Year 2
Hey ya'll, hope you enjoyed the last chapter! As with the last chapter this would be mostly cutscenes in game with a save point just before the scene with the pond. Enjoy!
Ienzo typed in the latest information he'd dug up while Cid made the last adjustments to the machine, "You really think this hunk of junk can bring 'em back huh?" "Ienzo sighed "Yes, and again I politely ask that you stop calling it that" he shrugged "Huh, whatever. Changes are done" "You really think it'll work this time?" a new soft voice said.
Ienzo looked up to see Cloud and Tifa standing in the doorway, he sighed "It should, if my calculations-" Cid cut him off "Calculations smalculations, lets fire this thing up and get this over with" Ienzo let out a frusterated sigh "Very well, both replicas in place?" Cid nodded "As they have been" Ienzo hit a few keys "Right. Five. Four. Three. Two. One." The cacoon like structure closed over the chair where the replica bodies lay. It whirred to life, releasing a cloud of stream around the chairs "Twenty percent….thiry….forty….." then suddenly, sparks began to fly from the cacoon covering the replicas. Ienzo sighed, hitting the emergency shut off and powering the machine down.
"Calculations huh?" Cid said "Would you shut up?! This isn't like working on a gummy ship!" Ienzo fumed. Cid took the toothpick out of his mouth "And just what's that supposed to mean?!" Tifa stepped in "Alright enough. Cid, take a walk" he paused "Hmph, this place sucks anyway" he said bluntly, heading towards the exit. Ienzo tensed but didn't say a word.
Cloud took a breath "What's the problem?" Ienzo sighed "The problem is, their hearts won't wake up even with all the data I have. Their hearts need something to connect to, normally that'd be…." He trailed off, Tifa pursed her lips "It'd be Sora…there has to be another way-" "That bad huh?" a new voice said. They turned to see another familiar face standing in the doorway, "Kairi! Nice outfit" Tifa said with a wink.
Kairi smiled walking over to where they were "Thanks, last one was destroyed in battle plus it was getting a bit small, you were saying Ienzo?" he sighed "I was just saying their hearts won't come back on their own, they need something to grab onto, I can't just make the heart want to appear" Kairi put her hand on her chin "Something to grab onto…wait." Cloud frowned "You've….got an idea?" her eyes grew wide "Actually I might"
"Absolutely not" Riku breathed, Kairi sighed "Riku. It's the only way we've tried everything else" a new male voice cut her off "What's going on in here?" they turned to see Leon and Yuffie stepping inside. "Leon, Yuffie, I thought you were-" "We finished early, Kairi what's going on?" Yuffie interjected. She sighed "We need to give their hearts something to grab onto, otherwise the process isn't going to work. So what I propose is since I'm connected to Sora, and Namine is inside my heart. Let me dive into the Station of Awakening, then Ienzo can turn the machine on and I can unlock their hearts from inside. Then out here, Riku can use his Keyblade to extract their hearts"
Leon nodded "That might just work" RIku shook his head "Or it might trap Kairi in the Station of Awakening." Kairi sighed in frustration "Riku its-" he shook his head "No Kairi, I'm not losing both of you we'll find another-" "Shut up!" she snapped suddenly, causing everyone to jump. She sighed once more "Look. This is the only way, yes its risky I'm aware of that. But I'm not going to sit by and let our one potential chance of winning this war go to waste. I need…..I need Namine here, and Roxas too. When Sora comes back we'll need all the help we can get to take on the organization. Also, sorry I snapped everyone" the room went quiet for several moments. "Its…..alright. I…..guess we really don't have a choice huh?" Riku said nervously. She shook her head "No, Ienzo?" he turned in his chair to face her "Yes?" she gave a nod "Fire up the machine"
He nodded and began pressing buttons, "See you on the other side" Riku said, Kairi nodded summoning her Keyblade. Leon moved up to the computer console "Will this really work?" Ienzo sighed "It should" "Should?" he typed in some more information "I've never seen it done this way before, but Kairis right its our only shot" Leon eyed the screen of endless data, trying to make sense of it all. "Could she really get stuck in there?" Ienzo sighed "Not likely" suddenly Leon grabbed him by the collar and forced him to face him "Better not be, got it?" Ienzo gulped and gave a nod "If…..you don't mind" Leon squinted and let go.
"Kairi are you sure about this?" Tifa asked once more, Kairi nodded "I'm sure, its what I want. Its what Sora would do if he were….that's good enough for me" "Ten seconds!" Ienzo called. "Be safe, and don't stay in there long" Cloud added. Kairi gave a nod and summoned her Keyblade, suddenly a white portal appeared in front of her. I'll make you proud Sora, with a deep breath she held her Keyblade out in front of her and a single beam fired out from it, and then her body disappeared.
Kairi felt herself floating, but everything around her was completely black, "Namine? Roxas?" nothing but silence filled the air. She bit her lip, think Kairi think why isn't this…."Wait" she made a fist and held it up to her chest "Guide me" suddenly a white light shined from her chest briefly before disappearing. "Kairi?" Namine's voice said "Namine!" "Its good to hear your voice, what are you doing here?" "We're trying to bring you guys back, we need your help" "I don't know, Roxas and I-" "Namine please! Soras gone missing and the worlds are becoming more overrun with heartless and unversed. We can't let the organization get away with this, surely the two of you must relate after what they did to you" silence once again filled the air.
"Namine?...Namine?!" finally she came back "Yeah I was just talking to Roxas, Kairi. I'm so sorry to hear he's gone" "Hes not gone! He's just…missing" "Right. Sorry, okay. Alright hold on" Kairi waited patiently. "Kairi, hold out your Keyblade" Roxas said. "Roxas?!...right, got it" summoning Destiny's Embrace she held it out in front of her. Suddenly a white flash, and then there it was. A multicolored platform with Roxas and Namine on it, then suddenly their hands reached out towards one another and as they touched, a keyhole formed. Kairi's eyes grew wide as her Keyblade began to glow, and a single blue beam fired out towards the keyhole.
"Everythings stable for now!" Ienzo yelled over the unbelievably loud noise, suddenly the bodies began to twist and turn in the chairs. "Whats happening?!" Tifa called. Ienzo struggled not to tear up "Riku get ready!" Riku summoned his Keyblade and soon the replicas began to glow. "Now!" Riku flipped his Keyblade around several times before firing off a beam of energy into the replica. Then the beam then bounced from the first replica to the second, and a bright white flash blinded everyone in the room releasing a huge surge in energy that knocked everyone to the ground, soon the machine began powering down releasing a cloud of smoke in the process.
Tifa struggled to stand back up as the smoke began to clear "Cloud!" fortunately she didn't have to wait long "Right here" she felt a hand grip hers and turned to see him standing there. She smiled in comfort "Where are the others?" before he could answer the smoke finally began to clear, and there was Kairi and Riku smiling. "You guys alright?" Cloud asked, Kairi turned to them and gave a nod "Look" they turned to where they were staring to see the cocoon like structures moved out of the way. There laying in the two chairs were Roxas and Namine, Ienzo stood and dusted himself off "Well I'll have to make some more modifications so it's a bit less…..in any case, it seems Kairi was right." Leon nodded "Good job" "How come their not awake?" Yuffie inquired. Kairi walked up to the two of them "Roxas? Namine?" on cue, their deep blue eyes slowly began to open. "It…..worked?" Roxas asked, Namine smiled "It did" then ever so slowly they rose out of bed and stood. Roxas was wearing the same outfit he wore in digital Twilight Town, while Namine wore her signature white mini dress.
"Great to have you guys back" Riku said, they both gave a nod. Suddenly Tifa's gummiphone began to ring, she sighed "Perfect timing, hello? Yes…..yes there with….ok got it" she hung up "That was the king, another world in trouble. He wants all four of us together this time" Cloud sighed "Duty calls, we'll leave you guys to it" Leon nodded "And Kairi? Nice work" Yuffie gasped "A Leon compliment?" Leon smiled slightly "Don't get used to it" with that they stepped out of the room. "So um…now what?" Namine asked nervously. "We'll go see Master Yen Sid and get you guys caught up, he'll know what to do next" Kairi suggested.
"And that is where we are" Master Yen Sid finished, Namine's eyes widened "Wow, so we have no idea where Sora is?" Kairi shook her head "No, but you two came back so he must be ok" Roxas nodded "We'll find him" Master Yen Sid held up his hand "Not yet, you've yet to receive the proper training on the various new enemies you shall face."
"We don't have time for that! The organization-" "Roxas" Namine breathed. He turned to her, staring into her identical eyes. "He's right, we don't know what's out there. A lot has changed while we've been gone, I want….no I have to make this right. To help Sora and his friends, after what we've done and what the Organization has done to us, it's the least we can do" he sighed "I guess that's true" he turned back to Master Yen Sid who gave a nod "You two may make a valuable team, but first you must train. I will oversee it myself first hand and get you two special vestments to shield you from the darkness. Also one last thing." Then he did something neither of them had ever experienced or imagined. He smiled, "Its good to have you back"
A few days later
"Roxas, I don't know if I can do this" Namine breathed, as they stood up on the hill where Axel and Kairi used to hang out. They'd started their training right away, spending the first few days learning knowledge about the unversed, nobodies and the organization. Unfortunately they'd hit a bit of a roadblock, Roxas had been able to wield a Keyblade for quite some time, Namine on the other hand was another story. She held out her hand once more and waited, and waited, and then waited some more. She lowered her arm sighed in frustration "This is hopeless" Roxas shook his head "No its not, we're gonna figure this out. Let's think about this for a minute. I inherited my power by a connection with Sora, and even though he's not here that connection is still there for me, so it must be there for you too…..wait"
She frowned "What?" Roxas held out his hand, and flicked his wrist slightly allowing his Keyblade to appear. "Namine…" "What Roxas?" he smiled "Try to flick your wrist" "Really?" he nodded "Give it a try" she took a deep breath, held out her hand once more before closing her eyes. She focused deeply on the fire that burned in her soul, and the desire to save the person she cared about, then she flicked her wrist. Her arm immediately sank downward as the mostly white Keyblade appeared in her hand.
Roxas' eyes widened "You did it!" she opened her eyes and studied the Keyblade carefully. "I can't believe it…" he smiled "I knew you could do it" she looked up into his eyes and smiled "Thanks Roxas, now where were we?" Over the next several weeks, they trained hard. Taking on gauntlet after gauntlet while also learning as much about the new enemies as they could. Namine struggled throughout the beginning of the process, losing stamina many times but Roxas wouldn't let her give up. They trained every day, even outside of the simulation as well, and slowly but surely Namine gained strength. Kairi even loaned her Merlin's book of spells, allowing her magic to develop as well. Before they knew it, their training was almost done.
Roxas picked up a few things at the accessory shop, before deciding to head back towards the Haunted Mansion. Then he noticed something familiar in front of the Bistro, his eyes grew wide in shock "Axel!" the person turned around, and sure enough there he was with Kairi. Roxas rushed over "I've been looking everywhere for you" Axel smiled awkwardly "Heh, I'm kinda hard to find…" Kairi smiled slightly "I should um, check with the others to see if they heard from Sora. See ya guys later!" they reached out to stop her, but were unable to do so as she scurried away.
Stone cold silence fell between the two of them, before Axel finally spoke up. "I'm sorry" Roxas' eyes grew wide, as Axel took a breath and continued. "I'm so sorry for lying to you. I thought…I thought I was doing the right thing" Roxas frowned "By tearing our friendship apart?" Axel cringed in pain. "Ok that's fair, I just….Roxas. I really am sorry" Roxas sighed before giving a nod. "Its in the past now, so…." He extended his head "I'm Roxas" Lea hesitated at first before extending his hand "Lea" they shook, Roxas smiled "Nice to meet you"
Later on, Namine sat in her room sketching a picture of her, Roxas, Sora and Kairi at the beach. Maybe when this is over we can- "Thought I might find you up here" she looked up to see Roxas standing there at her bedside. It was their last day off before the final part of the exam, and to say she was nervous was an understatement. "That or because your rooms down the hall" he chuckled "Maybe, cool drawing" she angled it slightly so he could see better. "Ah, makes sense. The beach huh?" she smiled "Sound familiar?"
He smiled back "A bit, but hey I wanted to talk to you about something, you know…..it wasn't your fault Namine" she frowned in confusion "Sora's memories I mean. Yeah you did it but, the Organization is just….evil. That's what they do, they either get you on their side or force you" her face softened. "Yes it is, I could've resisted, or maybe-" he cut her off "Namine. You'd just been born, theres no way you could've taken them on yourself. Look I used to work for them too" she shook her head "That's different, it was-" "Voluntary? Maybe, but as soon as I learned the truth I got out of there the first chance I got, and you did too"
She sighed but said nothing, he continued "And now you're here, and so am I. We get a second chance" she took a breath "Roxas" he looked into her eyes "Yeah?" she smiled "Thank you." He smiled back "Of course, what are friends for" she titled her head curiously "Are we? Friends I mean?" he nodded "I think so, aren't we?" she nodded "Absolutely" they stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. He took a breath, "Well um, anyways get some rest alright?" she nodded "You too, good luck tomorrow" he gave a thumbs up "By the way Kairis downstairs waiting for you" with that he walked out.
Namine hurried down the stairs, to see Kairi standing in the entryway "Kairi!" she smiled "Hey sorry to bother you, can we talk?" Namine nodded "Of course! Follow me" moments later they met in the backyard of the mansion. The backyard was mostly surrounded trees off in the distance and a rather large pond. The always setting sun reflected off the water, creating a stunning view.
"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Kairi asked. Namine bit her lip "Nervous but I think I'm ready" Kairi smiled "You've got it, I'm sure the two of you will pass, you're a team" Namine smiled "Thanks Kairi" Kairi bit her lip "What was it like in there? I mean inside my….." Namine sighed "Cold. Dark, I could feel…..I could feel it was breaking to pieces, guess now I know why" Kairi's face softened "I'm sorry"
Namine shook her head "No no! Its fine, Kairi. Please, I get it. That was when I decided to use you and Sora's connection to talk to Roxas so please, you have nothing to apologize for." Kairi tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear nervously "That must be how I got the feeling Sora was alright, thanks Namine" she smiled "Don't mention it" Kairi bit her lip "So um, how does it feel? To be, free?" Namine sighed "Weird, I'm getting used to it but its strange. I mean I've been part of Sora all along, and I can still see his memories of you, but now we're…friends. Kairi?"
"Yeah?" Namine pursed her lips "Can I ask you something?" Kairi nodded "Sure" Namine took a deep breath "How do you feel about the fact I was created?" Kairi quit walking, thinking it over. "Honestly, I'm really happy about it, you remind me a lot of myself. Caring, gentle and willing to do anything to protect the ones important to them, so I'm very happy and you should be too" Namine blushed slightly, fortunately the setting sun covered it up for the most part. "Thank you I just thought-" Kairi cut her off "After you messed with Sora's memories I'd be upset, I know. Namine, that's who you were then what happens next is up to you"
Namine's heart grew warm. "Th-thank you" Kairi smiled "How do you feel?" she sighed "Nervous, excited mostly just…." Kairi smiled "Just happy to be a help not a hindrance" Namine's eyes grew wide "Yeah how did….oh I guess we are kind of alike huh?" Kairi's smile grew wider "A bit, I should get going I'm meeting the others at the clock tower" Namine bit her lip "Can you stay a little longer?" Kairi nodded "Sure" they sat down at a nearby bench in front of the pond, watching the setting sun and pondering one thing. If all this was possible, what's next?
The next day
Namine gasped for air, as she defeated Larxene at last ending the simulation once and for all. "Not….anymore" "Hey you alright?" she looked up to see Roxas standing there. She smiled and gave a nod "I'm fine, just glad its over" he smiled "Nice work" Master Yen Sid clapped happily "Well done! Both of you, although Roxas already wielded a Keyblade I'm happy that you have what it takes to be a Keyblade master. Namine, having never wielded a Keyblade before I'm impressed with how well you've been able to pick it up Congradulations to both of you, I now proclaim you masters of the Keyblade."
Both of them bowed "Thank you master, we won't let you down" Namine said, Roxas nodded "So now we go look for Sora?" Master Yen Sid shook his head "Sora can take care of himself. Ansem and I have come up with a few theories, but its going to take time. Meanwhile, go to the bistro. Tifa and Cloud will inform you of what is to come" they stood up perfectly straight and gave a salute, before turning around and running away. Master Yen Sid sighed, if we are correct he'll be back soon.
Tifa smiled as for once Cloud was actually eating and not staring off in the distance thinking about who knows what. "Enjoying it?" he swallowed and gave a nod "Its um, pretty good" she giggled slightly and took a bite of hers. "MMmmmm this is amazing" he sighed "Tifa" she took another bite "Hm?" he smiled "Thanks for standing by me all this time. On and off the battlefield, I know I haven't been-"
"Stop. Cloud, its fine that's what I'm here for. I'm your sidekick, I'll always protect you" he hesitated and then smiled "Me too, and you're more than just a sidekick" she smiled and they gazed deeply into one another's eyes for what felt like an eternity. Then Roxas and Namine showed up, "Sorry we're not interrupting are we?" she inquired, Tifa smiled "Not at all, here" she pulled out two gummiphones and handed them to each of them. "Kairi said she showed you how they work?" Roxas nodded "More or less." Coud stood up "We'll show you to your ship, and explain the mission along the way. Lets go"
"Black box?" Namine asked as they wandered into the gummy hangar, Tifa nodded "We have reason to believe its somewhere in Radiant Garden. We were hoping to send Kairi but her and Axel are tied up in another world, so its up to you. Find the black box and bring it back here, take out any heartless or other enemies that stand in your way" "Where are you guys gonna go?" Roxas asked. Cloud sighed "We already have another mission, gotta see you two off first. Here's the gummyship, Cid said he walked you through everything?" Namine nodded "We got it covered, don't worry about us" Tifa smiled "Alright, well may your heart be your guiding key" with that they waved goodbye and went their separate ways.
Over the course of the next year they searched everywhere for the black box, but it proved to be increasingly evasive. They came across a few organization members but no one was a match for the two of them. They defeated countless heartless, learning a variety of new abilities while growing in strength, magic and speed. They also grew closer, their friendship became stronger as did their relationship with the others. However they grew increasingly restless and frustrated, they wanted to take it to the Organization and end things once and for all. However the battle between light and darkness had one more surprise left in store for them.