Chapter Text
It’s been twenty days since the last battle. Twenty days since the seven guardians of light clashed with the thirteen vessels of darkness. Twenty days since he had regained a body. Twenty days since Xehanort was finally defeated. And twenty days since he disappeared.
Roxas sat perched over the clock tower, sea-salt in hand. He’s been out here every day without fail. At first, everyone came with him. Axel and Xion on his right and left. The twilight gang taking the remaining space. Even Saïx, no Isa, would make an appearance. Roxas’ blood would still boil at the sight of him, but he’s learned to move on.
But today, it was just Roxas.
Things were returning to normal. Isa and Axel had decided to move back to Radiant Garden. Leon, Yuffie, and the whole restoration gang welcomed the two with open arms. Tifa even jokingly made a remark about the bright red hair reminding her of an old friend. Someone named Reno? Cloud was still missing.
Xion was spending more time with Naminé as of late. Both girls had long accepted their fate to remerge with their respective somebodies. But now, that they had a second chance at life, they weren’t quite sure yet what to do with it. Of all places, the two have taken refuge in Traverse Town. To them, it was both the “closest” and “farthest” place from him.
As for Hayner, Pence, and Olette? They had school. “Homework won’t wait!” Olette declared. And in-between the jobs and random postings, they had to deal with becoming adults and learning to live past their childhoods.
And so, Roxas sat on the clock tower alone.
But Roxas didn’t mind. The others still made time for sea-salt ice cream when they could, and that was what mattered. As long as they kept him in their hearts, he was content. Besides, Roxas was more envious of them than not. They all had something to do. Something to look forward to.
But Roxas? Roxas just felt a gaping hole in his chest.
“This is indeed unprecedented.” Ansem the Wise had said. “For a nobody to continue its existence outside of their original person is unheard of. That alone is a miracle. But given now that the original person is no longer with us, I cannot imagine the toll it could leave on the nobody. After all, they are undeniably linked.”
Roxas gently placed a hand over his chest. He had his own heart, that was for sure. And by all means, it was functioning as it should: processing emotions and all. But there was something missing. Roxas wasn’t sure what, but he knew that there was something wrong.
Do you feel Sora?
Riku had once asked him. Roxas wasn’t too sure now.
“Hi!” A cheery voice suddenly jolted him out of his thoughts.
“Whoa!” Roxas jumped, splashing droplets of his melting ice cream. “Gimme a break, Kairi!”
Kairi opened with a big smile, all tooth and grin. Roxas remembered the first time he saw that smile: back on the Destiny Islands long ago. The setting sun shimmered against her auburn hair. Her blue eyes glimmering in the view.
“I knew I would find you here.” She took a seat besides Roxas, who awkwardly glanced down at his hands.
“Sorry.” He said, waving up his half-eaten treat. “I only brought one.”
Kairi didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she was looking ahead at the sunset.
“This is where we first met, isn’t it?” Roxas blinked. Oh, yeah. When he had fallen off the clock tower in the datascape version of Twilight Town. That seemed so long ago now.
“Yeah.” He said, looking ahead. “You thought I was Sora.”
At the mention of his name, the smile on Kairi’s face faded away. Roxas flustered.
“I mean,” Crap. Wrong memory. “The sunset is really beautiful, huh? Did you know it’s colored red because red travels the furthest?”
Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
But Kairi gently shook her head, her auburn hair floating in the breeze.
“It’s okay.” She said. “It’s actually why I came here today.”
“Huh?”
Kairi looked up at Roxas. Her bright blue eyes shining like the sun hitting the ocean rays. There was so much color in them. Color and heart. And determination.
“I’m going after him.” She explained, her tone serious. “Riku and I decided. We’re going to travel to every world we can, and we’re going to find him.”
Roxas felt his jaw unhinge. A new realization dawned on him. He always knew Kairi held a special place in Sora’s heart. He never really understood why . . . until just now.
“Oh.” He said, unassumingly. And then, in a more astonished tone. “OH! Then that means–”
“We have a gummi ship ready.” Kairi’s eyes sparkled. “The King personally lent it to us. It’s only Riku and me right now, but I know we’re going to need more help. So I wanted to ask you, Roxas, do you want to come with us?”
Roxas paused, a second too long.
“I–”
Kairi shook her head.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to!” She flustered. “You are your own person now, so you can do whatever you want! It’s up to you, really! I mean, there is no reason for you to come if you don’t want to. We just–”
But then Roxas grabbed hold of Kairi’s hand, effectively refocusing her attention back on him. He had this snarky grin on his face. And at the sight of it, Kairi couldn’t help but find herself swamped in emotions of regret and joy. His face was the spitting image of Sora.
“Of course!” He said. “When do we leave?”
Kairi smiled, a gentle smile.
“Whenever you’re ready.” She said.
Xion hasn’t been able to summon a keyblade since that fated day.
Of course, she wouldn’t dare tell Axel or Roxas. They didn’t need to know. It would just be one more thing for them to worry about. And if Roxas knew, it would be round two of Roxas and his stick. Xion chuckled at the memory. That was so long. Besides, she thought, they didn’t need keyblades anymore, right? The worlds were at peace. But the feeling still nagged at Xion.
The only person who knew about it was Naminé.
“It’s because he’s not here.” She said in her gentle voice.
“What do you mean?”
Naminé hummed, thinking of the best way to explain this.
“Well.” She put her hands together. “You were created from Sora’s memories, right? And once you returned those memories, you ceased to exist. But somehow, you came back.”
“But how?” Xion’s memories of her time with Xemnas were hazy at best. Naminé shook her head.
“I don’t really know how, but I think it has to do with the bonds you formed.” Naminé smiled. “I think you were formed from memories, not just from Sora, but from everyone around you. Axel, Roxas, and me. You came back because we all wanted to see you again.”
Xion smiled.
“You think?” But her eyes traced back down to her hands. They clenched empty air. “That still doesn’t explain why I can’t summon the keyblade.”
Naminé frowned. She looked away.
“Ansem said.” She slowly began. “Ansem said that we’re nobodies who somehow grew our own hearts. And maybe, our hearts aren’t meant to use the keyblade. Sora was the connection. Because of him, you were able to use the keyblade. But now he’s gone. And my powers, too.”
“Your powers?” Naminé slowly nodded.
“I can’t see the chains anymore.” She explained. “The chains that tied Sora with the hearts of others. They all disappeared for me once he left.”
Xion frowned.
“Does that mean you can’t control memories anymore?”
“I guess not.” She sighed, but then pulled up a smile. “But that means I’m not a witch anymore, right?”
Xion, unable to find it in herself to resist, smiled back.
“You’re right.” She looked forward, eyes sparkling bright. “It just means we’re not tied down anymore. We’re our own people now. We can do whatever we want.”
Naminé nodded back, firm in the resolution.
“We can go to all the places we want to go. And see all the people we want to see.” She looked up. The night sky of Traverse Town sparkled bright.
“Yeah.” Xion agreed, looking up as well. “Right, Sora?”
The magic that held the Land of Departure frozen in time for a decade in place was perfect. And so when Aqua, Terra, and Ven returned, everything was exactly as they had left it. Nothing was out of place. But as for Master Eraqus’s study? Well, it was far from being called a library. When Aqua unlocked the hall, she was met with a full curtain of dust.
“You would think,” Terra struggled with lifting up a handful of boxes. “Our master would have been a bit more organized with all this.”
Aside from the dust of the room, the space was a magnificent library. Complete with huge windows that overlooked the front courtyard and filled with literal wall-to-ceiling bookshelves, the library held up a sense of grandeur and ancient knowledge. The shelves were neatly crammed with all sorts of books: large, small, printed, and handwritten. Even more books and boxes of books covered the floor.
And it was all one big mess.
Aqua sighed. “It’s the collective knowledge of generations of keyblade masters.” Aqua surmised. “I imagine this is not just our master’s doing.”
She blew off the dust on a book. It had been left out on the center desk. And had it not been written in some bygone ancient language, Aqua would have most likely taken a keen interest to it.
“Still.” Terra huffed, moving aside another bookshelf. They were designed on spinning wheels, but the gears were old and had not been moved in a long time. “All this accumulated knowledge and the master didn’t think to tell us?”
Aqua frowned.
“I imagine he would have eventually.” She said, walking towards a ladder that reached up to the ceiling. “Once we were all masters.”
“I suppose.” Terra said. Aqua climbed up the ladder, looking for the slot where the book had originally belonged. “Feels only like yesterday, doesn’t it?”
“Hm.” Aqua nodded. For Terra and Ven, it might have been yesterday. But Aqua would not easily forget a decade of darkness. She still shivered when night came upon the land.
“Hello?”
Aqua turned back towards the door to spot the tips of bright silver hair over the bookshelves. Immediately, her eyes went wide and she leapt down the ladder.
“Riku!” She called, dropping the book, which conveniently landed atop Terra’s head.
“Ow!” He exclaimed, wheezing as a cloud of dust overtook him.
“When did you get here?” She asked, a tinge of embarrassment in her voice. “We didn’t hear you come in.”
“A couple minutes ago.” Riku said, looking around. “Is this a library?” He asked.
“Of sorts.” Terra admitted. “How have you been doing?”
“Okay.” Riku shrugged. “Where’s Ventus?”
At the mention of his name, Aqua frowned.
“Sleeping.” She answered. Riku’s eyes went wide at the answer, but Aqua was quick to wave aside the assumption. “No! Just sleeping! He still has his heart.”
“Oh.” Riku let out a breath of relief. “Is it because of the dream eater?”
Chirithy. That was what Ven had called it. Aqua didn’t know they had a name, but the cat-like being matched the description of some of the old texts. They were designed to be protectors and companions for keyblade wielders. Spirits of good, not nightmares.
“Yes.” Aqua said. “He called it an old friend.”
She’s heard the stories from the King and others. How Riku had become a dream eater himself for Sora. And even before that, how Riku had helped stop Xemnas’ plans to open Kingdom Hearts. The little boy she first met had grown up so much since.
“So what brings you here?” Aqua asked. “Some training, perhaps?”
Riku shook his head.
“No, I came here to tell you something else.”
The way he said it was awfully serious. Terra glanced over at Aqua.
“What is it?” He asked, concern at the tips of his voice.
“It’s Sora.” Riku said. “We’re going after Sora.”
The name immediately sparked frowns on Aqua and Terra’s face. The two glanced at each other, unsure what exactly to say. No? Remember what Master Yen Sid said? They shouldn’t chase after? The power of waking is to–
“I know it’s dangerous.” Riku cut before the adults could say anything more. “But it’s what Kairi and I have decided to do. We don’t know when we’ll be back. We don’t even know where we’re going. But our hearts have decided. We’re going to try and find Sora. No, we will find Sora.”
Riku’s eyes flashed their signature turquoise blue. It reminded Aqua and Terra of that small boy they had once met on the beach. Back then, his eyes were filled with excitement and curiosity. It held unbridled joy for the future. Now? These were the same eyes, brimming with excitement for unexplored worlds, but cupped with a newfound goal.
To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends!
“Very well.” Terra spoke up first. “I see that your heart is made up.”
Aqua, though displeased, knew it was true.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” She asking, putting a hand on his shoulder. She realized then that Riku was taller than her. He had truly grown.
Riku shook his head.
“I don’t know.” He said, truthfully. “But if you do find something, anything, please let us know. Anything about the power of waking or Kingdom Hearts, let us know.”
“Of course.”
Then more quietly. “And don’t tell Ventus.” Riku whispered. “I don’t want him to keep blaming himself.”
Aqua and Terra’s lips knotted together. The power of waking. That was what Sora had used to save Ventus. And it was that same power he abused that lost him. Of course, Ventus blamed himself for it. “You could have gone on with six guardians of lights.” He demanded. “Sora could still be here if not for me.”
“We won’t.” Aqua promised.
Riku nodded. He looked up at Terra and got a swift nod from the man.
“May your heart be your guiding key.” He said. “And come home safe.”
“We will.” Riku nodded. “I promise.”