Author's Note: FINALLY! I'm so sorry, people, but I got caught up in school and homework and family and house and getting ready for the holidays so I couldn't update anything for quite a while. We just got new windows and a new door so everything in the house had to be reshuffled. My laptop also got hit by the nasty Trojan.vundo, most likely picked up from KHInsider so I recommend you don't go there, unless you want to kill off your computer by picking up a virus. In any case, the only other story that could be possibly ready for updating is Our Last Memories, though I guarantee that will be a very long chapter as well. Rain of Sorrow and Best Deceptions are going to take longer to update because I haven't found the time to finish the chapters. I am reoccupied with two of the most evil holidays to exist in the life of a busybody – Christmas and Hanukkah. I leave it up to you readers to figure out why.
Passionafterbattle just came out so I recommend you listen. It's very unusual, compared to the other version, and is easily imaginable with credits for reasons I can't even begin to say. That song gives me the shivers, honestly.
Copyrights: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney, except for Aozora, Lorien, Kobi, and a minor character near the end of the chapter. The plot is mine and I will bite you if you try to steal it!
Author's Note 2: Have edited the original version after discovering just how caught up I was in Our Last Memories. Unfortunately, none of the other stories are near readiness for updating, therefore I am revising and re-uploading this chapter instead. Enjoy.
Secrets of Memories Chapter 78: Fragments of HopeFeathers...it was snowing feathers…
Yuna fell to her knees and closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. Beside her, she heard Lenne whisper, " So the time has come…"
" No…it couldn't have….it can't be, Lenne," she whispered, shaking as tears streamed down her face. " It's not over…it's not over…it's not over!"
She screamed desperately, but for naught. The disturbing phenomenon, these white feathers, the horrifying imagery that played out throughout the song, the screaming, they all told her enough, enough.
Buddy and Cid had her performance – and ultimately, Lenne's performance, too – broadcasted throughout the Universe. Everyone knew what had just happened.
There was no hope. War. Or an endless sea of sorrow.
""
The light was gone. The glowing, entrancing light of the gate had vanished, taking the stained glass with it. There only remained a floor, stained with blood.
He stared at it, at the clotting dark liquid. A tentative hand reached out and touched the sticky fluid with stained fingers. There was nothing magical about it, no intangible tingling, no sense of connection. It was real blood from a body that no longer existed.
A body that no longer existed…a person that was no longer alive…
It was as though someone was squeezing his lungs, crushing them with the heavy cruel weight of reality. His brother was dead. The one who was supposed to open the Door of Light was dead. Death awaited them in the murky waters of the foretold sea.
Any moment now, he expected the world to shake underneath him, cave in, as waves roil and spill into the chasm between the castle and the Rising Falls. He awaited, fearfully, the coming of the Sea of Sorrows and the end of all things.
What came wasn't a violent tsunami. It was the head of a club. A mage's staff.
" You! You miserable brat, you lousy, no-good son-of-a-bitch, you bastard, you coward, you-"
The first blow jarred his head; the next was sure to leave behind a blotchy bruise on his shoulder if it didn't fracture it first. He didn't even bother to defend himself; he understood the irrational anger immediately. Donald may be hot-tempered to begin with, but this was beyond him. Donald never attacked someone important to the cause with as much violence as he was now.
" Donald!"
The blows came to a sudden halt and he could hear the wizard squalling at the top of his lungs.
" Let me go! Let me at him! Let me at the bastard! You bloody no-good piece of shit! You failed us! You've failed us all and we're all going to die because of you! You failed us, you failed him, you failed your duty, you failed the king, even-"
" Donald! Stop it!"
" I hate you, you know that?" Donald was running out of breath, puffing, but wasn't finished. " I hate you, you son-of-a-bitch! If you tried any harder to get things done right, none of this would have ever happened, would it? Now we're all going to die, thanks to you, you dirty, pathetic, worthless-"
" Donald. Stop it. Now."
He tilted his head slightly, keeping his left eye shut as he felt warm liquid run down the left side of his face. He saw the tall knight trying to pull the wizard even further away from him. Goofy had good intentions, but Donald was right to attack him. He, Aozora, deserved it.
I deserve to die.
But suicide wasn't the answer. He knew that and he knew that painfully.
Promise me…that you'll look after Kairi for me…I told her I'd come back…told her I would never change…but it's to late…for me. I promised…but I can't come back…I can't.
He turned to Donald and Goofy again. Goofy had let Donald go, was now talking to him with an uncharacteristic intensity. He even stopped using his usual laidback slang.
" We're going back to Disney. We go back, ask Mina and Daisy where Mickey is, and we'll go to him. If we can stop this-this ocean thingy…then we might as well try."
" It's useless!" Donald hissed. " There's nothing we can do. If Sora dies, feathers fall and everyone drowns in the sea. The Prophet told us already and there's nothing we can do!"
" But we aren't dead yet. We still have hope. Might as well go back and find things out."
" Sigh…okay, fine. But what are we going to tell Cid, Leon, Cloud, and the others?"
" Gwarsh…what if we run into Riku? Or worse…Kairi?"
Donald shook his head at their hopelessness. " No choice. We have to tell them the truth. Then we're leaving. I'm not staying at Traverse Town for even an hour. We'll refuel immediately, discuss the situation, then go home."
" Okay, then…when are we leaving?"
Donald glared at him. " Now."
He stormed off towards the door in the far back that Aozora saw was there. He slowly rose to his feet, staggered a bit, then called out in a shaky voice. " Hey…wait…"
Goofy, who was hesitantly following Donald, stopped and turned around. Donald kept marching forward. Goofy looked back at the wizard. " Der…Donald, what about him?"
He was still walking. " Leave him alone. He's not part of it anymore. Let him figure things out for himself. We're leaving."
" But…." And Aozora winced, recalling the smoking wreck of a gummi ship at the bottom of the aptly named Rising Falls. " I…I crashed my ship…"
" Tough. You're on your own."
" But-but you don't understand!" Aozora cried out. His heart pounded furiously. " I have to go back!"
" You will," Donald retorted angrily. " On your own. By yourself. There will be no one to help you, except for yourself. You deserve no one's help, so you're not going to find any from me or Goofy."
" Huh?"
Donald didn't bother to clarify for the knight; he strode off down the hall. Goofy was helpless; he looked back sorrowfully at the stunned teenager but followed Donald out of his sight. Aozora stared after the knight, until the clumsy footsteps finally faded away. And then there was silence.
He stood there, his clothes, arms, hands, and face caked with blood. His blood. His brother's blood. The water of life was splattered all over the ground around him, remaining a grotesque reminder of what had taken place. It didn't seem real…but the blood spoke. And it spoke loudly.
Aozora stared at his hands, clenched them into fists and felt the dry dark mask crack. Dried blood fell from his hand and into the soft winds that caught them and scattered them all around Hollow Bastion. He stared at his hands a little longer, clearly thinking, contemplating, fearing.
Donald just abandoned me. He isn't going to forgive me. He'll never forgive me…so what does that mean about the others? Are they…are they going to hate me, too? What about Kairi…
The world suddenly lurched and he staggered. Then the ground swayed, making his horribly dizzy. A violent pain burst into his mind and Aozora winced, pressing the palm of his hand against his temple. The world jolted again and he staggered, nearly fell.
" What's wrong with-"
He collapsed.
""
Once he saw Aerith quietly leave the Blue Room with an empty bowl of soup at hand, he rose from his seat at one of the couches in the lobby of the Hotel and quickly strode towards her. He stopped halfway, wincing as his boots creaked noisily on the wooden boards, then continued walking, albeit a little more slowly and with more weight on the balls of his feet.
" How is she? How's Kairi?" Leon asked tersely
" Sigh…I don't know," the brown-haired young woman admitted. " She…she won't talk. She'll eat, alright. She'll eat, drink, sleep, wake up, shower, visit the bathroom, everything but communicate. She's cut herself out of the world, Leon; this reality has nothing to offer to her anymore."
After Yuna and Lenne's powerful performance, Selphie and Tidus rushed into the Second District of Traverse Town, looking for the red-haired girl. They had found her, on the ground, sobbing. She had looked up as they approached, her face glistening with a torrent of tears, as she held up, shakily, two beautiful white feathers. Then she collapsed.
" Nothing to offer? That's…pretty harsh," Leon said softly, staring at the door of the Blue Moon. " Especially for her."
" This is a hard time for all of us, Leon," Aerith said as she strode into the lobby. " If…if the others come back, we'll find out what really happened."
Leon followed her into the lobby and sat down on the couch again. He heard Aerith putting away the soup bowl and the spoon, then looked up as Cloud strode in.
" Leon," he said, his voice quiet and full of steel.
" What?"
" Here. You should read this." Cloud tossed him a folded up piece of parchment paper. " But don't start a commotion, no matter what."
He stared at the blond man as he leaned over and picked up the piece of paper. He unfolded it, smoothing out the crinkles and began to read.
" Cloud?" Aerith entered the lobby, wiping her drying hands on her pink dress. " How'd everything go? After the concert, I mean."
" Yuna's going to be fine," he said, walking straight to her and taking her hand in his. " She's…trying to reconcile with the other woman, I should say. They're talking with Tidus and…the other one. We're trying to sort out the mix-up because the other fellow just won't go away. Yuna and that woman both seem to know that man so it's really quite a mess-"
" That's bullshit!"
Cloud and Aerith quickly whirled around to Leon, who was on his feet, glaring at the paper in his hands. They were shaking; so was he. Yuffie, who was half-in the door, stared at him in shock.
" Squall? What's wrong?"
" That fucking didn't happen!" Leon shouted, throwing the note onto the floor. " That did not just happen!"
Cloud bowed his head, his eyes closed. Aerith and Yuffie looked to him; they were in the dark and they wanted to know what could possibly piss Leon off.
" It's about her."
Leon murmured, " That's why she was taking so long. That's why she didn't come as she said she would. They attacked her ship…"
" This is about Rinoa, isn't it?" Aerith asked of Cloud. " What happened to her?"
" Rinoa's airship was attacked," Cloud began in a low voice. " Intruders, people nobody knew, came onboard in the middle of nowhere – you can't exactly jump ship with airships in the middle of space – and started killing off everyone. She fought them…tried to save the others. Everyone on the airship died…except her. They overpowered her…and…"
" Wait," Aerith said thoughtfully. " Wasn't she coming here with her report on the-the secret of Hollow Bastion?"
Cloud nodded, while keeping an eye on Leon, who was busy crumpling the paper into a ball in his fist. " One of them took the report and started reading it. The other…."
" He raped her," Leon hissed, letting go of the ball of paper. It fell flatly and rolled on the floor slightly. " He was too strong for her…she couldn't fight him off. There were two of them. Both Society members."
" What!" Yuffie yelped. " Society members!"
" Why don't I like the sound of this…" Aerith murmured, her green eyes wide with horror.
" She was unconscious when they left. The ship was…drifting. Filled with dead bodies. A Heartless ship could easily blast it into oblivion and there was no way they could avoid an asteroid. But somehow…Rinoa managed to wake up…and take the airship to Spira. She sent the message from there. Now she's coming…but why didn't she tell me what happened? Why was she trying to hide that from me? Why-"
" Oh my freakin' god!" Selphie screamed, barging into the lobby and not noticing just how dead serious the air was a second before she interrupted. " Oh my god! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"
" What? What? What?" Yuffie started freaking out.
" You know," Aerith said to Cloud, " those two could be siblings…"
" Selphie!" Leon barked harshly. She froze, her mouth open, the scream frozen in her throat. " Selphie, what's going on? What's this commotion about-"
Then Selphie stood up straight and spoke, with all due seriousness, " An airship's docked at the gummi garage. It's Rinoa-"
" What!" Leon made to go for the door but the teenager's next words stopped him.
" The log registered an airship from Spira and a gummi ship from Hollow Bastion," she continued in a much higher voice, her green eyes glistening. She opened her mouth to speak again but this time nothing came. Everyone stared at her, even Leon, though he fidgeted impatiently. Then Selphie finally regained her composure. " Donald and Goofy came back…alone."
" Alone?" Aerith gasped, staring at Cloud, then Yuffie, and lastly the spot where Leon was a moment ago. " Only two came back?"
Selphie nodded solemnly. Before she knew it, she threw herself out of the way as the three other people, led by a very hyper ninja, stormed out of the lobby. In the process she rammed into someone, knocking them both onto the floor.
" Ow!" She sat up on the floor, rubbing her head. " Hey, watch it, you-"
" Oh, sorry," the other person exclaimed apologetically. " Here…"
Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. " I'm really sorry; didn't really see you there-"
" Well, watch it next time!" Selphie snapped, not quite taking into account that it was she who ran into him, not the other way around. Then she looked at the person and blood rushed into her face.
He was obviously older than her by a few years but he looked incredibly young. His silvery eyes studied her worriedly, curiously, while his bluish hair fell over the right side of his face and carefully hid most of the remnants of what could only have been a nasty injury. He was wearing a dark blue dress shirt over a black shirt and dark jeans. His frame was lean but he obviously had some muscle.
Wow, he's hot, was the first thought to cross her mind.
" Um…hi?" he asked.
They continued to stare at each other.
" Oh, um…yeah, hi," Selphie managed to squeak, then smacked herself mentally. Wow, why don't you go and sound like an idiot there?
" So…"
" How come I've never seen you around?" Selphie asked rather suspiciously.
" I've noticed you," he admitted. " You're….her friend, aren't you?"
It suddenly dawned on Selphie that he might have been the person Kairi was meeting several days ago. She told Selphie that she was off to meet someone who might know where Sora, Riku, and that other boy, Aozora, were.
That must be him…how come she never told me how hot he was?
" Yeah, I'm her friend. Who are you, anyways?"
" I'm Zexion. And you must be Selphie, I remember now. She told me tons about you. You two must be very close."
" Yeah…we are…"
They both fell silent for a few minutes. She shifted nervously on her feet, then noticed how he was shifting on his feet, too. He was just as nervous around her as she was around him. Then he spoke again.
" So Donald and Goofy came back?"
" Yeah…and Rinoa."
" I'm more worried about Donald and Goofy. Let's go see what the problem is," Zexion suggested, heading for the door.
" Um…sure," she stammered, blushing as she followed him out of the Hotel.
""
She stared up at the blue ceiling, feeling the warm soup settle in her stomach. It was so quiet her heart seemed to pound in her ear. It beat irregularly, furiously, to the point she thought she was going insane.
Though she remained in the Blue Room, Kairi heard everything that was taking place in the lobby. She heard Leon's questions and Aerith's answers, heard Cloud come in and give Leon a message, winced at Leon's furious outburst, and muffled a gasp as Selphie came in and told the others that Rinoa, Donald, and Goofy had come to Traverse Town.
" Donald and Goofy came back…alone."
" Alone," she whispered, pulling the blankets up to her neck. " They came back alone…"
The horrid word echoed in the silence as her blue eyes began to water. She couldn't bear it, wished Selphie had said that three people came back, not just Donald and Goofy.
Where's Aozora? Where is he? Did he…
"…die, too?" she spoke, her voice barely above a murmur, as the tears came. " Did he die, too? He didn't die, did he? Oh please, please, at least spare him. I can't lose him, too…he has to be out there, somewhere…"
She closed her eyes tightly as the tears flowed down her face and drenched the pillow.
" Come back…" she sobbed. " Come back…I need you, Aozora…please, come back…come back…come back…"
She buried her face in the pillow and began to cry.
""
" Let me ask again. WHERE is he?" Cid barked, swinging the cigarette around in his mouth.
" Let me answer again: I don't know!" Donald growled back. " And I don't care!"
" How can you not care!" the pilot shouted at the magician. " What the hell's wrong with you?"
" There's nothing wrong with me!" Donald squalled back. " You should ask that of him!"
A distance away, Leon held Rinoa tightly as they both cried over her ordeal. Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Tidus, Yuna, Selphie, Zexion, and Goofy stood between the two people, feeling the pain and the anger flow. The three groups stood in the town square in the First District and they were the only ones there; Louie, Huey, and Dewey had left for Disney Castle days before and all the regular inhabitants of Traverse Town vanished as soon as Donald and Goofy walked through the huge double doors.
"…just left him there!" Cid continued shouting.
" He failed us all, damn it! I don't give free rides to failures! Don't you have any idea what he had just done!" Donald yelled back, stomping his foot on the floor.
" Godfuckingdamnit!" Cid swore as he pulled out his cigarette and tossed it to the side. " I don't care if he failed or not! He's the only one left amongst us who can use those goddamn Keyblades, including the king's! And there's someone here who needs him right now! Hell, we all need him right now! And you just had to go and be brilliant and just leave him there with no way of getting back-"
" Der…who needs him?" Goofy ventured to ask as he scratched his head.
An awkward silence followed as Cid faltered in his tirade, hemmed, and hawed. The others shifted on their feet, with some choosing to look away. Donald glared at them questioningly. His face read: Hypocrites!
" Not me! Nobody needs him, including me!"
Lorien came barging out of one of the local medicine shops. Her blue eyes were cold and her face grim as she strode past them and towards the Third District. She was gripping a knapsack tightly in her hand. She stopped, though, to stare at Donald, Goofy, Leon, and Rinoa. She studied the woman curiously, then shook her head to clear aside her red bangs.
" I'm leaving. Don't expect me to come back!"
She breezed past them and opened the doors into the Third District. " If you see Kobi, tell him I'm in the Third District!"
The doors slammed shut as she walked in, leaving the people even more flabbergasted than before. Donald and Goofy didn't exactly understand the relationship between that young woman and Aozora, but they knew trouble had been brewing in town.
" What happened?" Donald demanded, turning on Cid.
" I prefer we don't clarify," he replied with a grunt. " By the way-" he pointed at the blue-haired man next to the brunette in the green and blue dress "-that guy there was the one we were looking for when you guys where here. He's met the guy, or so Kobi's told me. Name's Zexion; ran off from the Society."
Selphie flushed pink as the attention now landed on her and Zexion. He glared at Donald coldly, but gave a nod to Goofy, who nodded in return. Donald made a sound, then turned to Cid. He looked ready to leave.
" What happened to Aozora's gummi ship again?" Cloud demanded suddenly.
" He…der…um…he said he crashed it or somethin'!" Goofy exclaimed. " Which was probabably why he wanted-"
" Probably!" Donald corrected instantly. " It was his own damn fault for crashing the gummi ship; it's his problem getting back here."
" Just what happened between you and Aozora, huh?" Yuffie demanded.
" What happened?" Donald retorted, his voice rising furiously. " What happened? I tell you what happened: Sora was beating the crap out of Marucia while Goofy and I fought the NeoShadows! There were too many of them and we were going to get overwhelmed when Aozora came running! He yelled out some random words and the Heartless all went blasting away! He then charged up to where Sora was. Next thing I knew, there was shouting all around, including some man I've never heard of! And then…and then…"
Donald suddenly broke off, shaking his head. Goofy finished for him.
" Sora screamed. Aozora was there…but Sora died."
" Of course," Aerith murmured. " He was the Guardian. He was supposed to protect Sora…"
" Exactly!" Donald barked, coming back to life. " And that's why I didn't offer to take him back here! You think that bloody bastard should take a step into the King's ship? He's got his brother's blood all over him; I won't let Sora's murderer touch the damn ship-"
" That's not what the situation is-" Tidus suddenly broke in and with sudden fury.
Selphie suddenly looked up; Zexion and Yuna followed her gaze to the stairs, where Gepetto's shop was.
" Kairi?" Selphie called out, interrupting Tidus and shattering the tension.
She leaned against the wall, her face sickly and pale. She looked horribly gaunt and fragile; it was amazing the arm she was using to support herself didn't shatter under her weight.
" Where-where is he?"
" Where's who?" Donald demanded quite irritably but Goofy kicked him. " Ow! What's the big idea, you palooka-"
" That's not it!" Goofy hissed.
" Kairi," Tidus began slowly, just as Cloud opened his mouth to answer, " I'm sorry. He's not here right now, because some idiot decided he wasn't worth bringing back. Just…just hang in there, okay?"
Now Goofy was confused. He thought Kairi was talking about Sora, but obviously he was off the point. " Wait…wha?"
Donald was just as befuddled. " I don't get it; who's she talking about?"
Yuna looked at the wizard and smiled tragically. " You really don't need to know."
" Wait…" Donald studied Yuna closely, then leveled his gaze on Tidus. " Who the heck are you two?"
" This is Tidus, one of Sora's childhood friends."
" Oh…"
Goofy was now staring at Kairi. He then looked quickly at the others, though he ignored Leon and Rinoa, who were now sitting on a bench by themselves, lost in their own little world. He quickly focused on Cloud and Aerith. " When did this happen?"
Cloud shrugged but Aerith replied, " A while back. It was quite unexpected…and it still is. Who knows where it will take them…"
" Does Riku….um…know?"
Aerith shook her head. " Unfortunately, no. We don't know what will happen once someone tells him-"
" Ooh, ooh, me, me!" Yuffie jumped up and down excitedly. " I'll tell Riku! I will, I will, I will-"
" Yuffie, do you even know what we're talking about?" Cid demanded.
" Nope! Why?"
Cid sighed. " This is hopeless."
Yuffie pouted. Cloud sighed, too, then looked at Donald. " Go to Hollow Bastion and bring Aozora back. We need him right now-"
" There is no way I'm letting him on the ship unless someone explains to me what the hell's going on-"
" You are not going to be told anything!"
Everyone froze, then slowly turned to Leon and Rinoa. The woman looked solemn, her eyes bright with tears. Leon was glaring at Donald, his eyes shining as well. " You're not going to make things better by knowing more than you should. Go back to Disney Castle and find King Mickey's whereabouts. We're going to have to do something that hasn't been done for hundreds of years, and he's going to need you two to help him."
" Hey, I need to know what's going on here; I'm the court magician and you're just a soldier!" Donald snapped, taking a step forward but Goofy held him back.
" Donald, he's right. There's nothing more we can do here. Let's go home."
The world reverberated in the night air.
Home…
Donald threw his staff on the ground and suddenly sat, watching the two broken pieces roll off in different directions. The others now had their eyes on him, but he no longer cared. He took off his blue hat and crumpled it in his hands.
" I…I can't believe he's gone. He can't be gone…can he?"
Selphie heard Kairi stifle a sob and saw her sinking onto the ground, her hands covering her mouth. Tears were streaming down her face as she bowed her head.
" I'm sorry," Zexion said quietly. " But he's gone. All we can do is wonder why the Sea has not come upon us, and prepare for war. That's all that's left now…war. No ocean to swallow us in its dark depths but the fire and destruction of war."
" War…" Rinoa whispered; her voice was barely heard but it was there.
A heavy silence hung over the people, filled the First District with it.
" How soon?" Aerith asked fearfully, holding Cloud's hand tightly as she spoke.
Zexion shrugged. Then everyone looked beyond Donald and Goofy as Kobi walked out of the munny exchange building. Ansem's son froze momentarily as he took in the spectacle – Donald and Goofy were confronting Cid, Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Tidus, Yuna, Selphie, and Zexion while Leon and Rinoa were sitting on a bench a little distance from them, both crying, while up the stairs, Kairi sat on the ground against the buildings, silently crying.
" Oh, you two!" Kobi approached them but quickly stopped as the others tensed. He stared at them, momentarily stunned at their defensive reactions, and quickly backed off. " What's going on here? What did I miss?"
" The Society was going to strike, Kobi," Zexion spoke loudly. " They're not striking when we are at our weakest. What do you suppose happened?"
Kobi shrugged, ran a hand through his silver hair. " Well…maybe something messed up in their plans? Or somebody was injured or died while tussling with…them, at Hollow Bastion. Or Crimson decided to jerk our chains by not attacking and later ambushing. I don't know anymore, and neither do you. And by the way, where's Lorien?"
Cid jerked his head towards Third District. " She's in there – wait, you're leaving, too?"
Kobi looked at the pack in his hand, then met the older man's eyes. " Yeah. We're going to the train station. She's going to Spira; I'm going to Hollow Bastion. There's a few things I need to sort out."
" We understand," Aerith spoke softly.
The teenager's eyes were troubled and cold. He was clearly not happy going to his old home but he was going nonetheless. He slung the pack over his shoulder and stalked past the people. He did have one last thing to say, though, and kept one of his eyes on Kairi while he spoke.
" You did the right thing leaving him behind. He doesn't deserve to live."
He walked into the Third District and the doors slammed shut behind him. Donald and Goofy stared at him, both incredulous. Donald, in particular, was stunned. He had his anger, yes, but he never expected those two people to show hatred more intense than his. And what more, he knew they were his friends, so what could have happened for them to butt heads?
They heard footsteps rushing up the stairs, then the doors of Second District slammed shut with a loud groan. Kairi had disappeared.
""
Three days drifted by with painful slowness. It was the fourth day, morning. The skies of Traverse Town were a little lighter; once you lived in Traverse Town for several days, you quickly adapt to the night sky and its subtle ways of announcing morning and evening.
" Morning…" Aerith murmured, leaning against the window sill and staring out at the Second District as Cloud approached, sipping – no, more like sniffing whatever was in the steaming mug in his hand. " I miss the sun…"
" Well, we could always go somewhere where there's plenty of sun," Cloud remarked. " I know we can always go off to Agrabah, since the Red Eye's been recovered. It's always sunny there, right?"
Aerith couldn't help but roll her eyes. " Cloud, it's a desert there."
" I know," he remarked. He closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh aroma of coffee. " Gods, I love this stuff…"
" Don't get addicted now," Aerith warned the man. " You've seen Leon, haven't you? Takes five caffeinated cups in one sitting to wake that man up…and that's only the start!"
She shook her head, smiling at the quirks of the man, then suddenly found Cloud's arm around her, pulling her up against him.
" Oh I'm already addicted to something…or should I say someone?" he smiled, putting the cup down on the windowsill. He turned her around and pulled her even closer. " Addicted to you…"
He lowered his head and gently kissed her.
" Blegh, get a room, you two. It's only eight and you guys are at it already?" Yuffie crinkled her nose at them as she strode past them with a bowl of cereal.
" I have to agree with her on this one," Selphie added as she carefully balanced two plates of fresh authentic Moogle-made pancakes. One was piled to tipping. " Men and bottomless stomachs…I'll get Zexion one of these days, I swear…"
She disappeared down the hall and kicked at a door at the far end of the hall of the Hotel. Zexion stuck his head out of the room and grinned cheerfully, and mockingly, before she barged in with their breakfasts. Zexion turned his head towards them and raised an eyebrow at the intimate embrace. He then grinned, winked, and closed the door.
" I love spoiling people's mornings."
" That's only you…"
Leon then strode by, talking into what could only be a voice recorder. " Donald and Goofy left for Disney Castle. We'll be expecting a message from either Queen Minnie or Lady Daisy on their whereabouts, as well as the king's. Lorien and Kobi are set to depart for the World Train Station through Line 4. Simba and his group have gone back to Pride Lands. Wonderland's fully returned so Alice has gone as well. Christmastown's reported habitable so the Halloweentown survivors left an hour ago – guys, seriously, get a room."
Cloud smirked through a purposeful second kiss. " What did I say? Spoiling mornings is my thing…"
The brunet man shook his head at them. " Cloud, you're mad…"
He clicked a button on the voice recorder and then went to the Green Room. He gave two raps, then opened the door. The two could hear the lock click into place. Cloud studied the Green Room for a moment, heard murmuring voices before it all became quiet.
" How's Rinoa?"
Aerith slowly broke the embrace and sighed, running a hand through her large bangs. She shook her head. " It's the trauma. She's okay now…but she's still trying to recovering mentally."
" Can't wait the beat the shit out of the guy who did this to her," Cloud growled.
" I'm just glad Leon's taking care of her. He's the only one who can help her right now. So it's best if we keep out of their business for a while…but, I'm more worried about…"
A door creaked open.
" Oh, morning, Kairi."
The frail teenager was wearing a pale orange sleeveless dress with a red belt. The dress was rather short; typical of her. She was wearing new shoes that matched the dress; unlike most other shoes, these did not cause the floor to creak as she silently approached the lobby. Her eyes were lifeless but she smiled weakly at them before opening the doors of the Hotel and disappearing into the Second District. Through the window, Cloud and Aerith watched her slowly wander towards the First District.
" She doesn't look too good this morning…" Cloud muttered, pulling Aerith back into a tight embrace.
She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. " I know…I'm so worried for her. Her heart's sick, Cloud…and that shouldn't happen to a Princess of Heart. If she loses the light inside her, who knows what would happen…. I wish Aozora was here. She needs him now, more than ever…because the days are growing darker…"
""
Line 4 was steaming into Traverse Town's train station. People stood up, as Line 6 departed and Line 1 appeared from the opposite direction.
One of the locals, Rupert, had been assigned by Cid Highwind to take a careful log of the number of people and the type of people coming and going from the trains. Cid must've recognized Rupert's incredible memory; the young teenager had an uncanny ability to literally take snapshots of a scene and recall it with perfect clarity in memory. He was able to take a glance at the people entering one train, and quickly jot down the kind of people and the number getting off Lines 1 and 4.
The light brunet suddenly found himself distracted, though, when he suddenly noticed two out-of-place teenagers walking towards Line 4. One of them was very slender, and was dressed in a pink and green shirt, and dark jeans. The other wore a blue vest over a yellow shirt, and dark blue-green pants. Both wore identical boots, carried identical black jackets, and carried similar knapsacks. The one in pink and green had long red hair; the other had silver hair. The redhead had a huge sword while the silverhead was carrying a staff. They were conversing with each other as they approached one end of a compartment of Line 4.
From the other end, people were streaming out. He tore his eyes away from the two and studied the new arrivals. He counted out five men, seven women, eight children of various ages, three Moogles, and a white owl.
A white owl?
While Rupert wondered whether or not to note that, he suddenly found the urge to keep watching the other end. Just as the two unusual people walked into the train with others, someone staggered out of the train compartment. Rupert found his mind jolted violently, and he dropped his pen and packet of logs onto the floor. He suddenly understood why the people in that compartment left the train so quickly. Who'd want to remain around someone like him?
The teenager was absolutely out of place, with blond hair rising madly to one side and bangs that shrouded parts of his face. He was wearing a white jacket over a dark turtleneck and ripped pants. The teenager looked incredibly pale, even paler than what would be considered normal; he actually looked gaunt, starved. His oddly shimmering eyes were blank; Rupert imagined unmistakable pain in them, when taken as a whole with his face.
But what made Rupert blanch was the blood. It was like the teenager had been bathing in it. The dark crusty blood was flaking off his skin but it clung to his clothes stubbornly. Given that his pants were mostly cream except for the upper one-third, which he decided was very dark brown, and the white jacket, the blood stood out starkly against him, a clear warning to others that he had been through something very dangerous. Or maybe it was him that was dangerous, and he had come to Traverse Town to hide himself.
Who the hell is this guy? Rupert grumbled.
The teenager suddenly fell to his knees. Everyone stared at him as he slowly pushed himself back up and continued to walk towards the entrance/exit of the train station.
That was when somebody screamed.
" Oh mah gawd, what's she doin' on da roof!"
And suddenly everyone was running towards the exit of the train station, towards the gummi garage. The bloodied teenager and Rupert found themselves swept up in the tide as people stampeded up the stairs and out into the night sky of Traverse Town. People were streaming out of the gummi garage as well, blending in with the train passengers to form a mass that made it dangerous for incoming and outgoing gummi ships to land and depart. Now gummi ships were cruising to a stop a fair distance from the gummi garage while other ships sat with engines burning within, the pilots all gone as they joined the masses in trying to figure out what was going on.
Rupert found himself brutally pushed and shoved and tackled, until he found himself bumping shoulders with the strange teenager. He instinctively shied away but soon found himself studying the teenager curiously. Rupert knew a fighter when he saw one.
This guy fights! And he's only a few years older than me! Is he returning from some great battle with the Heartless and Nobodies? Is that why-
" What is she trying to do?"
" Haven't we gone through enough already? Must another person die in all this madness?"
" If she falls, I will kill myself!"
" Oh don't you start the mass suicides!"
" Who is she?"
" I don't know; I just got here."
" Wait a minute…that's the Princess of Heart!"
" What!"
Rupert saw even more blood rushing out of the teenager's face as he looked up. Rupert turned and stared up to the roof of the gummi garage as well. He could barely make out the pale figure sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling. The person was looking down on them; that much he could tell besides the red hair flowing against the violent wind. She seemed so frail; Rupert wondered if the wind could be strong enough to actually throw her off the roof.
" Hey, you think you could-" Rupert turned to address the young soldier.
He was gone.
""
He didn't know where he found the energy to run. He was so exhausted, after making the trek to Neverland by following the train tracks from Hollow Bastion to London. Arguing with the train conductor of Line 4 tired him even further. And the fact that they only agreed to let him on the train, without the full benefits of food and beverages to the paid passengers, weakened him further. He was just lucky some of the more sympathetic people handed him cups of water, wine even, and bits of food from their breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Most others had shunned him for his bloodied state but it seemed very few even had an inkling as to who he could be.
Aozora was thankful nobody could recognize him. He couldn't bear having people pointing fingers at him and saying he was the brother of the Keyblade Master, the one who died.
Sora…I'm so sorry…
And he had come to the Traverse Town train station, nearly fell from exhaustion, only to hear someone scream that there was someone on the roof of the gummi garage. He then found himself pushed and shoved as people rushed out to see what was going on.
It was only when people around him started talking that he pulled himself together and looked up as well. He found himself suffering from double vision but once his weary ears picked the word "Princess" his eyes focused. And then it hit him, hit him so hard he felt his blood run cold.
Now he had bolted into the gummi garage, past the gummi ships with running engines, pilots and passengers who were too afraid to venture outside and into the mob, tripped past wires and tools and buckets of grease and oil, and found the stairs at the far back of the garage. He pulled at the red double doors that separated him from the stairs. They wouldn't budge; in his fury he summoned a Keyblade and smashed them open. He stared at the Key for only a second before banishing it; the alarm that went off as he opened the doors jarred his head and he could care less that he was wielding the Silver Keyblade. There was someone up he had to find; he had no times for questions.
He started up the red-painted stairs, two steps at a time. He gritted his teeth as his legs screamed with pain, as his feet pounded against the steel stairs, as his hands gripped the railing tightly as he pulled himself up the many flights of stairs to the top. His lungs cried for more oxygen and he found himself gasping loudly as he neared the red door at the very top. Sweat dripped from him, liquefying the red blood. Faint red liquid was now dribbling down his face as he neared the top; he could feel the wounds in his thighs and side reopen as he reached the last flight of stairs. His foot suddenly slipped and Aozora slammed against the stairs. Groaning, he pushed himself back up, fighting his body's protests and staggered up the last flight of stairs. He reached the door, pushed it open, and found a violent wind blasting against him. He nearly fell again but hung onto the red door. It was terribly windy at the top of the gummi garage and he felt himself go cold as the sweat he had worked up climbing up the stairs quickly evaporated in the brisk breeze.
Aozora looked up and his heart froze.
She was there, sitting on the edge of the roof, staring off into the night sky. She was wearing a pale orange dress with a red belt; it seemed to compliment her long red hair in a way that left his insides squirming, despite the exhaustion and pain he was feeling right now. She looked incredibly frail and light; it was as though the only way she couldn't be blown away by the wind was her hanging onto the edge with her hands.
He could hear the people below roar and cry and shout but the winds were blowing away their voices, muffling their protests to what seemed to be a suicide attempt. Aozora didn't know if she was trying to kill herself; he could only wonder at the pain within her as she tried to cope with Sora's death. Was it enough to drive her away from the desire to live, to live and to fight for the Light? Or was it something more…
She's waiting for me…to come back to her.
He couldn't help but smile, as he slowly took a step towards her.
Kairi, turn around. I'm here…I've come back…like I said I would. I'm only sorry…that I couldn't bring him back either…
He could see her shiver, rub her arm in an attempt to stay warm in the cold breeze. It hurt him to see her suffer like this; it was more than the cold, than the wait, that made her suffer. It was the pain, the understanding that she could never see Sora again. She had waited over a year, had gone on a journey to find him and help him, and yet she never met him. And now…he was dead.
Oh gods…
Aozora felt his legs finally give way and he fell to his knees, sobbing. He couldn't help himself; the pain hit him as a bullet would, piercing him through the heart. He had lost the last real member of his lost family, was reunited with his brother for only minutes before the death blow. And here, in Traverse Town, his love was waiting for him to come back...and in Twilight Town, his best friend was waiting, too…
Sora had left behind his brother, his love, his best friend. He died leaving behind the people closest to his heart. And with his death, all hope shattered, the shards scattering across the Universe.
They were only fragments of hope, in a time when hope was needed the most.
He didn't know Kairi had turned around at the sound of his tears, didn't hear her approach him. It was only when he felt her arms around him that he realized she was there. She had fallen to her knees beside him, had pressed her head against his, was crying and whispering his name over and over again.
" Kairi…" he murmured, shifted so he could see her face.
The tears were streaming down her face from the tearful blue eyes as they looked at each other. He slowly raised a hand to her face and wiped away the tears but they kept falling.
" Aozora…" she whispered painfully. " You came back…you came back…"
He looked into her beautiful face, made more beautiful by her sorrow, and felt an emotion rush through him in a way he never felt before. He pulled her to him and held her, as they both began to cry.
" Kairi…I promised...I promised I'll come back to you…and I promise…I promise I'll always be here…with you…for you…always."
She nodded, pressed her head against his shoulder.
" Thank you…"
""
Eldest sighed as he stood silently next to the great Neoclassical ivory double doors.
For hours he heard things crash against walls, heard things thrown to the floor, heard massive things fall over, heard him just swear himself out to the point of exhaustion. Hyper little body he had, yes, but sometimes the body was too hyper.
" Your Majesty?" he called out, assessing his energy levels.
" Leave me alone!"
Eldest sighed again, then turned and walked down the long marble halls of the headquarters. He nodded slightly to the Moogles and imported brooms cleaning the rooms and making ready for the dreaded Council but didn't stop as he made his way to the functioning cafeteria. He needed two cups of water; one for himself and one for his former student. He could tell Mickey was going to calm down from sheer exhaustion.
Sometimes kings just crack. And there's nothing you could do but wait for them to tear the fury out of their systems.
And it's best to let them do it in whatever way suited them best.
Author's Endnote: Unfortunately, if it's going to take this long to update Kingdom Hearts: The Secrets of Memories, I can't even begin to imagine how long it would take to update one of my favorite chapters. It's going to take a long time, because I've rewritten this chapter twice and am still unsatisfied with it. I'm very picky; I only want the best for you readers. Please check my Bio page and web pages as listed for further information and updates and news and whatnot. And, of course, please review. I enjoy long reviews and lots of questions but I will accept anything as long as it doesn't flame anything. Thank you.
Nearing the end of the story….