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The Night	By : mewsomniac Category: Kingdom Hearts > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1695 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: NO profit is being made off this work. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Disney belong to their rightful owners, and I do not claim ANY ownership over their properties. FULL DISCLAIMER BELOW.

Chapter List
- 15
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- 17
The Night
An Epilogue that Sounds Just as Sweet
June 11th, 2027
           The sky still never lies, thinks Roxas.
           He and Sora look out at the creamsicle daytime from Station Plaza, the sunshine warming the bricks across Twilight Town with the early evening glow. The town is near silent save for sounds of departing trains drifting across the wind.
           “It really is beautiful here,” Sora says. “Where do you want to go first?”
           When Superior was initially planning on giving the next Twilight Town assignment, he intended to ask Axel like always… but Roxas insisted on taking on the mission instead. Their delivery to this DiZ guy wasn’t scheduled until much later, so they had plenty of time to kill. He had some unfinished business to finally settle.
           “Let’s just walk,” He finally decides, pulling his hood up. “We’ll let the universe decide what we come across today.”
           He made an invisible orb around them so as not to attract unwanted attention, and they started the trek down Station Heights with XIII leading the way. Sora had been worried about Roxas taking on this mission, and he and Axel nearly convinced the blond to not go. However, XIII insisted and they realized there was no way to convince him. He needed this more than anything else right now; being possibly immortal now, and with the future very uncertain, it was his greatest wish to finally confront his past.
           At several points in Roxas’ life up until now, he thought that there were steps he needed to take to be rid of the Roxas he was before. Yet now, he’s realized that his past self is just as important as his present self. The scars and memories one builds up over time shape one’s existence, and to deny experience is to limit growth. An eternity spent trying to bury the past instead of embracing it would be torturous.
           Although the Organization are now aware of his possible immortality, they don’t know he’d gone up against the Necromancer, and they intend to keep it that way. He and Sora still dodn’t know what the Org’s possible connection to Xehanort was, and the subject may have been too dangerous or suspicious to explore right after that chaotic night. Their next goal is to find a way to protect themselves against Namine’s memory-controlling powers so they can confront her later. They would just have to bide their time for now, and investigate in the future.
           And so, they stroll through the eerily quiet town, with the only real sound coming from the local birds and distant sounds of tram cars or train horns. It’s a quiet Roxas knows and loves all to well: the peaceful lull before noisy bodies fill the streets, dragging themselves to favored destinations after long days.
           To Sora, XIII seems like he’s on a mission despite the universe supposedly being their guide. Sora decides the best thing he can do is support him and not try to question it too much. Their goals would become clear as they unfolded.
           Eventually, they come upon the Sandlot.
           As soon as they enter, Roxas stops and takes a long breath.
           It’s empty, save for a man sitting at a bench. He’s smoking a cigarette; tar and oil-stained fingers depicting a hard worker, but habit-dependant to be sure. He’s in a cropped muscle shirt and dark jeans, which are covered in blotches of hardened paint and grease. His work boots look worn. His hair is unkempt, and his gaunt-but-tanned face depicts sleeplessness and hard hours under the brutal sun.
           Based on how Roxas is glaring intently at the man, Sora has a feeling in his gut that he knows who it is. What he doesn’t know is how enraged the sight truly is to Roxas. This man of disciplinary committee fame had been straight-edge for years, vowing justice on any and all who even mentioned ingesting some kind of subversive chemical. Of course, beatings and violence didn’t fall under this umbrella of righteousness.
           It burns up Roxas’ heart when he remembers that rape and sexual assault apparently didn’t fall under it either.
           XIII creeps forward and Sora follows. They position themselves where they’re standing behind the man before Roxas drops the shield.
           “Seifer.” He whispers, and they watch as the man jumps in fright.
           His head twists side-to-side, looking desperately for the source of Roxas’ voice. He turns slightly, and seeing the cloaked figure behind him makes his face go white.
           “That’s me.” He growls, obviously trying to supress the mild fear and confusion apparent on his features. “Who’s askin’?”
           XIII pauses a long moment… then, gently, he pulls the hood back to reveal his face.
           Siefer recoils, dropping the cigarette and fully falling off the bench. He scoots away on the concrete, his face laden with absolute terror, as if he’s staring at a ghost. He pats his arms, then touches his face with trembling fingers, pinching his skin slightly wherever they make contact.
           “It can’t…” He whispers, lips quivering, “It can’t be… you were...”
           Roxas steps over the bench and moves closer.
           “You thought I was dead, right?” XIII asks, voice flat. “Do you think this is a dream? Or that I’m a ghost that’s come to haunt you?” Suddenly, he lifts a fist and it connects with the trembling man’s jaw. “Was that real enough for you?” He hisses.
           Seifer is so paralyzed by his fear that he doesn’t resist the next punch, or the one after that.
           “I’m sorry—” Seifer is about to say, but then Roxas slaps him.
           “Don’t say it.”
           Carefully, slowly, Seifer stands.
           “Roxas, I’m sor—”
           “Don’t fucking say it.” Roxas steps back and holds a hand out. Seifer's body goes speeding to the far wall of the Sandlot; his back connecting violently against brick as a glistening wad of blood comes flying out of his mouth. XIII pins Seifer there, holding the taller man by the neck with his magick. He aggressively approaches the other man. “Do you have any idea what you did to me?” He bites out around the sudden lump in his throat, voice cracking but eyes refusing to shed tears. “Do you know what we could have had? We could have been together and you wasted it.” Seifer chokes on his breath, and Roxas presses the force in a little harder. “I don’t want your apologies, you worthless trash… I want your suffering.” Then… he drops the man. “Let’s go, Sora. I’m done here.”
           XIII starts walking away, but the vampire instead approaches Seifer, who’s gripping his throat and gasping for air. The vampire makes eye contact with him, and commands him: “You will spend every day of the rest of your life thinking of what you’ve done. You are not allowed to kill yourself. You will only suffer every waking moment until you naturally die. Do not tell anyone about what happened here. Do not follow us.”
           Then, Sora also leaves.
           Seifer sits in the gravel and dirt as tears flood his eyes.
           What Sora and Roxas didn’t know is that Seifer had already been suffering.

           Roxas was waiting around the corner of the street he’d walked up. He was staring at a piece of fencing in front of a red cloth a few yards ahead.
           “Are you okay?” The vampire asks, but Roxas hushes him.
           They can just barely hear people talking behind the curtain, and for the first time in a while Roxas actually looks horribly nervous. In his head, XIII is debating whether he should leave his hood down or pull it back up. He’d gone through a thousand scenarios of this reunion in his head and yet he couldn’t remember a single one now. His heart was racing so fast he could feel it thumping in his spine.
           Then, Sora put a reassuring hand on his back. “Just go.” The vampire says, “I’m right behind you.”
           The blond takes a small breath, “Actually… you stay here for just a bit. I’ll call you in when I’m ready, okay?”
           Sora nods in response. Slowly, Roxas approaches the entrance and, without giving himself time to hesitate, slides the curtain open.
           It takes the three a moment to notice him, as they were in the middle of laughing when he stepped in. Then—one-by-one—Hayner, Pence, and Olette look at him. They freeze in shock, clearly unable to believe their own eyes.
           XIII takes a moment to look them over. They all seem about the same as they were before: their styles have matured, as they’re all wearing darker colors or less distracting prints. Olette’s hair is longer, cascading across her chest in delicate waves, while Hayner’s is cut a little shorter. Pence seems to have finally lost the very last of his weight as his body is much more muscular and defined, which Roxas can assume is due in part to the well-loved Struggle bat on the seat beside him.
           Just then, Roxas notices one corner where a burning candle is sitting: flowers are placed delicately in front of a series of pictures of him and his friends.
           Eventually, Hayner angrily chokes out, “Just… just who the hell are you?”
           “Hayner!” Olette scolds him, and he stands.
           “No! What kind of sick joke is this, asshole? Who the fuck do you think you are, coming in here pretending to be my dead fucking friend?”
           “W-wait! I’m not pretending,” Roxas pleads, “It’s really me, I swear. I can prove it!”
           “Yeah right, we know how it works in the movies.” Scoffs Haynerm, “You’re going to tell us a bunch of fun facts right? Any of the shit you think you ‘know’ is probably common knowledge by now. This is Twilight Town, or are you really that dense?”
           Shaking his head, Roxas reaches into his pocket and pulls out his prized possession. “When I pulled these off that trophy, do you remember what you said?” He holds the blue orb between his index finger and thumb, stretching his arm out to show them. “That it was ‘one more treasure for us to share.’”
            The room goes silent, his friends gawking at the sight…
           Then, each of them pull out the matching orbs from their pockets too, holding them up in the same way.
           Within seconds, his friends close in on him and pull him into their collective embrace. Hayner babbles apologies profusely. They gush, and coo, and cry over him.
           “We thought you killed yourself!”
           “Yeah, I guess I should’ve made my note a little more specific… sorry…”
           “Where did you go?”
           “Dusk City.”
           “No way! Is that why you’re wearing such a creepy outfit?”
           “Haha, yeah, yeah… just don’t tell anyone, okay?”
           “Please! You remember who you’re talking to, right? Are you sure you’re the real Roxas?”
           A thousand more questions hang in the air, and he does his best to answer every single one of them. Then they tell him what happened after Roxas supposedly “died.” Hayner came clean to Olette about everything and they decided they wouldn’t date any longer. Although they were not on speaking terms for a long time, they recently rekindled their friendship. Roxas’ assumption about Pence was right, as he’d picked up Struggling in Roxas’ honor and secured a small scholarship from it. All three of them were going to Twilight Town Community College and recently graduated with their transfer schools all picked out.
           After they’ve caught up, Roxas makes an announcement. “There’s someone I’d like you guys to meet.” He moves back over to the curtain and gestures for Sora to enter. The brunet puts on his friendliest face, then comes inside. “Everyone, this is Sora. He’s my boyfriend and my work partner. Sora, this is Hayner, Pence, and Olette.”
           He grins, and shakes everybody’s hands. “Hi there! I’ve heard so much about you guys. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
            Roxas watches this carefully, and notices that although Hayner and Pence are being friendly, they’re also kind of subconsciously sizing themselves up to Sora. Though the two have changed a lot, he can still tell by the looks on their faces and their body language.
           Feeling a little mischievous, he matter-of-factly states, “Sora is also a vampire.”
           All three of them flinch where they stand, and said vampire turns a flushed face to him. “R-Rox!” He whines.
           But, instead of cowering in fear, his Twilight Town friends immediately start gushing over him too.
           “I can’t believe there’s a vampire in Twilight Town! I thought they couldn’t go out in the sun!”
           “A-actually, that’s a common misconception—”
           “Can you smell when a human is closeby?”
           “That’s more of a werewolf thing. I can tell the differences between heartbeats—”
           “Humans have different heartbeats than night-creatures?”
           “Uh, night-creatures is a little derogatory. The politically correct term is nightwalker.”
           “OH GOD I AM SO SO SO SORRY—”
           “No need to apologize! It’s an easy mistake!”
           “‘Nightwalkers’ sounds totally badass!”
           And so it went on like that for a while: both parties exchanging strings of excited questions to be met with equally excited answers. Eventually though, it was time for Roxas to move on to his next destination, and they decided they’d all go out for drinks later.
           “I may even show you just some of the magick I’ve learned,” Roxas says, winking.
           This elicited a squeal from Olette, “You can do magick, as in magick with a ‘k’?! Real magick?!”
           “You bet! There’s still so much I have to tell you guys… but for now… does my old man still live at the townhouse?”
           The tone in the room quickly shifts, and the three nod solemnly.
           Pence says, “We haven’t seen him much since we’ve been at college, so we don’t really know how he’s been.”
           “That’s okay,” Roxas replies, “I guess I’ll find out here in a minute. I’ll catch you guys tonight.”
           He’s about to leave, but Olette grabs his hand before he can go. He turns to her, and her glossy eyes meet his.
           “Welcome home, Roxas.” She whispers, voice quivering. “Welcome home.”
           She gives him a big, squeezing hug. Without missing a beat, Hayner and Pence also quickly wrap their arms around him too. He lets the tears fall, years of weight and guilt falling off of his shoulders.
—-
           Still riding a wave of catharsis from seeing his friends, Roxas surprises himself by not hesitating to knock on his old home’s door. It’s the weekend, so his dad should be there. He instructed Sora to wait for him on the rooftop, at his Almost-As-Usual Spot, while he talks to his dad. Though his friends were more than accepting of Sora, it may be a little too much for his dad to process right now.
           Through the lens of the peephole, he can just barely see movement. Finally, the door clicks and opens.
           He’s a little shocked by his father’s appearance: he’s well-dressed, fully groomed, and has eyes that look awake and alert. If it were not for the apparent streaks of aging silver in his gold hair, XIII might’ve thought he was looking into the past. Cid looks at him, very closely, as if Roxas himself is also a visage of the past.
           “Is it… is it really you, Roxas?” He mutters.
           “I… I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but—”
           “Of course it’s you, son.” His voice cracks. “Your eyes… they’re different now, but… they look just like your mother’s. I’d recognize them anywhere. ”
           Roxas lets a sad smile grace his lips. “Hi, dad.” Despite himself, despite all the pain and torment his dad has given him and his family all those years, he reaches forward and hugs the older man. He lets himself have this moment, because for the first time since he was a child, it felt like his real father is back.
           “I knew you couldn’t be dead,” Cid says, “Deep down in my heart, I just knew it. Come inside, I’ll fix you some tea. Coffee, maybe?”
           “Coffee would be great.”
           They walk inside, and Roxas is awestruck by the state of the townhome. It looks more like something out of an interior design advertisement than an actual lived-in home. There isn’t a bottle in sight, and there’s even nice-looking throw pillows on the couch. The only signs of living are from some work boots in the entryway and some scattered pamphlets on the coffee table. Roxas looks over them curiously, finding they’re mostly for Jenovah’s Witness.
           Noticing XIII’s attention, Cid says, “I’ve kinda been trying to get a little more in touch with my spirituality. Your mother was always talking about the Goddess, so I’ve been trying to see what she meant.” He comes over with a mug of fresh coffee for him. “I hate to ask you this as soon as you’re home… but…” He trails off, but Roxas knows exactly what he’s asking.
           “Yeah, I went to find Cloud. In Dusk City.”
           “I guessed as much from your coat there. I’ve seen fellas walking around wearing them before. People were always sayin’ they get on the train to go there, but I try not to trust the rumors too much.” He smirks a bit, tapping his chin. “But my son! Living in that dangerous city! It must mean that you’re strong enough to survive anything.”
           Roxas smiles, thinking, You have no idea.
           They go sit on the couch and sip their coffee in polite silence for a bit. Eventually, Roxas asks about what his father has been doing since he left. Roxas’ “death” was basically a wake-up call for Cid: he sobered up, cleaned up, and started putting his life back together. He got his job back as a mechanic and has been working harder than ever. He’s gone to church, started volunteering, and has even traveled a little bit doing aid work in other places. He’d even considered moving back home to Midgar, but something about Twilight Town—despite all the heartache—made him want to stay.
           “I’m glad I did, too.” Cid says, “I finally get to make my peace with you. I know I can’t possibly apologize for all the things I’ve done… wouldn’t even know where to begin. Not even sure if you want an apology at this point.” He sighs solemnly, “Just know that, although it took me a long-ass time to, I’ve finally woken up. Wish I’d done it sooner… wish I could’ve apologized to Aerith.”
           Roxas wasn’t really sure what to say in response to this. He could tell his father everything: that Aerith had become a talented witch, that Cloud was always Cid’s son, that she went to save his forgotten twin, that she sacrificed everything for them, that she died in the most horrific and brutal of ways…
           But Roxas knew that would only rip open his father’s wounds. The man had already been atoning for the sins he thought he had, it would be cruel to possibly unravel all of that progress. Maybe the father he left behind would have deserved the cruel, burning truth… but this man sitting beside him was not the same as that man he knew before. He could tell, even by sitting near him, or listening to the softness in his voice. His father had always been easily readable, and especially predictable… and this was no different, yet in a decidedly different way.
           It didn’t lessen the hurt, though. So Roxas decided to keep the truth sealed in his heart, and perhaps one day it would find its way to Cid when his soul could handle it or—in the worst case—deserved it
           They chat until their mugs are empty, and then Roxas asks if he can go sit in his old room for a while. Cid tells him to take as long as he’d like, and clears their mugs from the coffee table.
           XIII ascends the stairs, the gentle creaking underneath his footsteps bringing back faint memories of his childhood. He opens the door and notices that, just like how Cloud left Aerith’s room untouched, so did Cid for his old room. He looks around at his old belongings, then looks in the closet mirror. He smiles solemnly at his reflection, doing one last little twirl in his cloak. He glances at the desk in the corner. Sitting in a frame is his high school diploma, which should have been the biggest indicator that he was still alive after he left… but it seems only Cid was the one with an inkling of this.
           Maybe the loss of a life was somehow easier for people to deal with than the physical loss of his presence. It may have been easier for people to say “Oh Roxas. What a smart kid, what a terrible loss, what a waste of life.” instead of “Oh Roxas. What are you running from?”
           Sometimes we don’t really appreciate the people we care about until they’ve already vanished. Maybe it was the same for Twilight Town.
           Crawling over the bed, he unlatches the window and pushes it open. Warm summer air fills the room, and Roxas inhales the nostalgia. Then, he crawls out of it, grasps the little hand-holds by memory, and pulls himself up onto the rooftop.
           Sora is waiting at that very ledge that he adored so much: the one with the best view of the entire town.
           “There you are,” The vampire greets him, grinning, “I was wondering why you wanted to bring me up here. It’s gorgeous. C’mere!” He beckons the blonde closer, then slings his arm around XIII’s shoulders. He holds up his glass phone, says “Smile!” and snaps a selfie. He taps on the device afterwards, and a little three-dimensional, holographic image of them pops up with the view in the background.
           They stand in silence for a bit, admiring the view, and enjoying the peace. Unbeknownst to Roxas, Sora has something he really wants to say… rather, something he really wants to ask.
           They haven’t been together for a very long, but something is making him impulsively want to ask XIII for eternity. He wants to stand and watch Gaia age and burn and die all by Roxas’ side.
           But... eternity is a long time to ask of someone, especially someone who recently had forever laid in front of them. Especially when the possibilities for their newfound life are endless.
           The vampire blurts out, “You know, we have forever now, we can do whatever we want to.” Then, he hesitates. “If… if you want to be with that Pence guy, you can.” He saw the way Pence was looking at Roxas; it was incredibly obvious that the tall man had feelings still, despite the respect for his and Roxas’ relationship. It probably tore up the poor guy to have his love interest commit suicide, only to rise from the dead years later with a nightwalker boyfriend in tow. “I know you both have unfinished business. I won’t be mad.”
           XIII stares at Sora for a long moment, his face scrunched up in confusion and, it seems, a little bit of worry. Then, he looks away in serious consideration. After a while, he says, “I’ll think about it.” Then, feeling rather introspective, Roxas asks, “Do you think things would be different for us in another life? Were we different people, with different destinies?”
           “I don’t know,” Sora responds. “But maybe that’s what makes the world so cool, right? That this is our life right now… that this moment is our destiny. And we really don’t know what comes next until we see it.”
           They leave it at that. The clocktower bells rumble in the distance, and they both turn their eyes toward it. Soon, the streets will be bustling with people carrying on with their daily lives. Work, then home to relax, with the setting sun guiding their travels each day. Puppeteers and puppets, masks at the masquerade, oil on top of the water… it all comes and goes. Each day passes, carried by dusk and twilight, until the end of time.
           A few rooftops away, a black cat with golden eyes is watching them.

“And will he not come again? / And will he not come again? / No, no, he is dead; / Go to thy deathbed; / He never will come again. / His beard was as white as snow, / All flaxen was his poll. / He is gone, he is gone, / And we cast away moan. / God ‘a’mercy on his soul! / And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God b wi’ you.”
~ Ophelia, Act IV Scene 5
“Of that I shall have also cause to speak, / And from his mouth whose voice will draw on more. / But let this same be presently perform'd, / Even while men's minds are wild, lest more mischance / On plots and errors happen.”
~ Horatio, Act V Scene 2

Exeunt

A/N: ...that’s it. It’s done. It’s over. Eight years of my life… over ten if you count Things That Kill in the Night and Blood Love. Multiple reworks. Many versions. A thousand possible visions.
This is the chapter I’ve been waiting to write this whole time. This is the chapter that haunted me in my dreaming and waking life. Roxas beating the shit out of Seifer, Olette saying “Welcome Home,” Sora and Roxas standing on the roof looking at the sunset… this, along with all of your amazing feedback, is what pushed me to keep going.
I poured so much of my heart and soul into this story. It’s one of the very few things I am truly proud of myself for creating. This is proof to myself that I can complete a story, and that it is possible to finish a massive long-term project. The possibilities are endless for me now. Like Roxas, it feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

I’d like to take this next section to clarify a few things that were asked over the course of the story that I didn’t want to spoil until it was completed.
The Night vs. Everything Else
As you are aware, I tried to keep as many consistencies between the canon of KH , FF, Dracula, and the AU as I could. I did this because, for the most part, I don’t enjoy reading AU that’s completely off-kitler from the source material. I think it’s more fun and more interesting to try and interweave as much of the canon into a story as possible. It poses a fun challenge.
The Scholomance
My initial plan was to have whoever the Master of Masters be the big-daddy Scholomancer. However, since this lore in the canon is still a little uncertain, I thought it may overcomplicate the story. This is the same reason I didn’t include the Foretellers from Kingdom Hearts χ, but I’d like to think they were also Scholomancers.
The Rape Scene
This is the part of the story I actually really hate and regret writing. At the time of first writing this story, I needed something to trigger Roxas’ ultimate leaving of Twilight Town. It was initially just going to be blackmail and that’s it, but… then I went through some very real trauma myself. I felt like a needed an outlet to deal with what had happened to me, and that’s why I wrote that scene. I’ve been debating whether or not to take it out since it was first posted, but I really don’t know. I just wanted to be fully transparent with all of you.
Pence
The reason Pence had the transformation in this story is because of a crush I had back in the day. I grew up with this kid who, I shit you not, looked just like Pence. He even liked Kingdom Hearts! We always joked about how he should do a cosplay. I always wanted to ask him out, but I never got the courage to. Then, in high school, he hit this fucking insane growth spurt and his body physiology completely shifted. We grew apart as he got into sports and started dating really cute chicks. So I based the relationship of Pence and Roxas on that little piece of my life. Not sure where my friend is now, but I hope he is well and he never finds this fanfiction.
Gargoyles
One of the original plans with the story was to include some of the characters from the Disney series Gargoyles (it was also hinted early on). I decided to cut this out to save some time and because I couldn’t figure out a way to make it pertinent to the plot.
The Organization and Xehanort
So, what is the connection between these two? I was considering adding a full explanation in this chapter but… I decided not to. I’m choosing to leave it up to your imagination because if I gave you all the answers, what’s the point? This is one area where I feel like leaving things up in the air creates much more richness than if I were to just dump the info out. Plus, I think I left just enough little inklings in the story itself that one could piece it together. There’s going to be even more hints in the bonus chapter...

References and Inspirations:
- Dead! By My Chemical Romance
- The Night by Voltaire
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I cannot thank you enough for your continued support of this project. Your kind words and consistent readership is the biggest reason I am here today. I hope that this story continues to bring you joy and enjoyment. We’re finally here, and I don’t know if words can possibly convey my gratitude.
So long, and goodnight.
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The Night