Riku smirked. "No vessel, no help from the Heartless... so tell me, how'd you get here?"
"I simply believed," the Beast said quietly. "Nothing more to it. When you brought darkness to our world and took Belle away from me, I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. You must have brought her here." The Beast clenched his fist angrily. "I will have her back!"
"Take her if you can," Riku said, grinning.
011010110110010101111001
"You mean... you were the one? You were the one who led the Heartless to our world?"
"Yes. I was searching for the Keyblade Master."
Riku's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why? What do you want with me?"
"The Keyblade holds far more power than you are aware of. I have come to unlock that power."
"But Maleficent already said that she unlocked my full potential."
Riku could not see the man's face, but he could feel his smirk. "She cannot comprehend the forces she toys with. The power of the Keyblade is far greater than anything she could ever imagine. You wish to open the final door, correct?"
011010110110010101111001
"Don't you see yet?" Riku said angrily. "Kairi's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"
"Kairi... Kairi's inside me?" Sora gasped, clutching his chest.
"Yes. I don't know why, or how, but it's the truth. And now I'm going to release her heart."
"Wh...what does that mean?" Sora said, taking a step back in fear. Riku smirked, clenching his fist.
"What do you think?" he asked, then slashed the Keyblade through the air, pointing its deadly tip at Sora's chest. "This is a Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts. It's the only way to save Kairi."
"Wait a second," Sora said in panic. He drew his sword, although the hand holding it was shaking. "You can't unlock my heart... won't I turn into a Heartless?"
"If it means saving Kairi, I couldn't care less."
011010110110010101111001
"No... Sora, no..." Kairi gasped, as if struggling for breath. She ran towards the spot where Sora had been standing only moments before.
"It was the only way to save you!" Riku said desperately, grabbing Kairi's arm. He forced her to face him. "Kairi, please believe me, he didn't care about you. I'm the one who's been trying to save you this whole time. Me!"
011010110110010101111001
What do I do? he thought, eyes streaming with hot, bitter tears.
Let go, a voice said somewhere within him. The voice didn't belong to him, and yet it sounded familiar. Was it Ansem? How was he speaking directly into him? Did it even matter anymore?
You gave Kairi everything; Sora all but abandoned you; you have nothing left in this world. Why live on in pain? Give up your heart; make all of the suffering go away.
Surely nothingness would be better than this pain... wouldn't it? Kairi was gone...
It doesn't even hurt. Lose yourself... it's so much easier...
He felt himself slipping away; the aching in his chest began to give way to the sweet relief of soothing numbness. He began losing his sense of self, but what did it matter? He had nothing left... nothing at all. This was a pain that he couldn't endure. It was so much easier to fade away...
011010110110010101111001
"Transformation?" Riku repeated in that foreign, unearthly voice.
Ansem chuckled darkly. "Have your really not figured it out yet? Just look at yourself; you've become a subject of darkness like myself. Rid of your mortal shackles, you've unearthed more power than you could have possible dreamed of before."
"Then I'm... a Heartless?" Riku asked, revolted, as he stared down at his hands. Upon closer inspection, he could tell that they didn't seem to be made of skin and flesh at all, so much as some concentrated, cloudy, ethereal substance. His skin was black, purple, and red, and had an odd texture, like sinews of muscle, but made of pure darkness. At the center of his chest was the emblem of the Heartless.
011010110110010101111001
"You may be the Keyblade Master, that I can't help," Ansem said quietly. "However, I can at least take your powers for myself. By absorbing your dark energy, I can make the Keyblade mine. I couldn't do it so long as you were a complete human being, but now that you're made of nothing but darkness, it's simple."
"You were planning this all along, weren't you?" Riku asked in horror, icy realization washing over him. "Everything that's happened... it's been caused by you. When you appeared on the islands, you were looking for me. You were trying to bring the Keyblade under your control."
"You played into my plans better than I could have dreamed," Ansem said, chuckling. Riku sank to his knees weakly; the dark Keyblade disappeared from his hand, and reappeared in Ansem's. "Maleficent's manipulation weakened your ties with Sora; it was child's play to make you release Kairi's heart and destroy your only true ally in one instant."
011010110110010101111001
"Riku! You're okay!"
That voice. Riku sat up immediately.
"K... Kairi," he said breathlessly. She was staring at him with such a look of joy that he thought his heart might melt.
His heart... he had a heart. He was alive again.
011010110110010101111001
"He... he absorbed the heart of the world," Aurora said in disbelief. "How much more powerful must that make him?"
"Damn it!" Leon shouted, throwing his gunblade to the ground with a loud clatter. The floor and walls began to shake. "This world is going to be gone soon enough. It can't exist without a heart!"
"What do we do?" Cinderella said fearfully. The rumbling grew more violent; pieces of stone began to fall from the ceiling. "We'll be destroyed if we stay here!"
011010110110010101111001
Kairi sighed, then allowed a small smile. "Okay. You win. But if you're going alone, I want you to have this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small object. It appeared to be made of five Thalassa shells strung together in the shape of a star; a smiling face had been carefully drawn on.
"What's this?" Riku said, holding it in his hand gently. He felt like he was holding a precious treasure.
"It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me!" she said sternly. Riku grinned.
"Don't worry. I will."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
The 4th Day
Xurik's eyes blinked open wearily. No matter how early he got to bed lately, he was always so tired... every night was filled with endless dreaming. The persistant nature of them was disturbing enough... let alone their content. Sora being killed by his best friend, Riku turning into a Heartless, or whatever it was called, Kairi saving him... and the promise.
"Promise..." Xurik mumbled. The words sounded so familiar, as if the promise to return home was his own. But he was home... wasn't he? The only promises Xurik had made lately were...
"Shit!" he shouted suddenly, trying to leap out of bed but getting tangled in the covers and flopping heavily to the floor. He got up and struggled to put on his jeans, but rushing just made the task more impossible; all he could think about was his promise to Seifer.
"Shit," he repeated, glancing at the alarm clock across the room. He still had time, but not much. "I'm going to be late for the Struggle Tournament!"
Xurik arrived in the Sandlot panting and breathless, but barely on time. The walls surrounding the Struggle Ring in the middle of the square were already packed with chattering people. Seifer turned to him, looking relieved and irritated.
"About damn time. What, did you oversleep or something? You better have brought your A-game."
"Of course," Xurik said, flashing him a grin between heavy breaths. He didn't bother mentioning that his fight against the gigantic monster in his hallucination/dream/whatever from the day before had been practice enough. Besides, with everything going on in his life right now, winning a tournament was the least of his cares at the moment. Apathy made him surprisingly stress-free.
"What's up with Vivi, y'know?" Rai asked suddenly, pointing. Normally the introverted boy hung around them like a gadfly, but now he was sulking by himself in a corner of the Sandlot. Fuu peered at him, then shrugged.
"Nervous?"
"For good reason... I'm surprised he made it into the finals at all," Seifer said, a little meanly. He shrugged. "Whatever. More chances for the Twilight Disciplinary Committee to win, I guess."
There was a series of loud pops overhead; smoky fireworks exploded in the twilit sky above, and the crowd cheered.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town!" the event producer's voice blared over the loudspeakers. "It's time for summer's most sizzling clash! That's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and title match! Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer?"
"Seifer and Xurik, y'know!" Rai shouted in excitement, his voice drowned out by the cheering crowd.
"And who will leave today as our new Struggle Champion?"
"Hayner!" called out Olette and Pence distantly; Xurik could see them on the other side of the Sandlot, standing next to a nervous-looking Hayner. Their cheers for their friend were drowned out as a sudden chorus of voices began chanting:
"SETZER! SETZER! SETZER! SETZER! SETZER!"
Xurik rolled his eyes; the champion from last summer was famous in town for his astonishing win the year before, but rumors had quickly spread that he had paid off the competition. Judging from Setzer's usual smug, self-entitled expression, Xurik was inclined to believe the rumors, but dozens of rabid fans seemed willing to defend Setzer's reputation to the death.
The producer continued cheerfully. "Yes, the crowd is fired up, so you know what comes next: Let's..."
"STRUGGLE!" the crowd finished for him, then erupted into cheers once more. Xurik began to feel nervous for the first time; was he really supposed to fight in front of all of those people?
The portly Struggle producer ambled off of the stage, then handed the microphone to the event announcer. Xurik realized with surprise that the person moderating the tournament was the local accessory shop owner.
"Hey, now. It's time to introduce today's combatants!" he announced, waving the four combatants on stage; Xurik awkwardly made his way onto the battleground and faced the crowd, standing next to Hayner, who looked equally nervous. "The four bad boys who struggled their way through preliminaries! Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee: Seifer!"
"Completely out of nowhere - who knew he'd make it so far this year? - Vivi!"
"An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner! It's his first trip to the finals!"
"And Struggler number 4, who happens to be my absolute favorite customer: Xurik!"
Xurik blushed as the audience cheered for them. Nerves were getting the best of him; his heart was pounding. Calm down, Xurik, calm down. Deep breaths... you can do this. He glanced down the line at Seifer, who caught his gaze but looked away. Xurik frowned; Seifer definitely wasn't going to hold back, not even against his friends. He had to be on his guard.
"So: who will win this sweltering summer Struggle? Who will take home the grand prize? The summa cum laude of Struggle: the Four Crystal Trophy? And... a chance to take on our defending champion, Setzer!" The silver-haired man held up the heavy gold championship belt. For the first time Xurik wondered what he would look like wearing that - then shook his head. This was about having fun, not winning. Who cared if he became Struggle Champion?
He wouldn't mind it, of course...
First on the bracket were Hayner and himself. Seifer and Vivi made their way off of the Struggle ring, leaving the two opponents; the event producer waddled over to them and handed them both blue Struggle clubs, patting them each on the shoulder before waddling away again.
"Uh... may the best man win," Xurik said, extending his hand.
Hayner rolled his eyes, clutching his club with both hands. "Whatever. I plan to." He backed away, preparing for the battle.
"Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Xurik and Hayner!"
"Go Xurik!" he heard from several people behind him; he grinned. No sweat.
A gunshot went off and the boys charged at each other, Struggle clubs raised high.
Within three minutes, Hayner collapsed to the floor, energy spent.
"And the winner is Xurik!" the announcer called cheerfully as the crowd roared behind him.
"I lost!" Hayner moaned, flopping onto his back. "Aww, I can't believe it!"
"Awesome job, y'know!" Rai said, patting Xurik on the back as he came down off of the stage. "Next is Seifer and Vivi - this oughtta be good, y'know?"
"You did good," Seifer said, grinning. He began walking towards the stage. "It's my turn now."
"Who do you think's gonna win, y'know?"
Fuu rolled her eyes. "No contest."
Xurik nodded. Everyone knew that Vivi was barely a match for anyone - let alone Seifer. That meant Xurik and Seifer would be fighting each other for the final match... that would be a bit more of a challenge. He came to attention as the crowd began to cheer once more, Seifer and Vivi armed and in place.
"Don't mess with your elders," Seifer muttered quietly; Vivi stared at him silently, his glowing yellow eyes unblinking. Vivi was always harmless, but for some reason gazing at him now, Xurik felt extremely creeped out. Vivi had been acting odd all day.
The gunshot went off, and immediately Vivi leapt through the air at Seifer, blue club spinning wildly. The blond boy jumped out of the way, but Vivi was close behind; the blond whipped around and began attacking, but Vivi blocked every one of Seifer's hits. Rai frowned.
"Vivi's gotten kind of tough, y'know?" he asked, and Xurik and Fuu shrugged.
"Odd..."
Vivi soared at Seifer once more, lashing out at him with his club. Gathering up all of his strength, Seifer knocked the attack away brutally, sending Vivi tumbling away, landing on the ground. Seifer saw his chance and charged forward.
"You're mine!"
Without warning Vivi suddenly sprang to life, launching himself at Seifer and landing a vicious attack. Seifer collapsed backwards, landing painfully on the ground and dropping his Struggle club. The crowd was stunned for a moment, then slowly began to applaud. Even the announcer was slow to respond.
"I-I'm not sure what just happened... um... but... the winner is Vivi! In a positively blistering comeback!"
Xurik stared at Vivi and realized that the boy was staring directly at him; it sent chills down his spine. What was going on? He was acting nothing like the Vivi that he knew.
Seifer got to his feet uneasily and began to walk off stage. Xurik extended a hand to help him down.
"Hey, you did a good-"
"That's not Vivi," Seifer said quietly, then glared at Xurik. "Thrash 'im."
Xurik said nothing as Seifer began to walk away, then peered at Vivi. It had been totally unexpected, but now he was up against Vivi in the final match. Somehow, Xurik wished that he were fighting Seifer after all...
"Keep it clean, fellas," the producer said, looking down at Vivi warily as he handed them both Struggle clubs. Xurik nodded as the portly man made his way off stage.
"And now, the match you've been waiting for: Xurik vs. Vivi!"
As before, Vivi immediately leapt at him, but Xurik was expecting it; he slid out of the way, blocking as Vivi dove in to attack him again, then lashed out at Vivi but missed. Wizard hat flopping wildly, Vivi spun through the air at him, but Xurik blocked it. He winced as he pushed back Vivi's attack; the attacks were so strong that blocking hurt his arms. What was going on with Vivi?
The club barely whistled past his head; Xurik thrust his club forward, catching Vivi in the stomach, but the boy seemed unphased. He dodged yet another one of Vivi's attacks, then managed to block a third; Vivi stumbled backwards slightly from the retaliation, and Xurik saw his chance. He swept forward with lightning speed and smashed his Struggle club into Vivi, sending the boy toppling to the ground. This was his only chance; Xurik ran forward for a final blow while Vivi had no defense.
As his club came down through the air, he felt his arms slowing as if he were being repelled by an opposing magnet. He suddenly realized that the cheering had stopped; glancing around, he realized with shock that the entire crowd was frozen in time, just like before.
He turned his attention back to Vivi, then realized that the boy's yellow eyes were still blinking, his blue-robed chest rising and falling with every breath. Why were Xurik and Vivi the only ones moving? His question was answered, however, when Vivi suddenly vanished in a flash of silver light and was replaced by one of the lithe white monsters. More of the creatures began to appear, surrounding him.
"Not again..." he said through gritted teeth, deeply frustrated. There was a sudden warmth in his hand; in a flash of glowing numbers and lights, the Struggle club transformed into the Keyblade once more. He peered at it curiously; here it was once more, exactly when he needed it. Well, he wasn't about to question it. He glared at the monsters. Fine. If it was a Struggle they wanted, they would get it.
Next to the battle with the super-human Vivi, the monsters seemed almost easy, however. He dodged their attacks and struck out at them with the Keyblade, diminishing them one at a time, until only one was left. He slashed through its chest, destroying it in a shower of silver lights. He panted, glancing around; they seemed to be gone. After fighting Vivi and the monsters, he was now positively exhausted. Everything was still silent... for a moment. Behind him, however, he suddenly heard approaching footsteps, echoing in the stillness.
"Nice job, Xurik," a young voice said warmly. "I guess you've still got it, huh?"
Xurik clenched the Keyblade tightly, staring at the figure. He was wearing a black hooded cloak, boots, and gloves... the only part of the figure that was visible was a shadowy smile, mostly hidden by the hood.
"Who... who are you?"
The boy hesitated. "What? Come on, Xurik..." He reached up and lowered his hood, revealing a smiling face with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. "It's me. Roxas."
"Roxas?" Xurik said, eyes narrow. He had never met this boy before in his life as far as he knew, but he seemed familiar somehow... and he was wearing a cloak like Sora's. Did they know each other?
"You really don't remember?" Roxas said, looking dejected. "I guess Namine warned me about this, but I didn't think she was serious..."
"You know Naminé?"
"Yeah... I met her recently. She helped me find you. I've been looking for you for three days, ever since we got separated. You remember... or, well, I guess you don't." He looked around the Sandlot warily. "Naminé said this place is his creation... so we've really got to go."
The air suddenly warped around them; Roxas looked around in worry.
"Oh no... I think he knows I'm here."
"Wait a second!" Xurik said, growing frustrated. So much was going on lately, but he wasn't getting any answers. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!"
"But we don't have time!" Roxas said anxiously, looking around, but when he saw the annoyed expression on Xurik's face he sighed, growing frustrated himself. "Fine. I guess you don't remember it, but you're in the Organization with me. Xurik, Number 14. I'm Number 13."
"The Organization?" Xurik shook his head impatiently. "I don't know what that means! Who's Riku? What are those monsters? Why does all of this weird shit keep happening to me?"
"Riku? I don't know who that is, but the monsters are Nobodies like us, and-"
The air around them warped once more; in a piller of glowing numbers and letters, a man suddenly appeared. He was wearing a red robe, and red bandages covered most of his face. Xurik looked from the man to Roxas, then back again; where did these people keep coming from?
"So it's you," Roxas said quietly, glaring at the man. He held out his hand, and in a flash of light, a Keyblade appeared.
"Wait, why do you have a Keyblade?" Xurik asked in shock, pointing down at Roxas's hand. He looked down; his own Keyblade was still grasped tightly in his own hand. Were there two?
The man wasted no time, however, and looked directly at him. "Xurik, never mind that! This boy speaks nonsense!"
"What?" Roxas said, looking annoyed. "No, Xurik, he's lying! I'm telling you the truth!"
"Xurik!"
"Xurik!"
"Xurik!"
He clenched his fists, weariness and frustration taking hold. So much was going on that he felt like his head was about to explode from voices and questions and thoughts and confusion. All he could think of was his friends.
"Seifer... Rai... Fuu... Vivi..." he whispered quietly, then gathered strength from the thought of them, shouting it this time. "Seifer! Rai! Fuu! Vivi!"
Cheering filled his ears; Xurik blinked open his eyes in surprise, and realized that the world had become unfrozen. He had almost forgotten about the Struggle tournament; Vivi was lying on the ground, dazed. Xurik glanced around quickly, but Roxas and the red-clad man were gone.
"What?" the announcer said over the loudspeaker. "What... just happened?"
Vivi blinked, getting to his feet and looking around in confusion. "Huh? How did I get here?"
Xurik couldn't focus; this was too much to take. He kept being thrust from situation to situation; how was he supposed to make sense of anything anymore? Seifer, Rai, and Fuu rushed on stage to congratulate him, but he just felt miserable and confused.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Xurik: our new top Struggler!"
"Awesome job! Almost there!" Seifer patted him on the back cheerfully, then peered at him curiously. "Xurik? You okay man?"
Xurik nodded automatically, although he was having trouble forcing his face into a smile. His mind felt utterly worn out, and it was difficult to focus on winning some fight. He had been so excited about the Struggle tournament before, but now it seemed so insignificant... at least with all of the new information and questions being thrown at him constantly.
"SETZER! SETZER! SETZER! SETZER! SETZER!"
"You gotta get back up there! It's about to start, y'know!" Rai said urgently, pushing Xurik towards the stage. Xurik blinked in confusion; he had forgotten about the title match. He slowly made his way back on stage, as the event producer came once more to give them their Struggle clubs and pat them on the back.
"You two, play fair now," the man said cheerfully. "You're at the top of the bracket."
"There's only room for one up here," Setzer said quietly, staring down Xurik with a smirk.
The producer laughed nervously. "Well, may the best man win!" With that, he waved at the audience and waddled off-stage.
"Hey, Rucksack," Setzer said quietly. "How about you throw the match for me?"
Xurik peered at him curiously, only vaguely paying attention to the conversation. What was he talking about? Lose on purpose? Were the rumors about Setzer's last win true, then?
"Xurik! Pay attention!" Seifer shouted from behind him, and Xurik suddenly shook his head, clearing his mind. No matter what insane bullshit was going on with his dreams and hallucinations... his friends were counting on him.
"Let me win, and I'll make it worth your while," Setzer continued, smirking.
Xurik smirked back. Yes, he was frustrated, confused, and angry - but what better way to channel those emotions than into a fight? Anger had always made him stronger. He swung the club fiercely through the air, then pointed it at Setzer's chest, glaring at him.
"Go screw yourself."
"Xurik, our underdog hero, versus Setzer, our defending champion!" the announcer said from over the loudspeakers. "The winner of this match will be the true champion! That's bragging rights for a whole year, folks!"
Setzer was glaring at him now; it was clear that he wasn't used to being defied. "Whatever you think is right... you're wrong." He pointed the club at Xurik. "And that is a big mistake."
Setzer cried out in pain as Xurik dealt the finishing blow, sending the older man sprawling to the ground, his Struggle club clattering away into the audience. He slammed a fist into the dusty stage. "I'm not supposed to lose!"
Xurik began to respond, but he was interrupted by the crowd exploding into applause and cheers.
"XURIK! XURIK! XURIK! XURIK! XURIK!"
He stared out at them in surprise, turning slightly red. He had won... that made him the new champion, didn't it?
"Xurik!" Seifer said, nearly tackling him in glee as he put the younger boy in a chokehold.
"You did it, y'know!"
"New champion!"
"You guys... thanks," Xurik said finally, forgetting his problems and beaming at his friends. He waved at the cheering spectators, then stopped as the producer walked forward proudly and handed him the golden championship belt. Xurik held it up, and all of his worries were, at least for a moment, drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
The setting sun glinted off of the elaborate blue trophy, its four crystals like gemstones. The five friends were perched on the clock tower ledge, gazing at it with admiration. After a moment, Xurik grasped the yellow crystal orb, pulling at it until it snapped loose. He tossed it to Seifer, then did the same with the red and blue crystals, handing them to Rai and Vivi. He took the green orb for himself, holding it up to the sun and watching as the sunbeams danced within it.
"Just like I promised."
"Thanks."
"This is great, y'know!"
Seifer held out his to the sunset, smiling faintly. "Something else that we can share."
Vivi looked down at his empty hands in disappointment, but Rai nudged him. "Don't worry, man! There's not enough crystals, but Fuu's got something even better, y'know?"
"Sea-salt ice cream," Fuu said, smiling slightly and producing five of the blue bars from her bag. Vivi leapt to his feet in excitement. "Oh boy!"
Xurik got to his feet as well, but had to step back as the three boys rushed to Fuu. He suddenly felt the edge of the ledge slip from beneath his feet. He shouted in alarm, but before he could stop himself he wobbled, then lost his balance and plundged backwards over the edge, the bricks of the plaza below rushing up to meet him, his green crystal flying out of his hand as he plummeted.
"Kairi! Wait up!"
She turned, smiling slightly as she saw Selphie running down the path towards her. She would have been happier to see her friend if she didn't have so much on her mind. As it was, Kairi had been useless during classes lately, and even now she was decidedly unenthusiastic about the school day ending... so it was difficult to match the endless enthusiasm of the energetic Selphie.
"Hey, do you feel like going out to the island?" Selphie continued, then scrunched up her face into a pout. "Tidus and Wakka are all wrapped up in their ballgame and they won't go with me."
Kairi glanced out at the distant ocean, then slowly shook her head. "Not today, sorry."
"Aw, why not?"
She hesitated. It was a difficult issue to talk about... even now, it was difficult to believe that the events from a year ago weren't just an elaborate dream. Selphie was one of her best friends though... and she had to talk to someone about this.
"Do you remember those boys who used to hang out with us?"
"Sora?"
"Yeah."
Selphie smiled faintly, then gazed out at the sunset. "I wonder whatever happened to him. I sure miss him."
Kairi couldn't help but to smile. No one else on the islands knew it, but Sora had been coming to visit her - not often, but once a month or so. She missed him... but she understand that he had things he had to do. What those things were, he refused to tell her.
"He's far away," she said finally. "But I know we'll see him again."
"Sure. Of course we will."
Kairi heistated for a moment; could she really bring this up? She had to sound insane talking about someone that no one, herself included, remembered. But... Sora always grew quiet and changed the subject when she tried to ask him about it, which was proof enough that she wasn't crazy.
"And the other boy?"
Selphie looked confused. "What other boy?"
"The one who was with Sora and me all the time... we played together on that island." She gazed out at the island, just visible over the rooftops of their small seaside village. "His voice always used to be there... but now it's gone. I can't think of his face, or his name. I feel awful about it." She turned to Selphie and shrugged. "So I told myself - I'm not going to the island until I remember everything about him."
Selphie was looking at Kairi warily, then gave a kind smile. "Are you sure you didn't make him up?"
Kairi sighed. Of course she sounded moronic... no one else seemed to remember a thing about the boy. Maybe she had made him up, but...
Naminé?
Kairi's hand leapt to her head as pain seared through it; she winced as sparks danced in front of her eyes, before finally collapsing in a heap on the ground.
Xurik could feel the air rushing past him as he fell, but couldn't move. Around him, it was as if time had slowed down, and he felt as if he were falling forever. He had heard a voice, hadn't he? She had been talking about a boy, but... where was the voice coming from? Where was she?
Naminé...? What's going on?
Who are you? the voice asked from within his head. And that's not my name. I'm Kairi.
That name sounded familiar... but from where? But of course... his dreams. First Sora, now her...
Kairi... I remember. You're the one he's in love with.
Who? Kairi's voice said, desperate now. Please, a name!
I'm Xurik.
Okay, Xurik, but can you tell me HIS name?
From somewhere deep within the recesses of his mind, Xurik felt a third voice - a boy's. Who was it?
Kairi... you don't remember me? I guess I've missed a lot. The voice hesitated; Xurik could almost feel the smirk that the speaker had to have on his face. Alright. Since you've forgotten, let's start over. It's nice to meet you... I'm Riku.
Kairi winced, blinking in the golden sunlight of twilight. Selphie was kneeling over her, looking worried.
"Are you okay?"
Kairi nodded, then got to her feet and dusted off her school uniform. Though her head was still throbbing, her heart was pounding in excitement. She gazed off at the islands, then looked at Selphie and flashed her a huge grin. Without another word, she took off running towards the beach; Selphie ran after her, trying desperately to keep up.
By the time she caught up with her, she was breathless. "Kairi..." Selphie said, panting as she approached the seashore. She looked at Kairi curiously as she let loose a glass bottle into the ocean; she could barely see a scrap of paper rolled up inside of it, bobbing among the waves. "What's that?"
"A letter," Kairi said with a smile. "I wrote it yesterday, to the boy I can't remember. I said that no matter where he is... I'll find him. One day. And when I stopped writing, I remembered we made a promise, something important."
"Looks like you're starting to remember."
Kairi turned quickly, then beamed as she saw a boy in a black cloak walking towards them across the sand. She ran forward and hugged him. "Sora!"
"Sora?" Selphie said, looking at him in awe. "You're back! You've been gone for months!"
"Hey Selphie," he said cheerfully, smiling at her then at Kairi. Kairi grinned at him, then looked out at the message.
"Yes, Sora... I'm starting to remember. I know you can't tell me about him, but... that's okay. I want to remember him on my own." Kairi smiled out at the bottle, its glass glinting in the setting sun as it began to float further out. "This letter is where it starts. I know it."
Selphie was silent for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Wow... I hope he gets it."
"He will," Kairi said, smiling and feeling more excited than she had in a year. "Right, Riku?"
011010110110010101111001
RESTORATION AT 79%.
011010110110010101111001
DiZ typed quietly at his computer terminal, then smiled faintly.
"His progress is astounding."
Sora nodded, leaning against the wall. He held up the green crystal orb, peering at it curiously; Xurik had dropped it when he fell. "What happened back there? Kairi told me that she remembered Riku's name... but how did she become linked with Xurik?"
"Naminé's encounter with Xurik put his heart in contact with Kairi's. And that, in turn, affected Riku. You see?"
Sora nodded slowly - that made sense. He already had his suspicions about Naminé's origins. He looked over at the monitor showing Riku's progress - the numbers slowly ticked from 79% to 80%, increasing as his memories fell into place.
"Naminé sure is something."
"She wasn't born like other Nobodies," DiZ muttered, editing a program on his monitor. "Because of this, she can interfere with your heart and memories, Sora... as well as those of the people aligned with you." He glanced back at Sora, smirking slightly. "That includes Riku."
Sora nodded - he remembered the events at Castle Oblivion well. "Why does she have to do with me, though? Whose Nobody is she?"
"You mean you haven't guessed already?"
Sora gave a small smile; if DiZ expected him to know, then his guesses were probably right.
"She's Kairi... isn't she?"
DiZ smirked. "You see? You don't need my help after all."
"A pardon?" Axel narrowed his eyes, peering up at Xemnas. "What do you mean?"
The Round Room was emptier than usual; on top of having their members fall one by one, this was a fairly private meeting. Xaldin glared down at him from his own white chair.
"It's an order. Why are you hesitating? Aren't you the one who dealt swift merciless judgment to those who turned their back on the Organization?"
"Yeah, but-"
"We need the Keyblade," Xemnas said quietly. "We can control the Keyblade Master once he awakens, but it will be a much simpler task to control one of our own."
Axel shook his head; he didn't trust this situation at all. If there was one thing Xemnas never did, it was show pity - so why would he suddenly forgive both Xurik and Roxas after they abandoned the Organization? Who was to say this wasn't an elaborate trap to destroy them both? But they did need the Keyblade, so at least that made sense... but something about this deal seemed fishy. The Organization had become anything but safe lately.
"It's simple," Xaldin said in an annoyed tone. "If Roxas brings back Xurik, they will both be pardoned. We may have to control Xurik more directly for his transgressions in the past, but they will be safe. However..." Xaldin clenched his fist. "If they don't come back, then they must both pay the price. And if you oppose these orders, you will be the one to pay."
Xemnas nodded quietly; he held up his hand menacingly and it began to glow with energy. Axel peered up at him, defeated.
"You would turn me into a Dusk?" He sighed deeply, then waved Xemnas away. "Fine! I'll do it, I'll do it!" He would do anything to make things go back to the way they were... so what else could he do?