The Road to Dawn
By Ariana Aislinn
Chapter 11: Enigmatic Memories

Hey all, I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, after the incredibly fast pace of the first ten. There's a couple reasons - first, I finally had to sit down and plot out all the major story details from here to the end of this thing, since I couldn't put it off any longer. Second, I started playing Final Fantasy X for the first time. :P But I've been working on this chapter, albeit slowly, and though it took a long time in coming to me, I finally put together something that works. This may be rather confusing, but it'll all come together in the end, trust me! Oh, and I'm really sorry, I know I said I'd go back to Riku, but I really had to cover these events first. We'll get to him soon, I promise! I need all the characters in place first though...

Oh, and I've gone back and made a few minor revisions to previous chapters, particularly to chapter 8. Thanks to Koorino Megumi for providing additional beta reading on that!

Standard disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Square-Enix and Disney, not me.

The soft, lilac lead of the pencil glided across the page, creating a smooth, flowing line. Naminé smiled in satisfaction - these new colored pencils she'd bought in Gateway worked very well. She would have to see if they had any new colors available the next time she went into town. Her drawing was coming along nicely - she was quite proud of herself this time. It was only for fun, for practice, but of course that was the kind of art she liked best. Today she'd chosen to draw something not from her imagination, but rather a sketch of this room where she spent the majority of her long, tedious days. The thirteenth floor of Castle Oblivion was entirely white, with white decorations, white furniture, and white walls - even the single crystal ball that sat in the center of the floor had a white base. Still, Naminé thought she had done a very good job of catching the hidden rainbow of colors, dancing in the light that filtered through the windows, reflecting faintly on everything and sparkling on the glassy orb. Even the sunlight was overly white, but the hidden colors were still there, visible to her artist's eye.

As she drew, a sense of peace filled the girl. She found herself slipping into that mental space she knew so well, a place where the solitude didn't bother her quite so much, where her worries and her relative imprisonment did not trouble her so. Time seemed to float, unrestrained by clocks or artificial measurements, so that Naminé really had no idea how long she sat there, drawing.

Most of the table had taken shape, and the crystal ball was a mass of gently arcing rainbows, which swirled across its surface, when Naminé felt an odd sensation interrupting the flow. She shook herself out of her creative reverie. She'd had that feeling before - though she could not really describe it well, it almost felt as if someone were there. It wasn't like the overbearing and faintly ominous presence of members of the Organization; it was much subtler and less threatening, but no less unfamiliar for all of that. Naminé had felt it before, but she still didn't know what it was. Was there someone here in the castle? If so, where?

Carefully setting the sketchpad down on the table, Naminé rose silently. She'd grown a little over the last few months, but not a great deal - she was still somewhat short for her age, and her skinny form looked so frail it almost seemed as if she would blow away in a strong breeze. It wasn't really due to mistreatment. Say what you like about the Organization, they saw that Naminé was provided with the essentials of food and clothing. She supposed perhaps it was something she'd been born with, maybe a childhood illness that had left her a bit stunted in growth, or her slight form might be an inherited trait. She really had no idea - it wasn't as if she remembered anything about her family, whoever they might be.

Naminé blinked and stopped just as she was raising a hand to the handle of the large, double doors. An image flitted through her mind, very briefly…a golden-red sunset, a weathervane lazily clinking in the evening breeze…and then it was gone. She blinked. Where had that come from? It felt almost…familiar.

The presence felt a little stronger now. Naminé grasped the door handle and opened it, looking in the hallway beyond - no one. She was alone. As she turned back to the room, however, she thought she heard faint footsteps, running down the stairs some distance away. It must have been her imagination, though, as there certainly couldn't be anyone else in the castle with her.

Raising her head as she turned, Naminé gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as she took a step back. She willed her suddenly pounding heart to slow, irritably berating herself as she met the gaze of the black-coated man before her. She really should be used to sudden arrivals by now; the members of the Organization very seldom knocked.

"Good afternoon, Naminé," Axel smirked, leaning against a pillar in a confident, almost cocky sort of pose. He seemed all too aware of the striking picture he made in the middle of the nearly colorless room, his midnight-black coat and fiery red hair a sharp contrast to the décor - not to mention Naminé's own appearance, with her pale complexion, fair blonde hair, and simple white shift.

She looked up at the man (he really was a great deal taller than she was) and tried to maintain composure, but as always, her voice came out soft and polite, and she could not quite meet his eyes. She never could, with the members of the Organization. "Can I help you?"

Axel grinned. "Why yes, you can, Naminé! Such a polite girl. I need you to come with me; we're going on a little visit. I have a dinner engagement with a friend, and I'll need you to come work your charm."

Naminé shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "I'm…not sure I understand what you mean."

"Of course you do, kid. I need you to do what you do best, what else?" Axel raised an eyebrow at her almost lazily.

Naminé set her mouth firmly, taking a slight step backwards. "Do you mean you need me to alter someone's memories?"

He chuckled. "Feeling a bit reluctant today, are we? Nah, don't worry, not today I don't. I just need you to…poke around a bit. Examine the memories. Find out what makes this friend of mine tick. You might just find out something I need to know."

Naminé considered for a moment. Examining memories was a bit different from altering them; after all, she usually needed to know a little something of someone's memories before she could make any changes to them. Still, it wasn't as if she could read them like a book - she usually could only grasp hints, an outline or silhouette of the whole picture. Axel should know that…but of course that hadn't stopped him - or anyone else in the Organization, for that matter - from asking this of her before. They greedily pushed her to gather any information she could find, despite her protests that it might not end up being much.

Axel was an enigma, though, even more so than the others. Sometimes he behaved one way, sometimes another. He was never exactly what you would call kind, but at times he was more forgiving than others, and he'd actually been known to give Naminé a bit more freedom than the other members might. There were times, however, when he was more intimidating than usual, and this seemed to be one of those times. It was something cold and hard in the green eyes and sharp grin.

Naminé sighed. "All right. Where are we going?"

Axel stepped forward. "We're going to pay a visit to some old friends…at a place called Hollow Bastion. Heard of it?"

She blinked. "I…think I have. I remember it from Sora's memories, I think…"

"Huh. I suppose you would." Axel frowned. "He did go there, didn't he? Wonder what the place looks like now. I haven't been there in a while, and I heard it's gone through a lot of changes…well. We'd better get going." With no more warning than that, Axel grasped Naminé's arm and phased out of the room.

Though this had happened to her before, Naminé had never been comfortable with it. There was a moment of breathlessness, a cold chill, and a rushing darkness, and then they were standing on a stone balcony. Naminé blinked, looking around. They were outdoors, and walkways and stairs lined the outside of the great castle that loomed above her. The sky was a rosy gold, and the castle shone gold and white in the sunlight. It was impressive and a little intimidating, but at the same time, it felt…warm. Certainly it was more welcoming than the cold emptiness of Castle Oblivion.

Dropping her arm with little ceremony, Axel turned to face Naminé, his arms folded in front of him and an appraising look on his face. "Hmm. I don't believe anyone here knows you, so that's all right, but as for myself…I'd better take a precaution or two." There was a flash, bright enough that Naminé had to look away for a moment, shielding her eyes with her arm. When she looked up again, she blinked - Axel no longer stood there, or rather, it was no longer Axel. The man before her did look somewhat similar to Axel - the facial features were a little different, the tattoos were gone, and the coloring was a bit paler, but the hairstyle and basic build and height were the same. However, Axel's long, spiky red hair was now a pale gray, and his usually bright green eyes were now a soft gray-violet. The black coat of the Organization was gone, replaced by a rather flashy, tailored white dress shirt, black slacks, a fancy purple sash, and a black, gold-trimmed cloak. Axel posed with a cocky grin, his hands on his hips. "Well, how do I look?"

"Well…" Naminé shook her head. "About the same, really. But if you mean, will anyone recognize you? I doubt it. Not unless they know you really well or something. I mean, I might know it was you, if I hadn't seen you change. Maybe."

"Better than nothing, then. It doesn't have to be perfect. After all, I doubt anyone here remembers me." Turning suddenly on his heel, Axel strode forward, clearly expecting Naminé to follow. She scurried after him as he approached two great, wooden doors at the end of the balcony walkway. As they reached the doors, Axel stopped, raising his hand to open them…then apparently changed his mind and dropped that hand, taking a step back.

Just then the doors opened, with an ancient creak and a muffled thud. Two young women walked through, so engrossed in their heated conversation that they didn't appear to notice their two visitors.

"Look, Aerith, all I'm saying is that I don't like where this is going." The speaker was a young woman, a girl really, with short black hair tied in a headband, and wearing a very practical combination of shorts, sleeveless fitted top, and knee-high boots. She seemed very much the athletic type. "People are returning to the castle, and that's great - but some people we used to know seem to be lost forever, and have you noticed how many visitors we've been getting from other worlds? Something's not right, I'm telling you. It's almost like we're in Traverse Town again."

Next to the animated, black-haired girl walked a much more serene, graceful woman, though her brow was currently furrowed in thought. She wore a long camisole of red and white, with a pale pink skirt cut of a rippling, flowing fabric. "I see what you mean, Yuffie…but I'm not really sure what's behind it." She sighed. "Just when I thought things were getting back to norm-" She stopped, turning, and her eyes widened as she finally became aware of Axel and Naminé.

Axel just stood there with a lazy grin on his face. As the girls turned to him, he nodded. "Afternoon, ladies."

The girls exchanged glances, and the one in the pink dress - Aerith, apparently - spoke up cautiously, "Who are you?"

"Name's Setzer. I'm here to pay a little visit…I'm looking for some information on the troubles you've been having lately. In fact, I'm interested in the very same problems you just seemed to be discussing." His eyes flashed as his grin grew wider. Naminé found it particularly disconcerting, and she couldn't believe that it would endear him to the two young women at all.

Aerith frowned. "Well, I won't say we aren't a bit frustrated ourselves, but…how did you find out about it, and why do you wish to know?"

"Yeah, and where do you come from?" Yuffie crossed her arms, frowning. "You look mighty suspicious to me." Aerith glared at her, and she shrugged. "What? He does!"

"If I could interrupt? All I really wanted was to talk to the guy you call…Leon, was it? Unless he's gone back to his old name…"

Aerith shook her head. "For a while we thought he would, but…for whatever reason, he still goes by Leon. We might be able to tell him you're here, but…"

Axel grinned again. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll wait right here, and if he tells me to go away, so be it. But I think he might at least be curious. It's about a business proposition, you see. I'm a…merchant, of sorts, and it seems to me you might be in need of some of the goods and services I generally provide. I'm looking for new markets, y'see. So, can I see this Leon? I hear he's the one in charge these days."

Yuffie sniffed. "Well, kind of, but don't let him hear you say that. We're all trying to pull together at once, and people keep looking to him to lead, but it's not as if he wants to. He grumbles about it constantly, but he goes ahead and organizes everything anyway!"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, I hate to rush you ladies, but I am in a bit of a hurry. Do I get to see him, or not?"

Aerith paused, giving him a doubtful look, but finally she sighed. "All right."

"But Aerith, are you really sure this is a good idea?" Yuffie frowned.

"Leon can always say he doesn't want to see him." Aerith shrugged. "Let's at least see what he has to say."

Yuffie followed Aerith back inside the castle, but she threw a doubtful look over her shoulder as they went. The double doors closed firmly, and Axel turned to Naminé, the confident grin still spread across his face. "So far, so good!"

Naminé frowned. "What do you mean?"

Axel shook his head. "Never mind, nothing you need to worry about. Now, here's what I need from you." He raised a finger to Naminé. "I need you to find out what this Leon guy knows, if anything, about the barriers, the darkness portals, or the princesses, or the keyhole."

Naminé looked confused. "What? I don't understand. Can't you be a little more specific?"

"Sorry, kid, need-to-know basis and all. All I need is for you to tell me if you see any hint of anything that sounds like it might fit, okay? Even if you think it's not important, anything to do with barriers, portals, princesses, or keyholes. I think you'll know it when you see it." He paused. "And another thing - I need you to find out if this Leon guy seems to have any memories of me at all. Me, that is, not this disguise. I used to know Leon, wayyyy back, but I'm really not sure he remembers. I'd like to know for sure. Think you can do that?"

"Ah…yes, I might be able to…" Naminé blinked. "But why? It seems such a small thing, and you could just ask him, couldn't you? Just…drop a hint, or something, maybe mention your name in passing?"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "No need to question, girl. I gave you an order, didn't I? I don't need arguments. You don't know this guy; I do, if only by reputation. He's a hard nut to crack, and he doesn't let on anything he doesn't fully intend you to know. And before you ask, I'm not going to risk dropping my disguise or giving anything away. Now, that's really all you need to know, and more. So, are you going to cooperate, or do we have to have a little talk later?" Axel glared at her.

"Ah…no, sir." Naminé looked at her sandaled feet, shuffling them nervously. Under the concealing curtain her blonde bangs made as they fell forward, however, her eyes glared fiercely. She was getting very tired of taking orders. After meeting Sora, she had often had mixed feelings about the things the Organization wanted her to do. Before, she'd done it because she had little choice, and often no pressing reason to refuse, except out of sheer contrariness - which was, to be honest, somewhat out of character for Naminé. Lately, however, she'd found herself growing steadily more defiant. She didn't often show it, but it came out in unexpected ways, such as now. She found herself imagining Axel running frantically from a rabid bear, and it took all her effort not to grin suddenly.

This pleasant thought was interrupted as the doors opened again. The quiet girl in red, white, and pink poked her head through and motioned to Axel and Naminé. "I caught him just as he was off to go do today's training. You'd better make it quick, though…he's a bit disgruntled about the delay. Sorry, Leon's been in a bad mood lately. I hope you'll understand." She smiled apologetically as she led them into the entrance hall and up the stairs.

As Naminé followed Axel and the girl - she thought she'd heard the other girl call her Aerith - through the entrance hall, she glanced around curiously. It was a grand and imposing sort of room, or at least it obviously had been - but at the moment it was rather cluttered with half-swept debris and several strange partitions and screens. Looking more closely, Naminé realized that they were barriers of different kinds, such as cloth, paper, or wood, all set up for the apparent purpose of separating small blocks of space. Inside one such secluded area she could see what looked like an unoccupied sleeping pallet.

"Um…excuse me, Aerith, was it?"

The older girl turned and smiled at her. "Yes?"

Naminé waved a hand to indicate the cluttered room. "If you don't mind me asking…what's all this?"

Aerith sighed. "Oh, that. We're running out available rooms in the castle for some of the refugees who have arrived, and right now the weather really isn't conducive to setting up outside shelters. There are plenty of empty rooms in the castle still, but…some of the machines and things that used to be here still wind through the place, and some parts are damaged or unpredictable. Until we can make sure those areas of the castle are safe, we're setting up temporary sleeping quarters in here. I think most of the refugees are off doing chores, right now. With so many people to feed, there's a lot to be done, and it also helps to keep them busy and keep their minds off their troubles. Several groups are actually working on clearing out some of the old machinery right now, too."

She spoke for Axel's benefit as well, glancing back to meet his eyes as well as Naminé's every now and then. She seemed every inch the polite hostess. Naminé guessed that she had believed Axel's story about wanting to investigate the refugee situation. Of course, for all Naminé knew, he'd been telling the truth about that, if not the business proposition. Who knew what Axel would think important? For that matter, she still didn't understand exactly what he wanted here.

Aerith ushered them up the stairs and around a bend to a set of wide, wooden double doors. They creaked open with ancient slowness to reveal a sunlit library. A slight mustiness filled the air, but it seemed open and pleasant nonetheless. Naminé looked around curiously, wondering what sort of books one might find in a place like this. Wistfully, she wished she might have a chance to look around, but she was sure that as soon as Axel found out what he needed, he'd whisk them both off immediately.

"Leon, here are the visitors I was telling you about." They approached a table settled beneath the winding staircase to the upper levels. A stern-faced young man leaned back in a chair, his booted feet resting on the table. Aerith raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. She turned back to the two guests. "Now, please ask whatever you wish, within reason, but do understand that he may not be able to answer everything. And please don't take up too much of his time - as I said, he is very busy, and we all have a great deal to do around here, trying to take care of the refugees and fix up the castle." With a brief smile, Aerith hurried off, leaving them with the rather intimidating man before them.

Leon was a very serious looking young man, with long, somewhat unruly brown hair and dark eyes. He wore black pants and a white shirt, as well as a black jacket trimmed with red and silver. He sighed and waved idly at the two. "Hi. Name's Leon. Who're you?"

Axel deftly stepped forward and made a slight bow with a little flourish of his hand, effectively putting himself between Leon and Naminé. She realized that he obviously wanted to draw as much attention away from her as possible. "Greetings. My name is Setzer, and my assistant and I have come to investigate the current troubles here. I'm a businessman of sorts, you see, and it seems to me we might be able to work out a mutually agreeable arrangement that might help you provide necessary supplies for all these refugees you've been having lately…"

Leon looked slightly exasperated, but there did seem to be a spark of interest in his eyes. Naminé detected a slight amount of desperation - he really did seem to be at his wits' end about the refugee situation. It really was very odd, and Naminé couldn't help but wonder how all these people had come here. Still, now was not the time to worry about that. She shook herself slightly and got down to business, closing her eyes and concentrating. She carefully reached out to Leon's mind, probing gently for images and ideas that might float on the surface, attempting to read some of those surface thoughts and memories without letting on that anything out of the ordinary was happening.

Naminé's eyes widened, and she reeled, stumbling a couple steps backward until she backed up against a pillar. Putting her hands out for support, she steadied herself against the pillar, her eyes still wide and staring. She never would have expected such strong memories to be so close to the surface, particularly in a man so apparently closed-off and reticent. But even more than that, the nature of the memories…

Several familiar faces stood out in Naminé's mind, some she had seen very recently. But the one she found most curious was the image of Axel's face - an unsure, panicked teenager, red hair plastered against his face by rain and wind, calling out desperately across a chasm of some sort. His words could not be heard, but Naminé thought he was calling someone's name. Still staring at nothing, she saw the image again in her mind. She watched the young Axel's lips move, and she tried to make out the sounds…

"Kai…ri…!"

There you go, hope you liked it. ;) I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully it won't take me as long as this one. As I said before, I know exactly where the story is going now...the trouble lies in getting it from point A to point B. Anyway, the next chapter will cover Naminé again, and then we'll start getting all the characters' paths to cross, finally! It'll all make sense eventually, I promise!