All the Roads We Have to Walk: Chapter Twenty-Six
Tifa and Zidane stepped in to the medical bay. The doctor looked up at them, smiling slightly in greeting.
"How is she Shera?"
"Don't worry, she's going to be fine. Our new friend got her here in time."
"Where is Sora?"
"He's sitting with Yuna…but I think he's asleep. He hasn't made much noise."
"Well, his voice is still a little damaged."
"Ah yes of course. Red did tell me."
Zidane poked his head around the partition. "Nope, you're right Doc. He's asleep. Jeez, that looks uncomfortable."
Tifa poked her head around. "How did he tangle himself up like that?"
"I don't think we want to know."
"Shera have you got a spare blanket? He looks cold."
"He didn't like the snow much," Zidane explained while Shera grabbed a thick red blanket and passed it to him. "I get the feeling he's from somewhere hot."
Tifa took the blanket and laid it over Sora. "Red seems to think he's from Destiny Islands."
"Whoa really? That explains his snow issues."
"Yeah but Zidane, come on. Destiny Islands. Everyone knows about that place."
"I know what you're getting at…"
"How could he come from there?"
"We don't even know if it's true."
Tifa carefully sat down on Yuna's bed, her eyes on the sleeping girl. "We'll have to ask him."
"That could be really, really messy."
Mirrors. That's what the ice was like. He could see his unsmiling self looking back into his own eyes.
I don't like that.
We do.
I usually smile more.
We don't think you should.
He sat down on the ice, poking at it with a finger. There was something in the ice. What was it? Scratch, scratch, scratch. The castle stood below him – he could see it when he changed the focus of his eyes.
This is old.
You want something different?
I want to wake up.
Maybe later.
Blood welled out from where he had been digging away. The ice was blood. The ice was blood and it was already cracking.
No.
Yes.
No not that.
Yes, just that.
No!
A shadow fell over him. He turned. Him again.
"Haven't you even begun to wonder?"
Blood washed over his feet.
"Doesn't it even begin to make you worry?"
He looked at the hooded figure tiredly. What else could he do?
"Why do the Heartless bleed?"
Crimson water washed over him. He reached for the air, pulling himself out of the lake.
Lake?
He sat in a bath in a white room.
White?
There was blood everywhere. If he looked up he could even see it on the ceiling. The ceiling that was a mirror. A mirror that showed him drenched in hot, thick blood.
No.
Yes.
No!
He pulled himself out of the bath, his clothes stretched and heavy, his feet bare. He slipped and skidded, slapping into the floor. Every time he tried to stand and get to the door he fell back down. The blood stuck to him, the taste in his mouth and the smell up his nose. His stomach twisted itself into knots.
Please…
Don't beg.
Stop this.
It sounds so pathetic.
Fine.
He pushed every last vestige of energy into his next leap and he made it to the door, grabbing the handle and holding on for dear life.
Don't go out.
Too bad.
He pushed the door open.
You won't like it.
He stepped out.
You didn't before.
More blood. So what?
Where are you?
He looked.
Her home isn't so nice these days.
…Why are you doing this?
Because it's the truth.
"Because you refuse to see it any other way."
It's only a dream.
A trail of blood was following him out of her bathroom, down her hall and down her stairs. When he opened the door to her house, he found himself inside the castle gardens, standing beneath a dead tree.
Do you understand?
"Do you know why the Heartless bleed?"
No. I don't care.
Fool.
The ground opened up beneath him. He fell into icy water.
"If you won't accept the truth…"
We'll never let you go.
"Well, we think there's something in the labs but Cid said he's gonna need a day or two to disengage the trap down there. It is not pretty. "Yuffie made a slicing gesture over her neck. "I for one am not gonna lose my head because Ansem left us a nasty surprise or…fifty." She snagged one of the crackers Kairi had brought to the library and ate it in a single bite. "Oh, but we did manage to find some more of Ansem's notes and stuff."
Cloud placed a brown leather book upon the table. Fraying black ribbon kept it shut and held in all the sheaves of paper that were poking out at all angles. "I'd better get back and help Cid," he said. "He thinks it'll take a day to clear the path to the study."
"Do you think they'll be anything useful in there?" Kairi asked, peeking out from behind a huge book.
Cloud shrugged. "There could be. Ansem was a scientist first and a leader second."
"Yeah, he's bound to have researched something like this at some point," Yuffie said, pushing books out the way and planting herself on the table. "And if there's nothing in that study there are millions of places it could be."
"That's not very comforting," Donald muttered, not looking up from the text he studied.
"At least we still have lotsa places to look," Goofy pointed out cheerfully.
Aerith nodded. "Exactly. Hollow Bastion has a lot of places to hide things."
"And if we don't find anything here we can start searching the safer labs," Kairi pointed out. She looked at Cloud, forcing her shyness away. "Maybe tomorrow we can look in the one you and Cid are making safe?"
"Maybe."
"Well I'm off to hunt down Leon," Yuffie said, sliding to her feet. "He said something about checking out some of the royal chambers. I think I've given him a sufficient dose of loner angst for today."
"Royal Chambers?" Kairi's eyes lit up. She gave a hopeful smile. "Can I come?"
"Well I dunno…" Yuffie drawled.
"Go ahead," Aerith said. "Donald and I are fine."
"And I can help too," Goofy offered.
"Perfect!" Yuffie's hand patted Kairi's shoulder before she linked arms with the younger girl. "I'll take good care of you."
Kairi rolled her eyes. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Hey, maybe I'll even give you some basic training. You could use some toughening up."
"Really? That'd be so great!"
The two girls left the library, chattering amicably, with Cloud who was quick to head back out the main doors. Yuffie led Kairi in the opposite direction, the pair coming outside on one of Hollow Bastion's many balconies, heading up the stairs to the lift.
"I bet you never thought you'd be coming back here," Yuffie said, tapping the crystal that would bring the lift. "If I were you I would be glad to see the back of this mausoleum."
Kairi managed to laugh, unconsciously tucking her hair behind her ears. "You're right. Trust Sora to drag me in to a mess. He's hopeless."
"Oh yeah. But he's also the luckiest guy I ever met…and I've known some lucky people in my day."
"You're not that much older than me."
"Yeah well, we've lived very different lives."
"I guess. I don't really remember my early childhood but I don't think I was a ninja or anything like that."
The lift arrived. "Really?"
"Yeah. My earliest memory is waking up on Destiny Islands. No one knows where I came from before."
"That's kinda cool. You've got an enigmatic past. A guy must really dig that."
They stepped on to the lift. "Sora never stopped asking me questions. He was fascinated with everything but I could never give him any answers. Instead he just filled the gaps with his imagination."
"Yeah, and look where it all took him."
Kairi bit her lip. "It's taken him so far away. And Riku. He's gone too."
Yuffie blanched, realising she'd put her foot in her mouth. "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
Kairi shook herself. "We're doing something about it. It's about time I stopped crying."
The lift came to a stop and the girls walked off. "At least you came to the right place to find some answers."
"Yeah. But if only it this place was…"
"Smaller?"
"Exactly!"
Sora awoke with a jerk. For a moment his heart pounded, seeing red splashed across him. But the instant was gone; sense replaced fear and the splash of red became a thick blanket.
"Did you have a bad dream?"
Unfurling himself, Sora met Yuna's eyes. "No. Are you okay?" He discovered that if he kept talking quietly he could speak without his voice breaking.
"Doctor Shera said I'm going to be fine and it doesn't hurt and all the blood has gone."
"Good."
"If you like you can take her to her own room." Shera pulled the partition back. She turned to her little patient. "Would you like that Yuna?"
The little girl sat up carefully, making sure she only used her good arm. "Um…I…"
"I could stay with you," Sora offered, standing up and stretching. His bones popped and creaked.
"Tifa wanted to talk to you Sora," Shera said. "She was here earlier and asked me to tell you."
"Well, I'm gonna stay with Yuna."
Shera winked. "I'll pass on your message."
"Thanks."
Yuna reached out with her good hand and slipped it into Sora's. She got up slowly, clearly dizzy.
"Maybe I should carry you?"
"Um…okay."
Sora lifted Yuna off her feet, picking up the red blanket and wrapping it around them both. His bare feet were like blocks of ice, tendrils of the chill finding their way through his veins. He walked slowly to keep Yuna's wound from jarring and to lessen the pain of his hypersensitive feet.
The cold was making his ankles feel as though his feet had become mere stumps of bone, cut off at the heel and while each step grew slower the agony never lessened.
The memory was hard to shake off when it was already a reality. Yuna was uncharacteristically quiet, resting her head on Sora's chest. He felt awful. It was his fault Yuna was suffering.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Yuna stirred, her voice sleepy. "It's okay. Zidane said I'm gonna have a really cool scar and everyone will be jealous."
"Oh, yeah, I'm totally jealous." Sora hoped he was a good liar. "When did Zidane visit?"
"While you were sleeping."
"Oh."
They fell silent and Sora stepped into the lift, keying in the living quarters level. His thoughts returned to the dream and he couldn't stop the shudder running through his body. There had been so much blood. He really had been covered in it lately. There had been blood all over Yuna. Troubled, Sora held Yuna tighter.
"I'm okay, really."
She was freakishly perceptive, Sora decided.
"I know. But I was worried."
"Hey, your voice sounds like a lot better."
"If I stay quiet it's okay now. But if I talk louder," his voice grew in volume. "It…c-cracks."
"Ooh that's not so good."
"Yeah, it's kinda annoying."
They arrived on the right level and Yuna directed Sora to her little room. It had been decorated very nicely for a girl: pink blankets on the bed and flowers on a shelf by the door. The pots had pictures, probably drawn by Yuna, of strange looking animals Sora had never seen. They were coloured in bright blues, reds, yellows, pinks and lilacs but Sora still didn't know what they were called. His old excitement about seeing new things on new worlds resurfaced, a strange feeling to him these days. He shook himself. No time to get lost in thought.
There was a soft toy on the bed. "Does he have a name?" Sora asked as he set Yuna down.
"Oh that's Valefor."
"I've never seen anything like that before."
"He's an Aeon," Yuna said as Sora pulled her sheets back.
"Huh?"
"Like a summon, you know?"
"Oh, right."
"On my world I was meant to become a summoner but the Heartless came before I could. But maybe someday when I'm older I'll still be able to."
Sora tucked her in. "If that's what you want then I'm sure you'll be able to." He held out her soft toy. "You can be the best summoner ever."
She laid down and took her Valefor, hugging it close. "You're really gonna fix all the worlds?"
"I hope so."
"Did you really do it before?"
Sora sat down on the bed carefully. "Yeah, I guess."
Yuna snuggled down as best she could without tugging her wound. "Tell me about it."
So Sora began to tell of his first great adventure. He told her about Donald and Goofy and all his other friends. He left out the painful parts but he still managed to weave a tale that kept Yuna awake a little while longer. But she fell asleep on Agrabah and Sora was silent, his voice needing a well-earned break. The quiet was so peaceful and Sora was content to just sit and let his mind drift off on to nothing.
"You're very good with her." Sora looked over and saw Tifa slipping quietly in to the room. "You're like her big brother."
"If I were her big brother I'd never have let her get hurt."
Tifa was careful to sit without disturbing Yuna. "We all make mistakes."
Have you been counting yours?
"Too many," Sora murmured.
"The thing to do is accept you made a mistake and move on."
How…
"I know."
…quaint.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Here, I think this is yours." Tifa held out her hand, the Oathkeeper resting there.
Sora took it, thanking her. Relief seeped into him as he held it. Warmth grew in his hand and he slipped it in to his pocket. Kairi would never have forgiven him if he had lost it. And he would've felt a little less happy if it had never been returned.
"If you ever need to talk I'm always here," Tifa smiled. "Talking about things is a lot better then just bottling them all up until you blow. And you don't have your perfect excuse anymore."
"That's true."
Tifa didn't stick with gentle humour. "There's a lot we need to talk about, isn't there?"
Sora looked at her, feeling nervous. "Yeah I guess."
Do you enjoy pretending to your so-called friends that your secrets just don't exist?
"I'm not entirely sure where we should start…"
"Somewhere."
Tifa shot him a crooked grin. "Funny kid."
"I try."
"So, when we're done with the next world you promise we'll sit down and you can fill me in on everything I missed?" Tifa looked at him, her expression entirely serious. "And I mean everything."
"Sure."
Ha, like you're telling the truth.
"Good." Tifa sighed. "If only Zidane were so easy to crack."
Uncomfortable, Sora was quick to change the subject. "So, where are we going?"
"A place called London."
"London?"
"I never knew this place was called London. I figured it was all called Neverland."
Sora stood in an ancient, abandoned train station with Zidane and Barret. He had managed to grab a pair of grey and blue trainers and a big black hoodie (the front of which demanded Are You From Twilight Town? in bright white letters) before leaving the ship. The cold from Wonderland still hadn't completely faded from his body so the warmth from his baggy clothes was greatly appreciated.
To avoid any Hollow Bastion ships Tifa had commanded the pilot to hide the Highwind in one of the station's empty tunnels. A nearby sign told them they were in London's Victoria Station. The building seemed ancient and looked as though no one had disturbed it in decades. A clock stood above a broken announcement board, announcing it was 11pm but the second hand didn't budge.
Everything seemed dead.
"Ever feel like you stepped in to one of those old brown photos?" Zidane asked.
"No," Barret and Sora replied.
He sighed. "Lost," he lamented. "My humour is just lost."
The station was the colour of golden brown rust where metal could be seen. The wood was rotting and turning black. The windows were grime encrusted and Sora wasn't sure if he could see the sky or if were all just dirt. Occasionally in the distance something crashed or groaned but nobody ever appeared.
"To the Underground!" Zidane declared and began marching.
"The what?" Sora asked. "What's the Underground?"
"Once there was a train that used to run under the city," Zidane explained.
"Lots of trains," Barret corrected. "But then the Heartless came."
"Do you have any idea where the Keyhole is?"
"Uh…big clock. I…" Sora blushed, scratching the back of his head. "I forgot its name."
"Big Ben?" Barret offered.
"Yeah, that's it. We'll just fly up and…"
"Fly? We?" Zidane stopped walking. "There is no we. Just you."
"Fly? You can fly?" Barret scoffed. "What have you been smokin'?"
It might've been hard to find but one happy thought later and Sora was hovering inches off the ground, golden light sparkling around him. Barret wiped a hand over his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, who's been smoking now?" Zidane smirked.
Sora grinned, folding his arms over his chest. "So how about I fly over, seal the Keyhole and fly back?"
Zidane considered the plan. "Sounds okay but what if the Heartless come?"
"PHS?" Barret suggested. "I always carry a spare."
Five minutes later and Sora was flying over London, the entire city a silent shell. In the early morning light, he could the broken city. It wasn't that different from Traverse Town – buildings derelict and damaged and not another soul in sight. Once he was high enough in the air Sora could see Big Ben, the clock face still proud against the cold sky.
Here's hoping you're not…
A black, cloaked figure flew up. Sora put his breaks on and stopped in time to avoid crashing in to the huge Heartless.
Do you know what this means?
With a heavy heart, Sora answered the voice only he could hear. "I know." He summoned the Keyblade, paying close attention to the colour of the Phantom's heart. "Where will I find him?"
The ship.
"Thank you."
You won't be able to seal the Keyhole until you see him.
"All right."
And if you try to defeat my Phantom right now, your friends will die. This one's mine. I created it. It'll do what I tell it.
Sora lowered his weapon. "What?"
Stop. It'll save them. And don't worry about the clock, it's not where the spell is needed. Aren't you lucky I'm in a good mood. Don't waste it.
Without another word Sora shot back towards the station, hoping he'd beat the clock.
"What the hell izat?"
Zidane looked over from the shop window he was peering in to. "What are you talking about?"
"There's summin' above your 'ead."
Zidane's hands found nothing. "Okay I thought I was only kidding about you smoking."
"It's a number!"
Throwing his hands up, Zidane turned to Barret. "Are you hallucin- oh."
"What?"
"Number over the head right?"
"Is it a twelve?"
"No, eleven."
"Yours is a twelve."
"What?"
"You have a number over your head too!"
Both looked up when they heard footsteps pounding in their direction. Sora came running, alarm in his eyes.
"Done already?" Zidane asked. "Cool. Let's get out of here before anything else appears over our heads."
Sora tried to yell at them but his voice wasn't up to it. Instead he had to wait until he stood in front of his friends. By that time both the numbers had hit ten.
"You're under attack by a Heartless!" His quiet voice was breathless. "I have to cast Stop on you. If I don't the numbers will count down to zero and I think you'll die."
"Whaddya mean 'think'?"
"I don't have time to explain!" Sora held out a hand. "Stopga!"
Barret and Zidane froze into fleshy statues, their unblinking eyes locked onto Sora. He had already grabbed the PHS and was calling the ship.
"Barret?" It was Tifa.
"You have to come to the station."
"Sora?"
He hurriedly explained the situation. "I don't know how long my magic will hold. Someone has to be here to keep casting Stop otherwise they'll die!"
"I'm on my way."
"I can't stay. I have to go."
"Alone?"
Sora was already flying out of station. "We were gonna talk after this, right?"
"Yeah." She didn't sound happy.
"I'm sorry."
Tifa sighed. "It's okay."
"It's just…"
Are you really going to tell her?
"There's someone I have to see before I can help Zidane and Barret."
"Someone?"
"He was my friend once. I don't know how he's here but I have to help him."
"I swear when we leave this world I am going to lock you in a room so you can explain all this!"
"Fine! Whatever. But I have to go." And he turned the PHS off, barely resisting the urge to lob it.
Hopefully he'd remember the way to the ship.