Chapter1: back to normal?
The white room of the nobodies was quiet. 14 black cloaks sat around the room just as quiet. Xemnas looked at them each in their own turn, his eyes calculating, his eyes then turned to the figure in the blue cloak standing in the middle of the room. "May I introduce you all…" his voice carried through the silence "to number XV or 15 as you will!" Roxas shifted in his seat until a black portal enveloped him, dragging him into the tunnels of darkness.
Roxas strode through dark streets toward a back ally. "What do you think you are doing? You can't turn your back on the organisation!" Lea voice was desperate as he begged his friend to listen. Roxas stopped walking and called back "no one would miss me" and the small shadow of what could have been called hope left Lea as Roxas walked around a corner leaving him alone.
Sora's eyes drifted open as Roxas's memories faded to the back of his mind. Rolling onto his side he looked at the desk chair opposite his bed where a ghost-like boy sat wearing a black zip up shirt, white vest with a red collar, white and black pants, and red and black shoos. He had messed up blond hair and blue eyes. "Sora, did you see more of my memories?" the ghost boy was an image of Roxas that only Sora could see at times.
"Na" Sora's half hearted lie was ignored by Roxas who, as the sunlight hit his feet, glowed blue and faded into nothingness. "Never get used to that felling" Sora said with a sigh. As Sora got dressed in his usual black pants with there yellow straps and red pockets, but put on a blue polo shirt on and a black tie. 'at least my uniform shirt fits me still' he thought as he grabbed a backpack and ran silently down the stairs and to the back door in the kitchen "hold on Sora!" a woman's voice called from the laundry. Sora had been avoiding his mother since he had come back from his travels. She had often heard him talking to himself using the name of Roxas a lot when he was alone in his room, Roxas she guessed was someone he had met or made up "there's 2000 money on the table for you, the school fair is on this avo" Sora grabbed it calling out a thanks and ran out the door, jumped over the fence and continued down the road at an almost inhuman speed.
Riku waited at the front gate of a large school with Kairi. He wore his usual blue jeans, white, black and yellow vest, a blue polo shirt and sneakers where as Kairi wore a pink and white dress patterned with zippers under a blue blazer. "Maybe he went back to the island again?" Kairi mumbled as Sora came flying around the corner behind her.
"Nope here he comes" Riku said and walked into the school grounds hoping the rest of the day would pass uneventfully. Home room ended and like every day Sora was first out under the sun but like every day he waited for his friends.
"The fairs today and I've got 2000 money so let's go already!" he cried as he stood impatiently at the gate.
Five minutes later Sora, Kairi, Riku, Namine and Roxas walked down the crowded streets of Twilight Town's summer fair. "I don't think that the King let you keep the Gummi ship to go to summer fairs Sora" Kairi scolded.
Sora stopped and turned to Kairi "I didn't just come for the fair" he tried to explain that Leon had sent for the five of them to meet him after school. Kairi had never met Leon or many of the other people Sora or the others had met (at lest not long enough to actually get to know them. So as they passed sea salt ice-cream stores she couldn't help but think something very wrong was about to happen.
They turned into the Sandlot and glanced around for Leon or anyone else "There not here" Riku said a little exasperated.
"Who's not here dork?" Siffer and his gang had been in the corner eating pretzels as the group had walked down the stairs into the Sandlot.
"Hi Siffer" Roxas called with a mischievous grin on his face. He and Namine had walked into the Sandlot a few steps behind Sora and the other's.
Siffer looked Roxas up and down "and who are you losers?" Siffer scoffed and Roxas noticed that Siffer's attitude hadn't changed much outside the computer.
"Just some friends of ours" called Leon coming around a corner "and just one question, how come your calling them the losers? Looser, you don't even know who they are" it was a simple question but was in for a rude answer if a person hadn't come flying out of a portal of darkness to land at Riku's feet. The figure was shrouded in an Organization cloak with deep blue accents.
Two children play on a beach as the sunsets. The 7 year old boy's shock of red hair seems to burn as the 8 year old girls ice blue hair darkened like freezing water. "You'll never catch me villain!" she cried and the boy stopped to put his hands on his hips.
"Why am I always the villain?" he called to the girl as the girl splashed through the waves "it's not fair"
She smiled a rare smile "because you're so good at it! It's almost realistic" she called back and ran to a trail that led through the rocky outcrop.
"Oh" was the boys reply as he chased after her.
An older version of the girl runs through a field of flower's toward a beautiful but rundown house. As she ran inside she called out "Papa! Lea the villain is coming for me! Hide me" and she darted behind a curtain giggling as a deep throated laugh came from the shadowy sitting room.
As the curtain fell back into place the door opened again as the older version of the red haired boy came inside with a wooden sword "I have come for the girl! Give her to me and I will not harm anyone!" he called out unable to mask the broad grin on his face.
"She hides within the labyrinth oh lord" the old man in the sitting room called back with a slight chuckle "find her and survive the labyrinth and you may have... Oops who is she playing this time?" the old man asked faltering with the lines the children had drilled him on.
The boy snapped to attention and said with as much respect as he could muster without laughing "she be the princess of light sir!" and he broke into a fit of laughter.
"Right ok then…" the old man said as he tried to remember where he had been "you may have the princess!" he finished knowing they would play for a few more hours.
As the sun set the teenage boy with red hair sod beside a teenage girl with ice blue hair talking about the games they used to play "I slayed dragons!" the boy said as the girl ate some of the sea-salt ice-cream she held.
"Well I used to ride them" she countered, her black-out sun glasses flashed in the dieing light.
His triumphant grin disappeared as he said with mock seriousness "oh sorry Shad, it must have been you're dragons I slayed." As he looked at her she turned away.
"it's ok Lea but…" the girl called Shad stopped and Lea prompted her with a poke to finish her sentence "promise me something" Shad said looking at him with a pleading look.
"Anything" Lea said trying to see her eyes under the shades.
"Promise me well always find each other when were in need. And promise me you'll never forget me" she turned away as Lea said "promise"
A 16 year old Shad stood on a beach as a 17 year old Lea walked toward her. She wears a black boob tube shirt and tight black paints, her eyes are covered with black-out sun glasses. He wears black baggy paints and jacket with a white polo shirt. "She's gone" was all he said, and he left her as a tear slipped down her cheek from under the glasses. She turned and walked away herself.
Black/purple flower petals fell from the sky during the funeral. As the last of the dirt fell across the grave Shad turned to look at everyone. Her eyes rested on Lea who stood next to her, she then turned away and walked to ward the beach.
As the storm clouds rumbled down from the horizon the waves became more and more restless "that's it! No more!" her angry voice broke as she choked on the sadness within her heart "I'm leaving for good" at this she waded into the water and vanished under the waves away from the red haired boy that had been running toward her, and was now left alone upon the sand.
Axle drifted slowly through the pathway of darkness and stepped smoothly onto the rocky grey sand of a beach forever in darkness, black water splashed angrily onto the shore. He felt like the darkness was consuming the light and gazed across the water remembering his homeland.
The glaring white of the hall of nobodies was empty but for the two remaining seats. 15's hooded figure barely shifted as what remained of Xemnas paced at the base of his throne "13 exists within Sora now. Namine resides within the girl Kairi and no one else lives but us" the hiss of Xemnas was a shadow of its former self as was the body it belonged to "15! I believe its time that you showed Sora of your existence" at his look 15 sat up and lent backward into a portal of darkness.
Axle stood as a portal of darkness opened and an organization member strode out. It clapped its hands 4 times and sat upon the ridge of black stone that ran along the beach. Axle walked over and sat down beside them. "I got the packages you wanted" he said and pulled out two packages, the organization member reached over and took the smaller of the packages, got up and began to walk away. "Hay it took me a hell of a lot to get these, what about the other package?" Axle called and the organization member turned and pointed at Lea and disappeared. "For me?" Axle looked down at the package for a few moments then tore into the wrapping.
Xemnas watched as 15 lent back and disappeared. "Good girl" he whispered and then he too left, leaving the Hall of Nobodies empty but for too chairs for the first time since its creation.
Lea and Shadow stood at Jenna's funeral as black/purple flower petals sank to the floor. Shadow walked away and left Lea as the last person their, or so he thought…
7 black figures walked up to the edge of the grave opposite him "have you lost your light?" a deep voice carried to Lea in the still air.
Lea's head snapped up "what?" his voice was husky.
"Have you lost your light?" the voice asked again and Lea's eyes flickered around. Suddenly he turned and ran after Shad.
As Lea sprinted past the cemetery gates he angled toward the beach. As his feet kicked up sand as he watched his only friend Shad walk into the waves she had stumbled out of all those years ago. Behind him the 7 figures came to a stand still at the edge of the trees "do you remember your true name?" the voice asked again and Lea's head dropped to his chest.
"Yea I've lost my light" he replied turning to look at them.
"Have you lost your heart?" all seven voices called out and Lea closed his eyes, slowly almost painstakingly so he nodded "you are the 9th to loose it so you shall be known as that number" the deep voice called out again and Axle felt a coldness settle on his shoulders. He opened his eyes to find himself shrouded in black.
"Axle! You can't keep running away! Traveling so many times through darkness isn't good for anyone, you'll wear away!" Lea ignored Xaldin.
"You wouldn't understand! You don't know why I do it" Axle replied warily as he continued to walk.
"Well enlighten me then!" Xaldin cried out in exasperation.
"I can't!" Axle called back over his shoulder and this only enraged Xaldin even more and he called out even as Axle opened up another portal of darkness " I can't understand if you don't explain it to me can I?" but then Axle was gone.