Chapter 35

CHAPTER 2 WAITING FOR YOU AXEL SAT PATIENTLY WITH HIS BACK AGAINST A WALL. He was waiting for the perfect moment to rescue Kairi. If he made his move right now, he wouldn’t have to worry about Xemnas. But what about Saïx? Or Xigbar? Or Luxord? He really wasn’t sure he could do this. He may have talked a big game, but he had an awful lot of doubt behind it. Maybe he was discovering the emotion known as fear. Feeling a sudden presence, he looked up in apprehension. “…Oh. It’s you.” The big tawny dog was here, wagging his tail at Axel. “Pluto?” Hearing his name, Pluto jumped on Axel and covered his face in slobbery kisses. “Aw, cut it out. Do you still smell the king on me?” Pluto barked once, loud and definitive. Axel had seen Pluto jump fearlessly into a portal to the Corridors of Darkness. And Kairi had done the same. This was no time to hesitate, then. He gave Pluto a good hug and pressed his cheek against his fur. “Okay, let’s go.” Pluto woofed in reply. Axel got to his feet and headed deeper into the bowels of the castle. The sight of the castle soaring up into the sky was clearly visible from the city outskirts. The trio perched on the ramparts of Radiant Garden as they ate their sea-salt ice cream. “Gawrsh, ya think Hollow Bastion will be okay?” Goofy said between licks. “Sure it will,” said Sora, gazing at the distant castle. “Leon and everyone are here.” “That castle’s quite a sight.” Goofy narrowed his eyes, recalling a different castle. “I hope Belle and the Beast are doin’ all right…” Donald, too, was thinking of another castle—and the sweetheart he’d left behind there. “Daisy…,” he said, letting out a sigh. Sora turned to his friends. “I bet they’re all fine.” They are. They must be. And Riku and Kairi, too—if they’re okay, that’s all that matters. I really hope they are. Having finished his ice cream first, Donald cocked his head. “Hmm… Y’know, Sora…” Sora was staring distractedly at the citadel. “Huh?” “Have we ever had this ice cream?” “Uh, we’re having it now.” “That’s not what I mean!” Donald jumped up and took the photograph from his pocket. “Oh…” Goofy was still working on his ice cream. “So that was sea-salt ice cream in the box with that photo!” Beside him, Sora leaned over to peer at it. When they’d been assaulted by droves of Heartless here in Hollow Bastion before, the darkness had suddenly sucked them in. But someone must have opened the portal—and in that darkness, someone had left a box containing this photo and an ice cream pop. The picture was of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. And Roxas. That familiar name. Roxas. The organization members threw it around a lot. What could the image mean? And why had Kairi been with Hayner and Pence and Olette in Twilight Town? Roxas, Axel…and Kairi. Were those three connected somehow? “I wonder how Hayner and his pals are doin’,” Goofy remarked languidly, and Sora raised his head. The setting sun seemed to rest atop the castle as it shone on their faces. It’s so bright… He’d done this before. Sometime. Sitting somewhere high up, gazing out at a town in the sunset, having sea-salt ice cream with…someone. Was it…with Hayner and his friends? No… Someone else… Maybe? He wasn’t sure. “I want to go see them,” said Sora. “Hayner and the others.” Donald and Goofy nodded. “Maybe they’ll know what that photo’s all about,” Goofy added. Taking it as a cue, Sora leaped down from their perch on the ramparts. “Let’s go to Twilight Town!” They might be able to clear up some of these mysteries there. Unable to wait, Sora broke into a run. On the sloped streets of Twilight Town, Hayner and Pence stood in front of the bulletin board, arguing about where Kairi could have gone. A few feet away, Olette was kicking at pebbles on the ground. “I hope Kairi’s okay…” She sighed. She looked up at the sky and took the little purse out of her pocket. She’d worked hard on the embroidery, with her mother teaching her as she went. She didn’t have any good friends who were girls and wanted to hear about things like that—Hayner and Pence certainly didn’t get it—but she felt like Kairi could have been one. She would make a good friend. They could talk about embroidery and all the other things you couldn’t really talk about with boys… “Standing around wasting space like always, huh?” someone taunted suddenly. Olette turned to see Seifer with his minions assembled behind him. “What do you want?” Hayner said sourly. Seifer smirked. “Nothing from you.” “Seifer’s busy, y’know,” Rai piped up. “Yeah, well, we’re busy ourselves.” Hayner glared at them. “So get lost.” Seifer spun around self-importantly and started sauntering away. “Are you literally lost? That’s not the way back to your turf,” said Hayner. “What, you didn’t hear?” Seifer slowly turned back again. “There’s a rumor that some weird guys are hanging around over at the haunted mansion.” The first one to react was Olette. “Huh…?” She ran up to him. “Hey, what weird guys? Tell us more!” “You remember that kid, Sora?” “’Course we do!” Hayner snapped. “Well, those silver things Sora got rid of and some guy all in black have been showing up over there, they say.” With that, Seifer walked away, leaving Olette deep in thought. “Weird guys over at the haunted mansion… Sounds like another wonder of Twilight Town,” Pence remarked with his hands linked behind his head. “Yeah, the one about the girl in the window was a masterpiece among urban legends.” Hayner wasn’t too concerned with it, either. “And it was just curtains fluttering.” “C’mon… Seifer said those silver things that Sora fought are there,” Olette insisted, her back still to the other two. “Sure he did—but so what, Olette?” Hayner asked, baffled that she would believe Seifer. Pence folded his arms as something occurred to him. “That guy who came after Kairi… He was wearing all black, right?” “Yeah, so? What’s with you two?” asked Hayner. Olette turned and met Pence’s eyes. “The haunted mansion!” they both burst out at once. They nodded to each other and took off. “Wha—? Hey, wait! Guys!” Hayner scrambled after them. “What’re you talking about?” he asked Pence when he caught up. “You know, the other world—the copy of Twilight Town!” Pence replied without slowing down. “The way to cross over is in the haunted mansion!” “What? Uh…” Hayner was still confused, but he gave in anyway. “Okay, well, let’s check it out!” “C’mon! Let’s go!” Olette shouted to them. Hayner and Pence sped up. In the white room of the haunted mansion, Riku stood unmoving, with Soul Eater in hand and a cold glare trained on DiZ. “Riku…don’t,” said Naminé. He lowered his weapon and pulled his hood up over his head, casting his face in shadow. With a tiny sound of frustration, he turned his back on DiZ and Naminé. Silence fell until a brief sigh from DiZ broke it. At that, Riku looked at him again. “Still after revenge, aren’t you…Ansem the Wise?” “Not exactly…,” DiZ, or rather the real Ansem, equivocated. “Well, isn’t that nice for you? You had us do the dirty work, and now you can play dumb.” Riku’s voice was low, brimming with rancor. “No,” said Ansem. “I’m not the one who left, Riku. That was you two. Although that comes as no surprise…” At that, Riku pulled out a chair and sat down, staring up at him. “Are you here for a reason?” Ansem shrugged and took out three ice cream pops. “Here, have some ice cream first.” “…Are you making fun of me?” Riku was clearly offended, but Naminé simply took two of the bars from Ansem and held one out to him. “Riku?” she prompted, but he made no move to accept it. Ansem took a bite of ice cream before he spoke. “I…must apologize to you two.” Riku said nothing and glared at him. “I won’t ask you to forgive me for my foolish obsession with revenge. But at the very least, allow me to express my regret. I was wrong.” Riku stood and turned away again. Naminé nervously watched his tensed shoulders. “The darkness took advantage of the weakness in you—in your heart. But your indomitable hope kept it at bay,” said Ansem. “You made the darkness your strength, and—” “Is that all you came here for? To tell me this?” Riku interrupted. Ansem quietly shook his head. “Naminé, Roxas, and Xemnas… The Nobodies of those with strong hearts are peculiar beings. My—that is, our theories proved fruitless. Coming into contact with a strong heart transforms a world. And not just worlds, but people themselves—and even Nobodies.” Naminé, head lowered and hand extended with the ice cream for Riku, perked up upon hearing those words. That’s it… Yes. The mystery of the heart. When we encounter someone special…the world changes. Our hearts change. Everything changes. “Riku… Your strength is something special as well,” Ansem went on. “I must ask you to save the worlds. Just a request from an old fool—but I will do anything in my power to aid you.” Riku only stood there, silent and motionless, his back to Ansem. Deep in the castle, there was a cage, suspended from the ceiling. Axel peered up at it and called to the girl who had to be inside. Beside him, Pluto wagged his tail wildly. “Kairi?” he called, and at the same time, Pluto barked. Her face appeared from behind the bars. “You…?” He smiled up at her with a hint of a smirk. “Axel. Didn’t you have it memorized?” Kairi nodded. “Um, well… I’m sorry about before. It’s my fault you’re locked up in here. Just wait. I’m gonna get you out.” Axel opened a dark rift, and Pluto jumped into it a step ahead of him. Then someone else spoke behind him. “I’ve been waiting for you, Axel.” “Yeah, I figured you’d show up.” His smirk turned nastier as he turned to see Saïx. He didn’t take his eyes off the other man as he spoke to the girl in the cage. “Listen, Kairi! Trust me. I’m going to get you out!” Behind him, the portal closed. “What are you saying…? Vile traitor!” The great Claymore took shape at Saïx’s back. Axel didn’t waste a second grabbing his chakrams. But his body was reluctant somehow. I don’t want to disappear… But still, it wouldn’t be so bad if I did. Not here. Axel let out a deep breath and leaped into the air as flames erupted around them. “…Pathetic!” The Claymore moved to block Axel’s strike, while Saïx himself didn’t even twitch. This is a pretty overwhelming disadvantage, Axel thought. Well, I knew that before we started fighting. I can’t win against Saïx with my own strength. Still, he refused to hesitate. He had to force this path open. He wanted…to find hope—the hope that Sora and Riku had. Saïx gave him a cruel grin. “You will lose everything!” And then the Claymore pierced Axel’s chest. I don’t want to disappear. I can’t disappear now. I shouldn’t have to disappear at all. Why am I doing all this? Who is it for? For Roxas… For Riku, for Naminé… And for myself. There are still things I should do. Things I have to do. Saïx flung Axel back, and he slammed into the floor. “Maybe so, but I can run faster than any of you.” Axel climbed unsteadily to his feet with a smirk. A dark rift yawned open behind him once again, and he vanished into the blackness. “Axel!” cried Kairi. “There’s no escape for you!” Saïx followed Axel—or tried to. The portal closed in front of his face. They’d been away for a while, but Twilight Town was as serene as ever. Sora sighed in relief as they took it all in. “Gawrsh, so nothin’s changed at all, huh?” Goofy sounded reassured, too. “Let’s go find Hayner and the others!” Sora took off in the direction of the trio’s hangout. “Sora! Over there!” Donald shouted. “What now, Don— Ack!” When Sora turned around, he saw the hole in the town wall leading to the haunted mansion—and the Nobodies that were currently pouring out of it. The Nobodies that were also heading straight for them. “What’s going on?” Sora raised the Keyblade to knock aside their attacks. “D’ya think they’re comin’ from the mansion?” said Goofy, likewise blocking the attacks with his shield. “We’d better take a look over there first,” Sora agreed as Donald fired a blast of magic. They headed to the haunted mansion through the wall, fending off Nobodies along the way. The sea-salt ice cream pops were melting in Naminé’s hands. Riku stood perfectly still, his gaze still piercing Ansem the Wise. “Roxas…,” Naminé whispered, as if praying to her dear friend for help—and then they felt a presence. A dark rift opened in the corner of the room. “More organization…?!” Gripping Soul Eater, Riku took a step toward the portal. The black-shrouded man who emerged from it had flaming red hair. “Axel!” Naminé cried. “Hey.” He was grasping at his chest as he staggered toward Naminé. He glanced up at Riku and summarily bit into the ice cream. “Ooh, salty…,” he mumbled, and then he collapsed into a chair, his breathing labored. “Axel…are you hurt?” Naminé jumped up, and the rest of the ice cream fell to the floor. “Don’t worry—it’s no big deal. The bigger deal is that.” He gestured with his chin toward the dark rift. “If you go through there, it’ll take you straight to Kairi. Hurry.” “Got it. Let’s go, Naminé.” Riku started toward the rift, looking back at her. “But Axel is…” Naminé’s anxious gaze didn’t stray from him. “Just gimme your ice cream and get out of here.” Axel took it out of her hand, grinning at her as she stood there. “Get going, will you? Don’t you want to meet Kairi?” Naminé nodded weakly. A tear slid down her cheek. “What about you?” “I’ve gotta make sure Sora and his sidekicks get there.” She reached for Axel’s hand, the one that held the ice cream, and clasped it in her own. His hand was too cold. “Thank you, Axel…” She smiled softly at him. “See you.” He nodded. “See ya, Naminé.” She returned the gesture, as if making sure, and then dashed toward the dark rift with Riku. “Well, Ansem? Are you coming?” Riku asked, one foot already sinking into the darkness. Ansem shook his head. “There are still things I must do here. The same as him.” Riku fixed him with another stare. “Go,” said Ansem. “Go and rescue Kairi.” At his urging, Naminé and Riku finally nodded and vanished one after the other into the corridor. The two men remaining in the white room each let out a small sigh at nearly the same time, which struck Axel as funny. He laughed under his breath and took a bite of ice cream. “Do you need help with that?” Ansem asked him, glancing pointedly at his wounded chest. “What’s the point? Nobodies aren’t supposed to exist, right?” Axel popped the rest of the ice cream in his mouth and dragged himself upright. “Besides, this way I’ll finally get to see Roxas again.” He tossed away the Popsicle stick and opened another dark rift in front of him. “Well, I’m off, Ansem the Wise.” He smiled as he made his farewell. Arriving in Twilight Town, King Mickey took in the scene with a deep, long breath. He could sense someone here… Many someones. Sora… Riku, Donald and Goofy, Naminé, Axel…and Ansem the Wise. What did it mean? What was happening here? The town had the same scent as Traverse Town once had. As he began to wonder about that, he caught sight of a Nobody. “Here, too…?!” King Mickey took it down with his Keyblade and headed for where the others were gathering. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally reached the haunted mansion, the first thing they saw was Hayner, Pence, and Olette sprawled on the ground. “Hey! Are you guys okay?” Sora rushed to help up Hayner, but he seemed completely drained of strength and only fell backward again, facing the sky. Donald helped Pence, too, and Goofy did the same for Olette. “We came here looking for Kairi. And then those silver things attacked us…,” Hayner said with an exasperated sigh. Donald came over to him. “You gotta be careful!” “Yeah,” said Sora, “you didn’t have to go and—” “’Course we did,” Hayner interrupted defensively as he got to his feet. “We have to help our friend.” “Oh… I didn’t think of it that way. You’re Kairi’s friends, too.” Hayner nodded forcefully and turned toward the haunted mansion. “Word is, this place is getting a lot of really weird visitors,” he muttered. Olette ran to his side. “We thought the gateway to an alternate Twilight Town might be here.” “Alternate Twilight Town?” Sora repeated. Donald cocked his head. “What’s that mean?” “Hey, Goofy, could we see that crystal you have?” asked Pence. From his pocket, Goofy removed the crystal from the purse. “I made that purse myself, and I still have it,” said Olette, showing them her own. “So there can’t be two. But there are.” “And this is from the trophy that Seifer gave to Sora. You left it here, remember?” Hayner took out a crystal that had been set in the trophy. “That trophy’s the only one of its kind,” Pence explained. “Same for the crystals. Red, yellow, green, blue—only one of each color. But you’ve got your own.” “So, where’d you get those things?” asked Hayner. “Um…” Sora looked at Goofy. “The king gave us the purse to buy train tickets,” Goofy said. “And the crystal was inside.” Donald nodded. “Right, so there’s gotta be another town out there like this one,” Hayner told them. “That would explain why there’s another of Olette’s purse and another Four-Crystal Trophy. Everything makes sense that way!” The trio exchanged glances. Sora was still confused. “What makes sense?” “Anything missing from here must be in the other Twilight Town,” said Pence. “Like Kairi!” Olette added. “Oh! I get it!” But the moment Sora was persuaded, more Nobodies surged out of the ground. “Whoa!” Everyone edged back and prepared for another fight—but before it began, someone dashed in to knock the enemies aside. “Watch out!” “Your Majesty!” Donald and Goofy both exclaimed. King Mickey slashed through the Nobodies in the blink of an eye and then turned to grin at them. Donald ran to him. “How come you’re here, Your Majesty?!” “I’ve got news. I found out where Ansem the Wise is. What about you fellas?” “Someone gave us a clue about where Kairi is,” said Sora. They’d come here because of that photograph and the sea-salt ice cream… “A clue? Who did?” asked the king. “…Riku. I think.” Sora closed his eyes for a moment after saying that name, then observed the king steadily. “If that’s what ya think, Sora, then I bet you’re right.” King Mickey beamed encouragingly at him. “So…Riku’s okay?” Sora said tentatively. “If that’s what ya think…” Sora took a step closer. “C’mon, Your Majesty! Can’t you just tell me what you know already?” he practically shouted. The king briskly turned away. “…It’s not for me to say.” “But Your Majesty! Why not?!” Sora pressed. “…I made a promise. I don’t wanna break it.” “Wait… You promised Riku?” King Mickey clamped his mouth shut. “Then that means I’ll get to see him again!” Sora jumped, punching the air. “Who’s Riku?” Hayner couldn’t hold in his questions any longer. “My best friend!” Sora replied, elated. Hayner, Pence, and Olette smiled at one another to see him so glad. “Um, Your Majesty?” Olette stepped forward, peering curiously at the king. “You got the purse with the crystal in it from Riku, didn’t you?” Conflict crossed King Mickey’s face as he averted his eyes. “And you promised not to tell?” “…Gosh, fellas…” Caught out, he scratched his head. “That doesn’t matter now!” Donald blurted, in an attempt to cheer up the king. “Right. Let’s go!” Clenching his fists, Sora looked up at the haunted mansion. “Kairi, Riku… We’re on our way!” Riku and Naminé dashed through the Corridors of Darkness. How many times had she run through these strange spaces now? Sometimes with Axel and sometimes with Riku… But the time will come when I won’t get to anymore, Naminé thought. How much longer do I have, existing as I am now? And yet…I never really existed in the first place. I’m just a vague empty thing, a shadow of someone else. What’s Axel going to do now? Axel… A Nobody full of sorrow. But every Nobody ever born is full of sorrow. All of us. Roxas, and Axel, and even Xemnas. Why were we born at all? We have no hearts. And in the end, we never could gain them. Really? Is it really true that we have no hearts? I think Axel must have been wondering the same thing. But there is something like a heart inside us… Or maybe it’s nothing more than an illusory feeling that awakened when we met Sora. And yet… Even if it feels like we have hearts, a Nobody’s real heart is somewhere else. Somewhere far away. Are we just trying to go back there?