A/N: Long time coming, I know but no I haven't quit writing. I suppose it's always been a matter of time more than anything. This chapter I've sat on for quite some time because I wanted to start working on the next chapters after and I've finally been able to do so. We head to the conclusion of the Dual Destinies Saga and I have a bit of rewrite in the works for the first story of Sora and Luna's journey as well (believe it or not, it's been 12 years O.o) so I have quite a lot to do and the next month is going to be a massive sprint of work. That said, I'm up to the challenge. So with all that said, here is the long awaited continuation :)

Chapter 7

Roots That Run Deep

The claustrophobic nature of the Maison Des Lunes made for an uneasy day to day life. Its gray walls, narrow corridors, cells with barred windows– to its most recent occupants, they could not leave soon enough. It would only be a matter of days before they finally departed for their new home but the days until then seemed to drag on for long, torturous as the asylum's walls.

Home. What did that word even mean now, one of its occupants considered one day. She had taken her favorite spot in the room where her comrades were to gather– not sitting down at the oval mahogany table in front of her, but rather leaning against the cold stone wall. This was the habit Lise had quickly taken to in her time here.

Her honey brown eyes scanned the cold feeling room with an equal dispassion. She remembered back to the story she used to love when she was a child, about a girl whisked away from her home to a faraway land. Right now she was that girl, but she had no magic slippers with which she could tap her heels and there was certainly no magic phrase with which she could open her eyes and find herself back in her comfy bed at home. She was stuck here and there was no going back.

She thought of her family, of her regrets— her sick grandmother… oh, how she longed to see her, but in this strange new world there were no greetings or even partings. That feeling that she had abandoned them remained with her even now, despite the consolations of her comrades. Words left unsaid… warm hugs left at the doormat…

Lise let out a deep exasperated sigh. She was doing it again, wallowing in her own thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to be consumed by regret and grief. That pain was how the darkness took hold. Moments of weakness like that, attachments to a world which no longer existed… she would have to kill, at least for the time being.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a man came into the room, the second of the five. He wore a Noh mask with the face of an ox. He was of a bulky stature, broad shouldered and slightly taller than her, and she was already quite tall. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail and his hands were placed behind his back, his right hand locked in place by his left. Lise could not remember a time outside of battle in which his hands were placed in any other position. She wondered if he also slept like that. It couldn't have been very comfortable.

"Ever the early riser, I see," the Ox initiated the conversation.

"The early bird catches the worm. What's our food inventory look like?" Lise asked.

The Ox sighed. "Well it looks like us birds are running out of seeds. We've taken what we can from the village. We'll have to go farther if we're going to find more food."

"And leave a poor village in destitution. Did any of us sign up for this when we chose to become Keyblade Wielders?" Lise asked.

"Did any of us choose to go through the hell that we did? Our situation is not one of our making. I'm afraid we must deal with the hand we're dealt. It is a matter of survival, after all, at least until we find a way back home."

"You truly believe it, Noah? That there's a way?"

Noah looked down to his feet. It was difficult to discern any emotion through his mask, but his words portrayed a calmness to them, as though everything were under control.

"Even if there weren't, would you take that hope away from the others? Better to give them a reason to fight and live than none at all."

"Thanks for answering my question," Lise replied sarcastically. She looked at the doorway as two more people came in, each with Noh masks on their face. The shorter of the two, wearing the mask of a rat, let out a yawn and stretched her arms.

"Gosh, this place really is fittin' to be called an asylum, ain't it? I swear, ever since I've been here, it's been nothin' but a bunch of bad dreams one after another. Maybe this place is haunted, eh?"

"If so, all the more reason to leave then," Lise said with a wince. "But it's not just me, thankfully. These walls are filled with so much pain behind them, so much darkness… I fear our hearts are becoming too sensitive."

"What's a little shock to the system? Proves we're truly alive, eh?" Noah remarked with roaring laughter.

"Still hate it," Nezumi replied with a less than pleased look.

"Heh, well, it's possible what we're feeling might go away with time. We've been sleeping for who knows how long. We've basically been in a coma. It's not too surprising that our hearts are hypersensitive to the stimuli around it. But in the meantime it will leave our hearts vulnerable to the darkness. It's best we bolster our defenses lest we fall prey."

"The usual technique then?" Lise asked. "Where's Fido?"

"Fi… oh, you mean Bal? He'll be here soon. He's off hunting with some of the juniors. We can't exactly rely on the conveniences of the past anymore. We were like babes, spoilt and feeding off the teet of a civilisation that comforted us. We performed our missions, but aside from that we lived our lives in peace and knowing Horus would always look after us. But now this is no longer the case. We must learn to look after ourselves."

"Okay, first of all, ew, don't make that analogy. Second, I hate that you're right," Nezumi remarked, folding her arms. "Horus won't come after us though."

"And how can you be so sure of that? We may still be under their umbrella, but it's no secret that Janus does things his own way. We're the hounds that Horus set loose– their dirty little secret," Noah said.

"Exactly, and it's for that reason that they would rather pretend we didn't exist than deal with us. We don't mess with them, they don't mess with us. It's a mutually beneficial policy and what's better, it doesn't look like we're infighting. So while Irva Torvald is busy dealing with the other factions, we have a carte blanche to do as we please," Nezumi said.

"But not with indefinite impunity. You think Torvald will be pleased to have a splinter group running amok that he has no control of? He's not his old man, he'll want to do things his way."

"If civil war is his choice, then he'll face the consequences of that. For now though that is neither his goal nor ours so let's not deal in hypotheticals." Lise turned to look at the only one in the room who hadn't spoken yet. He wore a white mask with the protruding mouth and nostrils of a snake. "You've been awfully quiet, Isaac. Something to add to the conversation?"

"The boy and girl who got away…" was his response, leaving his words hanging in the air. They needed no further clarification however.

"You still caught up on that? Janus already said it didn't matter," Nezumi said. "Although, to be honest, I don't quite like leaving things unresolved."

"So…? We should hunt. Like a cobra that has found its prey. Once you've sunk your jaws in, never let go," Isaac said.

Nezumi pressed a pondering finger against her lower lip. "Hmm, you know what? But only 'cause I'm bored outta my mind right now. This place is gonna drive me insane if we don't leave soon."

"You're too easily bored," Lise said, rolling her eyes.

Nezumi sniggered. "And what if I am? You know as well as I do that mice love to play."

Riku had found a good spot to sit. The wind was nice here every once in a while, passing through but not so as to disturb him. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, listening in on his surroundings– the gently flaying leaves, the chirping and flapping, the rushing water nearby… truly the forest was alive. Everything in it acted in unison, the many hearts contained within all beating as a single entity. The melody of the forest was being played, one he was keen to listen to.

He had never usually been one to try things like this before. He would simply bury his feelings deep down and play the tough act. To do so any other way, he could only have seen as a weakness. But as he grew as a Keyblade wielder, as he fell and rose, he had learned that the most important thing he could do in the most prescient of times was to take things slowly. Such was what had brought him to the world of Pocahontas and the Powhatan tribe once more.

When he had first come here, he had found a calming peace, not just in his surroundings but the people within them. Their lives were complex, for certainly they worked with far less than in other places he had been to, and yet it was somehow also simple. It reminded him of his own simple life back on the islands that he had hated. But coming to this place had given him a new perspective on what he had neglected before. To simply see all these elements of nature coalescing and interacting with each other was a beauty in itself. It gave him the sense that everything would turn out alright in the end.

His eyes opened once more and he looked towards his left at the stream that would go downhill. If he were to follow it and all its flora and fauna it would take him to a beautiful waterfall. He had been there with Pocahontas and Nakoma only yesterday to catch some fish. Having lived on the islands and been taught by Sora's father, it came quite naturally to Riku, although perhaps he should have concealed that ability in hindsight as Nakoma's crush on him hadn't exactly receded since last they met.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Riku flinched momentarily, his shoulder going stiff before softening.

"Sorry, still not used to that," Riku said, looking at his shoulder to see copper digits gently draped over them.

"What exactly happened to you?" Pocahontas asked, frowning.

"That question again?" Riku asked, though not annoyed. On the other hand, he was quite amused by it. He had already gotten so many questions from the villagers about his eye. Surprisingly, not all reactions were the same. While those like Nakoma and Pocahontas had expressed deep concern. One of the warriors had surprisingly given him a lot of praise and had talked of how coming away from a battle with a scar was a sign of a great warrior who had been blessed.

"You should see mine. This scar I received from a terrifying battle with a grizzly. Almost got me good too but you know what you do when you see one? You stare them down, right between the eyes, like this. And you make yourself wider than them. It's all in the stance you see. Look away and you've already lost," he said. He further added with hearty laughter shared among him and the other warriors, "Besides, not everyone can be a Kocoum. I keep telling him he would look good with a nice scar. I bet Pocahontas would definitely fall in love with him then. Women dig scars."

Pocahontas smiled. "Well in truth I was just hoping you'd be willing to talk to me now that Nakoma isn't here."

"She's annoying," Riku said.

"Wow, don't hold back or anything. Well, yes, she can be a bit nosy. And now you've seen what she's like when she has a crush. Don't worry though, she'll get over it eventually," Pocahontas said, possibly knowing full well that eventually meant a really long time in her friend's case.

"It's been almost a year now," Riku murmured in response.

"I did say eventually," Pocahontas defended.

Riku nodded and stood up. "It's not something I can easily explain. It's just… I kind of came here to get away from it but I've realized that's kind of impossible. I just need time, I guess."

"Well… if time is what you need, why not make time for Grandmother Willow? She's always been a guiding light for me when I've needed it. She's also not exactly a person so perhaps it will be easier."

Riku looked into Pocahontas' eyes before looking off to the side, "I'll think about it."

Pocahontas rolled her eyes and grabbed Riku's wrist. "You men and not wanting help with your problems. Come with me."

"Hey?! What if I'm not ready?" Riku said, alarmed as Pocahontas began dragging him, or at least making the attempt. She wasn't getting very far with her stature and strength, especially as he used his weight against to slow her in her tracks.

Feeling this resistance, she stopped and turned to look at him. "Will you ever be?"

Something about that question hit Riku hard. He didn't know how to respond to it, probably because he knew she was ultimately right. If hard truths needed to be heard, when better than now and who better than an old tree?

Riku dropped his resistance and the two began to move, following the stream upwards until they were closer to the camp. Heading past it and to the right, they soon reached the bank with a boat parked up against the shore.

"Good thing you know how to row a boat too. If only Nakoma were here to see a master at work," Pocahontas teased.

"Okay, enough teasing or I really won't go," Riku remarked as he stepped into the boat. Soon they were over setting off down the river, navigating its twisty turns and bends. Despite having rowed between islands, navigating a river proved far more difficult. For one there was less room for mistakes. Riku found that he had to strike the perfect balance of speed so as not to go too fast that the boat became uncontrollable and not too slow that the flow of the river had complete control over him.

Despite these challenges, with the help of Pocahontas he managed to find his way through the rapids, exiting into calmer waters and a straight one way path that took him through several over-encumbered trees with hanging leaves that he gently pushed past him as he was making his way through.

"It's almost like a veil. A curtain between our world and hers," Pocahontas remarked as she watched the skies grow darker as the trees began to conceal more and more of the world outside.

"Right… a world unto itself," Riku murmured. He stopped rowing, satisfied that the river itself was taking them to where they needed to be and sat down in the boat. As he did, Pocahontas put a finger to her lips and before pointing upwards. "Listen."

And so Riku did. He listened to the gentle sway of the water as it lapped up against the boat. He listened to the call of birds and other wildlife somewhere in the distance. He listened as the slender branches swished and shivered in the wind. And he listened to Pocahontas as she began to hum a tune, one that although she never sang, somehow Riku understood:

Listen with your heart, you will understand.

Riku's gentle smile throughout this hum was interrupted when their vehicle struck land. Had she timed that perfectly to end with the song or was it simply coincidence? He wondered how many times she had hummed this before but before he could ask, he felt this gentle breeze ensnare him, bringing with it a tantalizing melody that responded in kind to Pocahontas' song.

"Let it break upon you, like a wave upon the sand."

"Grandmother Willow!" Pocahontas pranced out of the boat and crawled along the tendrils of the old tree on all fours up to the tree's trunk.

The tree, which was initially faceless, twisted its knots and cracks into a gleeful smile, her eyes opening up to greet her. It was difficult to explain the way in which a hard inanimate object, a tree no less, could give such a warm and lively smile, but perhaps what was even more surprising was just how quickly one grew accustomed to it. Maybe it was because Riku had seen many strange things on his journeys, but he was not quite sure that was it. It felt more, "But of course!" than he would have expected.

"Dear grandchild! And here I thought you had finally gotten tired of these old boughs then, hmm?" the Willow tree mused.

Pocahontas shook her head. "It's just been the harvesting season so we've been quite busy. Or have you forgotten?"

"Has it? Hmm. Well in my old age, it's bound to happen. Ah, I do remember a conversation along those lines. Or was that last year? Or the year before that? Or the year bef-"

"Grandmother Willow, please," Pocahontas said with a small smile.

The tree gave a howl of laughter that sent her leaves shivering as though they were being tickled. "My dear child, why would it surprise you to know my memory might be getting a bit hazy?"

"And how long have you lived? You have many more long years ahead of you."

"And yet you will probably outlive them all. I will eventually be forgotten and you will live on. Of that I am sure," Willow said.

"Oh, don't talk like that, especially when you know it isn't true. I am no one in the grand scheme of things compared to you," Pocahontas said, her smile had long since disappeared to be replaced with concern.

"Oh? And who knows of me? Why you and… now my memory certainly can't be that bad. Riku!" Willow called. The silver haired teen who had not wanted to interrupt their conversation suddenly felt compelled to stand.

"Ma'am," Riku addressed with a bow.

Grandmother Willow grimaced. "Well if you wanted to make me look old then that is certainly one way to go about doing it."

"Er, sorry," Riku issued a quick and sheepish apology. He stood tall once again and disembarked the boat to join Pocahontas' side.

"Grandmother Willow, we have much to talk about but Riku needs your guidance. I can sense his heart is troubled and suggested speaking to you," Pocahontas said.

Grandmother looked down at Riku as though inspecting him. "Mhm, suggested or dragged?"

Riku and Pocahontas exchanged nervous glances and a chuckle with one another. Grandmother Willow soon continued. "Well, you were right to do so, my child. Although, I'm afraid if you're seeking what to do, I cannot provide a path. That is something you must find on your own."

"That's fine. I knew it wouldn't be easy. I'm just-"

"Oh, wait! I shouldn't listen. Just a moment!" Pocahontas rushed back to the boat and pressed her palms against her ears. "YOU'RE GOOD NOW!"

Riku, almost taken aback by surprise, let out a laugh and looked back to Grandmother Willow, who was also smiling gleefully.

"Such a pure soul. So mature and yet such a child at the same time. A perfect balance," Willow remarked.

"I won't lie, I envy it. Balance is something I'm trying to find right now, and failing," Riku said. "She reminds me of someone I know. Well, he's become more mature as we've grown but he's never lost that childlike sense of wonder either. And I hope he never loses it."

"So many think that growing up means you must choose only one, but you miss out on a great many things that way," Grandmother Willow said. "And as one who felt they knew everything about the world, I have learnt much from her as she has from me. She would not believe that to be the case, but I tell you it's true."

"I once thought like that as well, but Sora showed me that wasn't the only way to live, nor was it the right one. But the problem isn't choosing now. It's that I don't think I have a choice at all. I'm lost, Grandmother Willow. Not just for myself, but for someone else too that was in much the same position as me. I feel her pain as though it were my own, and I can't help but feel she feels some blame for my pain too.

"And if that weren't enough, I'm possessed by these thoughts of hatred. I despise the person who did this to us, and I hate feeling that way, but I can't let go of those feelings either. I dream of what happened every night. Any time someone even so much as touches me, my body's reflex is to recoil in defense.

"I hate this feeling so much. I don't want it, and I worry that if I keep carrying this with me it will turn me into something I hate too. His monster. I know this is something I have to figure out on my own but… I don't know, I just feel so lost."

"Well, first thing's first. Have a good cry. You'll feel better afterwards," Grandmother Willow said, soothingly, watching as the young man struggled to keep focus on her, his pupils wavering back and forth. "Take your time. I'll be here. Let the dusk come as it does. The dawn will soon rise and with it, your path revealed."

And so Riku did something he hadn't done much of in his life. His sleeves became wet as he sobbed, his pain mingling with the whistling wind itself. It was as though the forest itself were singing him a lullaby to console him. He wasn't just crying for himself either. He wasn't sure what she was going through, but he wanted to cry for Xion too. So she would not feel any more pain. He wanted to reach out to her. To tell her it was not her fault. Could the wind carry these thoughts conveyed in tears and deliver them to her? He certainly hoped so.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. He didn't particularly care. After his tears had dried up, a strange sensation had overtaken him. One he hadn't felt in quite some time. He was… hopeful?

"Thank you," he finally said, wiping the last vestiges of wetness with his sleeve.

"Now that… was a pretty good cry," Willow remarked. "The wind hears your plea. It doesn't need a voice. It hears your heart just fine."

Riku smiled at her and nodded. "As good as it felt. I don't have any more tears to shed. When I'm next with my friends, I want to greet them with a smile. I don't know where that will lead me, but I want to be someone they can be proud of to call a friend."

"Then it looks like your destination is set, but then again we both know that was the easiest part," Grandmother Willow acknowledged.

"With the way the world is now, even that I don't know. It's a hope more than a certainty."

"Well, I'll let you in on a secret. I have been here for as long as I can remember. I have seen many winters and summers, many meetings and partings. I have seen the darkness of mankind. And I have seen the light. When you've been here as long as I have, you pick up on the goings-on of the world. The wind carries whispers far and wide and brings them to me, such that I even know of the Keyblade War."

"What?" Alarmed at this revelation, Riku leaned in.

"Oh, not all of it, mind you. Only this and that, but enough mind you to make these old branches shiver. That these whispers reach me truly does show you that everything is connected. Things that may seem to be a single dot by themselves, when joined with others can reveal patterns. I believe it is truly no coincidence that what has happened before is happening again. My only hope is that Pocahontas is not caught up in that. She will have her own trials but I fear she will become entangled in something that is beyond her destiny."

"I'll leave as soon as I'm ready," Riku said. He already suspected being here was putting Pocahontas and her village in danger. He didn't want to take more risks than was necessary.

"Oh, if only you could believe you were at the center of the storm that was approaching. No, I don't think any one person is that important. But Pocahontas tells me her dreams sometimes, of billowing smoke, the dancing flames of men and an endless spinning arrow. These are already enough for one girl to try and figure out. She does not need more added to the pile.

"But as for your problem, I shall just say this. Although I may have been here at the beginning of this new world, I do not wish to be here for its end."

Riku considered these words before nodding slowly. "I understand. The world will live on."

"I'm afraid if poor Pocahontas heard that, I would never hear the end of it," Willow said with a chuckle.

"I don't think you would, but I get it. And I think you're wrong, by the way. Nothing lasts forever, it's true, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. That includes you. Your thoughts, your beliefs, the whispers in the wind… I'll carry those with me and I'll pass them down. And so will Pocahontas. You will keep living, Grandmother Willow. In the soil, in the wind, in us."

Grandmother Willow's expression softened. Suddenly Riku felt a random branch slam into his back, causing him to stumble forward.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Oh, now you're going to make an old woman cry!" Grandmother Willow exclaimed.

Pocahontas, who couldn't help but turn around at this, dropped her ears and ran over. "Is everything alright?"

"More than alright. You know, I think I'll be fine. It'll take a while, but this pain I'm carrying, it will pass. I know it will," Riku said. "Do you two want to catch up? I can wait in the boat. Ears covered and all?"

Pocahontas smiled. "We have all the time in the world to catch up. This was for you."

Riku smiled back. All the time in the world… were it only true. He supposed he would have to make it so.

A/N: So one of the things I love (or am intrigued by more so) is that idea of these just being kids in the Keyblade War. They're child soldiers in the Chi titles, and with that comes its own moral issues. While this saga doesn't consider any of Chi's events canon (a bit too late for that), the child soldier angle does still remain and so it was interesting trying to strike this balance between these veteran Keyblade wielders who trained several years at an academy and the fact that some of them are still children/teenagers and so some are prone to all the horrors that come with being that. And being an adult doesn't necessarily mean your life suddenly becomes well-organised and capable as all of us know _ So those horrors do still ring true for characters like Irva Torvald and Mari Seren as well. In a way this saga is very much about broken people and how they piece themselves together, something perfectly represented by Riku here. But I don't intend to traumatise you, dear reader, or at least I certainly hope not lol. Anyway, the next chapter will be out soon so be on the lookout and please feel free to catch up with my other works and refresh yourself on the story so far.