Due to being all weird and not letting me upload the chapters when I finished them, You get two chapters in one day! Yay!
This one is loooong. Very very long . it makes me happy.
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy and all its characters do NOT belong to me. Ownership belongs to Square Enix/Disney Interactive. The only one I personally own is Bailey Strife. Christina Leonheart belongs to my siser: Heart-of-Memories/FlyonSilverWings. Shizu was created by both of us, so I have co-ownership on her.
-Day 5- Part 1
The little girl was bouncing up and down, staring out the window with a smile on her face before wincing slightly when a hand came over her head to make her stop bouncing, an 18-year-old boy with black spiky hair, standing there laughing, was trying to get her to calm down,
"Settle down, kiddo! He'll be here soon, don't worry."
The little girl grinned and nodded.
"Okay, Zack!"
Her older brother, Cloud, had been out on a mission for SOLDIER, and was going to come home that day. Of course she was overjoyed.
-"I'm scared…"
She would always wait for him. Every time Cloud had gone to a mission for SOLDIER, or when he and Squall had gone on a mission for Radiant Garden, she always waited for him. She didn't mind. She loved staying with the others who babysat her.
-in darkness
On the days when it was just Cloud, Zack Fair would be the one who took care of her. Sometimes, even Tifa Lockhart would babysit her, as well. She loved Zack and Tifa to death. To her, they were some of the coolest people ever. Then again, she thought everyone in Radiant was cool. But Zack and Tifa came out on top… behind her brother, of course.
-alone
Sometimes Lea would babysit them, since Reno was off doing Turk stuff for ShinRa. On the first day, he learned that it was NOT a good idea to give the little girl sugar. She'd had one chocolate bar, and Lea and the others all watched as she'd literally bounced off the walls. She was going for hours and when Cloud had finally got back, he'd told Lea that he was going to take care of her until her sugar-high was over. It can be said that the fiery red-head was crying at this news.
-"I'm scared…"
When Cloud and Squall had a mission with Zack, though, it was usually a woman named Shizu who babysat her and Christie, Squall's little sister. Shizu looked really frail, like just touching her would end up breaking her, and she had long, white hair pulled back out of her face. But she wasn't old-looking, either. She looked like she was either in her 20s, or 30s, and she was very pretty. The girl wasn't quite sure how old Shizu was. She had asked once, but ended up getting a good whack on the head that had her seeing stars until Cloud had gotten home. She learned not to ask Shizu those kinds of questions.
-nothing but darkness
She was soon able to see the familiar blonde walk around the corner. He had a few new bruises, and there were more bandages, but he was home. Cloud was home.
-"I'm scared…"
Before he could even get through the door, the little girl tackled him hard enough to knock him down, and was grinning ear to ear,
"Nii-sama!"
The blonde shook his head to clear it, and Zack laughed, grin widening at the slight glare he received. Cloud huffed before smiling down at the girl,
"Come on, it's time to come home, Bailey."
-ALWAYS alone.
"Nii-sama…! Where are you? Save me, please! Don't let them hurt me...! Cloud!"
Don't let them hurt me… don't leave me alone… I'm scared…! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE!
I went into work a little early, and when I got there, I was surprised to see Hayner and the gang there. Pence looked up at the train heading to Sunset Terrace,
"The time has come! Our hunt for the Seven Wonders begins!"
I went up to them
"Hey, what're you guys doing?"
They turned to me and Pence grinned,
"We're doing an investigation on the "Seven Wonders of Twilight Town." They're all at Sunset Terrace, so we're heading over there now."
I blinked, tilting my head,
"You know… I've heard you talk about them before, Pence, but what exactly are these 'wonders'?"
Pence counted on his fingers
"There's 'The Spooky Steps', where the steps leading down from the train on Sunset Terrace count differently going up and down."
I frowned a bit,
"Wasn't that just Rai counting wrong?"
Ollete nodded,
"Yeah. Fuu ended up hitting him because of all the fuss he'd caused."
Pence continued,
"'The Friend from Beyond the Wall" is where out of nowhere a ball just flies from the wall, as if someone was throwing it at you."
I blinked a few times. A ball flying out of nowhere…?
"Then there's 'The Moans from the Tunnel'. You know the old tunnel-ways that they're fixing up right now? Well, apparently, there are noises that echo throughout the ones that come out at Sunset Terrace, but no one is in there."
I crossed my arms,
"Okay, that's just creepy."
Hayner laughed at this, making me pout, but Pence just continued,
"The 4th one is 'The Doppelganger'. Apparently, people have been seeing their doppelgangers in the corner of Sunset Terrace, but the mirror waterfall."
"Couldn't they just be seeing their reflections in the water?"
Pence shook his head,
"Not sure. Then, there's 'The Animated Bag'. There's this creepy bag that moves around like it's alive."
My eye twitched,
"Where the heck do these things come from, anyways?"
Hayner laughed,
"Yeah, some of them sound like total bogus."
"Then, wonder number 6, is "The Ghost Train Mystery." You can see the train pull into the main station sometimes, but you can almost always see it from Sunset Hill."
I blinked at this. Sunset hill was a place I'd always gone to unwind, but I'd never seen any 'Ghost Train'. Pence spoke in an ominous way,
"For they say the train is empty. No driver, no conductor, no passengers… NO RETURN."
I couldn't help but laugh at the way he was talking, and I smiled as I looked up at them
"Well, I think I'd like to see this 'Ghost Train'. Maybe I'll see it pull in here while you guys are at Sunset Hill. I'll even take a picture for you."
I held up my hands as if I were holding a camera and Hayner grinned, but Pence pouted,
"No way! I wanna see the ghost train for myself! I'll bet we see it before you."
I laughed a bit before blinking when the whistle blew; signaling that Hayner and the others' train would be leaving soon. They all climbed aboard and waved to me as the train took off. After a moment, I blinked,
"Wait… What's the 7th Wonder…?"
After I was finished with my work, I decided to board the train to Sunset Terrace and see if I could meet up with the others. I didn't end up finding them when I got there, though. I sighed and shook my head before deciding to head up to Sunset Hill.
I made my way up the short trail to the top of the hill, smiling as I looked around at the few benches placed here and there. I made my way over to the small clock statue that was made as a tribute to the one at Central Station, putting a hand up to it and smiling faintly as the gears inside ticked in time with the minute and second hand.
I'd always enjoyed coming here every now and then. It was one of my favorite places to just calm down and think, letting everything unwind so I could sort myself out. You could see everything from up here, and if you looked close enough, you could even see the beach far off in the distance. You could even see the tall railways that held the trams as they crossed between the different areas.
I sighed to myself and sat on one of the benches, watching the different trains pass by before sighing and closing my eyes. I just let my mind wander, trying to sort out my thoughts about what had been floating around in my mind for the past few days. I still wasn't too happy with myself about the fight. While I HAD been proud of myself for kicking Seifer's ass, the fact still remained that I'd let him get to me. And after that, I'd found out that Hayner and the others were all worried about me, because I was stupid enough to try and avoid them. I opened my eyes, staring at the sky.
Then there were the dreams… Was that really all they were? Was my mind really just making something up, and I was focusing on it so much that I caused myself to dream about it again and again? Or were the dreams trying to tell me something? Were these really the memories I'd so longed to have...? No matter where I turned to, all the records I found seemed to disprove everything in that dream even more. But… I'm not sure. Somehow, I had this feeling deep inside me that they really had happened.
I'd found myself starting to concentrate less on the fight from yesterday, and more about the dream, and all my effort to try and find out what it was. It all seemed so real; the fire, the screams, the creatures… now these new dreams… And Cloud….
He was looking for me, waiting for me, hoping that I come home after so long…
He was in pain.
I was suddenly jerked from my thoughts when the sudden chirp of a train's whistle sounded out, differently than the others. I frowned, turning and running to the fence made to keep people from falling off the hill, leaning over to see what kind of train would make such a sound.
Then, I saw it. The train that was so different from others. At first glance, it seemed like it was a train from some kind of ride in an amusement park; star shaped windows, a purple and blue paint job, and oddly enough was what looked like a wizard's hat on the top of it. I frowned, tilting my head a bit before my eyes widened. A closer look showed that there was no driver on the other side of the glass in the engineer's room, nor was there even a single passenger peeking out of the windows. You could see clear through the train, but no one was in sight.
I leaned further over the rail, trying to get a better view, as if it would make a person suddenly appear in view. But suddenly, it felt like someone grabbed me from behind and shoved me over the railing. My eyes widened as I flew over the edge, falling to the railing below, sure to get hit by the oncoming train. I closed my eyes tightly, awaiting my fate.
5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, it didn't come. I hesitantly opened my eyes when I didn't feel the impact of the train, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself laying on what seemed to be a rather large stain-glass platform. I slowly stood up, looking around, but the only other thing than the platform and I was pitch-black-nothingness. Suddenly, a voice rang out across the space,
The door will be open soon, and your journey will soon begin.
So much to learn, so little time. Take your time.
Your door is still shut.
I bit my lip as a light from above shone down on the center of the platform and I hesitated. I wanted to go back, to my safe bed. But I wanted to move forward. I wanted to see what was going on. I swallowed hard, looking around me. I have to say, I was scared. I got this feeling deep inside me that felt like I was scared like this, before.
Always scared…
Afraid to step forward. Afraid to go back. Forever motionless and afraid.
Don't be afraid.
Step forward into your light. Can you do it?
I took a deep breath before clenching my fists, getting a determined look in my eye as I stepped forward, one foot after the other, slowly making my way to the light. When I stepped into the warmth of the light, three more lights beamed down to rest over the edges of the platform. Suddenly, weapons appeared in the lights.
A shield.
A staff.
A sword.
A great power sleeps within you. If you give it form… It will give you strength.
Choose well.
I looked around at the weapons, frowning as I examined them.
The shield had a design on it that looked of royalty; a fleur de lis took up the center, and two wolves lay beside it, and every symbol was some sort of shade of blue or silver. It looked heavy, and bulky, and difficult to move around. Despite this, it looked sturdy, and impenetrable, like not even the strongest of swords could pass it. A shield like this could block just about anything.
The power of the Guardian
The kindness to aid friends
Dedicated bravery
A shield to repel all
I looked up at the voice before turning, looking at the other two weapons.
The staff was just about as tall as me, and was very thin, but looked strong. I doubt that even if I slammed it as hard as I could on the ground it would break. The designs on the staff were elegant, and beautiful, and perched on the top of the staff was a dark green crystal sphere with three lighter green crystals floating around it in midair. It seemed to emanate a feeling of energy, and it felt as if all of my physical pain from yesterday's fight was just… gone. It seemed almost mystical, almost like just holding it would give me great wisdom
The power of the Mystic
The aid to heal all
Magic to destroy all
A staff of wonder and ruin
I turned again, to the last weapon.
The sword's katana styled blade was a dark colored grey, with a silver edge, and looked sharp enough to cut something by simply touching the edge of the blade. Its hilt was wrapped in a deep red, almost black color, and the hand guard was a silver color, and had a dragon and wolf wrapping around the hilt. Despite its darker colors, the sword seemed to shine brightly. Just looking at it seemed to give me strength.
The power of the Warrior
Strong determination
Power to protect loved ones
A sword of terrible destruction
I reached for the sword without a second thought
Do you wish to choose this power?
I nodded, and as soon as my fingertips brushed against the hilt, it glowed brightly and disappeared as the voice rang out again
Your path is set.
Now, what will you give up in exchange?
I frowned and turned to the other two before walking over, reaching for the staff
You give up this power?
I nodded and the staff disappeared
You've chosen the power of the warrior, with aid from the power of the Guardian.
You've given up the power of the mystic.
Is this the form you choose?
I looked up at the voice, nodding, and the sword appeared in my hand once again as black creatures and white creatures suddenly appeared.
There will be times you have to fight… And there may be times you want to give up.
I yelped as one of the creatures tried to grab me and I backed up, clutching the sword tightly in my hand.
But don't lose sight of your light.
I growled before running at the creatures, and it seemed as if for a moment my body had a will of its own as I cut down the creatures. One by one the creatures were cut down, and when they were gone, a shadow appeared below me and pulled me into the floor.
When I opened my eyes next, the blade was gone, and I was on another platform and across from me was a door, just standing there no wall to hold it up. I blinked a few times, going over to the door and peeking around the other side of it, seeing nothing on the other side. I made a face at this before going to the front of it and grabbing hold of the handles, pulling it open. Surely all I would see was just the blackness around us on the other side, right?
Be careful. Behind that door is a completely different world.
But don't be afraid. Don't stop walking.
I had to shield my eyes from the harsh light coming from the inside of the door and the next thing I saw was what looked like the bailey of a castle. I blinked and looked around before spotting someone over at the lookout, leaning against the wall and staring out at the gorge below. It was a man with black, spiked hair, a single strand of hair falling over his face, while the rest of it was pulled back. His outfit looked like a uniform of some kind, like from an army. It was Zack.
He looked over at me and grinned a bit before standing up straight, looking down at me with eyes that were blue, a slight hint of purple behind them
"What's most important to you?"
I blinked, staring up at him before looking down in thought. I didn't know why, but I felt like I should answer him, from the bottom of my heart. After a moment, I spoke up, as if in no control of what I was saying,
"Protecting those I love."
His grin just seemed to get wider, and he nodded, making the black spikes sway a bit. He came over and ruffled my hair,
"That's a good thing."
I sputtered a bit as he ruffled my hair before watching him walk off. I blinked a few times, my even more messy hair seeming to flop to one side. I sighed before shaking my head to replace my hair before looking out of the overlook, seeing a dark, eerie castle in the distance, surrounded by the same black creatures I'd fought with before. I frowned before turning again and walked toward the doorway, blinking when I saw a large, towering castle, with a marble, brass, and copper structure.
I stared up at it for a while before noticing a woman sitting on the railing by the stairs. I hesitated for a moment before going over to her. She had dark brown hair, and a black leather outfit. When she turned, I was greeted with red-ish brown eyes. She smiled at me, making me jump slightly. This was Tifa. She jumped to her feet off the railing and walked over to me
"What do you want out of life?"
I frowned and looked down before looking back up at her,
"To be strong. Strong enough to take care of myself, and stop running away."
The woman blinked before chuckling a bit, closing her eyes
"I see… Is being strong really that big of a deal?"
I blinked at what she said as she turned back, looking down the stairs, as if telling me to go down them. I looked at her before going down the stairs. On one of the walls were two fountains that acted like waterfalls, and a second man was leaning against the wall between them, arms crossed.
I stared at him with slightly wide eyes. This man... He had blonde, spiked hair, and was wearing almost all black, with the exception of a dark blue-ish grey shirt. He only had one sleeve on his left arm, along with black shoulder armor. The man seemed to have an obsession with belts, seeing as how they seemed to be on every part of his outfit.
When I came up, he looked up at me with piercing blue eyes. This… This was Cloud. This was the same Cloud from my dream…!
"What are you afraid of?"
I blinked, staring at him before frowning and looking down swallowing thickly. What was I afraid of? Everything. I was afraid of getting hurt, of hurting others. I was afraid of the unknown, and even of what I might find out about myself. But one thing, out of all the things I was afraid of, screamed out the most.
"Being alone."
The man blinked, staring at me before getting a slight sad look in his eye. I clenched my fists.
Out of anything else, I was… no, I am afraid of being alone. It's always been my biggest fear. I can't lose anyone, or I'll break down. When Roxas ended up going missing, I… I just broke down. And soon, I ended up finding myself closer to everyone else, clinging onto them so I wouldn't lose them, too.
I don't want to be alone. I felt like I was alone for so long.
The blonde suddenly pulled me into a hug, and I was shocked. I stared ahead for a moment before looking up at him with wide eyes as he pulled away. He put a hand on my head
"I'm so sorry… I wasn't able to protect you."
I looked down before watching him head up the stairs, and the voice rang out once more
You want to protect those you love…
You want to be strong…
You're afraid of being alone…
Your journey begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end.
I frowned and looked up as a blinding light filled the area, and when it cleared, I was on that platform again. I stared at the ground, swallowing hard. Those people… They were the people from my dreams… from my memories…
I looked up as a light shown down at the other end of the platform, and I looked up at it, starting to walk closer to it, reaching out to it
The closer you get to the light… the greater your shadow becomes.
I stopped short when I felt someone behind me, and I turned to see my own shadow stretch out before me, before warping, clawing its way out of the ground and rising up above me, laughing. It was a woman, with long silvery hair, and piercing red, cat-slit eyes. Her figure was thin, and black markings crawled over her skin. Her most prominent features, though, were her claws, wolf ears, and a flowing wolf tail. In a way, she was rather beautiful, but my gut kept screaming at me to run away. I swallowed hard, frozen in fear.
The woman grinned maliciously, showing her wolfish canines as she laughed, her voice seeming to echo not only in the space around us, but in my head as well. I forced myself to take a step back. The woman's eyes crinkled with her smile, and she to a long, deep breath before letting out a piercing howl. I cried out in fear and pain at the howl, having to clamp my hands down over my ears to try and keep the sound out, but it was no use. The howl echoed throughout my mind, repeating itself over and over.
Suddenly, it just stopped, and I found myself in nothing but darkness. No platform, no light, no woman, no nothing. I frowned, looking around and calling out, but there was no answer. I swallowed thickly and sat upright in the nothingness, looking around before seeing the same little girl from my dreams, hugging her knees close to her as tears flowed down her face,
"I'm scared."
I jolted as I heard her speak out. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. Not just from her, but from inside me, as well. After she hiccupped, she spoke up again,
"I'm scared."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I want to go home…! I want to go home! I don't want to be alone anymore! I just want to go home… Please, let me go home…"
I stared at her before starting to look down, and her words echoed in my mind,
I want to go home…
I soon found the girl's voice changing to my own in my head. These were my thoughts. They were my feelings. I felt scared, and alone. I hated being left alone in the darkness.
I don't want to be alone.
A chiming rang out and I suddenly sat up, eyes wide. When I looked around, I saw that I was still on the bench at Sunset Hill, the small clock tower ringing out in the changing of the hours. I frowned before letting out a long breath, staring down at the ground.
Was all of that just a dream?
I shook my head to clear it before starting to head back. When I got to the station, I went up to the clock tower to see if I'd find Hayner and the others. Sure enough, there they were. Hayner was sitting down eating icecream, and it looked like the other two had just gotten there. They all turned when they heard me, and I smiled, waving. Hayner turned back,
"Tomorrow, we'll head to the beach."
Pence nodded,
"Next day's the fair."
"The last day of summer."
Hayner glared at Ollete,
"Don't say that! You'll give me an ulcer!"
I laughed,
"Not before you explode from too much icecream, first."
Hayner jumped and stared at his icecream before groaning and turning away from it, making the rest of us laugh. Ollete turned to me, smiling,
"You'll come, too, right?"
I smiled, nodding,
"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Pence grinned, nodding,
"You better not!"
I smiled before looking at him, blinking
"Hey, Pence. You said there were seven wonders… What's the 7th wonder?"
Pence blinked before getting a gleam in his eye, and I sweatdropped
"HHoho, have we taken an interest in the Seven Wonders?"
I made a face, stating 'no' simply, but this just made Pence laugh.
"It's at that haunted mansion. They say there's a girl who appears at the second floor window… and even a man in a black coat wandering around in the front hall… even though no one's lived there for years."
After we all said goodbye, I made my way to the hole in the wall of Tram Common that lead to the forest. Deep in that forest was a mansion, separated from the rest of the town. No one really knows who had lived in it, at first, and everyone is curious as to why it was built so far outside of the walls of the town. I had gone there once before, when I'd first come to the town, but I wasn't able to get in because of the big padlock on the gate. It made me wonder what they were trying to hide.
By the time I got to the mansion, the sun was almost completely set, giving the mansion an even more eerie feeling to it. I frowned and looked up at the mansion before my eyes widened when I saw a light coming from the second story window. So the rumors… were true? I walked up to the gate and looked at the padlock before grabbing onto the gate and climbing over.
Whatever they were trying to hide, they weren't doing a very good job of it.
I landed effortlessly on my feet and looked around before looking up at the second story window, frowning a bit. I walked over to one of the windows beside the door and peeked in, looking around, but quickly hid myself to the side of the window when I saw someone walking in the main hall. I frowned before easing myself over and peeking in, trying to see who it was. I couldn't really see their face, since they had a black coat on, but I could tell it was a man.
I frowned and tried to get a better look before seeing him head into a room to the side. I frowned before heading over and peeking through the window to this room. When I looked in the room, I saw a broken table in the middle that only a rather large blast could have destroyed. The man in the black cloak walked over and sat in the chair that would have stood at the table. Across from him was another man. This man had red bandages around his face, and had amber colored eyes. He was draped in rather heavy clothes, looking like they would be terrible to walk around in during the summer heat.
"I've waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?"
I blinked noticing the window next to mine having been cracked to let air in. The man in the red garb answered the other,
"Revenge."
I stared at the man with wide eyes, and the other across from him seemed to tense up
"Revenge…"
"Now, for the finishing touches. First, we must dispose of Naminé. She did a splendid job with Sora, but it's high time she disappeared. Roxas isn't the only one who was never supposed to exist."
My eyes widened to their fullest point. What did he mean 'Roxas wasn't supposed to exist'? What had he done with Roxas?
"Take care of it Ansem."
I began to tremble as the man in black nodded, heading out of the room. Was it their fault Roxas disappeared? Was it because of them? I had to get to the bottom of this. And these men were going to tell me what exactly they did with Roxas.
Whether I had to force it out of them or not.