Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Final Fantasy...you know, the usual.
A/N: Well, one chapter to go after this one! Again, familiar lines are taken from the GBA version of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II.
The Eyes of Twilight
Chapter 6: Oathkeeper
Sora
Tunnel Way, Twilight Town
This place is so dark, even more so than I remember from the last time I came through these tunnels. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea...
Trailing along by himself near the back of the group, Sora couldn't help glancing suspiciously over his right shoulder, fully expecting to catch someone following him, but instead the long, dark passage remained silent, and with the exception of his large group of friends, who were strolling along in front of him, there didn't seem to be any sign of life lurking about the shadowy corridors of the tunnel way. It was a little bit unnerving, and yet despite the lack of anything even remotely out of the ordinary, he couldn't help feeling as if there was someone watching him.
There's no one there! I'm just imagining things because I'm worried about Roxas. Maybe his attitude is starting to rub off on me...
"You know...this place is kind of creepy," Kairi suddenly said quietly, her voice echoing slightly in the darkness of the tunnel way.
It was almost as if she had read his mind, and blushing a deep shade of red, Sora quickly ducked his head to hide the embarrassment written all over his face.
"Tell me about it," Roxas mumbled, his deep blue eyes darting nervously in the direction of a dark passage leading off to his right. "I never really liked coming through here. I always tried to take the train as much as possible."
"Bad memories, huh?" Olette asked softly, slipping her arm around the golden-haired Nobody's waist in a comforting hug.
"Some. It's just...it reminds me a lot of Ansem's simulation of Twilight Town..."
"That's right, I almost forgot. So many strange things have happened to you, it's kind of hard to keep track sometimes."
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Roxas insisted, dismissing the dark-haired female's concern with a wave of his hand. "It's just...I'm not sure if I like this place very much."
"Well, if you're sure..."
Olette might believe you, but you can't fool me, Roxas. I know there's something wrong, only...is it all in your head or is there something else bothering you? Is there something threatening us, something I can't see? Is it just old insecurities flaring up again or is there something more dangerous out there than just the bittersweet taste of old memories? I don't know, but I do know I want to help you...
Although none of them had been walking for very long, despite his resolve to remain focused, ever since entering the tunnel way, Sora had been unable to take his eyes off the back of his golden-haired Nobody's head. Not surprisingly, Roxas was doing his best to reassure everyone that he was fine, but even so Sora couldn't help obsessing over his Nobody's well being, and of course his Nobody's current state of mind. No matter what Roxas said, Sora knew full well his other half was far from being fine.
Which explains why he's ignoring me all of a sudden. I know he doesn't want me to worry about him, but I can't help it...
If there was one thing he had discovered about having a Nobody, it was the fact that he could not disregard Roxas as a part of him that held little importance. The truth was, everything about Roxas fascinated him, and even though he now understood the meaning behind the existence of Nobodies, he knew there was still so much more he needed to learn about their significance, most especially about Roxas. The golden-haired Nobody had given up everything for him, and that was something Sora knew he could never repay.
"Sora...you're lucky. It looks like my summer vacation is...over..."
I don't deserve to have a Nobody like Roxas...
And yet, the thought of having a Nobody who was anyone other than Roxas was positively terrifying.
"Sora?"
Letting out a gasp of surprise, Sora glanced up in alarm, Oblivion already in his hand, and whirling around in confusion, he found himself gazing into Namine's bright blue eyes. "Namine! I..."
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Namine asked softly, her lips twitching into a small smile. "Roxas did the same thing to me earlier."
Blushing slightly, Sora quickly dismissed Oblivion with a sharp flick of his wrist and smiling sheepishly he said, "No, not really. Hey, you seem pretty serious. Is something wrong?"
"N-not exactly...At least, not with me..."
Almost without even realizing what they were doing, both of them turned simultaneously to gaze at Roxas.
"You're worried about him, aren't you," Namine murmured, her voice just barely above a whisper.
Making a face, Sora nodded and he let out a deep sigh. "I can't help it."
"Me either. Sora, I hope you'll forgive me, but...I think the way Roxas is acting right now might partly be my fault."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Frowning slightly, Namine quickly shook her head. "It's nothing. Sora, I'm really glad you and Roxas got to meet each other. If you hadn't, it would have been all my fault..."
"Why? You weren't the one trying to keep us apart."
"I know, but...I'm the one who played around with your memories. If it weren't for me, you might have understood the significance of Twilight Town a long time ago. You might have even remembered it..."
"Maybe it's like with Namine. You forgot other stuff, so now you remember this place."
"No...it's different. With Namine, the memories of us together sort of came drifting back piece by piece. But here, there are no memories. Everything feels familiar, that's all."
"Does it now? A question then, Sora...which is more real to you? Your memories of Namine, or the familiarity you feel here?"
"Namine, of course! Whatever I feel here is just some trick of yours!"
"Ha, ha, ha...The memory's wiles are cruel. In its silence, we forget. And in its perversion, it binds our hearts firmly."
"You forgot about Roxas because of me," Namine whispered, tears forming suddenly in her sparkling blue eyes. "He was there in your heart all along, but I was the one who stopped you from seeing the truth."
Gazing silently at Roxas, who seemed unaware of the fact that he was being watched, Sora shook his head in denial. "No. Vexen tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen..."
"If you remain bound by the chains of memory and refuse to believe in your heart...then you may as well throw your heart away. You're no Keyblade Master, no master of anything, just a slave to twisted memories..."
"Sora?" Namine whispered.
"It's not your fault, Namine. The only person I have to blame is myself. If I had only listened to my heart, I would have seen the truth. But...don't you see? That's why it was so hard. You were also in my heart, just like Roxas. How was I supposed to choose? All of my friends are important to me. How do I choose one over the other? At the time, you were the one in danger, not Roxas. You were the one who needed help."
"But...to choose me over Roxas..."
Sora came to a stop, and wrapping his arms around Namine he whispered softly in her ear, "I chose you because of Roxas. Maybe I didn't throw my heart away completely. Now that I look back on Castle Oblivion, I think a part of Roxas was with me the whole time. Don't you see? If I had let Marluxia decide your fate, Roxas never would have forgiven me. We both wanted to save you. Roxas might not have known you at the time, but that doesn't matter. Even without any memories, Kairi was still in his heart, which means you were too."
"Even so, you should have hated me for what I did to you," Namine said sadly, hiding her face against his shoulder.
"If I had hated you, Roxas never would have forgiven me for that either, and Kairi definitely wouldn't have."
"W-what do you mean?"
Smiling at Namine, Sora shrugged his shoulders, trying his best to look innocent. "You'll see soon enough. I won't lie, Namine. When I think back on what Vexen said, it still hurts. I can't believe I was so stupid, but...I know Roxas wouldn't want me to blame myself."
"No," Namine agreed. "Roxas doesn't hold anything against you. He knows none of what happened was your fault."
"Namine, do you remember our promise to each other?"
"I'll find you again after I wake up, and we'll be friends for real! Promise me, Namine!"
"You'll only forget..."
"I won't. Even if you take apart the chain of memories in my heart, the links will stay there. This memory will always be inside me somewhere."
"I guess you're right. Let's promise then."
"Of course! I could never forget it."
Pulling back slightly, Sora gave her shoulders a quick squeeze, and smiling he said, "We promised each other we would meet again. We promised each other we would be real friends. Look where we are now, Namine. It looks like we were able to keep our promise to each other."
"Yes. I'm so happy, Sora. I should have known you would never break your promise to me."
"Hey, Namine?"
"Yes, Sora?"
"Thanks for...you know, looking out for Roxas while he was in Ansem's simulation of Twilight Town. While I was asleep, I mean. I really appreciate it."
"But...I didn't really do anything," Namine said shyly, looking a little bit confused.
Turning his face away, Sora said quietly, "You did more than you know."
"Sora? Would you...make another promise to me?"
Sora looked up in surprise, and gazing curiously at Namine he scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Another promise?"
"Please? Promise me you'll look out for Roxas. Promise me you won't let anything bad happen to him."
"Of course."
"Really?" Namine gasped, her voice sounding meek and subdued.
Sora stared at her, and summoning Oathkeeper he held the Keyblade out right under the golden-haired Nobody's nose. "I swear it on Oathkeeper. I won't let anything bad happen to Roxas."
Not this time. Never again.
Namine bit her lip, and letting out a soft sigh of relief, she flung her arms around him again in a tight hug. "Thank you, Sora. I'm so worried about him. It's partly my fault. He's going to be so mad at me. And Riku, too..."
Huh? Riku? What is she talking about?
"Hey, you two, aren't you coming?" Kairi asked softly, the sudden sound of her voice causing Sora to look up in surprise.
Glancing over Namine's shoulder, he spotted the red-haired female watching him curiously, and plastering what he hoped was a genuine smile on his face he said, "We're coming."
"You'd both better hurry up then or you're going to get left behind!"
"Oh! I'm sorry, Kairi. I didn't mean to hold everyone up," Namine murmured, avoiding her other half's eyes.
Clasping her hands together behind her back, Kairi shrugged her shoulders, and tilting her head to the side, she smiled fondly at both of them. "It's okay. I just didn't want Donald to complain about having to come back for you guys. Actually, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything important. It's just...you guys looked pretty serious. Is there something wrong?"
Sora was about to answer when he realized Roxas had also stopped to watch the drama unfolding, and avoiding the male Nobody's eyes, he quickly ducked his head, unsure of how to respond. "We're fine, Kairi. Really."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," Namine insisted, smiling at her other half. "I'm sorry if we made you worry."
"If anything does come up, though, you guys will tell me, right?" Kairi asked, glancing uncertainly between the two of them.
Releasing Namine's shoulders, Sora quickly pulled Kairi into a warm hug, and smiling down at her he said softly, "If I ever understand what's going on myself, I'll be sure to let you know, but...I hope Namine will tell you before I ever get a chance to."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kairi asked, frowning in confusion.
Shaking her head, Namine gave Kairi a quick, reassuring hug from behind, and tugging on the red-haired female's hand she said quietly, "Come on, Kairi, we should keep moving. Maybe I'm just being silly, but I understand how Roxas feels. I don't like this place very much either."
It was only after Kairi had slipped out of his arms that Sora suddenly realized what he had done, and blushing at his own boldness, his skin still tingling from the feel of Kairi's arms around his waist, he quickly hurried to catch up with the rest of the group, stopping for a brief moment to catch his breath. A sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump, and looking up in surprise, he found himself gazing into his Nobody's sapphire eyes. "Roxas! Hey, listen..."
"You see it, too," Roxas mumbled, his gaze flickering nervously towards Namine.
"See what?"
Instead if answering, Roxas merely stared at him in thoughtful contemplation, the expression on the golden-haired Nobody's face giving no indication as to what he was feeling inside. He didn't look angry, that much Sora could tell for sure, but something about the way he carried himself made Sora think he was attempting to hide what looked like fear. At least, that's what it felt like to Sora.
It's just like before...
"Roxas? You trust me, right?"
"Didn't you already ask me that once before? You know...when I was in the Organization, it was so hard for me to trust the other members," Roxas murmured in response, a slight smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Most of them I never did learn to trust, and Axel...even he had to prove his worth before I would allow myself to open up to him, but you...it was so easy. There was never any doubt. When we finally merged together, there was never any question about whether or not I could learn to trust you. I just did. It was as simple as that. I'm not sure why, but...I think, after merging with you, it was then that I finally learned how to trust myself."
Leaning close to the golden-haired Nobody, Sora hesitated before whispering, "And I thought you said you didn't trust yourself. Finally starting to believe me, are you? By the way, aren't you going to ask me about Namine?"
It was the opening Roxas had clearly been waiting for. Perking up immediately, his transparent cheeks turning a deep shade of red, the golden-haired Nobody mumbled, "What were you guys talking about?"
"Actually, we were talking about you."
"W-what?"
"You know...I think Namine might feel the same way you do. Are you sure you don't want to talk to her on Sunset Hill?"
Summoning Oathkeeper, Roxas whacked him hard in the side with the Keyblade before stomping off to join Hayner and Riku at the front of the group, and smiling fondly at the back of his Nobody's golden head, Sora once again found himself racing to catch up with the rest of the group, his footsteps echoing off the walls of the tunnel.
Despite the smile on his face, though, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit uncertain about his Nobody's state of mind. Even though Roxas had hit him playfully with the Keyblade, acting every bit as if he didn't have a single care in the world, Sora hadn't failed to notice the way his Nobody had kept glancing nervously back down the tunnel way during their brief conversation. There was no denying the obvious. Roxas was afraid of something, but what exactly it was that was bothering him, Sora couldn't be sure. Despite his confusion, though, there was one thing he did know. It didn't matter what was bothering Roxas. As a chosen wielder of the Keyblade, he had made a promise to Namine, and no matter what happened he was going to keep his promise, just like he had one year ago.
For Namine, for Axel, and for me...