Here's the long-awaited (maybe) chapter one. I should note that for now, nothing too extreme happens. Yet.
Chasing The Truth
By FlikFreak
Chapter One: Reunited
Did he hear you?
I'd assume so, given the fact that he responded.
Makes sense. Can you do it yet?
No. There's no one close to him at the moment. What do you want me to do, show up by myself? There's no way I can do it like that.
There's Sora.
…augh. Can't we do something else? I hate it when I have to-
There's no choice. Besides, you know he'll understand in the end. He always does.
Sure hope so.
To say that the concert was a smash hit was a vast understatement. Neku was afraid he'd get some stage fright at first, but with a few helpful tips – from Beat, of all people – he made it through the event without stuttering once, and the group even received an encore. Once the curtains had closed, the group began packing up their instruments and ate a small "stage picnic dinner" that Hanekoma had packed them as a celebration backstage.
"That was tight, yo!" Beat said as he tore open his bag. "The place was packed!"
"I thought I'd go deaf from all that cheering," Shiki commented after taking a sip from her green tea. "That was really cool though, with the encore and everything."
Rhyme beamed. "You did really good on your solo part, Shiki. I never knew you'd be a good singer."
Shiki blushed. "You really think so?"
"Yeah! You should do a duet with Neku sometime."
Neku chuckled nervously. "I dunno, we'll have to see if we can find a song for that or something. By the way, anyone seen Mr. H yet?"
Almost as if on cue, Hanekoma himself arrived from backstage. "Hey, Players! Enjoy yourselves out there?"
"You bet!" Rhyme said. "The crowd was cheering and everything! We even got an encore! It was so cool!"
"This is totally going down in the history books, yo!" Beat said as he unwrapped a rice cake. "I don't think I've ever had a day in my life that kicked this much ass."
"What Beat said," Neku added. "It was amazing, hearing them cheer for us…the encore really surprised me. I didn't think we'd be that well received."
Mr. H chuckled. "Glad to hear it," he said. "By the way, I've got some visitors for you guys. The came a long way to see you."
"Visitors?" Neku echoed.
"Talent scouts, maybe?" Rhyme suggested. The others nodded in agreement.
The graffiti artist simply grinned, casting a glance back to the staircase. "Hey, you three ganna come or what?"
Though Hanekoma mentioned several of them, only one person appeared at first. A slim girl with long auburn hair and a pink-and-white dress jogged forward. "Sorry about that, Mr. H," she said. "The other two had a bit of trouble with security, but Joshua helped sort it out; they're on their way…"
Shiki tilted her head. "You're kind of young to be an agent," she observed. "Who are you?"
The girl laughed lightheartedly. "Oh, sorry! I'm Kairi. Nice to meet you."
Neku's eyes widened. He knew that name. He knew it well. "You're Kairi?" he said. "And the others with you are…"
Promptly, two more people entered. One of them wore a pair of long, baggy jeans and a white-and-yellow vest, his long silver hair nearly cloaking his turquoise eyes entirely. The boy's stature reminded him a lot of Beat. Next to the silver-haired boy was a figure that Neku would have been able to make out had it not been for Beat suddenly tackling him to the floor.
"Sora! Great to see you again, yo! How've ya been?!"
The keyblade master managed to squeak out "Medic!" before Beat got the idea and let him go. Fortunately, Sora had been through a lot worse than a bear-hug (or a "Beat Hug" as Rhyme once called it) and survived without any fractured bones, although he was quite winded once released.
Shiki's eyes lit up at the sight of the keyblade master. "Sora! You came!"
"Nice to see you in the RG again," Neku said, grinning from ear to ear.
Sora grinned, waving and standing. "Hey, Neku! Hey, everyone! You guys were great out there!"
"Who're your friends?" Rhyme asked politely.
The brunette smacked his head. "Oh, right. This is Riku…" he gestured to the silver-haired boy, whom only nodded politely, "…and Kairi." The girl grinned cheerfully and waved. "They're my friends from the islands that I told you about."
"Nice to meet you!" Kairi said, bowing politely. Riku, meanwhile, simply nodded.
Rhyme nodded in return. "It's nice to meet you, too."
"You're wearing the jacket I made you!" Shiki exclaimed when Sora finally dusted himself off.
Sora grinned. "Yeah. It's really comfortable. Thanks."
"Nice of you all to come see us, Sora," Neku said, speaking up. "We really missed you."
"We've looked forward to coming," Kairi said. "Sora told us all about this place and the adventures he had with you. We couldn't wait to come when we heard about your concert!"
"Sora's not a bad singer himself," Riku said, casting a long glance at the brunette in question. "If we could get a note or two out of him…"
"Hey!" Sora protested. "I'm a shy singer, okay?"
Riku just chuckled at him and muttered something about fish.
"How's Roxas?" Neku asked, propping one of his arms up on his knee.
Sora closed his eyes a moment, then opened them again and nodded. "He's happy to see you too. I'd get him to come out, but he's exhausted from the trip over."
"We all are," Kairi said. "No offense, Sora, but I can kinda see why Donald never let you drive before."
"We were being ambushed by a flood of enemy ships while dodging asteroids," Sora protested hotly. "What'd you expect?"
Kairi rolled her eyes. "At any rate, we did get hit a few times, so we'll probably be staying here until Chip and Dale fix up the Excalibur."
"Chip and Dale?" Rhyme echoed.
"They're our mechanics," Sora explained. "Normally they don't tag along with us, but the pathway here was a bit crowded, so they volunteered. Luckily they're pretty fast at what they do, so they might even be done now."
"Think you could take us to meet them later?" Shiki asked.
"I don't see why not."
The rest of the night was spent with idle banter to accompany the teenagers. Neku noticed how Sora seemed to be in higher spirits than when he first met him. He even seemed less pale for some reason. It didn't take much time to make a guess; Sora had told him during the course of the game that he had felt slightly ill, and when he found out that his friends had been taken as his entry fee, he had been devastated. Now that his friends were free again, the boy was much more at ease.
Kairi was an interesting girl with a friendly air about her. There was a strange feeling that Neku got from her that he also got from Sora, but he didn't press the issue. According to Sora, Kairi had been kidnapped by a man who later aided Sora in his journey, but she had done her share of fighting in the end.
In almost complete contrast to Sora and Kairi, Riku was an enigma to Neku. He didn't speak very much, but he proved to be a lot more calm than his two other friends. Riku was also quite intelligent and loyal, and wasn't afraid to poke fun at Sora when given the opportunity (Apparently he considered Sora a total sap, sparking a small dispute between the two which lasted all of twelve seconds). He also kept looking at Neku oddly, giving him a stare that the former proxy wasn't too sure he liked or not.
"How's everything in the Game?" Sora asked hesitantly.
An unsettling quiet came over the Players, but Neku spoke up anyway. "Joshua says they haven't had any problems, thankfully. Ever since we got rid of Pi-Face and Xsoh, things have been pretty quiet there. No heartless anywhere, but the reapers are still on the lookout for any leftovers."
"What about you?" Shiki asked. "How've your travels been?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Sora replied. "The restoration committee hasn't picked up anything serious lately. They got a reading a while ago, but it wasn't that big, so Leon and Yuffie looked into it."
"It took forever for Sora to convince Cid to let us come here," Kairi said. "For some reason he changed his mind pretty quick at the last second. He told us to be careful, though, like we were going to be fighting an army heartless or something."
"Probably still worked up about what happened last time Sora came here," Neku said. "After all, he did…" His voice trailed off.
Silence returned as Neku recalled what had happened. He had been caught in an accident that killed him, but woke up in the UG early due to Joshua's urging. He hadn't witnessed Sora's own death, but he had arrived moments after Minamimoto's heartless had fled the scene, with Joshua's gun in his hand and Sora's lifeless body on the cement, blood seeping from the bullet hole that had been in his skull. It still haunted him, and he had to use all his willpower not to look at that same place on Sora's head. The keyblade master's fingers twitched, but he shoved them roughly into his lap. Neku knew what he would have been doing with them.
Rhyme must have known of the proxy's unease, and she made haste to break the ice. "Sora, do you still have that charm I got you?"
Sora changed gears faster than the trends changed in Shibuya. His face lit up with excitement. "Yeah! I carry it with me everywhere!"
"I never got to see what she got you," Shiki stated. "Can you show us?"
At the comment, Sora's face flushed red and he rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Uhm, well, actually, right now it's…"
"You said you carry it with you everywhere, right?" Beat reminded him. "Let's see it, yo!"
"But…"
Riku rolled his eyes. "Sora, just show them. The longer you put it off, the more embarrassed you're going to be."
Embarrassed? Neku echoed, stifling a chuckle. This ought to be interesting.
Sora sighed. "Well," he began. "You see…the keyblade accepted it."
Rhyme blinked, obviously not knowing what to think. "Huh? It…accepted it?"
Kairi nudged Sora. "Go on."
With a nervous gulp, Sora reached out in front of him, fingers spread outward. Neku recognized the gesture as one he used to summon the keyblade normally, in times that he just wanted to see it and didn't necessarily need to defend himself. Neku was about to question what the keyblade had to do with Rhyme's charm when it appeared.
The brilliant, golden handle was elegantly curved around Sora's hand. The shaft, which was tinted a beautiful bronze color, was moderately long, engraved with several interweaving designs that could only just barely be made out. A metallic curl was set at the end, clearly identifying the weapon as a keyblade, reminding Neku a lot of the graffiti-like flames that he used to summon. Like with all keyblades, a keychain dangled from the loop at the end of the hilt. There, dangling at the end of the said keychain, was a familiar golden bell.
Rhyme's charm.
"So that's what you meant," Shiki said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It can take on a different form?"
Sora nodded. "Yeah. It doesn't work for just any keychain, but Roxas was curious to see if it would, so I tried and, well…it worked."
Neku glanced over at Rhyme. The girl's jaw was open slightly, her eyes lost in wonder. She kept trying to speak, but was at loss for words. It was only when Sora spoke that the silence was broken.
"The look on his face was priceless when he first saw it."
Within a split second, everyone gave Sora a blank stare and he clapped one hand over his mouth. After realizing what had just happened, Sora put on a quite effective pouting face. "Roxas, that's not funny."
"He did it again?" Kairi said with a hint of understanding in her voice.
Beat did not hesitate to scamper back. "S-Sora's possessed by that ghost?"
Neku rolled his eyes. "We went through this like fifteen times, Beat. Roxas is not a ghost."
"Guess we shouldn't introduce him to Naminé, then," Riku commented, a sly smirk on his face.
There wasn't a chance to ask who Naminé was when Hanekoma entered. "Hey, you guys. They're ganna lock the place up in 'bout half an hour. You almost ready to go?"
"Yeah," Shiki said. "Where are Sora and the others going to stay, though?"
Sora scratched his head sheepishly. "I, uh…didn't think about that part. I thought we'd be sleeping on the Excalibur, but…"
"You can stay over at my place," Neku offered. "My mom's cool with it, and we're having a sleepover anyway. How long are you guys staying?"
"Just until tomorrow or so," Kairi said, looking disappointed. "Sora wanted to show us Shibuya so badly, so he brought us here with him. We aren't planning on staying too long though, because…" She looked at Sora, whom stared at the keyblade in his hands.
Other worlds. Of course. "Well, we can give you the grand tour tomorrow if you want," Neku suggested. "I know Sora's seen a lot of Shibuya already, but I'm fine with showing you guys around, too."
Kairi beamed. "Thanks, Neku!"
The rest of their conversation was cut short when a few of the lights started going out, signaling that the concert hall was closing down. Neku stood, gathering an uneaten rice cake to eat on the way home, and led everyone out of the building.
The streets were dark at night, and the sky hardly visible. Shiki and Kairi talked avidly about clothing design on the way to the bus stop (Kairi was fascinated by design and was more than willing to listen to Shiki ramble on) while Sora, whom had dismissed the keyblade earlier, was speaking to Beat and Rhyme about his home on the islands. While waiting at the bus stop, Neku glanced down the streets. Their ride would be here any minute.
"You were Sora's partner in the Reaper's Game, right?"
Neku spun around on force of habit, ready to strike, but only found that the silver-haired boy that Sora had brought along was talking to him. He paused, and nodded. "Y-Yeah. Riku, right? Why do you ask?"
Riku's expression was indiscernible as he looked Neku over. "He told me a lot about you," he said. "You haven't had any strange dreams lately, have you?"
The world seemed to come to a screeching halt around Neku. His eyes widened considerably when Riku's words sunk in. What the…how does he know about…
"I think I'll take that as a yes," Riku stated calmly. "Looks like that day isn't as far off as the king suspected."
"The king?" Neku echoed. "Who're you talking about?"
His question went ignored. "The bus is here."
Disgruntled from not getting an answer, Neku climbed onto the bus and stuffed himself into a seat. His friends placed themselves nearby, with Sora getting a spot next to Neku. "How's everything been since I was gone?" he asked quietly.
"No sign of heartless in the UG," Neku replied, knowing that neither of them wanted to reflect on the game, but it was still necessary. "Like I said, they left when Pi-Face did. Why're you asking me this again?"
"I know you wouldn't want to be so open about it with the others," Sora replied. "You don't seem like the type of person that would drag others into your problems, so if there was more that you couldn't tell the rest of them…" He let his sentence trail off and nodded vaguely to get his point across.
Neku quirked an eyebrow. "You're pretty perceptive," he commented.
Sora shrugged. "Roxas was the one that noticed," he said. "Anyway, it's good to know things are quiet here."
"How 'bout you?" Neku asked. "Any insane adventures you've been on after you left?"
The brunette nodded. "Yeah. Nothing as big and exciting as Shibuya was, though. Me, Riku and Kairi went to visit the king before we came here, and there are still problems on some worlds, but there's nothing seve-" Sora choked suddenly, clapping one hand over his face. "Urgh!"
Neku's eyes widened and he placed his hands on Sora's shoulders, steadying the boy as he shivered. "Sora! You okay?!"
He looked anything but. When Sora stopped shivering, he sat up, looking over at Neku. For a very, very brief moment, the keybearer's eyes were glowing a soft, light blue. Startled, Neku began to back away, but Sora shook it off and rubbed his head, his eyes returning to the normal deep blue hue they were before. "Ugh…what in…"
"You okay, Sora?" Rhyme asked, having noticed the boy's sudden convulsion.
Sora smiled cheerfully, the strange occurrence having left the instant it came. "Yeah, I'm okay. Don't know where it came from."
"Was it Roxas?" Riku asked in a hushed voice.
To their surprise, Sora shook his head. "No. Not Roxas. He's trying to figure out what just happened, too."
Still calming down, Neku pressed his back against his seat, spending the rest of the trip in silence. If Roxas wasn't the one that caused Sora's sudden seizure, then who did?
And why did those eyes look so much like the ones in his dream…?
…I can't design or describe keyblades to save my life. XD Anywho, there's chapter one! Sorry if it was slow for anyone; I promise chapter 2 is probably a lot better than this one x.X
Characters met in this chapter:
Daisukenojo "Beat" Baito (The World Ends With You)
Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)
Neku Sakuraba (The World Ends With You)
Raimu "Rhyme" Baito (The World Ends With You)
Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Sanae Hanekoma (The World Ends With You)
Shiki Misaki (The World Ends With You)
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu (The World Ends With You)
