Chapter 2

A Visit To Rose Garden

They set off the next morning by train, but once again, poor Natsu was still having stomach problems.

"Geez, go hit the restroom and vent your disdain for motion sickness in private," grumbled the brawler.

"Yang is right, Natsu. You should go there, while everyone else is on guard duty," agreed Wendy.

"I have to agree with those two for now," added Erza, despite her mild concern.

Somewhere in the back of the train car, Team SKYYYLAARC held a meeting with each other.

"Our destination's Rose Garden Station. Once we arrive, we patrol the town for any signs of Heartless prowling the city streets. We have to make sure that none of the people are attacked by them, or all hell will break loose, and that's something our fearless leader doesn't want," hissed Asuka.

"That's what we do, guys," added Sora.

"After that, we'll rendezvous with our friends," finished Kirito.

"This mission may not have been sanctioned, but it'll help Eclair discover the truth about what's in that forest," agreed Ruby.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. However, Yang was growing uneasy, after the incident with the Geese mission.

"I didn't think word would spread this fast," She murmured, with Leafa bringing up the rear.

They stopped at the other end.

"There's barely anyone on this train. And none of them look happy to be here," said the brawler.

"We may stand out as a group. We should go into different cars for now," whispered Leafa.

The Sylph wing went into the other car, while the others went into the car behind them. Sora slowly approached Yang, who was still uneasy, even though Ruby and the others moved to other cars. It wasn't an easy thing to be sure, but then she grew more worried that Eclair may have been right about magic being pure evil.

"Not sure what Eclair will say when she sees some of our weapons," she murmured.

"Don't get jittery, Yang," Sora assured the brawler.

"I know, I know. But that doesn't mean I don't have butterflies in my stomach as Natsu does. But hey, would you mind keeping an eye on things in the next car over? I'm worried there may be trouble," Yang explained.

"Something wrong, Yang?" Sora asked.

"Well, Kiritio's always on edge before missions, but you know he's a good guy underneath it all. The people on this train think he's letting a tiny bit of Nero's power get to him," she replied.

"He'll be alright, as long as Leafa or Asuna are with him," he assured her.

"Maybe…but I won't be until I know for sure. I'll remain here and help Natsu to the restroom, so that he can vent his disdain for motion sickness in private," said the brawler.

"Tell the others I'll be back," replied Sora.

Yang nodded, then allowed Sora to walk into the next car. What he saw made him uneasy. There was a passenger sitting next to Kirito, with Leafa watching anxiously.

"So, do you still support those wizards?" he asked.

Kirito ignored him.

"Fairy Tail is a blight on Earth Land," snapped the passenger.

The dark knight just rolled his eyes at him, as if he didn't want to hear the man's ranting.

"Their attack on another city has left the mayor of that place in a state of disarray, not to mention the Bacchus Gang's still running amok and causing chaos across the other kingdoms! But we won't lose heart! No! Everyone in the other lands agree. We will have a new king very shortly!," he barked.

"Oh, is that right?" Kirito asked the man, as he was starting to grow annoyed.

"What? You got a problem with that?' the man asked.

"Kirito, don't…" hissed Leafa.

"Do I have a problem with that? Oh, you can bet-" he was about to say, when Sora placed his hand on his shoulder.

"No. He doesn't," Sora spoke for him.

The man stormed off to the next car, leaving them alone. Kirito sat down on his seat.

"What a loser," he quipped.

But Sora turned and looked disappointedly at his friend.

"Listen, if I were Asuna, Yui, Erza, or Leafa, I'd say that you're better than that," he said to the dark knight.

Finally, Kirito relented, then sat back and hummed a little tune to himself. Sora knew that it meant victory, but his mind was somewhere else at the moment.

"Sora, can you go see how Yang and the others are doing? They need you more than I do, for now," Kirito said.

Sora nodded, then walked back to the car that his other friends were in, with Eclair and Momon at their side. Lucy wanted to know where Eclair came from, but the young woman said that she didn't know, and that her mind was blank at this time, which the others knew as amnesia. She felt that it was the case.

"The odd thing is that I never cared much for wizards. Especially the nosy kind," she said.

"Alright, that's enough, Eclair. Look, I don't know what happened between you and the wizards of this world, but not everyone should be viewed as evil. Take me for example. I may be Xehanort's son, that much is true about me, but I'm nothing like my old man at all. Sure the revelation may have left Lucy in a state of pure unadulterated shock, but she saw that there was good in my heart, even though Natsu said that all those associated with him are to be considered pure evil, and a lost cause. Thankfully, Erza and Makarov made doubly sure to ask Sora and the others to keep an extremely close eye on me, which they agreed to do. Even before he left me the day I was born, I still remember him saying that if he died, I would avenge him by killing the one responsible for spilling his blood. Sora told me that even though it was because he was following orders, and it later became personal, I could never think of killing him for revenge. Sure everyone may have darkness in their hearts, but Sora told me that the Specter Sisters, four young women who were from a far off future on Sailor Moon's world, told me that they had conflict in their hearts, which meant that he could sense some traces of good in them. However, there were some who chose to remain evil, thus becoming a lost cause. The worst of those two were none other than Rubeus and Esmeraude, and they paid for their crimes when they died. However, the worst death Sora saw was Saphir, who fell at the hands of someone who was purely evil, and had turned Chibiusa, future daughter of Usagi and Mamoru to the dark side, so that she could have them killed and prevent her own birth from happening. Believe me, the worst thing that I want to do is to become like my father, and even go so far as to act like another version of myself who tried to destroy everything by the name of Ydoc. It was he who wanted to try and have everybody killed, but then I realized that this must never happen. Trust me on that. I'd never repeat my father's mistakes, and attempt to lead a new generation of 13 Warriors of Darkness to gain possession of the X-blade that's in Sora's hands, because I've been told to never be afraid of who I truly am. If I do become too wrapped up in my fears of being the same as my father, only then will my friends turn their backs on me, and leave me all alone, which will make me think irrationally about them. That's what I choose to believe. My destiny is not defined by my bloodline. It's defined by what I choose to be, and that's to be a better person, who's free to accept the consequences of being Xehanort's offspring," Cody explained.

The train ride continued on for a while, but then Lucy slowly stood up and looked at Cody.

"Guys, I'd like to talk with Cody in private for a bit," she said to them.

Erza nodded, then allowed them to go to the next few cars to be alone.

"Cody, there are times when I don't like being secretive, but hearing you speak freely about how you're Xehanort's offspring may have brought back some bad memories about how you were hated, scorned, and jeered by everyone. Also, when you stood up to my father, Jude Heartfilia, may his soul rot in darkness, I thought I saw a man who'd be willing to say that my destiny is my own, rather than by blood," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now that I've become part of Team SKYYYLAARC, I can now travel to any world in existence, and it won't take any of us long to try and find clues to Eclair's past, even though I sounded pretty harsh on her," Cody replied.

"I know that Natsu and Happy can be obnoxious at times, even when they start acting like a bunch of crazy home wreckers when they visit me," said Lucy.

"Lucy, Sora once told me something that Sailor Moon said. Sometimes letting go of the very pride that tries to take control of our hearts like the darkness, is the first step to becoming something better than what we are," he explained.

"Sometimes, I feel like we grow up too fast," sighed the celestial mage.

"Well, there are times when our superiors try not to see it. Some people should be careful about taking it the wrong way though. Sora can sometimes be a great mentor. I was trained by Yugi Muto and his grandfather, as well as his friends, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Tea Gardner, and several others in how to be more patient with myself. Now I'm truly grateful to be the apprentice of Sora. In some ways… a lot of ways… I'm really ahead of him. I feel like taking the Mark of Master Examination, but there are times when I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of test. It's frustrating, and although some teachers may be overly critical, and they don't listen, I've learned an extremely important lesson about unfairness. But then Destiny said that if I continue to fear the darkness, try to push it out of my heart, I'll end up becoming so lost and afraid of myself, that I'd never be able to see the truth about how I should learn to balance light and darkness," continued Cody.

"A lot of mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way we can show true growth," assured Lucy.

"I know," sighed Cody, as he placed his head on the table.

"Cody, never ever become something you fear most of all," she said, gently taking his hand.

"I guess I've never grown up at all. Maybe I'm still as immature as Natsu and Gray are when they start bickering amongst each other, which could've lead to either Yang or Erza putting them in their place, but I think the brawler would probably just go full on Berserk mode and leave them all battered and beaten all over, which would probably make Sora very disappointed in her," replied Cody.

"Cody, please, don't think like that. You know Sora really dislikes it whenever people start thinking poorly of themselves. It causes the Heartless to sniff us out, and then strike when we least expect them to. But…" Lucy said, but she trailed off.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't say anymore," she sighed, and slowly stood up.

Cody looked at her as she walked back to her friends, then followed after her. That night, they arrived in the new city, Rose Garden. Sora was amazed. He had never seen anything like magic carpets, or anything else of that particular kind that met his eye.

"Whoa, this place is awesome. There's magic practically everywhere you look," said Gray.

"Yo, Happy, let's grab some grub," Natsu said to his companion.

"I think I'll hold off for a bit. Some of us should patrol the town for a bit, as well as browse the necessary commodities. If anyone feels like joining in, just say so," Sora said to his companions.

"Maybe you should relax a little, Sora. Don't you remember when you were being a little too serious about your task at being both Huntsman and Keyblade Master?" Ruby asked.

Sora remembered that all too well, as he had become too stressed during the whole Salem situation in Atlas which was now in ruins, along with Mantle. He sighed and relaxed for a short while.

"Maybe Ruby's right. Kirito, you can take Asuna and Yui with you. I'll take the others with me so that we can explore the town. Still, stay vigilant," he said.

"Guess it's gonna be you and me for now, Lucy," smiled Cody.

"Yes, let's go and have a bit of fun for a while," agreed Erza.

And so they did. They saw that the city of Rose Garden was beautiful, as well as a magnificent city. Everyone began exploring, although Eclair was still scornful about magic, as she and Momon tagged along with Lucy and Cody. Wendy and Carla saw some magic carpets and even visited the amusement parks, where they tried to play some games, but did get in trouble, Gray was also looking at other commodities, whilst having a snack, Natsu and Happy were eating a lot of food they could enjoy after the long train ride, so that he could put his motion sickness behind him. Erza, meawhile, visted the weapons shop, to check out many different swords and other types of melee gear that would suit her, and armor. When Lucy bought some ice cream, she wanted to give Eclair some, but she refused, leading to her sharing the second cone with Cody. However, Erza saw a wedding dress that made her surprised, just as Kirito, Asuna, and Yui were passing by. They thought it'd be a perfect dress for her to try on. Of course, Gray did get in trouble with the guards for stripping down to his boxers. Poor Natsu and Happy, however, had to do some staff work in the kitchen, so that they could go free. Then Eclair looked at Cody and Lucy, as they continued to explore. They soon met in the Hill Hotel, where everyone sat while Erza got the room keys. Natsu seemed surprised to know that she was in a good mood, until Wendy spilled the beans about her buying the wedding dress, which caused Kirito to shoosh her.

"Problem?" she asked.

"Nothing!" everyone replied quickly.

Cody was now waiting outside of the washroom as Lucy showered to get freshened up, after the long train ride.

"I wonder what the deal is with this girl?" he heard her ask.

"That, I don't know, Lucy," Cody replied quietly, even as he kept his eyes forward.

He turned to Eclair.

"Hey, Eclair, I know that we're in the same room, and I'm the only boy here, which does seem inappropriate at most, but if you wish to be alone so that we can have another room to ourselves, we'll be fine with it," he said.

"I don't mind sharing. The two of us are alike. We both have the same look in our eyes," replied Eclair.

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Lucy.

"You're eyes. They serve as a window to your past. They tell me that you've known sadness. I never thought I'd see that in a magic user," she said.

"My eyes tell you that?" asked the celestial mage.

"What else can you see, when you look into my eyes?" Cody asked.

"When I see your eyes, Cody, I see a young boy who's been told by his father to finish what he started back then, until you were raised by others to protect you from the truth about your father, Master Xehanort. The very same Xehanort who tried to destroy all good things, so that he could remake the universe in his image. But when he died, after passing the X-blade to Sora, He left you a message. 'You must kill Sora, in order to avenge my death, and fulfill my destiny. The destiny that is part of our bloodline, Cody Xehanort.' That's the message he left you before he passed away," explained Eclair.

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind them, and began to attack them. Cody, not wanting Lucy to get hurt, deflected the projectiles with his Keyblade, as she ran to Eclair's side.

"The calm acquiescence of a captive with a terrifying thrill of prey," the masked man said.

"I don't know who you think you are! But you're mistaken if you think you can threaten my friends!" Cody remarked bravely.

"I'm not here for you," scoffed the assassin.

Eclair was worried.

"Run, now!" he and Lucy said to her.

Eclair and Momon did so, as both the Celestial Mage and the Keyblade Apprentice called to their friends for help, as they ran for their lives.

"Do you know what this guy wants from you?" Lucy asked.

"Above us!" called Momon.

Cody turned and deflected more of the daggers with his Keyblade, but then noticed the Heartless appearing. Ahead of them.

"Into the alley! Quickly!" he cried.

They did just that, but still the attacker, Chase, pursued them. Suddenly they fell over a railing, bounced off the roof of a stall, and landed in a pile of sacks that seemed to cushion them.

"Cody! Eclair! Lucy! Are you okay!? Talk to me!" cried Momon.

Above, Chase glared at them.

"Go forth and seek her blood, 'O blade of mine," he said.

"Don't you touch her!" snapped Cody, as he stood between them.

"Cody!" cried Lucy.

"Don't worry. I'm not going down without a fight, Lucy," he assured her.

"That can be arranged, boy," remarked Chase, as he lunged at him.

But before his blade could strike, he was thrown off by Natsu, who came to the rescue, with all of his other friends.

"You guys, thank god, you're here!" Lucy said with relief.

"Watch over them, Cody. We'll handle this," Sora said to his friend.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" demanded Natsu.

Chase looked at them, then noticed Natsu's Fairy Tail mark.

Know it will not help you," he said, and quickly retreated.

"Hey, get back here!" cried Gray.

Natsu quickly told Happy to make sure the others were alright, then followed after his partner, with Sora bringing up the rear. The assassin then lead them through a cluster of carpets that were hanging on clothes lines, which was a struggle, until Gray was kicked back.

"That's it!" snapped Sora, and he lunged furiously at him.

"Don't bother, Sora!" barked Hyena who appeared, and blasted him back with Dark Firaga Burst.

"DAMN YOU!" screamed Kirito, angered at seeing his friend get hurt.

Both he and Natsu lunged at their opponents, and the battle was on. Chase fled, while the Black Swordsman clashed with the cybernetic Keyblade Wielder. Chase fled, but Gray wasn't willing to give up just yet, as he knew that they still had an enemy to pursue and defeat. They finally cornered him on the roof.

"You're gonna wish that you kept on running!" barked the dragon slayer.

"Fairy Tail, is it?" he remarked, then vanished through the roof.

"Wait, you!" cried Sora, but it was too late.

Chase was gone. Enraged, Sora swung his Keyblade furiously in all directions.

"Where are you? Don't you dare hide from me! Show yourself!" he shouted.

"You must stop! That's enough!" cried Yumi, who arrived.

"Sora?" Gray asked.

"Who was he? Why was he attacking my friends, and have help from Hyena?" hissed Sora.

"Listen. It doesn't matter. He's gone for now," Asuka assured him.

Sora turned and looked at the granddaughter of Hanzo, then turned away from her.

"I'm sorry," he said somberly, only for Yumi to hug him.

"Sora, you don't need to apologize. Believe me. I get that you didn't like how he attacked your friends, but that doesn't give you the right to lash out in anger," she said.

Sora nodded slowly, then hugged her back.

"We should probably head back to the others. Cody's getting worried," said Leafa.

As Cody and Lucy were asking Eclair why the assassin was after her, and if it triggered any memories, Natsu, Gray, and everyone else came back to see if everyone was okay.

"I don't know. Someone's after her," Lucy said, but her towel fell off.

Quickly, Cody tossed her a black coat, then asked if the other girls could help the celestial mage, but told the others that she needed to be left alone for a bit, until she was in the coat.

"Wait," she called to Cody.

Cody stopped, but kept his eyes forward, and not back.

"Thank you, Cody," Lucy said kindly to him.

"It's my honor," replied Cody.

"Hey, Yang, would you mind teaching Natsu and Gray about what happens to perverts?" Asuna asked.

Yang nodded, then her eyes turned bright crimson.

"Uh, mommy?" the two rivals said together.

"HYA! ORA! ORA ORA! ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! ORA!" she howled, pummeling them into submission.

"I'm out of here," Happy said, and he flew off into the night sky.

"Memo to all boys. No perversion or Yang beats you into submission," sighed Ruby.

"Okay, stop it. Stop! Leave them alone, Yang! They've learned their lesson!" cried Lucy.

Suddenly, Erza appeared, slamming her boot onto the ground.

"YANG XIAO LONG! YOU WILL STOP THIS AT ONCE!" she shouted.

"Ooh, my aching biscuits," groaned Natsu.

"Agh, my spine might be fractured," agonized Gray, as they lay battered and beaten.

"Ouch. But at the same time, I guess they kind of deserved it," murmured Sora.

"Even so, while I approve of putting Natsu and Gray in their place, what Yang did was going too far. However, I'd suggest that we reconvene later in the morning after a good night's rest," quipped Erza.

"Roger that," grumbled Yang.

But in her coat, Lucy quickly rushed off to find Cody leaning against the wall in silence. He turned to face her.

"Cody, about the coat you gave me," she said.

"I know. I felt like it was better to give you something to cover up, or else you'd berate us boys for being perverted after seeing your whole body, top to bottom, which would not only make you embarrassed, but also very angry," he replied quietly.

Lucy just shook her head at him, then took Cody's hand in her own.

"You're not perverted, Cody. Yes, I dislike perverts, but you're different from the other boys. That's something I appreciate about you. It's almost like I…"

She stopped herself again, then turned slowly away.

"What's the matter with you, Lucy? C'mon, you've got a job to do, and it's better to talk to Eclair about what happened that night," she said to herself.

Cody wasn't sure why Lucy was stopping herself, but he decided that it was better to keep his true feelings in check until he was ready to confess what he felt about her. For now, asking Eclair about her past had to come first.