The Road to Dawn
By Ariana Aislinn
Chapter 12: Farewell to Castle Oblivion

Whoa, chapter 12 practically wrote itself! Thanks muchly to Koorino Megumi for beta reading it for me, as well as for providing some proofreading on chapter 11, which I just uploaded. And thanks to Perhelediel for also reading chapter 12 over for me before I posted it! I'm really pleased with the direction things are taking now, and I'm getting just the intended reactions from my readers. This is fun. :D Okay, and this time I absolutely seriously PROMISE that Riku will be in the next chapter. Really.

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

"Hey, kid! Kid! You okay there?"

Naminé staggered a little, shaking her head and coming back to herself. "…What?"

Leon stepped back with a sigh, letting go of her shoulders - she realized he'd been shaking her gently. "You spaced out for a moment and started uh…whimpering." He jerked his head toward Axel. "Your friend there wasn't too concerned, said you do this all the time, but I want to be sure - you all right?"

Naminé nodded. "Oh, yes, thank you. It was nothing. I just…sometimes I do that, but it's no big deal. Really."

Leon looked doubtful at her rather overzealous protests, but he shrugged and sighed again. "Okay, whatever." He turned and walked back to the table, hands in his pockets, and rested one foot on the chair he'd been occupying. While his back was turned, Axel looked at Naminé and glared fiercely, mouthing silently to her, Don't draw attention to yourself.

Well, she'd certainly try not to, but it wasn't often that Naminé explored the memories of someone who felt so strongly about them. She wondered when this Leon could have met Axel, and what could have happened to make the ordeal so upsetting. She wanted to have a closer look at those memories, but she was afraid to…what if she lost control again? Still, she would have to look again, in any case - Axel had wanted to know more, and he'd be irritable if she didn't follow through.

Leon turned to face Axel, scowling. "Look, I wouldn't waste my time with you if it weren't important. As you've heard, we've got a lot of problems around here, and feeding and clothing the recent arrivals is a major issue. So let's get this over with. What can you offer as far as goods and services to help these people, and what will you ask in return?"

Naminé listened curiously. It seemed the conversation would be over very quickly if Axel couldn't bluff his way through it well enough. She'd have to find out while working, though. Pretending to examine a bookcase, she shifted her awareness over to Leon's mind again, touching his memories even more lightly and cautiously than before.

The memory of the young Axel in the storm had retreated, apparently dismissed by Naminé's brief distraction. She couldn't help but wonder what had called it to his mind in the first place. Maybe it was Axel's face - while his disguise was very good, his facial features had not changed much. It was possible that the sight of him had resonated with Leon's memories. Perhaps that was the last time he'd seen Axel. Naminé would have to wait until later to speculate further, however. Turning her mind to the task at hand, she sifted carefully through the surface memories she could see, taking a closer look at anything that seemed significant. There wasn't a great deal, but she did find some memories of some young women who seemed to be princesses, a few trace thoughts about barriers, and quite a lot about a keyhole - it seemed that was a worry that had been much on Leon's mind lately. There was nothing about darkness portals, however. Ah well, hopefully it would be enough to satisfy Axel.

Naminé was very curious about that memory of Axel as a youth, but she didn't dare probe further. Doing so would certainly make Leon aware of what she was doing. She could have done more, but it would have taken time, and she may have had to actually go in and make some alterations in order to sift through the memories properly. For that, she usually needed her sketchbook as a focus. In any case, she'd done the best she could to get what Axel wanted, and hopefully he would be satisfied with that.

"…I believe I can provide you with inexpensive bedding and furniture to replace what was removed or destroyed, and I may be able to come up with some extra clothing for reasonable prices. Shall I have a representative return with the paperwork soon?" As he spoke, Axel gave Naminé an impatient, questioning glance. She nodded almost imperceptibly to show that she was finished, and Axel turned back to Leon, smiling affably.

"Sure," Leon muttered. "Whatever works. Can't deny that we need it, and I think we can pay for it, for now at least. Go ahead and bring some merchandise in so we can take a look." He straightened, stretching his arms upward. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm overdue for training. I'll send Yuffie to show you out." With no more farewell than that, he stalked out of the library.

The instant Leon was gone, Axel rounded on Naminé, slapping her full in the face. She reeled, pressing her hand to her stinging cheek as she stared at Axel in shock. The man seethed with rage. "Don't you ever do that again! Do you know how stupid it was to call attention to yourself? Haven't I told you to keep a low profile?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Naminé stumbled over her words, trying to appease him, but her eyes flashed indignantly. "I was trying! Is it really such a problem? He didn't notice anything…"

"No, but he could have! What if he'd recognized you?" Axel's fists shook with barely restrained anger and agitation.

Naminé thought carefully, staring at him, before she spoke. "…Why would he recognize me?" she said slowly.

Axel seemed to come back to himself, and the anger fled as quickly as it had come. "No reason. You just might look a little familiar to him. It's a long story."

"No, you can't just leave it at that! Does he know me? Have I met him before?" Naminé was so intent on forcing some answers out of him that she had almost forgotten her still-burning cheek.

Axel laughed. "Nope, you've definitely never seen each other before. Why, curious about your past, memory witch?" He sneered at her.

Naminé lowered her head and looked at the floor, clasping her hands behind her and shuffling her feet. "N-no. I know there's nothing to learn about it."

Axel nodded. "That's right. Just remember whose shadow you are."

She looked up. "You mean he knows Kairi?"

"Yep. You're not important - your slight resemblance to Kairi is. You're nothing, remember, nothing but a witch. A witch who does what she's told," he snarled, "and don't you forget it!"

Just then, the library door creaked open again, to admit the smiling, bubbly girl in black from before. As soon as she entered, Axel was all charming smiles again, as if nothing untoward had happened. Naminé rubbed her cheek resentfully and followed the other two out of the room. She was angry, in pain, and frustrated, as well as a little bit confused, but also…sorrowful.

She had no past to speak of, it was true. Sometimes she was sure there had been something - a home, a family maybe, a childhood - but she could remember nothing of it. She was Kairi's shadow, she knew - she had felt the strange connection in Sora and Riku's memories, and she could sense the girl herself, off somewhere in the distance across the worlds. What Naminé wasn't sure of, however, was if that was all she was. What was there to her besides her work for the Organization? There had to be something. She just hoped she could find it someday soon…

As soon as Yuffie left them at the castle gates, Axel whisked them both back to Castle Oblivion. After changing back to his usual black-coated, red-haired appearance, he curtly demanded Naminé's report on what she had found. "All right, tell me what memories this Leon guy had. Did he know me at all? Did he remember me?"

Naminé hesitated. "Er…yes. There was a memory, from a long time ago. You seemed…young. There was a storm, and…you were calling Kairi's name -" She stopped, suddenly, seeing the look on Axel's face. His fists were clenched, and he took a step toward her.

"That…was not the memory I was looking for." He glared fiercely at her. "Don't ever mention that again." There was a long, uncomfortable silence, in which Naminé stared at the ground and tried to disappear. Finally Axel shook his head. "What about the rest? What else did you learn?"

Relieved at the change of subject, Naminé told Axel what she had found out about the other subjects he'd asked her to explore. Scant though it was, he seemed satisfied. He listened, nodding, as she explained what little she had learned, and then he vanished without a word and without warning. It seemed very strange behavior, but Naminé had to admit she was relieved. She'd never seen Axel in such a rage.

It occurred to her that maybe Leon had also stirred up strong memories in Axel - perhaps even the same memory she had seen. Was that why he was so upset and defensive? He'd certainly seemed upset enough when she started to tell what she'd seen. Naminé sighed, shrugging. Who knew? Trying to ignore the slowly fading pain from the slap, she wandered back over to the table.

Her sketchbook was where she had left it, but lying in the middle of the drawing of the crystal ball was a note. It was written in a scrawled, unfamiliar hand, and it simply said, "Come to the room with the crystals."

Her curiosity rose, but so did caution. Who would have left a note? She had thought she'd sensed someone in the castle earlier, but whoever they were, they weren't of the Organization. Who could possibly be here, and would they wish her good or ill? Naminé's curiosity won out, though, and she gathered up her notebook and pencils and went out into the hall.

As she pushed open the door to the room that held the crystalline sleeping structures, Naminé blinked in surprise. She knew the strange, somewhat intimidating man who stood calmly before her - though she had only met him once before. He was dressed entirely in red and black robes, with red bandages obscuring his face. In a way, he had a bit of a similar feel to those of the Organization, meaning he was not the one Naminé had sensed earlier. But who was he? She was quite sure he wasn't a member of the Order, if nothing else because he wore no telltale black coat. When they had met previously, he had only given Naminé the most cursory of introductions.

The man bowed his head slightly. "Greetings, Naminé. It is good to see you again."

Naminé hung back a little, her sketchbook and pencils clasped to her chest. "Ah…hello, DiZ. I'm sorry, I'm just…a bit surprised to see you in the castle again."

He might have smiled, but it was difficult to tell under the bandages. "I know. I realize that last time we met, I gave the impression that it was the only time I would ever visit you here. But you see, I've come to fetch you. I'm sorry to have come alone - I realize I am not the most comforting presence, and I did have a companion who might have made you feel more at ease, but unfortunately I had to send him away suddenly."

She blinked, confused. "What? Who?"

DiZ shook his head. "It matters not, for the moment - you'll meet him soon enough. It was imperative that Axel not find him, however. He came to fetch you rather unexpectedly, I'm afraid. We had intended to leave before that, but plans changed, and I remained here to await your return." He gestured to the sketchbook she carried. "Are these all your belongings, or do you have others to fetch?"

"I-I don't…" she stammered. "I mean - no, this is really all that matters. I don't have much. But where is it you want to take me, and why?"

The man shrugged slightly. "I wish I could give you answers, but there isn't time. We must hurry, before Axel or another member of the Order comes back. I know they do not come often, but after Axel's sudden arrival today, I do not wish to take any chances." He paused. "I realize you and I have only the briefest of acquaintances, and you have reason to doubt my intentions, but I am concerned for your safety - especially after Axel's behavior today."

Naminé slumped. "Oh…you knew about that? Yes, he was…rather frightening." She eyed DiZ, considering. It was true she had no pressing reason to trust him, but he had done nothing to harm her or show any harmful intent. Last time they had met, he had startled her by appearing out of nowhere, just after she had finished sending Sora and his friends off to sleep in the crystal pods. He had surprised Naminé by telling her that Riku was in the castle, and her curiosity had been piqued by his description of the effect the darkness had had on Riku.

And then he made such a strange request, she remembered. He wanted me to help Riku accept the darkness without giving in to it…but then he asked me to offer to lock Riku's heart to keep out the darkness. I could hardly tell what he really wanted me to do. He made it clear that I should give Riku the choice - and yet he seemed to encourage me to use my own judgment, as well. And…that's why I appeared to Riku as Kairi. Because I felt that helping him accept and use the darkness was better than letting him hate and destroy himself when he couldn't rid himself of it…

Suffice it to say, DiZ was a very enigmatic man. But when Naminé had met him before, he'd seemed somehow…trustworthy, for all his rather frightening initial impression. Thinking on it, she found that she still felt inclined to trust him for some strange reason.

"In any case, I wish you to come with me. I know that all you know of me is from our previous meeting - and I did little to recommend myself, aside from making serious requests of a total stranger. I am grateful for your aid, nevertheless. Since I was unable to do so before, I now offer my thanks for your assistance in that matter." He bowed slightly to her.

Naminé blushed a little, but smiled. "Oh, I didn't do anything at all. Riku made his own decision. I just helped him understand the choices."

"Which was exactly what I had intended, and hoped for. Now, hopefully you realize that, if nothing else, I at least mean you no harm. Will you come with me? It is no longer safe for you to stay here."

Naminé thought back to the frightening rage in Axel's eyes earlier. It made her shiver, and it took only a moment's thought for her to nod. "Yes, I will come with you."

"Very well then." DiZ walked over to her and offered his arm. "If you will?"

Smiling at the unexpected courtesy, Naminé laid her small hand on his forearm. With no more farewell than that, she left Castle Oblivion behind - as empty as it had ever been.

Tada! Chapter 13 will hopefully not be too long in coming, now that I've apparently got my momentum back...