Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter for you all to read that's half mystery and half humor and also a whole lot of enjoyment. Wow, this is the most amount of chapters I've ever posted in a row. However, all streaks must come to an end at some point, and my point will unfortunately probably have to be tomorrow.
I have a whole bunch of homework for my college computer class that I need to finish in five days. Yeah, I had a whole three months to finish it, but I procrastinated and now have five days to finish four chapters in three sections of the book. That means I have to finish twelve chapters and ever single computer file in them. That's practically two and a half chapters a day. Put that on top of the other homework I'll no doubt get in my other classes, and I'll have a major backup. As such, I'll be forced to put on the breaks on my imagination for now. Oh well, like some people like to say, you reap what you sow.
Anyway, that's enough ranting about my personal problems. I'm sure you all came here just to read my story, so I'll let you all go now. Don't forget to leave a review once you're done reading telling me how you think I did with this chapter. They are always very helpful for me. Until the next update on this or any of my other stories everybody!
Chapter 4:Finally Cracking the Riddle
When the next day came around, Sora found himself working at the bank in front of his computer just as he did every other day since he started working. He was currently absorbed in his transaction work and not thinking of anything else. Amazingly enough, none of the people he was transacting with tried to strike up a conversation with him after they were done. This proved to make his mission on not getting fired much easier in that he did not feel pressured into answering or feel bad at suddenly cutting others off.
"So Sora, how's your first day at work feel knowing that Aerith isn't here to keep an eye over your back?" Riku asked as he took a small break from hours of constant computer work. "It feels kind of weird knowing she's not here anymore, doesn't it?"
"Eh, it's something I'll just have to get used to," the teen responded as he continued to type away at the computer. He was currently in the middle of a transaction and did not want to stop and end up forgetting where he left off. "And it means that I'll have to be extra careful when I watch my shows on this computer. Thank god my desk is practically the furthest one from the boss's office, or I probably wouldn't be able to pull this off."
Just as he said that, his computer screen suddenly changed from the transaction page he was on and began to broadcast some cartoon. Instead of exclaiming in surprise at what had happened, he simply let out a sigh of annoyance and got up from his chair in order to check the wirings on the back.
"Let me guess, your computer decided to go on the fritz again," the silver haired man simply said with an amused chuckle as he glanced over at the office where Xemnas was right now talking with a woman who was supposedly his personal secretary. "I'll keep a lookout while you fix it."
"Geez, I hate it when it starts acting up like that," Sora grumbled under his breath as he was crouched down behind his computer and jostling some of the wires. "Then again, I guess this is punishment for hacking into the company satellite just so I can watch television during my down time. Is it getting any better yet, Riku?"
"Nope, it's still showing that childish cartoon you obviously never grew out of five years ago," the other answered. Amazingly enough, everybody else that was around the two either did not notice what was going on or just chose to ignore it. Either way, nobody bothered them during their attempt at fixing things up. "I know that they're still making new episodes, but don't you think it's time that you grow out of it? It kind of makes me feel embarrassed at having you as my best friend."
"Just keep watching for the boss and shut your mouth about the things I watch," the teen snipped back as he continued to jostle the wires. "And besides, you never watched even one episode from the series, so you have no idea just how good it really is."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, you got the computer back to normal. You can get back to work now before Xemnas chews you out."
With a silent whoop of victory, Sora quickly went back to his seat and continued on with his work as if nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place. With an amused roll of his eyes, Riku decided to look over some paperwork in an attempt to kill some time while trying to be productive in the process.
"By the way, where did you go last night after the party?" he asked as he once again shifted his attention towards the teen.
"I went home to rest," the spiky haired teen replied as he pressed the enter key on his computer and laid back in his chair in relaxation. "You know I don't really like to go anywhere after work. Why do you ask?"
"Because I called you sometime around nine to see how you were coming along with the apartment," the other responded. "I left you a message in case you were in the shower, but you never called back. I just assumed you found something better to do."
"I was in the shower at the time," Sora explained in a half-lie. He did take a shower sometime that evening, but he was too busy skimming through a certain book at the specified time to have paid much attention to anything else. But he was not going to admit that to his best friend any time soon. "I didn't really bother to check my answering machine for any missed calls. Sorry about that."
"Damn, and here I was thinking that you finally found somebody to spend some intimate time with."
"Riku, why don't you get your head out of the gutter and start working on something else? I think that my romantic life is the last thing that you should be worrying about. I'm doing pretty well on my own, thank you very much. I even had Cid the landlord tell me how responsible I was with the rent and the apartment itself."
"Wow, I didn't think that you'd take care of something that wasn't really yours in the first place. But besides that, I can't help but worry about you and your personal life. You didn't really hang out with the other guys when we were growing up at the orphanage. And in case you forgot, it was me who finally dragged you out of your little world during one of our recesses when we were trapped inside because of rain."
"Yeah, remind me to pay you back one of these days for becoming my first and best friend. And I'm being serious there when I say it," Sora added as he flashed a quick smile at his best friend to show that he was being serious.
"Look, the point I'm getting at here is that I'm worried about you," Riku continued on with a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're like a little brother to me, and I've always been worried about your social life ever since we became best friends. You got to go out and find somebody to hang around with. You know, like maybe find another friend or even a boyfriend to go out on a date with or something like that."
"Riku, I'm only eighteen right now as opposed to you being twenty-two," the teen countered with an annoyed sigh of his own. "Unlike you, I'm right now trying to save up so I can afford to put myself through college later since the stupid orphan system didn't even try to send me some support while keeping the apartment you helped me get. That and I still need to pay you back for that first month's rent. The last thing on my mind right now is trying to look for another friend to hang out with much less a boyfriend."
"Trust me; I think even Aerith would agree with me here if she knew how you were like growing up," the man said as he tried to speak for the woman. "You just need to learn how to be less socially awkward and more outgoing with people. You really are a pretty fun and funny guy to hang out with even if you get annoying sometimes."
"Well, thanks for your vote of confidence with that," the other sarcastically replied with a roll of his eyes. "Look, I'll promise to try and polish up on my people skills when I can afford to go to at least one quarter's worth of college. I'll most likely have to talk to the other students when I get there for group projects and other things like that. Until then, just let me be and stop bugging me about my lack of a social life."
"Alright; but I'm going to hold you to that promise, Sora. But if you don't mind me suggesting here, how about try going to one of those online dating sites for a boyfriend? I know you're a good reader of other people's emotions through internet talk, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out who is real and who's fake."
"Drop the subject right now before I start delving into your personal love life. See how you feel when I start picking away at the things you do."
"As if you'd have any luck with that. I already told you before that I've been dating this girl named Naminé for the past six months now. She's kind of shy like you, but she's more willing to open up to other people. I doubt that there's anything in there that you can use to annoy the hell out of me."
"Yeah, but isn't she like the third girl that I know you dated since you tried to go out with a couple of other girls back at the orphanage before you left? From what I remembered, those all also lasted about six months before they went and dumped you for another guy that they both happened to like and start ripping each other's' hairs over."
"Well, nobody said that you'd be able to find that perfect someone right on your first try. But they also said that the third time's a charm," Riku added with a big smile that could easily charm anybody, including some of the guys, into liking him. This also served as a sort of confirmation to Sora that this was indeed the third girlfriend in his entire life so far. "And she seems so much different than the other two. She isn't pushy, but she doesn't just blindly do whatever it is that I say. She has her own set of rights and wrongs and tries to accommodate to mines as I do to hers."
"Okay, now you're starting to feed me information that I never asked for in the first place," Sora quickly stopped his best friend before he started to go overboard. He then added in a more relaxed tone and a smile, "Maybe you can introduce me to her sometimes. She sounds like a pretty nice girl."
Just then, the sound of short and consecutive beeps sounded throughout the office. It only lasted for a couple of seconds, but it was more than enough to capture the attention of the entire office staff.
"Well, sounds like it's time to turn in for the night," the silver haired man responded as he turned off his computer and put some papers into his desk drawer. "I promised Naminé that I'd take her out to dinner tonight as a birthday gift. Don't want to keep her waiting after getting her all excited and everything."
"Alright, then you go ahead and have a good time," the spiky haired teen said with a nod as he rummaged through his backpack and took out the book that Aerith had gave him last night. He had no intention of going anywhere tonight because of a certain somebody wanting to hear a certain answer from him soon. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Aren't you going to leave?" the other asked with raised eyebrows after putting on his black jacket and seeing his best friend still seated on his chair. He also noticed the book in the other's hands, but he figured it was best not to ask about it. "It's already a quarter before seven. You're usually all eager to get out of here when it's time to go."
"Um, I just thought that I'd hang around here for a little while longer," he responded with a shrug of his shoulders while trying to seem casual about his strange behavior. He then added as he quickly tried to come up with a plausible excuse for staying late, "That and I kind of promised Aerith last night that I'd take care of one of her accounts that she couldn't manage to finish on time. She said she trusted me with it, and I couldn't just say no to her and let her leave knowing that she had unfinished business here."
"Heh, you never could say no to her when she had a favor to ask of you," Riku said with an amused smile as he picked up his briefcase that he kept under his desk. It was clear that he bought it. "Just make sure you don't drive yourself crazy and forget to go home. I don't want to see you collapsed over your desk and fast asleep."
"Don't worry; I won't," Sora stated as his best buddy started to exit the office along with everybody else. "I'll see you tomorrow, Riku!"
And with a wave of his free hand, the man disappeared into the crowd of other staff members who were eager to go home for the night. Within a matter of minutes, only he and a couple of people from the janitorial staff were left. With a sigh, he opened to book to where he had left off last night and restarted his search for the answer to the riddle.
"And what are you still doing here, Mr. Hikari?" a voice suddenly asked from behind the teen. This, in turn, effectively startled him and almost made him fall out of his chair when he quickly got up and turned to see who was talking to him. It was none other than Xemnas with his briefcase in hand and ready to leave. "The dismissal bell has already rung. You should be on your way home by now."
"M-Mr. Kuroi!" the teen addressed his boss while trying to regain his composure so as to not look or sound suspicious. "I-I know that it's already past working hours, but I'm kind of a little bit behind with one of my accounts. I haven't submitted it yet, but I noticed an error when I was typing it up that ended up messing everything up. So I was thinking on staying late tonight and fix it up before I end up forgetting the next day."
"Hmm, it sounds like someone's right now on the top of their game," the boss responded with an amused smile on his lips. "Still, I'd rather that you go home and rest on it. I'm sure that the account can wait for you until then."
"B-but sir, I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't get this done now!" Sora exclaimed as he quickly changed his attitude to reflect that of what he hoped to have been desperation. "You know how good of a worker I am despite some of the quirks I have. I don't want this mistake to stick with me during my time here in your employment forever. I just want to get this one thing done!"
"But it's just one little mistake that you just said can be fixed in no time," the man responded as he stepped back a bit as if what he were seeing was a lethal time bomb. "It's not like you made some big mistake on all of your work and have to spend all night fixing. Simple clerical mistakes happen to everybody at some point. They even happen to me once in a blue moon, and I'm supposed to be the one extra careful about it."
"But it's not the mistake that I'm worried about!" the teen continued on as he started to get his momentum going and felt that he got the right balance of desperation. He then had an idea and decided to use his past as a sob story to further emphasize his "desperate" situation while speaking fast at the same time. "You don't know what it's like living your entire life in an orphanage and then suddenly being dumped into the real world! It's almost like somebody just kidnapped you and left you in the middle of nowhere to rot. I'm barely making enough money as it is to pay for my rent and food and other things a person needs to live. I don't want any mistakes on my record so I can have a better chance at getting a promotion! Please, sir; let me stay here and fix this mistake! Please just let me stay!"
"Alright, alright; you can stay behind for a little while!" the boss finally gave in upon hearing such a ruckus from the teen that drew the attention of the janitorial workers that were nearby. He clearly did not want to be engaged in hysterics at this time of the day that just suddenly came up for no apparent reason. "Just…just make sure you remember to tidy up your desk and turn your computer off when you're done. And don't let me catch you talking to other people through the company server like I did last time, or I'll personally see to it that you never set foot in this office again," he added in a threatening manner as he turned to make his way towards the bank exit.
"Don't worry, sir; I promise to be on my best behavior in here!" he assured the thin old man in a very thankful tone before sitting back down in his chair and breathing a sigh of relief. He then thought while nervously running his hands through his spiky hair and recomposing himself to his normal demeanor, Damn, why does everybody have to keep asking me why I'm staying late tonight? It's like they think I'm going to try to do something illegal. Then again, I kind of am going to break the rules if you think about it. I'm just lucky I managed to come up with those excuses that they ended up buying. I just hope I don't have to perform another fake sob act if I have to say late again.
After he finally managed to relax, he took the book that he had hastily placed on his desk into his hands again and picked up where he left off. He still had about ten minutes before the other mysterious person said he was going to contact him, so might as well kill the time by trying to figure out the answer to his stupid riddle. That and he needed a way to distract himself from the strange glances he was still getting from the janitorial staff.
Even though he only spent a short amount of time, he was skimming through so fast that he reached the end of the book before seven came around. Sure, he did not really get a chance to look deeply into the details, but all he wanted was to find something that might have to relate to freedom, the only hint he managed squander late last night. But before he had a chance to ponder on what he just went over, he saw his computer screen flash into pure blackness before a couple of orange words.
Knock, knock, it said like when he had gotten the first message. Apparently, the person on the other end was true to his word. However, something else was added before Sora even had a chance to respond to the opening of the joke. It read, Please enter password.
Well, looks like it's time to get this show on the road, he thought as he looked over his shoulders to see if the janitors were still around. They had long since left without him knowing. At least I don't have to worry about keeping things secretive for now. Now what the hell is the password he's looking for?
For a moment, he thought about what he skimmed through both last night and just now. Figuring that he did not have anything to lose, he decided to try and throw something out there and see if he got anywhere.
Scotch, he typed in before pressing enter, thinking that maybe freedom could have translated into going into an alcoholic coma and forgetting your troubles. That was quickly responded to with, Incorrect Password.
Hmm, how about this one? he wondered as he typed in the word, Freedom, in hopes that it might have been one of those trick riddles. He was met with the same result. Oh, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
For the next couple of minutes, the teen simply typed in words that he figured had to with freedom that came with the book. They all yielded the same result. He even went so far as to try and type in the characters' names in thinking that they were what represented freedom. He did remember that some of them fought to prevent the successful takeover of some other invading country. They were all promptly denied.
God damn it! he thought with a very vocal and annoyed growl. This is stupid! How the hell is this guy going to think I can solve this riddle? I only had one day to just skim through the book, and I couldn't make heads or tails of his damned riddle!
With a sigh of frustration, he got up from his chair and started to walk away from his desk. This was clearly getting to him, and he was about ready to give up. It was at this moment, however, that he suddenly remembered a certain part he skimmed through a few minutes ago.
Wait a minute! he thought with raised eyebrows as he went back to his desk and picked the book back up and began quickly flipping the pages. I think that somewhere in the end they talk about this country losing to the enemy and the enemy setting up some kind of independence ceremony as a form of celebration. Maybe he's talking about the country where the ceremony was being held. It's a long shot, but it's not like I have anything to lose here.
After arriving at the appropriate page he was searching for, he skimmed through it until he found what he was looking for. With a hopeful smile, he bent down over the keyboard with a hopeful smile on his face. He then slowly typed in with one hand, Edinburgh, before pressing the enter key. This time, he was met with the words, Access Granted, and a colorful and constantly changing background began flashing as if in celebration.
"Got it!" Sora shouted out in excitement as he pumped his fists into the air and started jumping around like a hyperactive child. "I finally solved your goddamned riddle! Oh, who's the man here? Come on, everybody; who's the man here? I am! Yeah!"
After a couple more seconds of loud celebration that surprisingly did not garner any attention from anybody nearby, the teen noticed that the screen stopped shifting colors and had returned to the blank screen it was before. Then words popped up onto the screen, although they were now white words on a red bar background that extended from one side to the other and only as tall as the letters were.
Well done! the person said with happiness and a hint of relief behind them. I was hoping you'd be able to get it after a bit of effort.
Does this mean I pass your test? he typed in with that dopey triumphant smile still on his face. He noticed that his words were also white, but the background they laid on top of was blue. Clearly, it was meant to differentiate who was talking to whom at what point. Please tell me that it does, because I spent all night and day trying to figure it out.
It means you're smart, and that will help you out in the long run, the other person simply responded. Now that we're on the secure proxy server I've set up, we've a lot more freedom to speak without having to worry about people watching. And make sure you remember the password and tell it to nobody. It's your only way into this server.
So what in the world's going on here, buddy? Why all this secrecy just to talk to me and all that?
Sorry about that, but I couldn't take any chances when we first talked. You see, I'm right now trapped over here in Twilight Town with no way to get out.
Yeah, you said something like that last time, Sora responded as he thought back to when they had first talked and wondered why the other was contacting him all the way from a far off planet. What did you mean by you being trapped? Couldn't you just contact the police with your computer instead of calling me from way over here on Destiny Island? I'm just a simple banker, for god's sake!
Banker or not, you're the only one I can trust at this point. I can't leave because all the doors are closed on my end.
What door? What are you talking about? the teen asked as he slowly became more confused than ever. Couldn't you just break it down or something like that? Maybe you could even pick the lock if you're that desperate.
It's not as simple as you think, the other person replied that felt like it was tied with a sigh. Look, I need you to help me on your end to contact someone for me. I can't do it on my end for some reason. I need you to go to the Destiny Island Consulate and relay for me a message to them.
You want me to go where? he typed in as his brain tried to wrap around this odd request. What makes you think that the people at somewhere important like that would ever listen to an eighteen-year-old like me?
You're eighteen and already working at the bank as a transactions clerk? the other person typed in after a moment's pause. Apparently, he was shocked upon hearing his age. God, what are the people over there thinking nowadays? Oh well, I guess I can't really be picky about anything right now. Look, all you have to do is go to the consulate and go straight to the receptionist's desk. Once there, ask them for Department X, and they should send somebody down to meet you. I want you to tell that person my message. Can you please do that? It would really mean a whole lot to me.
After a moment's pause in contemplation at what was being asked of him, he typed in, Fine, I'll do this for you. You do sound genuinely desperate.
I take it that you're one of those guys who know how to read emotions in typed words. Guess I can't hide anything emotionally from you then. Anyway, the message I want you to tell Department X is this. "Cats are dead. Need a new set of claws!" Tell them that it's from Scotch on the Rox.
You want me to say something like that to people from the consulate? Sora typed in with his eyes wide in disbelief after a moment's pause. That sounds like something a four-year-old would tell his mother while crying their eyes out!
If you do this for me, then you'll be doing me a very big favor, the other responded with a tone of desperation back in his words.
Look, don't go begging me again to do this for you, the teen typed in before the other could get a chance to plead with him. I'll do it, but I'm telling you that I'm not going to like one single bit of it.
Thank you so much. Please go to the consulate as soon as you can over there at Destiny Island. I'll be back here at the same time waiting to hear the results of your efforts. I've got to go now, so I'll talk to you then.
Wait a minute! the teen quickly typed in upon reading what the other person said. Can't you at least tell me your name before you go?
For a few seconds, the person on the other end did not put in a response. Then came the response, You can just call me Rox for now. Make sure you use my server name, though, when you're at the consulate. Do you mind telling me your name while we're still on the subject?
It's Sora, he quickly responded, thinking back on their conversation and feeling like he could fully trust this Rox person because of the lack of malice in any of his words. He then decided to indulge him with his last name. Sora Hikari.
Well Sora, it's great to get to know you, the other said with a smile in his words. I'll see you once I get back to personally thank you for your help. I got to go now, so I'll see you tomorrow.
See ya, he lazily typed in before letting out a sigh and a roll of his eyes. He then thought as he leaned back in his chair, Gee, now I got to go to the consulate tomorrow for this guy just to relay some stupid message. I guess I can make a quick trip over there during my lunch break. Oh, what did I manage to get myself into?
Well, Sora has finally solved that rather difficult riddle. But now he's obligated himself to go to the Twilight Town Consulate and relay to them a message that sound like nothing but a foolish person's rambling. Just what the heck is going on here?
Anyway, I hope that you all liked my attempt at humor that I put in here. I just had a sudden idea at trying to make things funny by having Sora pretend to beg to stay at work longer with false hysterics. And then to hear what he was supposed to tell to the consulate people. Here's a short bio about this mysterious person called Rox.
Rox: ? (A mysterious person apparently from Twilight Town who contacted Sora in a secretive fashion in search of help)
Well, I hope that you all enjoyed this new chapter as much as I had making it. Obviously, I can't really put down his age because he's just communicating through computer and doesn't really have a visual for Sora to think about.
Remember, I'll be slowing down now in lieu of the immense backlog of work waiting for me to complete here. Don't forget to leave a review saying what you thought about how I made this chapter. With that said, until the next update on this or any of my other stories everybody.