A War of White Shadows (Kingdom Hearts)

Midnight Summer I

"Ah, she ventures out." Marluxia gestures down—far, far down—to the valley below them. He stands beside Sora atop a crooked old tower. Its shingles are so loose with mold that Sora eyes the edge, wondering how many false steps it would take to send him sliding over. Marluxia's gesture drags his gaze to the fields below, where a young woman with long, long, long golden hair springs here and there through the valley, eagerly exploring here and there. Sora aches to remember what it's like to have that kind of zeal for life.

"She's a Princess of Heart?" Sora says.

Marluxia nods. "Rapunzel is her name. She has been kept safe in this tower until today. We must make sure no harm comes to her."

Sora crosses his arms. "Whatever your deal is with her, keep me out of it. I don't want any part in this."

Rapunzel and her companion—a much less conspicuous man who seems to have reservations about this venture—disappear into the rock-and-ivy crevice that leads out into the rest of the world. Sora turns away. He slides out to the gutter and flips gracefully off the tower's roof. His dark cloak billows like a storm cloud behind him as he falls. He lands gracefully and noiselessly on the edge of the pond below.

He looks down at his reflection in the water. His hair is wilder than before, the natural highlights dulled after hiding under his cloak for so long. His cloak hangs off his body—the appetite he barely cultivated after his capture disappeared completely after his return from Arendelle. And his bloodshot yellow eyes—dark circles underneath—underscore just how little he's slept. He hardly remembers what it is to sleep and doesn't want to start now. All he sees in his better nightmares is Elsa's shape warping into that monster, is Anna turning into a statue of frosted blue glass. And no matter how he screams and fights, he can do nothing but relive it over and over.

In his worse nightmares, he sees Kairi turn to ice and Riku morph into a monster.

A heartless appears in the middle of a lake with a splash, startling Sora out of his thoughts. Then another three appear, then two more, until a small cluster are staring at him with bright yellow eyes. Sora backtracks. His hand twitches to call his keyblade out of instinct. It's not until his heels hit the base of the tower that he realizes what he's doing. The shadows draw closer, morbidly interested in this strange half-shadow creature he must appear to be. They bare their teeth and poise their scythelike limbs like scorpion tails.

Then, in a whirl of petals, Marluxia extinguishes them from above. Their ghostlike hearts rise up and away. Sora releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Marluxia, who has landed silently on the edge of the pond, turns around, eying the stick in Sora's hand—one Sora is just as surprised to see. He must have grabbed it to defend himself. He doesn't remember picking it up.

He flips it up in the air once or twice before tossing it aside, reminded of fond memories sword-fighting on the beach with Riku. Too bad Riku can't see him now—practically relegated to using a wooden sword again.

"I would advise you not to abandon your mission so suddenly," Marluxia tells him evenly. "Rapunzel's safety is of the utmost importance. Surely you can understand."

"Of course it's important," Sora retorts. "You want to capture her and use her heart."

"That does not mean we wish for any harm to come to the girl herself. What we seek is balance. Not violence."

Sora turns away, kicking a pebble into the water. "If you want her to be safe, then I don't think I should get near her." His gaze strays towards the cliff tops above and the thick forests just beyond. He hasn't given up on an escape yet. But even if he can get away, what then? He has no way back home without the Kingdom Key.

Seeing his stare, Marluxia says, "I wouldn't run off if I were you. The wilderness of this world is deceptively dangerous, especially to a boy without the barest means of defending himself."

"I can defend myself," Sora protests.

"Last we met, you summoned a keyblade to protect yourself. You seem much less willing to do so now. I gather something hinders you."

Sora groans. Another meeting he doesn't remember.

"You were more hotheaded then," Marluxia says.

"Yeah, well, I'm in the Organization now. I might as well act like a Nobody," Sora deadpans.

Marluxia scoffs. "Nobodies are not such simple creatures. Besides, living in the darkness does not smother one's inner fire. It merely redirects it. This new development with your keyblade is, admittedly, disappointing." Marluxia crosses his arms and taps his chin with a gloved knuckle. "I suppose I could send you back to Master Xehanort and deal with Rapunzel myself."

Sora suppresses a shudder at the thought of returning to the Keyblade Graveyard in less-than-stellar graces again. After Arendelle, Xehanort had a few choice words with him over losing Elsa's heart for good. More than Sora's pride was bruised.

"Then again," Marluxia muses, "I was so very curious when I heard the news of your capture. Perhaps this gives us room to mend the... afflictions of our previous relationship."

Sora eyes him. Marluxia is tall and willowy, and his long, pastel-colored hair makes Sora think of wisteria petals. He moves with a grace that betrays a certain lack of humanity—he's unmistakably a Nobody. But Sora has witnessed him voice his disdain for the Organization and for Xehanort. Maybe he wants to be here as much as I do, Sora thinks. If we knew each other before... maybe we could be allies.

"Can you help me summon my keyblade?" Sora ventures.

A small, deliberate smile finds its way to Marluxia's face. "What an excellent idea."