Pieces Lie Where They Fell C47

Chapter 47-Tears of the Light and Lord of the Castle
           "Name's Axel, got it memorized?"
           "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time..."
           "I'd like to think that the price on my head is bigger..."

The four of them appeared in no other place but Castle Oblivion.  
"I thought this place was closed off," Riku mused.
"I guess not anymore," Roxas said, sliding back into Sora, feeling his energy drooping.
"Let's just hope Xehanort still thinks this place is sealed off," Sora added.
"Sora! Riku!" Kairi said, running up to them, Axel and…Namine at her heels.
Kairi ran straight up to the two boys and hugged them both.  Namine stood awkwardly behind her, unsure of how she should react.  Axel walked right up to Aqua.
"Hello," she said.  "Who are you?"
"Name's Axel," he said.  "Got it memorized?"
Aqua laughed.  "Sure," she replied.  "I'm Aqua."
"How did you guys get here?" Sora asked.
"Well, after you two got blasted to who-knows-where," Axel said.  "Xehanort tried to capture Kairi, but I shielded her and he ended up blasting us here."
"He sent us to the place his heart most desired to be," Namine said.  "Castle Oblivion allowed us through.  Obviously it allowed you as well, for the Vexen Replicas have assured us multiple times that Castle Oblivion is still sealed to evil forces."
"There are Vexen Replicas here too?" Sora asked.
"Why am I not surprised?" Riku muttered, casually nudging Sora closer to Kairi.  "Hey, Sora, why don't you tell Kairi what you and I were talking about?"
"Huh, what?" Sora said.
Riku refrained from smacking his forehead again.  
"Oh!" Sora exclaimed, the light bulb going off.
"Oh wow…" Roxas said.
Sora took Kairi's hand.  "I was worried about you," he said.  "Really worried about you."
Kairi blushed.  "I was worried about you, too, Sora."
Namine and Riku both rolled their eyes, knowing full well that Sora and Kairi were avoiding the main subject.
Kairi threw her arms around Sora once again and he held her to him.
Roxas made gagging noises inside Sora's head.  
"Dude, I'm going to go curl up in a little corner and pretend that I'm not a part of you right now, okay?" he muttered.  Sora didn't pay any attention.  
"We worried about you, too," Namine said shyly, looking up at Riku.
Riku had seen too many things to be shocked to see Namine and Kairi separate.  And not just the ghostly separation that he'd seen before with both Namine and Roxas.  But separate to the point that Namine wasn't transparent—similar to before Sora was awake.
"Thanks, I think," he said, scratching the back of his neck.  
"Oh my goodness," Aqua said, looking around.  "I know where we are.  This used to be the Land of Departure! Ven's here!"
That got everyone's attention.
"Ven, as in Ventus is here?" Axel asked.  
"Where?" Riku asked.  
"Yeah, that's a good question," Axel said.  "I've torn this place practically upside-down before, and the only thing I know of to have eluded me is a couple of Vexen Replicas and that dumb room that Xemnas swore was here."
"What dumb room?" Aqua asked.  
"Some chamber of something… don't tell me that that room is where Ven is? But why would Xe—"
"Xehanort, or Xemnas, or whatever his name is," Aqua interrupted.  "May not remember Ven, but I'm sure he believes that Ven and therefore, the room where Ven is, is important to him.  That would explain why he had you looking for it."
"Why couldn't I find it though?" Axel asked.  "I just flat-out told everyone it didn't exist.  And now you're telling me that it does?"
"I think the reason why you couldn't find it," Aqua said slowly, drawing her Keyblade.  "Is because I'm the only one who holds the key."
"Couldn't anyone with a Keyblade open it?" Sora asked.  "I have yet to see a lock that a Keyblade can't unlock."
Aqua shook her head.  "I am the one who created it, and I think my Keyblade is the only key that can unlock it."
While Sora and Axel both gaped at that information, Namine said:
"Please, lead the way."
Aqua gave a little bow.  "Thank you."
With that, she ran off, navigating the castle as if she had lived there all her life.  She led them to a room that literally seemed to appear as they approached it.  
"How did you do that?" Sora asked.
"When I was made a Master, I made a promise to my Master that I would make sure darkness did not take over this world.  I changed the layout of the castle to something that only I would know fully."
"And all unwelcome visitors would be lost in oblivion," Namine added.
Aqua looked at her and smiled.  "You seem to know a lot about this place."
"This Castle and I have quite the connection," Namine said with a smile.  "I think it's because I was born here."
Aqua frowned in confusion.
"It's a long story," Namine said.  "I will try and explain later if there is time.  Don't you have a friend to wake up?"
Aqua nodded and turned to face the door that had appeared.  She brought up her Keyblade and a flash of light shot out from the tip of her Keyblade to the lock in the door.  The door swung open and Aqua ran in, followed closely by the others.
"Ven!" she yelled.  He did not stir.  
Aqua sighed and lowered her head.  "That's right," she muttered.  "You've lost your heart.  I promised that I would help find that—and I did, even though it has taken me so long.   But I broke my promise about bringing Terra back…"
"He looks just like Roxas," Riku said.  
"Or perhaps it is Roxas that looks like him," Axel argued.  
"That would probably be because part of Ven's heart went into Roxas when he was created," Namine said.
"How is that…" Aqua began, looking up.  She froze, however, when she saw what was going on between Sora and Ven.
As Sora had entered the room, every single chain embedded into the floor and walls lit up.  The Keyblade Master symbols were throbbing with light.  
"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.  Then he disappeared.  So did Ven.
"Sora!" Kairi called, at the exact same time as Aqua screamed:
"Ven!"

Sora found himself floating in darkness.  However, he wasn't afraid, for he had a feeling he knew what was at the end.  Sure enough, the light from a Dive platform appeared in the distance.  He brought his feet so that they were under him and he landed in the middle of what appeared to be a crown.  He looked to his left and saw Roxas.  On his right, stood a boy whom he knew to be Ven.
Roxas was confused for a moment.  One second, he was seeing everything out of Sora's eyes.  Then, the next thing he knew, he was seeing out of his own eyes.  He was headed right to a Dive platform.  He righted himself and landed in the middle of a Nobody symbol.
Well that's a welcome… he thought to himself.  
On his right stood Sora.  On his left, however, was a boy who might as well have been his own twin.  The boy's jacket was different than Roxas', and his pants were more like Sora's, but from the face up, Roxas could have just as easily been looking in a mirror.  
Where am I? Ven thought.
He was standing in the middle of a Keyblade Master symbol.  On his left was the boy whom he knew to be Sora.  Though they had never met in person (and, arguably, they still had yet to meet in person), Ven knew exactly who Sora was.  He was the boy who had opened up his heart to him all that time ago.  It was all coming back to him—but Sora was no longer the innocent little four-year-old he had once been.  He now looked close to sixteen, but he still had that air of innocence.  Some things never changed.
Ven looked to his right and took a step back in shock.  The boy staring back at him looked almost exactly like him.  He knew (vaguely) that Roxas resembled him, but he had never seen it first hand—until now.  
"What's going on here?" Roxas asked, starting to walk to the middle of the platform.  Sora and Ven followed his suit.
"Do we need to fight each other?" was Roxas' next question.  "If so, that sucks."
Sora shook his head.  "No, this has something to do with our hearts."
Roxas frowned.  "But I don't have a heart, not really, not without you two."
"I think it has to do with my heart, actually," Ven said, putting a hand to his chest.
"I think it's time for you to wake up," Sora said.  
"But, my heart is still weak…" Ven said sadly.
"I don't think it is anymore," Sora argued gently.   
"Really?" Ven asked, sounding a tad confused.
"Really," Sora said.  "You've been asleep so long, that you haven't noticed that your heart has regained so much of its strength."
"I don't have a body to go back to," Ven said.
"Yeah, you do," Roxas said.  "I saw it, right before we showed up here."
"And your friend, Aqua is there," Sora said.
"Aqua?" Ven asked, his eyes lighting up.  "But, what about Terra."
Sora frowned.  
"I think you know where he is," Roxas said with a frown.  "Deep down, you know."
"He gave into the darkness," Ven said sadly.  
"People can come back from that," Sora reassured him.  
"Really?" Ven asked.  
Sora nodded.  "Riku gave into the darkness, and he's fighting very hard for the side of light now."
Ven tried to smile.  "But I think Xehanort got to him…"
"Hey," Roxas said.  "Maybe if we destroy Xehanort, Terra will come back."
Ven's eyes widened.  "Then let's destroy Xehanort!"
Ven clenched his fists excitedly, as if preparing for battle.
"I think it's time to wake up now," Sora said.
"Which means that all there is left to do…" Ven said.
"Is open the door," Sora finished, summoning Oathkeeper.
Roxas summoned Oblivion, Ven summoned Lost Memory.
The three of them pointed their Keyblades to the sky, sending out jets of light.  

Sora and Ven opened up their eyes at the exact same time.  Simultaneously, their bodies reappeared in the Chamber of Waking.  
"Ven!" Aqua exclaimed.  
"Aqua," Ven said with a smile.  "You came for me."
"I promised I would," Aqua said, a tear falling down her cheek.
He looked around the room, trying to match all the faces with people he only had vaguely seen through Sora's eyes.  He could easily recognize Kairi and Riku, for they were the closest to Sora.  The blonde girl, Namine was a little more vague, but he knew who she was.  Sora's face was an interesting one to look at, for half the time he saw Sora, and half the time he saw Roxas.  He looked over to his right and saw a face that he completely didn't expect to see there.
"Lea!" he exclaimed.
Axel uncrossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.  "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time, at least, said in a way that wasn't demeaning."
"What are you doing here?" Ven asked, incredulous.
"We're friends, right?" Axel asked. "Don't friends do this sort of stuff for each other?"
Ven laughed.  "Where's Isa?"
Axel frowned.  So did Sora, Kairi, Riku and Namine.  
"He and I don't fight for the same things anymore," Axel said.  
"Oh," Ven said sadly.  "Any chance he'll see sense?"
"Probably not," Axel replied, looking away.
"Well, I'm glad you're here," Ven said.  "I'm glad all of you are here!"
"We're glad to be here," Sora said.  "Mending those who are hurting and finding those who are lost."
"And remembering those who are forgotten," Namine added.
"It feels empty in here now, without Ven's heart," Roxas said.  
"Yeah, it kind of does.  But it's better this way," Sora replied.  
Someone knocked on the door.  Namine went over and opened it.  On the other side stood a Vexen Replica.
"Hello 42," she said sweetly.
He gave her a little bow.  "Goodness, I didn't know this room was in here.  Well, never mind, this Castle never ceases to surprise me.  Anyway, I heard that Sora was here.  Are we prepared to do another Separation?"
"I haven't gotten that far yet; I need to explain it," Namine said.  "However, I will do so now.  Thank you, we'll meet you in there when we're ready."
42 gave another little bow and left.
"What was that about?" Sora asked.  
"Would you mind coming with me?" Namine asked.  "It actually involves you and Roxas."
Sora frowned.  "Um, sure.  We can do that."
"Kairi, I'm sure you'd like to come along as well?" Namine said.
"Of course."
"Riku, Axel, Ven, Aqua, you may choose to come, or you may stay here," Namine said.
"I'll come along," Riku said.
"I may just stay here and try and catch Ven up," Aqua said.
"Hey, maybe I can catch you up on some stuff too," Ven said.  "I wasn't completely unconscious all that time, I have vague bits of memory."
Aqua laughed.  "We'll just catch each other up."
Namine and Kairi looked at Axel, who shrugged.  
"Sure, I'll come."
Namine nodded with a smile.  "All right then.  If you need help getting around this place, just call for a Vexen Re—oh, that's right, you won't be needing help.  You made the layout of Castle Oblivion."
Aqua smiled.
"Right, well, everyone else, follow me."
However, they didn't make it past the doorway.  27 was waiting for them.  
"I have bad news," he said, looking down.
"What is it?" Sora asked.
"We have intruders on our front door."
"Do you know who they are?" Axel asked.
"I can't distinguish them in the cloaks that they are wearing."
Everyone did a combination of wincing, grimacing, eyes-widening and eyebrow-raising.
"Do you have a camera feed?" Axel asked.  "I've always seemed to be able to tell who's wearing what cloak."
27 pulled a tablet out of his pocket and pulled up a camera feed.  Axel took the tablet from 27 and looked over the two figures.  One was tall yet stalky; the other one was short and slender.  
"Well, well," Axel sneered.  "Just when I thought I wasn't going to see any more of my old comrades."
"Do you know who they are?" Kairi asked.
Axel nodded.  "One's Marluxia, the other's Larxene.  Or, whatever they've decided to call themselves this time around."
"Do we need to go take care of them?" Sora asked.
"Nah, I'll handle it," Axel said.  
"Will you need help?" Riku asked.
Axel shook his head.  "I can handle those punks."
"Can I help?" Ven asked, coming over.
"Ven!" Aqua warned.  "It's too…"
"I'm serious," Axel said.  "I can handle it.  But, you're welcome to come and watch."
This seemed to satisfy both Aqua and Ven.
"Right, well, let's go," Axel said.  "We'll take care of them easily."
"You know where to find us," Namine said.
Axel nodded and headed off, Aqua and Ven both following him.  
"Right," Namine said.  "This way."
She then led them to a room that looked like it could have very easily been someone's bedroom.  Except, instead of a bed, there were a couple of couches.  No one sat down, however.  
"Now," Namine said, putting her hands together.  "I'm sure you're all wondering how it is that Kairi and I can be separate from each other without being shadows of each other."
"Well, yeah," Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.  "I was wondering that."
"Roxas, are you listening?" Namine asked, frowning.
"Yes!" Roxas said, sounding agitated.
"He says yes," Sora said.
Namine pursed her lips.  "I have a hard time believing you, Roxas.  You have a nasty habit of falling asleep."
Roxas sighed and pulled himself out of Sora.  He stood next to his 'other', looking ghost-like in comparison.  
"Believe me now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Namine nodded.  "Yes."
"Continue," Riku said.  "I'm curious."
"There's this process," Kairi said, pointing to all the computers around them.  "It reconstructs both the heart of the original Somebody and the original Nobody until each heart is completely separate but complete within itself.  That way, Namine and I can be separate, and also, Sora and Roxas can be separate."
"The Program was actually made for Sora and Roxas," Namine said.  
"We just ended up using it first," Kairi added.
"42 is very proud of his work," Namine said.  "And wait until you see what 34 is up to."
"Well," Kairi interjected.  "We've been helping."
Namine allotted her that.
Roxas was frowning.  "It sounds too good to be true," he said.
"It isn't though," Namine said.  "This type of Program is built specifically for us, practically.  It was designed for Nobodies who maintained their separate consciousnesses."
"So," Riku said.  "Weirdos like you."
"Hey!" Sora and Roxas said simultaneously.
Riku shrugged.  "I would figure you two would want to be whole."
Roxas frowned, thinking.
However, he didn't get a chance to respond before 34 came in.
"Miss Namine," he said, giving her a little nod.  "The Program is mechanically complete.  All that is missing is the rest of the memories."  
"We'll be in there as soon as we can.  It will have to wait a bit though.  Roxas won't be able to do it in the current state he's in."
34 looked at Roxas and raised his eyebrows.  "42 is aware, is he not?"
"Yes, he is," Namine said.
34 nodded and left.
"What's going on?" Roxas asked.
"Follow me," Namine said.  "There's something—or rather, someone—that you need to see.  And you'll probably want to see this before you two make your decisions about separating."

Axel, Aqua, and Ven all made their way to the Castle's giant entrance.  
"Whoa," Ven said.
"It's more impressive from the outside," Axel said, going over to the door.
"I feel like I've been here before," Ven said.
"I'll explain later," Aqua said.
Axel opened the door.  Sure enough, he was met with two figures who were indeed Marluxia and Larxene.
"Axel," one of them seethed.  Her voice was high and grating.
"Interesting to see you here," the other said.  His voice was smooth, but cold.
"I should say the same to you," Axel replied, casually leaning against the doorframe.
"Will you let us in?" the girl asked.
"Technically," Axel said, toying with them.  "I don't recognize you."
The girl growled and tore off her hood.  She was blonde with blue-green eyes.  The man pulled down his hood as well.  He had pink hair with deep blue eyes.  
"Yeah, I figured it was you," Axel said.  "But I like to see people's facial expressions when I talk to them.  I've grown rather used to it, actually."
"I have an idea," Larxene growled.  "How about you let us in."
"Why should I? You're traitors."
"So are you," Marluxia said simply.
"Yup," Axel said.  "And Xehanort's got a price on my head.  If he knew you two were around, he'd name a price for each of your heads too.  Though, I'd like to think that the price on my head is bigger, since I think I've done more to piss them off."
Larxene pursed her lips.  Marluxia's eyes narrowed.  
"I'm not going to let you in until you tell me what side you're on," Axel said.  "And even then, I still might not let you in."
"We're on our own side," Marluxia said.  
"Not really the answer I wanted to hear," Axel said, starting to close the door.
"Please!" Larxene wailed.  "Help us! I can't stand all the emotions! The remorse…the guilt… it's horrible!"
"Wow," Axel said, his brows furrowing.  "Groveling does not suit you."
"I'm not groveling!" she seethed, pulling out her knives.  
She punched forward, getting Axel in the gut with all four of them.
He coughed.  "Really?" he asked.
"Stop getting enjoyment out of our expense, Axel.  I know that's what you're good at, but please, it's not going to help any of us here."
Axel didn't even appear fazed by the fact that he had four knives in his gut.  "I don't think you're in a position to be bartering.  I don't even see why you want in here anyway."
"Hmph," Larxene snorted, trying brute force for a change.
She shoved her way past Axel, but was stopped short upon seeing Ven.
"Are you still babysitting that brat?" she asked.
"Okay, I'm done," Axel said.
He formed a dark corridor behind Larxene and kicked her square in the chest.  She flew through the corridor and it disappeared.  
Axel put a hand over the blood now welling up from the knife-wounds.  He grimaced and looked up at Marluxia, who had not moved.  
"You can disappear on your own, or I can send you where I sent her," Axel said.
Marluxia pulled out his scythe.
"Wrong choice, dude," Axel said.  
He formed a corridor underneath Marluxia and Marluxia dropped through it.
"I'm now a hypocrite," he muttered.  "I hate it when Xehanort uses those on other people."
"Where did you send them?" Aqua asked.
"Don't really know, don't really care," Axel grunted.  
He pulled the knives out of his stomach and dropped them on the ground.  They all disappeared before they even hit the ground.  
"Curaga," Axel said.  The knife-wounds healed.  
"Who were they, exactly?" Ven asked.
"I used to work with them," Axel said, frowning.  "Never particularly liked them.  Though, it's hard to tell, since none of us had hearts."
At Aqua's frown, he added: "We were all Nobodies.  I'm sure someone will explain it to you when there's a chance.  Anyway, I used to work with them, now I don't.  I don't like them, I booted them out of my sight."

Namine led the way through the weird corridors.  
"You seem worried," Kairi said, falling into step alongside Roxas.  "Why?"
Roxas frowned.  "Well, when Sora and I were separate before, I had part of Ven's heart in me.  And now that Ven is separate from us both, I'm not sure if my own heart is stable enough.  I felt how empty it was when Ven woke up.  Sora noticed it too.  What if, what if I'm incomplete? What if something goes wrong?"
Namine turned around.  "Nothing will go wrong," she said.  "The process will make up for the parts of a heart that you don't have.  It'll be like it's rebuilding it."
"Kind of like I did with Ven when his heart was shattered," Sora said, speaking on the subject for the first time.  
Namine and Kairi both nodded.  
"Exactly," Namine said.  
"It's almost as if, you're replicating their hearts," Riku said.  "Wait, are you telling me that you're a Replica?" he asked, looking at Namine.
She frowned.  "Well, to answer your question directly, no.  I can't be a Replica because I am the thing I am replicated from in that sense.  But, the idea behind it is similar—it definitely has something to do with data.  I'm not entirely sure of the details.  42 lost me on some of the finer stuff."
"Maybe it would be nice to be my own self," Roxas said.  
Riku snorted.  "You're the one who insisted that you were you and nobody else."
"I did say that, didn't I?" Roxas asked.
Sora shrugged.  "Probably."
They arrived at wherever it was that they were going.  There was a single pod sitting in the middle of the room, standing next to it was Number 34, checking stats on his tablet.  Namine went up to a little crystal ball next to the pod and put her hand on it.  The pod separated and the door came down, revealing a small figure wearing a black cloak.  
The reactions across the room were completely different and probably amusing to watch.
34 looked upon the figure and smiled with pride.  Namine and Kairi both smiled with anticipation.  Riku raised his eyebrows, figuring what was coming.  Sora actually frowned, seeing the black cloak and feeling apprehensive.  Roxas however, smiled and probably would have shed a tear given the time.  
"Xion," he said quietly.
"Not quite yet," Namine said, frowning.  "She doesn't have all of her memories back.  We were only able to give her the ones that Axel and I had of her.  They're incomplete.  She needs all of them.  Roxas, you absorbed them when you absorbed her.  She needs you to give them back."
"How, is that even possible?" Roxas said.  "Would I be losing memories of my own?"
Namine shook her head, but it was 34 who responded.
"It's a data transfer—like copy and paste," he said.  "And you're the one with the master file.  Namine and Axel were able to fill in some blanks.  And I'm sure Riku and Sora could do a bit of their part as well.  However, you are the one with the complete file, so it would be best if you just completed her."
"So, if we do that, will Xion be al-around again?" Roxas asked.
Everyone in the room nodded.  
"But, she'll be Replica," Roxas said.  "She hated being a Replica, won't she still hate being a Replica?"
"Not if you teach her that being a Replica isn't bad," Namine said.  "You, Xion and I are all special.  Soon, all three of us will be made up of quite a bit of data—Sora and Kairi too.  And without Saix around to constantly remind her that she's just somebody's puppet, I think she'll just like to be around.  Especially if she's around you."
"What do I need to do?" Roxas asked, suddenly really determined.