The streets of Twilight Town bustled in the early afternoon. People went about their lives, many heading to grab lunch on break from work. The sounds of life threatened to overwhelm Hauru's sensitive ears as she made her way to the train station. She was shaking like a leaf, scared for whatever reason. She kept trying to tell herself it was just two thorns in the Organization's side getting together to let off some steam, but she was afraid it would be more than that. She needed a friend, but if Riku got closer than that, he could get hurt. It only took one mistake to lead to a catastrophe. Riku could meet the same fate as Ventus. No, this could be worse. There would be no Terra to save him if she lost control. Nothing to stop her wolf-side from… Hauru shook her head and told herself not to think about it. There was no point pondering how it could all go wrong before anything even started.
As Hauru rounded the corner to Station Heights, she noticed a faint, but familiar scent. She took a deep breath and followed it up toward Station Plaza, agonizing over what to say, what to do, and what any of it meant. By the time she cleared her head, she had made it to Station Plaza and saw Riku standing near the steps to the station proper. Hauru smiled and ran over, her skirt billowing behind her. Riku, despite his blindfold, saw her and smiled. "Hauru!" he shouted. Hauru came to an abrupt stop once she was within arms-length of the boy. "Good to see you".
"Same here," she said. "Have you thought about what you wanted to do?" Riku paused for thought and Hauru heard his stomach growling.
"I guess we should start with lunch," he said. Hauru nodded in agreement. She wasn't hungry, but she could certainly eat. "I know a place on Sunset Terrace. We can take the train". Hauru smiled and followed Riku through the station and sat beside him on the train before it departed. Hauru started to fidget with her necklace. This didn't escape Riku's notice, even as the train got underway. "What's that?" Hauru stopped and looked up at Riku.
"It… it's been in my family for centuries. Mom passed it on to me before…" Hauru hesitated. She still wasn't sure she could trust Riku enough with her history. She didn't see that much harm, but decided to leave out some details. "She gave it to me before I left the Islands to go train with Master Eraqus at the Land of Departure. There used to be a lot of keyblade wielders running around. So, schools and such were set up to teach them to use it properly and one day become Masters".
"Huh. Interesting. What was it like?"
"When I first got there, I was scared to be so far from home. But the other apprentices helped me a lot. Terra and Aqua were the oldest. Ventus is about my age". Hauru paused, sighing and looking out the window wistfully. "They were like family after a while. Eraqus was like a father to me, and the other apprentices were like my pack…" Riku looked at her, an Eyebrow arched. "I mean… they were the brothers and sisters I wish I had".
"Must've been nice. You guys keep in touch?" Riku asked. Hauru shook her head.
"I… had to leave before I finished my training. I saw them again once after that, but then we… sort of drifted apart". The train came to a stop and Riku lead Hauru through Sunset Terrace. It wasn't long before they reached the spot Riku had mentioned. The restaurant had something of a simplistic charm and outdoor seating, which was important on such a lovely day. Riku lead Hauru to a table and pulled out a seat for her before taking a seat himself across from her. "Well, this place is nice".
"Yeah. DiZ told me about this place. Quiet, out of the way. You said you don't like crowds". A waiter brought some menus over and Hauru smiled. This was the most relaxed she'd felt in a long time.
"Crowds tend to… overwhelm me". Hauru looked over the menu for a moment.
"You mentioned islands," Riku said. "Where are you from?" The waiter came by to take orders. Hauru zoned out for a moment before the waiter got to her. She ordered a rare steak with frites. Once the waiter left, Hauru looked back at Riku.
"Oh. The Destiny Islands, of course".
"I think I'd have remembered you. I was born there, too".
"Well… can I trust you?" Hauru asked. Riku nodded. "I… spent about ten years in the Unchained Realm sometime after I kind of abandoned my training. I say ten years, but it felt more like two weeks. Time moves differently in the Unchained Realm and the Realm of Darkness".
"After that mistake you're still paying for?" Hauru nodded. "Right".
"So… You want to tell me about this friend?" Hauru asked. Riku let out a long sigh as the waiter returned with food and drinks.
"Sora… We've been friends forever. Before the Islands fell to darkness, we were building a raft to try and get to other worlds". Hauru chuckled a bit as she cut into her steak. "How is that funny?"
"It's adorable. That you were going to try and use a raft to get away from home". Hauru took the first bite of her steak and smiled. It was delicious. She'd always preferred rare meats and, on rare occasions, even RAW meat. Even before her first change, her tastes were always different.
"It made sense at the time," Riku said defensively before taking a bite of his sandwich. "Anyway, Sora's… a force of nature. But he was loyal to his friends. And he managed to bring down Maleficent, Chernabog, and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness".
"You know," Hauru said, "I have this friend who said his world was besieged by Chernabog. And you're saying Sora managed to beat the literal embodiment of evil?" Riku nodded. Hauru went wide-eyed. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was vanquished? Hauru wasn't sure how to feel. On the one handed, a dangerous threat to all worlds was no more. On the other, one of the results of her most horrifying burst of rage was someone else's problem. Cheated. Hauru felt cheated out of chance to do right. But she only learned what she'd REALLY done after she returned to the Realm of light. Maybe she wasn't the one who would end the Organization's plans. If she couldn't, maybe she could help the one who would.
"No offense, but he's our best chance to bring the Organization down".
"So, how do we find him?" Hauru asked, a sparkle in her eye. Riku shook his head.
"We know where he is. We just need him to wake up. And that's been… slow going". Hauru hung her head, almost whimpering. "Naminé is doing what she can, but there's parts of his memory she can't replace".
"I'm so sorry. It can't be easy. Losing a friend like that… It still haunts me". Riku reached over the table and wiped a tear from Hauru's face.
"You lost someone, too?" Asked Riku. Hauru nodded.
"Ventus… and Aqua. Even Terra. I lost all of them. I just…" Hauru started sniffling. "I should have stayed. They wanted to help me. Even after…"
"It's okay," said Riku, trying to reassure her. "It must have been bad. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Hauru. I'm sorry I… reminded you". Hauru started to feel a little better.
"It's not your fault. The wounds are still fresh". The two finished their meal in relative silence and left as soon as the check was paid. Hauru caught the faint whiff of a familiar scent. There was no mistaking it, but it couldn't be, even after all the years she spent in the Unchained Realm. Aeon, she thought. She lead Riku as she followed the scent.
"Hauru! Slow down!" Riku shouted. Suddenly Hauru came to a dead stop. Right in front of the only book store on Sunset Terrace. Of course, he'd be there. "The book store?" Riku asked.
"Yeah. I was almost as bookish as Aqua".
"This place has a lot of old stuff. They like to say their inventory predates the Keyblade War". Hauru smiled. There was no chance Aeon wasn't here. "Want to go inside?" Riku asked. Hauru nodded and they walked right in, the door ringing an old bell. Hauru took in the scent of the place. Musty like old parchment, the scent of aged leather and dust. Knowledge of ages past.
"I'm going to go and browse. I won't be long," Hauru said. Riku nodded and Hauru walked off to start browsing the store. Looking among older, leather-bound manuscripts, she finds one with an old seal she remembered seeing in that vision that haunted her still. An ornate "V" like the ring worn by Lucian's Jailer. Hauru begins idly flipping through it, most of the text reiterated things she already knew. How Lucian was born, that he and his kind were kept in servitude, and how it all went sideways. As she read, the vision came to her again, but she dismissed it with a shake of her head. Aeon's scent was stronger now almost as if…
"Book taking you places?" Aeon asked. Hauru jumped, startled and shut the book abruptly. She didn't hear his approach lost as she was in that vision.
"You could say that," said Hauru. "It's... kind of intense. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I frequent bookstores in search of new and interesting tomes," Aeon answered. "What about you, lass?"
"Oh. I'm... kind of on a... a date," Hauru answered, unable to hide her blushing face.
"I saw him, a very handsome lad, if a bit peculiar in his dress sense".
"It's safer for him when he travels. The blindfold keeps his own darkness in check… somehow," Hauru said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm still no closer to finding out whether Lucian even HAS descendants. Or if I'm one of them. But maybe I can find some kind of manual for being a lycan so I can finally get off the Monkshood".
"It's a good place to look. You know, you might check to see if Ansem wrote anything on the subject," said Aeon matter-of-factly.
"I'm not sure how much of his texts survived after Xehanort ransacked his lab". Aeon looked around and grabbed one of the few books in that section with a paper jacket.
"Ah, try this one," Aeon said, handing the book to Hauru. She took one look at the title and looked quizzically at Aeon.
"A Treatise on the Shadow? What does this have to do with being a lycan?" Aeon looked at Hauru with a smile.
"Everything," he said, laying a hand on Hauru's shoulder. "Enjoy the rest of your date". Aeon walked off to get a coffee and Hauru returned to Riku's side. "You'll have to tell him eventually, Hauru," Aeon said from the café.
"About what?" Riku asked. Hauru blushed harder than she ever had in her life before then.
"Oh, nothing. Just my crippling arts and crafts addiction". Riku nodded and Hauru walked up to the counter to pay but when she opened her munny pouch, it was empty. Riku quickly paid for Hauru's purchase and smiled at her. Hauru consigned herself to the fate of doing some odd jobs around town. With her purchase in hand and a smile on her face, Hauru left the book store with Riku close behind. Hauru took the book out of the bag and looked at it again. Not sure what to feel.
"What exactly did I pay for?" Riku asked. Hauru looked up at him, a contended expression on her face.
"Oh. 'A Treatise on the Shadow'. It should help me with that darkness in my blood". Riku nodded and took hauru's hand in his own. They spent the next few hours wandering around Sunset Terrace, seeing the sights and talking about friends, family, their travels. Even their experiences dealing with the Organization. Before either of them knew it, it was almost dusk. The two walked up to Sunset Hill. "I'll admit," said Hauru, "This was a wonderful day. Easily my best first date". Hauru immediately covered her mouth.
"Yeah. Best date I've ever been on. Well, only one. But this'll be hard to top". Hauru smiled, reaching for Riku's hand as the sun got lower and lower.
"I'm glad you think so. So, does this mean we're a couple now?" Hauru asked. Riku smiled and drew Hauru into a tender embrace before the setting sun.
"You tell me". Hauru held Riku close, resting her head on his chest. She felt so warm, so alive. She had been alone for so long, but her heart was heavy, weighed down by the fear that Hauru felt. The fear of how he'd react when he learned the truth of what she was. But for now, in the moment, she felt she could forget her fears. Forget the pain she had to deal with. And forget the friends she had to leave behind. As the sun finally set and the sky was a beautiful red, Hauru looked up at Riku and then, on instinct, threw her head back and let loose a long, lupine howl. "What was that?" Riku asked. Hauru's eyes went wide, and she blushed with embarrassment.
"Oh, it's… umm… I do that whenever I'm really happy".
"You weren't raised by wolves, were you?" Hauru laughed and shook her head.
"Not as far as I know. Unless…" Hauru shook her head again. "Nevermind. We have to do this more often".
"Agreed. I should go rest. You should to, Hauru". Riku said. Hauru smiled and stood on her tiptoes to give Riku a tender kiss on the cheek before walking away, clutching her book close to her chest. As the sun set completely, she held her book in one hand to examine it. A chill wind rushed past Hauru and the book jacket came a bit loose. Hauru decided to take the jacket off and toss it into a nearby wastebin. The book she held really did have everything to do with her nature.
"A Concise Treatise on the Lycan Strain of the Corvinus Virus and it's Relationship to the Heart by Ansem the Wise," Hauru read aloud. "Alexandrus Aeon, I owe you so many sandwiches". Hauru walked with an unusual skip in her step. For the first time since she wounded Ventus, she felt that things were finally looking up.