Chapter 37: In which we go TO THE LIBRARY!

Sora'd been to Hollow Bastion's library before, so there wasn't a moment of surprise or anything. He did remember there being other places around here that were scattered with books, though, and he wondered when they'd have to start looking through those… He'd just finished with the thoughts when Even seemed to answer them.

"Just grab whatever stands out to you, don't worry about trying to grab everything potentially relevant. I'll send some Replicas over here later to comb through everything at length. Most of them certainly have more than enough time on their hands and nothing to do with it—it'll be good for them!" He chuckled to himself, moving for one of the doors. "Anyway, I'm going to see if I can rummage up anyone's old research notes." And then he was gone.

Everyone else exchanged glances, and then each of them started to a different section of the library to look. Books on darkness were generally what they were looking for, because information on Shadows could be anywhere.

"Oh, by the way," Aerith called, as she started up the steps to the second floor of the library. "If anyone finds any books on plants or herbs, pull them out for me. Okay? I'm trying to do some research…"

Riku was the first to respond with a "sure thing!", but everyone else responded in kind. Sora headed up the stairs as well, seeing as Kairi and Riku and Namine probably had the bottom floor covered.

"Hey Riku?" Namine said.

"Yeah?"

"There's a book on the very top of this shelf and I want it."

Riku groaned. "If I have to spend this whole time running around to reach the books on high shelves for everyone I'm just going to leave." He still went to get Namine's book, though.

"Call me next time, Namine," Kairi said, with a laugh. "I could've probably reached it. I'm almost as tall as him."

"You're at least half a foot shorter."

"I still could've reached it!"

Sora laughed and shook his head, moving to the nearest bookshelf and running his eyes over the titles on the spines. Anything with darkness in the title… or hearts, maybe? Unfortunately, most of the titles were in a language he didn't recognize. Latin, he thought, as he squinted at one of the thick volumes he pulled off the shelf. What language is Sheto, anyway? Not Latin, I'm assuming, he asked his Shadow, but his Shadow was still ignoring him. Sora sighed and put the book back on the shelf.

"What did you want those books on plants for, anyway?" he asked, turning to glance at Aerith, who was flipping through a book she held in her arms.

"Oh," she said. "I'm planning another garden, to go outside the infirmary. My mom has plenty of notes written about herbs, but I thought it couldn't hurt to see if there were any plants she missed." She shrugged and frowned down at the book in her hands, then snapped it shut and put it back on the shelf.

Sora nodded, to say he understood. It seemed like a pretty reasonable thing to do. He started pulling books down at random (provided they were in a language he could read), flipping through their table of contents, and setting the few that sounded useful on the ground in a stack. Aerith's stack went in her arms, though she only had two books so far. Sora eyed her sideways, debating the question he wanted to ask her.

She noticed his glances after a moment, and watched him expectantly. Sora cleared his throat.

"Well… What do you think of my Shadow still being around?" That was his question. Namine and Riku didn't know enough about his Shadow—or about Shadows in general—to fully form an opinion on him. Aerith did.

Aerith slowly put a book back on the shelf, determining it was not what she wanted. She didn't move to look at any other books, though. She seemed to be thinking about his question. "I… I can't say for certain, Sora," she told him, with a shake of her head. "I've… met your Shadow. You remember, don't you? You were there, at least one of the times."

"Yeah…" Sora sighed and ran his fingers over the spines of the books in front of him, not wanting to look at Aerith. "He taunted you… Cloud attacked him…" So much for hoping that Aerith would think kindly of his Shadow. But things had been so different, then…

His Shadow had acted almost like a different person. So casual with his cruel words, and all his talk about anger and darkness…

"Oh, you're protecting me now, are you?" he'd laughed, when Sora'd put himself between him and Cloud's blade.

"Never," Sora had replied. He'd only done it to keep a fight from starting in Aerith's dining room. Funny how the tides had turned. And so much for that never.

"He's changed, though…" he told Aerith, swallowing. "Or… I think he has." It was hard to think he hadn't, when Sora hadn't heard his Shadow once taunt anyone lately. He'd been sarcastic, and he'd been cruel, but he hadn't done either and enjoyed it—he'd done them out of anger.

"Has he?" Aerith asked, looking at him. The question sounded genuine—it was not distrustful or suspicious, and that made something warm bubble inside Sora. He did not dare think the feeling belonged to his Shadow. Besides, the link between them was mostly stifled, at the moment.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, he—" He just caught himself before he spoke without thinking. His Shadow had made him promise not to tell anyone about his love, and Sora'd only broken that promise to tell Kairi. Sora reconsidered his words before he spoke, deciding what he could say that wouldn't reveal too much.

"Maleficent… kidnapped me," he said instead, watching for Aerith's reaction. Most people jumped at that. "I... I think you knew? Cloud told you, didn't he?"

Aerith nodded, at least. Sora sighed a little in relief and rest his hand on one of the shelves. That was one less thing to explain. Aerith looked like she wanted to ask something further, but she didn't, even after Sora waited long enough to give her the chance.

"Well, somehow, Maleficent stifled the connection between me and my Shadow when she did, and it… it did something to him," Sora continued. "I- I don't know what." That was a lie, but he'd promised not to say, and besides, it wasn't like he knew how it had happened. "But he hasn't really been the same since then, since we got back in contact with each other."

"He did seem different, this time, compared to the other times," Aerith agreed. She started to turn her attention to the bookshelf, but paused with a hand on one of the books to turn to him again. "And… he seemed really worried about you," she added.

Sora felt the blush rise to his cheeks, and turned away. He wanted to blame his Shadow, but his Shadow wasn't listening—he would've said something long before now if he had been—so the blush couldn't be his. The worst part? Aerith's eyes glinted like she knew.

"That- that's part of it," Sora said, and it was all he could say, would say. There was nothing he could do about Aerith piecing it all together, though, and he wouldn't deny it if she asked. There was only so much lying he was willing to do.

Aerith didn't press, thankfully. Instead she sighed. "I have to say, though, Sora… The one thing I know about Shadows—"

"Is that they have to die, huh?" Sora finished, on a guess. There wasn't another likely way she'd end that.

Aerith hummed a little in affirmation, and she pulled down the book she had her hand on, flipping idly through its pages.

"Well, I'm not taking that for an answer," Sora told her. "Not now. There's gotta be another way, and… I'll find it. I will."

"I hope you do," Aerith said. "And, honestly, I think everyone in this room—if not everyone back at my house as well, though you'll have to tell them—will be willing to help you look for it."

Sora's eyes widened a little. "Really? You think so?"

"Maybe not all of us are certain about him, but we're certain about you, Sora," Aerith said. She smiled at him, putting the book back on the shelf. "Friends help their friends."

Sora smiled as well at the thought, it was a nice thought, but he couldn't keep the smile for long. "I'm… not really looking forward to telling everyone about him, though," he said. By everyone, he really only meant everyone in Aerith's house, in this case. Aerith seemed to understand what he meant, though.

"They'll understand," she assured him. "Or, at the very least, they'll take your word. If you think your Shadow has changed, can change, then I trust you and your judgement on him. That should be enough for everyone else, as well."

It wasn't enough for Kairi, Sora thought, but that wasn't something he could tell Aerith—and it was something he understood. His Shadow was not kind to those in Hollow Bastion, but there was a difference between a few unkind words and a deception that lasted for two months.

To change the subject, and to get his mind off that, Sora hefted one of the books he had. "Hey, chances this'll have any answers for Riku?" he asked.

Aerith laughed a little. "Unlikely," she answered.

Sora laughed as well, shrugging and putting the book back. "Worth a shot." He hesitated, then swallowed. "You worried about him?"

"He's family, of course I am!" Aerith replied. "I'm worried, and a little scared for him, to be honest… But, there's nothing I can do except leave it in Even and Vexen's hands. At least they seem to know how to fix it before it's too late." She piled two more books into her arms, then sent a glance at Sora. "What about you?" she asked. "Are you worried about him?"

"He's a good friend," Sora answered, with a shrug. "I really hope they can figure it out in time…" He licked his lips. "I'm… I'm sorry, by the way. For what my Shadow did to Riku."

"You're not the one who should be apologizing, Sora."

"Still…"

He cleared his throat, and turned his attention back to the bookshelves. He and Aerith didn't talk much after that, and besides shouts across the library about what they were looking for again, would this be useful?, and so on, everyone was in near silence until Even returned. He gave Sora a handful of papers and one notebook, and Aerith another stack of papers, pocketing a completely separate notebook bulging with loose papers for himself.

They all decided to be done, after that, seeing as Even was going to send Vexen Replicas along later to further scan the shelves. After some deliberation, they all took their own stacks of books to read through—except the two plant books, which went to Aerith. Sora could have looked through all the books everyone had found (eleven, total), but it would take him ages, so they decided to split the work.

"It's not like I don't have the spare time," Riku said, and Namine and Kairi were fairly quick to agree.

Books in hand, they all went their separate ways. Or, Riku and Namine and Aerith figured they'd just walk back to Aerith's house from here, since they were on the same world and it wasn't too far. Sora and Kairi had to give Even a lift back to Castle Oblivion before they could head home themselves.

Once home, Sora plopped the books and papers on his bed, then sighed at his clock on the wall. It was late afternoon, but… If he didn't do it now, he'd forget again. And as much as he wanted to get researching, he left the books where they were, and headed down to the docks to talk to his dad.

End of Part 2