Eleven O'Clockish [Aerith]

[Castle]

The 100 Acre Wood was just as quiet and pleasant as Sora remembered it. The book had remained undamaged since it was repaired yet again the year before, and everything was secure. Sora was glad. At least there was one world that he knew was safe from the darkness, at least for now.

He sighed quietly at that last, uncharacteristically pessimistic thought. He hadn't been himself for the past few days, and he knew it. The recent events at Castle Oblivion weren't something he could just dismiss.

The last clear memory he had of that day was landing the gummi ship somewhere. After that was a blurry sequence that he'd rather not dwell on, and after that, he was waking up in some lady's house in Traverse Town. Apparently, he had been asleep there for over a day.

From there, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Well, he did know, but there was something holding him back that he could not explain. He was just... in a funk. The Organization was back, darkness was becoming a big threat once again, and for the second time in his life that he could remember, he was starting to feel strangely alone.

Then he'd think of Axel.

Finally, he went to the Radiant Garden in hopes of solving this rising internal problem. The last thing he wanted was to be useless in times like these.

He came across Aerith shortly after he disembarked. They'd only exchanged a few words before she requested they go to Merlin's house and open up that book he always had out. It would have been hard to say no, and so here they were, standing in the grass while the sunlight shimmered through the branches high above them.

[Aerith]

Flowers Can Only Mask My Concern For So Long

It had been quite the surprise to see Sora land in Radiant Garden again. Aerith had been the only one around to greet him as he came off his Gummi Ship, and she had been ready, with a smile on her face naturally, to drag him off to see the others. However, when she saw the way his body language denoted something of a defeatist attitude, she had merely offered a brief greeting and then suggested they go to Merlin's house. Sora looked like he needed to be away from the thick of things for a bit, and she knew just the place.

There was one particular book in Merlin's house that had always fascinated her, more so when she learned that Sora, Donald, and Goofy had actually gone inside of it. From what she had heard of the inside of the book, it was an entire world that was completely untouched by the Heartless. There would be no need for battles there, and perhaps she could help ease Sora's mind through friendly conversation.

Though the sensation experienced during the entrance into the book was strange, it wasn't unpleasant, either. Disorientation was expected, but after that wore off, she was able to look around and see the lovely world in which they now stood. There was a light breeze that carried the scent of flowers (which instantly raised her love of the place) mingled with another equally strong scent, that of honey, she believed. A few birds chirped cheerily in the trees nearby, and the sun was warm on her face. Perfect. Both of them could relax here.

With a smile, she turned toward Sora. "I love it here already. Thank you for coming with me." She paused to look around and see a large fallen log nearby. She moved over to sit on it and rested her hands on her knees. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you about this, but I'm worried. You don't look so well. What's happened?"

[Castle]

Aerith's words brought him back into focus. She looked really happy to be here, and her smile brought some light back into his mood. This place seemed to put her in her element, what with all the light and flowers everywhere.

"Sure," he said with a slight nod when she thanked him for coming here with her. Apparently, even though she and the other RGRC members gathered in Merlin's house often, none of them had ever tried to read the mysterious book.

He watched her take a seat on a fallen log. Then, she made an observation that diminished his positivity once again. One could almost see him shrink as his shoulders sagged slightly.

"Well..." He paused briefly as he went over to join her on the log. Once he sat down, he discontinued the sentence with a small sigh, opting to start a new one instead. After another moment of silence to gather his words, he went on to make what he considered to be the statement of highest importance.

"I found out, while I was gone, that Organization XIII is back," he told her grimly. It was something that the RGRC needed to know. "I found Axel, one of their members that I've met before, and another guy at Castle Oblivion."

He examined the blades of grass between his shoes and stopped there, reluctant to go into further detail about that meeting at the moment.

[Aerith]

Lean On Me When You're Not Strong, and I'll Be Your Friend

When the Keyblade master's shoulders drooped like that, it was never a sign of something good. Aerith watched with soft, concerned eyes as Sora came to sit next to her. He started one sentence, only to drop whatever thought was attached to that one and then start another. It was a simple enough sentence, but there was much weight behind it.

The Organization was back.

Sora named one of them in particular. The name Axel didn't ring any bells for her. Actually, she didn't know any of their names, now that she thought about it. Except for Xemnas. She was fairly certain she had heard Mickey attach that name to the leader of the Organization. This was news, indeed, and not good news, either. She wondered if she should share it with the others. Or would that only put even more strain on their already taxed committee?

The way Sora was looking intently down at his feet caught her attention. Clearly, there was something more bothering him than the return of the Nobodies. With the best of intentions in mind, she put a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile. "If there's something you need to talk about, Sora, I'm here. And I'm very good at keeping secrets if you don't want anyone else to know." She winked playfully at him, hoping to cheer his spirits a bit.

[Castle]

Sora looked up when she touched his shoulder and was met with her warm, cheerful expression. To his surprise, she wanted to know more about what was bothering him, personally, rather than the possible danger that all of the worlds were in now that Organization XIII was back.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The reminder that his friends still cared about him dispelled some of the darkness. Had he really begun to doubt it after what Axel said? No way, he told himself. He hadn't bought that for a second. Axel probably said those things to mess with his head...

The reminder made Sora's gaze slide back toward the grass. Part of him just wanted to leave the subject alone, but of course, another part wanted exactly the opposite. He was here, with a friend, so why shouldn't he confide?

"Well..." he began slowly, paused, and then shook his head and laughed weakly, "I don't really know where to start. That guy, Axel, wanted to get Roxas back and..." Another pause. "...Oh, you don't know about that, do you?" he mumbled, in reference to his brief transformation into a Heartless that set that whole conflict into motion.

He had to chuckle again, scratching the back of his head out of habit. "I guess in order to explain it, I'd have to tell you my whole life story. Or at least, from right after I got the Keyblade," he joked.

[Aerith]

It's a Long Story. I've Got Time.

The hint of a smile at the corner of Sora's mouth encouraged Aerith, but it faded again as the young Keyblade master went back to studying the grass at his feet. This wasn't something that could be fixed by a show of friendship. Something was deeply troubling Sora, and she wanted to help him. But if she didn't know what was wrong, there wasn't much she could do.

He started to speak, saying things that were unfamiliar to her. A puzzled expression crossed her face for a moment. "Roxas?" She knew she had never meet anyone with that name, and yet it sounded oddly as if she should know it. Apparently, this Axel wanted him back, but what did that have to do with Sora?

"You haven't started kidnapping people, have you?" The question was meant mostly in jest. The Keyblade master didn't have it in his heart to kidnap people and hold them against their wills. But she was having trouble understanding what was going on and why it was so upsetting to Sora. Thankfully, he offered to explain things. "Well, maybe you don't have to tell me everything that's happened in your past. Perhaps just the parts that concern this immediate situation."

[Castle]

"Yeah," he agreed, knowing that to tell the whole story would probably take him a while. He took a moment to think about where to start. Aerith didn't know who Roxas was, so maybe he should explain that first?

"Roxas... is my Nobody," he said.

Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good place to start after all. He didn't really think of that until it was too late, and so he ended up rushing to get things straight,

"Not that I'm a Heartless or anything," he said quickly, waving his hands a bit, "I mean, I guess I was for a while, but then Kairi..."

He sighed, his shoulders sagging, and then took another breath so he could start over,

"All right," he began again, slowly, "Back then, when our world was destroyed, Kairi's heart... well, she lost it, and it ended up in mine somehow. I found a way to get it out, but, I lost mine too."

It was kind of weird to say all this, but he couldn't stop now,

"But after that, Kairi brought me back, and I stopped being a Heartless. But... I guess Roxas was still out there, and he ended up joining the Organization..."

His expression became oddly pensive. As he continued the story, it was as if he was remembering things that he didn't see; a sequence of events that he knew, but did not know how he knew them, like the time he identified the name of the boy in the photograph,

"That's where he met Axel. For a while, they were really good friends, but then... some things happened, and Roxas ended up leaving. After that, he came back to me." He subconsciously placed a hand on his chest. "That was when you all suddenly remembered me, I think."

There was more to it than that. He had notions of the tension between Axel and Roxas in the time before, during, and after Roxas left, but he kept the story to the point.

"And now, Axel wants to get Roxas back, and I think the rest of the Organization does too. They needed him to gather hearts with the Keyblade before, so maybe they want him to do it again. But for Axel, it's different, because Roxas was the only real friend he had."

Therein lay the hidden guilt.

[Aerith]

Just Wondering

Aerith sat quietly while Sora explained to the best of his ability what had happened to him. What it boiled down to, basically, was that Sora had at some point turned into a Heartless and created a Nobody named Roxas. Once she knew that, she could recognize that Roxas' name was an anagram of Sora's with an "x" added, the signifier for Nobodies involved in the Organization. And Roxas, while with the Organization, had befriended Axel, another Nobody. But then he left, and this apparently had created some sort of hole in... well, she couldn't say Axel's heart, since he didn't have one. Or did he?

"Hmm..." She stretched her hands out to rest on her knees, thinking for a moment. Then she took a breath and said exactly what was on her mind. "Sora... are you sure that Axel doesn't have a heart? It seems like, from what you say, that he really wants his best friend back. From my limited understanding of Nobodies, they can't feel, right? And I don't think they're capable of forming a bond like the one you've described exists between Axel and Roxas. But it sounds like one of, if not the only, motivations he has is getting Roxas back."

She turned her head to look at him, surprised at her own thought process. "It takes strong feelings to form friendships, you know? And it strikes me as odd that Nobodies can form friendships at all. Unless, of course, he's lying to you. Though, I can't think why he would lie to you about wanting his friend back.” Her gaze shifted up to the blue sky dotted with clouds. “It's sad, knowing two friends can't be together. If only there was something we could do about that."

[Castle]

Sora sighed slowly and let his eyelids drift closed. Aerith had just hit the nail on the tail, the nail being something that he had known for some time now, but hadn't fully accepted until this moment. The look on Axel's face, in his eyes, the way he raised his voice, still hung fresh in his memory.

"Honestly," he said sadly, opening his eyes again, "I was thinking the same thing. I can't explain it, but for a while there, I forgot that he wasn't supposed to feel anything. I mean, you should have seen him! He shook me!"

More animated now, he turned partway toward Aerith, his posture straightening. His quiet somberness was giving way to something akin to frustration.

"But, it doesn't make any sense," he continued, rubbing the sides of his head with both hands, "How could he be a Nobody, but have a heart, too? I just don't get it."

He turned his gaze forward again. The forest was just as sunny and pleasant as ever. It didn't do much for his overall mood at the moment, but it did succeed in calming him down a bit. He went on, more levelly,

"Yen Sid said that Nobodies only pretend to have hearts. They deceive people. But with Axel, it's just weird. It's always been like that," he said, referring to the distant, estranged memories of Roxas's time in the Organization. He sighed irritably and slouched forward. "What am I supposed to do? Nothing makes sense anymore."

[Aerith]

Unsure Reassurances

Sora's frustration was completely understandable, even if Aerith still probably didn't know all of the details. From the way he talked about Axel and Roxas, it sounded exactly like the way she would act if one of her friends was suddenly taken away. But even then, she could not completely empathize. She had more than one good friend. Axel, apparently, did not.

"I don't know how to explain it, either." She shook her head and laced her fingers together over her knees. "I didn't see what you saw in him, but... it sounds powerful. And genuine. Like a heart."

A soft breeze fluffed her bangs, and she rocked a little on the log. "I wonder if he always possesses that kind of passion, or if he only acted that way because you were there." Her green eyes glanced at him with a bit of curiosity. "I don't have all the answers, but I do know that you're a very special person, Sora. And you have an incredibly strong heart. Maybe, somehow, that's rubbing off on Axel."

Placing a hand on his knee, she patted gently and offered him a smile. "Try to see the bright side of this. Since you have Roxas with you, I doubt Axel will want to harm you. He might even protect you if you needed it." From other threats, at least. If the only way to get Roxas back truly was to turn Sora into a Heartless again, well... that was the ultimate form of harm, wasn't it?

[Castle]

Her talk about his heart reminded him of what Axel said back in Castle Oblivion, that stuff about the "visions" rubbing off on him because Sora's heart was so special. Now Sora knew that that was probably a lie, something to get him to fall deeper into his and that other guy's little plot. However, unlike that time, this was Aerith talking, and she was much more inclined to be truthful. Could he really affect people, Nobodies, that way? What did that even mean?

Her touch on his knee caused him to look at her again. Try to see the bright side, she told him. He recognized the irony immediately and couldn't help but grin. Hadn't he said the same thing to Riku before? And now here he was, needing someone else to tell him about it.

"Yeah, maybe," he chuckled, more than a little sarcastically, but... "He did do it before, once."

Sora's smile faded suddenly with the realization. Axel had killed himself to help him, Donald and Goofy do what they needed to do.

"That's right, he did do it before. He gave up everything. I watched him fade away," he said, the surprise creeping into his voice, "But a few days ago he was talking about killing me. I guess something changed, like a change of..."

He stopped himself, but the unspoken word was easy to guess. His puzzled thoughts showed on his face.

"But, if what you said was right, can my heart really make him feel that way? All that rage?" The theoretical association was confusing him.

[Aerith]

It Isn't Rocket Science

Sora chuckled for a moment, apparently finding the fact that Axel might protect him a little amusing. But then he suddenly grew serious again when he said that Axel had already done that once. Aerith's eyebrows rose as Sora, in growing surprise, told her about Axel's sacrifice. The thought under normal circumstances would be absurd. Nobodies weren't exactly known for their non-selfish actions.

The confusion over this change in attitude may have been a mystery to Sora, but Aerith had an idea of what might be going on. Granted, the specifics were difficult to pin down. But assuming that Axel had some sort of capacity to feel at least when around Sora, the reasons for his rage weren't very hard to figure out.

"I don't think there's anything mystical going on, if that's what you mean." She laughed softly. "Your heart might allow him to feel things for whatever reason, but I would think his emotions would be his own. If you can actually make people feel certain things, then all of us might need to be wary around you from now on." She poked his shoulder teasingly.

"No, I think the rage comes from himself, not from you." Standing from her seat, she moved to examine a patch of flowers nearby. Several bees buzzed lazily over the petals. The fragrance was pleasing.

After a moment, she turned back to Sora. "Try to imagine what it must be like for him, having no one. I know that's hard for you to do, since you have so many friends, but just try." She waited, letting him have a chance to put himself in Axel's place. "If you had only one friend and that friend was taken from you so that you could no longer be with him, how would you feel?"

With a shake of her head, she said, "It's no wonder he has so much rage."

[Castle]

Sora did know what it felt like, actually. His gaze became distant as he remembered. Back then, when the Radiant Garden was still under the unfortunate name of Hollow Bastion, when Riku had taken the Keyblade from him and walked away with Donald and Goofy following. At that moment, he had been alone. Kairi was still an empty shell, and then his best friend had taken the rest. As short as that time was, it didn't make the pain any less real, or any less memorable.

It wasn't exactly the same as what Axel was going through, not at the technical level, but the essence of it was achingly similar.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly, almost in a sigh, "and I'm the one putting him through it, because I took Roxas away."

Then, after a small pause, he looked up at where Aerith now stood and went on,

"But, Roxas and I, we're the same. We're two halves of the same whole. Asking me to give Roxas back is like asking me to rip myself in half," Sora said with the ghost of a grim chuckle, "And it doesn't look like he'll have me the way I am now."

He sighed, frustrated again, but tiredly so. All these negative feelings were starting to wear him out. "If only there was a way to get Axel's heart back. Maybe then he could make some new friends."

[Aerith]

Circles of Questions

Something was bothering Aerith about what Sora had said. He and Roxas were two halves of the same person? Yet, at some point in time, both of them had existed simultaneously, hadn't they? She didn't know all of the details, so she voiced her questions aloud, a pondering look on her face. "If you were split apart, then how could you both have existed? Hmm..."

She tapped a finger to her chin. If only she could keep all of this straight, but it was beginning to get quite dizzying. "Okay, so you turned into a Heartless, which created Roxas. But then you didn't stay a Heartless and got your heart back. But Roxas was still out there, even after that happened."

One of her fingers scratched gently at her temple. "If you got your heart back then... wouldn't that have made Roxas disappear immediately or something? I mean, if you share the same heart and everything, that would make sense, right?" She really had no idea what she was saying at this point. Thoughts were tumbling out of her like a cascade. "I just don't understand how you two were able to exist at the same time. The Nobody and the Somebody separate but fully-functioning..."

After trailing off for a few moments of silence, she put a hand to her head and laughed. "I think I've confused myself." Her ramblings had not been without purpose, however. If there was even a glimmer of possibility that Sora and Roxas could be their own persons, maybe she and Sora could build on it.

[Castle]

Sora gave an exaggerated moan and drooped down so low that his head was almost between his knees.

"Aw, man, now I'm even more confused!" he complained.

He'd never thought of it like that. If Roxas was his Nobody, how could they both exist at the same time? Kairi had called his heart back to the light, and he hadn't felt any different than he had before he lost it in the first place. He never even knew anything was missing.

He came up a little, just enough to be in a regular slouch, and examined his hands. "But... when Kairi called me back, it wasn't like I was getting my heart returned to me. It was more like my heart was falling into the darkness, and she brought me back to the surface. That Heartless was me, and I... I got my human form back somehow, or something, but..."

He paused as a little jolt went through him.
"...Does that mean, all that time, I was actually still a Heartless...?"

Sora realized how whacko that sounded a second later, and he growled softly to himself and ran his hands through his hair, making the spikes bounce slightly.

"Ah, that's just stupid!" he said, reminding himself of Donald. Ah, phooey.