A/N: It's finally here! *falls over* I've been really anxious to get this story started, so I hope you all enjoy. Feedback is much appreciated! Thank you~
Disclaimer: All Kingdom Hearts characters and world-settings belong to Square Enix.
CLONE
Chapter 1: Rumoured Appearances
The whole of Twilight Town was buzzing with gossip. Despite the lazy way the sun lolled between day and night, soaking the whole place in a dim glow- it was obvious this wasn't just another quiet afternoon. The air was charged with tension and the angry chatter of civilians. Fists were raised, frowns were all around and people rushed outside the station where camera men and news reporters were mulling about.
Far above the hubbub four friends sat on the edge of the clock tower eating seasalt ice-cream.
"Wow," Olette said, gazing down at the crowd, "I don't think I've ever seen so many people together in Twilight Town before."
The boy sitting next to her, Pence, took a large bite out of his ice-cream and agreed "mm, it's not everyday a town gets told there's going to be a clone attending their kids' school."
"I know! Can you believe it? The world's first clone- and they're sending her to Twilight Town of all places. I think it's kind of exciting."
"Yeah. I would totally want to get a picture of her. Too bad it's all hush-hush so no one knows who she actually is. I can see the headlines now: 'Secret clone slipped into schools. Are your children safe, or fake?'"
Olette frowned, nudging her melodramatic friend in the shoulder.
"That's not funny, Pence. Most parents are really worried. I don't see why though."
"I'll tell you why," a third voice cut in, "they're scared 'cause there's gonna be some mutated freak in one of our schools. You can't trust scientists. What if the experiment messed up? Then we'd all be in for it."
"C'mon, Hayner. Don't you think that's a little overboard? I mean, they wouldn't even release the clone if she was dangerous in any way, right?"
All turned to look at the boy who'd spoken for the first time during the conversation. Roxas rubbed the back of his head and muttered a small "what?" He was spared his embarrassment when an outcry was heard from somewhere below, and the group craned their necks to see a hundred reporters shoving microphones in the face of a man who had been standing at the foot of the train station.
It became difficult to hear any of the commotion with voices and static meshing together underneath them. So in the meantime Roxas allowed his gaze to idly pass over the wave of people, not really searching for anyone, and just by an off chance, he caught a light golden head bobbing up and down through the crowd. Squinting, he watched the small figure pass slowly through its course, disappearing in and out of sight.
"Hey, what are you looking at?"
"Isn't that the girl from the old mansion?"
"Ooh, the ghost?"
"Huh?" Roxas' eyes drew away from their target to latch onto Pence's warm and lazy brown ones instead. "What do you mean?"
"Well, they say there's this girl that appears at the second floor window, even though no one's lived there for years. She just showed up one day without a word… She looks real enough though. Guess the rumours were bogus."
"She's always alone though, right?" Olette observed, taking another bite of ice-cream. "No one's ever seen her with anyone else. She can't be living all by herself up there."
"Or un-living."
Pence's comment lured an amused smile onto Hayner's lips, a fainter one on Olette's, but only worked an opposite reaction from Roxas.
"Her name's Naminé. She moved here from Hollow Bastion recently. Remember how that place was attacked by those creatures… Heartless?"
Hayner leaned back to look at Roxas with an equally serious expression. "How can we not? Those things wrecked everythin'. I swear, if any of them ever came to this town…"
"So her home got destroyed," Olette cut in, her features beginning to show signs of sympathy. "But where are her parents?"
"Dead- lost in one of the fires."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group, each individual pair of eyes now following the girl finally fade out of the crowd and disappear down the corner of Market Street without a look back.
"So who's she living with?" Olette spoke up again, as though it was safe to speak of her now that she was gone from view. Roxas shrugged.
"She has no other family, except her cousin who's the same age as her, so they moved her to Twilight Town, probably to keep her away from bad memories. Only spare place here was the mansion, which a couple of teachers moved into recently since it's a quiet place to do research. They agreed to take her in."
"Hold up," Hayner raised his hands, ice-cream stick discarded, and quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know all this stuff?"
Roxas avoided the three curious gazes trained on him. "I met her."
"What-?"
The three teens besides him leaned forward simultaneously. Poor Pence almost fell off the clocktower altogether as he was sitting at the end of their row and had to stick his head out furthest to catch Roxas' expression. Roxas shrugged. "What, what?"
"Meeting mysterious girls- keeping secrets from your best friends. Who are you and what have you done with Roxas?"
"Very funny."
The group snickered to the blond's dismay, but a weary smile eased onto his face nevertheless. It quickly changed into a grimace as Hayner punched his shoulder though.
"So, you gonna introduce us, or what?"
"I dunno guys. She doesn't really talk much. I don't wanna scare her away or anything by overcrowding her."
"Roxas just wants her all to his self," Olette teased. Roxas' gaze flickered her way irritably.
"Do not. She just seemed kinda sad, that's all."
"Well, she did lose her parents..."
The giant clock struck beneath them all and they listened to the reverberated rings whilst continuing to eat their half-melted ice-creams. The crowd below was beginning to disperse, the camera people and reporters already having left. A sudden smile lifted the corners of Pence's lips.
"Ooor," he said, "maybe, she's the clone."
Roxas groaned. Olette sighed. Hayner stole Pence's ice-cream.
"Hey!" Pence protested, snatching his precious dessert back. He licked his lips. "Think about it. She's new here, and judging by her age she'll be going to one of the schools in Twilight Town too- like the reporter said. It all fits."
"Whatever," Roxas stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Just kidding! C'mon Roxas, but you gotta admit it sounds a bit fishy. Y'know, how she never talks to anybody? And the only time anyone ever does see her, she's just staring out that window."
"That is kinda weird," Hayner added.
Roxas shrugged, frowning. Catching onto his expression, Olette touched the tips of her spread fingers together. "Well, we should make friends with her then. Maybe she could use some company."
"Hmm," was all Roxas said, thinking back to the quiet words the girl had spoken and how much time passed before he was finally able to lure a barely visible smile from the stranger. She had made to disappear again so quickly, too.
"Maybe. What was her name again?"
"Naminé."