A cool night breeze whistled through the trees, causing a net hanging high amongst the branches to sway slightly. The net's occupants were swayed as well, which knotted them together further as they squabbled with each other.
"Sora, stop wiggling, you're making it worse! And watch your elbow!"
"Master Riku, you're stepping on my shoulder."
"Oh, I apologize, let me—"
"Gah! Riku that was my nose!"
"Well move your nose, idiot!"
The net was jostled as Sora, Kairi, and Riku wrestled to sit comfortably in their trap, a flurry of limbs that ultimately did nothing to ease their situation. An ill-placed knee to the ribs caused a tussle between Sora and Riku, who began kicking and pinching each other like naughty schoolchildren.
"Alright alright, everybody just calm down okay?" Kairi huffed. She was, of course, ignored. "Hey, cut it out, will ya? Ow! Alright stop! What the hell is the matter with you two?"
The hitting and hair-pulling ceased at her suddenly dangerous tone, and the boys offered her guilty smiles. Kairi was less than impressed.
"Stop fighting and start thinking. How can we get down?"
"If you come up with anything, could you let me know?" called a voice nearby.
Surprised, the three turned to find the speaker, and because the worst of the mist had cleared, they found Namine hanging in a net identical to theirs a few trees away. She still had her lantern, and it glowed warmly around her net like a miniature moon.
"Namine!" called Sora in a tone of pleasant surprise, as if he had run into her at the market instead. "What are you doing up here?"
"Ah, well, it's quite embarrassing, but I was looking around the ruins of the cabin, and it seems I set off a tripwire and wound up in a net. I assume something similar has happened to you?" she asked. She managed to sit in her trap with prim composure, as calm as if they were discussing the weather.
"Riku was stumbling around and now we're here," Sora nodded.
"Well maybe if you hadn't jumped out and attacked me, I wouldn't have triggered the tripwire," Riku growled. He folded his arms over his chest, but the fearsome look he was aiming for was lessened significantly due to fact that he was drenched, muddy, and not quite upright.
Sora only laughed. "But we thought you were a monster, so of course we would attack you!" He was grinning in a way that made it impossible to stay mad at him, and it was all Riku could do to keep his scowl from slipping into a smile.
"It doesn't matter how we got up here, it only matters how we get down," Kairi said, hoping to avoid another tussle.
"I have a knife in my bag we could use to cut the net," said Riku.
"Great, where's your bag?"
"It's um…" He twisted to look around for the bag he had been holding moments before. His stomach sank in when he spotted it in the dirt below.
"Great," Kairi sighed as she followed his line of sight. Her neck was starting to hurt from the angle she was tangled in.
"Roxas!" Sora shouted. "Roxas get your fuzzy butt over here! Help us down!"
"And how exactly is your cat going to help us down?" Riku asked, annoyed.
Roxas came trotting over and sat beneath them. He wore the distinctive feline expression of bored derision, and if Riku and Kairi didn't know any better, they'd say the cat looked like he was laughing at them.
"Okay Roxas, Riku says there's a knife in his bag there next to you. Could you please find it and cut us down?" Sora asked.
Roxas gave him a skeptical look and said nothing.
"Don't be a jerk! Get us down from here!" Sora pleaded. "How am I gonna feed you if I'm stuck in a tree for the rest of my life, huh? I know you can do it, don't give me that look. You did it when we fought the Nothing Man, you can do it here for sure!"
Roxas' ears folded back, and he glanced meaningfully over the net's other occupants.
Sora only rolled his eyes. "It'll be alright, they won't care. No big deal."
Roxas gave a look clearly expressing what he thought of that.
"But Roooxaaass!" Sora whined, "It's the only way! We need you. Like, what if there really is a monster or something? If you don't help us, whoever put these nets here might find us and murder us or worse! You're our only hope!"
Roxas' face scrunched with inner contention, and he crouched on the ground unhappily. Sora broke out his best puppy-dog eyes and pressed his face up against the rope like a prisoner holding the bars of a jail cell.
"Please save us! Pleeeeeaaassse!"
"Cut that out," snapped Riku. "You're stupid cat can't help us."
"Oh yes he can," said Sora with a significant look down at the cat. "All Roxas needs to do is realize the danger his friends are in and decide that our safety and survival is more important than maintaining his disguise."
Roxas flicked his tail unhappily.
"But if he does nothing," Sora continued, frowning now, "we will definitely suffer and he will just have to live with that, I guess!"
An intense stare-off between Sora and Roxas ensued. The longer it lasted, the deeper Sora's frown grew.
"Fine, I'll do it. Just shut up already."
Riku, Kairi, and Namine blinked in shock.
The cat had just spoken. What's more, the cat then proceeded to stand up on its hind legs, and before their eyes, it grew taller, then more human-shaped, until a boy was standing in its place.
Roxas stretched his back in an arch and was rewarded with a satisfying crack. He brushed the cobwebs out of his hair, then rubbed his bare arms and flexed his toes in an attempt to warm them slightly. He was much colder as a human, for he was shoe-less and wore only a t-shirt and tan trousers—definitely a downgrade from his complete fur coat.
"What the fuck?" gaped Riku. Kairi's slack face echoed the sentiment. Namine's eyes were wide, too.
Roxas spared them an irritated 'tch' before opening Riku's bag beside him.
"H-hey what are you doing!" Riku shouted, alarmed. It was his bag, after all, and strange, shape-shifting creatures were not allowed to rummage through it at will.
"What's it look like, asshole? I'm getting your stupid knife to cut you down," Roxas snapped. "Or would you rather stay up there?" He found the knife at last, and waved it in front of him as proof.
Riku scowled, but said nothing. He was still recovering from shock.
Roxas began cutting away at the rope he could reach and soon he had created an opening big enough for the captives to slip through. As they helped each other down, he moved on to Namine's net and let her out as well.
"You did it!" Sora cheered. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he ran up to Roxas and caught him in a tight hug. "You are so completely awesome! I'm super proud of you!"
"Woah, watch out. I'm still holding a knife," said Roxas. He was blushing slightly.
Sora released him and gave him a tremendous smile. Roxas' blush only deepened.
Riku, Namine and Kairi approached cautiously, gawking at him as if he might change form into something stranger still. Roxas fidgeted nervously under the attention. There was a tense pause as the group assessed this new development.
Riku rounded on Sora. "He's been a shape-shifter this whole time?" he demanded. "You knew about this?"
"Yep," said Sora. "Everyone, this is my friend Roxas. He's a shape-shifter who prefers to be a cat most of the time because of personal reasons. He's still working through some personal issues, and we should all respect that."
Roxas gave a small, stiff wave. Kari and Namine returned it uncertainly.
But Riku was squinting at him critically.
"So, what, you're just...You're just fully living as an animal? That's insane."
"Whatever, Ice Boy, at least I don't sit around all day moping and freezing stuff to tables," Roxas snapped defensively.
Riku's eyebrows rose and his stomach sank as the full implication of the shape-shifter's revelation hit him. Every personal secret he had confided to Sora had been spoken in the presence of the cat, after all. Things he'd never confessed to anyone else in the world had unwittingly been told to this stranger. This was a terrifying realization. So of course, Riku responded with anger.
"No, you're just a mentally disturbed individual with a cat obsession lying to everyone about your real identity," he sneered.
"At least I can keep my balance," Roxas shot back with a snide nod to the mud staining Riku's clothes from his fall into the stream.
Riku's cheeks heated and his lips curled back angrily.
But whatever undoubtedly brilliant retort he might have made was interrupted when ethereal laughter rang out around them as suddenly as a bell.
The group froze. Fear spread through their veins and color drained from their faces. A cold chill passed over them.
Something was coming. Or, rather, something was already there.
"You're all so funny, I can hardly stand it," an unearthly voice laughed behind them.
They turned slowly, unwillingly, toward the source, not entirely sure they wanted to find out who or what was behind the ghostly laughter that had haunted them all evening.
What they found was a girl sitting on a heap of logs as if it were a throne. She was surrounded by—or perhaps composed of—a soft golden glow which flickered slightly like a candle flame. She was not entirely solid, but instead resembled the sort of pale reflection one might see when looking in a dark window. It was difficult to make out her features, for they were blurred and hazy. Despite her unclear face, however, they had the impression she was giving them a mischievous grin.
"What the what?" breathed Kairi, eyes wide with alarm. That seemed to sum up the feelings of the rest of the group, who all stood with mouths agape and faces pale.
The apparition laughed at their reaction. "Oh my, are you frightened of me?" she asked, tilting her head with curiosity.
"Well that depends," hedged Sora. "Are you a ghost?"
"Hm, maybe," she said in a thoughtful, sing-song voice. Then she laughed again. "Everyone is always frightened of me these days, but I can't help myself. It's just too funny when I scare them, even if I don't mean to." She paused for a moment, looking at them.
"Boo!" she tried, and they all jumped. She laughed again, throwing her head back merrily.
"I guess it's a little comforting to know I wasn't just imagining things," said Kairi feebly. Having her fears realized could have been worse, she figured. At least the ghost seemed content to simply sit and make fun of them, rather than something more gruesome.
"Oh gosh, when the tall one tripped and fell into the stream! That was too funny! And the girl thought a monster had eaten him, when really he was just too embarrassed to call for help!" laughed the ghost. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I—uh, no. I'm fine," answered Riku, both unnerved and embarrassed to have a ghost laughing at his clumsiness.
"And the cat!" she continued. "That one definitely surprised me! But it's good he was there to help you down. I'm sorry you got caught in the nets. She always was very efficient when it came to her traps, so I'm not surprised they still work after all this time."
"Whose traps?" asked Sora. "You know who put these nets here?"
"I…what?" The question seemed to throw her. "No, I don't know who put them here, why do you ask?"
"But you just said 'she was always efficient with her traps' didn't you? 'She' who?" Sora insisted.
The ghost was at a loss. "Did I? I'm not sure why I said that…"
"Okay, well...What's your name?" Sora asked instead.
"My name?" she repeated, as if confused. A frown marked her vague features.
"Yeah, you have one, don't you?"
The ghost was no longer laughing. The glow surrounding her flickered and she clutched her head as if it pained her.
"My…name?" she repeated, distressed. "I don't…I can't…" The wind picked up again, causing trees and bushes to shudder violently.
Kairi jabbed her elbow into Sora's side. "What the hell are you doing, don't make her upset!"
"I didn't realize it was a sore subject," he said with a casual shrug. "Hey, it's okay if you don't have a name," he called to the ghost. "No big deal!"
"But I must have a name," she said. "I used to, I know I did. But I just… don't remember. I haven't thought about it in so long that I can't…" The wind died down suddenly, the burst of the girl's emotion worn out. She slumped in her seat, clutching her head, exhausted. "How could I forget something so important?"
"Ah, perhaps I could be of some help?" Namine suggested timidly, stepping forward.
The ghost looked up and seemed to squint at her.
"I'm a mage, you see," Namine continued, growing more confident when the ghost did not lash out. "And I'm rather good with memory spells, if I do say so myself. Perhaps I could—I mean, I might be able to help you remember, if you want to."
"Woah, you could use your magic on a ghost?" Sora gaped, amazed.
"I don't see why not," Namine replied thoughtfully. "I've actually read quite a number of articles discussing the nature of ghosts and spirits, and the major theories all suggest that what we think of as a ghost is really just the energy of manifested memories."
"Huh?" Sora scrunched up his nose. "Maniwhatnow?"
"Manifested memories," Namine explained patiently. "You see, when a person dies, their memory lingers in the hearts of the people they left behind. But if a person with a particularly strong spirit dies, especially if they die in a particularly violent way, these memories might manifest into a nearly-physical entity, forming what we commonly call a ghost." She paused and considered the translucent girl before her.
"She must have become bound to a physical object," Namine continued. "This can happen with objects or places that were important to the spirit in life, and causes them to linger in the physical world when they would otherwise pass on, as people's memories of them become fainter. In time, the spirit's own memories can fade, causing the energy to become chaotic and directionless as they forget who they were in life. But because they are bound to something in the physical world, they cannot pass on."
"Huh?" Sora repeated, as confused as ever.
"Most of that went over my head, too," said Roxas, whose face was also scrunched up.
"Ugh, forget it," sighed Riku. "Look, the point is, if ghosts are made of memories, then Namine should be able to help with her memory spells. Okay?"
"Oh, I see! That makes sense!" Sora said brightly. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"
"But I did…" said Namine.
"You have to use small words with Sora. Yunalesca's theory of manifested memories is way beyond him," Riku snorted.
"You've read Yunalesca?" Namine's eyebrows raised with polite surprise. It wasn't often she found someone to discuss magical theory with.
"Of course," said Riku with the smug air of a well-read man. "She's only the most prominent researcher in the field of spectral-spiritual studies. Her theories about the fayth of Zanarkand were ground breaking."
"Oh, I know! I actually wrote my senior thesis about Zanarkand and its importance to the field of memory magic," said Namine, not to be outdone when it came to pompous displays of knowledge.
"You two are such nerds!" Sora laughed, shattering their intellectual competition.
The ghost was chuckling, too. "It's very strange to be analyzed so academically," she said. "I'm not sure if it makes me feel better or not."
"It should make you feel better, I hope," said Namine. "Because if you are composed of memories, that means your memories still exist, even if you have forgotten them. You almost remembered who made the traps, didn't you? I'll just have to repair the connections. Do you want me to help you? I've never done this sort of thing with a spirit, but theoretically, it should work."
The ghost gave a tentative but hopeful nod, eager to remember the important things she had forgotten.
Namine stepped forward before the ghost with the posture and grace of a ballerina's first position. Her eyes were closed and her breath deep and even in meditation. Her audience watched her eagerly. After a moment, Namine opened her eyes and raised her arms toward the spirit. Her hands began to sway and the ghostly girl moved with her, seemingly hypnotized. Slowly, Namine began tracing out odd patterns with her fingers as if playing an invisible piano and the golden haze surrounding the ghost shimmied and quivered like smoke. They moved like this for several tense minutes. Then, with a final flick of her delicate fingers, Namine released the ghost from her hold and stepped back.
The ghost snapped up abruptly in her seat and blinked. The hazy blur surrounding her began to ease away, and her features slowly solidified. Her large eyes were now a definite blue, her mouth a puckered pout, and her nose an impish nub. Her hair became dark and short, cut just above her narrow shoulders and she appeared to be wearing a featureless dress made up of the glow surrounding her.
The girl gazed at them, mirroring their surprise. Then her face broke out in an infectious grin.
"You did it!" she laughed. "I remember now!" Her voice had lost some of its unearthly quality and her laughter no longer echoed quite as eerily. She jumped off her perch on the logs and danced about the clearing, arms raised with excitement while she laughed. "I remember! I remember my name!" she cried in jubilation.
"Well, what is it?"
She turned back to them, beaming. "My name is Xion," she declared.
"That's a lovely name," Kairi said with an encouraging smile.
Namine was grinning wickedly at her success. This was definitely one to brag about back home.
"Let's see, what else do I know again?" Xion pondered as she skipped and twirled. "The traps! I remember when she made them." She stopped her dancing and smiled fondly at the nets in the trees. "She made them to protect me when everyone was trying to kidnap me. She had so many tricks. She was a mage, too, but not quite like you. She used her magic to make things. She was brilliant!"
"So you remember her name?" asked Sora.
"Her name was Faris," she answered with a faraway smile. "I remember her again. I can't believe I could ever forget!" Xion's eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Faris would always come visit me, the fireflies would lead her here, too. But they were much better about that kind of thing back then. Those fireflies would never have let you get split up or abandon you out of nowhere. I suspect they've gotten lazy these days. A firefly's lifespan is so short, so it's been about a bajillion generations for them since the old days. No wonder they've forgotten how it used to be."
"What do you mean?" asked Kairi, a sneaking suspicion coming over her. "How did it used to be?"
"Well it used to be that the fireflies would find anyone lost in this forest and bring them to me so I could help them! It always made me so sad to know there might be someone hurt and afraid nearby, so the fireflies agreed to help. They were my friends and they always did what I asked them to. They were very kind that way. And I think somewhere in them, the fireflies must remember doing that, instinctively, because sometimes they still lead people around the forest. But nowadays they only seem to make people lost, just like they did with you all! They've turned into regular will o' the wisps!" Xion laughed.
"But I suppose some of them managed better than others," she continued. "I mean, they found their way back to my old cabin this time, didn't they? This is where they used to take people when I was still alive. Although," she paused, looking over the decaying remains of the cabin wistfully, "It's not quite what it used to be, is it? I suppose time will do that to anything if no one's around to keep it nice. Pity."
The group stared at her with wide eyes.
"Then that means…you're the Firefly Queen!" Kairi marveled.
Xion laughed again. "Firefly Queen? Gosh, I haven't heard that old nickname in ages! Faris used to call me that, mostly to make fun of me, really, since those little buggers were always following me around. I'd forgotten about that!"
There was silence as the group gaped incredulously at the ghost of the mythical Firefly Queen, but it was broken after a moment when Sora barked a laugh.
"See? What'd I tell ya? The Firefly Queen is totally real! That means her dagger must be real too!" he cried with triumph, thrilled at his luck.
"Great," Roxas groaned. "This'll just encourage your crazy ideas even more!"
"My dagger?" Xion blinked.
"Yeah, that's why we're here in the first place," said Sora. "We're looking for that magic dagger you had that was connected to your heart that let you wield your light or whatever. Cuz we need to use it to defeat this evil no-eyebrows guy so he doesn't eat everyone's soul. It's been lost for a long time, but I asked the fireflies and they took us here. Do you have it?"
"No eyebrows? Hm, that does sound serious. But what dagger are you…Oh." Xion paused, and her blue eyed darkened with sorrow. "You must mean that dagger." She was quiet for a long moment. Eventually, she looked up at them with a sad smile.
"It's a peculiar thing to suddenly remember all your sad memories at once." She scrubbed her eye with the palm of her hand and swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry, but I don't have it anymore."
"Do you know where it is?" Kairi asked.
"The crows have taken it."
"Crows?"
"That's right. And you won't get it back from them easily. They're very possessive of their treasure."
"First fireflies, now crows?" sighed Roxas. "Should we just go ask a zoo for help?"
"Says the cat," Riku scoffed.
Roxas narrowed his eyes at him, but Riku refused to look his way.
"Can you take us to the crows?" asked Kairi.
"I don't know how much good it will do. Years ago, back before I began losing my memories, I tried to get the dagger back from them, but they refused. Crows are incredibly stubborn, you know. But I'll take you if you think it'll help. Their nest isn't far."
And so they set off in search of the crow's nest.
As they made their way through the forest, fireflies appeared from the darkness and gathered around Xion in a winking mass of light. She beamed as she received them, though she scolded them playfully for their poor guiding abilities. Soon a glowing cloud had formed, and Xion's own ghostly golden glow made her appear as if she were one of them, the true Queen of the Fireflies.
Kairi asked about Faris, and Xion eagerly launched into story after story of how they had met, the long, lazy days spent together in their secluded forest paradise, and various adventures and mishaps the two had gotten into and out of. Perhaps because she was a spirit, a collection of memories rather than a physical body, her emotions radiated from her, and the group could feel Xion's love for Faris as if it were their own.
She did not mention their sorrowful ending with the dagger and the tower, nor did they ask her about it.
"Okay, I got a question," Roxas said eventually. "The Firefly Queen myth is all about the girl with the pure heart and the mage who loved her. But the mage in the story is a man. But you are telling us the mage you were in love with was a woman. So, what's the deal? I mean, somebody's gotta ask it, right? We're all thinking it."
"There's a myth about us?" Xion asked.
"Your story is very well known in Nomura," said Riku. "It's been adapted into plays and novels and children's stories. I've even seen it depicted in paintings."
"Really? How funny!"
"In every version I've ever heard, though, the mage is man."
"Huh. Well I don't know about any of these plays or paintings, but Faris was a woman," said Xion. She gave the ground a secret smile. "Definitely a woman." Then she blushed and cleared her throat. "Though she usually wore pants and suits and other men's clothing. Sometimes people would confuse her for a man when they first met her—There was nothing quite as funny as confusing people about which gender she was. And Faris never really cared either way."
"Whoever wrote down the story must not have known you very well," said Sora.
"I'm sure whoever actually wrote it down didn't know them at all. If it was a true story, it was probably passed down orally until eventually someone put in on paper. Over time, I'm sure details got lost and altered," said Namine.
"Maybe they knew Faris was a woman and purposefully decided to change that particular detail," mused Kairi. "The story of the Firefly Queen has always been a kind of patriotic story for the city. A way of showcasing Nomura's glory since the city was supposedly founded on the light and love between the Mage and the Firefly Queen. A story of lesbian lovers probably didn't fit with that line of old fashioned patriotism."
"You think the Firefly Queen story was purposefully changed to better suit a narrative?" asked Riku.
"It's possible," Kairi said. "That kind of erasure is unfortunately very common. Power structures in our society will often alter certain aspects of real events in order to better fit a heteronormative narrative which ultimately upholds strict cultural norms, often at the expense of marginalized groups."
The group paused to stare at Kairi. Kairi only sniffed at their surprise.
"I may not have gone to University, but that doesn't mean I can't read," she said.
"In your spare time you read critical social theory?" asked Riku with a raised brow and a hint of a smile.
"It beats structural functionalism," she shrugged.
Sora frowned thoughtfully. "So someone didn't like the truth about Xion and Faris being who they were, so they just lied to everyone? Why should that person get to decide how the story goes? Doesn't seem fair."
"Well, it probably wasn't just a single person making a decision," Kairi explained. "It's more like the larger power structure system only tells stories in a certain way and hardly stops to consider what really happened."
"Well, that explains that, then," said Roxas, clapping his hands together. "Rock on, you awesome dead lesbian lovers. Fight the power."
Xion laughed, thrilled at the controversy her life had apparently inspired. The fireflies twinkled around them in response.
As her laughter quieted, however, a strange, harsh sound in the distance rose up to replace it. Something angry and unnerving. It grew louder and wilder as they walked on.
"What is that?" Kairi asked in growing dread.
"Oh, don't worry about that," said Xion. "It's just the birds."
They had apparently arrived at the crow's nest.
To say that the crow's nest was a mere bird's nest would be to claim the Jenova Mansion a house, or the sun a source of light. It was so enormous and complex that it morphed the trees in which they were roosted into an intricate jumble of absurd, stick-constructed apartments, housing hundreds of squabbling, scuffling, squawking birds. Items both natural and human-made were woven into sturdy walls tucked between tree branches, with shards of glass for windows, broken dishes in the walls, or stray horseshoes as archways for the entrances. It was the strangest, most unbird-like nest any of them had ever seen.
The birds in the nest and the surrounding trees were cawing in wild uproar as the humans below approached. The humans could only gape like fish in response.
"Holy shit," said Roxas. "That nest is huge!"
"The crows in this forest have always been a bit peculiar. For some reason, they've got it in their heads that they want to be like people, so they've taken to imitating them. I think it's dreadful, personally. A bird's way of doing thing is perfectly fine," said Xion.
"So the magic dagger is hidden somewhere in there?" Sora asked.
"Yes. Crows like to collect shiny things to decorate their nest, but these birds have taken it further in their attempt to act like people. The bird with the best collection is revered and given higher social status. The bird that has my dagger won't give it up because it's the biggest, prettiest object he has. He's quite respected in the community because of it."
"Excuse me!" Sora shouted up at the nest. The clamor in the trees quieted somewhat at his outburst. "We need to speak to the crow who has the magic dagger! It's extremely important!"
"What, like they're just going to respond to you?" scoffed Riku.
"It worked with the fireflies. Roxas too," Sora shrugged.
"I don't count," said Roxas. He thwacked Sora's head lightly and Sora laughed.
"Really? The fireflies responded when you asked a question?" Xion asked in surprise.
"Yeah, sure. I asked them to take me to your dagger, and they led us all into the forest. Then they got lazy and stopped listening to me, but at first they were helpful."
"Is that true? Oh my, I just assumed they had found you lost in the forest like they usually do. I've never known them to respond to someone else's questions and guide people who aren't lost to begin with."
"Yeah, well, that's Sora for ya. Weird shit always happens to him," said Roxas.
"I'm lucky," Sora agreed, beaming at his fortune.
"It's really very unusual, though," Xion insisted. She squinted at Sora as if to get a better look at him and tilted her head thoughtfully at what she seemed to find. "But then again, perhaps you're—"
But whatever Xion thought Sora might be was lost in a burst of harsh cawing from the nest.
The group looked up to see that several crows had come out to perch on low branches, studying the humans in interest and squawking loudly as they did so. The birds scooted along the branches until they had formed two lines like a royal guard. All that was missing were the trumpets and flags. The birds still inside the nest clamored wildly with flapping wings and harsh screeching, and some peeked out of the entryways and windows. Still others gathered in the upper branches to get a better look at them all.
Then, when the racket seemed it might rouse the whole forest from slumber, it quieted all at once. From an entryway built around an old, tarnished picture frame emerged an enormous bird with dull feathers graying around the tips. He wore what looked like a woman's pendant earring hanging from a small chain on his breast, which he bore as proudly as if it were a king's emblem.
"That's a crow?" gaped Kairi.
"They tend to grow big in these woods. The lesser crows bring the high status birds food in order to gain favor, and since everyone's doing the work for them, they hardly need to fly anymore. They just get fatter and fatter," said Xion disapprovingly.
"Hello Crow," greeted Sora cheerfully. "You're the one who has the magic dagger?"
The crow barked a rude and grumpy response and seemed to sneer at them. Sora, of course, was not offended.
"Okay, here's the thing—we need to use that dagger to save our city. Can we have it?"
All the crows immediately began cawing in what was clearly hysterical laughter. The fat bird cackled as well before turning to hop back to the nest.
"Amateur," sighed Riku, shaking his head. "There's no way you'll convince a rich man—or crow— to do anything that way. Let me show you how it's done."
He stepped forward with an air of importance and an expression of extreme boredom, standing as straight as a pole with arms clasped behind his back.
Riku cleared his throat with a precise ahem, and though it was not a loud sound by any means, it managed to catch the attention of the lord bird, for he turned at the noise. The surrounding crows hushed.
"Good evening, Mister Crow," Riku said with a slight incline of his head. "My name is Riku Harvey, son of Cecil Harvey and Rosa Jenova, of the Jenova family of Nomura." He paused a moment to let the gravity of his name take hold, and it had the desired effect of inciting the lord crow's obvious interest. The bird hopped forward on his perch, tilting his head from side to side to better examine one of the upper class humans he was so desperate to emulate.
"It has come to our attention that you are in possession of an old dagger that once belonged to this fine ghost here, is that correct?"
The crow gave a noise of affirmation. Riku thought the bird was probably a bit peeved that he had declared the dagger old and implied wrongful ownership of some sort. That, of course, had been the point, to make the bird slightly indignant. An indignant man—or bird—was more likely to do what you wanted, in an effort to prove you wrong.
"Really? Excellent. We were hoping we might see it. Just a quick look, of course. The ghost has been telling us tales of its beauty and we were thinking the stories were a bit hard to believe. We have a small wager between us, you see. Some of us are convinced the dagger is as brilliant as she says. I, of course, am not so certain. It would just be a small favor, but we would surely appreciate it. The wager simply cannot be settled without a real look at the thing." Riku had slipped into the bored drawl of the upper class, something he had mastered at a young age. He squinted his eyes and raised an eyebrow expectantly.
The crow thought it over for a moment before calling what seemed to be quick orders to the crows beside him, and the birds scuttled back inside the nest to retrieve the dagger. The lord bird shifted on his branch, eager to prove to that his dagger was indeed as beautiful as claimed. No—more beautiful, even! Humans did have such amusing tendencies, and what harm could it do to humor them, especially for a noble? Perhaps these wagers could become a fun pastime for the upper class crows, as well.
The servant crows returned bearing the dagger between them, wrapped in cloth and suspended from rope clutched in their beaks. They landed on the lowest branch of the tree, so that the dagger hung just a few feet above their heads.
Riku make no obvious reaction when the dagger was brought out, though the flurry of fanfare from the crows made it clear they meant to impress. Sora and the others took their cue from Riku and adopted his vaguely interested expression.
"Well we can't exactly get a good look at it from up there, can we?" said Riku, rolling his eyes with annoyed disdain. "Can't you come any closer?"
The crows fussed and bent their heads down as far as they could, but the rope was still too short.
"Might you just drop it down to us? We'll only look at it for a moment," he said.
The crows hesitated and looked back to their lord with question. The fat crow mulled it over for a moment, then bobbed his head in consent. The crows released their hold on the rope and dropped the dagger down to them. Riku caught it easily.
Riku grinned to himself. Social upstarts were all the same, human or not.
He paused a moment to give a significant look to his companions, who peered at the wrapped dagger eagerly. Xion's eyes were wide with longing, and her ghostly glimmer shivered.
With careful, precise movements, Riku removed the rope and cloth covering. The dagger was revealed, tarnished and covered with dust, yet feather-like engravings were still visible on the smooth hilt, and the blue-tinted blade looked sharp as ever. It was half as long as Riku's forearm, and surprisingly light.
Xion gasped at the sight of it and tears gathered in her eyes. No one but her fireflies noticed, however, for everyone was too absorbed with the weapon before them.
"This is it, then? This is the one?" asked Kairi.
"Oh yes," said Xion breathlessly. "This is it," She reached out to it, but changed her mind and pulled away as if might bite her.
"I say we run for it," said Roxas in low voice. "With trees dense as this, they'll have trouble flying after us."
But it seemed the crows had heard him, for they shifted and clacked their beaks dangerously. Their sharp claws glinted in the moonlight.
Riku began to laugh, loudly and obviously, a stage actors laugh. "Oh, ha ha what a good joke. So funny, aren't you!" he called for the crows to hear. Then he added in a fierce, close whisper to Roxas "Are you crazy? There's over a hundred of them, they'll scratch our eyes out!" He returned to his false laugh, and Kairi and Namine joined in nervously.
Roxas managed a forced grin up at the trees. "Well, you know me, odd sense of humor."
The birds seemed to settle a bit. They knew nothing about human comedy. Humans were much stranger than birds, after all.
"So what do we do, then?" Kairi hissed through a broad smile.
"Follow my lead," said Riku. He turned to the crows, his blank, bored expression back in place. "Well it's a fine weapon, to be sure. But I don't know if it can stand up to modern standards of beauty," he sniffed.
"I quite agree," said Namine, assuming the same unimpressed air as Riku. "It's simply covered in rust. Shoddy maintenance, poor preservation indeed."
"I guess I've lost the wager," said Kairi, nervous yet thrilled to be in on the ruse. "I owe you, then."
It was all Sora could do to keep his face blank. He was no good at things like this, for he was prone to bursting out with laughter at the wrong moment.
Riku held it up to the moonlight, squinting his eyes in a flippant examination, then sighed and gave it a dismissive wave. "Not sure it's worth much more than scrap metal these days, honestly."
The crows were not particularly happy about this declaration. They shuffled about and clucked to each other in hushed tones, perhaps discussing whether the lord bird should really be held in such high regard after all, if his prized possession was worth so little. The lord crow, for his part, had stiffened, beady eyes shining unhappily.
"Alright, Mister Crow, I have a proposition for you," Riku said as he rolled the dagger back up in the old cloth. "My ghostly friend here is rather fond of this hunk of junk, and she would very much like to have it back. Purely sentimental reasons—you know how ghosts are. And I'm sure you'd be relieved to get this thing off your hands—or, wings, rather. What do you think? Mind letting us have it?"
The lord crow clearly did mind, and began cawing fiercely, feathers puffed up in anger enough to make him look twice his size. The surrounding crows beat their wings and squawked in uproar. Some swooped through the air high above in an alarming frenzy.
Riku tensed and grit his teeth at his miscalculation.
"It'll be a trade, of course!" Kairi interjected. "We'll give you something in return!"
The crows were mollified for a moment, willing to hear out the proposal.
"We're going to what?" Riku hissed at her.
"We're going to trade," she insisted. Her smile was beginning to look more like a grimace. "We obviously can't just take something of theirs without giving them something in exchange. Otherwise it would be stealing."
"Ah," was all Riku had to say to that.
"Nobles! Honestly!" Kairi huffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Alright, everyone look for something we can give them."
They all shuffled through the things they had brought. Xion had nothing, of course. Roxas had nothing, either, for he never carried anything as a cat. Sora had the keys to his apartment and bike lock, some pocket lint, and a packet of gum. Besides her lantern Namine had brought an apple, a roll of twine, matches, a notebook, and a pencil. Kairi's bag contained a pair of scissors, some of her cleaning spray, A small towel and some bandages. Riku had his knife, a water canteen, and a pocket watch.
The obvious choices were between Riku's knife and pocket watch. Which, unfortunately, he was quite unwilling to give up.
"What about Miss Kairi's scissors? They're shiny enough. We'll just tell them they're extremely valuable." But the scissors were well-used and tarnished and didn't look worth much of anything.
"Come on, Riku, what's it gonna be? The knife or the watch? The fate of the world depends on it," said Sora.
"It does not, stop saying that." Riku sighed, looking between his two possessions regretfully. The knife had once belonged to his father, and though it was not worth much, it was still beautiful from constant, meticulous care. The watch had been a gift from his uncle for his birthday last year, the customary gift when one turned sixteen. It was a signature Jenova piece with dragons engraved across the silver case and a long silver chain. He flicked it open to look at its face, then closed it again with an annoyed sigh. It was an easy choice, really.
He turned to back to the expectant crows. "In exchange for this decrepit old dagger, I offer you instead this priceless silver pocket watch, engraved with a dragon, the emblem of the Jenova family," he declared through gritted teeth. He held the watch up for the crows to see, and they all shifted to get a better view of it. "It is sturdy and shiny and set to the exact time, not a second off. This is a one-time opportunity. I suggest you take it."
The lord crow looked down at him imperiously, then gave a sharp, affirmative caw. His servants dutifully swooped down and snatched the watch from his outstretched hand.
And with that, the bargain was done. The pocket watch for the dagger, both sides feeling as if they'd gotten the better deal. The crows were in an uproar of excitement, as loud as a storm, their beating wings tumultuous thunderclaps, their screeches cracks of lightning.
"My uncle is going to kill me when he finds out what happened to that watch," Riku groaned.
"So don't tell him, then," snorted Sora.
"He'll find out somehow. He always finds out." Riku shook his head in resignation.
They left the crows' racket behind them, eager to be off in case the crows decided to change their mind and come clawing out their eyes.
"Well, let's see it, then," said Sora once they had put enough distance between them and the birds.
Riku pulled it out and uncovered it, and they all peered down at their prize.
"It's here, it's really here," said Xion. "I can't believe you got it back. I don't know how I can ever repay you. Thank you so much!" She reached out once again, but was still hesitant to touch it.
"Will you let us take it?" asked Sora. "We know how important this is to you, but we need it in order to stop Xehanort."
Xion took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she was smiling.
"You have my blessing. I would much rather it be used for good than sit on display in that dreadful nest. It's meant to protect, and that's what it should do."
"Thank you," said Sora, with a kind smile. Then he looked to Riku. "Can I hold it?" It wasn't every day, after all, that you won a mythical dagger from a crow in a haunted forest.
"Fine. But be careful with it," Riku warned.
Once in Sora's hands, however, the dagger began to glow. Its light was soft and warm, like the glow of a cherished candle. Sora blinked in surprise.
"I told you to be careful!" cried Riku, squinting at the dagger's light.
"It's just like this! I'm not doing anything!"
Xion smiled and stepped toward Sora, her ghostly feet soundless on the grass. She reached a hand out to touch his cheek.
"The fireflies don't respond to just anyone. And now my dagger is greeting you, too. You're like me, aren't you? Pure of heart."
Sora looked up at her, baffled. "Am I?"
"Definitely. I can feel it, your warm light. So does the dagger. Sometimes people are just born pure of heart, an anomaly of goodness. You can't help it, and you can't change it. It's who you are."
Sora frowned in confusion, but she only smiled back, chuckling at his expression.
"That dagger has a name, you know. I called it Oathkeeper when it was first given to me, all those years ago."
"Oathkeeper," Sora repeated, testing the name on his tongue. It fit well, he thought.
"I'm glad I met you all," said Xion, looking back at everyone. "Especially you, Sora. It wouldn't feel right leaving Oathkeeper with anyone less worthy."
"Who says I'm worthy?" he asked quietly.
"The blade does. The glow means she's calling you. Oathkeeper has chosen you for your pure heart."
For the first time in quite a while, Sora was absolutely speechless.
"I think it's time for me to go," said Xion, with a tone of deep emotion. "I've been bound to this earth far too long. And now that a worthy wielder has claimed my Oathkeeper, I think it's time I moved on."
Xion reached her hand toward her dagger and finally placed her palm over the engraved hilt, allowing herself to touch it at last. And then, before their eyes, she began to disintegrate, fading away like glitter dissolving in water.
Roxas cried out at the suddenness of it, and Kairi gasped in horror. Riku and Namine were silent but wide-eyed.
Sora met her lingering gaze, saw both the infinite sadness and the limitless joy in her being, set free at last now that the dagger had been reclaimed.
"Thank you," she said, her voice echoing like a choir of bells, resonating deeply within her forest. And with that, Xion was gone, reunited with Faris at last.
The fireflies swirled around them like tiny fireworks, wild with the light overwhelming their senses.
"Fireflies, could you please take us home now?" Sora asked, suddenly weary.
And, eager to please and elated by the rush of light that had just passed, they did.