Chapter 14- Hiding
Naminé sat in her white room, continuing her sketching with a saddened expression over Sairu's departure. Whilst DiZ seemingly took it in stride, focusing single-mindedly on Sora's awakening, Naminé conversely took it hard, having grown especially closer to Sairu in the time they spent together. Whilst she could somewhat understand Sairu's frustration at having been unable to do very little for Sora, just as she once had, she somehow thought that Sairu could play a greater part in future, but he was unable to look beyond his frustration to the potential impact he could have on the awakening in time. She had wanted to follow after him, but couldn't risk trying DiZ's patience, given his increasingly apparent dislike of her.
To her surprise, she then saw a corridor of darkness open on the opposite end of the room, and out stepped a familiar robed figure. She was surprised to see him return so suddenly, but her surprised expression contained great relief. "Naminé... forgive me" Sairu said as he lowered his hood, revealing his despondent expression. Seeing this, Naminé nodded as she put her sketch pad on the table. "It's alright, Sairu. Are you ready to try and help Sora for real this time?" Hearing that Naminé forgave him for running away so readily unsettled Sairu, but this unsettled feeling dissipated as he responded "Yes. I will do everything I can to help him. It's ironic that I had to run away to get my priorities straight. I just hope DiZ is just as forgiving as you" Hearing this Naminé happily nodded her head as another dark corridor opened, revealing DiZ.
"So you have returned" DiZ said in a dark voice, with an equally dark look in his visible eye. "What I did was impulsive and reckless. I allowed my emotions to rule my actions, but I have come to my senses. I know I can help Sora in future now, instead of worrying about the past" Sairu responded in a voice of vigour, at which DiZ's expression softened slightly as he responded "The past is behind us, as it always was. What matters is that you came back to help your friend, a chance of which you may well discover" Hearing this, Sairu's curiosity piqued as he asked "And why's that?" "We must now keep tabs on the Organization's movements, and I expect you to be observing their movements" DiZ responded. "So it's reconnaissance and espionage, right? Guess that means that I'll be on the move for a while. Alright, when do I start?" DiZ then reached into his cloak and perched atop his arm, was a familiar reptilian companion who returned to Sairu's shoulder as he saw him. "Tomorrow. Your companion has demonstrated the ability to detect Nobodies via the odour of darkness that the members are steeped in. Until then, you had best rest" At this DiZ retreated into the dark corridor once again. At this, Sairu turned to face Naminé and nodded to leave until "Welcome back" Naminé said with a radiant smile. As he turned, Sairu blushed at her smile and stuttered "G-good to be back" before leaving to his room.
"You're sure things are better off this way?" Axel asked his blue-haired acquaintance, in the upper level of the Hall of Empty Melodies the next day. "I never expected you to question it" Saïx responded in his monotone voice that still demonstrated authority. He stood with his arms crossed, as he continued "If you could save one of them... why would you choose the puppet?" Hearing that term darkened Axel's expression, yet this did not go unnoticed by Saïx, who responded "Or put it this way. Which would you rather suffer the loss of: some make-believe friendship, or a real one?" Axel's expression darkened again as Saïx walked away, still looking away from his old friend. "Things are finally right again. Of course we're better off this way. Xemnas is exasperated from all the "fixing" we've had to do. We have to set things right. There is simply too much on the line... Lea" Hearing this, Axel's darkened expression lingered as he took his leave.
Elsewhere, Roxas was inquiring as to Xion's whereabouts, only for the other members to reveal they knew nothing about Xion's return, let alone her whereabouts. After the failed intelligence gathering, Roxas concluded that there was only one person who would know where she was. In Where Nothing Gathers, the leader of Organization XIII, Xemnas, sat atop his throne in a seemingly meditative state, until a dark corridor materialised, revealing Roxas sitting upon his own throne almost directly opposite from him. "I need to ask you something" Roxas said politely with a pleading look in his eye, which did not go unnoticed by the Superior. "And what would that be?" Xemnas countered in a monotone voice. "What happened to Xion? Can you tell me?" Roxas asked, his pleading gaze replaced by sadness and worry. "Put your mind at ease" Xemnas replied. "Xion is a valued member of the Organization, but she needs her rest".
As he heard his response, Roxas's mind became filled with flickering images of his hooded self at a dark location with an empty moon shining down on the black shore, as Xemnas walked past him, clasping his shoulder, addressing him as: "Sora". "...Sora." Roxas mused aloud, which garnered Xemnas's attention. Hearing Xemnas making a sound to suggest he has heard what he said, Roxas decides to ask "Who is Sora?" "He's the connection" Xemnas answered cryptically. "The what?" Roxas asked in confusion. "He is what makes you and Xion a part of each other's lives. Just as he is the reason I placed Xion among our number" Xemnas responded, which, needless to say, did not clarify Roxas's confusion. "And if you want her to stay that way, I must insist you get your mind off these needless distractions" he added rigidly. "I will have Xion return to her duties tomorrow. Today, you must focus on yours" Xemnas finished with a vague attempt at a tone of finality. Sensing that he was not going to get any clearer answers, Roxas nodded in defeat and responded "All right" before disappearing into a dark corridor.
After an awkward encounter with Axel and being debriefed on his mission, Roxas departed for a starry night world out at sea, littered with many individual islands, his mission involving the destruction of dark globs located throughout the surrounding area. Thankfully, because of his ability to fly in this world, Roxas found it much easier to reach his targets and eliminate Heartless that stood in his way. Yet, he was unaware of a certain figure standing atop a mighty dragon high above him watching his every move. "Lunar Bahamut, is there any information about that boy you can share with me?" Sairu asked. "There is very little I can say about him, which tells me he must be a recent addition to the Organization. However, strangely, when I detected his presence, I felt an unusual sensation" the dragon responded, sounding confused.
Surprised at his last remark, Sairu then added "Interestingly, I myself have felt a sense of déjà vu when I first saw him the other day. His form, it closely resembles someone I once encountered so long ago. I do wonder if he's the same person, but if that's true, then he hasn't aged at all, which is impossible" Hearing this only served to further confuse Lunar Bahamut who countered "I am afraid I cannot shed light on that theory but the feeling I am plagued by was the same when I first saw Sora" "Sora? Does that mean..." Sairu trailed off, unable to comprehend who this boy was. "He must be Sora's Nobody, Roxas" Lunar Bahamut replied to which Sairu absentmindedly nodded. "But simply observing him won't tell us much, especially this high up. We're going to have to go lower and closer, maybe even ask a few questions" Sairu thought aloud at which Lunar Bahamut seemed disappointed "I will gladly take us closer, but interrogation was not expected nor is it necessary at present"
"Alright. From what I can see, he's boarded Hook's ship. Let's get down there" Sairu said firmly as he raised his hood over his face once more and Lunar Bahamut began his descent. As Sairu's feet touched solid ground again, Lunar Bahamut transformed into his gauntlet form once again, manifesting on his partner's left arm as Sairu cautiously approached the ship. As he boarded, he noted how there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, and looking above, he noticed a small pink light rise higher still before disappearing from sight. Deciding to act quickly, Sairu quickly reached the back end of the ship, taking cover on the upper deck, trying to remain out of sight as best he could.
Suddenly, he noticed a Heartless appear near him. Sairu inwardly cursed; with a Heartless near his location, he was aware he could be spotted. 'Damn. If I leave that Heartless alone, either it or Roxas will find me, and if I destroy it, it could arouse Roxas's suspicion, so my position is left unsecure. My only other choice would be to retreat but I've learned nothing of any significance, meaning a wasted day. What do I do?' Then, to his horror, he noticed the Heartless disappear as its pink heart was released, rising into the sky before disappearing. Knowing who it was, Sairu instantly clasped his hand over his mouth and nose, holding his breath. For several moments, it seemed nothing was going to happen, and just as Sairu was ready to lower his hand and release his breath... "I know you're there. Come out and face me" a male voice called. Realising that he had been caught, Sairu sharply exhaled and slowly rose to stand upright, revealing Roxas, standing with his Keyblade in hand, eying him warily.
"Who are you?" Roxas asked. For a while, Sairu did not answer, panicking internally as to how to respond. Then, to his surprise, the gauntlet on his arm activated, emitting a blade of white energy. Seeing this, Roxas appeared surprised, then rose his Keyblade into his battle posture and immediately struck. To further his surprise, Sairu's body suddenly retaliated on its own and his blade made contact with Roxas's Keyblade. 'Lunar Bahamut, what are you doing?' Sairu thought. 'We cannot give away your identity or our purpose to watch his movements will have been for nothing. If we fight without warning, we can keep our identity hidden' Lunar Bahamut mentally responded. 'You have a point. Next time, however, let me know when you're going to control my body' Sairu sternly responded.
As their blades parted, and flew back, Sairu and Roxas quickly charged at one another again, with a greater force than their last collision, the greater recoil forcing, to his horror, Sairu's hood to fly back, revealing his dark red hair falling over his face. As Roxas noticed this, his face became stricken with astonishment as he looked at him. 'That face... is one of those I saw in my dreams once. Apart from his longer hair, he looks just like him, but who is he?' Roxas thought to himself. As they landed on both feet again, Sairu immediately draped his hood over his face again, though he knew it was futile now that his target had seen his face. 'We're retreating. Let's get out of here' Sairu thought, addressing Lunar Bahamut. 'Alright' he responded, and Sairu's hooded form immediately disappeared into a dark corridor before Roxas could follow after him.
"He got away. But... who was that? I know that I saw his face somewhere before, but where?" Roxas spoke aloud to himself, musing over his identity. "Well, my mission's complete. Time to RTC" he said aloud and returned to the now open dark corridor that brought him there, returning to the Castle That Never Was. Meanwhile, in the pod room where Naminé and DiZ stood, a dark corridor appeared behind them, revealing Sairu. "What did you discover?" DiZ asked directly. Sairu visibly flinched at the straightforward question but nonetheless responded honestly "I observed Roxas eliminating dark globs throughout Neverland, and decided to hide and observe him aboard Hook's ship stationed there, but a Heartless nearby gave away my location, forcing me to battle Roxas. In the midst of our clash, my face was revealed to him" Hearing this alarmed DiZ and Naminé but they remained silent as Sairu continued "However, when he saw my face, he seemed shocked, meaning he must have recognised me somehow. After that, I took the opportunity to flee, not wanting to give away anything more, so here I am" As Sairu finished reporting his observations, DiZ appeared visibly enraged that Sairu's appearance had been exposed. Yet he knew Sairu was not at fault for him trying to remain obscure, and engaging Roxas in battle would have made him more mysterious, yet at much greater risk.
"Because of this action, the Organization will most likely pursue you directly now that they know what you look like. We cannot afford to keep you here any longer for risking Sora's location being discovered and risk endangering him. You must leave and take refuge to ensure your safety. Go, and I will signal you when it is safe to return" Hearing this took Sairu by surprise and evoked a great confusion. "But where can I go? Returning home is out of the question if they track me there, putting my family at risk" "I am aware. Which is why, there is only one world where you will be safe. The Organization will most likely not pursue you there" DiZ explained in retaliation. "Where do you mean?" Sairu asked, and DiZ's response was what he had not expected: "Traverse Town".