“An empty world, pure and bright.” 

Xehanort's words had been replaying over and over in Sora’s head. That fight had been so difficult, the old master was so determined to complete his goal. For his plan using Kingdom Hearts to work. 

And for what? To start the worlds over? Why? Sora pulled his knee up to rest his chin and sighed. 

“Can’t sleep?” Sora jumped at the voice. Turning toward the newcomer. Riku walked down the last of the stairs and sat on the ledge there next to him. 

“Mm, yea. Just thinking.” He returned to his position with his chin on his knee, looking over the town, as he answered the other boy's question. 

Riku didn’t respond for a moment and when he did, his voice sounded different, hesitant. “You- wanna talk about it?”

“I’m- confused?” he started. Truthfully, Sora wasn’t sure how he was feeling. They defeated the organization. Defeated Xehanort. The threat to the worlds was gone and all his friends were safe, but is it really over? “During our fight, Master Xehanort was saying some things. Talking about his plan and everything. So much of it just doesn’t make sense.” 

“How so? Did he say what he wanted to use Kingdom Hearts for?” Riku was looking at him now, but Sora still looked straight ahead. Gaze trailing upwards to the starry sky. 

“I didn’t catch everything. Heat of battle, you know.” he sighed again. “But, I did ask him what would happen. He said, a lot of stuff then, ‘from the darkness, came light. From the light, came people, evil coming from people's hearts creating more darkness.’” he hoped he remembered right. “Then he said Kingdom Heart’s light would start the worlds over. ‘An empty world, pure and bright.’ he said.” 

“He wanted the worlds to start over?” Riku asked, incredulous.

“That’s what he said.” Sora turned toward his friend then. 

“But that would..” Riku started, his brows furrowed. He was clearly confused too, Sora was surprised at how comforting it was. To know that it wasn’t just him. “That is confusing.” Riku said then, looking Sora in the eyes with a small smile on his face. 

“Yea.” Sora smiled back at him before he continued. “He said something after that too. That the worlds need a leader. To stop people from creating more darkness or something. Everything he said during that battle was just the opposite of everything he’d said before.” he shook his head, frustrated. “It’s just. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“Hmmm this is really confusing. We probably should let the others know.” he said. “But you know what else I think?” Riku asked, catching Sora’s eye, who shook his head. “I think that there’s nothing we can really do about it. Master Xehanort is gone, you defeated him and you have the X-blade now too. So we shouldn’t let it bother us too much.”

“Mmm, you’re right.” Sora released his knee, letting his legs dangle off the ledge over the garden. “We shouldn’t ignore it, of course. Probably a good idea to tell the others.”

“Yea. so we’ll have the information if he ever comes back.” Riku said. Then chuckled to himself.

“What is it?” Sora asked.

“Just, I can’t believe that kid we met last night is actually Master Xehanort.” 

Sora laughed with him then. “Heh, he wasn’t anything like I expected! We’ve even met that young time traveling Xehanort before. They’re like completely different people.”

“So different.” Riku agreed. “The kid last night, aside from being suspicious of us. Which he has a right to be. But aside from that, he was so happy.”

“He really was. And you could tell he cared about his friends.”

“Yea.”

“Speaking of…,” Sora realized. 

“Master Yen Sid!” they both said at the same time before bursting into laughter.  

“Is he younger than them?” Sora asks through his laughs, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Maybe? He’s so TINY” 

“To you maybe, you giant! He’s only a little shorter than me.”

“I can’t help my height!” Riku argued playfully, ruffling Sora’s hair, pulling an unwitting laugh out of him even as he protested. The familiar gesture warmed his heart with memories of the times he and Riku would roughhouse like this before they left the islands. Before everything. 

“I hope they’re okay.” Sora said when he calmed his laughter. They’d been informed earlier that the Masters had gone missing. Probably were warped off-world with the help of something called a ‘star-shard’ that Mickey talked about. 

“Me too, but we’ll find them.” Riku assured.Terra and Ventus had already started the search. Using their gliders to travel to worlds they’d been to before. Aqua had to stay behind though, seems her armor is missing. 

“Yea, one more journey!”

“Hah! Right.” they both chuckle. 

“Hehe~. Why am I not surprised to find you two out here.” A soft voice came from behind them with a sweet laugh. The two boys turn to her. 

“Namine!” Sora said, smiling wide as he stood to face her.

“You feel alright?” Riku asked, She’d been so exhausted earlier that afternoon that she had been asleep all evening. 

“Mmhmm. I’m fine. Thank you.” 

“That’s good.” Sora smiled. 

“Hehe, I just couldn’t sleep anymore, so I wanted to stretch my legs.” she moved to the ledge where they had been sitting and took her own place there. “Hope you don’t mind if I join you.” she said. 

“Not at all.” Riku said, Sora shaking his head too as he sat back down on her other side. The night air was cool and refreshing after spending nearly all day in the castle. 

“Oh, Namine!” Sora shifted his body so he could face her as much as possible. And with all the sincerity he could muster, he said, “Thank you.”

Namine’s eyes widened then, her expression of surprise slowly transforming into a watery smile. “You’re welcome, Sora.” her voice was soft, almost broken as she raised a hand to wipe her eyes. 

On the other side of them, Riku watched this exchange with a small smile of his own. 

“Why am I crying?” 

“I didn’t mean to make you cry! I’m sorry.” Sora sounded almost panicked, Riku chuckling at his reaction.

“It’s okay, Namine.” She turned to look at him. And he smiled at her. “Tears are just the natural way our bodies deal with excess emotions.” 

“Really?’

“Oh yea!” Sora said. “You can be super happy and cry. It doesn't always mean you’re sad.”

“Exactly.”

They sat together after that, sharing pleasant conversation. Namine pointing out the different colored flowers in the garden below them. And all three of them making up constellations in the stars they could see. 

A sudden breeze picked up and Namine began to shiver, her small dress doing nothing to stop the chill.

“Think it’s time to head back.” Riku said, removing his jacket as he stood and laying it across her shoulders. 

“Thank you.” she said holding the warm article closed with one hand while taking Sora’s offered hand in the other to help her stand. Together they all began climbing the stairs back up to the castle. 

“Heh, that looks cute on you.” Sora commented Namine from behind him, prompting Riku to look back at her. His jacket was obviously too big, falling down nearly to her knees. She could probably wear it as a dress. And yes, he agreed it was cute. But the comment also reminded him of something else as they reached the top of the stairs. 

“Heh, thanks.” she said, smiling. 

They made it back into the warmth of the castle and headed up to the guest rooms. Sora reaching his first and wishing them both goodnight with a smile and a yawn. Riku wondered how late it actually was. They hadn’t been keeping track. 

Namine returned Riku’s Jacket as they walked, thanking him again. 

Riku fished in his pocket for something, stopping Namine once he found it. “Namine, here. He offered the object. A light blue pouch he’d been keeping for her. “Kairi mentioned taking you shopping tomorrow, right? This is for you.” 

She took the pouch, confusion on her face before she opened the drawstrings. Then surprise taking over her features. “Oh Riku! I can’t accept this..” she said. 

In the pouch was a couple thousand munny. “You can. It’s a gift.” He smiled at her. “There’s a new craft store in the market here, I want you to get anything you like.”

“But!”

“Take it.”

Namine sighed. “There’s no changing your mind, is there?” 

“Nope.”

“Okay.” she conceded. “Thank you.”

He smiled again. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Riku.”