At least I have some!

The whole Keyblade Graveyard was still in such disarray, but between helping his ancient companions adjust to the new timeline and preparing for the next phase of their Master's plan, Xigbar just had not had the time to come back and clean up the mess. After so many ages, he almost did consider himself to be the keeper of the Keyblade Graveyard. Trying to pick up and replace every single Keyblade by hand would be a waste of time and energy, Xigbar was just considering summoning No Name to reposition them all at once. However, before he could turn thought into action, a voice called out over the wasteland. Xigbar glanced up and recognized either Ventus or Roxas approaching. It was hard to tell from a distance but as the boy got closer it was very obviously Ventus.

"Cleaning up? Why bother?" The boy scoffed, blue eyes narrowing as he picked up the keyblade. Ventus hated this place. It was a place that had only ever brought pain, both to him, and his friends. Everything had begun and ended there. "Everyone would be better off if this place was just forgotten about."

Xehanort was gone, but how long before someone else took his place? How long before this place became another battlefield? Another graveyard? What if next time, there was nobody around to save the day? They had failed the first time around, after all. They were just lucky that Xehanort's plan hadn't entirely succeeded. The X-blade born from his fight with Vanitas hadn't been complete.

Chucky heard the others question after being picked up from where he sat. He needed to play like he was the Good Guy doll so he blinked after hearing his words and spoke with his usual little kid voice that came with being this doll.

“Hi, I’m Chucky and I’m your friend til the end. Hidey-ho. Ha ha ha.”

This kid seemed to have a lot on his mind, a sadness to him. That was always something Chucky could actually work with. Corruption was on his brain, but right now he needed to make sure that he was in a good spot before actually showing his true colors.

"A friend 'til the end, huh? Sounds nice." He'd always thought that Terra and Aqua fell into that category. The Wayfinder he carried with them was supposed to be proof of their bond. An unbreakable connection. No amount of distance could drive them apart. Now though? Ventus wasn't so sure. The two of them just kept leaving him behind.

He let out a soft sigh before shaking the thought out of his head. They were still his friends. Nothing would change that. They just...had things they needed to do. He didn't want to hold them back. He needed to start doing things on his own. That was the only way he'd prove himself worthy of being their equal – of being a Keyblade Master one day.

They don’t remember your muse, nor who they are. They can’t recall what happened, what’s their favorite meal or special abilities that they have (if they have any).

How you’re muse will help them to remember? Or maybe they will use it as an opportunity to get benefit from my muse? Watch my muse discovering themselves and the world anew.

Now that the Organization had been disbanded and Xehanort thwarted, there was no reason for them to fight anymore. They were actually on good terms with quite a few former members now.

"I'm glad though...that you're your own person now."

“Oh, I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!"

"Of course I love you."

"I knew I could count on you."

"I'll always be here for you."

"Is that my shirt?"

"You smell nice."

"You look beautiful / handsome."

"You're an idiot ... but you are my idiot and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I could do this on my own but I don't want to. I want you right by my side every step of the way."

"You make me so happy."

"You're my favorite person."

"Thank you for telling me. That means a lot to me."

"I trust you."

"If you’re mine, you need to understand I will burn the fucking world to the ground for you."

"Come join me in bed. Its so cold without you here with me."

"I brought you breakfast in bed. I hope you like your eggs scrambled."

"You're just the person I wanted to see."

"I love you."

"Of all the people in the world, I'm glad its you I'm doing life with."

"You're so cute."

When Ven started to speak , Riku pulled his eyes away from the steadily beating water to look at him . He didn't say anything , [ [ a t f i r s t ] ] . Instead , he chose to listen to the words that the other way saying . While he'd never admit it out loud , those words hit somewhere he'd rather not think about .

" -- You can can call it your home . This place needs more people . "

His laugh followed those words , but it was dry . Even he had to [ [ a d m i t ] ] that this place wasn't the same without Sora . It felt empty , less bright ; but , it seemed to be something that only he noticed . Riku did think Kairi noticed , and maybe that was true -- one day they would actually [ [ t a l k ] ] about those sorts of things .

Riku paused his thoughts for a moment to look down at his hand . He clenched and released his fist as if he was that same five - year - old kid on the beach all those years ago holding that keyblade that Terra let him hold .

" . . . Years ago , when I met Terra , I told him I wanted to have the strength to protect what mattered . " He drew his right knee into his chest , using it to prop up his right elbow while his eyes drifted back to the water .

" -- I got there . Eventually . "

Frankly , there were other bits too as it was [ [ n o t ] ] that simple . He made the other promise to find his way back to Terra . It only took twelve years , but he got there . After a moment of silence , Riku decided to speak again .

" He's a good mentor , and a strong leader . I'm glad he chose me to follow in his footsteps . " I won't let him down .

He'd been his second chance – one that Ventus was determined not to waste.

He'd always been so selfless, putting just about everyone before himself, and now he was gone. No...not gone. Gone meant that he might not come back. What Sora was was lost and that meant that he could be found again. Ventus felt that deep within his heart. Then they could have a real celebration. All of them.

"That's a good reason, you know? To want to be strong." Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, he offered a small smile. "Terra and Aqua don't need me to protect them, but I've always wanted to be strong enough to stand by their side...strong enough that they don't feel like they have to worry about me."

In some ways, Ventus had achieved that – he'd proved himself capable of fighting by their side – but at the same time, they were always going to worry about him. They were family, after all.

| worker |

“Sooo, ya just hit a ball, people watch you, and then they throw munny at'cha?”

To be honest, some of the more random goings-on during that whole First (or should he call it Fake, perhaps?) Organization stint had actually flown under Xigbar’s radar---but this one in particular, he’d sort of wished he would have glimpsed, simply because of how damn ridiculous it was.

Good thing he was around now for a front row seat.

Ventus hadn't really put much thought into it before but he supposed it was a bit of a weird concept. It certainly wasn't the most conventional way of earning munny, but there weren't too many jobs willing to hire a teenager, and being a keyblade wielder didn't exactly pay well.

"Besides, it's pretty fun."

The rules of the game were pretty simple – keep the ball in the air for as long as possible – but it actually required some level of skill to perform well. His training had probably helped, but he'd gotten pretty good.

"So, you're finally awake."

"Good of you to join us."

"They don't know you're awake yet. Stay down."

"Oh my god. [Name]? Hi, [name]?"

"Get up. Now."

"I'm not leaving you here. GET UP."

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

"Sleep okay?"

"You know there are, like, actual beds here. You didn't have to take the floor."

"Relax. Nothing happened."

"Thirsty?"

"Can you hear me?"

"How'd you sleep?"

"You absolute fucking idiot."

"How could you be so stupid?"

"You were pretty out of it."

"Relax. We're safe here."

"We're not there yet. Go back to sleep."

"We're about halfway."

"You're on next watch."

"Up and at 'em. We have activity."