Part 44: Recap

LATER:

The lids of your eyes fell upon your pupils for the fourteenth time, yet you continued to read throughout the reports, having no knowledge whose they were, or guessed what kind of information they held. After the first report, it basically explained why the worlds were disconnected: the fight for the light was enough to create buffers among the worlds, thus creating a divided knowledge of the worlds from each other. It was strange, to know that one could merely visit another world without a struggle, without a gummi ship before….

Continuing on, you crossed upon information about Kingdom Hearts itself, and found it outstanding. Had the others read any of this yet? Were they waiting for you to read it first, to ensure it was safe to read, or worth reading? Whatever the reason…you conjured up a summary of it.

Before, you knew that gathering the princesses’ hearts, one was able to open Kingdom Hearts, forcing it to be viewed on in other words. Though…the hearts of the worlds was completely different, but the awareness of that came back, because that was why Sora kept locking them previously. The next line, however, caught you off-guard: “And when Kingdom Hearts is complete, it is said the one who opens its door will bring about the creation of the Next World. Such a feat is above any human. Or, to put it a different way: whoever opens that door will be reborn as something far greater than human.”

What….did this mean? Greater than human? What exactly? And the Next World? It made no sense…not to this point in time. Whatever it was…it had sparked The Keyblade War you had been mentioned about.

Then there came the topic of the Realm of Darkness, skipping a great deal of detail because some words and sentences had been deleted. You filled in the spaces, only guessing if something didn’t seem sensible. Reading, it stated that people who had entered the Darkness never came back, but Riku was living proof, with Mickey, right?

Then….the Key Blade…“χ-blade”....just hearing the world made your skin crawl, because nothing else was in that report, just that one word…covering the whole file. The Key Blade…

Next, “We Keyblade Masters have a special gift. We can extract a heart, be it our own or that of another.” This whole sentence spoke something of itself, but the knowledge was not inside of you fully to comprehend what this was surely saying. Remembering back, Sora had extracted his own heart with “Riku’s” keyblade in order to release Kairi’s, and the rest of the princesses, but that was pretty much it from what you gathered. Hesitantly, you skipped the topic, and continued to skim across the words, coming upon a next report.

At last, coming across the last formal report (it was quite irritating to know that words were missing): The time___received word from Eraqus___true Keyblade Masters. Terra and Aqua...___ But Ventus!

Terra is the key___found a loose thread at which we can tug to unravel__

The first step ___Let him carry his faint light as he chases___.

Let the darkness make his light stronger, then let the Light deepen the Darkness. And where the two finally meet is where the stuff of legends will become real.

Your eyes met the keyboard, with your hands holding onto the edge of the desk. Your eyes drifted and shifted along the keys, unable to fully understand what you had finished reading; it was mainly a recap of what you already knew, with uncomprehending sentences that you couldn’t piece together. What was this? Whose Reports were these?

Shaking your head, you were curious, and exited the Reports, and opened the search tab. You waited irritably with a twisting stomach and sweating palms. Your feet fidgeted along the floor below with your knees conjuring an earthquake among them. Finally, the tab filled, and you scrolled down to another pair of reports, these being notably Ansem’s Reports.

You remembered Ansem’s black book, the one who had found out in the castle grounds, but couldn’t quite remember where you had misplaced it. Shaking the thought out, his words were hazed, and you began to read ALL over again, this time paying attention to every word with your back laid against the chair and your fist holding your face, with a finger outstretched and rubbing your temple occasionally.

Summing up again, Ansem was intrigued with the findings of Darkness in people’s hearts, and you shuddered when you read the following line: “The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle.” It was basically where you sat really, though you couldn’t be sure. You had forgotten how this place looked like, even the memories you had since you were a child. Either way, it was all coming back slowly, because you had remembered the fountains behind the crystal, and the memories of that hazel-eyed boy. You continued to read, you came across Ansem giving the name to the Heartless themselves, and discovering the heart of Hollo- er, Radiant Garden. Disgustingly, he continued his experiments, but you pulled back your scowl, knowing this was your father you were reading about.

You came across Report 8: “There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding the heart.

As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless.

This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.” Axel…Axel could have a heart. You groaned in annoyance, finding that this was all that was contained in the report. Nothing else was mentioned of the device, but you concluded it was the one used in the castle of Organization XIII, the one that exploded…

With intent eyes, you read fully toward Report 11: “I have chosen a special girl. I do not know if she possesses the power of the Princesses, but there is a chance, and this is an experiment. She may lead me to the place where the one holding the key is...

I shall send her off to the ocean of other worlds.” Kairi…Ansem chose Kairi! How could have you missed that? But…it didn’t feel right, something felt troubled reading that…what was it, tapping in the front of your forehead? UGH!

You stood up in frenzy, gathering the words in your brain and imaging tossing it to the wall, where it would all break into a million pieces. This was all frustrating, and nothing was becoming clearer as you progressed. Still, you looked back up at the screen, not bothering to sit down and instead held your feet, one hand clicking the down button, the other clutching your abdomen.

Report 12: “I have transcended to an existence of only the heart. I should have come back as a Heartless, but there is no sign of such a transformation.

My body has surely perished. However, I am different from the other Heartless, keeping the memories of before, and I have not taken on the form of a Heartless.

It is evident that there are still many things to be studied.

In order to cross over to the dark realm, which is not this world, you must go beyond the door of Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds.

The core connected to the world's heart, the place that will take me to the world of darkness. (I will record the details in another report...)

There are still so many unknown worlds.

The Realm of the Present...The Realm of Darkness. The Realm of Light.

And, The Realm of In-Between.

In which one will I find sanctuary?”

Continuing to the last report, Report 13:

“When the heart casts away the body, where does the body go?

Heart and soul are separate, and the soul remains in the body. But can we assume that the remaining body and soul perish?

Certainly when the heart changes into a Heartless, the body disappears.

Or does that apply solely to this realm? Could other beings similar to the Heartless exist in another realm?

If we take that to be the case, then there must be another form of oneself elsewhere.

An existence neither of darkness nor of light, an in-between existence. Cast off by the heart, a mere shell, one who begrudges both the darkness and the light.

This mystery cannot be easily resolved. The relationship between the heart and the body is a complex one.

But since we exist in this realm, our counterparts of another realm must not be existent.

Therefore I shall call them...

‘The non-existent ones.’”

No…something was off here….

Ansem had no turned into a Heartless at any point…wait. Tightening your fists, you realized that these were not Ansem’s reports…but the fake Ansem, Xeonhart. You straightened up, rubbing your face from the fury that you had wasted time not reading your father’s reports, but this imposter’s. Though, as you scrolled back up to the first report, it seemed like it was Ansem…though the second seemed way off. Ansem was not, you were sure, dedicated to know how Darkness worked in people’s hearts, or how to create a heart…though the experiments, the mention of King Mickey’s arrival, and Kairi’s concrete role, it sounded convincing.

Scrolling back up, you read carefully once again, knowing your lack of sleep was taking its toll on your body; you wouldn’t be able to have a chance like this. You finally came across Mickey’s visit to Ansem, and after that, he described going off into other worlds, and setting his journey to search for the Keyblade Wielder, and the princesses. “I will cast it off and plunge into the depths of darkness.” No, that didn’t sound like Ansem at all, this was NOT Ansem.

Weakly concluding your ideas, you supposed Ansem’s Reports really stopped at number 9 than 13 as they had been listed. Whichever it was, you couldn’t think with your eyelids falling onto your face.

You laid back into the chair, rubbing your eyes as you yawned loudly. There was suddenly a knock on the door and you jolted to a straightened stance, seeing the door latch open. Inside stepped Axel yet again, his eyes a bit widened to stare at you in front of the screen.

“You’re still awake?” Axel walked forward, raising an eyebrow.

“What time is it?” you wobbled on your feet, rubbing the side of your head.

“It’s like one in the morning,” Axel stopped in front, placing a hand on his waist. “Are you done reading?”

You sulked forward, shrugging, “None of it makes sense now.”

“Hmm,” Axel tapped his chin with a finger. He stepped forward and turned around, bending on one knee with the other against the metal floor with his hands reaching back, “Time for bed.” You nodded sluggishly and went forward; wrapping your arms around his neck and feeling his hands curl under your legs, with his wrists holding your thighs, much like Sora.

You closed your eyes as you felt your body bounce from Axel’s steps with his body solid. It was there, for the first time, you recognized that Axel did not breathe whatsoever. Your eyes sparked open, remembering-

“Axel, you don’t bleed, right?” you asked urgently.

Axel continued to walk, looking back at you, slightly puzzled, “What kind of a question is that?” At his answer, you felt a great pull of gravity on your throat, and you felt the ground below Axel’s feet. If he never bled, why did you always envision him bleeding…along with the other Organization XIII members? You groaned lowly, annoyed on how you were realizing this for the first time. Maybe you were really sleepy and couldn’t focus on what was at hand.

“Why do you ask?” Axel persisted.

“I just- I mean….I always thought you bled…I smelt it,” you replied unemotionally. “It was always there.” You felt his feet stop, but his head did not turn, and continued walking out of the USS. He turned over, pressed the trigger at the bottom of the fountain and strode up the steps as the entrance began to close.

The night outside was splendid, with a slight warm breeze and the smell of air was extraordinary. You could imagine the stars in the balconies of the Bailey, and the thousands of roses among the gardens. You mumbled under your breath, wanting to see the fountains, the vast sea, the gardens, the shops, the people…the smiles again.

After a while, you found yourself indoors again, though the air was more separated and fresh. Up Axel’s steps went as you were half-asleep on his back, your eyes rolling and trying to close permanently for a well rest. Next came the creaking of an opening door, then the cool, fabric covers of a bed. You sank, turning to your side and spreading your legs and arms open with your head snuggling upon the cloud at your head.

“You know,” Axel’s words hung in the air, as you were already falling asleep, “I miss it all, as much as you do.” He placed a hand on your shoulder, rubbing it with a thumb. His gaze fell upon the sheets with the spikes of his hair drooping oddly behind him. He blinked several times, smiling slightly, “Everything changed in Radiant Garden…too bad we can’t bring it back, huh? Heh, for once, I miss being a kid, like you…I miss being me, miss being…Lea.”

“Lea…” you mumbled incoherently. Axel eyes rose to your face, and did not leave until you had fallen fully asleep, snoring marginally. Axel stood unhurriedly, his hand leaving your shoulder to hug the air, and the words to the livelihood of silence. He knew you wouldn’t remember, he knew you wouldn’t remember anything.

THE NEXT MORNING:

Why was it that you sat here still, the scenery of the sky high above with the glittering stars. Millions of them glistened with delight and radiance, why was it here that you felt welcomed, yet on the tip of your toes? Something was different with this land, this world that you knew no name of.

Looking around flatly, you knew Terra would not show, not since you had brought up Master Eraqus. You wanted to know who he was, what had happened, and how it happened. Unfortunately, your cards were not well played…

“Terra, where are you?” you voiced to the air, wondering where in the cosmos he was, and what was he doing. Was he really from the past…? It didn’t seem to fit, with him supposedly coming from the past. There must be something more to it…

Either way, you were alone, gazing up at the stars in puzzlement. Nothing even made sense in dreamland anymore….

Automatically sitting up, you climbed off the bed and stretched fully, relieved of the rest given. It had been a while since you had slept on your bed, and how good it felt to not be hunched over in a metal chair. Your mind raced back to Sora, Donald and Goofy, wondering what they were doing themselves. You were sure they were doing fine, so there was no need to worry.

You grinned and rushed to the showers, quickly dressing up after, and heading out of the room with the door left ajar. You practically jumped down the stairs to end up in the kitchen, seeing Leon, Axel, and Aerith there, with Yuffie heading inside.

“You’re wide awake,” Leon looked over.

“Yeah,” you smiled, walking over to sit on an empty chair beside him and sitting in front of Axel. Your sense of smell led you to the middle of the table, seeing toasted bread filling the air with a sweet scent.

“Here,” Axel lifted the plate and handed it to you, and you politely reached forward.

“Thanks,” you licked your lips and lifted one piece, stuffing it completely into your mouth. Aerith went forward, placing a couple of pancakes on a plate and placing it in front of you. You looked up at her, smiling widely.

“Enjoy, we already ate,” Aerith smiled.

“What, you already did?” Yuffie groaned, sitting beside Axel.

You giggled, placing two slices of bread on one plate, and three pancakes along with it, handing it to Yuffie. She looked up with a grin, nodding at your sharing event. You smiled back, and began to dig in silently, enjoying the food that slithered down your throat to crave the hungry beast in your stomach.

“So what had you read last night? Axel told me,” Leon folded his hands with his elbows prompted on the table. You swallowed, finishing your plate and setting it aside. You straightened up in your chair, and looked at him, then at Axel.

“Uh, thanks for bringing me to bed,” you answered first. Axel nodded, and then you turned to look at Leon, “To be honest Leon, none of it made any sense; something along the lines of the Keyblade Wars, how it started, why the worlds are separated, mainly all a recap.”

“What? Well that sucks,” Yuffie quirked the side of her mouth to one side, chewing silently beneath her teeth.

“But, there were a few things that confused me,” you replied again, placing your folded hands under your chin, “’The one who opens its door will bring about the creation of the Next World.’” You had recited it from what you had read the night before, then replied, “And…The Key Blade.”

“New World? Key Blade?” Aerith questioned with raised eyebrows. Just then, you heard a couple of doors open from upstairs, and you figured it was Riku and Kairi from their own rooms.

“That’s what I read,” you shrugged really, and moments later, Riku and Kairi appeared, sitting in the empty chairs between Yuffie and you, creating a half-circle.

“The Key Blade, I’ve heard of that,” Riku suddenly replied. Everyone turned to him, “Though, it was just the name, nothing more.”

“Is it what you read yesterday?” Kairi asked next. You looked over at her, seeing she had gotten a fair share of sleep as well. You nodded as a reply, then went back to look at the center of the table, unsure how to describe what you had read indeed. Either way, you could only hope that Yen Sid and Mickey could somehow clarify it. Once again, hope.

“Oh, I just remembered something!” Yuffie stood up, looking at you, “Merlin said to meet him in his Study.”

“You tell me this now?” you laughed, standing up. “Alright, I guess I’ll be seeing you guys later. Thanks for the food, Aerith!”

“C’mon, I’ll walk you there,” Riku suddenly stood before Aerith could place his breakfast in front of him, “thanks, I’ll be back.”

“Are you afraid of someone kidnapping me?” you looked over.

“Haha, funny,” Riku rolled his eyes as you giggled. You both headed toward the door, waving back to the others, and headed outside, walking through the opened area to head toward Merlin’s Study.

“So, what is it?” you looked over at Riku with hands in pockets.

He looked at you from the side, “Where are you going with Merlin?”

You titled your head slightly to him, “To run an errand with him.”

“Where…to?” Riku repeated.

“To go see Yen Sid, and Mickey,” you replied brashly.

Riku blinked, slowing his stride, “What for?”

“To talk, not much,” you shrugged, trying to keep it casual.

“About?”

“Really Riku?” you stopped, sighing.

He stopped as well, his eyes intent on your face, “What are you getting yourself into?”

“Nothing dangerous, I just want to improve my magic with Merlin…”

“I’m not buying it,” Riku stated grimly.

You narrowed your eyes, tightening your fists in your pockets, “I want to learn more about the Keyblade War.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“If it makes you feel any better, want me to tell you what happens when I get back?” Riku stopped at this line, looking at you with widening eyes. You waited tolerantly with your hands relaxing.

“Will you really do that?” Riku tested next.

“We already share secrets with one another, and we can’t really tell anyone else about this…” That was pretty much true…it’s not like Kairi would understand any of it, and sharing with Sora was strictly prohibited. Donald and Goofy, they would tell Sora for sure. As for Leon and the others, it wasn’t the right time. Axel…he wasn’t telling you something, so let him suffer from not knowing the secrecy… “So what do you say?”

Riku took a moment, and walked on, with you following beside him, “Alright…”

“There, now stop nagging me, because I had to lie a while ago for your sake…”

“About what?”

“Merlin asked me if I had told anyone about all of this yet, and I replied no.” At that moment Riku became silent through the pathway. You looked over at him, wondering why, but you didn’t push the matter any further. Finally you arrived at Merlin’s Study, the green door standing a few yards away.

You turned to Riku again, “What did you tell Kairi?”

“I asked her why she ran off…” Riku looked up again, seeing you past his bangs.

“What did she reply?” you asked soothingly.

“She said she wanted to follow you, to see how it was,” he smiled slightly.

You frowned, looking at the floor, “Can you do me a favor?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

You looked up, your face concrete, “Don’t let her do that again…”