Chapter 20: DON'T SAVE ANYONE ANYMORE

Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: The Velvet Room

As I open my eyes, no one else is in the Velvet Room. Another off day for my two mysterious hosts?

On Igor's table are several things. Pictures of Usagi and Zack, one Arcana card next to each of them, and three notes, each one addressed to me.

The handwriting of the first note is very dainty, and the paper it's on has designs of ornate flowers and masquerade masks on it. "I see you have obtained the Hierophant and Justice Arcana. Congratulations. -Margaret"

The second note is on the same paper, but the handwriting looks shaky, but still fairly legible. "Your relative Usagi represents the Justice Arcana. These people strive for balance and fairness. Your Uncle Zack represents the Hierophant Arcana. People of this Arcana are wise and stoic individuals, but are obsessed with the past. -Igor"

Yup, that second one definitely sounds like Zack.

The third letter seems to also be written by Igor, as the handwriting is the same as the second one. "Your Journey has been proven to be quite a long one. Will you be able to resolve your ordeal in time? There isn't much time left. Will you be able to reach out to the truth? At your lowest point, will you be your strongest?."

Way to make me confused Igor. Seriously, sometimes I can't sleep at night because I have to decipher what the hell you're talking about.

But that's the least of my problems. I have one more cryptic letter to worry about. Out of my pocket, I take out a letter that reads only four simple, yet unnerving words.

DON'T SAVE ANYONE ANYMORE

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into mist.

October 31, 2015
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Place: Moogle Co.- Food Court

Xion hands me back my cryptic letter. "I did the best I could to look into it, but there's nothing that would indicate the sender's identity."

"I see..." I sigh. "Thanks, anyway."

"Since he personally left it for you in your mailbox, it's highly likely that the culprit is closer to us than we think. We should probably attempt searching for evidence that can help us reveal your sender's identity."

"Wow, are you sure you aren't Sherlock Holmes?" Roxas asks.

"Seriously, you're like a totally different person when you get serious about the case, " Kairi praises.

Xion blushes. "Huh? Y-You think so?"

"That's not important!" Riku butts in. "A dangerous criminal knows where one of us lives! Who knows what'll happen if we don't do something?"

"Yeah… I'm really worried," Namine says.

"Make sure to give us a call if anything happens," Yuffie says.

"Got it," I assure her.

Place: Dojima Residence

"Thank you!" Usagi closes the door.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"It was the mailman! He said that there was a package for Daddy."

"Oh, okay. Make sure you don't open the door for strangers, okay?"

Usagi smiles proudly. "I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers! Daddy also said to open the door for delivery men, because-" Usagi clears her throat. "Mail is important!" She makes her voice deeper, to sound like Zack, I guess.

I laugh. "That's good! Now c'mon, let's go back to watching TV."

After getting back home, there really wasn't much to do. It was too early to have dinner, and Usagi is doing her homework. Well, was doing her homework. By the time I got home, she was already nearly done with hers! I wish I could say the same about mine.

"Today, Mr. Tai Yasue of the Environmental Concern Society visited a local elementary school to talk about the 'Mysterious Fog' that has been appearing these past couple days," the news reporter says.

"Oh, she came to my school!" Usagi says.

"Is that so?" I ask.

"Today, I spoke with a young student who spoke her own mind, free from the influence around her," Yasue says. "It was an attitude and example that we as adults can learn from."

Usagi sneezes. Her cheeks are red, and her eyes are unfocused. "My head hurts…"

I put my hand to her forehead, and it's burning hot! "I think you got a fever. Probably because it's getting cold out." Well, not too cold since we live on islands, but it feels like fall out. I just don't get why people are breaking out their hoodies, while I'm over here still wearing shorts.

I'm probably just used to actual winter.

I coax her into getting into bed, and after a couple minutes she gets in. "I hate the cold," she pouts.

"It'll be spring as soon as you know it," I assure her. "Then it'll warm right up."

"But aren't you leaving in the spring?"

Oh yeah… Nearly forgot. "That's right."

"I wish it snowed here. Then we could make a snowman."

"I doubt it'll ever snow here, but maybe one day when I'm back in Traverse Town, you could visit. It snows there, so we could make one together!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We'll make the world's biggest snowman!"

"Promise?" Usagi holds up her pinky.

I wrap mine around hers. "Yeah! It's a promise!

November 5, 2015
Time of Day: Night
Weather: Rainy
Place: Dojima Residence

"You really couldn't make out who appeared in the Reflection last night, huh?" Roxas asks me through the phone.

I sigh. "I really couldn't. Just make sure to check the Reflection tonight, okay?"

"Got it, sir!" he snickers.

"Stop calling me that, dammit. Just because I'm a military brat, doesn't mean I act like one."

"Ttyl, biatch!" Roxas hangs up. Freakin prick.

I walk into the living room, and Usagi has something in her hand. "Watcha doin'?"

"Actually Big Bro…" Usagi sneezes.

"Are you okay?" I put my hand on her forehead. "Your fever is gone, but it looks like you still have a cold. It's still cold out though, so maybe you should go to bed early."

"Awww… But I wanna watch TV..." she pouts. "I feel fine!"

"C'mon, you need to hurry up and get better."

"Oh yeah, I just remembered we have a heater!" Usagi points to the coat closet by the stairs. I open it, and a small, beat up space heater is inside.

"Talk about convenient." I take it out and plug it into the wall.

"Daddy said we could use it if we got cold! Huh?" Usagi fiddles with the buttons. "Is it broken?"

I walk up to it, and mess with the buttons. Nothing I do turns it on."Okay, time for my secret technique: Banging its sides until it turns on." Usagi giggles as I smack the heater repeatedly. "Looks this thing really is broken. We might as well buy a new one from Moogle Co."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I could probably even get Roxas to cut us a deal."

"Yay! Oh?" Usagi looks past me. "Daddy's home!"

"Hey Zack!" I wave.

"This was in the mailbox. It's addressed to you." Zack hands me a plain envelope.

Only my name is on the front. Just like the one from a couple days ago… I look toward Zack, and he's giving me a suspicious look. I open the letter, and I eyes bolt open at what's written:

If you don't stop, this time someone close to you will be put in and killed

Shit…

"The hell is…" Zack grabs the letter from my hand. "I'd like to hear what this is all about." I look toward Usagi, who has a scared look on her face. "I see. So you don't want to discuss this here, huh? We're heading out."

"Daddy… Big Bro?" Usagi whimpers.

Zack pats Usagi's head. "It's okay. We're just going out to talk."

"We'll be back soon," I assure her.

Place: Destiny Islands Police Department

Zack puts out his cigarette in an ashtray on a table between the two of us. The dank smell of tobacco makes the air around us stale, and cigarette smoke fumes from the tray. Our eyes are locked, neither one of us daring to avert out glares.

Zack puffs out some smoke. "Sora, I think of you as a member of the family," Zack tells me. "That's exactly why I should've done this sooner."

"Zack…"

"You're going to tell me everything. From what you're involved in and how you got involved. Everything." Zack stares daggers at me.

"I also think of you as family," I tell him. "So… I'll tell you the truth. About everything."

"Good."

"We've… Been involved in the serial murder case. We rescue the people who get kidnapped… By…"

"By what?"

I look Zack dead in the eyes, "Going inside of a mirror."

Zack raises his left eyebrow. "Excuse me? Going inside a mirror?"

"There are these things called Heartless, which we fight using Personas and-"

Zack sighs. "It hasn't been long enough for you to trust me like Vanitas, but I hoped you'd open up to me, even if only a little..." Zack gets out of his seat. "It's a shame."

"Zack, please believe me!"

"Send this to the lab." Zack hands the envelope to Terra in an evidence bag.

"Zack, please! Just hear me out!" I beg.

"Stay here for the night." Zack closes the door behind him.

Terra laughs awkwardly. "C'mon! Zack's just worried for you! That was probably just tough love."

Not now, Terra… I'm too depressed to even think of a sarcastic comeback… And that's saying something.

Terra slowly walks out the door whilst facing me. "Well… I'll just be outside this room."

After waiting god knows how long, a yellow glow appears in the corner of the room. Is it midnight already? But why would there be a mirror in here? I go to the corner where the light is emitting. Under a table is a compact mirror. On the back it says… Larxene Konishi?

I look into the cracked mirror and…

No.

No.

NO.

NO!

I run toward the door and pound my fist against it. "ZACK! TERRA! LET ME OUT, USAGI IS IN TROUBLE! PLEASE!" I keep banging, but no one answers. "Terra, please open the door!" Still no reply. "Fuck!" I put my back to the door, and slowly slide down. "Usagi… Usagi's in danger…"

"H-Hey! You can't open that door!" Terras yells.

"Fuck off!" Is that… Riku!

"We have to talk to Sora!" Roxas?

"Move it bozo!" Donald also?! The door opens, and the first thing I see is Roxas' serious face.

"How are you guys here?" I ask.

"Hey!" Zack shoves Riku and Donald away. "What the hell is going on here?"

Roxas catches his breath. "Usagi… Usagi is missing!" he says

"What do you mean?" Zack asks.

Roxas puts his phone on speaker. "Xion will explain. You hear me?"

"Crystal clear, Roxas!" Xion's voice echoes.

"Shirogane, you there?" Zack asks in a booming voice. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was just at your house. The front door was open, and there was no one inside. I'm afraid Usagi has been kidnapped by the serial killer," Xion explains. "Dojima, sir, surely you must have known! The case isn't over yet!"

Zack walks to a wall, and takes out his phone.

"How the hell did Usagi appear?" I ask Roxas. "She wasn't on TV!"

"Xion said that she wasn't seen, but she was heard," he explains. "She said in the interview with that one politician or whatever, she always mentions a particular student she spoke to."

"That girl became well-known, even while no one knew who she was," Riku says. "That girl happened to be Usagi! A person who was interested in who the girl was, published her photo and name in the newspaper!"

"Dammit!" Zack and I say in unison.

"How haven't I thought of the newspaper before?" I yell at myself. "I'm such a freaking idiot!"

"Why?! Why Usagi?!" Zack storms toward the door. "Get out my fucking way, I'm looking for my daughter!"

"But do you even have any ideas or leads on who took her?!" Terra asks in a panic.

"I'm going too!" I walk toward the exit, but Terra blocks me. "Get out of the way Terra!"

"Sora, be reasonable! You know I can't just let you go!"

"You can be reasonable with my fist!" Riku argues as he and the guys help me push Terra out the doorway. Terra pushes us back and swiftly closes the door.

"Terra, let us out NOW!" I scream.

"Sora! Guys!" Xion's voice echoes from the hall. "Terra, release him and the others!"

"Dear god, you guys just keep on multiplying! And n-no, you know I can't do-"

"Just let them out already!" Kairi's voice rings.

"Kairi is that you?" I ask. "Are Namine and Yuffie with you too?"

"We're here!" Yuffie says. "Now move out the way, Xi, I'm about to kick this guy into next week!"

"Stop!" Xion says. "We must attempt to sort this all out first."

"We don't have time for that!" I tell her.

"We can't just go running out guns blazing!" she argues. "Listen, there's no doubt in my mind that Usagi's captor is behind the murders and kidnappings. But we have to connect the dots first."

"What dots are there to connect?" I ask.

"The ones that'll lead us to the culprit's identity!" Xion says. "Because if we don't know that, we haven't a clue of who or what to search for!"

I take a deep breath, and attempt to calm myself down. "Fine."

"Now consider that the front door at your house was open. After examining it, there was no trace of forced entry. That'd only mean one thing."

"Are you saying Usagi opened the door herself?" I ask.

"Yes. He boldly came up to the front door, and rung the doorbell," she continues. "Just like how it was for all of us."

"But that means Usagi would have to know the killer! She doesn't open the door to strangers."

"Then let's change perspectives," Xion continues. "His quick work is what stood out to me when he caught me. He threw me in immediately after being kidnapped. I would go as far as saying that it took place right in front of our houses. That means he somehow had a mirror out front."

"He's taking a large enough mirror around with him?" I ask.

"Precisely. In other words, it's most likely he drives to the scene of the crime. Depending on how big the mirror is, you could use a fairly large car. But no suspicious cars have been spotted as of late. I'd expect someone to notice since most of the victims vanished during the day."

"So it's someone Usagi knows that has a car… But one you wouldn't even think twice of when you see it… A person that Usagi would willingly open the door for…" Wait… Could it be… "A delivery truck?"

"Wait a minute…" Riku says. "I remember now! A delivery came! It was a delivery truck!"

"No one looks twice at a delivery truck, no matter where it's parked," Namine's voice echos.

"If it were a local company, it'd be the same deliveryman every time," Xion says.

"Terra, do you know anyone that matches up?" I ask.

"Huh? Umm… Oh wait, I do!" he says. "Zack was going back to the investigation, and one of his suspects for Ms. Yamano's murder was a deliveryman! I think he was a city council secretary before becoming a deliveryman."

"A secretary?" Xion asks. "The only person who could be that is Eraqus Namatame!"

"The guy who had an affair with Ms. Yamano?" Roxas asks.

"Terra, let us out now!" I command.

"Fine, fine! Just tell the girls to stop death staring me!" A lock clicks, and I swing the door open. "If there's a break in the case, I better hurry to the scene. I'll just have to hope nothing happens here while I'm gone." Terra rushes down the hall.

November 6, 2015
Time of Day: Past Midnight
Weather: Rainy
Place: Destiny Islands

After we left the station, I had Riku drive us all to Moogle Co. in order to chase after Usagi, but because of what we saw on the road, we had to stop.

"Zack, hang in there!" Terra is on the ground next to a bleeding Zack. The front part of his car is crushed, and a delivery truck is in front of it.

"Zack!" I run toward him.

"U-Usagi… Where's my Usagi?" Every word he says causes him to cringe in pain.

"Hello? We need an ambulance, quickly!" Xion says into her phone.

"Usagi… Eraqus… Please… Find them…" Zack holds my hand.

"You got it!"

Behind us, Xion climbs into the truck. "Hey, we have to preserve the crime scene!" Terra says.

"I'm wearing gloves!" Xion says as she opens the truck door. After a few minutes, she comes back with a small brown book.

"Hey guys!" Yuffie says. "There really was a mirror back here!" I run to the back of the truck, and there it is: the shattered remains of a large mirror. One shard is large enough for a person to slip inside.

I attempt to jump into the truck, but Donald holds me back. "You can't! What if you end up somewhere dangerous!"

"I have to try!" I struggle to get Donald off me, but he won't quit.

"Stop it!" Kairi says. "If we fail, who's going to save Usagi?"

I stop struggling, but only because Xion wants to explain the contents of the book.

"It reads, and I quote: 'I discovered the existence of a new world. Thus, I must save people.'" Save? Xion flips through more pages, and then her eyes bulge open. "I found a list of the victims' home addresses! Mayumi Yamano, Larxene Konishi, we're all here! Even us, the victims who survived and were never revealed to the public are written here! Your teacher Vexen is actually absent from the list!"

"That proves it then, doesn't it?" Terra asks.

"The last date is today's," Xion continues. "I can't believe such a small child appeared in the reflection. I must save this child, no matter what."

I slam my fist into the side of the truck. "Goddamn monster! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Sora, calm down," Kairi says. "Think straight!"

I take deep breaths, and Roxas hurries to my side. "It's Zack."

I run to over to him while he's being carried away by paramedics. His skin has become pale, and there is a large blood stain on his shirt. There are wrapping around some of his body parts, most likely to superficially stop the bleeding. "Please Sora… Usagi is my only reason to live… Save her…" Zack closes his eyes as he's put into an ambulance.

"Trust me… We'll save Usagi!"

Nothing says determination to like staying up until 4AM to write another chapter! By the way, has anyone realized the ungodly amount of exclamation points I used? Hell, I even went back and changed some of them to periods, but there were still a lot.

Anyway, the culprit has finally been revealed! It may seem that I've pulled Eraqus out of nowhere, but I've mentioned him and his delivery truck before.

Also, talk about a Deus ex Machina with Larxene's compact being in the interrogation room. It'll be explained as to why it's there though, don't worry.

Anyway, I'm done with this chapter, so thank for reading! Merry (Late) Christmas and Happy New Year!