This is a fully translated version of the Another Report story "Roxas-Somewhere in Time".
Thanx to KHU Mors for the translation!
Who thinks the crow is Maleficent?
Thanx to KHU Mors for the translation!
Roxas - Somewhere in Time.
Having just awoken from his sleep, his line of vision spread into a hazed world. Though he felt hazy in his dreams too, in this castle in the world-in-between, Roxas felt there wasn't that much difference.
He had been having dreams for several days. However, he didn't remember much of their contents. He felt they were fun, yet he felt they were painful as well. He only remembered that every night he has been having a dream. On the other hand, those memories were so weak they could be forgotten in a few busy days.
The dreams were losing him sleep and he felt absent-minded. As he was about to get out of bed, he realized a face was peering very closely over him. He sat up and his head collided with his observer's.
"Ouch€¦"
The red-haired man grasped his face and crouched in agony. Roxas sighed and said:
"This is what happens when you stick your head out all of a sudden, Axel."
"No mercy at all?"
The red-haired man, Axel, complained as he stood up. He looked down at Roxas who was still sitting on his bed.
"Why should I be merciful? It's your fault for sticking your head out when I'm waking up."
"Is that any way to talk to a friend who just got back from a long mission?"
"I don't remember being friends with you."
Roxas got out of bed and, as if to ignore Axel, turned his back to him and donned a black coat.
Axel had said they were "friends". In spite of this, it is an act that that can only be played by the realm of humans. It is a connection that cannot exist in Nobodies because they do not have hearts. Then again, Roxas was not sure what to call this particular closeness he had with Axel...No...This closeness was just stronger than that which he had with the other members.
"So, what do you want"?
"Xemnas is calling," answered Axel, sitting on Roxas' bed.
"What about Marluxia and the others?"
Axel hung his head slightly as Roxas asked.
"Didn't they come back with you?"
Axel slowly looked up at Roxas, who kept enquiring, and stared at him. Roxas began to feel uncomfortable and looked away.
It had been a few months since Axel had been called to a place called Castle Oblivion on a mission. A handful of other members of the Organization, headed by Marluxia, had also gone there. In that castle's network of white rooms the Organization had conducted research. Roxas had no idea what had been researched, nor was he supposed to. Did Axel's return mean something had happened at Castle Oblivion?
"So anyway, we have to go see Xemnas?"
"Right," answered Axel as he stood up and yawned.
As Roxas followed suit, Axel put his hand on his shoulder.
"When that's done, why don't we have some ice-cream in Twilight Town?"
"That's not a bad idea."
Roxas looked up at Axel beside him and smiled. Eating ice-cream in that town is not bad at all.
Roxas - Somewhere in Time part 2
Sitting on his marble chair, Roxas listened to Xemnas. He was saying five members including Marluxia had been eradicated by the Keyblade Wielder.
"So the Keyblade Wielder has stopped...."
Xaldin folded his arms.
"The loss of Naminé is a blow. How do you intend to take responsibility for it, Axel?" demanded Saix.
"I fled back here on the verge of defeat! How am I supposed to be responsible?" retorted Axel.
"Well, never mind. Perhaps we should ask the opinion of our own Keyblade bearer?" said Xigbar as he gazed at Roxas.
"Well, I...."
He didn't have an opinion. Keyblade....the key to the worlds.
All he knew was that he had the same power as him, no more, no less. He was with the Organization because he had nowhere else to go and wasn't even certain he wanted to retrieve his lost heart.
"Sora."
Roxas looked up at Xigbar's unprovoked call.
Sora?
He felt he'd heard that name before.
"What on earth's that?" asked Demyx.
"Ha-ha, I see, you don't know anything," chuckled Xigbar.
Saix snorted, Axel frowned and Demyx tilted his head. Luxord, Xaldin and Xemnas remained impassive.
Their individual reactions were worrisome.
"The fact that the Keyblade Wielder has gone into sleep matters not," said Xemnas, easing the tension that had built up at Xigbar’s words. "Axel, you will take Roxas to Hollow Bastion. It appears something is afoot around the Keyhole."
"But I just got back!" replied Axel indignantly at Xemnas' order.
"It is your punishment for letting Naminé escape."
As soon as he finished talking, Xemnas disappeared.
In the darkness in between, Axel and Roxas headed towards Hollow Bastion. This ability to traverse the corridors of Darkness connected to various places in various worlds was another one specific to Organization XIII.
"Man.... Give me a break!"
Roxas quietly trailed after an irritable Axel with his hood up.
Sora... Keyblade.... How confusing....
"When this is over we'll definitely get some ice-cream! Got it memorized?"
Axel turned on his heels and faced Roxas.
".... Sora."
As Roxas pronounced that name, Axel sulked.
"Don't worry about anything Xigbar says."
"It's not like I want to worry but... it's just nagging me..." replied Roxas, who stopped.
"Axel.... you know Sora, right?"
Axel looked troubled for a moment and then gazed into Roxas' face.
"I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
"Why?"
".... Because you don't need to know."
Axel turned his back to Roxas. There was no need for Roxas to know of the connection between Roxas and Sora... No, he didn't want him to know.
Roxas, the special Nobody... and the Keyblade Wielder...
Axel wondered how long he would have to continue to lie to Xemnas.
He wondered how long he would have to continue to lie to Roxas.
"Axel!"
"What?"
"I want to know."
"What?"
"....I don't know."
Roxas looked bewildered again.
He had nothing... He understood nothing. He felt uneasy because something seemed to be happening to do with a part of himself he didn’t know of.
"Why does the Organization exist?"
"To gather hearts."
Axel answered Roxas’ question so fast he had probably been preparing for it. Roxas remained perplex.
"Hey, there's no point thinking about that sort of thing... Let's go. We'll have some ice-cream when we're done."
Axel put a hand on Roxas’ shoulder and looked ahead.
That Darkness ahead of them gave out onto Hollow Bastion.
Roxas - Somewhere in Time part 3
Roxas and Axel walked through the castle that was falling into ruin.
"I wonder what there is around here."
At that moment, there was a sudden change in the surrounding atmosphere.
"...Heartless."
Two Keyblades appeared in Roxas' hands. As if interpreting it as a signal, Heartless surrounded them.
"What a bore..."
Setting himself back to back with Roxas, Axel's Chakrams appeared in his hands.
"Don't tell me our mission consists of eliminating this lot?"
"Don't ask me!"
As Roxas answered Axel, he gave a Keyblade a swing. Axel looked impressed and whistled.
"Alright Roxas!"
"Don't waste your breath. Give me a hand!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Axel charged forward and struck. In no time at all, the two defeated all their foes and the castle was silent once more, void of any presence.
"This actually might have been what our mission was..."
As Axel tilted his head there was a fluttering of wings above them.
"What's that?"
Roxas craned his neck upwards and noticed a single bird-cage suspended from the ceiling. It seemed to be the source of the fluttering sound.
"Shall we let it go?"
Axel responded to Roxas' question by throwing a Chakram upwards which brought the cage down. A single crow flew out of its broken prison.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
"...Yeah," replied Roxas, as he glanced at the crow flying off into the distance before staring at the broken cage.
Roxas - Somewhere in Time part 4
As the sun was setting in Twilight Town, the sound of playing children could be heard. Ice-cream in hand, the two walked towards the station.
"We're going there, right?"
"Yep."
Roxas nibbled his ice-cream.
"Hey, don't you start eating that yet," complained Axel.
A ball rolled to a halt at Roxas' feet.
"Sorry!" yelled a boy.
"Dang Hayner!" shouted a girl from behind him, with another, slightly chubby boy trailing her.
Roxas picked up the ball and threw it to them. The three thanked him, took the ball and ran off.
"....They seem about your age."
"What?"
Axel looked away.
"Nothing."
Roxas looked puzzled for a moment before walking forward again. He gazed at a flock of birds which took off into the sky ahead of him.
The castle in which the Organization had taken residence felt like a bird's cage. He spent the days at a loss about everything and he had been given a role he knew nothing about....
Yes.... never told anything.
Am I really supposed to be here?
"Don't just stand there. Sit down."
"What? Oh, right."
The two had arrived at the clock-tower above the station. From there it was possible to look out onto the whole town. It was an important place for Roxas and Axel; it was where they had eaten ice-cream on the day they first met.
"Your ice-cream's going to melt."
Roxas hurriedly put his ice-cream in his mouth.
"I didn't quite understand that mission..."
"Yeah..." replied Roxas, dimly.
"I wonder what that crow was?"
"Yeah..."
Faced with nothing but short, glum answers, Axel let out a sigh.
"Don't tell me you're still worried about what Xigbar said?"
"Not really..."
As Roxas rubbed his nose, a flock of birds flew past.
"I suppose it must be fun, being able to fly like that."
"...It certainly looks like it," said Axel as he had some more of his ice-cream.
"I wonder how long we can stay like this..."
As Roxas spoke, Axel looked up at him. Roxas probably felt like all he had to do, day after day, was missions to defeat Heartless. To be fair, all the missions that were given to him were precisely nothing but Heartless extermination. However, Axel felt this couldn't be helped. Roxas was special, both in the eyes of the Organization as well as his own. In the same way the Organization didn't want to tell Roxas anything, he didn't want to tell Roxas anything either.
Is this the same as betraying Roxas?
"We might not always be together."
"What?"
This time, Axel's sudden words surprised Roxas, who looked at him.
"Hey, don't look at me like that."
Axel turned away from Roxas and took a bite out of his ice-cream. Roxas didn't know of Axel's dilemma. Axel didn't know of Roxas' dilemma.
"....We may not always be together... huh..." said Roxas.
"We've got to make lots of memories," laughed Axel.
"What are you on about?" asked Roxas, laughing along.
Can beings without hearts have memories?
"Nah, it's just..."
It's just.... it's just that, even though Axel didn't have a heart, he felt something in his chest when he thought that Roxas might be going away.
"Memories... huh..." mumbled Roxas to himself as he gazed at the setting sun.
Next to him, Axel took a bite out of his ice-cream and he too stared into the sunset.
END
Who thinks the crow is Maleficent?
