Ah, children. You do understand that I don't own Kingdom Hearts? Good.
This story's a Christmas present for my dear buddy MidnightSchemer13. Sorry if it's bad, I wrote it in basically one sitting, with no beta or editing or anything ^^" Anyway, Merry Christmas!
The hooded figure glided his way through the streets effortlessly, drifting past his fellow pedestrians with almost unrealistic grace. His black coat did not flap in the bitter cold wind, as did the coats of those around him, but rather seemed to flow, smooth and fluid as water. The crowd parted for him without even realizing what it was doing; even so, though, they seemed not to notice him at all. He was like a ghost, a shadow.
An illusion.
He watched them from beneath the low-hanging black hood, his nearly-violet eyes flickering as he observed their passage. How blissfully ignorant they were; how totally unaware that the hooded figure walking beside them could kill them at a word and feel nothing at all in the way of regret.
But no; unnecessary killing was not on his agenda for today.
It mattered not to him either way.
He continued walking, slipping in between the passersby who never seemed to notice his thin form as it moved past them, creating slight disturbances in the air; disrupting the steady fall of snowflakes onto the already frosted ground. It was Christmas Eve; the air was laced with the cheerful sounds of carols and laughter, adults talking and children shouting.
None of it was for him, but what did he care? He wasn't here to enjoy the ambience. He tugged his hood down tighter and continued walking; now looking only at the ground. He didn't have to worry about running into anyone; people always seemed to move for him, even if he was walking right toward them.
He chuckled a little at the thought, although there was no humor in it.
The thing about being a master of illusions was that somewhere along the way, you could lose track of the line between commanding the illusions and becoming one yourself.
No one ever saw him, and as far as he knew, no one ever would.
He didn't care. That was exactly the way he preferred it.
He was better off alone.
Or so he told himself...
X- x- X- x- X- x- X- x- X- x- X
"Are you sure you have to go home?"
The voice was loud and pleading in the frosty air, expelled with a mighty blast from lips that, despite the cold, were still as pink as his cheeks. Around him, the others voiced their disappointment as well, frowning and moaning, although they did so with their usual good-hearted spirit.
The girl laughed, rolling her eyes at the entire group. "Yeah, I gotta go. Sorry, Lea," she added, with a grin at the boy who had spoken first.
He grinned back good-naturedly. "Nah, that's okay. We don't wantcha to get in trouble, right, guys?"
Their companions, two girls and another boy, all shook their heads.
"You go on home, Eri," Lea said. "We're okay."
"You sure?" Eri asked.
He nodded. "Yep. Just meet us here again tomorrow; same time, same spot. Got it memorized?" He tapped the side of his head for emphasis.
Eri laughed. "Yeah, I got it memorized. See you tomorrow."
He waved. "See ya."
"We'll walk home with you, Eri," one of the girls offered; the one with caramel-brown hair that hung like a wispy waterfall down her back. "It's getting late anyway; we should be getting home too."
Lea groaned. "Aw, Lis, not you too!" he complained. "Come on, I'm gonna have nobody to hang out with!"
"What am I, invisible?" asked the other boy, laughing a little.
Lea stuck out his tongue. "Sock it, Isa. You know what I meant."
Isa chuckled.
Liseth grinned. "We'll be back tomorrow, too, Lea," she promised.
His grin returned. "I know. See you guys tomorrow!"
She nodded, turning to the girl at her side, the one with the black hair that floated like feathers around her shoulders. "Ready, Zan?"
"Yep," Zanna replied, pulling her coat more tightly around her. She waved at the two boys. "Bye, Lea. Bye, Isa."
"Bye," replied Isa. Lea just waved again, poking his friend in the arm with a knowing smile. Isa's cheeks flushed slightly, but he said nothing.
Eri turned to her friends, tugging her hat down more securely over her ears to fend off the biting wind.
"Okay, let's go."
"You like him."
"I do not!"
"You do too!"
"I do not!"
"I'm going to keep laughing at you the longer you keep denying it!"
"Shut up!"
Eri listened to her friends bantering as they walked down Market Street, her hands shoved into her pockets. The sisters' voices were loud and almost unbearably chatty in the snow-frosted air. Eri kind of wished they would shut up. She liked Liseth and Zanna, but when they got to the subject they were on now…
"Liseth, I said drop it!"
"Not until you admit that you like Isa!"
Zanna was glaring fiercely at her sister, who returned a casual smirk of her own. Eri sighed. She knew how this argument would turn out; it would be exactly the same as any other argument between the two sisters.
Liseth will keep being stubborn.
"Admit it!"
Zanna will try the silent treatment.
There was no reply.
Liseth will keep pestering her.
"Admit it admit it admit it admit it—"
Zanna will shoot her the stare of death.
The stare of death was summarily shot.
Liseth will pretend to be intimidated.
The voice fell silent.
Zanna will sigh and start her 'sisters' tirade.
A loud sigh erupted from Zanna's throat. "Honestly, sisters are so annoying sometimes…"
Liseth will resort to physical abuse.
Liseth marched around behind Eri, grabbed her sister around the waist and began tickling her violently. "Admit it!" she screamed.
Eri sighed. "You guys do realize you've had this fight like, thirteen times now…"
They weren't listening; Zanna was struggling to pry her sister's fingers off while Liseth continued jabbing fingertips into her sister's ribcage.
Rolling her eyes, Eri kept on walking. She could get home easily enough by herself.
X- x- X- x- X- x- X- x- X- x
He leaned against a wall in a side alley, watching the people pass by on the streets on either side of him. The chill gusts of wind spiralling through the alley cut through the sleeves of his coat, and he pulled his hood even tighter, although he wasn't sure what good that would do. He'd read that protecting your head helped you to conserve body heat, but he didn't have much of that to begin with, so it wasn't really that useful.
He slid down the wall of the alley, resting his chin on his knees as he stared at the dulled sandstone buildings around him. Somewhere in the distance, the clock tower chimed; six times, loud and sonorous.
He could make an illusion of a fire, but that would do him no good and would be a pointless waste of energy. It would neither warm him nor provide any sort of comfort, although he wasn't really expecting the latter either way. Fire was not one of his favorite things in the worlds.
"Why am I here?" he asked himself quietly. "What purpose do I serve wandering aimlessly around this miniscule town, invisible to everyone but myself?"
He sighed. Well, he was here, wasn't he? That meant he did have some purpose to fulfill. He just had to discover what it was.
Shivering a little against the wind, he reached into his coat and pulled out a large book, larger than you would have expected him to be able to hide beneath a coat. The worn leather surface was engraved with a rune, which glowed a soft, gentle bluish-white color. He ran a finger down its spine, feeling the cracks where the bindings had started to break from many years of reading. This was his most treasured possession; the only thing he believed he cared about, if he could care at all.
He flipped the book open on his lap. Blank pages stared out at him, eagerly awaiting the contents of his mind to fill their empty whiteness.
Now, what to read…
A slight smirk toyed with his lips as an idea flashed through his mind. He wasn't really the type for sappy literature, but it was Christmas. Might as well celebrate the only way he could.
Slowly, words scrawled themselves across the pages, looking as if they had been written there forever, the ink smooth and dark against the creamy hue of the pages. The words were accompanied by an elaborate illustration at the top of the left-hand page, the letters of the title beautifully embellished.
A Christmas Carol.
He smirked, settling the book more comfortably in his lap, and began to read.
X- x- X- x- X- x- X- x
Eri pushed her way past the crowds, jostled and bumped unceasingly as she tried to make her way through the streets back toward her home.
Why are people always in so much of a hurry at Christmas?
Eri growled in frustration as someone shoved her from behind, muttering a quick 'Sorry' as they walked past. She was tempted to shove them back as they walked by, but resisted the urge with a supreme effort. There was no point in being rude except some shallow feeling of victory that would go away the minute the person disappeared from sight.
Another person stepped on Eri's toes, their heel grinding into her foot. She released a sharp gasp of pain, turning a glare in the direction of the person's body, but they had already stepped off of her foot and away into the crowd without an apology or acknowledgement.
I have got to get off this street, she thought desperately. Like, now, before I get trampled to death.
Continuing to fight the crowds, Eri scanned the sides of the street, searching between the shops and buildings for an exit. Every one she could see, however, was just as crowded as the main thoroughfare. Her eyes flickered from one building to the next, desperate. There had to be something…
And then she spotted it: a tiny side street, set back in an alleyway between two tall, narrow buildings. No one appeared to be entering, and it looked dark and deserted.
Oh, thank God.
Eri shoved her way across the street, using the opportunity to pay out some revenge. Several people exclaimed as she stepped on their toes or kneed them in the shins, but she did not apologize or pay them any attention, continuing to fight her way past them until at last, she emerged breathless and panting into the entrance of the alleyway. Leaning on a wall, Eri turned and cast a superior look at the still-rushing tide of people she had just escaped.
"In your faces," she muttered.
Then she turned and walked into the alley.
The wind made a mournful keening sound in the small side street. The tall buildings on either side blocked out the fading December sunlight, so the entire place was cast into chilly blue shadow. Eri shivered a bit. It was lonely, and kind of creepy.
There were crowded main streets on either side of the small alley, but the alley itself appeared to be completely deserted, save for a couple of wooden crates leaning up against a wall. Eri walked further in, away from the noise of the main road, deeper into the midnight chill of the alley shadows.
A noise startled her; it wasn't a loud noise, but it was an unusual one. It sounded vaguely like the rustle of turning pages in a library full of readers.
"Hello?" Eri called uncertainly. "Who's there?"
There was no answer.
Feeling slightly unnerved, Eri crept closer to the pile of crates, where she thought the sound had come from. She strained her ears, listening, but the noise did not come again.
What in the worlds…?
Slowly, Eri pressed her back to the wall beside the pile, sliding soundlessly down the wall next to the crates. Once on the ground, she turned her head ever-so-slightly to the side, trying to see through some holes in the splintered wood, searching for the source of the noise.
At first, she could see nothing but black, the inside of the crates. She began to doubt that she had actually heard anything.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid…
Then she caught a flash of white.
Slowly, Eri pressed her face closer to the crates, straining her eyes to see past the broken wood. Something white was on the other side. Small black markings sprawled across it, looking like dotted, squiggly lines from where she sat.
Eri stared at the white thing, wondering what in the worlds it could be.
A sudden voice answered her question.
"It's a book, and if you want to read it, you really should ask instead of spying over my shoulder."
The scream that erupted from the other side of the crates was so shrill and unexpected that he had to fight the urge to clap both hands to his ears. As it was, he jerked slightly, knocking his head against the alley wall.
Ouch. That was rather unpleasant…
"Calm down!" he exclaimed, snapping the book shut with a sigh and pushing himself off of the wall. "I've been sitting here listening to you crash through the alley like a drunken elephant for five minutes; I think if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it by now."
The figure facing him was a girl, though he'd already figured that out from the scent. She was petite, shorter than him, with straight black hair that glinted blue in the dimming light, and round eyes the color of black coffee that widened in shock as he stood up. Her skin was pale, although he didn't know whether that was natural or it was just the awful lighting in the alleyway combined with her surprise at hearing him speak.
"I-I'm sorry!" the girl stammered. "I d-didn't mean to s-spy!"
He rolled his eyes. "Let's not start off our relationship with a bunch of lies," he said sarcastically, tucking the book back into his coat. "You were trying to see through the crates because you heard me moving."
Her eyes went even wider, if that was possible. "H-how did you—"
He tapped the side of his head. "I heard you thinking. You think rather loudly, by the way, so could you please try to keep it down, for future reference?"
Her mouth dropped open. "You can read my thoughts?"
He winced slightly. "That's a rather childish way of putting it; I'm actually communicating with the plane of knowledge on which all thoughts reside… but if you want to sound juvenile, then yes, I can read your thoughts."
She closed her mouth, adopting an interested expression. "So… what am I thinking now, then?"
He gave her an exasperated look. "I'm not a sideshow performer; I don't care to know what you're thinking unless you feel like saying it. And even then, I could not care less."
She stared back at him. He could tell she was trying to come up with a response, thoughts flickering through her consciousness rapidly, one after the other. He sat back down, leaning against the crates this time instead of against the wall, and pulled the lexicon back out of his coat, reopening it to the page he had bookmarked.
"Why are you in an alley all alone?"
He looked up. She'd finally thought of a question, and was waiting for him to respond now, head tilted slightly sideways.
"Maybe I'm fond of alleys. What's your excuse?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
He sensed the explanation forming in her head; she was supposed to be getting home, she'd left her friends when they started arguing, the Christmas rush was too much for her to handle. He waited for her to start rambling, trying to explain her whole story to him.
What she said, though, was, "Maybe I'm fond of alleys too. We should chat; seems we've got a lot in common." Her tone was sarcastic, a mimicry of his own.
The other eyebrow went up, and he regarded her in complete silence for a moment. She looked back at him, arms crossed, posturing defiance.
Then he laughed.
"All right. Let's chat."
His name was Zexion.
That was really all he would tell her.
Despite all her careful pretending, Eri was rather fascinated with him. She knew he could read her mind, or whatever it was he'd said he was doing, so she wasn't sure how much of the pretending he saw through, but she kept it up anyway, to make herself feel better.
The other option was acting scared.
Eri didn't do scared.
"So, where are you from?" she asked him, sitting cross-legged in the alley across from him. He had a big book open in his lap, the binding marked with some strange symbol she didn't understand.
"Nowhere, really," he replied. A vague and completely nondescript answer.
Eri sighed. "How long have you been in Twilight Town?"
"A while."
"How long are you staying?"
"Until I find what I'm looking for."
Eri groaned, frustrated. "So, you're a boy from nowhere who's been here for a while and is looking for something he won't leave until he finds?"
Zexion nodded. "That was a perfect summary, thank you."
"Well gee, that puts me at about a nanometer more of an advantage than I was at before."
"If you're looking to gain an advantage over me, I'd suggest giving up now."
Eri crossed her eyes. "That's not what I meant." She glared at him. "So what do you want to talk about, then, Mister Mysterious?"
He shrugged. "I don't really do conversations." Another page turned over in his lap.
"So we're just going to sit here and not talk?"
He didn't answer.
Eri leaned her head against the stone wall, trying to think of something to ask him.
"Before you ask, no, I have not seen any good movies lately." He was being sarcastic again.
Eri opened her eyes and glared at him. "Good God, I've only known you for fifteen minutes and you're more obnoxious than Lea."
He chuckled at that; it made her pause. His laugh was completely different from his voice; there was nothing biting or sarcastic in it. It was mellow and smooth and quiet; friendly, even.
Well, not friendly, she decided. Maybe… amiable.
"You only think that because you haven't asked me the right questions yet."
"So are you going to tell me the right questions?" She raised her own eyebrow, arching it high.
His lips twitched; a smile?
"Where would be the fun in that?" he asked softly.
Eri groaned, putting her head down on her knees.
"I hate boys," she muttered darkly.
The girl was really quite fascinating.
Zexion was sure she was the first person to notice him since he had arrived in Twilight Town. Everyone else just seemed to look through him, but the girl, Eri, looked right at him, as if her coffee-black eyes could see into his soul.
Zexion was enjoying being cryptic with her; it was satisfying—and slightly amusing—to watch her expression as it shifted through various degrees of exasperation.
He hadn't had someone to talk to in quite a while.
She was leaning her head on her knees, trying to think of some 'right questions.' Zexion had to applaud himself for that one; the look on her face had been absolutely fulfilling. He didn't know what it was about her face that made him want to watch it change; maybe it was the extent of the expression in those dark eyes, or her eyebrows that arched high and knit tightly, seeming to move with lives of their own.
Finally, she looked up. "Okay, I'm just going to start simple, because obviously you're not giving me any help here." Her expression was cutting, and Zexion smirked inwardly.
"Go ahead," he invited.
"What's your favorite color?"
He almost laughed; he actually hadn't expected her to start that simple.
"Slate," he replied. Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked, "And what's yours? You give me an answer for every one I give you; that will make it fair."
"Who said we were being fair?" the girl demanded, eyebrows arching again.
"Do you want me to answer you or not?" This was too fun.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, it's midnight blue."
He nodded. "An excellent choice."
"So glad you approve," she replied sarcastically, giving him another glare.
He chuckled. "Let's have the next question, then."
"What's your favorite book?"
He had to smile at that. "You expect me to choose a single book out of all the great pieces of literature in the worlds?"
She continued glaring. "Just pick one."
He sighed, glancing down at his lexicon, which was still open to the page he had bookmarked. The Dickens story remained scrawled neatly across the page.
"A Christmas Carol," he answered, to be funny.
She wrinkled her nose. "Really?"
He shrugged. "You told me to pick one."
She sighed. "You're hilarious. Fine then; my favorite's Pride and Prejudice, not that you'd have read that."
"On the contrary," he informed her. "I found it quite amusing."
Eri's eyebrows arched high again. He found himself anticipating the expression, and a slight smile touched the corners of his mouth when it came.
"You've actually read it?" she asked.
"Of course, it's a classic," he replied, affecting an offended tone.
"But it's… you know… girly," she finished lamely. "Don't you get made fun of?"
He actually did smile then. "I would laugh off anyone who made fun of me for reading; obviously they are the imbecile in that situation. Reading strengthens the mind, builds up knowledge and vocabulary. Besides," he added, just for the heck of it, "it was a good book. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I also read Sense and Sensibility."
"Did you see the movie?" she asked, forgetting to glare.
He rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately."
"You didn't like the movie?"
"My dear Eri, movies and I do not mix."
"But it was a good movie!" She was actually… grinning.
"Are you joking me? The acting was atrocious!" He found himself smiling back. Was her enthusiasm… contagious?
"I believe you're mistaken, sir. The acting was great."
"Since when is the stilted, half-emotionless garbage that poured from their mouths considered 'great?'"
"What movie are you even talking about? We cannot be referring to the same movie."
"No, we cannot," he agreed, but the smile was still hovering around his mouth. He was enjoying this as much as she was, although he wasn't exactly sure how they'd transitioned from awkward, angry questioning to this simple, lighthearted banter.
"Okay, so, then, what movie are you talking about?"
"Obviously a different one than you."
"Give me a title!" She poked his arm playfully, and the sudden contact sent a shudder through him. He hadn't touched someone in ages.
She looked concerned. "Hey, are you okay? Did I poke you on a bruise or something?"
"No," he assured her. "I'm perfectly fine. You just… surprised me, is all. People don't normally touch me."
She arched an eyebrow again. What was it about that expression…?
"Why? Are you some kinda germaphobe or something?" She was being sarcastic again, but there was no biting edge to the sarcasm. Something had relaxed between them; without really knowing why, Zexion found himself wanting to talk to her.
"No… people don't usually notice me enough to touch me."
"What?" She looked completely baffled.
"Never mind," he said. "Next question, please."
They continued with the question and answer game for longer than Eri could keep track of. With every answer, she found herself becoming more and more relaxed around him; more willing to smile or laugh. He was actually kind of funny, once you got past the sarcasm and mind-reading.
His favorite book was actually some classical work in another language that she'd never heard of. His favorite food was plain white rice, at which she had wrinkled her nose. How could anyone eat rice with no soy sauce, carrots or peas? He didn't even put salt on it, just ate it plain.
"Oh, Eri, it's good for you," was what he told her.
"Who cares? What's the point of eating food if it tastes like nothing?" She was horrified; or, at least, she pretended to be. It made him laugh.
"When food is one of the least important parts of your existence, you tend to get past what it tastes like," he replied.
She didn't know what to say to that, so she just continued with the questions.
His favorite song was, surprisingly, Passion, one of the most popular songs on the radio.
"I would have thought it'd be some kind of like, classical something or other," she said. "You know, with a lot of violins and piano that puts you to sleep." She winked at him to show she was kidding.
"I don't mind classical music," he replied, giving her a mock-pained look. "But just because I like to read doesn't require you to stereotype me."
"I was joking, Zexion."
"I know," he said, his quiet smile emerging. "So was I."
"Oh," she said, a faint flush spreading through her face. "Haha. I knew that."
The smile became a smirk. "Of course you did."
They got past all the 'your-favorites;' favorite food, favorite book, favorite song, favorite movie, favorite color; even some weird ones like favorite smell. Once the simple stuff was over, Eri moved on to more interesting questions.
"What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?"
He had to think about that one; she saw his eyes grow thoughtful. "Hm… I suppose the time that I was trying to assist my colleague Even with an experiment, and I accidentally upset a beaker. The chemical reaction charred a hole right through the floor. He wasn't very happy."
She laughed. "That sounds way more exciting than anything that's happened to me."
He shrugged. "What's your most embarrassing moment?"
Her face colored slightly. "Oh, that's easy. It was in the seventh grade, and my friends dared me to ask this boy I was majorly crushing on to the end-of-year dance. So I did, and he said yes."
Zexion raised his own eyebrow. "Why is that embarrassing?"
Eri laughed. "That's not the embarrassing part. The embarrassing part was that I showed up at the dance and got out on the floor, and that was when I realized that I can't dance. Like, at all." She shuddered, vividly remembering the entire awkward night. "It was horrifying."
Zexion chuckled. "I'm sure you aren't as bad as you think you are."
She turned a grim face on him. "Trust me; if you had been there, you would agree with me."
He raised both hands in a peaceful gesture. "All right, I believe you."
She nodded. "Good."
They were both silent a moment.
"Anyway," Eri continued, "so… um…"
Zexion raised a hand. "Actually, I have a question for you now."
Eri shrugged. "Okay, fire away."
"Why are you still here?" he asked. As soon as he heard it, he winced. He hadn't meant it to come out quite so… harshly.
Her expression morphed into one of hurt. "What do you mean? Do you want me to leave?" She was defensive now, her eyes hardening, barricading herself from him.
He shook his head, and she relaxed a bit. "No, of course not. It's just… most people… don't notice me at all. How are you still paying attention to me?"
Eri shrugged. "You're interesting."
He laughed. "You think so?"
She nodded. "And funny, and pretty nice… well, actually, that one's debatable," she said, winking again.
"Oh, I see how it is," he replied, pouting a little for her benefit.
She laughed. "You see? You are funny."
He felt something warm inside him when she gave him the compliment. It felt like there was a soft light glowing in his stomach, warming him from the inside out. He smiled in return.
"Thank you. So are you."
Eri's face flushed red as she stared at his smile. "T-thanks," she managed.
They were still talking when Zexion finally noticed the light beginning to completely fade from the alleyway. He pointed it out to Eri.
"It's getting rather dark, don't you think?" he asked.
Eri glanced up, as if just realizing the degree of the deepening twilight around them. Her expression changed again; this time, it was into one of disappointment. Zexion found that he didn't really like that.
"I guess so," she acknowledged grudgingly, standing up with a creak of stiff knees. "I guess… I should go."
Zexion could feel his own expression wanting to change, and he struggled to maintain a mask of indifference. Despite their initial start on the wrong foot… he didn't really want Eri to leave.
"All right," he said. "It was… nice… talking to you." A strange sensation of heat was spreading across his face, making his cheeks and ears burn.
She nodded, smiling a little ruefully. "You too. Sorry I have to go…"
He shrugged. "It's all right."
"Merry Christmas, Zexion."
"What?" he asked.
"Merry Christmas," she repeated, looking at him strangely.
Christmas… it was Christmas Eve. He'd forgotten; or rather, he hadn't noticed, and had had no one around to remind him until Eri. A sudden pang of… something… hit him in the gut.
The alley and the streets would feel much emptier now that he'd talked to her.
He realized she was still standing there, looking closely at him.
"Merry Christmas, Eri," he replied, carefully controlling his tone of voice so she wouldn't hear the creeping resignation.
She tilted her head, then, suddenly, a look of understanding dawned on her face, and her expression saddened.
"You're alone for Christmas, aren't you?" she asked quietly.
He laughed softly. "Are you the one reading minds now?"
She smiled. "Actually I just used the clues you gave me and fit the puzzle together, but if you want to sound juvenile, then yes, I can read minds."
He laughed again. "Touché."
She paused for a second, and then her expression became set and determined. "Zexion… maybe… you could come and meet me tomorrow in the park. I'll be there with some of my friends, and we're all going to bring food for a Christmas picnic. You don't have to bring anything," she added quickly, "but maybe you want to show up?"
He regarded her intently. "Maybe."
She nodded. "Okay. Well, then, I hope I see you tomorrow."
He said nothing, and she turned as if to go; then, in a flash, she turned back and hugged him tightly, both arms around his neck.
"Merry Christmas," she said again. Then she was gone.
Zexion stood, watching the way she had gone. The warmth of her arms still pulsed like electric shock through him. She had actually touched him, and this after spending what seemed like the entire day with him, though it had really just been a few hours.
He suddenly realized how hungry he had been for someone else's company. Alone all the time, he had begun to fade into himself; no better than one of the illusions he commanded.
He smiled down the street, hoping his smile followed Eri and her invitation all the way home.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Eri."