DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: HAPPY NEW SCHOOL YEAR 2014 TO 2015! To Celebrate, Chapter 44 IS HERE! HIP-HIP-HORRAY! HIP-HIP-HORRAY! HIP-HIP-HORRAY! Of course, I'm Sure you already know the story is FINALLY at its TRUE CLIMAX! That is PART of the reason why this particular Chapter is SO LONG! BUT ALSO EXCITING THROUGHOUT!
Since School is now starting, I will Not be able to post as often as I have been the last few weeks. However, Please Keep On Reading AND Reviewing Alike! Do NOT Forget: THE NUMBER OF REQUIRED REVIEWS IS 107! YET, IF 120 ARE POSTED, I WILL ADD A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THIS STORY'S SEQUEL - I HAVE PLANNED MOST OF IT OUT ALREADY!
Like in the previous Chapter, I included one of the characters I revealed was from the FINAL FANTASY 7 SERIES somewhere in this Chapter! IF YOU HAVE READ THIS STORY SO FAR, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHO IT IS!
Before I let you go, I wanted to ANSWER a few of the Question(s) an Annonymous Reviewer posted on Chapter 43. Gry18 - I REALLY Like Your Idea, So I'll Consider It! Also, I've Read MOST of the Kingdom Hearts Manga. I happen to own Vol.(s) 1-4 of KH1, Vol. 1 of KH CoM, and Vol(s). 1-3 of KH2 - So I understand where you're coming from. I may have hidden some references to the Manga in this story, so you can go through and try to find any, if you'd like.
I Don't Want To Hold You Up ANY Longer - THIS IS A LONG CHAPTER! LET'S CHECK BACK IN WITH SORA! READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! PLUS, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW - PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE - TOO!
CHAPTER 44
"My Friends Are My Power!"
His vision started to come into focus. He gave a loud, obnoxious-sounding YAWN and stretched his arms out so far, they felt as though they were going to snap clean off like a pencil that had been bent too far. Sora took a quick glance around the immediate area. To his surprise, he was standing in the middle of a secluded alley in the middle of the darkened streets of a very, very, very dark city. The noise of something buzzing with an orange flash from the right caught his eye. He swung his head and gave a tiny smirk. All he could see was a small neon-sign bearing the words "HIGHER FOR HIRE".
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora inquired aloud. He was already aware there was nobody else around. Or was there?
As Sora rapidly scanned the shadow-filled alley for any indication of someone else lurking around, a small mouse with big, round ears and wearing a pair of red shorts, giant yellow shoes, and white gloves came rushing from the right. He was followed by a yellow-billed duck wearing a blue sailor's uniform, and blue hat. The two were being trailed by a tall, hunched dog with long ears and a snout with two teeth; he was wearing a long-sleeved green sheet, black vest, light-blue pants, enormous brown shoes, a dark-green hat (the top resembled the end of a bone), and white gloves.
Sora stared with a dumbfounded look in his eyes. He had instantly recognized the three as his friends; Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were speeding through the alley. Before Sora was able to smile with relief, Mickey led the group past the brown-headed youth and around the next two corners before disappearing from view. Sora reached out to grab their attention.
"Your Majes—" Sora yelled, stopping to correct himself. "I mean… Mickey! Donald! Goofy!"
When the three didn't reply, Sora gave a deep sigh from discouragement. Why hadn't his friends heard him calling? Perhaps they were busy trying to find something… or someone? Maybe there was someone else trapped inside this peculiar world of unusual things and out-of-place events he was wandering through. The only question was… who could it be?
Assuming the best method to learn the truth was by seeing where Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had gone, Sora silently decided to give chase. Momentarily after he placed his right foot forward, a golden-furred dog with long, black ears and wearing a red color bounded past and headed after the mouse, duck, and dog.
"Pluto!" Sora called out. "Wait for me!"
Determined not to lose sight of the dog, Sora darted ahead and made a sharp left at the corner. As he started down the street ahead, something stole his attention — something… white?
Sora halted in his footsteps and spotted a teenage girl sitting on some black, stone steps leading to a stone landing on the outside of a skyscraper. A doorway with a sign reading "Condemned" could be seen on the wall beside it. She was looking at the ground with her hands in her lap. From where he stood, Sora could tell she was wearing a plain, white dress made from lace and light-blue sandals. She was slender with blue eyes and blonde hair that gracefully draped over her right shoulder.
Although he could not recall ever personally meeting this girl, Sora had the slightest feeling he had seen her sometime before. As he continued to stare at her, a somewhat-familiar word flashed through his mind. It looked more like a name. Before he could think through what it was, it escaped his lips.
"Naminé?" Sora asked out loud. He froze, suddenly getting a sensation of familiarity.
Perhaps he had met this girl before. Still, how was it possible for him to have no recollection of ever meeting her in the first place? Then again, maybe he had simply forgotten who she was. That still didn't solve the whole mystery. She didn't look familiar, but she did feel significantly recognizable.
The girl glanced up without a sound. Sora's eyes rapidly met hers. From his own perspective, the brown-headed teen thought he could make out sorrow in her eyes, mixed with a little hint of guilt. Had she committed a serious criminal act? Why was she looking at him as though he was the victim? Sora had absolutely no clue.
As she rose to her feet, the girl took one final look at Sora before turning around and marching up the steps to the landing. Not willing to allow her to leave without saying anything, Sora rushed over and started up the steps. The girl was almost to the landing when he grabbed her right wrist. She stopped.
"Wait!" Sora declared, unsure how to talk to a strange girl he only felt he might have known before. "Please don't leave! I need to know something. Who are you?"
As the girl turned around to face him, Sora's eyelids closed and reopened in an instant. He stared in shock, startle, and total puzzlement. The blonde-haired girl in the white dress was gone. In her place was another girl wearing the black-hooded coat of the Organization, with the addition of closer-fitting sleeves. Her hood was down, revealing short, raven-black hair in a similar fashion to how Kairi's had used to look. Her blue eyes were gazing at the spikey-headed sixteen-year-old with uncertainty, hopelessness, and longing for friends.
For several seconds, Sora remained staring at the girl in complete mystification. "Who are… you?"
As far as he could tell, Sora was positive he had never met this unique-looking girl. However, she still gave him the same feeling the blonde-headed girl had just a few minutes ago. Could he have also forgotten who she was, too? Or was his heart trying to tell him something — something he was starting to wonder if he would ever be able to comprehend?
When he sensed a drop of water flowing from his eye down his left cheek, a brand new theory crossed his mind. Perhaps he hadn't met this girl at all. Inside, he could detect a strange feeling of longing to be with the girl before his eyes. Unless this was all a complete illusion, Sora was convinced someone connected to him had met this girl. Perhaps they had stared a strong bond of friendship. Then again, if Sora himself was shedding tears because of it, something terrible must've taken place!
Before Sora could think about the awkward sensation hitting him so unexpectedly, the girl used her free hand to pull her black hood over her face. She broke free from Sora's grip and hurried up to the landing. As she jumped down to the street from there, the girl darted into the distance.
"Hey!" Sora called out to her. He reached his right hand out to her. "Wait! Who are you?!"
When the girl disappeared in the shadow-filled streets ahead, Sora stared in a state of alarm. Not only had the girl not answered his query, but she had dashed away without telling him a single thing he wanted to know. With a deep SIGH of disbelief, Sora set his mind to follow her. He gave a nod to show he agreed with his own decision.
"You've gotta wake up! Sora!"
"Sora! It is too hazardous!"
Although a sudden wave of dizziness struck his head, Sora shook it off and proceeded down the street. It didn't matter to him whether the answers he received were spoken aloud or told through sign language — Sora was determined to learn who the girl was and what exactly was happening to him.
As he zipped through the dark streets with extreme stunt speed, Sora kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the girl. Or at least, someone wearing the Organization's black coat — with the hood on, that is. The outline of the walls started to shift and bend slightly as he dashed around a series of corners. It didn't occur to the spikey-haired Keyblade wielder how he was jogging down a zigzagged street until he saw a flashing, blue neon sign up a few buildings ahead come into view, disappear behind the next skyscraper, come into view, and disappear behind another building as he made a sharp left, sudden right, a quick left, and then another sharp right as he continued curving along the road and around the corners.
Sora stopped for about a minute to catch his breath as he finally reached the blue neon sign. Glancing up at it, he saw an animation of tears falling around what he assumed was a name written in all capital letters. He paused long enough to read it.
ROBIN WILLIAMS
1951 — 2014
Sora stared at the sign in alarm. A few small tears formed in his eyes when he recalled this particular actor's name from several of the movies he had watched with Amemi, Riku, and Kairi back on the Destiny Islands. One of Kairi and Amemi's favorites was "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest"; Sora had never admitted it, but he had enjoyed seeing the character, Batty Koda. One both he and Riku enjoyed a lot was "Night At The Museum". They had both laughed, nearly cried, and felt relieved throughout the entire film; even Kairi had enjoyed it. After all, Robin Williams as Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt seemed to be absolutely perfect to Sora — especially alongside Larry Daley as the main character, Mickey Rooney as a stubborn member of the other night-guards, and Dick Van Dyke as the main villain.
"How could this have happened?" Sora murmured in a soft voice. He shifted his eyes to the ground.
He had been so looking forward to seeing the third film in the "Night At The Museum" Trilogy with Riku and Kairi — especially considering the direction the series would be taking following the second movie, but now it seemed the movie would be cancelled due to Robin Williams being absent from it; no one could ever replace him. Before he knew it, several long minutes had passed as Sora remained silent in honor of the well-known, one-of-a-kind, beloved actor.
It was then, he remembered he needed to locate the girl in the black-hooded coat. At a pace that could easily rival a cheetah, Sora sprinted down the zigzagged street before he raced into the middle of a desolate, shadowed park with wilting trees and splintered park benches. A stone fountain lay in the middle of the area, although it was cracked and several pieces had fallen off.
When stepped close to the middle of the park, Sora came to a screeching halt in his footsteps. Directly on the far side of the space and directly to the right of a dimly-lit lamppost was a figure in a black-hooded coat; they strongly-resembled the same one the brown, spikey-headed teenager had been trailing. Their back was turned in the direction of which Sora was rapidly, but carefully coming from. He also took notice how the figure's hood was up; that was a good sign, for a change. It meant this was probably the exactsame girl he had encountered at the apartment complex.
He continued to watch his step as he hurried over. As Sora came closer, the figure remained standing still. It almost felt like Sora was approaching a statue, rather than a real person. The scenery around him appeared to be bending with a slight blur as the spikey, brown-headed Keyblader closed in.
"C'mon, wait up!" Sora declared as he came to a stop a few inches behind the figure. "Who are you?"
Before his eyes, the figure reached up and pushed their hood down. Sora stared in bewilderment at the sight; he had been expecting the short, black hair from the girl — not brown hair with small spikes all around. Then again, the brown hair did give him a strange feeling of familiarity. Why was that?
As Sora continued to stare straight at the figure, the latter turned around to face him; a smile on his face. When he saw the figure was a young man with blue eyes, Sora's eyes instantly flooded with astonishment. It wasn't the girl he had expected.
Sora's words began sputtering out. "You're… Roxas!"
The teenager gave a slight nod in return. Sora was beyond astounded. Here he was face-to-face with his own Nobody; the one he had last heard was living someplace inside of him. Yet, he was still lacking any possible explanation for such events. Whenever Sora had encountered someone he knew in each of the Sleeping Worlds — plus The Grid and The 100-Acre Wood, he had been certain they were all simple figments of the world's dreams. After all, he had known Tinker Bell, Jiminy, Tron, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pete were not trapped in any of those worlds. They were just illusions created by the dreams to show what the full memories inside of each world's heart.
With all this in mind, Sora wondered if it was possible for him to be exploring a dream of his own. Could it be he was currently in a deep sleep and all of the things he had seen around him were the figments inside his dream?
"How can you be here?" Sora asked his Nobody. "Am I… dreaming? Are you an illusion? C'mon, say something."
Roxas's smile faded. For a couple tense seconds, Sora thought he could see concern in his Nobody's eyes. "This could've been the other way around," Roxas said. "But it really has to be you."
"Huh?" Sora questioned. "What do you mean?"
Roxas gave a deep sigh as he clutched the left side of his chest. "There are so many hearts that are connected to yours," he explained. "You're me, so you can feel what I felt."
Sora stared for a moment. He hastily shoved his feelings of uncertainty from Roxas's words aside. "No, Roxas," he stated, trying to sound as encouraging as was possible. "You're you — we're not the same. You should be your own person. I wanted to tell you after Riku told me who you were."
When Roxas glanced up at him, Sora nodded. Inside, the spikey, brown-haired sixteen-year-old Keyblade wielder was certain his point was coming across the exact way he wanted it to.
"See?" Sora added. "I have my own heart, and you deserve to have one of your own. We never should have had to wait this long to have this conversation."
Roxas gave a friendly smile once more. "Sora, see?" he started to say. "That's why it has to be you."
As he watched his Nobody stride forwards, Sora stared in alarm as anxiety rushed through him. He didn't know what was happening, and was certain whatever was taking place was not good. He wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction, but something kept his feet frozen in place; he didn't have a clue what it was nor how he could stop it.
By the time Roxas reached him, Sora was starting to feel a sense of distress. It escalated as Roxas placed his hands onto Sora's shoulders. All at once, Sora's sensation of anxiety vanished and he began violently shivering in place. Numerous images filled his head — none of which he recognized. However, he did recognize a few of the people he saw in them.
Roxas… Hayner, Pence, and Olette from Twilight Town… Axel from Organization XIII… some totally, miscellaneous girl possessing raven-black hair he had absolutely no recollection of… Saïx ordering Roxas to chase down someone called "imposter"… Roxas fighting Axel with two Keyblades… Roxas fighting Riku at the oddly-shaped skyscraper in The World That Never Was… Roxas acting surprised to see a Keyblade… Roxas battling some unnamed stranger with silver-colored hair and winning a trophy… Roxas hanging out with Hayner, Pence, and Olette at a station's clock-tower… Roxas, Axel, and the strange girl he still didn't know eating ice-cream together at the same clock-tower…
A series of flashbacks suddenly appeared before Sora's very eyes. He froze as each and every one of them showed what he assumed was a major event in Roxas's memory. From the looks of them, Sora also wondered if they had left significant impacts on his Nobody, which puzzled him almost completely.
DAY # 255: Twilight Town — Station Tower…
"You're early."
"No, you're just late."
"Today makes two hundred and fifty-five."
"Oh! You got the number memorized, do ya?"
"Yeah, gotta hold onto something right? It's not like I have memories from before the Organization. Remember? I acted kinda like a zombie."
"Yeah, that first week, you could barely form a sentence… "
"But, c'mon! You're still kinda a zombie!"
"Oh, thanks!"
"Hey Roxas, I bet you don't know why the sunsets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all of them, red is the one that travels the farthest."
"Like I asked, know-it-all!"
"Seriously… where is she?"
DAY # 357: The World That Never Was — Dark City…
"Your mind's made up?"
"Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know."
"You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"
"No one would miss me."
"That's not true! I would… miss you… "
SAME DAY: Twilight Town — Station Plaza…
"Who are you… again?"
"It's weird. Suddenly I feel like I'm forgetting something really important."
"You'll be… better off now… Roxas."
"Am I… the one who did this to you?"
"No… it was my choice… to go away now. Better that, than to do nothing… and let Xemnas have his way. I belong with Sora. And now, I am going back… to be with him."
"Roxas… I need you… to do me a favor. All those hearts that I've captured… Kingdom Hearts… set them free."
"Kingdom Hearts… free them?"
"It's too late… for me to undo my mistakes. But you can't let Xemnas… have Kingdom Hearts. You can't."
"Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I'm glad… I got to meet you. Oh! And of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."
"No! Xion… who else will I have ice cream with?!"
(Sora couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the girl disappear before his eyes — and leave Roxas nearly speechless. All that was left was a pinkish-red seashell. Roxas knelt down and started to shed tears as though grieving for his lost friend.)
"Xion… "
DAY # 358: The World That Never Was…
"I'm going to set Kingdom Hearts free! Then me, Axel, and… and her can go on eating ice cream together!"
A Few Minutes Later…
"Why?! Why do you have the Keyblade?!"
"Shut up!"
"Why don't you quit?!"
"C'mon, Sora! I thought you were stronger than that!"
"Get real! Look which one of us is winning!"
"So it's true. You really are his Nobody. I guess DIZ was right after all."
"What are you talking about?! I am me—nobody else!"
(["Riku, please! You have to stop him!"])
"How many times do I have to beat you?!"
"All right. You've left me with no other choice."
"What?"
"I have to release the power in my heart—the dark power that I've been holding back—even if it changes me forever."
(Sora stared in surprise when he realized the blindfolded man in black was actually his best friend, Riku. After Riku vanished in a strange cloud of Darkness, he emerged with an appearance that looked exactly like Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness himself. He rushed over and grabbed Roxas, rendering the latter unconscious.)
"I have accepted it."
DAY # 362: Twilight Town — Seconds After Roxas's Fall…
"Naminé… what's happening to me?"
"Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi."
"Kairi… I know you. You're that girl he likes."
"Who? Please, a name."
"I'm Roxas."
"Okay, Roxas. But, can you tell me his name?"
(["You don't remember my name?! Thanks a lot, Kairi!"])
"Huh?"
(["Well, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S'."])
DAY # 363: Twilight Town — The Mansion's White Room…
"Roxas."
"Naminé?"
(Sora saw a drawing of what appeared to be both Roxas and Axel talking to a tiny fairy he realized was Tinker Bell. Both of the Nobodies were hovering in mid-air.)
"This is… me? And Axel is here too."
"You are best friends."
"Very funny!"
"Don't you want to know the truth about who you really are?"
"No one knows me better than me."
"Of course."
"But… I don't get what's been happening lately."
(A second drawing came into view. Sora stared at it, recognizing it as when he had first met Donald and Goofy in Traverse Town.)
"You know these three, don't you?"
"Yeah… Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're from the dreams I've been having."
(Sora froze, wondering why Roxas had been having dreams about the former.)
"About a year ago, some things happened, and I had to take apart the memories chained together in Sora's heart. But now, I'm putting them all back together exactly the way they were. It's taking me a long time, but soon Sora will be his old self again."
(Sora was feeling the same sensation someone would most-likely get when they learn something so shocking, they have a difficult time realizing it is true.)
"The process has been affecting you too, Roxas."
"You mean… the dreams?"
"Yes. You and Sora are connected. And… in order for Sora to become completely whole again, he needs you."
"Me? What for?"
"You hold half of who he is. He needs you, Roxas."
"Naminé?"
(Sora saw Roxas sitting at the end of a long, white table. At the other end was the exact same blonde-haired girl in the white dress he had encountered earlier.)
"Naminé… who are you?"
"I'm a witch with power over Sora's memory and those connected to him."
"A witch?"
"That's what DIZ called me."
"But, I don't know why I have this power. I just do. I'm not even sure there's a right way for me to use it."
"I can't help you there."
"It's funny. Suddenly, I feel like… I don't know myself at all. I guess I would like to know. Tell me… what do you know about me that… I don't?"
"You… You were never supposed to exist, Roxas."
"What? How could you say such a thing, even if it were true?"
"I'm sorry. I guess some things… really are better left unsaid."
DAY # 364: The Old Mansion — Basement Hall…
"Axel… "
"Let's meet again… in the next life."
"Yeah, I'll be waiting."
"Silly… Just because you have a next life…"
A Few MORE Minutes Later…
SAME DAY: The Old Mansion — Pod Room…
"At last… The Keyblade's Chosen One."
"Who're you talking to? Me? Or Sora?"
"To half of Sora of course. You reside in Darkness. What I need is someone who can move about the Realm of Light and destroy Organization 13."
"Why? Who are you?"
"I am a servant of the world. But if I'm a servant, then you should consider yourself a tool at best."
"Was that… was that supposed to be a joke? 'Cause I'm not laughing!"
(Sora felt a surge of rampaging rage as Roxas summoned his Keyblade and charged at the strange man whose face was concealed by reddish bandages. When he went through the man, Roxas spun around in shock.)
"My apologies. This is only a data-based projection."
"I hate you so much!"
"You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good."
"No! My heart belongs to me!"
(Sora remained in a state of shock and surprise as the strange man vanished and the white, egg-shaped pod in the middle of the room opened. Inside, he could see the same thing Roxas was. Sora nearly froze in alarm when he saw himself sleeping inside the pod — the same pod he had mysteriously awaken from some time ago.)
"Sora…"
"You're lucky. Looks like my Summer Vacation is… over."
The flashbacks finally finished. As he glanced around for a brief moment, Sora noticed Roxas had completely disappeared. He looked down at the park's ground and gave an extremely deep SIGH. He could not believe what he had just learned, though he knew it was all the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth — there was absolutely no fantasy in there.
Sora felt completely sorry for his Nobody. Roxas had lived his entire life in a constant struggle to be both his own person and have True Friends. From when he had been created following Sora's temporary transformation into a Heartless, throughout the whole duration of when he was a member of Organization XIII, during his last few days in the "Alternate Twilight Town" (as Sora tended to refer to it by), and all the way until he was reunited with Sora in the end, Roxas had gone through all sorts of tribulations… and numerous trials, too.
Sora sighed again as he thought about all the things Roxas had shown him. While living in Organization XIII, Roxas had formed a strong bond of friendship with Axel and that black-haired girl; Sora had heard Roxas refer to her as "Xion". When "Xion" had faded away, Roxas had wept and even gave tears for her loss.
That's where it didn't make sense. Roxas had been a Nobody, and Nobodies were only supposed to pretend to have hearts as they did not really possess such organs; Master Yen Sid had made that point very clear. Yet, Roxas had laughed alongside Axel… gotten angry and went into a rage at the man in bandages… and grieved when his friend was gone. When Roxas had first seen Sora inside the pod, he had told the latter his summer vacation had just ended… Sora knew as much even a Nobody could not possibly cry without having a heart. Did this mean Nobodies really did have hearts?
Recalling what Xemnas had told him back in Rascal's Dreamland, Sora wondered if it was so. He had even posed the question directly onto Xehanort's Nobody as to whether or not Nobodies could potentially have hearts since Pinocchio, a puppet carved from wood, had the ability to possess one. Sora also knew Tron had a heart even though he was created from data — something Xemnas had tried to deny when Sora was chasing down Rinzler so he could save his friend from CLU's reprogramming in The Grid. As he remembered how The 100-Acre Wood and all its residents had had hearts, Sora was confident this meant even books were capable. He knew it was no different to all the musical worlds he had gone through in the Symphony of Sorcery; hearts were singing along to all the melodies he had heard playing. Sora knew he couldn't rule out Tinker Bell for having a heart; she was a tiny fairy, and still, even she had one, along with all the other fairies who lived in Pixie Hollow.
Sora's thought process suddenly reached a dead end when a single question popped into his mind. Why had Roxas shown him such things? Now it felt like his head was going to explode. The shivering had stopped, but Sora's body was quivering with anxiety that had increased a million or more times since his encounter with Roxas. Sora gazed up at the gray clouds filling the sky.
"Not again," Sora said in an especially deep sigh. The anxiety was on the verge of winning. "Did they cause all this pain? What was it all for?"
In a loud voice filled with frustration, Sora yelled, "What do you want me to see?!"
"Sora, don't chase the dreams! They'll lead you nowhere — just to an abyss you'll never be able to wake up from!"
"Sora! Please listen to me! Allow the illusions to vanish! If you do not… "
Despite hearing some familiar voices calling out to him, Sora refused to follow through with what they were saying. One of them sounded a little like Riku, except for the echo. The other seemed to resemble… Violet? How was that possible? Last he recalled, the angel had put her foot down and declared she would never return to help either of the two teenage Keyblade wielders. He had remained convinced she was serious about such a decision… so why was he hearing her voice echo, too? Could she be a figment of the dreams? He didn't know and didn't care — especially when Violet's voice had suddenly cut off in the middle of a sentence.
It had to be a trick! Sora was certain his encounter with the girl with blonde hair and white dress, his feelings upon seeing the raven-black-headed girl, Roxas showing him some extremely hurtful memories about his own experiences as a Nobody, and Riku and Violet's voices calling out to him repeatedly were all nothing more than illusions. It was all part of a set-up created by the young man in the black coat, Xemnas, Ansem, the mysterious scientist, and the red-headed man speaking in riddles. Not to mention, he was sure Xigbar was also in league with them and providing much-needed assistance for their scheme… whatever their scheme was.
Even though he was unable to come up with a valid reason for all those people wearing the black-hooded coat of the late Organization XIII… now it appeared the Organization hadn't been defeated after all. If Xemnas and Xigbar were both still around, perhaps they had survived the battles and made it appear they had been finished off. The moment when Sora, Donald, and Goofy had defeated Xigbar inside the Organization's castle, the villain had behaved very dramatically when he had fallen to the floor, paused for a second or two, and then dropped his combined, sniper aero-gun onto the floor. Later, after Sora and Riku had vanquished Xemnas somewhere inside the black hole-like region, the leader of Organization XIII had acted in a similar manner when reached out and began fading away; the whole time, his mouth was open for a scream that never came out. Of course, Sora also remembered the villain wearing a black-and-white version of the black-hooded coat… it had appeared to the brown-headed youth as a very, very fancy design compared to the simple, black raincoat. He had wondered if such a transformation was due to Sora and Riku being in, what the former had assumed (at the time), was an alternate reality of The World That Never Was that Xemnas had teleported them to) were all for nothing.
Apparently, Organization XIII's two highest-ranking members had faked their fading away into the Darkness. Was that even possible? Of course, Sora and Riku had encountered Xemnas inside the clubroom back in Rascal's Dreamland, and the Nobody had seemed uninjured. The same effect had caught Sora's attention initially when Xemnas had started his long, monologue of an explanation as to why Tron could not possess a heart and the connection between both Space Paranoids and The Grid. Each of those times, Xemnas had tried to persuade Sora to believe the two were very similar and that Sora should check if every memory inside his heart was truly his own. Sora had disregarded it all as lies. Now, he was starting to question if there had been some truth hidden somewhere in there.
Either way, Sora was still determined to get to the bottom of their scheme and foil it anyway he could. He glanced back up and glared down another road that zigzagged off to the right. With his fists clenched, Sora sped off. He wanted answers, and nothing was going to keep him from getting them!
As he reached the end of the street's zigzag pattern, Sora came to a sudden stop. His shoes slid and he caught a faint smell of burning rubber. He stared down what seemed to be a long bridge constructed from two enormous skyscrapers lying sideways across a vast gap leading into what looked like an endless, green abyss. The surrounding scenery was a tad shaky, but Sora shoved it from his mind; the landscape had contained that appearance since he had awaken in what nearly felt like an alternate universe for the city of The World That Never Was.
What had grabbed Sora's undivided attention was a pair of teenagers strolling down the makeshift bridge far ahead. One was wearing a yellow, sleeveless jacket, long blue pants, and tennis shoes; it was clear the figure was a young man with recently-cut silver hair of about age seventeen. The other person was a slender young woman with long, auburn hair and wearing a pink-colored, strapless mini-dress, a white underneath with a black hood, slightly-large lilac-colored sneakers, a small, notebook-shaped bag on the side of her dress's skirt, and three bracelets on her left wrist. Their backs were turned in the spikey-haired sixteen-year-old Keyblader's direction since they were walking the other way.
Sora gave a great smile when he recognized his two closest friends from the Destiny Islands. "Riku! Kairi!" he called out.
When neither of the two individuals acknowledged him, Sora rushed down the side of the toppled building. He forgot to watch his step and his left foot stomped hard onto a lit window. The shattering of glass grabbed his focus for a couple seconds. From what he assumed was inside the building, a deep voice shouted.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Sora spun around and screeched to a stop. He froze, spotting a muscular, half-bald man with some gray hair. The man was wearing a black business suit, and glasses with somewhat square-shaped frames. In his mouth was a cigar and a small pillar of smoke lingered around him. A sudden wave of uneasiness filled the brown, spikey-headed Keyblade wielder.
"Um… to follow my friends?" Sora stammered in reply. Deep down inside, he wondered if this was an illusion.
The man looked unamused. "You owe me a lot of money for breaking my window," he stated in a dark-sounding voice. "And I want my money now."
"Well… okay," Sora hesitated. He wished he had remembered to bring his wallet with him rather than just his school-identification card. "It's just… I don't have any on me."
The man's far-from-amused look turned into a glare. "You know what happens when I don't get my money? People get hurt. People like you get hurt. Do I make myself clear?"
Before Sora could have counted to five, a pair of black dogs (one had a blue collar and the other had a red collar) leapt from the window and charged at the brown-headed youth. Sora would've stood his ground to fight if the side of the skyscraper hadn't burst open and a black-painted car in a similar design to the ones he typically saw in action, chase scenes appeared from within. The two dogs leapt onto the car's roof as the vehicle sped straight for Sora, its headlights almost blinding him.
In a super-swift reaction, Sora spun around and raced towards Riku and Kairi. The car continued to pursue. At once, a puff of magical, blue smoke appeared to Sora's left and out came a large, blue figure he immediately recognized.
"Genie?!" Sora exclaimed.
Without a word, Genie rushed at the car. The two collided into each other and a series of fireworks shot into the air. Sora watched the fireworks with shock before gazing back down at the crash site. He stared; both the car and Genie had seemingly vanished without a trace. The hole in the skyscraper's wall was gone as was the broken window.
"That was really weird," Sora muttered to himself.
Turning back to where he had seen Riku and Kairi go, Sora found them only ten feet ahead. He took a couple large strides forward and stopped directly behind them. "Riku! Kairi!" he said, a smile on his face. "I finally caught up to you!"
For what felt like a minute, Riku and Kairi remained where they stood. They started to turn around, allowing Sora to smile brighter. All of a sudden, his eyesight seemed to blur and bend around the two teenagers. Sora rubbed his eyes in case they still had tears in them. When he looked back, what he saw startled him to almost being completely speechless.
In place of where Riku had been was a tall, young man with spikey, brown hair in an almost matching style to the portrait Sora, Donald, and Goofy had seen of Xehanort inside Ansem's Study back at Hollow Bastion — the Radiant Garden. He had blue eyes and slightly-tanned skin. He was wearing a black, skintight, shirt with red straps that criss-crossed over his chest, wide tan pants, golden-black shoes, a plain, black wristband on his right wrist, and a piece of golden armor with what looked like a button on his left arm. On his belt was a small, golden emblem that looked exactly like the Organization's logo — only upside-down. He had a friendly smile on his face.
Where Kairi had been standing was a tall, slender young woman medium-length blue hair and with blue eyes. She was wearing a navy bluish-black top with a high collar, black shorts, and tan-colored gloves lacking cover for her fingers. (For a moment, Sora thought she was wearing all black.) Two pink straps crossed her chest with a silver emblem at the intersection; it looked just like the man's emblem with a different color. On her feet were a pair of long, black socks and a pair of pointed, silver boots covered in armor. The other parts of her outfit that stood out for Sora were the two strips of blue cloth draped over each of her hips, and a small piece of armor on each of her arms with white sleeves showing from underneath. Overall, Sora thought the young lady's outfit was way too detailed in comparison to what he was accustomed to seeing.
Sora stared at the two figures in surprise. "Who… are you?"
"Ven," the young man with the brown hair said.
"Ven," the young woman repeated.
Sora gave a look of total perplexity at the pair. "Huh?"
That was when he saw he was now wearing an armored version of typical "street" shoes that had both dull green and gray colors. He also realized he had a wristband on his left wrist with a black-and-white checkered pattern. He gazed down at the nearest window and saw his reflection in it; he froze. Sora could now see his appearance had changed and he looked like a near-perfect replica of his own Nobody, Roxas. Despite a few altercations in the design of the clothing, Sora started to question how such a thing could've taken place. It wasn't supposed to be possible for him to suddenly transform into someone else — especially someone he didn't know! …Was it?
When the man extended his left hand and the woman did the same for her right hand, Sora paused for a moment. Why did the pair want him to take their hands? Perhaps they had something to show him? Or was all this part of the trap those guys in black had created for him? He took a small step forwards and froze when the two individuals before him became distorted as the background began blurring all over again. In a state of astonishment and puzzlement, Sora closed his eyes and covered them with his hands for a few moments. When he looked again, the brown-headed sixteen-year-old Keyblade wielder expected to see Riku and Kairi standing before him.
However, when he did uncover his eyes and reopen his eyelids, Sora was so shocked, he wasn't sure if he could believe a single thing he was seeing… or rather, the people he saw standing where both the young man and woman had been.
Where the blue-haired woman had been was a slender young lady who seemed to be at least seventeen years old. She had violet hair and sea-green eyes. Her outfit mainly consisted of a forest (dark) green dress with long sleeves; Sora thought it looked more like a sweatshirt transformed into a dress. The woman also had red hiking boots, black socks (something Sora hadn't noticed until now!), a blue hairband, and orange, plastic gloves. Still, it was the small, "Z"-shaped scar on her left cheek that caused Sora to instantly realize who the girl was.
"Crystal?" Sora asked, recognizing the Keyblade wielder he had met back in the Country of The Musketeers. He remembered how she had first appeared when his Keyblade had shown up in his hands and she had lured him to the edge of the training yard to scold him for trying to tell Mickey about the weapon. Clearly, she had been completely unaware of how the spikey, brown-haired youth had already known King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy for nearly two and a half or three years. Nevertheless, it didn't explain why she had appeared in The World That Never Was. "What are you doing here?"
In place of the brown-haired man was a young man who seemed to be at least around age eighteen sporting dark-black hair, and eyes that were changing color at a steady rate. He was wearing a green sweatshirt-jacket with long sleeves, blue pants, brown hiking boots, dark-violet rubber gloves, and a pair of bright green-colored googles Sora knew were typically used by scientists in a laboratory. Around the man's upper body was a small, blue bag that seemed to be the perfect size for a camera. He also had a green baseball-cap with a brim over his eyes. Unlike the woman, Sora was unable to tell who this man was.
"Hey," Sora started to say. "Who… "
"Shelly," the man said with a smile.
The young woman, Crystal, also gave a smile. "Shelly."
Now Sora was feeling downright mystified. "Huh?! What?"
As he stared at the two with doubt, Sora caught a glimpse of his reflection on the window directly beneath him. He gave a loud GASP and remained frozen when he realized his appearance had transformed again — this time into a teenage girl with long, sandy hair tied on top by a yellow ribbon. Sora was so stricken with alarm, he almost didn't take notice of how his reflection showed him wearing a short-sleeved pinkish jacket, red skirt, and blue tennis shoes. Around his — or her — shoulders was a pink handbag. Sora grasped his neck and began squeezing his throat to see if he was dreaming. Instead, he found a shiny, seashell necklace around his neck. He continued to stare and wondered what was happening.
"What is this?" Sora proclaimed. "Am I really dreaming?!"
When Crystal and the young man started to turn around, they transformed back into Kairi and Riku respectively. Sora noticed his reflection returning back to his true appearance before he set his mind to follow the two walking away. He took off after them.
The faster Sora ran to catch up with his friends, the more it felt he was slowing down. In a matter of seconds, his sprinting had turned into a stop-motion style movement. He started panting harder, but it still felt he was miles away. Riku and Kairi proceeded down the makeshift bridge and it appeared they were gaining more ground as Sora himself was losing it.
"What is going on?!" Sora yelled as loudly as he could.
His vision started blurring a little more. The outlines of the buildings constructing the bridge before him continued to bend and get shaky. Up ahead, Riku and Kairi continued strolling along as though nothing was wrong. Sora struggled to reach them, even as the two seemed to go through a series of changing appearances. One moment, they were themselves. The next, they had changed back into the young man with the brown hair and the blue-headed woman. After that, they became the young man wearing the green cap and the violet-haired young lady — Sora was sure the latter was Crystal. At once, the pair disappeared from sight like they had been ghosts.
"Wait!" Sora shouted, reaching his right hand out in a desperate plea. He bent his knees before leaping several yards down the length of the sideways skyscraper. The whole time, it seemed time had gone into extreme slow-motion.
"Sora! You've gotta wake up! Don't chase the dreams! They'll lead you nowhere — just to an abyss you'll never be able to wake up from!"
"Sora! Do not proceed! It is too hazardous! Please listen to me! Allow the illusions to vanish! If you do not… "
The voices echoed into his ears, a couple seconds before Sora spotted a brilliant spot of Light coming out the middle of nowhere. Time seemed to go into a standstill as the Light engulfed every last thing Sora could see around him — including himself. He was now staring at what would appear to be a blank wall of white Light. He remained staring straight ahead, wondering about what was happening and what was about to happen.
When he looked again, Sora found himself standing in the middle of a lush, green jungle — it gave him a feeling of déjà vu, for he recalled his experience in The Deep Jungle. He recalled the fight he had gotten into with Donald that had resulted in the crash-landing, the instant when he had been rescued from the assaulting leopard by Tarzan, and his search for Riku and Kairi as it seemed those two were somewhere close by. Of course, it turned out Tarzan had been referring to Sora's heart the entire time, which was one of the reasons why Sora had chosen to apologize to Donald for the misunderstanding; the duck did the same before Goofy had them all in a group hug.
As he glanced around, he took note of how he could see a clearing through a few bushes up ahead. Stepping forwards, he approached the foliage and pushed the rustling leaves aside. He gazed into the clearing, only to stare in surprise.
Lying in the middle of the area before him was a tall, bluish-gray sloth bear — just like the one Sora had seen back at the zoo on the Destiny Islands. He was laughing very loudly as a young boy with messy, black hair was sitting on his back tickling him; Sora noticed the only thing the boy was wearing was a dull-orange loincloth, which also reminded him of his friend, Tarzan. Situated a few feet away was a sandy-haired girl Sora immediately recognized — thanks to the yellow ribbon tied in her hair; her outfit also consisted of a pink jacket, red skirt, blue shoes, a pink handbag, and… the unmistakable shiny, seashell necklace.
"Shelly… " Sora muttered in a soft whisper. He had been wondering for a while if that girl was related to his mom.
If so, then she was really his Aunt Shelly — the same one his mom had told him about. A sensation of awkwardness hit him when he realized he might have been interacting with one of his relatives while in the Country of The Musketeers. What would his mom say if he told her about such an unexpected encounter?
A sigh of disbelief caught his attention. Swinging his eyes around to the left side of the clearing, Sora spotted a slender, dark-gray panther with yellow eyes containing black pupils, a gray muzzle, pink nose, and a pair of numerous whiskers that made Sora think of a cat. The animal was lying on a nearby branch about four feet above the ground.
"Oh boy," the panther smirked. "That's all he needs — more confidence."
Although he was puzzled by such a statement, Sora swung his eyes back to where the others were gathered. The bear was standing before the boy and Shelly, a large smile on his face.
"You know what? You're all right, kid!" the bear admitted, gently socking the boy in the nose. "What do they call you?"
"Mowgli," the panther spoke up. Sora shifted his focus to the branch in time to see the animal rising to all four of his feet. "And he's going back to the man village right now."
"'Man village'?!" the bear exclaimed in surprise. He turned to Shelly, a look of worry in his eyes. "Is this true?"
"Yes," Shelly confessed. "We were taking Mowgli there."
To Sora, it sounded like the sandy-haired girl wasn't missing a beat. He sighed; his mom tended to stay in tune with conversations almost naturally, too. Could there be a connection? Perhaps Shelly was his mom's older sister after all?
"They'll ruin him!" the bear protested in alarm. "They'll make a man out of him!"
Shelly crossed her arms. "But the jungle isn't safe for humans!"
"Ain't you a human?" the bear struck back.
When Shelly hesitated in her response, Sora realized she did not have a valid argument to counter the bear's claim. From what he could tell, Sora assumed the boy, Mowgli, was on his way back to some "man village" — whatever that was — and Shelly and the panther were escorting him. Apparently, the jungle they were in wasn't a very safe place. Of course, Sora couldn't find any reason why the boy could not survive if Shelly was there… though he had the feeling Shelly wasn't even supposed to be there. Chances were, she was trying to keep "World Order", just like what Donald and Goofy had taught Sora repeatedly to do (although it was mostly Donald lecturing Sora).
"Well… yes." Shelly finally said.
"And he's with me, ain't he?" the bear continued, clearly unfinished with his point. "And I'll learn 'im all I know."
"Well," the panther quipped. "That shouldn't take too long."
Sora noticed how the panther was lying back on the branch with a teasing smirk on his face. He assumed it was because the animals believed the bear wasn't very smart. He shook his head and continued to watch the group in the middle of the clearing.
The bear remained unfazed and peered down at the boy, Mowgli. "Look," he began with a grin. "Now it's like this, little britches. All you've gotta do is… "
With a slap of his paws, the bear sang, "Look for the Bare Necessities — the simple Bare Necessities!"
Leaning in close to where Shelly was standing in front of a palm tree, the bear shook a claw at her as though saying 'No! No!' He chanted, "Forget about your worries and your strife!"
As Mowgli began dancing along, the bear continued, "I mean the Bare Necessities are Mother Nature's recipes that bring the Bare Necessities of life!"
Sora rolled his eyes when he heard the song the bear was chanting. Now he was sure he was living in a pure illusion — a complete fantasy — a continuous dream. He started to listen along when the bear added, "Wherever I wander… wherever I roam, I couldn't be fonder of my big home."
Gesturing towards some beehives in a nearby tree, the bear chanted, "The bees are buzzing in the trees to make some honey — just for me!"
Lifting a gigantic rock from the ground, the bear pointed a colony of red ants crawling around underneath. As Mowgli knelt to take a closer look, the bear added, "When you look under the rocks and plants, and take a glance at the fancy ants, then maybe — try a few!"
"You eat ants?!" Mowgli exclaimed in alarm.
"You better believe it!" the bear confirmed, licking up a few of the insects with his tongue.
The very sight made Sora feel a little sick as his stomach started to swirl. He had placed his right hand to his mouth when he saw Shelly's hands had flown to her mouth; he wondered if the similarity had something to do with the fact his mom would have behaved the same way. All the evidence seemed to be proving that the Shelly Sora had met was his mom's — Star's sister. At the same time, the very concept made him feel somewhat uneasy.
After the bear had released his grip upon the boulder, Shelly leapt over to shove Mowgli out of the way. The boy sat up in the nick of time while the stone slammed onto the ground — inches from him. Sora gave a deep SIGH.
Nearby, the bear was chanting away like he didn't have a care in the world. "The Bare Necessities of life will come to you! They'll come to you!"
Despite feeling relieved that nobody had gotten hurt, Sora watched as the bear approached a bush covered with an assortment of fruit. Much of the plant was covered by spikes and thorns.
"Now when you pick a paw-paw," the bear instructed. "Or a prickly pear — and you prick a raw-paw, well next time, beware!"
Both Mowgli and Shelly watched in anticipation as the bear pressed on; Sora did his best to listen in. "Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw! When you pick a pear, try to use the claw. But you don't need to use the claw when you pick a pear of the big paw-paw. Have I given you a clue?"
"Golly," Mowgli acknowledged. "Thanks Baloo!"
Sora noticed Shelly was staring in perplexity. He had the same feeling and wondered if the bear had just said the same thing twice in a row. Perhaps he was reciting some type of strange tongue twister? Either way, one thing was clear; Sora had failed to comprehend whatever the bear had been saying.
Sora heard a sigh and noticed the panther looking very annoyed as he watched from the branch above. "Of all the silly gibberish!"
The bear strode over and gave a tug on the panther's tail. While the latter was taken by surprise, the bear cheerfully stated, "C'mon, Baggy! Get with the beat!"
Dancing back to where Mowgli was waiting, the bear sang out, "The Bare Necessities of life will come to you! They'll come to you!"
Sora shook his head when another brilliant flash of Light filled the entire clearing. The jungle faded from view as he was engulfed into the glare.
Sora finally reopened his eyes. The sound of waves filled his ears as he took a deep breath of what he instantly recognized as the ocean breeze. He gazed out towards a distant sunset near the horizon. A gentle breeze was blowing the waves of an endless sea steadily towards the sandy beach where he stood. A feeling of familiarity took over as the brown-haired Keyblade wielder realized exactly where he was.
"Huh?" he asked in a soft voice. "Is this… am I home?"
Having realized he was standing on the beach of the smaller island of the Destiny Islands island chain, Sora started to wonder why he was there. He crossed his arms in thought while his eyes looked down at the sand and saw the waves were washing up to a couple inches before the spot where his feet were planted. He had so many memories of this place, but none of them gave any reason why he had come there so suddenly.
He was so deep in thought, Sora nearly failed to hear a series of footsteps coming from behind. He swerved his head to the left where the wooden bridge leading to the small island with the bent palm tree was located. He paused, spotting two, small boys hanging around under the bridge. As he squinted, Sora took note of how one of the boys had short, silver hair that was spiked in the same style Riku's was; he was wearing a yellow, sleeveless shirt, black pants, bluish-white sneakers and a matching bands on each of his wrists. The other had spikey, brown hair and was wearing a white T-shirt, red shorts, and orange sandals.
Sora froze, recognizing who the two boys were. "It's me and Riku — when we were little!"
Curious to know why he had ended up seeing something he now realized was most-likely an event from his childhood, Sora crept closer. As he hid behind the shack, Sora paused for a moment before peeking around the corner. He stared, spotting a young woman with short, blue hair hopping down from the bridge and landing before the younger versions of Riku and himself. He recognized the woman as the same person he had seen a little bit earlier — the one who Kairi had transformed into before she became an exact replica of Crystal.
"Who… " Sora started to say in a hushed voice.
The woman giggled after taking a rapid glance at both the young Sora and Riku; the two kids gazed at each other with looks that seemed to read something like "What's so funny?" The woman asked who the two were.
"I'm Sora!" the boy replied, causing Sora to smile. He had been correct; those were both him and Riku were they used to play on the island before Kairi had mysteriously arrived.
"Riku," the other boy answered. Sora nodded, having known it was so the entire time.
The woman turned to face the young Sora. "Sora," she said. "Do you like Riku?"
"Of course I like him," the younger Sora replied with an enormous grin. "He's my best friend!"
Sora had smirk and give a slight shake of his head. He hadn't ever taken much time to consider how very little he had changed over the years. Even when he was around age four or five — the time when this event had probably taken place — he had been as overly-hyper and naïve as he still was now. Perhaps Kairi was correct; he did have some serious growing up to do.
The woman nodded. "Good," she commented with a very, very friendly smile. "So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost — or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone — you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?"
Sora shook his head when he noticed the younger versions of both him and Riku were looking at each other with total confusion; they hadn't understood a word the woman had said. Of course, now Sora was able to make sense of what she had told him to do; help Riku stay with the Light and not give into the Darkness. Too bad he had completely forgotten that statement! It would have kept an entire struggle against the Heartless from ever happening!
The woman gently ruffled the younger Sora and Riku's hair, making the pair of kids laugh with the spirit of innocence. Sora shook his head and smiled once more.
As he continued to watch from behind the shack, Sora suddenly got the dark feeling he was being watched. Rather, it was more along the lines of a feeling a strong patch of Darkness was behind him. He was about to spin around when a sudden shockwave struck him from behind. Away Sora flew into the sky, spiraling into the distance. Everything became a pure white color for the next several seconds; to Sora, it felt like several hours.
Sora slowly opened his eyes. He saw an inky-black sky high above. The tops of some gigantic skyscrapers could be seen; they strongly-resembled the architecture of high-rise buildings from the city of New Orleans (or so he had heard). Some glowing, blue lights could be seen at the top of one of the tall buildings, thought they were so blurred, he could see extremely bright halos around them. Realizing he could feel something hard against the back of his head, Sora knew he was lying on his back in the middle of a city that had a striking resemblance to the one he had explored back in The World That Never Was… a significant resemblance!
As his vision finished focusing, Sora heard the sound of footsteps approaching. They stopped a second later. A man dressed in a black-hooded coat peered down from above with a creepy-looking grin. If he hadn't been sporting long, black hair in a ponytail, a black eyepatch over his right eye, and a somewhat-healed scar on his left cheek, Sora wouldn't have been able to recognize him in a flash; it was Xigbar.
"Well, well," Xigbar said as he leaned over to gaze down at Sora's face. "You came to. 'Bout time; I was afraid something terrible had happened to you, Sora… Roxas."
In one swift movement, Sora leapt forwards and landed onto his feet. He gazed into the distance, recognizing the tall skyscraper with the peculiar design and the multiple screens on top on the other side of the plaza. He spun around and glared at the former Organization member. "What?! Were you expecting me?"
Xigbar gave a small chuckle. "Why don't you let me hog the conversation," he muttered. "After all, it wasn't easy putting you into the second sleep. They almost woke you up — twice."
Sora stared at the man in surprise. Was Xigbar telling him something important for a change? "Huh?!" he exclaimed. "Are you saying you put all that stuff I saw in my head?!"
Now it appeared Xigbar was annoyed; his grin had turned into a straight face. "No," he replied. "That wasn't 'stuff' — it was a dream. The falling asleep part was definitely our doing, but we can't put 'stuff' in your head."
Sora continued to stare at the man. If Xigbar couldn't tell him why all those people, places, and painful feelings had ended up in such a bizarre sequence of events for a simple dream, then who could? "So, where did they come from?"
Xigbar gave what sounded like a snort. "You should've asked your angel 'friend' about that when you had the chance."
A wave of realization struck him as Sora knew what Xigbar had said was true. He gazed down at the street with guilty eyes. He recalled how Violet had taken a few seconds here and there to explain to Riku and him about how dreams worked. At the moment, he could not remember a single one of the detailed explanations the angel had shared. He sighed deeply.
"Hey, I got an idea," Xigbar spoke up, causing Sora to look at him once more. "Ask your heart. See if it's got a clue."
"Well… my heart was aching," Sora began, trying to recollect everything he had seen during the dream. First, he had followed King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto around a corner. Next, he encountered the two girls; one with blonde hair and a simple, white dress and the other with raven-black hair and a black coat. Then, he had encountered Roxas and witnessed a series of events from his Nobody's life and felt all the pain that came with them. Afterwards, he had found the two figures who transformed from Riku and Kairi to the brown-headed young man and the blue-haired young woman and then to the young man wearing the green baseball cap and the young lady he knew was Crystal. The rest he didn't know how to describe… nor what to say. "That's why I kept going. But… I'm wondering who 'Shelly' is."
"Simple," Xigbar responded. "She's the reason why your mom was so 'overprotective', Sora."
Sora stared at the man. "What?!" he exclaimed.
"Don't tell me you forgot," Xigbar elaborated. "A few days before that stormy night, your mom came to your room and told you she didn't want you sailing on the raft. You knew she wanted you to stay, but you didn't know why."
Sora remained staring in alarm. Xigbar continued his explanation. "She was afraid, Sora — afraid you would come out here and end up lost in the outside world. Reason being? Her own sister had gone missing long before you were ever born."
Sora's eyes started to fill with realization as Xigbar finally wrapped up the story. "That girl you met in the dreams, the one named 'Shelly', she was the one who went missing. That's right! Your mom's sister was a Keyblade wielder and she knew it the whole time. You just wouldn't listen."
Sora shuddered with alarm. So it was his aunt all along! He had noticed countless similarities between his mom and Shelly, and never realized they were connected! That sandy-haired girl from the Country of The Musketeers was his Aunt Shelly, who happened to be a Keyblade wielder — just like he was now.
Xigbar's dark smile returned when he saw the look in Sora's eyes. "Oh… thank you, Sora's heart," he said with a mocking-style voice. "For pushing him right into our clutches."
Sora gazed at the man in puzzlement. "What?"
"Aren't hearts great?" Xigbar continued in his typical, somewhat-sarcastic voice. "As if! They steer us wrong every time. Never know what to expect around the next corner."
Something finally clicked in Sora's mind. He no longer had any doubt everything he had felt when Roxas had shown him all the hurtful memories had also been felt by the Nobody. There was only one logical explanation for such a turn-of-events, and Sora was positive he knew what it was.
"You did know," he declared. "Because you all have hearts! Axel… Roxas… and those other two girls… it was the same! I felt what Roxas felt and… they laughed together, got mad at each other, and… and they grieved. You have to have a heart to cry! Master Yen Sid was wrong; Nobodies do have hearts!"
With a grunt of approval, Xigbar's smile darkened. "It's about time you noticed. Yep! That retired Keyblade Master knows as little about us as that bouncing animal you call 'Tigger'."
Sora stared in astonishment. Had Xigbar just tried to mock both Master Yen Sid and Tigger at the same time? He would certainly not stand for such a disrespectful comparison!
At that precise second, a dark portal opened directly behind where Sora was standing. He spun around, only to come face-to-face with none other than the former leader of Organization XIII; Xemnas — Xehanort's Nobody.
"Indeed," Xemnas stated. "A heart is never lost for good. There may have been variances in our outlooks, but a number of us unquestioningly showed signs of a flourishing replacement."
Sora froze in alarm. Apparently Xemnas and Xigbar had both known from the very beginning they were going to regain hearts. Of course, that didn't explain why they had kept such knowledge all to themselves. He decided to listen to the details.
"Once born," Xemnas continued. "The heart can also be nurtured. Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of 'self'. Keep in mind, one can banish the heart from the body, but the body will try to replace it the first chance it gets, for as many times as it takes. And so, I knew, even after we were divided into Heartless and Nobodies, it was only a temporary separation."
Sora was feeling greatly perplexed. If those two had known about such information back when they were ordinary people, how come they hadn't shared that knowledge with the other members of Organization XIII? It seemed like an especially unethical thing to do. "Why did you lie to all the others and tell them they had no hearts?!" he demanded. "It shouldn't be kept just to yourselves!"
"That's too easy," Xigbar said. Sora spun around to hear the man's claim. "Xemnas and Xehanort formed the Organization for a specific reason — round up a bunch of empty husks, hook them up to Kingdom Hearts, and then fill them all with the exact same heart and mind."
Noticing Sora's look of confusion, Xigbar translated his conclusion. "Translation? They were gonna turn all the members into Xehanort."
Sora stared in alarm. "Make thirteen more Xehanorts?" he thought aloud. He looked a little concerned. "You tricked all your friends into… " He looked straight at Xigbar. "But you — aren't you scared of just turning into somebody else?"
Xigbar's grin grew. "Me? I'm already half-Xehanort!"
Staring straight into the man's single, yellowish eye, Sora could tell the former Organization member was telling the truth. He gave an audible gasp. "That's… nuts! You won't be you!"
"However," Xemnas spoke up, drawing Sora's attention once more. "Through weakness of body… weakness of will… or weakness of trust — most of the original members we had chosen for the Organization were inadequate. Thus, naturally, they never had a chance to attain their goal. Yet, even this was to be expected… "
Sora gasped when he realized Xemnas and Xigbar were probably trying to lure him into a trap of their own. His eyes shifted quickly into a glare.
"We have learned of the heart's folly," Xemnas added, not finished speaking. "And we have achieved our other goals. This last excursion has proven to be a worthy closing assignment for the Organization."
Sora had heard too much and could no longer contain his anger. "Just stop it!" he snapped. "You treat people's hearts like they're just bottles on the shelf in a laboratory! But they're not! Hearts are made of the people we meet! And how we feel about them — they're what tie us all together, even when we're apart!"
As he summoned his Keyblade, Sora added, "They're what… make me strong!"
"Duh!" Xigbar called from behind, forcing Sora to turn around. "Did you really believe the Keyblade would choose a wimp like you? As if! You're only strong because of all those ties you have with other people. But don't fret! We see much bigger and better things in your future — once you side with us."
As Xigbar extended his hand in a warm gesture, Sora glared at him all the more. He suddenly gave a deep sigh. He had known his Keyblade hadn't chosen him from the start; it was meant to be Riku's. This had been proven when Riku had taken the weapon when Sora, Donald, and Goofy had first arrived in Hollow Bastion. Donald and Goofy had also left to follow Riku. Later, when Goofy declared he was going to protect Sora as they were "best buddies", Donald also joined along. Thanks to their strong bond of friendship, Sora regained the Keyblade and had been its wielder every day since.
"I know the Keyblade didn't choose me," he confessed. "And I don't care. I'm proud to be a part of something much greater — the people it did choose."
Glaring back at Xigbar, Sora positioned his Keyblade into his typical fighting stance. He noticed the man seemed to be gasping in total alarm. If he had glanced around, Sora would've noticed he wasn't alone. King Mickey… Donald Duck… Goofy… Riku… Kairi… the brown-headed young man… the blue-haired young woman… the young man who looked like Roxas… Roxas himself… Axel… the girl with raven-black hair… the blonde-haired girl wearing the plain, white dress (standing beside Kairi)… the young man with the green cap… Crystal… Shelly… Pluto… and Violet, The Angel of Dreams — they were all glaring at Xigbar with their weapons out and poised to fight.
"You see?" Sora proclaimed in a loud voice that echoed throughout the area. "My friends are my power!"
"Those are just… words," Xigbar stammered in a state of complete shock and uncertainty. "You've… lost… "
After a few moments, Xigbar glared at the spikey, brown-headed youth. He uttered what sounded like a growl. "Fine," he snarled in anger at Sora's statement. "See where your power gets you here. You haven't been a good boy, again."
Xigbar glanced at the leader of Organization XIII standing on the other side of where Sora stood. "Xemnas! He's all yours!"
A second after, Xigbar departed through a dark portal. Sora whirled around to face Xemnas. The latter gave a silent glare back at the spikey-haired sixteen-year-old; Sora returned it.
"As your flesh bears the sigil," Xemnas called out. "So your name shall be known as that — of a recusant!"
Sora charged forwards to attack while his opponent was distracted and swung his Keyblade straight ahead. Xemnas wasn't paying attention and got clobbered several times by Sora's weapon. Afterwards, Xemnas raised his hand and shouted, "Guard!"
A magical shield appeared. Sora slid in a semi-circle around it and struck the former leader of Organization XIII several more times. Xemnas seemed to be on the verge of getting extremely desperate, so Sora took advantage of the villain's growing fury to roll a safe distance away. Xemnas tried to strike Sora with his notable, red laser-arms. Once again, Sora leapt to the side and blocked him. He also blocked several more lasers Xemnas immediately sent at him in an attempted-surprise attack.
After nearly ten minutes of constant blocks, surprise attacks, and regular zipping around, Sora started to feel dizzy. Xemnas rushed at the tall skyscraper with the monitors and jumped to the rooftop. "Come closer," he taunted.
Never one to surrender unconditionally, Sora darted to the entrance doors of the building. He shifted his gaze straight up where he saw Xemnas peering back down. Determined to defeat the Organization's leader once and for all, Sora hopped onto the skyscraper and sprinted straight up the side. At the same time, Xemnas jumped from the roof and summoned his laser-arms before diving directly at the teenage Keyblader.
The two grew closer and closer, and time seemed to slow down for a few seconds. That was plenty of time for Sora to block a sudden attack from Xemnas and leap higher. He spun around and plunged straight into the villain's reach. Xemnas tried to clobber Sora, but the latter slammed his Keyblade straight into the Nobody's chest. Xemnas banged into the skyscraper's outer wall with such force, he started to fall to the ground. In the process, he opened a dark portal and said, "I shall devour all… the Light and the Darkness."
Before Sora reached the pavement, Xemnas had vanished into the dark portal. When he did, Sora noticed he was lying in the middle of the street. At once, his heart started pounding at an alarming rate. He began gasping for air, but his lungs remained empty. The dizziness took control, causing Sora to fall backwards onto the street. He saw what appeared to be flakes of Darkness peeling from his clothing as his Keyblade disappeared.
A dark portal opened and a pair of figures in black-hooded coats emerged. One of them was the young man Sora remembered had shown up throughout all the words he had explored on his journey through the Realm of Sleep. The other was a middle-aged man sporting a long, black ponytail and small, round eyeglasses; Sora realized he was the scientist who had appeared in the Musketeer Training Yard.
"You… again," he said in an extremely soft voice. "What is… going on?"
The young man shook his head as he gave a friendly smile. "You just make it too easy," he said. "I know you think you've won, but you lost the moment you dived this far in. You're in the deepest pit of slumber, and you've worn yourself down to nothing. There's no returning to the world above."
"Indeed," the scientist said in his usual high-pitched, nasal-type voice. "This means the experiment… was a success!"
The young man in black frowned at the scientist. "Close your mouth, Hojo. This is my turn to speak."
Hojo snorted his disapproval as the young man switched his focus back to Sora. "We told you. It was not the Sleeping Keyholes that guided you — nor the legendary angel you met. They are not the reason you are here. You've been on a path, one we laid out for you."
"What?" Sora said in a very weak voice.
"That sigil on your chest is the proof," the young man added. He pointed to Sora's chest before tracing an "X"-shape over himself. "See? That sigil, the X, it tells us where you are at all times. You have wondered aloud before — why we kept showing up where you were? It's because we need you, Sora. Or, to be more precise, we need what will be left of you — the thirteenth dark vessel. Why was it assured you would come here today? Because I followed my destined path, and I'm here looking at you now. You can move through time, but time itself is immovable. Today, all of my selves throughout time were meant to gather here, and to welcome you, Sora, as our thirteenth member. These facts cannot be changed."
"You've said quite enough," an irritated Hojo snapped. "You may as well give away our plans!"
The young man glanced at the scientist. "I won't tell you again. Stay out of this," he struck back. Hojo continued to show his annoyance as the young man in black returned his gaze to Sora.
"I have now told you all that I know," he continued. "We are all here, and what the future holds in store is beyond my sight. I will return to my own time, and grow into the man who will become all these others. While I know this future since I have lived it, returning to my own time will erase the memories and experiences I gained here. Still, my appointed path is etched in my heart, which will first lead me to seek the outside world. Your heart will sleep forever in the folds of Darkness. And your body will be another vessel for me."
Sora's mind was spinning, so he wasn't able to make sense of what the man was saying. The words were recording into his mind, but he knew he would have to think about it some other time. Just before his eyelids closed, Sora saw the young man reached for him. "So Light gives way to Darkness," the latter said. "Good night, Sora."
"You'll be the perfect vessel indeed," Hojo added. The last Sora saw of him was a sinister grin.
The first of the last things that crossed Sora's mind before he lost consciousness was his mom, Star. "I'm sorry… Mom," he muttered under his breath. "Kairi, please understand. Riku… find Violet… stop Xehanort… "
A/N: YIKES! SORA HAS FALLEN TO DARKNESS! HOW TRAGIC! WHAT WILL KINGDOM HEARTS BE LIKE WITHOUT SORA?! IT'S DOWN TO RIKU AND VIOLET TO SAVE HIM - IF THEY CAN! Either way, things have REALLY grown out-of-control now - THAT'S A FACT! After all, This marks the END of "Sora's Story" for this Story. From here on until the Story ends, Riku and Violet will take the stage.
Also, I'm wondering how many of you recognized PROFESSOR HOJO from FINAL FANTASY VII? He was the one who appeared to Sora in Chapter 35 as well as the one who sent the flamingo to snatch Sora's "Sound Idea". I will tell you, I'm wondering why Hojo and the Organization XIII member, Vexen, seem so similar. I know they are both scientists, but it is possible Tetsuya Nomura was inspired by Hojo to create Vexen's characterization?
Plus, I included SEVERAL References in this Chapter! MOST of them refer to various DISNEY MOVIES! See if you can spot them All!
In addition, I wanted to inform you that I dedicated this Chapter to the now-late actor, ROBIN WILLIAMS. That's why I included the moment where Sora sees his name on the wall. It was a nice Tribute to him. Rest. In. Peace., Robin Williams. -Gives Several Moments of Silence-
Well... its getting "Late", so I'm just going to say it; PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
REMEMBER - A MINIMUM OF 107 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 120 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME CHAPTER 49 IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!
This is SoraLego278 saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" To Top It Off, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"