Chapter CCXXXXI: Yen Sid's Castle Part I
"Nozomi..."
"Mmm...!"
Feeling irritated from being disturbed out of her sleep, the dark haired girl turned her head trying to get away from the invasive voice.
"Nozomi?"
"Urgh...!"
"Wake up you desk head!"
Finally beginning to stir awake properly out of her long sleep, she opened her heavy eyes and as she did so, her vision began to clear gradually. As it did so, she murmured again, "Mmm!" Doing this, her lilac eyes were greeted to...the sight of a waving brown paper bag?
Confused by this, Nozomi surprised then heard a voice tell her with slight annoyance, "If you don't wake up properly, I'm going to each your lunch for you!"
Becoming shocked finally recognising this voice, Nozomi looked up to see one person, she thought she would never see again, "Wairu...?"
Seeing that she had awoken properly, Wairu smiled in amusement as he asked her, "So you're back to the land of the living are you?"
With this question put to her, Nozomi shot straight up from her sleeping position and hurriedly looking around herself, she cried out, "Where is this!? Where am I!?"
Clearly confused by this statement, Wairu then asked, "Where are you? We're in Mr Tseng's physics class, you idiot!"
Baffled by this, Nozomi repeated, "Mr Tseng?" Then looking around herself, she saw indeed she was in her familiar classroom. The warm light of Bamboo town was shining through the windows, while there laughing and playing about were classmates. Then in the right corner of the room, she saw Reno, Rude and Ruthus hanging out with Elena who talked about something she couldn't quite make out. Though it was clear they were all highly amused about something.
Staring on at this sight dumbstruck, Nozomi still couldn't believe the sight that was before her eyes and asked, "This place is-?"
"Honestly!" Distracted again, Nozomi turned in Wairu's direction again. As she did so, she saw that he had his arms folded as he then said, "If you keep napping away like this you'll never pass this class!"
Still not understanding this transition in scenery, Nozomi had to ask, "Wairu...wait?"
Puzzled by her behaviour, the ambitious wizard asked, "Wait for what?"
Nozomi then asked, "...I just, um?" With that she tried to structure her question out properly, "Where's Riku and Sora? Cait sith and everyone, they-?"
"Huh? Riku? Sora?" Quiet for a moment, Wairu then answered her honestly looking puzzled still, "Who're they? I've never heard of those names before?"
"Huh?" Nozomi still not understanding then had to say, "But how could you though!? I mean we were-!" However that point she stopped, for then she had to ask, "Wait? What were we doing with them... wasn't it?"
Seeing her becoming so puzzled, Wairu couldn't help but smile and he quickly assumed what the reason was for this oddness and approaching Nozomi he ruffled her hair and ask, "You're still caught in those dreams of yours aren't you?"
Quiet hearing this, Nozomi was annoyed at being disheveled like this. She went to bat Wairu's hand away from her hair, but before she could her childhood friend removed himself from her and as he did so, he went on to tell her, "Man, you know this takes me back."
"To what?" Nozomi asked as she tried to tidy her hair up properly from the mess it'd just become.
As this question was asked, Wairu answered, "Back to our younger days when you used to stay over at mine, nearly every time you believed your dreams were so real when you woke up."
Annoyed, Nozomi then responded with irritation, "I wasn't that bad!" With that finally she had fixed her messed up hair.
Wairu though then told her, "I beg to differ!" With that he opened his arms wide and went on to say, "I also remember whenever you had a real bad nightmare you'd wake up crying and come sobbing right into my arms!" Then laughing at this memory he informed her, "Seriously! You had a real ugly crying face!"
Hearing him say this, Nozomi stared at him. However as he stood there with his arms wide open, smiling so brightly without a care in the world...something was stirred strongly within her. As it was, tears began to form in her eyes.
Wairu watching on quickly became shocked by this and as she began to tear up more and more. He quickly asked her, "Hey what's wrong!?"
Nozomi couldn't answer him and only shook her head as her she continued to shake, the pain inside of her becoming worse. Seeing this, Wairu then started to apologise saying becoming terribly flustered, "Look if it's me, I'm sorry okay! I just was-!"
BANG!
Making one of the nearby wooden chairs fall off it's legs, Nozomi had ran over to Wairu and holding onto him tightly in sorrow, she cried out, "Wairu! Wairu! Wairu!" With that her tears continued to fall as her cries filled the air.
Everyone in the class stared on baffled by this sight and Wairu himself, though not understanding what had caused this great upset within her, moved his arms up. Holding her at first awkwardly an then finally gently with his arms, he tried to soothe her saying with an awkward smile and a small blush appearing on his face, "Look it's alright, I'm here...hey."
With those words spoken, the cries of sorrow still continued. However they calmed down ever so slowly, with the gentle touch and kind warmth from her dearest childhood friend there by her side to soothe the pain away...
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It was now a little later in the day and outside, Wairu and Nozomi were sitting upon a bench within the play fields of the school, as the other kids messed around, the two of them had their lunches open and ready as they started to eat together.
Sighing, Nozomi couldn't help but be honest as she then said, "Man... I can't believe how much I cried like that."
Hearing her, Wairu then responded after swallowing away a bite of his sandwich, "You're telling me, I mean it's not really like you to cry like that and so much in one go."
"Yeah, I don't even know what came over me back there either," saying that, Nozomi looked to her left and seeing the slight wet patch where she had cried upon him, she then said, "And I'm sorry for messing up you shirt like that, Wairu."
With this apology given to him, the wizard in training then told her, "It's not a problem, since we're friends," then with a mischievous look on his face he added, "Otherwise if we weren't, I would so charge you!"
Laughing at this comment, Nozomi then responded, "Yeah I bet!" Then looking at him with a more serious air, she told him, "Anyway, I wanna properly thank you...I'll make your favourite cucumber sandwiches tomorrow with that mayonnaise you like so much."
As this was said to him, the soon to be master wizard looking at her with his current BLT sandwich in hand told her, "You better remember!" Then with a serious look in his eyes, he went on to say, "Otherwise I'll make you pay for it severely later!"
"I won't!" Came the determined reply as she then stared on at the provoker bitterly.
…
"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"
With that as their little joke of a stare down ended with them laughing loudly with a few onlookers passing them by looking on puzzled, they calmed down feeling great in the warm daylight that was around them.
Wairu sighing laid his back against the wall, as he did so he then couldn't help but say stretching himself up slightly, "Man...just another boring day in the town of Bamboo, huh?"
"Yeah..." Nozomi said with a sigh, then as she did so she laid her head on Wairu's right shoulder. Feeling her doing this, Wairu then asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you going to cry again?"
"No stupid, I won't this time..." Nozomi replied, then relaxing a little more her eyes now closed.
Silent for a little as Nozomi remained quiet as well, after some more time feeling that she was behaving oddly again. The training wizard asked, "Nozomi?"
Releasing a small relaxed sigh, the dark haired girl then couldn't help but admit her feelings, "I'm just so happy..."
"Happy?" Wairu questioned her.
With that asked of her, Nozomi proceeded on to explain, "Yeah, I mean here I am...home, back in Bamboo where nothing ever changes," then looking at the environment around herself she went on to say, "The warm sunlight, the birds singing their sweet songs, the green bamboo swinging in the wind... I just wish none of this would ever change," however as she said those words, her eyes teared up a little and as they did she couldn't help but say with sad knowledge, "And I know now, my Master will never come back...and I don't have any worth in the world anyway."
Immediately annoyed hearing this, Wairu dislodged her head from his shoulder standing up. Looking back to her, he then told her with irritation, "Why're you saying that kind of thing for! That's not like you Nozomi, I don't like it!"
Still stuck in her pessimistic mood, Nozomi then replied, "But... it's true though! I mean I'm nothing compared to a lot of people around me, my grades are just average and some are even below that other than my Maths grades, I can't sing and anything I try to cook goes horribly wrong...and always making a mess and I'm always causing trouble and-!"
"Urgh! Man!" With that turning around, Wairu patted Nozomi's head and went on to tell her, "You shouldn't judge yourself based on small little hiccup characteristics like that," then with those words he walked forwards with his back turned to her and said with a warm firm confidence in his voice, "Besides all people are always worth far more than that...you especially."
Feeling grateful and so happy that Wairu was trying to comfort her like this, Nozomi couldn't help but say, "Wairu..." with that she stood up herself, but before she could move in his direction-
"Besides," he instead had turned to face her and as he did so, he told her pointing towards her chest, "You're a Vessel for a Fragment like me, remember?" He asked her chillingly with a smile.
With those words said, Nozomi felt herself shudder...her mind nearly unable to process this this information that had been shared asked him, "Wairu? What're you talking about? I mean I'm-!" However as she moved her own hands to take his into them, the moment she touched him-!
"AAAGGGHHH!"
Wairu's body splintered and began to fall apart into fractures of dark blue glass as he disintegrated into nothingness!
Horrified Nozomi cried out as the world around her drowned in a sea of darkness-!
"WWWAAAIIIRRRUUU!"
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"AAAGGGHHH!"
Shooting straight up in bed, covered in sweat, Nozomi was shivering in terrible fright. Now dressed in a pair of white silk like pyjamas, she was within a magical guest room within Yen Sid's tower, while the rest of the keybladers stayed in the lower levels leaving her alone in her room.
The only other person who was on the same floor with her, was Kagi who was sleeping in a room on the opposite side to her. He was being kept sustained by Yen Sid's magic, like Merlin's magic had done for him before, allowing him to continue slumber on peacefully with no troubles at all.
Holding herself cowering from the horrible nightmare she'd just had, Nozomi couldn't help but utter, "Not again... not another one again!" For the last nightmare was the latest in a terrible line that she had experienced. They'd all been in the castle for three days and this was the fourth night that Nozomi had been left to suffer with her terrors.
As she continued to shiver, the female keyblader shivering horribly still had to ask, "Why? Why is it aways Wairu... and Oralee, why do they always have to suffer in my dreams them... and I just-!" For in every terrible vision, either one had met their end being touched by her... or by the acts of another presence that haunted her, Hari.
Deep down though, she knew the reason why they suffered. It was because of her and the very thing that lay dormant within each and everyone of them as Vessels, a Fragment. Thinking of that terrible treasure that was sustaining her own life, Nozomi looked down to her middle and tensing up, she took the bottom end of her pyjama top and slowly pulled it back. Doing this, slowly but surely the glowing changing hues of light blue and dark, lit up the dimly lit room.
Staring down at the keyhole that was still upon her body, Nozomi couldn't help but remember the events that had passed and the information that Wairu had given to her. Remembering that the Fragment would only come to those who were dead before they were born... she couldn't help but think of the the circumstances of her own birth and how she was condemned as bad luck for it.
Then as this thought occurred to her, Nozomi couldn't help but think again that it was all really true, she was nothing but bad luck not just for her family, but her friends who were now gone and it was all because of this treasure that was giving her life.
Gazing down at the keyhole on her body with a mixture of loathing and fear, she hated having this mark... but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder. Was she truly nothing without it? As her eyes continued to linger on it, she couldn't help but be struck by a wave of curiosity... moving her right hand towards it, she tried to put a couple of her fingers through the keyhole and reach as deep as she could...
However, all that game to meet her touch... was nothing, nothing but emptiness and a chilling coldness that horrified her! Quickly withdrawing her hand away from it, she hugged her knees to herself desperate to feel some reassuring warmth and comfort from her own body.
Tormented by her fear and grief, tears formed in her eyes again and as they did so, Nozomi couldn't help but ask anxiously, "What am I supposed to do!?" Then hugging onto her knees more tightly, she asked again, "What can I do now!?"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Jumping for a brief moment, Nozomi shivered with fear still as a voice began to speak beyond the panels of the door.
"Nozomi?" The person who was calling for her, was none other than Kairi. With a tray of food in her hand, she called out to her again, "Nozomi are you alright in there?"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Kairi remained silent after her knocking and as she did so, after a little bit she heard some sounds of movement showing indeed hat the person inside was alive.
That was something for her to feel a little relief for, so sighing looking down to the tray that was in her hand, she went on to say, "I've brought some food for you again..." then looking down to the floor where another old tray laid that had barely been touched other than the water which was drained, Kairi was depressed. However there was nothing else that could be done and so she told her, "I'll leave the new tray here for you..." with that she placed the new tray down on the floor, then taking away the old one she looked to the door and asked, "Will you not come out and see us?"
…
However again there was only silence that came in response to her question, as it did so Kairi could see this time would be no use in trying in either. So sadly, all she could do was leave and say before she exited that level of the tower, "I'll come back again with another meal soon... I hope you feel better soon Nozomi."
…
Again there was no response and seeing this, Kairi left while in the room Nozomi still in the midst of her insecurities, felt them only continue to grow as she hugged on tightly to her knees...
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STEP STEP STEP STEP
Slowly but surely Kairi made her way down the stairs. She felt terrible for she couldn't do anything to comfort Nozomi, nor the others and as she thought that-!
"We have to do something!"
Coming around the corner of the stairs, Kairi then saw that it was Sora who was speaking. Everyone was together in another room. The king was standing with Yen Sid, Reeve, Cait sith, Timbre and Zidane along with Riku while standing near to the door was Donald and Goofy.
Seeing them all there, Kairi reaching the bottom of the stairs then walked to the door and standing between the doggy knight and the wizard duck, she was signalled by them both to keep quiet as they put their fingers to their lips, shushing her.
As they did this, Kairi listened on herself sadly curious. As they all waited to see what would occur.
Sora who was still trying to remained determined throughout these tragic few days then said, "We can't let things just stay this way!"
With these words said, everyone remained in silence. However after a little bit it was then that Mickey said, "Sora, we all know that... but this issue can't be resolved that easily."
"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked appalled.
Riku sighed, this argument and discussion had been getting nowhere over these last three days. They had been trying to organise something to be done for the Vessels who were still alive and also what should be done about the ones who still sided with Maleficent. Looking on, he waited to see what would next be said, however he had a feeling about how it would go.
The King was the one who then spoke next,"We can't bring back those that have passed on... that much is clear from the records and-!"
"And you can't afford to let us go right?" With those words asked, everyone turned to see that the person who had spoken was none other than Timbre who was looking at them with severe dislike and slight distrust.
There didn't come a reply to this question, however in another moment it was then that Reeve spoke saying, "That much is for certain," with that having had his eyes closed throughout nearly almost all of the conversing, it was then that he opened his eyes. Doing this, he then said, "For after all we contain the very essence of the ultimate weapon that can lead to the door of light... there's no way they would miss an opportunity to gain the ultimate key." Cait sith shuddered hearing this and as he did so, he clenched his gloved paw tightly.
Zidane hearing this and remembering what had been said about how these so called Fragments were gained, stepped up and standing in front of his pal protectively he then said, "You're not touching my ship mate for that darn treasure! No matter how badly you guys need it!"
Hearing those words, it was then that Sora spoke saying fiercely, "That's not what we want to do!" Then trying to be as sincere as he could with Zidane he further added, "We can't sacrifice you guys! We can't do that to you!"
Becoming curious hearing this, it was then that Reeve decided to ask, "Why can't you?" Then as Sora turned to face him, Reeve then continued on to ask, "You'd be getting what you need ultimately by our sacrifice, your final goal would be achieved so easily and you wouldn't feel any regret from the loss of memories... for isn't that what you wanted all this time? To open the door of light and unite all the worlds?"
Quiet as he heard this, Sora at first couldn't answer him and he had to admit after pausing for a couple of moments, "...Well yeah, I mean uniting the worlds is important and saving the light and everything... but I don't want it to be at the cost of our friends lives."
As this was said, Yen Sid who'd be entirely silent up to this point then had to say, "That may not be possible in the awaited future."
Dismayed hearing this, it was then Sora cried out, "Yen Sid!"
The aged Magician looking at Sora, with his arms folded with a solemn expression as his serious tone then revealed the severity of the reality they all faced, "The merging of Fragments is an extremely rare occurrence throughout the course of history... it is even more of an impossible feat to find them all within a near proximity... I cannot deny that an opportunity of this magnitude is something that can be simply overlooked."
However still fiercely determined, Sora then protested again saying, "But! We've closed doors before to Kingdom Hearts! These Fragments can't honestly be worth enough to end another person's life for! I mean-!"
"Those doors were not the true gateways though..." Mickey spoke, correcting him in moments.
As he said those words, Sora became terribly silent with shock as he asked, "Not the true doors?"
As this was said, Yen Sid then proceeded to explain, "They were openings to small points of the greater Kingdom Hearts... but none of them have ever led to the true core of what that sacred realm is." Then looking to the three Vessels who were there in the room with them, the most powerful wizard then said, "Only the Fragments are known to be able to guide anyone to that most precious sacred point."
Sora hearing this couldn't believe this... frustrated he gripped his right fist tightly and uttered, "That can't be!" Then as he uttered this, he saw one person was beginning to walk out the door. As he did so, he quickly cried out, "Riku!"
In seconds the white haired young man stopped in his tracks, as he did so. He was quiet as he heard Sora go on to ask him, "You can't possibly agree to any of this right!? I mean with Nozomi and the others! This can't be right in any way! You must agree with me right that we can't-!"
"Sora..."
Immediately the spiky haired young man was silenced, as he was he then heard his silver haired friend say, "I can't say anything right now..." with that proceeded to walk forwards again and out of the room, as he did so his last words to them of that moment were, "I need to be alone for a while." With that he walked past Kairi, Donald and Goofy leaving the confines of the castle...
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Nozomi in that moment of time was silent, the tray she'd been left was now in her lap. She picked and fiddled with her food, only able to nibble on extremely small portions of the meal. As she did this, she still had no appetite properly to speak of and after some more minutes of trying... she eventually stopped giving up.
Then taking the glass of water in her hand, she drank some of the liquid before becoming more depressing... it fell from her hand and onto the floor. As it leaked its contents soaking the stone floor. She didn't have the energy to try and clean it... instead, getting up from her bed she looked out the window towards the darkness of the night sky that surrounded her.
As she did this, her sorrow was still apparent on her face, she couldn't help but leak a few more tears, thinking of her friends who'd been lost... and the horrible truth that was now her reality. Feeling terrible for the fact that they'd been erased and yet she still had been left alive. As these thoughts came to her one after the other, she couldn't help but feel it was all so wrong... was there anything she could do to change things somehow?
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Riku walking amongst the trees himself, couldn't help but be tormented along with his friends about what the right thing to do was? For it was true... they needed to open the Door of Light but at the same time, he hated the idea too of letting his friends lose their lives. Especially Nozomi's.
As he continued to walk on moving past all the trees, he remembered when he'd first met her. She'd been so disagreeable, a trouble maker and being argumentative at the most unneeded of times. He practically had hated her for the most part at the start...
But then he had to wonder, when had things began to change between them both? He couldn't discern exactly when, but he knew that the more that he had got to get to Nozomi, the more he understood that she'd been through so many hardships before they'd ever met. But despite all the hardships and sorrowful moments she'd been exposed to she'd kept trying to smile and keep things positive for all of them.
At times... she'd also been able to stop him from making some horrible mistakes that looking back he would have regretted now. Also despite learning the truth of what he'd done... falling to the darkness and committing terrible acts, she'd accepted him and even cried for him. In essence forgiving him.
Remembering that moment from when they were in the Pride Lands, he remembered various other moments they'd shared. The time she had stroked his white hair in the Radiant Gardens as a reward, when she had cried in relief for him when he'd survived the fight with Rattigan, their hug in Hercules's world... even then in Kuzco's world when she'd hugged him tightly as a white rabbit.
Smiling with slight embarrassment at this, he then remembered when his lips had touched hers when he was a Merman saving her life. Blushing remembering this, he then also remembered how she'd cared for him when he'd been suffering upon Treasure Planet... as he thought of these, her voice echoed in his mind,
"Hey snowball?"
"Geez you dumb snowball!"
"Thank you Riku, thanks for letting me understand things."
"You're so cute! I love you!"
"You must have been in so much pain!... All alone like that and suffering...I'm so sorry that happened to you!"
"... It's funny isn't it?"
As the last image in his mind emerged of her heartbroken state in tears, it hurt Riku horribly inside... as it did so, he put a hand to his chest where underneath his aching heart lay. Then doing so, he turned to look above himself towards the window upon Yen Sid's castle where he imagined was Nozomi's room. Doing this, he whispered to himself, "Nozomi..." then despite his doubt and frustration, he came to a decision! Immediately he started to walk back at a fast pace towards the tower with purpose, for there was something he had to tell her...
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Now back within the tower, Riku had made it up the stairs and was making it towards the floor where Nozomi's room was. Standing within the corridor, he slowly walked over to the room where he remembered her walking into, doing so... he saw beside the door was the partially touched used tray. This being his confirmation, he looked to the door and reaching his right hand slowly over, he made his move.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
…
However there came no response to his bidding, witnessing this he then spoke, "Nozomi? Can you hear me in there?"
…
Again there was no response, however thinking nothing of this. Riku continued to speak on anyway, "...Listen to me, Nozomi... there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
…
Once more there was no response to his voice. Expecting as much, the white haired keyblader proceeded to speak his mind, "Nozomi, look I'm sorry!" With that he put his hands against the door and as he did so, he proceeded to speak his feelings towards her, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth sooner... even though I had so many opportunities to all this time, I never took them because...!" With that gritting his teeth he admitted to her, "I never wanted you to become like this!"
Then hanging his hand against the door, he then proceeded on to tell her, "I found it so hard... hiding the truth all this time from you! I just never knew how I could tell you! I mean... to find out you were nothing but a container, an empty Vessel to house a Fragment of a keyblade... that you were dead before you were even born! How could I ever tell you that so casually!"
…
But there was no response to his words, hearing this Riku hated himself. However looking to the door, he told her, "But listen, I want things to change! Everyone does, I know we can figure something out... just please! Let me see you! Then I know something can be done! Please open the door!"
…
As this silence came again Riku was quiet...however quickly he realised in all the time he'd been speaking. There'd been no movement from the room, no rustles of fabric or bedsheets! Something was wrong, his eyes widening realising this, he then said, "Nozomi?" Again there was nothing and as he heard this, he spoke, "Nozomi say something to me!"
…
Again there was nothing and feeling the worst possibility of how things might be, he then said, "Nozomi! You better open this door right now! Otherwise if you don't I'm going to smash it open and I won't care if you're dressed in there or not!"
…
Once more nothing but silence greeted him and as it did-!
SHINE!
"SMASH!"
Riku immediately rushed into the room, as he did so he looked inside and as he did, his eyes widened in horror! As he saw the sight that greeted him, he quickly looked about the room at the strewn sheets that were on the floor, the opened window with the curtains drifting in the wind sadly, he looked outside of it and he saw just like inside there was nothing there either!
Turning around, he then immediately ran out and as he did, he shouted out loudly to anyone who could hear him in the castle,
"EVERYONE! NOZOMI'S DISSAPPEARED!"
With those words cried out, things had taken a mysterious and a distressful change indeed...
