Seek and Destroy
Summary: Roxas had absolutely no idea why he was currently hiding in a closet. More importantly, Roxas had absolutely no idea why he was currently hiding in a closet clutching Axel's diary to his chest like it was the only thing standing between life and death.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!
Betaed by Emily!
Dedicated to MissSphinxy for the prompt!!
Roxas had absolutely no idea why he was currently hiding in a closet. More importantly, Roxas had absolutely no idea why he was currently hiding in a closet clutching Axel's diary to his chest like it was the only thing standing between life and death.
Everything had happened so quickly. One minute he remembered Xemnas informing the Organisation that they needed to work on their seeking skills, the next minute he remembered running for his life.
'I suppose it was my fault…' Roxas admitted, relaxing slightly on the bucket he was precariously perched on. '…Sort of…'
All this had started a mere 5 hours earlier, when Xemnas had called together an impromptu meeting. When everybody arrived, which took some time considering everybody was half-asleep that morning, Xemnas had proceeded to tell them, in his usual baritone voice, that he was appalled with how badly they all were at seeking.
(-Earlier-)
"Recently, you've all demonstrated a certain lack of progress in being able to find items that you've been specifically assigned to find," Xemnas chided as he sat on his throne-like chair, looming over the lower chairs of his minions. "Admittedly some of you more than others," Xigbar and Luxord looked sheepish. "I've arranged an exercise that will hopefully give you some experience of seeking things,"
Nervous glances were exchanged by mostly everyone as Xemnas straightened up on his throne.
"For this…treasure hunt you have to seek out a very rare and valuable talisman following a series of written clues," Xemnas explained.
Axel raised his hand. "What's our prize if we find it first?"
Xemnas smirked. "This talisman is very magical. It can boost fighting ability by about 110 percent,"
Zexion's brow creased and he raised his voice. "But that's mathematically impossible-"
Xemnas cut him off. "You'll find your first clue in your rooms. You can't leave the castle and you're not allowed to work together, since you need to learn to be independent workers,"
Xigbar snorted.
Xemnas narrowed his eyes. "Now go!"
So then the treasure hunt began, and it started out easily enough. Roxas returned to his room and found a neat square piece of paper with two numbers and a clue meticulously typed in bold black ink. He read it.
13 – 19
I seat Five.
Roxas blinked. After about 10 minutes of thought he deduced that the numbers told him what number clue he had and what number clue he was supposed to find next. He then pondered on his clue for some time before a lightbulb went on in his head…figuratively speaking.
I seat Five.
He opened a portal, the kitchen being his destination, as it was the only place in The Castle That Never Was that had a specific seating arrangement other than the Meeting Hall. The word 'five' was capitalised, meaning that it was a title, and Roxas knew that the only person who also went by the name of 'Five' was Lexaeus.
Xigbar and Marluxia either had the same clue as him or one similar, because both of them were half-tearing the kitchen apart when Roxas arrived. They both gave him a glance when he entered but didn't pay him anymore attention after that. Roxas made a beeline for Lexaeus' usual chair and when he reached it he pulled it out from under the table, he then checked the surface and then underneath. He was rewarded with another square of paper.
"Yes!" He hissed, lightly pulling it from underneath the chair. He straightened up and replaced Lexaeus' chair neatly under the table. He read the first number on his new clue.
19
He grinned. Xigbar groaned at him and flopped onto his usual chair.
"You had an easy clue," He moaned. Roxas grinned at him.
"What does yours say?"
Marluxia's glared. "Superior said we're not allowed to work together," He interjected. Roxas rolled his eyes.
"I'm just asking what it says, I'm not going to help him. There's no need to bite my head off Marly,"
Marluxia growled and routed through the fridge. Xigbar chuckled and replied.
"'I cost 200 munny and there are not enough of me,'" He shook his head. "I have no idea what it is,"
Roxas thought for a moment before replying. "Try the teabags," He replied quietly, a devious smile on his face. Xigbar blinked and rushed off towards the small, metallic pot next to the kettle. Roxas started reading his next clue as The Freeshooter let out a triumphant yell. He ignored Marluxia's glare as the gears started turning in his head. He nodded.
"I'm off," He replied, opening another portal, this time one leading to the Proof of Existence. "Good luck!" He directed at Xigbar. Xigbar grinned at him.
Roxas then spent the better part of 4 hours hunting down clues along with the rest of the Organisation. He'd discovered that the clues were everywhere, including bedrooms (and he'd only discovered that when he heard Larxene screaming at a poor, unsuspecting Demyx for daring to go into her room). So, when he found his 8th clue he'd known where to go immediately.
77 – 97
I'm in the lair of flames
Roxas had proceeded to sneak into Axel's bedroom, also known as the lair of flames, before he then winced. His clue had only told him what room the next clue was in, not where in the actual room it was. Roxas groaned. Axel's room was the same size as everybody else's (except, perhaps, Xemnas'), but it was a pigsty. Comics and car magazines were strewn across the desk in the corner, with discarded clothes littering the floor and every other free surface in the room – including the windowsill and the top of the open wardrobe door.
Roxas sighed. This was going to be a long hunt. A very long hunt.
He started off by looking on the desk, gently shifting through all the items on it's surface, and was disappointed to find nothing other than the aforementioned magazines and a couple of pieces of paper with motorbike designs doodled on them. He resisted the urge to admire them and continued on his search around Axel's room for the small piece of paper he was seeking.
Later on he didn't know how long he'd been searching; all he knew was that he'd eventually gone through Axel's wardrobe, desk drawers and bedside table, all without finding any useful slips of paper.
"Where is it?!" He exclaimed angrily, swiping up Axel's pillow. He stopped when his action caused something to slide down the side of Axel's bed. It landed on the floor with a loud 'THUMP'.
Roxas blinked and hastily replaced the pillow. He then got onto his hands and knees and put his arm underneath Axel's bed, using his hand to search for the object that could've fallen. His hand brushed against something and he grabbed at it, pulling the object back into the light.
He tilted his head and looked at the innocent looking black notebook. He sat on the floor and ran his hands over the cover before – curiosity getting the better of him – he opened it.
17th February
Well, it's the first day of my supposedly new life. Some guy everyone calls 'Four' just thrusts me this book and said it was a good way to vent out some leftover feelings and junk. Apparently I don't have a heart anymore, and that means I can't have feelings. I'd say that it's a load of junk but the guy who told me seemed serious. Then his boss, or my boss now I suppose, started ranting about something called Kingdom Hearts…and he seemed a little crazy, so I'll go along with this until I can escape (for lack of a better word). I've heard that Twilight Town's a good place to escape too.
Roxas gaped and immediately snapped the book shut. He'd found Axel's diary. He smirked. Axel actually had a diary.
He was curious. Axel usually kept what he thought private, and only really Roxas and Demyx knew him well enough to guess things. But neither knew his innermost secrets. And Roxas was currently holding the instrument that could tell him everything.
But he hesitated. Axel was his best friend, and just by holding the diary Roxas felt that he was prying too far. He closed his eyes in thought.
'There's only one thing I have to know though,' Roxas thought as he opened his eyes and carefully flicked through the notebook, carefully making sure that he only read the dates and not any of the content. He found the one he was looking for.
9th August
Another new member today. His name's Roxas, he looks about 15 and has Keyblades as weapons! Just think, the Organisation will be guaranteed world domination with him on our side!-
Roxas snorted and rolled his eyes. Trust Axel to think of that.
-That is if World Domination is our goal…Xemmy tends to change what we do regularly and I've learnt to just go with the flow. Yeah, anyway, back to Roxas. Ol' Superiority has assigned me to look after him, or to make sure Saïx doesn't eat him, and for once I don't actually mind this mission. You see, Roxas has the pair of cutest eyes I've –
Roxas was interrupted by the door to Axel's room bursting open to reveal Axel himself. The redhead was clutching at a piece of paper that obviously held whatever clue he had and he was glaring at it vehemently. He looked up as soon as he realised that he wasn't alone.
"Hey Rox-" His eyes zoned in on the black notebook that was open in Roxas' hands. "-as," His eyes narrowed.
Roxas' non-existent heart stopped. There was no way to hide the fact that he was reading Axel's diary, and the poor blond watched as a barrage of emotions flitted through Axel's eyes. He knew that Axel couldn't actually feel those emotions, but the remembrance was there, and it was enough for Axel to take an uncharacteristic lunge at him.
Roxas yelped and rolled sideways before he raced at top speed out of the door, the red-haired inferno at his heels.
(-Now-)
Roxas groaned and rested his forehead against the coolness of the closet wall. He'd managed to lose Axel at some point, which in retrospect was a good thing, but now he was at a loss as to what to do next.
He could, he supposed, portal to another world and hide there for a while…but he'd have to come back eventually. And Axel held grudges for ages. He could also leave the closet and hunt down Axel and apologise. But that could potentially be suicidal.
He was running the two options through his head when the door to the closet burst open, bathing the previously dark space with intense light. Roxas cried out at the sudden invasion of his senses and shielded his eyes. He was pushed into the back of the closet as another body forced itself in. The door closed.
Roxas was confused as to who'd joined him for about a second. Then the heightened temperature hit him. "A-axel?" He asked shakily.
"Yep," Axel replied, his voice level. "What'cha doing hiding in a closet Rox?"
Roxas blinked. "Er-"
"Are you hiding from me?"
… "Maybe?"
Axel shifted closer to confused blond. "Whhhy?"
Roxas shifted closer to the wall. "Because I read your diary and now you're going to kill me?"
Axel chuckled lightly. That scared Roxas more than if Axel had screamed at him.
"What did you find out?" Axel asked, shifting so that now he was sitting on half of the bucket. "Anything interesting?"
"Er…Nope," Roxas replied.
"What did you want to find out?" Axel asked, getting closer and closer to Roxas.
"N-nothing. I-"
The door burst open again.
Later on Roxas would have loved to have taken a photograph of that very moment in time. The person who'd opened the door was Demyx, who was with Xigbar, Xaldin and Larxene. All four were clutching at clue papers, and all four recoiled with expressions of pure horror and surprise at the discovery that this particular closet wasn't as empty as they'd originally thought.
Axel grinned at them. "Hello folks,"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THAT CLOSET?!" Larxene screamed. Axel shrugged, causing Roxas to realise that one of Axel's hands was pressed against his chest. He gulped.
"Well, Larxene dearest, Roxas and me are having a discussion," Axel replied. "Now, what do you want?"
"Our clues led us here," Xaldin said, eyes narrowed in distaste.
Axel looked genuinely interested. "Oh really?" He shifted around, managing to pick Roxas up with one hand as he stood up and searched around the tiny enclosed space for the sought-after talisman. He lifted up the bucket.
"Ah ha!" He picked up the talisman, completely disregarding the piece of paper stuck to it, and threw it at the four members standing in the hallway. "There you go!" He cried, shutting the door of the closet and sitting back down on the bucket. He sat Roxas in his lap. The diary lay between the bucket and the wall, forgotten. "Now, where were we?"
Roxas struggled half-heartedly. It did feel pretty good on Axel's lap. "Nowhere?"
Axel chuckled and moved closer to Roxas, breathing onto his ear. A loud crash came from outside the closet. Both Roxas and Axel momentarily stopped breathing.
"AAAHHH!! IT'S CHOCOLATE!" Larxene's voice screamed. The sounds of her beating up her male companions followed.
Axel smirked and turned his attention back to Roxas. He whispered into his ear.
"If you wanted to know what I feel, all you had to do was ask,"
12 members of the Organisation participated in the treasure hunt. Each member had 9 clues each, with everybody's 9th clue being the same. So, if my Maths is correct (which is most probably isn't), there'd be 97 clues hidden around the castle.
Boy Xemnas put a lot of effort into this…