In which Namine tries to finish her biography.
"Namine!" I opened my eyes and shot right up. Laughter filled the whole classroom and bounced off the wall. Tifa-sensei stern looks made me feel like a small child again.
"Do not sleep in classes Namine, it is against the rule. And I expect you to finish your biography assignment by this Wednesday no excuses!" The laughter continued ringing in my ears, painful it is and also embarrassing. My cheeks unconsciously turn red as I surveyed the laughing students around the class. Hiromi and her gang is laughing the loudest, I can practically see the roof of her mouth. Great.
"Now, let's move on the important discovery. Hiromi!" I smirked back as Hiromi gaped, unable to comprehend anything about what they are talking about previously. Thanks Tifa-sensei.
………….
Life goes on as normal. Knowing what really happens around here does not change anything yet but it sure does change my perspective on my life. Hiromi is now, not really a big threat on my ego as I knew the potential that everyone brings as their shadow followed their every move, sometimes as long as a pole and sometimes as short as the diameter of it.
But life does change a bit for me. I no longer can stand on the field or any flat ground that might bring attention to my shadow less figure. I know and feel incomplete, even jealousy at the shadows around me. They have no shadow that tries to escape them. I do.
Roxas and I still did not hang out with each other (In front of others). After hearing what happened, Roxas decides not to meet me anymore seeing the potential hazard of his fans ever casting their eyes on us when we are at the same space. I can see pain in his eyes but I can only wonder.
Sora, however, took the role of being my guardian angel. And although I admire his invisibility, it is still creepy for me knowing that he is watching over me when I'm inside the toilet. "Close your eyes!" I shouted every time I go inside the toilet. He and I still did not discuss on what happened on that particular building.
And now, I'm one of them. That is the biggest change in my life. Sora was reluctant at first in letting me fight alongside them but I still insisted. What use is my power if not to attack them?
Sora cast his eyes to the ground before saying, "I just don't want you to get hurt." I nearly roll my eyes at that comment.
"I am a keyblade wielder. I am supposed to get hurt." I replied obviously.
His eyes look at mine with unnerving accuracy. "Just don't let yourself get killed okay?" He vanishes before I can comprehend what he is trying to imply. Well, he's just as mysterious as Roxas.
………….
The pendant glows. That means that the heartless is near. Show time. I stand up acting casual and scan the environment around me. There are a lot of dark alleys here and there. But then the heartless is not there, instead, I see the manhole nearby move. Move. I see a flicker of black before the manhole closes completely.
"Oh boy. In the hole they go." And it has to be the sewers! I wrinkle my nose and proceed to get a purchase of the round black metal cover and lifting it up from the dirt and grime. The smell that wafted up is overpowering that I nearly drop the cover on my foot. Oh, even the grave yard smells fresher than that! I lower it gently beside me. Thank goodness nobody is about! They probably thought that I changed from a grave yard digger to the person who cleans the sewers.
The ladder down is short so I let go of it and jumped into a river of goo. Ewww! Slime and things that I dare not think about sloshes over my legs and goes inside my shoes. I go to a nearby ledge and take off my shoes. No need to make them dirtier! I then whipped out a plastic bag so that the shoes will not leak out grime onto my bag. Chasing after them is sure not clean. Understatement of my day.
………..
The sewers here is not just stinky, it is practically oozing and reeking of stuff. It is so strong that I can see the fumes rise up from the slimy waters and waft up to mix with the atmosphere around here. I grope around inside my pocket for my handkerchief which is covered with twice the grime. But at least it doesn't reek as much. I hold it over my nose and continue on my way to find the heartless.
"This heartless sure knows how to hide!" I muttered to myself as I wade in the now knee thick waters. I wonder if Sora and Roxas got the signal yet. I just don't want to bump into them at this state. They might mistaken me as the heartless and attack.
At the corner of my eyes, I see a black flicker disappearing to a corner. I drag my feet there quickly. Better to get this over with.
……..
Sora and Roxas are at their usual place; at the balcony of their home. Sora is lying face to the sky on a branch nearby the balcony. Roxas is still leaning on the wall inside covered in the blanket of darkness.
"So, she found out huh?"
"Yeah." Sora continues looking at the endless sky.
"You seem changed."
"Who me?" Sore turns his head to the figure in the dark and grinned. "I can say the same for you. Every since that day."
Roxas is thankful that he is concealed in the darkness. He is quite sure his face is now a nice shade of red. "Yes, that day."
"But you are right. I am changed, just a bit." Sora sits up cross-legged and continues at his sky gazing. "Just a bit."
He knows that he's lying to himself. He has changed a lot. The white blond girl just makes him realize that he had broken his promise. The promise not to care or be close to anyone anymore. But he felt both for her. The smile, her blue eyes shining in the sunlight, they all make him realize that he truly feels for her and that just makes him want o get closer to her.
"Just a bit? You seem protective near her all of a sudden. Oh admit it." Sora sits up a little straighter. "You like her."
"I can't. I'll just end up hurting her." Sora's eyes are now distant, relieving a bitter memory.
FLASHBACK
Sora is in a comfortable and familiar island. He is still thinking about his last trip crossing worlds, dimensions. He still can feel the thrill of cutting through each shadow as it rears up from the ground to become a heartless.
"Sora wake up you lazy bum!" He smiles as the voice rang out clear and upside down, his childhood friend's head pops out, her red strands swaying gently in the breeze. Her blue orbs are screwed up with disapproval.
"Sorry Kairi. It's just that… I have the same dream again." He is sworn to sectary. All he can do is to drag up the same excuse.
"Oh sure. Hey, maybe that's a sign!" Kairi excitedly prance about him.
"Of what?" Amused, Sora sits up watching his red haired friend dancing crazily.
"I dunno. Something…"
……….
"Sora!"
"Kairi!"
Sora is trying desperately to reach out to his childhood friend who is quickly fading inside the swirling black hole. "No, no!" He thrust himself towards her, but the two companions behind him pulled him back.
"You must let her go! I know it is hard but you must!" Donald has his feet anchored fiercely in the ground and his hands clutched around Sora's leg.
"If you perish inside there, everything will! Who will fight the heartless?" Goofy's recognizable accent can still be heard amidst the strong winds. His hands are too clutch around Sora's other leg.
"Sora!" That is the last he have heard of her, Kairi, his childhood friend who is now a red blob and now, gone. Forever.
"Kairi…No…."
FLASHBACK ENDS
"You won't." Roxas' reply cut through his memories. Sora turns curiously at him.
"She's strong and can defend herself too. She won't perish that easily." He seems to reassure himself more than reassure Sora. "Besides, now she knows what's going on, she'll be on her guard."
"Yeah…" Sora went back to lying on the ground and sky gazing. "So, how about you?"
"Me?" He said it all too quickly. Sora smirked.
"You like her too huh?"
"Shut up."
…………………..
"Where are youuuu." I sang out, the echoes, making my singing ten times horrible than it actually is. I've come to a dead end. The heartless too is trapped between my blade and the walls. But the silhouette looks much bigger, tougher, and grizzly. Then I recognize him. He's the person who is always sent down the sewers to unclog clogs. Meet Mr Salmon.
"Mr Salmon?" I timidly call out. The heartless looks at me angrily and brought down a wave of sewer water on me.
"Blueak! Ughh!" I wipe the slime away from my face.
"Me, always picked on, always teased! Because of my work!" Another wave sends me reeling. "Even my own son is ashamed of me!" This time, rubbish and dead stuff in the water in pelted on me. "And you!" He snarls at me. "Wanting to exterminate me 'cause I'm dirty, unclean!" He melted into the shadows and I cursed as I realize something.
The sewer is a place where there is no sunlight so shadows are plentiful here. Shadows only make him stronger. If violence is useless why not reason? Oh boy…
……..
"Hm?" Roxas and Sora simultaneously looks up.
"Another heartless."
…………
"Mr Salmon, I do know how you feel, I really do." I call out to the shadows. "Sometimes, I too feel like rubbish because of me, my family being a grave digger." Something clicks in me and everything came tumbling down in me.
"I feel wasted; each day is like a living hell for me. Everyone just hates or ignores me. I got picked on numerous times and got kicked face down so bad." I know those feelings.
"And when Mama died… the light in me died too. And Avaron didn't help me either." But I know that she helps. She's the one who bring the flame in me, to fight back. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
"And as each day pass, I still hope for a better tomorrow. And as each day comes, I feel as if I have to move on, to see how the story plays out. And how it ends…"
"And now," I lift up my keyblade to the ceiling. Light began to gather on the tip. "I have become stronger. I meet others who respected me. I have made friends. I am the new Namine!" I brought the keyblade down hard. The light spreads down the blade and now, it is flung towards the shadows in a huge light wave towards the darkness.
The light and dust cleared, revealing the heartless. But the red dots are now replaced with yellow ones. "You are right…" The darkness puffed up to become smoke which sinks to the ground to become Mr Salmon's shadow. It is over. He's asleep. My work here is done.
…………
Sora and Roxas are still wandering around when they spotted the opened manhole. But what made them surprise is the thing that comes out of it.
"Watch out! It's a slime monster!"
"Yeah right. Just nice." I struggled a bit before heaving myself on the ground, slime dripping from my hair. I squeeze some water out of it and sighed.
"Where were you guys?"
"Umm." Both look at each other. "Discussing some stuff?"
"Just cut the chit chat next time 'kay? I'm swamped. And I mean," I stretch out my gunk filled clothes. "Really swamped."
………….
Tifa-sensei looks up from Namine's biography with a secret smile playing at her lips. "Finally, you found yourself, Namine." She stood up and peered down her window, watching the white-blond girl as she is chatting happily with Yuna. "You found yourself."
……………………….
So far Sora wins in the polls. So… the special chaappie is coming sooner than you think! Maybe next chapter. Who knows. It is the question of whether I can stall it much longer… Thanks Mitchell's-Michi-FanGirl and Animelover09 for ur reviews and as usual…
Happy R&R!
~SeraphineKH
