People…seriously. You guys are all too good for me. I've received so many lovely reviews of this fanfic. I promise from the bottom of my heart to make these last few chapters as good as I possibly can. I'm aware that this chapter is pretty short, but I wanted to go ahead and get this out for you guys. Besides, it was SUCH a nice place to stop. For now. n.n
In other news, I need to update some of my other works, as I've got many incomplete fanfics that need completing. I'm going to be starting another one soon, but I've three ideas that I can't decide on so I've got a poll up to ask you all. In spite of this, I've already begun work on Spotted Problems, but we won't be seeing the first chapter of that for a while.
Assuming I finish Chasing the Truth before mid-June, we won't have to worry about my hiatus. I'm moving to Seattle for school on the 16th, and before then I need to do some serious packing and shopping and whatnot. Thank you all for being so supportive of Chasing the Truth!
Chasing The Truth
By FlikFreak
Chapter Forty-Two: Trail of Memories
Sora rubbed his head and sat up. The mist was thick, the void dark. The fact alone that he could see nearly counted as a miracle. "Where are we?" He muttered.
Riku pushed himself to his feet. "Good question. Let me know when you find an answer to it."
"At least we're still in one piece," Kairi pointed out. "And this place doesn't seem to bother me at all. How about you guys?"
"I'm fine," Riku replied. "What about you, Sora?"
"One sec." You okay in there?
There was no answer. Sora's eyes widened. "Roxas…?"
Sora, please. I need a bit of time to recover.
Thank the Enix you're alright…don't scare me like that!
Sorry…just a bit dazed.
"Something wrong?" Riku inquired.
Sora shook his head. "Roxas got a bit winded from our entry. I think he's okay, though."
Kairi bit her lip, glancing at Sora anxiously. "I think Naminé's a bit upset, too."
"Well," Riku began, "Wherever we are, whoever was waiting inside was pretty eager to see Neku. Anyone have any ideas why?"
"Not a one," Sora replied. "He said he heard something coming from in the cave. Maybe it was calling him?"
Kairi nodded. "It had to. He kept talking about 'it.' Whatever the 'it' was…"
Riku brushed his pants off. "We'd better get moving. Neku could be anywhere in here, and I'd rather not find out the hard way if he fell into a trap."
"I can help you with that."
All eyes turned to a stranger whom had appeared. Sora gawked. "What the…what're you doing here?!"
The path that was supposed to exist wasn't even there. Neku was just walking blindly forward, hoping that eventually he'd come across some form of exit. Swarming in the air around and above him were sparks of colored light not unlike the ones that had flown out of Anima upon the Aeon's defeat, though something seemed different about these. The long, drawn-out sound they emitted – something akin to a mourning cry – caused Neku to shudder.
This place is creepy, he observed. If all hearts return to Kingdom Hearts, that must mean that this place is…oh, man, is this place really some sort of twisted afterlife?!
The hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle, and Neku froze where he stood. Several of the spheres of light swarmed in front of him, a few more around him. His knees began to feel weak as his mind was bogged down with a sudden, crushing negativity.
A hostile memory? Neku guessed, remembering what the voice had told him. He forced himself to keep moving, but the lights only seemed to swarm more intensely. It was becoming hard to breathe, the cries of the memories gradually growing louder, scattered with fragmented voices.
"Please, don't hurt him!"
"Brother, you musn't do this!"
"If you go there, you'll die!"
"Come back!"
"You killed him! You monster!"
Neku's knees finally buckled and his hands clutched violently at his skull, feeling something drag him down again. He couldn't take this for much longer…
"This can't be happening…not like this!"
The proxy's eyes widened at the familiar voice. "Xenuk…?" He stood, looking about wildly. "Xenuk! Xenuk, are you here?!"
There was no answer. His hopes faded as quickly as they had come. Neku ignored the lights swarming around him and pressed on. "Where is he?" He asked no one in particular. "Mr. H said he could be in the UG…but if he's not there, is he really dead…?"
Kingdom Hearts refused to answer him; Neku was on his own. The swarming lights failed to disperse, seeming to gather more and more with each step. Then, after what seemed to be an eternity, they finally left, but the sight that greeted Neku wasn't a welcome one.
Bodies everywhere. They were floating, seemingly peaceful, above each of them was a crystalline heart. It was disturbing somehow, and Neku swallowed in anxiety. Of course. All hearts begin here, and all so end…this place is like some sort of afterlife, huh?
Shaking a little, Neku pressed on. None of these people seemed too particularly familiar (aside from one that looked strikingly similar to Riku), and he didn't have time to linger. The more time he wasted, the less time he had to reach Jaxuk. He pressed forward, making sure to keep an eye out in case those lights began to swarm him again.
Then one of the bodies caught his eye.
Neku froze. A boy his age, cloaked in black, floating silently. Bright hair waving in a silent breeze, eyes closed peacefully. There was even that familiar smile. Upon seeing the boy, Neku nearly broke down.
It was Xenuk.
It took almost all of Neku's willpower not to rush over to him or even reach for him. His feet remained rooted to the spot, his eyes widening. So he really is gone, he muttered. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here…
There was a brief spark from the heart floating above Xenuk, and Neku could have sworn he saw the replica's fingers twitch, as though pointing in a direction. Neku swallowed, glancing behind him, where he saw even more hearts…but these had no bodies to match. But why? I thought a heart and a body were inseparable. At that thought, however, he remembered something Sora had once told him. Of course…heartless and nobodies are two sides of the same coin. Heartless are the darkness in people's hearts made real, and nobodies are the shells left behind. In other words, the heartless are the hearts and the nobodies are…that doesn't make much sense now that I think about it.
But what about fake hearts? Xenuk obviously made it here, in spite of being a replica. This wasn't a hostile memory, was it?
"Everything about me is fake. When I die…where will I go?"
Neku turned around to see the boy that looked like Riku, as though his eyes had automatically focused on him. When did Riku get a replica? When had his died?
A shiver ran down Neku's spine in sudden realization. Died…why didn't that cross my mind before? This place…it's a graveyard!
From our depths all hearts are born…even your own, Neku Sakuraba.
"And when we die for good, this is where we come back to?"
Correct.
Neku furrowed his eyebrows. It was like he was in the UG while still alive…something he hadn't planned on doing. "Xenuk," he began quietly, "Don't save me a spot just yet, okay? I don't plan on dying for a long time. I've gotta beat Jaxuk first."
The heart floating above Xenuk glowed with a warm light for a moment, as though responding to Neku's request. In the back of his mind, Neku could feel what he was saying. It was encouragement. Nodding, he bit his lip and turned, walking away.
Several minutes later saw Neku stumbling in the void. It's official. I'm lost. He sulked as he trudged through the ever-endless darkness. The lights flew about frantically, but they seemed to leave him alone this time. No more hostile memories to latch onto him…but it was only a small comfort. The more lost he became, the smaller the chance he had of finding Jaxuk and stopping him in time.
But what was he really doing? Up until recently, he was under the impression that the Zoners wanted him dead because he was of no use to them…or because he had killed one of their members in retaliation. He was seen as a threat. At least, that's what he believed at first. Meyxours then labeled Shibuya as an obstacle to his plan, but why had he aimed at Neku? Shibuya was obviously in advanced stages of decay – something that Joshua would hopefully have fixed by the time he came back – so why didn't he finish what he started there? But no…Jaxuk was the real mastermind. He had manipulated everyone behind their backs, and now he was after Kingdom Hearts. Same goal in the end, different ways of reaching it, and certainly different intentions.
How was he going to stop Jaxuk? He couldn't exactly waltz up to him and ask nicely…but fighting through everything wasn't wise either. Even so, he wasn't going to reach Jaxuk if he couldn't even find his way. He needed help. He had been told he wasn't going to be alone…but what did that mean?
"Well, fancy meeting you in a place like this."
There was a boy standing in front of him. Not floating. Standing. Blonde hair swept up in familiar spikes, vibrant blue eyes staring back at him. The clothing was unmistakable. The most important thing Neku noticed, however, was the lack of glow and transparency to him this time. This couldn't possibly be a hostile memory. This was real. "What...how are you...?"
Ven smirked. "Hey there, Neku. Need a tour guide?"
The idea for the Heart Graveyard comes from the game over screen.
