Chapter 4: Twilight Town: Forcing Out Answers

The black robed man was quick, Toshiro had to give him that, and the man still in the real world was doing his utmost best to sidetrack Toshiro with fakes and warping backgrounds. But with his skill to sense Spiritual Pressure, following the man was too easy.

'Be wary, I don't know what he can do.' Hyorinmaru growled to his master.

'And he doesn't know what I can do.' Toshiro replied, vanishing from where he was only to reappear in front of the robed man using Flash Step.

"Who are you?" He demanded from the man, who had stopped in his tracks.

When he got no reply Toshiro's teal eyes narrowed dangerously, completely catching the man in black off guard. They had been watching the boy all day and he had shown no signs of hostility. He also could have sworn that the area grew colder.

"How did you manage to follow me?" The man asked in a deep voice.

"You made the mistake of underestimating me and sticking me into a virtual world."

"How did you know this was a virtual world?" Though Toshiro couldn't see his face, he could tell by the tone that the man was startled.

"It became rather obvious after the warping effects. Now, who are you?"

"You've definitely got skills, but don't think you can demand anything. We know you've been hiding your true abilities, we're just not sure how much."

"No amount of studying me will get you anything, what I have is not anything a computer can find."

"That's what you think." The man in black crossed his arms. "Just what are you?"

"It's rude to ask for someone's name when they've already asked for yours." Toshiro snapped.

"I'm pretty sure it's rude to ask someone's name before giving your own, and it's not a name I want."

"Well a name is what I want."

The two went into a deadlock stare for a good two minutes before the robed man seemed to crack under Toshiro's ice cold glare and sighed. The tiny Captain waited for an answer.

"Make sure Roxas doesn't get kidnapped and maybe I'll tell you." He said before bright green numbers shot up around him and he vanished from the virtual world.

"Hey!" Toshiro shouted out but he was already gone. "Dammit."

He turned his gaze to the sky, knowing they were still watching him, and glared fiercely before heading back to the station. Since the black robed man had managed to snatch the money pouch from Roxas before darting away when he'd spotted the Captain, Toshiro knew they hadn't left yet and were probably wondering where he was.

"'Keep Roxas from getting kidnapped'? What the Hell does that mean?" Toshiro sighed heavily.

With Twilight Town being so small it was easy to get back to the station. Sure enough the four friends were sitting on the station steps, looking a little down about missing the trip to the beach. Though he hated the idea, Toshiro knew he had to act like a child again.

"There you are!" Hayner shot to his feet. "Well, somehow Roxas lost the money pouch and then you ran off, so we missed the train."

"Sorry." Toshiro bowed his head, returning to his childish façade for now while in their presence. He toned it down a little since his captors now knew it was fake, but suddenly switching attitude would probably be hell on the programming and he wanted to leave the virtual reality not destroy it.

"No big deal." Pence waved his hand indifferently. "Hey, why don't we go up to the clock tower area and eat some sea-salt ice cream?"

"Sea-salt ice cream?" Toshiro blinked in question. 'That does NOT sound appealing at all.'

"What!? You've never had it!?" Hayner looked completely flabbergasted. "It's settled then, I'll get it right now!"

The blonde darted away to get the supposedly awesome dessert while Toshiro mentally cringed at the idea. He hated sweets of any kind and having one that tasted like sea water was not especially enticing either. If it was watermelon he might have given in for one sweet snack, but not for that. Hyorinmaru seemed to agree despite being a dragon made of ice and water.

"I…actually want to check on something." He said to the others and ran off before they could stop him.

Avoiding any virtual human contact, he put himself in a lonely alley and removed his façade once more.

"I know you're watching me so come out. I want to talk to you."

Nothing happened. Toshiro scowled and sighed.

"Fine, but I need a place to stay. In case you've forgotten I'm the 'new kid in town'.

Light flashed to his left and he whipped around to face it, seeing there was now a poster on the wall there with an address. Below it were the words 'free room for hard workers' and the name of the person who owned the apartment.

"Thank you." Toshiro said to the air and took the poster before stepping out of the alley and towards the address.

'They found that rather amusing, you know.' Hyorinmaru snorted.

'They'll come out eventually, especially with what I have planned.'

'Do tell?'

'They want me to watch over Roxas then they best tell me why. I'm going to avoid him until they do.'

'If I recall they keep mentioning an enemy attempting to steal Roxas back. I have no details on where he first came from or how he got in here, but apparently someone is trying to find him.'

'The question is, are these two holding us captive attempting something evil or is the organization he comes from evil?'

'There's no way to tell unless we see the other side.'

Toshiro simply sighed aloud in reply and continued on to the address.

True to his word, Toshiro avoided Roxas and his 'friends' the next day. At one point time seemed to stop, meaning only he and Roxas would be able to move. He used Flash Step in Roxas's direction but stayed on the rooftops, noticing a blonde haired girl in a white dress walking away from a startled Roxas before she vanished and reappeared elsewhere, time restarting.

'She's the only other living person here…kind of.' He mused. It hadn't been apparent at first, but after coming into contact with the man in black Toshiro had realized that Roxas, and now this blonde girl, had a lack of Spiritual Pressure that most humans had, but still felt powerful. It was a sort of…empty feeling, as if their power was just a left over. He couldn't figure it out.

He ended up following the blonde girl through a hole in the wall at the main part of town. Through the hole was, surprisingly, a large forest. She continued through it and towards a large building hidden among the trees.

'Her name is Naminé.' Hyorinmaru reported. 'Your captors are upset with her coming here but can't kick her out with you following her.'

'Good, I want to speak with her.'

'Be cautious.'

Toshiro reached a clearing in front of a mansion, a thick iron gate barring his way locked tight with a thick black chain. She stood in front of the gate and seemed about to phase through it.

"Stop." He called out and she jumped, startled, before turning to look at him with eyes as blue as Roxas's.

"You're not Roxas." She said, voice light and a little panicky.

"No." He took a few steps closer so he didn't have to raise his voice. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya. The people who put Roxas here put me here too."

"Oh, they didn't tell me about that."

"They don't like me very much."

'Despite that they laugh when you say that.' Hyorinmaru cut in. Toshiro shushed him.

"Who are you, exactly?" He questioned, as he couldn't say he knew her without giving away his spy in sword form.

"I'm Naminé." She seemed a little more relaxed now and managed a smile. "I'm not really supposed to be here, I just wanted to meet Roxas."

"Why?"

"Well…we're alike." Naminé seemed a little cautious about saying that and her eyes darted a look around.

'The man in black is coming to take her back outside this world, whatever you want from her, get it quick.' Hyorinmaru warned.

"What do you mean?" Toshiro questioned her.

"Roxas and I…we're not-" She was cut off as a dark portal opened and the man in black stepped in, grabbing onto Naminé's pale arm and pulling her in.

"Wait!" Toshiro darted to the portal and tried to step through but it closed on him before he could. However, the man in black remained.

"How about a trade, Toshiro?" The man said. "You protect Roxas, we give you answers."

"What are you playing at?" Toshiro scowled fiercely at him, his stance tight.

"You're obviously skilled in combat considering the stance you're in; perhaps you could teach some of that to Roxas." The dark portal opened again. "Something's coming for Roxas. Stop them and we'll tell you what's after him."

"You really want to piss me off."

The man vanished in darkness without a reply. When the shadows had vanished, Toshiro noticed a new presence in the virtual realm far from the mansion. Strangely, it was similar to Roxas, but far weaker than the boy.

'I have to keep Hyorinmaru in that room with my captors, so I guess Kido will have to do.' He mused before using Flash Step away from the mansion and towards the source of conflict, hoping the boy stayed out of trouble until he could get there.

It was at the sandlot, time having stopped, with Seifer and his gang surrounded by slender gray creatures that danced around. They abandoned the virtual humans and headed for Roxas who held only a struggle bat.

"Way of Destruction Number Four, Pale Lightning!" He chanted, holding both hands outward towards one of the creatures heading towards Roxas. From his hands shot a beam of bright blue lightning. The creature turned only to be disintegrated by the Kido shot.

"Toshiro?" Roxas dropped his guard as he stared in shock at the white haired child he had always seen as well-mannered if a little quiet. Now the boy looked fierce and Roxas became more afraid of him then the mysterious creatures attacking him.

"Look out!" Toshiro shouted as one of the creatures bent in ways impossible to humans and rocketed itself at the unaware teenager.

Startled, Roxas held his arms up in front of him with a cry, dropping the bat, and Toshiro rushed forward to stop the creature before it hit.

Light blinded him and before he knew it, Roxas and the creatures had vanished.

"What the…?" Toshiro looked around for the blonde, wondering what had happened. Time was still stopped but he was now alone.

Before him a dark portal rose, a light shining in the middle. Toshiro glared at it warily and tried to figure out what it was through its dark Spiritual Pressure. He had no idea where it would lead him or if he would be able to return depending on what lay through it.

Teal eyes widened as he felt Roxas's Spiritual Pressure flare inside the portal for a moment.

'They would really appreciate it if you helped Roxas. They don't think he's quite ready yet for what's in there.'

'I'm not going in there.' Toshiro replied and his dragon rumbled in question. 'This feeling is not just the Spiritual Pressure of a person; this is the feeling of their very soul. I go in there I'm essentially trespassing into his Inner World.'

'I see. Wait long enough and they may come to you.'

And so he waited, trying to keep track of Roxas's progress through the portal but not succeeding well thanks to the swirling pressure of the darkness.

Green numbers appeared to the left of the portal and rose up, revealing a man in red this time instead of the one in black Toshiro kept seeing.

"It appears you won't assist without answers." The man said with a slightly irritated tone.

"Damn right." Toshiro replied with even more irritation.

"Very well, I shall give them to you while Roxas is…indisposed."

So after this is when Roxas gets his Keyblade and such. Wouldn't you say his captors get off lucky, considering they're trying to hold in a Captain? Hehe, they'll realize pretty quickly after this that they're messing with the wrong Soul Reaper. Enjoy!