A/N-Another Chapter! This is the last chapter of the first part of the story. (Part? Is that the right word? Season? Arch? Eh...part works). Enjoy! Next chapter we get into some of the deeper plot! Woot! (And to those freaking out over the lack of Axel, don't worry, he's coming back, deep breaths).
Roxas woke with the sun on his face peeking through the blinds. His body wasn't as sore as he was expecting, which was a bonus. Aerith and Naminé had done a terrific patch up job to his injuries. Besides being a bit stiff around his collar bone, he felt fine. Roxas sat up and stretched, feeling the scab on his chest crack and strain. Then he climbed out of his bed and dressed in brown cargo pants and a dark blue tank top. He made sure to belt Oblivion and Oathkeeper to his waist.
'No need to have a repeat incident of last night.´ He thought.
He joined Naminé and Xion for breakfast of French toast and fruit. Xion was glad Roxas was feeling better than when he had going to bed. While they ate, Naminé renewed her request for Roxas to teach her how to fight.
"Are you sure?" Roxas asked, shoving another large bite of toast into his mouth.
"Of course!" Naminé said with a nod. "I know very little and Xion won't teach me."
"Mostly because you suck at fighting," Xion muttered with a grin. Naminé shot her a scowl. Roxas chuckled and nearly choked on his toast.
"Please Roxas!" the blonde girl begged. Roxas swallowed hard and washed his throat out with some juice.
"Alright. Is there anywhere you have to train? I'd rather not wreck Xion's house," Roxas replied.
"There's an open field next to the G. Ship hanger outside the First District. I see people sparring there all the time," Xion remarked.
"Good. We'll meet there after breakfast. Would you like to come, Xion?"
"Nah, you two go ahead. I'll drop by later with some lunch to see how you're progressing."
"Oh, thank you Xion!" Naminé exclaimed. She leapt from her chair and crushed her friend in a hug. Xion laughed and pushed the blonde away.
"Eat your breakfast! I won't have it go to waste." Naminé seated herself and began shoveling the food into her mouth. Roxas chuckled softly as he took another drink from his juice cup.
Thirty minutes later, Roxas was following a very excited Naminé to the open field. She nearly skipped around Roxas the entire way, which made the older blonde smile softly. Her bright nature was enlightening to his dark, emotionless one.
"So what are you going to teach me?" Naminé pressed, peering up at Roxas.
"Basics. You're not ready for a full scale battle yet," Roxas replied.
"I know. I just can't wait to get started." They arrived in the open area next to the G. Ship hangers. It wasn't much more than an expanse of grass that had been trampled flat from traffic. The roar of G. Ships coming and going rang over their heads.
"So what are you going to fight with?" Roxas asked, stopping to turn to his friend. Naminé stopped as well. She smiled at Roxas and held out her hand. Particles of light swirled around it, revealing a Keyblade of her own. Hers was blue with a heart above the base. Soft yellow wires twisted around the shaft to a silver crown for the teeth. The keychain led to another silver crown with a golden heart on it.
"Xion isn't the only one who can wield a Keyblade, you know," Naminé teased. Roxas was a bit shocked at how much more intricate Naminé's Keyblade was and how much larger it was.
"Are you sure you can use that? It's practically the same size as you," Roxas teased right back. Naminé swung it back and held it steady.
"Of course. Ultima may look a bit clunky compared to Xion's Kingdom, but it's an honest weapon. It will protect me." Roxas nodded and drew his swords.
"Alright. We're just going to work on blocking for now. Let me know if you get tired."
"Right!"
They practiced for hours. Roxas would attack Naminé at random and she would try her best to block the blow. She quickly got the hang of it until Roxas started using both blades. Then she was caught between thinking about the first attack and the second.
"Try not to think about it so much. Think of the Keyblade as an extension of your arm," Roxas stated. He spun his blades around smoothly. "The movements should feel natural."
"Easy for you to say. I've only been at this for one day," Naminé whined.
"Let's take a break. You look exhausted."
"No thanks to you," she said with a wink. Roxas chuckled.
"Roxas! Naminé!" The pair turned to see Xion jogging up to them with a basket tucked in the crook of her arm.
"Xion!" Naminé called back, waving her free hand. "I hope that's lunch!"
"Of course! I can't have you go hungry!" Xion skidded to a halt and grinned at the pair. "You two ready to eat?"
"Roxas just called for a break so your timing is impeccable."
"What the gentleman." Roxas's face blushed slightly as he turned his gaze away. Xion and Naminé giggled and they went to the edge of the field to set up a blanket to eat on. Xion had made sandwiches and cookies. The trio dug in hungrily, the blonde pair more so than Xion.
As they were eating, they were startled by someone calling out to them. The turned to find Cid walking towards them with Cloud and Aerith in tow.
"Well I'll be damned, you're still alive!" Cid exclaimed. He stopped at the edge of the blanket and put his hands on his hips.
"It'll take more than a beating to take me down," Roxas replied.
"Sounds like you took one Hell of a beating, though. Not many people can withstand Sephiroth's Sin Harvest and live to tell the tale." Cid swiped a finger under his nose before replacing his hand on his hip.
"Well, it wasn't easy, I'll say that. It felt like my brain was melting."
"Yeah, it'll do that to you. Tortures you with the sins of your past. The more sin you have, the worse the pain. Cloud's survived it too, you know? He's like a tree. You can wail on him all day and you hardly make a dent."
"All trees fall eventually, dad," Cloud commented. Aerith joined the party on the blanket.
"How are you feeling?" she asked Roxas.
"Much better thanks to you. I'm kind of jealous of your healing abilities," Roxas admitted. Aerith giggled.
"It's nothing really. When one can't fight, they help out those who can. So what are you three doing out here?"
"Roxas is teaching me how to fight," Naminé spoke up. Aerith noticed Ultima sitting next to the blonde girl.
"Oh, that's great!" She clasped her hands together happily. "Some days I wish I could summon my Keyblade but I just can't get it to appear."
"Keep trying, Aerith," Xion encouraged.
"Thank you dear."
"Is Roxas any good in a fight?" Cid asked.
"He kept me guessing," Naminé replied.
"Up for some sparring?" Cid offered.
"Sure," Roxas agreed, setting down the remains of his third sandwich. He dusted off his pants and unsheathed his blades. "Do you have any rules?"
"No magic. Keep it simple and clean." Roxas nodded in agreement. They walked out to the field while Cloud found a spot behind Aerith to stand.
Roxas turned to face Cid with his blades ready. Cid pulled out a one foot pole from his waist belt and spun it around. It expanded into a spear and he smashed the end into the ground. Roxas was impressed by the older man's power.
"Show me what you've got!" Cid taunted.
Roxas took off at a sprint and kept low to the ground. Cid spun his spear around and swiped at the teen. Roxas leapt over the spear and slashed his blades at Cid's chest. The man leapt back and blocked the blades with the butt of his weapon. Roxas dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. Without his armor, he was much more nimble.
He bounced back and forth on his feet. Then he bounded to the left and landed a flurry of blows on Cid's spear. The older man smiled at Roxas's effort. "There we go! Yeah! Keep at it!" he encouraged. Roxas landed a few more blows before bounding into a back handspring to escape from Cid's spear tip driving into the ground where he had been standing. Roxas charged and began his assault again.
He swiped low with his leg and knocked Cid off balance. The man tumbled and Roxas interrupted it with a roll of his own. Cid was knocked onto his back. Roxas rolled again and landed on top of Cid with a knees on his chest, sword points at the man's throat.
Roxas's breathing was labored and he panted to regain the oxygen in his lungs. Cid laughed heartedly on the ground.
"DAMN! That was a rush! Now get off me, kid. You win." Roxas slid off of Cid and stood. The man coiled his legs back and sprang to his feet. "That's some decent training you've got. Who taught you?"
"The Twilight Guard," Roxas replied, sheathing his blades.
"Not bad. Ever take on a skilled fighter?"
"I held my own against a Knight back in Twilight Town."
"A Knight?! HOO! This kid! Cloud, you have got to spar with him!" Cid spun his spear and it snapped back together into its compact size. "Cloud nearly killed a Knight once. Let's see how you compare."
Cloud walked out onto the field and unclipped his Buster Blade from his back. Cid went over to stand by the ladies.
"Do you want me to hold back?" Cloud asked. Roxas pulled out his blades and shook his head.
"There's no point in holding back if I want to get better." Cloud grinned. He slipped a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and held his Blade in front of him. Roxas fell into a stance and waited for Cloud to make the first move.
Cloud leapt forward and slammed his Blade into Roxas's. They pressed against each other before Cloud threw Roxas off. Roxas hopped backwards and his feet slid through the dirt. He recovered and rushed the older blonde. They locked blades again and Roxas started pounding Cloud with a flurry of blows. Cloud matched him strike for strike. Roxas could tell he was at a disadvantage, much like he was back when he fought Xaldin.
Cloud kicked Roxas in the stomach and sent him stumbling backwards. Roxas leaned back as the Buster Blade swept past his face. He lunged forward and drove his shoulder into Cloud's diaphragm. Cloud was barely phased and smashed the butt of his hilt into Roxas's back.
The younger blonde yelped and collapsed to his knees. Roxas painfully rolled away as Cloud's Blade almost took him down. He shakily got to his feet and faced Cloud for another round. Roxas launched another set of attacks but he could tell he was weakening. Roxas wasn't trained for long battles. Raids in Twilight Town never lasted more than a couple of days but the Guards would rotate out so Roxas would never fight more than an hour at a time. The teen had been working all morning and he was fatigued.
Cloud caught him off guard with the back of his Blade. Roxas was sent flying across the field and slid on his shoulder to a halt. He gasped for air as Cloud sheathed his blade. The elder blonde's breathing was barely worked up at all. Roxas could tell he was trained for endurance. Cloud walked over to him, removing his sunglasses, and offered a hand to the teen.
"Not bad. You did well," Cloud complimented. Roxas shakily accepted the hand and was pulled to his feet.
"Thanks," Roxas muttered. Cloud pulled Roxas's arm over his shoulder and helped the teen over to the blanket. Aerith quickly got to her feet and rushed over. She helped Roxas lie down on the blanket and gave him some space to breathe.
"That was great!" Xion stated. Roxas smiled weakly up at her.
"Next time, you can get the shit kicked out of you," he replied. Xion giggled.
"I think I'll pass."
"Nice job, Cloud. You hesitated too much against the kid but you did good," Cid commented.
"There were plenty of times I could have killed him but he deserved a fighting chance," Cloud replied. Roxas frowned.
"I said not to hold back!" the teen protested.
"I didn't." Roxas's frown deepened.
"Don't mind him. He's always cryptic," Aerith murmured. Cloud grunted softly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go have some fun," Aerith suggested.
"I wouldn't mind," Naminé commented. "I have some drawings that could use some work." Aerith smiled and pulled out an Elixer from her side pouch. She helped Roxas sit up so he could drink it. Roxas was glad to feel his energy return from the bubbly drink.
He took it easy while Xion and Naminé packed up their picnic lunch. Then they said their good-byes to Cloud, Cid and Aerith before heading back home.
XxXxX
"Where are we going exactly?" Roxas asked.
"I told you, it's a surprise," Xion replied, looking over her shoulder with a smile. Roxas rolled his eyes. It was late in the evening and Xion had invited him on a walk. Roxas gladly accepted and they traversed the refugee sector of Traverse Town.
Xion had eventually led him out of Town altogether and they walked along the barren land into a field of wild grass and flowers. Roxas inhaled deeply and let the sweet smell of pollen flood his senses. Farther ahead the ground dropped away to a large cliff. Xion went and stood by the edge and Roxas stood next to her.
His heart clenched painfully.
The sun was setting on the horizon. He had seen many sunsets in Twilight Town but Traverse Town's sun paled in comparison. Xion noticed Roxas's sad countenance.
"I know it's not the same, but it's still pretty," she said, staring off at the sky.
"Yeah, I guess…" Roxas muttered. He sat on the edge of the cliff and dangled his legs. Xion joined him. "I used to watch the sunset with my parents and my friends from the clock tower. It had the best view of the setting sun as it set gently on the distant hills and waves of the beach. I always felt like I could reach out and touch it." Roxas reached out to the distant sun and clasped his hand shut. "But I was only fooling myself." He lowered his arm and sighed. Xion rested her hand on top of his.
"Radiant Garden was known for its vast variety of flora. Being here only makes me sad since I know nothing can compare to the scenic views of my old world. But then I sit out here," Xion said softly, "and somehow it's not so bad."
"What do you mean?" Roxas asked, turning to her. The sun illuminated her face.
"Because I have the chance to sit here, to see the sun set and to sit amongst the flowers. There are so many out there who died wishing they could find a bit of peace like this."
"I guess you're right." Roxas turned back to the horizon. "The night before my home was destroyed, I sat and talked with one of my friends much like this. I had asked him what he would do if our world was destroyed. He said he would come here and make new friends." Roxas chuckled. "And all I could think about was getting revenge. At least he died with a glimmer of a hopeful future in his heart. I told him when the war was over, we would get together with our friends and eat ice cream on top of the clock tower while we watched the sun set. It seemed so simple, but now it's the only future I have left. And it's gone."
Xion gave his hand a squeeze.
"I know how you feel," she whispered. Roxas intertwined their fingers together. Xion smiled warmly. They watched the sun set below the horizon and the last rays of light fade for the day. Roxas suddenly go to his feet and pulled Xion with her.
"Come on. I want to show you something." Xion was perplexed but followed Roxas. He led her to the center of the field and put his hands on her shoulders. "You have to close your eyes. I'll let you know when to open them." Xion wasn't too sure but she did as he requested.
Roxas waited patiently and scanned the ground. He spotted a purple flower hidden by the tall grass. Roxas picked it and tucked it into Xion's hair.
"What are you doing?" she giggled.
"Just be patient. I'll let you know." Xion giggled again and waited. She stood in silence for another twenty minutes before she felt Roxas move behind her. "Alright, look up and open your eyes." Xion tilted her head back so it rested on his shoulder and opened her eyes. She gasped.
Millions of stars hovered above their heads. Without the light pollution of the Town, there was a greater multitude of stars present in the sky. Xion stared up at the sparkling lights and smiled.
"You're such a helpless romantic," she teased. Roxas chuckled and tickled her sides.
"Says the girl who took me out to see the sun set!" They laughed and Xion gave Roxas a shove. Then she took off running. Roxas took after her as she tried not to laugh while she fled. He tried to catch her but she turned quickly and he nearly fell over.
"Nice try!" she taunted. Roxas took after her and tackled her to the ground while tickling her sides.
"Nice try!" he mocked. Xion giggled and gave him a playful shove. Roxas chuckled and smiled down at her. He blinked and noticed the stars were reflecting in her eyes. Roxas sat back and allowed Xion to sit up. His gaze lowered to the ground as he blushed furiously. Xion cupped his chin and raised his head. Then she poked his nose with her free hand.
"You're blushing again," she noticed. Roxas's face grew even hotter.
"Am not!" he protested. Xion snickered.
"Prove it!"
"It's dark out so I can't."
"Exactly! So I'm right."
"No…!" Xion rested her forehead against his.
"You're a horrible liar." Roxas gulped and blinked. He had never really liked a girl romantically before so he had no idea how to act. He knew how Hayner acted around Olette but he was a bit of jerk. Roxas didn't want to hurt Xion.
"Y-yeah, I'm blushing," he muttered in defeat. Xion poked his nose again.
"Told ya!" Xion leaned back and looked up at the sky. "You have to admit, the stars are really pretty out here."
"As are you," Roxas mumbled. Xion turned beet red.
"Wait…wha-?" she stammered. Roxas looked into her eyes.
"I really like you, Xion." Xion was left speechless. Roxas leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheekbone. Xion's face was on fire. Roxas leaned back and stared at the ground.
Xion finally snapped out of her daze and pulled Roxas to his feet as she stood. "Come on! There are still come cookies left over from lunch that need to get eaten."
"Need?" Roxas asked for clarification. Xion giggled and pulled Roxas along, hands intertwined.
"I think we deserve it. Besides, we have to eat them up before Naminé does." Roxas chuckled and followed Xion back to her home.
His home.
To his new family.
And to his new life.
A/N-Da end to the first section/part/season/arch/whatevertheheckitscalled
Musical Muse: Lights-Ellie Goulding; Keep Your Head Down-TVXQ; Ghost in the Shell-Yoko Kanno; Shattered-Trading Yesterday
(Own no rights yo!)