In which the puzzle pieces begin to click into place.
An expansive sky of night-shrouded stars was the first sight Sora and Nemurin took in, as the light that brought them here finally faded and allowed their vision once more, a cosy townscape stretching out before them. One that they knew quite well, as it would happen - for this location was one they had previously been. Together, Nemurin and Sora stood with their Dream Eaters atop a glass roof, which offered the view of a luscious green garden, right below their feet, one decidedly more in one piece than it had been the last time - after all, they had fought the thing that smashed through it before.
"Huh...?" Sora questioned, puzzled, Morgana following his eyes as he took in their remarkably familiar surroundings. "Wait a second! We're back in Traverse Town!"
"So we are..." Nemurin stretched a little, confirming his statement. "But hey, we're right where we left off...that's handy, right?" she added.
"That's true," Sora agreed, hands resting behind his head. "I wonder why we're back though..."
"No idea...since, didn't you already unlock the Keyhole here...?" his partner wondered.
"Yeah, at least...I'm pretty sure I did. You saw me do it, didn't you?" Sora posed the thought.
Nemurin mulled over, and then nodded. "Yeah, I did," she said, her tone a bit drowsy again, perhaps that being what caused her temporary fault in memory. It probably was, to be honest...
Since neither of the pair had noticed his eyes on their backs, but did have questions as to what could have called them back here, the boy seated on a higher roof than the one they stood greeted them, one leg resting over the other. "Why, hello down there, Sora, Nemurin. I've been waiting,"
At the sudden voice, Sora jolted slightly, sharply turning around, only to ease as he recognised their old friend. Nemurin's turnaround was slower, and her reaction simpler; "Oh...how long have you been there?"
"Just before you got here, really." Joshua answered, nonchalantly.
"You do know you can wait on the ground, right?" Sora said, lightheartedly. "Come down so we can talk...!"
"'Now'?" Joshua asked, as if it would be something of an inconvenience to him.
"Huh...?" the magical girl scratched her head, exchanging a puzzled glance with Sora and Sheppy. "Weren't you the one who said you were waiting...?"
With a shrug, the enigmatic boy left his previous seating and landed with a small jump atop the glassy floor, strolling over to them. "Listen, I'm glad you three showed up, because-"
"Three?" Nemurin asked.
At the mention of that number and what it could mean, Sora's eyes brightened, "You mean Riku's here?"
Joshua's expression became more neutral at that, and Nemurin suspected things would be as they were when they began - with Riku present in this world, wherever he was, but a world apart all the while. In a separate dream, a separate place, as he always seemed to be.
Sure enough, Joshua confirmed that suspicion; "Well, yes, technically. But you and he are still a world apart. But, he didn't seem particularly worried...he knows he'll find you eventually," he added, assuringly, which was enough to take away from the disappointment of not being able to meet with him. "I mean, just look at Neku - he and the others all found their game partners."
"Will that have been enough to get them home safe?" Sora asked, hopefully.
A shake of the head. "No - remember what I told you. Their existence is on the line, and the Reapers are dead set on erasing them for good..."
Something about those words was enough to prompt a frown to cross Nemurin's usually laid-back face, a flash of sympathy visible in her otherwise sleepy gaze. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but something about their situation struck a chord with her, and a wish to do more for them rang out inside of her.
"That's...that's awful..." she spoke, and Sora silently agreed with her, a sombreness present in their expressions.
In that moment of silence, Nemurin felt Joshua's dark eyes narrowing at her for only a moment in observation, an uncertain look hiding away in his otherwise neutral expression. Did he know it too? Did he see the shift from when she was last here? Admittedly, she knew that there would be a visible difference, as even Sora had begun to notice - she only hoped it wasn't any worse than she had felt in the moments where she faltered, that the boost from Sister Nana would be enough to hide it.
Taking notice of the shift in their conversation's tone, Joshua reminded them, "But they also found refuge in this world, and luckily, each other too."
"Hey...what is the deal with these 'Reapers' anyway?" Sora questioned, raising the thought she didn't realise she had.
"If Neku and the others want to get back to where they came from, they need to win the Reaper's Game." the boy explained, beginning to walk to the other end of the rooftop, with Sora, Nemurin and their Spirits quietly walking beside him as they listened. "It's sort of like a series of missions - except this time, the mission is a tough one. They've been pitted against a Dream Eater that can summon a hundred more like it...so...I was hoping you, Riku and Nemurin could help us out - after all, you and Riku have your Keyblades, Nemurin has her magic, and you both have Dream Eaters of your own..."
Upon mentioning Nemurin's magic, Joshua's eyes flicked off to the side, his expression doubtful for a moment before returning to its previous state. If Sora realised that, he didn't show it, so Nemurin was gonna guess he hadn't spotted it. "With those...we might still have a chance," Joshua concluded.
"We're happy to help~" Nemurin said, pleasantly.
"Yeah!" Sora chimed in, his expression bearing the resolve Nemurin had first seen on display here, a resolve she couldn't help but feel endeared by every time she saw it. "I'm glad Riku's with us - it might seem like he's not, but I know he's out there, and that's enough. Together, we can take 'em!"
Allowing himself to smile a little, Joshua's reply was simple. "You guys are lucky, then."
Tilting her head a little at what he meant by that, Sora continued on regardless, "You and your friend are lucky too, Joshua...!"
A small, unexpected laugh left Joshua's lips as he turned to Sora again. "I...appreciate you saying that with conviction, even if you have no idea what you're talking about."
"Hey...! What does that-"
"Anyway - Neku and his partner are pinned down in the Fountain Plaza. I can count on you two, right?"
"Of course!" Sora and Nemurin chimed in unison.
Just as they were about to go though, he put a hand out to them. "Just a second," he said, prompting the long-haired girl to turn around. "I have a little more for you. I was thinking we could discuss a plan as...fellow omniscients,"
Breathing out, Nemurin said, resignedly, "I had the feeling you might..."
"Aw...alright," Sora accepted, with a brief, lighthearted pout. "Just don't take too long, okay?" he added.
"Wouldn't...dream of it~" Nemurin dismissed, grinning a little. She was met only with a small, slightly awkward laugh from Sora, as he proceeded onward, Morgana bouncing along next to him.
"Now then...I'll get to the long and short of it." Joshua said. "Given you and I are both...somewhat omniscient, I was able to feel the level of power you had when we first met. Even without looking at you, I can tell that it's significantly lowered, and that's also without noting the fact that part of it's being upheld by a source I'm unfamiliar with,"
"Is it really that obvious on me?" the pyjama-clad girl questioned.
"Yes. Yes it is." her fellow omniscient stated, bluntly.
With a stretch, Nemurin began again, "That'd...that'd be a friend of mine. One of my friends has the ability to boost the power of someone she chooses, her 'favourite person' at a given moment. She'd usually use it on her partner, but...circumstances mean that she's been lending it out to me, that's all..."
"Would I be wrong in presuming our fellow in the black coat from a while ago would have a hand in this?" Joshua predicted with remarkable accuracy.
At the mention of the figure, she couldn't resist the deep sigh that escaped her as she rubbed her temples. "Nope, no you wouldn't..." she confessed. "It's about the same reason we weren't able to get Sora over to Riku. I actually got chucked out of Sora's dream not that long ago..."
"Chucked out?" Joshua's brow rose.
"Yeah...it's a lot to explain, but I basically got thrown right out of it...apparently he told another friend of mine that if I interfered anymore, the 'steps to my prison would be far from painless,'" During this latter part, Nemurin's voice shifted to a purposeful, dour monotone. "Have you...had any problems?"
"Fortunately not," he answered. "But I'm willing to suspect that's largely because I've mostly just stuck to here - naturally, given it was what I came for. I can't say the same for you though..."
"Because of my hopping, yeah?"
"My guess exactly."
"But..." Nemurin began, raising her hands up as if to tell him to 'wait'. "I've got it under control,"
"Oh, you do?" Joshua responded, his tone rather dry.
"...You're not mocking me, are you?" Nemurin deflated.
"Not at all." Joshua assured. "It's not wrong of me to ask, is it? It just seems to me that you're like a patient connected to a machine."
'Well, it's worse than that, actually...' her thoughts chimed in, though she chose not to voice them. She didn't need anyone to know that - besides, that meant acknowledging what might happen if she didn't get this mess sorted out...and she wasn't certain she was ready for that. After all, the first time death had come for her, she hadn't even realised it was until she realised she had no awakening from the Dream World, so as far as she was concerned, she wasn't truly dead. Even if she was as far as her family knew...
Something struck her, an ache in her chest, sharp and sudden. Guilt? Sadness? A blend of both? She couldn't tell, what specifically brought it about or if it had been there all along.
With reluctance, and with a note of sadness in her tone, Nemurin's eyes averted Joshua's. "...I guess so,"
Her eyes fell to the ground, and she soon felt something snuggling at her legs, or rather, someone. Sheppy's big saucer-like eyes gazed up at her, almost seeming to well up at the sight of her sudden shift in demeanour. A weak smile crossed her tired face as she reached down, scratching behind her Spirit's ears before then giving him an affectionate pat on the head.
Watching the pair brought a pang of sympathy to Joshua's heart, albeit one that reached his eyes only faintly - he had known the moment he laid eyes on Nemurin that she was growing weaker, and at a rapid pace. Even if she chose not to acknowledge it, he could see the dull brown beginning to creep up the tips of her hair and thicker from the roots of her head, the bags under her eyes, a shift in their colour to something far more mundane, like the magic was physically dying from her form. He suspected with relative confidence that, if it weren't for this outside benefactor, there was no possible Nemurin would still have been standing here. And it was a little more than that...naturally, Sora nor Riku were like Nemurin, so what he got off of them was different. But he suspected that, were anything to go wrong, the option of awakening was mostly available to them, yet he couldn't say the same for Nemurin. Even before the shift in her strength became so transparent to him, he couldn't help but feel as though this world was the only one she was tethered to - just as Neku and the others held onto this world for dear life, there was similarly little beyond for the girl before him, though it didn't seem like she was willing to talk about that. If her tether to her powers was gone, then it would be game over, or at least he couldn't help but guess that to be true - a guess he found himself feeling quite sure about.
"If I may..." Joshua began again, deciding a little hint of what he knew from the other side could be handy, given Nemurin and Sora were helping him and the others out. "Our 'friend' in the black coat spoke to Riku, albeit briefly. I'm sure you remember the sight of that, yes?"
Nemurin gave a nod, and Sheppy tensed as he continued. "While I was unfortunately unable to decipher much out of it, given it was so brief, I can recall he mentioned something or other about not being able to control what you're not aware of, and something more about a wakeless sleep being his prison to wander forever."
"Sure sounds like him," the dreamy magical girl quipped, her expression unamused. "I figured he was after something like that for Sora, actually...for what reason, I can't tell...have you seen that guy since then?"
"Fortunately or unfortunately, no," her fellow omniscient said, dryly. "I wouldn't advise ignoring most words though...particularly that first part,"
Her brow rose at that, as she went over them again. 'You cannot control what you're not aware of.'
"Control..." the word escaped her lips, thoughtful and quiet. "But...of what? The Dream World...? Of..."
Sora?
"It might be a leap, given he said this to Riku rather than to either of you," he pondered further. "Unless of course, anything similar to that was said to you once you left?"
Placing her hands on her hips as she thought, her sleeves draping down to the floor, she thought about it. The first time - or rather, the first time he had spoken to the pair once they teamed up, rather than separately - in the cathedral, it had been something about Sora's heart being a prison. The second time...it had been that Sora had been chosen, and that nothing could pull him back to the path he had first sought out.
His heart...a prison. Chosen...for something.
The sigil...that inscription on Sora's dream gate...the thorns they had seen encroaching on it. They didn't just want Sora alive, they wanted to keep him here, in a state where he was alone and couldn't or wouldn't reach out for help. She was certain it wasn't for revenge, and if it was, then not that in isolation. Was it his heart that he sought to control? Sure, Sora had mentioned that 'Roxas' person earlier, but...she couldn't help but think it was personal, personally after him.
After all...what were dreams, but the hidden thoughts and feelings you had inside, taken physical form inside your head? Her mind rewound to the little girl, watching a parade of Ruler, who she encouraged to become a princess, ever oblivious to the chaos that followed. That had been her greatest desire, she could feel it. How or what or why they wanted to do it, Nemurin wasn't sure of still, but a quiet look of horror was beginning to dawn across her expression the more she considered it.
"I can't prove it...but I think I'm starting to get what they're after, at least from Sora..." Nemurin's voice shakily confessed. "I don't know why they want to, but I think I know what it is they want now...and I can't let it happen,"
A sense of urgency had shot through her gaze as she looked to Joshua again. "...I'm also going to assume you've not told Sora about what you know?" he questioned.
"Well...not exactly," Nemurin admitted. "I've told him I think that those guys are sapping power from me, and we've went over a few times that they're after...something from him, but none of us were able to figure out what it could be. I...saw some stuff while I was away from here that's starting to make it make sense..." she said.
Her eyes closed as she continued. "He's got enough going on without me adding to it, though...if it's those jerks' plan to try and pull him into a bad space of mind...then I'm not gonna help them. A magical girl's supposed to help the innocent feel safe, not like they need to be doing the protecting."
At her admission, Joshua couldn't help but sigh a little, doubting she had much of a plan beyond going from place to place with Sora, wherever they were. He was certain if he asked her what she'd do once it was over and she still hadn't been able to face the hooded man head-on, she wouldn't be able to get an answer - she couldn't give him or herself one if she didn't have it. Still...he supposed there was also some logic to it, albeit less than he'd use were he in her shoes.
"Just keep your eyes open," he said at last. "And...try not to make it worse for yourself. A bandage can't act in place of a cast, not for long."
"I know," Nemurin assured, simply. "Anyway...I should probably go catch up with Sora and Neku now. They're gonna start wondering if I've drifted off..." she noted. As if on cue, she felt a yawn escape her, and she stretched. "Okay, maybe I can't blame them for that part...~"
"Probably not." Joshua said, his lips curving ever so slightly upward now. "Good luck,"
"Thanks, Joshua - you really helped~ You're pretty clever," Nemurin said, gratefully.
His smile turned into a bit of a smirk at that, a prideful one. Just a bit. "I know,"
Scoffing playfully, Nemurin turned and with a rush to her step, darted down the reasonably familiar streets in order to catch up with Sora and Morgana. By now...she knew she'd found herself caught up in something big, something most magical girls usually dealt with on television, over several episodes. Yet here she was, washed up in the tide - but the desire to protect and help others from here was still inside of her, especially now that she'd spent so much time with Sora, seen the type of person he was.
Whatever it took, she'd keep him safe, even if it was the last thing she did.
As a friend and as a magical girl, she'd do her part.
A/N: And that's another chapter out! So this was actually going to be a bit longer, but I ended up deciding to split the other part of this chapter till next time, for reasons that'll probably make more sense once it comes out, so if this chapter feels shorter than my usual, that'll be why. But anyway, we got in some Joshua content (since I'm unfortunately aware that I'll probably not be able to use him too much by virtue of not knowing a lot about TWEWY, so I'm namely going off quotes of his from that game and his characterisation in 3D), and Nemurin getting closer to the truth of what the Xehacourt's up to.
I also come with good news, or at least it should be good news - after this week, my university year should be complete if all goes well, which I'm fairly confident it will. I've only got one last assessment to do, which I plan on doing either tomorrow or the day after that, and it's still about a week ahead before it's due, so good for me. I've even been feeling a little more energy for my other story on hiatus, and with any luck I could get back to running both of these for variety's sake! My point is, with university up, I'll be free for the summer and free to write as I please for most of it, meaning I should be able to update Cosmogyral more often! On one hand, it excites me to be able to make more progress, especially because I've got some big stuff planned now that we're in the latter half of 3D, but it also makes me a little melancholy because it means we're getting closer to the end with each step. Never fear though, we've still got a solid bit before then, and I plan on enjoying every second of writing it, just as I hope you enjoy every second of reading it!
Now, onto reviews! Starting with HiroRanger - thanks for the review, and welcome! I hope you're enjoying my story so far. For your point about Calamity Mary using the Keyblade, you actually make a really interesting point; especially because the Keyblade (supposedly) is to quote Terra, 'picky about their owners. If she had one, she'd definitely be a force to be reckoned with, given all the powers it has by default in Sora's hands. I might need to consider that thought a little more for curiousity's sake, honestly...! Anywho, thanks once again for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed this little chapter as well.
Next, Captain Imaginat! I'm happy you had fun with the last chapter's team-up, as I certainly had fun writing it. It was especially cool for me because Beautiful Calamity Mary's fighting style, what with her guns and that, is pretty different to Sora and Nemu, so it brought some colour to it all while I was thinking it up. As for Balloonra, I'm not sure if it falls into those really, I always just kinda viewed it as another spell. ^^ Given it's in your command deck (by your choice, obviously) like Fira, Cura, etc. It's definitely a show-stopper though - hell, I beat Young Xehanort with that spell! What a tragic fate, beaten by balloons, hehe. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!
Lastly, onto Tsuuji's! Thanks so much for the well wishes on my assessments, I'm feeling pretty self-assured about them; I've gotten 2/3 done now, and what's fun is, for this last one, we got to pick a media text of our choice, so I get to write about Akame Ga Kill! in an official essay! Anyways, regarding the whole 'bloodied little girl' thing, I do promise that'll come up eventually - obviously I can't give away what because that'd ruin the surprise, but it'll make sense once it comes up. You make some really good points about the whole strength thing to be honest, and I'm gonna try and keep it in mind when I'm dealing with other Magical Girls, especially for things later on. To be honest, now that you've rose the idea, I'm kinda in love with it? The idea of Sora disrupting Keek's game through the Keyblade and his experience with data worlds (given Space Paranoids and the like) would be a lot of fun, and I might actually try and do something with that in the future - of course, I'll credit you for the idea! Prankster's Paradise was probably the toughest of the three worlds for me to write between that, La Cite Des Cloches and the Grid; I think because of my investment. In the former, I love the original movie, so I was able to get a real kick out of bringing more of into the game's events, and for the latter, that had all the emotional stuff with TRON/Rinzler, whereas Prankster's Paradise is just...based off a movie I'm not big on, and has a game story that gives me very little to work with. Hopefully I was able to at least make it enjoyable, in spite of how long it took for me to get through it! Once again, thanks for the review and wishing me luck. ^^ I always appreciate it.
As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! ^^