Secrets of Memories Chapter 61: The Secrets of Memories
" Aozora."
Kairi stared. Impossible. But probable. The resemblance was there. He was a pale child with golden hair and flashing eyes. Aozora was pale, too, with the same colored hair but his eyes were pure bronze, not hazel. But Kairi knew deep in her heart that this was Aozora.
" His official name was Kurozora," Kairi murmured, watching the two children spar with each other. " Yet he answered to 'Aros'. But where did he find his name?"
Synthesis. He only remembered bits and parts of his name, and put them together. Kurozora. Aros. Aozora…
He was the son of Ronsend and Alara. His father was a Keyblade Master!
And he had a twin brother, a strangely familiar twin brother.
Kairi stared at the more boisterous of the two, watching them as they sparred with intensity in the garden. Then, they faded away.
Kairi continued to stare. The Oracle was right; he had not found Aozora among the dreams, because Kairi had met him. It was a meeting that made her shiver. There was something about Aozora that she couldn't quite place her finger upon.
There was something in his gaze, something behind the harsh, glaring bronze.
She shook her head, felt her bangs brush against her face. Stop thinking about him! Get back to business! Clearly there were more memories here, more memories that she could observe, unlock, and decipher.
The secrets within these memories beckoned to her. And she was out to find the truth.
That came a few seconds later, when another memory materialized, this time of the woman Alara and an old man. Maybe her father?
"…something about the younger of the two."
The old man was talking about one of the twins. Who was younger?
" They show the same potential," Alara said softly, wringing her hands. " They are the same."
" Not quite," the old man shook his head. He was balding, had a few wrinkles, but looked remarkably young for someone who was apparently old. Even stranger was the fact that he wore a long black trenchcoat. It was not every day that you saw a grandfather wearing a teenager's Gothic trenchcoat.
" Yes, I know about the thing considering Darkness, Twilight, and Light," Alara sighed. " But other than that, I can see no difference between their potentials."
" Your younger son, there is something strange about him; that much I can say," the old man said. " Perhaps he will inherit a Keyblade and become a Wielder, possibly a Keyblade Master."
" But what about Aros?" the mother questioned.
" Perhaps. He shows another sort of power, too," the old man remarked. " But, I must admit, it is the younger child I'm more interested in. Shirozora, you say?"
" That is his name," Alara nodded.
" No wonder you don't use Aros' real name." The old man chuckled. " But Alara, I advise you: keep an eye on Shirozora. No telling what may happen next…"
The two faded away.
Okay, so maybe they weren't related to each other. But they seemed to be intimate about certain things – like Shirozora. The more aggressive, the more active one was the younger of the twins. Aozora was older.
She couldn't help it. The more she tried, the more she couldn't push away the image of him from her mind. He had such a sad, lonely look; she knew he had suffered so much and had lived with more than she had ever thought of. There were things done that she'd dare not imagine, including the destruction of Ancient Greece and the opening of Kingdom Hearts.
" Do you think I wanted to do that? Do you really think I wanted to murder, to kill in the name of darkness and evil? Do you think I did everything on a whim, open Kingdom Hearts for the hell of it? A thousand years may pass but what I've done will still haunt me, maybe forever. I was a member of the Society, and I was there when the Society became evil, when it corrupted and began to use us to destroy and cause chaos. I had no choice but to remain in the Society, until I was told to leave and find Sora. King Mickey told me to open Kingdom Hearts; do you think I really wanted to open Kingdom Hearts? By the gods, I would've rather died than open those damn doors but what would you do, if the king told you to open those doors? What would you do if you were faced with Sora's damn obstinacy while trying to keep him safe, at risk of chasing him off and making yourself go bring him back? Kairi, I've suffered enough, enough. I lost my childhood long before any of you did, twelve years ago, when I lost my family to an explosion nobody really cared to explain. I've been branded by the Society for trying to hold on to what they used to stand for before corruption took them. I lost my friends for five long years, and we've only just met again. I don't know when I'll ever see them again. I've been wandering the Universe for two to three years looking for the owners of two Keyblades burning in my pockets. I've been fighting Heartless and Nobodies wherever I go, and I've been told countless times what I must do, all the time, to the point it sickens me. Kairi, I've suffered enough and I don't need to hear more from you, especially you!"
She regretted blasting him for doing things he could not control. She regretted not understanding his dilemma. And she regretted the fact that she alone knew of his family, of his father, mother, and younger twin brother.
"…give it up, Ronsend! You know you can't hide from me!"
That was King Mickey's voice! But strange – it didn't really sound like him. His voice sounded more…mature.
" Shut up, you meddlesome fool! I oughta kill you right now!"
" It's not easy killing me, Ronsend! Just as its not easy escaping the wrath of the light you've betrayed!"
Kairi hurriedly made her way to where the voices were shouting. They were coming from behind the house beyond the garden. As she passed, she spotted, in one of the windows, the child Shirozora looking out into the sky.
Was he aware of what was going on?
Kairi stumbled through some bushes but got away with just one scratch. She had found her way into a clearing, a clearing that opened up to what looked like a private beach and a rock outcropping. Nearly everything in front of her was in color, including the full moon that cast its light upon the writhing waters of the ocean.
In the middle of the clearing were two figures. They were both tall, lithe, muscular, and obviously male. One she immediately recognized as Ronsend; he was wearing the same trenchcoat as the old man did in the other memory, and he was wielding two Keyblades. One was exactly like Sora's, with its silver body and golden handle. The other one was the Kingdom Key, too, but looked mighty strange; its body was crystalline and its handle gave off colors similar to the colors of the aurora she'd sometimes see in the night sky overlooking Destiny Islands.
The other person was less recognizable. By the moonlight, she made out shiny straight black hair, dark, serious eyes, a pale complexion, and a small cut on his left cheek. He wore a long, tight dark coat, calf-high boots, and dark tight clothing underneath. He looked rather handsome, handsome and noble.
But what stunned her was his weapon. The Golden Keyblade.
King Mickey was a human!
" You'd lose the right to your Keyblades to join the darkness?" That was definitely King Mickey's voice coming from the dark-haired stranger, though more mature.
" The Light gave me nothing, including the Keyblades," Ronsend snapped back, circling warily. " No Paradise. The Keyblades may be used to create havoc but they…refuse to listen to me."
" You have lost the right to use the Keyblades!" the stranger thundered. " Surrender them!"
" Never!"
The two men clashed. Before Kairi's stunned eyes, they fought madly, stabbing, swiping, pushing, punching, kicking, ducking, somersaulting, every move possible in order to get in as many hits as possible while not getting hurt as well. They were both incredibly skilled, incredibly talented.
And so incredibly doomed.
" Animalis transceti!"
There was a blast of violent light; Kairi immediately blocked it with her arms but heard the piercing cry that went with it.
King Mickey's.
Kairi turned in horror back to the battle scene, watching a nightmare unfold in the fall of dominoes.
This was how King Mickey became a mouse! Ronsend had cried out a powerful spell and forcibly transformed the handsome man into the mouse king that she knew.
" Traitor!" Now she knew his voice. Apparently the loss of height determined the depth of his voice. " You really are a traitor!"
" Depends on how you see it!" Ronsend snapped back, giving his Kingdom Keys an expert swirl. Already the skies were darkening, storming over. The moon and the stars vanished and a stiff wind began to blow.
" The world's Heart, you've destabilized it!" King Mickey shouted in outrage.
" Hm…not bad," Ronsend grinned. " These Keyblades really do destroy."
" You…are a traitor!" King Mickey pointed his Keyblade at Ronsend. " Kingdom Keys, begone from an undeserving man! His heart is gone to the Darkness; release your hold and join the endless sleep until the time comes to reawaken!"
His voice thundered through the wind as another blast of light forced Ronsend to his knees. He stared at his hands; his weapons were gone.
" You!" Ronsend cried out in anguish. " What more can you do to destroy my life?"
" I…never did anything to you," King Mickey looked up at him in contempt. " You destroyed your own life. Restless for years, angry because I closed Kingdom Hearts; is this how you accomplish your task, fulfill the destiny granted to you by the weapons that have now abandoned you? Destroy this world? Destroy your family!"
" Shut up, you bastard! You stupid king, I oughta kill you right now!" Ronsend screamed at him, rising to his feet.
" With what? What else has the Society taught you?" There was contempt and disgust in King Mickey's voice.
" Oh no…" Ronsend smiled. " I've learned a few tricks on my own…like this!"
With that, a ball of black and purple fire bloomed in his right hand. He pulled his arm back, then threw the hot fire at King Mickey.
Kairi stared. Everything had suddenly gone into slow motion. She saw the black flame pelted at King Mickey, watched his slow reaction to it, realized just how fast Ronsend had thrown it. To make things worse, King Mickey somersaulted over it – being a mouse gave him a height advantage in a weird sort of sense – and the fireball sailed past him…towards Shirozora.
" Oh no!" Kairi screamed, knowing fully well that the child could not hear her.
The young child stared at the black flames with an expression of horror and astonishment. Both King Mickey and Ronsend were trying to warn him but the fireball, Kairi knew, was moving much too quickly for their warnings to reach the toddler in time.
Sudden flashes. A scream. Blood.
But whose?
" Alara!" Ronsend's cry tore through the violent air. " No, Alara! Alara! ALARA!"
" By the gods," King Mickey whispered, backing away quickly.
" No…"
Kairi suddenly realized what it was that had just transpired. At the last minute, Alara materialized out of nowhere and took the fireball; Aros – Aozora – had appeared a second later to shove his younger brother out of the way. Now they were both staring at the body before them, the golden hair streaming in the dark grass, the red stain that spread its inky fingers across the pale dress, the unseeing eyes that stared back at the man she loved, the man who killed her.
" What have I done? This wasn't supposed to happen! This never should've happened!"
Ronsend was trembling, staring at the grisly scenario before him in horror, with shock, with terrible sadness. That quickly gave way to anger.
" You!" Ronsend turned on King Mickey.
" Me?"
" You were supposed to take that fireball! You're the one who should be there, not Alara!" Ronsend screamed at him. " You should've DIED!"
King Mickey stared at him for a few moments, taking in the powerful, trembling form that was a Keyblade Master, Aozora's father. " It was your fault, Ronsend. None but yours; you gave in to the Darkness, this is what you have become. This is what you've done! To me, to Alara, to your children, to your home world! You have destroyed what you never had the right to do, lost all that you have never loved and you're blaming me for all this? Ronsend, who are you?"
" I was waiting for that!" Ronsend snarled back. He was no longer human; he was a beast, a beast on the hunt for a kill. Two fireballs materialized. " I knew being the Keyblade Master would never be easy, especially because the Golden Keyblade chose you. So what did I do? I took a few liberties; picked up some special powers. I'm not a Keyblade Master, you fucker; I'm the Advocate!"
As soon as he said that, the wind roared through the night and the seas boiled over. The clouds gave way to violent thunder and the earth began to shake.
" This world is about to meet its doom," the Advocate thundered, " and you're going down with it!"
" Wait, the -" King Mickey yelled out.
" Daddy!"
Everything, everyone froze. Even Kairi stopped breathing.
Shirozora stared at the fallen man. " Is Momma gonna be alright?"
The anguish, the pain on Ronsend's face drew tears to her eyes. " She's sleeping…just sleeping…"
Ronsend turned away…and faded into the air.
" Dad! Dad, where are you?" Aros screamed out.
" Daddy!"
" By the gods, we have to get out of here!"
And screams, screams in the distance, drowned by the roll of thunder, the thunder of the waves, and the destruction of the foundations of Deep Tranquility.
Death, death everywhere…
" Shirozora! Aros, come with me!" King Mickey called out, as a lanky figure and a stumpy being came hurrying into view: Goofy and Donald.
" Gary, get the ship ready, NOW!" King Mickey ordered.
Gary?
" A-hyuk! C'mon, Donald! Best be hurrying!" Donald and Goofy rushed off, with Kairi staring after them. Did King Mickey just call Goofy 'Gary'?
" Aros, Shirozora, come with me quickly!" the king ordered the two toddlers. Aros instantly obeyed, but Shirozora lagged.
" What about Momma?" he asked, with all due innocence. He could not understand the red stain on her, nor the reason why she kept sleeping in such a grotesque way.
" She's…gonna wake up in a few minutes and come with us, Shirozora," Aros thought up a quick answer.
Wow, Kairi thought. Aozora was really wise and responsible from a really young age. Must suck being older by a few minutes.
" But I want to stay with Momma," Shirozora whispered, his blue eyes weeping. " I told her I promised to stay with her, no matter what."
Promises…
" I don't want to break it."
Broken promises…
" Mom wouldn't want you to stay here, Shirozora," Aros said rather wisely. " She'd have wanted us to leave, together. Remember the promise?"
His twin brother nodded. " I know…but I can't leave her! I promised!"
With that, he dashed off, to the lifeless, bloodied body that lay abandoned and uncared for in a world gone mad. Somehow, Shirozora managed to dodge the crevices and the splitting earth in his reckless race to his mother.
" Shirozora! Come back!" both Kairi and King Mickey cried out at the same time but only King Mickey's voice would be heard. And not heeded. Kairi ran to the far end of the memory sequence, watching as Shirozora grabbed his mother's arm and tried to pull her along. " Momma, please get up, please! We have to go! You have to get up! Momma!"
Kairi began to cry. She couldn't help it; it hurt so much watching the little child call out futilely to the mother that would never answer back. Aozora's brother.
What must he have felt, knowing that their mother would never get up? What must have been going through his mind, watching his younger twin brother try and get their dead mother to come back to life?
How strange it was, that Shirozora was only a few minutes younger, yet the age gap seem vast. Aros was clearly very mature; Shirozora was simply acting his age. The difference was there and yet…
Promises. He would keep to his promises to the very end. Like Sora…
Then the child looked up, looked at her, past her, into the heavens that only he could see. Kairi stared into his tear-stained face, the tanned skin, the uncontrollable umber hair. His face…she couldn't quite put her finger to it…
His eyes.
They were clear, crystal blue, shimmering with childish tears, gleaming with childish fears. And yet, Kairi knew that she could identify those eyes anywhere and everywhere.
Those were Sora's eyes.
How could his eyes appear in the eyes of a young child like this? Where was the connection, the correlation?
That came a few minutes later, when the land between Shirozora and Aros blew apart, leaving behind a massive gap that no one could cross. Lava bubbled from beneath, rising quickly as the world's heart destabilized.
" Shirozora!"
Aros' wail was drowned by the roar of the forces of nature. Kairi never saw again a glimpse of Aros or King Mickey or Donald or Goofy; all she saw was Shirozora, tugging at her wrist and the bracelet embracing it. Then, out of the blue, the Dream Heart loomed into view.
" Dream Heart!" Kairi was quite glad to see someone she knew. " What's going on here?"
He glided over to where Shirozora was and gently grasped him. " Child, we must go! Your brother has already left; your promise has already been fulfilled. It is time to go."
" No!" Shirozora yelled, beating at the ghostly knight. " I promised her! I told her I'd stay with her to the very end!"
Clearly he was on friendly terms with the Dream Heart. Why else would one not freak out upon seeing this Dusk imposter?
" An impossibility!" the Dream Heart began to pull him away. " Let her go."
" Never! Shirozora yelled back and kept a firm grip on the bracelet around her wrist. " Never! Never, never, never, never…"
The bracelet snapped off her wrist and it fell limply. The body was dragged a few feet but now lay limp near the border of grass and sand. Shirozora continued to scream and reach for her as the Dream Heart held on to him tightly and glided briskly away, over the tumultuous sea, into the storming skies.
" Momma…"
His arm dropped, hanging over the Dream Heart's arm as the great white knight ferried the small child away into the sky. He was crying. Somehow, he knew that he'd never see her again.
But that odd spectacle was not what caused Kairi to basically freak out; it was the bracelet, the bracelet's medallion, the large silver medallion of a crown.
Sora's crown necklace.
And then it all came to her in a rush. Suddenly, she understood.
Shirozora was Sora. He and Aozora were twin brothers. And their parents…were lost long ago. One to do the darkness, one to death. And King Mickey…was human.
Kairi shook her head slowly and fell to her knees.
" No…"
Impossible! But yes, it made sense, it all made sense! But no…it made no sense, either. King Mickey was human? Goofy's name was Gary? Ronsend, the evil man who turned King Mickey into a mouse and killed his wife, was the father of them both, the two people the Order fretted over like crazy? Impossible!
Is it, now?
Kairi slowly turned around. This was a new voice, a worn voice, tired yet still powerful and strong. It was a voice of comfort and certain hope, and she knew that voice, heard it long ago, in another time.
" Tesled?"
Ah, so you remember my name, do you now? Yes, that was the name I passed on to a generation of inhabitants of Old Citadel.
" I came from where?" Kairi demanded. By now, she had gotten so used to odd happenings, talking to thin air really was nothing.
Hollow Bastion, Old Citadel, they are both the same. The realm of King Ansem, before his fall from grace. Home of a few members of the Elite that we now fight. We were all once friends, but the treachery of one of our Keyblade Masters has turned the Universe upside down. And now…only his son can fix that.
" Sora…"
What else do you know, Kairi Princess of Heart?
Tesled, the old man who lived in a world lost in her memories, who was her teacher in the old days. Before she came to Destiny Island and met the two people who changed her life.
" What do I know? I know that Ronsend and Alara had a family but it was breaking apart. Ronsend wanted adventure when it was too late…to go abroad. Somehow his heart turned dark…and I don't know what made King Mickey human or something but he was human! But somehow he knew and came and fought Ronsend. Then everything backfired, Ronsend lost his weapons, Alara died, and the whole world blew up! And in the process, Sora and Aozora got split, one going with King Mickey, the other with the Dream Heart! There, tell me what I'm missing, Teslad!"
Missing? You've missed nearly nothing. Gaps here and there, to be explained in due time, but you've nailed it. But Aozora never left with King Mickey. Somehow he got lost and Mickey, Donald, and Gary barely escaped the destruction alive. Then –
" Who's Gary?"
Goofy, of course. Everyone on Disney was once human. Ronsend's spell…turned them into animals. It was Mickey Disney, Donald Alba, and Gary Remue. After the spell, they gave up on their last names. Of course, I still remember but…what else do you want to ask?
" Sora…Aozora, Sora, Aozora, how – wha – I don't get it!" Kairi stumbled over her words. " They're related? As in brothers!"
Don't they look alike?
" Well…yeah, kinda, sorta, not really, I don't know," Kairi scratched her head. " I mean…well, I don't know how to explain this. They're like…literal compositions of their parents. I mean, Sora looks like Ronsend, but with Alara's eyes. And Aozora looks more like Alara but with Ronsend's eyes but Ronsend's eyes just flash. Why are Aozora's so – so, bronze?"
One of the mysteries of life, I'm afraid. Even I don't' have an answer to everything. His eyes turned bronze after Deep Tranquility was destroyed.
"…whatever you say, Tesled," Kairi sighed, then sat in the sand. It felt warm, like the sun was out just a few moments earlier. " I…I just don't get it. How are they…how are they so alike yet so different? Sora's…like a little kid, like someone his age, someone who's supposed to be his age. But Aozora…he's so mature. It kind of scares me."
I wonder why.
Kairi blinked. That was not Tesled's voice.
Well duh, I'm part of your conscience. Your subconscious for that matter.
Kairi winced. Great, two voices now, is it? She must be going schizophrenic.
You still need to find the last of Ansem's Other Reports. This was Tesled speaking now. Not only that, there is one more memory you must find, one that was preserved especially for you. Find it…and your journey is nearly at an end.
" And then?"
Find the Door of In Between and seal it. This will lock the fate of the worlds. No more would come, no more would go. Celt Circle is already lost; it is this world we hope to bring back. Seal the Door of In Between; by then Deep Tranquility would have already returned. Seal it…and I will show you the way to Traverse Town.
" Will I see Sora?" Kairi asked hopefully.
Sora, eh?
" Shut up!" It was hard to distinguish between Tesled speaking and her own voice mocking her. To make things worse, both were rather enlightening, and in that sort of sense, she really didn't like what her own voice was leading her into…
Perhaps, perhaps not. Tesled sounded doubtful. His is a shadowy path, with twists and turns that most cannot see. But I can. Will I tell you? No, that would be too harsh, too unfair. No one deserves to learn of anyone's fate but their own. In fact, mostly everyone does not deserve to know how their road will take them to the merciful end. How would you like to live every day knowing that someday you'll get on a fishing ship, sail out to sea, and drown in a hurricane on the return home? Believe me, it is the most torturous thing. Better to learn – if possible – along the way than know all along.
" Oh," Kairi replied in a small voice. " Then will I…uh, see Riku?"
Riku? Why are you asking about Riku? Just say his name and get it over with!
" Shut up!" Kairi snapped out loud again and with more force.
Ah yes, Deep Tranquility as a tendency to warp minds as well as memories. She could picture the old man smiling, at least with understanding. Ignore the voice at your own risk. A gift and a curse to strengthen the voice that had been silenced is what makes this world both great and terrible. Murders were rare here; the subconscious often fights the impulse to kill. In your case…well, I wouldn't ask. That would be to be privy to what goes through your mind and your mind is the last sanctuary. It is prohibited by the ancient laws of the Universe to invade one's memories and mind. We had some trouble with that…but it all has been undone.
" Listen to your subconscious," Kairi said slowly.
Remember what Sally told you? Briefly, yes, but you should've heeded her warning: hearts would change as well. Don't you remember? Of course you don't, but I do. You didn't acknowledge her warning…I wonder how Sora would feel about it if I told him everything. Yes, Kairi, everything
Kairi grimaced and turned a blushing red at the same time. What was wrong with her?
You didn't heed Sally's warning; I doubt you even heard it. But I heard it. I hear everything. I see everything. I know everything that goes through your mind. I know you're losing your hold on the memories you hold of Sora. How long has it been? Over a year, to the very least? And somehow, you thought it was time to build a new ship and sail out to a new sea. Or did you?
" Tesled, how do you shut up your subconscious?" Kairi asked desperately.
That is for you to control. Only you can rule your own mind. Memories, you can forget. Your mind, you can twist it into a gnarled old tree or nurture it into a living evergreen. Your heart…well, your heart and soul are a different story altogether. United, with the others, hopefully will bring an end to the looming Darkness. I take my leave, Princess of Heart. Seven hearts, Kairi, seven hearts. Maleficient thought she understood; she misunderstood, simply speaking. Seven hearts, remember that.
Kairi bowed her head.
Two more things. One, call me Eldest. Two, you will see him. That I am certain of. See, in this world, memories and minds warp and twist. Your voice is quite annoying, I might add. I feel sorry for you.
Kairi dropped her jaw. " What!"
Yeah well, I told him everything. Not that I meant to.
" You…voice!" Kairi yelled. " What in heck did you tell him?"
Good, you remember not to swear. Her voice seemed quite amused with her. Well, to tell you the truth, I did let on a bit about Sally's warning that you totally botched up on. Not only that, I did mention the time you met Aozora.
Kairi turned a very dark shade of crimson.
See that? Sora's gonna have a righteous fit if he returns and finds out. To think that the girl he promised to return to has feelings for his twin brother!
" Argh – wait, if? What in heck is that supposed to mean!"
Shit…
Chapter 62…
" Some tea?"
" Ah! You!"
" You have forgotten all that had transpired since you last closed Kingdom Hearts."
Authors Second Note: If you have any questions, ask in your reviews and I will attempt to answer them in the next chapter with the next author's note. Cheerio!