Chapter 31: Twilight Training

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way.

Welcome, welcome my dear, dear readers. Here's the newest chapter! Enjoy!

It was mid-morning in Twilight Town, not that you could really tell from the position of the sun. Anyway, Roxas wasn't sure he could remember the last time he'd been this tired. He and Xion were sitting with Pence and Olette in the Usual Spot, all four squeezed onto the couch. Hayner was walking back and forth, waving his hands. He had, apparently, had quite the dream the night before.

"It was crazy, more real than any dream I can remember," Hayner said. "I had superpowers—I could fly."

"I don't think I'd call it crazy," Pence said. "Lots of people have dreams where they can fly. But go on, what happened next?"

"I was in this weird tunnel, and at the end of it, there was this gigantic stained glass…window thingy. There was a big picture of me, and little pictures of you guys. And then there were these weird weapons with lucky emblems on them!"

Roxas paused, and glanced at Xion. She was biting her lip, looking very anxious. Roxas knew exactly what she was thinking—Hayner, somehow, had dived into his heart. It was…arguably, the weirdest thing that a Keybearer could do. Dive deep into the depths of one's heart. Sora had done in a bunch of times. Roxas had done it himself once, in the days leading up to his rejoining with Sora. And then there was that time Roxas had actually fought Sora over control of Sora's body. Roxas shook his head—that had been right after Axel had destroyed himself to save Sora from an army of Dusks.

"And when I woke up this morning, the sword was there," Hayner held out his hand. Nothing happened, and Hayner looked annoyed. "Not again…stupid magic disappearing sword."

Hayner began flexing his fingers, and he looked like he was growing more and more frustrated. Roxas glanced at Xion again, and then noticed that Olette looked absolutely exhausted.

"You doing okay, Olette?"

"Fine…" Olette mumbled. "I had trouble sleeping and woke up too early, but I'll be okay."

Roxas turned his head back. He hadn't slept well either. He dreamt of Sora…again. This time, it had been glimpses of Sora's memories. He saw glimpses of a world that Roxas had never visited when he had been with the Organization—a steamy jungle and a gigantic treehouse that Roxas had no idea how it could have been built. But did it count as dreaming Sora's memories, or maybe, Roxas's memories of those memories?

"Ah man…but it happened this morning!" Hayner groaned. "The sword was there, it was really there!"

"I believe you," Xion said quietly. "Really."

Roxas nodded as well, and Hayner seemed to perk up. He ran a hand through his spiky blond hair.

"Well, if it doesn't want to come and play, that doesn't really matter. I'll get the hang of it sooner or later. But this means I can finally fight!" Hayner pumped his fist. "I'll be able to help you guys."

Oh, hell no.

Roxas felt his throat grow dry. He couldn't allow…Hayner was safe in Twilight Town. He wasn't risking his life here. He was having a life. He wasn't a solider, a Keybearer.

"Don't look at me like that, Roxas," Hayner said, crossing his arms. "This is my decision. And I want to help you. I'm sick of not doing anything."

"There are other ways," Roxas shook his head. "Hayner…I'm not sure you realize what this entails…it's not really fun."

"Oh, knock it off. I was there when Sora faded into nothingness. I was there when Xehanort kidnapped Ansem the Wise. I was there when Axel kidnapped Kairi," Hayner began counting off on his fingers. "The Dusks at the Mansion, the big tornado of Heartless…I can't just do nothing. This is my fight too."

Roxas ducked his head. Hayner was right. He had been there for a lot of pretty messed up stuff. And if there ever came a time when there were Heartless or Nobodies attacking the town and Roxas and Xion weren't there…he didn't want to think about what might happen. But not thinking about something didn't mean it wasn't possible. And wouldn't it be worse, to not be prepared for something?

"It's not going to be easy, Hayner," Roxas said. "It's way harder than anything you've done before."

"But if you're able to fight with that sword," Xion said. "If…then I think it would be a good idea for you to learn to fight."

"I want to learn too!" Pence said. "There's so much information out there! There's got to be something that you guys can teach me."

Roxas glanced at Xion. He felt weird about this. He hadn't really taught anyone how to fight before. Come to think of it, except for a few things with Xion, when they were first starting out in the Organization, he hadn't taught anyone anything before. And now, they were looking up to him? It was weird.

"What about you, Olette?"

Olette stared at them, but it was almost as if she were looking through them. She seemed anxious about something. Like she had figured out something scary—it reminded him a bit of how Xion had been when she had been learning about her own nature. Olette kept putting a hand over her heart, almost as if she felt something might be wrong with it. Which seemed really unlikely, since Olette was one of the nicest people Roxas knew. Maybe she was just scared.

"I want…I want us all to be safe," Olette said. She bit her lip. "After everything you've done for us…I want to be able to help you too, if I need to. It's only fair."

Hayner wiggled his fingers again. Nothing happened. Sighing, or grumbling, or maybe something in between, Hayner turned back to face them. His gaze was firm, his jaw was set. He was determined.

"Whatever. It'll show up again," Hayner said. "So, about training…"

oooo

The Mansion stood tall and silent and imposing, but this was probably the best place in Twilight Town for any sort of training. At least when it came to magic. Xion still felt uneasy about this—though part of it might be that she really didn't like the Mansion. Her most vivid memories here were when she had been fully prepared to die—whether by Riku's hand or Axel's, to return her essence to Sora. But Hayner and Pence were staring at Roxas more attentively than she could have imagined, and they were so desperate to learn how to fight so they could help…

"Alright, so pretty much any weapon can be used against a Heartless but even if you do destroy one," Roxas said, "If it wasn't with a Keyblade, its heart is not going to be released. It'll come back eventually."

"Right," Pence said. "But anything can kill a Nobody right?"

Anything that's a proper weapon, Xion thought to herself. The Struggle bats they had brought from the Usual Spot would allow them to train and they wouldn't hurt one another, but Xion knew they'd be useless in a real fight.

"Alright…um…let's see…" Roxas muttered. "What would Phil do? Er, let's start with some running then. A lot of fighting has to do with running at the same time, and there's magic that really only works when you're moving."

"Running? That's it?" Hayner crossed his arms. "Ah, come on. Running isn't enough!"

"Hayner, please," Xion said. "It can be very important."

"All that'd teach me is how to run away from danger!" Hayner said. "I want to face it head-on!"

"You'll get your chance," Roxas said. "But Hayner, I think a good foundation would be a better idea before we start with weapons."

"Alright, alright," Hayner said, holding up his hands, "I know when I'm outnumbered."

Xion smiled to herself. Hayner could be a hothead, but it was nice to see he wasn't getting too ahead of himself. It'd cause horrible trouble if they started fighting amongst themselves. Behind her, Pence made a tiny unhappy sound—he didn't like running much.

"We'll take the south trail," Roxas said. "That's maybe a mile through the loop by the river. After that we can double back around here—then we can practice sparring."

They ran in a straight line—Roxas in front, then Hayner, Xion, Olette and Pence. It was still early, and as they ran Xion could hear the chirping of birds. She liked that—the woods in Twilight Town were filled with birds and squirrels and all sorts of other creatures. It made the world really feel alive.

She wasn't all that familiar with the game trails, but Roxas knew them well and she followed his lead.

"You know I can go faster than this right?" Hayner asked, as they crossed a stone bridge. "When you said we should run, I thought, you know, it'd be running!"

"This will build your stamina!" Roxas called back. "It's not enough to run fast. There may be times when you need to run for a long time!"

"I think…we're running…fast enough!" Pence panted from the back. "You make it look easy!"

"Yeah," Xion said, trying to think of something that might lighten the mood a bit. Oh! "But then again, Roxas chugs Elixirs!"

"I do not!"

Roxas's protests were drowned out over the laughter of their other friends. Roxas glanced over his shoulder and Xion smiled at him. Roxas grinned back and then his grin turned into a smirk. Xion realized that Roxas was probably going to get her back somehow, but she'd worry about that later.

The five of them continued to run, and Xion found that she wasn't nearly so tired now as she had been when they had first started. They rounded a bend—Xion noted that from here, they were able to see an angle of the clock tower than they otherwise wouldn't normally be able to. It was nice.

Over another bridge, and down a second path, pass an old well, and soon, Xion could see the Mansion again. Her stomach began to tighten, but she forced herself to keep smiling. It really wouldn't be good if she started crying here. Memories she had tried to forget, memories that she wished had never happened, were forcing themselves to the forefront.

The man called DiZ said the Organization was here. That she had led them right to their doorstep. But she could handle it…probably. Xemnas and Saix wouldn't have tracked her, but the others? Xigbar was fast and there was a bunch of trees for him to hang from. And he probably had a grudge against her for attacking him back in Wonderland. Xaldin was stronger, but there wasn't much room for him to maneuver. Demyx and Luxord…well, Demyx wasn't a fighter and Luxord was…someone she didn't really know very well. But it didn't matter. No matter who was after her, she couldn't let anyone stop her from what she had to do.

A Dark Corridor opened up and the Organization member stepped out of it. Xion felt her stomach leap into her throat. Of course it would be him…he had been the one to find her before, every time she left, he'd been the one to find her….part of her loved him for it.

"Axel."

It was alright…it was alright. She wasn't fighting anyone here. It was just sparring. There were no lives on the line. Nobody was getting hurt…this was going to stop people from getting hurt in the first place. She was with her friends. This was where she belonged…

Thud!

"Yow! Earth to Xion!" Pence said, rapping his knuckles lightly against her head. "You feeling okay?"

"Fine…" Xion said, with a giggle. Axel would rap his knuckles against her head just like that. "Just…got distracted. So…sparring?"

"Yeah!" Hayner said, holding up a Struggle bat. "Let's see what you've got!"

Xion smiled and with a flick of her fingers, she replicated a Struggle bat of her own. It was lightweight, easy to handle, and most importantly, wouldn't do anyone any lasting damage. She bowed respectfully to Hayner, who looked a little confused before nodding his head as well.

"Alright…um, we'll go until one of us hits the other," Xion said. "That way, nobody gets too hurt."

"Oh, c'mon," Hayner said, holding his Struggle bat up. "Let's go until we drop. Don't hold back, Xion. Promise?"

Xion's blood turned to ice in her veins as Hayner ran at her. He was shouting something she couldn't understand.

"They're gonna destroy you!"

He's right. Axel is right—if things come to pass, Xion will lose all existence. She won't be alive anymore. Whether it's by forcing all of her memories into Sora or by DiZ's hand or Riku's…she is going to die. And there will be nothing left to remember her by…But this is to help Sora. It's better this way. Better a good person live than a bad person. And Sora is a better person than she will ever be. She's part of Sora anyhow, composed of his memories. And given that her destruction is inevitable anyhow…

She summons her Keyblade and Axel gasps. He means to capture her, return her to the Organization. She can't let that happen. She really, really, really doesn't want to hurt Axel. But maybe…maybe she can get him to finish the job. He's strong enough to do it. She just needs to press him that hard.

"Please don't hold back Axel. Promise."

Xion held up her Struggle back just in time to stop Hayner from hitting her. It wouldn't have hurt that badly—a bruise at most. But she couldn't let her guard down. The whole point of this was to teach Hayner and Pence and Olette ways they could defend themselves. And there wasn't any Heartless or Nobody that would ever let their guard down that way.

"Don't use too much energy in any one attack," Xion said. "If you don't get the hit in, then it'll be easy for you to get caught."

To emphasize this point, Xion stepped to the side and Hayner stumbled forward. Had this been a real fight, or even a regular Struggle match, Xion would have taken the opportunity to hit Hayner in the back. But that wasn't the point of the exercise.

Hayner was a fighter and he had a temper. That could be trouble if he ever seriously fought Heartless or Nobodies. But it could also be something Roxas and Xion could teach him to use productively. Some enemies had to be fought aggressively.

"Hold still!"

"No!" Xion dodged Hayner's next thrust, leaping backwards. She felt her boots press against a large piece of stone. There was a sudden weightlessness there. Xion's mind rushed back to the Land of Dragons, where they had propelled themselves using their magic. Now that could be a very useful thing to teach the others.

Hayner continued to try to strike, and Xion matched him blow for blow. She didn't take the initiative, not just yet.

oooo

Olette felt that she might cry. The training was useful but to do it in front of the Mansion? That was where she had found Xion's diary, half-burned. Which meant that it had been where Axel and Xion had confronted one another. She still had no idea what had happened or what could have caused it. Just that there'd been a fight…and judging from the way Xion kept staring into space, she was probably thinking the same thing.

They should have sparred at the Sandlot. At least then, Xion wouldn't be reliving…whatever it was she was reliving. Come to think of it, Olette realized, Roxas must have some pretty bad memories here too. If the computers in the Mansion led to the Digital Twilight Town. She shuddered, but she didn't think anybody else noticed.

"Not bad," Xion said. Hayner was doubled over, panting with effort. She didn't look the least bit winded. "I think you're getting the hang of it."

"Ugggg…." Hayner groaned. "Can you teach me…how to…ugg…never mind. Just leave me here to die."

"Stop that," Roxas said sharply, cuffing Hayner upside the head. "You're not dying. Y"

"What about some lessons on magic?" Pence asked. "I've always wanted to learn that!"

Olette considered this as Roxas and Xion glanced at one another. She still wasn't sure that what Roxas and Xion were capable of was what she'd call "magic." They didn't use books, and most of their spells was just saying the name of an element. . But she had seen what they were capable of—fireballs and ice crystals forming in the air, great gusts of wind, barriers to protect loved ones and beautiful pillars of light.

"Er…that's a lot tougher to teach," Roxas said, scratching the back of his head. "Not everybody has the ability to use magic in the first place."

"And it's a lot more dangerous," Xion said. She held up her Struggle bat. "A sword is just a sword. It'll stay on the ground if you don't move it. But fire and water and lightning…they're almost alive."

Pence scratched his chin like Xion had made a good point, but there was still that ever-present curious look in his eye.

"I'm sure we can handle it," Pence said. "Even if it's magic, it still obeys the laws of physics, right?"

"But it's not like running or sparring," Roxas said, his voice growing more urgent. "Magic…it uses up your own strength, your core."

"The strength of your heart?" Olette asked quietly. She hadn't really considered that. Roxas and Xion—and Sora, and even Donald—all made it look so easy.

"Um, sort of?" Xion said. "If you use too much magic, too fast—and that's if you can use it in the first place—you can get really, really hurt."

There was a quiver in her voice that hadn't been there before, and Xion's gaze clouded over again. Roxas looked even more disturbed, leaning against one of the broken pillars for support. His eyes were wide, almost frantic.

"It's how…Axel died."

Olette's hand flew to her mouth. She had known that…something must have happened to Axel. That technically Axel had been destroyed and that he had been re-completed into Lea. Ienzo and Isa and Lea had all explained the differences between their Nobody selves and their human selves, but if she was being honest, the distinction had never made much sense to her and she wasn't sure if it was fair. Roxas and Sora were clearly their own people.

"I know you know what's at stake, Hayner," Roxas said. "I get it. Really, you were there for a lot of it…but you weren't there for all of it."

"Axel used up all of his strength," Xion whispered. "To save Sora from an army of Dusks…and he died right in front of…him."

There was something in the way she said it…like Axel had died in front of them instead of just Sora. Olette knew that Roxas had once been…stuck inside Sora's heart, somehow. Ansem the Wise had described it briefly, while explaining why they needed to build Roxas a new body. Could the same be true for Xion? Olette didn't want to think about how that might have happened, and her friends were looking more and more apprehensive by the minute. Even Hayner realized that he had gone too far.

They should leave. They had had enough training for one day. They needed to get out of the woods, away from the Mansion. Too many bad memories in this place, especially where fighting was concerned.

"Um, guys?" Pence asked. "Look…you've obviously put a lot more thought into this than I have…er, I'm sorry if…"

"It's all my fault," Xion whispered, so quietly that Olette could only just hear her. "Don't you see…this is the only way i can make things right."

"Tell me," Roxas said quietly. "Tell me why he picked you."

Neither Roxas nor Xion even seemed aware that Hayner, Pence and Olette were still there. It was almost as if they weren't in Twilight Town anymore.

"This was a bad idea…" Hayner muttered under his breath. "Dammit, I'm such a bad friend…"

Olette bit her lip and took a few steps forward, towards Roxas. He was taller than she was, and the look in his eyes, though they stared into nothing, sent a chill down her spine. Roxas looked old. Like he had lived through a thousand battles with his life on the line every time. How close that was to the truth, Olette didn't want to know and she prayed she would never find out.

She placed a hand on Roxas's shoulder. Roxas was shaking like a leaf, even standing still. But slowly, cautiously, Roxas placed a hand on top of Olette's. He shook his head rapidly and Olette saw a single tear run down his cheek. He ducked his head, so all Olette could see was his somewhat spiky blond hair. Heh, he never needed a comb.

"Roxas…I think I sprained my ankle when we were running," Olette said, biting the inside of her cheek. She'd never been good at lying. "I'd like to go back to town…I'm tired of training."

"Er…yeah," Roxas said. "Let's…um…let's go."

Olette walked over to Xion and took her hand. Xion startled and her eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

"I..um…oh!" Xion blushed deeply. Olette ignored this. There was nothing wrong with crying when you were upset.

"C'mon, let's go back into town," Olette encouraged. Xion nodded and began walking. As she passed Roxas, she took his hand.

Please, please, please, Olette begged. They got home safe…but…please, help us.

xxxx

"Please don't say 'I told you so,'" Hayner groaned as they walked through the marketplace. "That was a disaster."

"Drop it," Olette said quietly. "It won't do them any favors to keep bringing this up. The past is in the past. Let it stay there."

"It was going fine until I suggested they teach us how to use magic," Pence said. "Guess that's my fault."

"I said, let it go!" Olette whispered. She looked over her shoulder at Roxas and Xion. The two Keybearers were walking ten paces ahead of them towards the Bistro, where Scrooge McDuck was looking over a menu. "They helped us train, now we help them get to act normal for a few hours!"

"Well, top of the mornin' to ya lads and lassies!" Mister McDuck said, checking his solid gold pocket watch. "To what do I owe the visit? I assure you, I have things settled with small jobs."

"Er, just passing through," Roxas said. "How have you been, Mister McDuck? It's been a couple weeks."

"Been longer that that for me, boy-o. I've had to check my businesses in quite a few worlds, and time passes differently in each."

Wait a moment, time passed differently in other worlds? Olette blinked in surprise. It hadn't seemed that way to her—Ienzo never had any difficulty calling them from Radiant Garden. But that would explain why Sora always thought more time had passed than it had—the way he talked sometimes, you'd have thought he hadn't seen them in years. Behind her, she could practically hear the gears begin to turn in Pence's brain.

"Oh," Roxas said. "Well…it's good to see you, anyway."

"What's this?" Xion asked. "A special menu?"

"Aye, my dear—I'll be hosting a special concert at the theater, and as such it needed a most special menu."

Olette looked over Xion's shoulder. Fabracadabra…Royalberry…

"These look like Disney Town flavors," Xion said. "Mister McDuck, is this going to be allowed?"

"Oh, but of course! That's the idea, Miss Xion! I'm hosting this get-together as a favor to the King, and to Sir Goofy as well. A few old friends are traveling, and they're the stars of the concert, you see?"

That made sense enough to Olette. Next to the menu was a large poster. Unlike the Struggle posters or the advertisements for the silent films and Bistro she had hung up for Mister McDuck before, the poster was far more detailed. Two figures were prominently displayed, both looked quite a bit like Goofy. One had darker skin and wore a bright yellow jumpsuit. The other—who looked strikingly like Goofy—wore a red jumpsuit.

"Powerline and Maxi-milion," Olette read aloud. "As seen in Disney Town, world-wide phenomenons."

"Of course, they're not going to be here for a while yet," Mister McDuck said. "Plenty of time for me to buy myself a proper space to build a concert stage. Be sure to attend, Maxi-million has a soft spot for Keybearers."

Roxas and Xion nodded and said they would attend, if they weren't on a mission, and Mister McDuck bade them good day.

There has to be something else we can do, Olette thought to herself. They've done so much for us. We need to do something for them.

Axel would be suspicious if they got back home so soon. And that would mean awkward questions—questions that Roxas and Xion would be really, really uncomfortable answering. They needed to linger a while. She liked shopping…she could keep Roxas and Xion busy shopping. And make Hayner carry the bags this time.

"Hey guys…I just remembered. We never did get a chance to get you some books, and I think there's a sale at one of the stores."

"Oh!" Xion blushed. "That's right, I still have to return your books!"

You didn't even get a chance to read them in the first place… Olette shook her head. No. There'd been enough despairing for one day. Her mind wandered back to the night before…or the early morning. Whatever. She had dreamed of Kairi and the young woman with long hair…and those other ladies. Dreamed that she was among their number. Pure of heart…she didn't want to mention this to Roxas and Xion. Not just yet…

"Follow me," Olette said, taking Xion's hand herself. It was kind of strange—Xion could use a Keyblade, and from what Olette gathered, was able to use all sorts of other weapons too, but she had a very soft hand. "The bookshop isn't far."

Olette thought she heard Hayner whine about how they were still on summer vacation and they should be doing something cooler than the bookstore. She rolled her eyes at his antics. There were plenty of comics for him to look at once they got to—oh, here they were!

"Roselle's Books?" Roxas asked. "I've never heard of it."

Pity too. Roselle's Books was beautiful. A hand-painted sign with golden-orange letters in a tidy script that no matter how many times Olette tried, she had never been able to copy as neatly. Rows upon rows of bookshelves of every subject you could think of. An entire corner devoted to comic books. In the center of the store was a large armchair and resting on a short table next to it was an enormous storybook.

"It's wonderful here," Olette said. "When I was little, I used to come in here and the shop keeper would tell me stories."

"We were all part of that little club," Pence said. "And I remember we used to pretend the biggest storybook in the store could talk."

"Yeah…" Hayner said. "Man, even Seifer and his gang were part of it."

"Sounds nice," Roxas said. "I wish we could have been here for it."

"Oh…right," Olette said. "I guess you didn't really get that chance. You guys never really got the chance to read for fun did you?"

"Sora's mother used to read to him," Xion said. "I…Riku mentioned it once. She used to read to all of the kids on the play island…"

Olette tightened her fingers on Xion's hand. Roxas and Xion didn't have a mom. And Axel was more of a brother than a father. They hadn't ever had someone to read to them…or keep the monsters away at night…

"Hey Roxas! Check it out! They have Red Knight Returns: Gryphon Arises!" Pence called, from the comics corner. "This is the coolest superhero of them all!"

Oh yeah, that was Pence's favorite. Roxas walked over to the corner and Pence began telling about the entire history of the superhero Gryphon, and how his own grandfather had been one of the artists for the Golden Age of Comics, which had happened like sixty years before.

"Look at this, Xion," Olette said, running a hand against the spines of a row of chapter books. "These were my favorites when I was younger."

"Critter Haven?" Xion asked, taking one of the books from the shelf. "What's this about…puppy!"

Olette glanced at the cover of the book Xion was holding. The 'puppy' was actually a wolf pup, and its gaze, huge blue eyes staring straight at the reader, was striking.

"Yeah," Olette said. "It's all about kids who work with their parents at a wildlife rehabilitation center…er, animal hospital."

"Animal hospital…" Xion said quietly. "That's so nice…"

"It really is," Olette said. "I wanted to be a vet after I started reading these. But that's going to take a lot more school."

"I've…never been to school," Xion said. "I mean…I know about it, from Sora and Riku and Axel…but…"

"Hearing about something really isn't the same as seeing it for yourself," Olette said. "I understand. Kairi's stories of the Islands were nothing compared to seeing it for ourselves."

They were getting uncomfortably close to getting to the subject of Sora's disappearance, as Olette's one and only trip to the Destiny Islands had been that fateful day. It had been an absolutely wonderful day…but when evening came…she forced herself not to shudder. And in any case, the point was still true. It wasn't the same just hearing about stuff as it was to see it. Even in Twilight Town, this was true. Most of Pence's urban legends, the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town, turned out to have mundane explanations. But the Mansion had wound up having even more mystery behind it than any of them could have imagined.

"If Roxas and I go to school…how are we going to be ready?" Xion asked. "There's so much we don't really know. Me especially."

"Please don't say things like that," Olette said. She lowered her voice to make sure nobody could overhear. "You know all sorts of things I don't know….Keyblades and hearts and data-scapes. Those are things I couldn't begin to understand."

Xion smiled shyly and turned her head back to the books—Critter Haven took up an entire shelf by itself. Behind her, Olette could see Roxas walking up to them with a very large book in his hand.

"Hayner says that this book can help us out with stuff we don't know," Roxas said slowly. "The Big Book of Similes, Metaphors, Idioms and Linguistic Expressions. SMILE?"

Olette giggled—yeah, a book like that could be pretty useful for Roxas and Xion, but there were so many other stories to read. She led them around another corner. There was somebody there already. A tall, very thin man with a very, very long mustache and beard, wearing blue robes and a very tall hat. Olette recognized the man as Merlin, the wizard. A friend of Sora's—she had seen them talking at the Bistro once, but she'd never spoken to him herself.

"Master Merlin!" Xion said, before bowing at the waist. "It's an honor to see you, sir!"

"Master? Sir?" Merlin chuckled modestly. "Why, that's quite kind of you, miss, but I don't hold that title."

"Forgive me!" Xion begged. "It was not my intention to offend you!"

"Xion," Roxas said quietly. "You can stop now…"

Olette felt her throat grow dry. She didn't like it when Xion apologized for things that were accidents. Especially since Merlin didn't even look upset.

"You haven't offended me, girl," Merlin chuckled. "What was there to be offended by in the first place? Hehehe…now, now…what was I doing here?"

"Er," Roxas said. "Wouldn't you know that?"

"You'd think so," Merlin said, tapping his chin. "But then, if I did, then I wouldn't be asking. It's a curious thing, to be sure."

"Er…" Xion said. "Well…this is a bookstore, sir."

"Ah, and a mighty fine bookstore it is!" Merlin said. "I felt that this would be just the place to purchase a few new friends."

"Friends?" Olette asked. "What do you mean?"

"Why, friends are those we wish to spend time with. They make us laugh, they make us think," Merlin said. "They help us understand ourselves. They are our connections. Though I suspect you know this already, my dear."

"Um…"

"When you say friends…" Xion said. "You don't mean…a book with friends in it do you?"

Olette had no idea what that could mean, but knowing Roxas and Xion, it was probably literal. So they had friends living inside one of Merlin's books? As fantastic as that sounded…after seeing Pence and Ienzo work with Master Ansem's computers, it was something she could believe.

"Well, perhaps," Merlin said. "Assuming we are indeed talking about the same book, I have not yet met any of its peers, if there are indeed any that might exist. But…oh ho, here we are!"

Olette glanced at Roxas and Xion, both of whom looked as confused as she felt. Merlin had taken a large book off a higher shelf and was combing through it. His eyebrows, the bushiest she had ever seen, became more and more furrowed.

"This is a travesty! That is most certainly not what happened! And I ought to know!" Merlin said. "I was there! Lancelot was no such scoundrel! And not even a mention of my loyal friend Archimedes! Why, I never!"

"Um…Merlin?"

"Clearly this book is defective," Merlin said with a scowl. "I must find a better one!"

Merlin glanced at the cover of the book—a man was pulling a sword out of an anvil. The illustration was nice-looking, but there did seem to be something off about it, though Olette wasn't sure what it was. She couldn't put her finger on it, exactly, but it seemed dishonest, somehow. Though that might have been colored through Merlin's outrage.

"It is strange, really, when you get down to it," Merlin said. "Books are not supposed to lie to you. They're supposed to reveal hidden truths."

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked. "If something's in a book, it's not really hidden. It's meant to be recorded. Unless you hid the book."

"Oh, I'm not speaking of facts, children," Merlin said. "I'm speaking of truths. Sometimes things are not as they appear. And sometimes, we hide the truth in ways that even we don't realize. As you can see—"

Merlin picked up a book and opened it, seemingly at random. Olette looked over Roxas's shoulder and grimaced. There was a very detailed picture of a very ugly witch and about a dozen little monsters. Staring them down was a simply dressed man who had no weapons, just a violin in his hand.

"You better take this one, Roxas," Merlin said. "I think that you and your friends may find this one useful in the battles to come."

"A storybook useful for battle?" Hayner called from the comic corner. "How does that work?"

"All good things in their own time, young man. You'll understand one day. Ah ha! Now this is more like it!" Merlin said happily. "Hello, old friend."

He was holding an enormous book, far larger than any Xion had ever seen before. It had a plain brown cover—and a darker brown spine—and it looked as if it were filled with sticky notes and photographs. That seemed a little unusual—had that book been owned before?

"I have spent many years looking for you," Merlin said. "And now, right when I least expect you, here you are!"

Hadn't he said just a moment ago that he had felt that this bookstore would be the place for him to buy some "new friends" in the first place? Weirder still, she hadn't seen that book on the shelf. It was as if it had appeared by magic in Merlin's hands…which might actually be what had happened.

Merlin was chortling to himself as he walked towards the end of the bookstore. Under his arm was the large brown book and in his other hand he held a strange looking knapsack. Roxas and Xion shrugged again, but before anyone could say anything else, Hayner's stomach grumbled loudly. Hayner's face flushed bright red and even Olette couldn't help but giggle.

"Can we go now?" Hayner asked. "I'm hungry."

That just made Roxas and Pence laugh harder.

"Sure…" Olette said. "I think we have enough new books. Let's get these home."

Hayner raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as they walked to the check-out stand. The clerk smiled at them and checked them out one at a time. Olette took the time to scratch the ears of the shop's cat, a very large yellow and white cat named Harmony, while Pence paid for his comics.

With their new purchases, Olette was satisfied and as Pence began talking about setting up his old computer so they could talk to Ienzo, the shine in Roxas and Xion's eyes was enough for her. There were going to be hard days, she could feel it. But there were also going to be good days, days where Roxas and Xion could have the life they always wanted. A life where they could just be.

Thank you…

A/N: And with that, another chapter is complete my dear, dear readers.

The first parts of this chapter were initially planned for a much earlier stage in the story, but things had a way of working out differently. Either way, Roxas and Xion training their friends how to fight, when they have no idea how to do so, is something I enjoyed writing very much.

The bookshop, in case it wasn't obvious, was derived from "Sing Me A Story With Belle," which was effectively Disney's answer to "Shining Time Station." Small children would learn life lessons from Classic Disney Shorts, as told to them by Belle. The actual name of the shop "Roselle's Books" comes from one of the expansion comics.

Critter Haven Is more or less an Expy of the Animal Ark books by Ben Bagilo. These were among my favorites when I was growing up. "Gryphon" is a comic book character that I invented when I was ten. And by "Invented," I mean "drew five pictures of but never wrote stories about."

Merlin proved to be nearly impossible to write—Master Yen Sid is exponentially easier in that regard.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones, my dear, dear readers. Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you're so inclined.

I appreciate each and every one of you.