Dear readers,
Thank you for keeping up with the series so far, and welcome to the next installment of the World Tree Series: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Dreams. I know many of you have been reading the series for a while now and are wondering when we'll be getting to the main part of the stories, but I assure you, we're almost there. After this, there are three more stories that make up the pre-timeline and then we will be in the main timeline. At the end of this story, look for the title of the next story.
Now, here's some details I need to explain:
1. Roxas and Namine are real people, with their own lives; they are not a part of Sora or Kairi.
2. Riku never went through the events of Chains of Memories, 358/2 Days, or KH II, and he was returned to the Destiny Islands with Kairi at the end of KH I.
3. Sora was never in stasis like in the game – he was, but I fixed it to where Riku and Kairi were the ones to save him this time – and I think it evened the odds with him not only being a hero but someone who had reliable comrades other than Donald and Goofy.
4. This story is set to be the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II.
5. This is No. 6 in the series – if you are coming from the FF search engine, please go to this title: Kingdom Hearts: Cypher; it isn't the first story because the first one is under construction and Cypher is complete, so for the time being, start there.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Kingdom Hearts or its counterparts. I do not hold claim to characters, music, designs, themes, events, or Keyblades. All of those belong to Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix.
Claimer: Any OCs, Keyblades of my creation, worlds that do not appear in Disney (which I doubt there will be any except one entirely), belong to me. If you wish to use them, please just ask.
Enjoy!
Day 1: Dream Like A Memory
"Roxas!" I heard someone call my name, and I looked around blearily as the sun blinded me with its bright, warm rays while the voice called out again. I had heard it many times before.
"Hmm?"
Looking around me as I sat up, I saw the ocean out in front of me, and blinked in confusion as another shout of my name caught my attention, and I looked behind me where several people were standing. One I recognized quickly as Namine, my childhood friend, and then I noticed two people that I didn't know, a red-haired girl, and a boy with silver hair. The last one was a boy around my age, and he caught my attention the most, only for the sake of him feeling oddly familiar to me. I stood and looked at the others as I started walking forward, and the boy I was focusing on laughed as he waved and told me to hurry up. I knew him, but I couldn't place where from again, but I did make it to him a bit faster than I anticipated. The others started walking away, and I finally fell in pace with the boy, who wore a tired-but-cheery smile as we headed somewhere. I heard the others chatting as he watched them before I accidentally brushed against his shoulder, and as he paused, I looked to him.
He had vivid sky-colored eyes that gleamed with joy and peace apparent as he gave me a sunbeam-bright smile that made me feel comfortable, like an old friend I hadn't seen in many years. My mind felt hazed at this – who was he? Why did I feel as if I knew him? The blue-eyed boy laughed a little and stopped walking. I looked to him once more, now in confusion.
"Something wrong?" I asked him this and almost felt blind-sided by fact that I was speaking in such a familiar tone, as if I had asked him this many times before.
"I can't stay; you know that, right?" a sudden whirl of discomfort filled me.
"What do you mean? You can't stay?" I felt as if I was losing a close friend at those words. The boy with sky-blue eyes shook his head with another smile.
"No, I can't stick around, sorry. I have another place I have to leave for. But don't worry, Rox, we'll see each other real soon!" the ocean gave way to a portal of glowing blue light, and slowly, everything behind the boy faded into a mist that bled into white.
It felt as if everything was being swept from existence, and with it, my friend, someone I felt I should have known and been close to, but couldn't pinpoint in my memory. Namine should know, and I would ask her, but the boy had caught my attention again as he merely shook his head a bit and smiled again as he started to leave. His attire changed to black with yellow details accenting it, alongside black and red pockets on the pants. He looked to me and smiled again just as he reached the portal, and I ran forward, hoping to stop him.
"Wait! Don't just walk away like that!" he paused and glanced down, his bangs hiding his eyes as he stood just on the edge of the white abyss.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Again, I stopped him.
"You can't...I..." the boy looked to me, sky-blue-eyes piercing me as I stared in discomfort of the situation.
"Ah, come on now, how is that fair? You don't even remember my name?" he put his hands on his waist and gave me an incredulous look.
"I-I just...who are you?" I asked.
"Okay, I'll give you a hint...it starts with an S..." With that, he stepped through the white and vanished without a trace. Panic flared within me, and I took in a deep breath as I ran forward.
"Wait! Hey! Wait! SO..."
I woke up before I could reach him.
{August 12th 2013: Twilight Town, East Side}
I opened my eyes, and I momentarily panicked as I jolted from my sleep only to realize I was in my room, in my home town, and I was alone as I took in a gasping breath, and tried to get my bearings. The warm glow of the sunset streamed in through my window, and I looked out to see the harbor and eternal twilight of my home town. I sighed and ran a hand through my messy blonde hair and propped my arms up on my windowsill before resting my head on them as I watched boats sail away, and a comfortable, gentle breeze came in through the open window. This was my home town – Twilight Town. However, even the familiarity felt strange now as I considered the dream I had just woken up from.
For some unknown reason, I had been having these dreams off and on since January this year, and thought I had started researching lucid dreams and reasons I saw things like I had in my dream after I started having them every day, I had found nothing that added up to or aided me in getting an answer. From the start of it all, I had dreamed of the same boy, with the same bright smile, piercing sky-blue eyes, and every other detail about him that by this point, I was one hundred percent sure that I could pinpoint him in a crowd of a thousand people with his hair color of chestnut and his sky-blue eyes.
"Damn...I've had a dream about this guy a million times, but if he looks at me, I freak out and I can't remember him...what the hell is going on?"
"Maybe you have a reason for dreaming about him, sleepyhead..." I shrugged at the statement from behind me.
"Yea, maybe I...AHHHH!" I jumped and looked at the platinum blonde, sapphire-blue-eyed girl in a pair of pale blue shorts, blue sandals, and a white tank-top with a matching blue ribbon about the waist of it. This was my best friend since I was five, her name was Namine Olamayne, and she was one of the most important people in my life. I eyed her and realized that she had a blue and white polka-dot backpack hanging on one of her shoulders that was undoubtedly filled with colored pencils and sketch books.
"Good morning, Roxas," she said to me with a smile.
"Namine! Don't scare me like that!" the girl laughed as she sat her backpack down and walked over to me.
"Oh, don't be that way! I hate it when you get so pensive and harsh when you wake up," Namine told me as she sat down on the bed with me.
"I'm not pensive! I just..." her blue eyes looked into my own pale ocean-blue ones, and she sighed. This was Namine for you, always concerned for those she cared for.
"Roxas, was it that dream again?" she asked me as she loved a little closer. I shrugged a bit and looked down.
"Yea, but it was on an island this time, in the middle of the summer at sundown...it was really beautiful there and peaceful, but I did my best to figure out who he was this time, and he gave me a clue, but I didn't remember him..." Namine looked down as she sighed before reaching out to brush my bangs from my eyes.
"Roxas, that's how many times you've had that dream about him?" Namine looked at me as she placed a gentle hand to my cheek, and I felt myself flush a bit.
I always felt calm around Namine. We had been friends since we were five and had grown up together; however, in recent months, I had started to see Namine differently. She was a beautiful girl: fair, gentle, and kind-hearted – not to mention smart, talented, and good with others – but I wasn't sure what to think of her, and yet I still couldn't help but feel good around her. However, despite my internal musings, Namine just smiled as I looked in her eyes and reached out to brush a stray strand of platinum blonde hair from her face.
"I've lost count...I'm sorry...I know I've got to be losing it, because I feel like I know him! And every time I try to figure it out, I just end up more and more confused! He has to be someone I know!" I said in a faintly hysterical tone as Namine frowned and reached forward to pinched my cheek.
"Calm down, you crazy brat!" I stared as she grabbed my other cheek and pulled both while I stared at her.
"I though...ou er a ady..." I felt my eyes burn as I watched her with a faintly teary stare. Namine puffed out her cheeks.
"I may be a lady, Roxas Lyster, but that does not mean I will not speak my mind or put people in their place!" She let go and I rubbed my cheeks.
"That hurt, Nami..." she rolled her eyes.
"You need to get over it, Roxas...but listen...you said he gave you a clue this time, right?" she questioned.
"Yea...he said his name started with an S, and I called out to him when he vanished this time and said So, as if I knew what his name...was...he...different as well? Almost...I don't know...he seemed sorrowful or disappointed that I didn't recognize him...Nami...what do you think is happening to me?" the pale-haired girl sighed.
"Personally? I think you're being given a premonition about someone you need to remember, or someone you will need to know. If this boy is that important, you need to stay focused on finding him," she told me.
"What about you? Don't you have dreams like this?" I blinked while watching her, and she smiled.
"Yes, but I know who I have dreams about...and my dreams are different!" I frowned.
"How?" To that, Namine smiled.
"Well, you see, my dreams are more like memories...far-off memories, but they are memories, nonetheless," she stated.
"Memories?" I wondered if that was what my dreams actually were – memories of someone I forgot trying to resurface.
"Yep, now come on, get yourself up and ready! We need to meet the others!"
Namine left the room for me to get myself ready for the day, and all I could do was sigh in defeat when I thought about my friends and the antics they would get into. Between Hayner, Pence, and Olette, I honestly wasn't sure which one – other than Namine – could keep themselves out of trouble. I sighed in defeat as I shook my head and glanced out the window once more before closing it and exiting the room. Down the staircase, I heard a faint clatter and a few sets of laughter from the kitchen that told me Namine wasn't the only person in the house with me anymore. I walked down the staircase, and into the main floor before walking to my right, and into the kitchen, where my friends were seated, chatting as Namine and Olette were working by the stove, laughing a little themselves. I smiled as a sense of calm overtook me, and my worries about the strange dreams momentarily faded away.
"Whether that person is just a figment of my imagination or real...at least my own little part of reality won't change..."
"Hey, look who decided to join the party!" said the dirty-blonde-haired teen with unruly hair and light brown eyes. This was Hayner Johnson, he was an athletic kind of person with a joking and slightly harsh personality, but he was honestly a good guy.
"I don't see how this is a party." I felt obligated to state that fact as my dark-haired, gray-eyed friend Pence Alverson walked over, and clapped me on the shoulder.
"Yea, well, the girls are fixing something to eat, and then we're going to hang out for a bit, so, it can be a party or just a stroll through town, depending on how you view it," Pence told me as I rolled my eyes and looked to Namine and Olette Williams – another one of my longtime friends with a sweet personality and a warm heart – who were moving pans and objects around to work on whatever it was they were concocting.
"Uhuh...whatever you say, Pence."
I took a seat at the small table with the other boys and decided to keep himself far away from Namine and Olette when they were cooking – last time, I had been bashed over the head with a frying pan because I had tried to invade their space while cooking and I had learned my lesson: never mess with women while they were cooking – and yet, despite that, Pence and Hayner hadn't learned that lesson and went over to them to ask what they were cooking, and were promptly hit over the head by Namine with a pot. I winced as the boys dragged themselves to the table, where they were told to sit and behave. With a tentative yes ma'am, both boys took their seats and I shook my head.
"You should know not to mess with Namine or Olette when they're doing something like this," I said.
"Well...we thought there was no harm in asking a question." Pence glanced to Hayner.
"No, you thought there was no harm in asking a question – I suggested we stay out of it – but since when do you listen to me, oh wise Hayner?!" Pence stated sarcastically as I laughed a little at their antics.
"Speaking of asking questions, I heard you tell Namine you had that freaky stalker dream again." To that statement, I gave Hayner and Pence a deadpan stare.
"It is not a freaky stalker dream – I can't control what I think of when I'm unconscious! And besides...I still don't know who he is," I admitted this with a faintly sullen tone.
"Don't get so down and out about it, buddy! I bet you'll run smack into your dream guy one of these days!" the statement was followed by a random flying ladle that smacked Hayner square in the back of the head. I gaped, momentarily wondering where it had come from, until I saw the sharp glare from Namine that told me I needed to remember: she had a scarily accurate aim.
"That was a poor joke, Hayner! This is clearly important to Roxas, and you're going to make a joke like that about it? Some friend you are!" Olette snapped as she turned her attention to the dirty-blonde, who was rubbing the lump on his head. I suppose I could always count on someone from my friends coming to my aid when I needed it.
"I didn't mean it the way it sounded! I meant it about the damn person he's dreaming about is a guy, so I figured it made sense!" I rubbed my temples as a headache began to make itself known.
"It also is derogatory and can be taken the wrong way and cause a huge misunderstanding! Besides, you know Roxas likes Namine!"
Pence said words that almost felt fatal. The room went silent and I froze up. Of course I liked Namine, but I knew what he meant by that. I wasn't foolish, and I could admit that yes, I did find her attractive, and yes, the idea of being in a relationship with her seemed wonderful, but was it really the right time? I guess I would have to wait and see, because right now, I had to do damage control.
"Um...excuse me?" the brunette winced as I shot him a withered glare.
"Oh come on, Roxas! I know you like her!" another object was thrown, and we jumped when Namine nearly hissed like an irate cat.
"Well, her happens to be in the room, and that is a subject that should not be breeched right now! Roxas has enough trouble to deal with right now when it comes to that boy he keeps seeing in his dreams – he gave him a clue about his name this time," she stated as she kept a scolding look on her face.
"Namine, you are one scary lady when you want to be...but...I won't say I'm not thankful for the diversion..." I thought as I watched the girls put a few things on the plates and tell the other boys to get their things.
I went to get up, and Namine sat a second plate in front of me as she sat down with her own plate in front of her. Sometimes, I was oddly confused by her behavior. Namine could be one of the most angelic, soft-spoken, proper, eloquent, and graceful girls in Twilight Town, and then she could be rough, loud, unsophisticated, trigger-hair-tempered, feisty, and down-right impish if it so pleased her, and that left me feeling as if I was dealing with a person that happened to have a split personality. However, I also knew that Namine was like this because she herself had gone through trials, and so had I – both of us are orphans, for instance, which had endeared us to one another, despite the psychotic moments. The platinum-blonde girl smiled sweetly towards me, and I laughed as the others sat down and began eating as we discussed our plans for the day.
"So, I think we should go to the lake!" I liked the idea, but Olette shook her head.
"We could, but they'll be setting up for the Fire Water Festival, and we'll be in the way," she said. I frowned, suddenly recalling the posters in town three days ago. Sometimes it was hard to remember the dates of the summer festivals – there's five of them during the entire summer, and two of them are in August.
"Oh! That's this week, isn't it?" Namine nodded.
"Yep, we can make plans to go and enjoy the festival, but that isn't until Friday, so...any other ideas?" we fell momentarily silent – and then an idea popped into my mind.
"What about the beach? We could walk to save on the travel fare and spend a few days there in one of the cheaper motels, right?" the statement had them smiling widely.
"That's an epic idea!" exclaimed Hayner as I smiled.
Before any of us had really bothered to keep track of it, we had started planning what to do for our trip next week. We had decided to leave on Monday, and seeing as it was only Wednesday now, that gave us a few days to gather up what we'd need and go from there. I smiled as I listened to them talk – Namine was cheery through the entire discussion and list-making until the others said they had to go inform their parents and take care of a few details before they left after telling us to meet them at our normal hang-out at five. It was roughly ten minutes later that Namine and I had started cleaning up the kitchen, and as we did, the girl fell silent, and straight-faced. While I did have an idea of why she was behaving that way, I felt uneasy about it and decided not to voice my opinion on the matter. I glanced at Namine as she started to wipe down the table, and then paused when I kept staring.
I cleared my throat and went to start washing dishes when I heard the soft steps of the girl behind me. At first, I thought she was moving around to finish cleaning up, and then I ended up with one of the most shocking events in my life: Namine came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist before putting her head against my back. I froze as I heard her sigh and almost hide her face in the back of my jacket when I heard something mumbled from her. Namine sighed again and then tightened her hold on me, while I tried to fathom what was wrong with her.
"Namine?" I asked.
"You're hoping you'll run into him, aren't you?" her tone was not accusing, but curious and calm, which made some of my tension ease.
"I-I don't know...maybe...I wish I had that kind of answer, Nami...I saw him and other people on a beach, so I guess I subconsciously thought that maybe..." she nodded.
"You'd be able to run into him and find out who he is," she finished for me, and I sighed.
"I want you to tell me what he looks like, and I'll draw a picture of him so we can get an idea of what he looks like," Namine told me with clear and bright eyes that made me smile as I placed a hand on her head.
"Alright Namine, thanks..."
"Any time, Rox..."
{Unknown Area: 5:00pm – Twilight Town}
Namine and I had been running behind and had to race our way to the usual spot we all met up at near the Tram Common in town. I had been trying to give her all the details I could remember from every dream I had of that boy since January; however, the drawing, and then the process of coloring it in had taken much longer than we had anticipated. I skidded around a corner, hearing Hayner, Pence, and Olette talking about where we were, and soon we slipped right through the door way, and they stopped as I took in a few deep breaths and looked at them with a smile. Namine came in close behind me and blew her bangs out of her eyes before going over to the sofa nearby and sat down as she caught her breath.
"Sorry we're late!" I said as I took in another deep breath and Namine nodded.
"Yea, Roxas was telling me about the dream so I could...draw a picture of the boy..." without question, I could tell the others were highly interested.
"Did you?" asked Pence – I honestly wanted to laugh.
"Who do you think I am? Of course I did it! Colored in and all!" Namine pulled out her sketch pad.
"How accurate is it?" Hayner questioned me as I sat down on a wooden box.
"I'd say spot on, right down to the eye color."
Namine opened her sketch book and flipped to the page of the drawing she had just finished. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she felt the same way I did when looking at the picture – nostalgic, as if she knew him as well. She took in a steady breath and turned it to show the other three. The drawing was of the boy in my dreams seated mid-air, leaned back with his left leg propped up a bit. His attire was black with yellow straps, and red pockets with black X-shapes over them. His shirt was also black with red front pockets, a short-sleeved jacket laid over it with what looked like armor on the shoulders and a hood, the shoes were black-and-yellow sneakers with zippers and black X-crossed straps.
He wore black gloves with another pattern that matched the straps of his sneakers, but in white with suds on the knuckles, and a yellow band at the wrist. In his right hand was a large silver key with a golden top and a mouse head at the end of a chain while the teeth of the key was cut to favor a crown. Their eyes, I could tell, had focused in on the silver near the boy's chest and took note of the crown-shaped pendant there before they focused on him personally. This was something about him that even I could never quite figure out, despite my best attempts.
Because his expression was calm – if not a bit cold – he had a kind and handsome face with lightly tanned skin, messy chestnut-hair that swung into his eyes and fell in odd spikes and had a windswept look to it. I watched the others eyes travel the image again before looking at the color of his eyes and they, as I always did, paused in faint confusion. They were blue, but not just any simple shade of blue. If I tried to describe the color, I would have to compare the tone to a rich spring sky just before noon time, but still darker and a little closer to the shade of a summer sky as well. I saw Olette frown and look to me and then to Namine before forming her mouth into a line as she thought while the other two boys looked at us.
"He looks intimidating...like he's used to fighting a lot," Pence said.
"Yea, I get that feeling every time I see him," I stated as Olette glanced to Namine.
"What color are his eyes?" her question had Namine perking up slightly.
"They're blue, but a mix between the spring-sky-blue and the summer sky-blue shades," she responded as Olette looked at the drawing again.
"They're piercing, huh, Roxas?" I nodded.
"Yea...they're frightening sometimes, too...I had one dream recently, just before school let out, that felt like a flashback of sorts...he seemed mad about something, and his personality changed. He didn't seem like the funny person he normally is in my dreams," I said, and at that statement, the others looked concerned.
"What do you mean by that?" Hayner seemed a bit confused.
"Well...every time I have dreams about him, he's always been very kind and funny. I had this one dream where he was being talked to by someone and he laughed and made this hilarious face by putting his fingers in his mouth and stretching his lips into a grin and crossing his eyes. It was comical enough that I still laugh about it when I think of it...but he's silly and warm-hearted, and has one of those broad smiles that makes you feel better...I guess that's a good way to describe his personality," I explained.
"So, he's warm-hearted and fun-loving...that sounds like a really nice person." Namine's words made my heart feel light as we talked about this person.
"He is...back when I got into that fight at school and got banged up real bad..." I paused and Hayner jumped in.
"I remember that – you looked like hell for a while, man," Hayner said. I rolled my eyes.
"Yea...anyways...I had a dream about us sitting up on the station clock tower, like all of us do, and we were just eating ice cream and talking. He nudged my shoulder and told me to stay strong and cheer up – that it could have been worse...I don't know what he really meant by that, but..." Olette frowned.
"Roxas, you could have died from the concussion – that could have been worse...are you sure he isn't just your Jiminy Cricket?" she asked.
"Jiminy Cricket? You mean my conscience?" she nodded.
"Yea, what if he's just that?" questioned Hayner. I shook my head at that.
"No, I don't think so...he seems like a real person, you know? Like I've met him before, but it was a really long time ago." Namine hummed in thought as I glanced her way.
"Well, maybe you did know each other when you were kids and you just forgot him until recently? There are some cases where people have premonition dreams before they meet someone again from a long time ago," she stated.
"That's possible, I guess..."
I felt a little anxiety at the prospect of this person being nothing more than my conscience. Something about that statement didn't settle well with me, and I felt that I couldn't willingly submit to that idea. Namine's theory honestly made more sense to me if I considered how the dreams were and what it felt like when I spoke to the other boy. Some part of me felt as if I was finally seeing a family member after a long time. I gave up on contemplating it, and around six we went to get some ice cream. The shoppe smelt wonderful, cool, sweet, and refreshing compared to the comfortable heat outside. However, it was as we were placing our orders that I was glancing in the reflective surface near me and took a momentary look at the throwing-star-shaped pendant I wore that had been a gift from Namine. It was as I sighed and turned my attention back to the flavors of ice cream I was looking at through the fairly reflective glass case that I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
I looked around and found nothing before I looked towards a reflective metal surface I was standing next to and saw the other boy from my dream behind me with a smile upon his face. I looked behind me, but found nothing once more, before I was handed a light blue ice cream on a cone by Namine. She had a cone of strawberry ice cream with white chocolate chips – her favorite – and was smiling to me as she started to walk away, and we started towards the station tower.
As we chatted about our plans for the week and the festival coming up, I felt another odd chill, and this time I was not alone. Everyone froze as a sense of danger crept up our spines, and we looked around. In an instant, we heard a laugh that only I could identify as being familiar as time slowed to a near stop around us. The laugh was light and smooth, held an energetic air to it, and was warm, but held a tint of sarcastic-sounding banter to it. I looked around frantically, searching for the person before I caught sight of a figure that stood at the street corner, seeming to talk to someone who wasn't there. I glanced to Namine and the others, who were staring wide-eyed in disbelief as the person glanced towards us with a faint smile as he kept his piercing blue eyes on us before the image blinked out of existence. Everything seemed to come back to life around us as I felt an unsteady shake develop in my abdomen that told me that my nervousness was perfectly required – seeing as my body wanted to do nothing but bolt at that point.
"D-Did all of you...just see...that?" asked Olette.
"Uh...y-yea...s-say, Roxas? C-Can we go back t-to your place?" I nodded quickly.
"Let's go...now..."
There was no further questioning as we ran, and I felt questions race through my mind. Why? Why did he show up in my home town? In the real world? All I knew now was that something was happening, and it was going to make a difference – a big one.
"Whatever that was…..I think it was a warning….."
{…..}
I'm losing sight, don't count on me...
{…...}
Author's Note: Welcome to the first chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Dreams – Final Mix. I hope everyone likes the changes from the original edition, and while the chapters may seem shorter, the original chapters are divided into twos so that the story has a bit more length and the chapters aren't as grueling to read. The first several chapters are in character point of view, so the next chapter will continue with Roxas, and then shift to Namine.
Preview:
"We need to talk about this."
It's really pretty, huh? That one star?"
"Why can't I remember your name?"
Chapter 2: Remember