Copyrights: The plot is mine. Everything else belongs to Square-Enix and Disney. And…'Somewhere I Belong' belongs to Linkin Park. Linkin Park, w00t w00t!
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 71: My Promise
It was a sunny day, with a few white clouds in the sky. He looked up at the sun and smiled in its warmth. The breeze felt good. He could smell the welcoming smell of the sea.
Their mother had sent them out of the house with a basket filled with cheese, bread, a bottle of grape cordial, and a large homemade sausage. It took the both of them to lug the whole thing to the beach.
" You'd think Momma realizes we're still three by now," the other boy grumbled. He then tore off a chunk of bread and began heading for the water.
" Feeding your fish again?" the other boy called out, busily digging in the sand with a stick.
" His name is Gill!" the first, a brunet, yelled defiantly as he marched into the water and began throwing around crumbs.
" Okay," the other, a blond, shrugged. " I'm hungry. C'mon, I wanna eat!"
" Wait…" the brunet tossed the rest of the crumbs then sloshed his way back to shore.
The blond was pulling out cheese and whatever remained of the bread. Their mother had packed in a dull knife; he took that and began slicing the cheese.
" Where's Ashita?"
" I don't know," the other replied, intent on cutting the cheese right down the middle. " I don't think he's gonna come today."
The brunet reached over and pulled the cheese in half. He then proceeded to stuff his chunk into his mouth.
The blond glared at him.
" Mom told us not to eat like animals."
" Gill eats nicely. He's an animal."
" That's cuz you throw crumbs in the water."
" And he says thank you."
" Fish don't talk!"
" Go ask him!"
And suddenly…the whole scene melted away.
And Aozora found himself hovering above a tumultuous sea. The skies were dark, overcast, and there was no land in sight. Nor were their any signs of life. Besides his own.
" What is this place? No…it can't be!"
" It is…"
And there, hovering before him, was his mentor, Eldest.
" Mentor! What's going on here? Why am I in the Sea of Sorrows?"
" Well, I do need to talk to you some…"
" About what?"
" Your failure…"
" What? What are you talking about?"
" Sora's still defenseless! And what are you doing, sleeping of all things!"
Aozora bristled. " Hey, Axel knocked me out back there; like I was able to do anything!"
" Of course you did. Have you forgotten all your spells?"
" Oh…" Aozora looked down, rather embarrassed and humiliated. " Of course…I could've…"
" You forgot that you had powers and so you've failed to protect Sora like I had implored you to. The sky-child is out there defenseless. You must get up!"
" What am I supposed to do? I'm tired, Eldest. If I don't get any sleep, I can't think right and I can't do anything right!"
The old man thought for a moment, his face hidden by the shadows of the hood.
" The days are shortening…the night is prepared to strike. Aozora, you must hurry. Have you forgotten your promises?"
" My promises? What's your point?"
" You must get up and go. If you don't, you will be breaking some promises."
" I never made any promises to you. It was an order you gave me!"
" Am I talking about myself?" Eldest snapped. " I am not a selfish fool here! You made a promise once, to one you care about. Or have you forgotten, too?"
" My mind works just fine, thanks. But what are you talking about-"
For the briefest of moments, he saw Lorien and Kobi in his mind. Then they melted away, replaced by three images: Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Then Sora and Riku faded away. And there was Kairi, her face full of pain and loss. She seemed to be asking something of him, something just barely beyond his reach.
" Kairi…"
" You promised to save Sora for her. Are you going to break your promise now?"
Aozora fell silent, his heart beating rather painfully. He did promise…
There was something that bothered him, though, something about promises. He knew that there was someone long ago who believed in holding onto the promises made. Someone he was very close to.
" I…" Aozora looked down, watching the sea, " I have to go…don't I?"
" You are a Keyblade Master; your days were never of leisure. Your path is of darkness and suffering; you must do right for a light to be found at the end of the road."
" Light…" Aozora sighed.
" My hold on your mind lessens. Time grows short, Aozora. You must hurry and find Sora. Riku has told you where he could be found. Now is the time to go and find him. Hold to your promise and all will be right."
" If only…" Aozora murmured, as the Sea of Sorrow and Eldest began to fade.
Can anyone understand what I'm going through? Will anyone understand why my scar hurts when…whenever I think…of her? Do I love her?
''
" He's coming around," Yuna said softly, as Aozora stirred in bed and slowly opened his bronze eyes.
" Gaahh…."
" What a way to wake up," Paine snorted.
" Hey, be nice," Rikku pouted. She was holding onto the two necklaces Cid found as he and King Mickey got Aozora all cleaned up. " He's been through enough."
" I know…but I was expecting a lot more than some barbaric moan," Paine shot back coolly.
" It doesn't matter," Cid said, striding into the very familiar bedroom. " As long as he's alive, in one piece, and has a mind fit as a fiddle, there's no need to argue over stupid things."
"" Ugh…" Aozora moaned, sitting up in bed and rubbing his face. " What's going on here?"
" Well, I guess you overexerted yourself in fighting Xaldon, then Axel came and really beat you up," Rikku recounted for him.
" Then we got a call from King Mickey about the situation," Paine said calmly. " Luckily, Riku, Sally, Yuna, and the others were close by."
" You've been out for half a week, Aozora," Yuna informed, full of concern. " We just couldn't wake you up. Gave Paine the job of feeding you…"
Yuna and Rikku both turned to a very disgruntled Paine with huge grins plastered on their faces.
" Shaddup, you two suck as you already do."
Aozora really sat up and stared at them. " What? Half a week! Are you crazy? That's crazy! I was out for that long! Oh my god, I have to go!"
He literally jumped out of bed and fell on his face.
" Aozora, you should take it easy-"
" You don't understand!" Aozora shouted, picking himself up. " I have to find Sora! I have to protect him! I'm the Guardian, okay, I have to protect his ass until the day I die!"
" Well, you're not going anywhere without some clothes," Paine remarked, raising an eyebrow at his boxers.
Flushing red, the teenager snapped back, " Then get me some!"
" Alright, alright, sheesh, hothead!" Paine grumbled back, striding out of the room.
Sighing, Aozora sat back on the bed. That was until he realized Yuna, Rikku, and Cid were both eyeing the scar above his heart.
" Does it-"
" It's a mark of one who's traitor to the ideals of the Society I joined. They brand you alive, then they kill you. I'm lucky to be alive. But the scar…sometimes it hurts…and I don't know why…"
Yes you do! Whenever you think of her, the scar pulses. And only she's able to make your scar do that!
Aozora winced, silently cussing out his subconscious. But he knew that his subconscious was right. It was always right.
" Aozora, are you okay?"
He shook his head, then looked up. " Yeah, just needed to clear my head a bit."
Rikku, who looked like she was fighting with herself, then stepped forward and held out the necklaces. " Here."
A hand flashed out and snatched them from her grasp. " Oh my god, I can't believe I still have these…"
He drifted into mumbling something rather rude. The three other occupants in the room looked at each other worriedly. Since when did Aozora wake up declaring he was the Savior? And a self-righteous cussing Savior at that?
" Here's your stuff," Paine announced, striding in and tossing him his pants, socks, shoes, shirt, and jacket. And his wristband and two rings.
" Thanks," Aozora replied thankfully.
" Oh and King Mickey's waiting for you. Something about a custom-built ship or something of the like…"
Nodding, Aozora quickly shoved himself into his clothing and followed Paine out into the living room of the apartment, where King Mickey was absentmindedly swirling around a glass of what looked suspiciously like…
" More vodka?" Paine asked, going for a clear glass bottle sitting on a counter in the kitchen.
" No thanks, I'm fired up as is."
Aozora and the others stared.
" You drink?" Yuna demanded.
" Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet," Cid sniggered. Rikku pushed him. " Dad!"
" As long as you don't' call me Pops I'm fine."
" Okay Pops."
Cid looked ready to blow.
" Gummi ship?" Aozora demanded straight out. " Riku's seen Sora flying for Traverse Town. I'm there."
Nodding the mouse king stood up. " I'll take you to the hangar. You need to get off this world now. Telegram from Cid stationed at Traverse Town says Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been with them since six days ago."
" That was when I got knocked out," Aozora noted. Then he realized, " meaning Riku was right after all! He did see Sora headed for Traverse Town!"
" Which means that we haven't got much time," King Mickey said, pulling on his trench coat. Aozora suddenly realized that he was wearing some rather colorful clothing underneath, odd abstract clothing.
" Aozora should wait and rest some more…" Cid argued weakly.
" No can do, Cid," Mickey said, shaking his head. " I'm going to the train station after going to the hangar with Aozora. Need to get back to the Order."
Cid nodded. " You go do that, Your Majesty."
King Mickey then looked at Yuna. " Yuna, Sally's already told you that you need to go with Aozora, right?"
The brunette nodded. " Yes, I do. But I still don't know why…"
" We need you there to talk with my cousin and all his buddies. And there's another reason you're going there…but I prefer we don't talk about it yet."
" Oh…" Yuna looked very confused.
" Wait, what about us?" Rikku demanded indignantly. " We have no say in this!"
" You two are going back to Spira to hunt down and destroy Vegnagun," Cid barked back. " Get rid of that machine as soon as you see it; that thing should have never been even thought up of in the first place!"
" Alright, Pops! We get the message!"
" And stop calling me Pops!"
" Sure, Dad," Paine said coolly. " By the way, where is Sally?"
" She's with Riku, Ashita, and Yuri," Yuna answered, checking and sighting her guns. " I guess its like a 'pow wow', as Ashita would say."
" A what?"
" Gathering, Aozora. You know, a group of people getting together and learning about each other."
" Oh…"
King Mickey then drained his glass of vodka and slammed it down on the table in the middle of the living room. Everyone else jumped at the sudden sharp sound.
" Looks like I'm done drinking for another twenty years," Mickey remarked, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his trench coat. " As long as nobody tells Minnie, they'll still have their heads."
Mostly everyone in the room paled. Except for Aozora; he turned paper white.
" I was joking!" King Mickey exclaimed. " I'm not going to behead anyone!"
He began striding for the door at the end of the hall. " Aozora, Yuna, let's go."
Yuna turned and hugged her uncle, her cousin, and her friend goodbye. Aozora watched from an uncomfortable distance; it was at times like these that he really felt out of place.
" Aww…looks like Aozora needs a hug, too," Rikku cooed, noting the lonely look on his face. That look quickly vanished.
" What? No-"
Rikku, Paine, and, to his chagrin, Cid – who was grimacing all the way - gave him a group hug. Yuna started to giggle and King Mickey sighed and shook his head, a smile on his face.
" Don't kill him now," he reprimanded playfully. " We need him alive and sound."
" Go, then."
With that, the three who were staying behind – two temporarily – let a very blue Aozora go and waved the three good-bye and good luck. Aozora staggered after the energetic, albeit slightly tipsy, mouse king and the long-limbed former summoner out of the apartment and into the streets of Twilight Town.
""
" How long is it going to take to get to Traverse Town?" Yuna asked as they neared the hangar.
" This baby's got some real engines. You'll be there in no time."
Aozora and Yuna stared at King Mickey. He stared back, slightly annoyed. " What!"
" Tell me he didn't just say that," Aozora begged.
" I think he did."
" Oh my god…" Aozora ran his hand through his hair and grumbled.
The mysterious king shrugged and kept on walking. " Don't scream when you see the ship."
" Why would I scream – OH MY GOD, IS THAT THE GUMMI SHIP!"
" I warned you…" King Mickey muttered, rubbing his ear.
Sitting in the middle of the hangar, much to the annoyance of others trying to take off, was the sleekest, most powerful gummi ship Aozora had ever seen. It was slender, built like an orca but outfitted with long, missile-shaped engines and outfitted with even slimmer guns, lasers, and missiles under each wing. Its lone window was dark, protection against any violent sources of light and unwanted attention.
But there was one question.
" Is that a gummi ship?" Yuna repeated, her voice on a much smaller scale.
" Uh…that's the thing," King Mickey remarked, striding towards the gleaming beauty. " It's not."
Aozora froze. " No?"
" Chip and Dale Dalton found a way to make very tough material out of the simplest things. I don't even know what it's made of. But it's strong, very strong. Strong enough to withstand atmosphere, meteors, even enemy fire."
" Holy shit…" Aozora murmured, slowly walking up to the ship.
" That's incredible," Yuna said. " That's even better than what Cid and Gepetto can make."
" Just don't tell Cid," King Mickey replied with a wink. " Might make him mad."
Yuna started to laugh.
" I'd take that seriously," Aozora said. " He does not look like the happiest person."
" Oh that only depends on how you met him," King Mickey said casually. " Aozora, catch."
He tossed Aozora a set of keys. They were like car keys, only that each key looked like a Keyblade. And to top it all off, they were all attached to a keychain with Mickey's head on it. Er, his emblem.
" These are?"
" Keys to the ship. I only added in extras to make myself look like a busy little bee," King Mickey winked. " The real ones are the Silver and Gold keys. Please don't lose any of the others. I paid Cid to make the others."
" Which one?"
"…Gee, what a good question. I had them made so long ago…"
He shrugged and started to walk off. " I'm headed for the train station. Need to catch up on work back at the Order H & Q. I trust that you will do your job well, Aozora?"
The teenager was hesitant in his answer. " If…if it's not too late."
" It's never too late," Yuna whispered.
" What she said." King Mickey then turned around, gave them a thumbs-up, and winked. " Have hope. Give it all you've got."
He nodded to the engines. " That goes for the engines. Aozora, fire away!"
Nodding, the teenager ran to the ship. A door opened on the side and sleek steel ladders slid down to his feet.
" C'mon!"
Yuna followed Aozora quickly into the ship, not noticing that the steps were following her back into the ship.
" Have courage, Aozora…" King Mickey murmured as the engines roared to life. Spectacular heat waves shot out of the engines as the ship slowly rose up.
As the silver ship screamed into the skies of Twilight Town, King Mickey added, " Don't be afraid of what your heart tells you…"
''
Nearly five hours had passed since Twilight Town disappeared from sight. Nearly four and a half passed since Yuna gave up trying to hold a conversation with the blond teenager.
" So…what do you think they're going to talk to us about?" Yuna asked for what she felt was the sixth time in a row.
She looked sideways at Aozora, hoping he'd say something. Alas, the stony-faced teenager uttered no word, keeping both hands on the steering wheel as he avoided a suspicious swarm of Heartless ships and ducked under an asteroid.
Silence.
She frowned. What the heck was bothering the kid?
" Is something bothering you?" she asked, deciding to stop wondering and start asking.
Silence.
She watched Aozora closely, saw that he was forcibly keeping his eyes on the window into the wider world. He didn't answer because he didn't want to answer; he didn't say even if he was bursting with it. He wanted to keep things to himself.
Problem was, it was fine with him but not for the former high summoner. Summoners were chosen because of their willingness to help people; Yuna was utilizing that special quality in her personality and wasn't going anywhere with it.
" Do you want to talk about it?"
The ship carefully maneuvered past a suspicious world, a world gathering force and coming into being,
" Okay, I guess not…"
She suddenly saw Aozora grip the controls tightly, his knuckles turning white. Then he relaxed his death hold.
What was that?
She turned to study the stars and worlds in the far distance. There were well-known worlds and there were the lesser-known realms amongst the suns and stars.
Out of the corner of her mismatched eyes, she saw Aozora grip his shirt in the place just over his heart. A grimace flashed over his face and she turned to him.
" Aozora, what's wrong?"
He looked at up at her, the grimace chased away by sudden fear. Fear of discovery, Yuna realized as he worked an unsatisfactory smile – is that even a smile? – on his face and blurted out, " Nothing! Nothing's wrong! Nothing at all! Just that we're taking so long to get to Traverse Town is all!"
His voice cracked halfway through the sentence and he flushed red. Yuna giggled.
" Is panic and little 'man-moments' part of the problem?" she teased. The poor teenager turned even a darker shade of red. " Hm…what are you hiding from me, Aozora? Tell me, I want to know."
The red dissolved and disappeared under his pale skin. The impassive grimace returning to his face, Aozora turned back in his seat to focus on the ship. " I'm not hiding anything."
Silence reigned for the next several hours but the unconvincing words echoed in her mind.
Something was definitely bothering the Keyblade Wielder.
''
Traverse Town. It was a town of night, the lamps on at all hours. There were so many people living in the Third District, yet the First District was so empty…
…and music was blaring from loudspeakers obviously scattered all over the First District. That could explain the emptiness.
When this began
I had nothing to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind
(Inside of me)
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck
Hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own
Yuna and Aozora strode out of the gummi garage adjacent to the walls of Traverse Town. The music was blaring; its harsh sounds rocketing all around them. It was amazing they haven't gone deaf yet.
I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain 'till it's gone)
I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
Aozora felt his heart stick to his throat as Yuna pushed open the double doors and they walked into Traverse Town. These words…the harsh pain in the vocalists' voices…they mirrored his own.
And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere
Only to find that it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
(So what I am)
What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the way everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain
Hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own
There were a few people in the First District. As Aozora reluctantly followed Yuna towards the steps that would lead them to the Accessories Shop, he felt people stare at them, stare at him, and whisper. Some were pointing; others were turning away and shuddering. Why?
"…what's he to hang out with that kind of woman…"
"…looks like the other one, ain't he…"
"…they're strangers…"
"…he looks like the other child…"
"…is he with them…"
…the other child…Sora?
Aozora froze and looked around wildly. The few people scattered throughout the First District immediately fell silent and turned their backs on him, leaving him feeling very much like a fool.
I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain 'till it's gone)
I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
Sighing, Aozora continued to follow Yuna up the steps towards the store. His senses picked up the presence of many bodies within; that could explain why the district was empty, right?
Yuna's hand lighted on the door handle. Murmurs were behind the door, a muddle of voices drowned by the music.
I will never know
Myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel
Anything else until my wounds are healed
I will never be
Anything 'til I break away from me
And I'll break away
I'll find myself today
Yuna pulled open the door and together they strode in.
Silence. There were people standing, people leaning against the wall, one person sitting on the counter on the left, and people sitting in couches all around a coffee table. People…many people, some who seemed familiar; others who were new to him-
Yuna trembled. Aozora looked at her suspiciously. She had frozen stiff, her mismatched eyes staring. Aozora followed her gaze…to a tanned light-blond young man who was sitting on one of the couches. He had looked up, had caught her gaze, had frozen, too. His mouth had fallen open, stunned.
Slowly everyone looked at or turned to Yuna, confused by the silent exchange between the two people. Then Aozora felt it. Eyes, burning into him. He turned his head and found himself caught by a pair of blue-violet eyes. And everything seemed to just fade away.
I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain 'till it's gone)
I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
They stared at each other. A second. A minute. An hour. A day. A week. A month. A year. Forever. Eternity. Time fell by the wayside. Life and all its troubles faded; it was the two of them, alone, meeting again for the second time.
Echoes. Someone was calling him, calling her, calling their names. And he could not answer. His tongue was stuck to his throat, his limbs rendered immobile by the eyes that had watched him from the back of his mind. His own studied her; she had became pale, thin, but her long red hair still shone in that vibrant, passionate color. Helplessly, his gaze drifted to her full, pink lips and, for a moment, toyed with the thought of pressing his mouth against hers and finally ridding himself of the longing that had persisted since he left her at Celt Circle.
"…hey, are you even listening to me? You are Aozora, right?"
"…I swear, this is becoming a bigger mess than I thought…"
And then her lips moved, called his name. " Aozora?"
The fantasy shattered, scattered into a billion pieces. He shook himself, stunned by what had just crossed his mind.
" Kairi?"
I want to heal
I want to feel like I'm
Somewhere I belong
Author's Endnote: I still have nothing to say. Sorry. Review please! Preferably long, detailed reviews, thank you!
Chapter 72…
" If we get to Paradise first, all our dreams, hopes, and wishes come true."
" Ah, I remember, we never met, have we?"
" You said you won't leave me, remember?"
…Future and a Lily