Chapter 13- Returning
Following the events of the previous day, Riku had seemingly disappeared again with Xion, leaving Sairu to return to the mansion after his "interrogation" of Axel. Following his explanation of the transactions, DiZ thanked Sairu for telling him with an increasingly apparent relief in his voice and dismissed Sairu, who then retreated to his personal training ground: the other dimension. Here, he resumed training once more, and, having remembered what happened the last time he pushed himself too hard, also took some time to meditate, which Sairu found rather tedious yet nonetheless effective. Yet, the boy and his dragon were not alone: Naminé was sitting off at a fair distance, sketching on her pad. It turns out that while Naminé's primary ability was to manipulate memories, she also had adequate healing powers, but it was obvious what she was most proficient at. Thankfully, there had been no need.
Having now meditated for an hour, Sairu soon opened his eyes once more, feeling remarkably calmer. Rising to his feet and stretching his rigid body, he exhaled a sigh of relief and turned to the drawing Naminé. As he turned in her direction, she rose her head from above her sketchpad and asked jokingly "Have a nice nap?" At this, Sairu could only chuckle to hide his annoyance as he responded "Very funny, but it actually makes me feel revitalised every time. Though, it is a pain to sit still for that long" he retorted annoyingly as he wound his right arm in a circle. Once he finished he then asked "What do you think Riku's up to right now?" "I don't know, and I'm getting worried. On the bright side, we may be closer to restoring Sora's memory than we were before" Naminé responded with a sad smile. Sairu nodded in agreement, understanding that now they have Xion's trust, it was likely they could convince her to return Sora's memories to him. Despite this, Sairu had learned that it was not a guarantee they could convince her, having been trained to maintain an unbiased opinion on any event.
After a few minutes in comfortable silence, Sairu found his mind wandering to the people he missed most as a powerful wave of nostalgia overcame him. He tried to remind himself that there were more important matters at hand, but the nostalgia refused to dissipate in his mind. It had indeed been many days since he had last been with Leon and the others, but he made his mind up back then to go off on his own to find Ienzo. Then again, an interesting idea came to mind: he had been feeling that he was taking up unnecessary space in their mission to restore their friend's memories, feeling guilty that he had accomplished nothing in the month or so he had been here. What did he have to stay for now that Ienzo was lost and Sora was still sleeping? He had no power over memories like Naminé did, so of what use was he to DiZ at the moment?
At this, Sairu drew the fob watch from his pocket, clicked it in his hand and he, Naminé and Lunar Bahamut (who now regressed to his smaller form) re-emerged in Sairu's bedroom. Naminé looked up at him in confusion while Sairu turned to face her with a blank expression. "I apologise for acting so suddenly, Naminé. But... I don't think I'm really needed here anymore" Hearing this, Naminé's confused expression now also bore alarm as she asks "What do you mean? You're not needed anymore?" Sairu simply responded in an empty voice "Apart from the two instances in previous days, my night walk to Castle Oblivion, and my minimal role in the events of yesterday, I've done nothing but training in that other place and otherwise loitering around this mansion. I have found my answers of my past with Yen Sid, and Ienzo is no longer here for me to take home with me. I no longer have no reason to return home and wait to see Sora when he wakes up. Staying here is just time-consuming for you, DiZ and me when I've done next to nothing this last month or so"
Hearing this, Naminé's expression now only bore alarm as she heard him explain his reasons, and retaliated "So you think you've been a burden to us this whole time? I know what that's like more than anyone, but you were never someone's prisoner, forced to do your captor's bidding to avoid being alone forever! That's how exactly how I felt, even when Sora went so far to forgive me. He never saw me as a burden, even when I twisted his memories, just as I don't see you as one. Unlike me, you aren't a prisoner here. Remember what DiZ said: 'Even the littlest gestures can have the greatest successes'". Hearing DiZ's words being repeated before him unsettled Sairu as he couldn't stand the nostalgia that consumed him, Naminé's words making it more apparent that he would be better off returning to Leon and the others.
"Maybe that's true, but, I guess... I just miss them. Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid and Merlin, the only family I still have. And it doesn't change the fact that my contributions to Sora's memory restoration have made no impact on the current situation. I may not be a prisoner, but with DiZ prohibiting trips to the other worlds on a frequent and prolonged basis, I'm beginning to feel like one. I'm sorry, but my part in this is over" Noting the tone of finality in his voice, Naminé simply relented, standing with a drooping posture as she avoided eye contact with him. Her sadness didn't even need to be seen for Sairu to feel a wrenching sensation in his stomach before he disappeared into a dark corridor.
However, despite the feeling of longing he held within, Sairu found, to his shock, that he had not arrived in Hollow Bastion, but the place he least expected to be: the glorious sandy beach of Destiny Islands. Everything was how Sairu remembered it from the battle with Ansem before it was immersed in darkness, and was strangely more beautiful than he actually remembered.
The sun was high in the brilliant blue sky, with thin wispy clouds drifting overhead on a gentle breeze. Sairu then turned his attention to the crystal clear ocean that spread before him as he approached it. "Strange..." Sairu said to no one in particular. His eyes were mesmerised by the serene beauty of the ocean as he continued speaking to himself "I know that I was nostalgic and missing Leon and everyone terribly. But if that's true, then why did that dark corridor bring me here? More to the point, is there something here that drew me to this place more than Hollow Bastion?" Hearing no answer from the crash of the waves on the shore, or the sound of the breeze whistling in his ear, or even the squawking of the seagulls, Sairu took to looking around, until he saw someone in the distance: a figure with deep red hair sitting atop a bent palm tree that bore a bizarre star-shaped fruit. The identity of the person sitting atop the paopu tree was all but clear to Sairu: Kairi.
Fearing that he may be spotted and worse still, recognised, Sairu quickly and quietly draped his hood over his face again, completely obscuring his face. With that, his feet began drawing him to where Kairi sat, walking calmly and quietly, all the while Sairu having had an epiphany of sorts: the dark corridor must have brought him here because despite his missing of his family, he clearly missed a certain red-haired girl even more. The very notion of approaching her as he was right now made his heart beat rapidly, the blood rushing to his hidden face, and was on the verge of hyperventilating until he found himself on the mound where she sat on the paopu tree. From what Sairu could see, Kairi seemed to be dressed in a school uniform, guessing from the white collared shirt she wore, and he also noticed her hair was longer than the last time they saw each other. This only served to make Sairu blush even more, but he was able to control his breathing well as he took another step forward. At this, Kairi instantly felt the presence of someone behind and turned around, seeing a figure in a black coat standing rigidly still in an upright posture.
"Who are you?" she asked cautiously, eyeing the stranger in caution. Sairu then noticed that her blue eyes had bags under them, indicating a lack of sleep, which served to typically worry Sairu, but he actually controlled himself and walked past her to the edge overlooking the ocean. Having practiced, Sairu responded in his silky voice "A traveller passing through, nothing more. I had intended to arrive in another place of reputed beauty, but I found myself here by mistake. Though I will say I have no reason to complain now that I'm here" "I see" Kairi said in an empty voice. To the naked eye, nothing changed; under the shroud of the black cloak he wore, Sairu was deeply unsettled when he noted her empty tone. Feeling compelled to ask, "You seem distant. And from what I noticed as I walked over, you seem to have had trouble sleeping recently. Forgive my insatiable curiosity, but I do wonder: why do you seem so?"
He turned his head to face her slightly, but couldn't quite make out her expression. There was a pause for a few minutes until she answered "I... I have been having these weird dreams lately. They're about someone I think I should know, but I can't remember who he is... Not his face, not his voice... and not even his name. It-It makes me feel guilty that I know someone, yet I can't remember who he is, that it keeps me up at night. I feel like I've forgotten something important, like it was there and is now lost" As she spoke, she proceeded to hug her legs as she sat there, depression setting in her face. Noticing her posture, Sairu could only sigh as he proceeded to sit on the ground cross-legged and began to process what she said, concluding that the 'he' she was speaking of was Sora, but, deciding to not tell Kairi who he really was, responded in a reassuring voice "This explains your present state, but you have no reason to feel sad. It is understandable that your confusion as to the identity of him will induce insomniac tendencies, but you must also learn to be patient." "What does that mean?" Kairi asked in a slightly scathing tone of voice, at which the hooded figure responded "During these past few weeks, I've come to understand a thing or two about memories. One such thing is that even though you cannot recall a certain event, it does not mean that the memory is lost; it is simply sleeping, within the very depths of your heart. Memories can never disappear from your heart, only from your recollection. So you can be assured of this: the memory of the person you cannot recall now is there; it will require a certain feeling or catalyst to awaken that memory and bring it to the surface". Hearing this, the sadness she felt seemed to alleviate somewhat as her hooded companion continued.
"I have been travelling for only a short time, intent on returning to people who are waiting for me, yet I myself have a friend I must help, only to find that my contributions to his well-being to be non-existent. Despite this, he is in safe hands as we speak; I simply have no reason to remain there if I have done nothing to appease his situation" Hearing this, Kairi seemed moved by the hooded's story, yet at the same time, she found herself inwardly scolding him for abandoning his friend just because he felt he couldn't do anything. "So you ran away" Kairi summarised, at which he nodded. Hearing this, Kairi sharply exhaled and said in an angry tone "Don't you think that you're only making it worse for your friend by running?" This earned his attention as he turned to face her as she continued "You don't strike me as a guy who runs away when his friends need help. What you said was right: I may not remember this 'he', but I know I will someday. I think it would help your friend if you went back to help him. Maybe you didn't do anything to help, but there's got to be a few things you can do in time, right?"
Hearing this, Sairu's obscured eyes widened as he realised the weight of his decision to abandon Sora. Sairu still wanted to help Sora deep down, but he felt he was wasting their time by being there, and he recalled what he said to Naminé before he left, how foolish he sounded in hindsight. Understanding what had been said, Sairu then rose to his feet. "I see... How could I be so foolish?" as he then looked to the sky overhead, emitting a chuckle at the realization. "What was I thinking? The future is yet to come, and I can still help him... And I will" With that, he waved his hand and a dark corridor appeared. "I thank you, from the bottom of my heart" he said bowing in gratitude, which caused a certain princess of heart to blush slightly in embarrassment but bashfully nodded her head in return. As he began to enter the dark corridor, Kairi spoke up "You're welcome. But... will I see you again?" "I'm sure we will. By the way, what is your name?" Sairu asked, intending to maintain his façade until the end. "I'm Kairi. It was nice to meet you, um..." "Getsuryu. It has been a pleasure, Kairi" he responded as he gave her a single wave of his arm, signifying his leave and disappearing into the dark corridor. After the corridor vanished, Kairi couldn't help but smile at the company, feeling a sense of familiarity in regards to her new friend. "Thank you... Getsuryu" she said to herself as she landed on her feet, heading home to the mainland.
Elsewhere in Twilight Town, a chase had undergone in the Tram Common, where the target in question was yet another hooded individual, being pursued by a certain boy with blonde hair. As Roxas chased his target into an alcove, he stops and eyes them suspiciously until she removes her hood and turning to face him. "Xion" Roxas said, relieved to see her safe and sound at last. Xion, however, was less optimistic, bearing a miserable expression. "Where have you been? Axel and I have been looking all over for you" Roxas continued. "You have? Sorry" Xion said, avoiding eye contact with Roxas. "Let's go home" Roxas added, and Xion failed to respond. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Axel was eavesdropping on their conversation, a dark expression adorning his face as Roxas spoke to Xion "If you come back voluntarily, Saïx will let all this drop. He has to" attempting to reassure her, to no avail as Xion still bore her saddened expression. Roxas attempted to reach out to her "I don't care what he said to you. I'll be there. Me and Axel will make sure-" But then he saw Xion take a step back, surprising Roxas.
"I really can't" Xion said. "Why not? Come on" Roxas attempted again to reassure her, only for her to step away again. Then, Xion attempts to leave but Roxas couldn't let her go. "Wait!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her arm. Caught in his grip, Xion does the unthinkable: with her free hand, she draws her Keyblade, slowly releasing her arm from Roxas's now weakened grip, and turned to point her Keyblade at him, whilst deliberately avoiding eye contact in her despondency. Suddenly, a whirring sound is heard as a familiar chakram flew at Xion, who deflected it in time. When it lodged in the ground, it dissipated into ashes as the assailant makes his presence known.
"Well, hello there, Xion" Axel mockingly greeted. "Axel?" Roxas asked in confusion, only for Xion to suddenly lunge at Axel. "No, wait!" he exclaimed, but Xion ignored him. Taking a swing at him with the Keyblade, Axel ducked under the attack, summoning his chakrams in the midst of dodging. The two friends continued to exchange blows between them, with Roxas watching on in horror. As Xion ran towards Axel once more, Roxas, unable to stand his friends fighting each other anymore, exclaimed "Stop!" in despair and horror. Xion turned to face him when she heard, but Axel took this opportunity to strike her in the back of the neck, rendering her unconscious. Her Keyblade fell to the floor and disappeared in a flash of light as Axel caught Xion before she fell. "Xion" Roxas said worriedly, and runs to her and Axel. But, the latter mounts Xion on his back and disappears into a dark corridor before Roxas could reach him.
A/N: Sorry it took longer than usual. Had writer's block and couldn't figure out how to get this plot along until a couple of days ago, but good news: all taken care of. Plus college and work takes up a lot of time, you get the idea. Sorry if it's not one of my best. Please review all the same.