Final Fantasy XV - Kingdom Hearts
Part 92
Summary: Two warriors of Light, the Chosen King and Keyblade Master, face an unseen Darkness.
*Gummi Ship, three days later…*
Staring out into the vastness of space, the stars twinkling with so many giant broken mountains so colorful they somewhat resembled children's block toys. Thin roads made from the mist of space trailing and leading to other parts of the endless void. The low hum of the fan rotating above was comforting and provided a lulling song, the smells of jasmine-scented air freshener helped calm her nerves.
Turning her gaze back to the ceiling with very weary blue eyes, Aqua settles into her bed with a shallow sigh. The room she was confined in by her body's weakened form had slowly but with certainty had become more tiresome and just weighed on her nerves to a degree. The hospital themed color scheme just irritated her, a constant reminder of her being stuck in a place she felt no real comfort in being, the smells of sterilization began to dull her senses, and being restricted in the bed all day save for the exciting trips to the bathroom, further buried her slowly growing disdain for the room.
The past few days of her awakening had been difficult for her, barely conscious and being so weary and drained it was like she could barely remember what's been happening the past few days. By the fourth day, since the ship came for them, she was able to stay awake and even able to speak without sounding like her throat had been deprived of water for decades and she was able to stay coherent and focused on the conversation. But where her head was recovering, her body was still suffering from the exhaustion of her overuse of magic combined with the agony given to her by Xehanort.
She tried to stand on the fourth day but no sooner did her feet so much as touch the cold floor, she almost slammed onto the ground like her bones were as brittle as withered stone. If not for Gladiolus catching her in time, she was afraid if she did fall her entire body could break like glass. Because of this, Gladiolus was assigned to be her nurse essentially, and rarely he wasn't in that room with her at her needs. The days grow longer and more stale as she was trapped within the bed, often calling Gladiolus for aid to just go to the bathroom and, ashamedly, help her bathe.
Sure he's seen her nude, but the fact he had to wash her like she was an infant brought new levels of shame, and couldn't help but feel this horrible sense of bitterness and even contempt for her state. Slowly her anger towards her body's new limitations along with her impatience growing as she wasn't recovering at her normal speed, Aqua could feel herself getting short with people who kindly visited her and even started preferring to being alone.
Along with all this, her pride was starting to get the better of her and many stupid actions were made because of it. One day after Gladiolus left to get them some dinner, she needed to use the restroom and foolishly she will readily admit from hindsight, she tried to make the short but extremely difficult journey by herself.
She was so shaky when she got out of the bed, underestimating how high the bed was, and almost fell when her left foot slipped, and only because she had both hands gripping the bed's short railing did she prevent herself from falling. Weakly she tried to walk to the bathroom as slow and careful as she could, even though her body felt so brittle and weak she swore if she so much as bumped into something she'd break apart, and with her walk being so stilted and shaky like she was walking on thin ice, it proved to be more daunting and challenging that sparring with Sora.
Aqua had just crossed halfway from her bed to the bathroom door before her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. She lied there for a while, struggling to will her body to get going and surmount that trial, yet she felt so weak and exhausted as she had just got out of a long fight. As she laid there for some time, ashamed and defeated, she bowed her head and almost broke into tears of shame.
It weighed on her finally just how bad her state was, how her body was suffering something that should have been impossible. And by that, she believed if she was just an ordinary human she wouldn't even have been able to scar Xehanort, she likely wouldn't even be here right now. Fears of this being her future weighed on her heart, visions of her life going by stuck in bed, being cared for like she was an old woman unable to live her life, and worst of all…losing her power.
When she was starting to recover, she tried to summon her keyblade, but nothing happened. She tried again and again until she begged Yen Sid to tell her what was happening to her. And wished she hadn't.
It wasn't just her body going through a slow recovery, but her heart's power had greatly waned, in fact, according to the old master, Aqua was literally on death's doorstep. Her body went beyond her limit and she had broken a magical limitation no other keyblade master bar Xehanort had ever surmount. While her body tries to recover, her heart is weakened to the point he'd compare it to an apprentice's first time calling their keyblade, and because of her near-death, it has lost much of her original power.
He feared if she even tried to summon and equip her armor, it might be too much for her to bear. This means if her heart doesn't recover, she may never be able to wield the keyblade again.
She didn't know how long she laid there but when Gladiolus returned, he dropped the tray of food and rushed to her, calling her name. She loathed it, she despised it, how he fussed over her like she was a fragile maiden who couldn't protect herself or gods forbid take care of herself. Worst of all, she hated how she loathed his kindness and the attention he was giving her. She broke down and wept in despair of her potential permanent state of being.
It wasn't fair, she put her life on the line for everyone, suffered so much for her friends, family even and believed, hoped that once Xehanort was finally out of their lives she could finally live in peace with everyone. But no, not even the death of the greatest threat to all worlds is enough to guarantee a wonderful and hopeful future for her. Possibly losing her keyblade was a horrible thought and possibility enough as it was, but being bedridden for the remainder of her life was too much for her heart.
Aqua unloaded everything to Gladiolus, her fears, and her frustration while he just held her tightly against him and rubbed her back soothingly. He didn't say a word to her, keeping her close as she sobbed into him. When she managed to regain some control over herself, she pitifully asked if he could help reach the restroom. To her relief and Gladiolus' credit, he didn't carry her per se, but he mostly held her up and supported her so she could still walk to the bathroom without him carrying her like a sickened child.
At the very least she managed to go in and out without collapsing.
It'd had been three days since that day and since then she started to slowly accept her body wasn't going to recover as fast as she prayed. Days going by she could feel small portions of her strength return, not enough for her to walk out of the room let alone to the blasted bathroom to relieve herself. Her hair was still grey as ever and she hated it, but luckily it wouldn't be permanent, once her heart recovers her body should revert her hair to blue. Luckily she didn't have to worry about her eyes going yellow, the last thing she needed was to look like her fallen self.
Gladiolus had been quieter and reserved the past three days, and it worried her to no end. He'd converse with absolutely and after the gentle but firm lecture about her pushing herself and further risking harm to her recovery, he was exceptionally kind and patient with her. Yet he never spoke about his thoughts on her state, he'd always find ways to shift the conversation to another subject and would just give her minimal responses. Part of her was happy…yet feels like they're avoiding an especially important talk they need to have.
Her door opened and slowly coming in as carefully as he could, Gladiolus used his back to hold the door as he enters her room carrying a tray of their lunch. "Sorry about the wait…", he apologizes as he showed the tray. She smiled tiredly at him, not at all bothered by the usual delay that seeming gets longer with each day that passes. If she were to hazard a guess, she believed the poor man was the target of the ever-curious girl known to everyone as Xion. "Xion caught you?", she asked quietly as he settles the tray on the lamp table.
"Yup…and I swear if I have to answer another question because of that horrible line of "whys" from that girl, I'm gonna snap", he answered with a tired sigh. She giggled weakly at his disdain for being her walking encyclopedia for all things that are common yet so strange and wonderous to the child. But where Gladiolus found these endless inane questions a nuisance to him, Aqua genuinely appreciated them for as simple and easy as they were.
The two former nobodies had become her regular visitors as of late, more often than anyone else due to the two not assigned to any task like the others. Maybe it was because of their free time they decide to visit her happen three times a day, or perhaps they simply enjoyed being in her company. Sure Xion was the most talkative compared to the more quiet and straightforward Roxas, but still, their company was welcomed with warm smiles and laughs. The raven had so many questions every day, keyblade related, light, darkness, and more about their regular encounters.
"But hey, good news", Gladiolus says, placing her tray on her lap as she sat up, "Something different". She looks with a smile to see it was indeed a different type of lunch as opposed to the toast and eggs she was stuck with. A wonderful broth that sent a warm feeling into her stomach with a side of crusted bread, pepper, and a small jar of jam. A perfect treat/lunch. "Aerith said you should be able to have something else after three days of keeping your meal down", he explains, "I think she was more worried about the bread shortage".
Aqua hummed thoughtfully as she dipped her bread into the broth, and when she takes a bite, she sighs contently. At least something different had entertained her taste buds for a change as opposed to the usual repetitive meal. Eating their respective meals, Gladiolus eating a sandwich, they made small talk here and there about the developments of the team and what's been happening. As they both feared there was still no sign of the four missing members, and even after sending Mickey, Ventus, and Terra to the graveyard just in case they ended up somewhere else, no results.
Gladiolus added Axel, or Lea at this point has recently left Radiant Garden after two days of searching with no fruit for their labors. Aqua commented about leaving Roxas and Xion behind after getting them back not so long ago, though she understands he merely wanted them to have some peace and brevity before they throw themselves into the fray to find their friends again. When they finished, he takes her tray and leaves on another table nearest to the door, deciding he'd return it later and relax with her.
"So…how are you feeling?", he asked as he settles down into his chair. Aqua raised her hand to summon her keyblade, but like she feared she couldn't even muster enough power to summon the tiniest of magic. Dropping her hand to her side with a weary sigh, she shakes her head. "Still nowhere near back to normal", she sighed, "I'm worried this may continue for a lot longer than I wanted it to…". Gladiolus nods with a grunt, crossing his arms and leaning against his chair, looking at her. "And the whole grey hair? Yen Sid ever explain what that's all about?", he asked.
"Didn't need to ask him", she says with a knowing look, "This is just the result of using magic beyond my limits, combined with the overwhelming strain my body endured in the final conflict". Rare as it is, magic can have all sorts of effects on those who overstep their limits and force themselves to surmount the limitations of magical potential. While she was probably the second most powerful magic user, though likely with Xehanort's passing she would claim the title as the strongest, even someone with magical potency as she had limits too.
She told Gladiolus her master had endured a strange change when Eraqus once overdid his magic and was suffering from paralysis for a week and even almost lost his sight. The shield jokingly remarks she got off luck then. "But that's not permanent, right?", he asked, "I mean…you look surprisingly good with grey but got a feeling you're not looking to rock your winter years so early, huh?". Aqua rolls her aquarium blue eye at that jab, assuring him it'd only be temporary until her heart heals up. If…it ever does.
Looking at her reflection from the window, she could feel the anxiety of the question she and Gladiolus had been purposefully putting off for an unreasonable amount of time. Even with all the assurances the old master gave her about making a recovery, she could feel the lingering doubt weighing on her heart that wouldn't leave her be. "Gladio…I, I feel like, we should talk about something we, admittedly, both haven't addressed yet", she hesitates with each word escaping her. The shield's smiles drop, and the stoic look comes to his face as he sits up properly while the woman sits up in her bed.
"…I'm trying not to be a pessimist, nor do I want to bring our worries to new levels…b-but I…I'm wondering where…I mean…", she tries but the words she needed to get out were burying themselves within the fear of her heart. What does her state mean for their relationship? Nobody knows how long she could be stuck like this and was that something Gladiolus should be forced to put up with regardless of how she knows how much she means to him. It was already going to be difficult for them to maintain a relationship like this thanks to their duties as a shield and a master, but now this throws another wrench into the machine.
"…what becomes of us?", she finally asked, looking at her lap. Gladiolus looks away thoughtfully before with a shrug, says: "What do you mean? You wanna break up?". Aqua turns to him with shock on her face. "W-What? No! Of course not!", she affirmed. "Then what's the point in asking that question?", he asked, looking at her with a raised brow. Aqua shakes her head as her mouth opens and closes as if she had forgotten what words she was supposed to use to convey her thoughts. With a sigh, she gestures herself.
"Gladio…I, I can't even walk as I am…and we don't know how long I'm going to stay like this", she says, but before she could rant, he stops her. "So that means we should break up? Because you're in recovery and I'm taking care of you?", he asked as if she were asking him if he wanted to try and breathe in space. Aqua's argument somewhat lost its fire as she realized how poorly she was wording it and sighs. "Gladio…I, I don't want you to be forced to care for me like this…especially when we don't know how long I'll be like this".
"Blue…nobody is forcing me…hell I had to be talked into letting others take over", Gladiolus explains as he takes her hand. She couldn't look at him, fearing she might break down as the possibility of losing this precious bond with Gladiolus was becoming a highly likely outcome of her actions. His thumb brushes against her knuckle gently and somehow soothed her nerves, even if she still couldn't look at him. "…I thought I lost you when we nearly lost to Xehanort", he confessed, "Seeing you like that, beaten and barely alive…its…it was like someone ripped out my heart".
"Blue, nothing is ever gonna change how important you are to us, to me. I don't give a damn if I gotta be your slave for the rest our lives, if it means we can stay together, then I'll live with it", he says kindly and lovingly. She shook her head as one tear runs down her cheek, saying: "That's not fair…you don't deserve that fate". Gladiolus cupped her cheek to turn her so she could face him and sees nothing but the truth. "I promised you I'd never leave ya alone, and I'm making damn sure I keep that promise, you got it?", he asked. Aqua closed her eyes as one more tear escapes her, before opening them again and smiles back at him.
"You're going to get better Blue, and I don't care how long it'll take. I'll be by your side", he swore. Gently he pulls her into a warm and loving embrace that she hadn't had since she woke up, and as she listened to that powerful heartbeat within him, she feels all those fears and worries melt away. "I love you…", she whispers. "Love you too…Blue", he answers lovingly.
Then he snapped his fingers and gently loosens the hug so she could face him. "Hey, just thinking about it, but how would you feel about a bath?", he asked. Aqua blinks and then suddenly feels a wave of self-consciousness wash over her as she tries to move away from Gladiolus. "D-Do I smell? O-Or am I too sweaty?", she asked. Gladiolus laughs and ruffles her grey hair, much to her irritation and secret delight. "Nah, you smell fine…though you do feel a LITTLE sweaty", he teased. She pouts at him and calls him rude, but then when he suggests a bath to clean up and even just lie there, she begrudgingly accepts his proposal.
If it means she could laze about in hot water that would not only provide some comfort to her aching limbs and allow her to doze off comfortably, it would give her that independence to clean herself as opposed to being cleaned up by Gladiolus again. "That…sounds good", she admits as he helps her to her feet. Once more not carrying her but just helping her walk to the bathroom while she still used her two feet, he helps her settle on the toilet as he prepares the bath.
Once the water was halfway to filling the tub and some scented candles were lit and oils provided, he helps her remove her pjs and carefully settles her into the tub. Immediately she sighs in bliss, laying her neck against the tub as the hot waters seep into her limbs. "MMM…much better", she sighed as Gladiolus throws her clothes in the washing basket. "I'll be outside if ya need me", he says as he opens the door.
"…a shame you can't fit in here…", she mumbles. Gladiolus turns to her with a surprised look, but then her innocent smile just made him chuckle before leaving the bathroom. As she lies in the hot water, the master closes her eyes and relax in serenity. The love and warmth from her lover filling up her weakened heart…
*Riku's Room*
Laying down on the bed together, arms wrapped around him while their legs were entangled, Iris lies her head on his chest and listened intently to the slow and steady rhythm of Riku's heartbeat. Occasionally she'd glance up at his face to check if he was still sleeping peacefully, and while his brows furrowed and soft yet sharp breathes were made, she sees the idea of peaceful slumber wasn't going to happen to Riku for a long time. He hasn't moved since she laid her head on his chest, acting both as a weight to keep him there and be there for him.
A whole week went by and anyone whose seen him can worryingly testify he was starting to get worse with worry and grief. He had started to eat less and become more of a recluse since he learned about Kairi's condition and only came out when someone asked him to spar or when he was needed to be there for keyblade matters. Not that Iris knew anything about, but she was adamant in keeping an eye on him and be the shoulder he needed to lean on when his pain got too much for him to shoulder through alone.
For the first few days, she tried to cheer him up with being over-affectionate, playfulness that normally would be met with his usual cocky attitude, and even suggested they could go to Radiant Garden for some R&R. Yet none of them worked on him, save for temporary moments of a laugh or even a fragile smile that disappeared as soon as it comes to his lips. Even when he was sparring with someone, he just put in half the effort and would more often just end the fight by using all his skills at once. It felt like Riku had turned into a robot with how he spoke and how little he seemed to, be alive. It scared Iris that all this had done more harm to his mental state and heart than even that old man thought.
Luckily, he wasn't harming himself by not eating or be stuck in bed all day, he was still active and tries to train alone whenever he could. The only reason she wasn't with him was that she trusted him enough not to do anything stupid without anyone watching him, and even then she knew people like Ventus were watching from him afar just in case. She started to draw circles around his heart, wondering what else she could do to cheer him up, yet even as she ponders she begins to wonder just how anyone could cheer him up.
With Kairi in that coma state with no signs of awakening for possibly months or maybe even longer, and Sora disappearing to find the lost hearts with Noctis, it was a miracle everyone else was handling it as best as they could without breaking down. Ignis hadn't been doing much better with the days going by, he had practically thrown himself to working on almost anything and everything on the ship. Cooking for the group, assisting Aerith in her duties, watching Xion and Roxas in case Yuffie's bad influence took over their common sense, and sparing with some to let off some steam.
When she last saw him it was only for a few minutes before he was spirited off to do whatever wasn't done yet, she swore he looked older than before. When she asked Aerith about him, the older woman admits she doesn't know when he did stop to just rest or take a moment to reflect, though she feared if he did he might end up like Riku. Almost everyone was just getting worse as time passes and no signs of the light at the end of this tunnel, and this is only the first week down, she tries hard to not think about the coming months.
"What time is it?", asked the boy. Startled out of her muse, Iris looks up at him and sees his eyes were fixed on the ceiling. Ignoring the worried pang in her heart, she reached for the phone on the lamp table and plucks it up. "…Two", she says, though she wondered what time zone the people on this ship follow. Riku makes a small hum to confirm he hears her and laid still, which only bothered the girl more. "So…hey, wanna go get something to eat?", she offered, "I mean, you haven't eaten since breakfast".
"…not hungry", he sighed, "But if you want to grab a snack, I can wait".
"…we could go out for a bit of a walk, maybe head to the garden for some fresh air?", she persists. "…no thanks, but you again, you can go if you want to stretch your legs", Riku replied. Iris holds back the groan that wanted to break out and voice her annoyance with the boy. She sits up and stares at him with a glare. "Riku, come on. Staying in bed all day like this isn't going to make time fly faster", she argued, "And you know Kairi and Sora wouldn't want you to mope around all day like this".
Riku in response turns to her with his glare that almost scared her, but after so many years of suffering from Gladiolus' glare, she was well prepared for it. "I'm not moping, Iris. I just…don't…", he argued but she cuts him off. "You are moping! Look I get why but you heard Aerith, it might be a while before Kairi wakes up again! Are you going to just lie in bed until then?", she challenged. Riku sits up and says: "I know what she said, and no I'm not! But I'm not in the mood to do anything, alright?".
"You haven't done ANYTHING since this whole thing started, you barely go out with your friends, you only eat and hide in your room!", she reminds, "It's like you're trying to isolate yourself from everyone!". Riku grunts as he gets off the bed and starts to run his gloveless hands through his hair, hissing strained breaths and aggravation in his body, she could see he was tense and the stress of all this is slowly starting to weigh on him. "Riku…", she starts but then he grunts. "Iris, I'm not arguing. You wanna do something, go ahead! I just, I just want to be alone, alright?", he answered with strain.
Iris gets off the bed and faces him. "Haven't you had enough of that already? I thought with what's happening with Sora and Kairi, being alone is the last thing you'd want!", she says, "You don't have to face this on your own, you know that!". Riku growled and shakes his head. "Riku…", she tries with a more gentle approach, "I…I get it, but-
"You get it? So you know what I'm going through?", he accused, "What, did Noct ever get put into a coma and you had to just wait for someone to say he's gonna be ok? Or did Gladio ever disappear looking for someone and you can't do jack to help?". Iris could feel the sting from that accusation and felt a sharp pain stab into her heart, but clenching her fists in anger, she snapped. "No, but I know what it's like to feel helpless! I know it sucks that while your friends are either in a bad state or out there doing who knows what you can't help them!", she spat, jabbing a finger in his chest, "But I also know its not fair to suddenly take your frustrations out on someone TRYING to help!".
They both glared at each other intensely before Iris' eyes softened as her anger deflated and slowly a sense of not being wanted takes over. Slowly she dropped her arm and shook her head. "Fine…if you want me to leave you alone, I'll go", she submits. She doesn't see it as she turned around, but Riku's anger vanished and is replaced with realization and dismay. She approached the door and says: "Just…ring me if you want me…". Riku raised a hand to reach out to her, but it was too late as she leaves the room.
Dropping his hand and sitting back down on his bed, Riku clutched his head and squeezes as hard as he could, flinching in pain as his eyes begin to water. "I'm so sorry…Iris…", he whispers softly and nearly breaks down. While on the outside walking away from the room, Iris lets her tears fall quietly as she musters the Amicitia will to not break down entirely for the sake of not worrying everyone else. Pain ripped into her heart as she feels it grow with each step she takes from Riku's room, the lump bigger and bigger in her throat.
Soon enough she stopped walking and leaned against the wall and clasped her mouth shut with her hand to hold back the sniffles and whimpers threatening to break out of her mouth. Shoulders shook as she tries to keep walking away yet each step felt like the weight around her heart transferred to her feet and almost makes it impossible for her to walk again. The words he threw at her cut her heart and while she was hurt from them even if she had some experience with this pain, she knows deep in her heart the boy was suffering far worse than she was.
After everything that's happened to them, to those three who weren't supposed to be keyblade wielders or even be involved in all this, the journey to finally put an end to all this would once more split them apart. She'd have no clue how'd she survive if it were Riku who went looking for Lunafreya and Naminé or if Gladiolus were in a coma, and even worse, not knowing when they'll be back. Yet he was alone without them, none of their friends could help mend that pain, only those two. But…he wasn't alone entirely.
With a whimper, she spun on her heels and raced back to Riku's room. When she reached the door, she was surprised to see it yanked open and was almost tackled by Riku, only because of his quick reaction did he prevent them from colliding. On the other side of the door, she saw tear stains on his cheeks, and looked like he had cried a bit more than she thinks. But that only made her pull him into a tight hug as she was pulled back into the room with him, apologizing profusely and shaking.
Iris now genuinely believed they needed each other now…more than ever…
*Twilight Town*
Back in this world between light and darkness, Lea leads the team of four through the city streets after Donald teleported them using the ship's transport beam that didn't leave them in a pile of bodies like Cindy usually does.
"You sure we're gonna find your friend here? I mean, Radiant Garden was a bust but what makes you so sure he'll be here?", Prompto asked as he takes in the sight of this new world. "Call it a hunch…", Lea says flippantly, "But hey if you wanna stay on board the ship and not see this world, be my guest". Prompto rebukes this "offer" and follows the three through the streets. "I sure hope we find something", Goofy sighed, "I think we could all use some good news".
"Yeah…", Donald concurs, "Hope Sora and Noct come back soon". Prompto makes a humming noise in his throat as he adjusts the black glove Cindy gave him to cover up his cyborg limb just so he wouldn't stand out so much. Their search in Radiant Garden hadn't yielded the results they were pinning for nor did they find any alternative solutions to their friend's states. Aside from learning the city had recovered since Maleficent's attacks and the heartless had become quiet since then, they learned nothing new.
Even going to Merlin for help was a giant bust, especially when they discovered he wasn't there at his home and had once more gone off on his little journey again. The Fairy Godmother though was there and even though she couldn't give them the help they needed to help their friends, she still offered some truly kind words of encouragement and possibly the best tea Prompto had ever gotten from someone. Though their search for aid wasn't entirely fruitless, the old woman offered to visit Kairi and see if there was something she could do to help, so at the very least there was that hope.
Still, Lea wasn't finished with their search and decided they'd go to Twilight Town next. While the gunner was lost on the importance of this world, Donald and Goofy both agreed it'd be their next best shot at finding answers for their companions. Sure the two gave Prompto a summary of the importance of this world but none of them had given Prompto any idea on how they could be connected to helping Kairi.
Still, it was a good excuse to get off the ship and go look around somewhere that didn't remind him of the aftermath of the clash.
"So where do we start? Anyone know where this guy is supposed to be?", Prompto asks as they entered the tram square where it was as populated as ever. "Well we can split up and look around, cover more ground that way", Lea says while crossing his arms, "Just watch out for heartless or anyone else who probably doesn't like us". "Split up? Sure that's a good idea?", Prompto argued. "Oh come on, this world isn't that dangerous, sides you helped beat the new organization. What's a few heartless?".
Prompto rolls his eyes as Lea walks up the hill while Donald and Goofy agree to check the sandlot first while the gunner decided he could look around the square. Stuffing his hands into his pocket, now back in his Crownsguard gear, he waltzes through the town in silence, listening to the townsfolk and trains running. He takes a small breath of fresh air, savoring the peace of the world while listening to the ambiance filled by the people, realizing it had been a very long time since he had explored a place full of people as opposed to going through dungeons and other dangers.
All the fights with Xehanort and his minions had really taken a lot out of him, and even after some downtime to recover from his wounds he couldn't entirely rest on board the ship. Walking around his mind wanders back to Kairi and Aqua, frowning. "Figured those two wouldn't make our lives any easier…", he chuckles to himself as he walked up a small flight of stairs, his eyes catching the posters of movies and the struggle tournament. He nearly bumps into someone carrying a box of flyers and utters a quick but friendly apology to her before nearing the bridge connecting to the roof.
He hoped while looking around this world maybe he could snap a few good pictures here and there, after all, he was in a new world and thinks the others might appreciate some normality. Maybe Roxas and Xion would like a few snapshots of their homeworld of sorts, and maybe a few more ice cream of different flavors as well as a few other bits for the others. Maybe otherworldly cup-a-noodles for Gladiolus and a book for Ignis.
His mind goes back to the girl who had become a sister to him, his easy smile drops to worry and a frown. "Jeez, Kairi…no wonder everybody's super protective of ya…always worrying us", he says rubbing his neck.
"Excuse me".
Prompto spun around to see the girl he had bumped into, or almost did, suddenly turn her eyes on him with a curious look. "Did, you say Kairi? Like, Kairi with red hair?", she asked turning her body to face him. Prompto gulped and suddenly felt his legs twitch with the urge to start running. The order Donald had been adamant in everybody keeping suddenly boomed in his mind and a horrible case of "I screwed up" takes hold of him. But then he paused his potential panic, wondering how she knew Kairi.
She is wearing a black top with stitch-like vertical orange lining. The shorts have a plaid pattern with a primarily red-and-black background with small vertical orange stripes and small horizontal blue stripes. Her socks and shoelaces are red, and her shoes are black and grey. Her bracelet is red-and-black, and her necklace is red. She has bright green eyes, light skin, and brown hair. Her hair sticks out on the sides and two strands of hair fall from either side of her head, draping over her shoulders.
Deciding he'd better check all possibilities; he nodded his head to her with a raised brow. The girl then smiles brightly and sighed, dropping her shoulders. "Oh, so you're a friend of her and Sora, right?", she asked kindly and sweetly. "Uh, yeah? You know them?", he asked. "That's right! We hadn't heard a word from those two in a year! How are they doing? Did they say if they'll come to visit?", the girl says with glee. Prompto holds back the look of worry when he thought about their current predicaments and rubbed his neck nervously, wondering what sort of bull crap he could tell this girl.
"Oh sorry, you're probably wondering how I know them. My name's Olette", introduces the girl, "Nice to meet you?". "Oh uh, Prompto!", he says with a nervous filled chuckle, "I'm just here looking for a friend of Lea's…". "Lea? Is that another friend of Sora's?", she asked tilting her head. "I think so…? I mean he never told me anything other than we need him…or her…", Prompto finishes lamely. Truth be told Lea has yet to even tell them who they were looking for, and suddenly it dawned on the blonde how stupid the three of the four-party had been when they decided to split up and look for someone without any clue who they WERE looking for.
This was going to haunt him whenever somebody questioned Sora's intelligence…
"Olette! What are you waiting around for?", a voice called out impatiently. With a small frown and an eye roll, the girl turns to the below the two and sees another teenager who was likely around her age glaring at her impatiently. "Those flyers were supposed to be up yesterday! You know the boss is gonna dock our pay if we're late!", he reminds the girl while he adjusts his box of flyers. "Not my fault he decided he'd get into marketing for the struggle games! Also, it was my day off yesterday, what's your excuse?", Olette argued.
The teenager has brown eyes, light skin, dark eyebrows, and spiky, blond hair. Dressed in a shirt that's white and the skull is black and on the bottom. His vest is black with red-and-black plaid on the bottom. His pants are jeans, and his shoes have a red-and-black plaid design. Then he looked at Prompto with confusion, likely wondering who this guy was and if Prompto were a betting man, likely has met probably everybody in this town. "Who's this guy? He new around here?", he asked.
"A friend of Kairi and Sora's!", Olette says with joy. This made the teen break out a grin and nodded to Prompto. "Ahh, figured! Ya got the whole "Sora friend" look down to a D!", he says. "…T, Hayner...", Olette said exasperatedly, "The saying is "Down to a T"…". Hayner scoffed and remarked corrections didn't matter and suggest they finish their job before their boss does worse than dock their pay. "We can talk to him later, hurry up!", he says jogging off before Prompto could even introduce himself while Olette adjusts the crate in hand. "Well better get to it before he has a heart attack", she sighed, "But hey, why don't you wait at the bistro and we'll meet you there, ok?". Prompto tries to answer but the girl quickly jogged off to finish her task, leaving the gunner.
Slouching with a groan, the guardian of light quickly takes his phone out and dials for Donald (Lea was probably the third worst for his phone) and after two beeps, the duck picked up. "Did ya find something already?", Donald asks. "No, but I think we got a problem! Some people know about Sora and Kairi!", he says pacing around the spot. "What? Who?", the duck asked. "Some girl named Olette and a guy called Hayner!".
"Oh…aww phooey, I thought it was something serious!", grumbled the duck. Prompto stops his pacing and looked at his phone, then placed it back to his ear with confusion. "Huh? Wait, do they know about the other worlds?", he whispered. "Yeah…I guess so…they were the ones who helped us find a way into Xemnas' castle a while back and helped with that big computer of Ansem's", Donald explained, probably realizing whatever attempts to keep other worlds a secret from those two were too late a long time ago. "…ya could've warned me!", Prompto groans loudly as he leaned against a wall, "Well…what do I tell them? Am I allowed to tell them what's happened?".
Donald makes an uncertain noise in his throat over the device, then with a hefty sigh, suggested to Prompto to try and keep as much sensitive info as scarce as he could, IE Xehanort and other entities. "Oh yeah, no problem there…barely understood half of it…", Prompto muttered as he bids them a "see ya" and ends the call.
Reaching bistro and ordering a small lunch for himself, the munny given to him by Cindy, and eats in peace while waiting for the two teenagers. Halfway through his meal, his phone goes off and he quickly answered it, hoping it was one of the members of the party to tell him they found who they're looking for. But instead, it was Cindy ringing him. Never had he answered his phone so fast.
"Hey sweet cheeks, how's your little trip going?", asked the wonderful woman. He holds back a sigh of content when she called him by her pet name and musters enough manpower to answer without sounding a star stuck high school kid. "Hey Cindy, we're uh, getting there I guess…", he says with a slight strain in his voice, "The garden was a bust so now we're in Twilight Town looking for the person". "Did old porcupine even say who ya'll are looking for?", the mechanic asks with humor in her voice, "Or was going to ole Twilight an excuse to get some ice cream?".
"Well, I hope not! We've still gotta figure out how we can help Kairi…", he says but reaching Kairi his voice drops to a low a worried tone. "…Prom, they're gonna be fine", assures Cindy, "Ya'll know those girls are too stubborn to bite the bullet yet. Sides, ya'll think Sora and Gladio are gonna just let them go like that?". Prompto hummed happily at that, knowing the levels those two would be willing to dive to for the two girls. "Yeah, you're right…", he says lovingly.
"Damn right I am! Also- XION WAIT DON'T TOUCH THAT!", shouts Cindy. Prompto moves the phone away from his ear as he could hear the giggles from Xion mixed with the shouting worries of Cindy from the other end. "Yuffie, ya were supposed to watch her!", yells the mechanic, "And where did she get the ice cream!?". Prompto chuckles at the yelling between the two adults and the little sugar girl they were facing. Likely she must have snuck into Aerith's hidden stash and found where she was keeping the prize.
"Somebody get Ignis up here before she tries to warp drive us! Gotta go sweet cheeks, YUFFIE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET HER AWAY FROM THE-
The call ends abruptly with a cut and Prompto allowed himself to laugh happily, feeling the worries of his friends lift from his chest in time to see Hayner, Olette and another kid approach him. This kid appears to be a rather heavy-set boy with light skin, brown eyes, and black hair and eyebrows, his hair is held up by a black headband. His headband is fully black with an orange bandanna around his neck, his shirt is black-and-white and there is a logo called "Dog Street" is above a dog motif, his jeans are black, and the blue on his shoes is orange.
"This the guy Sora and Kairi know?", the new kid asked as they sat down. "Yeah, names Proto", Hayner introduces. "PROMPTO", Olette corrects with a sigh, "And this is Pence, he's a friend of ours". After some casual introductions and after learning Pence was a bit of a photographer, they started to casually chat for some time. Uncertain with how much info he could give these kids, Prompto had managed to text Donald and Goofy to come to the bistro before his meal arrived.
Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait for long because Olette spotted them and friendly greetings were dispersed amongst them. With greetings given, the duck took over the explanation of their return to the town. Much to Prompto's surprise, the trio of this world were aware of other worlds certainly but far less than he and the royal retinue were at the start, apparently only understanding that Sora and company weren't from this world. At least he didn't break the rule like Kairi and Riku had. He had that over the masters of the keyblade.
Like he was told, no one had spoken a word about Xehanort or the battle between the guardians of light and thirteen darkness. Nor was Eos mentioned, nor the passing of Lunafreya and Naminé thankfully, and as bad he felt about keeping the condition of their friend away from them, Donald didn't say a word about Kairi's condition. Though he spots doubt and worry in their eyes when Donald told them Kairi was only resting from her exam, they kept their voices silent. "So right now, we're trying to find Lea's friend so he can help us out", Donald explains, "Lea said he can help us".
"And you guys don't know what he looks like?", Pence asks, "Did Lea say anything at all?". "He didn't", Goofy said sheepishly, "We should have asked…". Prompto folds his arms and leans back in his seat, biting his lip, and tries to think about who Lea could be looking for. He looked at the table in thought while Donald converses with the trio along with Goofy chatting them up about what they've been up to since they last saw them. But then the captain smiled widely and says: "Oh, guess what? We found Roxas!".
The trio's eyes lit up with excitement and immediately they started asking more about him while Donald gave Prompto mouthed "long story" when he spotted confusion on the gunner's face. He waves off the worries and makes a mental note to ask later, but then as he looked down at his meal and cut open, he accidentally formed an X on the steak. He paused, suddenly something clicking within his mind. Lea had a friend before Axel was born, and that friend worked alongside Xehanort. A man who had a vast knowledge of the princesses of light…
And to confirm his thought, he looks to the clocktower looming over the city…
*Clocktower*
Walking around the corner, as he expected he sees his old "friend" sitting down on the edge of the tower watching the world bathed in the sunset. Lea leaned against the wall when he saw his ears perk up and change his sitting position to him straightening up. "Took your time…enjoying your victory?", he asks. "I would…if we didn't lose our friends…or if Kairi wasn't in a coma", Lea remarks as he pushed himself off the wall.
"Oh?", Isa asked while getting up from his spot and turns to Lea. Like Lea, Isa had regained his human form. No longer cursed with those golden eyes but his old sea-green eyes, even his ears are back to normal. No longer wearing the organization cloak at long last, his new outfit consists of a long-sleeved, knee-length black duster jacket with black pants. The jacket has a short front zipper on either side and a column of five buttons on a dark grey flap next to a long zipper down the middle.
The jacket, its sleeves, and the pants have grey camouflage patterning along the sides, though it is wider on the sides of the jacket. Isa's jacket has a high collar, the length of the sleeves with a gold medallion on the left breast bearing a gold star and a waxing crescent moon, and he wears black shoes with the grey camouflage as the trim along the bottom.
He still had Saix's X scar, though why and how Lea couldn't answer that with confidence, but he didn't care for that yet. "And why have you come to me?", he asked with a raised blue brow. Lea approached him saying: "Because your bald asshat of a boss knew more about the princesses of light than anybody else, and if he were as smart as he bragged, he made damn sure you all know about the ins and outs about them".
Standing face to face with him, Lea continues. "Kairi nearly died to stop him, and ever since that fight ended, she's been stuck in a coma and not even the best mages can figure out what's happening to her. So you have to know more about the princesses, and I'm hoping you can tell me what we can do to help her!". Isa folds his arms and lets a small "huh" escape his lip, yet his eyes were shining with interest and even a smidge of worry in his eyes. He turned to Lea's burning eyes with a small smirk. "And you thought I'd know about it? Surely Marluxia would be more suitable", he asked with strange jest in his voice.
If Lea weren't so worried about this plan becoming a bust then he might have laughed.
Isa then sighed when he gets nothing but a scowl from his friend, then leaned against the wall and says: "Fine…I'll tell you what I know…though, you will tell me what has happened since I perished". Lea sighed and leaned against the wall near him and starts regaling the tale of the guardians nearly lost…
*Final Memory*
Landing on his feet and quickly looking up, Sora sees he was standing on the same white arena he had been visiting for all his past fights but this time they were hovering above the darkness-infected ocean with several bits of his islands scattered in the skies. One look to the sky above he saw the dark sphere that consumed his world, one of the worst days of his life. He looks around for anyone who was connected to Naminé's heart, but instead, he sees the person he went on this journey for standing right before him.
"Naminé?", he says, uncertain. In his experience, finding someone was never as straight forward as the world showed. There was always a caveat that often sneaks past his senses. He approached her but not even two steps later, a wall of darkness erupts in front of him, stopping the hero. Sora jumps back with a yell and calls his keyblade to fight whatever this darkness is. "…why? Why have you come for me?", Naminé asks with a voice so cold and empty it sounded like the body was as hollow as a heartless.
When she turned around to face Sora, there was nothing in her eyes. No sparkle of life or that gentle innocence, but rather bleakness and guilt-ridden eyes that lost the blue and look closer to grey. Even her skin looked so pallid and the circles under her eyes looked like they would forever mark her for whatever she had done. "Haven't…haven't I been punished enough?", she whispered lowly and almost didn't voice at all. Once more Sora deduced this was another dark side to her heart that stood in his way.
He stands tall and says: "Out of my way! I know you're not our Naminé!". The false girl barely registers his words as a dark corridor opens behind her. Voiceless and with barely any sign of acknowledging Sora, the false girl disappears into the dark fire as someone Sora hadn't expected walks out of the dark corridor.
Himself.
But instead, he wears the black coat all members of the organization wear, but his hair was as grey and lifeless as a withered flower, his eyes hollow and blank with no sign of his own will or even a small trace of his former self. His skin darker with black-violet veins stretching from below his neck to his eyes, the nobody emblem stitched onto where his heart is with a keyblade in hand. Kingdom Key, but black as the darkness with red mist surrounding it.
It was clear to Sora that this version of himself, was probably the Sora Marluxia wanted Naminé to create, an empty shell of his former self with nothing to replace it with. Her worst fear combined to create a nightmare version of himself, a Sora she prevented from happening because of her newfound will to think and act by her own choice. But even if she stopped it, it never left her heart, stalking her in the shadows of her darkness. A Sora no world needed but a Sora she almost made.
He sensed the final shard was within this abomination of himself, and without any hesitance, Sora calls Ultima to his hand. "I'm coming for you Naminé…let me get rid of this wannabe me…", Sora promises.
He rushes into the battle for the shard, sensing this journey was nearing its end.
A/N: Done!
We're almost done with Remind folks, now Sora and Noctis are fighting their worst versions of themselves! How'd ya think that's gonna end?
Questions!
Q1: Thoughts on this chapter?
Q2: How'd you like the guardian's side? Which one did you enjoy the most?
Q3: Happy to see the Twilight Gang?
Q4: Which guardian do you wanna see again?
Q5: Glad to see Isa? Eager to know what he's got in store?
Q6: Whose fight are you excited to see?
Q7: What are you enjoying the most from the Remind Arc?
Q8: Dark Sora?
Also, we're going to refer Axel as Lea from here on out.
Also question, I've recently beaten Melody of Memory, and even though I have my own plans for the rest of the story, I'm curious if anyone wants to see some of it being used. I can't say what I'll do if you folks want it, but ya never know.
Anyways, thanks for reading everyone! Stay awesome but more importantly stay safe!
