Chapter 4: Visit

"You can't possibly believe that… Can you?"

Kairi giggled.

"You're impossible."

After Saphera had left, I stood there in wonder… and confusion. Life hadn't been very easy on me since I was born, and I was constantly busy, trying to make my life as smooth as I could get it. I guess I hadn't thought of it until now.

I never had time for girls.

Kairi walked away, Gunnar right behind her. He poked her shoulder and quickly ducked towards her opposite shoulder. She spun towards the poke, and continued spinning until Gunnar was trapped in her gaze. She gave a playful shove and continued on her way, twirling her fingers playfully in her hair. I scoffed. Kids these days. Who could blame them?

But I couldn't talk. I had seen Saphera blush at me. And I blushed right back. Me, blushing. I never thought it possible until it actually happened.

Sighing, I decided to take a walk through the small town, doing a little sightseeing. The small houses looked almost like cottages, with eye-pleasing colored tiles and brown roof tiles. Each house had a chimney perched high. Seagulls flew overhead, flapping their wings as if time was crawling to a stop. The sun was starting to set behind me, casting a large shadow in front of me. It landed on a cat, which was just about to take a catnap. Seeing the sudden darkness, it meowed loudly and scurried off. I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing as I continued my stroll through the village.

As I took a left, there was a strange presence behind me. It felt… familiar. My hair started to stand on end, goose bumps appearing on my arms as shivers were sent through my spine. My eyes widened slightly, though I didn't seem to notice. I could've sworn it was getting darker. Then I realized it.

It was Him.

I slowly held my hand out, taking quiet deep breaths. As I summoned my Keyblade, I spun around, holding it in front of me in a defensive pose.

It was definitely Him. He was wearing his black cloak, his hood drawn, hiding his face. His gloves gave off a strange glow; I couldn't tell if it was from the sunlight or the dark abyss behind him. But something was different about him. His coat was ripped slightly at the arms and legs. I could see his slightly tan skin. And his boots were torn to the point of no return. It was as if a rabid cat got a hold of them.

Before I could threaten him, he stepped forward without a Keyblade. I pointed Dragonheart at him. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. "And why did you give me a second chance?"

If I could see his face, he would be smirking. He picked up his pace as he reached into his pocket. I tightened my grip on my Keyblade. He halted. "Don't be so uptight, Rayth," he assured me, slight amusement in his voice. "You of all people shouldn't be so high strung."

I gritted my teeth, hate filling my eyes. "Perhaps you should say that to my face instead of half a block away," I threatened. A mix of fear and burning hatred took hold of me, wondering what this guy would do next.

He shook his head and shrugged, holding his hands up at the same time. "Teenagers. What can you expect?" I noticed the hand in his pocket was twitching as if trying to find something. I cocked my eyebrow slightly, wondering what he could possibly be looking for. It could be anything, my mind told me. Scrolls, a small weapon, even a book. What could it be?

As I pondered this question, I hadn't realized he had gotten right in front of me. Snapping back to reality, I jumped back, a small yelp escaping my throat. He laughed. "He's a daydreamer, all right." He suddenly reached for my shoulder. The action caused me to fall backwards onto the ground, my heart pumping rapidly. He kneeled over and titled his head sideways as if he was trying to calm me. "Don't you remember me?"

I shook my head. Was I supposed to remember him? I tried to pick through my memories, from the time I arrived here to my childhood. I desperately tried to find the answer to his question, but shook my head, admitting my defeat.

I could sense a frown, and a feeling of disappointment coming from him. "Very well," he replied sadly as he straightened up. "Perhaps another day." He thrust out his hand and opened up a large dark portal. He turned to face me and bowed, walking into the portal at the same time. The darkness overtook him and the portal evaporated.

I sat there on the ground, dumbfounded as to what had just happened. Meeting him again made me think, which is totally out of the ordinary for me (If you couldn't tell, I'm the kind of guy who 'leaps before looking'). What if I really did know him, but just forgot? What kind of person was he when I remembered him; the same as he is now, or more kind and gentle? What if I did something to him that made him this way?

I sighed heavily, realizing that these thoughts were just questions without answers. Maybe they'd come someday, maybe they won't. As I stood up to brush myself off, the light from the sun started to dim. Glancing up, I noticed that day was leaving; the sun was setting. Sighing again, I continued my walk around the village.

Lights started to glow from inside the houses, almost giving me the feeling that I was home again. Almost. There was a faint aroma of grilled fish coming from inside one of the houses. Trying to get away without gagging too much (I can't stand the smell of grilled fish, let alone any kind of fish), I managed to find Kairi's house. Smiling to myself, I strode a bit faster until I was a few feet away from the door.

That's when I realized that someone was following me.

It wasn't the same person as before, but I could still feel my heart beat faster. I glanced down towards my feet, hoping to find the shadow of this person. It was then that I felt completely stupid.

Light in front of you means shadows behind you.

I slowly turned around, wondering what it was that was following me. The trees rustled in the wind, seagulls flew overhead, the faint aroma of fish… Aside from me plugging my nose, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Feeling stupid, I turned around with a smile (still holding my nose) and opened the door. Maybe it was just my imagination, I thought as I closed the door behind me. Perhaps the meeting with him was just too much for me.

The man hidden in the trees smiled to himself as he disappeared into the shadows once again...