The Red Republic
The Long Road
"Are we going to walk to Paris?" Anya's words barely beat the crunching of melting snow as they came marching out of the snow-capped mountains to the nearest river to gather their senses. Dimitri and Vladimir took mouthfuls of ice-cold water to rejuvenate, whereas Kuro stepped further down the line about fifteen steps, pulling his suspenders off to swing around his knees as he began to unbutton his white shirt in a futile attempt to wash out his blood that stained the pierced torso and shredded sleeves. Silently cursing his haphazard fighting form on the top of the train, irritated that he managed to get overwhelmed by the short verdant demons so quickly.
Xion walked over to the river's edge to palm a mouthful of chilled water before taking a subtle glance over at Kuro. She froze when she noticed that he was disrobing and taking his shirt off to wash out the blood. Her hands hide underneath Kuro's wool sweater, covering her slowly bleeding red blush as she seemingly unabashedly watches him attempt to rub the blood out.
Xion was not unfamiliar with the sight of bare bodies, having seen both Roxas and Axel shirtless on several occasions. As well as other members such as Demyx and Luxord.
Xion assumed it was much like eating, feigning emotion or the choice to have lounge decorum inside the Grey Area at their home base on The World That Never Was. It was an attempt to normalize their circumstances.
Axel, Demyx and Luxord participated in the ritual of grooming themselves as a way to stay connected to their past selves, and to remember what hot water and fresh-smelling shampoo were like. However, there was an expectation that most members were to freshen themselves up following missions to places that could end with the member being dirty or any blood or grime that gathered while out on patrol.
She recalled one day that Xaldin dragged Roxas by the scruff when he came back to base tracking dirt and grime all through the halls of the Castle and was thrown into the washroom and hosed down.
Demyx would walk around the base with a towel around his waist, humming tunes as he let his hair dry naturally. On a few occasions, he was forced to run out of the lounge area by a different member for sitting on the furniture with nothing more but a loosely tied towel around his waist and soaking wet bare legs and back staining the cushions.
Roxas chose to start his mornings with a warm shower as he found it invigorated him before the mission of the day. Axel took one in the morning and once again before bed. Stating that he felt at home when he was under water that was boiling and scalding hot against his skin.
From her occasionally snuck glances at her more consistently paired teammates, she had noticed that both Roxas and Axel were both lean-toned men. Axel's body was slender and graceful, as befitting someone whose moniker was the Flurry of Dancing Flames. With tight agile muscles and a thin waist with pronounced hips, with his body lacking very little, if any, fat. Roxas was trim and defined, his body and arms lacking any substantial muscle mass but built for speed and agility. Roxas' body was not nearly as muscle-bound as Axel's, there was a firmness to his form.
Kuro's body type reminded Xion of Xaldin or Lexaeus. His chest was rigid and taut from what looked like a lifetime of tested combat, his forearms and biceps were thick with compounded and tightly packed muscle. His dark-tanned skin looked even darker when compared to the stark white of the snow at his side and the soft white of the shirt he held in his strong hard hands. Xion couldn't help but watch the way his hands tightened into powerful fists and watched the veins underneath the surface of his skin popping up.
His skin was noticeably darkened around his knuckles from the vicious fist fights he's been involved with over his life, curling and beginning to wring the shirt. His biceps tensed as he attempted to drain out as much water as he could before donning his shirt. She felt her jaw lock as her eyes traced down his body to focus on his broad chest, his well-toned powerful chest and strong, sturdy abdomen.
Xion imagined for a moment that Kuro's body was firm and hardy when touched, feeling like a sun-warmed stone when caressed with bare hands. Mindlessly, she rubbed her thumb over her fingertips to simulate the feeling of taut muscle under her touch.
"Hey, sweetheart." Dimitri whistled to his bodyguard, gathering Xion's attention. She snapped towards him with a gasp, cheeks flushed red and her eyes brought to needle points. Dimitri smirked, winking at her before walking over to the river's edge. "Let us get a move on. We have a lot of road to leave behind us and you can ogle him on the road."
Xion couldn't get her words out fast enough, stumbling over her futile attempts to explain herself. She groaned in response, rubbing her eyelids, She heard several steps and the Heartless walked beside her. Re-buttoning his shirt, folding the torn sleeves so that they rested tight against his forearms and lastly hooking his arms underneath the suspenders to take them back up. Kuro's hand readjusted his flat cap and approached the Nobody with a clap on the shoulder. Xion turned towards him, grinning awkwardly at Kuro. He grinned back, unsuspectingly.
"How did you like it?" Kuro asked, nudging his chin toward her. "Did it feel good? Make you feel all warm?"
There is a silence shared between them, Xion's wide blue eyes meeting Kuro's impassive orange. His thumbs hooked through his belt loops as he waited patiently for a response that never would come. She stood with her back straight and her cheeks a rosy shade of pink. He waited a few more moments before clearing his throat to keep talking. "My coat."
" Yes." Xion said quickly without shifting a muscle. "Your coat… did feel warm."
"You're welcome, Xion." Kuro said with a smile, clapping his hands together before walking on to join the others. Shooting a glance over his shoulder at the Nobody as he continued his stride. "You can keep it if you'd like, keep you keeping warm."
Xion gathered her senses and marched on to catch up with the group. They walked for several miles, and at the rounding out of the sixth mile, Anya asked once again if they were going to be walking all the way to Paris. Dimitri decided to grace her with an answer this time.
"We are not going to walk to Paris. that's multiple countries away." Dimitri grumbled as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets. He stopped for a moment to roll his tender ankle and to take pressure off of his aching feet. "We'll take a boat out of Germany."
"Oh." Anya's face pulled into a disappointed scowl, her eyes falling to the road they were walking on. "Then we are going to be walking to Germany?"
"No, your grace. We're taking a bus there." Dimitri explained, with a little tested grin and an anxious tightness in his chest. This simple ruse turned into a real journey of patience rather quickly for the young conman. Who had hoped this would be a simple job.
"A bus! That's nice. A nice pair of wheels will be nice." Anya said with a burgeoning grin. Anya walked over and grabbed up Dusk, cradling the small puppy and wiggling her nose against theirs. "Did you hear that boy, a bus! That'll get us there quickly."
"I have ears." Dusk grumbled, before lapping their tongue against Anya's cheek and making the fake Princess laugh.
"Sophie, my dear, Vlady's on his way!" Vladimir shouted, rubbing his hands and snickering to himself, his hands rubbing over one another in anticipation. An anticipation that intensified and grew with every single step they took towards Paris.
"Who's Sophie?" Xion asked, her hands tucking into the other's sleeve as she bobbed along the road alongside Vladimir. Glancing up at the larger man while his feet began to shift from their marching form into this dance of swaying hips and sweeping footsteps. The kind that carried the man as though he were starting to dance with the very wind that blew past them.
"Oh, dear child. Who is Sophie? She's a tender little morsel that is waiting for me in Paris." Vladimir said with a forlorn look in his eye, longing in his voice and a spring in his step.
"Vlad…" Dimitri warned, shooting a glance at both Kuro and Xion. Both of them looked at Vladimir with confusion. "Keep it down."
"She's a cup of hot chocolate after a long walk through the snow." Vladimir spoke so lovingly, his heart strumming a chord of desire with every note he spoke of his ladylove. Kuro's eyes focused, the green woods and dirt roads dimming to a grim dark, leaving only silhouettes of humanoid forms in front of him.
He saw pulses of red ripples in Dimitri and Anya, and similar to Naminé, Xion's chest cavity was empty and void of any kind of throbbing heart. Vladimir's heart was echoing in waves of tender rose-shaded pink, as the thought of his Sophie rested in his mind.
"Vlad, ixnay on the 'ophie-say.'" Dimitri grumbled, grabbing his friend by the arm and pulling him close. Trying to stop the man's joyful waltzing down the dirt road.
"What language is that?" Kuro inquired, rubbing his chin as he darted his eyes between the two Russian men.
Vladimir didn't ixnay on the 'ophie-say', even a little bit. Instead, he took Dimitri into his massive hands and began to drag him along the dirt road that they walked along. His massive paws clamped around Dimitri's hands and hoisted him up off of the ground. Vlad's rotund stomach suspending the helpless Dimitri off of his feet as he began carrying him. The two men spun together in a loose dance, with Vladimir leading. The laughter of Xion, Kuro and Anya makes Dimitri's face flush in embarrassment.
"She's a decadent pastry filled with whipped cream and laughter!" Vladimir shouted, his hands readjusting to begin snaking between Dimitri's shoulders and dipping him as a partner would in a dance. Anya loomed over the dipped man, smiling brilliantly and giggling to herself.
"Is he describing a woman or a cream puff?" She asked with a grin, before Vladimir pulled him back up onto his feet and forced him into a quick spin.
"She is the Empress' ravishing first cousin." Vladimir noted, before winking towards Anya. "Your third cousin, I believe!"
"Cousin! Dimitri! I thought we were going to see the Empress herself. Not some other woman!" Anya said with a furrowed brow as her heels dragged into the dirt. She marched forward to catch up with the dancing pair of conmen, Dimitri still caught up in Vladimir's dance. "Why are we going to see her cousin? Dimitri!"
"Well, nobody gets near the Dowager Empress without convincing Sophie first. It's part of the process." Dimitri explained, dodging a rogue rock throw from Anya as she let out a groan of irritation towards the conman. Kuro glances over at Dimitri as he starts to stumble over what to say next. Kuro approached Anya, gathering her attention as he began to speak.
"Anya, let's relax. It's part of the deal. We need to be vetted to make sure you are who they think you are!" Kuro stated, only for Anya to raise her voice at him. She turns to him with a finger raised and her eyes going bloodshot from the embarrassment that now rested in her chest.
"But look at me! I am not exactly Grand Duchess material here! I'm an orphan for nowhere! I thought I would meet the woman and she would just know! I didn't know I had to prove it! I'm nothing!" Anya shouts, stomping away from the group with tears welling in her eyes. Frustration and shame carried her quickly down the road. Kuro is dazed by the shouting and the tears, his hands combing through his silver hair, as he glances over at Dimitri and Vladimir before jogging ahead to catch up with Anya.
The next several miles were held in a silent tension, Anya refusing to acknowledge Dimitri and Dimitri annoyed enough with Anya to not be phased by her shunning. Xion walked alongside Vladimir discussing Sophie and how they were going to get to Paris on a boat, with Kuro pulling up the rear with Dusk at his side.
Eventually, Anya reaches a bridge that crosses over a river. Anya's feet slowed to a drag and she stared down into the murky depths. Staring at her frayed red hair and her tired blue eyes. Vladimir approaches slowly, leaning over the railing and pointing into the river with a thick finger.
"Tell me, child, what do you see?" Vladimir asks as he turns his attention towards the waters. Anya looks at her reflection, seeing her face covered in dried dirt and wearing hand-me-down clothes that don't fit her well.
"I see a skinny little nobody, with no past and now with no future." Anya kicks a stone off of the wooden plank and disrupts the flow of the river with a plunking of a rock.
"This river must be broken." Vladimir says sincerely, before pointing down into the river's surface as it settles and reflects Anya's form and face perfectly once again. "I see an engaging and fiery young woman. You see my dear, I was a member of the imperial Court. And I have known my share of royalty from all over the world. And I believe you could be the Grand Duchess."
"So, are you ready to become the Grand Duchess Anastasia?" Dimitri asks bluntly, only for Kuro to knock his fist against the con man's shoulder. Dimitri's arm buckled from the punch, grunting in pain. "What!"
"Anya, listen to me, now." Vladimir said sincerely, holding his hands thoughtfully together as he prepared for his next statement. "There's nothing left for you back in Russia for you, my dear. We are going to Paris. Everything is in Paris."
"Gentlemen, start your teaching." Anya said with a hopeful tone, to the applause of both Dimitri And Vladimir.
"I remember it very well." Vladimir suggested, as he took an arm around Anya and began to walk her down the path. His free hand spread out in front of her to begin painting the scene. "Let's start at the beginning. You were born in a palace by the sea."
"Really? A palace by the sea?" Anya said, her eyes imagining this beautiful castle overlooking the ocean at the cliffside of gorgeous rolling green hills. Her heart begins soaring as she imagines the sea-breeze in her hair, salt air hitting her cheeks and the warm sand under her feet. "What else?"
"You were riding horseback when you were only three years old." Vladimir said.
"I cannot imagine myself horseback riding." Anya says, turning towards Dimitri with a shake of her head. "I've never even been near a horse!"
"But you went horseback riding! You had your own horse, your father got you, he was a white horse." Dimitri explained, adding a layer to the tapestry of Princess Anastasia's history for Anya to remember.
"You made all kinds of funny faces, you were a horror to the cook." Vladimir chuckled, recalling the young princess catapulting spoonfuls of frosting and gravy at the chef of the royal family as he prepared their meals.
"Was I wild?" Anya asked, pressing her hands together as she pulled them to her lips and giggled.
"Were you wild? Vlad, she's asking if she was wild!" Dimitri shakes his head as he claps his hand against his thigh against his knee. "Anya, you wrote the book on being wild!"
"But! When your father Nicholas gave you that Romanov look, with those icy blue eyes, you straightened up!" Vladimir's back straightened and his chin rose to mimic the command of the late Czar. "Now, keep your shoulders back and stand up tall! You're a Romanov, after all!"
"Do not just walk, but try to float! You're a Princess!" Dimitri said, straightening his back and giving her an exaggerated smile.
"Am I floating? I feel a little foolish!" Anya laughed as she attempted to float along the path as a Princess would.
"No foolish! You float like a little boat!" Vladimir compliments, as he shows her how to properly float.
"When you're done or need to excuse yourself, you give a bow to the person you are speaking to. Show some elegance." Dimitri explained, recalling all the bowing the Royal family had done throughout his time as a servant in their halls.
"Ok," Anya takes up her coat's hem and curtsies as she was instructed to. "Then what happens?"
"Then your hand receives a kiss." Vladimir said with a grin, as Dimitri took up Anya's hand and kissed her knuckles. The heat of his lips lingering on her hand as Anya's attention is pulled back to Vladimir as he curls his fingers to wave for her attention again. "But remember this, this is vital. If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it. Now, elbows in and sit up straight."
"And for God's sake, never slurp your stroganoff." Dimitri said with a chuckle and a scrunched nose. "That's peasant behavior. Not Duchess material."
"Bleh, I never cared for stroganoff." Anya responded, with a sour expression and squint of her eyes.
"He-ha! She said it like a real Romanov!" Vladimir shouted. Clapping in respect and admiration of Anya's quick learning. "Excellent, darling!"
"It starts with the samovar, then the caviar-" Dimitri said as he thumbed his index and middle finger in turn. Anya grinned.
"Then it's dessert and time to call it a night!" Anya said, hoping the lessons were coming to an end. "Piece of cake."
"Not even close!" Dimitri shouted with a hearty laugh. This was just the beginning of the lessons Anya would have to undergo.
Several miles later, Dimitri flags down a truck as it rolls down the road by nearly throwing himself in front of the moving vehicle. It took clever wording and fake promises of grandeur, but Dimitri convinced a local farmer who was riding down to Germany to allow the pack of travelers to hitch a ride in the bed of his truck for a silver pocket watch and some rubles. Sitting next to chicken coops and bottle metal barrels of milk, they were now being driven towards Germany. Vladimir shuffled to sit alongside Anya, reaching into his breast pocket and unfolding an intricate scroll to share with her.
Small painted portraits and elaborate names and titles ran from the very top of the parchment down to the bottom, where Anastasia's name was written alongside her sisters and brother. Vladimir cleared his throat, pointing to the list with a grin. "Now, you must memorize the names of all the royal family. Here we have Kropotkin, who shot Potemkin in Botkin." Vladimir chuckled at the multiple, '-kins'. "We made a rhyme to help you remember."
"Oh! Got it! Let's go!" Anya said, reinvigorated and excited to engage with the material. Her eyes focused on where Vladimir's finger laid. Dimitri pointed to an uncle on her father's side with a smirk.
"Your dear old Uncle Vanya loved his vodka." Dimitri said in a short rhythm, making the '-a' pop to emphasize the rhyme. Vladimir swatted Dimitri's hand away, his finger trailing to a Baron on Anastasia's mother's side.
"The Baron Pushkin was very short." Vladimir said, pointing to the Baron in the picture, Dimitri flicking his finger against Vladimir's back of the hand. The larger man squeaked in pain, shaking out the sting as Dimitri towards the next family member. "Count Anatoly had a big wart."
"Count Sergei wore this ridiculous feathered hat." Vladimir said with a chuckle, enjoying the game of rhymes that he and Vladimir were playing. Anya tapped on Sergei's picture, smiling widely as a vague thought rolled off of her tongue unexpectedly.
"Yes and he had the cutest yellow kitty cat!" Anya said with an excited clap, her smile beaming and her voice rising to a proud shout. Vladimir stares at Sergei's portrait, before reaching for his partner. Dimitri feels a hand grab him by the collar, dragging him close before hearing Vladimir's voice to a low whisper.
"Dimitri, I don't believe we told her about the cat…" Vladimir mumbled lowly, Dimitri's eyes going wide as he glanced over at Anya then back at Vladimir. Dimitri's confusion starts to grow as Vladimir grins with a wicked smile. Their Anya's impersonation of the late Anastasia about to start becoming a little too good and too spot on.
The Red Republic
The Steel Boat
The passage onto the passenger ship was bought with a generous donation of Munny from Kuro and several hastily made-up travel visas provided by Vladimir. They were given a single cabin as the captain and his crew were already planning on leaving within the next two hours prior to the traveling party's arrival and had to quickly change out a storage space into a livable bunk. Kuro and Xion dropped off the baggage of their team with Anya. Dimitri approaches the Princess, an open box with a folded light blue dress inside.
"Here. I bought you a dress to wear when you meet the Cousin." Dimitri said as he handed over the garment to Anya. To be fair, the dress was neatly folded in its box when he had purchased it. When Dimitri asked for the size, the tailor noted that, 'it will fit any woman.'
That was not a lie, Dimitri had to admit to himself when Anya grabbed the dress to unfurl it and see it from collar to hem. It would fit any woman, any man it seemed, and any bear that decided to start wearing clothes.
"You bought me a tent." Anya said as she grabbed one end of the hem and pulled it taut. The skirt could have been used as a blanket, how wide it was.
"What're you looking for?" Dimitri asks as he sees Anya poking around the inside of the rather spacious dress. Her eyes darted around to every bend and fold of the fabric.
"The Russian Circus!" Anya says with a growing laugh. "I think it's still here."
Dimitri glances at the dress and then back towards Anya. Anya's grin disappears as she sees that he sincerely thought the dress looked nice and wanted to give it to her. She glances back at the garment in her hand and opens her mouth to speak.
"Come on, just put it on. It'll look nice." Dimitri turns to watch out the cabin door and quickly walks away in a huff up the stairs towards the top of the deck. He groans with frustration as he reaches the top of the stairs. Kuro glances over at the two ladies, raising a hand and heading to the door.
"I'll let you get dressed in peace. See you both topside." Kuro stated, nodding his head towards the two women before shutting the door behind him and heading up the stairs to join the other two men on the top deck.
Anya smirks as she takes the dress and walks it over to the chair sent over the back of it. Anya takes a step back and inspects the dress, her fingers pinching the end of her chin thoughtfully.
Xion posts the Keyblade up against the wall, patting it to secure its spot before she sits on the bed, watching as Anya slips out of her huge brown overcoat, tossing aside her gloves and glancing at the dress. Smoothing the fabric out against her bare body to see how it fits her form. Xion shrugged with a quick glance over her body, seeing the dress ended just at her mid-shins.
"It's definitely long enough… It is a nice dress, I guess." Anya grinned, taking the material in her hands and rubbing her thumbs over the fabric to get a feel for how it will feel on her body. "It's nice, right?"
"It looks pretty. He bought it specifically for you." Xion said, slowly disrobing out of the wool coat and folding it over the cot bar at the end of the bed. She gives it a few pats, feeling some comfort come from the huge warm jacket. She turned back to Anya, who noticed the affectionate hand that Xion had on the coat. "I think it'll look lovely on you."
"And Kuro gave that to you." Anya stated with a teasing grin, wagging her finger towards the raven-haired girl with a short giggle. Anya's thin lips curled to a teeth-flashing smirk. "Don't think I didn't notice that you slipped into that coat when the train was falling apart."
"Kuro was just being nice, Anya. I was cold and he…" Xion grinned, waving off the implication with a rising glow to her cheek. She crossed her arms over one another, pulling her shoulders together to ignore the fluttering in her stomach when she thought of Kuro's kindness towards her. "He's just… a friend."
"Xion! Look at this! I think I could fit all five of us in here!" Anya slipped the light blue dress on and noticed how loose and wide around the waist the garment was around her. Anya giggled, taking the hem of the dress and extending them out as wide as they were willing to go. Anya's arms were fully extended, and it appeared she was wearing a deflated hot air balloon rather than a form-fitting dress. Xion laughed with her, the dress would look spacious on Vladimir. It nearly swallowed Anya into oblivion. Xion unfolded the wool coat, borrowing Kuro's wide leather belt, and walked over to Anya to help fasten it around her waist to cinch the billowing gown. Anya glanced down at the much smaller girl, lips curled to a timid grin. Seeing herself in a new beautiful dress, being taught all these facts about the Princess, and having to present herself as the Princess… Anya let out a sigh, the two blue eyes meeting each other. "Xion… do you think I'm a Princess?"
"Anya-"
"Please be honest. Like, am I just fooling myself?" Anya requested, feeling Xion begin to loop the belt and find the proper punch hole that fits snug around Anya's waist. Xion shrugged, her lip curled to a half smile as she smoothed out the bunches of fabric that gathered underneath the leather.
"I'm here to help protect and find Princess Anastasia." Xion noted with a sincere air of professionalism, nodding in the acknowledgement of her true mission that she was set forth to do when she crossed the threshold into this world by Xaldin. "And as far as I can tell from what you told Dimitri and Vladimir, you're either the best fake princess or you are the princess. And at this point, does it matter?"
Anya huffed a short laugh as she saw Xion take a step back and admire the dress in all its newly cinched glory. Her icy, possibly Romanov, blue eyes shooting over at the Keyblade that was resting up against the metal hull of the ship. Her lips pulled inward, milling over the sight of such an interesting weapon. Its shape and size caused an image to spring in her mind of valiant knights saving damsels in distress, capable of using magic and power to protect the good and innocent.
"That's a funny looking sword. I don't think I really noticed it before." Anya whispered with a short giggle, grabbing her dress by the hem and swinging it from side to side. Getting a feel for the length and the fabric against her skin. "Where did you get it from?"
"It's just… sort of my own. It's like an extension of me." Xion smiled, with a short glance at the weapon, seeing the light of a nearby bulb make the silver barrel shine. The warmth that hummed in the blade was resounding and echoing in her very own chest. "It's what makes me… important. It is going to help me and my people get what we need."
"It's going to help you achieve your dream?" Anya inquired, Xion nodding in turn. Anya walked over to the blade, inspecting her reflection in the metal. Sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes. She giggles, glancing over at Xion from over her shoulder. "It's important to follow your dream. Especially if it's going to help other people."
"Thanks." Xion whispered, glancing to the toe of her boot, before glancing up at Anya. She thought of what Kuro said of the Organization hurting people. The Organization had its bad apples, she couldn't dispute that, but Axel and Roxas were good people. They were kind to her. So, the Organization couldn't be all that bad. "Can I ask you something?"
Anya nods, turning towards the Nobody with her arms folded behind her back.
"Dimitri and Vladimir aren't exactly upstanding citizens. They have lied, made up transport visas, and are going forward with the intent to lie to a woman about her granddaughter being alive, who may or may not be you." Xion took in a deep breath and exited it out. Feeling her hands begin to shiver and chill underneath her gloves. "What I'm trying to say is that… if you know they aren't exactly good people, how do you make peace with the things they do if they help you?"
"Let's nip something in the bud." Anya takes Xion by the shoulders and leads her to the mattress, sitting her down before sitting alongside the Nobody. Her hands interlaced together as they rested in her lap. "I don't think Dimitri and Vladimir are bad people. Sure, they are doing… negative things in the eyes of the Government and maybe God, but they aren't negative people. They are good people, I can feel that. I can feel the goodness in their hearts. Does that make sense?"
"No. Yes? I don't know." Xion's shoulders fell, fiddling with her thumbs as she pulled her shoulders together and hummed nervously in her spot. "I… I want something more than anything else in my life. But that means working with people like Vladimir and Dimitri."
"Just remember that people are not always black and white. That there are layers and complexity to people." Anya said with a somber sigh. Reaching over to hold Xion's hands tenderly and squeezing them with assurance. "Good people might not be the saints we think they are, and the sinners that we look down on have more noble qualities that we shouldn't ignore. But as long as you look in their hearts, it's there you'll find goodness."
Xion nodded solemnly, the reminder of her lack of a heart stinging as though Anya had just rubbed open a still-healing wound. Xion turned her eyes back towards Anya, making a note that navigating relationships will be easier when she gets her heart. Which might help her navigate her now complicated relationship with Kuro and her relationship with the Organization. As she stared at her Keyblade, she knew that she would need to complete Kingdom Hearts for anything to matter in the end.
"Boys!" Xion called out, gathering the attention of the three men as they shifted their eyes from the chess game that Vladimir and Kuro were playing to the deck's hatch that led to the lower levels. Buying time until the women joined up topside. "Presenting our Princess, Anastasia!"
Upon hearing her title and name, Anya walked up from the stairwell onto the deck to greet her adoring public.
"Wonderful! Marvelous! You look beautiful, darling! Now that you are dressed for a ball, you will learn to dance for one as well." Vladimir shouted, clapping his hands together in great joy as he approached the Faux Princess. Taking her hands and kissing each of her knuckles with a tender peck. He squeezed them affectionately, as a father would praise his daughter's own beauty. He led her to the men, showing off the beauty of their Princess. "Come! Let us teach you the waltz!"
"I'm not very good at dancing. Truth be told, I've never been asked to dance." Anya grumbled, anxiously fiddling with her index finger with the fingertips of her free hand, as if she were trying to screw her nail back into place. "I wasn't exactly the girl everyone asked for a dance."
"I know how to dance the waltz." Kuro stated, taking his bishop and knocking Vladimir's King piece before scooting out the chair and walking over to the young woman. Taking his hands and unbuttoning his wrists and folding them over along his toned forearms. Anya giggled as he approached her, covering her growing smile with her lithe hand. Kuro jumped to the call without missing a beat. "Come here, Anya."
"Oh ' come here. ' Take notes, this is a true gentleman." She teased with a short laugh. He gave her a warm grin, biting his cheek to avoid laughing with her before taking a proud step towards her and quickly glanced over her. Noting where her hips and shoulders were before moving forward with taking up the stance.
"Yeah, yeah. Now, my hand goes here…" He goes to start placing his hand on her hip, hearing her gasp in surprise as his strong hand gently rests along her hip bone. Dimitri squinted his eyes, crossing his arms over one another and balling his fists against his body in mild irritation. Watching Kuro's thick hand rest along her waist and hold her securely.
"And this hand…" His other hand tenderly traces down her palm before gripping her right hand with his own with a confidence that surprised Anya and baffled Dimitri, Vladimir and Xion. "This hand goes here to start holding yours."
Xion stood with her hip against the railing of the ship, arms crossed as she stared at the Heartless approaching the Faux Princess with such pride in his ability. Xion snickered gently as she saw him take his dancing position with a clearly hesitant woman.
"And… one- two- three. One- two- three…" Vladimir begins to speak, waving his finger in precise waves to the rhythm of his own words. Kuro begins to lead, Anya following his steps in tandem. "Look at you both!"
"Kuro! You don't know how to dan… " Xion's words stop as soon as Kuro begins to waltz with Anya. The step to the right, the back step, to the left and back to point one were done precisely and without daily. Anya's mouth falls in surprise as she is swept off of her feet by the Heartless and taken for a dance. Dimitri watches with a slack jaw and a bewildered stare, watching this silver-haired man dance so confidently and sure of himself.
"You never danced before?" Kuro asked, smiling warmly while he leaned in close to her ear and let out a relaxed breath softly. The steadiness of his breath had begun to ease the tension in Anya's chest as well. His voice rolled out in a rumble as he continued to speak. "You're pretty good."
"That right? I got stiff competition?" Anya asked with a smart smirk, her eyes flickering with mischief as she kept on dancing. Her movements shift from being led to mimicking Kuro's steps and following his teachings down to the precise steps.
"Just Dusk. But they're a little shorter than me." Kuro admitted with a short chuckle, as the two of them danced along the edge of the ship's deck. Vladimir's voice soon lost its volume as he watched in awe as the two of them got lost in a songless dance.
Kuro takes a moment toward the end of their steps to give her a lingering and thankful grin, admiring her quick learning and the joy he felt with actually having a dance partner of similar height to engage with finally.
Anya in turn followed suit, grateful for being taught how to dance by one of her new friends. Kuro let go of his partner and gave her a short nod, clapping out of respect. Anya curtsied as she was taught to do out of respect for her silver-haired teacher, Kuro chuckled with enjoyment before bowing in turn. Dimitri watches with a scowl, seeing how happy dancing with Kuro made her.
Anya noticed Dimitri's negative expression and lifted her chin in her satisfaction before she swung out her arms to beckon him forward to dance. Dimitri shook his head, only to be shoved towards the girl by his partner with a stern paw to the back. Dimitri avoids stepping on her shoes by securely positioning his heels and taking up her arms to steady his stance. He awkwardly positions himself to begin to waltz with her. Vladimir clears his throat to begin counting them into the waltz rhythm.
"And… one- two- three. One- two- three…" Vladimir coordinates with a wave of the finger as Anya leads Dimitri for a moment, Dimitri's feet dragging and shuffling awkwardly.
"I'm not a good dancer… Give me a moment." Dimitri mumbled as he found his footing and began to lead Anya going forward. His steps became more elegant and natural the longer they danced with one another. Dimitri's eyes trailed along her figure and form, her lips pulled to a bashful grin. "That dress is really beautiful."
"Do you think so?" Anya asked, her voice a little high and her tone soft against his ears. He felt his blood rush through his body, his heart fluttering hard in his chest.
"Yes. I mean it was nice on the hanger but it looks even better on you. Yo… you should wear it." Dimitri said nervously,
"I am wearing it." Anya said, an eyebrow raised slightly.
"Oh, right of course, of course, you are." Dimitri clears his throat anxiously, his cheeks flushing and his hands starting to get a little clammy. "I-I-I'm just trying to give you a…"
"Compliment?" Anya completed his sentence, rolling her eyes playfully as she squeezed his hand affectionately. "Give out so little compliments, you need to practice?"
"Of course, yes." Dimitri reluctantly admits and she smiles brilliantly. The shine of her smile gives the setting horizon stiff competition in its warmth and glow. Kuro's eyes focused on the dancing pair, his vision locking onto the two as the sun's glow dimmed to a blanketed shadow over the dancers. The ocean's shimmering light disappears into dense and rolling ebony waves. That's when he sees the pulsing pink ripples ring out from their vibrating hearts, their hearts both racing despite their movements becoming slowed and their breathing getting heavier and heavier as their turning and stepping grew to slow cycles and shuffling. Her body pressed against his chest, his hands gently pulling her closer to him. Kuro smiles tenderly as the echoing throbbing of their desire towards one another grows. Reminding him of Quasimodo's affection towards Esmerelda, and Arthur's squirrel admirer towards the young King.
"I'm feeling a little dizzy." Anya admitted with an airless breath.
"Kind of light-headed?" Dimitri said in a way that made it clear that he was sharing some of her symptoms. His voice was soft in a way that it wasn't before and his eyes fixed to hers as though she were dry land while he was out amongst rough waves of the sea. "Me too."
"Yeah." Anya answered quickly with a short nod of the head. "That's both of us."
"Probably from the spinning." The pair stared at one another, their eyes not breaking from one another as the world fades around them and they stand alone with one another. "Maybe we should stop."
"We have stopped." Anya whimpered, her voice a low and longing wisp that made Dimitri's hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Dimitri's hand along her waist became loose, his thumb brushing over her hipbone and his fingers trailing along the curve of her lower back towards her hip. His right hand tightened around hers, his thumb brushing the outside of hers in deliberate and slow strokes. Anya leans subtly forward, Dimitri following her. "Dimitri…"
"Anya, I …" His voice is a grumble, his breath hot and his heart thundering in his throat, his breathing now beating against her chin as the tip of his nose just shy of pressing against hers. Her tongue quickly licks the bottom of her lip before she puckers them swiftly, in anticipation of what would be next to come.
"Yes … ?" Anya's voice is needy and desperate, her hand along his shoulder tracing the edge of his left shoulder blade, hooking around the back of his neck to begin to guide his mouth towards hers. He shuts his eyes, her heart leaping into the heavens as she does so as well. That's when his hands leave her palm and hip, and he pulls away from her.
"You're doing fine. Keep up the good work." Dimitri mumbles in a disconcerting tone, breaking his gaze as he marches towards the doorway. The bodyguards and Anya watch him go, each of them very confused.
Kuro secured his flat cap as he walked away from the group and followed the conman down the staircase into the shared room that the six of them were going to share. The two con men, a possibly fake princess, two Heartless and a Nobody in an eight by eight-foot room. Kuro saw Dimitri start to shut the door behind him, quickening his pace and diving his hand forward to keep the door from shutting completely. Kuro threw the door open, seeing Dimitri pulling out several coats and jackets, including Kuro's wool one off of the bed bar, and leveling them out into a makeshift cot on the floor. His eyes refused to leave the floor.
"What the hell was that up on the deck?" Kuro barked, Dimitri stopping mid-rolling of a shirt to let the wave of confusion roll over him before quickly densely packing the shirt into a poor pillow and laying on his side. Facing away from the door and facing the wall. "Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you."
"Shut it, buddy." Dimitri grumbled, not even bothering to look over his shoulder to look at the Heartless. "What you saw was a mistake. Business gets complicated when feelings get involved. I should know better."
"Oh, you shut it!" Kuro bit back, shaking his head as he took his hand and slammed the door shut. The crashing of the metal door to the metal frame caused the conman to rise up onto his knees and begin glaring at the Heartless. Kuro wasn't deterred when their stares met. "You like her!"
"She's a business partner! It helps to like the people you work with! Try that sometime!" Dimitri explained, pinching his fingers together as he raised his voice and flexed his fingertips towards the Heartless. Punctuating his point. "Once I drop her off in Paris to that old rich broad, she and I are never going to see each other again! So, why get attached to someone I'll never see again?"
"In your line of work, you shouldn't fall in love. That right?" Kuro said, seeing Dimitri's eyes break from the staring contest first and returning to his makeshift cot and punching his makeshift shirt pillow to tenderize it. Venting some frustration and attempting to make it softer. "Are you afraid of losing people? Is that why you're scared of your feelings for her?"
"News flash, buddy!" Dimitri shouts as he focuses his stare on the wall. "Caring about others only serves to ruin people's lives. All it does is make you want for something you'll never have and make life harder to deal with when it eventually disappoints. People leave and people die, and you can't stop that. It's easier when you don't care."
Kuro huffs at this advice when Dimitri callously talks to him and gives him the cold shoulder while attempting to fall asleep. The Heartless grabbed one of the wooden chairs in the room and dragged it as far as he could away from Dimitri and posted up in a corner. Stretching his legs out straight, folding his arms over his chest to find a comfortable position. It was getting late, and he needed to be ready to meet the Dowager Empress when they made landfall in Paris the following morning.
To say that the cabin was packed tight was an understatement. Vladimir made the joke that sardines were given more elbow room in their tins than they were given in their cabin. But somehow, they made it work. Anya was settling into the bottom bunk of the cabin's bunkbed, with Xion resting at her right side facing towards the wall and Dusk curled up on her chest. Kuro and Dimitri were sleeping in a wooden chair and on the floor respectively, and Vladimir was currently sitting up against one of the steel hulls of the ship, attempting to refold the clothes in his pack and find something proper to wear for his meeting with Sophie tomorrow. He glances over at Dimitri with a quick shift of his eyes, jealous that he was sound asleep on the floor. The older man rolled his eyes with an annoyed grumbling of a Russian curse under his breath. A curse so foul, it caught Anya's attention immediately.
"Vlad … are you all right?" Anya asked with a surprised tone, never hearing him say something so crass.
"Fine, fine. Just riddled with envy, Look at him," Vladimir grumbles as he nudges his chin towards Dimitri. As he was somehow able to soundly sleep on a pile of his folded-up jackets and coats for a makeshift cot. "The lad, he can sleep through anything."
The ship hits some turbulent waters and shifts the room, the walls creaking slightly from the pressure put onto the haul. Dimitri's backpack wasn't properly positioned and ended up being knocked over from the shifting boat. Out of the backpack's open flap, a spherical-shaped object rolls out of the bag and slides along the metal floor. The small bauble rolls along its side until it knocks into Kuro's foot, startling him awake as he feels a sudden knocking against his shoe. He glances down and notices the item immediately. Kuro squints his eyes, reaching down to grab it off of the floor. As soon as his fingertips curl around the object, his eyes go void and his breath exits out in a sharp inhale.
The heat that echoed out from the jewelry box looking item reminded the Heartless of Arthur's Sword and Quasimodo's Bell. Kuro's jaw clenched and his palms grew slick as he realized that the Cornerstone of this world had put its power, its light, and its hope into such a small thing.
A Cornerstone… Here? Of all places. Come on. That's not a coincidence. I was supposed to have this. I must destroy this trinket. It's such a little thing. Who would miss it? It's a little nothing. Go ahead… It's just like the Bell. That surge of power is what allowed you to brave the Reactor on Midgar. It's what allowed me to survive being shot so many times. What allowed me to keep Jessie and Barret safe. Think of how many people I could save if I were to smash this thing. Just one more boost, I can imagine the possibilities if I were to crush this nothing…
"What is that, Kuro?" Anya asked, cocking her head to the side as she stared at the trinket in his hands. Kuro's hand trembled slightly as he slowly began to close his hand around the object. Anya sees Kuro completely mesmerized, not even acknowledging her voice.
"Cornerstone." Kuro's voice whispers in the dark, before he shoots a glance over at Anya as she reaches over for it. He quickly pulls away, rising to his feet with the jewelry box still in hand. He bares his teeth, nostrils flaring and his orange eyes beginning to glow in the dark. Their typical fireplace glow was now replaced with a wildfire rage that seemed to suck what little light that was in the room to a near pitch. "Don't."
"Kuro?" Anya inquired, as she saw his arms flex under his shirt, his chest grow taut and his shoulders square as though he were preparing to get pounced. His voice wasn't its typical rumble that echoed out strength and could mellow rampant spirits. It was a harsh and guttural noise, as if it was physically painful for him to make such a noise. The word vibrated in his throat, as if it were unnatural for him to speak. Kuro's eyes blinked and that voided, dark stare was immediately gone. His orange eyes returned to their typical shade and liveliness, losing their edge and their aggression. He drops the jewelry box, the item bouncing off of the floor and rolling towards Anya.
Before she could chastise him for being so careless, he was already out the door and rushing to the top of the deck. She would have to have a word with him when he gets his wits about him. She inspects the item for damage, seeing not even a scratch on the trinket. Which she was sure Dimitri would not let her ever live down if he saw her with a scuffed-up box.
Xion watches as Kuro leaves, immediately getting out of bed and chasing off after him.
She picks up the jewelry box. Inspecting it thoroughly. Anya immediately has a sharp pulse as she holds the box, as though the material had shocked her down to her bones. A familiar sensation that thundered in her fingertips. Numbing her fingers in a vague recollection. She cradles the box lovingly.
"Oh, wow…" Anya remarked as she inspected the music box tenderly. Handling it as though it was going to fall apart in her hand.
"Pretty jewelry box, isn't it?" Vladimir asked, pointing at the trinket in her hand.
"Jewelry box? Are you sure that's what it is?" Anya inquired, gently shaking the small bauble in her hand.
"What else could it be?" Vladimir asked with a shrug.
"Oh well, something else … Something special … something to do with a secret." Anya whispered to herself, "Is that possible?"
"Anything's possible. You taught Dimitri how to waltz, didn't you?" Vladimir mumbles as he crawls on top of the bunk to prepare to get to bed. The bed creaks as he settles into his spot. She secures the Jewelry box back in the backpack, securing the strap and pushing it back towards Dimitri. Vladimir rests his paws over his chest, wiggling his toes and rolling his joints to ease the tension in his body. He whispers softly into the air, making sure to speak loud enough for the woman to hear him. "Sleep well, your majesty."
"Night Vladimir…" Anya whispered as she combed her fingers over the ebony-furred pup's floppy ear. "Sweet dreams, Dusk."
Kuro charged out onto the deck of the ship with a heavy sigh and attempted to control his breathing, just as his mother- No. As Sora's mother had taught him to do when the world gets too small and too noisy. Kuro walked over to the railing that overlooks the choppy gray waters,
reflecting the twinkling shimmering stars that illuminated the deep ebony sky above. Kuro's hands raked through his silver hair, his breathing becoming more and more unsettled as he tried to ease the rapid beating of his heart. Hammering in his chest as though it were trying to burst out of his body as though it were trapped under his muscles and bones.
"You're a Heartless, you shouldn't be blamed for your proclivity towards violence."
"Kuro, are you alright?"
"Heartless don't choose… They are just destructive by their very nature. But… but men can be evil. Because they choose to be evil."
"Kuro?"
"Kuro?" Xion's voice finally cuts through the haze and the fog, Kuro's backing straightening out and his breathing easing to a mellow and gentle steady rhythm. His orange eyes faintly glow in the dark as he glances over at the Nobody. Kuro turns his chest to her, his hands gripping the railing and his lower back pressed against the chilled metal bar. Kuro swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, meeting Xion's eyes.
"Yeah?" Kuro grumbled as he ran his hot palms against the railing to cool his system down. His hyper-focused stare on Xion was confusing to her as she noticed that he seemed different when he held the small trinket. Very similar to when he touched The Bourdon Bell at Notre Dame. She walked towards Kuro to join him at the railing, her elbows resting over the bar as she stared out into the ocean's waves. "Aren't you tired from all the walking? Why aren't you in bed?"
"Can't sleep." Xion said in response, peering at Kuro out of her peripheral vision as she kept her face facing forward towards the sea. Her gloved finger scratched at her elbow anxiously as she wondered why Kuro acted so similar to the small box as a large bell. "Aren't you tired? Why did you leave so quickly?"
"Wanted fresh air." Kuro shot back, keeping his back towards the sea as he released the tension in his chest and let his head roll about along his shoulders. "Never been on a boat this big before."
"You've been on boats before?" Xion inquired, her interest piqued as she doesn't recall him mentioning bobbing along any of the nonexistent rivers or oceans on Traverse Town or on the river surrounding the great cathedral Notre Dame. Kuro smirked, a short chuckle escaping his lips. He remembered as Sora he had been on small little boats before, rowing from the mainland to the island throughout his childhood. Recalling the dozens of splinters he scratched at until they bled and sunburnt skin that he peeled off with precise pinches.
"A lifetime ago." Kuro whispered lowly, his gaze following solemnly to the floor. Xion turned towards him, a hand on the railing and the other loose at her side. He thought of his offer for her to join him and DiZ in their workings against the Organization. They were alone, and they seemed to have gotten over their short scuffle on the train. "I have a question-"
"You did that thing again. Where you focus intensely on… a thing. I saw you do it back at Notre Dame with the big bell." Xion noticed the pattern, seeing Kuro's eyes begin to sharpen, his eyes half-lidded as he began to slowly let out measured breaths. He pulled to a scowl as he kept his face facing the deck, not looking at Xion. "You called them both Cornerstones… What is that? Why did you call them that?"
Kuro felt his hands tighten around the railing bar, his neck slowly bending back to look up into the rolling black skies. He belted out a deep-chested sigh as he glanced over at Xion. He couldn't lie to her. And to eventually convince her to join him and DiZ, honesty was the best path forward.
"Worlds sometimes put their power into items of significance and of power. They are the world's line of defense against the darkness. Once they are destroyed, the world loses its armor and Darkness rolls over it like a wave." Kuro explained, meeting her intense blue stare with his orange-hued gaze. "That box was one such Cornerstone. That keeps this world safe."
"And that Bell was Quasimodo's world's Cornerstone as well?" Xion inquired, to which Kuro nodded in turn. Xion squinted her blue-hued eyes, before they expanded into a look of terror. She ended up turning back to the sea with a forlorn look in her eyes now. She coiled her fists, her hands beginning to shake anxiously as she gathered the courage to speak again. "The Bell was destroyed, wasn't it? That's what sent the whole world into oblivion?"
Kuro grunted in response, tears welling in his eyes before he attempted to squint them back into their ducts only to have a few break from his eyes and stream down his cheeks. He felt his shoulders tighten and his breathing starting to become uneasy again. Kuro took a solemn breath, before finally speaking again.
"It was an accident." Kuro revealed, his eyes glancing over at Xion. His amber-shaded eyes glistened in the dimly lit deck of the lanterns that hung around the ship. He let out a short huff, something of a self-deprecating laugh towards himself. "I… I just wanted to help."
Xion took a step back and stared at him. She looked over this silver-haired man, with his eyes softly beginning to glow in the dark. She glanced at his darkened knuckles as they gripped the railing bar, recalling the damage he was capable of with his hands alone. With the added benefit of knowing he is now capable of damning entire worlds into Darkness, she felt a chill run up her spine as she stared at this man. Wondering now exactly who she was truly friends with. She saw him straighten his back, and his low rumbling voice rising to a loud bark. Eyes flicker in confusion.
"Anya?" Kuro's shout is nearly muffled by the crashing of thunder in the chalky dark clouds above. Xion follows his sight lines and sees Anya walking barefoot against the freezing cold metal. Her eyes were shut and her lips curled into a pure serene smile. She walks towards the stern of the barge, her feet slipping occasionally and nearly falling to the ground. Xion squints her eyes at the sight, looking over at Kuro as he gets off of the railing and walks towards her.
"Does she sleepwalk?" Xion asked as Kuro shrugged as he walked alongside Anya and tried to get her attention back, snapping his fingers and whistling sharply in her ear. She didn't react in the slightest. Kuro shook his head.
"Not that I've seen." Kuro said as Anya grabbed the railing of the boat and hoisted a foot up onto the edge. Xion and Kuro gasped and sprung into action. "No, you don't! Anya! Anya! Wake up!"
Kuro immediately grabs hold of Anya, locking his arms around her waist and pulling her away from the edge of the ship. Anya began to swing her arms and legs, grumbling through closed lips as she thrashed against Kuro. Her elbows knocked into his cheeks and her heels slammed into his shins. Kuro barks in pain, gnashing his teeth together.
"The Romanov Curse! I see them! Their faces! The Romanov family!" Anya shouts with her eyes thrown open and her voice growing shrill as she grips his shirt tightly. She shudders and throws her arms around Kuro as she begins to sob. The faces of those people in her dreams, followed by images of glass helmets and bursts of fire and resounding gunfire. Her elbows bending around his shoulders and her face buried into his chest as she shook and quivered in the wind. "I keep seeing these faces … They asked me to join them. The older girls and the little boy. The Romanov children. And the Czar Nicholas… I just… I saw so many faces before the fire."
"It was just a nightmare. It's all right, it's ok." Kuro whispered as he let her drag him onto the floor while his right arm bends and rests along her shoulders. His left hand tracing down her back to soothe her and rubbing her tenderly as his voice lowered to a soft rumble. Kuro pulls away slightly, his orange eyes glowing in the dark and meeting her shadowed face in the dark of the cold ocean. "You're safe now. You're safe with me. No curse is going to hurt you when I'm here. Alright? I won't let anything happen to you."
The walk back to the cabin was met with a stipulation, with Kuro insisting that he would be standing guard at the bedside of a now-sleeping Xion and Anya to ensure their safety, staying wide awake for the remainder of the voyage. And so he sat.
Hunched over with Xion's Keyblade in hand. Its teeth dug into the floor with his chin resting on the flat bottom of the handle. He must've counted off about fifty-nine minutes in second increments that he was sure he lost track of at some point during his mental rattling off. He pulls away slightly from the handle, staring down into the silver shine of the weapon. The weapon slightly shining in the dark, as if it was reflecting the dim lantern light beside the hatch doorway and holding on tight to that light. The keychain jingled slightly with the shifts of the Heartless' motion. Kuro blinks, images of the Keyblade sealing Keyholes and summoning spirits of those with strong hearts echoing in his mind.
"The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart." Kuro shook his head at the innocence and confidence that Sora had when he had lost this very Keyblade to Riku and was ready to fight him with a simple wooden toy sword. Kuro looks beyond the handle and sees Anya staring at him with wide blue eyes. "You should be asleep."
"You should be too." Anya smirked, resettling into her spot with a wiggle and a sigh of content. Keeping her blue eyes fixed to his orange-hued tired stare. "Go to bed."
"Not until we land. I'll sleep on the next bus or cab." Kuro chuckled softly, as to not wake up the others in their room. Anya's eyes grew half-lidded, letting out a short sigh and tucking her hands under her cheek. "That darkness thing you said, did you hear that from somewhere?"
"I said it once." Kuro stated with a discontented sigh. He didn't really say it, Sora said it so long ago. "You know how you don't remember much before you were eight?"
Anya nods, her attention fixed to Kuro without a chance of it wavering.
"I… said I had issues remembering things. But… that time we danced in the palace. I… I remembered my past." Kuro whispered, his eyes slowly resting on the Keyblade in his hands. His breathing had been getting heavier, as though he were forcing himself to breathe. "And I don't think I'm - me now - is who I am supposed to be. I've done things that I would have never done before but I chose to do them because I was following my own code and my own… heart. And I don't know if I should lean into my past or focus on my present. Because it feels like I'm two different people."
Anya nodded, glancing at the Keyblade in his hand and then turning her attention back to Kuro. She propped herself up onto her elbow, meeting his concerned gaze and smiling gently towards him. He was helpless in reciprocating the expression and smiled with her.
"Kuro. It doesn't matter if the you before would have done things differently. The you now helps people. The you now is here with me now. With Xion, Dimitri and Vlad. And you did that all before you knew who you were." Anya reached over and cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb over his smooth silver beard hair and letting out a sigh of content. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Kuro. The you before you knew who you were. Because that you… that was all you."
Anya gives him a tender tap on the cheek before resting down on the mattress and returning to bed. Kuro glared down at the Keyblade, seeing his orange eyes reflected in its shine once again.
The Red Republic
The Docks
"Where is Uncle Boris from?" Dimitri asks in the back of the cab, glancing over at Anya as she stares out the window and takes in the beautiful French Countryside on the outside of the city of Paris. The ship docked a few hours after Anya finally went back to bed, and the Dowager Empress and her cousin had sent a private buggy to retrieve the possible Anastasia and her companions from the seaside. Kuro rested in the back, his cheek cushioned on Vladimir's thick shoulder, Xion holding Dusk in her lap, and Dimitri and Anya sitting alongside one another to prepare for the meeting with the cousin.
"What if Sophie doesn't recognize me?" Anya asks suddenly, fiddling with her fingers as she sees Dimitri roll his eyes playfully and nudge her with a loose hand to her shoulder.
"You're Anastasia!" Dimitri said with a scoff of disbelief that Anya would suggest such a thing. "She will remember you."
"I don't know. It's all just… I'm just-" Anya started to say, only for her words to fail her. She runs her fingers through her fiery red hair as she lets out a short sigh of discomfort and anxiety. "Well, three days ago I didn't have any past at all and now I'm trying to remember an entire lifetime."
"Good thing you have me." Dimitri said with assurance, reaching forward and squeezing her hand tenderly with a warm and affectionate hold. Trying to give her the confidence he had for her. "Now, let's try this again. Where was Uncle Boris from, Anastasia?"
Anya took her sights from the countryside to Dimitri, his dark eyes warm and soft as they stared at one another. Dimitri nodded his head, believing in her and her ability. She bites the inside of her cheek in contemplation, nodding her head softly as she tries to recall where Boris was originally from. She seems to be missing that piece of information and goes with her gut relating to her possibly fake uncle.
"Moscow?" Anya suggested sheepishly. Dimitri shrugged with a short groan, thankful they have a couple more hours on the road until they arrive at Sophie's residence to touch up on the finer details of the missing Princess' life. The questions were going to be extensive and pointed, and Anya needed to be ready.