Chapter 5: The Witch's Request

Noah sat on the soft grass, staring at the waterfall that sat before him with a waning level of interest. He was absentmindedly summoning and banishing the Keyblade, having figured out that he could manifest it at will. Layla stood beside him, passing the time by stretching and doing some light exercise. The two of them had been at the base of the waterfall for nearly thirty minutes, with no sign of either Micaiah, or the witch that had so graciously saved their lives. Noah was quite thankful for that, but he wasn't so ecstatic about being left in an unknown place with no way to get back, at least that he knew.

"Hey Layla, how long do you think we'll be stuck here?" he asked, more for something to say than out of real curiosity as to what she thought.

"No idea," she replied, switching over from stretching to performing lunges. "I really hope that girl didn't forget about us."

"Same here. I'm also wondering why she would just plop us in the middle of nowhere. That's pretty rude, even if she saved our asses."

"I say we go take a look around. I mean, we can't be that far from home. Maybe we're on some uncharted island."

Noah shook his head, dismissing the possibility. "I highly doubt we're just on an island no one knows about. In case you hadn't noticed, there's a pretty huge amount of land stretching out behind us."

"Means nothing. It could just be a big island."

"It could be, but my gut says otherwise."

"Okay. Then where does your gut tell you we're at?"

Noah said nothing, unable to produce anything sensible. For all he knew, they were stranded in a part of the world they'd simply never been to, but that idea just wasn't sitting right with him.

"Okay, that's enough sitting around," Layla announced after another minute of silence. "We need to figure out where the hell we've been brought to, and we can't do that while lazing around here. Let's explore a bit."

"Is that wise? What if that witch girl comes looking for us and we're gone?" Noah asked. "She might be our only way back."

"And if she doesn't care, or doesn't know where she dropped us off at? She'd be no help, and then we'd be on our own anyway. I say we get going before we waste too much time here."

Noah opened his mouth to protest the idea again, but shut it almost immediately when he noticed that the two of them were no longer alone. He didn't see anyone other than Layla, but he could feel another presence nearby. Noah couldn't feel menace from the strange presence, so he resisted the reflex to summon his Keyblade, instead choosing to stare at the waterfall. Neither he nor Layla had actually checked behind it, a move he now realized was a mistake, which meant that neither were sure that there was no place to hide behind the falling water.

"Something wrong?" Layla asked, noticing Noah's sudden, intense stare. He said nothing in response, merely pointing at the waterfall. Layla gave him an odd look, but mimicked his actions anyway, wondering what they were looking for.

Several moments passed by quietly, before the waterfall unexpectedly parted and the witch from earlier emerged, looking at Noah with approval.

"Not bad," she said, floating lazily in the air just in front of the waterfall. "I didn't expect you to notice me there for a while. Or at all, given how your friend wanted to go exploring. Wouldn't recommend that, by the way. This world is full of nasty critters that would just adore making a meal out of you two."

"What do you mean by 'this world'?" Layla asked.

"You catch on quick," the witch said, pointing at Layla. "Two points for you! Anyway, you two aren't in the world you know so well. I sent you to an entirely different world. Granted, this isn't the safest place around, but it's not that bad."

"I'd call any place where I can be eaten by a roving beast a bad place," Noah said.

"Oh relax. I've put up a barrier around this area. Nothing hostile can get in unless it's powerful enough to break through, and no simple creature even comes close to qualifying."

"What about Micaiah?"

"She's strong, sure, but I doubt she has the sheer power to force her way through. Maybe in conjunction with a few more of the Seven Swords, but alone? Nah."

Noah mulled that over for a moment, seeing an immediate question to ask, but opted for another, just as important, question. "So, who exactly are you? I don't want to keep calling you 'the witch'."

"The name's Cassiopeia, sorceress extraordinaire. You may bow if you'd like."

Though he hesitated for a second, Noah politely bowed, prompting a laugh from Cassiopeia. "Hey, don't be so serious, Noah. I was only joking."

"I thought you might be, but you did save our skin, so I figured one wouldn't hurt."

"You're a good guy. Better hold onto Noah tightly, Miss. . .uh, sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Layla, and I'm well aware that he's a catch. I keep him close," Layla said, smirking.

"Well damn, it sounds like you fished me up out of the sea," Noah said.

"That's not that far off, to be honest. I was the one that found you washed up on the beach like a very unlucky sea creature."

"And that doesn't qualify as fishing. You might as well say you acquired me."

"No matter how you word it, I was the one that snagged you. A winner is me, as they say."

"Nobody says that," Noah told her, unable to keep from laughing. However, his laughter ended rather quickly as his brain finally alerted him to an oddity in Cassiopeia's earlier words. "Wait, hold on a minute. I just noticed something weird."

"What is it?" Layla asked.

"Cassiopeia, mind if I ask you a question?"

"If you're about to ask if you can call me Cass, the answer is no. I love my name, and demand its use in full. Otherwise, fire away."

"You didn't know Layla's name. That makes sense as you two have never met until today. I've never met you before today either, yet you already knew my name. How exactly is that possible?"

"I heard Miss Layla here call you by name," Cassiopeia replied, just a tad too quick for Noah's liking, as if she had been expecting the question.

"No you didn't. You weren't lurking long enough to hear my name," Noah countered.

"I've been hidden behind the waterfall since earlier. I heard her say your name once or twice."

"You're lying," Noah said, his eyes narrowing. He summoned the Keyblade, expecting an impending fight. "I would've sensed you."

"You sure about that? I don't think you're as attentive to things as you seem to think you are."

"He might not be, but you're still lying," Layla chimed in. "I haven't called him by name since you dropped us off here."

"And even if you have been watching us for this whole time, I used Layla's name once. If you should've known anyone's name, it'd be hers," Noah added.

Cassiopeia studied the two closely, looking as if she was deciding on what to say next, before sighing and floating down to ground level. She landed neatly on her feet a few paces in front of Noah, then put her hands on her hips. "Okay, okay, I give up. You got me. Good ear, Noah."

"Just who the hell are you?" Noah asked, Keyblade raised threateningly.

"I am exactly who I said I was. However, I have been holding back a bit of information, as it isn't particularly pertinent."

"The hell it isn't! You know me, but I don't know you. Combine that with the fact that I have no memories of my life from before washing up on the beach, and I'd say whatever you know is very pertinent!"

"And why do you feel that way? Are you not happy with life as it stands?" Cassiopeia asked. "Are you so burdened by the lack of knowledge about your past that it keeps you up at night?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that," Noah said, though he directed his line of sight elsewhere as he said it.

"As I thought. There is no need for you to know about your past. Not right now, at any rate."

"Who are you to decide that?" Layla asked angrily. "He deserves to know."

"It's not that I don't want him to know, but it just isn't the right time."

"What does that mean? Why isn't it the right time?" Noah asked.

Cassiopeia took a step closer and put a hand on Noah's shoulder. It was only then that he noticed that she was actually a couple of inches taller than he was. "Quite simply, I might influence things in a way I shouldn't. Whatever will happen has to happen by your choice alone, not because of what I might tell you."

"And what does that mean?"

"Let me put it like this," Cassiopeia said, letting go of Noah and moving to stand directly in front of the waterfall, "Have you had any strange dreams lately? Besides your nightmares, I mean."

"Not that I can think of," Noah replied, not sure where the random question was coming from. Then he remembered something. "Wait, that's not true. I had a weird dream earlier today. I couldn't even tell if it had been a dream, as it felt so real."

"What was the dream like?"

"There were these doors. Two at first, then a third appeared. I had this urge to walk through each one, but I managed to stave it off. I woke up after that."

"Was this during our little expedition earlier?" Layla asked.

"Yeah. I didn't bother saying anything because it didn't seem important," Noah replied.

"But it was," Cassiopeia said. "It was very important. There's going to come a time when you will choose to enter one of those doors, and I'd wager that the decision will be made fairly soon."

"And what will happen then?"

"That depends on the door you pick."

"And how do I know which one is the right one?"

"They are all the right door, in a manner of speaking. When the time comes, your heart will guide you. Best not to worry about it until then."

Noah wanted to argue that. The whole thing felt like something that he should absolutely worry about right then and there, though he couldn't fathom why. It was odd, to say the least.

"We've spoken enough on that business," Cassiopeia stated, rising a few feet off the ground and lazily floating around Noah. "I actually have something I'd like you to do for me. Consider it a formal request."

"And what would you have me do?"

"I don't know if Micaiah mentioned it, but she's only one of a group of individuals with abilities of surprising power."

Noah grimaced as he thought about Micaiah again, and how hopeless his and Layla's fight with her had been. "I remember her saying something about being a third sword, or something like that. You mentioned something number related too, come to think of it."

"To be specific, she's the Third Sword of the Shade," Cassiopeia clarified. "There are a total of seven of the bastards. Some are more annoying than others."

"How strong are these guys?" Layla asked. "As strong as Micaiah was?"

"They're numbered in accordance with their strength in the organization. As the Third Sword, Micaiah is the third strongest of the group. Only two others outpace her, while everyone else is weaker."

"Okay, that makes sense," Noah said, nodding. "So, what do these guys have to do with your request?"

"I want you to eliminate them. Nothing complicated."

Noah just stared at her in astonishment. He figured she had to be joking. "I'm sure you noticed, but Micaiah was pretty much a brick wall for me. What you're asking is anything but a simple request."

"Well, I won't force you to do anything you don't wish to do, but I do hope you'll consider it. After all, wouldn't you prefer to go on the attack instead of waiting for them to come for you again?"

"At any rate, this has gone on for far too long," Cassiopeia continued, cutting off any potential response to her question. "You two need to get back home. We'll continue this conversation at a later date."

No started to object, wanting to converse a bit longer, but the circular portal that opened beneath his feet left him no choice in the matter. He fell through the hole, a multitude of questions still swirling about in his head, and instantly found himself landing on a beach. He recognized it as the beach on East Harmony Island that he had washed up on several years back. As Layla landed a few feet away from him, Noah gazed out at the sea and sighed heavily.

Life, it seemed, was growing far more complicated than he could've ever expected.

~KH ~

The next two days passed by in a typical fashion, with life on the Harmony Islands returning to normal after Micaiah's unexpected appearance at the Starry Night Tournament. The tournament heads attempted to set up a rematch between Noah and Layla, but neither was particularly interested in giving it another go, primarily because they were mentally distracted by the whole encounter with Cassiopeia. As a result of this, the tournament was pronounced finished, and the final outcome declared a tie. Quite a few islanders were unhappy with this outcome, but the two teens were adamant about their decision, right up until Layla's father expressed interest in seeing her fight again. It was such an unexpected thing that Layla couldn't help but convince Noah to enter the arena again.

Thankfully for Noah, the match was scheduled for early next week, giving him plenty of time to focus on the pressing issue he had: Cassiopeia's request. As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, it was all he could think about. He still couldn't understand why she had even bothered asking him to do such an absurd thing when he had clearly been outmatched by his opponent. Trying to actively take on a group as strong as, or even stronger, than Micaiah was tantamount to suicide. He was not, in any way, shape, or form, inclined to such a thing.

And yet, deep down, something about the prospect excited him. Since returning home, there had been moments of fleeting anticipation for the challenge. He had no idea where such feelings were coming from, and it unnerved him more than a little bit.

After a solid hour of doing little else, Noah finally decided to get up and do something other than think. He was under no obligation to honor Cassiopeia's crazy request in the least, and worrying about it was going to drive him up the wall. Sure, he knew that there was a chance that Micaiah or one of her cohorts might come looking for him, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he had a life to live. And that meant actually getting out of the house. To that end, he quickly threw on a pair of brown cargo shorts and a white tee shirt before slipping on his shoes and heading outside. He didn't think long on where he was going to go, immediately deciding to pay a visit to his favorite eatery on the islands. Breakfast was calling to him.

Though there were a variety of restaurants that could be found on the Harmony Islands, Café Aurum was one of the few that Noah regularly frequented. Despite the delicious food the place served, it didn't have a large array of customers that populated the premises, likely due to its placement in a seldom trod corner of East Harmony Island. This suited Noah just fine, as he preferred the quiet atmosphere the place had. He wouldn't describe himself as a recluse by any means, but there were days that he wanted to be by himself. The café gave him just the retreat needed during those days.

As he walked into the small restaurant, he was quickly greeted by the waitress, who had been sitting at a table and reading a book. "Well, if it isn't my favorite customer! Good to see you, Noah."

"Same here, Millie. Slow day today, I see," Noah said, whipping out his usual greeting.

"You should know the drill by now. It'll never be a busy day in here," Millie responded, smiling.

"Is it wrong that I hope you're right?"

"Pretty sure Boss might not agree with you, but I'm all for it as long as I can still get paid."

"And it's a miracle that we make enough munny for me you to have a paycheck of any sort," came the voice of an older man. "Hey there, Noah. The usual for you, I assume?"

"Good morning, Harlan," Noah said airily. "And no, I think I'll go for something else today. How about one of those breakfast burritos you're always going on about?"

"You're actually deciding against your standard eggs and toast? Wow, is the world ending?"

"Don't be a jerk," Noah said in mock anger. "I figured I'd break out of the mold, you know? Eating the same thing gets boring after a while."

"And you gotta make sure that you're nice and interesting for your girlfriend, right?" Millie asked with a giggle.

"Oh no. Don't you start."

"What? I'm just letting you know that I know how it is. Gotta keep up the excitement in a relationship, right?"

"Millie's got a point," Harlan called from the kitchen.

"You make it sound as if I'm married. It's barely been a year that Layla and I have been dating."

"By the way, when are you gonna bring her around to meet me? I wanna have a nice girl to girl chat with her."

"Try never. You and Harlan would do nothing but tease me, and that will not happen in front of Layla as long as I live and breathe."

"Don't be so mean. What, you don't want me to tell her how we almost dated first?"

Noah couldn't help but blush slightly at her words, remembering his interactions with Millie back when he'd first washed up on the island. Layla had been the one to take care of him, but it took a while before she showed signs of being attracted to him. Millie, on the other hand, had been flirty from the word go, and given that Noah was in an unknown place, with no memory of his past, he latched on to her apparent interest in him fairly quickly. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, depending on how one looked at it, things didn't work out as initially hoped.

"We weren't anywhere near close to 'almost dated', unless I somehow dreamed up the memory of me asking you out, and you telling me that you already had a boyfriend," Noah said.

"And what a screw up that relationship ended up being," Millie said, frowning. "Had I known he was going to cheat on me, I'd have gone out with you when I had the chance. Of course, as per the rules of life, the moment I became available, you were off the market."

"Life is a pain in the ass sometimes, isn't it?"

"Often painfully so, yeah."

"Well, life may bite you in the rear, but this burrito won't," Harlan said, bringing over Noah's food.

"That's great, 'cause if it did, we'd have a huge problem on our hands," Noah said. "Could you imagine the terror a burrito that bites back would induce?"

"Mass panic, no doubt," Millie said, laughing.

"Speaking of panic, what the hell happened back at the tournament finals? I missed it myself, but my neighbor was telling me some monsters interrupted the whole thing." Harlan said.

Noah hesitated before giving an answer. The appearance of the Shade sent everyone besides him and Layla scrambling from the scene, so no one knew much of anything. Thinking about it, he preferred it that way. That way there would be no probing questions about him or the Keyblade. Due to his unknown past, such an oddity might generate uncomfortable feelings.

He also realized that Layla hadn't offered up any questions since their unexpected trip. She had taken the whole thing in stride, but he knew that her curiosity had to be piqued. He wondered when she'd finally opt to ask him a few questions, though he wouldn't have any concrete answers for her anyway. He knew next to nothing about what was going on.

After being silent long enough to risk looking suspicious, Noah finally gave Harlan an answer. "I have no idea what exactly happened. Layla and I were about to really get our fight going, then some weird girl came out of nowhere, along with some kind of. . .creatures. People freaked at that point, and what happened next is a bit of a blur. At least it seems that no one was hurt."

"The Spirits were with the audience that day, most definitely."

"Wait, you were facing off against your girlfriend in the finals?" Millie exclaimed. "Oooh, when's the rematch taking place? I can meet her then!"

Noah sighed loudly, wishing he'd kept his big mouth shut.

~KH ~

After finishing breakfast and trying, but likely failing, to convince Millie to not embarrass him in front of Layla when they inevitably met, Noah decided to take a walk. He contemplated tracking down Klein or Zidane to hang out with them, but he was feeling strangely solitary, and wanted to spend a few moments alone. So he made sure to walk in a direction that led away from civilization.

That wasn't the easiest thing to do on East Harmony Island. The place was mostly residential, meaning that houses and apartments dominated the island, with the occasional recreational area dotted around. However, there was still a little bit of mostly untamed wilderness on the island's eastern side where folk seldom tread, giving Noah a good option for a destination.

The journey was uneventful, and Noah soon found himself passing by the entrance to the Holcomb Rose Garden. The place wasn't somewhere that few people frequented, but none of friends were likely to be visiting, and no one else would probably bother him, so it was a good enough place to hang out at. Besides, Noah enjoyed the atmosphere the garden had, despite Zidane once making fun of him for going there alone.

As it turned out, there were few people around, which was only a little surprising. It was still morning time, and there wasn't often many people clamoring to hit up the rose garden this early. This suited Noah just fine, not that he would've let a few people visiting early keep him from enjoying the flowers.

As Noah parked himself on a bench within a small gazebo, he let his mind wander where it may. He was content to just enjoy the peaceful atmosphere the garden had, uncaring of anything particularly important. This moment of mental calm only lasted for a scant few minutes, as his mind slowly drifted back onto Cassiopeia's request. He tried to ignore the creeping thoughts, but his mind seemed to focus on them, as if to spite him. He couldn't fathom why a part of him was so fixated on the idea of hunting down the so-called "Seven Swords of the Shade", but he couldn't rightly deny that it existed. That left him with a single, burning question: what would he do about it?

"Whatcha thinking about?" a familiar voice asked out of nowhere.

Doing his best to keep a neutral face, despite his undeniable flinch at her voice, Noah slowly turned around to regard the young woman that had materialized out of thin air. "Hey, Cassiopeia. Nice to see you. I'm doing well, thanks for asking."

"There's no need for that false, sugary tone," Cassiopeia said, floating in midair as if she didn't care who might see. "Such an inquiry would be pointless when I know exactly how you're doing."

"And just how would you know that?"

"I've been keeping an eye on you, duh."

"You've been stalking me?" Noah asked, eyes going wide.

"That's such an ugly word. I prefer to say I've been. . .watching over you," Cassiopeia replied.

"That is still insanely creepy. What do you want anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? I came to see if you had an answer for me."

Noah shook his head. "Well, I don't. You've only wasted your time."

"It's not a waste of time if we get a chance to talk. We are friends, after all."

"Are we? Because I don't know you. I only met you two days ago, and that's usually not a long enough time to call someone a friend."

"And yet we are. Good friends, at that."

"Then why not tell me all about our friendship, huh? Help me to remember you. And while you're at it, could you stop doing that? Last thing I need is to have to explain to someone how you float like that."

Cassiopeia brought her feet to the floor, giving him an annoyed look. "There is nobody here, and nobody on their way here. You ought to relax a bit."

"Do I wanna know how you could possibly know that?"

"I'm psychic."

Compared to all of the recent strangeness in his life, the idea that Cassiopeia could be psychic was rather tame. Well aware of this, Noah nevertheless shot her an incredulous look. However much his capacity for weirdness had been, that limit had been abruptly reached. He was, unquestionably, at his wit's end.

"Are you gonna fill me in on the things I don't know about my past?" he asked, his voice low and carrying a subtle hint of anger.

"You already know my answer to that," she replied. "Right now, I can't take such a risk."

"Then do me a favor, and get lost! You've nothing I want, and you're only getting on my nerves!"

"Try to keep your rage in check, would you? I've no intention of hanging around. I just needed to give you this, in case you need it."

She grabbed his hand and placed a box within it. He looked down at it and stared. It felt fairly weighty in his hand, though he barely paid it any mind. He was too concerned with the sudden burst of anger he'd felt. That was the first time he'd ever snapped so viciously at anyone. Feeling a wave of regret, he looked up to try and apologize, but found himself alone. Cassiopeia had disappeared without a trace.

A/N: The line breaks between paragraphs kinda suck, so trying something different this time.