Chapter 10: Fanning Flames

{Disney Castle: September 21st 2013, 7:00am}

Sora looked to Roxas, who was standing in front of him in his room. It was early, almost time for breakfast and training; however, the blonde boy had asked to talk to him, and now he was expecting something rather calm – asking for permission to have the day off to spend time with Namine or something along those lines – yet, he got the distinct feeling that it wasn't asking for a day off. Taking in a deep breath, Sora sat down on his bed and looked to his student and friend in questioning. He knew that it was something personal, and that was why Roxas wanted to talk to him alone.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I just...listen, Sora...I read Jiminy's journal...and..." sky-blue eyes narrowed.

"So, you know what happened on that first journey and Castle Oblivion," Sora stated.

"Yes, so do Namine and Kairi..." Roxas kept his eyes on his Master, but could only look down as he considered what the other would say.

"You know..." Sora stood up and started walking around towards the bookshelf before he grabbed one. It was a black leather book with blue scroll-work patterns on it and matching cursive writing.

"Um..." Roxas swallowed thickly.

"I never intended on keeping things from you guys...I just wanted to make sure you were prepared for what you learned...so..." sky-blue eyes looked towards the blonde.

"So?" Sora smiled.

"Were you prepared for what you learned?" he inquired as he flipped through a few pages.

"At first, I wasn't...but...now I understand something..." the Keyblade Master glanced up.

"And? What is that?" Sora asked him. Roxas swallowed a bit.

"I understand that you've been through a lot of traumatic events and you've suffered for it, but you've endured as well...you've proven to be stronger and more willful of heart, mind, body, and soul compared to those you've faced..." Roxas paused.

"Go on, what else do you understand?" Ocean-blue eyes looked to the boy.

"I also understand now...that you're hard on us because you want us to survive – you want us to be stronger and more prepared for what you weren't able to be ready for..." Sora looked down.

"Good, you've still got a lot to learn, but you've made a step in the right direction..." Roxas walked towards his Master with a smile upon his face.

"But that's not all, you've also shown me that to be a Keyblade Wielder, I have to trust my heart and my friends to see me through these hardships. I have a friend in you and the others...but I also have something else," Roxas said as he stepped forward and grabbed Sora's wrist, unsure if he could get his attention in another way.

"Roxas?" Ocean-blue eyes gleamed brightly.

"You're a kind person, and someone I'm glad I met and can put my trust in, because, Sora...you've given me and Namine something we've never had before..." Sky-blue looked to him.

"What's that?" Roxas smiled.

"You've given us both a purpose...and a family...so thank you, Sora, for being an amazing Master to us and an incredible friend," he said.

Sora looked to him and merely smiled before laughing a bit while Roxas returned it, and mere seconds later, the chestnut-haired Keyblade Master pulled his friend and student into a comforting embrace before feeling Roxas stiffen up at the fact that he was being hugged by someone that he'd only seen the kind side to a few rare times. Roxas returned it, and soon after, Sora grabbed his wrist and tugged him along and out the door with a push.

"Where are we going?" Roxas asked.

"Training; I think you'll be in for a surprise today..." Sora started racing down the stairwell, and the blonde boy could only laugh as the boy finally let go, and he followed behind him quickly.

"He seems happier..."

{Training Hall: 8:00am}

Riku was watching Namine and Kairi practice a few strikes with one another while he waited for Sora and Roxas to come down from whatever conversation they were having. As he watched, Himitsu stood beside him with a soft expression upon her face – she was leaving tomorrow and would miss Sora – however, he knew that they would see her again sooner or later. Riku turned his attention to the door as it opened, and the girls stopped sparring before Sora came to a complete halt, with Roxas not far behind him. The four other people in the room paused while Sora took in a deep breath and looked to them.

"Alright, time for training!" Sora said brightly.

"You're...chipper...why?" Sky-blue eyes looked to the others.

"We're going to be working on summoning a few new Keyblades, and further practice with the ones that will help you wield stronger ones," he explained as he drew the Pumpkinhead Keyblade, and Himitsu stepped back while the others lined up, and Riku fell into place beside him.

"Are we using the same ones?" Sora shook his head.

"I'm handing off three different Keyblades – Kairi, you'll have Lady Luck, from Wonderland, Namine you'll have Three Wishes, and Roxas, you'll have Olympia," Sora stated as he summoned Lady Luck and handed it off to Kairi, who shifted it in her grasp.

"It feels a bit funny, but I guess it's because I'm not used to using another Keyblade..." Sora looked to her.

"Destiny's Embrace is fairly strong for a default Keyblade – so no worries, but at some point, a stronger Keyblade will come your way, okay, Kairi?" he assured her.

"Okay..." Namine was handed Three Wishes.

"Here's Three Wishes – this is the Agrabah Keyblade," he stated as she nodded.

It was as Sora went to summon Olympia that Roxas felt a faint itch in his fingers and reacted on instinct to draw a Keyblade. He swung his right arm outwards, and a Keyblade manifested in his grasp – startling the group a bit as he stared onwards at it in questioning. Sora paused and looked at the Keyblade that his student had summoned with nothing but a curious expression upon his face as Roxas gaped, shocked by what he was seeing.

"What is this?!" he asked in confusion.

"It's a new Keyblade..."

Roxas looked at it in amazement. It was sliver with a black guard with a single point on each side, a black-and white checkered grip, a piece of his pendant connected the guard and the base, which was curved and ribbed in a silver color, it bore black bars near the guard with three spikes of silver on each side, and the teeth were black and silver, and made of the same spikes, but diamond-shaped with a curved piece and a diagonal line that pointed into a two-pronged tip. Lastly was a silver Keychain with his pendant at the end of it.

"That's amazing!" said Namine as she looked at it.

"What's it called?" the group looked to one another as Sora smiled.

"The Keyblade Wielder will know the name of their Keyblades, if they listen. You'll be able to tell," he explained.

Roxas focused for a moment and looked at the Keyblade in questioning. It was remarkable, and he knew it was strong, but so much more. It felt as if it was a simple answer, but as he thought on it, an answer came to him, and he smiled as he looked to Sora with a blatant expression that spoke volumes of how excited and interested he was to see this new Keyblade in action. Roxas took in a deep breath and looked to the Keyblade again, and he had his answer as he looked back to them.

"What's the name of the Keyblade?" Sora asked.

"Two Across..." Roxas looked to the Keyblade again.

"It's really beautiful," said Kairi.

"And strong; be careful, Roxas – you don't know how powerful it is yet." Riku warned the blonde boy, and he received a nod.

"I'll be careful...but, I don't suppose training with it would be wise, would it?" Roxas asked while Sora eyed the Keyblade.

"I think you can manage it with practice. So, here's what I'll do – Roxas, I'll do extra training with you for an hour each morning before our normal meeting time and focus on helping you control it and use your magic with it...but you'll have more training than the girls right now, so that means it's up to you to set the example with proper usage of a stronger Keyblade." Roxas nodded.

"Alright! I'll do it," he said with some excitement in his tone.

"Good; now, Namine, Kairi, continue your sparring session, I'm going to get Roxas started."

"Okay," Namine said as she turned her attention back to her sister, who nodded as she raised Lady Luck into her stance and prepared to block her sister's attack with Three Wishes.

"Roxas, come over here with me; Riku I'm leaving you in charge of the girls for today." Riku nodded as Sora led Roxas to another portion of the room to begin practice with the Keyblade that the blonde had summoned.

Himitsu watched the children work together for several hours, and could only smile as she looked between Kairi and Namine, who were making great progress in combative defense and offense, and Riku, who kept a watchful eye upon them while giving out pointers occasionally to what they needed to improve on, while in another part of the room, Sora focused on Roxas's training with the Keyblade he had summoned. Himitsu sighed a bit while her eyes momentarily stayed on Sora, who seemed to be doing well, but he also seemed to be having days that he wasn't doing as well as he could have. Admittedly, she knew that her son was strong and capable of handling the obstacles thrown at him – he was, once more, too much like his father in that factor – but he wasn't bulletproof, and he wasn't invincible.

Sora would have a point that he couldn't handle what had happened and what would happen, but Himitsu could only hope that he would have genuine comrades and friends who would stand by him. She laughed a bit when Roxas yelped as Sora clashed with him and took a few steps back before getting his bearings and pushed back. Himitsu couldn't help but be thankful that Sora seemed to have rather trustworthy friends and now students that he had found.

"Sora will be okay, and I know he's strong...but when he can't be strong...he has people to help him."

{Disney Castle: September 22nd 2013, 5:45am}

"Mom? What are you doing up so early?" Himitsu turned to look at Sora, who was standing behind her as she stood at the window near the training hall.

"Oh, I just wanted to try and spend a little bit of time with you before I left later today," She said with a smile as he opened up one of the lockers and started getting out a few of the pins she'd seen them use before.

"That's fine, but you know I'm meeting Roxas in a few minutes." Sora turned his attention to her and she nodded.

"I know, but I guess I just needed to see you for a bit..." Himitsu paused, and Sora started into the room, which she followed behind him before laughing a bit as he stumbled and dropped a few of the pins.

"Dammit!" he took in a deep breath and started picking up a few of them.

"Sora..." Sky-blue eyes rolled.

"I know, Mom, language," he said as he focused his attention on the pins and slowly they began moving of their own accord while he kept his eyes upon them while Himitsu watched.

She didn't say a word as the pins moved around in different positions and readied themselves in odd areas or corners of the training hall; however, she couldn't help but be surprised – possibly even shocked – by how much his telekinetic abilities had grown since she'd last seen him use it. Naturally, she knew that he would become stronger as he practiced his abilities, but she never believed it would have come this far so soon. Sighing, Himitsu clapped a bit as Sora finished putting the pins into place and turned his attention to her with a slightly lazy smile that she couldn't help but laugh at as she came over to him and placed a hand to his face before sighing as she looked him over.

"You've gotten better at that," she said.

"I guess so...it's still a little hard to push things back, but I'm getting better..." he summoned a single Keyblade and rotated it a bit while she looked to it in questioning.

"Which one is that? I've seen you use it a lot lately," Himitsu asked.

"This is Pumpkinhead – the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington gave it to me after I helped Halloween Town out back during my first adventure..." she smiled.

"It's interesting...but...will it be strong enough to work against Roxas's new Keyblade?" she inquired.

"No, so I'm going for another one today, but I'm putting him in the thick of it so he can learn control on Two Across better." Sora vanished the Keyblade and held his hand out. The black Keyblade known as Oblivion came to his grasp, and he swung it slightly, testing the weight.

"Are you having trouble with Oblivion?" Himitsu questioned.

"No, I do that just out of habit...I know this Keyblade as well as I know myself..." Sora glanced to her as she bit her lip.

"That's good, it does represent your heart, right?" she inquired.

"Yea, but don't worry...Roxas just needs to learn how to adapt quicker to his surroundings – these pins aren't rigged to manifest anything more than a few Heartless." She nodded and the door opened to show a slightly tired looking-blonde teen standing there as the doors closed behind him, and he yawned.

"Morning," he said tiredly.

"Good morning." Himitsu stepped back, watching Roxas walk towards Sora before he spotted Oblivion.

"About time you got here! Are you ready to begin?" Sora asked as he turned his attention to his student.

"Yea, I guess...why is Oblivion out?" Roxas looked to the black Keyblade, and Sora smiled.

"Because it's just a bit stronger than Two Across, and that means it'll do well against it," he replied as Roxas nodded.

"Okay, what are we doing?" Sora looked to him and smiled again.

"What you have to do is defeat the pins that are scattered around the room. They're rigged with magic to appear as Heartless, so be prepared – I'm also going to inform you ahead of time that we're working with Valor Form again later, so I'll give you a half-hour to rest up before training resumes at eight today," Sora informed him of this, and Roxas nodded as he held out his hand and summoned Two Across.

"Let's get started, then."

"Right, step into the center and they'll start," he said as he stepped back while Himitsu smiled, knowing that Roxas would be in for a tough session.

{Two Hours Later: 7:40am}

Kairi sighed as she walked down to the training hall with Riku while Namine had gone ahead. She had just gotten changed, eaten something, and was ready for the day's session. Riku was rather quiet that morning and kept glancing in her direction as they headed further down the hallway; however, despite the oddity, Kairi did wonder about the fact that Roxas had summoned a new Keyblade and that he was fortunate enough to begin an excelled training schedule so that he could properly use it. Admittedly, Kairi was looking forward to the day that she could summon a stronger Keyblade and join Roxas in an upper level training segment, like Namine did as well. She smiled a bit as she considered that it would at the least be a means to spend more time with her Keyblade Master boyfriend. Sighing again, Riku cleared his throat, and she glanced his way.

"What are you thinking about that's got you so down today?" asked Riku.

"I'm just kind of wishing I could have more time with Sora, I guess..." Kairi frowned, and Riku hummed.

"Well, I thought after that last round, you guys would be good for a bit," he stated as Kairi flushed.

"Riku! It wasn't like that! We just wanted to spend some alone time with each other and not have to worry about being interrupted!" the silver-haired Keyblade Master frowned.

"The two of you haven't been sneaking around doing things, have you?" he asked her and she glowered.

"No! And would you stop with the personal questions? It's a little annoying." Riku nodded.

"Okay, but I've been meaning to ask, is Sora acting odd around you?" he inquired.

"Odd?" Kairi looked to him.

"Has he been acting frantic? Defensive? Aggressive? Distant, even?" Riku summarized what he felt was strange behavior for their typically sweet yet fiery friend when it came to how he had seen Sora react to things lately.

"He's been a bit distracted, I guess...maybe a bit more rough with me if we get a bit intimate, but...nothing really bad I guess..." Riku looked her over again as she thought.

"Did Sora do that?" he asked as he pointed to a faint bruise on her throat. Kairi put her hand to it.

"He um...yea...if he gets a little carried away, he'll bite me, and normally it's little love bites almost, they tickle more than anything, but...recently...if he does it...it starts out gentle and then becomes harsh and bruising...I had to push him back when he started with a fever because he got too rough..." she seemed genuinely concerned by this, and Riku couldn't blame her.

"He was delirious that time, but how often does this happen?" Kairi glanced down.

"Since before our parents left...when he had that nightmare, he got a bit rougher with me, but it wasn't a big deal, he just held me closer, but...then after they left, he got a lot rougher...almost bruising...I don't know what's wrong with him..." she said as Riku frowned.

"He's probably been feeling sick for a bit and some of the actions might just be a means to distract himself from the relapses he's had...but we're not out of the woods, yet, I think we should probably be bracing ourselves for another one soon." Riku looked to Kairi, who bit her lip.

"If he starts having them, I don't care what I have to do to keep him from hurting himself or someone else without realizing it...I don't want him feeling any guilt for it..." she said.

"That's my responsibility, so don't worry about it, Kairi. I'm his Dream Eater – I have to help him with this – and I promised his mom I would..." Kairi frowned as she looked to him.

"Riku, he's my boyfriend and someone I truly love – I need to be there for him, too," she said.

"I get it...but if I tell you to let me handle him, then you better let me do it. He's dangerous when he starts to become hysterical...I don't want him regretting the fact that he hurt you." Kairi looked down, but nodded.

"I understand, but...I just want to help him," she stated. Riku nodded.

"We'll all help him, but there's something I think we need to prepare for..." Kairi looked to him.

"What?" she inquired.

"Explaining it to Roxas and Namine. To their knowledge, Sora remembers nothing about the Dream Drop, so that means..." she nodded.

"If he went into a relapse, they wouldn't know what was happening, and he'll run from us before we can calm him down," Kairi mentioned.

"Just be ready for damage control. I'll deal with him, and if he asks for you, I'll send a soot sprite to get you, so be on the lookout for one of them as well." She nodded again.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan..." Riku smiled.

"Good, now, I think we need to go liberate Roxas from the torture of being forced to battle those image pins," he stated as Kairi winced.

"Yea, that'd probably be a good idea..." With that, the two of them headed off towards the training hall and tried to steel themselves for the insanity that would come.

{Disney Castle: September 23rd 2013, 7:59am}

Himitsu laughed a bit as she watched the group do a few sparring sessions before they were going to see her off. Sora and Roxas were making great progress, and she was pleased to see that while Sora was tough on his two students, they were also treated with compassion and understanding when they messed up. Riku and Kairi had joined in on the sparring session and had turned out to be quite good at it as well, while Sora supervised whilst in the midst of the session, and Riku gave a few pointers where Sora couldn't keep his full attention. She could only smile and the bright looks on all their faces as they locked weapons with each other and struck back and forth – they were happy and had become a family together. Himitsu sighed slightly as she considered how at home Sora appeared in the midst of the teenagers sparring with their Keyblades out, and how at ease he was when giving advice on blocking a few of the attacks. It was nothing short of welcoming. However, Himitsu knew that it wouldn't be permanent, only because their grace period would end and people would begin to come back out of the woodwork and cause chaos and panic in the other worlds, which would call the Keyblade Wielders to arms.

"And then...war will begin...and so many things that have remained hidden will begin to surface...we can only hope that, by some chance...everything will be as okay as it is now..."

"Sora!" she called to him, and he looked to her.

"Yea, Mom?" he started towards her as the others paused.

"Can you walk me to the courtyard? I need to head on." He nodded, while Kairi, Roxas, Namine, and Riku stayed behind.

"I'll be back in a bit, okay, guys? Riku? Keep them going," Sora stated as he headed out the door with his mom.

"He seems a bit sad..." Riku nodded.

"It's hard...being so far away from our home world and our families...but seeing them like that...it makes the moments with them all the more worth it," he said.

"Yea, well, come on! Sora will kick our asses if we don't get back to work." With that, they picked up where they left off.

Down the hallway, Himitsu and Sora were walking in silence towards the courtyard where she could leave from a warp point that the King had set up for the people who had been granted passage. The silence was oddly biting and a bit frustrating to Himitsu, who almost felt disconnected from her son. Chocolate brown eyes looked to the boy beside her, and she sighed as she reached out and put her arm around the boy, who looked to her in questioning as she pulled him closer and took in a deep breath. Sora's scent had changed since that first time she had been able to see him since before the events of the Dream Drop.

He had always smelled like the ocean, apples, and vanilla, but after the events of his Mark of Mastery exam, his scent favored salt, fire, and smoke. Once again, it had changed, the remaining scent of the ocean was present, with the faintest traces of cinnamon and honey, which caused her to raise an eyebrow but ignore it for the most part as she held him tight. If Himitsu could have it her way, she would remain with him at the castle and help out, but she knew she couldn't – Sora had responsibilities now. His students, his life as a Master, and Kairi were the things he needed to focus on, and the things that would eventually come his way. Himitsu held him close for just a moment longer, and Sora only remained still, returning her embrace with his arms around her waist and his face rested against her shoulder.

She wondered if he was happy here with all the things he had to do, and she wondered if he was going to be okay, if he would recover to where he could just be who he once was again, or if he would only be scarred further. She tightened her grasp around him, running her fingers through his hair as she closed her eyes. There was so much going on and so many things that she couldn't protect him from no matter how hard she tried, but she had decided to let him go, and all she could do now was be there for him when he needed her.

"Sora, I love you," she said.

"I love you, too, Mom." Himitsu looked to him and brushed his bangs from his eyes.

"Look at you...every time I see you, it seems you've gotten taller and stronger," she stated. Sora frowned a bit.

"I doubt I've gotten that tall...I'm still a runt..." she laughed a bit at his statement.

"Your father wasn't that tall, either – he was just a few inches taller than I am. But he never let that stop him from owning who he was and standing strong. I just...wish he could see you now," she stated. Sora smiled.

"I think he's watching over me...I get this feeling sometimes that I've got someone guiding me along since all this began." Himitsu smiled softly as she cupped his cheek.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's keeping an eye on you...Sora?" she stated as he looked to her with the same eyes that seemed gentle and calm.

"Mom?" she leaned forward and kissed his forehead while running her fingers through his hair.

"You look more and more like your father every day. Since I saw you last time, you've gotten stronger and braver...you're so much like him, and that's a good thing – don't forget, your father was a brave, kind, and gentle person with the heart of a lion...he was a wonderful person who touched the hearts of everyone he knew...just like you," she stated as she hugged him once more.

"Then I'll do my best to make him and you proud." He gave her a soft smile, and the woman continued to walk, with a returned smile.

"Just be careful, and stay strong," she said.

"I will..."

{….}

When hope and peace begin to fray, still I will stand...

{…...}

Author's Note: Well, there's chapter 10. I know it seems that Himitsu is fond of heartfelt goodbyes, but can you blame her? She has no clue if this is the last time she'll see Sora again or not. This is considerably pre-wartime, and things can be less than pleasant; however, fear not, there won't be a lot of problems for the group for a while. This is a story that fills in the gap between Birth by Dreams and Trance Step. Let me know what you think!

Also, here's the official update schedule:

Friday – Revive 4:30pm

Saturday – Birth by Dreams Final Mix 4:30pm

Sunday – Genesis 4:30pm

This is the complete schedule, and will be updated on these days at these times every week. Once a story is complete, it's title will be replaced in the time slot with a different story.

Preview:

"What are you doing?"

"Today's an off day."

"So...tell me about your home world!"

Chapter 11: Journals