When Rose finally made it up to the path, she was unsure of where Sora had ended up. She paused and looked around the house, trying to see if there was some hidden place she hadn't seen. Rose hadn't really explored around her house before, so this was all new to her. She paused near the back of the house when she noticed a small crawl space hidden behind a bush.
Rose carefully got down on her hands and knees, crawling into the whole and followed the straight path. She stood up when she got to the end, marveling at the fact she had never seen this before. The room she had entered was a giant cave like area that was dark and damp. One thing that suddenly caught her eye was the giant doors that were there. Rose frowned, not believing she had never noticed this place before. She also wondered where the doors led as she would have clearly noticed doors on the side of a mountain.
Rose made her way over to the doors, examining it carefully to find a way to open it. She sighed when she couldn't figure it out, leaning up against the door as she slid down. Rose couldn't believe Sora was gone and she didn't know where he went. She assumed he had gone through this mysterious door, but there was no way of her knowing. Rose began to use the sandaled foot to play with the dirt when something shiny caught her eye.
She pushed the dirt aside and reached down to pick up a small charm that was on the ground. The charm was purple in color, appearing to be made of a sea shell or perhaps glass and it was shaped like a Papuo fruit. Rose's eyes filled with tears when she realized Sora had left this behind for her in case they missed each other.
"Sora" she whispered softly as the tears streamed down her face. Rose held the little charm close to her heart as she sobbed softly. A figure stepped in front of her, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up to see Xemnas standing over her. Rose quickly glanced away, a look of hurt in her eyes, "What do you want, father?" she said angrily.
"I came here to see if you were alright" he said, kneeling down beside her. Rose looked in his direction again, unsure if she heard him properly.
"What did you say?" she asked, straining her ears to hear his answer.
"I said, I came to see if you were alright. You look upset" Xemnas repeated, sitting down beside her. Rose shrugged and played with the charm in her hand, thinking about Sora.
"Well, let's see. You sent me on this mission in hopes I would befriend Sora and lead him into the path you wanted him to be in. I tried to stay away, but I couldn't. No matter how much I try to go against your plans I always end up going with them anyways" she suddenly blurted out, not believing she had just said that. Xemnas chuckled in amusement as he wrapped and arm around her shoulders.
"My dear daughter. I always look forward for you to mess with my plans. You make things more interesting. I'm sorry about your friend, but I have larger plans for him" he told her, placing a kiss on her head as he stood. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. You need to come home now, your mission is done" he said, holding out a hand to her. Rose glanced up and shook her head sadly, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.
"I would rather stay here until he comes back. I'm worried about him" she said, helping herself up off the ground and dusted off her dress. Xemnas watched her for a moment, deciding whether or not to fight this, but he knew better. he nodded and turned away from her, his portal appearing in front of him.
"Very well, my child. I will see you another time then" he said before disappearing through the portal. Rose watched him leave before glancing down at her charm again. She then summoned her Keyblade and turned it over so she could clip it to the bottom.
Rose smiled and watched it dangle for a moment, before heading off in the direction of her house, Keyblade in hand. She knew with this charm that she would see him again. That she would see all her friends again one day.
A few months had past since she had seen her friends and she was starting to worry. Since the mission was over, Lexon had left her and went back to the castle. Rose hadn't seen Axel at all either since their fight and that was really starting to worry her. She walked out the front door, a book in one hand, a towel in the other. Rose wanted to relax after cleaning the entire house so she decided to have a swim.
As she made her way down the path to the beach, something caught her eye. She paused, realizing something about the area was different. The small island looked the same, but the main beach area looked like a tornado or an earthquake hit. The ground was split in a few places and there was spots where darkness seemed to have overtaken the area. Rose dropped the things she was carrying and pulled out her Keyblade, ready to fight if she had to.
A figure materialized on the shore line suddenly, wearing a white coat. He had similar hair color to Xemnas, but pulled back and much longer. Somewhere nearby, Sora appeared, his Keyblade firmly in his hand. Rose ducked behind a palm tree and watched them quietly, debating whether or not to help him. A hand suddenly touched her shoulder and she whipped around, coming face to face with Axel. Axel put his finger to his lips, signalling her to stay quiet.
"Don't interfere, Rose" he whispered quietly, ducking down behind the bush with her. Rose frowned and followed suit, crouching behind the bushes.
"Who is that? I've never seen him before" she whispered, moving closer to Axel so she wouldn't have to shout. Axel put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
"That's Ansem. I'm not quite sure who he is yet, but I heard Lord Xemnas talking to him and he ordered him to attack Sora. I know this is hard for you to hear, but I need you to stay here. It's very important that for whatever reason you don't get involved, okay?" he said to her looking back in her direction. Rose sighed and nodded, hating that he would say something like that, but knew arguing would be pointless. Besides, she didn't want to fight with Axel anymore, she missed him.
"Alright, but I have a condition. If for any reason Ansem is about to kill him, I have to step in" she said, looking back at him. Axel nodded in agreement.
"Fine, but I know Sora is really strong. I doubt Ansem can beat him" he assured her.
They watched the fight for what seemed like several hours before Sora appeared to have defeated him. The figure named Ansem soon began floating away, disappearing behind the trees. Suddenly the ground began to shake as the palm trees began falling. Axel quickly grabbed Rose and took her away from the area, moving further down the path as a tree fell where they once were.
"Watch out, Rose!" he exclaimed, practically tripping as he let her down, using his body as a shield as he crouched over her. When the shaking stopped, the looked back over to the area where the trees were, the area now consumed by darkness. Rose and Axel looked back at each other before looking back again.
"What the hell happened?" she questioned him, unsure of what had just happened. Axel shrugged and knelt down beside her, brushing the sand from his clothes.
"No clue to be honest. Let's wait and see I guess" he said, watching her carefully. Rose nodded and summoned her Keyblade, the charm she had place on it reflecting light from the sunshine. Axel watched her and smiled. "Did Sora give you that?" he asked her. Rose glanced back at him and nodded.
"Yep, it's my good luck charm" she explained as she looked back in the direction of darkness. She watched as Sora charged into the darkness, the companions that he had with him, whom she now just noticed, unable to go inside with him. Rose bit her lip and waited, anxious to see what would happen. She secretly hoped her friend would be okay in there.
After a few moments, the ground suddenly began shaking again as Rose moved closer to Axel, trying to shield herself with him. Axel put his arms around her and held her closely until the shaking stopped. When they looked up, the forest was back to normal and Sora was nowhere to be found. Rose quickly pulled away from Axel and stood up, rushing towards the area Sora once was.
"Axel! Where did he go?!" she exclaimed, frantically looking for him. Axel walked over to her with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I have no clue, Rose. I'm sure he's fine, though! Hes a tough kid" he said, trying to calm her down. Rose paused and glanced over at him, a small smile on her face.
"I guess you're right. Sora was always great at getting out of situations. I hope he comes back soon!" she said. Axel nodded and put an arm around her, turning her away from the area as he led her back in the direction of the house.
"Come on, then. Let's get you something to eat" he said softly to her, placing a kiss on her head as he led her up the path. Rose paused to look back at the beach, a female figure standing there. Rose gasped when she realized it was Kairi, pulling away from Axel as she rushed over.
"Kairi!" she exclaimed. Kairi turned and watched, a smile on her face beginning to form as both girls met up. They both paused for a moment, looking at each other as they began to laugh happily, soon embracing each other in a tight hug.
"Rose! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you? Have you seen Sora?" she said. Rose nodded and glanced over at the patch of trees where Sora was last seen.
"I just saw him, but he disappeared into darkness with some guy named Ansem" she said grimly. Kairi glanced down at the ground as she pulled away from Rose, a sad look on her face.
"I haven't seen him at all. I also don't know who Ansem is, but I know Sora will come back real soon!" she assured her friend. Rose nodded in agreement as she glanced back at Axel, taking Kairi by the hand.
"Come with me! I want you to meet someone very special to me" she said as she pulled Kairi in Axel's direction. As soon as Axel was introduced to Kairi, both looked at each other as if they knew each other. Rose looked back and forth between them, a confused look on her face. "Uh, is everything alright?" she questioned. Axel shook his head, snapping out of it as he glanced back at her.
"Just fine, love. Let's get something to eat" he said enthusiastically as he wrapped an arm around each of them and led them up the path to Rose's house. It would be a few years before any of them would see Sora again after that day.
Meanwhile, back at the Organization, Xemnas had other plans of his own. He was planning to send some of the members of the Organization to Castle Oblivion to continue his plans to control Sora. Xemnas sat in his usual throne, surrounded by the others members excluding Axel whom he could not find for the moment.
"Welcome everyone! Thank you for joining me. I have a very important mission I need a few people for" he began explaining, "we are sending a few of you to Castle Oblivion to help further our plans to use Sora's members for a plan that I wish to remain secret for now. Do I have any volunteers or do I have to decide?" he said, glancing around the room. Everyone stayed silent, looking around at each other.
"I'll go" a voice said from beside him. Xemnas glanced over and saw his third in command Marluxia speak up for the first time. Xemnas nodded, clearly happy with his answer as he turned back to the others.
"Is there anyone else?" he asked. Axel suddenly appeared from a portal somewhere nearby, accompanied by Rose. Xemnas sat up in his seat as he watched them step forward in front of him.
"We'll go as well" Axel said, crossing his arms over his chest. Xemnas watched them carefully, unsure of how to respond to that. He knew in the back of his mind that they were up to something, but thought this might be a good idea. Though, he would only take one of them as they would more than likely get distracted by the mission.
"Fine, but only one of you can go" Xemnas responded, leaning against the side of this chair, a bored look on his face. Rose glanced up at Axel as if she was about to offer herself over, but he shook his head before she could say anything.
"I'll go" he offered, looking back in Xemnas' direction. Rose watched him sadly as she took his hand, causing him to glance back at her. "I can't let you do this mission. It could be really dangerous. You stay here and take care of things around here for me, okay?" Axel told her, taking both of her hands in his own. Rose nodded and glanced around the room, all eyes on her now.
"Fine, but I get to pick who goes with you" she said firmly, glancing back in her fathers direction. Xemnas glanced back at her dismissively.
"Very well. Who do you chose to go with Axel? You need to choose seven more members" he told her, watching her with an amused look on his face. He could not wait to see who she chose. Rose glanced around the room, a frown on her face. She needed to choose careful to make sure Axel didn't get hurt in all of this.
"Okay, um, Saix definitely since they're best friends. Larxene, Lexaeus, Xaldin, Vexen, Xigbar and" she paused to look around again, pausing her gaze on Zexion. Zexion nodded his heads as if to signal her to go ahead as he squeezed Rae's hand gently, "Zexion" Rose said finally. Rae moved to stand up in protest, but Zexion pulled her back, instantly calming her down.
"It's only fair if I go as well as Saix. Rose will be without her boyfriend for some time as well. It's only fair" he explained to her soothingly. Rae sighed and nodded, holding his hand tighter as she lay her head on his shoulder. Xemnas nodded, happy with the people she had chosen.
"Good choice my dear daughter. You will all be leaving tomorrow morning. Meeting is dismissed" he said, waving his hand dismissively. Everyone filled out the room one by one, Rae pushing past Rose a bit roughly as she glared back at the other girl, storming down the hallway. Zexion paused and placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her off to the side for the others to pass.
"Please forgive her, my friend. She is very upset right now. I think you made the right choice. I will protect Axel's life with my own" he assured her. Rose's eyes filled with tears as she hugged Zexion, tears freely falling as she sobbed into his shoulder. Zexion stood shocked for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly. Casaix appeared behind them, a sympathetic look on his face.
"Here, let me take her" he said softly, holding out his arms in their direction. Zexion gently pulled away from her, looking her in the eyes.
"Go to Casaix, okay? I need to go check on Rae. I'll be back later to spend time with you. I promise" he assured her as he placed a kiss on her wet cheek. He gently wiped some tears away with his sleeve and turned her towards Casaix before heading down the hall in the direction Rae had disappeared. Rose sniffled and wrapped her arms around Casaix, holding on to him tightly.
"Oh, Casaix. I can't deal with this anymore" she sobbed, hugging him tighter. Casaix looked down at her sadly, pulling her close to him.
"Shh, it's going to be okay, dear. Come, let's go sit with Axel in the library" he said softly as he pulled away, wrapping an arm around her waist as he led her down the hall to the library. Casaix paused and opened the door, leading her inside to where her friends were, excluding Rae who was nowhere to be found.
"Come here, Rose" Axel said softly, holding out his arms in her direction. Rose walked over to him and crawled on to his lap, burying her face in his hair. Axel wrapped his arms around her as he rubbed her back soothingly, resting his head on top of hers. He glanced around the room, waiting for someone to say something to help her calm down. Lexon stood up and put his cigarette out in the tray before walked over and knelt down in front of him.
"Hey, you're going to be fine. He won't be gone long and Sora's going to be fine too, okay?" he said. Axel looked at him in shock, not believing he had said that out loud, looking at him with an annoyed look on his face. Rose looked up from Axel's shoulder, squinting her eyes to make sure she heard him right.
"What about Sora? What is actually going on here?" she sat up, looking around the room. Everyone looked at each other, but no one said a word. Axel put his hand behind her head and pushed her head back down gently on to his shoulders.
"It' just a stupid experiment Xemnas wants to do. He just wants to test Sora's abilities that's all. He will not get hurt we promise you" he assured her, running a hand through her hair. Rose sighed softly and closed her eyes.
"Fine, but if Sora gets hurt I'm going to kick all of your butts" she warned, opening one eye to glare at them. Lexon rolled his eyes as he stood up, roughly her hair gently.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll still be here when you want to hang out" he said as he made his way to the doorway, "I'll even quit smoking til they get back if that will make you feel better" Lexon added as he disappeared out the door, closing it behind him. Rose sat up now, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve as she sniffled.
"You guys are the best, you know that? Sorry I'm such a pain in the tush" she said, looking around at all her friends. Casaix smiled and moved so he was beside her and Axel, placing a hand over hers.
"We're always here for you when you need it. I can assure you that you are not a pain, but a pleasure to be around" he said, squeezing her hand gently. Rose smiled and leaned over to hug him, moving so she was squeezed in between him and Axel.
"You guys want to watch a movie? I think we should invite everyone before they have to leave tomorrow" she suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and stood up, heading to the door. They made their way down the hallway when Rose paused, something catching her by the sleeve. She turned to see Rae standing there, looking down at the ground shyly.
"I'm really sorry for pushing you. I was just really angry with what you did by picking Zexion. I totally get it now, though. You picked people who you could trust to protect Axel" she said, looking back up to Rose, a small smile on her face, "can I come to the movie too?" Rae said, waiting for Rose's answer. Rose smiled and put an arm around her friends shoulders, leading her down the hallway.
"Of course you can come! After all your boyfriend is also leave" she assured her friends as they made their way down the hall to the living room. Rose led Rae inside as she looked around, happy that everyone was gathered there. Rose led Rae over to where Zexion was, helping her into her seat as she made her way over to sit between Axel and Saix. She glanced over at her sister who already had a bowl of popcorn on her lap.
"You're not mad at me are you for choosing Saix, are you?" she asked. Okami glanced over, a mouth full of popcorn.
"What? No! I totally get it. Saix is the best fighter here so I know he can keep Axel said" she replied in a muffled voice, giving her a thumbs up. Rose laughed softly and reached over to steal a handful, sitting back in her seat. Axel pulled out a Popsicle from behind his hand and held it out to her.
"One more before I go?" he asked, a grin on his face. Rose took the Popsicle and smiled, taking a bite as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She was going to miss him, but she knew he was going to be safe.