"Hey - up and at 'em, kiddos! We're going to the beach."
"We are?"
"We are?!"
"Yep - Namine, how about you grab your camera for me? We'll make some memories you can share - do this big whole 'normal family thing', make an album."
She was already racing off before he'd even finished the sentence.
"Does this world even have a beach?" Roxas asked, left alone with Luxu now.
"I looked into it, and the nearest one's pretty far away; it's a two hour long train ride to the coast. So, I came up with an alternative that'll be a lot quicker for all of us...and one I'm sure you'll both like a hell of a lot more."
"What?"
Luxu turned, summoned his Keyblade, and created a blue portal in the middle of the living room. "You'll see..." he said mysteriously.
Roxas glowered. Then he sighed. "Even if you're a different guy, you still act the same; you don't say what you mean, and I can never figure it out half the time anyways."
Luxu winced. He flushed, reaching up to rub his neck. "Force of habit...?" he replied. "I suppose I'm still not too used to the fact that I'm free to be more than a secretive, enigmatic bastard."
Roxas gazed at him. Then, a small smile broke out on the kid's face. "Well?"
Luxu laughed. "Well...still can't ruin the surprise, now can I?"
"Fine," Roxas agreed, crossing his arms and relaxing a good few degrees.
Huh...did something right, there...
Or maybe it was just time. Time and patience. Well, if that was it, Luxu still had that in spades.
Even so, Luxu was grateful when Namine returned to the room - ending the still-pretty-awkward silence that had set in again between Roxas and him.
"Ready to get going-" Luxu began.
Namine, laughing, ran right past him into the portal.
"Okay, then," Luxu murmured. He nodded to Roxas, gesturing to the portal. The kid walked through it with considerably more caution than Namine (and with at least one glance back at Luxu).
Damn...
Luxu sighed, brushed at his hair, and followed after them.
They emerged out onto a little island cove. Tall, overhanging stone and foliage, over a long stretch of curving beach that was impressively built up. On the far left, there was a large wall made out of wood, with a doorway and a window leading around to the other side of the island. The beach was interspersed with various platforms that might have been one connected bridge at some point, one large tower with a zipline, and various ramps and wooden steps up onto higher, sandy plateaus.
It was a nice, covert spot to come out of otherwordly portals at.
Luxu looked to Namine, who was taking in the sights around her with sparkling eyes - eyes of recognition. Of course. "You know where we are, then?" he spoke lightly.
She turned to him, beaming now. "Yes!"
"I don't know where we are," Roxas spoke up, though he sounded less than certain about it. He was looking around as well, with a look of concentration now on his face. Furrowed brows, at what he had to be experiencing. "But...it feels sort of... Is this...?"
"Sora and Kairi's home," Namine confirmed happily.
Roxas looked less than happy at the answer. But then he sighed, pulled on a smile, and crossed his arms again as he looked to Luxu. "So what are we doing here?"
"Beats me." Luxu grinned. "What do kids do for fun at the beach?"
Roxas looked at Namine now. "Well, you said before that-"
"Swimming, sand castles, fishing - all kinds of things!" Namine said enthusiastically. "Let's-" she began, as she actually turned and began to race off for the wooden entryway.
Luxu casually reached out and caught her arm without looking. "Alright, hold your horses, kiddo. You're going in the right direction, but we need to get a couple of things straight before I unleash you onto an unsuspecting world."
"Oof- what?" Namine staggered, twisting back to glare at him.
"First of all, do either of you kids even know how to swim?" Luxu asked (even as he internally kicked his own ass for not bothering to figure that out before planning a beach trip).
Namine faltered, frowning. She looked down, then over at the water. Roxas did much the same. "I'm not sure?" she admitted.
"Exactly..." Luxu said. "Roxas - how about you? Think you could avoid drowning if someone threw you way out over there?" He pointed out across the dark blue, sparkling ocean that reached to the horizon. Nothing else in sight.
Roxas shrugged. "No. I don't think so, anyway..."
"Right. Better safe than sorry, then," Luxu decided. "You two can go anywhere you want, have your fun - but don't go into the water. The tide could sweep you away before anyone even noticed."
"Do you know how to swim?" Namine asked intently.
"Yeah - and no, I can't teach you two how," Luxu preemptively replied. "Not within the next hour or two, at any rate. It's not just something you pick up and do like that; it takes weeks of practice. And even then, if you want to learn, it'd be best left to a professional - something I'm not." Namine definitely pouted this time, at his answer. "But, hey, if you want to do it that badly, I can arrange it? We'll find someone, either back in Twilight Town, or even here. Not today, though. Today, just...relax, run around screaming, sling mud at each other - whatever. Do what kids do." He'd seen enough kids the worlds over to know how they spent their time - being troublesome little demons.
Namine gazed at him for a moment more, a glint in her eyes. She turned and strode off for the washing tides, then bent down and cupped a hand. She straightened up, glancing over her shoulder at Luxu.
Luxu rolled his eye, setting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, you're not half as subtle as you think you are - get it over with. Take your best shot." He spread his arms at her.
"It won't be as fun if you're expecting it..." Namine muttered.
"Not fun enough to not still do it, though...am I right?" Luxu retorted, grinning at the girl.
Namine whirled, her arm coming up in an arc. A big, goopy glob of mud struck Luxu's chest.
"Good aim," Luxu said idly, brushing himself off. "Now why don't we explore more of this little island?"
"Right! Roxas, come on! There are some really - cool - places here!" Namine shook her hand in the air and wiped it on her own clothes, starting for Roxas.
Roxas stepped back from her, eyeing her muddy hand. "You won't do that to me, will you?"
"No," Namine assured.
Roxas seemed to gauge her truthfulness, then gave a nod.
The two set off for the wooden doorway on the side of the island.
Luxu gave himself another brush off before following after them once more.
The price he paid to make these kids happy...
The other side of the island was as impressively built up as the back - wooden ramps and walkways, a pretty big treehouse on high, a bridge to a sandy plateau out in deeper waters, with a particular tree growing sideways out from it. Palm trees for days, all over this island.
Luxu looked out across the waters, and saw rows of houses on a distant shore. Beyond it, high hills of green - and past that, looming rocky mountains. Mainland, then.
As he stood there, gazing out onto this world, his mind wandered back to ancient times - centuries past, by now - to an ancient prophecy. Something the people of Scala Ad Caelum had been obsessed with, for a long while: a chosen one who would come to destroy the Darkness. A boy who would hail from the isles of destiny...A boy who would rewrite the ending in the Book of Prophecies - that light would expire, and darkness would prevail...
Luxu had spent all these centuries since learning of that prophecy searching for that person. Hoping that one day, they might come along...and put an end to his long life's mission. But for that child to come along, there first had to be a war of darkness and light to be rewritten in the first place. So the coming of the scapegoat would hail the emergence of the child of destiny, in turn...
But could Luxu even trust the Book, whose contents were written about by his Master? Either it was all coincidence, or it was all a specific roadmap to ensure things went down the path that man had wanted things to go down. What was even true and what wasn't? What if all of it was pure bullshit, nothing more? What if the whole child of destiny thing was a lie, a trick like the rest - a way to dangle hope in front of people of the future, like Luxu? Had the Master known Luxu would go to Scala and learn of it? Had he already seen that, and so had written it with him in mind...?
Goddamn time travel. The only thing any of it was good for was giving him a killer headache! He'd already gone mad and back again several times over, in the course of history, with all his overthinking this shit!
He couldn't go doing it again.
Besides, none of it mattered too much now, did it? With the Eye destroyed, with the future turned into a big black curtain put in front of the Master's sight, and with Luxu's own decision to throw it all away and go his own way.
Who knew if Xehanort would even succeed at starting a Keyblade War now at all? Who knew if any "child of destiny" would even be necessary, now...?
Maybe all of it, all of the Master's far-reaching, carefully laid plans were just in tatters now - and none of it would even come to be in the first place?
Regardless, Luxu couldn't get sucked into all that again. Trapped in his own head, thinking and thinking until he went nuts...until he fell back into the Master's trap.
No, it was all different now; whatever the future held was unknowable to everyone - the Master included - and whatever happened was up to the people who made their choices in this World.
It was all up in the air now - Luxu just had to make sure it all came back down again in their favor.
Which, in a free for all, chaotic, unknown World was...going to be a hell of a task.
But he wouldn't quit on it - he couldn't give up on hoping, on trying.
He'd promised Namine that.
And if he had to stick around and work at it for the next few thousand years...he'd do it. And do it for a damn better cause than the last one he'd been working at!
He'd do it for Namine - for all of these kids, here and now. To give them a better future.
"Hey - Luxu - there's a boat coming!"
Luxu came back to himself, cursing himself for doing exactly what he said he wouldn't do, and looked out across the waters where Namine was pointing.
It wasn't much of a boat - just a little dinghy.
But, as it came closer across the rocking waves, Luxu could see some familiar heads - which resolved themselves into familiar figures sliding up onto the shore.
"Roxas? Namine? Oh, hey - and Luxu, too!" the Sora kid exclaimed, leaping from the boat before the other three - it was the Riku kid, and Xion...and Kairi.
"What are you guys doing here?" Riku spoke, stepping out of the boat.
"Is there something wrong...?" Xion asked, with wide blue eyes.
Luxu looked to Kairi - red-haired splitting image of Namine...if it weren't for the mess of scars that were almost a splitting image of- of his current body. That one long one, down the side of her face in particular...just missed her eye, fortunately...
"Sorry to encroach on your territory," Luxu spoke swiftly - awkwardly. "I was just looking to get these two out for a normal-kids day-at-the-beach thing, and I figured this place was more convenient to actually get them to..."
The girl watched him a moment, then just shook her head and smiled. Reached up to push her hair back behind her ear. "You're not encroaching on anyone's territory - the islands are open to anyone. And this island is open to any kids looking for a place to have some fun. Just - be careful about where you portal in, that's all."
"Noted," Luxu said seriously. "Thanks for the generosity - err, hospitality. Whoops."
"It's no problem," the girl assured.
"Well...great," Luxu said, trying for a grin. "I'll just leave you kids to it, then..." He turned on the spot and made his way out across the beach - over to the aged wooden pier. He sat himself down there atop it, leaning back to relax.
This wasn't a bad place to take a nap.
Cool breeze, warm sun...tropical scenery...
He supposed he was getting that nice retirement after all, wasn't he?
He kept his one eye open, nonetheless, watching the kids from afar. Sora and Riku, and Kairi, and even Xion...they were good for Namine and Roxas. Good to see each other again, good to be around each other - to learn how to be normal kids. Over the course of the next few hours, he watched them go through a whole gamut of children's games: tag, frisbee mayhem, some kickball game, and even a long-lasting hide and seek game that gave Luxu a reprieve from the screeching voices and high laughter. Not that it wasn't a good thing - good sign. Still...bit hard on the ears.
He watched them look for seashells - saw Namine trying to mess with a crab. Watched as they went all in on the mud and wetness with learning to make those sand castles...or, sand buildings (whatever the hell they were trying to make, it wasn't a castle). And he watched infinitely more closely as Namine and Roxas dared to screw around in the water with the other kids - though, they never got further than waist height, with quite a few glances cast over at him. He was shocked but pleased they'd actually listened to him on that one. No heart attacks, no needing to go diving in after their sinking half-corpses...
Thank god for that.
Then, as the sun was starting to set, Namine came over to him.
She looked a bit nervous, he noted.
"What is it?" he said lightly.
"Kairi and the others want to show us the mainland," Namine stated. "Show us the town, and where they live, and for us to meet their parents-"
"You already have plenty of memories of all that, don't you? You've seen it before," Luxu interjected.
"I have - but it's not the same. And Roxas doesn't! He hasn't seen it. And we haven't actually met any of their families yet, either."
"Okay," Luxu shrugged. "Go - go on. I'll wait here for you two. Just come back before the sun sets, and I'll be here to take you home again."
"You could come with us," Namine said, peering at him intently now.
Luxu straightened up, staring back at her. "Do you want me to come with you...?"
Namine frowned. She bit her lip, glanced away. "Do you not want to come with us?" she challenged, though rather quietly.
"I never said anything like that - what gave you that idea?" Luxu responded, turning it back on the kid. He was curious now; where was this coming from?
Namine dropped her head further still, and reached across herself to grasp her arm. "I thought-" She stopped herself sharply, as suddenly as she even started.
Luxu watched her, feeling a little...concerned now. Something was upsetting her. Was it him? "Alright, come on, out with it. What'd I do, princess? Or, what did I not do...? What's going on in that head of yours?"
"I just thought things would be different now..." Namine whispered. "No more Xemnas, no more Organization, no more - any of that. I thought we'd get to be together all the time, and- and...that you'd..."
"What?" Luxu said quietly.
Namine looked up at him, holding his gaze now. Her eyes were shimmering. Oh fuck... "I've seen your Heart, I know so much about you, we- we have a bond, we're- we're supposed to be a family now, but you're still being stupid!"
"Okay, let's not go slinging around words like that," Luxu said firmly. "Tell me what's wrong - tell me what you think I'm doing wrong, and I'll fix it. All right? But you've got to talk to me-"
"That's what I want from YOU!" Namine shouted across him. She glowered at him with tear-stricken eyes now, in full. The tears, and the glare. "You won't tell me about yourself, you won't tell me about your life - all the rest of it that I barely even skimmed - and you don't- every time it comes up you just avoid it or- or push it away, or-"
"Okay, okay - hey! Don't...Look, I- I get it, you think we're not as close as we should be now?" Luxu said quickly, hopping down off the pier and reaching for the kid. Grabbing her arms gently. "Right? That's what you're saying? You think because of all we've been through, after the time we've spent, and after you got to know the real me, that we should be-"
"Y-you should be!"
"Me - right. You want me to...talk to you about my life? My past? Is that it? You're upset because I'm not...because you think I'm still keeping secrets, hiding things from you? That I'm not being honest or open with you?"
Namine nodded furiously in confirmation, tears spilling everywhere.
Luxu's grip loosened on her. "Well, what- what do you want to know? What do you want me to tell you?"
"Anything - everything - I want...where did you come from? What was your family like? What were you like as a kid? Do you think they'd like us? Would they still like you? How many world have you been to, and what were they like? And-"
"Okay, you've got a lot of questions," Luxu cut her off gently. "But - look, I-"
"If you're supposed to be our 'parent' now, we deserve to know more about you," came Roxas's voice. "You just- take us and start giving us orders all the time, but you haven't given us a reason to trust you. Not me, anyway..."
"I think he has a point," spoke Kairi, coming up with the other kids behind Namine. "They both do."
Luxu looked at these kids. All of them. He felt pretty well and cornered, in that moment. But...
"Yeah...might have a point there..." Luxu murmured, letting Namine go. "Can't expect you to trust or respect me if I don't give you a reason to. If I'm just..."
"Acting like Xemnas, or Saix did," Roxas supplied, anger in his voice now.
"I've never meant to come across that way. Like I said earlier - force of habit - but I guess it's...more of a problem than I thought," Luxu admitted. "If you kids need me to- to do more for you, to-"
"They need you to be more, it sounds like," Kairi remarked, her eyes sharply glinting at him.
Be more for them, huh...?
Then was that it?
The underlying tension, the problem all these weeks now?
Was he not doing enough?
Was he not...being enough for them?
Enough of a parent - a- a confidant, a- all of that?
Well, now Luxu just felt terrible.
Hopeless and lost.
He really was fucking this all up, wasn't he?
He floundered, closing his eye and losing himself in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.
Then, he opened it again.
"Alright - let's head over to the mainland," Luxu decided. He needed to go and meet some people who could hopefully help him get a handle on things here. Help him fix these issues that he was causing with his utter ineptitude in the realm of parenthood. People who would have at least a decade-plus of this stuff under their belt already (nothing to scoff at, even for a guy as old as him).