I'm back with chapter thirty - seven! Thank you Flightfoot, Confizzledworld, caitlinkeitorin, Sora Tayuya, and CatchingForRain for reviewing chapter thirty - five, and Sunny Lighter, DaniPotterCedric'sGirl, Flightfoot, caitlinkeitorin, Confizzledworld, surxi25, and Sora Tayuya for reviewing chapter thirty - six.
Chapter Thirty - Seven: Brother Bear
Koda reminded Roxas a bit of Shadow.
"Hey, check this out!"
Well, at least in the sense that he seemed to have a lot of energy.
Roxas made an attempt at quirking an eyebrow in his new bear form as the bear cub jumped down from the tree branch he'd jumped up on. "Ok…"
Koda shook himself, looking up at his companion. "You don't talk much, do you?"
"So I've been told," Roxas informed him, walking forward.
Koda rushed ahead, calling out as he did, "Kenai!"
"What?" a voice called back.
"Come here, I've got someone for you to meet!"
From the shadows under a fallen tree appeared a bear, this one older than both Koda and Roxas himself. "Ok, Koda," the bear, Kenai, said, "who is it you want me to meet?"
Koda bounced back a few steps. "This is Roxas." Roxas dipped his head as an acknowledgement. "He's looking for his friend, and I told him we could help."
"And you couldn't have asked me first?" Kenai asked in exasperation.
"Come on, Kenai," Koda said imploringly.
The older bear glared at him a few moments before giving in with a sigh. "Alright, what does this friend of yours look like?"
"Uh…well…" Roxas stalled, trying to figure out how he could tell them she was human.
"What? You don't know what your friend looks like?" Koda asked, laughing.
"No, I do, it's just-"
"Why don't we start with a species," Kenai suggested.
He decided to just say it flat out. "Human."
Both bears seemed suddenly stunned. Koda broke the silence by saying, "Human? How can a bear be friends with a human?"
"It's…uh," Roxas trailed off, wondering how he'd explain this.
"Let me guess; you were turned into a bear," Kenai said dryly.
Roxas blinked surprised blue eyes at him, mouth hanging agape. "How…?" "Kenai was a human once, too," Koda replied, grinning. "The spirits turned him into a bear to teach him a lesson."
"And then I choose to stay that way," the older bear added.
"Spirits?" Roxas questioned.
"The magic of our ancestors," Kenai explained.
"So…the 'spirits' did the same thing to me?" He shook his head. "Why?"
"They must have something they want you to learn," Kenai replied. "And maybe separating you from your friend is part of teaching you it."
It was the image of a different friend, though, that came to his mind then:
"Goodbye, Roxas," Xion murmured. "See you again. I'm glad…I got to meet you. Oh…and Axel, too. You are both my best friends." She reached up on hand, resting it against his cheek. "Never forget, that's the truth."
Roxas found himself casting around frantically through his mind, trying to find out why she seemed so familiar. Somewhere, deep inside him, it was like a light had come on. He felt his eyes widen with recognition, his hand shooting out to grab her falling hand. "No!"
"Roxas?" Koda's voice broke into his train of thought, cutting off the memory.
The Nobody shook his head, trying to ignore the pain that seemed to resonate through him. "What?" he asked, feeling his voice return to that dull, emotionless tone.
Both bears were now giving him odd stares. "You zoned out for a while," Koda replied.
Roxas looked away, eyes shadowed. "Yeah, I do that sometimes."
There was a span of silence, broken when Kenai said, "Come on; we'd better go looking for your friend."
"Yeah," Roxas murmured, lifting his head. Looking at him, he saw his eyes flicker with something, like he knew more than he was telling.
"Why don't we try heading to the summit of Spirit Mountain?" Kenai suggested slowly. "Your friend may have decided to try going there, too." Roxas nodded acceptance, and followed behind the brothers as they set off.
I didn't forget…
Not really…
Xion.
Domian quirked an eyebrow as he saw Hilran come storming down the hallway. "I need to speak with Zylen," she hissed to him.
"Why?" Domian asked, crossing his arms and unobtrusively shifting so that he stood directly in her path.
"'Cut the strings?'" she growled.
Domian blinked in surprise, almost wanting to burst into laughter at the oddity of what was happening. "You're mad because he made you abandon Lea?" he spluttered.
"Don't get any ideas," Hilran snapped at him. "I don't give a shit about that…Heartless." She jabbed a finger at his chest, eyes narrowed. "It's what he's done that makes me angry."
"You mean revealing what Zylen told him?" Domain asked.
"Of course, you idiot!" Hilran snapped back. "What else would I be talking about?"
Domian exhaled slowly. "Hilran, maybe you should calm down first."
"Calm down?" Hilran snarled. "Zylen could have jeopardized everything we've been working for! I don't understand why he told Lea anything."
"Would you rather he have betrayed us?" Domian queried.
"He did anyways, or hadn't you noticed?" Hilran responded dryly. With a snort, she added, "If you ask me, Angel led us better than Zylen does now."
"Really, Hilran?"
Both Time Racers froze at the sound of a new voice. "Z-Zylen!" Hilran stammered.
The leader of the Time Racers walked towards them from the shadows, eyes glittering with a dark light. "What makes you say Angel was better than me? Did you forget he planned on ending us, and all we'd worked towards?"
"No," Hilran replied, defiance tempering the fear in her eyes, "of course not. But I don't think it was smart to tell Lea so much."
Zylen's eyes narrowed. "I figured it was best to try and keep his curiosity satisfied, so he didn't go prying anywhere he shouldn't."
"But he was still willing to betray us," Hilran objected.
"Yes," Zylen agreed, "which is why we abandoned him."
"But he told -"
"I know," Zylen interrupted, cutting off Hilran's protest. "But perhaps it could work out in our favor." When the other two Time Racers gave him curious looks, he continued, "Through Lea's revelation, both Roxas and Shadow have become disillusioned with Angel, and Roxas himself is now grappling with memories of his lost friend."
"They're falling apart," Hilran said, eyes widening in realization.
Zylen nodded. "And with them, any opposition to our plans."
"What happens if Lea comes back?" Domian asked hesitantly.
Zylen fixed him with a gaze filled with darkness. "Kill him."
Domian tried not to shiver at the cold tone. "Yes, sir."
As the two Time Racers began to head away, Zylen called after them, "Oh, and Hilran?"
Hilran stopped in her tracks, while Domian hurriedly rushed away. "Yes?" she asked, slowly turning around.
"It would be best if you didn't question my authority again."
Her eyes filled with fear, she muttered, "Of course, sir." She whipped around and walked briskly down the dark corridors, her movements barely hiding her fear.
Zylen remained where he was a few moments more before turning on his heel and walking back the way he'd come. He pulled open the door that arose in front him, entering into the sickly light shed by the darkness engulfing his captured Keyblade. He raised one hand to hover above the blade, his face cast in eerie shadows as a dark smirk stretched across his face. "Soon," he growled, "everything will be ready. And then everything I've worked so hard to achieve will be realized."
He couldn't believe where he was.
"Radiant Garden," the Phoenix muttered, "or Hollow Bastion, or whatever they're calling it now." He shook his head. "Ignore it. Just focus on your mission." His eyes scanned the streets, searching out his quarry. His eyes flickered with surprise when he saw something shift in the shadows. "Hey, you!" he called. The figure in the shadows jerked in surprise, pausing a few moments before darting away. The Phoenix jumped after it.
The other stuck to the shadows, giving him no indication of who or what it was. "Stop!" he called after the fleeing figure. "I just want to ask you some questions!" The figure continued to dart away, as if he hadn't spoken at all. He gritted his teeth with frustration and lengthened his stride.
A scream suddenly split the air. Now what? he wondered, his head jerking upwards. For a few moments, he considered simply ignoring it and continuing on with his mission. When the scream came again, however, he gave a reluctant sigh and, giving one last glance in the direction of the fleeing figure, changed his course to the direction the scream had come from.
What he found when he arrived at its source was a little girl, cowering in front of a bunch of Heartless. "Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" he growled at them, hitting one away with his fist. The Heartless hissed at him, jumping forward. He kicked it back, eyes narrowing as he watched the other Heartless get ready to jump. He deflected the first two with practiced ease, and quickly grabbed the third, which he tossed away.
He paused when he heard the little girl scream again. Whipping around, he saw the Heartless had switched their glowing yellow eyes from him to the child. He jumped forward, putting his body between the Heartless and the girl as they lunged.
However, surprisingly, the attack never hit. After a few moments, he slowly turned around to see the King standing with his back to him, Keyblade still poised from when it had slain the Heartless. "Gosh, that was a close one," Mickey said as he lowered his Keyblade a turned around.
The Phoenix righted himself and began to walk away briskly. "Thanks."
"Wait!" the King called after him.
Against his better judgment, he paused and glanced behind him. "Yeah?"
"What's your name?" Mickey asked slowly.
He smirked, preparing to walk away. "The Phoenix."
As he left, however, he never knew that a pair of emerald eyes were wide with surprise, staring at him from the shadows.
There's the end of chapter thirty - seven! What'd you think? Reviews are wonderful.