A/N: ATTENTION READERS OF LETTER OF HOPE!! Do not skip this chapter. It has been slightly revised and added onto.
If you have not yet read Letter of Faith please proceed to hit the back button and go read my other story first. But hey, if you want to continue reading anyway be my guest.
Hugs and kisses to all my old readers. HAPPY 2010!
Roxas lay on the grass beneath a green canopy. Above him the trees shook slightly in an unfelt breeze. Birds chirped and flew while squirrels ran along tree branches, chattering at one another. Nearby, leaves scattered as a deer ran from the clearing in the woods. It had been peaceful until a crash had brought these weird people to the forest.
"Roxas, we're in another forest." Xion lay a few feet away, watching a bird hop near her outstretched hand. It pecked at one of her fingers, and Xion giggled, causing the bird to fly away.
"I can see that. What world is this, the third?"
"Fourth. We have to go back or else the others'll track us down. And we don't want that."
"I would ask how, but I wouldn't put it past Zexion to slip something into my pack to track us." Roxas sat up, brushing leaves off his person. He stood, looking around the clearing and the peaceful forest. That is, until a shriek in the distance sent shivers up his spine and all the animals running.
"Heartless," Xion whispered, sitting up as well. Roxas held out his hand and helped her up, searching for which direction the shriek had come. Another one told him to go left, and they both took off running towards the sound.
"Hey, Roxas. Race you to the Heartless!"
"You're on!" Roxas ran even faster, trees flashing past him. This is amazing, he thought. To run like this, and through a forest! I'm surprised I haven't hit a tree yet. And that was when the sandy brown-haired boy ran into something black, and very pissed off. "Crap! Watch ou-" The Heartless sent him flying with a sweep of its huge wings. Roxas flew backwards, into the canopy, and managed to hold onto a branch some twelve feet into the air.
"Roxas!" Xion had stopped in time, and circled around, to the opposite side of the clearing. She came up behind the Heartless, now watching Roxas with hungry eyes, and slashed at it with her Keyblade.
Oathkeeper.
Roxas climbed on top of the branch and ran to the end of it. Just as it began to bend, he jumped and landed square on the Heartless. It gave several loud yells and crashed into the surrounding trees, trying to get the boy off its back. But to no luck; Roxas was holding on tight, and gave it a one-for with his Keyblade.
Oblivion.
"Roxas! Jump down!" A huge, gigantic tree was beginning to tilt. Roxas looked up and saw it. He quickly released his hold and fell off the Heartless, almost slung into Xion by its panicky movements. It didn't notice the boy jumping, and continued to crash about. Xion and Roxas knelt, hidden by leaves, and watched the Heartless crash into one final tree. With a huge, shuddering sigh, the gigantic tree gave up its hold on the earth. It tilted, and fell point-blank on top of the Heartless.
"Whoa."
The Heartless gave one last shriek, then stilled underneath the huge trunk. A few seconds later it dissolved into darkness, the hearts it had collected floating up into the tree tops. Roxas and Xion came to stand by it, Keyblades in hand. They watched it disappear entirely, like they had for every Heartless they destroyed in the previous worlds. Why, neither could say. They just did.
"Hey, Roxas. Let me see that book you took from Marluxia's room." Xion leaned against a tree trunk, watching the sparks from their fire disappear into the night sky. Roxas looked up; he was writing in his journal, as he had done before they left the other three worlds. They had dispatched a number of Heartless already, and Xion wanted to go back. Roxas did too, because he had found something he knew Zexion would love to see.
"Yeah. Here. Don't know why you want it; the other two could be read if you knew the language, but that one's unreadable." He handed he the book that he kept from raiding Marluxia's room. It interested him, even after Zexion had told him there was little chance of Roxas ever being able to read it. As Xion flipped through the pages, with their almost-understandable-but-not-readable words, he pulled out the other book in his bag.
It was filled to the brim with a child's handwriting. On the first page there was a spot for a name, and Roxas could read the last two words: di Tortilonis. There were quite a number of pages he could read, and one of them said something about a Keyblade and the darkness. Zexion would love this, he thought when he first found in the first world they had visited. It had been underneath a rock near the ruins of what once was a grand house or castle.
"Xion, who do you think wrote this book? A Keyblade user, maybe?" Xion looked up from her book, face lit up by the fire. She slowly closed the book in her lap, thinking. Roxas knew better than to disturb her when she was thinking.
"I don't know. From what Zexion implies, the only Keyblade users still alive are the King, Sora, and us. Riku can use the Keyblade, but he can't summon one on his own. Maybe it did belong to a Keyblade user a long time ago, but that person is gone now probably. I don't know." Xion gave the book back to Roxas, and stretched her arms. "Well, I'm going to bed now. In the morning we can give the forest another look, and if we don't find any Heartless we'll go back to the islands. Good-night, Roxas."
"Good-night, Xion." Roxas watched her spread out a blanket, then curl up in another on top of it. Her eyes closed and Roxas was alone in the clearing. He watched her for a moment more before turning to the two books in his lap. Opening up the one Xion gave him, Roxas flipped through the pages, much as she had done. He stopped half-way through the book, staring at the strange letters on the page.
"Book," he whispered, "show me your secrets. I command you!" He knew it wouldn't work, but he wanted to try saying that since he first found the book. He shook his head and was about to close the book when he realized he could read the words on the page.
December 19
Dear journal,
Today I officially started living at the Academy. I met three Keyblade Masters, and they all liked me. Said I was a fresh look on the outside world. I don't know what they meant, but whatever. I'm finally away from my family, and I couldn't be happier.
But I'm also by myself. I miss Ventus. He is my brother, even though everyone says he's way better than me. Screw them, he always says. We're twins, and so we are exactly alike. I hope so, because if he doesn't come to the Academy as well soon I'll get real lonely.
But enough moping. I summoned my Keyblade today, for one of the Masters. They wanted to see what it was like, and to tell me its name. One of them can do that; it's really cool! He's called Master Monte, but that's not his real name. But everyone calls him that anyway.
My master, Master Bivora, says he doesn't do that for everyone, so I should feel especially honored. He said the name of my Keyblade was --------. Strange, but it fits my pure black Keyblade. Master Bivora said that the name of your weapon says a lot about you. I wonder what my Keyblade says about me.
Roxas stared at the words, mesmerized by what he could read among the strange letters. Keyblade Masters, he thought. So there were more of them, once. But what happened to them?
Across the fire Xion turned over in her sleep and Roxas realized how long he'd been staring at the page. Quickly, he placed a piece of paper in the book so he could get back to that page easily, and put it in his pack. Getting out his own blankets, Roxas rolled up in them and watched the fire dance above the wood logs. He didn't remember falling asleep, only the cackle of the flames and childish laughter floating away in the woods…
"Who are you?" the young boy asked. Another boy stood in front of him, covered in leaves and mud. He looked just like the young heir.
"I'm your twin brother, of course. Didn't anyone tell you that?" the leave covered boy asked. Neither heir nor wild child were older than four.
"No, I'm an only child. Momma and Poppa say so." The young heir reached out and pulled a leave out of the other's hair. "Why are you such a mess?"
"Fell out of a tree near the riverbank. Miya says everyone knows we're twins. So maybe they just didn't tell ya for some reason. Stupid adults." This last statement was punctuated with a kick.
The young heir had to admit that, for a young boy raised like he was, the other was pretty smart. "Maybe they forgot, or were gonna tell later, like at tonight's party. It's my birthday. Wait, ours, since we're twins, right?"
"Yeah, only I never get nothin'. Hey, we're twins, so can I come with you tonight? I'd love to go to a party. Never been to one, not 'afore now." The boy grinned, shedding leaves as he moved.
"Yeah, that would be fun! Let's go tell Momma and Poppa now!" The heir grabbed the other boy's hand and they began running for the large house down the path.
"Wait! What's you name?" The wild boy was pulling the heir along, and looked back.
"You first."
"I'm Ventus, but that's weird. I like Ven better."
"Cool. Ventus. My name is Roxas. Come, let's hurry up!"
"Okay!"Roxas sat up, reaching out for a hand that wasn't there. As Xion ran over and knelt next to him in the dawn light, he suddenly forgot what had bothered him.
"Roxas? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just…nothing, I guess. Come on, let's pack up and get back to the island." Xion smiled, and hugged Roxas.
"Alright. Let's get going." She got up, leaving a very confused and red Roxas behind, staring after her. He shook his head and jumped up as well, grabbing his things. "Hey! Wait, Xion!"
"What's wrong?"
"I can't find it!" Roxas turned his pack over and dumped everything out.
"What's missing?" Xion asked, kneeling beside the distraught boy. She watched him sift through everything on the ground, frantic in his searching.
"My shell! It's gone!"
"Maybe when we were fighting that Heartless it fell out. Come one, let's go look for it." Xion stood up. Roxas, after shoving all his stuff back into his pack, stood up as well. They headed over to the clearing they had fought in the day before. Roxas immediately began kicking leaves aside, searching for his beloved shell. Xion looked around near where the Heartless itself had collapsed. Several minutes of frantic searching later Roxas cried out.
"Found it!" He triumphantly held up the blue and yellow shell. In the early morning light it glittered slightly, even under the cover of the forest.
Xion came over and smiled at the boy kneeling on the forest floor. "Why's this shell so important to you anyway?" she asked, taking the shell in one hand and looking at it.
"Because you gave it to me, Xion," Roxas answered. He grinned up at the girl and stood, brushing leaves off his clothing. "No that that's over with, how about we get going back to the islands?"
"Sounds good. Let's go, Roxas." Xion smiled. Roxas helped her stand. Slipping his shell into a pocket, he shouldered his pack once more and opened a portal to go back to his friends. Their friends.
"Uh…Roxas?" Xion looked up and around. "Why are we at the World That Never Was?"
"Force of habit?" Roxas rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry."
Xion shook her head. "As long as we're here, let's get the rest of our stuff to bring to the islands." She scuttled off in search of her room.
"And maybe I can return these books to Marluxia's room. These two, at least," Roxas murmured to himself. "If I can find his room again." The only reason he had gone into Marluxia's room last time was because he had been searching for Axel's room. And gotten lost. Somehow. Hopefully he could remember how to get back to Marluxia's room.
"Where…am I?" Roxas looked around. He was still in the castle, yes, but not a part he recognized. Well, there was a door in front of him. "Let's see what's behind door number one," he whispered quietly. Quickly he reached out and opened the door. A wave of stale air blew over him, smelling like lab chemicals. Oh-so this was where Vexen's lab was. Roxas never had any clue before as to where it was. He cautiously crept into the silent room. It was dark, and most of the tables were covered in dusty cloths. Roxas treaded carefully, staring at the covered tables, wondering what was under the cloths. He didn't see the stool until he tripped over it.
"Ugh…" Roxas fell forward and half fell onto a table. The cloth fell off as he continued his trip to the floor. "Urg…gross, what is this stuff?" A bowl had fallen off the table and onto the floor. Some of the liquid inside it has splashed his hand. Roxas squinted at it, trying to tell what it was. He gave up and instead high-tailed it out of the lab. It was just as creepy as Vexen, if not creepier than the weird scientist.
"Uh-oh." His hand was turning blue. Panicking, he ran down the halls, searching for his own room. Finding it, Roxas shot inside and into the bathroom. Quickly he washed his hand, not trusting anything Vexen had created. The water turned blue and stained the sink, but his hand came clean. Roxas dried it and then stared at the sink, an idea hatching in his mind. Throwing his pack on the bed, Roxas ran down the hallways again. He skidded into the lab and grabbed up the bowl of blue dye.
Five minutes later Xion found Roxas waiting for her by her room. She stared suspiciously at the bottle of blue liquid in his hands but decided not to say anything. Roxas just smiled and opened a portal back to the Destiny Islands.