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Chapter Four: The Voice that Calls
Where was he?
It would be convenient to say that he was in the middle of no where, but of course, that didn’t make sense. He was somewhere. It was all just a matter of where that somewhere was. Strangely enough he felt as though he’d been here before. This feeling, that sensation of familiarity, was beginning to sound like a habit, or a broken record.
He was standing in the middle of a circular platform made entirely of glass; the glass platform seemed to be creating an image, of faces that once again struck the cord of familiarity, however Roxas couldn’t tell who or what they were from his position. Instead he looked around himself, at the surroundings, but to his dismay he saw nothing – just an endless blackness and not a speck of light glimmering through it. Roxas inched towards the edge of the platform and looked down; a chasm that went beyond, with darkness clouding the bottom – that is… if there was even a bottom.
Don’t… be afraid…
Roxas nearly fell off the platform in shock. He whirled around, searching for the source of the voice, but he could see none. He was all alone, just him and the shadows surrounding this circle.
“Who’s there?” he called. His voice was merely a distant echo, coming back to him.
Don’t fear the darkness… because within the darkness lies a shimmer of light…
Then there was a door. Roxas walked towards it, gazing at it up and down, wondering where it came from. Roxas looked around.
“Who are you?”
It was a while before the voice decided to speak again, and when it did, it replied:
You know who I am… I have been with you all along…I am that essence… that part of you which is bathed in light…
Roxas was left even more befuddled. What part of him was bathed in light? He wondered. He was a mere shadow… a shell… he couldn’t possibly be part of anything, neither the light nor the darkness… Roxas looked at the door, which was still left untouched, unopened. He reached out, curious, to open it and see.
The door is still shut… are you ready for it?
Roxas hesitated. What was beyond the door? He’d felt so sure of himself before, but now that the voice had spoken he was no longer confident.
Beyond this door lies the darkness…but behind the darkness… lies the true light…
Roxas took in a deep breath, reached forward to grab the handle and yanked it open. There was a flash, something whizzing through him so fast he couldn’t see, and he was sucked in, falling from the sky and towards the earth with a speed he’d experienced once before. When he reopened his eyes, he was quite sure he’d be dead, but to his surprise he was perfectly fine; he pulled himself to his feet and looked around. He noticed that he was in another platform, only there was a pathway that stretched all the way towards the heavens.
You’ve chosen the path of the Warrior… but whether you use this power to aid others or yourself… is up to you…
There was a spark of light that glowed between his fingers, a stroke of warmth enveloping his entire palm before it finally settled into form; the Keyblade was in his hand. Roxas had the grace to feel lost, but he looked up at the trail leading upward and felt the Keyblade give a voluntarily tug forward, as if telling him the answer towards the next clue.
Roxas, Keyblade in hand, started up the pathway when something up ahead caught his eye. There were pools of darkness with something white with threads spiraling from its side rising above them. Roxas immediately became alert – he knew all too well when Dusks were ready to take shape. The Dusks rose from the pools below their feet and began slithering their way towards him. In his hand, the Keyblade began jerking, trying to pull him forward to the nearing enemy.
There will be times when you must fight… but do not fear… for you hold the mightiest weapon of all…
Roxas swung the blade forward, swishing and slashing, his battle strokes like a paintbrush on paper; one by one the Dusks withered into bursts of blue light, becoming nothing as he went for another and then another and another. He rushed forward as he obliterated more Dusks in his path. He’d reached the end of the trail, which led to another door up ahead. Without waiting, without thinking, without even considering what warnings the voice might have had for him before he’d decided to enter, he pulled the handle forward and was sucked in by another flash.
Roxas awoken to another platform; he looked around, but there were no more paths for him to walk through, no more doors for him to be pulled in to.
He was alone.
If you still do not realize it… we are within the depths of your heart… the far corners that have been covered by the darkness… what you hold is the last vestige of the light you carry within you.
Roxas looked at the Keyblade.
However…do not be dismay… for small sizes can carry with them extraordinary potential…Just hold on to the light… and do not fear the shadows…
Roxas felt the platform beneath him begin to rumble; the Keyblade in his hand jerked, pulling him forward again. Then he saw it, massive blue ribbons swirling and a metal armor head appearing from the abyss below; the symbol of the Nobodies planted on its face. Roxas stood ground as the giant Dusk – the Twilight Thorn as he’d recognized its appearance – stood onto the platform, spotting him standing there.
Without warning, the Twilight Thorn lashed its giant tentacles, throwing him backwards. He felt the Keyblade being wrenched away from him. Roxas quickly gathered himself, held his hand forward and the Keyblade disappeared in a flash of light, appearing instantly in his outstretched hand just as another tentacle shot forward. He deflected the attack, rushing towards the giant Dusk, swinging the Keyblade and evading narrow attacks from the blue and white ribbons shooting forth from beneath its armor. He jumped high, directing his Keyblade toward its big metal head for a critical hit when the tentacles shot towards him, pulling him away before he could strike.
The Twilight Thorn watched him, as thought carefully inspecting him, then took out a slithering ribbon from its side which suddenly became like a jagged knife, poised to attack. The Twilight Thorn struck, the sharp ribbon shooting straight for him, but Roxas quickly threw the Keyblade, sending the attack swerving towards the metal head. The Twilight Thorn roared in agony, releasing Roxas from its grip. Roxas felt the Keyblade return to him again, and without a second thought he ran towards the giant Dusk, Keyblade held tight and ready to strike for the final blow.
The Dusk looked up and Roxas struck the Keyblade in its face. There was a pause as the Twilight Thorn went rigid and then a burst of light erupted; the Twilight Thorn jerked and shook violently before vanishing within the spark of blue light. Roxas felt himself being thrown back by the unexpected force of the explosion, reeling over the edge of the platform and into the darkness. He yelled out for the voice, anyone… anything… but there was no one.
Roxas shut his eyes tight, feeling the world around him close in. He was falling… falling… into darkness…
Do not forget: You are the one who will open the door to light…
Something… no someone was pulling him up again; their hands taking his and drawing him to his feet. Roxas tried to squirm through the dark, trying to find his way, but the hand didn’t let go and continued to yank him forward.
C’mon Roxas, let’s go…
Roxas peeked open his eyes, his vision blurry. He could make out an outline of someone up ahead, someone standing in the darkness. There was a giggle that tickled his ear as the person laughed at him, their hand still holding his.
You can do it… I know you can…Now, c’mon, get up… you still have a long way ahead of you…
Blue eyes… he saw blue eyes just as his vision finally settled, but he was already going back; his world enveloped in light. The hand, at long last, released his own, letting him get swept away.
We’ll meet again… I promise…
Roxas… Roxas… Roxas…
“ROXAS! Wake up!” Kairi was shaking him awake and yelling in his ear. Roxas’s blue eyes flew opened, wild, he grabbed for the nearest object beside him, forgetting that he possessed something far more menacing than a flower vase, and prepared for some kind of attack. But as he let his eyes fall he was unprepared to have Kairi’s face so close to his, their noses barely a meter apart and the scent of tropical fruits so tangible he could almost taste it… Whatever he’d been expecting, whether it be a Heartless or a Dusk… it hadn’t been this.
Realizing the minimum proximity between them, he let out a yelp, jerking backwards and falling face first onto the floor.
He rubbed his nose, not to mention his forehead, which were all victims of a very painful fall, before whirling around and giving Kairi a glare he’d hoped would make HER fall and see how it feels. However, he had to remember Kairi was a very evil person and could not be dissuaded by anything he’d mustered to intimidate her. Kairi giggled into her hand, thinking his fall, in her opinion, was really amusing.
Roxas shot her a look, telling her that his fall was not something to be made fun of. Kairi giggled again, and Roxas, with a heavy sigh of defeat, wondered why he even bothered. Last night, he couldn’t even began to process why he’d even considered coming back here – she had tortured him enough yesterday and he was rather confident that today would be no exception. But after last night, as they both stood by the beach with her watching that other island and him, well, watching her… he could not find it in him to say no when she’d asked.
However, he HAD refused to use her room as his sleeping quarters, and with an exasperated sigh out to the world she had agreed to let him sleep in the living room. He would have made a barrier around the perimeter if he knew she’d be waking him up so rudely.
“Breakfast is on the table,” she told him, pointing over at the other room connected to this. Roxas could smell the scent of bacon and eggs and his stomach respond to it immediately. Kairi grinned when she’d heard.
She was already dressed for school; her collared shirt rolled up on the sleeves, her skirt… he frowned… her skirt was entirely too short for what he’d call a suitable uniform dress code. Then again, as she walked around the room, with his eyes trailing after her, he realized that he really didn’t mind.
It did, however, make him more conscious of his own wear, which was not only lacking in the department but was probably equivalent as having one’s skirt too high above their knees. He had slept without a shirt on that night and the shorts he’d borrowed were barely zipped on right. He was just fixing them on properly when Kairi shouted from the doorway.
“Anyways, I’m off!” When Roxas looked, Kairi was slipping on her shoes. Then she looked at him and pointed at him warningly. In alarm, Roxas took a step back, thinking if he let her get this close to him and with a look like that on her face his nose and forehead wouldn’t be the only things suffering from pain. “If,” and she emphasized this with a well-meaning glare, “I find out that…that… you’ve blown up the house or something! I swear I’ll—“
“Kill me? Murder me in my sleep? What?” Roxas said, feeling insulted that she’d even accuse him of something so stupid, so juvenile, so unlike him!
“—lock you up in that pink room for the rest of your sorry life!” Kairi finished. Roxas had never thought his face could contort into so many different expressions before, and at lightning speed. He was…shock, angry, shock, terrified, shock…and… did he say shock? Kairi’s smile took on an air of someone who’d just won the multi-million dollar question.
Whatever Roxas had been expecting, it hadn’t been that. Needless to say, Kairi left the house grinning cheerfully while Roxas watched after her with something acute to ‘bloody murder’ written on the fine edges of his teeth as he scowled and clenched his jaw.
Girls, he thought as he shut the door and fell back on the couch, were pure evil. He couldn’t possibly fathom the lengths or the depths they’d go to just to get their message across, but he was beginning to understand that lengths and depths were definitely along the lines of ‘black mail’.
Roxas tried to get back to sleep, but he just couldn’t. He tossed a little, trying to shut the light out that was seeping in through those yellow curtains, but found that he was too awake now to finally ease back into the pillows and relax. Roxas groaned, pushed away the sheets and then made his way into the kitchen, where there was a plate filled with freshly cooked bacons and fried eggs sizzling on the table; beside it was a glass of milk and a bowl of cut up apples.
He ate in silence and then placed his empty utensils and plates into the sink. He looked at the fridge for a moment in mild curiosity and felt his lips quirk into a smirk. By the handle was a pink post-it note that said in bold, neat writing: DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! There was a doodle of an angry ‘I mean it’ face near the bottom, as though to stress the grave consequences that would follow if he should disobey.
And of course, naturally, Roxas violated that rule, and swung open the fridge door. There was another post-it not on one of the shelves, this one, bigger and bolder and ended with at least a hundred exclamation marks: I’M DEAD SERIOUS! The drawing of the face this time had not an angry pout but was now glaring and baring its teeth.
Roxas got the point.
He shut the fridge door, amused. Kairi was the strangest, most entertaining person he’d ever met. He didn’t think she’d ever cease to surprise him.
With that, he quickly changed into another pair of shorts and a new shirt and left the house, setting his trail towards town. When he arrived, he sat himself in the sand, his eyes gazing upward toward the sky. Just looking at it made him think of blue eyes – the ones he’d seen in his dreams just before Kairi woke him up.
What was that dream? He wondered. It was so strange, yet he couldn’t place where, or how for that matter, he had felt like he’d been there before. It would seem that Destiny Islands wasn’t the only place he felt a strong sense of familiarity towards. However, he could remember the feel of the darkness as he fell into its depths, strangling and keeping him hold while he fought for air. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he’d felt sore where that giant Dusk had whipped and thrown him. Was everything he’d dreamt about simply just that… a dream…? It had felt so real.
And… who had grabbed hold of him while he was fighting his way through the shadows? Someone had taken his hand and led him towards the light, their hands smooth and small over his own… Then there was that voice, which kept speaking to him, guiding him through and reassuring him that everything would be okay…
It had to be real… right?
Arriving to town was like arriving to a place where everyone new anything and everything about each other, their names, their families, etc… and when something foreign just suddenly walked in without say, the surprise shown clear on everybody’s faces. Roxas felt everyone’s eyes on him again, watching him carefully, whispering amongst themselves and pulling children along who were gaping and pointing.
Roxas didn’t know what possessed him to come here when it was apparent he wasn’t quite… welcomed, at least not by the town folks. He just felt… compelled to come here, was all. He couldn’t quite explain this either; it was like something was telling him he was supposed to be here. Trouble was… he didn’t have any clue why.
Roxas moved through the crowd, hands shoved in his pockets as he kept his eyes blatantly from the many stares and whispers he knew was going on around him. Then he felt it; that spark, that unmistakable atmosphere of something not quite right in the word… Roxas looked around, trying to find the source of this sensation, and when he saw it, he was not prepared for it at all.
There was someone standing near the centre of the crowd, watching him beneath a black hood cloak. And what was so intriguing about them is no one seemed to notice they were there; it was as though Roxas was the only person aware that there was a hidden presence amongst them. He felt someone collide right into him – it was a man, who was balding on the head and had a large belly; he gave Roxas an annoyed look.
“Watch where you’re going, you little—“
But Roxas wasn’t listening. His eyes flew back to cloaked figure, who had disappeared through the crowd and was making their way down the streets. Roxas panicked – if this was someone from the Organization…
He didn’t finish the thought. Roxas bolted from his place and ran straight down the street.
She just…couldn’t concentrate. She kept thinking about – and with this she proceeded to grit her teeth – Roxas and the fact that he was waltzing around her living room half-naked. She should have technically been horrified, if not disgusted, by the mere idea; he was a jerk after all… and while yes, he had his moments where he could be real sweet, like yesterday at the beach, she still should not be looking. What compelled him to pull her back like that anyway? What made him feel as though he should comfort her?
Kairi could still feel his fingers pressed against her skin and the way they were standing so close, his eyes bluer than they ever had been before… she had almost fooled herself into thinking it was really Sora who was the one holding her and not Roxas.
She sighed. She could not explain her mixed thoughts no more than she can understand them. She didn’t even know Roxas, let alone encompass half the things that were running through his head…trying to understand him was like trying to understand life, love, the world; it was complicated and downright confusing. You thought you knew something when in reality… you hadn’t learned a thing. Roxas was just someone who suddenly made an appearance into her life, making it go up and down, side-ways and in circles – like a rollercoaster ride.
However, when he had his back turned she would find herself, unwillingly, sneaking glances at him. Kairi pursed her lips together.
She was still convinced that by now Roxas had already burned down her entire house. She had left post-it notes stamped all across the kitchen for obvious reasons. But that didn’t clarify why she had this sinking feeling that not only was her house up in smoke but her fridge was also bare?
She watched as the teacher now drew a triangle on the board, with point A and point B on one end, indicating the distance between them and the angles; Point C was left blank, waiting for its final answer.
“Now, with the equation, can anyone please tell me the length and angle of Point C?” said the teacher. “Kairi?”
Kairi stared at her, puzzled, and then at the board, equally as puzzled. Again – just where in the world was she going to need this? The real world was not made of triangles and point A’s and Point B’s. The real world was in conflict, probably on the verge of destruction for all she – and the rest of this miserable class – knew. And there was someone, a person she loved and cared for deeply, out there fighting for its survival. Kairi knew that that was where the real Point C was, the length between her and Sora and the angle was the obstacles that lay there between them.
“Hey you – wha?” He blinked, suddenly very confused. There was no one there, the alleyway completely empty, save for a couple pieces of paper and empty pop bottles – otherwise nothing; zip, nil, zilch. “Where the hell—“
Something whizzed past him from behind. Roxas whirled around, Keyblade at the ready when… his expression dropped… he spotted a butterfly. It was fluttering near him, bright red and looked as though it was glowing – the weirdest looking butterfly he’d ever seen. Then again he was new to this island, so maybe all the butterflies looked this bizarre. But still… as Roxas peered closer to look for a second time he realized that this butterfly had only a single wing, the other just…not there. Roxas scratched the back of his head as the one-winged butterfly circled him, now rethinking about whether it was possible for a butterfly to exist with just one wing, and if he’d ever came across one like this during his time here before.
Again he came up with a blank. Roxas frowned. The butterfly didn’t look like it was having difficulty flying and was just… fluttering by him, like it was natural that it should be with only a single wing. As it hovered next to him, Roxas, with his free hand, reached out in curiosity, letting his fingers brush the very edges of its wing. It was as though at that one contact the butterfly suddenly understood, had ceased to circle him and instead landed at Roxas’s open palm.
Roxas watched in amazement as the butterfly’s red glow seemed to pulsate, its brilliance brighter, before it was moving again, only this time landing on the spot just below his left shoulder, that place within him he wished he had. Its one wing twitched and then the next second it had melded right into him, its glow disappearing entirely.
Roxas reacted quickly, his hand flying to that place the butterfly had become a part of. What the hell? He was still trying to decipher what it was that just happened. What was that?
He looked around, his world suddenly spinning and contorting into shapes he hardly recognized. Roxas placed a hand by the wall to steady himself, but found that he could not escape the black edges that were slowly swallowing his vision. Voices… he could hear voices again… their whispers getting louder and louder by the second. Roxas clutched his ears, trying to block out the noise but he couldn’t – his world continued to spill out of control, his vision slowly, and slowly still, becoming darker and darker…
The last he saw before he was consumed by darkness was someone walking over him, their face hidden by a big, black hood…
Roxas didn’t say anything, his eyes directed on that spot on the wall just above Xemnas’s head; however, he was fully aware that he was being watched. All around him were other Nobodies like him, each of them staring down from their high chairs as Xemnas anointed him. Some were looking at each other mutely, but they each shared the same look of puzzlement and growing defiance on their faces; others looked intrigued by his presence, saying nothing and stroking their chins, while the rest seemed to think it was all a big joke and were smirking.
They were all much older than he was, and perhaps it was that that they thought it was strange and foolish for Xemnas to be taking in such inexperience onto their team. Roxas stared at the ground, feeling doubtful now about his decision.
“What exactly can he do, Xemnas?” called out one. He sat on one of the much higher chairs in the dome. His hair was a bit fray, long and rose-colored; he was looking at Roxas with every bit of dislike.
A blonde woman beside him laughed. “Yeah, Xemnas, he looks likea shrimp to me,” she said, indicating at Roxas’s somewhat skinny frame. “Cute though,” she added with a grin.
“Too bad ‘cute’ ain’t gonna cut it at this joint,” said a muscular man gruffly.
“Ah, c’mon, give the kid a break,” said another man with a patch over his right eye and a jagged scar down the length of his left cheek; it was obvious from the way he kept smirking that he was one of those who thought the idea was comical.
However, Roxas wasn’t smiling at all, nor did he think it was funny that they’d all thought he was some big joke they could all baby and poke fun at. Roxas could not help but grit his teeth at the mere mention of the word ‘kid’. He was most certainly NOT a child – he may have been the youngest among all of them but that didn’t mean he was any less of an adult than they were.
“Oh, I know!” said a man, who had an unsual haircut; strands of brown hair stood on ends at the top of his head like a thick bush while some of the looser strands fell over his eyes and the sides of his face. He kept strumming his fingers at something, his feet tapping to a non-existent song only he could hear; Roxas thought he looked ridiculous doing it. “He can be our mascot – every Order has to have a mascot, don’t you think?”
The person beside him simply shook their head but didn’t say anything; his cool blue hair covered half of his face so that the most Roxas could make of him was his red eyes.
Well, it would seem like everyone in this room thought he was incapably of doing anything other than be a waste of their time, Roxas thought bitterly, glaring heatedly at the ground.
“Just face it, Xemnas,” said the fray-haired man, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. “The kid will only be a burden to us. He has to go.”
“Well, I think you’re wrong!” Roxas found himself saying.
Everybody went quiet and soon the whole court of Nobodies were all looking at him. Roxas took a step forward and pointed at the fray-haired man. “Fight me,” he said, highly aware that this man was ten hundred times his battle experience and could probably whip his ass in two seconds flat, but the source of rationality fleeted from his mind. All he could think about now was proving this man wrong, and restoring the last of his pride. “Fight me, and I’ll prove my worth.”
Xemnas smirked, thinking this was amusing. “Well, you heard him, Marluxia,” he said. “You wanted to know what he can do… so here’s your chance.”
Marluxia stared at Roxas for a brief second as though he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just heard, before waving his hand dismissively. “Sorry… I don’t fight weaklings.”
“Weaklings, huh?” said Roxas, who was getting angrier by the second. “Or are you just too afraid to find out which of us is the better fighter.”
“Oh, man, Marluxia,” said the blonde with an amused laugh. “I think he just asked if you were chicken.” The rest of the Order began to laugh. The blonde leaned to whisper something in Marluxia’s ear, but said it loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re not going to let him get away with that, are you?”
Marluxia clenched his jaw and then jumped off his chair. He landed in front of Roxas with ease; if he’d disliked Roxas before, he really hated him now. However, his fury lifted slightly, as he said, “There’s no way you can fight someone of my experience. If you fight me…I’ll only end up killing you.”
“Prove it…” Roxas hissed.
Marluxia didn’t say anything as everybody turned to look at him; his eyes narrowed. “Alright, I accept your challenge. If you can hit me once – at least once – then I’ll consider if you’re worthy of joining this team. However, if I managed to knock you out before you can even hit me… then instead I’ll determine your punishment for challenging me.”
“Fine, you’re on,” said Roxas. “One hit is all I need.”
“Don’t get so cocky, kid,” Marluxia growled, his power rapidly rising. “You’re forgetting that I’m a thousand years your experience!”
Roxas was suddenly blown back by the unexpected rush of power that had ignited. The supremacy was so amazing, so vast that Roxas found that even as he did his best to stand grown against the violent winds there was no real way of ever defeating Marluxia, who had vanished in a burst of pink petals and then reappeared again, only this time, carrying a scythe in his hand.
He was grinning menacingly at Roxas, who was trying to defend himself from being knocked back against the tirade storm that kept coming his way. “Still wish to fight me, Twerp?” His sadistic little smile soon disappeared and he was left looking furious. “WELL IT’S TOO LATE! PREPAPRE… TO MEET MY WRATH!”
Marluxia was charging straight for him, but Roxas could not protect himself because the wind was far too strong – he couldn’t stand up!
Move… move… move, Roxas… MOVE! He let out a scream as he moved aside from Marluxia’s attacks in the last minute, but the edge of the scythe had cut through his coat and Roxas could feel the sting of a new wound forming across his arm.
Everybody was murmuring softly to each other, surprised that he had even avoided such an attack. Even Marluxia looked bewildered, but his expression immediately reverted to anger again.
“Hm… I guess you’re not as weak as I thought… No matter,” he said, as he swung his scythe over his head. “This time…” he hissed venomously. “I will NOT miss.”
C’mon Roxas… you have to get up… you have to fight…
Roxas was still catching his breath; evading that attack alone had taken a lot out of him. He looked at Marluxia, who was grinning in amusement at him; he had not even broken a sweat yet and here he was, panting and trying to regain strength fast. Roxas clutched at the cut on his arm tightly.
“What’s the matter… has the baby had too much already?” said Marluxia, laughing. The blonde woman laughed in unison.
“Finish him off, Marluxia!” she called excitedly.
“You’re finished, kid…” murmured Marluxia coldly. He’d griped the scythe in his hands and then charged forward.
It was as though time had stood still as Marluxia ran towards him; Roxas could hear a voice shouting his name, calling him…
Roxas… Roxas… Roxas… ROXAS!
“YOU’RE DEAD!” Marluxia’s voice came loud and sudden; his scythe coming down.
Roxas felt warmth touch his fingers and in a rush he heard metal clashing against metal. He looked up and realized that the Keyblade was in his hand, blocking against Marluxia’s attack. Marluxia was looking shocked, as well as every body else in the room.
“What! A Keyblade!” Marluxia shouted with disbelief. He looked to Xemnas, who did not say a word but simply took on an amused smirk.
Roxas shook awake from his stupor and shoved Marluxia aside. He looked at the Keyblade in his hand, thinking… Had that been the voice who called me?
“Hey, Xemnas, just what exactly are you trying to pull here?” demanded Marluxia, who was angrier than ever.
Xemnas did not reply and kept his eyes on Roxas unwaveringly.
Marluxia scoffed. “Pft…” he huffed. He threw Roxas an ugly look, which stated ‘I’ll beat you to the ground, Keyblade or not’ and charged forward for the third time.
But Roxas remained unfazed and unmoving.
“What… is he crazy?” demanded one of the other Nobodies. “He can’t just stand in the middle of a direct attack – what the hell is he thinking?”
Roxas felt the corners of his mouth quirk into a smirk, as another light spread through his fingers and he was gripping another Keyblade in his hand.
“Two!”
Now the crowd was really enticed by this new development; even some of the skeptical ones had edged a little closer to their chairs to get a better view.
Roxas whirled both Keyblades with obvious skill; the others had ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘ahh-ed’ painted on their faces, some beckoned Marluxia forward. Roxas was barely aware of someone in the background, yelling out, “Begin!” because in a flash he’d already charged onward, strength pulsating through his veins just waiting to be released.
Voices… he could still hear the voices… they were close by…
Roxas opened his eyes; his vision was blurred, but he was slowly making out shapes, smudgy images of things he knew were familiar. There was a building and a fence just a few feet away from him, and surround him were litters of papers and glass bottles. Everything eventually returned to normal and he instantly remembered everything – the guy in black, the red butterfly…
Roxas pushed himself to sit up, realizing with a bit of surprise that he’d been lying down at all. He’d blacked out… right after he’d touched that butterfly… it was still all jumbled and he couldn’t really make out any sense out of it. Looking around, however, he vaguely wondered just how long he’d been laying here before he finally came to. Roxas placed a hand over his chest, the place where the butterfly had disappeared into… then his hand was moving everywhere, his face, his arms, his legs, heck even his butt, to check for any sign of injuries. Seeing none, Roxas could only sit where he was, feeling definitely puzzled over, well, everything.
It didn’t make any sense… and the more he tried to figure it out, to line the pieces up, the more it confused him, the pieces blurring and failing to come together.
“I’m telling you, Ivanhart… this is definitely going to come back to us.”
Suddenly alert, Roxas quickly got up from where he was and hid himself against the nearest trash can. People were coming out of the building and were busily talking, with looks of total distress on their faces.
“I have to agree with him, I’m afraid,” said another man with white hair – he was obviously Ivanhart, the man the other was speaking to. “We can’t let this conspiracy become a…a…another catastrophe! You remember what happened three years ago, Ansteen?”
The other man next to him, who had brown, coffee colored hair, rubbed his beard and nodded in grave agreement, “Yes,” he spoke quietly, as though just remembering the incident was terrible, “so many lives were lost… it was almost a miracle how the island could have ever been the same again.”
“We ought to be careful,” said another man, whose hair was grey and thinning near the top. “We don’t want this world to perish like the one that happened before…you know that pla—“
“Yes, yes, we know, Wally, we know!” snapped Ansteen, his eyes flickering everywhere as though there might be hidden cameras in the vicinity. “Not so loud… someone might here you…”
Roxas, who was still hiding, had no idea what they were talking about, and wondered why, whatever it was they were speaking of, they had to speak of it like it was forbidden or a secret of some sort.
“Do you want another conspiracy to occur like the last one?” said Ivanhart to the last person standing amongst them. He was a rounded man with a bowl hat and a sharp moustache; so far he’d been quiet. “Mayor?”
The Mayor jumped, then uttered lamely, “No, of course not, Counselor…”
“Then you must bring the boy to us immediately. We’ll lock him up for the time being while we think of what to do with him,” said Ansteen.
“But…” said the Mayor, who looked now conflicted.
“Oh, please don’t, Mayor, we’ve already gone through this before!” Wally snapped. “You know it’s for the island’s own good.”
“Mayor, I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we do NOT want anymore of…of…those fiends – the Heartless… running amuck the island again!” At this Roxas perked up. Heartless? These people knew about the Heartless? He leaned just a little closer in order to hear them. “If we let that boy stay here, who knows what will happen!”
“The last time, Mayor, we let two – TWO children – onto our island premises fourteen years ago because you insisted,” said Ansteen sharply. “And then shortly after another arrived here three years after those two children did… during the same time another world was destroyed—“
“Please, Ansteen,” said the Mayor quickly, “this is neither the time nor place to discuss this.”
“And when will it be, Mayor?” said Ivanhart, looking at the other man sternly. “When this world is plunged into darkness? That boy who arrived here two days ago is a threat to us all…”
Roxas’s eyes went wide – the boy…they were talking about him!
“If we let him stay here any longer, Mayor… it may already be too late,” said Ivanhart softly, as the Mayor bit his lower lip. “You are far too kind, Mayor… even to those that may cause you future harm – but do not penalize the rest of us because you are too…too soft to ensue brute force—“
“He’s just a boy…” the Mayor said faintly, and in a tone that made Roxas feel that maybe he may have used that line more than once.
“And those three children had been nothing but children,” said Ansteen. “And…well… look at what nearly happened to the island, to our home…”
“He came out of no where, Mayor,” said Wally. “Who’s to say that he doesn’t poise a threat? He didn’t have any personal records with him, no ID, no signed authorization stating permission he could cross into our boarders, nothing. For all we know he could be some crazed killer on the lose or a convict from jail who’s escaped prison—“
Roxas bristled from indignation. He was most definitely NOT a psychopath nor was he an escaped convict from penitentiary, despite facts that he was, indeed, on the run… but he was certainly not out to kill anyone. He had to push down the impulse to jump out from behind the trash can and tell them that…but that would probably just confirm their beliefs of him being a psychopath – which he WASN’T!
“Although, yes, your speculations are correct… he does indeed look like that other boy who’d arrived on the island fourteen years ago—“Roxas felt himself being whizzed back to the conversation. He barely heard it, but he managed to catch a few words like: other boy…island…look like… When he finally grasped the concept of what Wally had just spoken about, it made him think – they weren’t talking about Sora were they?
“He arrived here… that boy… barely knew anything when I asked him if he knew where he’d come from… the only thing he remembered was his name…” said the Mayor solemnly. “…The poor soul. I made sure he was well taken care of… so happy and full of smiles, that boy… always getting into trouble…” the Mayor smiled a little, reminiscing. “And then he disappeared after that storm…”
“Mayor,” said Ivanhart, bringing the Mayor back to reality. “It’s best if he doesn’t come back… it’s because of them a-and their kind that…that… nearly wiped us from existence! Well no more – bring the boy to your office as soon as possible. The Council will decide his charges punishment—“
“But—“ began the Mayor as the three men began walking off.
“—No buts, Mayor,” said Ansteen. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Good day.”
With that, he and his fellows disappeared down the street, as the Mayor looked down at his hands with a sigh. Roxas watched him for a moment, as he shook his head, still with that distressed look on his round face and walked off down the street. When he was sure that none of the men was coming back, Roxas stood up, feeling a little shaken by what he’d just overheard.
They were going to come after him too… Roxas sighed. Now he was positively sure that there wasn’t anyone on this island who didn’t hate his guts. It would explain the near one hour glances everyone was giving him lately. Roxas felt his teeth clench together and his fingers ball up together into tight fists.
Kairi… he thought as he re-routed his way around the town. He had to find Kairi…
But that didn’t help him to say the least. He was half-way near Kairi’s place when he heard rustling – like boxes and expensive china were being juggled and moved. Roxas looked to his left and saw a woman, who was around her forties maybe, had brown hair with streaks of grey sprouting everywhere; she was carrying three very heavy looking boxes in her arms, and appeared to be struggling.
Roxas watched as she swayed a little, readjusted the boxes in her arms before beginning her ever cautious journey to the back of her house. There was something, something comforting, about this woman that made Roxas feel like he knew her too. It was this that probably made him cross the trail and walk back over to her. She nearly dropped the box in her hand when he swiftly caught it.
The woman looked surprised for a moment before she let out a breath, looking relieved.
“Here… let me get that for you,” said Roxas, taking the other two boxes from her. It was pretty heavy, he had to admit, and couldn’t help but give the woman an incredulous stare as if to ask ‘you were planning to carry all these?’
She understood his expression immediately and smiled. “I knew I should have taken just two boxes instead of three, but well… I really wanted to put these boxes away, you know?”
Roxas still didn’t really get it; a woman of her age shouldn’t be out storing boxes that weighed more than her. He didn’t press the matter though, and said, “So… where do you want these?”
“Oh!” She gave him a guilty look. “I’m sorry – it’s right here… come this way.”
She led him toward the back of the house, where there was a little shed. She opened the door for him, ushering him in. Inside was in a kind of disarray, everything from old running shoes to fishing rods to deflated beach balls were left lying about; about a few times Roxas found himself maneuvering around various objects so as not to slip and fall.
The woman seemed to sense his troubles, and said, “I know… I’ve been meaning to get this place cleaned up. My son was supposed to clean it up, but he never got to.” She moved around at what looked to be like a really big parasol. They reached the back of the shed where there were multiple shelves; on some of the shelves there were random action figures half-fallen onto their sides and there was a little toy skirt gun.
Everything in this shed felt like something he knew or once had seen before, which was strange considering he’d never had any toys to play with in his life. He couldn’t even remember anything before his days in the Organization… the memory was blurry. But… this place… seemed to be speaking out a message to him, something he had known from way back.
The woman shoved away a few game boxes off to the side, dusted her hands on her apron and then looked back to Roxas.
“Here,” she said, indicating the spot she’d just cleared, “put those there for me, will you please?”
Roxas did as he was told, but upon doing so he’d stepped on something – it squeaked once before Roxas felt himself slipping and falling on his back. The boxes he’d been carrying had all dropped unceremoniously on top of him, letting lose everything that had once been inside. He heard the woman gasp and then rush to help him.
“I’m so sorry!” she said, pushing off the boxes. “Are you alright?”
Roxas threw a shirt that had wrapped around his neck, pushed away a toy steam boat that would ‘hoot!’ each time he’d pressed the top and had set aside a pair of large shoes which, from the fall, had somehow managed to sock him on the head.
“I’m peachy…” he muttered, throwing a ball of socks that had in some way entered in his pockets.
The woman nodded, knelt down next to him and started putting everything back inside the boxes. Feeling slightly obligated, Roxas picked up a pile of shirts that said ‘Destiny High’ in blue stitching at the top left. He suddenly recalled Kairi wearing something similar, only he didn’t know that Destiny High was the name of their school.
“Are these your son’s?” he found himself saying.
The woman looked up, surprised again, then looked at the shirt in his hand and nodded quietly.
“Why are you putting these away then?” Roxas asked. “Wouldn’t your son need these?”
“My son hasn’t been home for three years,” she stated coolly, throwing another shirt inside the box. She even took the one he was holding and proceeded to throw that in with the rest of the stuff.
“What, did he um…” die, he wanted to say, but couldn’t. The woman, of course, seemed to know what he wanted to ask and shook her head.
“No… he disappeared during that storm that happened three years ago… Hasn’t come back since,” she said. Roxas watched her; she’d said this like she’d gotten used to it... like she was resigned to a fate she did not want but had no choice but to simply accept. For some reason, Roxas felt… sad… The woman went on, shoving shirt after shirt, toy after toy, “I don’t blame you for thinking he’s dead. Most people would assume so after three years of waiting, but I can’t seem to think so.” She sighed. “I figured… it’s time for me to move on… everybody else has.”
Roxas didn’t know what to say, all he could really do was, well, watch… watch as she packed away her son’s things, a son she knew would never come home. And she did all that without a single look on her face, no pain, no sadness… just blank, and that, Roxas realized, was probably the worse than any face at all.
When she was finished, she wiped her hands together, as though she’d just finished a task she thought was most challenging. And maybe it was… Roxas couldn’t imagine how she must have felt, putting away all those things, like placing away memories you knew you’d never be able to fully forget.
She then turned to smile at him. “Thanks for your help, really,” she said, as they cut through the shed and came out, where the sun was bright and the weather hot.
“Yeah…” said Roxas softly, “…it’s no problem.”
“Why don’t you come inside?” she asked. “I made waffles – it’s my treat.”
Roxas knew he should refuse. He did, after all, need to find Kairi, and there were a few old loons out there who wanted his arrest. But somehow, that was not what he found himself saying. Instead, he said, “Sure…”
He watched as the woman smiled and he realized, as he entered in through her front door and smelt the delicious scent of freshly baked waffles, that it was that, above everything else that made it worth while.
“Kairi… what’s the answer? Do you know?” asked the teacher, who was beginning to look impatient. Everybody was looking at her now. From her side, Kairi could feel Selphie’s question gaze as everyone stared on in absolute silence, and even Tidus, who normally was asleep at this time of the day, had woken up from his nap to gap at her. .
Kairi knew the answer… but it wasn’t the answer she knew the teacher wanted to hear. So she said, “No, Sensei… I don’t…”
Everybody murmured amongst themselves, obviously shock. The teacher frowned. “I’m afraid I do no understand, Kairi… you were following along were you not? You know the equation—“
Kairi shook her head. “No… I don’t know the answer, Sensei…” she said.
The teacher’s frown deepened in disapproval. “See it that do know the answer, Kairi… otherwise that’s a day in detention for not paying attention in my class.”
If everybody was shocked that she didn’t know the answer before, they were definitely shocked now. Evidently, they weren’t expecting someone like her to be given a detention, ever.
Kairi simply looked back at the teacher, her eyes unwaveringly. “I understand, Sensei…” she said. “I’m sorry. It will not happen again.”
The teacher, seemingly satisfied at this, nodded and then turned her back to the class. She started to write the answers on the board.
“Now… to get the answer of Point C you simply…”
Kairi drowned out the words, the teachers voice, everyone… her eyes drawn to what lay outside that window. Point C, she thought as she remembered a boy with wild brown hair and eyes the color of the sky… he was Point C.
“Kairi…” Kairi jumped and looked away from the window. It was Selphie; she was blushing furiously. Now that she thought about it, the rest of the girls in her class were blushing too and hovering by the door.
Kairi frowned and stood up. “What’s going on? Why is everybody standing there?” she asked Selphie, whose face, if possible, was getting redder and redder.
Before Selphie could say anything, however, the group of girls by the door began talking amongst themselves in what Kairi would define was the ‘squeaky’ voice.
“Have you seen him before?” said one.
“He must be new to this school,” said another.
“Gosh… I hope he’s in our class…” said a third.
“Eek! He’s coming over here!” said the first.
They parted, like the red sea in Moses, their faces in awe as someone walked through the middle. Whatever Kairi had been expecting, it wasn’t this; she felt her jaw drop, rock bottom, and her eyes widen so large that it barely made room for her nose.
It was Roxas, wearing a Destiny High uniform top; the collar not even folded properly, the shirt barely buttoned and the tie just hanging loose around his neck. If she wasn’t so shocked, maybe she would have wondered just where the heck he even got hold of those clothes in the first place. But no, she was still gawking by the time he spotted her and began making his way towards her.
He didn’t seem to notice that the rest of the world was watching him in awe. His blue eyes were trained on her, only on her.
“Hey…” he muttered once he reached her. His face became serious. “We need to talk.”
You know the drill!
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