Chapter 9: Wind's Melody
Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you like the chapter! More at the end!
Sunlight brightened the room when Roxas finally awoke. Blinking until his eyes adjusted, he sat up and yawned. Hayner was still asleep, but Pence was sitting very zombie-like. Maybe what happened was just a dream.
Something on the floor caught Roxas's eye. The small object was a key chain, shaped like a heart with a thorned X in the center. Black, with red lines. Had Roxas seen this before somewhere?
A muffled groan behind him made Roxas pocket the strange charm. "Mornin' Roxas," Hayner said. "So, what happened last night that made Olette so mad at me again?"
"So it wasn't a dream, then?" Roxas thought hard. "A Nobody appeared and gave me a warning, but that was it. No kidnapping plot or anything."
"Seriously? That doesn't sound like those regular freaks..." Hayner prodded Pence. "Come on, wake up!"
The small group made their way through the hall. Everyone minus Sora was at the table eating, of all things, rice. Roxas sat down and shoveled in the food placed in front of him. The breakfast may have been strange, but he was starving.
"It's good to see you're feeling better!" Olette said with a smile. "We were all worried!"
All the same, Selena felt his forehead. "Fever's gone, but I'd still take it easy on eating, ok? I don't think we want to see your breakfast again."
"You said you'd explain what happened yesterday," Pence reminded Selena.
She blinked. "I did?" she asked, pretending to try to remember. "I honestly don't recall—"
"Quit trying to weasel out of it!" Hayner growled. "You said you would, and we're holding you to it!"
Frustrated, Selena set down her bowl. "Ah well, I tried. The 'connection' I referred to is a link between all Nobodies. Any Nobody can use the link to speak telepathically, but there are many loopholes and what not.
"Anyone who is a Nobody can speak with another person they're connected to: a Nobody, or they're 'Other'. A Nobody's Other is the person who lost their heart."
"So, Sora used to be Roxas's Other?" said Goofy, his hand on his chin.
"Exactly!" Selena said with a nod. "Anyway, since Roxas isn't a Nobody anymore, he can't use the connection, but it still exists. Nobodies can still communicate with him short range."
"But what about the riddle?" Pence said. "What does it mean?"
Selena paused and thought for a moment. "I don't know," she said, sounding defeated. "If Varan were here, she might understand, but I don't."
Roxas put down his half-eaten bowl of rice. "We'll think of something. Does the wind sing or something?"
Everyone stared at him as if he were crazy. Selena thought for a moment. "Maybe I'm not taking it literally enough..."
"What?" Mulan said, staring at her.
Silence.
"Selena! You sleeping with your eyes open?" Pence waved a hand in front of her face.
"That's it!" Selena cried happily. "I get it! 'Wind's Melody' refers to music played on a Woodwind instrument! We'll just have to avoid that kind of music for now!"
Riku rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and we'll just have to avoid flutes for our entire lives," he muttered sarcastically.
"You're a genius!" Selena shouted. "The Flutes of Light and Darkness! Of course! They're very powerful! That Nobody just had to have meant that!"
Riku raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Selena? I was being sarcastic."
"You still helped her figure it out though," commented Hayner.
Roxas just remembered. He pulled the small charm he'd found from his pocket. It glittered menacingly. "I think that Nobody dropped this, but I'm not sure."
Selena took it and traced the lines on it. "A Heartless symbol?" Kairi inquired, looking over Selena's shoulder. "Why would a Nobody have that?"
"A clue?" Donald suggested. "Maybe to that flute riddle?"
"No, it can't be. The Heartless don't have lips most of the time. I don't think they even have mouths," Selena commented, pocketing the charm herself. "Maybe a hint to which Nobody he is. I don't know."
A sad tune filtered in through the windows, drawing Roxas's attention away from the conversation. It was calling him, gently prodding him to follow it. He stood. "Mind if I go into the garden, Mulan?"
"Go ahead. You didn't have to ask," Mulan said with a laugh.
Roxas nodded and went out.
Hayner glanced after Roxas. "He's acting weird again..." he pointed out. "Maybe we should follow him."
"I think he just wants to know who's playing that flute," said Pence just before gulping up more rice.
"What flute?" inquired Olette. "I don't hear anything."
Riku stood up. "I hear it too. Selena, The Flute of Darkness... Can it only be heard by people with dark hearts?"
Confused, Selena answered, "If you have a heart on Twilight, you can hear both." Then she understood. "Oh no! Roxas is under a spell! Come on! We have to follow him!"
"Mulan, you stay here, all right?" Sora said. "The Captain would kill me if you got hurt."
They went into the courtyard and saw Roxas just turn the corner. Nodding to each other, they followed. Roxas went into a bamboo grove. The group almost lost sight of him, but managed to keep on his trail.
Pence bent over his knees. "How come I can hear the music too? I'm not a bad guy!"
Riku rolled his eyes once again. "Jeez, dark hearts don't mean evil! It's like having blonde hair doesn't make you stupid. It's called 'stereotyping'."
As he was saying this, a bunch of Nightwalkers appeared.
"This is just what we need right now," growled Donald, taking three out with one Firaga spell. Sora targeted one and started pummeling it until it disappeared. Olette helped Donald with spells. Hayner hit the creatures, but it took him much longer to defeat and opponent than Sora and Riku. Pence and Goofy were on the defensive, making sure their friends weren't hit by the Heartless's attacks and occasionally charging at an opponent.
Selena searched around. "We lost him!" she yelled when the battle was over.
They glanced around, and Riku pointed to his left. "The music's in that direction, you know."
They all followed Riku and Pence. At least they could hear which direction was right. As they got closer though, both Riku and Pence covered their ears. "It's really getting loud," Pence said, louder than he needed too.
"We must be getting close," agreed Riku. Unlike Pence, he spoke in a normal tone. "I can barely hear myself think..." he muttered.
The group finally reached a clearing. Roxas stood in the center in front of a girl playing a jet-black flute. She had dark curly hair and was wearing clothes with many buckles and zippers—she was another world traveler.
A dark portal appeared and a man with a blonde mullet stepped out. He had sapphires for eyes and was wearing the Organization's trademarked black coat. "Nice job!" he complimented, grabbing Roxas's limp arm. "He's not even wearing that annoying necklace! Told him to toss it, Carmen?"
The girl opened her sand-colored eyes. "He didn't have one," she said, lowering the flute from her lips. As she did so, Roxas's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, arm still in the Nobody's hand. "I kept my end of the bargain, so keep yours!"
"Hey, I'm one of the nicest Nobodies you'll find!" said the man with a laugh. He held out his hand, where a little ball of feathery fluff sat. "Take your little bird. It's been driving me nuts anyway."
"Kari!" Carmen cried, quickly snatching the yellow bird from his hand.
Roxas stirred and opened his eyes. His head was spinning, but why? He glanced around the clearing. He saw Carmen with her flute—had she been the one he heard? —and then looked into the man's face. "Demyx!" he shouted, trying desperately to escape the Organization member's firm grasp. It was a futile attempt.
"Come on, Roxas! You know just as well as I do I don't like to fight!" Demyx moaned, jerking Roxas's arm so that the boy fell backward. "Later!" he said to Carmen and he disappeared through a dark portal with Roxas.
"Roxas!" Hayner shouted, running into the clearing. "Why'd you do that?" he shouted at Carmen.
The girl was holding her bird close to her, protecting it from their eyes. "None of your business! He took someone very important from me, and I had to get her back."
Selena sighed. "Do you know where Demyx might have taken Roxas?"
The bird in Carmen's hands chirped loudly. It kept chirping in what seemed random ways. "I don't know where they—" Carmen started.
"I wasn't asking you," Selena said, smiling. "Thank you, Karyubinga!" she said to the bird. "The Karyubinga said Demyx's hideout is up—"
Sora interrupted. "How'd you know what it was saying?"
"A Karyubinga is another version of a Phoenix. They're a lot smarter than people give them credit for." Selena pointed to the hill that started in the clearing. "Up that hill is a path to the mountains. Demyx's hideout is up there."
Carmen watched as the group as they turned to leave. "Wait!" she cried. Selena paused. "I want to apologize. I'm sorry your friend was kidnapped, but I had to get Kari back!" Carmen got on her knees and bowed. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"
Selena smiled faintly. "Don't worry about it. We'll get Roxas back." She turned away, but hesitated before saying, "If you really want to make amends, one of the Karyubinga feathers would work just fine."
Though Kari chirped in protest, Carmen handed Selena one of the small golden feathers. "What will you do with it? Karyubinga are known to be cursed in my world."
"Not cursed, misunderstood. My friend has been looking for a Karyubinga feather for a long time. This'll make her happy." Selena waved goodbye as she jogged away from Carmen.
The group stumbled up the grassy slope until they reached the rocky terrain of the cliffs. There was a short earthquake and a bunch of tall tower-like creatures appeared. Their head was near the bottom of the tower though, and didn't seem connected to the rest of their bodies.
"Bolt Towers!" Sora shouted, drawing his Keyblade once more. "Can't we get a break?"
Kairi summoned her Keyblade, which had a red and yellow pole. The part that formed the key had flowers. The handle was elegantly curved, and the metal from it wound up the Keyblade like vines. The key chain that hung off looked like a star, more specifically a Paupu fruit. "Gullwings!" she shouted, throwing the small stone Yuna had given her into the air.
The stone broke and a beam shot from it down into Kairi's Keyblade. The beam then shot out the tip of the blade as three separate lights. The three Gullwings were posed now, Yuna in the center with Rikku and Paine on either side of her. Yuna had her arms forward with a gun in each hand, kneeling in the air. Pain was to her left, holding her huge sword in battle position. Rikku was on Yuna's right, knees bent and holding two sickle-like blades in her hands. "Y.R.P. in position!" they shouted, each taking the first initial of their names and then shouting the ending together.
Before anything started, they all nodded to each other and kissed Sora, Yuna on the forehead, Pain on one cheek, and Rikku on the other, much to Kairi's annoyance and Sora's shock. That done, Yuna started firing her guns wildly with her ability Trigger Happy, hitting the different Heartless multiple times with the shots. Paine's blade caught fire as she used the attack Flametongue. Rikku simple twirled her blades and mugged the opponent, handing the random Munny and potion she'd taken back to Kairi.
When Kairi almost collapsed from the exhaustion of keeping the three girls there, they did a couple cute poses and vanished. At that point, the others easily took out the few remaining Heartless.
"That was great, Kairi!" Sora complimented, helping Kairi to stay on her feet. "I can't believe you managed to keep them summoned that long!"
Selena said, "Her Keyblade is called 'The Summoner' for a reason. It absorbed the ability to summon the Gullwings, so you won't have to worry about losing the summon gem. Anyway, as you get better at summoning, you should be able to keep them fighting longer. Maybe you could have a few in play at once!"
Olette frowned. "I wanna be able to do that!"
"Might be best if Kairi handles it. You have magic, Olette." Pence glanced at the narrow path they'd been following. A rockslide blocked the end. "Oh no."
Riku drew his Way to Dawn once more and slashed a rock, making it crumble. The others fell and broke as well, becoming a pile of gravel. "Now there's no problem."
Since Riku was the best at destroying the random roadblocks, he led the way through the gorge. They finally reached the end of the cliff walls, reaching a small village covered in snow off the mountain. It was bustling with life, but more specifically guards.
"If it isn't the pip squeaks," said a rough voice. The group turned to see a very hairy, short man walk up to them, accompanied by someone who gave beanpole a whole new meaning and a fat guy who was probably more muscle than anything else.
"Who you calling a pip squeak?" snapped Donald, crossing his arms.
"Hey Yao, Ling, Chen Po. We're kinda in a hurry," said Sora. "We need to help a friend of ours who was kidnapped by an evil idiot."
"Then you should get on your way," said the big one, Chen Po.
Ling backed up slightly. "And we can't help you because we're on... Guard Duty! That's it!"
"Ah, you're a chicken," responded Yao in his rough, low voice.
Riku rolled his eyes. "The guy we're after probably is more powerful than all three of you and pretty good at fooling people by pretending to be a coward."
"Oh, look at the time," said Yao, backing away a few steps. "We need to get back to guard duty. Later!" They all ran away.
Hayner glared at Riku. "You just had to say that, didn't you?" he grumbled accusingly.
"If they'd just run off when we try to fight, then there's no point in asking them to come along," Olette pointed out.
Pence agreed. "Those guys probably wouldn't be able to fight that Nobody too well, anyway. Who knows what that guy's power is!"
Sora raised his hand slightly, like he was in school still. "Um, I fought Demyx. He's a kook and a coward."
"He controls water with his guitar!" added Donald.
"Gawrsh, and he can make versions of himself out of water," said Goofy. "He's not very powerful."
Hayner shook his head while looking at the overcast sky. "No duh! That's why he used tricks to get Roxas!"
Kairi pointed to the path leading higher in the mountains. "Hurry! Who knows what he's done to Roxas by now!"
Roxas was flung hard to the ground and was breathing heavily. He'd tried to escape from Demyx when they'd gone through the portal, so Demyx easily pulled him into a strangle hold. He glanced around the room he was now in.
The place was dusty, as if it had been built and then never used. Metallic silver and blue showed from underneath the dirt and grime. The computer panels to his right were flashing different colors while Demyx hit some buttons.
Now was his chance to run for it! He pushed off with his back foot to get more power in the dash, but was halted when Demyx grabbed his shirt color. His feet flew out in front of him, and he fell onto his back, coughing and choking.
"Wouldn't do that," Demyx sighed. "You don't know how much trouble I went through to capture you." He finished whatever he was doing on the computer and grabbed Roxas's arm.
Desperately, Roxas once again tried to pull away. Though he was leaning back and letting his feet drag before him, Demyx managed to pull him to a giant, egg-shaped crystal. For a split second, Roxas stared at the monstrous crystal thing.
Demyx took the chance to shove him inside the thing and run over to a control panel. Shocked from the sudden movement, Roxas turned toward the opening just in time to watch it close. He banged on the glass, but it held strong. What kind of prison was this?
"No point trying to fight," Demyx said lazily. "You won't care in a minute." He hit a button on the keyboard.
Roxas's entire body went numb. A surge of pain pulsed through repeatedly and started to dull his senses. He cried out, leaning against the front of the chamber. Hardly able to keep his balance, he slid down the wall slightly. The pain was still coursing through him. He fell to his knees and held himself tight, clenching his teeth.
Still pain.
He was gasping now, and he felt his eyes watering. He closed his eyes so Demyx wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing him cry. "What are you doing to me?" he managed to choke out.
Demyx put a finger in his ear, cleaning out some earwax. "Won't matter in a minute. You'll know as soon as it's over."
Minutes passed, and it became apparent nothing was happening other than the pain. Roxas opened his eyes finally, letting the tears spill out. Demyx was frantically typing on the keyboard. "Why won't it work?" he growled to himself. "The Boss isn't going to like this..."
Roxas sucked in his breath quickly as another wave of pain flashed through him. Everything was starting to blur—or was it the tears? 'Help me!' he thought. 'Someone help me! Please!'
The pain was becoming unbearable now. His chest felt warm, like something was being forced out. 'My heart!' he thought. More pain. His mind felt like it was slowing now.
The doors slid open. Demyx spun around to face the intruders. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the lead, weapons already drawn. The others were just behind him, getting their weapons ready. Selena gasped when she found Roxas. She whispered something inaudible to Riku, who nodded.
"Let Roxas go!" Sora commanded, pointing the Keyblade at Demyx.
Demyx took a few steps backward, holding his hands in front of him, as if to block any blows. "Sorry, can't do that. I'd face scarier things from the Boss if I just rolled over and let you take him." He held his hand above him and his blue guitar-like weapon appeared. "You'll have to beat me and my Suitar first!"
"We already finished Zexion!" Olette reminded the cowardice Nobody. "Won't be too hard to kick your butt."
"Ah, don't be like that!" Demyx begged. "I have a heart, not like Zexy!"
Pence glared. "You can't fool us with that act! We aren't stupid!"
Demyx sighed and glanced at the ground. "All I want is to have a heart. Is that so wrong?"
Kairi looked at him piteously. "So you decided you wanted Roxas's?"
Demyx shook his head. "The Superior said that if I turned Roxas into a Nobody, they'd tell me how to find my heart."
The group was thoroughly confused now. Demyx took the chance to strum his suitar and summon his watery versions of himself. "Take care of them!" he shouted.
The water started attacking everyone, but Sora easily grabbed onto one in mid-move. The thing went wild, and Sora swung it at its fellow water forms. Demyx nervously took a step back again. "This is bad..." he muttered to himself.
Finally the pain ended for Roxas. His head drooped and his arms went limp. He hovered for a few seconds in his prison, and then a light escaped his chest. A glittering heart floated in front of where it should have been in his body.
With a quick glance, Demyx spun around to type something on the computer. It was a futile effort, though. Riku had stabbed the Way to Dawn straight into the Nobody's back. Demyx fell into a heap on the floor, screaming bloody murder. "I can't die yet!" he screamed. "Not yet!"
Once again, Selena knelt next to the writhing Demyx, much like she had for Zexion. She pulled out what looked like a half a heart. Music notes were spinning on the inside. "You won't die, but you'll still be a Nobody," she whispered, placing the heart into his heaving chest. "You'll still have to keep up the charade."
Demyx curled into a small ball on the floor, catching his breath. "Why help me?" he breathed. "I tried to turn your friend into a Nobody. I tried to break his heart."
Selena didn't answer. Instead, she stood and typed something on the computer.
Feeling returned to Roxas's limbs as his heart went back to its proper place. He opened his eyes slowly, like he was in a trance. He banged his fists on the closed door of the crystal, now that his strength had returned.
Steadying himself on the panel, Demyx typed something. The doors opened and Roxas jumped out before the Nobody could change his mind.
"Hey, come to think of it..." Demyx mumbled, "Axel's been acting weirder than usual lately... You gave him back his heart too!"
Without much thought, Selena nodded and said, "Tell anyone, and I'll make sure you die."
True fear spread across Demyx's face as she said it. "Don't hurt me!" he cried. "I'll do anything!"
"Then fill us in on the Organization's plans," Riku said.
"I can't tell you that! They'd kill me!" Demyx's voice shook. "Besides, I don't even know them. Those guys don't tell me anything! I'm just the messenger, honest!"
Kairi tilted her head slightly. "Think we can trust him?"
Selena nodded. "Can you and Axel keep us informed on the Organization's movements?" she requested.
"Of course!" Demyx promised. "Now I just gotta fake being injured..." His voice trailed off as Hayner punched his fist. "I said fake! Not real!" Before Hayner could slug him, Demyx had disappeared through a dark portal.
"Well, that was pathetic," Sora commented once they'd reached the Gummi Ship.
"Where are we going now?" Pence inquired.
Sora thought for a minute, knowing the decision was his. "How about the Coliseum? Gotta say hi to Herc and the others!"
Selena hit some buttons. "I have it on Autopilot. I'm getting some sleep." She stretched lazily, but Roxas spoke before she could close her eyes.
"Why'd you bring me back?" he asked.
Selena shook her head. "That doesn't matter. Would you rather not exist?" When Roxas replied he wanted to live, Selena replied, "Then that's all that counts. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, all right?" She closed her eyes and said, "Now I need to catch up on some sleep."
"After the incident with the Nobody showing up, Selena didn't go back to bed," Olette explained. "Let her get her forty winks, okay? A girl needs her beauty sleep."
"How would you know that?" Hayner asked sarcastically. "You definitely don't sleep. Shouldn't you be uglier than you already are?" He stopped teasing her when he got slapped.
Roxas laughed and hit the button that made the walls transparent. He wanted to see the reaches of space again.
Credits Corner:
Karyubinga is an imaginary bird in India that is said to have inspired the Chinese Phoenix. I first learned of Karyubinga from a manga called Dream Saga. Great book so read it!
Carmen is NOT Carmen San Diego or whatever her name is from that annoying thief show/game. Carmen is just a random character I needed to play that flute and have Karyubinga, since Demyx has yet to prove useful at anything but playing the guitar.
I'd like to thank Gamepunk510 for telling me what the Bolt Towers were called. I honestly couldn't remember their name and I couldn't reach the PS2 (cough, brother was using it, cough cough)
Some video on YouTube that had Kairi's Long Forgotten Keyblade in it.
That fan art pic I have for Kingdom Hearts that someone drew. The FFX-2 girls were flirting with good ol' Sora, with Kairi screaming "He's Mine" in the background and Riku silently complaining that "The Dumb Blond stole his name". I thank whoever drew that. Lol.
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me 5 days to write! Well, I did stop randomly for DDR and other stuff... lol. See you later!
Word count? 4,225
