Chapter 11
I finished what had to be done in all the other worlds I needed to visit without much incident and I was now going to my last world...Twilight Town. I entered into Twilight Town and looked around. It seemed to be deserted. Suddenly, someone rang out between the buildings and collided with me. "Hey! Watch it!" the boy called. Two other children followed him.
"Hayner. be polite," the girl scolded. The bigger boy looked up at me.
"I'm sorry for Hayner's rudeness. It just, when he gets excited..."he gestured hopelessly with his arms and didn't finish. I stared at the boy Hayner for a minute, and then said quietly,
"Think nothing of it." I then walked away...after all...I did have a mission to accomplish. I walked a few steps and then slowed and stopped. I looked back over my shoulder at the children who had crossed my path. I watched them laughing and teasing each other and I thought...Did I ever used to do that? Suddenly, another boy came running over. He was laughing and having a good time...and then his face turned and I saw him. "Roxas," I whispered. I guess he heard me, because he then looked at me. Roxas' face then melted into a horrified expression. He ran down a side alleyway. I started to chase after him. I could hear the children; Roxas' friends, yelling after me and him, but they could not keep up with a Nobody's superior speed and they fell behind. I caught up with Roxas and grabbed his arm. He started to struggle. "Roxas! Stop running! I'm not going to hurt you! It's me, Zephyra!"
"YOU WON'T TAKE ME BACK TO THE ORGANIZATION! YOU WON'T YOU WON'T YOU WON'T!"
"ROXAS!" I commanded and pulled him against my body, mostly to stop his struggling. But also because I was glad to see him again. He struggling slowly subsided, until he was only occasionally trying to throw me off. "Roxas," I said more gently.
"You've caught me, but you'd have to turn me into a dusk before I go back to the Organization."
"Roxas, I'm not going to take you back to the Organization." He looked up at me then. He looked just like he used to, albeit with different clothes on.
"You...you won't?"
"No. But Roxas, Axel and I...we have been so worried about you." He frowned, but his eyes spoke of guilt and sorrow. He looked away from me then.
"Don't tell Axel where I am." I blinked a few times. This was the last thing I was expecting Roxas to say.
"But Roxas, Axel is your best friend," I began.
"I don't want to hurt him!" He said impatiently. "But I can't go back. And it will hurt Axel more to know I won't ever be coming back than to hang onto the false hope I will come back. I have to meet Sora."
"Who's Sora?" Roxas got quiet then.
"He is my other," he whispered. I let go of him then and stepped back. I think I turned pale.
"Y-your other? Your other lives?" Roxas nodded then.
"A rare occurence indeed, but yes...he lives. And I need to meet him; to talk to him." I looked at him then. For a long time, neither of us spoke. I nodded then.
"I understand." Roxas looked relieved when I said that.
"How IS Axel though?" He asked. I looked away.
"He's well enough...he just worries about you. But he lives and he is well."
"You love him, don't you?" I looked up at him, my eyes speaking of the sorrow I could no longer feel.
"Can Nobodies love? I work to find our hearts so that we can TRULY love. I don't love him...not yet. But once I get my heart back, I will."
"For your sake and his then...I hope you find what you are searching for." Just then, Roxas' friends ran around the corner and created a wall between Roxas and me.
"Ok lady, how is it you know Roxas and what do you want with him?" I looked at Roxas, who looked at me with such sadness and regret, but also hope. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and then gave a barely audible nod to Roxas, who gave me a watery smile in return, tears lining his eyes. "Well," the boy demanded.
"Nothing...wrong guy." I turned away then and began walking away. "Goodbye, Roxas," I whispered over my shoulder to Roxas. "May we meet again."
"I'll be waiting," was the faint response I heard as I turned the corner.