The Night

An Epilogue that Sounds Just as Sweet

The Night

An Epilogue that Sounds Just as Sweet

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June 11th, 2027

The sky still never lies, thinks Roxas.

He and Sora look out at the creamsicle daytime from Station Plaza, the sunshine warming the bricks across Twilight Town with the early evening glow. The town is near silent save for sounds of departing trains drifting across the wind.

"It really is beautiful here," Sora says. "Where do you want to go first?"

When Superior was initially planning on giving the next Twilight Town assignment, he intended to ask Axel like always... but Roxas insisted on taking on the mission instead. Their delivery to this DiZ guy wasn't scheduled until much later, so they had plenty of time to kill. He had some unfinished business to finally settle.

"Let's just walk," He finally decides, pulling his hood up. "We'll let the universe decide what we come across today."

He made an invisible orb around them so as not to attract unwanted attention, and they started the trek down Station Heights with XIII leading the way. Sora had been worried about Roxas taking on this mission, and he and Axel nearly convinced the blond to not go. However, XIII insisted and they realized there was no way to convince him. He needed this more than anything else right now; being possibly immortal now, and with the future very uncertain, it was his greatest wish to finally confront his past.

At several points in Roxas' life up until now, he thought that there were steps he needed to take to be rid of the Roxas he was before. Yet now, he's realized that his past self is just as important as his present self. The scars and memories one builds up over time shape one's existence, and to deny experience is to limit growth. An eternity spent trying to bury the past instead of embracing it would be torturous.

Although the Organization are now aware of his possible immortality, they don't know he'd gone up against the Necromancer, and they intend to keep it that way. He and Sora still dodn't know what the Org's possible connection to Xehanort was, and the subject may have been too dangerous or suspicious to explore right after that chaotic night. Their next goal is to find a way to protect themselves against Namine's memory-controlling powers so they can confront her later. They would just have to bide their time for now, and investigate in the future.

And so, they stroll through the eerily quiet town, with the only real sound coming from the local birds and distant sounds of tram cars or train horns. It's a quiet Roxas knows and loves all to well: the peaceful lull before noisy bodies fill the streets, dragging themselves to favored destinations after long days.

To Sora, XIII seems like he's on a mission despite the universe supposedly being their guide. Sora decides the best thing he can do is support him and not try to question it too much. Their goals would become clear as they unfolded.

Eventually, they come upon the Sandlot.

As soon as they enter, Roxas stops and takes a long breath.

It's empty, save for a man sitting at a bench. He's smoking a cigarette; tar and oil-stained fingers depicting a hard worker, but habit-dependant to be sure. He's in a cropped muscle shirt and dark jeans, which are covered in blotches of hardened paint and grease. His work boots look worn. His hair is unkempt, and his gaunt-but-tanned face depicts sleeplessness and hard hours under the brutal sun.