Grotesquery

pffthahaha Apparently, Nintendo thinks Blake is smexy. Nintendo=+1 Microsoft= still 0

Kid Icarus Uprising. The gameplay might be a bit difficult to adjust to when first starting out, and trust me, there's a definite learning curve there. However, it has an incredible story, entertaining dialogue, and one of the best villains I've seen in a long time. If you do decide to try it and don't think it's a game for you at first, just try to keep playing. It will get better.

All in front of a sunset. Cause' that's a thing that seems to happen a lot.

I'm inclined to believe you didn't read point number 9.

Required Reading for All Members of the True Organization XIII. 1. From this point onward, all attempts to possess small children will be ceased. Because for some odd reason; they seem to be less susceptible to evil than grown men. Oh well, probably just an unfortunate coincidence. 2. Never turn into a giant Xehanort monster for any reason whatsoever. As we have observed before, it doesn't seem to help much. 3. Always assume that time travel should be involved. In fact, you would be a fool for ever thinking otherwise. . 4. If you ever happen to be writing a book report on darkness, be sure to present it to the group once finished. If it meets their rigorous standards, it will be prestigiously torn into pieces and scattered throughout the worlds in as obscure a way as possible. For intellectual purposes. 5. When in the process of devising any kind of plan, be sure to present it to the most accomplished scholars in the known universe. If they cannot understand it, then the plan should be chosen immediately. Brownie points will also be given if Darkness, X, or the number 13 are included in any way. 6. Make sure to limit the number of evil minions utilized as much as possible. After all, it’s hard to trust anyone who’s not Xehanort. 7. Above all, never present a woman as a potential member for the Organization ever again.Seriously, female Xehanorts just don’t work. 8. If, for some reason, at any point whilst fighting a random youngster guppy, they begin glowing or ranting on about the power of friendship, it is advised for all members to flee as soon as possible. Nobody stands a chance anymore anyways. 9. Finally, it is advised that you, as well as the entire group, cut down on usage of the number thirteen. While it is understandable that the urge is growing ever harder to suppress, habits such as deliberately lengthening all bulleted lists to thirteen and adding a thirteenth hour to the break room clock, probably aren't very healthy.

I don't know, wasn't there one point where Hiro basically turned Erza into some kind of manga Jesus? I mean, I don't follow the manga itself or anything, but I'm pretty sure it was something along the lines of "performing miraculous feats" and "bending the laws of magic to their wim". And now, it looks like Lightning Returns will be taking some kind of similar approach with the whole "Lightning as our Savior" thing. But to be perfectly honest here, I don't really have an interest in seeing either character split an ocean any time soon.

Ruby: O_o Weiss: >:0 Blake: -_- Yang:

I'm sorry you remembered.

The cake isn't actually a lie. It's Sora's dinner.

Nomura has recently confirmed the much speculated return of two infamous characters to be added to the roster of The True Organization XIII; Sora's Mom and Sora's Dinner will be making their much anticipated return as major villains in Kingdom Hearts III. Few details have been revealed as of late, but the Kingdom Hearts creator has provided several hints that allude to their roles in the final battle. Nomura was quoted as saying: (Let the record show that we cannot prove Mr. Nomura actually said any of this) "we have a crazy mom and crazy dinner and they become bad guys and fight Sora because I felt as though the series didn't have enough convoluted back-stories and emotional depth going on" ~Getsuga Numero From this quote, we can gather that after the Heartless destroyed Destiny Islands, Sora's mom somehow survived, all the while protecting her son's precious dinner. A more likely explanation to her survival however is that the Heartless deeply admired her desire for dinner and instead spared her, later presenting her to Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. After hearing her single-minded quest for all things relating to Sora's decadent feasting, Ansem Norted the both of them with hopes that they could exploit Sora's one adversity to the confections of his mother. However, little does Xehanort know, Sora's Mom actually plans on betraying him and fulfilling her secret longing to feed all the members of Organization XIII their dinner. With everything on the line, it's up to Sora to rid the worlds of the evil of his possessed Xehanort Dinner as he faces his greatest challenge yet. And as the darkness closes in on them all, the truth may finally come to light. Spoiler: The truth is that Sora's mom is a terrible cook.

His job is to come up with convoluted story-lines that always somehow end with Xehanort having the upper-hand. Honestly, how else do you think the Norts have survived this long?

I wouldn't be surprised if that one ticket nowadays is worth a million dollars or something. Stuff like that tends to happen a lot.

GREAT SCOTT! I'm surprised the apocalypse ITSELF didn't come first! New chapter is (FINALLY) up: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/48037-kingdom-hearts-iii-the-apocalypse-key/?do=findComment&comment=1154032

WOAH. WHERE THE "HECK" HAVE I BEEN, HUH? Yes, I know that this is a ridiculously over-due chapter, but I'm afraid there was a lot of difficulty for me in finding the motivation to really finish it. When taking into consideration that I started it like 4 months ago, I really can't believe it's taken me this long to finish. Now, I won't waste much of your time here, because I honestly believe that I've depraved you of this chapter for long enough. So I've decided to put the bulk of that expository crud at the end of this monstrous wall of text. So now, without further ado, I present the long awaited chapter TWO of Kingdom Hearts III-The Apocalypse Key. ABOUT TIME TWO IS MORE LIKE IT. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~Chapter 2: Homecoming~ My eyes darted around the room as I drifted in and out of consciousness. The wounds that our enemy had inflicted upon me were taking their toll; there was no doubt in my mind that soon, I would be gone. My cloudy and fading mind was occupied with one thing and one thing alone, the cries of the small child that resounded beneath me. In my attempts to protect her from the harsh brutality that had filled the castle, I had wrapped my arms around her and used my frail body as a shield in order to keep her safe. But, that didn’t matter anymore. And it broke every corner of my heart to know that this would be the last time in her life I would be able to protect her. Enveloping her in the most gentle embrace I could manage, I looked down at the beautiful baby girl I held in my arms, and a wave of sadness rolled over me. I envied all the other parents out in the worlds, their fortune was boundless in comparison. I would never get the chance to see my only daughter grow up; I would never be there for her like a mother should. I couldn’t even live to see her first birthday. Why did it have to happen here? Why now? The very day that we welcomed her into the world, why did it have to happen like this? My waning thoughts were interrupted by the distant and familiar noise of steel clashing on steel. My husband was still fighting off our assailants, but I gave little heed to this. We had managed to push them back, and I was sure that the others could finish them off. But it was too late for me. The pain and labor of child birth had weakened my body already, and the other injuries I had sustained were slowly sapping away what little time I had left. For one final moment, I looked my daughter in the eyes. Her crying had slowly begun to stifle, and her breathing was steadily beginning to calm down. If anything, it gave me some comfort to see her so peaceful and innocent, so blissfully unaware of the world around her. Knowing that this would be the last time I could ever talk to her as I should, any words I could have said became caught in my throat. Tears slowly started to well at the corners of my eyes, at the thought of never being able to say this again. At a loss for words, I began uttering the only things that came to my mind. “Kairi…” I choked, unable to hold back my tears. “Just looking at you now, I’m sure that you’ll take after your mother when you grow up. And that’s good; I want you to be blessed with a life like I’ve had. I want you to meet lots of people, and make plenty of friends. But make sure that you can trust them to look after you. I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have your father always watching my back. Oh, and that’s another thing, I want you to find someone like dad. It doesn’t have to be someone you’ll marry or anything like that, but just someone who will always be there for you. Of course, you can’t always rely on others, so I want you to grow up to be a strong young woman who can stand up for herself. Sorry if I sound too demanding, but I only want what’s best for you. I won’t be around to say any of this in the future, so please, listen to me just this once. Kairi, no matter what ever happens…” I struggled to keep my eyes open, but knew it was futile. My consciousness was fading away… With my last ounce of life, I opened my mouth, and uttered the words that I wish I could be there to say to her every day of her life. “I Love you, Kairi.” __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kairi bolted upright in her bed. Her heart was racing; and a cold sweat ran down her body. In her short bout of shock, her hands gripped the covers of her bed slightly tighter than was normally given when considering her strength. Wide-eyed, she glanced round her room in distress. It was at some point at night, and the room was strangely colder than usual, but to her relief, everything else seemed fine. She slowly began to relax upon realizing that it was just another dream. Feeling slightly light-headed, she gently placed a hand on her forehead to steady herself. “These dreams just keep getting stranger andstranger…” She thought. The first time this had happened was about a year ago, the night before Destiny Islands was attacked by the Heartless. She always wondered whether the two events had any correlation, but there was never really any reason to think so, so she had just written it off as a coincidence. Since that time however, her dreams had been slowly getting even clearer and more surreal; almost as if she was actually there. However, none of them had been as livid as that one. She could barely make out any words before, and the last thing the woman had said was always the most muddled. But this time, everything was oddly clear. “I love you, Kairi…” That was what she said, wasn’t it? Kairi tilted her head downward, and closed her eyes in thought. “She was talking like she was my mother, but that can’t be it.” she muttered to herself, “She didn’t seem like Camilla, and as far as my real mother goes…” Kairi slowly opened her eyes. “My real mother…” Now that it crossed her mind, she had never really given her birth parents much thought ever since she learned about her origins on Radiant Garden. She didn’t really remember anything about them, even after she had regained her memories of her homeland. But that wasn’t much of a surprise; in general, she didn’t really recall anything from before her time there as a little girl. Kairi took another moment to look around her room, in case anything was out of place. As was to be expected, none of her lights were on, so the room was somewhat darkened by the night’s grip. However, it seemed as though that grip was already loosening; the room was slowly starting to become brighter. And it wasn’t due to Kairi’s eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Kairi looked over at the single small window in her room, a little ways to the left of where she sat on her bed. There were no curtains or drapes blocking her view from the outside, so she could clearly make out a faint light shining on the horizon. Steadily, Kairi pushed the covers from her body and swiftly rose from her bed. Quietly making her way over to the window sill, she rested her arms on the top border of the glass when she arrived. Slowly, she undid the restraints on the double glass windows, and began to push them open. Taking a brief peek outside the small glass portal, she looked around the empty town in front of her. The house she lived in was situated upon a small hill, near the back of the town on the Main Island, so Kairi’s family always had a perfect view of almost the entirety of the Island’s populace. And from what the young girl could see, it seemed as though the majority of the Town had yet to awaken. Suddenly, a small beam of light out of the corner of her eye caught Kairi’s gaze. Looking out over the small community of houses, Kairi realized that it was already sunrise. A large smile broke out across her face as she cautiously moved her body through the window frame. Resting her hands on the window sill, and looking out at the Horizon, Kairi relaxed herself and calmly moved to watch in tranquility the sight of the rising sun. Kairi usually didn’t wake up this early, so it had been quite a long time since she had seen a real sunrise. So long in fact, that she had almost forgotten what they looked like. Most of the sparing time that she would spend before the sun was spent while it set, not while it rose. As a result, she had come to think of Sunsets and the Sunrise as much the same thing. It had been so long since she had been able to appreciate a real sunrise, and remember why she loved them so much. It was just something about the way the glow hit everything, the way that the rising sun’s soft illumination gave everything a new light. It was the way that the sunrise promised a new day, while the sunset simply promised another one. That was what Kairi loved so much about them, how they somehow always had the ability to make everything seem so much brighter, even when they appeared the darkest. Not to mention, watching the sunrise usually helped Kairi think. It didn’t really matter what she would think about, but she did like having such a beautiful and inspiring setting to do so. She had spent a lot of time thinking lately. Especially now that school was out for summer break; she had a lot of time to herself. There were plenty of times when Selphie would ask her to go out and do something more social, but Kairi would usually turn her down in favor of some time alone. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to think about honestly; there wasn’t anything wrong, was there? That was something Kairi thought about a lot too. A calm breeze rolled by, blowing through the young girl’s hair and enveloping her in a warm and comforting light. The entire Island wasso peaceful; it suited the lovely sunrise and relaxing breeze perfectly. Taking one last look at the beautiful image, Kairi retreated back into her room in preparation of a brand new day. Making sure to close the window behind her, Kairi pulled it shut in as quiet a manner she could manage. With the room revealing much more of its contents due to the added light, Kairi was easily able to maneuver through the area. The wooden floor was devoid of any stray belongings, as Kairi had always made certain to keep her room as presentable as possible. The only things that occupied the large and open floor were Kairi’s bed sheets, which she had unceremoniously neglected to tidy up. But when considering that it was summer vacation, as well as so early in the morning, such laziness felt justified. Calmly making her way over to her bedroom closet, Kairi opened the large swinging doors and began looking for something to wear. Shepicked out a small, orange jacket from the modest selection of clothes, which she simply placed over her current nightwear: a loose fitting T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Odds were she wouldn’t be out very long, so there wasn’t much concern shown regarding her wardrobe. After pulling the closet doors shut, Kairi moved on towards her exit at the right-hand corner of the room. Double-checking to make sure that there was nothing else she would need; Kairi opened the door and proceeded into the calm and empty house. Upon closing the door behind, Kairi found herself in the familiar second floor hallway. The sunlight was just starting to pass through the window panes to her right, but Kairi could still see the area just fine. Careful to make as little noise as possible, Kairi turned to her left and began creeping up to the large second floor staircase, all the while passing several closed doors on her way. Slowly, Kairi made her way down the lengthy set of steps, taking extra precaution on the ones that were particularly creaked with old age. Kairi let a tiny smile grace her mouth in a moment of fond remembrance; as she recalled all of the times that she had crept down the stairs in much the same way in a vain attempt not to wake up her slumbering parents. Whether it was something as trivial as fetching a midnight snack, or a more selfless occasion of simply trying not to bother them too early in the morning, it was a habit that the young girl never really took any notice of. But it was hard not to as of late, as Kairi found herself sneaking down-stairs more and more frequently. She tried not to make a habit out of leaving the house so early in the morning, but it had gotten to the point where she really couldn’t help herself; it was the only time when there was really no one around to bother her. Finally arriving at the bottom of the staircase, Kairi took a quick look around at the lower half of her house. In comparison to what you would expect of the Mayor’s family, you might be a bit confused by a few design choices. In fact, there wasn’t really much that separated it from other houses on Destiny Islands; which Kairi found odd when considering that their family was technically the most influential in the area. But to be completely honest, it wasn’t that strange when she took into consideration how humble and self-sacrificing her father had been. Kairi had never really questioned why he did what he did, she just always assumed it was for a good reason. Shrugging off the inquiry, Kairi continued to make her way through the house. Taking a right from the stairs, she passed the kitchen to her left and continued onward. Still making sure to keep her footsteps as light as possible, Kairi crept through the small enclosed hallway that lead towards their family room. Kairi slowed her already cautious pace as she passed through the hallway, taking a fleeting moment to glance upon the small paintings and pictures that adorned the wall to her left. It always bought a smile to her face whenever she looked at the childish pictures which she had drawn at a younger age, and it warmed her heart even more to know that her mother had kept them for so long. Moving past the small collection of pictures and fleeting reminiscence, Kairi moved on through the hallway; nearing the living room wherethe door outside was located. After reaching the end of the hall, Kairi stopped for a moment to glance around the room, taking extra precaution to make sure that Camilla wasn’t awake. While Kairi had faith that her adoptive mother wouldn’t really disapprove of her daughter going out for an early morning walk, she was concerned with whether her mother would believe her reasons for doing so or not. While Kairi would have never wanted to sneak around behind her adoptive mother’s back, Camilla had made become much less relenting since Kairi had returned with Sora and Riku a couple months ago. While she may not have said it flat-out, Kairi knew that Camilla was against her use of the Keyblade from the very beginning. Camilla had never approved of her daughter practicing magic, and she had even shown some reluctance to letting her watch Sora and Riku whenever they happened to spar with each other. And lately, it began to feel as though her mother was just getting more and more protective of… Kairi froze in her tracks, halting before the sight that met her as she moved through the family room, barely able to stop herself from tripping before what was situated before her. Lying on the floor in front of her, covered with only a thin sheet of cotton, was Camilla, sound asleep. Kairi looked upon her mother in bewilderment, a questioning glance etched on her face that not even she could have noticed. In all honesty, it didn’t really come as a surprise to Kairi that she had found Camilla in such an exhausted state. But what confused her was her mother’s choice of bedding location, as the woman was always fairly practical with herself and never allowed such laziness. The fact that Camilla didn’t even have the strength to make it to her own bedroom immediately raised the alarm in Kairi’s mind that something was wrong. After making sure that Camilla was still asleep, Kairi relaxed herself, and began moving towards the slumbering woman. Lightly treading on the living room floors, she took precaution to make sure that she didn’t trip on any of the small trinkets that were strewn about the area. It struck her as odd that her usually tidy mother would let the living room fall into such disarray, but she was willing to put the blame on how tired Camilla must have been over the course of last night. Slowly coming to a stop before her mother, Kairi looked at her adoptive mother’s face, and she felt a strange pang of sadness overcomeher. She collapsed onto her knees, barely supported by the back of the couch behind her, she slide down towards the floor with her legs out behind her. She leaned forward, supporting herself on with both of her hands, and knelt in closer to her mother’s face. A mournful frown etched itself upon her face, full of regret and sadness. Her eyes fell into a similar rut, as her face changed to match her inner sense of guilt. Cautiously, Kairi extended her hand out towards Camilla, and gently placed it on her mother’s face. Slowly, trying not to wake her, shecaressed her mother’s face as if caring for the wounded dove that Kairi knew her mother was. It had been a few years since Pator had passed away during the heartless’ invasion, and with the passing of Kairi’s adoptive father, Camilla had fallen into a deep depression. She would go many nights, even days without sleeping, and commonly refused to even leave her bed. It was one of the hardest times of their life, but Camilla finally managed to pull through it with the help of her daughter’s love and support. After that point, things were finally beginning to look up; while Kairi wasn’t as social anymore, she still spent a healthy amount of time chatting with Selphie while managing to remain close with her mother. For some reason, after she was able to work through her bout of depression, Camilla had suddenly decided to take it upon herself her late husband’s mantle of mayor. Needless to say, Kairi didn’t particularly approve of the idea. She felt as though Camilla wasn’t stable enough to take on so much responsibility, and she was worried that after going through as much as she did, the extra work would start to grade on her mother personally. But, Camilla wasn’t having any of it. She was determined to take up the position, and even though no one really knew why it was necessary for her to do so, the townsfolk eventually gave in and decided to trust Camilla’s judgment. Much to Kairi’s surprise, not only did her mother take to the position, she actually thrived in it. Kairi almost felt as though Camilla took on the extra work so that she could help take her mind off of Pator, and in that sense, the position seemed to be good for her. After a while, Camilla had managed to earn the town’s trust, and they quickly came to recognize her as the determined mother she was. Things were the best they had ever been. Once Sora, Riku, and Kairi had returned to the Islands from the Nobody’s castle, Kairi was alarmed at how her mother had greeted her. While before she left, Camilla had been the usual kind and caring woman Kairi normally pictured, during Kairi’s brief stint away from the island in Organization XIII’s clutches, Camilla had been driven through and through with grief and worry over her daughter’s disappearance. Immediately after returning from the other worlds, Camilla forbad her daughter from ever willingly leaving the Islands again. While Kairi wanted to object, she knew that she couldn’t. Kairi knew that she would never have been able to put her own desires before her mother’s own wellbeing, and so reluctantly, agreed. Over the course of the time following their return to the Islands, Camilla’s restrictions on Kairi slowly grew more and more confining. At first, Camilla started to limit Kairi’s use of magic or any use of her skills in terms of combat, using the excuse that she wouldn’t need any of it in the future. Camilla was willing to let Kairi practice healing magic whenever she had the spare time, but eventually, even use of that started to become sparing. More and more Camilla started putting limitations on what her daughter could or couldn’t do, until it eventually got to the point where Kairi was even forbidden from watching Sora and Riku spar. Despite all this, Kairi had still managed to maintain a relationship with her mother. Even though she didn’t really agree with all of Camilla’s restrictions nor did she think they were necessary, Kairi was still willing to accept them. The day that Sora and Riku departed for Yen Sid’s tower, Kairi made it perfectly clear that she wouldn’t be joining them. Not just because she had made a commitment to Camilla, but because at the time, she felt like she didn’t really belong out in the worlds. She felt like she didn’t have any place with Riku or Sora out there, and that if she was with them, she would only end up slowing them down or drawing their worry. She felt like she was destined to stay on the island. But now, she wasn’t as sure of that anymore. Kairi’s thoughts were interrupted by a light sigh that sounded from beneath her. Even though Kairi didn’t even know she had closed hereyes, they darted open at the sound. Kairi looked down in the direction of the noise, and was met with her mother gently turning in her make-shift bed. Kairi breathed a stifled sigh of relief, and continued to glance upon her mother’s face. It must have been hard for her, dealing with the worries of the Islands all while dealing with her own worries up front. The stress had caused small lines of wear to slowly form on her face and light bags to appear under her eyes, and while they weren’t particularly noticeable, they were still signs that everything was slowly beginning to get to her. Kairi considered trying to move her mother onto the nearby couch, but she wasn’t nearly so confident in her own strength as she could do it without waking her. So instead, she decided to simply try to make Camilla as comfortable as possible. Noticing that the sheets she was wrapped in didn’t seem to provide much warmth, Kairi rearranged them in the best way that she could. After that, she crept over to the nearby couch and grabbed the blanket that her mother always kept there. Along with a few pillows, Kairi brought the bedding over to her mother and supported her to the best of her ability. She gently placed the blanket over her mother’s slumbering body, and supported her head with the small pillow she had found on the couch. Once she was sure she had done all she could, Kairi got up and turned to leave. Taking one last glance back at her mother, Kairi felt her previous expression of sadness to return and adorn itself upon her face. Turning back towards the door to the house, she silently whispered, “I’m sorry, mom…” She made her way towards the door and began to turn the handle. “I just need to get out of here for a while,” She thought, “take some time to think about everything, and get away from it all…” Quietly pushing open the door, Kairi passed through the frame and out into the warm, waking world. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A gentle breeze rolled throughout the Island’s populace, feeling just inviting enough that one was willing to ignore the slight chill of its gale. An early morning sunlight fell upon the Island and the many houses that dotted its landscape, blanketing the area with a wondrous glow and covering the small world with an air of innocent beauty. From Kairi’s house, sitting upon a gently sloped hill overlooking the town, a small dirt path wound its way down towards a focal point where it converged with numerous other roads of its kind. Leading from several other houses around the Island, the paths gathered and separated at different points along the trampled ground, branching off into several various areas of the town. Some lead to residential areas, and others lead to more public buildings that formed the modest town’s general hub. However, it didn’t really matter to Kairi where the path took her. She simply began treading along the dirt road towards the bottom of the small hill which her house was built upon, never taking a moment to consider where she was headed or for what reason. She simply let the path lead her wherever it desired, only admiring the locales when she felt the urge to do so. But for most of her walk down the well-trodden path, she chose to keep her attention and thoughts inward. For the longest time, Kairi had resigned herself to living her life on the Island. She had always reasoned that there was no cause for herto leave, that her life, her happiness was here. That her destiny was here. She felt as though it wasn’t her place to decide whether or not she could stand beside Sora and Riku, as though it would have been better for them and everyone else if she simply stayed where she was. Her most recent excuse for this mindset was simple, she felt that she was a burden to everyone else. It didn’t really have to do with her level of skill with the Keyblade, while that was most definitely a part of it, it was more how she viewed herself, and how others viewed her. Kairi was always afraid of worrying other people, not just because she had a tendency for getting in trouble, but because she felt likethey would always think of her as someone who needed to be protected. The very idea was painful to Kairi; she didn’t want to go out with them into the worlds, fighting alongside them, only to have their attention constantly focused on whether or not she was okay. She was afraid. Afraid that the people who she fought alongside would spend too much time worrying about protecting her, instead of protecting themselves. She was afraid that no matter who she met, what she proved, she would never be able to break the image of a helpless princess. But lately, that logic was beginning to matter less and less. If anything, Kairi was starting to view it as an excuse. During her morerecent times with Sora and Riku on the Island, some of her fondest memories were about her learning how to use the Keyblade, performing all kinds of incredible tricks with magic, and letting her creativity lead the way to new areas of intrigue. Even after Camilla had restricted her use of the Keyblade, Kairi had still managed to find joy and take pride in even the smallest things she could do with it. And over time, the more and more Camilla limited Kairi’s use of the Keyblade, the more and more she felt drawn to it. Now, more than ever, Kairi felt as if it was her destiny to use the Keyblade. She felt as though she was given this power for a reason, shefelt as though it was something she needed to use. But not only that. What she felt the most went deeper than that. Whenever she held it in her hand, whenever she cast a spell, whenever she learned something new, it didn’t just feel right. It felt like she had done it all before. It felt… Natural. Suddenly, Kairi halted in her tracks. Her train-of-thought was interrupted by something unfamiliar, a new sound that she didn’t recognizeas the crunch of dirt beneath her shoes. Taking only a single glance at what was before her, she didn’t even need to think about it. In fact, she probably could have guessed without opening her eyes. Her lips curved into a sweet, nostalgic smile as she stood upon the shore of her home world. Kairi looked around the beach, and sure enough, there was no mistaking it. Kairi had been here so many times in her life, it was essentially the first thing that came to mind when she thought of home. To her right, there was the usual wooden pier docked with small wooden boats, and around her were the Island’s trademark tropical trees. Kairi glanced about the shore-line, taking small and gentle steps at a time as she walked about the area. Kairi could remember all the timesshe had watched Sora and Riku fight one another on this beach, as well as the first time she had asked to join them. Of course, they had refused, saying that even if they held back, Kairi wouldn't be ready to stand toe-to-toe with them yet. She appreciated their concern at the time, but in hindsight, it must have been a really long while before she started to question their reasoning. Once Kairi found herself a few feet from the shoreline, she decided to stop and take a moment to appreciate the view. After all, she almost never had the opportunity to see and feel the ocean at sunrise, so she figured she might as well enjoy the sight while she had the chance. Kairi couldn’t really explain why the sunrise felt so special to her when in comparison to the sunset. She guessed it was just because she never really had the chance to see a sunrise as often, since she usually woke up well into the morning, but it was still nice to see how thesight of one could manage to set her heart aflutter. For a moment, Kairi felt like she could forget all the worries of the world, like she could forget about her troubles and the troubles of those around her. She felt like none of it mattered, and in the end there was nothing she could really do to change anything. But deep down, as much as she wanted to believe that, there was a part of her that wanted to go out and save the worlds. There was a part of her that wanted to fight alongside Sora and Riku, and above all, a part of her that wanted to make a difference. “Okay, look, don’t get me wrong…” Kairi’s heart stopped. Of course, she had never imagined that anyone else could possibly be out here when it was this early, but that’snot what had caught her attention. Kairi jolted up and turned on her heel towards the source of the voice behind her, and sure enough, it was exactly who she knew it was. Riku motioned towards the sea, and continued, “It’s a beautiful sunrise, but honestly, you’ve been standing there for about ten minutes now.” Kairi’s expression of shock immediately melted away, and was replaced with some kind of mix between relief, surprise, and joy. “Riku…” Kairi muttered, as a large smile began to form across her face. “Riku!” Kairi exclaimed, sparing no ounce of jubilance as her budding grin broke out into an all-out smile, and she rushed forward witharms outstretched. Almost leaping forward, Kairi caught her friend in a surprisingly tight bear-hug, with Riku looking down at her with a bewildered and, admittedly somewhat panicked face. “It’s so good to see you!” She exclaimed once again, slightly loosening her grip, but maintaining enough force to keep Riku’s arms restrained. “Uhm…” Riku began, “Yeah, it’s great to see you too…?” Kairi looked up at him, as she struggled to find the appropriate words. “How did you…? I mean, how long have you been…?” She stuttered. Riku let loose a slight grin. “I saw you walking towards the beach, so I headed there after you.” He said. “But you never really seemed tonotice me, you looked like you were pretty distracted with something.” Kairi shook her head vigorously. “That doesn’t matter!” She exclaimed. “What happened?” She asked excitedly. “I thought you and Sora were gone for good! Did something go wrong at the exam?” Riku shook his head and chuckled. “No,” he started, “well, I mean yeah, but I…” Kairi looked up at him with a confused glint in her eyes, her mind racing with questions. “Okay then, let’s just start with the first question, alright?” Riku nodded. “Alright,” he said, “but honestly, could you please let go? It’s kind of painful talking when you’re crushing all the air out of me.” Kairi giggled at his overblown remark, and finally backed away from her friend. “So,” she started, “what actually happened?” She asked.“Why are you here? And what happened to…?” Before she could continue, Riku motioned for her to stop. “Look,” he said, “maybe we should sit down for this. There’s a lot I have totell you, and even more that you need to know.” Kairi nodded. “Yeah,” she said, “and honestly, I could use a bit of a rest myself after all this stumbling around.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kairi crisscrossed her legs on the Island’s beach, having decided to rest there so she and Riku could discuss everything that had happened in a more comfortable manner. Riku was sitting on her left-hand side in a similar position, only with his legs extended in front of himself with one pulled up to rest his arm on. His gaze was turned upwards, and he seemed to be somewhat lost in thought. Kairi felt that she should be the one to start them off, and so decided to ask the first few questions. “Alright,” she began, “first off, how in the world did you get here? Last time I checked, Gummi Ships aren’t exactly made for sneaking around, and their engines practically break the sound barrier unless you’re moving like a snail. How is it that you didn’t wake anyone up? And how come I didn’t notice you?” She asked. Riku had seemed to snap out of his brief attention stint, and had already turned his head towards Kairi when he said, “The Highwind wasequipped with a stealth module, so I don’t think anyone could have seen me come in. But to make sure I didn’t wake anyone up or draw a lot of attention, I landed on the other side of the Island and walked all the way over her around the mountain.” He answered. Kairi nodded, and replied, “Well, okay, but that brings us to why you would even come here.” There was an awkward pause between the two. “So,” Kairi asked, “why are you here, exactly?” Riku chuckled and glanced back at her. “I’m here on orders from master Yen Sid.” He said. “I came back for you.” Needless to say, Kairi was startled at his words. After all, for the longest time, Sora and Riku had been telling her that she wasn’t neededout in the worlds if she didn’t want to accompany them. Seriously, what was up with the sudden change of heart? “But… I… you just…” She stammered, struggling to find her words. Riku tilted his head at her in a bout of confusion, and inquired of her stuttering. “Kairi?” he asked, “is something the matter?” Kairi turned her head away, peering down at the water shifting just before her feet. This had brought a whole new level to her concerns; on one hand, she finally had a reason to give in to her clear desire to wield the Keyblade. But on the other, she knew she could never let herself make that decision, not so long as Camilla stood over her. Finally settling herself, Kairi decided to humor Riku’s statement with the only question she felt suited the situation right now. “Why…?” She asked. Riku himself turned back towards the ocean, and peered out over the shoreline where the sea and Island met. “I don’t know.” He answered bluntly. Kairi gritted her teeth, and her hands clenched together tightly in her lap. Not out of anger, but out of frustration and sadness. Slowly, she managed to calm herself, and started to relax her grip. Hesitantly, she muttered, “How can you expect me to make that decision…? Do you expect me to just follow you two without a care in the world…?” Riku looked at her, concerned. “Kairi, is something wrong?” He asked. “I thought you would jump at this chance. You were always saying how much you wanted to see the other worlds, and I’ve lost count of how many times you made me and Sora promise never to leave you behind again. Honestly, I never thought you would say no.” Kairi sighed, and looked over at Riku. He had turned his head back towards her as well, and looked at her with a confused and worriedlook on his face. “Riku,” she started, “I know you came a long way for this, and I’m sorry for wasting your time, but I really can’t go with you.” Riku’s look of confusion only deepened after that. “Why?” He asked. Kairi sighed once more, and pushed herself up from her spot on the beach. “There’s no way Camilla would let me.” She answered. Riku looked up at her with once again with an air of confusion etched on his face. “Why wouldn’t she?” He asked. Kairi looked down at the slowly churning waves in front of her, and her face took on a look of sadness and remorse. Slowly, she replied,“She’s convinced that I won’t come back. She’s never said it, but I know that she’s afraid of losing me more than anything else.” Kairi looked down at Riku. “And it’s not just her.” She said. “If I left, I could never live with myself if I ended up forcing that kind of sadness onto her. I’m sorry Riku, but I can’t go.” Riku turned his head toward the ocean, and looked out over the expanse of water reflecting the sunset. “Sounds like a poor excuse if you ask me.” He stated bluntly. More surprised than offended, Kairi was completely taken aback at her friend’s response, and her face belied the shock. “Riku?” She exclaimed. “Look,” He started, “from what I can make of it, this is something that concerns Camilla more than it does you.” He said. “Don’t get mewrong, if what you’re telling me is true, then I’ll agree that it really is terrible. But this is a decision you’re making based off an argument that pretty much hasn’t even been resolved yet. If Camilla will really suffer as much as you say she will, then you need to confront her and ask her why and ask her why she would be unwilling to drop it. This needs to be your choice, and you won’t be able to make it if you have your mother’s shadow looming over you.” As much as Kairi wanted to protest, she knew that she really didn’t want to. What Riku said more or less made sense, and Kairi wasn’t particularly willing to argue with his ideology. Kairi sighed. “Alright,” she said, “I’ll talk to her. But I don’t really think I’ll be able to change anything myself.” Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off in Kairi’s mind. A smile broke out across her face as she looked down at Riku and said, “Wait, your dad and my mom are pretty close friends, right?” She asked. “Do you think it would be too much trouble to ask him for help in trying to persuade her?” Riku looked skeptical and submissive of the idea, his face barely restraining a look of distaste. “I don’t know, I think this is something that you two need to resolve on your own.” He said. “And besides, I don’t really feel like my father would enjoy having to go through so much hassle this early in the morning.” Kairi’s face settled into a delicate smile, and she replied, “Yeah, I kind of feel the same way too.” She said. “I just don’t think I’ll be able to convince her on my own, but don’t worry, I’ll definitely try.” Kairi bent down to Riku’s level, supporting herself with her hands placed on her knees, as she enthusiastically said, “But still, I think you should go see him.” Riku tilted his head in bewilderment. “What for?” He asked. Kairi shot back up, and laced her fingers behind her back. Casually strolling around, she replied, “I just feel like you should take this last chance to talk to him.” She said. “And besides, I can imagine he gets kind of bored without you around. Talking to each-other one last time might be good for you both.” Riku sighed, and reclined back into the sand. “I feel like I’d be bothering him though, it is pretty early in the morning.” He said. Kairi knelt down and looked him in the eyes, a playful grin on her face. “Do you really think he’ll care?” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Riku sighed as he trudged along the path to his family’s house. Well, he called it “family”, but it was more or less just a quiet friendshipbetween the young man and his father, Knoll. They didn’t really talk to each-other much, but that was more because they didn’t feel like they really had anything to talk about. Whenever they did happen to talk, however, the conversations usually tended to be stubborn and overly drawn-out. Admittedly, this was one reason why Riku preferred not to talk to his father; every-time they spoke seriously with one-another the conversation ended up being a bit too counterproductive for his tastes. Riku looked up as he approached the modest building where his father resided, a somewhat rustic house made primarily of wood and covered with a dark sort of tint that accumulated with age, but still maintaining a slight coat of dulled white on the exterior. While not particularly appealing to the eye, it managed to maintain the feeling that it was still built well-enough to support anyone. Somewhat out of place however was the relatively well-kept yard surrounding it; highlighted by closely cut grass, and a large tree at the front of the entranceway that supported a small swing set, which appeared to be somewhat marred with disuse. Running through the center of theyard was a minimalist pathway, which lead up to the entrance of the building. Framing the house was a moderate fence, which wrapped around the front yard and closed off at the sides of the building itself. While Riku knew his father would never admit to enjoying it, Knoll had made it a habit to keep the area outside their house as well-maintained as he could. Riku would often wonder why Knoll went to so much trouble to tend the front of their house, especially when considering how much work he would have to put in, but he usually just shrugged it off. Riku casually strolled up to the front gate, pushing it open with ease. He questioned why his father even bothered putting up a fence; achild could probably break through. Riku gazed back up at the looming, two level house before him, and slowly walked forward towards the front door. Riku knew that it wouldbe unlocked, as Knoll had never really had a reason to think that anyone would try and enter his house un-invited, nor would anyone want to. Knoll was well known for keeping to himself, with there being only a very sparing number of people around the Island who he was actually on friendly terms with. Of course, Riku thought that his father’s policy was way too trusting for anyone’s good. But if he was able to enter the house as he pleased without going through the trouble of stumbling around, trying to find some convoluted way to get into his own house, then he wasn’t really complaining. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Riku sat at the table, patiently waiting for his father to return to their conversation. Since it was still relatively early, Knoll was only just beginning to awaken. Over at the kitchen countertop, Riku’s father was preparing a small glass of water, which was all he could trouble himself to make this early in the morning. But he knew that at best, it was little more than a frivolous attempt to shake the night’s grip from his mind. Once the small cup of water had reached a satisfactory point, Knoll slowly made his way over to the table where his son resided. Riku’s father was a tall and intimidating man, whose powerful stature and wisdom were well known about the Island. He had a distinct, stubbly, light silver short-beard that highlighted the lower half of his face, giving him an air of experience which no one would doubt that he had. He was covered with a bland and rustic tunic, which covered a short sleeved shirt of the same color, and was supplemented by a loose pair of featureless pants that extended to about the reach of his ankles. However, his most famous trait was none of these things; most everyone on the Island recognized him by his distinct lack of a left arm. He had supposedly lost it a long time ago, during the time when he had apparently first arrived at the Islands. The exact details of how it happened were unknown, but his “disability” had still somehow managed to garner a great deal of fame among the Island’s inhabitants. Calmly and carefully taking a seat adjacent of Riku, Knoll finally settled in his chair; all the while with Riku watching from his own seat patiently. Knoll lightly grunted as he took the first sip from his relatively cold cup of water. “So,” He started, “What brings you here?” Riku offered his father a light smirk. “What, you don’t think I can afford a little time to myself?” He lightly joked. Knoll closed his eyes calmly, the look on his face plainly showing his skepticism. “Wasn’t there supposed to be something you were busydoing somewhere else?” He said. Riku’s narrowed his eyes, and his lighthearted smile instantly faded. “There never was any fooling you, was there?” He replied. Knoll opened his eyes and looked at his son. “I could tell just by the way you walked in here. It’s not the fact that I know you better than anyone, it’s just that you’re a terrible liar.” He said. Riku leaned forwards and cast his gaze downward. “Yeah,” he started, “sorry about that, I guess I didn’t want to admit that I only came here for your advice.” He said. “Even though I wish it was the opposite, I’m not here just to talk.” Knoll nodded in acknowledgment. “Yes, I can see that.” He said, “But what I want to know is, what could you possibly want to talk with meabout? And for that matter, why are you even back on this world to begin with?” He asked. “Well,” Riku started, “It was supposed to be some sort of mission.” He said. “Our examiner told me to come back here, find Kairi, and take her back with me on the Highwind. Nothing else.” Knoll looked confused at his son’s explanation. “You mean, you don’t even know why you’re here?” He asked. Riku chuckled awkwardly, a nervous tone in his voice as he said, “No, not exactly. But I wasn’t really in the position to ask questions at that point, given the fact that we were a little stripped for time.” “Well,” Knoll started, “you certainly had the time to come over and pay me a visit.” “Yeah,” Riku replied hesitantly, “that’s because Kairi said Camilla wouldn’t let her go. She’s headed back over to their house right now totry and convince her otherwise.” He said. Knoll sighed, and closed his eyes in deep thought. Slowly, he responded, “Camilla hasn’t been the same for a very long time, we can all be sure of that.” He said. “I don’t think this has anything to do with Kairi’s use of the Keyblade in particular; what I’m afraid of is that she’s convinced herself Kairi is the only thing she has left now, and likewise, I’m afraid that she believes that with Kairi gone, she won’t have anything left. To be perfectly honest Riku, I’m not sure if presenting the keystone to this dilemma as the solution was a very wise idea.” Riku’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want to get involved in this,” he said, “this is their dilemma, and I think it would be for the best if they learned how to resolve it themselves.” “Yes, I know that,” Knoll began, “and I can respect you for your courtesy, but I’m afraid that what you don’t realize is that I knowCamilla far better than you do. I can understand what she’s thinking right now, and I feel as though Kairi does as well. It will take more than a few words from her daughter to change that woman’s mind.” He finished. While a bit skeptical at first, Riku ultimately knew that his father had a point. He wasn’t ready to condemn Kairi’s chances quite yet,but he was at least willing to make a compromise. “Alright,” he said, “we’ll head over there, but I want to at least give Kairi a chance to convince Camilla otherwise, on her own.” Knoll nodded. “Fair enough.” He said. “In fact, I’d prefer to see what she can do with the situation. While I don’t think she’s quitestubborn enough to match her mother, I’d like to at least give her a sporting chance.” He said. Knoll slowly began to push himself up from the table with his arm. “Alright then,” he said, “I suppose we should get going…” his wordshalted, and he paused before fully standing upright. The look on his son’s face gave him incentive and motive to continue the conversation. Riku still looked tense, as if there was something he had yet to say. Sure enough, Knoll picked up on it immediately. Slowly lowering himself back down into his seat, he asked his son: “Is there something else?” “Now look,” Riku began. “I know we haven’t had a chance to talk to each-other in a while, and honestly, I know we’re both relatively finewith that, since neither of us ever really had much to say to each-other that went beyond just small-chat.” “But what bothers me,” he continued, “Is knowing that there are some things I might never be able to ask you again after this point.” Knoll peered at Riku, an inquisitive glare etched into his eyes. “So?” he asked, “What exactly did you want to talk about?” Riku crossed his arms for a moment, and closed his eyes as if in deep thought. After a brief period of time, he looked up at Knoll and asked, “My friends, what do you think of them?” Knoll arched his eyebrows in a skeptical gaze, but replied nonetheless. “That’s an… odd question,” he said, “why do you ask?” “It doesn’t really make a difference,” he said, “but I guess I just wanted to get your opinion on what really matters most to me before I leave.” Riku responded. “Alright then.” Knoll conceded. “First off,” he began, “Sora is too innocent for his own good. The world is seldom merciful to people like him, and I’m afraid that he’s got a great deal of hardship up ahead. He needs to learn what it really means to be there for someone, and by the end of it, whether he can still keep that childish smile on his face or not will determine how strong his heart really is.” Riku’s eyes narrowed at his father’s harsh words, and deep down, he hoped that they weren’t true. But even deeper, he knew that theyshould be. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he felt like what Knoll said had to happen for some reason. “I want to help him through it,” Riku said, “how do I do that?” Knoll shook his head. “You can’t!” He almost exclaimed, barely keeping his voice below a shout. “The only way he can learn is if he does it alone.” “The problem is that he’s had everyone helping him and telling him what’s right and what’s wrong,” Knoll continued, “and quite frankly,it’s spoiled him. He needs to find his own strength; find out who he really is and what he really needs to do.” Again, the words stung Riku deep, and again, he felt the need to agree with what his father was saying, as much as he didn’t want to. Riku looked up at his father, stared him in the eye, and said, “Is that all?” Knoll nodded his head, “Yes, now let’s hurry this along; I can’t imagine you have much time left.” He finished, and motioned for Riku tocontinue. “Alright then,” Riku replied, “what do you think about Kairi?” Knoll tilted his head downward, and closed his eyes in thought. “To be perfectly honest,” He began, “I think it would just be best for you to sit back and watch for yourself.” Riku gave his father a questioning look, complete with an arched eyebrow and a skeptical glint in his eye. “What do you mean?” He asked. “Don’t get me wrong, Kairi has a lot to learn herself.” Knoll continued, “But I think that for a change, you need to be able to take a look back and try to understand what she’s really thinking.” Riku paused for a moment, taking a brief portion of his attention span and expending it on thinking about what his father just said. Finally, he looked up and answered flatly, “I don’t get it.” “I told you,” Knoll said, “right now it’s just best for you to take a step back and really take a look at what Kairi’s about to do. Becauseif what you said about her is true, then I can imagine some very significant changes are about to take place. And through it all, you’ll want to be there for, and be able to understand her. Not just based on what I’ve told you, but based on what you’ve seen her experience yourself.” Riku leaned back in his chair, his arms still crossed in concentration. “I still don’t understand.” He said. Knoll looked up at the ceiling, but it felt as though he was aiming for the sky. “You’re never supposed to, not in the beginning.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kairi hurried along the path back to her house, her pace sped along in light of what had happened. The dirt trail crunched beneath herfeet as she continued towards her destination; paying little heed to anything else. The homes around her began blurring into bland stretches of color, with nothing around proving of any interest or importance to offer even a passing glance. But there was one thing that made Kairi force herself to a halt, a voice that emanated from around her. She couldn’t immediately tell where it came from, but she knew that it rang with a tone of familiarity. “Kairi! Wait Up!” It exclaimed. Her curiosity piqued, Kairi turned to look at the one of the several houses a slight distance away from herself. Sure enough, her guess was confirmed when she spotted Selphie, standing on the porch of her home, garbed in lightly fitting pajamas and waving her hand at Kairi in an attempt to draw the young girl’s attention. With a confused look on her face, Kairi slowly made her way towards Selphie’s house. “Selphie?” she said with a puzzled tone, “What areyou… Why are you up this early?” She asked. Selphie rested her arms on the porch railings, and offered her friend an innocent smile. “I got to bed early last night, so I kind of justwoke up a while ago.” She said. “I was gonna go back to sleep, but I saw you walking around outside. I tried shouting out to you, but I guess you just couldn’t hear me. I thought about going after you, but you had that weird look on your face that just says “I’m thinking, don’t mess with me!” She giggled. “But hey! I’m not the suspicious one here, you are! So I could ask you the same thing; what were you doing out here, huh?” She asked. Kairi scratched the back of her head, an awkward smile on her face as she replied, “I guess I was just… Going for a walk?” She answered hesitantly. Selphie looked a bit skeptical, but seemed to let it go fairly quickly. “Well, okay, but what was your big hurry over there?” She asked. “That didn’t look like a walk to me.” Slowly, Kairi cast her gaze downward in moment of inner debate, questioning herself as to whether or not she should tell Selphie abouther plans to leave the Islands once again. She didn’t want to just up and leave without any explanation, but then again, she knew it was forbidden to talk about the outside worlds. Sora and Riku had made a few exceptions after they found themselves thrust back into life on the Islands, but at the time, doing so was practically a necessity, and even then they had managed to keep the situation dubious. Selphie was one of her closest friends besides Sora and Riku, so Kairi figured she could bend the rules this one time, if at least just a little. Suddenly, Kairi’s train of thought was interrupted by Selphie’s visage pervading her vision, with a look of curiosity and slight concern on her face, Selphie had leaned in closer to grab her friend’s attention. “Kairi?” she asked, “Is something wrong? Do you need help withanything?” Kairi let loose a slight giggle at Selphie’s antics, and calmly replied, “No, it’s nothing. I just have a lot on my mind.” She said. Selphie backed off, but still managed to maintain her curious and skeptical gaze. “Well,” she began, “if you say so, but it definitely looked like something was bothering you earlier.” Kairi once again lowered her head, a pensive and quiet look on her face. “Selphie,” she said, “we’re best friends, right?” She asked. “Wealways know that we can come to each-other for anything, no matter what it is? Because we both trust one-another that either one of us will always know the right thing to do, or the right thing to say?” Selphie smiled, and nodded her head slowly. “Yeah, of course I know that.” She said. Kairi sighed. “That’s why this is hard for me,” she said, “I think I’ve found something that I just can’t share with you, and I’m sorry for it.” Selphie’s smile faded, and was swiftly replaced with a look of worry. “Kairi,” she began, “does this have anything to do with your mom?” She asked. Kairi looked away. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I really can’t tell you. It’s not because I don’t trust you or anything, but I feel like this is something that I need to do alone now. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think you can help me with this right now.” Selphie let a sad smile etch itself upon her face, as she replied, “You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” Kairi looked up at her friend, shocked to say the least. But before she could even say anything back, Selphie stopped her. “It’s okay,” she said, “I get it, alright? I know that you feel like you’ve gotta start solving your own problems; like you need to start relying on yourself now. And yeah, even though I know you won’t say it, I know you think I can’t understand what’s going on with you guys right now.” Kairi almost found the chance to respond, but Selphie stopped her once again. “It’s okay, you got that?” she said, “Just, promise me one thing alright?” Slowly, Kairi nodded her head. With a sincere smile on her face, Selphie leaned in and wrapped her friend in a gentle embrace. “Come back soon, okay?” Kairi nodded, and returned the embrace. “Yeah, I promise.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kairi cautiously approached the front door to her family’s house, already questioning herself on whether her mother was awake or not.Slowly pushing open the door, she entered into the living room and closed the door behind her as quietly as she possibly could. Warily making her way through the room and cautiously stepping over her mother’s strewn about belongings, Kairi proceeded towards where she had last seen her mother asleep. She couldn’t really say she was surprised that the previously occupied space was now vacant, after all, Kairi had no idea how long she had been out for, it could have been hours for all she knew. But still, this didn’t stop her heart rate from picking up a few beats. If anything, she was now more cautious than ever before, and slowly getting curious as to where her mother had gone. In any case, she was sure that she didn’t have to look far. Kairi turned into the hallway to the left of the family room, slowly proceeding through the eerily quiet household towards their family’s sun room. Kairi continued through the house, keeping a wary eye out for her mother. And sure enough, she didn’t have to go very far before she found what she was looking for. Or rather, heard it. From her right hand side, Kairi recognized the distinct tone of Camilla clearing her throat, just like all the times when her daughter was achild and she had caught Kairi’s hand in the cookie jar. But unlike her mother’s usual obedient inflection, Kairi knew she could detect a hint of sadness, disappointment, and fatigue in her mother’s voice, an occurrence that definitely wasn’t exclusive. Almost expecting Camilla’s presence in the sun room, Kairi unwaveringly turned her head towards the sound of her mother’s voice. And standing in front of her was the image of Camilla, her face etched with a deep expression of almost forced sternness, but hiding a weathered visage that belied her fatigue and weariness. For a brief time, they simply remained like that, caught in each-others gaze and stuck in a stalemate of silence. Before Kairi could breakit herself, Camilla decided to intervene and start the long-overdue talk personally. As calmly as she could manage, she said, “Where were you…?” Kairi shook her head, now having turned her whole self towards Camilla. “Look, mom,” she started, “there’s something I need to…” Suddenly, Camilla interrupted Kairi’s words, “Where were you, Kairi?” she repeated, slightly more stern this time. Kairi sighed, and conceded to her mother’s inquiry. “I was out on a walk,” she said, “that’s all.” Camilla looked un-convinced, but decided to move on for now. “Alright,” she began, “and why exactly did you decide on taking a walk…?” She asked. “Mom, I just needed to get out for a little bit, okay?” Kairi replied. “I had a lot on my mind, and you of all people should know that I think better when I’m out doing something.” Camilla didn’t seem any more convinced than before, but for some reason, her face slowly began to take on a sad look as she looked her daughter in the eyes. “Are you sure that was it?” she asked, “Kairi, please tell me that you weren’t out practicing magic again.” Kairi’s eyes widened at her mother’s words, shocked by the fact that she actually knew what Kairi had been up to. For the past coupledays, Kairi had been secretly sneaking out of the house early in the morning in order to practice some of her fire magic, but had done so regrettably against Camilla’s wishes. It was hard for her to have to sneak around without her mother’s knowing, but she had no other choice. Kairi couldn’t help herself, she felt the overwhelming need to practice her own magic whenever she could, the healing spells that Camilla had forbidden her to just weren’t enough anymore. All this time, she felt sure that Camilla had remained unaware of her self-training. The only question she could ask at this point was, how long had she known? Kairi looked up at Camilla, and struggled to find her words. “I,” she started, “no, No! That’s not it at all!” She exclaimed. “Besides, thathas nothing to do with this!” Camilla sighed, her disapproving frown becoming slightly more pronounced as she did so. “What do you mean?” she asked, her façade slowly growing more and more troubled, “Kairi, you know how I feel about you using one of those Keyblades!” She exclaimed. “And yet, you willingly disobeyed me!” “Look, I’m sorry, alright?” Kairi said, her voice beginning to rise slightly as well, “But I couldn’t stop myself, it just didn’t feel right.” She said. “I felt awful, just because I couldn’t use it! I tried not to, but I didn’t even feel like I had a choice!” She exclaimed. Camilla’s restrained expression had begun to crumble, and her true frustration started rising to the surface, no matter how much shetried to hide it. “Kairi, I just don’t understand.” she said, “Why would you even want to use one of those? Even more so then my forbidding you to do so, I’ve told you that so long as I have a say in the matter, you won’t be willingly leaving these Islands again!” Kairi’s face began to show the tell-tale signs of her inner distress, her expression being a mix of frustration, sadness, and regret.Struggling to articulate herself, Kairi slowly replied as steady as she could manage, “Mother,” she said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve decided that I’m going to leave the Islands to join Sora and Riku.” She stated. Whatever shard of calm and stability Camilla had maintained beforehand practically melted away after that, as she furiously exclaimed, “Iknew it, I knew this would happen!” she yelled, “This is why I couldn’t let you get carried away in their little magic circle of friends, I knew you would decide to just up and run-away eventually!” Suddenly, Kairi’s look of turmoil became over-run with a look of desperation. “No,” she said, “this doesn’t have anything to do withthem at all!” She proclaimed. “This is a personal choice I made, no one else has had anything to do with it!” Once again, Camilla looked un-convinced at her daughter’s words. Trying to contain her frustration, as calmly as she could manage, she said, “I don’t really care whose idea it really was; that doesn’t change the fact that you’re not going anywhere.” She stated, matter-of-factly. But Kairi was obstinate, she couldn’t accept her mother’s words just yet. “Mom,” she said, “Why, why won’t you just let me go…?” She asked, her arms falling limply to her sides in defeat. Camilla herself had begun to calm down slightly, but she still maintained an air of authority to her voice that showed her stubbornness.“Kairi,” she began, “you’re not going anywhere. And that’s final, I’m not accepting any of your explanations, it won’t change the fact that I will never change my mind.” She finished. Kairi was desperately trying to hold on to whatever argument she had left, when she once again begged the question, “But, why are you...” She was interrupted by Camilla, once again stating her unmovable decision. “You are not going anywhere, Kairi. That’s final.” She said. Kairi was stuck, Camilla wasn’t telling her anything, and she didn’t have anything left to say that could convince her mother otherwise.“Mom,” she began, a hint of defeat in her voice, “why can’t you just let me…” she trailed off, having realized that she had finally lost the argument. One last time, Camilla repeated her words to make sure that their impact was understood. “Kairi,” she began, “like I said, you’re not going any…” “Camilla!” Her string of words were suddenly interrupted by a loud and gruff voice that emanated from just behind Kairi, a voice that both of themimmediately recognized. Camilla looked over Kairi’s shoulder at the two who had entered her house, with Kairi swiftly turning herself to face them as well. Knoll stood just before the hallway’s end, with Riku trailing behind him. Knoll’s expression was harsh, but still somewhat calm, with his son wearing a similar look on his face. But Riku looked far more subdued then his father, which gave the impression that he was going to try and sit this one out. Camilla’s mind was instantly flooded with confusion and shock; the last thing she had expected was for Knoll to come barging in with his son in tow. Disregarding the fact that Riku was supposedly “off-world” or something of the sort, she personally hadn’t spoken to Knoll for quite some time. It wasn’t like him to just barge in un-announced, even though Camilla had made a point that he was welcome to, she never really thought he would take up that offer. “Knoll,” Camilla stuttered, still confused as to the men’s presence, “what are you doing here?” She asked. “And your son as well, I thought he was…” Knoll interrupted her before she could ask, and said, “Neither of those things are of any concern now.” He said, “All that matters at the moment are the two of you, or rather, your little dispute.” Camilla’s face was still etched with her confusion, but was now supplemented with a slightly threatened look. “What are you talking about?” she asked, “How do you… Why are you here? This doesn’t concern you or your son, Knoll.” Knoll’s gaze softened slightly, but still retained its serious and commanding disposition. “Then, consider this a favor.” He said. Knoll sighed and looked at Camilla’s exhausted and frail frame, then continued, “Camilla, there’s something wrong here, something thatruns deeper than you know, and it’s seriously threatening your relationship with Kairi. And I’m here to address this, because I think you’ve just been trying to run away from it all this time.” He said. If Camilla was offended or shocked at what Knoll had to say, then she certainly didn’t show it. If anything, her expression only grew moredefensive and stubborn. “You don’t understand.” She replied calmly. “Neither you, nor Kairi! This is what’s best for her, I’m not just going to stand aside and let her…” Suddenly, her words trailed off. Knoll’s worried expression only grew deeper, but he still managed to keep a resilient look in his eyes. “Camilla,” he began, “I’m sorry,I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand. You see, I was willing to let my son go. Not just because I knew it was what was for the best, but because I believed in him. I had faith that he wouldn’t fail. As much as you want to deny it, I don’t believe you have that same faith in your daughter. You don’t believe in her enough to let her go, and that’s why she’s struggling against you. You’re trying to control her world, but you need to realize that you’ve both reached a point where you can’t control her anymore. You’ve reached a point where you need to start letting go.” Camilla’s eyes widened, her expression shifting from one of contempt to one of surprise and empathy. She tried to maintain a convincingdefense towards Knoll’s words, but her eyes betrayed the fact that deep down, she couldn’t deny that his words were true. Camilla was stubborn, but she wasn’t willing to go so far as to disregard Kairi’s desires in order to have peace with herself. Slowly, she turned towards her on-looking daughter, and said, “Kairi, I’m sorry I didn’t ask you earlier, but I’d like to know now…” She trailed off briefly, “…Tell me, do you want to leave? Honestly, truthfully, tell me now what you want. I… I just want to know.” Kairi’s expression fell at her mother’s words, and for a moment, her hesitation from before once again rose to the surface. But she forced it back down, knowing that this was her only chance to speak what she truly felt. Shakily, Kairi opened her mouth to speak. “All this time,” she began, “All I’ve wanted, was to follow what I felt was my destiny, and for so long, I’ve felt the Keyblade drawing itself to me. I’m not sure if it would really be for the best, but if I could be so selfish, my desire would be…” Kairi reached her hand out, almost as if by instinct, and slowly gathered a growing light in her hand. “To take the Keyblade, and find myown destiny.” As if by command, the light in her hand instantly dispelled, and in its place was Destiny’s Embrace. A sad smile broke out across Camilla’s face, and for a moment, it almost looked like she was stifling a small cry. “Well, if that’sthe truth,” she replied, “then I can tell you one thing, your fate isn’t anywhere here.” She said. She opened her arms wide, inviting her daughter to her warm embrace. “But above all,” she said, “I have the least right of anyone to decide where destiny takes you now.” Kairi’s expression was dotted with a wide and grateful smile, with slight tears beginning to well at her eyes. Slowly stumbling forward, she fell into her mother’s arms and wrapped her own around Camilla’s waist. Camilla enclosed her daughter within the loving warmth of her arms, as she struggled to keep the tears welling at her eyes from spillingforth, the effort causing her to shake lightly. As if for some kind of security, her left hand gripped on tightly, yet carefully to her daughter’shair, almost as if she was struggling for something, someone to hold onto. With a shaking voice, she muttered lightly, “But, promise me one thing…” If Kairi could have, or even really wanted to, she may have looked up at her mother, just to see her face, and try to guess what she wasthinking. But she settled for a simple reply of, “What?” As much as she tried, Camilla could no longer stop her tears from falling. They rolled down her face, and stained Kairi’s hair as Camilla held onto her. “Promise me,” she said, “That you’ll come back.” Kairi smiled at her mother’s words. “I promise, I will.” She said. But Camilla wouldn’t end it at that, continuing to hold tightly to her daughter, she asked of her once again, “Promise me, that you’llbecome the strongest there ever was.” She said. “Promise me, that no matter what happens, you make sure that no one can ever hurt you. Because I can’t protect you anymore, Kairi. So just promise me, that no matter what happens, you’ll keep yourself safe…!” Kairi barely managed to fight off her own tears, as she burrowed further into her mother’s warm embrace. “I promise.” _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kairi cautiously stepped around the various rocks and tree roots that dotted the side of the Island’s mountain, still making sure that shemanaged to keep up with Riku. While her delicate and casual shoes weren’t really made for something like this, she knew that given the majority of her wardrobe, she really didn’t have much of a choice. Just to be sure of Riku’s words one last time before it was too late to turn back, Kairi called out, “Are you sure that I won’t need anything else?” she asked, “I mean, no extra pairs of clothes or anything?” Before leaving her house back at the Island’s central hub, the only preparation Kairi had done was changing out of her night-wear and into something a bit more casual and standard. While she didn’t think it was particularly “battle-ready”, her everyday pink over-dress was really the only thing that came to mind. Riku looked back at her and replied, “No, I’m pretty sure that everything you need will be provided for once we get to the tower.” He said. Kairi nodded at his words, still a bit curious as to exactly how long she would be off the Islands for, but was willing to let it go for the moment. As they passed into clear view of the Island behind them, Kairi took a moment to glance back at the Island’s small central hub, and only then noticed that the mainland’s general populace had finally begun to wake up. After taking one last look at the Islands before she finally left, Kairi turned her gaze back towards Riku and let loose a brief sprint in order to further close the gap between them. Once she was following straight behind, she decided to ask Riku the obvious question that had been plaguing her mind, “So, how far away is it?” Barely taking a moment to look back at his acquaintance, Riku swiftly replied, “Like I said, I had to land it on practically the other side of the Island so that I didn’t risk garnering any unwanted attention.” He said. “Luckily, I know my way around this mountain pretty well, so I was able to pick the shortest path from the Gummi Ship to the actual town. If we hurry, we should probably make it there just a bit before mid-day.” While Kairi knew she should have been at least a little bit annoyed at the brisk walk that lay before them, she was too giddy with anticipation to really even care. And besides, she liked going for a walk. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Camilla glanced at the receding image of her daughter and Knoll’s son, as they walked along the rugged mountain side. It was still hardfor her to watch Kairi walk away like that, but she was confident that this is what was best for them both. They had already said their goodbyes before she had left, but even though Camilla objected, Kairi hadn’t taken anything with her. Riku said that she probably wouldn’t need any utilities from her home on the Islands, and Camilla was willing to trust his word. Taking one last glance at her daughter’s retreating back, Camilla turned and walked over to the front of her house. There Knoll stood, looking up at the sky in his usual penchant of deep thought. Camilla smiled at him, and said, “Thank you for everything, Knoll. If it wasn’t for you, we probably wouldn’t have solved anything.” She said. “But I want to know something before you go, what made you decide to come up here?” She asked. Knoll sighed, and cast his gaze downward. With a light smile, he said, “I just had a feeling that you were too stubborn to be convinced otherwise.” Camilla let loose a slight giggle at her friend’s words. “Well then,” she said, “thank you for thinking like that, I suppose.” And with that, Camilla turned and walked back into her home, ready to face the rest of the day as the Island’s Mayor. Knoll glanced back up at the sky, his thoughts flowing away from him. “Martha,” he muttered, “if you could see him now, you would be sohappy with how your child has grown, and you’d be so happy with the friends he’s found…” His light smile faded. “But I still can’t shake this horrible feeling,” he thought, “it almost feels as though…” “The sky is about to fall…” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Whew boy. I've gotta say, I commend you if you actually made it through all that. Believe me, I especially can understand how long this one was. But that's the weird part, this chapter didn't take me 4 months because of how long it was. No, about 10,000 words of this was written within the past week or so. You see, it took this long because like I said before, I was lacking motivation. The central cause for this problem was, I think, the fact that I was just trying too hard. For about 3 months, I was hesitant to write because I felt like no one would like whatever I put down. I put everyone else's opinion before my own, and I ended up losing my drive to write. But eventually, I just ended up saying "screw it". I realized that the quality I was so worried about achieving would never come to me if I just kept worrying about it. The only way I could improve was if I got someone else's honest opinion on it, so I just started writing. And it worked. That was the Thursday before last one, so I clearly was hyping it up way more than was necessary. So I think I've finally broken out of my writer's rut, and now I'm ready to continue work on the story. But that doesn't mean I'm not still looking to improve. Now I want to here from you guys, the people reading this story. I'm not asking for you to just say you like it, because while that's appreciated, it's not really what I'm looking for here. Instead, I'm asking you to just take a moment and think back on what you read. What parts didn't feel right? Do you feel as though the character's were portrayed realistically? Is there anything you didn't agree with, and if so, what do you feel should have been one better? As you can see, I'm not really looking for problems with grammar or syntax anymore (although if you spot those issues, feel free to point them out!), rather, I'm more looking for problems with the characters, story, dialogue, and things of the sort. If you take up any issue with these factors, then I encourage you to say so. I encourage any negative feedback if you have it, so please don't hesitate. P.S Yeah, I know I said that there wouldn't be OCs in this story bluh bluh I'm sorry. But I'm not entirely in the wrong here, you see. I said there wouldn't be any MAJOR OCs. These two, while serving fairly important roles in the chapter itself, probably won't be returning for a LONG time. And by long time, I mean practically never again in the entire story. Maybe they'll show up now and again at few and far between moments later on, but for right now I have no intentions of utilizing them regularly. So, there.

You need to start asking yourself why you're writing this in the first place. If you're doing it to just to please others or earn their approval, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Because no matter what you do, you'll eventually start losing motivation. Instead of simply growing complacent with what people do or don't say about your story, ask them to criticize it. If you want to make your story the best that it could be, then find out what people see wrong with it and strive to improve those factors. Don't just give up; trust me, we all have moments when we lose motivation for one reason or the other. Try to find that reason, and ask yourself why you feel that way.

Maybe it's Nomura's subliminal way of telling us he thinks Sora is a boring character. I don't know.

I think you have an interesting idea here, but there's definitely some room for improvement in the writing itself.To start with, I personally think you should have better established where exactly X was in the very beginning. I can understand if you were attempting to go for a bit of a mysterious or intriguing approach with that, but I can only understand to a certain degree. To be perfectly honest, refusing to set the scene where the very introduction takes place makes a lot of it really hard to envision and follow. Thankfully, you at least gave us some clarity a little further down the line, but I still think you could have done it earlier and with a bit more detail. There are also a few spots in the story where I noticed something, a few instances where the words used felt a bit off. For example, the opening line:"Thirteen versions of myself...restless souls that have been ruined ultimately by the most past version of me." I feel as though could have used a little bit of work, perhaps change "ultimately" to "completely"? I'm not entirely sure about this one though, because I read it through a few more times and it seemed to be fine after that. It was just the first instance reading it through that I felt like it kind of ruined the pace of the sentence, but maybe I'm just nit-picking with that one. I also feel as though you could offer more context with the character's speaking to each-other, because the conversations felt a little barren in this one. Instead of just typing down a sentence of dialogue and then moving on, try capping off that dialogue or interrupting it with a fleeting description of how the character's are feeling or how they're saying what they are. For example: Before: "Oh, nothing, it's just...I'm a little lost. Can you please do me a favor and tell me where we are?" After: "Oh, nothing," X started hesitantly, "it's just...I'm a little lost." He said. "Can you please do me a favor and tell me where we are?" Just something to think about if you feel like it. Just a bit of a heads up though, try not to go overboard with the descriptions. Keep them as sparse and brief as you can when they're involved with dialogue sequences, as you want those cases to be as flowing as possible. It could really break a reader's sense of immersion in the conversation if you're constantly interrupting the dialogue with overly-frequent and long, drawn out definitions of what the characters are doing. At the most, I think they should be used whenever a new character is talking in a sequence of dialogue among more than two people. Just experiment for a little bit, and try to find a happy balance. Other than that, I don't see much else that's particularly wrong here. You don't seem to have any problems with grammar, and the pacing seems to be fairly on-track and reasonably done. Like I said before, I like the idea of presenting Xehanort, or at least one of his vessels, in a sympathetic light, so I definitely think this is something you should try and continue. Hope this helps, Mancer

A training montage played to "Hearts on Fire". I think I would have actually payed to see something like that.

Honestly, just look at those three. They know they're beautiful. Other than that, nothing really new or exciting, besides the obvious graphical update.

Get ready for some Majora's Mask style moon combat.

Good god, nothing in this series is explained well enough in the ACTUAL games! One possibility is that Braig actually did lose the part of Xehanort's heart when he was stabbed with the Keyblade, but was later "re-possesed" somehow by Xehanort with time-travel shenanigans or something of the sort. A more likely explanation is that Xehanort's possession is more deep-rooted then we know, and is not specifically confined by the heart alone. If this was true, then it would make sense for Xehanort's influence to remain after Braig had lost his heart. Or it could just be some asinine plot point that will be addressed in Kingdom Hearts III. Have I ever mentioned how much is riding on that game?

In my opinion, Sora needs to grow up, and actually spend more time getting to know Kairi. Right now, I'm not buying their relationship at all. All we've seen so far is them talking to each-other, with no context as to why they should like one-another at all. Yes, we know they're friends, but we don't know why they are or how they've grown so close as the game TELLS us they are. This is the problem with the relationship for me, I just can't accept it because these characters aren't giving me any reason as to why they should be together. I want to see them end up with one-another, but I want to see it done right, and I want to see it done convincingly.

Ansem stated at the end of Birth By Sleep that it had been a year or more since he had seen Sora, the last time being at the end of Kingdom Hearts II. Since Sora was 15 at the end of that game, he's either 16 or older by the time of Kingdom Hearts 3D. It's assumed that Kingdom Hearts III will take place right after 3D, so his age will be more or less the same in that game.

My heart stopped.

Jeez; for a second there, I thought you were asking whether I would chose between either an Xbox One or a PS4 to play Kingdom Hearts III. For future reference, never ask that question.