You know a chapter feels good to write when you can't stop writing until you've finished it, and so I give you the next chapter of this story. Nothing else much to say for now I think. As always, reviews and favourites are always appreciated.


Chapter 62

Man of Shadows

Luna stood approximately two metres away from Sora, silent as she had been since the morning. Even meeting a talking tree at Pocahontas' suggestion had not deterred his mind from worrying about her. Not only did she seem visibly shaken, but Sora had noticed several occasions when she had patted the knife strapped to her waist. It was an unconscious touch, from what Sora could see, but that was even more worrying.

"Pocahontas and Luna told us that you said we shouldn't seal the keyholes? I'm not sure if you know much about what is going on in the other worlds but maybe if you hear it from our perspective, it might clarify things a bit?" Riku suggested to Grandmother Willow. "The Heartless seek the heart of the worlds which can be found through these keyholes. If they aren't sealed then the worlds will crumble and fall into darkness. The fog that has been appearing throughout these worlds isn't good either. A lot of random things have happened because of it. We're talking people turning crazy, leading into different worlds or even different realms, and now Heartless that stay in the fog and use it to target people. Who knows what else? As far as we know, sealing the keyholes is our only option right now. We can't risk the Heartless gaining more ground."

"And if the fog isn't gone after this. You can contact us through this." Kairi took a star-shaped object out of her pocket and handed it over to Pocahontas. Sora was sure she hadn't had it on her beforehand so she must have retrieved it from the Gummi Ship at some point in the morning before they set out to meet Grandmother Willow. "It's a wayfinder or a connection charm. All you have to do is have me in your head when talking into it and it'll react with my own."

Pocahontas accepted the objected and played with it in her hands for a few seconds. The material of the wayfinder was translucent and allowed for some of the sun's rays to pass through it when she held it up to the sky.

"Thank you. I'll keep it safe."

Grandmother Willow, judging from her expression, was still not fully convinced. It made Sora uneasy. If she knew something she claimed not to remember it, but it was still enough to make her hesitant. What had caused this?

The tree eventually let out a sigh that was most like a gentle breeze. "I suppose you're right. I trust you will all make the right decision. Is something the matter, Luna?"

"The… we were trying to save someone and they… they didn't make it. Luna and I stayed up with him all night," Pocahontas answered. Before the tree could respond, Luna spoke up, albeit quietly.

"I held him in my arms. I could see his little paws moving. I thought it was going well. Then… he suddenly stopped moving. I didn't know what was happening. No… I didn't want to believe what I was seeing. Then my hands suddenly felt devoid of weight. He'd disappeared in front of my eyes. There wasn't anything I could do." Luna squeezed her eyes shut tight to prevent any tears from leaking out and clenched her fists. She was trying to hold all the pain in, similar to Sora himself.

"You must keep your light burning strong, child. There will be many times when you blame and doubt yourself for being unable to do something, but to let guilt hang over your head is like picking up a magnifying glass rather than a mirror. One makes things seem much worse than they really are. Learn to look past the short term storm and anticipate the long term wind," Grandmother Willow advised.

"I suppose in a way, his death was a comfort. He was in pain, and if there was no way to help him then at least he's at peace now, and you were there for him, Luna. There are so many who wish they could die with someone at their side. You granted him that wish," Riku added, having nodded every now and then to Grandmother Willow's words.

"I guess," Luna drawled with a sigh. It was clear she had not been fully convinced but Sora had no doubt that she would get out her slumps. She always did.

"Then I guess it's time we seal the keyhole… oh, Pocahontas, have you made a decision yet? I know it's kind of sudden with everything going on but…" Sora said.

Pocahontas gave a firm nod. "I have. I'm sorry about this but I can't go with you. It's not that I don't want to. If it came to it I'd do anything I could to help you all. The problem is... I'm not ready. I was so ecstatic at the thought of seeing these other worlds that I forgot about Luna's safety and my own. I rushed into the night knowing full well that there was something out there that could attack us and I even selfishly thrust the burden on Luna to protect me. I was reckless and for that, I apologize. I still have a lot to learn, clearly, and that starts here I think. You've also showed me that there's more to this world than meets the eye. If these demo- Heartless, if they ever attack the village, I need to stand with my father to protect everyone. I want to become strong like how my father described my mother. I want to be someone deserving of the chance you've given me rather than a person who rushes out into the unknown only to regret it soon after."

"We understand. And there's no need to apologize. We still have some growing to do of our own," Sora said.

"By 'we', I think you mean you," Riku said, playfully punching Sora on the shoulder.

"Hey, this is a team exercise here! Oh, Pocahontas, tell Nakoma that Riku won't forget here. He'll definitely be back to see how she's doing. He has her on his list after all," Sora said quickly. He tried to dodge Riku's hand like last time but this time he was too late. Riku wrapped his arm around Sora's neck and locked him in position. He then proceeded to drive his knuckles into Sora's scalp. "Ow, that hurts! What is this, third grade?"

From the corner of his eyes, Sora could just about make out Luna peaking up from her previous downward position and chuckling brightly at his misfortune. Seeing this, Sora grinned and, rather than fighting back against Riku, allowed him to noogie Sora until he was fully satisfied.

"Okay, let's… let's just seal the keyhole, shall we?" Sora said after he was let go by Riku. He stroked his hair gently as if it were the love of his life, and then summoned the Kingdom Key.

"But you really will come back sometime, yes? You're always welcome to. I can teach you all how to climb trees and other things like growing maize and listening to more of Kekata's stories," Pocahontas said, watching as a giant keyhole replaced Grandmother Willow's face just like the night before. The familiar beam of light shot out of the Keyblade's tip and hit dead center. A light followed, and the Willow tree's face reappeared in front of them.

Sora turned and flashed his trademark grin at Pocahontas. "With an offer like that, how can we refuse?"


"Yes… That's right. Whatever you do you need to detain David Xanatos until we return… Listen, Squall… Leon, whatever, you're assuming I care. Anyway, we found evidence linking him to KRONOS. We don't know if he's directly connected or someone is abusing their position within Xanatos Enterprises to sell KRONOS the stuff but he has to explain why containers with his logo on them are being shipped to different worlds, are being stored in liquid nitrogen, and possibly have the Chimera drug inside them… Then have him stand before the committee, I don't know how the darn system works now, do I? Just cease all production in the necessary department and have someone investigate them... Yes, it would be a disaster if there was a scandal which is why I'm sure you'll figure something out. Keep it out of the public eye if you have to… Yeah, talk to me once you've taken him in."

Neuge withdrew the Wayfinder from her mouth and rested her eyes for a moment. For Leon who had put in so much work to build the world into something greater, it could all just so easily come tumbling down any moment. She had probably stressed him out more than he needed to be but she knew it had the potential to hurt a lot more later on if not dealt with now. He and his friends would have to figure out what to do from now on. She was just the messenger of the ugly truth.

"You told him?" Mickey asked, popping around the corner to see if she was done.

"Yes. He didn't take well to it, as expected. I told him the public couldn't find out about the investigation. Of course if someone leaks it, then it can't be prevented, but I'm sure they'll figure something out. He knows more so than anyone the risks involved if he chooses to do nothing. He'll risk the people being put in danger and I'm sure faster restoration is not worth putting lives at risk."

"You mean to say that Radiant Garden would be the perfect trial run for a test of the Chimera virus?" Mickey said. "In terms of where it's situated, Radiant Garden is within the center of a whole bunch of worlds. It would be easy for the Chimera and Heartless to use it as a way of getting to other worlds."

"And not too far from it in a certain quadrant is that factory with all the doors and monsters. That's another key location KRONOS have shown interest in. They could attack there as well and that would be even worse," Neuge said. "But forget all that. For now, we need to gather some information on the Shadow Man. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"They're definitely hurrying up on unloading the cargo. Pete's still there as well," Mickey informed her.

"Good. Then we wait and follow," Neuge decided. They were currently standing on a high vantage point not too far from where the ship was. After making their way back along the bank, Neuge had prided herself in finding a pretty decent spot if she were to say so herself from which they could observe Pete and his henchman. Not only that, but the tall grass that covered the area made for excellent cover and a low chance of being spotted.

Rather used to playing the waiting game, Neuge got as low as she could and observed with hawkish eyes. Her days of meditation and training at the temple had not gone to waste, it seemed. More and more she was feeling like less of an addicted drunkard and more the woman she used to be. It was okay, she mused silently to herself. She always had a place in her heart for a good whiskey or two. That would not change.

Beside her she could hear Mickey occasionally yawning and switching positions, unable to bear the wait. His impatient mannerisms reminded her of herself when she was a teenager— fidgety, constantly argumentative and somewhat lazy. Seeing an almost near reflection of herself in the mouse had suddenly made her realize why she had never passed her Mark of Mastery.

They must have been waiting for about fifteen minutes when the sound of a metal shutters being brought down and the gurgling of the engine made Neuge raise up to a kneeling position.

"Hope you can keep up, your majesty because I'm not waiting for you," Neuge said. True to her word, without checking to make sure Mickey was following behind her, she jumped off from the high vantage point and landed on the ground before taking off after the moving vehicle. Her extensive knowledge of the city allowed her to adjust for the truck's dodging and weaving in and out of streets. She knew which shortcuts to take and when faced with no alternative path to take, she began climbing the small protrusions of the building to reach the rooftops. She could hear Mickey squeaking at her from street level to stop but she really didn't have any time to. She was not about to let the truck get away after how long she had spent staking out their operations. He would simply have to figure out another way to catch up.

Neuge leapt and soared from rooftop to rooftop like she were an athlete. This couldn't be any farther from the truth. She couldn't begin to guess where all the energy had come from. As she vaulted from one building to another, she soaked in the view of a smog-covered skyline. While it wasn't the most appealing view, that the problem had been intensified by the introduction of steamboats sailing down the river made her wonder how the city would fare were it not for them. She could only come to the conclusion that the city would be much worse overall. It had been built around the river for a reason. The world was a fine example of taking the bad with the good.

She wall kicked in between a narrow space with two close buildings whose rooftops' were higher than she could reach before emerging out of the closed space and landing back on a more levelled rooftop.

A few more leaps and she soon arrived at the truck's destination. On the opposite side of the road was a warehouse seemingly aged and decrepit. The metal shutters of the van flew up and Pete stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes scanning the area. The area they had arrived out was devoid of sound or any bystander presence. Neuge wouldn't have to worry then if she had to cause a ruckus.

"Hey-hey! No stallin', get movin' ya here!" Pete ordered. Out of the truck came three more passengers, carrying the canisters in their hands. The objects seemed too heavy for them to carry, judging by their waddling about as they tried to head for the warehouse door. This seemed in part to do with their stature. They appeared to be beagles, each one being taller than the other. Despite this, their body postures were all over the place so it was no surprise that they found it hard to carry the multiple canisters. Another henchman stepped outside of the truck's cab and hurried to the back to unload some of the canisters himself.

Neuge waited until they had all entered the warehouse and made her way back down onto street level. She made a quick check down the road for any sign of Mickey but soon gave up and started jogging to the warehouse. Of course it was unlikely that Mickey could have arrived so quickly and very unlikely that he would arrive at all. He wouldn't have been able to keep up with the truck on the ground. Neuge let out a chuckle. She felt sorry for his short legs and big hands, she truly did.

Rather than opening the front door which was an almost sure means of failure, she ran over to the side of the building and looked for a window she could hopefully use to get in. It was a small window that she discovered, but it was still a window and the only one open. She backed away a few feet before running to the right of the window. With her left trainer's surface kicking against the wall, she quickly twisted her body to the left and her ankle to right, using the momentum provided to leap up the window. She grabbed onto the ledge and forced herself up and into the window.

Her pear-shaped figure got her through the small window with little difficulty and when she dropped down into the warehouse, she found herself on a metal catwalk on what would be the floor's second level. She tiptoed quietly so as not to make noise and made her way over to where she had been able to immediately pick up voice upon breaking in.

"…care of the problem?"

As the voices became more audible, their owners too became visible. The four beagles were standing closest to Neuge, but the voices did not come from them. In front of them was an uneasy looking Pete and opposite him was… Neuge couldn't see well. The man was well hidden in the shadows of the warehouse created by the setting sun. Even so, Neuge's stomach felt queasy. There was something about this person that was different to anyone Neuge had ever met. Was he the so-called Shadow Man that she and Mickey had been chasing down?

"I told you, those freaks are history! They're most likely drownin' halfway done the Mississippi river by now. The mouse in particular. I know the guy and he can't exactly swim," Pete said.

"So you didn't check. You just left them?" The deep and husky voice was as calm as it possibly could have been and yet in true juxtaposition to its front, its subtext hinted heavily at deception.

"Well… I er- needed to get these off the ship and bring them here. I couldn't very well keep my eye on a coupla morons while I had work to do now, could I?" Pete answered, looking anywhere but at the man in front of him.

"My point stands. You didn't check to see if they were dead?"

"Er- I… no." Pete backed away slowly. It seemed as if he was about to turn and make a retreat but then he tripped. Neuge blinked. Maybe it had just been her imagination but she could have sworn that she had seen something on the ground just before Pete had fallen over. Pete's shadow? No, it looked too thin and snake-like to be his. None of the beagles had moved either so it couldn't be them. Had she just imagined another shadow?

"Pete, do you know why they keep laughing at you? The peeps in KRONOS I mean. They do it behind your back." The Shadow Man waited for an answer. When Pete failed to reply, the man stepped out of the shadows and into the light for Neuge to see. He was very lanky and slender with dark skin and a thinly combed moustache that reminded Neuge of her younger days when she would use her long hair to copy her Master's moustache. On his head was a top hat and in his hand a cane with a strange purple glass ball on top. The man continued, "It's cause you keep failing. Failing and failing and… failing. Constantly. Now, me? I'm not gonna hold it to you. I've been there before. I know what it's like for people to hold you down. They won't let you play at their level because you're not the same as them. There's only one reason I still choose to stay in this world after hearing about all the others. You know what that reason is, Pete?"

"Have no idea," Pete said, scrambling to get up only for him to be brought back down by the same shadow Neuge had seen earlier. So it hadn't just been in her head then.

"Because they all share something in common. They're rich. They sit up on their thrones all day long blissfully unaware at people like you and me at the bottom. We try to become one of them by normal means and we just get eaten up. They don't care about us. You… me… we're trailer trash in their eyes. That's something I doubt doesn't exist in other worlds. Those Keyblade wielders are an example. People with power that keep the status quo in their favor for fear of losing it. They're all the same. Well, we're gonna put them in their place. We're gonna show them all who is really in power. Once that happens we won't have to stay in the shadows any longer. They'll have no choice but to notice us. You, me, my…" the Shadow Man cleared his throat. "Friends on the other side, and KRONOS. Heh, heh, the worlds will fear us all. That's why I need you to keep your head in the game, Pete. I need you."

Pete's ears perked up at this. "What did you just say?"

"I need you." The Shadow Man walked over to him and placed his free hand on Pete's shoulder. He then brought him up by the chin, Pete obeying as if under a spell. "I see great things in the future for you. I of all people should know." He raised the cane up to show it to Pete before freezing. His cane soon found itself pointed directly in the direction of Neuge.

"Seems like we have a little guest. No need to be shy… come on out, stranger," the Shadow Man called.

For the next fifteen seconds, Neuge did not react. She hoped deep down that the Shadow Man had only coincidently been pointing the cane at her and that he had actually been referring to someone else. Time passed though and that started to seem incredibly unlikely, especially as he slowly turned to look her way himself. There was also something else. Something… crawling up her… back. Neuge spun around instantly only to find nothing behind her. The side-effect of her footsteps echoing across the warehouse by turning left her with no choice but to leave her hiding spot and reveal herself. Even though she had been careless with that last step, it probably wouldn't have mattered. Someway, somehow, the Shadow Man had known she was there.

Neuge jumped off the catwalk and landed on the ground. She made sure there were indeed only six enemies surrounding her. With her confirmation set, she felt her way down to her waist only to find fabric. She inwardly cursed. Of course, she had given her knife away to Luna for her birthday. Now would have been one of those perfect times when it would have been the most useful. She wouldn't summon her Keyblade just yet, she decided. Instead she parted her legs with one slightly in front and brought her arms up to her face in a fighting stance.


Within an hour of receiving Neuge's call, Leon had felt the most stressed he had ever been in his entire adult life. He felt that was no exaggeration either. There were responsibilities involved in leading the project to restore one's home. Leon had understood that from day one and with that he carried a heavy burden on his shoulders, that being the happiness of the entire town resting on him. He knew he couldn't make everyone happy, that was impossible. From day one of the project he had set out with the ideal of restoring the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. He had expected the project to take a long time so he and the rest of the restoration committee were lucky to be granted a respite with the arrival of David Xanatos and his business.

When he had first met the man, there was nothing to hint that he was someone who the restoration committee should not do business with. There was naturally no way to tell whether Xanatos had performed any shady dealings in his own world, after all spying was not one of the roles the committee were keen on. There was genuine concern in his voice for the garden when he talked however and no matter how many times Leon had ran over their conversations in his head, he could not find a single ounce of duplicity in his voice. Then again, it was not like Xanatos had to reveal his clients to Leon. He was a businessman who probably honored the rule of client-company confidentiality and where KRONOS' interests and Radiant Garden's interests didn't conflict, he would be happy to assist both. That was what Leon hoped for at least.

Behind him stood Rinoa, placing firm hands on his shoulders and massaging them gently. Her touch was just what he needed right now. These were the moments when he felt least like the leader he had to be and more like a person whose destiny wasn't any different than that of the lay person in the garden. It was these moments of normality in which he was grateful for having Rinoa by his side.

"I spoke to Aerith and Cid. Just like you they didn't take happily to the news. It's just so sudden. We'll work something out," Rinoa said.

"We don't have time to work something out. There will never be a better time to do this. There's nothing to decide. We just have to bring him in for questioning," Leon replied. His eyes were focused on the wayfarer that Aqua had gifted him before leaving. They each had one so they could connect with each other where the background radiation that had affected the worlds would not allow them to. It was an easy workaround and Leon couldn't help but admire its simplicity even with Cid continuing to insist that he could find a way to increase the signal between Radiant Garden and the Gummi Ships.

"I was thinking we could install a straw owner, someone who already knows the business in and out and can run it effectively as if it were Xanatos still running it. If we do find that he's working with KRONOS then I think that's the best bet to stop the public from getting suspicious about what's going on. The person we put in will just run the company under the name of David Xanatos," Rinoa suggested. Leon turned his neck to look at her with a questioning glance. Rinoa continued, "It would have to be someone who is business smart and they would have to be willing to agree to do whatever you tell them. They would be quite attractive and the sweetest person in the world-"

"Since when were you 'business smart'?" Leon asked with a sly smile, catching onto who she was talking about fairly quickly.

"Ugh, how rude! There are these things called books, y'know. I can study," Rinoa said feigning being offended. The sad part is that she had probably had tried her very best to sound sincere. Leon had found out pretty early on that Rinoa was two things—not the most subtle person in the world and not the best actor by any means. Rinoa sighed. "Okay, so maybe I'm not the best person to entrust with a company. I'd definitely screw up big time anyway. But… someone else you trust."

Leon realigned his head with the rest of his body so as to feel more comfortable. "It still strikes me as odd that you're so willing to agree now. Half an hour ago, you were completely against covering this up."

"And I still don't think it's a good idea. I'm just providing an option that you can choose to take if you want. You remember Ansem, don't you? Not that I'm blaming him and he did try to rectify his mistakes but he kept secrets from the citizens too. You remember when you were just that common person? How would you feel knowing that the guy you admired had been hiding things and performing secret experiments in his basement with people's hearts? If we had known about it then, there would have been chaos on the streets." Rinoa paused and took the pen that Leon was playing with on his desk away from him. "People look up to you, Squall. They admire you like you admired Ansem. The virtue they like most about you is that you're honest. If you cover this up, it'll be even worse when they find out. They've grown to love Xanatos and he's done a lot for them. There may be some denial when you tell them the truth, but it'll be a far cry from what will happen if you mislead them and lie to them."

Leon still couldn't say he was fully convinced. Of course there was a part of him who wanted to just come out with the truth of things but it wasn't as straightforward as that. Rinoa hadn't been there with him at the time so she wouldn't know but there had been a different in the smiles and eyes of the citizens before and after Xanatos had arrived. It was hope. Previously, Leon could make as much promises as he wanted to but the people of Radiant Garden simply hadn't been seeing the result of those promises, or the result if there was one had been too unsatisfactory. Maleficent and the Heartless had opened up a deep wound in Radiant Garden that could not have been healed had they not accepted Xanatos' help.

After a few months he started to see something he had not noticed before. A glimmer in everyone's eyes. He could see the future, something that had been shrouded in mystery before. Xanatos had even given Leon hope. In a way, David Xanatos had become more than a person for the people to look up to. He was inspiration. He was the future. He was hope. No matter who he tried to find to replace him, he knew no one would be able to run the business, and give that same kind of hope to the people as Xanatos had.

"Squall, why don't you look at me?" Rinoa asked. It was not in a harsh, chiding tone but rather one of curiosity mixed with a hint of loneliness. It was a strange question to ask suddenly and it had nothing to do with the topic at hand.

"What do you mean? I look at you all the time," Leon said, turning to face her.

"Not now. I mean in public. You never look at me. It's like you're ashamed of other people seeing us," Rinoa replied. "And it's not just that. You won't hold my hand, or hold me or kiss me on the cheek or anything that couples normally do."

"Rinoa, I really don't think this is the time for this. We need to meet up with-"

"And there you go? Dodging the question."

"It's not that I'm ashamed, it's just…" Leon paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It's just I feel like these kind of things should be private. Little moments just between us. That's the kind of person I am."

"But not even looking at me? Trust me, I know what kind of person you are, that's why I married you, but even now I feel like you're holding back. Like you're putting on some kind of mask and you don't want the world let alone me to see what's behind it," Rinoa said.

"So you want me to tell you everything I'm thinking even when there's no reason to? Rinoa, you're worrying about nothing. There are some things you just don't talk about, not even between couples."

"I'm not asking you to tell me everything. But you hide more about yourself than the average person does. Take right now. You're clearly frustrated, I can see that on your face, but you still won't let the mask slip. You're trying your best to cover it up by pretending that you're some leader who will always come to the right decision. Well, you can be wrong too, you know? And that's still fine. Don't be afraid of making mistakes," Rinoa said but Leon quickly spoke before she could say anymore.

"Great, I've got the message, now can we please stop talking about this?"

Rinoa hands froze on Leon's shoulders for a moment and the realization dawned upon Leon that he had made a big mistake. Before he could apologize, Rinoa removed her hands and let them fall to her sides, her face looking at the picture frame on the desk. It was a photograph of him looking away from the camera and Rinoa with a rather impish grin on her face, her chin resting on his right shoulder and her arms around his neck.

"The people don't really know you, Squall. That's the difference between you and Xanatos. It's not because he's helped out a lot since coming here or anything else to do with him. It's because you won't let them see the real you." With that she bent down and pressed her lips against Leon's forehead. Leon closed his eyes and made to reach for her hand but instead he found air. The sound of the door creaking to a close opened his eyes.