Chapter 2: Blood and Roses

The dreams kept coming back, that familiar pain that he couldn't run away from, no matter how much Sora tried, there was no way to wake from the dream until it was over. It was the same dream over and over again, the night that Kairi had betrayed them, the night they had taken her away from him. It started out with them sitting in Sora's room, looking over the pictures that the students had put together for them. 'I just wanna forget this…' Sora thought, even though he was asleep, it seemed he could still think, but that was nothing new to him. But the dream always played out the same, there was no way to get away from it. He put his hand on top of Kairi's looking at her, she seemed so distant, why hadn't he seen that something was going on. Maybe then he could have stopped her from leaving, he had to get rid of those thoughts. He shook his head again to clear his thoughts and that was when the dream changed. The room was dark, and the only sign of any noise was scuffling of feet, and the sound of metal clanging against metal. "What's going on…." He jumped up only to realize he couldn't move, once his feet touched the floor it was like he was frozen, like there was no way for him to get anywhere. "This is how it will end…and there is nothing you can do…" A voice rang out from the shadows, the voice, it seemed so familiar, but they remained in the shadows, as if they were taunting him. 'No way…this isn't how it's going to end…' Sora struggled to get to the door, but he couldn't, it was like he was glued to the floor, or maybe someone was keeping him there, but for what reason. The door was open he could see what was going on, and he saw Nightmare, and Kyo, followed by Tristin, and Tyson. Dyron was in the back of the group protecting little Kyra, who was crying, her arm was cut up and bleeding. "Let me go I have to help them…" Sora struggled even more, he had to get out there to help them, there was just no way he could stand back, and let them get hurt.

"This is how it will have to play out…Xemnas must be revived…" Sora's eyes widened when he heard that, even if this was a dream, what did they mean by that, and what if this wasn't a dream anymore. What if this was actually going to happen. For a moment the fighting seemed to have stopped, but then he heard Nightmare's angry, if not pained cry. "Dyron take Kyra inside you know what to do…Where's Sora…" Nightmare's voice was strained, and angry, and then all the noise was gone, there was no noise, nothing, except for Kyra's cries, and the steady drip of something. Finally Sora could move, but what would he find when he walked out there, part of him was not prepared for what he would find, but he had to get out there. "You cannot prevent this Sora…this is how things are you…they cannot be saved…" With that the figure in the shadows vanished into a dark portal, as if it had never even been there. 'What am I gonna find…' Sora raced out into the hall, near the back of the hallway, Dyron was laying there holding a crying Kyra, Dyron's back was cut up, and there was a puddle of blood underneath him, the boy seemed to be breathing just barely.

Sora looked at him, and lifted Dyron up, only to have Leon appear behind him. "I'll take him we have to find the others…Sora go…" Leon picked up Dyron taking him to Aerith and Chi, the two of them would be able to handle the injured a little bit better. With that Leon vanished behind a shut door, where the two had been hidden. 'What did I do…why did this happen…is this really just a dream…' Sora raced out towards the front of the hideout, only to see his team spread across the ground, each one looked injured and near death, why hadn't he been able to help them. The blood from each of them dripped onto the floor, Night was laying near the house, he must have been thrown back into the house, Kyo was laying next to Night, it seemed he had dragged himself towards Night.

'But where is everyone else….' He turned and saw that his friends were leaning over there students tending to the wounds they had, Tristin's arm had been shattered, and then as Sora began to walk towards Tyson who was doing his best to heal the others, it seemed time stopped. "Sora why didn't you help us…" Night had pulled himself up from the wall, he coughed blood dripping onto the ground. Night's eyes were the same color, as…, but before Sora could even really get a good look, a voice interrupted him.

"Sora…Sora wake up….you've been sleeping long enough…" Sora yawns, only to have the blanket pulled off of him, dragging him to the floor. Riku was above him, looking down. "You were supposed to be up hours ago…all the kids except for Kyo, and well you said you would help Cloud with Nightmare today…" Riku just sighed, lifting Sora up, throwing some clothes at Sora. "Get dressed….are you okay…you aren't one for sleeping for that long usually…" Most of the group didn't really care about Sora's sleeping habits, so they would have called Riku crazy. But Riku knew Sora better than they thought. "I just had some weird dream…but even know I'm not sure it's even a dream…it just seemed so real…" Sora shivered, he knew he couldn't tell the rest of the team yet, but he had to at least tell someone, if it was going to happen, they would have to be prepared. "You should tell the rest of the group, the students don't need to know yet, but if it might happen, better to have everyone prepared, then to have everyone die…" Riku looked at Sora, they had been discussing the possibility of the organization coming back to get them, but they hadn't really thought about it much, until now. That dream had to mean something, whether it was really a dream, or just something that Sora's mind had made. "Yea after they come back from training, let the kids go and play…they need a break…and then we will meet in the back room…"Sora walked out, after getting dressed looking for Cloud and Nightmare, they must have left already, Cloud had been having some difficultly, getting Nightmare to listen to him. And now they had to work on that to, and Sora had promised Cloud that he would help. " Where are they…" He turned and asked Riku. "Oh they went out to that clearing by the waterfall…Cloud figured that it would be better to work in a calm place…then here with everyone else…" Riku pointed to the path that one of the students had made that lead to the waterfall. "Alright well I'll see you a few hours possibly…." With that Sora vanished behind the trees, he was thinking when he walked out to see Nightmare sitting next to Cloud, the two of them were so alike, even if they tried to deny it.

"Well how's it going you two…" Night flinched jumping up, he calmed down when Cloud put his hand on Night's arm. "sit back down Night…" Night growled and obliged, he only really listened to Cloud when Sora was around. "So what is the problem…Night you don't like to listen unless I'm around that's obvious…and even then you fight with Cloud…he's your mentor….and if you would let him, he could be your friend…" Sora sat down next to Night, looking at the boy, Night had always been closed off, and no matter how hard any of them tried, the only one who seemed to have gotten into Night's mind was Kyo, and they were just as confused of how Kyo had done that. "I don't know…I just don't want to be here…I wanna go home…" He sighed and looked down at his hands, he just didn't know what was going on, he missed his parents, no one would tell him what had happened to them . "Night look this is your home, we are your family, and your friends…" Sora smiled at the boy, knowing that there was a lot of things going through this boy's head, but he needed to realize that teamwork was something they all had to learn, and there was no way to get out of it.

"But none of you get it…do you…and I really thought you of all people would Sora, but I guess I was wrong…"Night got up, only to have Cloud grab his arm, looking up at him, he could tell Night was worried about something. But what was he worried about, now that they would have to figure out, sooner rather then later. "Night what's wrong…you haven't been yourself the past few days…." Cloud had been told about a bit of fit, that the young boy standing before them had, just a few days ago. He had been muttering about something, but Kyo couldn't make out what he was saying, and then he had just snapped out of it, as if it was nothing. Which made Cloud even more worried, he had dug around and found out a bit about Night's parents, and well he needed to find out more, but for now that would have to wait, he wasn't about to bring Night back into the past, they had just barely gotten him to at least open up to them a little bit. "I just had some weird feeling…I was in my room by myself…and well I really felt like I was being watched…but there was no one there…and then…" He stopped talking and looked down, he just couldn't bring himself to say anymore, Sora and Cloud, all the others they were just trying to help him, but what he had seen in that mirror in his room that day, was telling him something entirely different. After that he had gone back to hiding behind a mask and watching his back, it just made him feel more comfortable, that way no one really knew anything about him. 'It's just better if no one knows the real me…' He had been telling himself that for years, but now when he needed it the most, it was turning out to be more difficult, his heart wanted people to know who he was, but his mind wanted to be closed off from the world. He just didn't know what he was supposed to do, his heart and mind needed to work together, and now more then ever, they were on opposite sides.

"Then what? Night we are here to help you…" Sora wasn't going to push Night so say anything, all of these kids had a lot of problems, they were all orphans, so Sora knew that most of them were hiding things, that they just didn't want to let anyone know. But sometimes they needed to find people to talk, and most of the others had, Night and Dyron had remained close off about everything, as if they just didn't want anyone to help them, or maybe they just didn't know how to let anyone help them. Night backed up, glaring at them, it was just his way of saying back off, without actually having to say anything. But when Sora pulled him back down to sit next to Cloud, Night knew there was no way he was going to get out of this. "Look I don't know okay…things just aren't right…something's wrong…and only I seem to notice…" Night just looked at his hand, there was bandages wrapped around it, he had to remember why they were there, and then he remembered he had hurt it training out by himself last night. But he couldn't tell them that, and he just hoped that they didn't know.

"Night…" Cloud watched as Night turned and walked away from them, they had gotten at least a little bit out of Night, but they needed to figure out what was going on with him, they were going to need all the help they could get in this fight, and if Night wasn't completely there, then they would not have much of a chance of winning this fight. "Don't worry Cloud, let him cool off, we will talk with him more later…these past few days have been stressful for all of us…" Sora looked at Cloud, he remembered a time when Cloud was just like Night. "You and Night are alike, he will come around, he just hasn't realized that he's not alone yet…" Cloud knew that Sora was speaking the truth, but that didn't mean that Cloud could believe it, how many times had he been told something like that only to have it turn out to be false, or change something in some way. "You may be speaking the truth, but sometimes I just don't think it's going to happen…Night may change…but after what I have learned which way will he go…" No one knew that Night's father had tried to make him into a dark toy, a soldier for the darkness, only Night and Cloud knew that, but even though Night tried to deny it, that part of him was still very much alive, and the fight between Night, and his old self was just something that was draining Night of any energy, and any will at all.

Sora sighed, he knew what Cloud was getting, but he also knew that even Nightmare could change…and that would happen when Night decided to let it happen. "Cloud Go track down Night, I'm heading back…maybe you can get something out of him…he might talk to you …" Sora knew that Nightmare would only talk to a person if they seemed to want to listen, he had figured that out from talking to Night the first time. "Yea you are right…I'll bring him back in a little bit…" Cloud took off, racing after Night to find and talk to the young boy. Sora watched them go, he knew that at times they all needed to have someone to talk to, and sometimes people needed friendly urging, and that was what had just happened here, if only Cloud would actually listen to it, him and Night had been on pins and needles for awhile, fighting every chance they got, and there was just no way to get around it. They had to face it head on, even if they didn't want to. "Good luck Cloud…" Sora walked back to the cabin, watching the others, they were also coming back. He didn't think he would see Night and Cloud, but when he turned around there they were, and for the first time Night was actually laughing.

Sora waited until Night had raced off to hang out with Kyo, to approach Cloud. "So what happened…" Sora wondered what had cause Night to change so fast, he had never really seen that happen before, to anyone, but he figured it had to be a good thing. "Well when I found Nightmare, he was cutting up a tree…and getting his frustrations out…but I watched him and then he sat back down on the rock…looking at the tree…and…" Cloud stopped talking as one of the kids raced past them into the house. "Continue…" Sora looked at him, he really wanted to know, but they were right to keep it from the kids, they couldn't let the kids hear this, they wouldn't leave Night alone about it. "Well he reached into his bag, the one that is always with him no matter where he goes…and he pulled out a book…and small instrument, and well he started to play…Night has some talent…and he found a way for his anger, but he's afraid of being judged for it…" He looked at Night keeping to himself, only really talking to Kyo, he was annoyed that was obvious from here, he didn't want Cloud to tell anyone, but he had known that Cloud was going to have to tell Sora.

"Well we will figure something out, after all there is no way that's the only thing you wanted to tell me…"Sora knew there had to be something else. "Okay well yes there is more…I watched as he played, and well how to put this, he can control the elements with that thing of his…or maybe…I don't really know…but the water responded to him, when he was out there, it didn't attack anything…but I'm sure if he was trained enough he could use it to fight with…all of these kids have talents. I think it's about time we tried to find out what those are…It might just be the difference between life and death for us…" Cloud looked at Sora, he needed Sora to realize what was going on, and what Cloud had meant, but by the look on Sora's face he didn't get it. "Um Sora are you okay…" He was just looking straight ahead, as if he was stuck to something, but that was far from really true. When Cloud turned around he saw Yahiko, now he realized why Sora was acting that way.

"SORA!" Yahiko looked mad, he was holding the stick he had named the Sora whacking stick, and he was glaring directly at Sora. As Yahiko moved closer Sora backed up, trying to keep as far away from him as possibly. "You hurt my sister…" Yahiko started to chase Sora around with the stick causing everyone to start laughing. This was just one way to end the day, with Sora being chased by Yahiko, it just made everyone laugh, even Chi. "That's not funny…help me!" Night put out his foot tripping Sora, facing Yahiko. "Hey I like watching you chase Sora around but right now might not be the time…" With that Sora and other mentors wandered inside to discuss there stuff while Yahiko kept the kids busy teaching them new techniques and what not.