Chapter 5- Ties of camaraderie

After clearing the next couple of card worlds, Sairu was suddenly feeling uneasy after travelling up the castle, and noticing there was no one around to greet them. In some ways, he was glad for the respite, but he was still wary of any potential impending danger. As Riku looked at his companion, he could seemingly sense his friend's uneasiness, and asked "Hey Sairu, are you ok? You seem kind of high strung" Sairu looked in his direction, seeming unsure of himself, then replied "Well, it's just... after meeting Vexen on the floor, I've had this nagging feeling. Before, I was too distracted to give it much thought, but now, they've ignored us for the time being, so this thought is all that's got me so high strung" "I'm not sure I understand the problem. What is this feeling that's bothering you?"

"Well, I guess I keep expecting to see Ienzo pop out of nowhere, dressed in that same black coat Vexen wore" Sairu answered, his uneasiness growing by the minute. Riku didn't know what to make of that, but he asked, regardless "Is Ienzo the kind of guy who pops out of nowhere, then?" "Nah, that's not his style: he's more subtle than that. I guess I expect to see him because I saw a figure from my past, and I think the same could happen again" "I see. You're just trying to avoid being surprised" Riku clarified understandingly. Sairu nodded in confirmation.

"Well, I'm curious. If it's all right with you, why don't you tell me about your past? Your friends, family, all that stuff. I've been kind of curious since we got here" Riku asked, changing the subject. "Well, there's a lot I could say. For one, I wasn't raised by my parents. I don't know what happened to them, except..." Sairu trailed off, leaving Riku's curiosity to blossom even more so "What?" he asked. He then noticed Sairu pull something out from his back pocket, and saw what appeared to be a scroll. "What's that?" Riku asked. "Not exactly sure, but what I do know is that it was written to me by my father" Sairu said, which left Riku momentarily stunned. "Well, then shouldn't you have read it by now, if it's that important?" "No. I was told not to until I spoke with someone who will know more about my past. I know who that is, and I will see them once we've left this castle" Sairu explained.

Riku seemed convinced by that answer, and decided to get back on track, asking "What about your friends? I kind of want to know if Kairi led a good life before coming to the islands" Riku asked in curiosity. "Well, where do I begin? I first met Ienzo when I was around four years old. Both of us were orphans, and the other kids would heckle us for that alone. Ienzo was at the mercy of a mutual bully of ours, and I couldn't stand by and let him get hurt. In the midst of that, I was protected in turn, thus sealing our friendship. It was after a short while of that we met and befriended Kairi, in a similar situation".

"Kairi was bullied as well?" Riku asked, concerned. Sairu, thankfully, shook his head and continued "No, that necklace Kairi wears was swiped by this mean kid for his own mother, but Ienzo and I tagged up on him and sent him running empty handed. We returned the necklace to her, and once we introduced ourselves to each other, we became as close as friends could be. Everything after that was the best time of my life, until... the incident" "Incident?" Riku asked curiously. "It was around a year after that, that our home was swallowed by the darkness. Ienzo was at the castle at the time, so I was unable to see him before our world disappeared. As for Kairi..."

It was sheer bedlam. The once ravishing beauty of the gardens was horrifically torn asunder by the sudden emergence of the malevolent monsters that appeared as quickly as lightning struck. All over the town square, people were being chased relentlessly by the shadows, and sadly, some were taken captive and corrupted into the same form as the monsters that swamped their home. Amongst that crowd, a young boy and girl were running desperately, clutching each other's hand as they scoured the square for some form of shelter.

But it was to no avail. All around them, the creatures engulfed as many people as they possibly could before people started to fight the creatures before they too were corrupted. The boy, a six year old Sairu, and one of his best friends, a five year old Kairi, ran hand in hand, frightened beyond all recognition. They eventually ceased their running to catch what breath they could, standing in the centre of the square, bearing witness to such horrific carnage all around. Kairi then looked to the sky, filled with black menacing clouds, each crackling with barely visible pulses of purple lightning.

Then, he heard a scream emanate from his side, realising immediately it was Kairi, who noticed the dark creatures edging closer towards them at a fast pace. Seeing them approach, Sairu stepped in front of her, acting as a barrier to protect Kairi. "Don't! It's too dangerous!" Kairi yelled, but Sairu yelled in retaliation "NO! I won't let them hurt you!" Kairi stepped back as she heard his outburst, yet she felt strangely calmer at this outburst. Unbeknownst to the two children, the necklace around Kairi's neck began to glow faintly, a trail of light emanating towards the boy who had his back to her. He never noticed the light that entered his being, nor the fact that his beloved friend was now nowhere in sight or earshot.

As he looked around, Sairu noticed to his relief, a familiar face: a tall and well-built young man with brown hair, a scar running across his face, and brandishing a gun-like sword. Faster than the eye could see, the dark creatures surrounding Sairu dissipated as instantly as his saviour's attack started. "Thank goodness you're safe! We're leaving, now! The ship's ready to go!" Leon declared in relief and urgency. "Let's go, Kairi" Sairu exclaimed joyfully, yet it instantly turned to horror when he saw she wasn't there anymore. "Kairi? Kairi!? Where are you!? KAIRI!" he yelled despairingly, but Leon grabbed him and began tearing through the streets to the launch bay for the ship.

All the while, Sairu continuously yelled for Kairi and Ienzo until his voice was hoarse, and his heart breaking at their absence. In next to no time, all were present aboard Cid's humongous gummi ship, and they flew off into interspace together. All the while, Sairu gazed, out of the cockpit window at the ruined and despairing world they departed, his heart experiencing the same cataclysm of despair as their old home. Aerith was at his side, and was there to embrace him as he cried endlessly until the overwhelming surge of sadness engulfed him completely, before he fell into an inky blackness, and knew no more.

After recounting the moment he was separated from his friends, Riku was horrified at the pandemonium Sairu endured at such a young age. "I'm so sorry. That must have been traumatic. Though, in a way, I lost my home to darkness, though it was my fault more than anything else" he said sympathetically. "Thank you, but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I know now, through our ties of camaraderie, our hearts will be reunited again in future. I found Kairi again, and I know I will find Ienzo too" Sairu said, actually sounding sure of himself. This earned him an understanding smile from Riku, who then said "Well then, if you know that, ready to keep going?" "You know it!" Sairu declared confidently. Then, Riku turned in the direction of the stairway ahead of them, seeming distracted.

"What's wrong, Riku?" Sairu asked. "A scent of darkness just vanished. It was that Vexen guy we met below. Sorry" Riku added sympathetically. Sairu merely shrugged his shoulders and said dismissively "It's not that big a deal. Sure I knew him, but he and I were hardly close". "Still, don't you feel kind of sorry for his demise?" Riku replied curiously. "Sure I do, but we weren't there when it happened, so it doesn't affect us a great deal. Let's keep going" Sairu said simply, and the two friends continued on their way up the stairs.

In the darker refuges of the castle, Zexion was standing in a contemplative mood regarding the plans for Riku. At the same time, he was distracted by the now non-existent scent of their comrade, Vexen. Then, a dark corridor appeared, and Lexaeus appeared, immediately speaking "Vexen is no more" "Yes, his scent is gone" Zexion responded, before sounding disappointed as he spoke "Axel struck him down... something I find deplorable- members of the Organization striking each other down" he finished, looking at the floor beneath his feet in disappointment.

"Our problem is Sora" Lexaeus said dismissively, gaining Zexion's interest. "Vexen proved no match for him, yet he's still under Naminé's control" "But we cannot defeat Sora, can we?" he said elusively. "Correct. For our Superior- he is in dire need of the hero of light" Lexaeus said, folding his arms. "When light loses sight of its path- we may find use for the dark. What we must do is obtain the darkness" he said, closing his hand in a clawing gesture. "Riku... Of course" Zexion said, though he seemed distracted, still having not dismissed Sairu's likelihood of intervention.

"Have you devised a suitable scheme regarding Riku's capture?" Zexion asked in curiosity. Lexaeus simply gave him a stalwart look, which seemed to Zexion he had an idea. "Once the two have emerged from the last of the card worlds, I shall confront the hero of darkness and take him away to break into a puppet. Should Sairu intervene... I may be forced to remove him for good" Lexaeus explained, though his last words instilled shock from his indigo-haired companion. Zexion appeared ready to protest concerning Sairu, but knew Lexaeus was as stubborn in his decisions as he was stalwart. "It is foolish to confront Riku at present. Though he does not carry the power of a Keyblade, he is still a danger to the Organization as a whole. There is a great likelihood that you will meet your end because of your rash decision. Yet, I'm aware of your tendency to make and stick to a decision, so go. Do as you wish" Zexion said, outlining the faults of Lexaeus's decision, who defiantly went to prepare himself for the battle ahead.

After his departure, Zexion was left alone to his own thoughts. Though he tried countless times to remind himself of his goal in future to rekindle his friendship with Sairu, his mind was now teeming with memories and feelings of the halcyon days of their childhood together. He recalled the gutsy, energetic but polite boy he acknowledged as his friend, and just as feelings of doubt took root inside, the joy of his days with his closest friends blossomed within. 'Even though I am incomplete, I am surprisingly at ease when the memories of my childhood flash in my mind. Kairi... Sairu... Will we ever be together again?' Zexion thought to himself longingly, looking skyward at images of his friends, not the dark ceiling.