A/N: Here we are! Another chapter! We're coming close to the end of Roxas's time in Twilight Town, before Sora Awakens. But, we have two more chapters until then too, so we still have time!
Review Reply to Gamergirl: Yep! Honestly, I'm glad I got to surprise everyone with that change! It was a lot of fun to write, as was Aurora's real match with Seifer in the real world. I was giggling the entire time leading up to and through that, because I kept picturing it. But hey, what are good friends for if they don't tease you a little? It just shows that they fully accept her into their group. As for Axel, that all did happen, but since it didn't change from the game, I felt it'd be a little… useless. Thanks! Here it is!
Alright, nothing else to say here, except ONWARD!
…
Chapter Five: Day Five – Changes
Aurora was nervous. She knew the end of summer was coming quickly, and it wasn't until today that Olette told her about the homework assignment they had to do over the summer.
It also didn't help that Twilight High sounded completely different from Themis Legal Academy… and that she wouldn't have Hayner, Pence, or Olette in any of her classes. She was constantly forgetting that she was a year older and a year ahead of them.
In fact, and she spit out her drink when she learned this, she was actually in the same year as Seifer.
She walked with Olette to the usual spot, carrying her book bag once more. It was heavier than before because she had books from Twilight High in there, alongside her Law textbooks from Themis.
"I'm going to try to get the boys to do the assignment today. Thankfully, you can join our group. It was a school wide thing," Olette was saying.
"That's good," Aurora said with a smile.
…
Black Coat leaned forward on the ledge of the rooftop, watching the girls. He couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Constantly studying. Some things never change," he muttered softly, before standing up straight and disappearing through a dark portal.
...
It was quiet this morning in the Usual Spot. Roxas was perched on his box, lost in thought, while Aurora was curled up on the couch next to Olette, a textbook in her lap, highlighting in it as she read. Olette had a packet of papers sitting in her lap that she was riffling through, while Hayner and Pence talked quietly.
Finally, Olette jumped up, putting the papers aside and planting her hands on her hips, glaring at Hayner.
"That's it!" she snapped. Hayner winced and quickly covered his ears, knowing what was coming. "We need to get started on the Independent Study!"
"No way!" Hayner whined. Olette frowned, then looked over at Roxas. He didn't respond, so she went over, boring her eyes into him and crossing her arms.
Roxas looked up at her, surprised for a moment, before looking at Hayner, wondering what the boy did to upset her.
"Only three days left of summer vacation," he started, quick to defend himself, "so don't even mention that assignment!"
"But we agreed we'd get it finished today," Olette countered.
"And since there's only three days, we need to get on it soon," Aurora added, not once looking up from her book.
"Yesterday," Roxas suddenly said, sounding vaguely freaked out. "I fell off the station tower, didn't I?" he asked. That was enough to get even Aurora to look up from her book.
"You wouldn't be here if you did!" Hayner replied, eager for a subject change.
"But man, that was a close one…" Pence added.
"And you all tease me about being scared of heights," Aurora said, looking at her book again.
Olette uncrossed her arms and stalked over to Hayner, putting her hands on her hips again.
"Stop changing the subject!" she snapped.
"Ugh, okay already!" Hayner said. "You win. We'll do the homework. Stupid independent study."
"Good," Aurora said, finally putting her book away and pulling out a notebook. She and Roxas stood, walking over to the other three to discuss the project.
"So, anybody got any bright ideas for a topic?" Hayner asked. Roxas hesitated for a moment, then looked away.
"Maybe we could study the stuff that's happening to me," he suggested. "You know, the dreams, and the guys in white…"
"Forget it," Hayner immediately said. Roxas looked up, confused.
"Why?"
All four turned to look at him, and Hayner began talking again. "You know, things have been weird with you and the town since the photos were stolen, right?" he asked.
"Well, tomorrow, we're all gonna search the town and find out what's been goin' on," Pence continued.
"Lots of people are helping out," Olette added.
"All that for me?" Roxas asked, shocked.
"Of course, Roxas. You're our friend, and a lot of people in town like you," Aurora said with a warm smile. Roxas looked at her for a moment, before looking away.
"I'll go get some ice cream!" he suddenly said, rushing out. The four friend smiled at each other at that, sitting back in their spots.
Once Roxas got back, Pence told them an interesting story: there have been rumors floating around town—the seven wonders of Twilight Town. The five decided that was a pretty interesting topic, and decided on using that for their Independent Study.
Hayner and Olette went into town to gather more information, while Roxas and Pence went to the train station, heading for Sunset Terrace. Aurora, known for writing good papers, began their thesis statement and outline in her notebook as she followed the two boys back to the residential area.
"The time has come! Our hunt for the seven wonders begins!" Pence said all dramatically. Aurora giggled at that, shaking her head at him. Suddenly, the three heard footsteps behind them, and turned, spotting Hayner and Olette walking towards them.
"Wow, find new rumors already?" Aurora asked, flipping to a blank sheet of paper, her pen poised for notes.
"Nothing on Market Street," Olette said. Aurora's pen drooped.
"Oh."
Hayner, on the other hand, flicked his nose with a smirk.
"You twerps aren't gonna scoop us," he said challengingly. "We're going to the terrace with you."
Olette turned to the boy.
"Hayner, it's not a race!" she scolded.
"Well, it is now," he said with a grin. Roxas laughed.
"C'mon, we can all go," he said, before the gang ran over to the train that would take them.
Each quickly found a seat, with Olette, Aurora, and Hayner sitting across from Roxas and Pence. The boredom with almost like a physical presence in the train with them, until Olette got an idea. With a grin, she reached into her pocket, pulling out her yellow crystal and holding it up to the light that shone through the windows. Aurora smiled, pulling her light blue one out as well and holding it up, inspecting the shimmering surface. Hayner and Pence followed suit.
Roxas, with a grin, reached into one pocket, then another. Confusion quickly overtook his features as he checked a third, then stood and patted his back pockets, still not finding his dark blue crystal. He sat down heavily, before turning to look at his friends, confusion giving way to sadness.
…
The train finally reached Sunset Terrace, where the group joined the other passengers in getting off. Hayner sprang out of the train, running ahead.
"Olette! Hurry!" he yelled, taking off with the girl following. Pence smiled after them, stepping out a little slower with Roxas and Aurora behind him.
"Huh," Roxas muttered as they reached the steps. "Aren't these the steps you talked about?" he asked. Aurora looked over with a smile.
"Yeah, the first wonder! The ones that count different going up and down?" Aurora added, her pen poised over her notebook. Pence turned to them with a sheepish grin.
"Umm… actually, it's the stupidest thing ever, but…" he trailed off.
"What?" Both Roxas and Aurora demanded.
"Rai's the one who counted," Pence admitted. "He's like 'every time I count, it's different, Y'KNOW?'" Pence burst into laughter, joined by Aurora, who was picturing it.
"So, he just counted wrong?" Roxas asked. Pence nodded.
"Most likely."
"We should try it ourselves though," Aurora said, before walking down the steps, counting out loud. She nodded. "Seventeen down!" She came back up, counting once more, before nodding as she reached the top. "And seventeen up. Evidence enough for me."
"See?" Pence said. Roxas slumped forward with a disappointed sigh.
"Hey, no worries," Pence said with a grin as Aurora scribbled down notes. Roxas stood up straight with a nod.
"So, now what?"
"Well, how about you check out the Wonders, while I gather info on them?" Pence said.
"And once you know if a wonder is real or not, you come tell me, and I'll add it to the paper?" Aurora added.
"Sounds good," Roxas said with a smile, before rushing off. Aurora grinned, looking at Pence.
"I'll be up on Sunset Hill. There's a nice bench up there," she said.
"Right," Pence said, following after Roxas.
Pence winded up being the one to come tell Aurora about each wonder. The second one, 'The Friend From Beyond the Wall,' was just as fake as 'The Spooky Steps.' Turns out, although no one knew where the balls were coming from, Roxas was the one playing with one when Pence found him. Aurora wrote that into the paper as it just being some bored kids.
The third, 'The Moans From the Tunnel,' turned out to be Vivi, who took to training in the tunnels, trying to become stronger.
'The Doppelganger' turned out to be people seeing their reflection in a waterfall, and mistaking it for their own Doppelgangers.
While all of this was going on, Aurora herself was watching the fifth wonder, 'The Animated Bag.' The bag slowly moved this way and that, never stopping for more than a few seconds. Finally, Roxas and Pence arrived together, and Roxas set about chasing after the bag. Pence walked over to Aurora.
"There has to be something in there," he said.
"Probably," Aurora replied.
Suddenly, Roxas dove forward, tackling the bag with a grunt. All three heard a yelp of surprise, and Aurora was on her feet, darting over to help Roxas with untying the bag.
A dog sprang out from it, shaking his fur out. Aurora scowled.
"Who would put a dog in a sack like that!?" she demanded. Roxas shook his head.
"I don't know… but that just means this is bogus, too," he said. Aurora sighed, picking up her notebook and quickly making note.
The three began back down the hill, before Roxas stopped, looking over at the two. "You know, that last wonder wasn't exactly wonderful." Aurora nodded in agreement.
"I understand," Pence said. "Say no more. But this next one's gonna be really great! Wonder number Six!"
Just then Hayner and Olette ran up to them.
"We got another lead!" Hayner said excitedly.
"'The Ghost Train Mystery'…" Olette said once they stopped in front of the group.
"Everybody knows about Wonder number Six!" Pence said.
"Yeah, well, I didn't," Hayner said, crossing his arms.
"Did you find out where the train runs?" Roxas asked.
"And what time?" Aurora added.
"You can see it from Sunset Hill," Olette said, and the five began to head that way.
"And if the rumors are true, it'll be here any minute…" Hayner said once they reached a good spot to watch the tracks from.
"For they say the train is empty," Pence said in a spooky voice from behind them. They turned to face him. "No driver, no conductor, no passengers…" his voice dropped into a deeper, darker tone, "no return."
Aurora shivered at that, but turned back to the rail and laid on her stomach on the ground, trying to ignore how high they were over the tracks. The others joined her, and they sat, watching for the Ghost Train.
"We've gotta make it to the beach next year," Olette said, finally breaking the silence.
"Yeah. We better get jobs the second vacation starts," Hayner said, turning to face everyone and stretching he legs slightly, resting his feet on Roxas's side. Roxas rolled his eyes at that, but didn't move.
"We could always work while in school. That way, we can save up all year so we'll have enough for watermelon too," Aurora said with a grin, gently elbowing Roxas in the shoulder. He laughed, swatting her away.
"Good afternoon, slackers," a voice suddenly said from behind them, prompting everyone to turn. Aurora and Hayner frowned when spotting who it was. "What are you doing out here?" Seifer asked.
"What do you care?" Aurora snapped.
"I don't," he said, "tell me anyway."
"We're waiting for the ghost train," Pence said spookily.
"Waiting for the ghost train!" Seifer repeated in an ironic voice, before laughing. Roxas jumped to his feet, ready to confront the older boy. Seifer scowled at him as the other four stood as well.
"Why does looking at you always tick me off?" he demanded. Roxas stood up straight.
"I dunno. Maybe it's destiny," Roxas replied in a cheeky tone.
"Destiny?" Seifer asked, shaking his head. "In that case, let's be friends." There was a bit of laughter in his voice as he said this. He turned away from the group, looking out at the sun where it sat on the horizon. "I don't feel like cooperating with destiny."
"When have you ever cooperated with anything?" Hayner demanded. Seifer turned back to the group, before thumping his chest with a smirk.
"Heh," he muttered, turning and leaving.
"Seifer?" Olette called, taking a step forward.
"I know. Tomorrow," he said without looking back.
Suddenly, Roxas looked over at the tracks.
"Look!" he said, throwing himself at the railing. Aurora winced. The wooden railing didn't look that sturdy to her, but it held. They watched their friend, then tried to follow his gaze.
But… nothing was there.
Roxas watched the tracks intently though, his head slowly lowering, as though he was watching something come towards them, then through the tunnel under them.
"It's really true…" Roxas said, excitement in his voice. He quickly turned to them. "And there's really no one aboard!" He turned to Pence, as though catching himself. "What's the catch? There's gotta be a catch, right?"
The four turned, looking at each other in worry and confusion. Roxas misinterpreted their silence.
"Then it's real!?" he gasped. "Let's go to the station!" he said, taking off. The other four couldn't do anything but follow him.
Roxas reached the platform first, where he gasped softly in awe. The only thing the other four could see, however, was the empty tracks. Roxas turned to them with a grin.
"Let's go in!" he said, before turning back to the tracks and walking forward. Hayner looked at the others before lunging forward, grabbing Roxas's arm. Roxas turned to him. "What!?" he demanded.
"Um… you'll get hurt," Hayner said, his eyes flickering to the track, then back. Roxas turned to the tracks, and gasped softly, looking around wildly.
"Huh?"
"The train will be arriving shortly," a smooth, male voice said over the intercom. A few minutes later, the train that would take them back to Market Street glided smoothly in front of them, and stopped. The five glanced over at the door, watching as a few people got off and left the platform. Roxas almost seemed as though he was in shock.
"C'mon," Aurora said, gently laying a hand on Roxas's back.
"A train came from the beach," Roxas said. "There was no driver, right?" he asked, turning. Aurora's hand fell from his back. Hayner shook his head.
"Let's go," Pence said, as though trying to avoid this conversation. Roxas didn't drop it, however.
"Right?" he asked, appealing to Olette, his voice desperate. Olette stayed silent, not knowing how to react.
Hayner scowled and stepped forward, grabbing Roxas by his shoulders and pushing the reluctant boy onto the train. Pence, Olette, and Aurora all looked at each other in worry, before following after them.
As they exited Central Station, Roxas fell slightly behind.
"Let's go home and work on the paper," Hayner said.
"'The rumors were bogus. The end,'" Pence added helpfully.
"Well, we gotta make it sound a bit better than that if we want a good grade," Aurora said.
"Yeah, we can still make it sound good if we write about all the work we did," Olette said.
"But what about the last one—the seventh wonder?" Roxas asked, stopping. The other four stopped too, and Hayner stomped his foot.
"Who cares!?" he demanded, not turning.
"I do. C'mon, Pence," Roxas said. Hayner clenched his fists.
"Whatever!" he snapped. Pence, Olette, and Aurora turned the determined boy.
"Roxas…" Olette said softly.
Pence sighed as Hayner walked away. "It's at that haunted mansion," he said, before he took off after Hayner. Olette went to follow, but Aurora caught her arm.
"Here's my notes from the day. I'll catch up," she said. Olette gave her a questioning look, and Aurora leaned in.
"I don't know what's going on with him, but one of us should stay with him to make sure he doesn't get hurt," Aurora whispered. Olette's eyes widened for a moment, and she nodded.
"Good point," she said softly, before taking off after the others. Aurora turned and smiled at Roxas.
"Well, let's go," she said. Roxas smiled slightly at her and nodded.
"Right.
The two walked through the town silently. Aurora was worried for Roxas, while Roxas was still confused about the train, and bothered by Hayner's responses.
Finally, they reached the front gate of the haunted mansion, both looking up at the imposing lock on the front gate.
"You know something," a voice suddenly said from behind, causing both to jump and turn, "we were gonna check the mansion out tomorrow."
It was Pence. He walked over, standing in between the two of them. "It is the most suspicious place."
"Oh, that's right!" Aurora suddenly gasped, having forgot that part of the plan.
"Right…" Roxas muttered.
"Even Seifer's gang was gonna help," Pence added.
"Ugh…" Aurora muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Seifer!?" Roxas gasped, looking over at those two. Aurora nodded.
"Yeah. Hayner asked him to," she said. Roxas's jaw nearly hit the floor at that one, but he turned his attention back on the mansion.
"So, what are we looking for?" he asked Pence.
"Well, they say there's a girl who appears at the second floor window, even though no one's lived here for years," Pence explained. Roxas and Aurora both gave a nod, before turning and looking up at the mansion. Pence did the same.
After a few minutes, Pence looked at those two.
"See anything?" he asked.
"Nu-uh," Aurora answered, before glancing over at the blond. "Do you, Roxas?" she asked.
Roxas didn't respond. In fact, he was so focused, Aurora wasn't even sure she heard him. "Roxas?" she called.
Pence gave his shoulder a shake. "Roxas! Roxas!" he called with each shake. Roxas suddenly tuned to him, knocking his hand off.
"Huh?" he asked. Pence and Aurora glanced at each other, before looking back at him.
"Did you see her?" Pence asked.
"Yeah," Roxas said with a nod. "Watch the window – closely," he said, pointing to the window that was curtained in white. Both Aurora and Pence focused for a few minutes.
"Oh, lame," Pence suddenly said.
"That's just the curtains moving," Aurora added. "There must be a draft somewhere."
"I'm surprised this old place even has curtains," Pence added with a laugh.
"…Yeah," Roxas muttered, sounding unconvinced.
"Well, let's head back to the Usual Spot," Pence said. "Hayner and Olette are waiting."
Roxas nodded, following the other two away from the mansion.
…
"Hey guys, how'd it go?" Olette asked, greeting them as they entered. She handed Aurora's notebook back to her.
"The girl in the window turned out to be a curtain flapping in the wind," Pence admitted.
"I figured as much," Olette admitted. Aurora shrugged.
"Still good to have evidence though," she said.
"Yeah… but the report's already done."
"Oh."
"All right!" Pence cheered.
"So, wanna go find Hayner?" Olette asked. "He's probably at the station." Aurora moaned slightly at the thought of the bell tower. Roxas felt their eyes on them, and looked up.
"You know… we only have two more days together," Olette said seriously.
"Huh?" Roxas asked.
"Summer vacation, remember?" Olette asked.
"Oh…" Roxas said, relaxing. "Right."
The four left the Usual Spot and quickly made their way to the Station. Aurora let out another moan when she looked up and spotted the small speck that was Hayner.
"C'mon! Better get climbing!" Pence said with a grin.
…
When they reached the top, they found Hayner by himself, eating a bar of ice cream.
They stopped behind him.
"Tomorrow we search the town," Hayner said.
"Next day's the fair," Pence reminded them.
"The last day of summer," Olette added.
"Then we go back to school," Aurora said brightly. Hayner whirled on her.
"Don't say that! You'll give me an ulcer!" he complained.
"Not if you explode from all that ice cream first," Pence said, just as Hayner went to take another bite. He jerked it back slightly, away from his mouth, causing himself, Pence, Olette, and Aurora to laugh, just as the bells went off.
Roxas didn't join in. Instead, he continued to stare at his feet, lost in thought.
…
"Alright, that just leaves one more wonder to investigate," Olette said as she, Hayner, Pence, and Aurora walked around town.
"Oh yeah! 'The Lonely Girl,'" Pence said. "They say, at the Haunted Mansion, a girl appears in the second floor window, although no one's lived there in years."
"I'll do it," Aurora said quickly, her heart pounding at the mention of the Mansion. The others turned to her.
"Do you even know where the mansion is?" Hayner asked. Aurora nodded with a smile.
"Yeah. That's where I go to train," she said. "I know how to get past that giant lock, so I can get a closer look."
That wasn't the real reason. The real reason was fear. (I still know next to nothing about Black Coat and DiZ. I can't risk any of them running into those two. Who knows what'll happen?)
"Are you sure?" Pence asked. Aurora smiled.
"Yeah. Here," she handed over her notebook. "Start the report. I took notes on each wonder. I'm sure this one will be bogus, too, but it always helps to have evidence, right?"
(In all actuality, I know this one isn't. Naminé is that girl… the Lonely girl. How sad…)
"Right," the others said. She flashed them a smile and jogged off, her heart pounding.
Aurora hadn't been to the mansion since she was nearly caught. Since she heard that something might happened to Roxas.
This was a good chance to see if she might be able to figure out what DiZ and Black Coat were up to.
She used a water spell to launch herself over the gate, then quickly slipped in. She nearly entered the library, but froze when she heard voices coming from the side room, the one with the destroyed table. She ghosted over to the door, pressing her ear against the keyhole.
"…the trip to the beach." That was DiZ.
"Hmph. That's almost kind of you," the second voice, Black Coat, sounded sarcastic.
"Now… what about you?" DiZ asked. "Are the holes in your memory starting to fill in?"
"Yes… the haze is clearing," Black Coat said.
"The same thing is happening to everyone who had ties to Sora," DiZ said. Aurora froze at the name. "Very soon, to them, he'll be like a good friend who's gone away for a year."
Footsteps moved across the room. There was a bit of shuffling, like someone sitting in a chair.
"I've waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?" Black Coat asked.
There was a heavy pause.
"Revenge," DiZ answered. A chill shot up Aurora's back. She couldn't count on one hand how many times that one, simple word was the motive for murder back in her world.
Revenge was a dark emotion that only called out for more darkness. That would explain why Aurora felt nothing but cold, nothing but darkness, when she focused on DiZ.
She didn't dare close her eyes, scared of the image that would be associated with a man like him.
"Revenge…" Black Coat repeated, sounding unsure.
"Now, for the finishing touches," DiZ said. "First, we must dispose of Naminé."
Aurora managed to stifle her gasp this time, pressing her hands tightly over her mouth.
"She did a splendid job with Sora, but it's high time she disappeared. Roxas isn't the only one who was never meant to exist. Take care of it, Ansem."
Black Coat, Ansem, stayed silent, though Aurora heard shuffling, then footsteps. She darted up the steps, knocking on Naminé's door. There was no answer, so she went in, just as the door to the side room opened.
Naminé wasn't there. Aurora quickly looked around, but there was no sign of where the pale blond girl might have got to. She heard more footsteps outside the door, these growing closer. Aurora looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door. Aurora quickly ran over to the window, carefully and silently opening it. She didn't know what Ansem would do to her if he caught her, but she didn't want to find out either. Not if he was actually following DiZ's orders to eliminate Naminé.
Before she could get out the window, the footsteps started again, this time growing softer as they moved further away. Aurora hesitated for a moment, before darting over to the table, where she spotted a box of crayons and paper. She pulled out a light blue crayon and began writing.
'Naminé,
Don't trust DiZ or Ansem. DiZ ordered Ansem to eliminate you. You must run. If you know where Riku is, ask him for help. I'm sure he'll be more than willing.
~A Friend.'
(I wish I could do more. I need to do more! But… how? What can I do?)
She put a hand on the pink ribbon around her neck.
(You'd know what to do. If ever I needed your advice…)
Nothing came to her. Aurora didn't expect it to, honestly. Not with the distance between her and the original owner of the ribbon. Feeling like a failure, Aurora left from the window, catching herself with a water spell before she hit the ground, and running all the way back to The Usual Spot.
…
"Hey, Aurora. What'd you find?" Olette asked as Aurora entered.
"Hm?"
"The Mansion? 'The Lonely Girl'?" Pence pressed.
"Oh, that. Er, it's just a curtain, flapping in the wind. There's a pretty heavy draft in there," Aurora muttered. "Look, I'm tired. I'm just…" she trailed off, pointing over her shoulder.
"Don't worry, the paper is done. I'm going to take her back, guys. See you all tomorrow!" Olette said, leading Aurora away. All three knew there was something more going on with their friend, but none of them wanted to pry.
…
A/N: Tada! Regular readers know who originally owned that ribbon, hehe.