All My Tears

Chapter Two

Through the other end of the dark corridor the twilight town gang led him into Master Yen Sid's tower, emerging right outside his office to try and keep up some modicum of respect. Ren was silent as they chattered amongst themselves and Namine found herself almost regretting her choice of words.

She did want to be here, but she didn't really understand why. Clearly she'd wanted it bad enough to speak up but now she felt silly. It was just a theory after all, she had no idea if she could even use her magic in the way that she'd been wondering about lately. She hasn't had anyone to test the theory on after all, cooped up in her bedroom like that.

Now was her chance, if course, but trials by fire were never fun. At least with Sora in Castle Oblivion she had started small. Not taking anything away, just changing a few names in his head here and there. It was a long process she had undertaken with Sora and his two companions at the time, and it hadn't even gone perfectly that time. Since then she hasn't practiced much. She didn't change any of Roxas' memories in the datascape, only locked them behind a door that occasionally allowed some of them to seep through in controlled amounts.

All they had done was keep him from being overwhelmed, and granted him access to only the memories they wanted him to see.

This theory wasn't like that at all, and with no practice, and no guarantee that it was even possible for her magic to work on people who's hearts weren't connected to Sora's, this would be a long shot.

She was going to look foolish if it failed, and it would be in front of all her friends.

Axel rapped his knuckles on the door to Yen Sid's office and they each heard a short "come in," quite quickly.

Roxas pushed the door open and Namine searched the master's face for any signs of an emotional reaction but couldn't decipher anything. Yen Sid was his usual calm self, perhaps even more calm than any of them had ever witnessed now that Xehanort was out of their hair for good.

"Sorry for the random drop in Master," Roxas said as the group filed in and Namine watched as Yen Sid studied Ren up and down.

"No trouble at all," Yen Sid assured. "Quite the procession you've brought with you, who is this?"

Isa shut the door behind the group and leaned backward against it as Namine watched on from behind Xion's shoulder.

"We found him fighting off a wave of Nobodies in Twilight Town a few minutes ago. Says his name is Ren."

"You are Master Yen Sid?" Ren spoke up and stepped forward.

"I am," he nodded.

"As they said, my name is Ren, I'm a wielder from a world called Spectra."

"A wielder?" Yen Sid mused. "I see your armor," he gestured to Ren's gauntlet. "A master of old must have taught you. What was their name?"

At that Ren hesitated, and Namine watched his broad shoulders rise and fall, his fists clenched. The room was silent for a while as Namine thought to herself.

Was he lying? She coward behind Xion, is he here to start something?

"Master Taito," Ren finally sighed through gritted teeth, and this time Namine watched Yen Sid's face light up with a strange flavor of hope.

"Master Taito?" He demanded, his eyes wide.

"You know the name?" Axel asked.

"I do," Yen Sid smiled, "We learned together, even shared a Master. After we passed our exams we went our separate ways and I never saw him again. That was decades ago now, I had no idea he was alive."