Riku here once more with the new chapter finally. Sorry for the delay. This one was all written by me (as my co author has vanished into a void, don't worry she is okay though just lost in a void).
Anyways to the chapter!
Ch.15
Roxas woke up feeling worse than ever. Last night was the worst night of them all with so many images and scenes going around in his head. Of course now that he was awake all of that was hazy and he couldn't recall it. But it still left him feeling just completely out of it.
"Gah… I'm tired of these dreams… I can't even remember them half the time when I wake up. But I know they mean something."
'Well I can't really see into your dreams, I wish I could help though.' Ventus replied.
Roxas shook his head before going to get ready. He still was not too keen on Ventus considering that he still hardly knew anything about him. But he was tired and didn't want to bother trying to ask again, knowing he would probably get nowhere with it.
'I guess you're back to ignoring me?'
"Ugh, just be quiet please," Roxas grumbled before heading out the door.
'Sorry. I guess I can't really help it. Being awake like this wasn't what I expected. I thought I'd be sleeping until I was reunited with my body. Just staying quiet doesn't do it for me.'
Roxas furrowed his brows. "That doesn't even make any sense!"
'Like I said… it would be too confusing to explain… sorry Roxas.'
Roxas sighed again. He was trying his best to not lose his cool but with everything pilling up on him it was starting to be a bit much. He just wanted to get on with his life with no further interruptions or issues. Eventually he made it to the usual spot and saw his friends. Maybe this time he could try talking to them about it and could only hope that they could help.
"Man, I could not sleep last night…"
Roxas waited but no one responded to him. They didn't even look his way. "Guys?"
There was still nothing and the three kept on talking to one another. Roxas felt rather confused and reached towards Hayner, but instead of grabbing onto him, his hand went right through him.
Roxas staggered back slightly. "Huh?! What…"
His friends continued to laugh and talk, still not even acknowledging he was there. When they turned to walk, each one of them walked right through him, only furthering his confusion. Once they were gone, Roxas slowly looked around the usual spot.
Nearby on one of the tables he saw something that caught his eye. It was the photograph of him with his friends… except this photo didn't have him even in it. Dropped the photo to the group Roxas held a hand to his head.
"What is this... What is going on?" Roxas shook his head. "I gotta be dreaming still…"
'I'm here though so I don't think you're dreaming.'
"Well how do I know I am not just dreaming you saying that?"
'Cause… I'm me? I don't know how to answer that…'
Roxas sighed deeply. He wanted to figure this out but of course there were no close answers to grasp. So he turned around and headed outside of the usual spot and looked around for where his friends had gone. But once he tried to move forward, several of the swaying silver creatures appeared before him and then there was a sound from behind.
Right away he recognized the familiar red hair, but before he could say anything the redhead spoke first. "Look at what it's come to. I've been given these icky orders to destroy you… if you refuse to come back with me."
Roxas hummed softly. Though most of the dreams he had were gone by morning, this time some actually were lingering. Either that or they just decided to resurface in his mind, "We're… best friends, right?"
Axel started to scratch the back of his head. "Sure… but I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for...Wait a sec! You remember now!?"
"Y...eah," Roxas answered with a little hesitation.
'I think it's kind of cool that both of us were friends with him,' Ventus decided to randomly interject, which Roxas did the best to ignore.
"Great! But, you know, gotta make sure and all. So, umm... What's our boss's name?"
"Um… ah…" Roxas trailed off. Quickly he lowered his voice. "Hey you wouldn't happen to know the name would you?"
'Sorry… I think I know who Lea… or I guess Axel is talking about. But I was asleep when you were with the Organization. Most things like names and what you did I wouldn't know.'
"Great…" Just when Roxas thought he could actually see if Ventus would be of any help, it just proved to be pointless.
"I'm sorry…" Roxas then whispered to Axel. "I guess I can't remember."
Axel let out a sigh, a sadden expression slipping into his face. "Can't believe this…"
"But can't you help!" Roxas suddenly shouted. "I can't remember everything, but like… there's something I think."
Axel shook his head. "Can't work like that. They want you back fully remembering. Gotta make sure that they didn't tamper with you too much anyways. But maybe if…" Axel trailed off as he started at Roxas intently.
The creatures that surrounded Roxas started to close in, but in a flash the keyblade from before came to Roxas's hand. Quickly he defeated the creatures in record time and then faced Axel, waiting to see what he would do.
"I guess it has to come this…" Axel said before summoning his chakrams.
Roxas positioned himself into his battle stance once more, ready to continue the fight. Though just as Axel raised his arm up to attack, he froze. He remained there perfectly still, unmoving or even blinking.
"What the…"
Suddenly a voice was heard from overhead. It wasn't from within his head like Ventus… but instead someone else's voice. A voice that Roxas knew he had heard recently "Roxas, to the mansion! The time has come!"
Roxas groaned in annoyance. "Hayner! Pence! Olette!"
'I don't think that's going to help.'
"Well I don't know what else to do!" Roxas shouted. "I just wanna know what's going on!"
'Maybe do as he says, and head to the mansion? Not a lot left we can do here anyways,' Ventus replied.
"I guess I could… but I just don't get it…" Roxas said as he broke into a run towards the mansion.
'I'm with you on that.'
By the time Roxas got to the mansion, he saw that the giant lock was still on the gate. Gritting his teeth he huffed angrily. "Don't call me and then lock me out…"
'You could use the keyblade. I figure you can't remember, but it can be used to unlock pretty much anything.
"Huh?" Roxas started to ask, but then an image flashed before his eyes. The boy from his dreams had the keyblade in his hand and he was holding it out towards something. When the vision stopped Roxas mimicked as he had seen and summoned the keyblade. With that he actually watched as it shot a light forward to the lock and now the gate was open.
Racing instead Roxas started to look around the abandoned place. "Sheesh… didn't realize it would be this messy in here."
'Well it is abandoned isn't it?'
"Yeah… but now I just gotta figure out where I'm going."
Roxas started to head up the stairs, looking for whatever clues he could find. As he did, he could hear a light laugh from Ventus. 'Hey at least you're talking to me now.'
"Ah? Whatever! I guess I just forgot in the moment. I still want more answers though… um… ah… what was your-"
'It's Ventus, but call me Ven,' the identical voie to his said before he laughed.
"Sure… whatever I guess."
After that Roxas found a door that led into the white room that he had been in before. There were more drawings placed around the room this time and he looked at one that really seemed to catch his eye.
'Hey that looks like you and Axel from when-'
Before Ventus could finish, Roxas gripped his head and groaned. His breathing hitched as he proceeded to hunch over. A moment later the pain stopped and Roxas straightened up, though his breathing was still deep but at least slow.
'You okay? What happened?'
"I… I think I… I remember…something…"
'Wait really? What was it?'
Turning his head to the side he now saw that Namine standing there. " I remember something about Organization XIII... they're a bad group…"
"Bad or good, I don't know," Namine replied. "They're a group of incomplete people who wish to be whole. To that end, they're desperately searching for something."
"What?"
"Kingdom Hearts," Namine answered.
"Hmm," Roxas hummed for a moment before chuckling. "I guess I didn't remember that part yet… But there is still something I really want to ask… from what I do remember."
"What's that?"
Sighng Roxas kept looking straight at her. What's gonna happen to me now? Just tell me that. Nothing else really matters anymore."
Namine looked away for a moment before giving her own sigh. "You are…" A second later her image began to flicker out.
"Namine!"
In a flash Namine was gone and the robbed man from before appeared. "There's no knowledge that has the power to change your fate."
"Even if it doesn't, I wanna know. I have the right to know!"
"A Nobody doesn't have a right to know. Nor does it even have the right to be."
'Geez, what's this guy's problem? He doesn't have to be so rude about it.'
Roxas didn't have time to think and agree with Ventus, but he was right. "But what IS a Nobody!?"
Right then a tall hooded figure appeared next to the man. "DiZ, we're out of time. Too many Nobodies!" His voice was deep and unfamiliar to both Roxas and Ventus.
'Wait who's that? I thought that Riku had been-'
Before Ventus could finish though, Namine reappeared from a portal. "Roxas. Nobodies like us are only half a person. You won't disappear. You'll be whole!"
Roxas tilted his head. "I'll...disappear...?"
'No. She said you won't disappear. Are you listening?'
DiZ grumbled angrily, turning . "No further outbursts!"
Namine shook her head quickly. No, you won't disappear! You'll-"
Diz grabbed Namine and placed his hand over her mouth. Right away Roxas moved forward to get closer, but the hooded taller figure stood in front of him, blocking his way. But Namine was actually able to pry away Diz's hand as he tried to drag her back through the portal.
"Roxas! We will meet again. And then we can talk about everything. I may not know it's you, and you may not know it's me. But we will meet again. Someday soon. I promise!"
After that the portal vanished and all three of the others were gone from the room. Roxas stood there, with his arm outstretched, as if there would be something to grab on to. "Namine…"
'There's nothing we can do now. We gotta move on.'
"Yeah I know that! But that guy! Ah! I can't stand him! Why does he think he can treat her like that!"
'I wouldn't know, but I agree. He shouldn't be so rude about it.'
"Well next time I run into him I'll tell him off!"
'If you want to, but let's just try and find whatever it is we need to find here.'
Roxas continued searching through the old mansion, and that eventually led him to the library. It took a bit of looking and thinking but soon enough a secret passage was revealed in the floor of the room. From there the passage brought Roxas down to a basement where there was a large set up of computer monitors as well as some strange looking machine.
Upon laying his eyes on it, Roxas groaned again and nearly dropped to the floor. 'Roxas! You okay?'
Roxas groaned again while still holding on to his head, but then he stopped. Once he stood back up, he gritted his teeth. Summoning the keyblade he went right up to the computer and started to smash it repeatedly.
'Hey! Roxas! What do you think you are doing!?'
Roxas didn't reply, he only continued to smash up every monitor as much as he could. Ventus swore that he could even feel the anger and energy that was coming from Roxas. But either way he didn't understand where it was coming from.
'Roxas! Stop! You've broken it enough!'
"It won't be enough!" Roxas shouted. "They did this to me! They ruined my life!"
'What are you… oh did you remember something?'
"Of course! What else would it be!" Roxas broke another screen after that. "Everything I thought my life was… it was all a lie!"
'O-Oh… that's what it is. I guess now that I realize it… it was harsh of them to just rewrite your memories. But you know you were a bit resis-'
"I don't want to hear it! You know about this then?! Did you know this entire time?!"
'I mean… not entirely. I knew that Riku needed you cause you held some of Sora's memories… But when you blacked out after confronting him and we woke here… I had no idea what had happened.'
"You should have told me something seemed wrong!"
'But you wouldn't listen to me before. Thought I was just you going crazy.'
"Ah! You… Whatever!" Roxas smacked the keyboard one last time causing a door to suddenly open.
Going through there only led further into the weird basement and once he was in a new room, Dusk Nobodies, which Roxsa could now remember, appeared. Within seconds he destroyed each and every one of them, with still so much anger burning inside of him.
"Simply amazing, Roxas," Axel said as he entered the room. The tone was not friendly though and instead rather harshly sarcastic.
"Axel."
Axel scoffed. "You really do remember me this time? I'm so flattered!" Flames erupted around the entire room, leaving no way out for Roxas even if he wanted to. "But you're too late!"
Roxas wasn't even wanting to put up with this. Even if Axel was still his friend from before, there was still too much anger still left in him. He reached his hands forward and now held two keyblades in each hand much to Axel's surprise.
"Two!?"
'Whoa! Two keyblades? I didn't know that could be a thing! But… are you really going to fight him?'
Roxas glared before charging at Axel for the fight, not paying attention to anything else Ventus said after that.
When the fight was over and Roxas had won against Axel, the flames died down and Axel slumped to the floor. "Roxas…"
Flinched another memory came into Roxas's head. After words any anger that had left over was completely gone now. He looked to his friend who was beginning to fade away. "Axel… I.. I'm…"
"Don't need to say anything," Axel said solemnly. "Let's just agree to meet in the next life, okay?"
Roxas nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'll be waiting."
Axel suddenly chuckled. "Silly. Just because you have a next life…" He fully disappeared before he could even finish.
Slowly Roxas walked over to the spot where Axel had been. He stood over it as he sighed with a deep and long exhale.
'You going to be okay?'
"I don't know… He was my friend… and I just…"
Ventus hummed as he tried to think of what he could say to help. What could he even say? He had no idea how to handle a 'I just killed my best friend in a battle and watched then vanish before my eyes' scenario. He couldn't even give Roxas a hug if he wanted to, he was still just a voice in the head in the sense.
Eventually he knew he had to try and say something. 'I'm sorry…'
"Yeah… but maybe… maybe there will be something…" Roxas muttered before he finally proceeded through the door to the next section.
