Ah... chapter five. Another chapter where not much happens. But don't worry, things will happen later... (Shoot. I really need to work on my author's notes)
Chapter 5
Adjustment
The ringing of loud, brass bells woke Xehanort around noon. He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. It took a few minutes for him to remember where he was. He was in a castle in a place called Radiant Garden, ruled by a man called Ansem the Wise. With a shock, he then remembered his lost memories, and his new name; Xehanort.
Xehanort's stomach gave a long, low growl, which brought him back to reality. How long had it been since he had eaten…? A very long time, certainly. At least two days. He was famished. The bell sounded again, and his nose could faintly register the scent of something that smelled wonderful, not to mention edible. Xehanort's mouth watered.
"Is that a stomach I hear growling?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
Xehanort turned in the direction of the door. From behind the white curtain that covered the door, an old woman entered.
"Who… who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Krista," she said. "I'll be looking after you until you feel better."
Her voice sounded familiar. Xehanort tried to remember where he'd heard it before. He recognized her name, though. Ansem had mentioned talking to a Krista about his lost memories.
"You're Krista?" he said excitedly. "Ansem said…"
"His majesty," she corrected.
"Fine. His majesty said that you might know a cure for my amnesia."
Krista looked nervous.
"Oh," she said. "Oh, um… I'm afraid I don't know a cure."
She shrugged apologetically. Xehanort's heart sank.
"But I will try to find one," she said kindly. "So don't you worry."
"How long will that take?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"I'm afraid I don't know. But I'm sure it will be soon."
Krista clapped her hands together.
"For now, you need some lunch, um… Xehanort, was it? I'll be right back."
She hurried off, and Xehanort fell back on the bed with a thump. Krista didn't know how to cure his amnesia. Now what would he do? For a moment, he was overwhelmed with a crushing feeling of hopelessness and despair.
Krista returned with a full bowl of soup. She handed it to him.
"Careful, dear," she warned. "It's hot."
Despite his sadness, Xehanort was too hungry not to take the soup. As he gulped it down, a great feeling of warmth spread over him. The soup also seemed to clear his head. He didn't feel so depressed anymore. So, maybe he wouldn't get his memories back right away. That wasn't so bad. For now, he would simply focus on getting better; he could worry about his memories later.
He finished the soup and licked his lips.
"Thanks," he said to Krista.
"I did hope you would like it," she said pleasantly. "Now it's time for your medicine."
"Huh?"
The old woman left and came back with a bottle full of nasty smelling liquid. She filled a teaspoon full, and Xehanort was forced to drink it. His opinion of Krista fell a bit.
After this, Krista declared that he needed a bath. He stumbled out of bed on unsteady legs, nearly collapsing in the process.
"The more you walk, the better you should feel," Krista consoled him as she led him to the tub. He had to lean on her to stay upright; his legs were still quite weak.
She led him through the infirmary's main room. It was a long hall lined with many beds like his own, and was empty today. The bathtub was in a small alcove at the end of the hall. Xehanort had never, as far as he could remember, seen a bathtub before. Krista stayed just to show him how to turn on the faucets, and switch the water from hot to cold and back again, before leaving him alone.
Xehanort bathed in silence, for his mind was deep in thought. Despite his weakness and reliance on Krista's help, he felt content. Here in Radiant Garden, he was treated with kindness. He could hardly believe that only the day before he had been cold, exhausted, hungry and alone. As he felt himself relax in the hot water of the tub, he felt as if he could stay just as he was forever, and still be happy.
But he knew, in the depths of his mind, that he couldn't stay in the infirmary forever. A shadow weighed on his thoughts, the shadow of the memories he had lost. Much as he tried not to think of the memories, he knew that he wanted them back desperately, and eventually he would have to find them. He could not truly rest until he did.
Despite his resolve, Xehanort did not leave the infirmary that day, or the next day, or the next day. In that time, he did not see Ansem at all, only Krista. He spent his time resting, eating, and regaining his strength, for he was still too weak to go far from his bed. Every day, Krista made sure that he exercised. He started out by walking with Krista's help, a little farther every day. After a week, he was strong enough to walk on his own, and Ansem paid him a visit.
Xehanort had been sitting on his bed, his legs pulled up to his chest, looking out at the sky. He had begun to grow weary of the infirmary now that he wasn't so weak, and was growing bored. The entire week had been bright and hot, the sky a cloudless blue. The green leaves of the trees outside his window shown in the sun; they seemed to beckon him outside into the light of day.
"Good afternoon, my lad."
The youth was surprised out of his reverie, and more surprised still to see Ansem, for had not seen the ruler since his first day in the infirmary. Xehanort stumbled to his feet and bowed, just as Krista had instructed him to do in the presence of his majesty. He waited, his long hair hanging over his face.
"No, no need for that," Ansem said lightly. "Stand up, its fine."
He quickly did as Ansem bid. The older man smiled. He looked just as Xehanort remembered, old, but somehow young at the same time. Looking Xehanort up and down, he stroked his beard. He nodded as if pleased.
"You look much better," he said. "The last time I saw you, you looked near death, or at least like you needed a month to recover… but now…" He laughed softly, "I can hardly believe it's only been a week!"
The young man grinned nervously.
"Do I really look that much better?"
Ansem strode over to Xehanort and took him gently by the shoulders. He steered him over to a mirror that stood beside the youth's bed.
"Look," he said.
Xehanort looked, and was in awe. He had only looked in the mirror once before, right after he had taken his bath, many days ago. Then, his reflection had been thin, pale, and sickly, his hair matted and wet. He hadn't liked it at all. But now… he looked like a new man. His face was full, and shone a healthy red-brown; his clean white hair sparkled in the light from the noonday sun. His features were chiseled and handsome. He had to admit he looked pretty good. He touched the mirror, as if not sure it was real.
"Wow," he breathed.
"Different, isn't it?" Ansem said mildly.
"Yeah… but, hey…"
He looked over at Ansem.
"Did you ever notice before that my eyes are red?"
"Why… no."
Ansem examined the reflection.
"But I do believe you're right. It isn't immediately obvious… they could be mistaken for light brown… but now that I look at them, they most certainly are red."
Xehanort blinked.
"So," he said slowly. "My eyes are kind of like yours."
"I suppose you're right," Ansem laughed. "We have something in common. You know, I've never met anyone else with red eyes."
"Really?"
Xehanort found himself grinning. He wasn't sure why, but having something in common with Ansem made him feel happy and lighthearted. He stepped away from the mirror.
"All right," said Ansem. "Now, Xehanort, we should get down to business."
"What business?"
"The business of getting you out of this infernal infirmary and into the real world! I've been talking with Krista, and she says that you're ready to leave. Now that I've seen you, I quite agree with her. I've brought you some clothes, so you can change out of those pajamas, and once you're ready, I can take you around the castle, help you get your bearings. In a few days, you can decide what you plan to do."
Xehanort, who had felt suddenly elated at the prospect of leaving the infirmary, felt himself drop a few notches.
"What do you mean," he said nervously. "'What I plan to do?'"
"Well, I mean what you want to do in the future," Ansem explained. "Do you plan to stay here, or go into town and find a trade, or perhaps you'll want to try to find a way home. It's hard to say. But you can stay in this castle as long as you feel you need to."
This made Xehanort feel a bit better. He sighed.
"My decision's already made," he said. "I'm staying here. I need to recover my memories, and you said you would help me."
Ansem looked suddenly nervous.
"Uh… about that," he said. "I… I know I… um… told you that I would help you. I will, but the fact of the matter is I don't know how, and finding out how could take some time. Are you… are you really willing to wait that long?"
Xehanort nodded shortly.
"I'll wait forever if I have to," he said firmly.
Ansem didn't speak a moment.
"All right, then," he finally said. "That's a fine decision. Now let me get your new clothes, and we can be off."
ooo
The night after he found the box, Ienzo's dreams were fitful and full of darkness and monsters. He was glad when he awoke, sweating and breathing hard, the next day. However, even the light he could see through his window didn't comfort him. He felt relieved, but also as if he were still in the grips of the nightmare; as if he were running from something he could not escape from. He angrily shut these thoughts out and got dressed. It was only after he had gone downstairs for breakfast in the kitchen that he even remembered the box.
The knowledge of it seemed to squeeze his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe. He wanted to open it, open it now. He had planned to open it that very morning, until the dream had driven it from his brain. Now, he felt as if something terrible would happen if he didn't open the box.
Ienzo barely registered Elaeus coming to sit down beside him. Elaeus was all chatter that morning, most of it meant little to the boy, but El continued on in spite of this. He had noticed Ienzo's mood, and hoped to break him from it.
Finally, he got Ienzo's attention.
"Hey, Ezo, did you know that the stranger woke up?"
For a time, Ienzo brightened, and talked with Elaeus. He even agreed to run around the castle spreading the news. Though he had fun, he moved in a fog throughout the day. He was silent one minute, then impatient and distractible the next. The knowledge of the box haunted him.
At last, the maddening day ended, and Ienzo could go back to his room. He left Elaeus without as much as a good night, and tore up the stairs. He flung the door to his room open, grabbed the box from his drawer, and flung off the lid like a man possessed.
The inside of the box was lined in velvet, and lying on the lining was a black book. Ienzo felt his breathing still. The book was decorated with the same heart symbol as the box. With trembling fingers, Ienzo lifted the book from the box.
He set the box aside, and sat on his bed. He opened the book. The title page read:
The Heart
A Guide to its Darkness and its Light
There was no author listed. Feeling calmer, Ienzo flipped to the first page and began to read.
And I will leave you with that. See you next week! (heh heh heh)
Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
