Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
I'm really getting to enjoy building the culture of this world for this story.
Also, I had to go back and fix Nico's name. His name WAS Rico, but I kept saying and writing his name as Nico, and Nico just sounded better, so I will be going back and fixing it.
Chapter 12: Summer's End
"Are you feeling better, Roxas?" Axel waited by the door as Roxas and Xion returned from their day with their friends after his episode the night before.
The boy nodded. "I'm tired, but…" He put a hand on his chest. "This is all real… it's not a trick."
"It's not." Xion took his hand in hers, smiling.
"No, it's not."
Isa poked his head out from the kitchen. "I know you don't really have a favorite food yet, but I know you liked my grilled salmon last time, so I made it again."
"Thanks, Isa."
The teens walked into the dining room, sitting down as Isa set the food on the table.
"Tomorrow is the festival, and then you two start school."
"School!" Axel paused before sitting. "We forgot!" He rushed out, coming back a minute later with two pieces of paper. "You two have classes to pick."
"That's right."
"Huh?"
"Well, you two are required to take the basic classes, such as math, reading, science, and history, but you also get to choose an elective to do for fun. It's another class that is more hobby or vocation based."
Xion took the paper in her hands. "What classes are there?"
"Music, art, study hall, drama, advanced physical education, health, and computer."
Roxas looked at the list. "Hayner said he, TJ, and Kraig were taking Study Hall, so I'll probably take it too."
The adults looked at each other.
Study Hall.
Ergo, time to sneak a nap or goof off class.
"On one condition," Axel held up a finger, "you actually use that time to do homework or something, so that you don't have to do it later. Don't just use it to goof off. Don't be like us in school. Deal?"
"Deal."
Writing down his choice, Roxas handed Axel the paper.
Xion stared hard at all the choices. "What's Drama?"
"Drama?" Isa dished some fish onto Roxas's plate. "It's where you learn to do acting."
"Acting? Like pretending to be something you're not to tell a story?"
"Exactly."
"I want to do that." She wrote down her response. "There's just… Just… sometimes emotion is hard for me to understand. I don't know how to respond to people, so maybe this may help me understand more."
Isa took the paper before dishing her some fish. "It might, and who knows, you may really enjoy the class. And it also means you'll be doing Drama Club too. It's an extra time after school to do drama. You'll probably be doing some sort of show this year, so that time will be used for rehearsals and such."
"Ok."
They ate in silence before Isa sighed. "So, we send a message earlier to King Mickey."
"Why?"
"Well, you've both been through extremely traumatic things, and it's showing. In nightmares, or in the episode Roxas had last night. We talked about therapy earlier, but finding someone who would understand our situation is very difficult. So, we reached out to a friend of Sora's, Jiminy Cricket."
Axel nodded. "He told me about being a conscious on our way to the Keyblade Graveyard, so I figured he'd be the best choice to help us. And he said yes. He's actually debating moving here. He said he was trying to find some sort of purpose, so maybe he'll set up a practice here or something. But what's most important is that you two will have someone to help you deal with your past trauma and help you move on."
"I'd like that."
"Me too."
Isa smiled. "We'll probably be seeing him too, just to help us with any issues we have, and to maybe get advice on what to do now, especially concerning raising the two of you."
"When will he be coming?"
"Not until the end of the week, so for now, let's focus on school and the festival."
"Ok."
"Good morning!" Xion cheered from her position by the stove.
Isa sat, watching. She'd insisted on cooking alone this morning.
So far, she'd only made one pancake just a little too crispy.
"Morning."
"Sleep well?"
Roxas rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Much better. I was a little nervous about falling asleep, but once I got to sleep, it was fine."
"Maybe we can get you a noise machine to help you fall asleep." Axel stretched as he walked in and straight to the coffee machine. "Ooo. Pancakes!"
"One's a little… crispy." Xion blushed. "But the rest are nice."
"I'll take that one." Axel grabbed the burned one, eating it quickly. It didn't taste too bad. "Did you put something in these?"
The girl nodded. "I experimented a little. I put some almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the batter. Do they taste good?"
Isa and Roxas got some, and took a bite.
"Xion!" Roxas grinned. "These are the best! I think I have a favorite food now!"
The girl's face turned a darker shade of red as Isa nodded. "These are wonderful. Reading that cookbook really inspired you."
"Yeah…"
Axel sighed. "So, what's the festival about anyway?"
"It celebrates the first wheat harvest here, and it represents the end of summer and the beginning of the harvest season." Isa drank some coffee. "There's some sort of craft fair and a dance."
"Dance?"
"I think it's a big dance in front of the clock tower or something. A group dance, so there will be lots of people dancing."
"Sounds like a lot of fun actually."
Isa smirked. "There's this whole superstition around it though. One of the other people at the office was telling me about it. They say if two single people are holding hands at the end of the dance, they will be married by the end of the next year. So, some people use it to try and find their soulmate."
"Weird."
"Yep."
Xion quickly finished her breakfast and hurried to her room. She and Akira went shopping the day before, and got her a new outfit for the festival, and one for the first day of school.
She put on the lavender sundress she picked out and waited in the foyer. "Can we go now!?"
"Hold on." Axel laughed. "You're really eager today."
Isa put on his jacket, smiling at the girl. "What's got you so excited? You didn't seem to be a fan of crowds at the tournament."
"It's just… Joy said there would be some fun stuff to buy. I might be able to get another…"
"Another what?"
"Another bear."
Isa chuckled. "You want another one?"
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Not at all." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you and I go ahead and see what we can find. That way if it gets overwhelming, you can come home and not miss out on anything."
"Yeah."
The two left the mansion, walking quietly through the forest.
"Roxas doesn't seem to be worried about lots of people. But I do. Is that weird?"
"You're just an introvert." Isa smiled. "I am too, so don't worry about it."
"A what?"
"It means you gain energy by taking time alone. People like Roxas, Axel, or Sora get more energy being around people. They're extroverts. You're just fine. You're just you."
The girl smiled. Walking into the town, they could see streamers hanging from the walls.
People seemed to be setting up. Stalls lined the streets, filled with everything from little potholders to clothes.
In less than an hour, people filled the streets.
Isa watched the girl jog around to the different stalls, looking at all the wares. "If you want something, let me know."
"I have my own munny, you know."
"How about, you buy one thing and I'll buy you one thing. Sound good?"
The girl smiled as she looked at him. "And I can return the favor."
"Alright."
The girl walked up to a table filled with homemade stuffed animals. A man sat behind it, smiling. "Do you want one?"
"Yes."
"Which one?"
The girl looked around. Bears, dogs, cats.
"Aw! It's so cute!" She picked up a stuffed turtle. "I want this one!"
Isa chuckled. "How much?"
"300. A bit pricy, I know, but it is homemade."
"Of course." Isa handed him the munny. As they walked away, he looked at the girl. "What are you going to name it?"
"Um, what about… Shelly?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Oh! Look! Those dresses are so cute!"
"It's just a lot of shopping." Roxas sighed. "When is that dance supposed to happen?"
"Later." Axel smirked. "If you don't like shopping, maybe go check out the club fair for school."
"Oh that after school thing?"
"Yep."
"Sure, why not."
They walked to the sandlot, finding it full of students. Some stood behind tables, and others wandered around.
"Roxas!" Iunia waved from a table.
"Hey!"
The girl smiled, one of her oversized sleeves flopping as she waved. On the table, sat colored maps with little figurines on them as well as trays of dice. "Want to go on some adventures?"
"I think I've had my fill of that, honestly."
"That's fine. Maybe something more calming will suit you."
"What is all this anyway?"
The girl grinned. "It's that game I told you about. I run the Tabletop Gaming Club. Usually, it's just me, Joy, and Nico, but I'm always hopeful for more people."
"Sorry to not be interested then…"
"It's fine. I don't want to force someone into something they don't want to do. Pick something you like."
Roxas looked around. "There's a lot of clubs. I don't even know where to start."
The girl sat down, rolling a 20-sided die into the tray. "Well, besides my club, there's the Drama Club, Computer Club, Debate Club, Chemistry Club, Chess Club, Video Game Club, STEM Club, Journalism Club, and Academic Decathlon. Knowing you, I don't know if you'd be up for the academic clubs. Though, I totally could be wrong."
"No, you're right."
"Figured."
Roxas smirked. "And Xion's doing Drama, so I guess I'll try something else."
"Well, TJ is running the Video Game Club. And if you've never played chess before, it's a strategy game. Pence is in the Computer Club, if you want to learn how to do tech stuff like he and I do."
"Computers are another thing I'm not really fond of. For reasons…"
Iunia raised an eyebrow. "Ok then." She tapped her chin. "Oh yeah! You like that camera. What about the Journalism Club? They're always looking for more photographers. Akira's been in that club for a while. They run the school paper."
"That actually sounds kinda fun!"
"Over there. Maryann is the president." She pointed to another booth. A girl with deep red hair and green eyes stood, talking to Akira and three other teenagers. "Go say hi."
Roxas walked over. Akira giggled, looking toward another teen with blonde hair and brown eyes. With them stood another girl with short black hair, brown eyes, and green lipstick. And another girl with red hair and brown eyes.
Akira glanced over. "Roxas! Hey!"
"Hi."
The girl behind the table smiled. "I've heard about you. New kids in town, right? Akira told us all about you. How can I help you?"
"Iunia told me about this club. I was interested. I've been learning to use a camera, and I really like it."
"We always need photographers. Akira is our lead photographer, but she can't be everywhere. If you want to sign up," she held up a pen, "come on. By the way, name's Maryann. Nice to meet you." She pointed to the other girl with red hair. "This is April." She pointed to the blonde girl. "That's Ellen." She pointed to the black-haired girl. "And that's Jade."
"Looks like I'm the only boy."
"That a problem?"
"Not at all."
Jade grinned. "Welcome to the crew then."
"We'll teach you the ropes." Ellen gave him a thumbs up.
April nodded. "This will be great!"
Roxas smiled as Akira gave him a thumbs up as he signed his name on the sign-up sheet. He glanced back at Iunia, expecting her to be watching, but she currently stood leaning over her table, talking emphatically to Hayner.
"Um, I'll be right back." Jogging over, he caught the end of the their conversation.
"-then maybe don't make promises you don't intend to keep, Hayner Dincht."
"I will keep it."
"Uh huh…"
The boy rolled his eyes, but grinned as he saw Roxas. "Hey!"
"Hi. What's going on?"
Iunia sighed. "Hayner here promised me that he'd join our club one day, and I don't think he intends to go through with that."
"I do."
"Then join."
"But then my friends who aren't in clubs won't have anyone to hang out with after school."
The girl grinned. "Who would that be?"
"Roxas and Xion!"
Roxas scratched the back of his head, glancing back at his new club. "Actually, Xion is in Drama and I literally just joined the Journalism Club."
"What!?"
"And Nico, Joy, and I are here." Iunia began counting off on her fingers. "Kraig and TJ are in the Video Game Club. Pence is in Computer Club. Akira is in the same club as Roxas. Olette is in Academic Decathlon. Even Seifer's gang has clubs; Fuu is in Drama, Rai is in the Video Game Club, and Seifer joined Computer." A smile crossed her face. "That leaves… you and you. Oh my! Looks like you'll have time to make good on your promise!" Her smirk stayed as she slid the sign-up sheet and a pen across the table toward him.
…
"Fine." He reached over and signed the paper.
"Thank you." Iunia grinned, her face softening. "You'll have tons of fun. We'll have a meeting before club starts to do character creation."
Hayner sighed. "Ok…" His eyes darted over toward Roxas. "So, the Journalism Club?"
"I'm going to be taking pictures, I think. I'm not sure what else."
"Hey!" Axel walked over, holding two Sea Salt Ice Cream bars. "What's going on?"
Roxas took one with a smile. "I joined the Journalism Club."
"School paper! Cool! That sounds fun, and you'll get to meet lots of people and see lots of stuff."
"And add more pictures to your collection." Hayner offered.
Iunia nodded. "Yeah. And you're swamped with girls. Hope no guys get jealous of you."
"Why would they be jealous?"
"… Oh my gosh, you're clueless. It's honestly adorable."
Huh?
Axel rolled his eyes. "Roxas, let's say you and I go find the other two."
"Ok!"
The two walked away, leaving Hayner and Iunia alone. "So, what's this whole thing about?"
"It's- Oh no. They're back."
"Seriously!? Can't they just go on vacation and never return?"
"I know right…"
"Hey you two!"
"Hi!"
"Looks like you two did some shopping." Axel smirked. "What did you get?"
Xion grinned. "I bought a new dress and Isa bought me a turtle!" She held up the stuffed animal. "Her name is Shelly."
Isa smiled. "I also got another cookbook, and Xion got me a scarf." He tapped the yellow knit scarf around his neck.
"Cool."
"Let's see what else we can find!" Roxas smiled. "I went and joined the Journalism Club at school."
"Awesome."
As they walked around, Isa glanced to his left. He saw some small crates sitting by some people.
Breaking off, he walked over, glancing into the crates. In one he saw a cat, and in another he saw a dog.
"Hello." A man walked over. "We're from the animal shelter, and we're trying to get these animals a good home. They all have their vaccinations and are fixed. Go ahead and take a look around."
Isa looked around. His eyes rested on a black and white merle border collie sitting in a crate. "Hey there…" He knelt down.
"I'd be careful, that dog isn't fond of men. We think he was abused in the past."
"Abused…" Still, he held out a hand.
The dog looked at him, wagging his tail as he approached the crate door before licking his hand.
"Oh my. He's never reacted like that to any other man. Normally, he growls and hides."
"Isa, what are you looking at?" The other three came toward him.
Xion saw the dog first. "Puppy!" Jogging over, she sat beside him. "Oh, he's so pretty!"
"Can we let him out on a leash?"
"Sure."
A female volunteer came over and opened the kennel, putting a leash on the dog. The dog came out, immediately going to Isa, sniffing him and licking his hands.
"Hey puppy!" Xion petted him, the dog's tail wagging happily.
Roxas knelt down, holding out a hand. The dog regarded him cautiously, but sniffed his hand before licking it.
Axel did the same. And the dog slowly approached before licking his hand as well.
The two volunteers smiled. "He's never acted like that around anyone else.(1)"
"Then we'll take him." Isa smiled as the dog came back to him, licking his chin. "How much."
"200 munny."
"Done."
Axel stood up. "Let's all pitch in. We can all give 50, since he'll be our dog."
"Agreed."
They paid the munny, as well as purchased some dog food, toys, and supplies. Isa took the leash as the dog brushed up against his leg. "I've got the perfect name for you. Kosho."
"Kosho?"
"It means, pepper."
Xion gasped. "It's perfect! He looks like someone dropped a bunch of pepper on him!" She scratched his chin. "You're such a pretty boy! Aren't you!"
The dog barked.
"Why don't Xion and I take him home, while you two keep on enjoying the festival. I'm good for today."
"Me too."
"Sounds good."
With the dog at their side, Xion and Isa went back to the mansion.
Kosho walked at their side, leaning against Isa happily, his tongue lolling out to one side.
Another addition to their little family.
"We're back!"
Axel and Roxas walked back in to see Xion sitting on the floor with the dog. "Hi! Did you have fun?"
"We did. How's the dog doing?"
"He's really happy. He ran around everywhere and sniffed at everything."
Isa came out from the kitchen. "He's already housebroken too, so I'm thinking of installing a doggy-door to the back courtyard."
"Alright then."
Roxas watched as Axel went over and petted the dog. Kosho wagged his tail, but when Isa approached, he hopped up and nuzzled against Isa's leg.
Pulling out his gummi phone, Roxas turned around, snapping a photo of Xion laughing as Kosho hopped up on Isa and Axel tried to keep him down.
Looking at the photo, he smiled as he posted it where all the others could see, along with the caption "Look who joined the house today! His name is Kosho."
He felt a little guilty.
Them having a good life while the others searched for Sora.
*Ding
*Ding
*Ding
Three comments came in on his photo.
Ven:Aw! Such a cute puppy!
Goofy: Looks like you have a new friend! I'm happy for ya.
Ienzo: I had a feeling this would happen. Isa loved dogs.
*Ding
In came another comment, a longer one.
Riku: That's awesome! I know Sora would be happy to see you guys living your lives. Keep on living. Be happy.
Roxas smiled.
Riku may not be his favorite person, but he was still kind, and cared for him and Xion.
*Ding
A instant message from Riku.
Riku: Hi, how are things?
Roxas: Fine. We had the end of summer festival today.
Riku: Great. Do you start school soon?
Roxas: Yeah. Tomorrow. I'm going to be in the Journalism Club, and Xion is going to be in the Drama Club."
Riku: Neat. I'm glad things are going well.
Roxas: Thanks, Riku.
That night, when they went to bed…
the teenagers dreamed of new adventures in school.
Axel revisited the fun day again in his dreams.
And Isa slept with a new furry friend curled up by his feet.
Footnotes:
(1) This is actually based on how my dad got his dog, who is also named Pepper.
VAs:
Maryann Wilson- Laura Bailey (Mary Jane Watson, Vex'ahlia, Lois Lane, Fiona, Kaine)
Ellen Filler- Emily Rose (Elena Fisher, Sif, Maggie, Laulai, Brianna, Annie Tatum, Hayley)
Jade Iris- Jodi Forrest (Jade, Sissi Delmas, Son Gohan, Cleopatra, Dr. Maria Florescu, Selenia)
April Niels- Mae Whitman (April O'Neil, Katara, Yuffie Kisaragi, Batgirl/Barbara Gordon)
