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[ Riku disappears first. Vanished in her sleep, in the middle of the night, collapsing in on herself in a shimmer of starlights. This isn't like last time. No warnings, no chances to say goodbye, no hesitation or resistance. She just isn't there.
Lea goes minutes after Riku, in the same way. But she's awake, lounging on her couch, having a conversation as she flips through her phone. Here and then gone, like a flame. This isn't the first time either of them have gone home, but it's the first time it's so abrupt. At least it isn't death. The last time Riku went home was seven years ago. She was gone for a month, and she came back with shorter hair and the Mark of Mastery. The last time Lea went home, no one really noticed. She thought she was used to it by now.
Things are different this time. Disorienting. Lea meets Kai in the training, for real this time. Riku has her memories, or at least most of them. They're hazy, dreamlike, but real. She has them all. She remembers how old she really is and how long she's been gone. She remembers everyone she cares about, and everyone that won't change here. She keeps her ice magic and takes what she's learned here to use there. But time is fluid. She doesn't feel like she's been gone for seven years.
Lea's are gone, for now. She lives everything new and fresh, with the dressing room appearing only in dreams vivid enough to unsettle her.
Things aren't the same for every world.
Things go better than expected.
The core story is the same. The heroes rescue the ones that need it, they bring everyone back, they defeat the darkness, and they go home. How and when and who — these things vary, but they do it all together and they go home together. And then their story is over, at least for now, and they come back.
Unlike how they went out, Lea and Riku reappear together on the beach. Coming back is just as disorienting, and neither has their phone, so they get their bearings and confirm memories with each other, of the dressing room and of home, and then separate to find their friends.
They've been gone two months. ]
Lea goes minutes after Riku, in the same way. But she's awake, lounging on her couch, having a conversation as she flips through her phone. Here and then gone, like a flame. This isn't the first time either of them have gone home, but it's the first time it's so abrupt. At least it isn't death. The last time Riku went home was seven years ago. She was gone for a month, and she came back with shorter hair and the Mark of Mastery. The last time Lea went home, no one really noticed. She thought she was used to it by now.
Things are different this time. Disorienting. Lea meets Kai in the training, for real this time. Riku has her memories, or at least most of them. They're hazy, dreamlike, but real. She has them all. She remembers how old she really is and how long she's been gone. She remembers everyone she cares about, and everyone that won't change here. She keeps her ice magic and takes what she's learned here to use there. But time is fluid. She doesn't feel like she's been gone for seven years.
Lea's are gone, for now. She lives everything new and fresh, with the dressing room appearing only in dreams vivid enough to unsettle her.
Things aren't the same for every world.
Things go better than expected.
The core story is the same. The heroes rescue the ones that need it, they bring everyone back, they defeat the darkness, and they go home. How and when and who — these things vary, but they do it all together and they go home together. And then their story is over, at least for now, and they come back.
Unlike how they went out, Lea and Riku reappear together on the beach. Coming back is just as disorienting, and neither has their phone, so they get their bearings and confirm memories with each other, of the dressing room and of home, and then separate to find their friends.
They've been gone two months. ]

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[how about that not-first kiss that absolutely happened again while Lea was there, because Isa is nothing if not predictable. >3> ugh, she's missed Lea so much, just being close to her like this. Axel was nice but he's also a dumb boy.]
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[ She hates time shenanigans. Also she is not bringing that up
yet, good fucking luck. Also good luck getting her to stop being close any time soon. She's gonna be like one long house cat just on her lap the entire time. Longcat, if you will. ]Hey. You could've at least told me Nami got his own body, or Riku's dumb clone.
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[that's okay, she can do that. she's already pretty attached herself, with both arms around Lea's waist and her head on Lea's shoulder.]
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[ Okay no, she absolutely would have thought about Roxas immediately, whether she tried to or not. She's just mad that other people knew things she didn't know, okay. She's staring hard at Isa now, and is a huge mix of emotions. She's irritable and sad and relieved and stressed and it's all starting to fade out. That's it, you know: it either fades out fast like this or it blows up and consumes her for a while. She needs to really accept that there's nothing she can do now, but it's hard.
But also she's still adjusting to everything. ]
They don't deserve this place.
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[a moment, while she goes through and discards various things she could say that might or might not help, then: ]
I'm sorry you didn't get more time with them. It's not fair.
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[ But when is her life fair? Haha. ]
... I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here.
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[Isa's waiting for a more complete meltdown to happen at any moment. she can only imagine how Lea feels, but it's almost certainly awful and more crying can really only help at this point.]
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[ Nope. We're gonna bottle this up nice and tight and then explode at a minor reminder later. She'll be eating ice cream and it'll all hit her really hard, or something. She's struggling with it now, and trying to tell herself that it's better this way. If she has to come here, so be it. Isa's here, they have each other. ]
Isa?
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[here it comes, either tears or makeouts, possibly both. (both would be fine, and understandable.) at least Isa hasn't really been around here enough while everyone was gone to deplete the ice cream supply; they'll need it later, along with hydration.]
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Thank you. For everything that you did. For me, for Roxas, everyone else. And I'm so— so sorry.
[ Okay so it's not full-on tears, but she is choking up a little as she forces herself through this.]
You're my best friend. I never should've let you go through all of that alone. I think I did this already when you came back—
[ But honestly she was also a mess when Isa came back, and stayed in Radiant Garden to wait until she did. ]
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Even if I hadn't come back it would've been worth it to know you had them back. I should've just left with you, but...
[but it was too late. but despite her hatred, she was still bound to Xehanort through Xemnas. but she didn't think she'd be welcome, at that point. but she'd single-handedly trashed their friendship and burned the bridge Lea left over. but she fucked up and didn't really deserve any of what she's gotten since recompleting. there aren't words to explain the complexity of her emotions right now, and how if anything she should be thanking Lea for helping shape those two kids into the sorts of people who would stand up to Xemnas and Xehanort and help save the universe. there's a slight tremor running through her, almost like a shiver, and she has to squeeze her eyes shut to contain it all, because that's what she does.]
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[ She's going to hug her again, tightly, probably with Isa's face crushed into her collar bone or something. Losing her permanently would have been too big a price to pay. She's already done it. ]
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She still doesn't know what to say, and is mad at herself for wishing the kids had come with her so they could all be the happy family they deserve, when Roxas and Xion don't deserve to deal with the dressing room. She just hopes the kids have to miss them. ]
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It's selfish, but I wish they'd come with you, then everyone everywhere could be happy.
[there, she said it so Lea doesn't have to. at least they have each other, here. they'll adjust, it'll just take time and lots of crying.]
don't* have to wtf
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Nerd.
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[ She's thinking about the kiss (kissing?) back home now, and slightly pink but she looks relaxed and casual otherwise so it's easy to miss if you're not looking at her face. ]
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[she loev u, Lea. this slow buildup is good, though, Lea's new to stuff like kissing girls, and Isa's... extremely out of practice. /uh.
not that this is anything like that, and they'll probably end up talking about that eventually, butfor now Lea's getting a pat on the knee to move her noodle legs.]no subject
Do we have any milk?
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[they... do! the DR has apparently kept their fridge stocked even though she hasn't been here very much, and doesn't drink milk by itself anyway. she comes back to the couch with a water bottle for herself, a glass of milk for Lea, and a box of saltines tucked under her arm. everything gets set down when she comes back, though, so she can sit down and drape herself over Lea.]
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welcome to kate's emporium of text walls and angsty symbolism
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