Chapter 14
Two hours. Two hours of processing everything. Roxas took it rather well. Sora told him (almost) everything. He definitely left the whole multiverse thing out. All he told Roxas was that Xehanort was making business with an evil madman who claims to be celestial and heavenly, that being Sephiroth. That was it. Roxas felt like he was told what he pretty much knew already. Still, he was rather curious about Namine. Kairi and the nurse, Clarabelle, arrived in the room. The boys were kicked out while Marlene and Kairi remained. Roxas and Denzel hit it off pretty well. The boys were into video games, funny short videos and trends. It was a surprise to Sora, since Denzel was rather the quiet type. Perhaps he and Roxas were alike.
For Sora, it took two hours to process everything. And he was getting rather sick of things. He went outside into the gardens and found himself back to his favorite spot. It was there where he got to relax and sometimes take a small nap. However, he was afraid to fall asleep. He wasn't sure what dreams awaited him should he close his eyes and sleep.
Of course, as he sat by his tree, tiredness overcame him. And he closed his eyes briefly.
The following nightmare was darkness. Darkness eternal. Darkness omnipotent. Darkness that no one could escape. It was a darkness that shook Sora's heart to the very core.
This nightmare started with a montage. A montage with so many rides. Rides of the legendary theme park, Disney World. A man loses his head on the Big Thunder Mountain ride. The rest of the nightmare went as follows. A family went to the park. However, the father was not well. He was starting to see terrible things in the park. The Disney characters started to have wicked faces, staring at the father. His family verbally abuse him, lowering his self esteem. All this in the supposed happiest place on earth. The father then dies of a disease. A powerful disease that made him vomit and bleed black blood all over his body. His wife sobs at his death. The daughter embraces the mother. But the boy… the boy was not sad at all.
He
Looked
Very
Evil
He smiled as the Disney workers took the body away. The boy's eyes then turn black. Soulless is a good word to describe him. He then turned around and stared.
"Darkness is the heart's true essence." he said, in a double voice.
Then, everything went black. Finally, a card appeared. One that read:
Walt Disney proudly presents a new Mickey Mouse! Mickey presents: Suicide Mouse! In glorious black and white and in Cinemascope!
Mickey was then seen walking down the street. Then his eyes start to go crazy and his mouth starts to ooze that same black substance.
Sora woke up screaming. "Mickey NO!" he cried.
He looked around his surroundings and he found that he was in the nurse's office. He tried to move, but his chest started to hurt. At that moment, Vanitas and Roxas ran in.
"Sora! Thank heaven you're awake!" cried Vanitas as he hugged his brother tightly.
Sora was confused. Very confused. His chest hurt like never before and Roxas squeezed Sora's toes to comfort him.
"You okay?" he asked.
"W-what happened?" asked Sora, still catching his breath.
"You tell us. What happened?" cried Vanitas.
"Chill Vanitas." said Roxas.
"No! I demand an answer. Sora, please tell me what the hell is going on!" cried Vanitas.
"I swear! I don't know what you're talking about! I was by my tree, you know the one outside the garden. I slept there. That's all!" said Sora.
"That was not where you were found." said Roxas.
"What?" asked Sora.
"It's true. You were found by the garbage, outside the school grounds. It was Squall Leonhart who saved you. He brought you here." said Vanitas.
"What? What the heck was I doing there?" asked Sora. The more he talked, the more his chest started to hurt.
"Sora, you seriously don't remember anything at all?" asked Roxas.
"I don't! I swear to you guys! What was I doing there?!" cried Sora.
Vanitas and Roxas exchanged looks and it was Vanitas who had to tell him.
"Squall Leonhart saw you by the dumpsters. You passed out, sleeping next to the garbage." Vanitas was struggling to get the words out.
"W-what?" asked Sora in total disbelief.
"It's true." said Roxas, shaking his head nervously.
Sora felt like cold water was being dumped on him. He wanted to tell them instead about the new nightmare he had, but he decided to keep it to himself.
"Where is Squall Leonhart?" asked Sora.
"He had to report this to Xehanort. Like we need this right now." said Roxas.
"I'll tell Xehanort that you will be safe." said Vanitas.
Suddenly, an unwelcome voice stepped in.
"Yes. He will be safe. In fact, he will be in a much safer facility. I will gladly pay for this." said Xehanort himself, walking uninvited into the nursery.
Roxas turned to leave immediately, nervously of course. Vanitas stood by Sora's bedside, not moving away.
"Vanitas, you are needed elsewhere. I will stay with your brother and speak with him. I wish to know if there is anything I can do to help." said Xehanort, looking directly at Sora with those terrifying yellow eyes of his.
Sora held Vanitas by the arm, not wanting to let him go. "Family comes first. I want to stay with my brother." said Vanitas.
Xehanort licked his lips and made a hissing sound with his teeth. He shut the door behind him and he pointed his long index finger at Vanitas. It was so pointy in that white glove, it looked like a spider's leg rather than a finger.
"I'm tired of your spicy back talk boy! You wish to know why I want to talk to Sora? I'll tell you why! He's involved in a crime! A crime in which I wish to get to the bottom of. He won't be punished, that I can assure you. But you on the other hand will face my wrath. Your precious Xion will transfer to another school, IN CHAINS! I can do the same to YOU!" screamed Xehanort. The breath in his voice was almost gone. He was terrible at screaming. And then, the old man slapped Vanitas across the face and he fell to the floor. He then kicked him hard with his thick black boot. Xehanort was making horrific breathing noises like some savage animal stalking its prey with excitement.
"NO!" cried Sora from his bed. He tried to stand up, but his chest was preventing him from rising up. Xehanort then violently hit Vanitas on the head with a stool. A wooden stool. It knocked him out cold.
"Vanitas!" cried Sora, tears rolling down his cheek.
Xehanort opened his mouth wide. "Ah!" he yelled, letting out the remaining part of his anger while making wheezing noises. After a few seconds, which seemed like minutes to Sora, Xehanort straightened up his back. He composed himself and fixed his suit, all while catching his breath and calming down.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Sora. This is what happens when people defy me." said Xehanort.
"You heartless old man!" cried Sora, sobbing yet filled with horror.
"Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT make the same mistake as your brother! Vanitas talks back to me with every chance he gets. You on the other hand have manners and you are more respectable. Unlike your blonde twin, who ran off like a coward the moment he saw my bald head." said Xehanort.
"And speaking of blondes, I know very well that it was you who rescued Namine from the underground dungeon. I have eyes and ears everywhere in this school." said Xehanort.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you so evil?" asked Sora.
"Evil? I am the hero of this dimension! I know you already are aware of that! I'm sure Namine filled your head with fantastical stories of appearing and disappearing books and far off places in space." said Xehanort.
"Hero? You are not a hero. You are a monster. You have no soul and you don't have a heart!" cried Sora.
"Exactly my boy. I do not have a heart. Spiritually and physically speaking." said Xehanort.
"What?" asked Sora.
Xehanort began to cackle and nod his head. For some reason, he was delighted to tell Sora more. "You are right dear Sora. My lovely yet idiot boy Sora! Pitiful teenager! Pitiful spikey haired child. I don't have a heart. In fact, I'm but an empty shell of darkness." said Xehanort. He oozed out black liquid from his lips and his eyes turned backwards, revealing the darkness. Like the boy from Sora's nightmare.
"What are you?" asked Sora, afraid.
"I am a fragment of evil that found its way into this dimension, many years upon its creation. I'm not the only one mind you. The so-called villains from your nightmares are also fragments, waiting to destroy what we consider a threat to our ever growing empire." said Xehanort.
"You're all working together?" asked Sora in disbelief.
"My boy, please. Don't be so naive. Ignorant of these things, YES! But your naivety is so… overused. Cliche is more like it! You are just another typical "chosen one" that is reluctant to save the world. In this case, you are weak. Powerless. And easily prone to the manipulation of darkness." said Xehanort.
"I was manipulated?" cried Sora.
"Yes. The darkness in our dimension takes many forms. It feels threatened by would be heroes. You were next on the torture list. If only Namine kept her mouth shut, you would have lived a much happier life, with or without your nightmares. You could have just lived with them!" said Xehanort.
"What is this darkness?" cried Sora.
"I believe you know the answer to that. You see it in all your nightmares. The one you had was known as the Escape from Tomorrow. A nightmare I created to do away with you!" declared Xehanort.
Sora gritted his teeth and Xehanort stood by his bedside. He put his cold ugly hands on Sora's chin and squeezed it tightly.
"I could do away with you right now if I wish. Vanitas is not dead. But I could use the darkness to erase his memories. Yes, that's it. I should erase his memories. As well as yours!" cried Xehanort.
"No." said Sora weakly.
"However, it won't make sense doing that to you. You will have nightmares and you will ask around to solve it. I never imagined you would be the threat to me. I thought it was your brother Ventus who would do away with me. But he fell into darkness just like Vanitas there." said Xehanort.
Sora looked at Xehanort angrily and his eyes were concentrating on the old man's face. Sora was looking at every wrinkle, every birth mark and every cheekbone to memorize this wicked creature.
"You will be locked away, like I did Namine. Kefka and the Tweedles will have you a slave for quite a while." said Xehanort.
Just then, the door opened and Xehanort turned to see Braig standing in the doorway. "Someone demanding to see you. He's not leaving until you see him." said Braig.
"Tell this person I'm busy." said Xehanort, scowling at Sora, and not looking at Braig.
"You don't understand old man. This guy is called George Geef. He's demanding to see you regarding money." said Braig.
"George Geef? What kind of stupid name is that? Fine!" Xehanort then turned to Sora.
"We'll finish this later." he said fiercely.