Chapter 3: Old Town, New Tricks
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one"
– Albert Einstein
Sora's footing stumbled as he stepped from what was once level ground onto a curb, placing him rudely in the midst of of a large town square. Lampposts shined their dull yellow coloring onto the empty brick-laden streets, bright neon signs flashed, advertising all sorts of stores and restaurants. And yet it was completely desolate.
Sora stood awestruck for a second more before turning to his companions with a question, "We're still inside a castle...right?"
He received yet another start to see Donald and Goofy looking about, seeming concerned. And no Akira in sight. His hand, just gripping hers seconds before, clenched empty air. The trick of only presenting his card didn't work— Akira was still sent to wherever it was her card led.
His heart beat with a heavy thump, sending adrenaline tumbling through his system. As he turned towards the door that had taken them to this world, it was now gone. There was no way to go but forward.
But where exactly was forward when they were left to free roam this town?
The trio stood in an uncertain huddle, unsure of how to proceed, until a monotonous voice roused them from their indecision.
"What you're seeing isn't real, you know."
They all whirled, the Keyblade entering Sora's hand as he gazed down the hooded figure once more. How many times was this guy gonna show up to gloat?
"Seems plenty real to me," Donald said, stomping upon the ground with a solid smack.
"And it sure looks just like Traverse Town," Goofy nodded in agreement.
"That much is true, it will be accurate to the town you once visited," the figure laid a gloved hand against a signpost, as if testing the validity of his own statement, "But this place is simply an illusion. It was brought to life by the memories ingrained into your own heart, constructed by Castle Oblivion as a memento to the past."
"Enough of the riddles," Sora shouted, taking an offensive stance. "Where'd Akira go?"
This caused the man pause. His hand lowered from the signpost as he strode forward, his shadow elongating from the yellow light overhead. Sora couldn't see his face, but he didn't need to; he could sense the smug aura radiating from him.
"She's visiting her own illusions currently. You'll see her later." His hand raised to point over Sora's shoulder. "Although, if I were you, I'd be more worried about the old friends your memories have brought to the surface."
"Sora!" Donald cried, bringing Sora's glare away from the man. All around them the shadows began to twitch and rise, forming a very familiar foe. Small black bodies with beady yellow eyes, twitching antennae, and sharp claws.
"Heartless," Sora growled, turning the Keyblade towards them.
"Fellas, we might be in trouble," Goofy gulped, holding his shield at the ready.
Sora cast an incredulous glance at his companion. "What? These are the small fries, Goofy! We'll take care of them in no time flat!"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Donald quacked, the irony of the question lost upon him. He held his wand up, showing only spluttering sparks where there was once unlimited magic at the ready.
Oh, right. All their skills had been set to null. But what exactly did that mean for him?
He soon found out at the Shadows sprung forth, claws at the ready. Sora clumsily deflected one, only to be left off balance and open to attack from the others. He stumbled forth, his body feeling unnaturally heavy, swinging the Keyblade in wild arcs that lacked the finesse he'd developed over their months of travels. It was like the clock had been rewound to the days of play fighting on the beach with wooden swords.
And he wasn't the only one. Goofy's shield flew forth, missing its mark again and again. It stuck against the ground, ricocheting off lampposts, smashing into signs, everything but the Heartless it seemed. And Donald? Well…
"Thunder! Fire!" Donald waved his wand about, using it like a bludgeon as he smacked the Heartless aside, still spell-less.
Their attacks were clumsy, there was no doubt about that, but amateur hour still got the job done. Sora wiped the sweat from his brow, his mouth pressing into a thin line of frustration. Exhausted after one round of Shadows? That wasn't a good sign.
Even worse when more started to emerge from the pools of dark, yellow eyes gleaming as if they knew their prey was at a disadvantage.
"Sora…?!" Donald called out, his tone an obvious question. Are we fighting or fleeing?
Sora grit his teeth, settling back into his stance. They couldn't run from Heartless, especially not these guys! He'd never live that humiliation down.
Before they had to test their strength a second time, a voice rang through the air.
"You three, duck."
That tone, cold and uncaring, yet so familiar. Sora instantly obeyed, feeling the woosh! of a massive sword passing overhead. In one fell swoop the Heartless were eliminated, and now they didn't seem so keen on reforming.
Sora stood and faced his old friend with an incredulous grin. "Leon?! What are you doing here? I thought you stayed at Hollow Bastion?"
Leon blinked, his brow ticking up in surprise. "How do you know my name?"
All three boys exchanged a glance, jaws dropped. Was he being real?
"Leon, c'mon, quit playing," Sora said with a half-laugh, taking an uncertain step closer, "I'm being serious!"
"So am I," Leon responded, his feet matching Sora's pace backwards. "I've never seen you three before in my life. Now, clear the streets before the Heartless come back. You're clearly no match for them."
He hoisted his gunblade over his shoulder, setting off towards the Second District. Sora was frozen in place, his hand still extended outwards.
"Maybe Castle Oblivion ate up his memories too?" Goofy offered in attempts to soothe the wound.
"But I remember him!" Sora said, shaking his head in denial. "I remember everyone! Why did he forget about us?" With a clench of his fist, Sora shot after Leon. Donald and Goofy startled, running up to witness Sora throw himself forward and grasp onto Leon's leather jacket.
"Leon, man, I missed you!"
"What are you doing?" Leon looked back and shook Sora off, his face a scowl of disgust.
"I thought I'd never see you again!" Sora cried, not giving up. "Don't you remember? We stormed Hollow Bastion together! And before we went into the Keyhole after Ansem, you said we may never meet again, but that we'd never forget each other!"
Leon's eyes flashed, in recognition or in anger Sora couldn't tell. But still he stepped back with a yell of, "Sora! That's enough!"
Sora's gaze sharpened at the shout of his name, the despair in his eyes was quickly filled with relief as he let out a choked laugh, "So you were just joking!"
"That wasn't very funny!" Donald chimed in, his arms crossed as he glared at Leon.
"No, I wasn't—" Leon broke off with a grimace, covering his mouth as if he couldn't believe what he'd just said. Before they could interrogate him more, the sound of whistling cut through the air. Three thunks sounded off as shurikens struck the ground in front of Sora's feet, stopping him from approaching Leon further.
Just as suddenly, a girl sprung from the rooftops, landing without a sound and brandishing more shurikens at the ready. "These guys causing you issues, Squall? You're going soft."
"Not you too, Yuffie!" Sora sighed, looking towards the ninja with a pleading gaze.
Her large brown eyes blinked as he called out her name, and suddenly the same spark of recognition flared in her gaze. "Oh...I know your names! Sora, Donald, Goofy, and—" She trailed off as she pointed to empty space. "Huh. Felt like there was gonna be a fourth."
Sora winced at that.
"Friends of yours?" Leon questioned.
"Nope!" Yuffie chirped. "Total strangers."
"No we aren't!" Sora cried, his shoulders drooping.
"You don't remember us either?" Goofy asked, a frown overtaking his normally cheerful expression.
"Why would I? This is the first time we've met!" Yuffie replied with a shrug. "Although...it's weird. I feel like I do know you."
"Because you do," Sora said, his frustration fading into a bitter disappointment.
Leon and Yuffie exchanged glances, unspoken communication passing between the two. "Maybe Aerith was onto something after all," Yuffie murmured, "We should take these guys to see her."
After another cursory glance over the trio, Leon nodded and gestured for them to follow behind his stride. He continued on his path towards the Second District, the group behind him sticking close. The entire way the streets remained empty, leaving behind an atmosphere that sent a shiver up Sora's spine.
"Why is the town so empty?" Sora asked, breaking the eerie silence. "The First District always had a buncha people walking around when we came by."
At this question, Sora noted how Leon's steps faltered, and confusion overtook his features. Leon's mouth parted to answer, then slowly shut once more. Eventually, he said with a tinge of uncertainty, "It's probably because of the Heartless."
Yuffie nodded alongside this, but also seemed perturbed by the question. "Yeah, it's gotta be. But...I can't really remember any of their faces now. Can you?"
Leon's lips pressed into a thin line, showing his answer. The rest of their travel was overtaken by that uncomfortable silence, filled only with the sound of their shoes against the cobblestone. Eventually the very familiar sight of the hotel came into view, instantly soothing Sora's heart with a wave of nostalgia. His eyes drifted to the rooftop, picturing him and Akira laying on its surface to stargaze.
At least this sight hadn't changed.
A waving hand broke him from his pleasant reminiscing, and he could now see Aerith on a balcony watching the group approaching. She gazed down at them with a friendly face, letting a small flare of hope warm his chest. Maybe she remembered them.
As they climbed the stairs and neared the door, Yuffie bounded ahead and pushed it aside to reveal Aerith wasn't the only one sitting in the room. Cid was in the process of setting down a plate onto the table; he didn't even look up as the door was opened.
"Thought y'all could use somethin to eat," Cid said with a nod, finally raising his head to lock eyes with Sora. He chewed on a wooden toothpick perched in his mouth for a few seconds with a blank expression, as if he was trying to remember something. "Well, this is weird."
"Sora, Donald, Goofy," Aerith gestured to the table, and Sora realized chairs and plates were already arranged for them. His stomach growled eagerly at the sight, and he was struck by the thought he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a full meal like this.
Donald and Goofy had already rushed past him at this point, flinging themselves into their seats and digging in. Sora approached with a relieved smile, needing to confirm at least one person in this room knew them before eating as well. "So you remember us, right, Aerith?"
Aerith was smiling, but at the question he could see her eyes squint as her expression morphed into pity. "Honestly, I'm not sure if I should say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again.'"
The trio groaned at this response and sunk lower into their seats. Sora turned his distraught gaze onto Cid, who only held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don't look at me! I know your name is Sora, but only 'cos you look like a Sora! I don't really know you!"
Donald gulped down his food before sending a scowl his way. "Then how'd you know we were coming?" he asked, gesturing with a feathered hand to the table set for eight.
Cid glanced down at it, as if processing it for the first time. All he could manage was a "Huh."
"It's like...our hearts remember you, even if our heads don't!" Yuffie chimed in, slamming her hand onto the table and making the dishes rattle.
Aerith nodded and let out a hum of agreement. "You belong here, there's no doubt about that. The real question is, why do you three remember, while we don't?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Sora said with a grimace. Before he was able to launch further into this topic, however, a bowl of stew was shoved into his face.
"Stop yappin' and stuff yer face first. I don't wanna waste all this food." Cid sat back as Sora took the offer with a grateful smile.
The conversation lulled as they all dug in, Cid filling in the silence by bragging about his "Bellyfull Stew" recipe.
"He just dumps everything from the fridge into the pot," Aerith whispered behind her hand. Sora had to swallow back a laugh as Cid fixed a glare across the table her way. They may not remember them, but their personalities hadn't changed a bit. That was some sort of small comfort.
As bowls were emptied and stomachs filled, Sora eventually regaled the captive audience of their adventures, leading up to entering into Castle Oblivion and ending up here.
"Oh, that's who I was thinking of!" Yuffie murmured, perking up at the mention of Akira's name.
Sora nodded, looking down at the spot at the table that remained empty. Akira wouldn't be happy when she found out she missed a meal and a reunion with friends. He briefly sunk lower into himself, looking for that comforting echo of a beat that followed his own heart. Yep, still there. Wonder what she was up to while he was here...
"It's so funky, I remember all this stuff! But only after hearing Sora talk about it," Yuffie trailed off, her confusion reflected on every face around the table.
"It's a little more than that," Aerith said, her lips pursed. "These aren't really memories. It's more so I remember that I should remember it."
Sora let out a groan at that confusing chain of words. "What does that even mean?"
Aerith met his gaze, her green eyes piercing. "I think that maybe...you're doing the remembering for us."
A resounding "Huh?" rose from the room.
"You said that hooded man told you this town is an illusion, right? Made from your memories?"
"Yeah?" Sora responded, brows furrowed.
"Well then, it only makes sense that we too were created from your memories, right?"
Silence fell over the room at that statement. Sora could see the shoulders of the Traverse Town gang collectively stiffen.
"Whoa whoa whoa," Yuffie interrupted, "Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin', Aerith?"
"Well, that depends on what you think I'm saying," Aerith quipped.
"We're not real," Leon translated, his tone surprisingly flat despite the subject of conversation.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Sora shouted, reaching across and jabbing Cid in the side. He reeled back, slapping Sora's hand away with a curse. "See? You guys are too real!"
"This place, Castle Oblivion," Aerith enunciated the name slowly, as if trying to unlock the secrets behind it, "It's recreating things as you remember them. Convincingly so, but still…"
Sora exchanged glances with Donald and Goofy. Their wordless expression showed their concern at the statement.
"You came here looking for someone, right? Or rather, someones," Aerith corrected, pressing the tips of her fingers together as she smiled. "It's why you didn't go home when the worlds were restored."
"Yeah...Riku, right? And your King?" Yuffie asked.
Sora nodded, mystified. "How'd you know?"
"I told you, your memories built us. And this seems to be a pretty important one if we all know about it."
"This don't make no sense," Cid sighed, rubbing at his head as if it was hurting. Sora couldn't help but agree with that.
"Illusions or not, we search this town for others all the time," Leon said, finally interjecting into the conversation. "If your friends are here, we'll find them."
And so, without further discussion of the nature of what makes things real, they all split apart to search the town from top to bottom. With the moon never budging from its position in the sky, it was hard to tell just how long they spent in this search, but eventually Sora's shoes drug against the pavement and he stopped in his tracks with a sigh.
"I don't think they're here, guys."
"I have to agree with that," Donald said with a nod, taking a seat on a metal bench nearby with a heavy flop.
"This sure does make me think of the first time we came here," Goofy said, his eyes gazing into his own memories. "We walked all over this here town lookin' for the Keys!" His head swiveled to give Sora a large grin.
Sora thought back to that day as well with a mixture of feelings, both positive and not. His home destroyed, his friends lost, and yet luck pulled through when it put him and Akira on the same world. Then running into their future friends Donald and Goofy for the first time when they fought that Heartless boss—
Wait, no. That wasn't when they first met. Sora shook his head to dispel the fog. Their first encounter was at the hotel, when Donald and Goofy had landed on them from an upper balcony. Wasn't it?
Before Sora could question how exactly they had their first encounter, a thundering noise rang through the plaza they had stopped to rest in.
BONG!
The trio jolted up at the sound of the bell, turning their gaze to the Gizmo Tower. Now that he remembered. Its noise had drawn the Keyhole out of its hiding place. And then that Heartless boss showed up again for round two. The pieces had fallen from the sky, just like—
CLANG.
A giant metal arm fell onto the pavement, cracking the ground underneath.
Just like that.
Several more parts appeared from nowhere to join the first, disjointed pieces floating together to form the recompleted Guard Armor. Two clawed hands, two booted feet, a torso emblazoned with the Heartless logo, and finally an empty helmet. The visor lowered, letting two beady yellow eyes stare directly at Sora.
Sora blinked. Did he just remember this thing into existence?
"Uh oh…" Donald quacked.
Sora's confidence as he rose and summoned the Keyblade was quickly shattered when he realized this thing might be more of a challenge then it had been before. On account of them forgetting everything they needed to survive in a fight.
The Heartless didn't seem to have forgotten a thing. Its two hands moved independently, slamming onto the ground. Sora dodged clumsily to the side, feeling the back of his shirt get snagged by the tips of its claws. He steadied himself and swung heavily, sending the arm flying back and leaving a decent-sized dent in the metal.
Goofy had taken to shielding Donald from the other arm, leaving Donald not much to do other than slam his wand repeatedly against the claws. It didn't appear to be bothering the Heartless much, especially when the shock wave of an armored boot dropping from the air sent them all flying.
"How am I supposed to fight without spells?!" Donald shrieked.
"You need a hand?"
Sora looked to the walkway overhead, narrowing his eyes at the sight of the hooded figure. Unfortunately, a clawed hand struck him as he looked away, sending him tumbling into the cobblestone wall. Sora rose with a groan, planting his Keyblade firmly in the ground to steady his spinning head.
A card fluttered to the ground in front of him, picturing the Kingdom Key. Sora shook away the double vision to pick the card up from the ground. As soon as he did, a foreign sense of strength coursed through his veins and a strange static filled his mind.
"Fire!"
Sora's gaze snapped up as the largest ball of flame he'd ever seen flew from Donald's staff, hitting the Heartless' torso and burning straight through it. Donald cried in triumph and kissed his wand, flying back into battle with rapid repetitions of the spell flinging a storms worth of fire forth.
Did he just return their powers? Sora's eyes flickered back to the walkway, but the man was already gone. This was sure to have some consequence later on, but he couldn't be worried about that now.
Darting back into the midst of combat, he could already tell things were different. His body didn't feel nearly as heavy, and he was finally able to put some coordination in his swings. He slid under a swipe from the arm, leaving room for a counter attack against its defenseless torso.
Sora knocked it into the air, revealing its hollowed center in which a warm light glimmered. "Goofy!" Sora cried, gesturing towards it.
Woosh! Goofy's shield flew over his head, ruffling his hair in the wind it created. The shield bounced around the inside of the armor, finding its mark and exiting out the other side to knock the helmet clean off. All at once the parts of the Heartless fell limp to the floor, twitching, but still solid. Only stunned then, but that was an opening at least!
Sora leaped forward, slamming the Keyblade into the already dented hand. It pierced clean through, sending the appendage into a shaking fit until it burst into shards of Darkness. This roused the armor, as each piece once again hovered off the ground with a vengeance.
The torso began to spin and shot itself towards Sora, its sharpened edges acting as a buzz-saw. Sora flipped to the side, only to land heavily on his stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. He barely managed to roll away as an armored boot came down, cracking the ground where his head just was.
Alright, so not all of their power was back. But that's fine, this was the first boss they fought after all, before they even learned magic! They'd struggled with it at first, but then he and Akira—
A heavy pang struck his heart, almost leaving him open to yet another strike by the torso looping back around to finish the job. "C'mon, Sora…!" he hissed aloud and slapped his cheeks, frustrated at both his lack of abilities and distractibility.
"Aim for the head, fellas!" Goofy called out, readying his shield for another throw. "That's how we got it last time!"
"Thunder!" Donald cried, raising his wand to the sky. Nothing came of it, causing the duck to grumble and settle for another barrage of "Fire!"
The spell struck the helmet solidly, stunning the appendages once again. Goofy threw his shield, missing the first pass but nailing it clean off on the return back to his hand. Sora ran forward in the lull of attacks, letting his momentum carry his attack forward. He slammed the helmet into the ground, breaking it into little pieces that clattered against the brick before dispersing.
This time, the body did not reform as it crumbled apart. With a violent shake each part burst into vapor, leaving behind that familiar glowing light of a freed heart twinkling out of existance.
The trio audibly sighed and sat on the ground, their heads falling to their chests.
"You'd think after fighting this thing twice, the third time we'd have it down pat," Sora groaned, rubbing his aching head.
"Give yerself some slack, Sora," Goofy said, patting him on the back. "We're down a party member, after all. It was bound to be a lil' harder just causa that!"
Sora could only muster another sigh at this statement. Why'd he have to constantly be reminded of that fact? If they were struggling this much in a three-versus-one fight, he didn't even want to imagine how Akira was fairing in a world by herself.
"Well, I'll be!" A gruff voice echoed through the now silent plaza. Sora turned his gaze up, this time meeting a welcoming sight of Cid looking over the walkway. "Did y'all take down that Heartless? Even Leon couldn't deal with that thing!"
"Guess it lends credence to their story."
Leon now peered over the railing as well, taking in the destruction around them and their beaten appearance before letting out a large sigh. "Why does this feel like a familiar sight?"
Sora gave him a sheepish grin.
KH
As they all gathered in the plaza and recouped with the help of Aerith's magic, recounting their individual search efforts, everyone came to the same conclusion.
"Guess you didn't find your friend, huh?" Yuffie asked with a tilt of her head.
"No, not here. But he is somewhere in this castle. I'm sure of that."
Cid scoffed and chewed on his toothpick at this statement. "I still can't wrap my head around that. There ain't any castles anywhere near here, how are we inside one?"
"Don't think about it too hard," Donald said with a sly grin, "you're like Sora. Too much thinking makes your brain smoke."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora and Cid cried in unison. They paused, their annoyed glare breaking to fix a surprised expression on the other. Yuffie failed to contain a snort of laughter, which quickly spread through the group like wildfire.
"Sora, I know you'll find what you're looking for," Leon declared. "Memories or not, I know you have what it takes."
Sora fixed an earnest grin on Leon, reaching out a closed fist. Leon's eyed it before eventually relenting, knocking his own knuckles against it in a fist bump.
As they said their farewells and parted once more, a bittersweet sensation resounded in Sora's heart. The last time they'd said goodbye, they had no idea if they'd see each other again. He was glad they reunited at least once more, illusions or not.
"How're we supposed to get back to that ol' Castle?" Goofy questioned as they took to walking the town again. Sora cast his gaze about the empty streets, wondering that himself.
"Well, we took a door here, didn't we?" he asked, wincing as a headache suddenly rose into existence. Why did it feel like somebody just scrambled his brain?
"Right, a door that...looked exactly like that," Donald quacked in surprise, pointing towards a pure white door that was clearly out of place in the rustic Traverse Town.
The trio redirected their pathway to the exit, but before they were able to turn the handle, a shout of "Wait!" stopped them in their tracks.
They all turned to see Aerith panting, as if she had run to catch up with them. "Sora...I couldn't let you leave without warning you."
"Warning me?" Sora repeated.
Her lips pressed together in a thin line, as if she wasn't sure why she was saying this. "I don't know why...but I just got this sense that I needed to tell you...to be wary of your memories."
Sora blinked and exchanged glances with Donald and Goofy. They both simply shrugged, also clueless as to what Aerith was trying to say.
"I'm just an illusion, so was this entire town. But we were real enough to fool you into thinking you'd come back here in reality. And if everything going forward is crafted from your memories, they might lead you astray. If you remember something wrong, you could be convinced its the real thing." She paused to clutch at the hem of her dress, a nervous action that seemed out of character for the carefree Aerith. Sora noted the action with a furrowed brow. "Just...be on the lookout for memories trying to lead you astray. Remember what's important to you."
"Right…" Sora offered up a hesitant smile, "if it'll make you feel better, I'll keep an eye out."
Aerith simply nodded before turning on her heels and dashing away.
"Was Aerith acting weird to you guys?" Sora asked as he turned the door handle into another blindingly white corridor.
"Everything is weird here," Donald grumbled. "See, we just wrapped back around to the beginning!"
Sora turned his gaze to the hallway they stepped into, noting Donald's annoyed statement with a squint of his eyes. Was it really the same hallway? It was so hard to tell with how bland and white everything was. It sure looked the same but… Casting his gaze around the hallway, his heart couldn't help but beat painfully as the emptiness showed something else to him. Where was Akira?
"Did you enjoy meeting your memories?"
This voice was becoming annoyingly familiar. Sora turned a suspicious eye to the cloaked figure, unsure of how to perceive him. So far he hadn't been outwardly aggressive, he even helped them in the battle against the Heartless. But there had to be more to it than that.
"Yeah, it was good to see everyone," he responded cautiously. "But what do you want?"
"Well that depends on what you have to give," the man responded, beginning to draw up in height. "Akira had so much to give, frankly, I don't think you'll be able to measure up."
The Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand as soon as her name left his lips. He gripped it tight, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "If you did something to her…" He heard Donald and Goofy ante up behind him, and the tension in the room swelled. Before it could break, shadows began to pull into a portal in the center of the room.
Even the hooded man seemed confused as another figure stepped into the room, dressed in the same black leather regalia. This one, however, didn't have the hood pulled up to obscure his features. The first thing Sora noticed was how lanky he appeared. His shoulder-length hair was a fiery red and slicked back, only emphasizing his thin face. Reversed teardrop markings stood out underneath each of his emerald eyes, which were fixing a strangely sinister gaze onto Sora. "Hello!" he chirped, giving a two fingered salute.
"He said we!" Donald hissed behind Sora's shoulder, calling back to their first conversation with the hooded man.
"What do you want?" the hooded man sighed, sounding annoyed at the interruption.
"Got bored with you hogging the hero," the redhead shrugged. "You expect me to stay cooped up with her all day? Please."
"Hmph." After a pause, the hooded man flicked his wrist, sending something flying to this newcomer. He caught it easily, a victorious smirk spreading at the sight of the card. "Perhaps you'd like to administer the test, then?"
"Perhaps I would!"
"Very well. I'll watch over it." Without another word, the hooded figure was swallowed by darkness again.
"Finally!" The redhead made a show of stretching and rolling his shoulders. "It's my show now, Key boy. The name's Axel, got it memorized?"
"Like I care," Sora huffed, redirecting the Keyblade to the new threat.
"C'mon now, Sora!" Axel grinned, splaying his arms out. "I just wanna get to know the four of ya!...Wait a second…" Axel scratched at his cheek nonchalantly, making a big show of counting them. "One...two...three...huh. Alright, what gives? Isn't there supposed to be four of you!"
Sora's shoulders stiffened as he swallowed back his rude remark. "As if you didn't know!"
"Nothing but the cold shoulder!" Axel laughed, but something in the sound was off. "Seriously though, you lose her or something?"
"You did something with her!" Sora shouted, pointing the Keyblade straight at Axel.
Axel blinked before his face settled into a knowing smirk. "Well, that's more than enough banter. Now that we're acquainted…" Axel threw his arms out, flames spiraling at the tips of his splayed fingers before solidifying into spiked chakrams. "Don't go dyin' on me now!"
That was all the warning Sora was provided before both of those circular weapons were thrown straight at them, fire trialing behind their arc.
"Get down!" Goofy cried, pulling Sora's head down in time for them to pass over head.
The swish of a leather coat sounded through the air, and both Donald and Goofy let out a choked sound of surprise. Sora looked up, seeing Axel leering down at him with a smile.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Axel smiled, the expression manic. Sora whirled and held the Keyblade up to block Axel's overhand swing, both of the chakrams catching on the guard of the blade. With a heavy shove he threw Axel off and moved to retaliate, only to swing through empty air.
"Warping is cheating!" Donald cried, stamping his foot and casting a ball of fire. It hit against Axel's coat harmlessly, and he raised a single thin brow at the mage.
"Hey, I'm just showin' off my kit. Any time you wanna prove you're not useless, go ahead and pitch in!" Axel's grin stretched wider as Donald screamed and stamped against the ground in frustration, and he called out once more, "Now you wanna see real fire? Watch this."
Sharp green eyes snapped to Sora, and he moved his arms in a quick flourish. A wave of fire suddenly burst to life at his beckon and roared towards Sora. All he could do was hold up his Keyblade against the onslaught and squeeze his eyes shut in preperation for the burn.
But that never came, instead a soothing cold breeze blew by, and Sora opened his eyes to see Donald's wand with the remnants of blizzard putting out the flames.
"Heh, alright!" Axel nodded, not seeming put off by his attack being nullified in the slightest. Sora charged through the steam that now covered the room, aiming to topple Axel with a swift pass by at his legs. Axel proved to be quicker however, and the Keyblade was once again caught by the strange spiked circles. A quick lash tore through Sora's guard, ripping into his arm.
He disengaged, jumping out of range, only to remember too late that range was no problem for this enemy. The flame-coated weapons were once again sent spiraling towards him. One was knocked away by Goofy's shield slicing through the air, the other Sora managed to sidestep.
The rush of the leather cloak sounded through the fog— he was going for the same warp behind Sora. Without looking behind he swung, this time feeling the satisfaction of landing a solid hit.
Axel grunted and slid back, his smile remaining. "Nice one!"
Sora could only shake his head in confusion, why was he congratulating him?
Axel raised both of his hands, summoning his weapons back in a burst of flame. Suddenly he doubled over, clenching both weapons close before exploding outwards with a blast of fire that encompassed the whole room. Sora would've been toast, had it not been for the reflexive call upon magic revealing he too had remembered some of his spells— "Blizzard!"
The Keyblade let loose a torrential downpour of wind and snow, nearly freezing half the room over and cutting through the onslaught of flame.
"There we go!" Axel stood unharmed in the midst of the ice, his attack stance falling into relaxation as his weapons were dismissed. "Glad to see you haven't completely forgotten your moves. Now that was fun."
"We're not done yet!" Sora cried, ready to jump back into battle before a dizzy spell hit him hard. Was this because his mana wasn't restored? No, it felt different, invasive.
"Your friends might disagree with that one," Axel craned his neck, showing Donald and Goofy passed out on the floor, flames still smoldering on their clothes. "But congrats, you passed!"
"I...passed? Whoa—" Sora fell back, nearly dropping the cards that were thrown at his face.
"If it's someone important you're after, you gotta get higher up in the castle. And to do that?" Axel pointed at the cards grasped in Sora's hand, "you gotta use those."
"And Akira?"
Axel only stared, his expression unreadable. "Is that who you want to see once you've reached the top? You sure you've given enough thought to who's most important to you?"
Sora recoiled, insulted at the insinuation. "What does that even mean? Of course I have!"
"Oh, but our most precious memories are those that lie deepest in our hearts. Often they're out of reach, but I think you'll be able to find yours. To remember what you forgot." Axel's grin turned, crossing the line between friendly and threatening. "Would you like a hint?"
"No," Sora growled. "And if you get in my way…" He let the brandished Keyblade be enough of an answer.
"Heh. Just what I expected." Axel snapped, another dark portal formed just behind him. As he was getting ready to step inside, he stopped and mimed out slapping his forehead. "Oh, I almost forgot! Here, this one's a freebie. When your sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be you."
The shadows collapsed around his form, swallowing him whole. The room was once again silent, and Sora's breath puffed out into now chilled air. Unconsciously he reached for his crown necklace, clutching it close. What did that mean?
"Akira…?" he called aloud, closing his eyes.
No response.
KH
Axel collpased in the chair, a sharp exhale of air finding its way through his nose. The fight had been fun, he didn't exactly lie about that. But watching the emotions that flowed through Sora and pals so easily, so rashly… Well, Axel couldn't help but feel that pang of emptiness within him all the more after that display.
"You were pretty nice to that Sora kid."
Axel's narrowed eyes flitted over to the blonde watching him intently from the other side of the room, her chin perched on her laced hands.
"I would've kicked him around a bit more, personally."
"Yeah, distasteful cruelty isn't really my thing," Axel said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Aw, how rude!" Larxene gasped, placing a hand over her chest in mock hurt. "But seriously, why are you so intrigued by him? He's not all that special."
"I'd beg to differ."
"Oh?" Larxene stood and sashayed her way over to him. The swing of her hips was too purposeful, and Axel rolled his eyes at the obvious attempts at flirtation. As she leaned down, placing both of her hands on the armrests to become eye level with Axel, she quirked her brow. "So what's somebody gotta do to get your attention then, huh?"
Axel's gaze remained impartial. "He became a Heartless. I imagine it wouldn't be too hard for you to recall what that means."
Larxene nodded, either oblivious to or ignoring Axel's disinterest, he could never tell. A finger ticked up as she listed, "When you're completely consumed by the Darkness, you lose all sense of self. All feelings, your rational mind, it all goes poof!"
"Right. But that didn't happen to Sora. He held onto his emotions even as a Heartless; didn't even try to attack the all you can eat buffet his friends could've offered up." His gaze returned to the smokey white crystalline ball in the center of the room. A projection of the trio was within, recuperating from their skirmish. "I know just one other guy who's been able to do that, hold onto his sense of self after becoming a Heartless. And even he wasn't able to return back to normal just like that."
Larxene hummed, straightening to place a hand on her hip. "So, you're interested by the strength of his heart, then? And what he's got going on with kiddo down below?" Larxene's free hand dropped, pointing to the depths of oblivion. A sneer ticked up on her lips at the gesture. "You wanna know what makes them tick."
"Shouldn't we all?" Axel matched her sardonic grin. "Studying the mysteries of the heart, unlocking what lies within, isn't that why we're in this Organization in the first place?"
Larxene let her head fall back as loud laughter poured forth, hollow and forced. "Color me surprised that you're actually interested in working, Axel!"
Axel simply shrugged. After a moment of silence he stood, breaking the barricade Larxene had formed with her body to stride closer to the crystal at the center of the room. "Speaking of our basement dwellers, you tried fixin' this thing on Akira yet?"
"Tried and failed," Larxene said with a flippant wave of her hand. "Guess Marluxia was right. Little thing either bit the dust or the Castle swallowed her up. Either way, she's gone."
A frown found its way to Axel's lips at that piece of news. The Superior wasn't going to like that one bit. Somebody was getting turned into a Dusk for sure. As the light within the crystal faded, a reflection caught his gaze, breaking him from his pondering. The small girl in the corner of the room stiffened and quickly dropped her head, returning to the task at hand.
The sound of colored pencils scratching against paper once again filled in the silence.
Ahh, back to responding to reviews! I haven't done this in forever.
Arika Koski 2022: I'm always glad when I get canon shipper approval! There will be occasional swearing, my depictions of battle can get a tinge graphic, and sometimes things like death will be talked about/shown, so that's why it's rated T!
Xxser3ndipityxX: Heya! I told you I'd eventually get back to responding to your reviews in typical fashion! I know I already said some of this stuff, but I'm gonna say it again! Akira was indeed involved in the original plan, but things changed when Marluxia saw she was fading away. Xemnas def doesn't know yet, and would be pretty peeved if he found out!
Charity is deeply connected with Akira! How she is will remain unspoken for now. Next chapter will give some more hints, but the reveal is a little ways away! Once again, so glad you've enjoyed the story so far! Getting regular readers that I can have a back a forth with each chapter is so wonderful!