Whelp...here we go. The beginning of the end.

Chasing The Truth

By FlikFreak

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Homecoming


It only took fifteen minutes for the group to figure out how they were going to reach shore, and they ended up rowing ashore using Sora and Riku's rowboats. Neku ended up sitting in Riku's boat, running his fingers through the ocean water and marveling how the sun sparkled off its surface. The island itself was beautiful as well: white sands, palm trees, even a little waterfall off to the side. It was like paradise; Neku could hardly imagine the heartless devouring a place such as this.

"It's different from Shibuya, huh?" Riku finally said as they neared the docks.

Neku nodded. "Yeah."

Riku smirked, chuckling. "And to think…two years ago, I'd give anything to get away from this place."

"Why?"

"I was too curious for my own good," Riku explained. "Kairi came from Radiant Garden, but she said she didn't remember anything, so I started to wonder if there were other worlds out there, and why we were just stuck in this small, boring place. With every day that passed by, I wanted more and more to get out there." He laughed humorlessly. "I guess we all learned the meaning of 'be careful what you wish for' the hard way."

Once ashore, Riku returned to the ship to fetch Axel. Sora whispered something to Kairi and promptly placed a hand on Neku's shoulder. "Hey…can I show you something, Neku?"

Neku shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Smiling brightly, Sora led Neku up a wooden ramp and past the waterfall, where he got on his hands and knees and began to crawl under some tree roots. "Through here. It's a bit of a squeeze, but you'll make it."

Now entirely curious, Neku knelt down and shimmied under the roots that Sora had disappeared underneath. Past the small passageway was a much larger one – a small, cave-like hall. It was rather dark, and the only way Neku could make out Sora was through the heightened sense of sight that the keyblade had granted him so long ago…but even then it was pretty dark. Sora took Neku's wrist. "This way."

It only took about fifteen seconds to reach their destination: a cavernous room about the size of Neku's own bedroom, perhaps a bit larger. The stone walls were riddled with chalk drawings (possibly done by very young children), and at the far end was a large wooden door with no knob, keyhole or hinges. Light filtered through a small hole in the roof, but other than that the room was fairly simple. "What is this place?" Neku asked.

"The secret place," Sora replied. "Now grown-ups allowed."

Neku would have remarked about Sora's choice of vocabulary, but the overall fondness of the keybearer's tone caused him to remain silent. This place was indeed very special to him. Instead, Neku contented himself with examining the drawings on the walls. "Who drew all these…?" he muttered.

"My friends and I did," Sora replied, sitting down and leaning against the knobless door. "I first found this place when I was only seven years old or so. I thought there was a monster in this cave, so I got Riku to come in with me."

"Was there a monster?" Neku asked.

Sora laughed. "Of course not. The wind blowing over the hole in the roof was making the noise I heard. Ever since then though, we came here a lot more often, to draw on the walls or just to hide." He stared at the ground a moment, and hugged his knees. "When the heartless came, this was the last place I saw Kairi…and for some reason, there was a door at the cave roots. After I ran in, Kairi just disappeared, and I was thrown outside on the last bit of land left of the islands, but even that didn't last long."

Neku swallowed, somehow feeling the air grow heavy with Sora's remorse. He sat down next to his friend. "It must've been hard for you."

"It was," Sora replied. "I was waiting for my mom to finish cooking dinner when I saw the storm from home, and I came all the way out here to make sure our raft wouldn't get washed out to sea. When I got to the island, there were heartless everywhere, and Riku…he wasn't acting like himself at all. I tried to reach him, but the darkness took him before I could get to him. That's when the keyblade showed up."

"The keyblade came to you when the heartless invaded," Neku repeated. Just like with me…it came right when I needed protection the most.

Sora nodded. "I think it was really meant for Riku, but when Riku fell to darkness, it decided on me instead." He snickered. "I wasn't exactly the first choice of hero, I guess…but I did what I had to. After the islands vanished, I woke up in Traverse Town. I thought this had all been some really weird dream, but after Leon fought me, I started to realize how real it all was. Sometimes I wonder if I'm still dreaming."

With nothing more to say, Sora smiled, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the door behind him. Neku couldn't help but smile at the way the brunette looked; so peaceful and content, even with all of the chaos and fighting he had to put up with. This place – simple as it was – was truly precious to him. Neku could feel it, too; something about the cave put him at ease. His eyelids began to grow heavy, and he realized how tired he was.

How long he sat there, he wasn't sure. Eventually, Neku felt something stir near him. He gave a lazy glance toward Sora, but the boy was still napping. He pressed his back against the door and sighed. It's so quiet here…no wonder Sora likes it.

While he thought about it, Neku began to worry. What horrors had Sora witnessed when a place as peaceful as this was torn apart by the heartless? Neku hadn't seen a world fall to such a fate, but if the said world was also his home, Sora must have been terrified. What if they failed? What if Meyxours tore down this world as well on his quest for power?

A sudden warmth in the air made Neku shiver. Someone else was here aside from Sora. But who? Roxas couldn't be wandering around; Neku would be able to see him. He hugged his knees, glancing warily around, but the warmth only wrapped around him in attempt to calm him. Deciding whatever it was that was screwing with his head wasn't malevolent, Neku relaxed and sighed tiredly.

It's kind of fitting, I guess, Neku thought. If this is where Sora left for his journey, then it would be the proper place to end it. Now that I think about it, this whole trip has been crazy…heartless, nobodies, mermaids, pirates, the belly of a whale, a world inside a computer…I hardly know what to expect next out of all this. It's amazing, and kind of scary, too…

Don't be afraid.

Neku hesitated. The voice was a lot clearer now, as though it were a person standing right in front of him rather than a distant call. As though sensing his fear, the warmth became stronger. Whoever it was, it was trying to help him.

Neku Sakuraba.

That would be my name, Neku replied mentally, his eyes closing in sudden fatigue. Who are you?

We have watched you for so long.

Fascinating, but it doesn't answer the question.

There was no response, but Neku felt his energy returning to him. When he opened his eyes, Sora was still fast asleep next to him. Roxas, visible in his ghost-like form, sat Indian-style nearby. "He sleeps like a log," the nobody muttered.

Neku smirked. "Sora's probably exhausted."

Roxas shook his head. "I doubt it. The only time he's exhausted is when he finds out he's failed at something. Then his energy just…leaves him."

"I take it you've seen that before?"

"I am him. I haven't just seen it, I've felt it."

The former proxy bit his lip. Roxas began to speak again when he spun toward the entrance of the cave. "Someone's coming."

Neku nodded, standing. "Wake Sora up, will you?" he said, but he exited before an answer could come. After crawling through the roots again, Neku was promptly met with the sight of Riku peeking underneath the roots. He hesitated. "Erm…hey."

Riku smirked. "I figured this would be the first thing Sora did."

Apologizing with a grin, Neku slipped out into the open air again, followed by Sora (whom emerged several minutes later). Riku led them over to the dock, where Kairi was trying to calm Axel. "He could hardly sit still on the way over," Riku explained.

"Axel hates water," Sora repeated, although Neku was sure it wasn't Sora talking. "He was lucky Demyx was such a big fan of it, otherwise all of the Atlantica missions the Organization made would have ended in disaster."

"How so?" Riku asked.

Sora shook his head. "Let's just say that vaporizing the entire ocean would probably be the least of what he'd do."

Suddenly, the air went frigid. Neku could have sworn he saw his breath as he cried out in shock. "What the-"

"You felt it, too?" Sora said.

The former proxy nodded. "Yeah…it's like someone just stuck me in a freezer."

Riku shuddered. "I don't like this. We should-"

"Ah, fitting that I would find such a beautiful place just as my search is ending…"

Neku felt his blood boil in anger as he whipped out Music of Shibuya, his companions following suit with their own weapons. "Show yourself, Meyxours!"

In a swirl of black, the familiar figure of Meyxours appeared before them, standing lightly on the white sands of the island. "I was hoping to delay my appearance, but you are all interfering with my goals."

"Good," Axel replied, "Because your goals are garbage."

"Birds of a feather flock together it seems," Meyxours replied, "But no matter. Eliminating you guarantees my goals will be met."

"I thought you were only after me," Neku replied, "Since I apparently betrayed you and all."

Meyxours sneered. "Fool. Do you not know your part in this disaster?" He flicked a finger.

The music surged in protest. Neku crumbled to his knees, the grains of sand rubbing against his skin. He screamed silently, his fingers clenching and his shoulders trembling. "Wh…"

"Neku!" Sora cried. "What's wrong!"

"Music of Shibuya," Neku replied hoarsely. "Meyxours did something to it…"

"Did you honestly think that it was the keyblade that sang to you this whole time?" Meyxours spat. "You are oblivious to the music's true meaning…"

Neku dragged his gaze upward. "What…?"

"It was not your keyblade singing that music to you. It was the worlds themselves…namely Shibuya."

"Shibuya…?" Neku echoed. "But how? I've heard the music this whole time, even when I wasn't in Shibuya…"

"I could tell you that," Meyxours replied, "And I'm sure it would put you at ease, but I have priorities, unlike you children." He lifted his hand into the air, creating a ripple in reality itself. A long, crooked staff appeared, an orb of white light floating above it. Meyxours gripped it, bringing it down to his side. "And it would be much simpler to tell you once you're in your last moments, when you're so much easier to control."

Sora grit his teeth. "Neku isn't your tool!" He protested. "And you're not getting Kingdom Hearts!"

Meyxours flinched. "What…of course you would know…it led you here, didn't it? You are connected…"

"Guess again," Axel replied. "No one led us here. We came on our own, and we had a friend warn us, too."

"It matters not how or why you came," Meyxours shot back with a sneer, the temperature in the air plummeting by the second. "You will all meet the same fate, just as Xenuk before you!"


Let the final battle commence!