Seek the Stars

XIII

Sora pressed up against the glass of the Highwind’s bow, staring down at the rapidly approaching Twilight Town. Things were happening that he didn’t quite understand. Riku had told him all he could – something about what Sephiroth remembered and what Vincent remembered, Riku’s birth (though how Riku’s mom could be a man still escaped Sora) and his apparent abandonment – but Sora still didn’t quite get it. Maybe he needed a storyboard or something. Since Cid had Remembered Vincent, the rule binding the Order member’s tongue had become void. So he had sat Sephiroth, Riku and Sora (because Sora had been firmly attached to Riku at the time) and told them his side of the story.

Riku’s mother (who had not been named, since Sephiroth had yet to Remember him) had been imprisoned with Cloud for a time in a lab in the basement of a mansion. When Riku was born, his mother had escaped with him and had stumbled upon Vincent. Near begging, Riku’s mother had gotten Vincent to agree to take Riku somewhere safe, where no one could hurt him or know his lineage just from looking at him. When asked why, Riku’s mother had simply said his work wasn’t done here yet.

The way Vincent said it made Sora think Riku’s mom had been trying to die.

He didn’t say that out loud, though.

Sora kept his mouth shut and listened through the entire ordeal, trying not to fidget or ask too many questions. Riku looked depressed enough without Sora goading the mood.

“Sora?” Riku stepped up beside him, head canting down slightly to look at the smaller brunette. “Are you okay? You look like you’re brooding.”

Sora shrugged. “Thinking about how all of this started. We used to pretend we would run away and go to other worlds. We’d be heroes and everyone everywhere would know our names.” Sora heaved a breath. “Now that we’re on this adventure, all I can think about is going home.”

“I know what you mean.” Riku said. “I thought I’d be happy, escaping Destiny Islands. But I’m not. I’ve learned so much, about my real parents and everything, but even still, I’m not really happy.”

“How’s this sound?” Sora asked with a smile. “When we get Kairi, we go home and we explore our own world? There’s gotta be more than just our town and the play island.”

It took Riku a moment too long to smile. “So long as I’m with you.”

Sora grinned. “You’ll always be with me. I love you.”

Now Riku truly did smile. The Highwind docked in Twilight Town’s hangar and Sephiroth, Sora, and Riku departed. Sora watched the Highwind pull away and cracked his knuckles. The three walked slowly up to Twilight Town proper and began their search for Sora’s Nobody.


Roxas and Kaoru came to a halt at the end of the street that led to Master Ansem’s mansion, each confused as their hearts suddenly skipped a beat. The pair looked at each other and turned to put their backs to one another, just in case something was going to leap out and attack them. The others had gone ahead to the mansion after getting Naminé’s markers, so Roxas and Kaoru could go full out if they needed to. They didn’t have to worry about protecting the Princesses or Tenkuu if things got out of hand.

Roxas elbowed his partner and pointed across the plaza. “Look.”

Kaoru followed Roxas’ finger and felt the blood drain from his face. “What are they doing here?”

“Who the hell knows?” Roxas snapped back. “I don’t intend to stay and find out. Come on. We’ll get the others and get the hell out of here.”

Roxas made to run for the crack in the wall that would take him to the mansion when Kaoru grabbed his wrist. There was urgency in that hold and when Roxas looked back, he saw Sora and Riku talking with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

“Shit.” Roxas breathed. “They’re going to tell them Kairi was here.”

“I knew letting her see them was a bad idea.”

“Can’t do anything about it now.” Roxas tugged on the smaller Keyblade Master’s arm. “We have to warn the others.”

Kaoru nodded and shuddered as he felt eyes on him, forcing his gaze to stay forward and not look back. He and Roxas sped through the woods to the decrepit old mansion, knowing pursuit was behind them. The two were so conspicuous that the Twilight Town natives could easily point them out to Sora and Riku and that strange, one-winged man with them. So they ran, and managed to make it into the mansion before Sora had cleared the rise of the hill.

“Naminé!” Roxas yelled. “Naminé, we have a problem!”

The Sunrise Town Princess appeared on the top floor landing with Kairi and Tenkuu, frowning. “What sort of problem?”

Kaoru cleared the staircase when the mansion’s front doors blasted open with a Firaga spell. There was a collective expletive from all the Sunrise Town teenagers and Kairi and out of the flames stepped the caster, the one-winged man dressed in leather. His eyes flicked up and focused on Kaoru. When Sora and Riku picked their way through twisted wood and assorted other debris, Roxas heaved a sigh.

“That sort of problem.”

“Sora! Riku!” Kairi yelled with a wave. “About time you showed up!”

“Kairi!” The boys echoed together with wide smiles. “You’re okay!”

“Of course I’m okay.” Kairi said. “I’m better than okay.”

She watched their eyes drift over her companions and grow steadily wider. Kairi couldn’t help but snicker at their awe-struck expressions. “Do I need to introduce everyone?”

“No.” Sora replied. “Maybe just explain a few things.”

“It can wait.” Naminé interjected. “We have to go now.”

“Go?” Sora said loudly in surprise. “But we just found you! We have questions!”

“Besides,” Riku added, “Our Gummi ship just left.”

“We don’t need a Gummi ship.” Kaoru muttered. Riku looked at him sharply, his eyes hardening as he tried to place Kaoru to a memory. “This place is a Doorway, or like one, anyway. I can open a direct path from here to Sunrise.”

Roxas looked at Kaoru. “That could kill you.”

Kaoru simply shrugged.

The mansion suddenly titled and everyone but the one-winged man fell off their feet. Kaoru was the first one up, gold eyes blazing as he called his Keyblade to hand, the wicked blade seemingly pulsing with life. Roxas was up next, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand, the latter crossing with Kaoru’s Reaver Keyblade to keep the now-volatile Master from attacking preemptively. Reacting to the other two, the remaining Keybladists called in their weapons, and Naminé and Kairi hurried down the stairs to get into a position where they would be of use.

“What the hell was that?!” Sora yelled, and the mansion shook again.

“Enigma.” Kaoru whispered, his utterance yelled by Roxas.

“We’re sitting ducks in here!” Tenkuu cried. “We have to get out!”

“They’re probably waiting for us!” Naminé yelled back. “Kaoru, open a Door! We’ve got to get on a Dark Corridor!”

Kaoru looked at Roxas. “Watch my back.”

“Always.”

Kaoru vanished Reaver and stepped behind Roxas, aware of how Sora and Tenkuu instinctively boxed him in. He closed his eyes and concentrated, letting the sounds of the creaking mansion fade away. He felt the pull of an anchor point nearby and linked to it, fighting to keep control as he willed the portal to open. Slowly, inch by frightening inch, a portal began to open where he commanded it. There was only one problem: he didn’t know where they would end up.

No time to think about that now.

“Go!” His voice seemed thin and reedy.

One by one his friends jumped through his portal. Kaoru hurried through last, snapping closed the portal just before a section of the mansion came down on where he had been standing. Roxas helped him up and he was grateful for the blonde’s support when his legs wobbled.

“Where are we?” Sora asked, his voice echoing in the murk.

Kaoru heaved a breath. “We’re in a Dark Corridor.”

“Can we get out?”

Kaoru shrugged.