(no subject)
Nov. 3rd, 2006 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lazchanExplanations
Chapter Two
Standard disclaimers apply. Spoilers? Yeesh—yes, spoilers here and there. ^_^ Enjoy!
Previous chapter Here
Before they could even think about asking to 'go off into strange worlds', Sora, Riku and Kairi had to explain what had really happened in the last few years. Kairi was able to give bits and pieces of the story; but not enough to truly satisfy anybody.
There were some things they wanted to leave out—Sora dying being one of them. It was…complicated to explain how something like that didn't follow the rules of logical thought. It wasn't exactly a fact that would endear their parents to their request, either.
Kairi felt the simplest explanation was to tell their parents of how important Sora was to the various worlds scattered around Destiny Islands. Sora wasn't that eager to brag—he learned a lot since he was gone, bragging about all that he had accomplished wasn't on his high list. Besides, he felt guilty whenever he mentioned the Organization. Even if Roxas had never cared about them, there was still a connection there. Many of them had died thinking that Roxas had betrayed them.
"Sora—just get over it!" Kairi put her hands on her hips and glared at Sora. "You wanted to be a hero, right—then let your parents know that you are one," she murmured, temper deflating slightly as she saw the defensive look on his face. "Your parents deserve to know as well."
Sora sighed and nodded. "I didn’t want them caught up in it anymore than they had been." But Destiny Islands hadn't been untouched and it wasn't fair to leave his family in the dark about everything.
"Well, they're the parents of the Keyblade Master. I think they ought to know that at least…" Kairi's voice was still ever-comforting. "Then we get to brag about Riku to his family and then explain to my dad that I'm leaving again." She poked a finger into Sora's chest and smiled. "Easier for me than the two of you."
"Then we have to convince Wakka, Selphie and Tidus's parents about what we're going to do," Sora groaned. "I didn't think it could get that complicated." Having lived without parental guidance for over two years, the rules and regulations that a parent enforced were … restricting, to say the least.
"That'll be the easy part," Riku snorted. "Now—let's go see your parents."
~
It had taken several hours for Sora's mother to stop crying; for her to calm down and keep from holding Sora tightly and not ever letting go. It wasn't until Riku's father came over that she was able to calm down at all.
It was much of the same explanations they gave to their friends; only Sora's mother clung to her son, ignoring the way he tensed with her movements. "My baby was doing what?" She asked, over and over again. Sora squirmed in her arms.
"It wasn't that bad, mom," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I had lots of friends looking after me and helping me. Besides…it was what needed to be done. I couldn’t not fight."
She hugged him again one more time before letting him go. "You said that… it's safe?" she whispered. "That there aren't anymore of these enemies about? And you're being invited by… royalty?"
Sora nodded, comfortable in his little white lie. The enemies would never be completely gone; after all—the Heartless would always exist as long as darkness existed in a persons heart. Most of them were gone and they weren't invading the worlds anymore—but he knew a few could creep in from time to time.
"Well—I don't know…we just got you back after two years, Sora… why do you want to leave again?" Sora's mother was about as stubborn as her son.
Riku's father was sitting near her and gave a cheerful grin. "It's because they're boys," he said, comfortable in his own logic. "They've been out exploring lands and having fun, keeping them cooped up here is impossible. Let me have fun while they can."
"Fun? Fun?" Her voice rose slightly. "Sora's been out killing things and getting hurt and fighting… and you said its fun?"
"Calm down—" he patted her hand. "They had to be all fierce before, now they can go to all those places they visited without worrying about fighting." He had already spoken to Riku; he and his wife had listened and held their son as he broke down in their arms, telling them all of what happened years ago.
"Well, but… " She took a deep breath and a closer look at her son. He wasn't the little boy that vanished those years ago; he was stronger, taller and more confident. There was calluses on his hands that talked of fighting, a way that he stood that showed what he had gone through. Sora could take care of himself—and protect everyone else right along with him.
"I'll be fine, mom," Sora gripped her hands tightly in his own, trying to reassure her. "Riku will be with me, and he can fight, too. Kairi is strong as well—between the three of us, we won't let anything happen to our friends."
~
Strangely enough, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus didn't have any trouble getting their parents permission. It could be because of the way they phrased it… 'it's summer vacation and we wanted to go on a trip...', but everything was arranged and settled within a weeks time.
Sora was surprised and slightly nervous at how easy it all was; if he was that type of person, he would suspect Naminé of doing something to 'help out.' If Roxas was still active in Sora's mind, he was certain that Naminé was the same in Kairi's.
"Well—what all do we need?" Sora blinked at the question—he never brought supplies with him before; the first time they really hadn't the chance and beyond that—they bought everything they needed.
"Clothes, food—that sort of thing?" Selphie put her hands on her hips. "I'm not wearing the same thing every day, Sora!"
Riku snorted and covered his mouth with one hand; Sora had done exactly that—but his clothes were a unique case. Even Kairi looked amused. "I suppose packing a small bag of clothes would be acceptable… but really, we'll be covered everywhere else." Kairi was the voice of reason.
"If you say so… what about money?" Wakka asked. "Can't just leave off the hospitality of others."
Sora shook his head at that. "I got that covered, too. Don't worry about it." He had quite enough stored away from his missions; from traveling and presents and rewards from doing what he had always been doing.
"If you say so, Sora…." Tidus rocked back and forth on his heels. "Let's get our gear together to get this party started!"
~
Sora fidgeted as he waited for the rest of their friends to show up—it wasn't like they needed a specific place to leave; portals could open up anywhere, but they decided on their outer island was best, away from gawking eyes.
Sora, calm down—you're not even opening the portal. Roxas admonished from within his mind. Naminé already did her part of … ah… convincing your parents that it was much safer than they originally thought.
"I knew it," Sora muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I knew it was too easy that our parents gave in." His smile brightened though, not staying aggravated for very long. "Glad she was able to help, at least."
She's closer to Kairi's soul than you and I, sometimes. Roxas murmured. You and I are still…separate in a lot of ways.
"Do you mind that?" Sora asked, staring down at the sandy beach, familiar and not-familiar. So much had changed since that day the door to darkness opened.
No…because it's you. Roxas thoughts around Sora's conveyed content; a bit of confusion but nothing bitter like he had been in his former life as a Nobody.
"I'll have to show you something when we go back to Radiant Garden." Sora murmured. "I think… you need to see it… that you're long overdue."
Sounds like a plan. Heads up, they're here. Roxas grinned within Sora's mind. Can’t have you talking to yourself.
Sora made a face at that. Better let you take over, then. He retreated to the corner of his mind that Roxas usually stayed, letting his Nobody to the surface of their shared soul. Don't insult them too badly, okay?
"Now why would I do that?" Roxas snickered and then gestured the others closer to him. "Listen up—I don't know how long Sora and I will be able to hold the portal, but I'm thinking Kairi needs to go first—she can explain things in case people freak over the portals; and Naminé can open one on her end in case we can't continue it here."
Tidus and Wakka blinked at the abrupt attitude, but Riku just rolled his eyes. "Roxas, play nice for once."
Roxas smirked. "With you, not likely." He muttered, extending his hand and letting the portal form in front of him. "Alright—move it, all of you!" Using darkness through Sora wasn't as easy as he and Sora made it seem initially. Kairi dragged Selphie along with her, Tidus and Wakka hurrying behind. Riku was the last one to go, shaking his head at Roxas as the boy followed close at his heels.
Traversing the pathways to Radiant Garden took almost no time at all.
~
It was lucky the spot that Roxas chose—by the Great Maw and not near anyone's guards. The area was so different now; Sora tilted his head to look at Kairi. "Look more like home?" he asked.
She nodded, eyes far away as she glanced around her; it was closer to being Radiant Garden now and not Hollow Bastion; the visible signs of that time were all but cleared away.
Sora turned to their island friends. "So, what do you think?" he asked, grinning widely and rocking back and forth on his heels. "Way different from home, huh?"
Selphie, Wakka and Tidus nodded dumbly, eyes wide in their faces. It was completely different from Destiny Islands, even the feel of the air was different from the warm, sea-scented air of the isles. "But it's cool looking." Tidus grinned. "Are we going to actually explore the town or the castle or what?"
Selphie whirled around and nearly squealed at the castle and turned to Kairi. "Wow, Kairi.. is that where you used to live? In a castle… ? That's Soooo cool." She was bouncing on her toes, trying to drag Kairi back 'home'.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kairi protested, putting a firm hand on Selphie's shoulder. "That's not my home anymore, guys. Let's go into town—I haven't been to the marketplace in years." Her expression was wistful as she looked back at the castle that she once lived in as a child.
Selphie looked so disappointed that Kairi felt she had to reassure her. "But I'm sure we'll go back there at some point, but don't you think it's better we tell people we're here first?"
Selphie gave a reluctant nod and with one last look at the castle, ran after to where Sora was talking to Riku. "I can't wait to meet all these people that Sora met… it's so cool, like meeting aliens or something!"
"Aliens?" Kairi demanded, but she wasn't really angry. "Selphie—this is where I came from, you know. I'm not an alien, am I?"
Selphie blushed as she shook her head from side to side. "Ah… that's not what I meant.. and…" Her babbling was cut short as her eyes went to an unfamiliar figure striding towards them. "Oh my…"
Sora turned to see what Selphie was looking at and he gave a wide grin and waved the stranger over. "Leon! Long time no see!"
Selphie sucked in a breath and tried to brush off her dress as the tall man came closer—long brown hair falling into his face as he gave Sora a slight smile and nod. Tidus and Wakka rolled their eyes, muttering something about 'girls' under their breath. Kairi looked on with mild interest, she already knew Leon. Riku just gave an impassive stare.
"Sora—I see that you brought friends with you this time, so I assume this isn't due to any problems arising." His gaze barely flicked over the group—resting longest on Sora. "Why don't you come into town? Merlin said that you're late, by the way."
Sora snorted and shook his head. "I'm always late, according to Merlin. Glad to know we're somewhat expected at least," he said brightly. He gestured his friends closer. "This is Leon—he's helped me out a lot during all my time running around."
Leon indicated that the group should follow him and they traveled through the familiar crystal cliffs towards the town of Radiant Garden.
~
Some aspects of the area had changed—the broken buildings had been repaired by this time; shop owners were working in full swing; the entire area was full of people. Chattering, smiling and happy—things were back to normal in Radiant Garden. As soon as Sora and his friends stepped into the area, conversation died down a little and people turned towards him.
"It's him—that's the Keyblade Master," whispers of the same circulated around the marketplace, causing Sora to flush a little, even as he stood up straighter. He was proud of all that he had done; was happy that this little corner of a world had healed; was starting to heal from the horrors that the Heartless, Maleficent and ultimately, the Organization, had wrought upon their home.
Riku studiously ignored the looks directed his way; some were of confusion and there were a few that may have recognized him from his earlier mistakes—but he was beyond that now, he told himself he healed and that what they thought wasn't going to bother him.
Kairi had to physically restrain Selphie a few times from running up to the shops—"but look at all the cute stuff they have—" was heard several times before Kairi shoved Selphie after Tidus and Wakka into the house that Sora pointed out as Merlin's.
Leon made himself comfortable on the far wall as a slim brunette came forward, giving Sora a quick hug. "It's so good to see you again, Sora," she murmured. "You look good; finally getting some rest." Her eyes were understanding and Sora stared at the floor, scuffing his feet a little.
"Yeah… " his reply was equally soft. "It's been…good." He seemed to recover from his momentarily sadness, the bright smile back on his face. Aerith always seemed to see more than what he showed on the surface, anyhow. "Anyways—I'd like you all to meet my friends—you already know Kairi…"
Kairi, who was their princess sent away from them by Xenohart, gave a shy smile and let herself be drawn into a hug by Aerith as well. Merlin and Yuffie were the only other ones in the room—Merlin gave a distracted nod at the introduction but Yuffie nearly tackled her.
"Oh wow—we got our princess back and I hear she kicked butt against those Heartless," her smile was infectious. "Sounds like my type of girl, not letting the guys have all the fun in the fighting." She paused and held out a hand. "Name's Yuffie, by the way. Nice to see ya again."
Kairi's smile warmed at Yuffie—it was hard not to feel comfortable. "It's good to be back here," her gaze went around the room. "It's been a long time…"
"Well, now that you're back, you'll have to be reintroduced to everything, and I'm just the gal for the job!" Yuffie twirled around and circled the boys. "Ooh, and I know this is Riku—Sora wouldn't stop talking about him, " she ignored the flush on Sora's face, "and who would these other guys be?"
Sora rolled his eyes. "I was getting to that, Yuffie," he huffed, but he wasn't really exasperated. "These are three of my really good friends—Selphie, Wakka and Tidus." Each person nodded and gave a wave as their names were said; but on the whole they were still rather stunned at how different things were. They especially stared long at Merlin; having never seen a real wizard before; the blue robes and long beard were….strange to say the least.
"I see…your friends..." she dragged out the word a little bit. "Bringing them on the whirlwind tour of all the places you've visited? We're the first, right--?" she bounced forward, startling even Selphie with her endless energy. "We're the coolest, ya know. Gotta have the bet first, I say."
"You seem like a pretty cool gal," Wakka said, smiling. "You like sports? I don’t know if you know about this awesome game called blitzball—we play it all the time back home, ya."
Yuffie looked intrigued and was soon drawn into a conversation with Tidus and Wakka. Selphie decided to ask Aerith about the town—shops and all—while the boys (and Yuffie) were conversing about the sport.
While Aerith fixed tea for all their guests—Leon keeping a close eye on what she put in the tea; Selphie chattered—once Aerith had given a basic rundown on what could be bought in the small marketplace, Selphie turned her questions to the past—like what Radiant Garden had been like years ago…more specifically, when Kairi was there as a little girl.
Aerith gave Selphie a faint smile as she handed her a cup of barley tea. "I think that it'd be best to ask Kairi something like that," she said gently. "It's her memories and while I have my own memories of Radiant Garden, if it's about Kairi, she should be able to tell you herself."
As reprimands went, it was very gentle—but Selphie flushed a little nonetheless. Kairi felt a little guilty and squirmed between her position between Riku and Sora. "It's all right…" she murmured. "We were talking about going to the castle later, if that's okay."
"It was your home once," Aerith pointed out, Leon nodding in agreement. "I know that Destiny Islands in now your home, but it doesn't hurt to visit a place that was once a part of you."
Kairi gave Aerith a bright smile, almost wondering at the simple understanding. Selphie bounced in place, obviously eager to see a 'real' castle, but she was also sensitive to her friends moods and didn't want to hurt Kairi in any way. "I'd like that," she said simply.
Merlin finally paid attention to all of them. "You know Sora—we have to work on your timing and all. You're terribly late, according to my calculations." There was a warm smile on his face though. "But it's good to see you again, my boy—you're looking hale and hearty."
Sora nodded and grinned. "Yeah—been back home for awhile and it's been pretty good and all. No fighting needed, but I can still do all the cool stuff you taught me," his eyes were bright with a hidden joke. "No forgetting the spells this time."
"That's good, that's good." Merlin muttered. "Terrible thing, wasting knowledge. Glad you remembered everything, my boy—hate to teach you again—" He looked over Sora's friends. "Would teach your friends, but too many people doing magic can cause a lot of damage." He paused. "No offense to your friends, of course—"
Tidus and Wakka looked up briefly. "None taken!" they said in unison. Tidus wrinkled his nose. "Sword fighting is much better, anyways—used to practice with Sora all the time back home—" he eyed his friend. "But Sora's kinda gotten a lot better than me now."
Sora flushed and opened his mouth to explain, but Leon beat him too it. "Well, you know he didn't start out good." He eyed Tidus, assessing him. "If you're not interested in walking around the castle—or even after you explore; I can show you and your friends some basic stuff that I taught Sora."
Leon was elevated to the position of "ultimately cool" at that point. Sora smiled to himself; at least his friends weren't feeling entirely left out. He already had plans for the castle. While Kairi would be showing Selphie everything, (Riku probably guarding them both) Sora wanted to visit the Castle Chapel again—he wanted to show Roxas something.
I'm looking forward to it, Sora, the voice in the back of his head was less acidic than normal. Sora nodded and stared up at the ceiling, a hint of a smile on his face. He had been planning this for a long time; it was something that his Other deserved to see.
~
The pathway to the Castle was cleared now—nothing like how Sora had to traverse the first time; and easier than stepping over the wreckage and construction the second time. Kairi clapped her hands together. "The transports are working again!" she said in delight, turning to the others with a mischievous smile on her face. "I used to drive people nuts, running all around on the transports."
Sora remembered moving about the castle on the marble platforms, powered by crystals and hung on whisper-thin, strong wires. They went virtually anywhere and in almost any direction. A smile twitched at his lips. "Must've been fun."
Kairi nodded and smiled. "Yeah—my sitter was always on the transport going up when I was going down—or sideways and backways—never the one that I was on."
Selphie giggled. "I want to see all the places you explored," she said firmly. She was in a real-life castle and her best friend was a princess and the fact that she caused mischief told her that it was Kairi.
Riku looked towards Sora, raising an eyebrow, silently asking who wanted to follow the girls around. Sora gestured Riku to do that task—"I have somewhere I need to go first," he said softly, too soft for Selphie and Kairi to hear. He knew that Riku would understand.
Riku gave a slow nod, he did understand what Sora was talking about and was content to let Sora go on his own. If there was anything …dangerous…left in the Castle, Sora would take care of it in a heartbeat.
"We'll meet up with Wakka and Tidus after exploring the Castle," Sora announced. "For now—let's just go our separate ways. Kairi, Riku and I all know the area pretty well so we won't let anyone get lost."
Selphie gave a distracted nod and Riku rolled his eyes as he followed the two girls along to the bottom transport station. Sora went up—to the chapel.
~
There was a different feel about the place now—for one, there was no gaping Keyhole, no chambers holding the sleeping bodies of the Princesses of the Heart—the stained glass images looked down peacefully and Sora felt himself relax as he walked up the spiraling steps to the platform.
"This is the place," he said out loud, as he stood in the center of the platform, "where you were created, Roxas."
It's… nice, kind of peaceful. Roxas murmured in his mind. Sora…
"I thought you deserved to see the place where it started…you said you appeared in Twilight Town, right?" Sora asked. "This is where you and Naminé first existed, where I lost my heart."
Glad to see my birthplace. Roxas said dryly. Hold up, Sora…I think… in this place…There was the tugging—pulling—stretch on the both of them that Sora only felt one other time; when Roxas separated from him to talk to Naminé.
Sora didn't seem surprised at all—he seemed really happy as he faced his Other. "I thought that would work," he said gleefully. His hands gripped Roxas's—to Sora, they were solid. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."
Roxas returned the smile and his hands squeezed back. "Me too."
~
to be continued… ^_^
Chapter Two
Standard disclaimers apply. Spoilers? Yeesh—yes, spoilers here and there. ^_^ Enjoy!
Previous chapter Here
Before they could even think about asking to 'go off into strange worlds', Sora, Riku and Kairi had to explain what had really happened in the last few years. Kairi was able to give bits and pieces of the story; but not enough to truly satisfy anybody.
There were some things they wanted to leave out—Sora dying being one of them. It was…complicated to explain how something like that didn't follow the rules of logical thought. It wasn't exactly a fact that would endear their parents to their request, either.
Kairi felt the simplest explanation was to tell their parents of how important Sora was to the various worlds scattered around Destiny Islands. Sora wasn't that eager to brag—he learned a lot since he was gone, bragging about all that he had accomplished wasn't on his high list. Besides, he felt guilty whenever he mentioned the Organization. Even if Roxas had never cared about them, there was still a connection there. Many of them had died thinking that Roxas had betrayed them.
"Sora—just get over it!" Kairi put her hands on her hips and glared at Sora. "You wanted to be a hero, right—then let your parents know that you are one," she murmured, temper deflating slightly as she saw the defensive look on his face. "Your parents deserve to know as well."
Sora sighed and nodded. "I didn’t want them caught up in it anymore than they had been." But Destiny Islands hadn't been untouched and it wasn't fair to leave his family in the dark about everything.
"Well, they're the parents of the Keyblade Master. I think they ought to know that at least…" Kairi's voice was still ever-comforting. "Then we get to brag about Riku to his family and then explain to my dad that I'm leaving again." She poked a finger into Sora's chest and smiled. "Easier for me than the two of you."
"Then we have to convince Wakka, Selphie and Tidus's parents about what we're going to do," Sora groaned. "I didn't think it could get that complicated." Having lived without parental guidance for over two years, the rules and regulations that a parent enforced were … restricting, to say the least.
"That'll be the easy part," Riku snorted. "Now—let's go see your parents."
~
It had taken several hours for Sora's mother to stop crying; for her to calm down and keep from holding Sora tightly and not ever letting go. It wasn't until Riku's father came over that she was able to calm down at all.
It was much of the same explanations they gave to their friends; only Sora's mother clung to her son, ignoring the way he tensed with her movements. "My baby was doing what?" She asked, over and over again. Sora squirmed in her arms.
"It wasn't that bad, mom," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I had lots of friends looking after me and helping me. Besides…it was what needed to be done. I couldn’t not fight."
She hugged him again one more time before letting him go. "You said that… it's safe?" she whispered. "That there aren't anymore of these enemies about? And you're being invited by… royalty?"
Sora nodded, comfortable in his little white lie. The enemies would never be completely gone; after all—the Heartless would always exist as long as darkness existed in a persons heart. Most of them were gone and they weren't invading the worlds anymore—but he knew a few could creep in from time to time.
"Well—I don't know…we just got you back after two years, Sora… why do you want to leave again?" Sora's mother was about as stubborn as her son.
Riku's father was sitting near her and gave a cheerful grin. "It's because they're boys," he said, comfortable in his own logic. "They've been out exploring lands and having fun, keeping them cooped up here is impossible. Let me have fun while they can."
"Fun? Fun?" Her voice rose slightly. "Sora's been out killing things and getting hurt and fighting… and you said its fun?"
"Calm down—" he patted her hand. "They had to be all fierce before, now they can go to all those places they visited without worrying about fighting." He had already spoken to Riku; he and his wife had listened and held their son as he broke down in their arms, telling them all of what happened years ago.
"Well, but… " She took a deep breath and a closer look at her son. He wasn't the little boy that vanished those years ago; he was stronger, taller and more confident. There was calluses on his hands that talked of fighting, a way that he stood that showed what he had gone through. Sora could take care of himself—and protect everyone else right along with him.
"I'll be fine, mom," Sora gripped her hands tightly in his own, trying to reassure her. "Riku will be with me, and he can fight, too. Kairi is strong as well—between the three of us, we won't let anything happen to our friends."
~
Strangely enough, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus didn't have any trouble getting their parents permission. It could be because of the way they phrased it… 'it's summer vacation and we wanted to go on a trip...', but everything was arranged and settled within a weeks time.
Sora was surprised and slightly nervous at how easy it all was; if he was that type of person, he would suspect Naminé of doing something to 'help out.' If Roxas was still active in Sora's mind, he was certain that Naminé was the same in Kairi's.
"Well—what all do we need?" Sora blinked at the question—he never brought supplies with him before; the first time they really hadn't the chance and beyond that—they bought everything they needed.
"Clothes, food—that sort of thing?" Selphie put her hands on her hips. "I'm not wearing the same thing every day, Sora!"
Riku snorted and covered his mouth with one hand; Sora had done exactly that—but his clothes were a unique case. Even Kairi looked amused. "I suppose packing a small bag of clothes would be acceptable… but really, we'll be covered everywhere else." Kairi was the voice of reason.
"If you say so… what about money?" Wakka asked. "Can't just leave off the hospitality of others."
Sora shook his head at that. "I got that covered, too. Don't worry about it." He had quite enough stored away from his missions; from traveling and presents and rewards from doing what he had always been doing.
"If you say so, Sora…." Tidus rocked back and forth on his heels. "Let's get our gear together to get this party started!"
~
Sora fidgeted as he waited for the rest of their friends to show up—it wasn't like they needed a specific place to leave; portals could open up anywhere, but they decided on their outer island was best, away from gawking eyes.
Sora, calm down—you're not even opening the portal. Roxas admonished from within his mind. Naminé already did her part of … ah… convincing your parents that it was much safer than they originally thought.
"I knew it," Sora muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I knew it was too easy that our parents gave in." His smile brightened though, not staying aggravated for very long. "Glad she was able to help, at least."
She's closer to Kairi's soul than you and I, sometimes. Roxas murmured. You and I are still…separate in a lot of ways.
"Do you mind that?" Sora asked, staring down at the sandy beach, familiar and not-familiar. So much had changed since that day the door to darkness opened.
No…because it's you. Roxas thoughts around Sora's conveyed content; a bit of confusion but nothing bitter like he had been in his former life as a Nobody.
"I'll have to show you something when we go back to Radiant Garden." Sora murmured. "I think… you need to see it… that you're long overdue."
Sounds like a plan. Heads up, they're here. Roxas grinned within Sora's mind. Can’t have you talking to yourself.
Sora made a face at that. Better let you take over, then. He retreated to the corner of his mind that Roxas usually stayed, letting his Nobody to the surface of their shared soul. Don't insult them too badly, okay?
"Now why would I do that?" Roxas snickered and then gestured the others closer to him. "Listen up—I don't know how long Sora and I will be able to hold the portal, but I'm thinking Kairi needs to go first—she can explain things in case people freak over the portals; and Naminé can open one on her end in case we can't continue it here."
Tidus and Wakka blinked at the abrupt attitude, but Riku just rolled his eyes. "Roxas, play nice for once."
Roxas smirked. "With you, not likely." He muttered, extending his hand and letting the portal form in front of him. "Alright—move it, all of you!" Using darkness through Sora wasn't as easy as he and Sora made it seem initially. Kairi dragged Selphie along with her, Tidus and Wakka hurrying behind. Riku was the last one to go, shaking his head at Roxas as the boy followed close at his heels.
Traversing the pathways to Radiant Garden took almost no time at all.
~
It was lucky the spot that Roxas chose—by the Great Maw and not near anyone's guards. The area was so different now; Sora tilted his head to look at Kairi. "Look more like home?" he asked.
She nodded, eyes far away as she glanced around her; it was closer to being Radiant Garden now and not Hollow Bastion; the visible signs of that time were all but cleared away.
Sora turned to their island friends. "So, what do you think?" he asked, grinning widely and rocking back and forth on his heels. "Way different from home, huh?"
Selphie, Wakka and Tidus nodded dumbly, eyes wide in their faces. It was completely different from Destiny Islands, even the feel of the air was different from the warm, sea-scented air of the isles. "But it's cool looking." Tidus grinned. "Are we going to actually explore the town or the castle or what?"
Selphie whirled around and nearly squealed at the castle and turned to Kairi. "Wow, Kairi.. is that where you used to live? In a castle… ? That's Soooo cool." She was bouncing on her toes, trying to drag Kairi back 'home'.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kairi protested, putting a firm hand on Selphie's shoulder. "That's not my home anymore, guys. Let's go into town—I haven't been to the marketplace in years." Her expression was wistful as she looked back at the castle that she once lived in as a child.
Selphie looked so disappointed that Kairi felt she had to reassure her. "But I'm sure we'll go back there at some point, but don't you think it's better we tell people we're here first?"
Selphie gave a reluctant nod and with one last look at the castle, ran after to where Sora was talking to Riku. "I can't wait to meet all these people that Sora met… it's so cool, like meeting aliens or something!"
"Aliens?" Kairi demanded, but she wasn't really angry. "Selphie—this is where I came from, you know. I'm not an alien, am I?"
Selphie blushed as she shook her head from side to side. "Ah… that's not what I meant.. and…" Her babbling was cut short as her eyes went to an unfamiliar figure striding towards them. "Oh my…"
Sora turned to see what Selphie was looking at and he gave a wide grin and waved the stranger over. "Leon! Long time no see!"
Selphie sucked in a breath and tried to brush off her dress as the tall man came closer—long brown hair falling into his face as he gave Sora a slight smile and nod. Tidus and Wakka rolled their eyes, muttering something about 'girls' under their breath. Kairi looked on with mild interest, she already knew Leon. Riku just gave an impassive stare.
"Sora—I see that you brought friends with you this time, so I assume this isn't due to any problems arising." His gaze barely flicked over the group—resting longest on Sora. "Why don't you come into town? Merlin said that you're late, by the way."
Sora snorted and shook his head. "I'm always late, according to Merlin. Glad to know we're somewhat expected at least," he said brightly. He gestured his friends closer. "This is Leon—he's helped me out a lot during all my time running around."
Leon indicated that the group should follow him and they traveled through the familiar crystal cliffs towards the town of Radiant Garden.
~
Some aspects of the area had changed—the broken buildings had been repaired by this time; shop owners were working in full swing; the entire area was full of people. Chattering, smiling and happy—things were back to normal in Radiant Garden. As soon as Sora and his friends stepped into the area, conversation died down a little and people turned towards him.
"It's him—that's the Keyblade Master," whispers of the same circulated around the marketplace, causing Sora to flush a little, even as he stood up straighter. He was proud of all that he had done; was happy that this little corner of a world had healed; was starting to heal from the horrors that the Heartless, Maleficent and ultimately, the Organization, had wrought upon their home.
Riku studiously ignored the looks directed his way; some were of confusion and there were a few that may have recognized him from his earlier mistakes—but he was beyond that now, he told himself he healed and that what they thought wasn't going to bother him.
Kairi had to physically restrain Selphie a few times from running up to the shops—"but look at all the cute stuff they have—" was heard several times before Kairi shoved Selphie after Tidus and Wakka into the house that Sora pointed out as Merlin's.
Leon made himself comfortable on the far wall as a slim brunette came forward, giving Sora a quick hug. "It's so good to see you again, Sora," she murmured. "You look good; finally getting some rest." Her eyes were understanding and Sora stared at the floor, scuffing his feet a little.
"Yeah… " his reply was equally soft. "It's been…good." He seemed to recover from his momentarily sadness, the bright smile back on his face. Aerith always seemed to see more than what he showed on the surface, anyhow. "Anyways—I'd like you all to meet my friends—you already know Kairi…"
Kairi, who was their princess sent away from them by Xenohart, gave a shy smile and let herself be drawn into a hug by Aerith as well. Merlin and Yuffie were the only other ones in the room—Merlin gave a distracted nod at the introduction but Yuffie nearly tackled her.
"Oh wow—we got our princess back and I hear she kicked butt against those Heartless," her smile was infectious. "Sounds like my type of girl, not letting the guys have all the fun in the fighting." She paused and held out a hand. "Name's Yuffie, by the way. Nice to see ya again."
Kairi's smile warmed at Yuffie—it was hard not to feel comfortable. "It's good to be back here," her gaze went around the room. "It's been a long time…"
"Well, now that you're back, you'll have to be reintroduced to everything, and I'm just the gal for the job!" Yuffie twirled around and circled the boys. "Ooh, and I know this is Riku—Sora wouldn't stop talking about him, " she ignored the flush on Sora's face, "and who would these other guys be?"
Sora rolled his eyes. "I was getting to that, Yuffie," he huffed, but he wasn't really exasperated. "These are three of my really good friends—Selphie, Wakka and Tidus." Each person nodded and gave a wave as their names were said; but on the whole they were still rather stunned at how different things were. They especially stared long at Merlin; having never seen a real wizard before; the blue robes and long beard were….strange to say the least.
"I see…your friends..." she dragged out the word a little bit. "Bringing them on the whirlwind tour of all the places you've visited? We're the first, right--?" she bounced forward, startling even Selphie with her endless energy. "We're the coolest, ya know. Gotta have the bet first, I say."
"You seem like a pretty cool gal," Wakka said, smiling. "You like sports? I don’t know if you know about this awesome game called blitzball—we play it all the time back home, ya."
Yuffie looked intrigued and was soon drawn into a conversation with Tidus and Wakka. Selphie decided to ask Aerith about the town—shops and all—while the boys (and Yuffie) were conversing about the sport.
While Aerith fixed tea for all their guests—Leon keeping a close eye on what she put in the tea; Selphie chattered—once Aerith had given a basic rundown on what could be bought in the small marketplace, Selphie turned her questions to the past—like what Radiant Garden had been like years ago…more specifically, when Kairi was there as a little girl.
Aerith gave Selphie a faint smile as she handed her a cup of barley tea. "I think that it'd be best to ask Kairi something like that," she said gently. "It's her memories and while I have my own memories of Radiant Garden, if it's about Kairi, she should be able to tell you herself."
As reprimands went, it was very gentle—but Selphie flushed a little nonetheless. Kairi felt a little guilty and squirmed between her position between Riku and Sora. "It's all right…" she murmured. "We were talking about going to the castle later, if that's okay."
"It was your home once," Aerith pointed out, Leon nodding in agreement. "I know that Destiny Islands in now your home, but it doesn't hurt to visit a place that was once a part of you."
Kairi gave Aerith a bright smile, almost wondering at the simple understanding. Selphie bounced in place, obviously eager to see a 'real' castle, but she was also sensitive to her friends moods and didn't want to hurt Kairi in any way. "I'd like that," she said simply.
Merlin finally paid attention to all of them. "You know Sora—we have to work on your timing and all. You're terribly late, according to my calculations." There was a warm smile on his face though. "But it's good to see you again, my boy—you're looking hale and hearty."
Sora nodded and grinned. "Yeah—been back home for awhile and it's been pretty good and all. No fighting needed, but I can still do all the cool stuff you taught me," his eyes were bright with a hidden joke. "No forgetting the spells this time."
"That's good, that's good." Merlin muttered. "Terrible thing, wasting knowledge. Glad you remembered everything, my boy—hate to teach you again—" He looked over Sora's friends. "Would teach your friends, but too many people doing magic can cause a lot of damage." He paused. "No offense to your friends, of course—"
Tidus and Wakka looked up briefly. "None taken!" they said in unison. Tidus wrinkled his nose. "Sword fighting is much better, anyways—used to practice with Sora all the time back home—" he eyed his friend. "But Sora's kinda gotten a lot better than me now."
Sora flushed and opened his mouth to explain, but Leon beat him too it. "Well, you know he didn't start out good." He eyed Tidus, assessing him. "If you're not interested in walking around the castle—or even after you explore; I can show you and your friends some basic stuff that I taught Sora."
Leon was elevated to the position of "ultimately cool" at that point. Sora smiled to himself; at least his friends weren't feeling entirely left out. He already had plans for the castle. While Kairi would be showing Selphie everything, (Riku probably guarding them both) Sora wanted to visit the Castle Chapel again—he wanted to show Roxas something.
I'm looking forward to it, Sora, the voice in the back of his head was less acidic than normal. Sora nodded and stared up at the ceiling, a hint of a smile on his face. He had been planning this for a long time; it was something that his Other deserved to see.
~
The pathway to the Castle was cleared now—nothing like how Sora had to traverse the first time; and easier than stepping over the wreckage and construction the second time. Kairi clapped her hands together. "The transports are working again!" she said in delight, turning to the others with a mischievous smile on her face. "I used to drive people nuts, running all around on the transports."
Sora remembered moving about the castle on the marble platforms, powered by crystals and hung on whisper-thin, strong wires. They went virtually anywhere and in almost any direction. A smile twitched at his lips. "Must've been fun."
Kairi nodded and smiled. "Yeah—my sitter was always on the transport going up when I was going down—or sideways and backways—never the one that I was on."
Selphie giggled. "I want to see all the places you explored," she said firmly. She was in a real-life castle and her best friend was a princess and the fact that she caused mischief told her that it was Kairi.
Riku looked towards Sora, raising an eyebrow, silently asking who wanted to follow the girls around. Sora gestured Riku to do that task—"I have somewhere I need to go first," he said softly, too soft for Selphie and Kairi to hear. He knew that Riku would understand.
Riku gave a slow nod, he did understand what Sora was talking about and was content to let Sora go on his own. If there was anything …dangerous…left in the Castle, Sora would take care of it in a heartbeat.
"We'll meet up with Wakka and Tidus after exploring the Castle," Sora announced. "For now—let's just go our separate ways. Kairi, Riku and I all know the area pretty well so we won't let anyone get lost."
Selphie gave a distracted nod and Riku rolled his eyes as he followed the two girls along to the bottom transport station. Sora went up—to the chapel.
~
There was a different feel about the place now—for one, there was no gaping Keyhole, no chambers holding the sleeping bodies of the Princesses of the Heart—the stained glass images looked down peacefully and Sora felt himself relax as he walked up the spiraling steps to the platform.
"This is the place," he said out loud, as he stood in the center of the platform, "where you were created, Roxas."
It's… nice, kind of peaceful. Roxas murmured in his mind. Sora…
"I thought you deserved to see the place where it started…you said you appeared in Twilight Town, right?" Sora asked. "This is where you and Naminé first existed, where I lost my heart."
Glad to see my birthplace. Roxas said dryly. Hold up, Sora…I think… in this place…There was the tugging—pulling—stretch on the both of them that Sora only felt one other time; when Roxas separated from him to talk to Naminé.
Sora didn't seem surprised at all—he seemed really happy as he faced his Other. "I thought that would work," he said gleefully. His hands gripped Roxas's—to Sora, they were solid. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."
Roxas returned the smile and his hands squeezed back. "Me too."
~
to be continued… ^_^
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-04 05:44 am (UTC)This made me squee.
Very clear writing. XD
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-04 05:46 am (UTC)I had fun with it. ^__^
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-04 05:47 am (UTC)