Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.
CHAPTER TWENTY: PARTING WAYS
SASUKE
"True friends won't grow apart, even if they don't talk every day."
- Unknown
"SO . . . DO WE talk about this?"
The sky was dressed in swirls of pinks and oranges. The setting sun had began to retreat behind the structures of the town, drowning the city in lights unimaginable. Birds chirped in trees while children played games on the cobblestone streets. Mothers preparing dinner hummed collective melodies; fathers laughed as they returned home from work. Though, that was only the scene taking place outside of the window.
Inside, the two of us sat in Yuffie and Aerith's bedroom. The window had been opened to allow fresh air in—a cool breeze picked up around the small space. The lock on the door had been clicked to keep out anyone who could have interrupted our conversation. Such had been done by Aerith after he mentioned him wanting to talk to me alone. Unfortunately, it couldn't have made the situation any more awkward than it already was.
We traveled straight to Hollow Bastion once the mission at the Beast's castle was complete. Goodbyes and promises to visit were exchanged between us and the people there—the Beast was the most thankful for us having stopped by. Everyone knew that it had to be cut short due to the hi-potion wearing off on my arm. The burning pain had returned to the bone in thirty minutes. So, we had climbed into the Gummi Ship soon afterwards . . . and I was crammed up with the boy that I had my first kiss with.
He would glance at me through the corner of his eye every now and then. Lights from space lit up his face in bursts that made his irises sparkle. It was almost unrealistic. It was that very side-eye look that made my stomach do flips. It forced blood to my cheeks from the intensity of it. He, on the other hand, remained calm the entire time. Or, at least, I would have thought he was had I not noticed that the tips of his ears were turning red, fighting away a creeping blush.
I, too, found myself guilty of staring every now and then. More specifically, it was his lips that held my attention. They had tasted of metal and an undertone that was hard to recognize. It was a sweet taste that I concluded was all his own; the metal had been from blood and the remnants of his swollen lip. I didn't pay it any mind at the time, for I had realized just why he loved chewing on his bottom lip so much. He was a good kisser.
It hadn't been expected. For someone whose life revolved around living rather than relationships, he would have been thought to be uninformed in that area. Hell, I was. But, he wasn't, and it sent shivers down my spine every time his breath had mingled with mine. The tingles were undeniable, bloody busted lip and all.
And now, he sat beside me on Aerith's bed, his eyes roaming anywhere but on me. They were trained on the makeshift cast on my arm that Aerith made for the time being. It was nothing more than two pieces of plastic rods on either side with gauze around it, but it would do for now. She had taken care of his injuries, too—his face was clear of any blood, and a bandage rested just below his hairline, the cut in that spot cleaned and covered.
He tugged his bottom lip in between his teeth. It was that unsure lip bite that made my face heat up. It hadn't even been a day since they were on mine.
"Does it hurt?" His hand reached up to run through his hair.
I nearly jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. "Huh? My arm?"
He nodded his head. Not once did his eyes dare to look into mine. Because of that, I couldn't remember a time where it was more awkward between us. We had always been a perfect fit. It had been that way since the moment we met. We had been on the same wavelength the second our eyes met on the beach shore. Nothing could fork a wedge into our closeness, not even people . . . all except for physical contact. We were now left stiff and scared as if one word could upset the other. It was as if one wrong word could ruin what we've had for years.
In that aspect, I was afraid. I was afraid that I would lose him over something that had made me happy. I was afraid that he would tell me the thing that I wanted to hear least. I was afraid that he didn't feel anything toward me. The sparks that I felt, the flutters in my stomach . . . had he felt them, too? It was a make-or-break situation for the future of us that I was regretting getting myself into.
"Oh. Uh, no—I'm all right now. It doesn't hurt too much," I answered quietly. "What did you want to talk about?"
A larger part of me was expecting for him to say that he didn't want anything more than childhood friendship. The other part of me knew that I was blowing this all out of proportion. It was hard to choose which side sounded the most believable. He had kissed me back as much as I did him. He clearly felt something. But, then again, he didn't say anything about it afterwards.
He hung his head low, his spiky, brown locks falling into his face, and let out an un-amused laugh. The sound of it forced my stomach into knots. It seemed like everything that he did made my stomach act one way or another, even if it was as simple as a laugh.
"I don't want it to be awkward anymore," he said.
This time, it was me who wouldn't look at him. "It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"
That must have broken the ice a little bit. He lifted his head, his bright eyes gazing into mine. They were so blue, almost glowing, and it took all of my strength not to squirm away from him. The look in them, the wonder on his face, the blush on his ears, the nervous aura that radiated around him . . . it was all adorable. He was adorable no matter what he did.
His fingers moved to rotated his necklace chain between them. His brows furrowed in the middle like he was deep in though, debating if he should do something or not. It filled me with a sense of impending doom—he could have been thinking on if he should shoot me down.
Perhaps we had went too far. Perhaps I should have kept my distance. Perhaps I shouldn't have liked him at all. Perhaps I should have—
"The only way for me to fix is for me to tell you now, I guess. I mean . . . I like you, Sasuke. Not like a regular like, but . . . I've liked you for the past three or four years now."
Huh?
It took me a while to process what he had said. He had used the word 'like' too many times for it to have made sense, but when it did, my eyes went wide. It wasn't a mix up, was it? Had I heard that all right?
"Three or four years?"
"I didn't say anything about it because you were one of my best friends, and I didn't want it to be awkward . . . like it is now." He released his chain, letting it drop to his chest. "Whenever I did want to tell you, it seemed like you liked Riku. But, then you kissed me, and I . . ."
The expression on my face was dumbfounded. That was why he had accused me of liking Riku at the Emperor's palace. He thought that his feelings for me weren't returned—that another guy had already won me over. He didn't know that it was him. For years, he thought that he was second place to out best friend. Years. I couldn't have imagined going through that. I had only realized my liking for him this year, yet it still would've killed me to think he was involved with Kairi.
There were 365 days in a year. The fact that he's felt that way about me for the past 1,460 days was hard for me to even consider. How didn't I notice?
All those times were he protected me, where he complimented me and cheered me up, those were genuine displays of his heart. All of those hugs and laughs . . . they were real. They were the actions of a boy with a crush, not of a best friend. He's liked me for years.
My gaze softened when I looked into his eyes. "I've never liked Riku. You're the one that I like. I just wished this all could've happened sooner."
He opened his mouth to say something—most likely a bunch of excuses—but was cut off by a familiar voice. "Sora! Whatever you two are going through up there, wrap it up! It's time for us to go!"
Sora glared at the locked door on the side of the room. It was Donald who had ruined the moment, his voice so loud that it echoed through the walls. Nonetheless, I smiled, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear and looking down at my fingers. I had been reduced to the embarrassed state of a confession.
Sora shouted something along the lines of needing another minute. Donald didn't reply. So, he let out a relieved sigh. The nervous tension had left his composure. His back was sitting up straighter and his brows no longer creased together. Just like me, he was feeling better about how things were playing out.
"During one of the six weeks that you have to stay here, I'll make Donald bring us back so that we can see you," he told me before scratching the back of his head. "Do you wanna . . . do something with me?"
I had to fight my smile away. "Are you asking me out?"
"Yeah." The corners of his lips tilted upward.
"Like on a date?"
He chuckled once. "Yeah."
It was all surreal, like some mistake that slipped out on accident. Out of all of the predictions that I had, this was not one of them. It was far from them. I had it fixated in my mind that I was going to be shut out, so him doing this, telling me this . . . it wasn't apart of my game plan. It threw me off guard so much to the point where my head was spinning. It was part of my story for him to not like me. Yet, here he was, grinning ear-to-ear once I accepted his offer.
In under twenty-four hours, I had managed to kiss and set a date with Sora. I was left reeling. Just yesterday, we were nothing more than buddies. But, that was the way that life worked, I supposed. Everything was constantly changing, even if that meant our relationship.
What could have potentially gone on much longer had to be cut short. The others were downstairs waiting for him so that they could leave. Unlike me, Sora was still in commission. He could still fight. He had a duty as the Keyblade Bearer that I would have to miss out on for a while. I didn't know which was worse: the fact that my arm was fractured, or the fact that I couldn't stay with the boys to fight.
He stood up, the mattress springs creaking a bit from the sudden change in weight. My eyes stayed glued to his feet. They made tapping sounds against the wood flooring as he walked over to the door, hand reaching out to unlock it. He had pushed the door open when he looked back at me, asking if I wanted to come see them off.
How could I not? This would be the last time that I would be able to see them for weeks. If I didn't seem them off at least, I'd regret it later.
I stood up, too, injured arm held at my side, and made my way out behind him. It sucked that I had to stay here. It wasn't like I didn't like Aerith, Yuffie, Leon, and the others, but I didn't want to be away from my friends for a whole month and a half. It had been the four of us for who knows how long. Not being able to hear Donald's snarky comments, Goofy's jokes, or Sora's laughs, it was hard to imagine. Though, it was the price that I was going to have to pay for what happened. I had done this all to myself.
The wood of the staircase still creaked. It was almost saddening. And I knew that I was making this more than what it had to be, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't every day that I was left behind. It also wasn't every day that I found myself knowing that I'd miss Donald. The creaky staircase was just a reminder of what was to come. It was the sound of two different journeys parting ways. They were going to be off with the stars; I was going to be resting. Maybe I needed this.
Everyone was already waiting when we reached the bottom of the stairs. The last few steps that Sora took were dragged out, the bottoms of his shoes sliding slowly against the wood flooring. He didn't want to go, either. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and his eyes stayed glued to the front door. Despite the good news that we had received from each other, there was still the fact that we couldn't be together for now. He knew that this was a bad way to leave, but there was nothing that we could do about it. What was done had been done. Now, we just had to follow through with the plans.
Donald's arms were crossed over his chest. His foot impatiently tapped, creating echoing rhythms throughout the living room. I couldn't blame him for it. It took nearly four hours to get to Hollow Bastion due to loss of direction. His so-called "short cut" had prolonged an hour-long trip. That was all time that could have went into fighting Heartless.
Goofy stepped over to the door without a word. Sora and Donald followed suit, their motions seemingly robotic. They made no attempt to look back at us, and as I moved over to stand by Leon, I felt my stomach sink. This was it. This was the last time I'll see them until Sora convinces them to visit. Even then, that won't be for long.
Sora let out a sigh, turning around to send us a wave. Though it was meant for everyone, his eyes were focused on my arm the whole time. He payed no mind to Yuffie, who was belting out goodbyes.
Seeing the far away look on his face, Aerith chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of her. She'll be back to fighting in no time."
He sent her a knowing smile. "We'll see you guys later."
Beside me, Leon crossed his arms over his chest. He pushed himself off of the wall that he was leaning against. At his full height, I looked like a child next to him. But, it was the least of my worries, for when he looked over at the two boys, it was one of those rare times that he genuinely smiled. He was trying to reassure them—to reassure all of us. If he believed that things would work out, it would.
"Be careful out there," he said.
"Watch your arms!" Yuffie added.
I sent her a glare. It was a bit too soon for the fractured arm jokes, if you asked me. Not that it probably would have mattered to her.
"Bye, boys." I waved with my non-injured hand.
"You take care of that there fracture, ya hear," Goofy warned. "We'll try to close as many Keyholes as we can."
I nodded to show him that I understood. And, with that, they were out of the door, closing it behind them with a soft click.
Nothing but silence came afterwards. This must have been how it felt—to be left here while they adventured. It was something that I had dreaded the moment they told me I was going to have to. It was a reality now. They were really gone, and I was really here. Man, this sucked.
All eyes in the room had fallen upon me, waiting for me to say something . . . waiting for me to do something. I didn't. It wasn't like I could have. I couldn't have chased after them with one arm. I couldn't have said anything that would change this. So, I stayed glued in place, staring at the door as if it was its fault that I couldn't go along with them.
Aerith placed a hand on my shoulder. It was warm and gentle; not exactly a pitiful one, but one of guidance. I was left in her care for the next month and a half. She was in charge of looking after me. The way she looked at me, her smile cheering me on, was what I needed. If I wanted to get out there again, I was going to have to do my best here.
Leon shifted his body so that his shoulder was resting against the dark wall, his toned arms crossing over his chest. "Don't look so upset, Sasuke. It's only six weeks."
"He's right, ya know." Yuffie sent a wink my way. "You can hang out with me while you're here."
My skin must have paled; the heat was leaving my face as if it were being drained. Six whole weeks being teased and dragged around by Yuffie. Delightful.
As if she could read my thoughts, Aerith let out a giggle. She tilted her head a bit, causing her long, brown braid to swing around her waist. The sound of her laughter made the house seem brighter. It cleared out all of the bad thoughts because of a few jokes and giggles.
It was the reassurance that I needed, and perhaps this won't be so bad. They were right. This should be seen as me spending quality time with my friends for the next six weeks. Rather than focusing on the cons, I had to count my pros. The change in thinking brought a smile to my face.
Aerith's small hand lifted to tuck some of her bangs behind her ear. "Well, now that you'll be staying here for a while, I suppose we go shopping for you. What do you say?"
Yuffie nodded in agreement. In the corner of the room, Leon closed his eyes with a sigh.
"You guys go without me."
"Typical." Yuffie playful rolled her eyes at the older boy.
My smile didn't falter. In fact, it grew so deeply rooted that the indentations in my cheeks were showing. They hardly came, but when they did, it was because my smiles were genuine. Aerith must have picked up on that, too, for she nodded to show us that the plan was a go. She was going to take us shopping.
She opened the door with a newfound pep in her step. She announced that we'd be back in an hour or two to the boy leaning against the wall. Yuffie cheered that she was tagging along with us as she bounced out of the door behind Aerith. Leon sighed from his spot again. He clearly wasn't big on shopping, especially when it was for girls. But, I couldn't blame him. It had been over a year since I had been shopping with friends, and the thought of going with Yuffie was terrifying. The amount of fractured arm jokes to come was almost endless.
The world appeared exactly like it did through the bedroom window. Families in neighbouring houses were settling down after their busy days. Front doors were left ajar due to how comfortable everyone was with their town; no one had a worried care in the world. Children filled the streets with laughter, kicking a ball back and forth to each other like it was a collective sport. Birds chirps in the sky as they flew about with their loved ones. The sky was warm-coloured—coloured clouds tinting it like some sort of painting in a museum. It was beautiful, and it wasn't the first time that I had thought that it was.
There was just something different about this world that I couldn't place my finger on. It was as if every time I came here, there was a sense of appreciation. Of course, there was that feeling in every world, but the appreciation that I felt here . . . I hadn't felt that way since I was home on Destiny Islands. Though, perhaps it was because I had so many connected hearts here, or maybe because we were here so often, but it was comforting. To me, Hollow Bastion was my home . . . a second home away from my sandy shores.
Our shoes made clicking sounds against the cobblestone as we walked. I was halfway listening to Yuffie's chatter about their friend named Vincent. She explained how he was a tall man who—apparently—was hiding away somewhere deep inside of the city to stay out of sight. I wasn't paying too much attention to find out the reason why. Neither was Aerith, who smiled and nodded her head as she led us to the shopping district.
A few people were walking about. Citizens went from stall to stall in search of something that caught their eyes. A mother stood at one stall with a smile, buying bracelets for her two daughters. The girls laughed gleefully as they thanked their mother with absent-toothed smiles. A bit away, a man chuckled while his two sons fought each other with plastic weapons.
Despite the swarm of Heartless and Nobody goons around, people were able to carry on with their lives peacefully. It was what I was most admirable about; everyone was doing their best to restore the peace that was once lost to the darkness.
Yuffie and I followed Aerith into a store with flashing neon lights in the front. A general store, it detailed. When I stepped inside, the smell of perfumes and cleaning products hit my nose, making it tingle. I wiggled it around in hopes of suppressing my sneeze. Thankfully, it worked.
A man with balding, gray hair and a big grin greeted us at the entrance. Yuffie, having must have known the man already, greeted him back by his first name. She raised her arm to send him an exaggerated wave. The man waved right back at her.
"We have a bit of money, so don't be too cautious," Aerith told me, walking down one of the aisles. "If you want it, just let me know."
Yeah, right. I couldn't possibly spend all of their money. I was already putting them out of their way by moving in with them for a month and a half. How much more damage could I allow to happen? Nonetheless, I just nodded, knowing that voicing my opinion about it would have sent Aerith into a monologue about how she was happy to help.
The aisle wasn't too wide. White shelves sat on either side, holding countless amounts of products. She seemed to have led us into the more girly section. It no longer smelled of cleaning products, but of lavender and fruits.
Yuffie picked up a bottle of perfume off of one of the store shelves, her face contorting in a grimace when she seen the price tag. "So, Sasuke . . . You and Sora, huh?"
At the mention of his name, I felt my blood run cold. I glanced over at her from my position beside Aerith, my eyes wide with a sudden fear. Sora and I . . . What could she have known about that? Hell, no one besides the two of us knew what happened as far as I was concerned. Yet, here she was, bringing up something as nerve-wrecking as that.
"What?" I croaked out.
"You don't have to act so surprised." She shrugged her thin shoulders. "I kind of overheard you guys talking in the room."
Overheard us talking?
She had overheard My face twisted up into an expression of horror. My parted lips were left gaping, my brows pulled low, and a furious stain of red had spread across my face. It wasn't just in the cheeks like it had been before. This time, my whole face was the color of cherries. It hadn't even been an hour since the boys left and word about it was already getting around.
Aerith simply smiled as she picked up a bottle of flower-scented lotion. "So that was what you were doing when you said that you had to go to the bathroom."
"How was I not going to eavesdrop? The two of them came into the house like something big happened, and I was curious. It wasn't like I got much out of it, though. Just that they like each other, but who didn't know that?" she replied.
I frowned. "I didn't."
"I don't see how. I mean, it was obvious. Everyone knew. Everyone."
"Okay, Yuffie! I get it." I sighed.
She let out a laugh, choosing to drop the subject for my sake. She moved on to asking how I got my hair so long. She explained to us that she was thinking about growing hers out, but by that point, I was too embarrassed to say anything else.
There was no reason for me to speak further about it. Something had happened between the two of us—how was I expecting for them not to find out. They were our friends. They could feel the shift in our usual atmosphere. Yet, still, there was this thought of having people know just what effect he had on me. It was going to take some getting used to, I supposed, especially since he asked me out.
It wasn't like I wanted to hide him away, or to keep it a secret. The whole world could know the story about how Sora and I locked lips in the middle of the Beast's ballroom, and it wouldn't bother me. What did bother me was the fact that I liked Sora, and the mere mention of the two of us reduced me into a fit of blushes. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.
My hand reached for one of the shampoos. It wasn't anything extravagant nor was the price too high. It was good because I needed it along with some other things that I was sure to come across in the store. Aerith sent me a thumbs up to let me know that it was okay. It was what we came out here to do, after all. We came here to shop for me.
"No, but seriously. Are you guys, like, going out now?"
"Yuffie!"
I LIKED THE way the ceiling looked in the mornings.
Rays of sunshine sparkled across it, dancing alone to the tempo of the swaying curtains. It was a sight that I had gotten familiar to. Each morning for the past week, it would be the first thing that I saw when I opened my eyes. Everything started with the warmness of the sun . . . even my shared bedroom.
On days like this, I found myself lounging around the bedroom. There wasn't much for me to do here besides that. The things that were entertaining, there were hard to do with one available arm. That included going on Heartless patrols with the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee.
Because of that, I was often left in the house to my own devices, left to figure out ways to make myself useful. Other than cleaning, I had yet to find one.
The sky was bright outside of the window. It was clear of clouds as it blew a flower-scented breeze throughout the room. It blew around the white curtains. It almost looked mystical the way they sparkled and danced around the room—it felt like a dream from my viewpoint. It was like one big fantasy . . . to think that I had been lying here for seven days. Seven days of staring at the ceiling with nothing more to my name than the title of the cleaning maid.
The gang made sure to tell me every day that I was doing just fine. They made sure to tell me that they appreciated my help around the house, and that I was healing okay, if not better than expected. Though it was good to know, it didn't help the feeling that I wasn't doing too much. Merlin was always off doing magic. Aerith was always busy monitoring the town. Cid had a wife and a store in the town center to run. Leon was always off on patrol and defense duty, and Yuffie was usually right alongside him. They had lives . . . unlike me currently.
My gaze drifted down to my arm. An off-white cast gripped from around my hand all the way up a bit passed my elbow. Aerith had put it on a few days ago after she figured that the splint she made wasn't going to fix much. Decorated with signatures from Aerith, Merlin, Cid, Shera, and a not-too-shabby drawing of a thumbs up from Leon, it was my reminder of just how real this was. It barely hurt anymore, but I still couldn't use it much. It just sat there in its sling, waiting for the moment where I could take it off.
I let out a sigh. On days like this, I tried to remind myself that it could have been a lot worse. In a house with nothing but people who cared about my well-being, I was truly cared for. If only I could do more to help them in return.
A sudden knock at the bedroom door tore me from my thoughts. It was most likely Aerith, asking if I wanted breakfast. Hopefully, it wasn't her. I could never have the heart to tell her that I wasn't hungry whenever she came in here offering. But, as I told the person that the door was open, I soon realized that it wasn't the brown-haired girl. Instead, the image of short, spiky, brown hair and serious blue eyes came into view. The scar crossing their face was a dead giveaway.
Leon.
He was wearing that leather jacket that I liked—the one with black fur trimming around the collar. His bangs were parted to the left like normal, no doubt being easy to manage since he cut his once long hair down to his jaw. His brows were pulled low as his eyes scanned the room in search of me. They let up once he seen me on the bed.
The days where he personally came to check on me on here were few and far between. It wasn't like he didn't care—I know he did—but, he preferred to give me my space. Other than the occasional check-ups as we passed each other in the hallway or in the kitchen, he made sure to watch over me from a distance. Though, here he was, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, and I wondered if I had done something wrong.
I did clean the bathroom earlier, right?
I sat up, being careful not to hit the my head against the top bunk. The action made him sigh. It was a content one followed by a small smile that I hadn't been expecting. If I hadn't messed up something in the house, what was the meaning of all of this?
He leaned his head against the doorway, too. "What are you doing today?"
What was I doing? Was that a trick question? Was he trying to make a joke? I shook my head to show him that I, indeed, didn't have any plans. Just like all of the other days.
"Get dressed, then," he said without a second thought. "You're always cooped up in the house. You're coming with me today—you need some fresh air."
The idea of going out on the town with Leon wasn't too bad. In fact, it seemed great compared to just sitting here like I had been doing. So, I stood up, making sure to not hit my head again. It was a good thing that I had already gotten dressed earlier. Aerith told me that she was going grocery shopping, and Yuffie was out on patrol already. If Leon had to be the one to help me fasten my bra in the back, it'd be awkward.
I moved across the room to put on my shoes. Well, more like sandals since I could no longer tie my shoes on my own. He watched me in silence. And when I walked over to him, nodding to show him that I was ready, he pushed himself off of the door frame. He motioned with his head for me to follow him down the hall.
It was dark since all of the doors were closed. The tired wood made creaking noises beneath our feet. Merlin had swore up and down all week that he was going to fix the floorboards. He never came around to it, though, busying himself with affairs fit of a renowned wizard. I didn't complain. It wasn't my house, and the noise didn't really bother me. Besides, it wasn't like I left the room much anyways.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
Leon moved out of the way so that I could walk down the stairs in front of him. "Out. You're going patrolling with me. It's probably not going to be a busy day today, so I figured you'd want to."
A smile spread across my face. Suddenly, I had a new appreciation for the guy. He was the only one who had offered to take me back out on the field despite my injury so far. He must have noticed, too, because he let out another sigh, warning me to not get carried away. It didn't matter. I was still getting the best gift anyone could've gave me.
It felt like a lot had changed since I last left the house. The sky was brighter, clearer even. The outside breeze was crisper; it blew around the smells of blooming flowers. My eyes glanced over the wood buildings and designs. Unlike last time, there weren't children on the streets playing. However, there were people out, some holding hands and some gossiping about the town's restoration.
I fell into step behind Leon. I had been here too many times to not know my way around the town. He was leading us toward the Town Square. I had overheard Yuffie saying that she was going patrolling in a few of the housing districts. Aerith was in the shopping districts. It would have made sense for him to not bring me somewhere as dangerous as the Bailey, but to somewhere more populated and controlled instead.
The Town Square was—without a doubt—my favourite part of Hollow Bastion. It consisted of fields of flowers surrounding a water fountain, and several mini-shops scattered along the outside perimeters of it. A few people walked around, visiting some of the stalls out of curiosity. It wasn't as crowded as I had expected it to be. But, it still was enough for us to blend in.
Leon looked down at me with a commanding nod. "Look for anything out of the ordinary—"
"Leon!"
He was cut off by someone's distressed yelling. The two of us scanned the area for where it could have came from. The voice was familiar, yet urgent as if it were on the verge of a breakdown. There was only one family capable of doing that. As if confirming my suspicions, we caught sight of Donald's uncle waving his arms to call us over.
He was standing next to his ice-cream vault. It was nothing more than a silver-coloured vault in the district's wall where he hid his money and valuable ice-creams. It almost made me want to laugh every time I seen it. Not because it was funny, but because it was something so undeniably Donald-like that it was hilarious. The traits must have ran deep into the family.
Scrooge was older-looking. He dressed wealthy, often wearing exquisite suits and carrying around a cane (which was only used for decoration seeing as how he didn't rely on it). He looked like Donald in other ways, too. From the white feathers to the big, black eyes, the resemblance was there. One would have thought Scrooge to be Donald's father by appearance alone.
We walked over to him with our brows raised in curiosity. When Leon said that he was taking me out with him, I hadn't expected to get into any action so soon. Hell, I was barely expecting anything to happen at all. But, judging by the way the old duck screeched to get our attention, something big must have happened.
Leon knew this as well. He looked down at the duck questioningly. "Are you all right?"
"Am I all right," he mocked, sourly. "How does one be all right when their business supply is being stolen?!"
A look of confusion spread across my face. "Stolen?"
"Yes, young lady! Stolen! Someone's been stealing ice-cream out of my vault!" he explained.
His voice cracked on every other word. The way he spoke made it seem like the world had crashed upon his shoulders. With his disturbed expression and tightly-wounded up muscles, anyone would have thought the guy was heading straight towards a heart attack. Though, in a way, it was understandable. The profits that he made from selling his ice-cream were supplying him and the triplets a steady source of income.
Well, that and the heaps of cash that he kept hidden away within the vault.
Leon glanced around the duck's body to look at the faintly visible piles of green inside. "Is all your munny in there?"
Scrooge nodded, not knowing what the boy was hinting at. "Why do you ask?"
"At least we know that the thief isn't smart, or a serious one for that matter," Leon explained as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why skip the munny and go straight for the ice-cream?"
"Because it's sea salt ice-cream!" Scrooge looked offended.
Leon rolled his eyes, but didn't put up an argument with the older man; he couldn't deny that the ice-cream was delicious. Huey, Dewy, and Louie had found out that I was staying here last week, so they often stopped by the house to bring leftover ice-cream for the day. I had seen Leon's first reaction to it: skeptical at first, then trying to sneak another one for himself. The odd ice-cream had that effect on people. Clearly, it was something more indulgent than munny.
I gave the duck a small smile. "We'll help figure it out."
"Thank you, Lassie."
Where did one go about starting a search like this one? The person that stole from him could have been anywhere. The person could've even skipped across districts if they wanted to. The only way that we were going to make some sort of breakthrough was by finding clues of that person themselves.
My lips parted in shock. Bingo!
I took the last few steps around Scrooge to get into the vault. The cold air that it emitted caused goosebumps to raise on my skin. My breath came out in visible fogs, swirling past my lips as if it were winter time. Yet, it was the least of my worries—there had to be some sort of clue left around.
The vault itself was separated into two different parts. One side held a large quantity of the blue-coloured sweets. The other side held nothing but munny, some of the coins no doubt frozen from the below-zero degrees. The metal walls had chucks of ice clinging to them. The matching metal flooring was slick from the same substance, and I suddenly wondered why Scrooge kept his munny in here. It must have been a hassle for him to get it when it was this freezing. Or maybe, that kept him from wanting to get it.
Something was strange. It was as if one could tell that things had been tampered with inside. But, I couldn't quite put my finger on it . . . until I caught sight of something that obviously didn't belong to Scrooge. On the floor, beside where the ice-creams were set up, a little toy ball sat by itself. It was red with a yellow star painted in the center.
"Leon," I called out to get his attention.
He was next to me in the vault's doorway in seconds. Questions asking what was wrong filled the cold air, his deep voice sounding interested. I pointed a finger to the small object.
How Scrooge had managed to see the missing ice-cream and not the toy was beyond me. It was right in the middle of the floor. Its bright red colour was hard to miss, even for him. It went to show just how little attention he paid to the smaller details. As long as it had something to do with his cash, he was worried about it then.
Leon's dark brows pulled low. His necklace rattled against his chest as he walked into the vault. He bent down to retrieve the ball from its spot on the floor, and I watched as his blue eyes scanned the object over. Though I wasn't close, I could still see the messy writing scribbled into the ball from where I was.
"It's a name," he told me, holding out the ball so that I could see better. "Looks like someone named Trevor left this here while he was stealing."
I shifted my weight to my other leg, my hair swinging around my hips from the movement. "That means that it was a kid, right?"
He nodded. "I doubt a grown man would be playing with a bouncy ball. I'm going to go around asking if anyone knows this kid. It's up to you whether you want to go with me or not."
He was offering to take me home. He thought that there was a chance that this could've been too much for me. The thought was sweet, but there wasn't a chance. I shook my head at him. There was no way that I was going back home just because of a little goose chase. And at that, he smirked a bit, motioning for me to follow him out of the vault.
He started our search in the Town Square. More people were gathering around the area now that it was getting later in the day. One man, in particular, held his daughter on his shoulders as they paraded around the plaza. Leon chose to start with him. He held the ball out to the two of them and asked if they knew the kid's name, or who it belonged to. Sadly, the man declined, but the daughter did let us know that the ball was pretty.
Next was a woman. Her blonde hair gathered around her waist in waves while her green eyes squinted to block out the sun. She greeted Leon by name when he walked over to her. Though the conversation between the two started out good, it ended badly when she told him that she didn't know a Trevor. He sighed, and I followed him to yet another person.
Shops were beginning to shift into their busiest hours. It had probably been around four o'clock once we started our search, and after about thirty minutes, the amount of people now in the Town Square was hard to keep track of. I had suggested that we kept to the stores for questioning. It was going to be hard to keep track of everyone if we bounced from person to person outside.
One man wasn't too happy about two teenagers disrupting his business. We had walked into his restaurant in hopes of getting another lead. Of course, we were far from it. When Leon held the ball out to him, he went on a rant about how our search was bad for his restaurant. Leon had just stood there looking uninterested in whatever the man had to say. However, that accomplished nothing but making the man angrier.
"You teenagers think you're so entitled," the man snapped. "You think you can just come waltzing in here demanding whatever you want. That's the problem with your generation—you march around acting like you own everything, and then when you don't get your way, you get angry. Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man!"
Leon's lips pulled into a straight line. "I never said that I owned your restaurant, sir."
"It was a figure of speech, smart guy. You know what I meant. Back in my day, we actually took other people into consideration rather than parading around here with big weapons and fighting all the time. You guys are bad for business!"
"What did that have to do with a bouncy ball?" Leon asked, his expression proving that he was over this whole conversation.
"Don't get sassy with me, boy—"
Leon shook his head and put a hand on my shoulder, guiding me toward the store's exit. "Let's go, Sasuke."
I couldn't help but to laugh. It wasn't every day that Leon got lectured. He had gotten so fed up with the man's meaningless rambling that he even pulled me out of the store. The man didn't have a problem with me; I could have still asked him questions.
Noticing that I was laughing, he sent me a look. That wasn't funny, it seemed to say, but I couldn't help it. He continued to the next store with another shake of his head.
He led me to the general store that Aerith and Yuffie took me to last week. It was the same store where I had gotten my shampoo, conditioner, and other items. It was reliable at that, always being stocked with the latest things that I never would've thought I needed. Or . . . more like wanted.
The same store owner greeted us again. He waved a wrinkly hand at Leon as the tall boy approached him. I had stayed back a bit to look over a few of their new hairbrushes. They were miracle wands, I concluded, since they were the only things that easily got rid of my tangles.
"Afternoon, Leon," the man greeted. "What brings you here? You're usually off on defense duty."
Leon held up the red ball for the man to see. "I'm taking it easy today. Hey, do you have any idea who this could belong to? It's some kid named Trevor."
The man pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up his face to look the object over. I was expecting him to tell us that he didn't know just like all of the other people that we asked. So, my gaze trailed over to him when he didn't. He glanced at me before looking up at Leon with a sigh.
"Boy, do I ever," he said. "I'd recognize that ball anywhere. Whenever Mr. and Mrs. Sparks bring their son with them to go shopping here, that ball is always breaking something. It's caused about three hundred in damage alone."
He knew. Finally someone recognized the name and the ball. It belonged to some kid named Trevor Sparks who was a frequent troublemaker. I shouldn't have shocked me. With a name like that, how could you go around unnoticed?
Leon nodded. "Do you know where he could be?"
"I don't know. If you're looking for him, try his house. The Sparks' house is in Housing District Seven."
He then gave us the house address, something about having in memory due to how many damage bills he has to send the kid's parents. We left after thanking him a few times, the man making us promise to stop by again if we ever needed anything. He even offered me one of the hairbrushes, to which I declined saying I already had them in two different colours.
I had been in Hollow Bastion for quite a while now. It was crazy to think that I hadn't been to the Housing Districts before. Granted I didn't leave the house much.
Deep inside of them, countless amounts of houses aligned the cobblestone streets. It was quieter than the other districts that I had been to. There were more . . . families, walking about as if they didn't have a care in the world. Teenagers hung out on the street curbs with their friends, watching their younger siblings play around. Mothers were out hanging freshly washed laundry to dry. One would have gotten the sense that Hollow Bastion was more of a get-to-work kind of world, but this side of it showed the homeliness of it all. They were just as comfortable as I wanted them to be.
Housing District Four was the quietest due to its lack in tenants. When I asked Leon why, he explained to me that District Four was the first place the Nobodies spawned. He told of how they came out of the blue a little less than a year ago, attacking and causing destruction more so than they typical Heartless.
During the story, he led me past a few houses that were ran down because of the attacks. It brought a frown to my face. Seeing the change in my mood, he told me that everyone had been safely evacuated. No one had been hurt, but people were still too nervous to come back. For that reason, they had nicknamed it the District of Reckoning.
"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" I mumbled, looking around the practically empty district.
He shrugged. "People do extreme things when they're scared."
Housing District Seven was three districts over from the District of Reckoning. Right off the bat, I noticed the silence in this one, too. Though, unlike the other one, this one actually had tenants. I chose not to ask him about the reason in fear of hearing another sad story. For every positive effect in Hollow Bastion, there was definitely a negative cause. I just didn't know how much more of them I could withstand hearing.
The house that the general store owner directed us to was toward the back of the district. It was in the more secluded areas opposed to the ones where people were laughing and talking. I didn't have to guess which house we were looking for, either. Sitting on the curb in front of one of the houses was a little boy . . . munching on sea salt ice-cream.
He didn't appear any older than ten-years-old. His hair was hidden underneath his beanie, but I could just about make out brown strands and brown eyes. He grinned happily as he ate his ice-cream by himself. He didn't seem to care that some of the blue substance was dripping down onto his green shorts.
I looked up at Leon, silently asking if this was the place that we were looking for. He nodded.
Cupping his gloved hands around his mouth, he called out the boy's name. "Trevor?"
The boy looked like a dear caught in headlights. His head slowly turned to the right, his brown eyes going wide at the sight of the two of us. He had been caught with evidence.
Leon began his stride over to the boy. I was right behind him for the sake of wanting to stay caught up with the action. Now that we caught the boy, there was no telling what was going to happen next. He could run away. We could even—by some slim chance—have the wrong person.
I almost crashed into Leon's back when he suddenly stopped. A shriek loud enough to reach other worlds ripped through the quiet air. My body leaned over to see around Leon. As if they knew it was the worst time they could have done it, a group of Nobodies spawned in the area in front of the boy's house.
It had been the boy who let out the shriek. He stood up from his spot on the curb to look at the creatures in fear. He didn't care that the ice-cream slipped out of his hand, falling at his feet in a heap of melting blue. And as Leon sighed, the boy sprinted into the other direction, taking off down the street.
"Damn it," Leon cursed. "He's going to get away."
His hand reached behind me to pull his weapon out of its holster. He gripped the Gunblade's handle, pulling it over his head to rest the sword on his shoulder. It was longer than my Keyblade by a good few inches, no doubt heavier too. It was beyond me how he was able to wield it with the slightest of ease. Then again, it was Leon: the guy who kicked Sora's ass twice.
Before he could jump into battle, the Hollow Bastion's defense system appeared on the ground in white, dangerous circles. It attacked the Nobodies that it could. He left my side, then, and I was left wondering how I could help.
It wasn't like there were many of them, and it wasn't like Leon was weak. He was one of the strongest people that I knew. Yet, I couldn't help feeling the call to battle. After being out defeating Heartless for so long, it was almost second nature to help fight. I knew that I couldn't, though. I couldn't do anything that could potentially prolong my healing. Anything that could potentially keep me from fighting longer.
A round of gunshots shot through the air. A few of the Nobodies disappeared once the bullets came in contact with their bodies. Leon was doing his best to keep them away from the crowded areas of Housing District Seven. However, that didn't stop two of them from getting through his line of defense. Their menacing bodies twitched and glided down the cobblestone streets. With their necks beginning to twist at odd angles, their silvery limbs made their way over to where I was, and I took a step back.
Think fast, Sasuke!
I didn't need to. Two gunshots rang through my ears. My eyes squeezed shut to block out the white light that followed the gunshots. I opened them again once the light died down. The two Nobodies were gone. Leon stood in front of me, the Gunblade swung over his shoulder. He had took them out along with the other ones that were in the area. I let out a sigh of relief. So much for wanting to help.
"Thank you," I said.
He put the Gunblade back into its holster with an audible click. "Don't mention it. You all right?"
"Not a scratch." I smiled.
"Mister, Mister! That was so cool!"
The little boy ran out of his hiding spot. He had hid behind a gray brick wall sectioning off the next block of houses. A giant grin was plastered on his face while he made his way over to us. His hands reached up to adjust his beanie. It confused me. Despite the fact that he was in trouble, he was still pumped up from the fight.
We watched as the boy jumped up and down, going on about Leon's cool sword. The boy proceeded t make gunshot noises and slash at the air with an invisible weapon. Leon gripped the bridge of his nose.
"You're Trevor, right?" he asked the boy.
The boy nodded excitedly. "Yes, sir!"
"Care to explain this?" Leon took the ball out of his pocket, and the boy's smile instantly turned upside down. "We found this in Scrooge's ice-cream vault. You know, the one that keeps the ice-creams that you were just eating a minute ago."
The boy shuffled around. "Uhh . . ."
"That's what I figured. C'mon."
The boy made a groan of displeasure as Leon placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him back toward the way we came from. I nearly laughed. The boy was tripping all over the place just to find a way out of Leon's hold. But, the older boy didn't let him go. Instead, he reprimanded him for stealing things that didn't belong to him. All it managed to do was make Trevor rowdier. That is, until Leon threatened to tell his parents if he didn't apologize.
"Hey, wait!" the boy argued. "That's blackmail! You can't do that even if you're one of the big kids!"
Leon glanced down at him. "Watch me."
TREVOR LOOKED SCARED right out of his mind as he stood in front of Scrooge.
His legs were shaking in that trembling sort of way. His hands were tugging at the sleeves of his shirt. His red-rimmed, brown eyes were fixated on the ground beneath him. On the way back to the Town Square, he had been on the verge of tears. He probably would have cried if it weren't for the fact that he had did this to himself.
I was leaning against the vault wall, watching Leon nudge the boy with his elbow. Scrooge's arms were crossed over his chest as he tapped his foot impatiently. He wasn't too happy to hear that his ice-cream was being stolen by a little kid. He had made such a big scene about how he was disappointed in not only Trevor, but in himself for letting such a thing happen. And apparently, while we were looking for the boy, he had spent his time counting each one of his coins to make sure that they were all there.
The duck's dark eyes were pulled into an authoritative stare. It made the boy shift around a few times. He was possibly thinking about making a break for it, but he couldn't. He had tried that after we reached Housing District Three. It proved fruitless—Leon had grabbed him by his shirt collar before he could get too far. There weren't many other options for the boy. It was either this or get his parents involved, which he seemed dead set on not happening.
He should feel lucky that Scrooge was accepting an apology. Anyone else would have informed Mr. and Mrs. Sparks. All three of us were shocked to find out that the old duck was willing to let it all go for a simple "sorry." It was completely out of character, especially since Donald would have told the kid's parents, and the whole Town Square at that.
Leon nudged him again to encourage him to apologize. From where I stood, I could tell that Leon wanted to help the kid even though he was at fault. He was a good person, and with his encouragement, Trevor swallowed the lump forming in his throat.
"I'm sorry, Mr. McDuck," he said nervously. "I shouldn't have stolen from you. I hope you accept my apology."
After a moment of inner debate, Scrooge let out a breath. "It's all right. I was like you once, after all. No munny and wanting the finer things in life . . ."
Trevor deadpanned. "I'm not poor, Mr. McDuck—"
"Oh, how I loved munny!" he continued, ignoring the boy's protests. "I did everything I could for a buck. You know, I see a lot of myself in you. Spread your wings, Laddie! You will find munny there!"
Trevor looked at us in confusion. Leon and I shrugged our shoulders. None of us knew how this conversation had suddenly turned into a motivational speech. We weren't going to stop Scrooge, though. Trevor should have just been glad that he wasn't getting yelled at. So, Leon motioned for me to follow, and I pushed myself off of the wall before falling into step behind him.
We were going to leave the two of them to their own devices. Scrooge could handle it from there. Plus, listening to the duck's life story was enough punishment for the boy. It would have pained me to have to sit through the story of how he earned his first buck. I knew it must have been killing Trevor inside.
The sun was beginning to retreat behind a fleet of clouds. With each passing minute that we were outside, it was growing colder and colder. I felt goosebumps pricking at my arms; the tank top I was wearing wasn't doing much to protect me from the change in weather.
It wouldn't be long until Leon took me back home. He had heard my teeth chattering, turning to look down at me with one eyebrow raised. Unlike him, I didn't have a jacket to keep me warm. It was obvious that I was cold. Aerith would have a word or two with him if she knew that he kept me out in the cold. A fractured arm coupled with a cold didn't sound all too pleasant.
Once more, the people in the Town Square were starting to disperse. The excitement for the day had died down. Parents were starting to walk their children home after their long days. One little girl had even fell asleep in her father's arms. Shops were starting to get less traffic through their doors. Well, all except for one.
On the opposite side of the water fountain was a small stall that sold fruits and vegetables. It held a sign with pictures of dancing carrots and apples. An elderly woman sat behind the counter, smiling at people who looked over her variety of food. That wasn't what caught my attention. What did was the boy beside the stall.
He was around Leon's age, I assumed, crouching close to the floor as if to go unnoticed by the elderly woman. His kneecaps poked out from the rips in his black pants, and his white shirt did little to hide the faint scares on his toned arms. The breeze had picked up, blowing around his short, dark brown hair. Or was it black? I couldn't tell. I could, however, see his practically glowing green-blue eyes through his side-parted bangs, trained on the fruit the stall had on display. His lips fitted into a smirk as his gauze-wrapped arm reached out to it.
I glanced over up at Leon to see if he had seen the boy, too. He hadn't. He was paying attention to an old man walking around the fountain.
My eyes slid back over to the boy, only to find that he was looking at me, those strange-coloured eyes peering into mine. His pupils were so dilated that his irises seemed larger than the average person's. Smirking lightly, he lifted his index finger to press it again his lips. Don't tell him, he mouthed to me as he looked in Leon's direction. I just raised an eyebrow.
It was the arm not wrapped in gauze reached out to the fruits this time. He had plucked one of the oranges from the display without so much as a second thought. He made sure that no one was paying attention to the fact that he was stealing from an old woman. Though, he wasn't completely in the clear.
He let out a yelp of pain, dropping the orange. The boy was yanked up onto his feet by his hair as he let out a string of curses. Behind him, Leon stood with an annoyed scowl. He was the one holding the boy up by his dark strands, waving his head around in different directions, much to the boy's displeasure.
I looked at where Leon was standing seconds ago, then back over to where they were at the stall. How'd he get over there so fast?
The boy's hands clawed at the one that was pulling his hair. "Ow, that shit hurts! Let go of me!"
Leon released him after that. The boy huffed, standing to his full height. He was a good three or four inches taller than Leon. Maybe somewhere within the six foot range. It surprised me because he had looked so small compared to Leon a moment ago. And as he crossed his arms over his chest, I watched while he gave my friend the deadliest glare I'd seen in days.
"Damn it," the boy groaned. "I can't do anything fun with you lurking around here, Squall."
Squall. I had heard that name before. Yuffie called him that a long time ago, informing us that it was Leon's real name. It fit him better than the one he preferred, but whenever someone said the name around him, it irked him to no end.
The only people who knew of that name were the ones who knew him way back when. Whoever that guy was, he must have known Leon before Hollow Bastion was swallowed by the darkness. That was the only explanation I could come up with.
"Fun," Leon repeated. "Since when is stealing fun?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders as if admitting that Leon was right. "Tell Aerith I say hello."
He didn't give Leon a chance to say anything else. The dark-haired boy left, going toward the Housing Districts. I walked over to Leon as he gripped the bridge of his nose.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"Niyah," he answered reluctantly. "That guy starts a lot of trouble for someone who's half blind."
Half blind?
I glanced back over to where the boy left off to. Was that why his eyes looked so different? Nonetheless, he was gone, and wondering about him held little to no point.
Leon looked down at me, changing the subject. "Are you cold?"
I nodded.
"Come on. I'll take you home, then."
Whenever the word "home" was mentioned by anyone nowadays, my mind instantly wandered to the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee house. I thought about my bottom bunk under Yuffie's top one. I thought about creaking wood flooring and cramped bathrooms. Because whether I wanted to acknowledge it or not, this was my home. A temporary one and a permanent one.
They say the home is where the heart is. Though I had connected hearts elsewhere in many worlds, there were a lot of people here that I held dear. Perhaps that was the reason why Hollow Bastion brought me so much solitude.
I tugged on the leather sleeve of Leon's jacket to get his attention. He looked down at me with a raided brow, his blue eyes questioning. I sent him a small smile.
"Thanks for taking me with you today."
He placed a hand on top of my head. "Don't mention it."
Hey, guys! I'm back! Sorry about the late upload. This chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday morning, but my internet decided to shut down. I'm working on the next chapter now, so expect it by the end of the week :)
Fun Fact of the Chapter: The "Squall" in this story was written to resemble more of his appearance in Final Fantasy: Dissidia due to personal preference and the higher image quality in that one.
~ Insane