Chapter Sixty: Rescue at Sea
A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Studios. I also do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher.
This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way whatsoever.
Hello everybody! I hope you are all doing well. I am fine—a little sore from shoveling snow and ice, but for the most part I am healthy and whole.
Yes, I know that last cliffhanger was diabolic, but I couldn't help myself. When we last left our heroes, Hayner, Pence and Olette witnessed the formal adoption of Naminé into the Tanaka family, Axel and Roxas were searching for Kairi and poor Xion fainted upon meeting Sora's mother.
We're continuing onwards my dearest readers. Where we will go now? I know, but I'm not gonna tell you! You're just gonna have to read to find out. Ha ha ha!
Tally ho!
oooo
"Easy does it, Xion. Mind your head. That's a good girl."
Xion didn't feel like a good girl. She didn't feel like a bad girl either, really. Mostly, she felt sore. Ugh…her head hurt. She must have gotten jumped by a Heartless…or maybe a Nobody. Berserkers? The voice above her head…it was a nice voice. But it wasn't someone she recognized. It wasn't old enough to be Granny's or young enough to be Olette's or squeaky enough to be Queen Minnie's.
Xion blinked her eyes. She was lying on the ground. A woman was kneeling over her. Black hair and blue eyes…and achingly familiar.
"You're Sora's mother," Xion whispered. "I…I…you're Sora's mother."
"Yes I am," Sora's mother said. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Xion."
Xion didn't say anything. If she did, she was certain that she would start crying and then she wouldn't be able to stop. She raised herself up slowly, and Sora's mother placed a hand at the back of her neck. Her hand was soft and warm and gentle. Like a mom. Xion wasn't sure she remembered how to breathe.
"There we go," Sora's mom said kindly, running her fingers against Xion's scalp. "You had me worried there for a moment, but I don't think you hit your head very hard at all. Just a little dirt. Thank heavens you didn't hit your head against that rock."
Right, there'd been a rock in the middle of the path. Xion turned and glanced at it. It was about as big as her head…that would have hurt a lot worse than the headache she already had.
"Thank you," Xion said. "Er…Mrs…um…I'm sorry, I forgot Sora's last name."
"Oh ho," Sora's mom chuckled as Xion's face reddened. "You don't need to call me Mrs. Kishimoto. You're free to call me Amaya."
"Amaya," Xion repeated. The name sounded pretty. "It's…nice to meet you, Amaya."
Her throat dried up. What could she say. What could she say. This was Sora's mother. His mom. One of his family. Someone he loved. Someone who loved him. And Xion had been part of the Organization…she'd fought Sora. She'd hurt Sora. She'd hurt Kairi. And then Xemnas had taken Kairi away and Xehanort….and then Sora…
Please, forgive me…I am so, so sorry…I would trade myself for Sora in a heartbeat to bring him back to you. I'm sorry.
"Are you sure you're alright, Xion?" Amaya asked gently as she helped Xion to her feet. "Are you here by yourself? That seems unlikely. Sora and Kairi said that you had friends—Axel and Roxas?"
"Yes," Xion nodded. "I'm here with them. They're visiting Kairi…that's why I was at the bench."
"Oh, they won't find her at home," Amaya shook her head. "Tyson told me that he finally has the paperwork to adopt Naminé."
"Oh…" Xion mumbled. That was nice. It was wonderful, really.
"But in the meantime Xion," Amaya said. "We can talk. I've wanted to meet you for…well, not a terribly long time, but ever since I first found out about you, dear."
Xion's mouth fell open but no sound came out. Amaya smiled at her. The way she smiled…it was the exact same way that Sora smiled. And her hair…it was the exact same shade as Xion's. Xion tugged on a lock of her own raven hair.
"Xion!"
Xion looked over her shoulder. Roxas was running towards them, Axel a half dozen steps behind. Roxas stopped inches from Xion, nearly bumping into her.
"Xion! You're alright!"
"Roxas…" Xion whispered into his ear. "I'm fine…I'm sorry I wasn't back at the bench, but Amaya needed help with some boxes and I…well, I wanted to help."
"Oh kiddo, you don't have to apologize for that," Axel said, reaching out a hand to ruffle her hair. "You do look a little pale though…hmmm. We didn't have any luck on the Kairi front. Guess we should double back and check with Hayner. Maybe he had better luck."
"Oh, Hayner came with you?" Amaya asked. "And Pence, Olette? Are they here too?"
"What?" Axel asked. "How do you know…Xion, who is this?"
"Amaya Kishimoto," Amaya smiled sweetly before Xion could reply. "It's nice to meet you, Axel. Or is it Lea?"
"Um…"
"My sweet Sora told me all about you as well."
"You know Sora?" Axel blurted, his mouth falling open. "I…er…um…"
"He's my son," Amaya said. "My sweet, sweet, wonderfully brave son."
Axel fainted.
xxxx
It didn't take long to get Axel back to his feet, but when they did so, he was absolutely flabbergasted. He looked from Amaya to Xion and then back to Amaya. His eyes locked on their dark black hair. While Xion's hair was cut short—and never seemed to grow—Amaya's reached her elbows.
"I have to admit…I wasn't prepared for this," Axel said sheepishly. "Kind of stupid of me not to put two and two together. I mean, this is his island."
"Don't call yourself stupid, Axel," Amaya said. "Now, if the three of you would each take a box, we can get them inside, then we can talk."
She scooped up one of the boxes—absolutely filled with books—and walked up the porch. Roxas and Xion did the same. Axel paused to pick up two boxes. Xion got a closer look at the flower garden as she walked up the steps. Sunflowers, aster, orchids and a few other flowers she didn't recognize. A ceramic cat stared out at Xion from the garden.
"Shoes off!" Amaya called, kicking off her sandals as she crossed the threshold. Xion pressed herself against the door frame to kick her boots off. Her bare toes pressed against the tile floor and curled into fists. The tile was pleasantly cool against her soles as she walked further into the house to set down her box.
"We really can't stay," Axel said, trying to see how far he could reach into the house, without having to step inside. "We do need to find Kairi. There's…stuff we need to talk to her about."
"On a mission? King Mickey or Master Yen Sid?" Amaya asked. "Believe it or not, Axel, I know more than you might think."
"But we really need…"
Ring-alling-aling! Ring-aling-aling!
Oh! That was Axel's Gummiphone! Xion and Roxas stared at each other as Axel tried to maneuver his boxes so that he could answer. Xion looked around the room they were standing in. It was the kitchen. Bits and pieces of Sora's childhood memories flashed through her mind, clearer than they had been since the days in the Organization. Sora and Kairi eating breakfast cereal together. Sora listening to the radio with his mom and dad. Sora being measured against the doorframe as he grew…year after year.
"Roxas, I've wanted to meet you for so long," Amaya said. "Sora's told me so much about you…please, come into the living room, both of you."
Roxas and Xion glanced at each other and then at Amaya. She was smiling so earnestly, it made Xion's heart ache. Xion turned and looked at Axel. He was still struggling with his Gummiphone. She turned back to Amaya and tried to match her smile.
"Um…okay."
Amaya walked them into the living room. It was bigger than their living room at home, with wide windows. Xion could see the beach through the glass. There wasn't a carpet, but there was a rug and it felt nice under Xion's bare soles. There weren't armchairs in this living room—though there was a bamboo rocking chair in the corner. And there was a long couch that was low to the ground. There was a bookshelf in another corner and a coffee table in front of the couch that looked like it was hand-carved. Amaya gestured for them to sit.
Xion and Roxas lowered themselves onto the couch and Amaya sat down between them. The more that Xion looked at her, the more beautiful she looked. The curve of her nose, the roundness of Amaya's cheeks…she was remarkable.
"So…um…I have to admit, I've been so anxious to speak to you, now that the time's come…" Amaya said. "I'm not sure what to say."
"Er," Roxas and Xion said in unison. Xion could feel her face beginning to burn. Amaya didn't seem that bothered.
"I suppose," Amaya said. "That the thing to do is to start at the beginning. I know a bit about the three of you, but that's not the same thing as knowing you. I want to know my son's friends. Xion? Roxas?"
oooo
Roxas looked up at Amaya. She wanted to know about him? This was something he hadn't felt since…he wasn't sure, actually. Most of the people they'd visited, it'd been to get to the bottom of whatever the crisis was. There weren't many people who had gotten to know them that well. Nobody, not even Phil, knew their full story—there were still things they hadn't told Hayner, Pence or Olette.
"I guess it started about a year and a half ago? Maybe not quite that much," Roxas said. "See…do you remember that one storm?"
"I remember," Amaya said. "The worst storm I've ever seen. The darkness that swept up the whole world…Riku opened the door to darkness."
"And to think Yen Sid has the nerve to yell at Xion," Axel muttered, from the kitchen. Amaya didn't seem to have noticed. "We really don't talk very much…"
"I do know a fair bit of what happened that night, and what happened afterward," Amaya said. "Kairi, bless her little heart, tried to explain as best she could why she was the only one who came home. Sora and Riku were gone, and we'd thought they'd drowned in their little boats. Kairi told me and Benjiro, and Tyson of course, but not long after that…"
Amaya trailed off. She didn't say it, but Roxas and Xion knew exactly what she meant. Amaya had lost her memories of her own son. For a moment, he thought he saw tears shimmering in Amaya's eyes.
"You know that Sora had to unlock his own heart to save Kairi," Roxas said. "That turned him into a Heartless, but Kairi restored him."
"Oh yes," Amaya nodded. "Kairi did mention that. And that's how you and Naminé were born, right Roxas?"
"Er, more or less," Roxas said. "I was technically Sora's body…I just looked like this because of Ventus…er, you do know who Ventus is , right? I don't really remember anything that might have happened before that, at least for myself. I'm not sure whether Sora would have gotten his form back, but I was in Twilight Town…that's another world, far away…"
"Where the sun doesn't set," Amaya finished for him. "Sora and Kairi told me a bit about that world—they said it has the most beautiful sunsets out of anyplace they'd ever visited."
"Yeah, it does," Roxas agreed. "So, right when I woke up, I was found…by Xemnas. He gave me my name."
"Roxas…" Amaya said. "I did notice that it has the same letters. It was the same thing with Axel and Lea too, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Roxas said. "It's not just the letter 'X,' though. We didn't realize it at the time, but we were being marked with a sigil, so Xemnas could always tell where we were…but that's not really the point. I was brought into the Organization."
"Because you can use the Keyblade," Amaya said gently. "I know that too. What was it like?"
"Terrible."
"Worst decade ever."
"It wasn't fun," Roxas said. "Part of it was that I didn't have any of Sora's memories—or my memories. I didn't remember what it was like to be human, so everything was brand-new. The one good part was spending time with my two friends."
Roxas nodded at Xion and Axel. Xion gave him a small, watery smile. Axel crossed his arms and smiled.
"Tell me more," Amaya whispered. "Please…I want to know, everything."
Roxas bit his lip. They were getting into stuff that was more complicated than just doing missions and grunt work and ice cream. Stuff that he would be all too happy to never revisit. But then again…if there was anybody who deserved to know the full truth, it would be Amaya. Sora's mom.
"See, there turned out to be a reason that I didn't get Sora's memories," Roxas said. "Not long after I joined the Organization, Sora and his friends Donald and Goofy…they found themselves in a place called Castle Oblivion. Some of the Organization was there and they planned to turn Sora into a weapon of their own. To do this…they took apart his memory, shattered it into little pieces."
"They used Naminé," Amaya said. "She and Kairi told me a bit of what happened. And those memories…"
"They found their way into me," Xion whispered. "Sora rescued Naminé, but the memories kept going back to me instead of Sora or Roxas. It was Xemnas's plan from the start. Back in Hollow Bastion—er, the castle where Sora rescued Kairi in the first place—Xemnas fought Sora and that's probably where…nothing else makes sense."
Xion tugged a strand of her hair helplessly and Roxas scratched the back of his head. Amaya was still smiling at him, though her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"That's why you look like Kairi?" Amaya asked. "You're based off of Sora's memories…and his strongest memories…"
"Are of Kairi," Xion bit her lip and tugged her hair again. "But this…I never realized…I just thought the memories weren't quite right…not that your hair isn't wonderful, it is, I just…"
"You got your hair from Amaya," Axel shrugged. "So Sora's got strong memories of her too. Kiddo, all that means is that Sora's a momma's boy."
"There's nothing wrong with that!" Amaya chided. "Sora is my boy. He always has been and he always will be….wherever he is."
She reached out her hands and squeezed Roxas and Xion's fingers. Her hands were soft, gentle. Roxas felt a lump in his throat form—he couldn't remember any grown-up holdings hand, other than Axel. Never a grown-up woman. Never a mom. He jerked his head and continued recounting everything that he could remember about being in the Organization. Amaya deserved the truth.
"Eventually, Xion and I realized that things were being kept from us…that there were things about us we didn't understand…but all the time, we were having these strange dreams. About a boy in red. Sora."
"And then things went pear-shaped," Axel said, holding up his hand. "It's really, really icky but the simplest way to explain it is that the only way for Sora to get his memories back was for Roxas and Xion to return them."
"But the only way to do that…" Amaya said. "It was for you two to rejoin Sora…you two had to go away…"
"It was only fair for me. I kept his memories from returning in the first place." Xion said, her voice shaky. "It's what kept you from remembering him, all that time. What should have only been a couple weeks turned into months because of me and then it took months longer to fix because I was so selfish. You and Kairi and Sora's dad…all his family and all his friends…I'm so, so sorry."
"It wasn't your fault…" Roxas said. "Xion, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't wrong to want to live. You were right though…we were right to return."
The lump in his throat returned. At the time, he had been so angry at the idea of having to return to Sora. But he'd come to see that that was probably what was for the best, at least for most people. But Sora hadn't seen it that way…Sora loved him like a brother…
"There are so many hearts that are connected to yours…you're me, so you can feel what I felt."
"What?! No, Roxas, you are you. We're not the same. You deserve as much as I do to be your own person. I wanted you to know that."
Sora had done so much for him…so much for everyone. Roxas looked around the room. There were bits and pieces of Sora here, in a way. There was a framed picture on the wall. Of Amaya and Sora and a tall man with spiky brown hair…Sora's dad?
"So if you two had to return to Sora," Amaya whispered. "How did you two come back?"
"It's kind of complicated," Roxas said. "Our hearts were distinct enough from Sora that they could be removed from his body and placed into blank vessels so we could have our own bodies."
He glanced at Xion, who had gone pale. There was no need to get into the specifics of how Xehanort had used her to be part of the Organization again. Amaya clearly knew the basics of Sora having to use the Power of Waking to rescue Kairi…there wasn't much more to go on than that.
"I'm not sure I understand," Amaya said. "But Sora helped you…and you helped him. You brought him back to me, after that year where I'd forgotten him. Thank you."
Xion looked like she was about to start crying and Roxas wasn't sure if there was anything else he could say. After everything…Amaya was thanking them?
"Er…you're welcome?"
"There's more to your story than I realized, Roxas. More than I realized, indeed."
Roxas's eyes widened as Jiminy Cricket hopped up onto his shoulder. Roxas drew his hand up to his pocket and Jiminy bounced down to the table in front of them. He gripped his journal tightly in his hand.
"Oh…Jiminy, I'm sorry, I forgot you were in there."
"It appears that we have much to talk about," Jiminy said, before he turned to Amaya. "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am. Sora's a very good friend of mine."
Amaya stared at Jimmy for a moment and then smiled. Her resemblance to Sora was so strong, Roxas thought he might throw up.
"It's been very nice to meet all of you," Amaya said, rising to her feet. "Now, you were saying that you needed to talk to Kairi?"
oooo
Kairi grinned and gripped Naminé's hand as she stepped out of the courthouse. The weather was as brilliant as it had been a few hours ago, when they'd first had to get dressed in their Sunday best. Such was the nature of meetings at the courthouse, but now they could go home to change. Kairi glanced over at Naminé. Her sister, her sister, looked more than a little uncomfortable in the starched blouse and skirt.
"When we get home," Kairi smiled, wiggling her eyebrows. "We can change—that blouse, you won't have to wear it again till Christmas. You want to go to the play island?"
"That sounds wonderful," Naminé agreed. "But first, shouldn't you talk to Hayner and the others?"
"I'd actually like to know a bit more about that myself," Tyson said. "I have quite a few questions for those three—to say nothing as to where the hammerheads their parents are."
Kairi and Naminé glanced at each other and Kairi bit back a fit of giggles. Classic Daddy with his euphemisms. After a few minutes, Kairi started to get a little worried. Her hands felt clammy. What was taking them so long?
"I don't get it, they were in the last row," Naminé said. "How could we have gotten out of the courthouse before them?"
No sooner had she said this than the door to the courthouse opened up and Hayner, Pence and Olette scattered out of it.
"Sorry about that," Pence said. "We got lost because a certain someone was so sure he knew exactly where he was going!"
"Yeah, yeah," Hayner scowled. "We finally got out of there, didn't we? And Kairi, Naminé! Congrats! You too, Mister…Tanaka?"
"Yes," Daddy said, crossing his arms. "So young man, I trust you apologized to Mister Bubbles?"
"Yes," Hayner said quickly. Almost too quickly. And he was faltering under Daddy's glare. "Er…"
"You will go back into the courthouse, you will find Cobra Bubbles and you will tell him that you are sorry for swearing at him. He's a very good friend of mine," Daddy said cooly. "I will be waiting out here for you to return…ah, Cobra, you ruined the moment."
Cobra Bubbles was stepping out of the courthouse himself. He was a lot bigger than anyone else on the Destiny Islands and with his neatly tailored suit was all the more conspicuous.
"While I appreciate your sympathy that I be shown respect," Cobra said, "Tyson, I must object to your demanding an apology. In my experience, it rarely allows one to be sincere."
"Uh…" Hayner said. "Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"
"While I object to your choice of words, I do acknowledge that your abrasiveness is rooted in a desire to protect those you care about," Cobra said, taking off his sunglasses and jabbing a finger at Hayner. "That being said, I would suggest that you watch your attitude. There may be a time where you confront someone and they are not as understanding. Capisce?"
"Er…yes?"
"Very good," Cobra said, putting his sunglasses back on. "Tyson, it is always a pleasure. Kairi, Naminé, take care of each other. I trust we will meet again."
Cobra shook hands with Daddy, but let Kairi give him a quick hug. She couldn't help it. Cobra had been the social worker who had helped Daddy adopt her in the first place. She'd only been five years old then and it had been scary. She couldn't remember anything about how she had gotten to the Destiny Islands. But Cobra had helped her get a home.
"Be safe, Cobra."
"Thank you, Mister Bubbles," Naminé added. She hesitated before holding out her hand. Kairi smiled. That was something else she'd have to work on—making Naminé feel comfortable enough to give and get hugs.
Cobra nodded and began walking down the path. Kairi turned her attention back to Hayner, Pence and Olette.
"So…what's going on, exactly?" Kairi said. "You were saying something about how you thought I was in danger?"
"Er, right," Pence said. "See…well, we should probably find Roxas and Xion first. They went looking for you over at your house, about an hour ago. But you were here and not there so…"
Pence shrugged and glanced over at Daddy. He held up his hands, while Olette took a step forward.
"We were worried. Malefi—um, someone bad targeted someone…special to do something evil."
"You needn't cover your words, dear," Daddy said. "Kairi has told me much about her adventures. That being said…you are right, it would be best to continue this somewhere a bit more private."
He began walking down the path, back towards home. Kairi grinned as she took his hand. She saw Hayner raise an eyebrow as she did so, but Kairi ignored it. She wasn't too old to hold her father's hand. Especially after everything that had happened…the Islands falling to darkness, getting kidnapped by Axel and then Saix…fighting in the Keyblade War. She liked holding Daddy's hand.
"So, what's been going on?"
"What hasn't?" Hayner answered. "Roxas and the others can probably explain it better than I can, but basically, the lines of life and death got all screwed up a while back. And now Maleficent is taking advantage of it, going to different worlds where there's a Realm of the Dead that people can visit."
"Or worlds that have things that would otherwise be in-animate that are alive," Pence said. "They mentioned they visited Pinocchio a while back."
"Oh!" Kairi smiled. "I remember him! I haven't seen him in ages, he's doing alright?"
"Yes. For the most part…" Hayner's expression darkened. "He was in trouble, but Xion saved his life."
"What happened?" Kairi asked. There was something in the way he looked that didn't sit right with her.
"It's…probably best if Xion tells you. Privately."
Something bad had happened. Something really bad had happened. And it was something that Hayner, who wasn't exactly shy about voicing his opinion, didn't want to divulge. Kairi squeezed her father's fingers.
"Well, when we meet up, I'll see if I can get her alone," Kairi nodded. "I've been wanting to talk to her anyway."
They walked for a while longer—Kairi waved to Selphie and Wakka as they passed by—and rounded a corner. They'd be home soon…
"Kairi!"
Kairi winced and shut her eyes. She let go of her father's hand without even thinking about it. That was Amaya calling her. Sora's mother…she'd always been so kind to Kairi. But Kairi had only seen her a tiny handful of times since she and Naminé had explained to Sora's parents why…he hadn't come home. What could she say to her now?
"Kairi!"
"Kairi! Kairi!"
Wait a second…that wasn't Amaya's voice. That was—oof! Hey, someone was messing up her hair!
"You found her. That was easy! Gotta say, I've missed having red hair to ruffle."
"Axel?" Kairi asked. "Cut it out!"
Axel was here. And Roxas and Xion too—with new jackets, Kairi blinked. Blue suited Roxas. And Xion's jacket reminded her a bit of her own, only purple in favor of pink. It would make sense for them to be using fairy-made clothing if they'd been traveling across the worlds. Kairi smiled warmly at them—Roxas returned hers with a sheepish grin that was far too much like Sora's and Xion…looked nothing short of terrified.
"It's nice to see you again, Kairi," Xion said. "And you too Naminé…and you, oh, you must be Mister—gah!"
Daddy had pulled both Roxas and Xion towards him, giving them enthusiastic one-armed hugs. Neither one of them had been expecting it and both tried in vain to try to squirm out of his grip.
"Uh, hi," Axel said, scratching the back of his neck. "You must be…oh shoot, I forget your last name."
"Tanaka," Daddy said as he released Roxas and Xion to shake Axel's hand. "And you're the man who has two names. Axel. Or is it Lea?"
"Er, either. Or both. Whatever," Axel said. "Listen, I know I did some pretty icky things but…"
"Son, let the past remain in the past," Daddy said, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I have no interest in a grudge. You helped my daughter and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her when she was learning to fight. You protected my Naminé when others would have destroyed her. You're alright in my book."
"Uh…alright then," Axel said. "So…we found Kairi, and she's already been found. So now what?"
"I think it's time that we all take time for tea," Amaya began. "I have some more—"
Blloooo! Blloooooooo! Blloooo! Blloooo! Blloooooooo! Blloooo!
Daddy and Amaya both gasped and Kairi's stomach leapt into her throat. Naminé's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes grew huge in dread. Everyone else looked mostly confused.
"What's going on?"
"That's one of our alarms," Daddy said. "A distress call just came in. Sinking ship!"
Without another word, he took off, running towards the nearest radio station, as fast as his legs could carry him. Kairi ran after him and gradually, she heard the others begin to join them. Good. The more the better. Because that alarm meant only one thing: Someone was in grave danger.
oooo
Roxas felt his stomach doing somersaults as he ran towards the guard station. He knew the path…somehow. He'd never been there before, but Sora had. There were people there. This station was where everyone who was out on a boat would radio in their positions when they set out for fishing for the day. Or their positions if they were in danger.
The guard station was filled with workers who used radios and, in some cases, old computers. The Destiny Islands didn't have the same infrastructure as larger towns and cities, so a lot of their technology was somewhat outdated.
"What have we got?" Kairi's father asked, grabbing a passing crewman. "Talk to me, Yoshi."
"Mayor Tanaka! Thank heaven," The crewman said. "We're getting them through in now…"
He gestured to a second crewman, seated at a large desk with a huge, bulky radio in front of him, fiddling with a mouthpiece.
"I'm getting it! I'm getting it!"
"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is Captain Wan of the Moray Marauder. Say again, Captain Wan of the Moray Marauder. Do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Wan," Mister Tanaka said, grabbing the mouthpiece. "What's your position?"
"About a naut and a half off the East Marina," Wan answered. "We're taking on water…we've got a crew of ten, six injured, four serious."
One of the crewman swore under his breath and Mister Tanaka gripped the mouthpiece tighter.
"Call to all arms! Call to all arms!" Mister Tanaka shouted into radio. "Is there any who can render assistance?"
"This is Gallahad!" A third voice crackled over the radio. "Deploying now! Requesting coordinates!"
Gallahad?! Roxas turned to look over his shoulder. That…that was Sora's father's boat. Gallahad.
Memories floated at the edge of Roxas's consciousness. He remembered Sora as a very small boy, riding the boat with his father. Of watching dolphins. Of trips to the play island before Sora was old enough to go by himself. Of fishing trips.
"Gallahad? Ben, don't be ridiculous! We're too many to fit into your vessel!"
Six people hurt, four of them badly injured. Roxas's stomach tightened into a knot of steel. He looked over his shoulder. Xion's eyes were as wide as saucers and Kairi looked horrified.
"There has to be something that we can do," Roxas whispered. "Anything…"
"I have an idea…" Kairi murmured. "Follow me…"
She turned on her heel and set off out of the station. Roxas, Naminé and Xion followed at her heels and as soon as they left the building, they found themselves face to face with Amaya and Hayner, Pence and Olette. Pence was doubled over and panting, Amaya was fussing over him.
"Easy does it, dear," Amaya said gently. "Slow breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth."
"Running…" Pence panted. "Not my strongest suit…and I've done a lot of running today."
"Amaya, there's trouble," Kairi said. "A ship's taken on water. The Gallahad has gone out to help. There's injuries, it's bad."
"Oh my goodness," Amaya gasped. "Oh, dear God…"
"Roxas, Xion, with me," Kairi said, leading them down the path, as quickly as she could. "I'd hoped to change first but never mind. We're not far from it."
She rounded a corner—back towards her family's house, and then Roxas saw it. It was built primarily of driftwood and tied together with ropes. And a very large sail, placed directly in the center.
"The raft?" Roxas shouted as Kairi kicked off her dress shoes. "This is your plan?! You're crazy!"
"We're needed!" Kairi called back as she began pushing the raft closer to the water. Wordlessly, Xion began pushing too.
"That thing can't be sea-worthy!" Hayner called as he ran up too. "You're insane!"
"There's room for at least three other people on this," Kairi argued. "And I know how to heal. There's people hurt out there. Someone has to help."
Roxas wasn't sure exactly what happened, but the next thing he knew he was being pulled onto the raft by Xion, twenty yards off shore. Naminé and the others had stayed behind. Kairi was fiddling with her Gummiphone.
"Almost there…just a little more…plug this, press that…there! I've got it rigged up to pick up the same radio signals as the radio back at the station. Take it, Roxas," Kairi nodded as she summoned Destiny's Embrace to her hand.
"This is Gallahad, requesting assistance for Moray Marauder! Repeat, this is Gallahad requesting assistance!"
That voice…it was familiar…
"Moray Marauder? Gallahad? Do you read?" Roxas asked into Kairi's Gummiphone. "This is…this is…"
A faint memory itched its way back. Something that Roxas didn't remember much of…a contest between Riku and Sora. Over the name of the raft. Riku had wanted to name it Highwind. But Riku's idea was stupid. What had Sora's idea been again?
"This is Excalibur. We're coming to assist you."
xxxx
"Aeroga!" Kairi shouted, pointing her Keyblade outwards. The winds erupted from the end of Destiny's Embrace and propelled Excalibur forward. Roxas gripped Oathkeeper and Oblivion tightly in his hands. Xion held two Potions close to her chest. They'd taped Kairi's Gummiphone to the mast, allowing them to communicate but leave their hands free.
"Axel, I know you're probably really mad," Roxas said. "But we couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"Oh, I'm not mad, kiddo. If anything, I should be out there with you…I wonder…"
"Wonder what?"
"Aeroga!"
The resulting winds from Kairi's magic drowned out the rest of Axel's reply and Roxas shook his head. Never mind. Axel would figure out something—he could figure out pretty much anything if he put his mind to it. He was smart like that.
"Check to see if you can hear them," Kairi nodded. "Oh, Potions? Good idea, Xion. If anyone isn't that badly hurt, the Potions can work."
Xion gave a small nod, but didn't say anything. Kairi raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything either. Roxas bit his lip.
Roxas glanced down at his reflection. It was him. Not Sora. Blond hair, not brown. The eyes were the same…and this was something that Sora would most definitely have done. Helping people.
"I see it!" Kairi shouted. "Hard turn to starboard!"
"What?" Roxas said. "But we don't have a rudder or a wheel thingie! You planned to travel to other worlds on this thing?!"
"There! Areora!"
More winds blew out of Destiny's Embrace and then Excalibur shifted and Roxas could see two boats in the distance. One was large and white with blue stripes. And sinking. The other was smaller and painted red. A tiny lifeboat bobbed in the sea beside it but it was heading towards the sinking ship.
"Benjiro's already got the rescue started," Kairi said. "That's good to see…but there's something you two should know…oh, here he comes!"
A man in the little red lifeboat rowed up towards Excalibur. He was tall with spiky brown hair and…blue eyes. Roxas felt like he was going to throw up. Him. It was him.
"Kairi?" The man shouted. "And…friends? Never mind, you can explain later. Take Captain Wan, please!"
"Yes, Benjiro!" Kairi called. "Help me with him, won't you, Roxas? Xion, get a Potion ready."
"Er, right," Roxas said. He reached out and helped Captain Wan from the lifeboat onto Excalibur. Wan was a short man with dark hair cut into an odd spiral. His arm was bleeding freely and his face was pale.
"Thanks son," The man in the lifeboat said, a wide smile stretching across his face. His eyes widened when he locked eyes on Roxas. Roxas's legs felt like jelly. He looked just the same. Amaya had given Sora his smile but everything else…came from him.
Son? I'm not your son…son…I knew your son. I know your son. Your son…he called me brother…Sora…Sora!
"Drink this, Mister Captain," Xion murmured, kneeling down and pouring a Potion down Wan's throat. The man coughed and choked and spluttered, but already his face was getting color back.
"Thank you…" Wan murmured. "Such courage…ohh…"
Roxas and Kairi helped two other injured sailors onto the raft while Xion poured as many Potions onto their assorted injuries as she could. But there were others still clinging to parts of Moray Marauder. The ship was much lower into the sea than it had been when they had first shown up. Roxas wasn't sure how many more they could fit onto the raft.
"A-hoy, there!"
"Axel?!"
It was Axel, rowing up in another boat. He had ditched his jacket-man, he was scrawny-and grinning broadly.
"Alright now, who needs help?"
One sailor, wearing a life vest, leapt from the Moray Marauder and swam towards Axel's rowboat. Axel tugged him in effortlessly with one arm.
"Plenty of room," Axel called. "Come on, I can take anyone else who's not hurt."
Axel wound up loading four of the people who'd been on Moray onto his rowboat. Combined with the three they had pulled onto Exaclibur and Sora's father—his father—helping three onto Gallahad, that was everyone.
"Curaga!" Kairi called, casting healing magic over the three sailors they had pulled onto the raft. Their injuries started to close up and Kairi grinned widely.
xxxx
It took considerably longer to steer the boats back to shore than it had to go out to sea, but as far as Roxas was concerned it was for the best. The three men they'd rescued from the Moray Marauder were awake—Kairi was insisting that they stay alert.
"Thank you, Kairi," Captain Wan said. "I…thank you."
"You would have done the same for anyone else, sir," Kairi said modestly. "My friends and I were glad to help."
"Friends?" Wan asked, turning to Roxas and Xion. "I don't believe we've met."
"Er…we're from out of town," Roxas said. "We're friends from…away. We came to visit Kairi and Naminé."
"How lovely," Wan said, and beside him his two crewmen nodded in agreement. "The only bad thing is that Moray Marauder has been lost."
"I think we'll be able to salvage it," Kairi said, pocketing her . "I heard on the—little radio. Daddy's sending out a crew to tug it to shore."
"Such power in such a small radio," Wan said. "But I have to say, it must be pretty handy to not have to constantly stand next to a radio like that. In my day…transmitters weren't nearly so powerful…"
"Save your strength sir," Roxas said, crouching down. "We're nearly to the shore now."
Excalibur was the first to make it to the shoreline, followed by Gallahad and finally Axel's rowboat. There were ambulances waiting there too—and Captain Wan and his men were loaded up and driven away. Hayner, Pence and Olette were there, and Kairi's father and Naminé.
"Kairi, young lady, what were you thinking, running off like that? We're going to have a serious talk about this!" Mister Tanaka said firmly. "First order of business—you need a hug!"
He lifted Kairi off her feet and held her to his chest. Mister Tanaka wasn't as tall as Axel, but he was still big enough that Kairi's feet dangled a few inches off the ground. Roxas smiled to himself as Amaya threw her arms around Benjiro's neck.
"Benjiro…Ben," Amaya said, stroking his cheek. "There's somebody you need to meet."
She took her husband's hand and led him towards Roxas and Xion. Roxas had seen him in the lifeboat and again glimpsed him on the Gallahad but up close…the resemblance was staggering. The hair…the way he held his arms behind his head…Roxas felt Xion grip his hand very tightly.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Roxas."
A/N: Here we are, my dearest readers! Here we are!
Where to begin, my friends?
I've wanted to write Roxas and Xion meeting Sora's parents for quite some time. And at last, I've been able to do it.
The first time I came across the idea of Sora's mother having black hair was from the Remember The Tides trilogy by Regiss on (An absolutely spectacular series to be sure!). I've loved that idea ever since, and adopted it as a headcanon.
Sora's parents are not named in canon—and to my knowledge, in the original releases in Japan didn't even have the classic dinner line.
"Amaya" means "night rain." I'm fairly sure I've read at least one fanfic where Sora's mom was named as such, but I assure you, any copying was unintentional.
"Benjiro" means "enjoy peace." Given that Sora is a hero who keeps the peace among the worlds, it seemed appropriate. Calling him "Ben" for short was a temptation that I could not resist.
"Kishimoto" as Sora's surname—not that he has one in canon—means "one who lives near the shore." It's such a Sora-y name, that I couldn't resist.
Sora's father's boat is called Gallahad as a nod to Arthurian lore. Gallahad was a Knight of the Round Table. How Sora's family knows Arthurian legends I have no idea, but it's fun to speculate.
"Tanaka," as Kairi's surname, means "dweller from the rice patties," which is hilariously ironic for a name for a mayor.
Keep moving forward, my friends. Keep moving forward! Roxas and Axel and Xion have adventures yet to come!
Thank you for reading, my dearest readers! Please, leave a comment if you're so inclined. I appreciate each and every one of you!