As cliché as it may sound, I wake up screaming, my hair glued to my forehead with sweat and my hands leaking with anxiety. I can't help blabbering nonsense when Riku and Cid come in, attempting to sooth me. I'm shaking, in the middle of my hysterics, and the same scene keeps replaying over and over and over again. Riku pulls me in, putting my head on his shoulder and holding both of my numb hands in his, whispering okay's in my ear. I hear what he was saying - it was the only thing that's keeping me from yelling until my throat dies - but somehow the meaning behind all of his words were lost. Definitions of his reassurances can't be found, at least to me, and he continues till his voice is a soft hum in the background and I start to doze off.
The door opens and Cid walks in - I have no idea when he left - with a glass of water in one hand and the other closed into a fist. He hands me the glass, and when he opens his hand, tiny blue pills fall into my palm. I stare at them quizzically, then at Riku. He nods, and I shove the five pills through my raw throat and force the water down. Almost instantly my eyes begin to droop and I'm lost in a sea of darkness while Riku and Cid talk like I wasn't having hysterics two minutes ago.
Brightness wakes me what seems like seconds later, and this time, I'm not screaming. I look around, finding out that Riku and Cid have left and have drawn back the curtains on my window. The sun greets me from beyond the window's glass, and distant buildings stretch themselves out. I sit in a crossed-legged position for endless minutes until my stomach begins yelling in hunger. Aerith's quietly enters when I'm about to limp downstairs.
"Sora, you shouldn't be walking around too much." Aerith says, grabbing me by the waist before I fall over. She guides me to the bed and sets me down.
"Why don't you just lock me up in a box , then?" I scowl, opening the window beside me and poking my head out for fresh air.
"Because Riku wouldn't let me," she replies calmly. "Speaking of Riku, he had to run some errands. He told me to make sure you don't go anywhere, so you better lay back, relax, and nag at him when he gets back." She closes the door behind her on her way out.
I continue to frown, even when she has left, and then consider jumping out of the window, but with my sprained ankle and broken wrist, I'm better off shooting myself in the foot, so I lie back and willed myself to snooze, even though I'd just woken up.
But, in all honestly, I don't ever want to go back to sleep. Night terrors plague my dreams every night, and my mind can't take any more insomnia. I need rest, to keep my self sane and under control, but it's so impossible to collect myself and force my sanity at ease long enough to relax.
I sigh. "I need a vacation."
"Me too, but it's too soon to plan a trip to Hawaii," says Riku, walking in with a tray of food. He puts it on the bedside table and sits next to me. "Begin the nagging."
"I'm not going to nag. But I am going to decapitate you if you don't explain why I'm confined to a wooden cubicle now." I look around my tiny room with it's wooden walls and small furniture.
"You aren't anymore. I just didn't give Aerith permission to let you go because when you're out of her sight for less than a quarter of a second, you would be outside and reopening your battle wounds."
"Damn right I would," I cross my arms like a stubborn child. Then my attitude softens. "It happened again, didn't it?"
Riku looks at his hands as if they had suddenly grown immensely interesting. "Yeah. It did. Do you remember anything about the dream?"
My arms fall and I begin fiddling with my blanket. "I remember…Xemnas dying, and confronting Saïx, but we kill him this time, and more Organization members - dozens of them - came and slaughtered us," I explain. A tear falls onto my hands. I can't help it; more of them fall, and then I was bawling my eyes out and Riku began patting my back comfortingly. I don't stop or think about anything else. I can feel the blood splattering my face and my skin being sliced as the memories flooded.
It seems like forever until they stop. Riku leaves me be until I'm ready to go downstairs and talk to Cid. He said Cid needs to talk to us about the Organization, so I hurried my alone time and my shower and rush downstairs to the library.
Cid's house is relatively big, at least if it were compared to the other houses in Radiant Garden. There are five bedrooms - Riku, Cid, Aerith and I live here - two bathrooms, a petite kitchen and living room, thanks to Aerith's interior designing, and a basement that serves as a library and research lab. The library is only filled with secret reports and research information on Heartless and the Nobodies.
Riku and Cid are already in the basement when I gallop down the stairs.
"Sora," Cid begins, keeping is eyes glued to the computer screen. "You really need some sleeping medication to help you with your night terrors."
"Isn't that what you gave me last night?" I pull up a wooden chair next to him. Riku stands on the other side.
"Kinda, except those helped you sleep, not keep the night terrors away. Now, onto the order of business." He spins in his chair to face me. He looks more tired than usual. "I tracked down the Organization. It seems that they're meeting at Castle Oblivion, so -"
"No," I interrupt before I know what I'm saying. "That place is beyond dangerous. Anything dealing with that place is out of the question."
"Says who?" asks Riku defensively.
"Says me, one of the people that had to go there," I snap. "With each level, you lose another chuck of your memory. Naminé was able to give me my memories back, but it took a whole year, and we definitely don't have the time nor her anymore. I know you went there, Riku, but you were able to keep your memories."
Riku swallows, his face growing a bit pale. "Naminé's been gone for more than a month, right?"
I nod, "Right."
"But the Organization has a new witch." Cid says a bit hesitantly.
Riku narrows his eyes. "No. They didn't."
Chest heaving, Riku slams his fist directly into the wall. I hope the adrenaline blocked out any pain, since he leaves an indent in the plaster. For a moment, he breathes heavily and his anger is visible in the air around him. Then he hurriedly walks upstairs, slamming the basement door behind him. I stare at Cid, stunned. He rubs a hand against his face, sluggishly stands up, then says over his shoulder as he leaves me alone, "Check any files you want. Knowledge is power."
I can't think for a moment. My head's spinning and I begin pondering the idea of using Cid's computer. I sit in his chair for a minute, idly holding the mouse in my palm, then I start clicking on folders. The first one I choose is an exact copy of Jiminy's Journal, so I instantly turn to another one labeled "ORGANIZATION'S POSSIBLE PLANS."
Apparently, they're most likely going to destroy Riku and I. Delightful, yet very predictable.
Spending countless hours researching and reading and absorbing information makes my head fuzzy and body numb. I can't think straight, not with pages upon more pages of knowledge swimming before my eyes. But the very last folder available catches the remaining wisps of my attention.
"REPLICA PROGRAMMING."
Hastily, I open it:
The Replica Program is the process by which Organization XIII recreates pre- existing members for further use. These uses very on each member, and uses may be never-ending, depending on said purpose. Currently, the Organization is using the Replica Program frequently against our war.
Although the article is much too small for my tastes, it strangely comforts me to know that the truth was typed plainly on the blurry computer screen. Standing up, I let my muscles expand. I dash up the stairs, ecstatic from my newfound pride, to see a tiny, blonde-haired Nobody sitting at the kitchen table, staring sadly into a mug of coffee. I'm confused, yet I approach her.
"Naminé?"
"Hello, Sora," she says warmly. "Long time no see."
"Where have you been?" I blurt out, taking a seat next to her at the kitchen table. "We've been worried sick. We need you for the war and -"
"I am no longer participating in this war,' she says smoothly. "I'm tired of all this bloodshed."
"Bloodshed is the only way to convince the Organization to stop lynching humans. They need -"
"They don't need a taste of their own medicine!" she nearly shouts. "Do you see what this war is doing? It's making them stronger and making us weaker. We lose comrades and they make Replicas. We aren't doing any damage to them. In fact, we're doing them a favour."
"How?" I say angrily. She's beginning to get on my nerves. I love her to death like the sister I've never had, but she has such a lack of hope and confidence that it makes me want to shake her senseless sometimes.
"Did you not hear what she said?" Riku asks, walking into the kitchen, his eyes shining, as if they were full of tears. "They're getting stronger with Saïx in charge now. We've been asking every world we know for recruits, and we've only found thirteen worthy out of the thousands."
"Invite all of them here and I'll train them."
"What about the time you always say we never have?"
"Fuck the timing!" I jump from my seat, making the silverware laid out on the table rattle. "We need soldiers. And I have the skills to teach. Bring them as soon as possible. They'll be my responsibility."
I understand how difficult this would be, but no matter how they are, I'd make them honourable soldiers. I won't have regrets; only respect out of these amateurs.
Riku sighs, closes his eyes, and crosses his arms; his thinking pose.
"Fine."
"What?" Naminé and I both ask in unison.
"I said fine. You can train theses soldiers. But you have four weeks. That's it. I'll contact all the worlds and tell them." He leaves the room, and when he's out of earshot, Naminé speaks.
"I don't agree with him." She says crossly.
"I'm surprised he even agreed," I laugh shortly. "Riku!" Chasing after him, he's standing in the living room, phone set for dialing in front of him.
"Yes?"
"When are they coming? And why'd you agree?"
"As much as I'd hate to admit it, we're a little short on fighters. And we do need to finish this war, and we do need to win. We need comrades," he looks at me, tired and fed up with this battle, I can see. "You got the impatience and audacity of a drill sergeant, when you're not irresponsibly immature. We need that spirit." Then he walks away and says hell to a man named Ansem on his phone as he trudges outside.
Bracing myself, I return to kitchen to talk to Naminé.
"I don't think you deserve any bragging rights just yet," she sighs right when I open my mouth.
"I wasn't going to brag. I was going to ask you where you've been, since you didn't answer the question earlier." I sit in a chair across from her at the table.
She sighs again. "Saïx and Xaldin kidnapped me so I couldn't help you and Riku."
Putting my head in my hands, I mumble, "They're catching up…" between my fingers.
She nods. "They've gotten a new witch, also. One that can destroy your mind rather than repair it. Her name is Shelke."
"Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"They just created her."
"But I swear I've heard it before…" I mumble, raking my brain for any moment, any memory that I can put a face to that name. Shelke, Shelke, Shelke…nothing comes up. I run my hands through my greasy hair, stand up, and head for the bathroom to get ready for my definitely-harrowing day.