Disclaimer: If I seriously owned KH2...wow. SO many things would be different. Also, I don't own 'Around the World' by ATC, which I had to edit for it to make sense. Also, even though there has been no mention of it YET, there ARE cars. Tsugare is very low-tech(besides from Roxas) so...sorry, Ford. x:P
Thanks to XxkunochiXkh2fanxX, Anonymous-Sakura(whoohoo! A permaneant reviewer! RIGHT ON!), and Chukobher!! And THANK YOU OATHKEEPERA! You're the first...figurer-outer. Finally! Other people get it too! It took long enough. xP I didn't even notice that it also spelled 'Angel I C'. Hehehe, that's so weird! And cool...I like that! But I would've changed last chapters' titles had I known that. Man, that IS cool...
Here's the unfinished message(so far):
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To Oathkeepera: You get a part in this story. Actually, she has a kinda big part. You're kinda evil, though, so sorry. xP Your penname is now kind of important to the story,(having to do with the Oathkeeper and all) but if you REALLY can't stand your character, well...you shouldn't. She's cool. If you still do...well, you can't. Yeah, at the beginning she's evil, but hey, Gippal turned over a new leaf so why can't his sister? Also, if you got my PM, please disregard it. Well, some of it, anyway.
I changed the plot of next chapter so it would fit the schedule and if I did it the way I originally intended, I would've ran out of time. I can't do it both ways...but if you guys want the original version of next chapter, I can do that as well. But I do get to the part I left out in here AFTER a whole lot of other things... And yes, I do have my next chapter written. I like to make you guys wait. xD
Angels in Flight: Towa no Shirube
Chapter 13: Ununderstandably Broken
(Naminé's POV)
'...What?' I was shocked. How could she even say that? 'I...I have to get his soul back! He's your son! Don't you want him to be alive?'
'Naminé, I don't think you understand what will happen to you if you do let him have his soul back. I can't let you know, but please, it is the best for everyone.' Tifa tried to explain to me, but she wasn't doing a good job.
'Mothers are supposed to LOVE their children! They should be willing to sacrifice their whole life for their children, not tell someone to not let their child survive! That's terrible! Roxas is too important to me for me just to let him go when I know I can save him!' I said, and I looked at the people who were in the Cathedral. Every one had their back ripped open like Roxas did. I got sick again. This was all because of me...I just wanted to kill myself for it! But I had to get Roxas' soul back before I did anything. And everyone else in Mizu no Akashi, too. Because if Roxas died, everyone else probably did. Then I wondered why Sephiroth and his 'almighty' sons didn't get affected. Maybe they were really as great as they claimed...
'Tell me, Naminé, what would you do for him?' Tifa asked. 'If his soul does return to him...it will only cause you and your descendants pain. But it might be worth it if you really, honestly, love him and not just because he can protect you...'
'I'd save him by pouring out my heart and soul for him. I would do it now, but if there is an easier way to revive him without me dying so it won't cause him pain, I'd rather take that path.' I said, quietly slipping out of the cathedral. Tifa remained quiet, but she did say something after I was walking towards the plaza.
'So his wants and needs are a higher priority than your own?' She asked, and I nodded. 'Then if that's how you feel, I guess I have no right in taking love away from you. But please know what you're getting yourself into.' I didn't care what I had to do to revive him and what the consequences were, I promised myself I would get his soul back and that's that. In the plaza there were Heartless running rampant. Gippal was fighting Yunalesca using a giant purple gun-thing, and Chukobher(I think that's her name) was fighting the Heartless also by using a gun, though this gun looked more like a gun then Gippal's fan-gun-thing. I didn't even know WHAT his weapon was.
Chukobher was on her knees and was just trying to shoot as many Heartless as possible. Numina-Naminé(who was still in my form) was using kunais to impale the Heartless Chukobher wasn't destroying. Ellie, Nethernity and Rikku looked lifeless, but I knew their souls got taken away from them, too. All five had their wings ripped out of them, but Gippal must have taken the time to heal their wounds, though I had a feeling the only way for them to gain their wings back was by retrieving the keyblades that had scattered. I needed to help them. There were hundreds of Heartless, and only two people to fend them off, and Yunalesca constantly was summoning more when Gippal took a little too long in attacking her.
I waded into the fray and started hacking away with the Storm Sword, which I liked to use. I couldn't use a keyblade, and even if I could I still wouldn't be able to because they were scattered. "Are you all alright?" I asked, piercing a Heartless with my blade and then throwing it at one that was going to do an aerial attack at Nethernity, and both Heartless hit the wall and the impact made them disappear.
"It hurts...alot...but I'm half-human...that's why I'm not as affected as everyone else. Roxas would've been like that, too, but unfortunately his machinery crashed when he heard that terrible noise. It's like I'm half-dead, like how Roxas is half-dead, except he's not responsive because of his machinery. See how I'm on my knees? I can't even stand I don't have enough energy." Chukobher said, shooting at another Heartless. "These things just won't stop coming!"
"The only reason my soul didn't go is because I'm in your body, Naminé. When I take on the appearance of someone else, nothing supernatural can kill me, like my soul getting stolen. But if I do get stabbed in the heart or some vital organ, I will die that way when I wouldn't have died if I were an angel. Being a shapeshifter has advantages and disadvantages." Numina-Naminé explained, barely dodging a blow from a particularly hideous Heartless. "And if I do change back into my regular form, the Grim Reaper's gonna come and I really don't want my soul to go into the hands of Hades. You see, everyone's soul AND wings went into a keyblade...or keyblades, depending on how many wings they have. Everytime you return a keyblade to here, another person will be revived. But for some people it's not like that. If you don't fight with a keyblade, your soul will go straight to Hades. I don't have any need for a keyblade since my wings are out all the time. And Roxas...Roxas got his soul taken by Hades because his machinery didn't allow it to go into a keyblade, which would've been much safer."
"It doesn't affect me, because, well, I'm not holy and I have no need for an item that proves you're divine." Gippal said, getting knocked back by a blow from Yunalesca. "Naminé, you should go and get everyone's soul back. Some half-angels are in their homes getting their weapons and are going to back us up. Please, save Rikku..." He begged, and he couldn't take his eyes off of Yunalesca, probably in fear that she would pull one on him and take a cheap shot.
"You see how our backs are...well, hollow-looking? It's because our wings went into keyblades, too! One soul per keyblade, one wing per keyblade. So if you find one keblade connecting...Ellie's soul, for example, she'll also get back ONE wing she originally had. Then you have to find the other keyblade that has her other wings. So, say you have six wings, though I know of only one angel who has six wings, Tifa, and she's dead. Anyway, if you have six wings and are half-human, you'd have to find the six keyblades containing your wings, but someone'd have to retrieve your soul from Hades since he took it." Chukobher explained, shooting another Heartless. "Now, go! My Cerberus has never let me down yet!"
"A-Are you sure? You guys look like you really need all the help you can get!" I said, not wanting to mention the fact that I desperately wanted to save Roxas. But if everyone got killed and Mizu no Akashi got turned into a Haven for Demons, then there would be no point. Gippal shook his head.
"No, you really need to go." He knocked Yunalesca back a little and took out something in his pocket. It looked like a map. "Here, take this. It shows you where to go to get to the Underworld. You can get Roxas' soul there, and we'll send him to you. He can probably find the keyblades. Anyway, once you're there, you have to find Hades, God of the Dead. If you can't find him, just ask some people wandering down there. There's tons of people who are trapped there for Eternity." Gippal said, stuffing the map into my hands. "Now get going!" Not wanting to waste any time, I set off in a run.
As I was running out of Mizu no Akashi, I saw some angels on the ground wearing pained expressions. I shook my head and frowned. This was all because of me! I felt so terrible, and I was responsible for this happening, so I had to fix this mess up since I was the one who created it.
'I know a shortcut to Devil's Tower.' Tifa said when I was looking at the map, which had an overview of the whole world and a big, fat black 'X' was marked as 'Devil's Tower' and a silvery 'X' was labeled on an area with 'Mizu no Akashi' written over it.
'You do? Please tell me. I think it's take an enormous chunk out of time we don't have for me to travel across the world.' I told her, fingering the medallion nervously. The coin had a feeling of serenity attached to it, like I was on the ocean floor away from all my worries. Before Tifa could say anything, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" I heard someone shout at me. I turned around and was about to tell that person off, but that person just happened to be the ever-so-perfect Seifer! What was HE doing here, stopping me? Didn't he see I had more important stuff to do than stare dreamily at his face?
"Seifer!" I exclaimed, shrugging his hand off my shoulder. "I have some rather important business to do right now so just buzz off!" I didn't think I could fight him again. The only person here to help me was Tifa's soul and I doubt that would do me any good.
"Important business? Such as...hmmm...I don't know...going to Hades and asking for him to give Roxas' soul back?"Seifer pretended to think. "Well, I don't particularly like the idea of having Roxas getting revived again...so I don't think so." He grabbed onto my arm.
"Well that's just too bad, isn't it? Let me go, Seifer." I snapped, trying to wrench my arm away from him. But this time his grip was very...strong. In fact, he tightened it.
"You're not going anywhere, Naminé." My temper, which had been rising, had diminished because of fear. If you had heard the tone he said that in, you'd be terrified too. It sounded like he wanted to harm me or something. It made me scared, and I tried to keep myself from shaking. I couldn't let Seifer know I was scared of him, he'd feel even better about himself. "Instead, you're coming with me." A portal of darkness appeared and he dragged me into it. When we came out, we appeared in front of a large, large mansion with a gate and a path and a garden, the whole nine yards.
The grass surrounding the mansion was all dead, and I could see that the flowers in the garden were all black roses. Probably the only flower that thrives here. So this was Hell... "This is my home. Isn't it nice? Of course we have to see Lucifer first." Another dark portal appeared and he shoved me in it, but he kept a hand on my wrist to make sure I wouldn't run away.
'Tifa, is there anything you can do? I don't want to live with Seifer!' I panicked once I saw the Devil, Lucifer. He looked like any normal person, but, obviously, I could tell he wasn't by just looking at him. There was a girl in the throne next to Lucifer. 'That can't be his wife! She looks my age! No way she could have a kid!'
'I don't think I can do anything for you, Naminé. I'm very sorry, but I don't really know all of the functions of the Mizu no Akashi, but just let me think...' Tifa seemed to be in deep thought, so I decided not to disturb her unless she spoke to me again. I trusted her, but only because of the fact that she was Roxas' mom, and I bet he didn't get all of his traits from his father. After all, Cid had a very...well, rough voice and Tifa's was more silky and angelic, like Roxas'. Now I know what they mean when they say 'You sound like an angel'. I've never actually thoug about WHY Roxas had such a beautiful voice, but I now know it's because he's a being of Divinity.
"Your Majesties." Seifer bowed down and pushed me down with him. "Be respectful to them." He hissed at me. I mumbled a 'Your Highnesses' even though I didn't want to be respectful to demons. But then again, I was respectful to Gippal and he was a demon. But he was also very nice...and I'm sure Hell would be a lot more like Heaven if Lucifer were anything like the Authority.
"Hello, Seifer!" The girl greeted cheerfully, and jumped off the throne. She smiled at him as he stood up, bringing me along with him. As a girl, I could tell that this girl had some sort of 'crush' on Seifer...that's a first! Then, she eyed me and gave me elevator eyes. "Who's that piece of trash?"
"Sarah, this is Na-" Seifer didn't finish before I glared at her and interrupted him.
"Well, Sarah, I wouldn't be talking because you're pretty trashy too." Lucifer and Sarah gasped. Lucifer got up from his throne, but she waved him back down.
"No, Daddy, I can handle this by myself." 'Daddy? I knew she looked like Gippal! Now I'm messing with Lucifer's daughter!' Roxas wasn't even with me to protect me...but I could handle this girl on my own! After all, if she liked SEIFER, she HAD to be shallow. Sarah cleared her throat and pointed menacingly at me. "You, peasant, shall address me by Her Queenly Majesty Oathkeepera." As a Princess also, I knew the ultimate insult.
"Oh yeah? Where's proof?" I asked, placing the hand that was not in Seifer's grasp on my hip and gave her the elevator eyes she gave to me. Seifer snickered, somehow knowing that that right there was the ultimate insult. How did I know that? Well...Mother's told me and Umiri a couple of things in our lifetime.
"Ooooohhhh...major diss!" He laughed. Sarah...or...Her Queenly Majesty Oathkeepera, gasped. She looked at Lucifer, who had no idea that this was an insult, just looked on, resting his head on his elbow. Sarah huffed and...
'No way!' Tifa and I shouted at the same time. The Oathkeeper appeared in her hand and a crown of white laurels appeared on her head. "See? THIS is proof. Now, beg for your forgiveness."
"O-Oathkeeper! How did you...where did you get that?!?" I asked, in disbelief. That was supposed to be back in Tsugare!
-Meanwhile, In Tsugare-
"Today is not our day. We were just about to put Umiri to rest, when her body just disappeared! And the Oathkeeper disappeared...Oh, my poor girls. At least we know Naminé is safe, Roxas would never hurt her... " Yuna shook her head and Tidus sighed, placing a hand on his one true love(and wife)'s back and rubbing it, hoping to ease some of the distress she was feeling. Even though Naminé had erased her parent's memory of all the Nobodies, Yuna somehow regained the memory of everything that had happened a year later and told it to Tidus. So they did remember everything, they just didn't want to upset their daughter. Yuna also remembered that they had registered protecting Naminé as Roxas' highest priority, so as long as he was around her, she would never get harmed unless his systems had crashed.
"Your Majesties Queen Yuna and King Tidus!" A minstrel with a flute in one hand and a brown scroll in the other ran to them. She looked like she had an important to relay. Yuna gasped and run up to the female minstrel and hugged her.
"Selphie! Such a pleasant surprise! How are you?" She asked, but Selphie shook her head and held the scroll up to her.
"No...time...just...read...!" She said, panting. It looked like she had ran a long distance to get to the castle. Yuna blinked and opened the scroll. Tidus walked over and looked over Yuna's shoulder. After all, he was around two heads taller than her. But Yuna was a faster reader.(So Tidus was a little slow, so what?)
"Oh my god..." Yuna was so startled she dropped the letter, as it turned out to be. Tidus, however, hadn't read it all.
"W-What is it?" Selphie asked, picking it up and reading it. If she wasn't a long-time family friend, she probably would've been put to jail for picking up the 'royal' letter that had shocked Yuna. Selphie had a bad case of ADHD so she kept getting distracted by Yuna just...standing there, perfectly still, like a statue. So, Tidus, who had to run over and look over Selphie's shoulder, finished the letter before Selphie.
"Oh...that place hasn't been used since..." Tidus placed his hands behind his head, and tried to think of how old 'that place' was, but couldn't think of it. "I just can't stand L.A.X., and now they're copying us? I don't see what you're so shocked about, Yuna. But what I don't get is the only people who would know about him is- Oh LORD!" Tidus' arms dropped at the same time his mouth did.
Selphie looked at Tidus to Yuna, to Tidus to Yuna, to Tidus to Yuna, to Tidus to Yuna, to Tidus to Yuna, To Tidus to Yuna, to Tidus to Yuna, to Tidus to Yuna, to Yuna to Ti-
"CID!!!!" Then, the royally married couple sprinted off, leaving a startled Selphie in their wake. She blinked, staring after them, even though they were long gone from her sight. Cid? Wait - Selphie knew a Cid!
"Hey, waaaait for me!" She ran as fast as her permanent sugar rush would allow her to go.
-At Mizu no Akashi-
"So, what did you want Roxas for?" Sephiroth asked his sons. Gippal had since knocked out Yunalesca(with a lot of difficulty, they didn't call her a relic for nothing, but once he, Sephiroth, and the silver-haired triplets((who agreed to help their father)) teamed up, it was a piece of cake) so know they were sitting at a table inside Gippal's home. Knocking Yunalesca out also made the Heartless disappear, so the Angel Five(the ones that were conscious) and numerous angels were standing next to the table. Roxas, who was still dead, was laying in the corner.(Because the triplets insisted that he come) He looked like a puppet since his head was dropped and he looked very limp. Of course, he was dead, but when his machinery started up again(if it ever did) he'd be as good as new, except for his personality, a.k.a his soul.
"Lucifer told us it was time he needed some reprogramming." Kadaj said, his brothers. Gippal, who had actually been drinking some nice green tea,(he claimed Chukobher made the best tea) immediately coughed on it when he heard his father's name. He glared at the triplets, who cowered in fear because when Gippal wanted to be, he could be damn scary. After all, when your Lucifer's kid that's kind of an inherited trait.
-Back With Our Heroine-
"What? This old thing?" Sarah held up the Oathkeeper. I nodded. "How did I get this?" I nodded again, stupefied. She probably thought I was an idiot, but she probably thought I was an idiot before if she called me a piece of trash so it's not like I was embarrassed. "Well, I'm not telling you!" She stuck her tongue out at me.
"But that's mine!" I insisted. "Oathkeeper had been in that glass case in my throne room for years!" Sarah blinked and looked at Oathkeeper.
"Oooohhh...that makes sense. I've been told you look just like her, and you really do. But...I don't see any tiaras. How can I be sure if you're a Mizu?" She asked, inspecting the Oathkeeper. "You guys took good care of this, I can say for sure."
"...I'm not a Mizu. Kairi was the last one and she didn't have any children." I said, shaking my head. "You know, you look exactly like Gippal, but you act nothing like him!" Lucifer stood up immediately when he heard his kid's name.
"You know Gippal? Where is he? Where is my son?!?" He demanded, and then Seifer let go of my wrist(which was really sore by now) and walked over to Lucifer. Lucifer and Seifer whispered something to one another, then the Devil made a portal appear and he entered it.
"Make sure she doesn't get away, alright, Sarah?" Seifer asked, and she nodded happily as he entered the portal, and it closed. I couldn't create dark portals so I couldn't stop them. Seifer probably found out that Gippal was his son, or he most likely suggested going to Mizu no Akashi. In the state they were in when I last saw them...it might sound selfish, but the only person I was worrying about was Roxas. I didn't want Seifer to kill him!
"What did you say? Something about not really being a Princess?" Sarah asked impatiently, the crown and the keyblade disappearing. I needed that keyblade! If it would help everyone, then I needed it! I would have to return to Elle Ciel later and pick it up. I shook my head.
"The Mizu bloodline is deceased. The last one died." I explained, then I added, "Well, she came back to Earth using my sister's body, but..."
"So you're not the eligible heir to the throne? Figures. You don't look like a Princess." Sarah stated, but I shook my head and was about to say something when she stopped. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you're about to say! 'I am a Princess, blah, blah, blah...' All I have to say to that is 'Where's the proof?'"
It's not like I could magically summon my tiara or anything. I haven't worn my crown in ages, even though I am the Crown Princess and Heir to the Throne, although Kairi should technically be Queen. 'The Mizu no Akashi! That is proof!' Tifa said, and I blinked. Mizu no Akashi? 'The Heir always wore the Token to identify who was next in line! That's why it's called the Mizu no Akashi! It was created by your ancestors' cousins, Naminé! It also has another power...but you don't need that yet...'
'So, this thing is named Mizu no Akashi, too? Well, I think that's too funny to be a coincidence.' Tifa had told me the name of the coin before, but it's not like I was actually listening.
"Here's proof!" I showed her the medallion. Sarah looked at the coin, then at me.
"The Mizu no Akashi...woooow. I've never seen it before!" She walked up to me and looked at it. "Okay, I respect your authority. But I want that coin!" I looked at her like she was crazy. Yeah right! I think I, myself, had no real purpose wearing it but maybe Roxas wanted to talk to his mom or something.
"No. I need to keep this for someone. You can't have it!" I imitated her and stuck out my tongue. Sarah flipped her blonde hair(which was darker than mine and Gippal's, but lighter than Roxas'. She also had tanner skin than Gippal, I noticed) and crossed her arms.
"Yeah, well...if you won't hand it over, I'm just gonna have to take it by force!" She yelled. The Storm Sword appeared in my hand as I got into a fighting position.
"Fine by me!" I said, making sure to not let my temper get capped off. I could do a lot of rather stupid things when I was angry. So, she started to dance and started to hum. I could swear I heard music in the background. Then, she started to sing.
"The kisses of the sun
Were sweet I didn't blink
I let it in my soul
Like an exotic dream
The minstrel playing songs
That I have never heard
I don't know what to say
Oh not another word
Just la la la la la
It goes around the world
Just la la la la la
It's all around the world
Just la la la la la
And everybody singin'
La la la la la
And now the bells are ringin'
Inside an empty room
My inspiration flows
Can't wait to hear the tune
Around my head it goes
The magic melody
You want to sing with me
Just la la la la la
The music is the key
And now the night is gone
Still it goes on and on
So deep inside of me
I long to set it free
I don't know what to do
Just can't explain to you
I don't know what to say
Oh not another word
Just la la la la la
It goes around the world
Just la la la la la
It's all around the world
Just la la la la la
And everybody singin'
La la la la la
And now the bells are ringin'
La la la la la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la
Kisses of the Sun
Around, around, around the world
La la la la la
It goes around the world
Just la la la la
It's all around the world
La la la la la
Everybody Singin'
La la la la
And now the bells are ringin'
La La La La La la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la la
Around, around, around, the world..." But as she was singing, her voice got higher and higher until I was on my knees, trying to compress the sound with my hands. After two rounds of this, Tifa finally came up with an idea.
'Naminé! You have to sing with her in order for her voice to go down, I'm sure of it!' It was better than any suggestion I had. I was very dizzy so I had trouble standing up, and as soon as I removed my hands I started to sing along with her, and her voice got lower and lower. When her voice got to an bearable point Tifa suggested I dance along with her. Once I was able to mimic her moves, her voice completely diminished until I was the only one singing and dancing. Then, Sarah fell on her knees, hopeless. She sighed.
"Okay...you win...that's my best attack. How did you figure it out?..." She wondered, but I didn't answer her. Once I finished the song, I stopped. "Oh no...you're not going to kill me, are you? Please, please don't! I'll...I'll give you the Oathkeeper if you spare my life!" She begged. Oh. That was why she liked Seifer. It clicked now. I guess I'm like that, too, in a way.
"You like him because he's powerful? Because he can protect you?" I asked, frowning. I could see that Sarah wasn't completely evil. If she was, she would've probably died trying to kill me.
"I guess that's some of it...but I really admire his confidence in everything he does!" She said, standing up and brushing her outfit off. "Oh, I'm sorry for what I said back there. I just wanted to impress him. No hard feelings?" I nodded and smiled.
"No hard feelings!" I agreed, and she sat back down in her throne. "Can you tell me how you got Oathkeeper?" She nodded.
"Only if you tell me how you knew I like him. It's not obvious, is it?" She asked. I couldn't tell her Seifer was an obnoxious jerk. I just couldn't. I knew it would hurt more than anything if she found it out the hard way, but I think if Roxas was like that, I wouldn't want some girl who bested me to tell me that he was a jerk.
"I know because I'm the same way. I'm...forgive me for saying this, but I'm weak like you. So I want someone who can protect me just like you do. And I do love someone who always protects me." I said, and I didn't go into details because Sarah didn't seem like the type of girl to listen to heartfelt stories and say 'Awwww...'.
"Does he love you back? Of course he must since he protects you, right?" She asked, but I shook my head. Come to think of it, he had never, ever said 'I love you' to me. What he did say was(and I can quote on this) 'I know I love you, Naminé, it's just my feelings aren't what they should be.'. So he didn't technically love me, did he?
"He can't feel so he can't love me back. But I know he wants to return the feeling back and that's all that really matters." I smiled. Sarah's eyes widened and she got up from her throne. She was about to say something when another dark portal appeared. Roxas must have been thrown into it, because he crashed into the floor.
"Roxas!" I ran to him and went on my knees. His back wasn't bloody anymore, Gippal or Lucifer or someone must've healed him. He didn't answer me. Was he still dead...? I took his shoulders and shook him. Maybe he was just sleeping, since his eyes were closed and all. "Can you even hear me, Roxas?" No answer. I bit my lip. No...he still wasn't dead...he was just asleep. I had to convince myself that. He was just in a deep sleep!
'His soul got returned.' Tifa said, and I couldn't tell if she was happy or sad. I think both, if that was even possible. 'He grew up so much...' Yes, she was overjoyed to see her son again, after 15 years. But she did seem sad about it in some way. Maybe because of thing she said would happen?
Lucifer, dragging Gippal with him, Seifer, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo appeared next. I hugged Roxas and looked at them all. Gippal managed to snatch his arm away from Lucifer. Sarah ran up to Gippal and hugged him.
"Big Brother Guppy! I haven't seen you in two thousand years! You haven't grown one bit!" My mouth dropped. Two thousand years?!? Sarah looked 16 or 17, and Gippal looked 18 or 19. Demons must age a LOT slower than normal humans.
"I told you to respect your elders, Sarah. Last time I checked I was 2,683 years older than you so don't push it." Gippal said, and shook his head.
"I'm keeping my eye on you, Gippal. No son of mine will go out and elope with some agent of Heaven!" Lucifer scoffed, shaking his head and then looking at Roxas. "Now, girl, hand him over to us so that we can do a little...reprogramming."
-Back in Tsugare-
"Cid!!! Cid!!!" People who happened to be outside were looking at their King and Queen like they were psychos as they were running through the streets of Elle Ciel. Finally, they reached his home and they knocked on it. Today they were sure that he was not at his workshop but at his home. Why? Because, well...if what the suspected was true, then one of his sons were gone and you surely wouldn't want to work when your children are missing, right? Tidus, who reached there first, knocked on the door.
"Leave me alone to sulk in my own misery." Was all he said. But Yuna tried to open the door, and it was open. Cid was sitting on a couch, indeed looking like he was sulking...or regretting something.
"Cid! You have to read this!" Yuna closed the door behind her and locked it so no one would come in...and the door just happened to shut in Selphie's face. Once they heard her knocking(and screaming) Tidus let her in and she collapsed on the floor. Cid stood up and bowed to them.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesties, I didn't mean to be rude." He said, but you could tell he was either angry, or sad. Probably a mixture of both emotions. Who could really blame him?
"No, it's alright! We know how you feel since both our kids are lost too." Tidus said, and Cid looked at Yuna, to Tidus, and then to Selphie, who waved.
"How did you know they're gone?" Cid asked defensively, "I don't care if you're the King and Queen, if you did ANYTHING to my-" Yuna, who was actually kind of scared, waved her hands in that 'no, no, no, no, you got it all wrong!' motion while shaking her head.
"We know because Roxas took Naminé. I'm sorry, but we can say for sure that our daughter is safe. I can't say so for your son, though." Tidus bowed his head in apology. Selphie looked at them in disbelief. They had ran so fast to deliver this message to him, and now they were taking their leisurely time? She shrugged. Whatever suited the King and Queen.
"I already knew it." He said, and Tidus and Yuna looked at each other blankly.
"You did?" They asked simultaneously, and Cid nodded. Selphie was going to ask 'knew what?' and try to get all the hot and steamy details like she normally would, but something just told her to keep her bubbliness inside. So she bit her lip and just waved him on, ready to burst.
"Sora..." Cid sighed, "No, he wanted me to call him Roxas...Well, Roxas was never good at keeping secrets. Even so, he would never tell me or his brother anything. But one day, he was sitting outside in the rain and when I called him back in, he wasn't responding. So when I went to see what was wrong, I saw little sparks coming out of him. When I took him back in, I took a screwdriver and-"
"A screwdriver?!?" Selphie exclaimed, no longer able to keep it in any longer, but causing the three to look at her, mostly in surprise because she had been quiet and they had forgot she was even there. "You took a screwdriver and lopped your own living son in half? Then when you repaired-" Tidus glared at her, and Yuna gave her a look. "Oh...sorry!" Cid coughed and went on with his story.
"...not knowing how to actually use the thing on Roxas, I just poked him in the areas that were sparking. Well, it seemed to work because he rose and said, 'Father, my combat systems are down 35.714 percent. Requesting repair.' Now, Roxas ain't no pansy so when he was saying all this mumbo-jumbo I knew it just wasn't him. So then I asked him what he meant and then he told me. O' course, I had to actually learn how to repair machines and stuff, and then I fixed his 'combat systems'. But when I was doing that, he did say something, I don't even really remember what it was, but it was somethin' like 'Prioritizing Protecting Naminé' or something. That's when I knew." Cid said, crossing his arms and looking down.
"I'm sorry...I regret everything we did to those poor thirteen people..."Yuna shook her head, "But at the time...we thought we were going to wage war with the Byakuya Kingdom which has far more advanced technology than our own. So we needed a trump card. And that's when the opportunity came knocking."
"Anyway, you need to read this. I think you're the only one who knows Roxas' serial number. Yuna forgot it. If it is some other Nobody, it doesn't really matter...but if it's Roxas then we have a problem." Tidus handed Cid the letter. He cleared his throat and read it aloud,
"'Dear Queen Yuna and King Tidus of Kingdom Tsugare,' heh, they really don't like to skip the formalities...
'We would like to test your ACW-E:SL-000001-4F-BV with our own newly developed weapon, the SEASE-100001-4F-TME, codenamed Sora, at L.A.X. Please send the weapon, no one else has to come. But as many people as you like may attend the event. This is only a test to see if Sora needs any reprogramming. If your weapon sustains damage, we will repair it with our professional repair service, so there is no need to come. Please send the assigned weapon to L.A.X in four week's time. We thank you for your cooperation and we wish your kingdom the very best.
Sincerely,
Queen Garnet and King Zidane of Kingdom Destiny'." Cid read off. "Well, it's not the Byakuya Kingdom so I don't see it's dangerous. Of course, I think they're just baiting for only the weapon to go. I suggest that as many people as possible go, Your Majesties." He seemed to forget what they originally asked of him.
"Yes, but, who is it? Is it Roxas? Or maybe Axel? Or another one?" Yuna asked. To tell the truth, she didn't really remember any other Nobodies she had created besides from Roxas and Axel. She knew there were others. Cid seemed to think for a moment.
"It's Roxas." Cid handed the paper back to them and shook his head. "The thing that worries me is that my other son disappeared just after your other kid died." All four looked up in realization.
"No way!"
-Back With Our Heroes-
"Never." I said, tightening my grip on Roxas. Seifer shook his head.
"Sorry, Naminé, not an option. I don't want to mar your pretty face so please just hand him over." He said, holding out his hand. I glared at him.
"What part of 'Never' do you not understand, Seifer? Why do you always want to ruin his life? Why can't - why can't you leave us alone?!?" I yelled. Seifer narrowed his eyes and flicked his wrist toward the wall.
"Ah!" I lost grip of Roxas and I got sent into the wall. Hi darkness power kept me there and I couldn't move. 'Tifa, is there anything you can do? Anything at all? I know Seifer. He's going to screw Roxas up and then...' I just started to cry. I wanted Roxas to stay the same. But if they modified his personality...and what if they programmed him to kill me? '...he'll never be the same again!'
'There is one thing I can do. I'm sorry if this puts too much of a strain on your body.' Then, I felt Tifa's spirit take over. I didn't even stop her. Maybe she was a better fighter, and I knew she would be able to do much more than I ever could in this situation. I didn't even want to watch what she was doing. I trusted her. So the only thing I could do was pray. 'Naminé, how did you know prayers strengthen angels?'
'They do?' I asked, finally wanting to watch. Something had to change in order for her to say that. All the angels on the field had halos over their heads. I could see that Kadaj had a set of white wings, Yazoo had a set of silver wings, and Loz had only one wing with a mixture of white and silver. Roxas was now standing and he had a halo over his head and was glowing also. He didn't have any wings. When Tifa took over my body she also made herself look like...herself. She had black hair and red eyes. She had three sets of wings like in all those other statues. Roxas looked at her and smiled.
"Mom..." Tifa walked over to Roxas and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"C'mon, Roxas, let's give these thugs a good beating. We can talk after that, 'kay?" He nodded and tried to summon his keyblades. He seemed surprised, like he forgot where they were wanted to know.
"Oh...right. They're gone. The keyblades are the only thing I'm experienced in fighting with..." Roxas looked at his open hands and shook his head.
"I'm sure Cid didn't raise a pansy that can only fight with keyblades." Tifa said, crossing her arms and giving him an interesting look. Ooooh. Guilt trip.
"Yeah, he didn't." He placed his hand near his ear again. "Disabling safety guards..." Roxas said in that terrible robotic voice that I hated so much. "...Shutting off Life Functions...Currently in Battle Mode. Combat Performance Increased by 15.639 percent. Taking out enemy units..." He went into a fighting position. "Time to show you what I'm made of!"
There. The 7000 word chapter. Sorry for the length. I swear, it's the song lyrics! I actually have the next chapter up in my documents, but I'm not going to upload it untill...1 review! Even then, I'll probably wait a while to see how many reviews I can squeeze out of you guys.
Surprisingly, I don't have anything to say really...um, just that it's really, really, REALLY, REALLY creepy that Nami-hime transformed into Roxas' mom. Really, really, creepy. But believe me, she'll never do THAT again, because, well...just wait and see!
Oh, please review! If not, thank you very much for reading!
I think we all know who Sora actually is. This is the time where we go back to the first chapter and read the part where I said something like 'There's a reason why the OCs look like Sora and Kairi'...
um...BIG HINT THERE! xD My AN's are dangerous spoilers to readers. See you all next chapter!