Chapter 16- A helping hand
As the two companions passed through with the door, Sairu noticed that where they were right now was practically a maze. It was a complex grid of streets that connected to higher levels via the waterways, yet Sairu was lost as to how they were to reach the other end at all and continue, until he saw Neku running into a wall. Sairu inwardly panicked his new companion had lost his mind, but then he noticed something he did not expect: though he ran smack into the wall, Neku actually leaped even higher than he had just done, all the while astounding Sairu. As Sairu noticed Neku land on the top of an archway that would have been impossible by simply jumping, he couldn't help but envy him, still reeling from the shock of Neku's capabilities.
"Hey, Neku. How'd you do that?" Sairu called up to him. "I'll tell you later; right now, with your little dragon, you don't really need to know, if you can ride on him" Neku called back as he turned and walked away. Inwardly, Sairu was annoyed with his last remark, turning to his reptilian companion. "He makes you sound like a horse" Sairu said to the dragon in question. "Do not concern yourself with what he said, Sairu. He deliberately tried to provoke you for his own amusement. While I am flattered for your deep respect of me, you do not have to take such comments personally, and you know you are free to fly on my back anytime you wish" Lunar Bahamut retorted in an understanding yet firm tone with Sairu as he then grew to his original form, at which Sairu approached and climbed onto his back as they took flight and appeared at the higher level, where Neku was waiting for the two. Once they landed, Sairu landed on solid ground as Lunar Bahamut regressed to his miniscule form, returning atop Sairu's shoulders once more.
"Where are we, exactly?" Sairu asked as he looked around. "Back streets. Nothing special" Neku simply replied. "Huh... Funny, these weren't here before" Sairu said to himself, though it did not go unnoticed to his headphone-wearing ally, who looked at him with curiosity and confusion. Sairu then turned to face Neku and explained "You probably didn't know this, but I used to live in this town" "Really? Then how come you don't know this place if you lived here?" Neku asked in retaliation, though his voice suggested his indifference with the change of subject. "Well, I'm not really sure, but I guess this town changes shape and expands when there are many who need shelter. Yet, if that's true, then why is the town empty, apart from you and your partner?" Sairu responded. "Who knows. We haven't been in this town too long ourselves; it's been empty since the game began. Apart from me and my partner, there are three others in this town who are playing the Game too. But they're not my concern; I've gotta find my partner so that I can win the game" Neku explained, which greatly unsettled Sairu.
"I get that you're not a people person; not everyone can be. But still, how can you just be so cold to focus on winning for yourself and not for your partner's sake?" Sairu retaliated with an equally cold tone of voice which took both Neku and Lunar Bahamut by surprise. Yet as quickly as it came, Neku recovered and simply put his hands in his pockets, responding with a defiant 'Hmph'. "Believe what you want; but, when you fight for the sake of others, or for whatever you hold dear, you lose sight of what's important: your own survival" Neku responded, which served to boil Sairu's blood as his expression contorted into rage. Sairu knew he disliked Neku before, but that was now reinforced as he heard Neku express his philosophy. Despite this, he felt obligated to aid him, one resident of Traverse Town to another.
"It looks like you two are having quite a quarrel" another voice suddenly spoke up. Hearing this, both boys turned to look. There, they noticed another boy standing, with scraggly ash-blonde hair that reached to his neck, lavender eyes with a lanky build, wearing a turquoise buttoned short-sleeved shirt which exposed his neck. He wore a pair of dark blue trousers with plain white shoes with black laces. Judging from his posture and the look upon his face, Sairu got the impression he couldn't trust this guy much like with Neku; he was now wishing he had gone back to Hollow Bastion even with all the risks it would bring. Just as Sairu was about to ask, Neku spoke up first, a look of annoyance on his face. "Joshua" he said in a disgruntled voice.
"Nice to see you again, Neku. And it seems we have a new acquaintance" Joshua said, noticing Sairu; Sairu's dislike deepening as he noted the cocky tone that Joshua spoke with. Despite this, Sairu took a deep breath and spoke up "My name is Sairu. Nice to meet you, Joshua". Hearing this, Joshua turned to face Sairu and chuckled in response. "Tell me: do you honestly mean that, or are you just being courteous? Because it seems to me that you were just being polite" he said before chuckling again, only proceeding to enrage Sairu. Sairu was about to respond until Neku spoke up "Get to the point, Joshua: why are you here?" in a blunt voice. Joshua sighed as he heard Neku's direct response but nonetheless answered "A giant Heartless has made its presence known in the Fifth District. What's more, Shiki's fighting that beast all alone; Beat and Rhyme are currently dealing with multiple Heartless in the fountain plaza, so they're not of any help at the moment. Although, since we have a new friend, I think we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone, if you understand what I'm saying"
Hearing this, Sairu could only guess what he meant. "So, in other words, I take care of the Heartless in the fountain plaza, and Neku goes on to save Shiki by himself. Is that right?" Sairu summarized aloud, to unreadable looks to both Neku and Joshua. Then, the latter responded "That's most of the idea. You helping Beat and Rhyme was what I had in mind, as well as the idea to send Neku to reunite with Shiki. But even when those two are together, their strength may not be enough to take out that Heartless. I can just tell looking at you, you're very strong. We're going to need your strength so that we can take out that Heartless once and for all". "Great. More people getting in my way" Neku stated scornfully.
"We don't have time to consider your pride, Neku. You need to find your partner, and I need to help this Beat and Rhyme so we can take care of our pest problem. Suck it up, and get moving, or you'll never win this game" Sairu countered in a scornful voice of his own. Hearing this, Neku gave him an irritated look, but as he noticed a cocky smirk from Joshua, Neku sighed in exasperation, nodded to Sairu and tore off, leaving the other two boys alone. Just as Sairu was about to head off, "Sairu, hold on a second" Joshua spoke up. "What is it?" Sairu asked hurriedly. "There's something I need someone of your skill to do for me: the way you are with Neku, keep at it. From what I witnessed between you two, something inside Neku is stirring, and I can feel this will be a good thing for him in future" Joshua explained as he stood with his arms crossed.
"I don't really get it. You make it sound like I can make Neku a better person" Sairu asked, curiosity evident. "You have to understand: Neku is a complicated character, someone who refuses friendships because he claims he doesn't understand them and, moreover, who does not wish to know. But, I can tell, somewhere deep inside his heart, he wants nothing more than to have a friend through the tough times ahead. Your personality may well help Neku realise what he really wants. You have comrades who you would give your life for; and for that, you can teach Neku a valuable lesson" Joshua explained. Sairu was unsure of what to make of all this, but he did think to himself that Neku seemed to have softened somewhat since they agreed to team up. "I got it. I'll do what I can for Neku, but for now, Beat and Rhyme are going to need my help more than him" Sairu responded in the affirmative and thus tore off for the fountain plaza, while Joshua simply smiled before he disappeared from view.
Meanwhile, in the Castle that Never Was, Xemnas sat atop his throne in the meeting place of the Organization, but at this point, was accompanied by his trusted subordinate: Saïx. At this point, Saïx enquired in confusion "Are you certain we've taken suitable measures with Xion and Roxas?" Xemnas responded, in a monotone voice "I will admit, Xion has strayed from our original design" But then his mood changed as he spoke with intrigue "But this unpredictable behaviour is proving to have an interesting side effect" "Really?" Saïx enquired in his own monotone voice. "We wanted the Key" Xemnas answered. "Xion's exposure to Roxas effected a transfer of its power, just as we had hoped. Had things stopped there, Xion would have been an unequivocal success. But then, through Roxas, Sora himself began to shape 'it' into 'her', giving Xion a sense of identity. I was ready to scrap the whole project..." Xemnas paused for a few seconds "Then it occurred to me: Xion is keeping Sora's memories trapped by claiming them as her own. Keeping her close to Roxas will prevent Sora from ever waking" Xemnas finished explaining.
Hearing this, Saïx was satisfied with the answer he received and replied "I see. And what do you want to do about the impostors in black? From what Roxas reported to me, one of them had his identity exposed on his mission today: a boy with long dark red hair obscuring the left side of his face. There is but one boy whose description matches the one Roxas reported" "Sairu Leonhart, I presume" Xemnas stated frankly. Then, he bore a sinister smirk upon his face. "My lord?" Saïx enquired, his calculating eyes having noticed right away. "Interesting... From what memory serves, Sairu was quite the energetic child, permanently boasting of his accomplishments when he would visit his dear friend at the castle where our research was conducted" Xemnas reminisced to himself more than his subordinate.
"Yes, he was a loud one indeed, not unlike a certain comrade of ours. Nonetheless, my lord, it is likely that Sairu will be a hindrance to our plans in future. The boy will have become very strong by now. Should we not take the opportunity to have him eradicated?" Saïx countered, who was somewhat concerned for their plans. Xemnas countered in a empty amused tone of voice "There is no need for such measures. Let him be, I do wish to see his development when the time is right. But he and his fellow impostor are nothing more than gadflies at present; we must ensure they stay away from Roxas. They only pose a threat if their buzzing reaches Xion's ears" Hearing this, Saïx responded in a seemingly content look "Then we are back on track".
(A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. Now I've been getting a few questions from loyal readers about the nature of the story. I don't want to ruin what I have in mind for you, coz I hope you'll like it as much as I will when I release it.
First, I do intend to write a concurrent plot alongside that of coded and DDD, so Sairu will and will not be involved in the plot of this game.
Secondly, I do have intentions to bring in my other OC (Sairu's friend from Traverse Town) in a future instalment, not this one, but beyond that, I hope you can figure out what I'm trying to do from there.
Thirdly, in regards to Sairu telling Mickey about where he got the pendant, I'll incorporate that as and when I think it's suitable, but it won't be in this instalment, sadly.
Fourth, Naminé's sketching was more or less to do with Sora's memory restoration given all her drawings seen in the game were focused around Sora and those connected to him.
Lastly, Sairu will feature in Kingdom Hearts 2, obviously, but at this point, I still need to determine how to work him into the main story considering my previous idea of him not appearing for real until a certain time along.
I hope I answered any questions you had, so please, enjoy this chapter and review!