winding herself even harder. She was taller than him for now, and had a dark blouse with white flowers blooming onto its surface. Black pants fell baggy around her lower half, with shoes that matched.

Korey spotted a large, white ball nearby. He rolled it over, bouncing it a few times in front of her. "Are you my cousin?"

"I guess." Maymie scoffed, disinterested.

"Wow. We look so much alike. Hey, watch this then!" Korey leapt high, bouncing his feet onto the ball. He managed to flip his body in the air, but crashed onto his face. Karen and Kenji both gasped before he lifted his face from the cobblestone. Maymie snickered, seeing the blood and dirt trickling down his face. Despite it, Korey managed a smile, giving her a thumbs-up. "Oh hey…" He wiggled something from his mouth, clutching it in his fist.

"What…?"

"I lost another tooth!" He exclaimed, showing it to her.

"Cool." Maymie plucked it up.

"You can keep that one. I've got most of mine at home."

"Gross. But alright." Maymie offered her hand, "I'm Maymie Takehanta. But you can call me May."

"Dad told me…I thought you were called Maymay." He took her palm into his, "I'm Korey Takehanta! We have the same last name!"

She propped him up with a smirk, offering a clean washcloth from the pocket of her roughed-up pants, "Yeah…our dads do too dummy."

As the two began to chatter amongst themselves, May flopping herself onto the ball's surface, Kenji sided to Karen. "So…the divorce…?"

"It's been granted." She wrung her hands about, shaking her head, "I have no idea where he's gone too either. And frankly, I'm not sure I care anymore."

"Have you told…May about this…?"

"Not yet. She knows about the divorce. But she's not really sure why yet. I know she misses him too…but it's for the best."

"I'm so sorry Karen…my brother…I don't understand. He was such a good man once."

"Darkness has a funny way of getting the better of people." She frowned deeply, pressing her fingers into his back. "Come on, let the kids have some fun. Let's go get a coffee and chat…about anything but that man. Please."

"Of course…" He gave her a small embrace to the side, glancing to their children, "You two play nice, meet us back here before the…actual sunset!"

Korey watched, fascinated as the tram came back around, "Does it cost munny?"

"Huh? No that one's free. So is the one that goes to the other side of town. That's where I live, by the big hill." She pointed in the direction.

He gave a disinterested nod, kicking the ball back into its spot. Maymie's face grew dark with an idea. Scampering off while he was distracted, she brought back something foreign to him. A flat, wooden board with four wheels that barely propped it off the ground. It was slick black with fading stickers and doodles upon its underbelly. Korey gasped, silently grabbing towards it, "Is that a skateboard? I've only ever seen pictures of one."

"What kind of backwater place you live in that they don't even have these…?" May snorted, itching the side of her nose, "Come on…I'll show you how to balance on one today. That way you can keep up with me and Elijah next time."

"Who's Elijah? Your boyfriend?"

"What? No way! He's just…" She propped the skateboard up, her cheeks flushing over, "A friend. A good friend. But I'd never date him! He's at some family thing today…but maybe we can all meet up next time. He grows his hair out really long, and it's this raven-colored waterfall. And he has these deep purple eyes. They're so scary looking!"

Korey giggled softly, sitting on the board as she placed it back down. He rolled it back and forth, giving her a knowing expression, "Sounds like you've got a crush!"

She smacked his head with the edge of her fist, lightly, "Shush! I don't!"

"Owch! Hey! Don't blame me!" He rubbed the spot she had made contact with, pouting, "My sister always tries to get me to 'date' the girls back home! It's so annoying!"

"Your sister?" Maymie glanced around, "She's not here…?"

"No…dad said there's something going on and she can't come. But that's okay. I'll bring her back some presents." Trying to challenge himself, he prepared to stand on the board. His knees buckled, legs wobbly but he managed for a few seconds before tripping. The board slid under him, and Maymie was quick to catch him.

"Thanks cuz."

She dropped him, huffing, "Don't call me that." She watched as he rolled back upright, tapping his foot on the ground. "How old are you anyway, Korey?"

"I'm five!" He exclaimed, "It was my birthday wish to come see you."

"Birthday…? Oh. Well happy belated birthday."

"How bout you May?"

She winced, "I'm almost ten!"

"Almost!?"

"Nine…" She finally admitted with a defeated slump.

He stuck his tongue out as he focused, standing back up with more confidence on the board, "Oh yeah? Kin-Kin's almost nine too."

"That's your sister's name? That's a weird name."

"No it isn't!" He lost his balance, falling back onto his butt with a whine. He threw a frustrated fist onto the ground, huffing, "This is dumb!"

"Aw come on, it's not that hard." Maymie exemplified her words by easily propping herself atop it and scooting forward. Looping around, she twisted about him and smiled, helping him back up once again. He sighed and continued his attempts.

After an hour had passed, Korey managed to sit on it, balancing his way down the major slope of the secondary street. He waved as he passed the mail cart, watching letters fleeing from the top of its oversized bag. Maymie caught him before he crashed into the wall, laughing. "Good job Korey. You've earned a treat. Something special that you can't find anywhere else."

"Really?" His eyes widened, "What is it?"

"Let's go on the train to the beach. Mom got me season tickets there. You'll see there."

His intrigue almost deluded his thoughts, pausing before he scrambled after Maymie. "Oh no…if I go to the beach before Kin-Kin does…she'll be so mad at me!"

"It serves her right for not coming!" Maymie shrugged, waving him on.

Temptation got the better of him. He followed closely behind.

They sat close by on the train together. It was spaced out, off-season with only a few passengers aboard. The seats were coated with a plush fiber, squishy and soft. Korey had nearly nodded off as they began to roll forward, head resting against his cousin's shoulder.

Maymie let him sleep, fiddling with the tooth he had lost earlier. The clock tower chimed, pealing across the land.

"Did I miss anything cool?"

"A dragon flew past the window…"

"What?" He exclaimed, balling his hand into a fist.

Maymie nervously backed up, holding her hands up with a faint chuckle, "Kidding! Nothing that cool happens here. Promise."

"Aw." He dejectedly hung his head as the train came to a stop. His ears perked up as the doors opened. A distinct smell entered his nose, a mix of sea water and sand with the occasional hint of sunscreen. A few trees dotted the entrance to the wide beach, between concrete walkways and boardwalk pop-up shops. "The water might be a little too cold for swimming just yet…but if you come back around summer it's perfect. I'd even get you a floaty!" She playfully tugged out a pink unicorn one from a pile, flaunting it in front of him.

"That's an ugly green…"

"It's pink!" She defended, pointing at it, "See?"

"NO!" He huffed, puffing his cheeks, "I can't!"

"Oh god…you're color blind aren't you?" She pointed to a purple umbrella unfolded by the café, "What is that?"

"Ha, ha. Make fun of me…" He squinted, "It's black."

"Oh man…" She nearly lost it, holding back her giggling. "It's pretty bad huh…?"

"Leave me alone!" He begged, sniffling a bit as he began to bolt away. Maymie quickly began to pursue. His tears dried the closer he got to the shore, his shoes entering the sandy terrain. He moved slower, watching as tiny nearly transparent crabs bolted away from his path. The shore finally met his feet, and he watched the surf come in and out, the sound of it rushing around. He plucked up a few broken shells, tossing them back as Maymie approached again, something tightly clutched in her hand. "I was just teasing you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He dropped his shells as he looked to what she was grabbing. Two blue rectangular ice creams on brown sticks, tantalizing. "I know it's not the warmest right now, but ice cream's always good."

"What flavor is that?"

"Sea salt. It might taste funny at first but it's really good once you get into the second bite." She promised, offering it to him.

He cautiously plucked it and nibbled, wincing a bit as the salty tang entered his tastebuds. But he relaxed, trusting her word and took a second bite, the sweet almost vanilla complexity emerging finally.

"Are you gonna be able to come back soon?"

Korey frowned, "I don't know. Dad's hard to convince…and this was a special trip."

A few stars had begun to pop out in the distance, early and bright. Maymie shut her eyes after staring at one. Korey observed her movement, pondering, "What you up to?"

"I'm making a wish dummy." She ate more, shaking her head, "You've never heard of that either?"

"I have! It just seems like something for babies."

"You're one to talk. You just turned five!"

He splashed a bit of the cold ocean water near her legs, she squealed, "Hey, I'm not done eating yet!"

Korey had end up falling asleep again, this time under a palm tree. His tanned skin was radiating with heat. Maymie tried to nudge him up, sighing as he refused to awaken. She clasped him over her shoulder, carrying his tiny form over her shoulders. Before long they were on the train. She prodded his body, ensuring he wasn't sunburned.

Kenji laughed as he watched Maymie crest the hill, Karen shocked to see her daughter hauling Korey along. "Oh May…you're a good girl."

"Thanks for bringing him back safe."

"Is he dead?" She offered Korey back to Kenji, father plucking son into his embrace.

"No…" Kenji rustled her hair, "He just is a heavy sleeper. You must have worn him out."

"He's almost half my age! He should be the one with the energy here!"

"Aw May." Karen placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "You just want someone that can keep up with you, isn't that right?"

"Yeah. And he's nowhere near it. He's gotta train hard if he's gonna be my friend too."

"Aren't you already friends?"

She did not respond, just crossing her arms with a huff.

Days came and went back at Dawnbreaker Mountain. Korey kept the secret of the beach visit from Kin-Kin. He begged his father for a skateboard to practice as spring molted into summer. He practiced near daily in front of their family's bakery, tripping and collapsing, new bruises and cuts that would swathe over with ease. Rose was not fond of the newfound hobby, trying to ease him away from it to practice biking with his sister or even working alongside her to help prepare treats. But he was persistent.

One night, as stars sprang forth, he found himself at the lakeside shore, staring up to the dazzling lights in the dark sky. He clutched tightly at a branch, easing himself from 'practicing' his swordsmanship. Kin-Kin had retreated home after fending off his attacks with her makeshift stone shield.

Deliberately, he stared into a single star, peering and watching it flicker. "I wanna go see Maymie again…" He whispered.

As if in response, something strange overcame him. It felt like the ground had become clouds, as if it was falling around him. A noise began to cluster, undulating and flexing all around him. Glowing light emerged from within his chest, and coated his body with a golden lining, flexing and bending against the growing shadows.

There was a tunnel ahead of him now, ever-expanding into the distance. The atmosphere here was otherworldly and ethereal, eternal where time seemed to stop, stretch and twist upon itself. Pieces of buildings sparingly dotted its surface. Odd structures shaped into half-curves popped in and out as he passed by and under their mighty arches. Though his eyes could not perceive it among the other dark colors, purple tendrils of pure shadow attempted to reach his way, fended off only by the soft glow surrounding him. In a final attempt to claim the soul that had foolishly wandered into its grasp, the darkness created a hand. But it was once again defeated, as the blobby memories began to surface. It was as if a room had been created, forming into a memory he could not quite recall himself. But he recognized it as a hospital, there was a bed where his mother was lying caressing a bundle. He squinted, holding his hand up to his face as it grew brighter, "Mom…?" A momentum thrust him forward, losing his footing. He tightly shut his eyes.

Everything stopped. Complex emotions were still swirling around in his stomach. Slowly, unsurely, he pried his eyelids open again. He was in an alley, facing posters that advertised the upcoming annual struggle competition. He heard chatter and the clang of the trams, eyes widening. "This…is Twilight Town."

How did he get here? How could he get back. He made a step backwards, feeling the same uneasy shadows careening and surrounding his hand. Experimenting, he sunk his fingers in and out of the shadowy portal and snickered, "Neat…! Seems like I can use this to get back home. Hopefully mom and dad won't notice…I'll have Kinny cover for me."

He quickly twisted around, running out to start looking for his cousin.