Chapter Text
“What was that?” Hayner asked, confused.
Olette’s eyes widened. “The thief?”
Roxas didn’t hesitate for a second and quickly ran after the white figure. He saw it disappear through a crack in a wall that led into the woods. Roxas followed it, trying not to lose sight of the creature as he rushed through the woods. What was that thing? With its elastic body it skillfully twirled and twisted through the thicket. It definitely wasn’t human, but it couldn’t be an animal either. He stayed close on its heels until he soon reached the Old Mansion where Naminé lived.
Roxas caught his breath. Naminé was lying unconscious on the ground in front of the Old Mansion while more of those strange white figures danced around her. Luckily, Roxas still had his Struggle bat with him. He ran towards Naminé and knocked the white figures aside. However, it seemed like none of his attacks bothered them in the slightest. How could that be? He knew that his blows were strong enough; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat Seifer so easily.
He picked up Naminé and laid her down in a safe place. Then he turned around, trying to catch those thieves. But suddenly, he heard a voice in his head. As if the white figures were speaking to him telepathically.
We have come for you, my liege.
“Huh?” Confused, Roxas stared at his enemies as they prepared to attack. What was he supposed to do? He knew that he couldn’t do anything against them with his bat. Roxas gritted his teeth. He had to protect Naminé no matter what. He desperately held onto the Struggle bat. At that moment, however, something incredible happened: the Struggle bat transformed before his eyes, as if by magic. With wide eyes, he stared at his hand. In place of the Struggle bat he was now holding a giant key. “What…what is this thing?”
The mysterious key drew him towards his opponents, almost as if it had a will of its own.
Roxas shook off his confusion and got into a fighting stance. He had to focus now. Determined, he pounced on the white figures, hoping that the key might be effective against them. In no time at all he skillfully destroyed the white figures with his new weapon. Roxas stared at it, impressed. He knew instinctively how to wield this key, as if he had always fought with it.
“The Keyblade…” a weak voice spoke.
Roxas turned around. Naminé had come to and looked at him in surprise.
“Naminé!” Roxas ran towards her. He knelt down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Naminé nodded. “Roxas, you did great.”
Roxas shook his head. “It was all thanks to the—” However, as Roxas stared at the weapon in his hand, he saw his usual Struggle bat. “Huh? What…” He turned to Naminé in surprise. “You…saw that, right? The…what did you say…the Keyblade…?”
Naminé nodded again. “Yes. It came back to you when you needed it most.”
“What do you mean, it came back? Why can I use it? What do you know about it?” All sorts of questions were now bursting out of him.
But Naminé instructed him to be silent by placing a finger over her lips, and Roxas calmed down. Then she spoke quietly, “I will answer all your questions. But…not now.” Alarmed, she looked around as if somebody was watching them. “It’s not safe.”
He could hardly make out her words as she whispered, Trust me.
Roxas stared at her, confused. Naminé had always been mysterious, but that was what fascinated him so much about her. Maybe she really was a witch. Or rather a fairy. Still, Roxas had a thousand questions on his mind and Naminé had the answers. But something was holding her back from giving him those answers. Yet, if there was anyone he could trust, it was Naminé. He knew she wouldn’t let him down. He gave her a determined nod. Then he looked down and sighed. “Guess we weren’t able to catch the thieves after all…”
“At least we now know who did it. Besides…” Namine pulled something out from behind her back and smiled. “…I got us these back.”
“The photos!” Roxas called in surprise. And there was the word again! They had finally put an end to this mess. Roxas sighed in relief when he reached for a particular photo that Naminé was holding in her hands. “I’m glad we have this back. It’s my favorite.”
Roxas and Naminé stared at the photo. It was taken here, in front of the Old Mansion. The picture showed Roxas and Naminé with their friends, posing together. “We’ve always been together…” Roxas smiled contentedly as he looked at the photo. But Naminé remained silent and just stared wistfully at the picture. Then she took it to examine it more closely.
Roxas noticed her look. “You don’t…like it?”
Naminé shook her head. She took the picture with both hands and held it close to her chest. “No, it’s…wonderful. Can I keep it?”
Roxas smiled. “Of course!”
Roxas, Naminé, and the others had all gathered back at the Usual Spot.
Together they went through all the photos that were stolen.
“What’s this?” Hayner asked while holding a picture of Roxas standing next to a man in front of a stall.
“I was his first customer after he took over the shop,” explained Roxas. “So we took a picture together.”
Olette smiled. “It’s a really nice photo.” She couldn’t say the word often enough, now that she had it back. She had never witnessed such a strange theft before.
Hayner felt the same way and wanted to know everything about it. “So, Roxas, tell us about the picture thief.”
Roxas glanced at Naminé and she responded with an uncertain look. Then he said, “Not much to say. The pictures…were just lying there.” That wasn’t entirely the truth, but he didn’t want to put Naminé on the spot. After all, he had promised to trust her. Besides, they had no evidence of the real thieves and he didn’t even want to start about the Keyblade. That would just overwhelm Hayner and the others.
Hayner looked at him skeptically. “Then how do we prove we weren’t the ones who took ’em?”
Then he pulled out the next photo, hoping to find a clue. However, when he saw the photo, he had to laugh. “Is that a date?” The photo showed Roxas and Naminé standing close to each other and smiling at the camera.
Roxas and Naminé blushed over Hayner’s blunt question.
“You look happy, Roxas,” said Olette cheerfully.
“Do I?” Roxas asked with a sheepish grin.
But Pence noticed something else about the photo. “So, like, anyone else notice that all the stolen pictures are of Roxas?”
“Ohh!” Olette gasped. “So that’s why everyone thought it was us.”
Almost ruefully, Hayner asked, “You mean Seifer didn’t go around accusing us after all?”
Roxas looked at the photos in disbelief. “Are they really all of me?”
Pence nodded and showed Roxas all the photos. He was depicted in every single one.
Pence’s eyes lit up. “Wouldn’t it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas or something?” he asked excitedly, his detective spirit seizing him.
Hayner shook his head and grinned. “C’mon, get serious. Why would anyone want to steal a bonehead like Roxas?”
“Oh, thanks!” Roxas replied sarcastically.
They all started laughing together. Only Naminé had nothing to laugh about. She knew Roxas was in danger.
A man in a red coat stared at a computer screen. His face was completely covered with red bandages, save for one yellow eye, with which he was watching the glowing blue screen intently.
There was another man in the dark computer room. He wore a black cloak and approached the man.
“Organization miscreants…” said the man in the red coat snidely. “They’ve found us.”
The man in the black cloak thought about the situation. “But…why would the Nobodies steal photographs?”
“Both are nothing but data to them,” replied the man in the red coat. “The fools could never tell the difference.”
The man in the black cloak turned around. He had sensed another presence in the room, eavesdropping on them.
Naminé now emerged from the shadows with her sketchbook in her hands, which she pressed tensely against her body.
“Well?” asked the man in the red coat expectantly. “Have you got anything to report?”
Naminé remained silent and lowered her gaze to the floor.
“Very well. Then go back to your tasks,” ordered the man in the red coat. “And then return to town to watch over Roxas. Make sure he doesn’t do anything that harms our mission.”
Without another word, Naminé set off.
“Oh, and Naminé…”
She stopped obediently, without turning around.
“...The same goes for you,” said the man in the red coat in a threatening tone.
Naminé’s grip around her sketchbook tightened. Then she disappeared again into the shadows.
The man in the black cloak looked after her. Finally, he said, “We can’t trust her. She told Roxas about the Keyblade.”
The man in the red coat answered firmly, “If she betrays us, she betrays Sora. She would not dare do that again. After all, she has already caused enough damage.”
The man in the red coat looked intently at the screen again. “It is in all of our interests that Sora awakens. And now that the Nobodies found us, we’re running out of time. Naminé must make haste.”
≠≠≠≠≠Restoration at 12%≠≠≠≠≠