Hello everyone. This is a story that I've had done for a while, or at least this part of it. I'm posting it now, but this is what was planned to be the middle chapter. Would you guys like me to finish the beginning and end chapters, or just leave it as is? Be sure to let me know. Also fair warning; this story came about as a combination of one of my darker spiels and the song Hold On To You by NateWantsToBattle, which I highly recommend you check out and perhaps listen to as you read this a second time. However the reason I mention this is the comment I put in the description: Rated T for Blood and Character Death. That was not a joke. I just wanted to let you guys know again before you start reading. If you're ok with that, I won't keep you any longer.
Third Person POV
Roxas lunged forward desperately, black-gloved fingers snatching frantically for Xion's hand, her coat, her hood- ANYTHING to keep her from falling the 30 or 40 feet between her and the ground. For a few horrifying seconds, he only caught air. Then, the familiar metallic sheen of a Keyblade being summoned reached his ears, and his hand wrapped around the pole-like blade, sliding up it until he managed to get a grip on the teeth. The sudden force almost dislocated his shoulder and pulled him over the edge of the tower as well. His legs slammed into the railing, and his feet miraculously hooked onto the top covering of the poles.
"No!" Axel yelled as both of his Chakrams caught fire. He quickly slid the flaming discs together and threw the tire-sized blaze at the two men's feet. It landed in between them and exploded, knocking them off their feet and dazing them for several moments. The Flurry of Dancing Flames took the opportunity to rush over and pull Roxas back up onto the Clock Tower, then the two started to pull Xion's Keyblade, and by extension her, back up as well. But, at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, Roxas looked over his shoulder and saw Saïx sprinting towards them, his weapon raised to slice Axel in half.
"Axel watch out!" Roxas cried. His friend was forced to release his hold on Xion's Kingdom Key and roll to the side, lest he get cut in half. The full weight nearly pulled Roxas over again, but he managed to keep his footing this time.
"Roxas," Xion called, choking back a sob. "Let me go. You can't pull me up. If you keep trying, you'll fall too!"
Roxas gritted his teeth, grunting as he tried once more to drag his friend back up to solid ground. "Never!" He yelled, sweat forming on his brow. "Come on Xion, just hold on a little longer! Once Axel drives Saïx and Xigbar off, together he and I can pull you back up. Just don't give up!" He then risked a glance over his shoulder. "Axel hurry!"
"I'm trying Roxas!" The redhead snapped, grunting with effort as he blocked a powerful swing from Saïx's claymore. He threw the strike upward with a roar, exploiting the second-in-command's momentary loss of balance to slash him across the chest. "I can't help you if I'm dead!" He flicked his hand toward the one-eyed gunner who, unnoticed to his near victim, had trained his Arrowgun rifle on Roxas's head. A wall of flames erupted beneath Xigbar's feet, causing him to leap backwards with a startled cry of pain, as he hadn't been quick enough to avoid getting burned. Axel allowed himself a satisfied smirk before he rolled away from Saïx's ground splitting overhead strike.
"Roxas..." Xion cried, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "It's hopeless. If you disobey Xemnas's orders, you'll get turned into a Dusk! Please, just let me go!"
"No!" Roxas shouted defiantly, hints of panic and terror in his voice as he returned his gaze to Xion. "I can't lose my best friend! I won't!" His voice shuddered uncertainly. Was what he felt for Xion still just simple friendship? It seemed like more, but what was better than friendship?
Xion heard the doubts in his voice and thought she understood. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, and whispered, "I'm sorry Roxas." After the last painful, misery-soaked word left her lips, she unclenched her hand from the handle of her Kingdom Key.
"NOOOO!" Roxas screamed, his eyes wide with horror as he watched one of his only two friends plummet through the air. As she neared the ground, her eyes opened one last time and locked with his. She said something but the whipping wind roared and stole her words away. Roxas was no pro at reading lips, but it looked like she'd said, "I love you." Then there was a sharp CRACK that pierced through all other sounds and traveled all the way up the clock tower as her figure broke and crumpled against the hard stones. "XION!"
Axel whipped around in shock, his worst fears confirmed when he saw Roxas still leaning over the edge in shock, Xion's Keyblade slipping from his numb hands. Remembering that he was still fighting Saïx and Xigbar, Axel reflexively flung one of his chakrams over his back to block an incoming attack. When nothing connected, he turned and saw that other two Organization members had disappeared. He ran over to Roxas's side, looking down at the gruesome scene far below.
"Come on!" Axel said, tugging on Roxas's arm. After a few more paralyzing seconds, Roxas started, and together the two of them raced down the Clock Tower's steps.
By the time they got down to the plaza outside the Tower, a pool of blood was already spreading greedily outward from Xion's head, turning the spaces between the bricks into red canals and moats. Roxas gently lifted her head, shivering with nausea as he felt the warm, sticky fluid matting her jet black hair into clumps and seeping into his gloves. Her eyes, once a deep ocean blue, bright and full of life and amusement, now resembled an ice pack- cold, hard, dull. The tear tracks stuck out on her face, the wet skin glistening in the permanent twilight. Her Keyblade had landed next to her hand, as if it was some sick cosmic joke. Here, you dropped this.
"Xion..." Roxas's voice broke. He buried his head in her chest, tears running down his face and dampening the girl's coat.
"Roxas, what happened?" Axel asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.
"She let go." Roxas sobbed. "I don't understand why! She could have summoned a Corridor of Darkness, she could have glided down... She could have saved herself!"
"But she didn't..." Axel whispered, tears shining against the green of his own eyes. "Why would she have wanted this?"
"It didn't." A familiar voice replied from behind them. The duo turned to see Saïx and Xigbar walking out of a Corridor of Darkness about five yards away. As the swirling black and blue portal closed behind them, Saïx continued to speak.
"Number 14 was no more than a puppet. It had the capacity to follow orders, but it could not think for itself. It couldn't want or not want anything. That would be far too advanced."
"You take that back!" Roxas yelled angrily as he stood up to face them. "She's not an it! She's not a mindless puppet!"
"You're right." Xigbar laughed darkly. "She's dead. That's what happens when a puppet gets it's strings cut. It lays there lifeless and limp, just like that." He raised his gloved hand and pointed between Axel and Roxas at Xion's body.
Roxas took an angry step forward, but Axel put an arm out to stop him. "Buzz off you guys." The redhead said tiredly. "Leave us alone."
"After that performance?" Xigbar snorted. "As if."
"Your blatant disobedience will be reported to Lord Xemnas." Saïx told Axel, a cruel smile flashing across his face. "Attacking your superiors... I'm guessing you'll be turned into a Dusk for such an offense."
"I'm gonna enjoy that." Xigbar agreed. "But for now, I'll settle for some good old fashioned revenge." Before Roxas could react, the gray haired man had raised his rifle and fired at Axel. His aim was true, and the energy bolt struck Axel in the chest. Axel gasped with pain, his hand shooting up to cover the wound. He looked at Roxas, his green eyes wide with shock as he fell to his knees. He mumbled something that Roxas couldn't make out before his eyes shut and he fell forward onto the pavement.
"AXEL!" Roxas shouted in desperation. He wanted to rush over and see if his friend was okay, but it was as if his feet were glued in place. His two friends- the only bright spots in his short, confusing life- had just been struck down right before his eyes, and he had been powerless to stop it. He fell to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut, trying in vain to hold back the ocean of tears flowing down his face and dripping off his chin.
"Whoops." Xigbar laughed. "My aim must be getting off in my old age. Oh well. Bigger hearts for the rest of us then."
"Yes." Saïx agreed in his usual monotone. "Come now Roxas. Our time here is done. Let's RTC."
Hearing how little they cared, how worthless they thought Axel and Xion were, something deep inside Roxas snapped. His eyes flew open as all of his crushing despair transformed into primal, savage anger. Blood roaring through his ears, Roxas rose to his feet, his fury blazing and burning away all reason, thought, and logic. His blue eyes, still brimming with tears, locked onto Saïx and Xigbar through a red haze.
"Now you're well on your way to being a true Keyblade wielder." Xigbar mocked. "You've got the angry look down."
"Roxas, stand down." Saïx said, his voice as hard as steel. "That's an order. Return To The Castle, NOW."
Roxas shook with fury, his gaze focused on the two older Organization members like laser sights. If looks could kill, Xigbar and Saïx would be reduced to piles of ashes. "She... Was... My... Best... Friend..." He breathed, his voice shaking with rage. "He... Was like... A brother... To me... And you murdered them both..."
"Oh yeah?" Xigbar taunted, sneering at the blonde. "You can't have friends kiddo. You need a heart for that. Grow up. Stop faking emotions over a worthless puppet and an assassin."
Xion's Kingdom Key, forgotten by all at this point, dissolved in a flash of bluish white crystals. With a metallic sheehk, both it and the boy's own reformed in Roxas's left and right hand respectively, then both of the Keyblades began to glow and transform. Roxas wasn't waiting for them to complete their metamorphosis however; he was already rushing the elder Nobodies.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" The Key of Destiny screamed at the two, the exclamation flying from his throat like a wounded animal's war cry. Xigbar and Saïx's yellow eyes widened. The duo leapt away from Number Xlll's initial charge, his slashes ripping through their coats and just barely missing their skin. Roxas turned to face them, death in his eyes as the white indistinct shell that was covering both of his weapons exploded off of them in fractured pieces.
In his left hand was a steel white weapon with angel wings forming the guard of the hilt. Dangling from these wings by a small chain was a five-pointed star made from five pink and yellow seashells. Twin white beams shot up from the handle, forming two overlapping hearts: a small golden one on top and a larger silver one beneath. The teeth of the blade sprouted from the side of the heart in a starburst of white, gold, blue, and purple, shaped like the Japanese kanji for Light. The Keyblade in Roxas's right hand, however, was its exact opposite. The guard was comprised of two demonic bat wings sprouting from a purple diamond. The shaft was a single piece of black metal, with a dark chain running the length of it on either side. This weapon's teeth were reminiscent of the kanji for Darkness, and it's Keychain was a black crown with three points. The Oathkeeper and the Oblivion, Light and Darkness working together in perfect harmony. Roxas twirled the blades around in his hands and clashed them together threateningly, causing white-gold and dark violet sparks to fly.
"Xigbar!" Saïx ordered, raising his hand towards the sky as he spoke. The ground between the members turned into a solid dark mass as dozens of Neoshadows crawled up through their dark portals to stare at Roxas with their solid yellow eyes. Behind Saïx, several Dusks spiraled and twisted into view, with many Berserkers following behind and -to Roxas's disgust and rage- a handful of Samurai.
'They would use the Nobodies under my command to attack me?!' Roxas seethed internally, clenching his weapons tighter.
Saïx lowered his hand to point at Roxas. "Eliminate Number Xlll. He's gone rogue."
Xigbar grinned as he reloaded his Arrowguns. "My pleasure." As the army of Nobodies and the swarm of Neoshadows charged at Roxas, the scarred gunslinger unloaded on him, firing two whole clips of energy darts at him. Roxas screamed in rage and dashed forward. His hands moved at blinding speeds, turning Oathkeeper and Oblivion into black and white blurs that blocked every shot. Roxas then crossed his Keyblades in front of him like an X before seemingly disappearing.
Xigbar only had a moment to look confused before he screamed in pain, dropping his guns to clutch at his abdomen. Roxas reappeared behind him, both of his Keyblades outstretched behind him. As the blonde turned and set his sights on Saïx, Xigbar collapsed and dissolved into darkness. Saïx's yellow eyes widened with shock at what he'd just witnessed, and then grew even wider with fear when Roxas started sprinting toward him. Luckily for the blue haired man, 30 or so Neoshadows jumped at his would-be attacker, forcing him to stop in his tracks.
Roxas screamed in absolute rage, furious that these Heartless were stopping him from avenging his friends. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" He began hacking and slashing at them wildly, spinning around like a human buzzsaw. The Neoshadows exploded into darkness, but for everyone that he cut down, two more instantly replaced them. Then, from behind, one of the Dusks stabbed him with it's long, sharp arm. It wasn't that painful, but in his enraged state it was enough to activate his Final Limit. Roxas leapt into the air, shouting and stabbing the Oathkeeper skywards as a continuous beam of light shot out of it. As he hovered there, smaller pillars of light rocketed downwards, crashing into the pavement like meteors and obliterating Neoshadows and Dusks left and right. After a few seconds, Roxas dropped his arm, spun around, and thrust both of his weapons into the air, causing the death rays to double in diameter. Each of them was now large enough to envelope and disintegrate 5 enemies at once, and they were now streaking downward more rapidly. With this technique, Roxas cut down his enemies numbers by half.
As the Magic Hour ended and Roxas dropped to the ground, he noticed that some of the Neoshadows were circling the bodies of Xion and Axel. He thought he saw a faint green circle around the redhead as well, but he didn't stop to consider that. "STAY AWAY FROM THEM!" He screamed as he threw both Keyblades in their direction. As if they had minds of their own, Oathkeeper and Oblivion both changed their flight paths as per necessary to eliminate every enemy around the corpses of his friends. Roxas vaulted over a Dusk, but instead of landing he turned it into a glide. Soaring quickly towards his friends and staying low to the ground, he fired off a few random Thundaga and Aeroga spells to wipe out some more Heartless before he landed in front of the Samurai. They couldn't actually show facial expressions, since that requires a face, but as they'd hung back in a group instead of joining the charge Roxas could tell that they were reluctant to fight their old master.
He glared at the one at the head of the group, who'd drawn its swords when Roxas had touched down, and hissed, "Deserter or not, I STILL COMMAND YOU. YOU WILL OBEY ME!" The lead Samurai hesitated for a split second, then sheathed its swords and stood at attention. His cohorts followed suit.
"Good." Roxas growled. "Now take my friends up to the Clock Tower, and don't let anything touch them. Understand?" The Samurai leader scooped up Axel in its arms and stood there as one of the others went and got Xion. As it returned, the other Samurai formed a protective circle around the two body carriers and drew their swords. The group began marching toward the Clock Tower, slashing at the Neoshadows that jumped at them.
Roxas turned back toward the mob of enemies and saw Saïx standing in the middle of them. His yellow eyes locked with Roxas's blue ones, and all was eerily quiet and still for a moment before Saïx smirked and called out to Roxas, "Quite an impressive display of power Roxas. Why haven't you been using it all for the good of the Organization? We could have made two Kingdom Hearts by now! Then you could have actually had a heart to be sad about the fate of Axel and the puppet."
"SHUT UP!" Roxas screamed as his Keyblades, which had been orbiting the Samurai as an extra level of protection, flew back into his hands. Pillars of light engulfed the blades, more than doubling their length as he charged towards the incoming Heartless and Nobodies. He stabbed through two Dusks at once with the Oathkeeper and tossed them away as they were dissolving. At the same time, he used the Oblivion to cut a Berserker in half at the knees. He jumped up, slicing, piercing, slashing- with every muscle movement, a new enemy met it's end. Suddenly, 5 Neoshadows jumped on his back, knocking Roxas to the ground. The boy disappeared in a pile of gray, white, and black bodies. A satisfied smirk crept onto Saïx's scarred face, and he turned to walk away.
He didn't get very far, as a hooded black blur shot out of the writhing mass of creatures, carrying several into the air with him. As Roxas hacked the falling enemies apart, he flipped over in midair and stabbed both Keyblades, still with their auras of light, into the pavement as he landed. Thirteen columns of light shaped like the Nobody symbol erupted from the mark and spun around in an ever-expanding circle. By the time they dissipated, Saïx and Roxas stood alone on the Station Plaza. Roxas pulled his hood down as he stared at Saïx, who summoned his claymore in response. The air was supercharged with tension as the two stared each other down.
"Well?" Saïx finally spoke. Instantly Roxas disappeared, but the second in command had learned from Xigbar's mistake. He quickly held his weapon out in front of his body, successfully blocking Roxas's slash. The impact of the Duel Stance caused the Oathkeeper and Oblivion to fly out of his hands as he stumbled back. Before he could recover, Saïx turned his claymore sideways, and a crown of spikes shot out of the top of it. His eyes began to glow a wild yellow as he swung the weapon at Roxas, just barely missing him.
"Submit!" Saïx roared as he forced the boy back. Roxas knew all it would take was one failed dodge, and it would be over. Luckily, his weapons reappeared in his hands in time for him to block the strike that would have caved his chest in. The sheer force of the blow sent Roxas skidding backwards a few feet, but he managed to stay upright and keep ahold of his blades.
Roxas hissed out of frustration more than pain as he watched intently for an opening to return to the offensive, and he got it. As Saïx charged toward him, his Beserker Outrage ran out, causing him to stumble to a stop and become dazed for a moment. Roxas dashed forward, feinted left, and smacked Saïx in the side with Oblivion. He grunted in pain, but didn't go down, instead kicking Roxas in the chest and sending him flying backwards. Determined not to lose his advantage, Roxas recovered mid-flight and Air Dashed back over to Saïx, who just had time to raise his claymore to prevent Roxas from cleaving his skull in two. Roxas began raining furious blows down on Saïx, effectively immobilizing him unless he was willing to take a few, likely fatal hits. Roxas kept smashing down at him: Left, Right, Left, Right, Right, Left, Left, Left.
Suddenly, Roxas's right arm dropped and shot forward, thrusting the Oblivion through Saïx's chest. The taller blue-haired man stared down at the blonde in silent shock, flinching as Roxas ran him through with the Oathkeeper as well. Breathing heavily, Roxas told him, "That was for Xion."
Saïx's claymore slipped from his hands as he faded away. "You..." He began, but before he could finish, he disappeared completely. Roxas was left standing alone in front of the Clock Tower, and as his rage faded, it was replaced by intense exhaustion and agony. He looked down at himself and realized for the first time how much damage he'd actually taken. With all the adrenaline, he hadn't felt any of the pain from the wounds, but now it enveloped him, setting his nerves on fire. Roxas collapsed, Oathkeeper and Oblivion fading into white mist and dark purple clouds.
As he began to slip into unconsciousness, Roxas wondered, 'Am I dying?' He didn't think so, but then again, how would he know what dying felt like?
'It doesn't matter.' He thought, much to his surprise. 'I avenged Xion and Axel, and they were the only thing that made life worthwhile anyway.'
Despite his fading vision, Roxas let out a weak chuckle. 'Everyone is always saying that Nobodies aren't supposed to exist anyway. We're all meant to fade sooner or later, right? Xigbar said that we don't go anywhere when we die; that we're just gone. If that's true, I won't be able to miss Xion and Axel anymore. If he was wrong, then I'm headed to the same place that they went to, and I'll be able to see them again. It's a win-win.' With that thought, a small smile crept onto Roxas's face as he blacked out, ready to accept what came after.