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I'm Nobody Chapter 47: A "Light" Nap
At the floating island orbiting Twilight Town, a meeting was taking place within its only piece of architecture.
Yen Sid sat in his chair, intense eyes set upon the group that had at long last returned from their excursion to Castle Oblivion.
A heavy atmosphere hung in the air for a few moments until the powerful sorcerer spoke.
"I believe that asking if you are alright would be rather insensitive perhaps." Yen Sid slowly said. "At the very least, I can say it heartens us both that you have all made it back here in one piece."
"Relatively speaking." Riku couldn't help but comment, releasing a tired exhale.
"Gosh you guys, just what exactly happened back in Castle Oblivion?" King Mickey inquired with concern with Donald shooting him a peeved and tired look.
"Too much drama, that's what." The Court wizard bristled. "Especially on the last floor."
"Then let us start at the beginning." Yen Sid spoke up. "Please, tell us what you experienced and leave nothing out. Unseen revelations and details may appear as you speak."
"Can't we just show you what we got?" Axel asked, holding up his hand with his Omni-Tool appearing.
"...Were you recording this whole time?" Namine said in surprise.
"Not the entire time. Only the bits that were important."
Xion deadpanned at her friend. "...That doesn't really help at all, Axel."
"Yeah, we kinda had a lot of important bits happen back there." Roxas tacked on.
Yen Sid shook his head. "Regardless, it is better to state everything you encountered. Your memories, your battles, all of it. We must not leave anything unturned."
No. VIII groaned aloud, dramatically arching his back, head directed at the ceiling with his arms hanging by his sides.
"Oh come on, ya big palooka, this is important." Donald argued.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting a chair." The redhead says as he goes to acquire one. "I ain't gonna be standing the entire time when giving my report."
"You're hardly gonna be talking." Sora pointed out.
"...Shut up."
"Perhaps getting yourselves comfortable is advisable." Yen Sid remarked. "There is much I believe we are going to be discussing."
"He's not wrong there." Namine murmured and soon, chairs and small tables with tea and snacks were quickly brought out within the room.
"Now then," Yen Sid said, seeing everyone situated comfortably now. "From the beginning, if you would."
"Right," Xion was the first to speak. "So it started like this…"
The group all took turns, launching into the many rooms and memories they encountered, skimming on unnecessary details, speaking on the presence of the Organization and how despite the memory worlds all being of their memories, things sometimes didn't happen the same way twice.
But all that was a rather long-winded, over-extended preview of the floor that has been on their minds since they escaped the castle.
The thirteenth floor.
And the memory world of Daybreak Town.
Both the King and his former mentor perked up at the name of this World, a brief glint of recognition for both of them.
That was when Axel took over and brought out all the data that had been stored in his Omni-Tool.
It took… a while for Mickey and Yen Sid to finish seeing through the footage Axel recorded. A number of reactions were made, even if it was mostly neutral, while processing all this information.
For Mickey, seeing such a place was a wondrous yet also troubling sight.
In many ways, the place had a familiar feel to it, akin to The Land of Departure where Ventus and his two friends hailed from. Mickey had only been there once with Yen Sid in his early days of being a Keyblade Wielder but when he heard about its apparent demise, he was crestfallen and troubled.
The fall of the Land of the Departure, though a decade ago, to King Mickey felt like the start of the many conflicts they had been dealing with today.
Daybreak Town felt a great deal similar to Ven's old homeworld in terms of significance.
An entire world dedicated to Keyblade Wielders?
Such a place sounded like a fairy tale.
As for Yen Sid, what really drew his focus of the report so far was the memory depiction of Daybreak Town, a place he only heard from tales long since faded from memory.
How was it manifested in the first place? Was there perhaps a deeper connection with Ventus and Roxas than he was led to believe? Was there more to Ventus' history than either of them would've known beforehand?
'From what I recall from Eraqus, Ventus lost most of his memories prior to staying at the Land of Departure.' A frown mares Yen Sid's visage. 'Was this your doing, Xehanort? Or were you picking up the pieces and crumbling them further?'
"So?" Axel expectantly said after a prolonged period of silence. "What? Anything? Does this make any sense to you guys?"
Yen Sid leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard with a deep look of contemplation.
"This is far more than we had anticipated." The Sorcerer stated. "Your journey through Castle Oblivion has yielded further questions than answers. Answers that we may not get for a long time."
"That's encouraging to hear." Riku grumbled to himself. Next to him, Namine gave him a sympathetic look, placing a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her, expression softening and gave a small look of appreciation.
"I'm more concerned about this Darkness entity you ran into." Mickey quietly said, a deep frown marring his features. "I remember Master Yen Sid spoke about how the Darkness of the Heartless and other threats were ones we Keyblade Wielders must watch out for. But this Darkness being… they felt different from what we've faced before."
"The apparent Darkness causing much of the strife of the depicted time from Daybreak Town's memory perhaps might be the key to many questions we have." Yen Sid mused aloud. "Or maybe, only further queries of which answers will remain out of reach." The old Sorcerer exhaled tiredly, shaking his head. "I fear we are only getting steeped in greater mysteries we are unprepared to tackle."
"And that's just on our side of things." Roxas said in a low voice. "There's still the Milky Way and the Reapers."
"Urgh." Axel rubbed his forehead, hand over his eyes. "Ya know, when we turned on the Organization, I thought that would be the largest problem we had to deal with."
Mickey opted to focus on the information that had been gathered from Castle Oblivion.
"The data you acquired from the last memory floor and the castle's main servers will take a while to sift through." The King said. "Be sure to transfer it to a few hard drives and other devices as a backup. We don't wanna lose this."
"Way ahead of ya." No. VIII replied.
"Still, I am most curious about the functions of Castle Oblivion, now more so than ever." Yen Sid abruptly said. "How was it even possible to really acquire the data on the former?"
"That place is weird." The Flurry of Dancing Flames commented. "And what Strelitzia said made it seem unbelievable. I was just testing out an earlier theory and wanted to see if it would work. I'm just worried if my Omni-tool will glitch out and crash." He finished, waving his arm around.
"That's what you're worried about?!" Donald squawked.
"Gawrsh, Axel, ya know you can always get a new one."
"Yet this data is extremely valuable now. Who knows what may be held from a world long since lost."
"Hey, what about us?" Sora spoke up. "We went to the Castle to figure out what to do with the connection the three of us share."
"You are correct in that regard, Sora." Yen Sid nodded at the brown-haired teen, turning to the ravenette of the group. "Xion, if you would."
The young Keybearer nodded, bringing out her own Omni-Tool and pulling out all the data files she had downloaded from Oblivion. Thankfully, it was all mixed together as she had managed to categorize and compartmentalize the immediate data relevant to what they needed to do from the data they would study at a later time and date.
"Here it is." Xion proudly said. "Everything the Organization has on us, me, Roxas, and their whole original plan for us."
"Well done, Xion." Yen Sid praised. "Now then, let us begin."
-Scene Cut-
Within the Room Where Nothing Gathers, all the seats save for two were occupied by current members of the Organization.
And the missing members weren't who you think.
"I take it Larxene remains unconscious." Saix remarked, seeing the seat of No. XII was vacant.
No. XI released a small exhale through his nostrils, his eyes narrowing and fist clenching.
"Yes."
"Looks like she had an odd mental breakdown." Xaldin commented.
"Odd?" Vexen derisively said. "You call almost leveling Castle Oblivion an "odd mental breakdown"? If that's what you call "odd", I can't imagine what would be a "proper" one."
"She did almost cook the traitors." Xigbar remarked with his usual mischievous grin in place. "Maybe we should try to replicate what happened to her and just throw her at our problems. Feels like most of them would get taken care of there and then."
"A gamble," Luxord mused in intrigue, tossing some dice in his hands. "I like it. Nothing is more unpredictable than a woman's emotions."
"Uh, are we gossiping right now?" Demyx spoke up in clear bewilderment. "I thought we were here for a meeting."
"Oh~ initiative from the slacker." Xigbar couldn't help but state. "This day is full of surprises."
"Enough." Xemnas' voice cut through the chatter, silencing the chamber. "We… have suffered another loss from the traitors. They had entered one of our fortresses and spirited themselves away with valuable information, something that we cannot brush aside as a setback. This is an egregious turn of events that may turn our plans into complete ruin if we do not narrow down just what it was that they were after."
Hearing this was Zexion's go-ahead to speak on the matter. "While the rest of you fought the infiltrators, I stumbled upon Xion as she was copying and transferring data from our servers."
"Man, that little poppet is a clever little sneak now." No. II mused aloud.
No. VI went on, ignoring the Freeshooter's comments.
"I only suspect she has acquired a decent amount. I do not know how well the hacking capabilities of these Omni-tools can work while in the midst of combat." The Cloaked Schemer shook his head. "Be that as it may, Xion has managed to get her hands on valuable information and I have learned that a majority of this data revolves around her being, her creation and the replica program as a whole."
"And what does that entail?" Marluxia drably asked. "Is she on some sort of journey of self-discovery?"
"Most likely to hamper whatever we planned for her if we got her back." No. IV pointed out.
"Would they suspect what we have for Riku and his Replica?" No. V inquired.
"We can only assume. The project we started for that, in particular, is too fresh." Zexion murmured.
"But they are not the same, remember?" Vexen reminded the Stalwart Taciturn.
"Yeah, let's keep it that way." Spoke a younger voice, occupying the seat assigned to No. XIII.
The copy of Riku sat there, garbed in the cloak of the Organization, having had a bored look for most of the meeting, only getting some measure of "life" upon the mention of the teen from which he was copied.
"It's argumentative." Demyx says as he works on his sitar. "The concept you're using, Vexxy, is basically a copy/paste with modifications. One less person and all that jazz."
Xigbar barks out a laugh. "My thoughts exactly."
"It is not as simple as that." The Icy Nobody snapped back. "Kirux was made as an exact replica, bolstered by the power of Darkness of which we already had a natural inclination towards due to the nature of our beings. Xion's was far more delicate as she was a unique creation made with a… tether…"
The Chilly Academic fell silent, frowning deeply with his eyes shifting about, his mind going into overdrive.
"And we lost him to his own thoughts." Marluxia joked in a disparaging manner. "It would seem he have a while until we get anything out of him."
Xemnas, however, was not so quick to dismiss this sudden shift.
"Vexen," He slowly said. "What have you come up with?"
He didn't respond at first, instead letting his brain work its magic until he hissed, placing a fist to his head.
"Of course!" He declared. "Why had I not seen it sooner?! It is perhaps the only logical conclusion."
No. IX rolled his eyes at the Chilly Academic. "Oi, smart guy, care to share with the rest of the class?"
Vexen shook his head, waving a dismissive hand at the Water-Elemental Nobody, instead focusing on their leader.
"There is only one reason as to why the puppet gathered the data pertaining to her creation and more importantly, her connection to Roxas." No. IV emphasized. "Let us recall the purpose of Xion's creation. She was to establish a link with Roxas and slowly siphon his power and that of his Somebody -Sora- to assure absolute control of the Keyblade for ourselves."
"Yeah, well, look at how that turned out." Kirux deadpanned.
Vexen shot his creation a look whilst Zexion was quick to pick up on what he was saying.
"Perhaps that is their end goal." No. VI thoughtfully said. "To find the means in which to disconnect themselves from one another and to be separate entities entirely."
"Would that even be possible?" Luxord questioned, now leaning forward with interest. "Such a concept seems highly unlikely."
"I exist, don't I?" Riku Replica irritably said.
"This is…" Saix frowned, trying to muster the proper response to such an idea. "What would that entail for us?"
Vexen snorted. "Originally, had the turncoats never betrayed us earlier on, had they stayed and discovered this, it would have jeopardized much of what we planned. But that is all mere speculation at this point. Frankly, I can honestly say that it is well outside our grasp at this point."
"What matters is our response and the advantage we must find that we can use for our goals." Lexaeus interjected, getting an approving nod from Vexen.
"Once more, our Stalwart speaks true." Luxord stated, a wide grin in place. "So then, any ideas?"
"What, now?" Demyx asked, sagging in his chair. "I don't wanna think about that."
"Not like you have the brain power to do so." Kirux snipped, causing the Melodious Nocturne to jolt in his chair.
"Hey, I'll have you know my brain works just as good as anyone else."
"Sometimes, I question that assessment." Marluxia dryly said, and No. IX slumped further in his seat.
"Aw come on guys, is this really necessary?"
"Yes, I do believe I share in that sentiment." No. III snarked with obvious impatience. "Enough of this useless drivel. What are we to do with what Vexen has told us?"
"Nothing." Xemnas declared, many of the Organization looking up at their leader in surprise.
"N-Nothing, Lord Xemnas?" Vexen repeated, wanting to make sure he didn't mishear him.
"The matter has already happened. We cannot make a proper response until more development occurs." No. I stated. "As we have when they betrayed us, despite having to alter strategies, our end goal of Kingdom Hearts remains. For now, we leave them be. Let them have their victory. We move on to other matters. Specifically, what was it that caused Larxene to have such an outburst? Why was that memory world on the 13th floor inaccessible?"
There was a beat of silence between those who were at Castle Oblivion.
"Is there truly nothing you have to say?" Saix spoke up and No. IV gained a tick mark on his forehead.
"What is there to say, Saix?" Vexen retorted. "What happened was unprecedented, unforeseen, unpredicted. Need I say more?"
"We were unable to enter this memory world." Zexion was clearly troubled by this admittance. "We couldn't even monitor or record anything from it. We were meant with blank white, no sound, no imagery, nothing."
"But from what we were able to gather, there is a connection that this memory might have with Larxene." The Gambler of Fate stated.
"What makes you assume such a thing?" Marluxia inquired.
"Uh, did ya miss what happened?" Kirux rhetorically said. "She went batshit crazy after they came back and tried to blow up the whole Castle."
"She has been in and out of consciousness since." Zexion said. "And… her time asleep hasn't exactly been safe either."
"Pfft, you're telling me." Demyx grumped. "She damn near cooked me alive when I was sent to bring her some food. Nearly shocked all my hair off."
"She is in a volatile state." Lexaeus remarked. "Approaching her would be… hazardous."
"Oh really? Hazardous you say?" No. IX annoyingly snapped.
"Enough." Saix warned, blue wisps briefly emanating from his body. "We shall have to wait for Larxene to "stabilize" until we can get clear answers from her."
"Keep me as far away from her as possible, thanks." Demyx grumbled.
-Scene Cut-
Within the basement of Twilight Town's Old Mansion, a small gathering took place.
"That's the last of it."
"Good, cuz I'm beat."
"Then you'll have plenty of time to sleep it off."
Upon walking through a corridor, one would enter a stark white room with a dark gray bottom with varying glass panels to show the inner wiring and tubing under a green light. And the main focus was a trio of pods which are egg-shaped, made of crystal-like glass tinted white with white flower petal-like structures on the bottom. The initial glass was clear, showing the interior being completely black, which gave the illusion of a large shadowy space.
These unusual Pods were designed by the Organization. From what the team learned from the data acquired from Castle Oblivion, these pods were made with the experimental intention of breaking into and recovering memories. No doubt these came to mind once Namine's existence came into play.
Now they served their own purposes in fixing the issue between Xion, Roxas and Sora.
These had to be constructed over the past few days and redesigned to suit their present goal of setting things right. On top of their original function, there was the inclusion of severing the unique bond the trio bore.
"For things to be fine with us, we have to sleep in those?" Roxas asked.
"Yes. It's going to take a little time, but I'll take care of you." Namine assured him.
"Gawrsh, are you sure this is the only option?" Goofy remarked, a look of worry on his face.
"The alternative is more taxing and dangerous to undergo after what we learned." Axel stated, grimacing at the thought of it.
"But what if this doesn't work?" Donald questioned, clearly uncertain about all this. "Would either of them remember who they are or anyone else?"
"It's the reason why I have to be the one to oversee the operation." States Kairi's Nobody.
"Well, we'll leave it in your hands then, Namine." King Mickey said. "We'll be sure to stop by and check up on occasion."
"I shall always be nearby." Yen Sid stated. "If anything occurs, I shall be here posthaste."
As the trio would sleep, everyone else would be off doing their own thing.
Donald and Goofy would return to Disna to be with their families. Mickey would be with his wife again while working his kingly duties once more. Though they would also frequent their sleeping friends as well.
Yen Sid would be monitoring the happenings of the galaxy while Axel and Riku would keep an eye on the Organization the best way they could.
After all was said and done and the preparations were made, everyone bade the trio entering into the pods a goodnight rather than a goodbye and departed.
With the others having left, it was only Namine, Sora, Roxas and Xion who remained.
"Wonder what it will be like," Sora mused aloud. "Will we even feel it?"
"What will even feel if we're asleep?" Roxas queried.
"Hopefully nothing." Namine spoke up, pulling out her Omni-Tool. "I've been going over all the calculations and data and it's supposed to feel like nothing at all."
"Supposed to?" Xion parroted with a hint of nervousness.
"Well…" Namine's Omni-tool disappeared and she wrung her hands together. "This is the first time I'm doing something like this. Memories are one thing but the way you are all connected is a lot more different than what I usually know. All those tethers won't be gone so easily considering how deep of a connection the three of you share."
"Well, I think all that matters is the bad stuff is out of the way, right?" Sora spoke up. "I mean, we're all friends so… we're always gonna be connected."
The others stared at him with Xion smiling brightly a moment later.
"Yeah, that's all that matters in the end." She happily declared. "This whole siphoning thing won't change the connections we already have."
"We're all in this together now." Roxas resolutely stated. "So we're always gonna remain connected."
Namine nods with the smile on her face lessening by some margins. "Much of this has started with lies, misdirection's and secrets. But I'm glad we at least have met."
"Yeah, me too."
"Same here."
"Have to at least be thankful for the circumstances." Roxas states. "If none of it happened, I wouldn't know where we'd end up by this point."
"Best not to think about it." Xion advised. "Besides, if it wasn't for everything that happened, we wouldn't have gotten to where we are now."
Roxas gazed at the Ravenette, finding himself smiling brightly a second later. "Yeah."
Soon after, the trio entered their designated pods, Namine using her Omni-Tool to activate each one.
As the pods started to work their function, Namine spoke. "To undo the work done by the Organization, I need to delve into the Chain of Memories linking the three of you together. Some of those links are buried deep into the shadows of your heart. The Organization's work will take a great deal of delicate work to undo. Hopefully what I'm planning on doing won't have me touch them." Says Namine with a soft smile. "However, you all have your promises you intend to keep. The people who you wish to see again. Don't forget as they are the ones who can never be replaced. They are the lights in the darkness. Remember them and you will never lose yourselves."
"Another promise…" Sora mutters, pulling out his good luck charm.
In Sora's mind, he thought of Kairi.
'I still need to see her again.' He held it tightly to his chest.
For Roxas, he looked at his Omni-tool and thought of the Normandy crew. He thought of all the adventures they had in such a short span of time, the friendships he had developed with them.
And then he thought of Tali.
The teen remembered her laugh, her voice, his first kiss, the way she felt against him. Not to mention his promise to her.
'Rannoch.' He thought with a bitter smile. 'I'll help you reclaim your home.'
For Xion…
There was this longing mixed with guilt in the Ravenette as her eyes were settled upon Roxas.
She knew of the relationship he had developed with Tali but even with that knowledge… she longed for him.
She realized it now more than ever, just as the pods were beginning to close. Her eyes were set solely upon him and it appears he detected it as he turned to face her.
Despite her conflicted thoughts, Xion smiled happily at Roxas, her cheeks coloring slightly and Roxas smiled back.
'I'll tell him.' She thought, making that a promise to herself.
"Goodnight you three." Was the last thing the trio heard just as the pods were sealed shut.
Mere moments after the pods closed up, the trio began to drift off to slumber. The initial glass became rather tinted, showing its present use as green lights on the floor began lighting up. From within the pods, a sort of ethereal energy that appeared like liquid filled the pods and the three began to float in place.
'And now time for the waiting game.' Thought the blonde Nobody. She turned around and made her way out of the room. 'Better make myself comfortable.'
The relative quietness filled the pod chamber upon Namine's departure. It ended moments later when a Dark Corridor erupted from the floor. Upon disbursing, DiZ made his appearance known.
A lone, orange eye gazed upon the three pods with many thoughts roaming through DiZ's mind. Though one factor was most certain.
"There is much to do now with those three out of commission."
It was then that the man felt a blade hover over his neck and the lone, visible eye shifted to the side, spotting spiky red hair and burning turquoise eyes boring a hole into him.
"Three seconds." Fiery wisps emanated from both the Chakram and the eyes of the Nobody. "You have three seconds to explain just why in the hell you are here."
DiZ slowly raised his hands in a placating manner.
"I mean them no harm." He assured, though Axel didn't remove his weapon.
"Oh really?" The blade drew closer to DiZ's neck. "And why would you show up here, now of all times?"
"I simply wish to speak with Riku, the King, Namine and you." DiZ calmly replied.
"Yeah, bullshit." Axel sneered. "I remember the last time we spoke and how you looked down on me and my friends for being Nobody's. You ain't exactly high on the friendly list with me."
"Axel?"
The Nobody turned his head back to see both Mickey and Riku standing behind him, both surprised and tense at the sight before them.
"DiZ?" The latter murmured, making the bandaged man glance at them.
"Ah, your Majesty, Riku, a pleasure to see you again."
With an annoyed 'tsk', Axel pulled his Chakram back yet he opted to keep it out, angling it to hang behind his back, dangling from his fingers.
"Why have you come, DiZ?" The King of Disney Castle respectfully asked.
"There are some matters to discuss."
"And what would these matters be?"
-Scene Cut-
The notification was sudden for all those who were addressed. It took a bit to more or less drop what they were doing to finally get onboard the group call.
The one to initiate it was Axel.
It didn't take long for those he reached out to to respond, their faces appearing from his Omni-Tool.
"Where the hell were you pijacks doing all this time?"
"Gruff as ever, Wrexy." Axel cheekily said.
The Krogan Battlemaster released an audible grumble, mean-mugging Axel's face from his chambers on Tuchanka.
"What's up, Axel?" Kaidan spoke on his end, Ashley and Garrus right next to him.
"Like Wrex said, where have you been?" The Former asked.
"What are you, my mother?"
All he received was a flat look from Major Williams.
"Ok, but seriously, Axel, what's going on?" Vakarian asked. "We've barely heard from you guys these past few days."
Axel gives a rueful sigh, running his hand through his long locks. "Sorry that we didn't get in touch with you guys sooner. We were doing some stuff that needed our attention."
Ashley gave the red haired Nobody a look. "And what was so important you couldn't bother to spare some minutes in getting in touch?"
"And where's Roxas and Xion?" Wrex suddenly noted.
"Now that ya mention it…" Ashley frowned and they all saw Axel sigh.
"That's the thing…"
Axel summarizes and elaborates the circumstances of their team infiltrating Castle Oblivion. How they had to go through various memory floors of past experiences which led to the end goal of their intended mission.
It then went to the information they learned from Xion's acquired data.
Xion was more unique than the others had known beforehand. No. XIV -or rather No. i- was designed to siphon off the power of both Sora and Roxas given how uniquely tied she was to them; or more specifically Sora's memories. Whatever goals the Organization originally planned for her was no doubt kept off the record and only known by the higher ups.
Even then, knowing the unforeseen connection between Xion, Sora and Roxas was concerning. As much as they would get stronger, both Sora and Roxas would eventually be weakened significantly with the potential threat of Xion being nabbed and forced back into her previous role as the Organization's tool.
With this in mind, the three needed to undergo an experimental treatment to sever this "draining" connection of theirs. And the one to enact the procedure would have to be Namine, given her unique capabilities pertaining to memories.
"-And for the next month or so, you're not gonna be getting any contact from either of 'em."
Hearing the rest of Axel's report, the group digested the information with some voicing passing thoughts.
"Jesus, you guys are crazy." Ashley said with a good-natured groan.
"We are part of that madness, remember Williams?" Liara remarked with a teasing smile.
"I think the crazy was inevitable," Garrus remarked, crossing his arms in thought. "Our friends from another galaxy just elevated it in a way we would never have expected."
"And reliving our greatest hits to boot." Kaidan commented.
"Not all of 'em." Axel exasperates a sigh. "Though now the rest of us know how some of your missions went."
The Krogan chuckled. "That must've been fun."
Axel shot the battlemaster a deadpanned expression. "It was most certainly not."
Kaidan made a small comment right after. "No. i… the Imaginary Number. How does that work?"
"Beats me," Axel shrugged. "But given Nobodies come from nothingness, the concept of something coming from nothing would apply to the concept."
It was then that the group received a separate notification from their Omni-Tools and a moment later, a new screen appeared and on it was their Quarian friend.
"Tali." Most of them greeted.
"There ya are." Wrex rumbled.
"Hey everyone." She tiredly greeted. "Sorry for not reaching out sooner. There's been a lot of problems on my end."
"What happened with you, Tali?" Ashley asked straight away.
"Yes, I've heard some troublesome rumors regarding the Quarian fleet." Liara worriedly said. "Is everything alright?"
"Wait, what?" Axel frowned. "What happened?"
"It's a bit of a long story." Tali stated, shaking her head. "Wait… where's Roxas? Where's Xion? Why aren't they on this call?"
"I'll tell you after." Axel assured. "First, tell us what happened to you."
There was a pause of hesitation on Tali's end as she wished to see Roxas and Xion present as well but everyone else was here and they seemed more inclined to speak on the goings with her own matters.
So, with a tinge of regret, the Quarian told the others what occurred on her end. How Cerberus made their sudden appearance and attacked the Migrant Fleet. Since the attack, she had her full attention in helping her people repair the ships. It was only recently that she finally sat down and had a proper chat with the others about why she had to ignore their messages.
"Those damned Pijacks shit slingers." Wrex growled out after hearing what Tali had been going through.
"If we would've known sooner, we could've shown up and helped." Liara said and Tali gave her an appreciative look despite her helmet obscuring her face.
"I appreciate that, truly." Tali earnestly said. "But what's done is done. It was already too late as I was more focused on my people. I didn't want to drag any of you-"
"Are you alright at least?" Garrus interrupted and her eyes conveyed appreciation at the concern from the Turian.
"Nothing I can't handle, Garrus." She promised. "I'm just… tired."
The way she emphasized that last bit, the others practically felt it.
"Was there any idea why they attacked the Fleet?" Kaidan asked.
"I could think of a number of 'em." Tali states. "For one, we have our new advancements due to my time with you all on the Normandy. But we've been staying quiet so we wouldn't be targeted for that."
"If so, then why?" Liara questioned.
The Quarian sighed. "I was able to find out sometime prior to the attack, some days in fact, one of our own took in a human biotic. Her name is Gillian Grayson and it turns out she was an escapee from a Cerberus facility."
"This probably makes sense now." Says Ashley with a frown. "They wanted her back or at least had her eliminated so she wouldn't spill any of their secrets."
"Is it possible if we can talk to this Gillian?" Kaidan asks the Quarian.
"I'll have to talk to the Admiralty Board given she is highly connected to the attack." Tali answered. "But whatever I do learn, I'll relay it back to you guys."
"Good." Wrex rumbled. "Been hearing a lot of crap about those Cerberus Pijacks lately."
"I still remember that research facility we took out." Ashley remarked with a dark expression. "Those sickos need to be brought to justice."
"Oh, I've heard." Urdnot said, a gleam in his eyes. "And how I wish I could've been there to experience it."
"...Only you would take such enjoyment." Williams drably said, shooting the Krogan a flat look, getting a toothy grin out of the 700-year-old.
"Ok, I've said my piece." Tali spoke up again. "So where are Roxas and Xion? Feels like they should be here for all of us."
"I'll give you an abridged version with the extra details through your Omni-Tool for later." Axel said. "Essentially, we went to an Organization stronghold, dealt with a lot of past bullshit in the most literal manner possible. We found what we were looking for and you remember that whole talk about the connections shared between Xion, Roxas and Sora, right?"
"Er… kinda? It's still confusing for me."
"Join the club." Ashley quipped.
"Long story short, for the next few months, Roxas and Xion are gonna be taking a nap while Namine works her magic to undo the work the Organization did to them both and Sora. I know, I know," Axel gave a look of exasperation. "This is all as confusing to you as it is to me. And I saw how it's all supposed to work. Just know that this is for their benefit and that they're in good hands."
"Xion… Roxas…" Tali murmured.
"Don't worry, Tali." Axel grinned mischievously. "Once they're ready to wake up, I'll nab ya so you can kiss your Prince Charming awake from his slumber."
This got the Quarian to become a blubbering mess with some of the others laughing at her expense.
As Axel was informing the Normandy's ground team of the situation at hand…
Back in the Pod room in the mansion's basement, Riku stood in front of the pod containing his childhood friend. He silently gazed upon the peaceful expression of his slumbering friend, a feeling of a heavy weight upon his shoulders.
He had returned to the mansion not too long ago after having a long talk with King Mickey and DiZ. The teen had then taken some time to speak with Yen Sid, the Wizard giving him some sage advice on many topics that had been troubling him.
All he needed to do now was to just go see his sleeping friends before making his choice.
"I wonder how long you'll be in there." Mutters the silver haired islander.
"You know it would be a few months at most. Possibly less." Riku hears Namine walk up beside him. "Hopefully, it won't be a year."
"I was just questioning myself. The possibility of it being longer than expected." He murmured, sighing to himself.
Kairi's Nobody nods in agreement. "This was never tested before, only theorized. But I'll be doing my best to make it work."
Riku gives a rueful sigh, running his hand through his hair in the process. He saw how Namine's hands were interlaced together, her expression being one of doubt.
"Hey," His voice seemingly cut through her thoughts. "We all have faith in you. You can do this."
Hearing this, Namine smiled shyly, turning away from him with a blush forming on her cheeks.
The two stood in silence as they looked at the one pod in front of them. It wasn't long before Namine broke the silence. "You have a choice to make, too."
"Me?" Riku questioned, bewildered by this sudden offer. "Why me? There's no issue with me… right?"
The platinum blonde Nobody gave Riku a pointed, knowing look.
"Come on, Riku, I'm not blind. I know you've been struggling with your darkness." Namine elaborates, causing him to visibly wince.
"Was it that bad?"
"You've been flinching a lot more lately." She revealed, getting him to groan, bumping his forehead with his fist.
"That bad…" He muttered to himself.
Namine placed her hands over her chest, closing her eyes as she spoke.
"In your heart is darkness, and in that darkness is Ansem. He may be at bay for now- but eventually he'll wake, and he'll take over you just like he did before. But I have powers you can use. With my powers, I can put a tight lock on your heart." Riku subconsciously places a hand on his chest where his heart resides. "More specifically, the memories you have about the Darkness, about Ansem. With that lock, Ansem could never come out from inside you."
Riku was silent for a solid few minutes, thinking over what was being offered right now.
"What happens to me if I let you do that?" He asked, gazing back at Sora. "Will I possibly forget everything?"
"I… do not know for sure." She admitted regretfully. "The darkness in you will be sealed tight just like your memory. You'll stop remembering the darkness. You'll go back to how you were. But this is a choice I can't make for you. It has to be yours. So please, choose."
Looking back at the Memory Pods, more specifically the one containing Sora, Riku voices some thoughts. "He doesn't even look worried. Will I sleep like that, too?"
"Yes."
He scoffed good-naturedly, shaking his head.
"Figures. Sora always did as he pleased. Whatever we'd be doing together, he'd find a way to slack off. Even trying to leave the islands- I did all the work on the raft by myself." Riku snorts. "That's it. When this slacker wakes up, I'll tell him off." He looks over to the blonde Nobody. "I told him to take care of Kairi and here he is just taking a nap!" He then holds out his arm and wags his finger. "Then again, I'm no better. We're both in the same boat, not going home. I can't chew him out like he deserves- if I've been asleep."
This got a small gasp from Namine, having her realize his decision.
"I don't need my heart locked. I can't forget my mistakes. They make me who I am." Riku shook his head at this. "I can't take that chance with what's going on."
"But what if Ansem's darkness overtakes you?"
"If that happens, then the darkness will show me the way."
A small smile graced her lips. "Yes… That's true."
"Why do I get the feeling that you knew I'd say that?"
"I didn't know. I hoped. I wanted you to face the darkness because you're the one who can."
The silver haired islander nods before turning around and heading out of the room. "Look after Sora for me."
"And where will you be going?"
"Some soul searching."
Some time had passed before Riku stepped out of the mansion, garbed in a new outfit. He took a moment to himself, glancing down at himself.
He now wore an Organization uniform, gifted to him by DiZ. This was meant to keep a better lid on the Darkness from overtaking him, both internal and external.
Before long, he focused more on his hand.
His eye twitched and he flexed his fingers. The islander visibly grimaced upon seeing a dark aura surround his hand, the energy emanating wisps from his fingertips. Quickly shaking his hand, the darkness dispelled, leaving him with a moment of uncertainty.
'I need to get stronger.' He thought with determination. 'I need to get better, for them.'
With this in mind, he walked off with no discernible destination in mind. Only going where his Heart is guiding him to the unknown.
Yet before he was even able to leave…
"RIKU!"
The silver-haired teen turned to see Namine running to him, a panicked look on her face.
He moved to face her entirely.
"Nami-OOF!"
Riku barely registered her jumping into his arms, hugging him with all her might. He felt a warm feeling erupt across his entire body, his cheeks gaining a healthy coloring.
His arms had instinctively wrapped themselves around her and he felt her shiver from his touch. She pulled away after a few moments, her face as crimson as his own yet she now held a fierce gaze in her eyes.
"N-Namine, what-" Was all Riku managed to say when Namine leaned forward, silencing him with a deep kiss that shut down the islander. The boy didn't know just what came over the Platinum blonde Nobody but after a few moments, he embraced the kiss, returning it though not at the same level of intensity as Namine.
The girl pulled back, gasping for air, seemingly out of breath from her daring actions. Her face was even redder now, more than Riku's and there was a shyness in her face that she tried shaking off.
"Namine." Riku softly said, feeling a bit out of breath himself. "What was… what was that supposed to be?"
Namine fidgeted slightly, ducking her head to avoid his gaze.
"A promise." Her voice was barely above a whisper but Riku heard it all the same.
"A promise?" He parroted, seeing her nod ever so slightly.
She slowly looked up, her blue eyes meeting his turquoise.
"No matter what, no matter where you go, I'll be with you." She quietly stated.
Riku's eyes widened, his face burning brightly which only intensified when Namine placed a delicate hand on his cheek, gently rubbing it.
"And that no matter where you go, how far you are, however long it takes," She then placed her other hand on his chest. "You come back to us. You come back to your friends. You come back… you come back to me."
The boy felt his heart stop from hearing this, his mind still trying to process the past few moments.
"Namine," He whispered and she shifted about, a shy but loving smile appearing on her face that caused an assortment of emotions to swirl within his heart.
"Riku please," She now looked scared, making him internally wince at seeing her in such a state. "Please promise me. Promise you'll come back. And if you ever need us, just let us know. We'll come running to help you."
Riku was at a momentary loss for words until he felt a new resolve form within his being. Seeing Namine in such a manner, appearing to be scared, frightened even at the thought of losing him… he now had more motivation than ever to beat the Darkness within and to get back to his friends.
To her.
Gently cupping her face with one hand, Riku stared deeply into Namine's eyes, steeling his nerves.
"I promise." He spoke with resolution. "No matter what, I promise to come back."
Namine let out a breathless, slightly teary laugh, shaking her head and without warning, pulled him in for one more kiss. Once again, Riku was caught off guard yet recovered faster this time and the pair remained that way for a good few minutes.
The kiss ended, though their embrace continued, Namine wanting to be in Riku's arms for a bit longer.
He obliged, not really wanting to depart after what he just experienced though he knew he couldn't stay for much longer.
Eventually, with much reservation, the pair slowly pulled away from each other.
Riku was about to let go when Namine gently took hold of his right arm, placing her hand underneath his own. He raised a brow at her actions until he saw her pull out a plain, gold-star wayfinder and she placed it in his hand, pushing his fingers to close around it.
"My lucky charm." She softly said, smiling at him. "Keep it with you."
Riku smiled back, pulling her in for one final hug. "I'll bring it back. I promise."
"Good."
With that declaration being made, Riku found it all the harder to pull away from her and she was no better, clinging half-heartedly until they held each other by their literal fingertips. But even that had to end.
Riku had to turn away, hiding his expression though he did hear a small sniffle that caused him to clench his fists, fighting the urge to turn back to her. He took her charm and stuffed it into his coat, right where his heart was and walked away, leaving Namine all by herself.
Or so she thought…
She had remained there for several minutes until she felt a presence next to her. A gentle and familiar hand was placed upon her shoulder and she glanced up to see Axel gazing ahead in the direction Riku had gone off to.
"You alright?" Was all he said and she slumped slightly, leaning against him now for support.
"I don't know…" She admitted, wrapping an arm around the redhead, the man released a sigh and patted her shoulder.
"Ya know, I was gonna talk to him, actually." Axel revealed, making the younger teen glance up at him in surprise. "Yeah, you weren't the only one to pick up on what's been botherin' him. Wanted to know if his mind was made up and all about leaving."
"You knew he was gonna leave?"
"Pegged him for it, honestly." Axel answered, shrugging his shoulders. "But I guess your farewell was a hell of a lot better than a handshake. Heh, didn't know you had that in ya, Namine?"
The platinum-blonde Nobody became bashful for some moments, putting her fingertips to her lips.
"I didn't even think about it." She shyly revealed. "It just felt so natural and-"
"Trust me on this, Namine, if Riku was unsure of coming back, what you just did guarantees he would."
Her face became as red as Axel's hair though she giggled all the same. Namine frowned a moment later, looking slightly crestfallen.
"I just wish he didn't choose to leave." She mumbled, hugging herself now. "He could have stayed with us. We could've helped him beat the darkness together."
Axel placed a hand on her head, lightly messing with her hair. "Can't always have what we want, Namine. We all have our own paths to take. Some are taken alone while some are taken with others. Sooner than later, Riku will travel back with his friends once tired enough of being alone. Just give it time and respect his wishes."
She nods, focusing back on where Riku disappeared.
"You wanna stay a little longer?" She heard Axel ask and she shook her head.
"No… Let's go back. After all, I have my job to do, just like you."
The pair turned to head back to the mansion as they have their own roles to play for the coming months.
Just before they reached the mansion, Namine recalled that Axel had developed an odd penchant as of late. And she needed to make sure he didn't do so during her farewell to Riku.
"Axel…" She slowly said, making the man quirk a brow at her tone. "You didn't… record any of that, did you?"
All she got was a blank, unreadable expression that slowly morphed into a cheeky smirk.
"Axel!"
Namine's expression turned bright red with steam now emanating from her head. Before she could retaliate, there was a burst of fire and smoke and Axel had disappeared, his cackling echoing all around her.
"AXEL!" Namine cried out, running back to the mansion, conjuring her Morning Star Staff.
AN
Ok, here we are back again, wrapping up some slight loose ends as now, Roxas, Sora and Xion are put to bed, the rest of the Normandy team catches up, the Organization has an idea now as to why the heroes went to Castle Oblivion and Riku departs on his soul searching journey.
Small, compact, but a lot has been done.
One thing that's always a benefit to this crossover is when Jeb and I just know what to do, it usually is breezed through in two or three, sometimes even one sitting if we're lucky.
Jebest: However, circumstances came up to really halt the progress and have things done at a snail's pace.
FMW: Yeah, life can be intrusive like that. And writer's block, god I hate writer's block.
But there is one quick matter we want to address.
Jebest: We lost someone greatly instrumental in film, stage and pop culture. His voice is practically recognizable nearly instantly.
Right off the bat, many of us can recall him in the roles of Mufasa from The Lion King, a sagely, blind neighbor from The Sandlot, a foreign king from Coming to America and even a conqueror from Conan the Barbarian. There were so many roles he was well known for over the decades, but most of all was perhaps one of his most iconic being Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise.
FMW: Suffice it to say that his passing, while sad, is not one we should truly weep for. Instead, let us celebrate, sing and praise James Earl Jones for being able to live such a looooong and illustrious life with a legacy few could ever match, his voice and acting leaving an indelible footprint on pop culture and just culture as a whole that shall never be forgotten.
As Jeb listed off, look at the legacy he has left behind. From the King of Pride Rock to one of the greatest, most famous faces in ALL of fiction, Darth Vader. James Earl Jones shall never die as his works have immortalized him now and forever. So long as people watch The Lion King, Star Wars, Conan and all his works, he lives on, he remains, he shall never be forgotten. Rest in Peace, My Lord and King, for you have done your work.
So Rest in Peace James Earl Jones, you shall be forever immortal in life and fiction.
Now then, back to the main story, we still have a few more things to tackle before we head into the events of KH2 and ME2. Some setup here and there, other story beats and characters to introduce cuz looking at ME2 and KH2, this will likely be the longest portion of the story to cover from what we are seeing.
The Collectors, the Organization, the greater story from both universes, how to connect it all, the loyalty missions, all of it and it's one that requires a great amount of set up and planning.
Mass Effect 1 was a literal breeze for those of you who remember, one that Jeb and I sprinted through. But for Mass Effect 2 and Kingdom Hearts 2, that is our marathon. We also have to take into account much of the expanded lore from both franchises and taking inspiration from other franchises for ideas, scenarios and such so it's why there are more gaps now between the chapters for this story. Hopefully, once we start the ME/KH 2 portion of this story, we'll be able to have more regularly updated chapters.
Thanks again for all the patience and we hope to continue to deliver on this story.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.