Vol 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)
x.x.x
Missions were given one at a time from Saïx, every day.
On the 9th day, Roxas’ mission was with Marluxia. It was at Twilight Town, same as the day before. There wasn’t much sign of people. Just the setting sun, s.h.i.+ning over the town.
It seemed like missions—or rather, training—was to continue in that town for a while yet.
“You’re Roxas, aren’t you. Let’s re-introduce ourselves. My name is Marluxia. I’m Number XI,” said Marluxia, in a gentle tone, looking at Roxas.
It was the first time he’d brushed with a keyblade wielder, even in his memories. He’d heard of them, though.
As a n.o.body, he couldn’t see anything special about the boy standing in front of him.
“What should I do today?” said Roxas, his gaze s.h.i.+fting slightly from Marluxia.
“Today, your mission is to collect hearts. Can you bring out your keyblade?”
“—yeah,” Roxas nodded, and made the keyblade appear in his hand.
The blade, shaped like a giant key, shone in Roxas’ hand.
It was the first time Marluxia had seen a keyblade.
“So you’re Number XIII, the one chosen by the keyblade,” muttered Marluxia, without realising, but Roxas didn’t show any special reaction.
Just then, as if called by the keyblade, a Heartless appeared.
The black-bodied thing was a Shadow, a low level Heartless.
“So the small fry have come out—Roxas, it’s sudden, but please show me the power of the keyblade. Defeat that Heartless.”
Whether he’d been listening or not, Roxas ran at the Heartless, keyblade in hand. There was no hesitation in his movements. Roxas swung the keyblade down at the Shadow, which faded away with a few blows. Marluxia had been hoping for strength that would bring a Shadow down in one blow, but as a yet newly-awakened n.o.body, this was to be expected.
“The thing you just defeated was a Heartless called a Shadow.”
“…Heartless,” muttered Roxas, still gripping the keyblade.
“The Heartless are beings of darkness that roam about, searching for hearts. There are two kinds of Heartless. One is the Pureblood type, such as the one you just defeated. Hearts do not emerge from Pureblood Heartless, even once defeated.”
“So how are hearts gathered?”
“Defeat Emblem Heartless. Those ones.”
Little Heartless had appeared in the air in front of them.
“Got it.”
Once more, Roxas ran into the throng of Heartless.
His agility wasn’t good, as expected. Just then, from a defeated Heartless, a heart floated up and vanished into the air.
It was the first time Marluxia had seen a ‘heart’ being collected before his very eyes.
If those hearts could be collected… but before that, there’s something that must be done.
Even so—the keyblade has marvellous power.
If that power was in my hands…
Roxas defeated all of the Heartless. He turned back, breathing hard.
“Is that okay?”
The keyblade disappeared from his hand.
“Yes—the things you defeated this time were Emblem Heartless. Unlike with those Shadows from before, after defeating them, somebody’s heart emerged, didn’t it. Today’s mission is to collect those hearts.
“How are those hearts collected?”
Marluxia was a little surprised at Roxas’ question.
How can a keyblade wielder not know such a thing?
“If you defeat Heartless with your keyblade, they get collected.”
“…What happens to the collected hearts?”
The continuous questions showed that Roxas didn’t know a thing.
Marluxia took a breath, and told him.
“They gather in the great Kingdom Hearts.”
“Kingdom Hearts?” Roxas tilted his head.
I haven’t seen the real thing, either. But the name, as the ‘outcome of research’, was let known to me.
“The goal of our Organisation is to complete Kingdom Hearts. In order to do so, we must gather hearts.”
“Gather hearts—so, everyone else in the Organisation is gathering hearts too, I guess.”
“Only the keyblade can free hearts completely.”
“Huh?” Roxas’ voice rose, as if he was surprised.
“We—in other words, except for you, when those of the Organisation defeat Heartless, the hearts aren’t collected. The released heart will, in due course, become a Heartless again. Heart collection is something special that cannot be performed with anything but the keyblade you wield.”
“Something special…”
Roxas’ gaze dropped to the ground, as if he were thinking.
It appears that they really haven’t let Roxas know anything. Is he not being told? And, are these things that Roxas should be learning from now on? When Saïx put me in charge of this mission, I did not receive any special instructions. All he said was to teach him how to gather hearts.
“For the sake of our Organisation, defeat Heartless, and complete the great Kingdom Hearts—we’re counting on you, Roxas,” he said, and Roxas nodded.
x.x.x
He had just finished reporting to Saïx, in the lobby.
“It looks like you’re progressing fairly well.”
“…Yeah.”
“Are you resting properly?”
“Resting?” Roxas asked.
“Whether you’re sleeping properly or not. Keeping yourself clean also comes under resting. It’s a mission to make sure you can perform on missions.”
“Probably…”
Saïx wasn’t very satisfied with Roxas’ answer.
“Arranging equipment and understanding your own skills is the same thing. And so, from today, you are to keep a journal.”
“Journal?”
“Yes, in order to understand yourself.”
Saïx handed Roxas a notebook.
“You don’t actually have to hand it in or anything. That is all. Go back to your room and rest,” was all Saïx said, and he went ahead and left the lobby.
In the lobby, members who had finished their missions were talking and relaxing. Roxas watched the members, sensing a strange sort of feeling in the air.
In the lobby was—Larxene, Demyx, and Luxord.
“What are you looking at,” Larxene sniped. Roxas looked away, fl.u.s.tered, and met Demyx’s eyes this time.
“You can’t play some kinda instrument, can you?” Demyx said.
“Instrument? What’s an instrument?”
“Like one of these.”
A strangely shaped weapon appeared in Demyx’s hands.
“What’s that?”
“It’s my sitar. Will you? Listen to this.”
Demyx touched the weapon, and a strange sound rang out.
“Shut up with that noisy thing!” yelled Larxene, disagreeably, and Demyx shrugged his shoulders.
“Which one’s noisier, anyway…?” Demyx mumbled, looking away.
“Huuuh? Did you say something, cranky-pants?” Larxene stood up from the sofa.
“…In life, such pleasures are necessary, too.”
Luxord had slid in to stand in front of Larxene.
“Eh, whatever. I’ll be saying goodbye to that racket soon enough.”
“What do you mean?” asked Demyx, forgetting he had been yelled at.
“It’s got nothing to do with peons like you. Later.”
Larxene left the lobby.
Behind her, Demyx played his sitar once more.
“That woman is such a pain in the a.s.s!”
“One of the finer points of the fairer s.e.x, is it not?” said Luxord, stroking his beard.
“Don’t really get you there, man. Right, Roxas?”
“I… don’t really understand,” replied Roxas.
Women are a pain, I guess? I don’t really understand what a woman is, anyway.
“Ah, you’ll understand someday,” grinned Luxord.
x.x.x
The next day, Roxas was in Twilight Town again, with Zexion.
Zexion, who had been the youngest member of the Organisation until Roxas came, was watching Roxas’ movements, unwaveringly.
If the keyblade did not exist, our plan would not succeed.
It’s contradictory, saying that we are searching to seek what we lost ourselves, Zexion thought, recalling their former research. I don’t think our choice to research the Heartless, and their creation process, was a mistake. But, as a consequence, we lost our own hearts.
“Was that okay?” asked Roxas, who had finished his mission.
“Very good job. I hope that you will want to complete your next mission in such a positive manner, too. Is there anything you’d like to ask?” Zexion asked, and Roxas stopped moving.
Zexion had meant for Roxas to persistently ask questions about the mission, but the words that came from Roxas’ mouth were unexpected.
“What is Kingdom Hearts?”
Zexion hesitated for a moment on how he should answer.
But, Roxas continued, not noticing Zexion’s manner.
“Defeating Heartless and gathering hearts makes Kingdom Hearts, right? Are we going to do something, once we’ve made Kingdom Hearts?” Roxas asked, in rapid succession, and Zexion was lost in thought for a while.
How should I answer…
Roxas’ gaze was fixed right on Zexion.
“…The goal of our Organisation is to fuse with the people’s hearts of kingdom hearts, and become complete. All the members of the Organisation are n.o.bodies, missing hearts—that is to say, since the time we were born into this world, we’ve lacked hearts.
Of course, I wonder if he can understand that explanation.
And then, is it necessary to make Roxas understand?
“So, does that mean I don’t have a heart, either?” Roxas asked, looking strange.
Perhaps he still doesn’t understand what a ‘heart’ is yet.
Before, that me, who researched, and had a ‘heart’, thought he understood a little of what a ‘heart’ was.
The uplifting feelings from the time I had a ‘heart’, engraved in my memories, cannot be felt any more. Now I can only remember, and work hard to try and taste it once again.
“Yes, that’s right. We members of the Organisation do not have hearts. That is why we seek them. Complete Kingdom Hearts, an aggregation of people’s hearts, and merge—in order for that to happen, Heartless must be defeated with the keyblade you wield, and hearts gathered. In order to achieve the Organisation’s goals, each member of the Organisation is given their own role. Your role is to defeat Heartless with the keyblade, and collect hearts.”