Chapter Text
Reunion
“This part of the castle is still off limits,” Leon was saying, pointing at a set of blueprints.
You, along with the rest of the Restoration Committee, had all been poring over the diagrams for some time. Every time you thought you’d be done with something, one step closer to the end, something else came up. First it had been Heartless reappearing in the town, then it had been the defense system going haywire and attacking indiscriminately. Now, it was leftover thorns and brambles from Maleficent’s magic that none of you had been able to get rid of.
Everybody’s expressions were weary, and Leon looked about ready to pull all of his hair out. Radiant Garden was yours again, and everything was moving forward in leaps and bounds, but it still felt like the pall of Darkness lingered over everything. You supposed it quite literally did, with Maleficent’s impenetrable thorns blocking part of the basement.
The doorway to the basement area had been hidden, and Ansem the Wise had seemed full of shame to reveal it to you. Ansem himself had been unable to traverse the stairs downwards, but assured the Restoration Committee and his newly reformed apprentices that he had nothing left to hide. He advised that, though he had nothing left hidden down there, he couldn’t speak for Xehanort, so you should tread with caution. Weapons drawn, you, Leon, and Yuffie had walked down the long stairway and begun investigating — only to find that they couldn’t get very far before encountering the indestructible thorns that could only belong to one dark fairy.
Now, Leon was pointing out where you could no longer go unless there was some sort of emergency. Nobody wanted to think about what the lingering thorns could mean, though it was hard to think about anything but.
“At least until we figure out some way to get rid of that mess.”
The brunet leaned back from the table, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so.
“Maybe we should all rest,” Aerith said in her soft way that somehow left no room for argument.
Before anybody could respond, a knock came at the door, drawing everybody’s attention. You looked up at the door as it opened to see Even stepping in. All of you were at least somewhat familiar with each other, having grown up in the same small town your whole lives, but you’d gotten to know him much better while working on the restoration of Radiant Garden.
“Forgive the intrusion,” he said, managing to somehow sound not apologetic at all, even though you knew he meant the words. “But there is a… new recruit who wishes to lend his assistance.”
You exchanged surprised looks with the rest of the Committee.
“New recruit?” Yuffie echoed.
“Send him in,” Leon said.
You looked back at the door, your curiosity growing and racking your brain for who it could possibly be. Nothing could have prepared you for the familiar face that walked through the door. Your eyes widened, hand instinctively coming up to cover your mouth as you gasped. He was taller, hair much longer, and an angry looking “x” shaped scar crossed his face now, but it was still a face as familiar to you as your own. It felt as though your stomach had jumped into your throat as Even spoke again.
“This is—”
“ Isa ,” you breathed.
Suddenly all eyes were on you, including his turquoise ones as they flashed with recognition.
“Y/N…”
He looked just as surprised to see you there as you were to see him.
For a moment the others in the room looked between the two of you in silence, and then Yuffie piped up.
“What? You two know each other?”
Her words broke the trance and you looked away, cheeks growing hot at your reaction to his sudden appearance.
“Yeah.”
There was a brief moment of blessed silence.
“Ohhhhh, I get it! You—”
“Yuffie, we should go upstairs. Isn’t it your turn to patrol the town?”
“What? No, it’s not—”
“Aerith’s right. Let’s get going,” Leon agreed.
“But it’s not—”
“Then it’s settled!” Aerith clapped her hands together, before placing them on Yuffie’s shoulders and steering the protesting girl past Isa and through the doors.
“Don’t worry about anything. Consider yourself free for the rest of the night.” Leon rested his hand briefly on your shoulder before following the girls from the room.
“I should return to the lab as well. We’ve very nearly completed Namine’s replica.”
Without waiting for a response, Even turned and left. Leaving you alone with Isa for the first time in over ten years. Now that you’d gotten over your shock, you looked him over, noting the differences between this grown man and the boy you remembered. Aside from the obvious differences — the hair, the height, the fact that you were both much older — you could see in his eyes a sort of haunted weariness as he studied you as well.
“Isa… is it really you?”
He hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Yes, it’s me.”
Something about his demeanor caused your own hesitation to vanish. Suddenly, you were rushing forward, throwing your arms around him and squeezing tightly.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” you choked out, burying your head against his chest.
You couldn’t help the tears that came at how solid he felt against you, how you could feel his warmth and hear his heartbeat. When the world had fallen to darkness and then finally returned, you thought he’d been lost forever. You hadn’t seen him in Traverse Town, or Radiant Garden — until now.
The two of you hadn’t exactly been extremely close, but you remembered the looks shared between the two of you, the sweet, hesitant smiles he’d given you. Small bits of conversation underneath a blue sky studded with puffy white clouds, little remarks that didn’t mean anything, but said everything. You remembered more than anything the possibility , the promise that maybe the two of you could be more. And you remembered the grief when it seemed like that possibility had been snuffed out.
“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he said.
His words were nonsensical, what did he have to be sorry for? You shook your head against his chest.
“I’m just… so happy to see you again,” you admitted.
He paused again, waiting a long moment before his arms reached up to wrap around you in return. A short laugh escaped your mouth, disbelieving. This was real .
“I’m happy to see you too.”
His tone was complicated — an apparent mixture of disbelief, wonder, and complete sincerity. You pulled away just enough to look up at him, feeling your breath catch in your throat again, once more taking in the familiar features that had matured with time. He’d always made your heart skip a beat, but now there was something more to it, a desire forming inside of you. But that was silly, it had been so long. Was he even the same person anymore? You knew you’d changed since then.
“Where have you been, Isa?”
He was more uncertain than you had ever seen him and the sight was somehow endearing.
“It’s… a long story,” he said.
“I’ve got time.”
He looked into your eyes, scanning your face for something — your own uncertainty perhaps. But you just returned the gaze, arms still wrapped around him, and somehow not feeling self-conscious about it one bit.
Finally, he gave you a small smile, and then nodded.
“Alright. I’ll tell you everything.”