"Mufasa? I thought Simba said you were dead." Sora said as Mufasa glanced away with a somber expression.
"Uh Sora…" Aqua said as realization swept Sora's face.
"Wait…WE'RE DEAD?" Sora asked as he started feeling himself all over.
"No! You are not dead." Mufasa said with an amused yet booming laugh.
"We're not?" Aqua asked as Mufasa laughed again.
"No. You two are both still on that path aren't you? That path designates who is, and who isn't still alive." Mufasa said as Aqua figured it out.
"So…Sora and I are alive…but you're not?" Aqua asked as Mufasa nodded.
"Yes." He replied.
"Oh that makes sense." Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.
"Then…what is this place?" Aqua asked confused.
"This is the Road of Remembrance. It is where all those of pure hearts go when they die." Mufasa answered.
"How did we end up here?" Sora asked.
"Probably that storm. But it makes no sense. Why are we here if we're not dead?" Aqua asked as Mufasa started walking alongside the road away from them.
"You were meant to come here for a reason. Come. There are people who wishes to speak with both of you." Mufasa said as the two Keyblade wielders shrugged and followed after him on the path. As they walked they came across a fork in the road.
"Which way do we go?" Aqua asked as Mufasa leapt over the road to the point where the road split.
"You must take both paths. Sora must take the right, and you must take the left." Mufasa said as Aqua scratched her head confused.
"What for?" Aqua asked.
"There are people on both roads that wish to speak with the two of you. Both roads will meet up again." Mufasa said as Sora and Aqua looked at each other again and shrugged.
"Okay. Sora, be careful." Aqua said before she departed down her road. Sora started walking down his road silently, looking around as he walked but taking care to remain on the path. Both leaving Mufasa at the fork.
On Aqua's side of the road, she kept walking along until she saw something. Off to the left side of the road was a large tree that hung out over the road. She was about to pass it by when she suddenly noticed that the road stopped in a large turnaround circle.
"Hey, what gives?" She asked as she stepped into the turnaround and then turned back only to notice that the road behind her had vanished.
"What is going on here?" She asked.
"Perhaps if you turned around for a moment, you'll see the reason why you are here." A voice said that made Aqua freeze in shock. She knew the voice.
"It can't be." She whispered as she turned around and saw one person she never imagined she would ever see again, standing in the shade of the tree.
"It's good to see you again Aqua. I'm sorry it has to be like this." The voice said as a tear ran down Aqua's face.
"Master Eraqus." She whispered in shock.
On Sora's road…
Sora kept on walking until he saw a man standing in the grass, repetitively doing something strange. He was a tall man, with long black spiky hair, similar to Axel's in a way. He wore a black uniform with matching gloves, boots, and a large buster sword on his back similar to Cloud's original except without the bandages. The man was repeatedly squatting down then standing back up before squatting down again and standing up again, letting his arms swing freely at his sides as he did so.
"Um, excuse me?" Sora asked as the man stopped and ran a hand through his hair as he caught his breath, checking his pulse at the neck before turning towards Sora. He was young in appearance but his sky-blue eyes had an unnatural glow to them, also like Cloud.
"Oh hey! Glad to see ya! I've been waiting for ya to get here." The man said with a friendly smile.
"Um…have we met? You look familiar." Sora said as the man chuckled.
"Well you haven't met me Sora, but Ven sure did." The man said, catching Sora off guard.
"Huh? What do you mean? How do you know my name?" Sora asked as the man laughed again.
"Relax buddy I'm not an enemy. I'm a friend. Search Ventus's memories and you'll see that he and I know each other." The man said as Sora closed his eyes and thought hard. Almost instantly a flood of memories appeared in his mind and he saw a much younger man, about his age with the same black hair and eyes, but wearing a blue version of the same uniform and carrying a simple broadsword. A single name came to him.
"Zack?" Sora asked curiously as the man crossed his arms with a grin.
"That's my name! See I knew Ven wouldn't forget me." Zack replied.
"W-wait a minute! How did you die? You were supposed to become a hero!" Sora exclaimed, having instantly relived Ven's memories as Zack motioned to slow down.
"Whoa there Sora. I'll have you know that I did become a hero. I just…well I'm here so you know how I ended up. You and I actually have a mutual acquaintance though. You know Cloud, right?" Zack asked as Sora nodded.
"He's a friend of yours?" Sora asked as Zack nodded.
"Yep. Took my old sword when I died. Then he lost it and looky here, I've got it back again." Zack said as he drew the large buster sword, driving it into the ground next to him before leaning against it.
"I thought that sword looked familiar. But didn't it have bandages on it?" Sora asked as Zack shrugged.
"Ah that's just Cloud's mopey style. I dunno why he does it. But anyway, I digress, let's get moving shall we? There are other people who want to meet ya." Zack said as he pulled the sword from the ground and placed it on his back before he and Sora started walking on.
Meanwhile…
"Master Eraqus…is it really you?" Aqua asked as Eraqus nodded.
"Yes Aqua, it's really me. Please don't act so surprised." Eraqus said as Aqua dropped to her knees, staring up at her late master before he knelt down to her level.
"I am…so sorry master…for everything. I've failed to be the master you trained me to be." Aqua said as she lowered her head.
"No, you haven't. You've made me proud Aqua. I've been watching you out there. Training Sora to become a Master was a wise move. You are following your heart and doing what you feel is right. I am as proud of you as a Master can ever be of his pupil. There is no reason for sorrow." Eraqus said as Aqua looked up at him.
"But I'm not succeeding. I've done everything I can and yet I still feel like Sora's not ready to take his Master's Qualification Exam yet." Aqua said as Eraqus moved around so that he was sitting Indian style on the grass. Aqua did the same.
"It's never easy to determine when it's time for the exam, Aqua. But you will feel it in your heart when the time has come. Sora is very close, due in no small part to the experience he's gained from Ven. But don't worry, even when Ventus is restored, he'll still retain the same strength he has now."
"Which reminds me…how do we restore Ven exactly? Is there something special that we'll need, some kind of ceremony or ritual?" Aqua asked as Eraqus shook his head.
"Put your trust in both Ven and Sora to do what needs to be done when the time comes…and that time will be very soon. I can feel Ven's heart and he has almost completely awakened. You will have to start thinking about returning home soon to restore him." Eraqus said as Aqua sighed in memory of her homeworld.
"Home. It's been so long…and the last time I saw it..." she said, allowing her sentence to drop off.
"It may have changed but the changes made to it can be undone. You were the one who made the changes after all." Eraqus said as Aqua looked at him.
"No-no I meant before I-…" "Oh right-right-right, Xehanort's changes. I see what you mean now. But even his changes are reversible…well, most of them anyway." Eraqus said as Aqua pulled out both hers and Terra's lucky charms.
"So that answers my questions about Sora and Ven…but what about Terra?" Aqua asked as she held Terra's charm in her hand.
"You already have what you need to free him from Xehanort's control. You will encounter Xehanort again soon and when you do, you must trust Terra to reclaim his body. You need only to keep Xehanort at bay while he does so." Eraqus said as Aqua sighed.
"Is…is he still in there? I know he had a lucid moment in Twilight Town but after that, I'm not sure he's even still in there anymore." Aqua said, looking at his charm.
"Do you really doubt the resolve of Terra's Heart that much? Terra is stubborn. He's not going to give up; you know that more than either of us. Besides, I know from firsthand experience that Terra is still inside there." Eraqus said as Aqua looked up at him, a look of shock clear on her face.
"Huh?" She asked.
"His heart is still there, trapped within his body. You were right when you said that the darkness of those around him gives Xehanort's heart a boost in power, feeding off the darkness like a parasite, and allowing him to overwhelm Terra. But our boy is still there; biding his time and building his strength for when the opportunity will arrive that will finally free him of Xehanort's influence forever. But there is more." Eraqus said as a look of curiosity swept over Aqua's face.
"Really? What is it?" She asked.
"Terra's heart isn't alone in his struggle to overpower Xehanort. He has some help." Eraqus said as Aqua pondered.
"Who?" She asked as Eraqus smiled again.
"When Xehanort killed me, Terra reached out to try and catch me but when he did; my heart took root within his own. Though dormant like Ven's own heart, my heart will give Terra that extra boost he needs when the time comes. You'll see what I mean eventually." Eraqus said as Aqua smiled with a look of hope and joy on her face.
"Terra." She said softly as she looked up towards the blue sky above. She then felt something fall into her hands. She looked down and saw Eraqus's Keyblade sitting in her hands. She closed her fingers around it carefully.
"Your Keyblade?" She said before looking up at her master, "I thought I lost it while wandering in the Realm of Darkness. How did you-?"
"Not everything is lost in darkness, Aqua. And it is no longer my Keyblade. No, that Keyblade belongs to a true master of the Keyblade. I want you to have it." Eraqus said as Aqua summoned her own Keyblade, Rainstorm, looked at it quietly for a moment before she removed the keychain, causing it to revert back to its basic Rainfall form. She then sighed and grasped a hold of Eraqus's Keyblade though when she did it disappeared into its keychain. Aqua quietly placed the keychain on her Keyblade and in a flash of light it became Eraqus's Keyblade.
"Mark of Mastery. It will serve you well Aqua." Eraqus said as Aqua held the Keyblade in her hands cautiously.
"I still feel hesitant to use it, Master. It was your Keyblade after all. It feels wrong for me to use it instead of you." Aqua said as Eraqus smiled and laughed.
"I never said you had to use it. I only want you to have it…if anything to remind you of your own training and to give you some silent moral support when you need it most." Eraqus said as Aqua held the Keyblade close.
"Thank you master. I won't forget you or your training." Aqua said as Eraqus smiled again.
"There is one more thing I have to give you, and this was handed down to me from my master when I achieved the rank myself." Eraqus said as he stood up and slid off his white haori with red lining, and handed it to Aqua who gaped at it hesitantly.
"Huh? Oh no master, I could never-!" Aqua said but Eraqus interrupted her.
"I insist Aqua. You are the first of my pupils to become a master. It is tradition for a true Keyblade Master to wear a robe such as this and it is also tradition that the first apprentice to become a Master when the master has more than one apprentice gets the robe as a symbol of honor." Eraqus said as Aqua finally relented and put the robe on. She was surprised when she felt that it fit her perfectly.
"It suits you, and who knows, perhaps Sora will be wearing the robe soon, although that is your choice." Eraqus said as Aqua chuckled nervously.
"I hope you'll forgive me for being greedy, but I don't think he'll ever wear this particular robe. He'll get one, just not this one." Aqua said as Eraqus laughed with delight.
"Ah that's my Aqua." Eraqus said before they both fell silent again. Aqua heard what sounded like a rustling bush nearby and turned to see that the path had reappeared, though it led onwards from where she was and not backwards. She then turned back to her late master.
"So…I guess this is goodbye." Aqua said as Eraqus shrugged.
"Not yet. I can still walk along side of you while we meet up with Sora. I'd like to meet the lad myself actually." Eraqus said as Aqua smiled with glee.
"I would be honored to introduce you master." Aqua said as they both turned and started walking on down the path, Eraqus walking to her left on the grass as they progressed.
Meanwhile…
Sora and Zack were still walking along the road until they came across a small cottage house off the road. Sitting out front in a rocking chair was a small, elderly woman with thick, grey hair tied into a bun. She wore a sleeveless, purple dress with a white apron over it. She also wore a dark cloth tied around her neck, and a white ring on her left ring finger. She was rocking back and forth with a pleasant smile on her face with her eyes closed.
"Who's that?" Sora asked as Zack grinned.
"Oh she's something of a friend of a very close friend of yours." Zack replied.
"Huh?" Sora asked confused.
"You'll see." Zack replied as the road curved towards both her and the cottage.
"Hello there old timer. I've got a friend with me who I know you're just gonna love." Zack said as the woman opened her eyes, revealing a sparkling blue within them.
"Oh why hello there Sora. I see you've met Zack, the puppy." The old woman said as Sora snickered and turned to Zack with an amused expression.
"The puppy?" Sora asked with stifled laughter. Zack simply shrugged.
"Long story, don't get me started." Zack said as he plopped down onto the grass.
"So um…how do you know me? I can tell that we've never met. And I can't seem to find any of Ven's memories that have you in them so…how do I know you?" Sora asked as the woman chuckled.
"Why we have a mutual acquaintance, Sora." She replied.
"We do?" Sora asked as the woman nodded.
"Why of course. You're in love with my granddaughter." The woman replied causing Sora to freeze.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa! Back up! You're Kairi's grandmother?" Sora asked in disbelief.
"I honestly wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. I was expecting a freak out but not this big-a-one." Zack said as he reclined on a grassy knoll.
"Yes Sora, I am Kairi's Grandmother. I've wanted to meet you for quite a while now. I must say that you're much more handsome in person than the other you described." Kairi's Grandmother explained causing Sora to blush.
"Oh-uh, thank you ma'am. I really-…wait what do you mean other me?" Sora asked confused.
"Oh it's a sad tale. One that everyone in the worlds has forgotten but it involves your nobody, Roxas." Kairi's Grandmother said, further confusing Sora. This time however Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out the sphere with the XIII etched onto it and flicked it up into the air. In a flash of light, Roxas appeared in his Twilight Town garb. He then started looking around curiously.
"Okay…we're obviously not in a fight, so what gives?" Roxas asked as he turned to Sora.
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Sora asked as Roxas turned and pointed his thumb at Zack.
"He's Zack-," then he pointed his thumb at Kairi's Grandmother, "-and that's Kairi's Grandmother. I'm up to speed."
"Yeah okay. So what's this about a story that involves you Roxas?" Sora asked as Roxas shrugged.
"Beats the heck out of me." Roxas said as Zack interjected.
"Question, if you're a nobody, do you even have heck to beat out of you?" Zack asked, earning a wry glare from Sora and Roxas.
"What?" he asked innocently, grabbing a blue colored apple from out of nowhere and biting down on it.
"The story is one that even you forgot Roxas." Kairi's Grandmother said, confusing both Sora and Roxas.
"Huh?" Roxas asked.
"You have forgotten but at one time, there was a fourteenth member of Organization XIII. She was one of your only two friends within the Organization aside from Axel, and the two of you shared a common bond. You both were derived from Sora in one way, shape, or form." Kairi's Grandmother explained.
"Are we talking about Namine?" Sora asked as Kairi's Grandmother shook her head.
"No, child. I speak of…oh why am I talking about her like she isn't even here?" Kairi's grandmother asked herself as she stood up and opened the front door to the cottage.
"Come on out child! It's alright!" She called. Soon they heard the sound of footsteps against the wooden floor of the cottage and from it emerged a figure clad in the black Organization robes but with the Organization's heeled boots of the female members, although the heels weren't as noticeable as Larxene's were. Sora and Roxas were both confused.
"It's so good to see you again Roxas. More than you know." A young woman's voice said but neither of them could see her face.
"Who are you? How are you connected to us?" Roxas asked confused.
"You forgot me, but I never forgot you. I've been with you ever since before you faced Riku after you planned to leave the Organization. I've been a part of you." The figure said as Roxas scratched his head. He started trying to remember his time in the Organization but every time he did, he noticed several apparent gaps in his memory. Almost as if there were patches of static on a television set, blocking out the image of something or someone as they moved, leaving the others unhindered.
"I…I don't remember. I'm trying, but I just don't." Roxas replied as the figure lowered her head and then put a hand to the edge of her hood.
"Then…look at my face…and remember." The figure said as she pulled back the hood, revealing a face that Roxas had forgotten but looked strikingly familiar.
"Kairi?" Sora asked confused but the girl shook her head, some of her long jet black hair dropping down in front of her face and shining blue eyes.
"No. My name isn't Kairi. It's Xion."
End Chapter 29.
Surprised?
Okay firstly, I was uber-stoked when I found out the voice actors for Eraqus and Master Xehanort. Mark Hamill as Eraqus and Leonard Nimoy as Xehanort was, in my opinion, the perfect choices for those roles. Mark's one of my favorite voice actors, since he's done super awesome roles such as Fire Lord Ozai from Avatar the Last Airbender, and the Joker from the Paul Dini Batman cartoons and Arkham Asylum. And who can argue with Spock? (Please no Star Wars vs. Star Trek comments in your reviews.)