His True Name
Chapter I: Brand New Eyes
"It has come to be apparent that Sora has been branded as the thirteenth member to organization XIII..." Said the old man, brushing down his beard. "Thus Xehanort will stop at nothing to complete his army and create Kingdom Hearts." He looked down and sighed, thinking.
"I have decided on a solution that some of you may not like."
Riku and Kairi looked intensely at Master Yen Sid.
"You won't hurt him?" The auburn asked, her voice full of panic.
"Yen Sid shook his head. "He will be perfectly safe. Although..." He turned back to Riku. "To protect his identity-we may have to pull some strings. I know this will not be easy on the both of you. But we must send him away and replace his memories with those of a different boy..."
Kairi opened her mouth to say something, but Yen Sid continued.
"He will no longer remember you two. He will not remember anybody who he saw during his previous adventures. I am not sure if he will be able to reclaim the memories he has lost...I'm very sorry. But I must ask you two to transport Sora to Twilight Town. Hand him over to Hayner, Pence and Olette. Make sure he is not awake, and that he does not see you on the train ride."
The two friends looked heart broken. To have a childhood friend just taken from you in such short notice. To know that they don't even remember your name. The thought was awful.
"Do not say goodbye to Sora, either. He will try to go against our wishes. He will want to stay and fight. I've predicted this." He looked sadly at Kairi and Riku. "It is for the best. I am sorry."
"So what now? We wait and say nothing?" Asked a heart broken Riku.
"We wait. Then it is your job to sneak up on your friend and knock him out. I will then use my power to rewrite his memory. Then..." He held up a hand to the blank air. A cloud of smoke appeared around it, summoning three train tickets. "You two will escort Sora to twilight town, and return safely back here..."
The room became dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Kairi's desperate cries then echoed.
"Please! No!" She begged. "Isn't there another way!? Please master! I-I... I need him!" Her eyes filled with water.
"If you would like to say goodbye...you may do it in his sleep..." Said Yen Sid, standing up with his hands behind his back. "I have heard words mean much more to one who is sleeping, then to those awake. Why, you may ask? Memories are never forgotten. They are sent to the unconscious state of mind.
He may not hear you at the time. But his heart will feel you there. I cannot erase feelings, and I don't need to... As long as his heart remains. He will find his way home once this is over."
"Will he ever come home?" Asked Kairi, wiping away her tears frantically, should Sora walk in any moment.
Yen Sid just stared out the window quietly. Then he sighed and turned around slowly. "I have said all that I know. He will live the life of a normal boy, as though none of his journey ever occurred... Should his heart begin to notice something missing, he shall follow it home. But you must never-" Yen Sid stopped and stared at the door. It began to open.
"Welcome, Sora. I hope you found what you were looking for?"
Sora nodded with a big grin. He shut the door behind him and walked up to Yen Sid's desk. "I was able to thank the dream eaters for helping me on my journey. Although, I can't thank Riku enough." As Sora turned around, he caught a glimpse of Kairi. Which came at a surprise. Kairi smiled weakly as she opened her arms for an embrace.
"Sora." The name made her want to smile.
"Kairi, what are you-?" As Sora turned to face the auburn, he felt a surge of force hit the back of his neck. Everything instantly went dark.
"Sorry, buddy. But I cant afford to lose you again..." Said Riku as Kairi caught Sora in mid-fall. She held him close as she lowered down on her knees to make him comfortable.
She readjusted the brunette so his head was on her lap and the rest had been sprawled out on the floor.
"I will give you until Mickey, Donald and Goody return. Thus this tower will be safe from harm whilst you are away." Yen Sid could no longer look at the trio. Even if it was for the best, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was only hurting the situation.
"But, when the time comes...he will need a new name. I will give you two the privilege of naming him once more.
The two friends looked at each other. Riku nodded to Kairi, giving her first say. She thought a while, thinking very harshly. "I want this name to mean something...maybe Ko...but it doesn't sound right..."
"Let's add to it," said Riku. "you want it to mean 'light', correct? How about Hikaru?"
Kairi smiled and nodded, then looked down to her friend. "How about it, Sora? Would you like the name 'Hikaru'?"
Sora was smiling in his sleep. He always had a goofy grin pressed on his face. They would miss him.
Time passed silently and quickly. Riku had sat down next to Kairi and watched their friend sleep. He soon would no longer be the same boy who slacked off on the island. The boy who wanted to see new worlds. The boy who accidentally was chosen by the keyblade. The boy who never gave in, even when times were tough. And now...now he would soon be gone.
Kairi held back her tears for the time it took before the others got back.
Yen Sid broke the silence. "I want you to tell Hayner, Pence and Olette to keep our secret. I want you to tell them to address him as Hikaru. Make sure they don't mention their last encounter and pretend they've known him since childhood." He finished.
"But, why them?" Asked Riku.
"Well, let's think about it. I had to select people who Xehanort knows nothing about. So that left me with few people. We had those from the islands. Why not leave him with them? Because, they would trigger memories very quickly. And my magic would wear off at an alarming rate... But then I remembered the one group you met in twilight town. Kairi, I remember how they treated you like one of their own. I trust them in this simple task."
Just then, King Mickey walked in through the door, followed by his two companions, Donald and Goofy. At first he payed no mind to the scene going on. But then his eyes locked onto the boy with the bruise on the back of his neck.
"Oh!" He squeaked. "What happened?"
"Mickey. I have decided to send him away for a while." Yen Sid gestured to Sora. "I was waiting for your return before replacing all his memories."
"I thought we agreed to let him decide!" Mickey protested.
"Yes. I do realize that I have broken our agreement. But you must see, Sora would have said no. And to prove he is worthy, he would do something reckless." The old man sighed. "I am sorry, but it must be done. Should he be captured. He would be put against us. And we would most likely have to put an end to him. I found this option to be much better for him."
Mickey's eyes furrowed. He had a point. "Well, gawsh. We're one light short then..."
Kairi looked at this as a reason to let Sora stay. But Riku placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
"Now I believe it is time to say goodbye to Sora..." Said Yen Sid with a hint of sadness in his voice.
Donald shook his head and let out a sigh despair. Donald and Goofy hugged the unconscious boy. He would not remember them. He would not remember the adventures they shared together. And yet, they felt he somehow would never forget anybody.
Mickey stepped up next.
"Gawsh...I'm sorry for putting you in this kind of danger, Sora." The mouse shook his head sadly. "We'll all miss you..."
Riku scooted closer.
"Hey buddy, you just can't seem to stop slacking off." He smiled a bit. "Even if its the world you're supposed to save... But hey, maybe it'll be you who does end up saving us all."
Kairi sat silent for a bit. "I'll never see your eyes again..." She thought about the beautiful bright blue eyes that always were looking into her own. The ones that gave her a sense of security, no matter what she was feeling. "I'll miss you, Sora." She hugged him, then set him on the ground and stood up.
Yen Sid then walked towards Sora. The tension in the room grew and grew as each step brought him closer to losing himself.
The old man placed his hand on Sora's forehead. Everybody watched as his hand began to glow brighter and brighter until it hurt to look.
As the light dimmed, they knew it was over. Sora was gone.
Yen Sid handed the tickets to Riku. "Take Hikaru home, Master Riku."
Kairi looked as though she were about to lose her lunch as they walked down the steps. Riku not only had to carry Hikaru down the steps, but he had to support Kairi because she kept stumbling down the steps.
But when they made it outside and by the railroad tracks, Kairi finally broke. Her legs gave way and she let out a loud wail that echoed through the empty air.
Riku had to kneel by her as she sobbed hysterically. He'd never seen her this upset. It was just awful to watch.
More time passed. And the train finally arrived. Riku had to set Sora in the train. Then come back and help Kairi in.
This would be one long ride...
The train was completely silent. No driver. No other passengers to distract them. This seemed to go on a while. Like an eternity.
"Sora...don't ever change..." Kairi said slowly.
Just then, Hikaru began to stir. Kairi's eyes went wide with shock. Riku stood up, ready to crack Hikaru upside the head again. But Hikaru was just adjusting in his sleep.
Kairi crawled in his direction, pretending to comfort him in his sleep, but she had snuck something in his pocket...
"Do you think he's dreaming?" Riku smiled as he sat down slowly, relaxing the tension.
"He must be...I wonder what he's dreaming about..." Kairi was stuck in her little fantasies.
"Can't be us." Riku shrugged.
And from that point on, they were all silent. Kairi thought of the destiny islands. The bright sun. The wonderful breeze. Riku had other thoughts.
He was thinking about Roxas. This was defiantly deja vu. Which would mean...No. Nobody would disturb Hikaru's happy ending. Nobody.
After a few hours of awkward silence, the train stopped.
"Here we are." Said Riku, picking Hikaru up.
Kairi looked like she did a year ago. Just sitting with blank eyes.
"You gotta get up, Kairi. Hikaru's fine, see?" He gestured to the friend that he had a tight grip on.
Kairi stood up slowly. "His name is So-"
"Shh!" Riku hushed her. She can't blow his cover. He can no longer defend himself.
The auburn looked at the ground sadly and got off the train. "I know where their hideout is." She said. "Follow me."
So they walked around this happy, bright town. Hikaru was still holding that goofy grin in his sleep. It looked so much brighter now that they were in this sanctuary.
Kairi pushed away a curtain that fell in front of a gate. "Hello?" She called into the small room
Three pairs of eyes peered their way.
"Kairi! You're back!" Olette stood up from her chair and hugged Kairi happily.
"You should have told us you were coming! We would've got you ice cream!" Pence said, holding a salty-sweet ice cream in his hand.
"Oh, don't worry about me... Can I ask you a favor?" The auburn tried to get to the point as quickly as possible."
"Shoot." Hayner said
"Well...I have a problem. You know the boy you saw not too long ago? He was looking for me?" Kairi stuttered.
"Oh! You mean So-" Olette was cut off by Kairi.
"Yes, him. He's kind of in trouble at the moment. And-" Kairi was then cut off by Riku this time, who walked in the room and set Hikaru down.
"We need you to babysit this guy for us." Said Riku.
Everybody stared at the sleeping brunette.
"In trouble? Babysit? What are you talking about?" Hayner asked, irritated by how confused he was.
"Can we sit down? And we need to be quiet." Said Riku.
"Sure." Said Olette, scooting over for Kairi to sit next to her. "You look sick, Kairi..."
Riku sat in between Hayner and Pence.
"Let me explain..."
And Riku told them all he knew. Kairi got chocked up so much that Olette had to take her away from the group to eat some ice cream. Hayner never looked so intense in his life. And Pence was paying more attention then normal.
"So we just need to treat him like one of us?" Asked Pence.
"Yup. Simple as that. Deny everything that is the truth."
Kairi and Olette came back. Kairi didn't look so pale anymore, so it was an improvement.
"What'd I miss?" Asked Olette.
"The important guidelines." Said Hayner. "I'll explain when Kairi's gone"
"I'd appreciate that." Said Riku.
"So will you be staying a while?" Pence asked.
"Just until Hikaru wakes up."
"Mmm...that's harsh." Hayner said, eyeing the brunette in the corner.
"It's the only way..." Riku said, meeting Kairi's eyes. She looked like she was going to cry. Olette reached out and hugged her. At least Kairi had friends to rely on. That's all Riku needed to know. So, Hikaru was safe and Xehanort couldn't touch him.
"Thank you." Riku smiled at them. "I know you'll take good care of him."
Hikaru stirred again.
"We should go now." The silver haired boy sighed.
Kairi glanced over at Hikaru. He was waking up. She panicked.
"Thank you all so much. I'll miss you!" Kairi said quickly, wiping away her tears and running out the door. But not before casting her childhood lo-friend one last glance. This was goodbye.
"Take good care of him. See ya!" Riku waved them goodbye, hiding his sadness.
And like that, Hikaru would never see his friend's again. Or at least, he wasn't supposed to.
Hikaru's brand new eyes fluttered open to see his best friends looking at him curiously. He looked back and forth in confusion, then he stretched while yawning loudly.
"Was somebody here? I thought I heard voices..." He asked drowsily.
"Have you been eating too much ice cream lately?" Hayner teased.
"And you haven't been sharing!? What's wrong with you?" Asked Pence, rubbing his belly.
Olette gave them odd looks. She was confused. What did she miss?
"Don't make me feel guilty!" Hikaru hid his face from view as he turned red.
"You know what? How bout Pence and I go buy some ice cream for us. Be right back!" Olette grabbed Pence's hand and ran outside. When they were out of earshot, Olette asked "What'd I miss? Are we best friends with him now? And why are you calling him Hikaru?"
"Well..." Pence looked around. Then whispered to her. "When you left, Riku explained how Hikaru needed to lose his memory in order to protect his identity. Otherwise some 'organization' would kidnap him. So now he thinks he's known us forever." He explained.
"Is that why Kairi broke down?"
Pence nodded as they approached the ice cream shop.
"What can I do for you two?" The man beamed at them.
"I'd like four salty sweet ice creams, please."
Chapter 1 end