First, she drew a blond boy in a black cloak. Then a red-haired boy, taller, somewhat older.
And one more figure, a girl in a black cloak.
As Naminé tried to fill in the girl’s face, her hand paused.
How long had Naminé known about her? She had only just recently realized that the girl was a special Nobody. But beyond that, she knew almost nothing.
This girl—what was she?
Chapter 6
Tell a Lie
XION HAD DEFINITELY SAID SORA’S NAME. But how did she know it?
The wheels of Axel’s mind were spinning as he returned to his room.
If Xion had any memories—and if, as he suspected, she had something to do with Naminé and Kairi, the Princess of Heart—it wouldn’t be so surprising that she knew who Sora was.
But Xion certainly didn’t seem to remember anything. To hear her tell it, she had no memories whatsoever of her past, and there was no reason to think she would lie to him or Roxas.
It might mean, then, that she was regaining her missing memories. What could they possibly hold?
Now that he thought about it, Saïx had mentioned that Xion came into being in Castle Oblivion. Axel hadn’t found any traces of her origin there. So far anyway. It was impossible to search every corner of that place.
To the best of his knowledge, all that remained of the Organization’s setup there was Vexen’s laboratory. And as for what they had learned in there—it was that memory was an uncertain thing.
Being Nobodies, they were at the mercy of the memories of their human lives. And in Castle Oblivion, they’d sought to rearrange a living human’s memories—those of Sora, wielder of the Keyblade. Human memories were terribly fragile, and all those pieces were liable to get mixed up and misplaced. They needed Naminé’s power to link them up in the order the Organization wanted. But there had been one other aberration to account for.
That was the Replica, the puppet Vexen had built in his lab to copy memories. The Replica absorbed memories with no assistance from Naminé, and when he did, he copied strength and ability as well. He had even stolen Zexion’s power.
A sudden realization struck Axel so forcefully that he sat up straight. What was it Saïx had said?
Xion was defective… A failure not qualified to be counted among them…
A chill went up his spine. No—that couldn’t be right.
I have to find proof, Axel thought firmly. This is all speculation. Just my own stupid mind wandering. I need facts. I need the truth about Xion…
I remember. I didn’t forget.
Lying on her bed, Xion stared at the white wall. It was still a little bit hazy, but she could remember the dream.
A group of people were playing around beside a wide blue sea. Not Axel or Roxas but friends from the islands.
Ever since she had collapsed yesterday, it felt like so many things had come back to her all at once. Were these the dreams she’d been having while she was asleep for all those weeks?
Maybe they were memories, too—the memories she and Roxas had forgotten.
But she still didn’t know who she was.
She dreamed, she remembered, but she still couldn’t see herself when she was a whole person.
Who was I?
Axel had barely gotten any sleep when he headed in early to the Grey Area. He might as well do his negotiating with Saïx about today’s mission without anyone else to overhear.
Apart from the days when something else came up, he’d been on the hunt for their impostor for a while—which was to say, Riku. Today was not likely to be different.
Usually, he had the privilege of deciding for himself where he would go in search of Riku. His field of activity was unrestricted. And that meant he could suggest a direction for the search.
He was about to use that to his advantage.
Before he even reached the lobby, he spotted Saïx. “Hey.”
“…You’re early.” Saïx flicked a glance at him.
“Am I going after Riku again?”
“That is the plan. Are you about to tell me you want to join Roxas on his mission instead?” Saïx continued walking toward the lobby.
Axel kept pace with him. “Nah, this is about Riku. There’s something I want to look into. So I figured I should probably ask you first.”
“Hmph. I’m sure you’ll look into whatever you want with or without my permission.”
“Well, I just didn’t want to go poking around Vexen’s lab without telling you first.”
Saïx stopped short, his eyes narrowing slightly, and he gave Axel a suspicious look. “And what do you need to investigate there?”
Axel shrugged. “Stuff about Riku, obviously.”
He was getting better at lying.
“You’ve seen all of Vexen’s reports from Castle Oblivion.”
“Yeah, and I want to know what happened before that. Maybe there’s a lead.”
Saïx stared at him hard. “Fine. You have permission to enter the lab. I’ll have an underling bring you the key.”
“Perfect. Glad that didn’t take too long. Now I can get to work.”
“Somehow, I doubt the scope of your investigation will be confined to work.” Saïx’s mouth curved into the approximate shape of a smile.
“…Guilty as charged,” Axel drawled. “How much do you wanna know?”
“Nothing. Do what you want.”
Taking those words at face value, Axel waved at him and promptly left.
He wondered absentmindedly whether Saïx would have granted permission for something like this to any of the other members.
Even now, did Saïx still trust him?
Today’s mission for Roxas was in a world called Wonderland. This marked his third visit, and his task was the same as before: to work with Luxord and destroy a specific Heartless.
As Luxord and Roxas stepped out of the corridors, a white rabbit with a large pocket watch scurried by under their noses.
“I’m late, I’m late, I’m late! Oh, my report is due posthaste! My head’s sure to be in trouble if I’m not there on the double!” The white rabbit dashed away down a path in a considerable hurry.
“What’s got him so wound up?” Roxas murmured, staring after him.
Luxord gave him an enigmatic smile. “Curiosity is essential for clearing the path to one’s destiny. Get too curious, though, and it’ll be a very short walk. Following that rabbit’s footsteps might be fate…or it might prove fatal. Who can say?”
“Isn’t that a little dramatic?” Roxas said flatly. “We still have to take out Heartless, whether we follow him or not.”
“I wonder. Well, Roxas, why don’t we track him down and see where our luck leads.”
“Huh?” Roxas hadn’t expected that. He looked up at Luxord. “What about the mission?”
“You said yourself, the mission remains regardless of what rabbits we chase.”
“Well, sure, but…” Roxas couldn’t guess what Luxord was thinking.
“Let’s go, before we lose the trail.” Luxord set out after the white rabbit, and Roxas had no choice but to follow.
The air in Vexen’s lab was stale after months of disuse. Unlike Saïx’s facilities, which consisted mainly of computer banks, this place was piled high with books and sheaves of paper.
“Well, this is daunting,” Axel muttered to himself, although at least the files were all properly labeled with a scientist’s methodical rigor.
He examined the bookshelf and plucked out a few files, then opened them on the desk, perusing them for any mention of Xion.
At some point, he happened upon a file titled “Naminé.”
His eyes roved over the text. What was Naminé? And what was her connection to Xion? What did Castle Oblivion have to do with Xion’s origins?
The answers were all there for him to read.
Pursuing the white rabbit happened to lead them to the target Heartless, and their mission went quickly.
“In the end, your curiosity paved us a sh
ortcut,” Luxord remarked.
“Clearing the path to destiny, huh?” Roxas repeated.
Seemingly unrelated ideas could turn out to have some connection after all. If something piqued his interest, he might as well pursue it.
But Luxord wasn’t finished being dramatic. “And all the way to the grave.”
Ugh, what is he talking about now…?
“Now, for one last shortcut.” Luxord opened the Corridors of Darkness.
Roxas was still wondering what he meant as they left Wonderland.
Atop the clock tower, Xion absently took a bite of ice cream. Today’s mission had been another easy one.
Saïx was always glaring at her.
He doesn’t want me around at all, does he?
Her nose was stuffed up. And her eyes were stinging.
She’d been having so much fun in that dream. Why did she have to be upset now?
“Hey, you’re early,” she heard Roxas say.
She turned to greet him. “My mission wasn’t very hard.”
As usual, Roxas circled around behind her and plopped down. “How’re you feeling?”
“I’m okay now. I think.”
“Glad to hear it.” Roxas grinned and took a bite of ice cream. Side by side, they enjoyed the cold, salty-sweet flavor.
“Where’s Axel?” he asked.
“He hasn’t come by yet.”
The tower’s bells rang. Before long the sun would sink below the distant hills. Usually, Axel showed up earlier than this.
“It’s getting kind of late,” said Xion. “Maybe he’s not coming today.”
“Why don’t we wait a little longer?”
“Okay.” She nodded.
If the three of them never had ice cream together like this, Xion thought, she probably would have been turned into a Dusk by now. She wouldn’t be here at all.
It was thanks to Roxas that she’d regained the use of her Keyblade, and Axel had talked to Saïx on her behalf, too. They’d both helped her when she collapsed again. They were always taking care of her.
Xion let out a tiny sigh. “You and Axel are always there for me.”
“Aw, I don’t do anything special,” said Roxas. “Axel’s the one who sticks up for us with Saïx.”
That’s not true, Xion wanted to say, but she kept it to herself. Roxas would just deny it again.
“I’m just glad you both are in the Organization, too,” she told him instead.
They gazed at the sunset.
“I wish Axel would come,” Roxas murmured.
I’ve been sleeping well lately, Roxas thought as he got himself ready. He’d stopped having those dreams. And he looked forward to getting out of bed.
Every day brought something interesting. He reread the reports he’d written since joining the Organization, counting the days. It was fun seeing all that had happened and all he’d done with Xion and Axel.
I may not have any memories of when I was human, but it is really nice to have memories of something.
Roxas left for the Grey Area. Work wasn’t too bad, either, but there was one thing bothering him—the full trio had not assembled at the clock tower in a while.
In fact, he’d been the only one for about ten days. Ever since he’d talked to Xion after that trip to Wonderland, he kept showing up at the clock tower only to eat ice cream alone. And there was so much he wanted to tell them.
When he walked into the lobby, Axel was there for once. “Hey, Roxas.”
“…Morning, Axel,” Roxas said, a bit hesitant at the completely casual greeting. He hadn’t seen Axel in days.
“You two will be teamed up today,” Saïx informed them.
“…What about Xion?” Roxas whispered to Axel.
“Already left,” he replied.
“Oh.”
“So let’s get going,” said Axel.
“Huh? Where to?”
“Neverland.” Axel wasted no more time stepping into the corridors.
Roxas hurried after him. “Feels like it’s been forever, doesn’t it?” he said as they walked the dark paths.
“Since what?”
“You know, since we’ve had a chance to talk.”
Thinking, Axel scratched his head. “Has it been that long?”
“Yeah, it has! You haven’t been coming to our usual spot.”
“Ohhh, yeah. Sorry. I’ve been pretty busy,” Axel said as they came to the exit. The wide blue sea of Neverland opened up before them.
It hurts.
Xion brought down the Keyblade, finishing off a Heartless. Until recently, she’d been able to defeat this kind with one blow, but now her shoulders heaved, and she had to lean on the Keyblade like a cane.
She’d been dreaming so much the past week or so, it felt like she hardly got any sleep. It was like she had to be awake in two different realms—reality and dreams.
They weren’t nightmares—in fact, she was always enjoying herself. But that only made her days in the waking world all the more dreary.
And the sleep deprivation was affecting her technique. In an effort to get just a little bit more rest, she had to skip the clock tower.
When she was awake, all her thoughts were unpleasant. At least she dreamed of nice things when she slept.
Maybe Saïx knew. He’d been giving her all these easy missions. But sometimes she found it hard to finish even those.
She thought she might have dreamed about Castle Oblivion last night. And Axel had been there, too…
Would it be okay to ask him about it? She wasn’t sure. It made her nervous, terribly nervous. But she’d never get an answer if she didn’t ask.
I guess I’ll go up today…
Axel filled his lungs with the briny sea air and turned back to Roxas. “Hey, isn’t this the place you were telling me about?”
“Oh yeah! It’s true—just watch!” Grinning ear to ear, Roxas sprang into the air…
And immediately landed. It was a lovely jump.
“Huh…?” He tried again with the same result.
Axel had been in a funk, preoccupied with the thought of how to keep what he knew from showing on his face the next time he saw Xion, but as Roxas hopped around in confusion, he burst out laughing. “Hey, Roxas? What’re you doing?”
“It’s so weird. I could definitely fly before.” Roxas crouched and jumped again, as hard as he could, and Axel cracked up once more.
All the stuff weighing down his mind suddenly seemed so stupid. Overthinking it wouldn’t do anything. And that was something he already knew, so why couldn’t he do something about it? It was strangely human of him.
Then they heard a shout. “Blast it all! Not again!”
It was a man, upset about something. A stout old-timer stood anxiously nearby.
“Dig and dig, and all I find is rubbish! And more Heartless with it?! I tell you, it makes me blood boil!”
He stalked away, and the old-timer followed him. “Captain? Captain, where are you going?”
“Back to the ship!”
With that, the pair were gone.
“What’s up with them?” Axel muttered.
“I don’t really know, but I saw them before,” said Roxas. “They were talking about treasure maps.”
“Treasure maps…? Is that what they’re digging for?”
“Yeah, but every time they do, the Heartless show up.”
“Are they hiding in the ground?”
“Maybe?” Roxas hesitated. “Or maybe not…”
“You got a better explanation?”
“All they actually dug up was a wooden chest full of junk.”
“Sounds like the Heartless was in the chest, then.”
“I dunno…” Roxas turned it over in his head. It wasn’t a very good explanation. Or it didn’t feel quite right anyway.
They had treasure maps telling them where to dig for buried treasure. And then when they dug, they found a wooden chest containing a Heartless?
“Well, let’s start by checking
out all the places they dug up,” said Axel, starting toward the hole in the ground.
“Yeah. Good idea.”
They found something small and sparkly flying around the hole.
“Oh… Hello again,” said Roxas. It was the fairy he’d met before.
“Hey, Roxas? What is that?” Axel stared, rubbing his head.
Startled, Tinker Bell darted behind Roxas.
“I don’t know her name, but we met the last time I was here. She doesn’t mean any harm.”
“She might not mean any, but…” Axel peered behind Roxas’s shoulder, trying to get a better look. She turned away, clearly uninterested in him.
“And she’s the one who helped me fly,” Roxas realized.
“Did she now?”
“It’s true!” Roxas turned to speak to Tinker Bell. “Can you help me show him? Give us some of that glowing stuff?”
Tinker Bell seemed to consider it for a few seconds, then flew in close spirals around Roxas and Axel. The bright dust settled over them.
And Roxas floated into the air.
“What?!” Axel blurted.
“Told ya!” Roxas shot up high, looking down on Axel.
“How are you doing that?”
“I can’t really explain it… But once she sprinkles this glowing dust on you, you just think, I can fly! and boom, you’re flying.”
“I can fly and boom?” Axel said dubiously.
“Yup!” Roxas made a loop the loop. “Just give it a try.”
“Well, okay…” Axel concentrated, a frown deepening on his brow.
“What’s up, Axel?”
He shrugged. “I’m not feeling it.”
“Aw, give it another try. Believe me on this!”
“All right… I believe you.”
Axel closed his eyes. And then he felt himself rise off the ground. “I…I can fly?”
“Yup. You can fly!”
Axel felt a bit unsteady, wobbling as he went, but he was definitely in the air. “Whoa. I’m flying!”
“Isn’t this amazing?”
They practiced soaring and swooping for a while, until Tinker Bell came up to them. She was pointing to where Hook and Smee had gone—to the pirate ship.
“You want us to go check out the ship?” asked Roxas.
Kingdom Hearts 358-2 Days Page 21