The next like 3 or 4 chapters are supposed to be happening along the same timeline.
In Life and Death
Chapter 27: To the Garden!
A wide smile tugged at his lips as he pulled the pink phone from his ear and flipped it shut. Well… that certainly wasn't how he expected the conversation to go. When he came home last night to find the missing items, his thoughts immediately turned to Riku. Only three other people currently on Destiny Islands knew of the existence of the items. His mother was on a shuttle somewhere and Kairi had been with him the whole time. So that left one culprit. Riku. Though he couldn't understand why he would do it. And he had been furious. Kairi swore she didn't know where their older counterpart had gone or why. If she was lying, she was doing a damn good job of it.
She stood, glaring at him from the door after having opened it to find him. She held out her hand without saying anything.
Sora dropped the pink phone into her waiting hand and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, okay? But I had to talk to him and you wouldn't give me the number."
She glared at him a moment longer before her face softened. She shoved her phone in her pocket and stepped aside. "You might as well come on in then."
He slipped in past her, smiling broadly. "Guess what he said!" Sora practically squealed.
"Judging by your excitement… something about Veera being a fraud and there's a small chance your babies are still alive?"
Sora's face shifted into a pout. "You did lie to me! You knew all along!"
She smiled slyly as she shut the door and walking into her living room. "Sworn to secrecy."
"Well…" Sora followed behind and sat down beside her when she sat down. "Ddo you know where he is?"
"Nope." She said with a smile.
He instantly didn't believe her. "Damnit! I deserve to know Kairi! I should be there to kick some ass when he finds them."
"If, Sora." She said, wagging a finger at him.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine! If he finds them. I'm not as weak as he thinks I am."
"I'm sorry, Sora." Her tone was apologetic. "But I have to agree with him. I know you're not weak… but with everything over the past year… I just don't think you're completely up to par."
"Up to par? Fuck you!" He snapped, jumping off the couch. "If he can do it, I certainly can too! If you won't tell me where he is, I'll find something else you can!" Without waiting for a response from the stunned Kairi, Sora turned and bolted from her house.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Well… sounds like a productive trip so far." She said as she thumbed through the stack of papers and pictures lying on the bed in front of her. She had believed Riku's story when he told it, but Connie had been relieved to see the proof. Even if Veera was never found, she might get off with a simple obstruction of justice. Though for everyone involved, she hoped the redheaded witch was found.
"Yeah. He mostly confirmed what I always knew deep down. But this proves she's a fraud and that she was playing all of us. I've got a few written statements from Blake. Should help in a case against her. I'll get them to you as soon as I can."
"No rush." She pushed the papers away for a moment and stretched back against the headboard. "Worry about finishing your quest before taking mine on."
He laughed softly. "Alright. I'll probably be stuck here for a few days. Blake says testing will take a couple days. Plus the next shuttle doesn't get here for a few days. And Blake wants to see if he can better hunt down Nash."
"Well… even if he can't, at least you have a general idea of where to find her."
"Yeah." He yawned and let out a sigh over the line.
"Tired."
"Yeah."
"Get some sleep then. I'll continue to snoop through your personal items."
He laughed at that. "Yeah. I bet you will. Just the sort of person who does that, aren't you? Have fun."
"You too. Good luck." With a smile, she flipped her phone shut and dropped it to the bed. She slipped the papers and pictures back in the folder she found them in and flipped open her notebook. Half of it was already filled with page after page of the notes Riku had told her to make. She spent the next hour adding a few more pages. She was considering that threat of snooping when she thought she heard something.
She stopped and listened. And the front door was slammed shut. Without thinking, she jumped up and headed for the door to the small bedroom. "Hello?"
"Who's there?"
"Sora!" She walked down the hall, smiling at the brunet as he came into view. He looked thoroughly surprised to find her there and it thrilled her. "Nice to see you again. I had hoped we'd get to catch up at some point during this whole ordeal."
"Uh… yeah…" He eyed her for a moment before crossing his arms. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." She said with a sly smile. "You don't live here."
He glared at her. "Well… neither do you!"
"Ah… but I have a key."
"Connie… I'm in no fucking mood for games. Just tell me why you're here."
She tilted her head to the side. "Depends."
"Depends? On what?"
"On how much you know. Riku told me he talked to you."
"He did?" Sora let out a sigh. Why was Riku talking to everyone but him? Why did everyone else know more than he did? It wasn't right. It just wasn't fair.
She nodded. "Said he just gave you the basics. Probably because he was tired of going through it one too many times already."
He frowned slightly. "How much do you know?"
"Pretty much all there is to know right now. Scratch that…" She said after a moment's thought. "I know everything." She didn't attempt to hide the smug tone in her voice. It was still fun to toy with the brunet.
"So… you know about the…"
"Pregnancy?" She supplied after he stopped. "Yes."
"What else?"
"Tell me exactly what Riku told you."
"Not much." He confessed with a sigh. He really wanted to know everything. How had Veera fooled him? How had everyone else around him read her so well? What really happened? He shrugged and lifted his hand. "He said he has proof Veera's a fraud. Blake's certain I'm a completely normal teenage boy who was part of a genetic experiment. You're not the total airhead I thought you were. You're actually some genius computer hacker who got herself in trouble with the police because of Veera." He ticked them off on his fingers as he went.
She smiled at the airhead comment and nodded. "Very basics. I can fill you in, if you want?"
Sora hesitated. He wanted the whole story but there was something else he wanted more. "Where is he now?"
"Riku?"
Sora nodded. "He told me he's with Blake, but not where Blake is."
"He doesn't want you to know."
"I know!" Sora wailed. "He's treating me like a child."
She smiled again and laughed softly. "Well…"
"I am not a child!" He snapped.
If it was possible, her smile only widened. "Okay, fine. If you went to Landic and asked about him, anyone would tell you he got transferred to Deep Jungle. It's not like a secret or anything. That's where Riku is at right now."
"Deep Jungle." Sora repeated, remembering the planet well from his adventures.
"But by the time you found a shuttle heading that way and got there… they'd probably be done with whatever testing they plan to start tomorrow."
"Oh…" Sora's gaze dropped. That wouldn't be good. He certainly didn't want to show up just to have to leave again.
"So if you would like to get in on the action… head to Radiant Garden."
He looked back up at her. "Radiant Garden?"
She nodded. "It's next on Riku's list. Nash Baxter… you remember her?"
Sora nodded. "Yeah."
"She was blamed for the thefts a while back and exiled. Which really makes sense, right? Steal millions of munnies in equipment and you get sent off planet." She rolled her eyes. "But Blake thinks she's on Radiant Garden. She has family there. A cousin or sister or something. Blake couldn't remember exactly."
"Really?" Despite himself, Sora couldn't help but squeal. "Wow. That's so cool! I have friends there."
Connie raised an eyebrow at that. "Seriously?" Jealous crept in his voice.
Sora nodded.
"You boys have to take me somewhere when this is all over." Her eyes glazed over dreamily for a moment. She had never been anywhere in her short life. Getting off planet was one of her biggest dreams.
Sora laughed and nodded. "You do what you can to help us and we'd gladly take you anywhere you'd want to go."
She stepped closer and held out her hand. "Deal."
"Great!" He said, shaking her hand. "Thank you Connie. For everything." He honestly meant it too. He could feel his annoyance with her fading. "Now… can you fill me in on everything Veera did?"
With a nod, she turned slightly and walked towards the kitchen. "Sure. If you want to hear it all. Of course most of it is speculation. We have very little hard evidence yet."
"I want to hear it!" Sora followed closely behind her.
"Let's raid the fridge first. I'm starving!"
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Sora… I don't think it's a good idea."
"Normal phones don't work off planet, right?" Sora paid no attention to Kairi's words as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Only those universal planetary things work, huh? I've never actually seen one. Mom calls me on them all the time when she's off planet."
"Sora… are you listening to me?"
He dropped the phone on his bed and turned towards his dresser. "Probably shouldn't take it, huh? The less I carry the better. Don't want to weight myself down."
"Sora!"
"Though it's not very big." He seemed to go back and forth in his head about the phone for some silly reason. It certainly wasn't something important to take so much thought. "I'll take it anyways." He turned back to his bed, grabbed the discarded phone, and headed out his bedroom door.
"Sora!" Kairi followed closely behind him. "Stop ignoring me!"
He spun around and gripped her shoulders, stopping her. "No. I'm going." He said sternly. "And that's the end of it." He released her and continued down the stairs, taking more than one at a time to put distance between them.
"But Sora!"
"No. I've already called mom and left her a message. I called the school to inform them of my absence. I called the shuttle place and found one going to Radiant Garden, with a stop in Wonderland."
Her mouth dropped open as she followed behind him. He did all that already? Sora? Mr. Forgetful and Wait-to-the-last-minute. "Sora…"
"I don't want to hear anymore from you. Everyone seems to think I'm just this weakling. I'll admit I used to be. Years ago when I was just a kid. But I'm not anymore, okay? The whole pregnancy thing… with the weight gain and the muscle loss from the coma…" He shook his head, banishing the doubts from his head. He wasn't weak. He may not have been as strong as when they returned, but he was stubborn enough to make up for the shortcoming. If Riku could go gallivanting on an adventure, then he certain could too.
"Besides…" He started, turning around to face her and smiling. "The universe is safe. The heartless are gone. The organization is destroyed… I'm just going to find Nash and talk to her. And visit Leon's gang. A while back… my mom went there on business and invited me along. Same thing. I can handle it."
Kairi bounced from one foot to the other, seemingly in thought over his words. Finally, she let out a sigh and nodded. "Alright. Let's go. We need to get to the shuttleport fast." She grabbed his hand without waiting for a response and pulled him towards the door.
"We?"
"Duh. I'm not about to let you boys run off without me again."
He laughed. "No point in arguing, right? Won't change your mind?"
"Will you?"
His smile broadened. "Let's go."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Kairi settled down in her seat and folded her arms in her lap. She still wasn't exactly happy with the trip. Despite Sora's insistence that he was alright, she had major doubts. One minute he seemed fine, and then he runs away and finds new friends. Then he drops the new friends and runs back to her. Now he wants to run off the Riku on this wild goose chase. She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Sora… have you really thought this out?" She asked slowly, trying to pick her words carefully.
He rolled his eyes and tugged on his hand.
"I'm not trying to talk you out of this." She said quickly, tightening her grip. "I just… think about the possibility, alright? Yes, maybe they are alive and you all can be one big, happy family. But what if that's not the case? You guys go through all this to find they were alive but are gone forever or were killed or something. What then? Get Riku's hopes up for nothing?"
"For nothing? Kairi… even if there's the smallest chance… don't you think it's worth it?"
"But what if the outcome's bad? Are you going to leave us again?"
Sora opened his mouth but nothing came out. After a moment, he sighed and shrugged. "If any part of this is true…" He said slowly. "Then it's not my fault. They didn't die because of me. And if I believe what Blake said… then I didn't get… you know… because of him. Which means it will never happen again." That had been the biggest problem. Sora blamed himself for their death and he blamed Riku for the entire situation. He tried not to, he really did. But it just didn't do any good.
She caught the sad tone in his voice. "Do you… want it to happen again? Assuming that they actually lived through it?"
He pulled his hand back and slouched down in his seat. He didn't answer.
Neither said anything for the rest of the shuttle ride. Radiant Garden wasn't as far away as some planets. They docked at Wonderland an hour after getting on the shuttle and after a quick layover and about three hours on the second shuttle, they emerged from the final warp gate and pulled into the port.
"Maaaaan… shuttles are waaay different than Gummi Ships." Sora whined as he stretched and followed Kairi off the shuttle. "I wonder what happened to the Highwind…" He smiled as he thought about the Gummi Ship he'd used for so long.
"Highwind?"
"My Gummi Ship."
"You're Gummi Ship was named the Highwind? Like the raft?"
Sora nodded.
"Riku named the raft." Kairi said with a wide smile.
"I know that." He snapped. "I was there."
She stifled a giggle as they turned towards the check-in counter. After they were both deemed suitable to be on planet, Kairi pulled Sora towards the large map on the wall. "So now that we are here… what's the next step?"
Sora shrugged. "I have no clue. But we could go here." He said, pointing to a building on the map. "It used to be the Hollow Bastion Restoration place. My friends were the committee. Not sure if they still do that… but they probably still hang out there. Maybe Leon knows something about Nash's family. Or Yuffie. She seems to know everyone."
"Good enough for me. Let's go."
With a laugh, Sora punched her shoulder gently and dashed off down the street. Kairi chased him down a hill and around a corner where she collided with him. "Hey! Watch where you're going…" He said with a laugh, pushing her off.
"You're the one who stopped."
He pointed at the door they'd stopped in front of. "Because this is where we're going."
"Oh…"
"Come on!" He grabbed her hand and hauled her towards the door. "Leon… hey Leon!" He called loudly as he knocked on the door. "You in?"
A few minutes later the door opened to reveal the older brunet.
"Leon!" Sora jumped on him, tackling him to the ground with a laugh.
Leon rolled his eyes as he pushed the younger boy off him. "Sora…" He pulled them both up and smoothed out the wrinkles forming on his jacket.
"Hey! Is Yuffie here? And Arieth? Oh and Cid? Does he still have the Highwind? Have there been any more heartless? Is Merlin still around? Does he still have that book? What do you guys do here now?"
Leon smiled and shook his head as he shut the door. "Kairi, right? He asked, looking at her for a moment.
"Yes, sir."
"Leon."
She smiled. "Leon."
"Hey! Dude… did you hear me Leon? I asked how…"
He looked back over at Sora and crossed his arms. "Slow down a minute Sora and let me answer."
"Sorry."
"Yuffie and Arieth are both fine. They are down at the fountain. They should be back shortly. Cid is over at his shop. He's got several new models he's tinkering with but he still has your old ship. He'd probably let you have it back… after he tinkered with it. There haven't been any heartless sightings in a long while but we still keep our eyes open. As for what we do now… pretty much whatever. Upkeep of the city still but whatever. We get calls from all over the city with problems. Plus we deal in interplanetary delivery. Mostly dealing with shipping Cid's Gummi Ships. He's the best there is and people pay a lot for custom ships or parts or repairs."
"Oh… wow! So you guys like… do everything here, huh? Run the planet?"
Leon shrugged. "You could say that."
"And Merlin?"
"He's got a shop down the street. He teaches magic. And I believe he still has that book."
Sora smiled. "So in other words… everything's still the same."
Leon shrugged again. "Yeah. Pretty much."
Sora pouted slightly. "At least you remembered me this time."
"Yeah. There is that." He reached out and ruffled Sora's hair. "So… is this just a random visit or is there a reason?"
Sora pushed his hand away laughed. "So I need a reason to visit my friends?"
"You have friends here?"
"Oh haha. You're so damn funny. But yes, I have business here."
"Business?" Leon cocked an eyebrow. "You? Business? Didn't think you knew that word."
"Hey! I'm an adult now." Sora pouted again. "You wouldn't believe what I've been through over the past year." He sighed as he said it and looked at the floor.
Leon laughed softly. "Try me."
"Maybe later. I was actually hoping you could help me with something. You know a lot of people here, right? Between you and the rest of the gang, you probably know everyone, huh?"
Leon nodded. "Yes. Plus we keep detailed records of everyone. Our network even cross checks with the shuttleport's arrivals and departures."
"So you knew we were here." Kairi said with a giggle.
Sora gasped. "So that's why you weren't more surprised to see me."
Once again, Leon shrugged. "So you're looking for someone you think is here?"
Sora nodded. "A nurse that used to work at a hospital on Destiny Islands."
Leon paused for a moment, wondering if he had heard that correctly. "A nurse who worked on Destiny Islands… who's now here…"
Sora nodded again. "Really long black hair, black eyes, red glasses… Nash Baxter…"
Leon had started to laugh the moment Sora mentioned glasses. "They odds you would come to me asking about Nash…" He laughed again and shook his head.
"So you know her?"
Leon nodded, still laughing softly. "Yeah… I'd say I know her. Or a version of her."
Sora was bouncing then. "Where can I find her? It's really important!"
"I can take you there now." Leon turned and grabbed his keys off the table by the door.
"Really?"
"Let me call Arieth and let her know I'm leaving the office." He pulled out his phone and turned away.
"What luck!" Kairi said softly, turning to grab his hand. "Your friend knows Nash!"
"Yeah. And you and Riku thought I couldn't handle this."
Kairi rolled her eyes as she released his hand and then slapped his arm. "Smartass. And yes, I just said ass!"
"Alright." Leon said, turning back towards them. "Yuffie made me swear you'll come back before you leave to see her."
Sora nodded. "Of course! I want to see everyone!"
Once they were outside, Leon locked the door and started down the street. He led them past a few buildings and turned the corner. "Exactly where are we going?" Sora asked after a few silent minutes.
Leon waiting a few minutes before answering. "Right here." He stopped in front of a large building.
"And where is here?"
Leon smiled as he headed for the front door. "My apartment."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"Seriously?"
"Yes Sora." Leon opened the door and led them in. "Nash? You still here?"
"Leon? You're back early. Give me a minute. Just getting out of the shower."
"Have a seat." Leon pointed towards the living room. "I brought someone here to see you." He called out.
"See me? Who? I hardly know anyone here. And only you know I'm here here. Thank SeeD."
"Get your ass out here and see." He took a seat in the chair opposite of them and smiled. "She was only supposed to be here for a week. It's been like a year."
"Oh it has not!" The voice down the hall got louder. "Seven months tops. Plus…w hat else are you going to do with your spare room?"
"I had a roommate a while back… before you got here."
"Well… you have a new one now." The Nash Sora remembered wasn't the one who emerged from the hall. Her long, black hair was brown and much shorter, almost fluffier, and touched her shoulders. Her red glasses were gone and her almost black eyes now a steel gray-blue. She turned as she stepped further into the room and squealed. "Sora! Oh my… is that really you? Holy shit! How are you? How'd you get here? Did you ever find out what was wrong with you? Did you hear what happened to me? Completely crazy and ridiculous. So what are you doing here? Looking for me? How did you know where to…"
With a sigh, Leon grabbed her wrist and pulled her down on the oversized chair beside him. "Shut up a minute Nash and he might answer you."
"Don't tell me to shut up." She smacked him in the back of the head. "I'm older than you!"
"Oh yeah? Prove it."
"You little…"
"So… you two are related?"
Both turned to look at Sora and Kairi and Nash shrugged. "Half related. Older by two years. Do I know you?" Her eyes turned to Kairi. "I think I've seen you before."
"Kairi." She answered with a meek smile. "Sora's friend. I went to the hospital a few times with him."
Nash nodded. "That's it. I've seen you both in the hallways."
"I thought you grew up in an orphanage?" Sora asked, looking to Leon.
The older brunet nodded. "I did. But doesn't mean I didn't have a biological dead beat dad with working equipment."
Nash turned to stick her tongue out at him. "Ew! Gross!"
"Well… who knows how many more chicks he knocked up before abandoning them?"
"Fighting a war and running a country isn't exactly abandonment. "
Kairi suppressed a giggle as she watched the two. "So you two are brother and sister?"
"Yep."
"Half." Nash insisted.
"So your dad was like… in the army? And Nash's mom was a nurse? Did she work in the army too? Is that how they met?"
"Oh no." Nash frowned and shook her head. "Did I say that? My mother was a singer. Julia Heartlily from the planet of Lurna Lore."
Sora was confused now. "But your name is Baxter."
She shook her head again. "Nope. Born a Heartlily. Changed it to Leonheat like Squall here..."
"Leon." He corrected.
She continued like he hadn't interrupted. "… to annoy my stepfather, sister, and Leon. Baxter I took when I went to Destiny Islands."
"Why?"
She paused a moment before speaking. "I'm sort of in hiding."
"In hiding? Are you always in this much trouble?" Kairi asked.
Nash sighed and leaned back. "The Destiny Island shit wasn't my fault. I'm actually hiding from my crazy sister and his ex-girlfriend."
"She was never my girlfriend." Leon said quickly.
Nash rolled her eyes. "Try telling her that. Girl is completely insane. Drove Leon from his new job, his friends, and finally his home planet."
Kairi's mouth dropped open. "Really? That sucks."
Leon shrugged. "My friends understood. None of them could stand her either. And I was never cut out to be headmaster."
This time, Sora's mouth dropped open. "Headmaster?"
"Of my school." He waved the comments off. "I was only 18 anyways."
"Like hell you weren't. You singlehandedly saved all of Lurna from Sorceress Adel and your crazy, possessed girlfriend."
"Not my girlfriend." He muttered. "And it wasn't all me."
"Sweetie… it was all you. Lurna's hero."
He pushed her away but couldn't hide when his mouth curled into a smile. "Can we stop talking about me anyways? That was a long time ago."
"In a minute." She smacked his knee before turning back to Sora. "Anyways… Rinoa's crazy. Convinced Leon's her soul mate even though he had the hots for his blond martial arts friend."
"Nash!"
"Proves how crazy she is, right? Thinking she can date a gay guy."
With a sigh, Leon leaned back and crossed his arms. "I give up."
"Well… I was pretty much done with you. But my point was… Rinoa is crazy. Once she found out Leon and I were related… she glued herself to me. Like she thought I had some special sisterly bond with him, even though we were strangers at the time. And I could convince him to drop his devious lifestyle and come running to her." She rolled her eyes. "So yeah… he went into hiding and I followed to get away from her. She found me when I was staying in Twilight Town. So that's when I went to Destiny Islands with a false last name."
"And changed your appearance?"
She nodded. "Hair dye, colored contacts, fake glasses…" She let out a sigh. "It worked pretty well, too. Until that bogus shit went down at the hospital. My medical career is now shit. I can't go anywhere near Destiny Islands to appeal and the only place I had left to go is here… move in with my little brother and work for him."
He rolled his eyes. "Have I once, honestly complained? You make it sound like hell. You could go back to Lurna, to your stepdad and sister."
"Hell no!"
"Guilt good old daddy into taking you in. You can help him play president."
"Oh hyne… could you imagine?"
Realizing he was getting nowhere, Sora cleared his throat loudly, bringing all attention to himself. "I don't want to be rude… but I came here for a pretty important reason. Very important Nash. I… need your help. Maybe yours too, Leon."
Leon became all serious then. He leaned forward, concern on his face. "Are you in some kind of trouble Sora? Heartless related?"
Realization dawned on Nash's face. "Oh… this is the Sora… that you told me about! I didn't connect it."
Sora smiled slightly but shook his head. "Trouble… sort of. Heartless, no."
Nash leaned back and folded her arms in her lap. "Well… I can't imagine how I could help… honestly I hardly know you. But I will if I can."
Sora look between both of them before smiling. "Okay… I know how this is going to sound… insane… but… Riku and I… he's a… special friend of mine…"
"Silver haired guy I've seen you with at the hospital?"
"Do you see everything there?" Kairi asked, tilting her head to the side.
Nash shrugged. "Probably."
"Yeah… well… we were apparently kidnapped and experimented on or something and I… ended up…" The expectant expressions on the faces made him hesitate. He was suddenly terrified of what his extremely masculine gunblade master friend would think of him. He bit his lip and looked down.
"If you don't tell us, we can't help." Leon said frankly.
Kairi nudged him gently. "If this all goes down the way you guys want it to and the truth comes out… the whole world's going to know. There'll be a trial on Destiny Islands… and if they fled to another planet like we think… plus with Blake and Nash possibly being inadvertently involved and them living on different planets… who knows how many trials there will be and how far they will stretch."
He looked over at her in horror. "Fuck… do you seriously think that?"
She laughed and slapped him in the back of his head. "Sora! Did you think this through at all?"
"No." He admitted sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head.
"Well… at least the kidnapping version makes you less of a freak, right?"
He glared at her and crossed his arms. But she was right, of course. He knew that. With a sigh, he turned back to Nash and Leon. Both had remained quiet while he and Kairi bantered. "Fine. Just promise you won't laugh."
Leon rolled his eyes. "Sora…"
"Please promise."
"I promise." Nash said with a serious tone.
"Fine. I promise not to laugh. Now will you get on with it?"
Sora sighed and looked down. "I was pregnant. I know how it sounds but I was. Twins. Here." He didn't wait for their reactions as he dug a couple folded pictures out of his pocket and held them out to Nash. "They are horrible, I know. Copies of copies of the originals. But that's a couple of the ultrasound pictures. Riku took the originals to Deep Jungle with him, to see Blake Trippin."
Nash had accepted the pictures without hesitation and unfolded them. At the mention of Blake, she looked up. "Blake? Why Blake?"
"It's… sort of a long story. I think I know most of it now… with the bits and pieces Riku and Blake told me yesterday… and with Connie filling in a few blanks…"
"Connie?"
"Connie Bland."
Nash's mouth fell open. "Why don't you start at the beginning since Leon doesn't know any of these people, right?"
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Shit Sora… you really think they went through all that trouble just to steal your babies?"
Sora shrugged. "I hope so. Because clearly that means my babies are special enough to keep alive, right? It's a slim shot but… they could be out there somewhere. And I have to hope they are being taken care of and that I'll see them again."
Kairi placed a comforting hand on his knee. "You will."
He smiled at her.
"As interesting as all this is…" Nash said, looking down at the pictures. "And I really mean interesting. This is just… wow! But I don't know how I can help you."
"Honestly I'm not really sure either. Riku said his only leads were to talk to Blake and you… and I hate to admit it but when he said I couldn't go with him, I wanted in on it. So I found you before him."
She laughed softly. "I can understand that but… I don't have anything for you."
He sighed. "But you know I was there, right? You and Blake saw me… you scribbled stuff about me down on that clipboard you had. Connie said there was no record of me ever setting foot in the hospital after Veera took me on."
"Of course you were there." She said with another laugh. "I saw you in those halls at least a dozen times. Probably more. Like you said, Veera somehow wiped you completely from the database. But you most certainly existed."
"They existed too. Whether they are alive or not… or biological or not… they existed."
"We believe you." Leon said forcefully. "I believe you."
"Me too!" Nash insisted.
"I know you didn't work with her… but can you remember anything weird? Anything at all?"
Nash was silent a moment as she thought. She really couldn't recall anything. Other than the brief conversations she had with Connie and the even fewer run-ins she had with Veera in the halls or parking garage, there was nothing. Veera always parked on the very top level. Nash had as well because it was usually the less used. The very few times they had been there at the same time, the doctor seemed upset that she wasn't the only one there. Nash had always chalked it up to the good doctor thinking herself too important to converse with a lowly nurse.
But perhaps that hadn't been the reason at all. But she couldn't remember anything out of the ordinary. Even when that guy showed up that one time… "I met the guy once. Her roommate."
"You did?"
She nodded. "I parked on the top floor of the parking garage, a few rows behind where Veera usually did. And this one day, I got there a bit late for my shift. Stupid car was acting up. And she's pushing this older man through the parking lot. And she's mad and screaming at him. From what I could overhear, he turned up asking for an update on the 'kid's progress' and she wanted him to leave because someone could see him. He got in a vehicle I'd never seen there before and left. She went back inside. Pretty sure neither of them saw me and at the time, I thought nothing of it."
"Well… obviously you're the kid." Kairi said. "And the progress was the pregnancy."
Sora nodded. "Connie told me the police said he didn't exist. The apartment they lived in was under false names and the landlord only knew Veera. He had never met her husband."
"It's still not much." Nash said with disappointment in her voice.
"It's not much… but it's something." Sora was grateful for anything. "A confirmation at least. Thank you."
The room was silent for a moment after that until Leon leaned forward. "I can understand Nash… but what help can I be?"
"Uh… yeah… that…" Sora bit his lip and tilted his head to the side. "Can we talk about that in private?"
"Sure." Leon said, standing up and motioning for Sora to follow him.
"Private?" Kairi eyed their retreating forms for a minute, wondering why. "Sora! Hey!"
Sora ignored her as he followed a step behind Leon. He hadn't told Kairi the real reason he wanted to talk to his older friend. And she would only tease him if he had.
"Here." Leon opened the door to his bedroom and held it open. "Only place I trust Nash not to eavesdrop."
Sora nodded as he walked past Leon. "It's fine." He gave the room a quick glance over. Somehow… it just screamed Leon. The lack of colors and personal items seemed to fit. With a smile, he turned around and shook his head. "Couldn't you decorate or something? This is just sad."
Leon rolled his eyes as he closed the door and leaned against it. "My room."
Sora shrugged as he backed up and hopped onto the bed. "Fair enough. But it's soooo boring."
Leon's eyebrow slanted upwards. "It's a bedroom. Its function is a place to sleep. It does adequately."
Sora's smile faded and he shook his head. "Fine. I give up. You're room is just super."
Leon cracked a smile. "So what can I help you with?"
"Honestly…" Sora shrugged. "Nothing. More just wanted to see you. Be around you guys. I…" He scratched at the back of his head. "We fought together… and I was smaller than you when we met…"
"Still are a bit."
Sora smiled. "But you didn't know me before… when I was a kid. We fought together… like… like…"
"Equals?" Leon supplied.
Sora nodded again. "Yeah. And I always felt like… maybe… you respected me… as an equal… as a… hero."
Leon nodded. "I do. You've more than proven yourself to me and everyone who fought alongside you."
The seriousness in that voice caused Sora's face reddened slightly and he looked down. "Thanks. I think… I really needed to hear that. But Riku… my friend… or whatever he is… he still sees me as this little kid he could always beat. And when I was… pregnant… it was worse. He wouldn't let me do anything! I mean… he wouldn't even let me stand up by myself! He carried me everywhere!" He sighed. "I will admit that part of me like it… but only a small part. And after we were told they died… I just..." He stopped when he felt his defenses weakening. He wasn't going to start crying in front of Leon. "I just want to be treated like an equal! Riku… Kairi and my mom… it's like I'm some little, fragile, pathetic baby who needs someone to change his diapers and wipe up his drool. I mean… come on! I kicked some major heartless and nobody ass! And he still runs off without me and tells me I can't come? Me! I spent more time planet hopping then he did!"
Leon waited until Sora was done with his long winded rant. With a smile, he pushed off the door and crossed the room towards where Sora sat on his bed. He sank down beside him and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. "I can see both sides." He said softly. "I know what you can do. I've seen it. And even if he doesn't want to admit it, I bet your friend does too. He knows you can take care of yourself. He knows you kicked his ass a few times too. But sometimes it's hard to let old habits die." Leon dropped his arm and leaned back slightly. "Just kick his ass again and remind him."
Sora couldn't help himself as he doubled over in a fit of laughs and giggles. Oh yeah, he could just imagine Riku's face if he tried to do that. Granted… he did land a punch on him not too long ago. But still…
Leon clapped him hard on the back as he got up. "Feel better now?"
Sora was still gasping for breath as he got up and nodded. "Yeah. A lot. Thanks."
"Good. Glad I could help."
Before Leon could make an exit, Sora dashed forward and grabbed his hand. "Leeeeeon!" His voice was overly whiney. "I seem to remember kicking your ass too."
Leon smiled and wrenched his hand away. "Yeah, you did."
"Want a rematch?"
"A rematch?"
"Yeah!" Sora pumped his hands in the air. "Come on! Fight me! I'll take you all on!"
"Itching to fight?"
Sora dropped his gaze and shrugged a bit. "Maybe."
"Sure."
Sora beamed. "Don't go easy on me." He warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Awesome! Now that that's settled… I want to go see everyone else! Come on!" He pushed past the older brunet and opened the door.
"… think that's possible?" Kairi's voice floated down the hall.
"It might." Came Nash's answer. "All shuttles that are used have to be legally registered. Each is given a unique codename, originating from the home planet. There are…" She paused and looked over as Leon and Sora came walking towards them. "Help me out Leon. How many shuttle types are there now?"
He rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Basic knowledge, Nash. You've got to remember this stuff if you're going to continue to work for me."
She stuck out her tongue. "Just shut up and remind me."
"Five." He said evenly. "Primary Carry, Large Carry, Primary Freight, Large Freight, and Private Carry."
Sora looked over at Kairi and saw she seemed to be following fine. "Uh… what?"
Nash held up a finger. "Hold on a minute Sora." She looked back at Kairi. "Primary is the smaller, main shuttle variants used. Large are about three times the size but can't always land on some of the smaller planets because their shuttleports aren't equipped to handle them. Carry means like… passenger transport and Freight means cargo only transport. Right?" She glanced back at Leon.
He nodded. "Private Carry means much smaller, private ships that at most can transport eight passengers. Like the Gummi Ships."
"Gummi Ships?" At the mention of the Gummi's, Sora looked over at Leon.
"Yeah, so…" Nash turned back to look at Kairi. "Every registered shuttle has a code. If one ever goes off course or comes up missing, type the code into the database and find out where it is."
"So you can find out where it is? Seriously? You can track it?"
Nash started to nod and then shook her head. "Well… I can't. I don't have clearance to access the database. But he does." She inclined her head towards Leon.
"Huh… I didn't think about that." Leon stepped farther in the room and sat down across from Nash. "But how do we get the codename?"
"Codename?" Sora stood along in the hallway archway and clearly no one was paying attention to him. "For what?"
"When I was served with my exile documents, I was also given a formal list of what I'd apparently been charged with, including an extensive list of thefts."
Leon smirked. "With the shuttle code on it."
"Exactly." She looked over at Kairi. "I knew nothing about any of this shit before working for him. Never occurred to me to try and track the shuttle down myself. Because clearly the police back on Destiny Islands, for whatever reason, wouldn't look into anything."
"Yeah." Kairi said with a nod. "I wonder why they didn't."
Sora was finally beginning to understand what they were talking about. "You're talking… about tracking the shuttle Veera stole?"
Nash looked over at Sora and nodded. "Yeah. See where it landed and if there's any information about the passengers."
"Seriously? You can do that Leon?"
"If she gives me the shuttle code, I can."
"On it." She jumped up and dashed down the hall. "Now where did I put that stuff?"
Sora wobbled slightly, feeling like he was going to faint. Leon could actually help find them? Leon could tell him where the shuttle landed? Where they might be? Had Riku ever hoped for a piece of information like that so easily and quickly? Had he?
"Sora… come sit down for a minute. You look like you're going to pass out." Kairi bounced over to him and proceeded to tug him over. "This is a good thing." She pushed him down on the couch beside Leon.
"I know it's a good thing." He snapped.
"A very good thing."
"Depends on if Nash can find those papers." Leon said, leaning back. "She's not the most organized person."
"FOUND IT!"
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
End of Chapter 27. Stay tuned for Chapter 28: Closer than You Know
Author's Notes: Blah, blah, blah. Fun, fun, fun. Wanna hear something evil? This chapter and half of the next have been written on several pages of notebook chapter since before Christmas. Probably nearly two weeks. Just the whole finding time/forcing myself to sit down and type everything out has escaped me. I suck. Hope you enjoyed my suckage anyways with this slightly longer than normal chapter.
Another reason for my lateless would be Resonance of Fate. I find it about as addicting as Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. Seriously. Very long game. With hot guys. Screw Leanne. Have her disappear and Zephyr can get it on with Vash. So what if Vash is 9 years older? They'd still sooo make a hot couple.
Oh. And I pulled the planet name Lurna Lore out of my ass. I couldn't remember the name of the world in Final Fantasy VIII. So did some research and all I could find kept referring to it as "an unnamed fantasy world." So I named it. Originally Nash was going to be Leon's cousin. But the half sister angle seemed sooo much better. And slightly more plausible. Laguna was in love with that Julia chick forever. Then he disappears and she marries General Caraway. Plus I get to call Rinoa crazy. A lot. God I hated her. I took pleasure in killing her off when I was playing the game.