Immortal Loss
Part I: The Nightmare.
Today is certainly a great day to end the nightmares.
"Tinker Bell!" Vinca, Robert's assistant ran as quickly as she could in heels to her sister. Women who can run in heels are an unstoppable force that shan't be angered.
Tinker Bell and Terence stopped walking down the sidewalk at the sound of heels clicking and Vinca's shouting. Tink turned around, recognizing that voice. She turned to see her sister, paler than usual, running to her.
"Periwinkle?" Tink said in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it.
Periwinkle stopped herself in front of Tink. But then, she went into mild hysterics. "Oh Tinker Bell, I'm so so so sorry! I left because the Blue Fairy had so many limitations and you must hate me I don't blame you because what I did was horrible and once again I'm sor-"
Tinker Bell interrupted her with a tight hug. "I missed you, Peri. I'm just glad you're back."
Peri smiled, trying to contain her tears of joy as she hugged her sister back. Released from the hug, the two sisters wiped their eyes.
Tink giggled. "You're a lot paler than I remember."
Peri sighed. "Well, the reason why I left was because I made a deal. I could do what I love in exchange for my time. I was granted, well, you'll see." She reached up to undo the white amulet from her neck. She held it out to Tink who then took it into her palms. Tink looked at the curious amulet. It felt cool but not painfully cold.
Periwinkle relaxed her muscles and breathed softly. Snowflakes magically appeared in her hands. Frost began to spread from her hands up her arms, down her torso, up to her hair and down to her feet. Her civilian clothes melted away into a light periwinkle color dress. It was short just like her sister's. Her heels disappeared, leaving behind purple boots with a puffball on the tip of her toes. Her eyes turned from teal to an icy blue. Her pale blonde hair faded to pure white and was spiked up. Attached to her dress was a sheer cape covered in purple snowflakes.
Tink and Terence stared in shock.
"A frost fairy…" Tink said. "You're a frost fairy?"
"Yes," Peri nodded. "I travel the worlds spreading winter."
"That's why you left…" Tink mumbled. "We need to build a snowman sometime."
Periwinkle smiled. "I'd like that." She looked over at Terence. "And who is he?"
"I'm Terence," he introduced himself. "I swear…I'm seeing double here."
Both sisters looked at each other before laughing. "Well, you'd be surprised how much people can look alike." Peri said.
Tink looked behind Periwinkle. She spotted something very strange, or someone. "Who is that, Peri?"
The frost fairy turned around. "Oh! That's my…" she sighed at the sight before her. "Boss." She buried her face in her palms.
There he was, walking down the street, was Robert. His brown hair was sticking up at odd angles, and he had slight stubble on his chin. He had grabbed his iPod before he went to meet up with his assistant. He was dancing down the street, earbuds blasting music into his ears.
Don't worry ladies (and men if you swing that way), he's sexy, free, and single.
He mouthed the words to "Uptown Funk" as he danced, not really caring that he looked like a total idiot, which he of course isn't.
"That's your boss?" Terence pointed out.
Periwinkle looked down. "Sadly."
Once the song ended, Robert stopped his not ridiculous dancing and walked over to the gawking three like nothing weird happened thirty seconds ago.
"Well now, is it not a good day today?" Robert asked the three.
Terence shook his head. "Sure, um, today is a good day?"
"Good," Robert said.
Periwinkle sighed. "Tinker Bell, Terence, this is my boss, J-"
"Robert. Just Robert," he said bluntly.
Periwinkle looked at him oddly, but she didn't question it. She doesn't know why he would choose to stick to his false identity still. The curse was broken; she had revealed herself to everyone, why does he still want to be a civilian with no magic?
"May I ask you two for a favor?" Robert said to the two blondes. "If you don't mind, of course."
Tink and Terence looked at each other with slight fear before Tink answered. "Sure."
"Good!" Robert said, a little too enthusiastically. "I'll explain the plan later, right now, I need to go ask for more help."
Tink raised an eyebrow. "More help?"
"Well yes, we need more help, right Periwinkle?" Robert grinned at the frost fairy, who rolled her eyes.
"Of course," she mumbled.
"Well then, off to Granny's!"
To say Robert was odd was one thing. To say he was almost childish in nature was true. But there was something behind that childishness that no one knew about. That something is why he hides behind a silver ring on his right hand, and a name of a long dead poet.
But this is currently not about the past, this is the present. Now move on before the protagonist gets bored.
A hop and a skip away, and the four of them arrived at Granny's.
Robert walked into the door confidently and immediately spotted the 5 people he wanted to speak to.
Three friends sat together at a booth. Their names were Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Sitting in a booth behind them were Roxas and Naminé, who bore very similar resemblance to Sora and Kairi. Don't ask how or why, because it is a long and terrible story that takes at least 30,000 words to tell.
Sora and Riku's eyes widened at the sight of Robert coming over to their table. Kairi was confused. "Guys? Who is this?"
"Remember me? Sora? Riku?" Robert asked casually.
"Yes," Riku grumbled. "Are you here to-"
"Call in a favor? Yes," Robert finished the statement. "I am in need of all three of you, now that the princess is with you. Help me, your debt is done."
"Debt? What debt?" Kairi questioned, confused.
Sora sighed. "We made a deal. He helped us out, we help him."
"Oh..." Kairi said, not sure what to think of the deal. "What do you need us to do?"
"Yes, what do you need them to do?" Roxas asked, having caught onto the conversation.
"I need helping containing someone very dangerous, and sadly…" Robert paused for a short moment, preparing for the outrage. "That someone is in the deepest parts of the dungeons of Organization XIII's compound."
"WHAT?!"
"No way!"
"I'm not going back in there!"
"We barely made it out with everything intact!"
Robert slammed his hands onto the table to silence the three outraged teenage boys. "How about we talk about this outside? Hmm?"
The group stepped outside and went behind the dumpster to discuss the favor.
"Okay, 'Robert', why are you asking us to go back into that hole filled with nothing but white walls and super powerful beings?!" Riku demanded.
"I'm lost, what is this compound you're talking about?" Terence asked.
"Organization XIII is a powerful group with, I dunno, heart issues. Anyways their base is heavily guarded and the head of it all is Xemnas and he has a VERY powerful ally pretty much using him for whatever reasons besides power and darkness, and power. Haven't you all noticed you have had nightmares more often lately?"
Tinker Bell was shocked. "Nightmares? Why would they all have nightmar-"
"That is because of Xemnas' new 'friend'. I need your help to put him away. The Organization is not my concern, that concern befalls the Keybladers right in front of me. As we speak, I grow weaker. We just need to get in there, find Xemmy's 'friend' and place him in a prison, where you three" Robert points to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, "…will lock it up."
Terence was confused. "Wait, why do you need Tink and I?"
"We need your help to get past the guards, more specifically, one of them is brainwashed. He would be a very valuable ally but right now he's very deadly. Roxas would know exactly how powerful this guy is, right?" he looked to the nobody who had his arms crossed.
"Yes, Axel would help us but he-"
Terence's eyes widened. "Wait, Axel?" He remembered something Henry told him in Neverland.
'Are you…Axel's brother?'
'What? Axel?'
'That's what he goes by now,'
"That's my brother!" Terence exclaimed.
"WHAT?!" Sora and Roxas shouted.
Naminé looked from Roxas to Terence. "You know…Maybe it wasn't coincidence that Roxas here befriended Axel in the first place."
Kairi shook her head. "As far as I know, nothing is ever a coincidence."
"Right now, Axel is a brain-washed pyromaniac currently. If we can get his help we can get rid of most of the guards," Robert explained.
"Pyromaniac? He is a what?" Terence gaped.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not much of a fan of fire either," Robert said in disgust.
"My brother wouldn't be like this, he can't be brain-washed to do bad," Terence said.
"News flash pretty boy, Axel is long gone. He was once my friend but now he's nothing more than a damaged person who's brainwashed into thinking we're the enemies. He kidnapped me, taunted me, and even almost killed me. We barely made it out of that compound alive!" Roxas said angrily, fists clenched. "If we go in there, what makes you think Axel won't burn us alive on sight?"
"He's my brother-"
"Oh really? Then how come he never once mentioned you? How come I found out that he didn't take to my leaving of the Organization very well? The damage has been done," Roxas said somberly.
Terence remained silent. His actions, he realized, had dire consequences. He then spoke. "You find him a hopeless cause, but I don't!"
Robert leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Robert? Aren't you gonna do something?" Periwinkle asked.
"Why should I?" Robert shook his head. "I have no need to interfere."
Naminé looked between the two blond boys before sighing. "Roxas…perhaps he has a point."
"What?" Roxas looked to the pale girl.
"Lea might be troubled with the past, but he still was friends with you, Roxas. That counts for something. He could've been a cold-hearted jerk to you and me."
Roxas remained still.
"He would never give up on you or his friends. Please, Roxas, don't give up on him," Naminé pleaded.
He sighed. "Alright. I'll go back into that dark and dank hole." He walked over to Robert. "But I am doing this for my friends, not for your cause, Robert, if that is even your real name."
Robert smirked. "No, it isn't my real name but I prefer this name anyways. Less ties. I got what I want; now we lay down the plans, privately."
Inside the log cabin house where Robert and Periwinkle were, Robert had a full map layout of the compound.
Riku shivered. "Why is it so cold in here?"
Robert rolled his eyes. "Feel the wood, you'll find it isn't wood."
Riku narrowed his eyes and walked over to the oak walls. Placing his hand on it, he recoiled in shock. It wasn't wood at all; it was cold and smooth, like ice.
"What the-"
"Yeah, yeah, get over it. Let's plan this." Robert gestured to the map.
Sora pointed to the map. "Where did you get a map of the entire compound?"
"What? You thought that amulet I nabbed from that old dude was the only thing I took? First rule of running an underground gang-like cult is never carry around a map of your own base."
Sora nodded. "Fair enough."
"Okay, we have to get from here," Robert pointed to the entrance. "To here, where our 'friend' is." He went to the opposite side of the map, off the map. "There's a door here but there's nothing else marked. Whoever made these maps are rather stupid don't ya think?"
"That is true, but maybe they aren't as stupid as they seem," Tink said. "Maybe they made this on purpose."
"Perhaps…We don't have the element of surprise anymore because of that fact."
Kairi was confused. "How do you know because of the door leading off the map?"
"I know exactly who we are dealing with. He wants to be found, and he wants to be found by me. He always wanted to put on a show."
"Why does he want to be found?"
"So I could possibly join his cause, revenge schemes, anything really. I know this guy, he can't be killed; he can only hide under beds."
"What did you do to this guy?" Roxas asked.
"I sent him back hiding under the bed again." Robert said. "The past can and will haunt you for a very long time if you were me."
Robert and the gang were crouched down in an alley way. It was 10:05 pm. A full moon was out tonight. The young man looked to the moon in worry.
"The plan is to get in, get past Xemnas' goons, get Axel/Lea to come to his senses, hopefully subdue Saïx because this is a full moon tonight."
He thought long and hard about what was about to happen. What if he failed and the friend in the basement got away? What if he couldn't use his powers? What if he had gotten too weak already?
"Saïx has enhanced powers because of the moon. He is at his peak. I need you two," Robert pointed to Sora and Roxas, "To focus your strength on him while the rest of us get Axel free of Saïx's brainwashing."
"Man in moon," Robert whispered under his breath so the others did not hear. "I have done all that I can. Please assure me this will work."
"We cannot fail. Or else our own worst nightmares will consume us."
He received no answer. "Of course. You were always a quiet guy, Manny."
Periwinkle had gone out in her tiny fairy form to see if the coast was clear. She returned to Robert. "No one is around. No one has left the compound nor has any returned."
Robert furrowed his brows. "Hm, it seems our 'friend' is expecting us."
"Or they've been on alert ever since we broke Roxas out of their dungeons."
"Yeah, yeah," Robert waved to the gang. "We're going in."
The jogged across the street, only to find the door was reinforced with a dark aura. Riku recognized it on his adventures.
"Don't touch it, it reacts to the darkness in your heart," he warned. Sora stared at his friend in concern.
"Riku, how do you know this?"
"I found out a long time ago."
Kairi walked up to the door and touched it with her hand. Before any of them could protest a light exploded from her hand. When the blinding light faded, the dark aura around the door was gone.
"Kairi…How?" Sora asked, his jaw practically on the floor in shock.
Kairi gave a sheepish smile. "Uh…Intuition?"
Intuition? Somehow, Robert knew that it was far from intuition.
The group went in guns a blazing…no, wait, that's wrong. The group went in as quietly as they could, and they all knew this was going to be much harder than a simple jailbreak.
Floor I.
Opening the door to a wide hallway, the gang saw their first obstacle. A teenager dressed in the typical Organization cloak, was standing in the middle of the hallway. He held a book with the number VI written in white. He seemed to be reading the book, minding his own business. He looked up, seeing the intruders.
"I see the traitor has returned, with friends," he stated calmly.
Roxas glared at the guy. "Zexion, Xemnas is tricking you, you are the smartest one, even you should see that."
Zexion snapped the book shut, pressing a finger to his lips as he thought about XIII's words. "Xemnas has his plans, we all do. But, I do not abandon my comrades for things like that."
Tink looked at Zexion and his book. "He is carrying a book, he's no threat," she whispered.
"That very book is what makes him dangerous," Robert replied. "It, like the amulet, was stolen."
Zexion inhaled deeply. "Hmm, I've got the scent of three Keybladers, two fairies, a mortal, and…" he looked over to Robert, scanning him intently. "strange, your scent does not change when you lose your powers."
Robert's eyes widened. "He told you everything about me."
"Precisely."
The book began hovering in his hand. Everyone except Robert and Roxas stared in awe. With a wave of Zexion's hand, there were multiple copies of the book floating in the air.
Roxas shouted "Get out of the way!" as Zexion muttered a simple spell that turned the aura around himself green. Everyone scrambled out of the way, but one book managed to nab Robert and sucked him in.
"Gah!" he exclaimed. To be fair he doesn't have magic to defend himself.
All…five? Not sure. All five Keybladers summoned their respective weapons. Riku smacked the book Robert was trapped in, freeing him.
"Thanks," Robert said, feeling much better now that he wasn't trapped in a book. He glared at Zexion who simply laughed.
"Why don't you share your powers with your friends?" he mocked.
"Ahh!" Periwinkle screamed as she was sucked into another book.
Tink tried desperately to grab the book in an attempt to get her sister back, but she too, was pulled into a book as well.
Roxas smacked the books, setting the two fairies free. Sora and Kairi were trying to attack the laughing Zexion as he moved about, a green aura still surrounding him. Sadly the aura was protecting him like a shield. Sora and Kairi recoiled at its touch.
Everyone was weary of the books. Robert wanted nothing more than to punch Zexion in the face. Who wouldn't?
Riku was about to charge at Zexion with a powerful attack that might break through Zexion's barrier. But with a wave of his hand, Number VI intensified the glow, and eight books appeared at once. It swallowed everyone up, save for Riku. He gritted his teeth in rage.
"Where are they?!" Riku demanded.
Zexion gave a malicious chuckle. "Where do you think they are?" With a snap of his fingers, Riku saw a giant book appear and swallow him into its pages.
Riku looked around, only seeing he was inside a swirling vortex of some kind. He had to get out of this blasted book and find his friends. Many books floated before him, and some of them opened up to show they contained his friends. One of them opened to reveal it contained Zexion himself before disappearing in the sea of lexicons. Riku jump up and grabbed the closest book, marked "The Book of Retribution", flipping through and seeing various pages written in codes. He had no idea how he could decipher them before Zexion could do more damage, but he didn't have time. The copies of the lexicons started to bombard Riku, and he barely had enough time to dodge them. He ran around, flipping through the book trying to find the right codes. Some of them glowed for a second, and that was his cue. The word "heal" glowed, causing Riku to flip through the pages to find the page marked with "Heal" as the first word. "Recovery" glowed. Riku located the right page. Then "phantom." Then "stamina." Finally he came upon the last words: "Sneak away." The lexicon in his hands faded away, and all the books containing his friends fell apart into scattered pages, freeing them.
A lone lexicon floated in the air, and before anyone else could react, Riku narrowed his eyes and swung at it. Zexion cried in pain, and everyone was returned to the hallway.
Zexion was on his knees. He dropped his lexicon on the floor. Riku pointed his Keyblade at him.
"Never touch my friends ever again," Riku declared. A part of him wanted to strangle the last bit of the cloaked schemer's life out of him, but Riku was too shocked that he would even think of such a thing. Instead, Riku merely smacked Zexion in the head with the blunt end of his Keyblade, effectively knocking Number VI out.
Robert walked over and picked up the lexicon. "This will be useful."
"That was awful!" Tinker Bell exclaimed. "Being in a book makes you so stiff ugh."
Terence cracked his neck. "You're telling me."
Sora pointed down the hallway, where another door awaits. "Let's get out of here."
Floor II.
This was the floor where Riku, Sora, and Robert encountered Vexen. He was no longer there now, probably hiding somewhere due to his magic being removed from him. They proceeded through the door.
Floor III:
A guy with rather ugly hair (dreads? Who knows?) was in the main bulk of the room. He had various lances floating around him.
"Well now, the foolish traitor who went after the pitiful thing called true love. How pathetic,"
Roxas gritted his teeth in anger. "Xaldin! You don't know anything!" he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands.
Xaldin smirked. "Yes, let the anger control you. Only hate will make you strong, and eventually consume you. It already consumed Axel."
"Axel? What did you do to Axel?!" Terence demanded. It was the first time anyone had seen the gentle guy be so angry before.
"Nothing terrible, if that's what you mean."
"I don't believe you!" Peri and Tink had to restrain him so he wouldn't charge at the scary man with bad sideburns and billions of lances.
Xaldin's lances suddenly stopped, and the man grasped three of them, two in one hand. "So you think you can defeat the Organization? I knew you," he pointed a lance at Robert. "were a fool, but it seems you recruited an entire group of fools."
And then it was mass mayhem. Seriously the guy had mad teleporting skills. He appeared in midair, all lances coming down on Sora and Riku, who barely got out of the way in time. Everyone scrambled, but this time they suffered scratches of all types from the teleporting of the lances. Naminé got a huge gash in her leg. It was then she decided to try something new before she lost too much blood in the chaos. Holding up her Keyblade Lunar Eclipse, she shouted to the heavens a spell she read in a book about White Magic.
"Heal!"
Like that, the gash was gone, a visible scar in its place, but it was not over. Naminé was knocked on her feet when Xaldin somehow extended his lances to be over ten feet long and whirled around in a painful blade tornado. The entire gang got cuts on their gut, arms, and backs. Robert's suit was ripped, but he didn't care. The only one unaffected was Periwinkle, who tried her best to counter the blades using ice shields, but it was not enough. The force of the ice breaking sent Per flying backwards into the wall rather painfully. Robert crawled along the ground, finding Sora.
"How do we beat this guy? He has at least six floaty lances! We are going to be shish-kabobs at this rate!" Robert said somewhat frantically.
Xaldin had enough of the tornado, so he switched his tactics. An aura of wind enveloped him, and using all six lances he chose a target and sent all six of them stabbing at them. Unfortunately, it was poor Periwinkle who was weakly trying to get up from being smashed into the wall. Robert's eyes widened, and he got up and ran towards her faster than he ever did in his life. He was furious. How could he have been so stupid as to involve a gentle flower like Periwinkle into this mess? She was going to pay for his mistake.
Tink saw the lances going straight for her sister. "PERI!" she cried out.
Periwinkle braced herself for inpact. But it never came. She heard a sickening stab and she looked up to see Robert's form in front of her.
Robert grunted in pain. He had felt worse before, by the "friend" in the basement. But it still hurt like mad. The ring on his hand flickered, and the white sapphire gemstone cracked. He could feel himself healing already, but the stab wounds would take a long time to heal. He didn't have the time. He fell over, and everyone stared in horror at his bloodied body. He cloths were even more torn.
Roxas and Sora decided to do something about Xaldin while the others rushed over to help the poor man's wounds. Both teens stood back to back. Sora shouted at Xaldin to get his attention. "Hey! Ugly Sideburns!"
Xaldin then sent his lances straight towards the duo, the wind carrying the blades. Something clicked within Sora. It felt like something he should have learned a long time ago, but it was now coming to light. He waved his Keyblade. "Air!" He and Roxas floated for a split second. Roxas seemed to catch on, even though he was mostly shocked at what Sora just discovered.
Naminé used the cure spell to hopefully stop the bleeding in Robert's stab wounds. The wounds were very deep, and the bleeding only lessened. A stronger spell was needed.
Kairi stared at his wounds with wide eyes. "It's amazing that you're still alive."
Robert gave a faint smile. "If only you knew.
Periwinkle tried to hold back a tear. "You sacrificed yourself for me? You…" she sighed as she shook her head.
"It isn't a sacrifice if I'm still here,"
"It was still stupid, but brave of what you did," Tinker Bell said.
"I just did it because I dragged Periwinkle here. I put her in harm's way,"
Number III was not liking Sora and Roxas half flying around, countering his attacks. He started to ride on top of his lances that were now shaped like a dragon. Sora and Roxas stared in fear as the dragon was about to breathe rather sharp and windy fire. It was aimed at the group tending to Robert's wounds.
"Wear the face of despair!" he shouted maniacally.
Sora felt his magic power was draining from all the aero spells. He casted one final aero spell around him and Roxas and darted towards the front of the dragon's mouth. Roxas held up both Keyblades and with some effort, he was able to reflect the dragon's breath right back at Xaldin. The reflection knocked Number III off his dragon, and he lost control of his lances. He landed on the floor, stabbed straight in the gut with his own lance.
The two teens cringed at the sight. "Ouch," Roxas muttered.
Robert felt the pain in his own body fade and he attempted to stand up. Kairi and Naminé were insistant that he stayed put, but he waved them away.
"I am going to live, you know," Robert said. "I have to finish this anyways."
Naminé looked over to Xaldin, who was shallowly breathing. She wanted to help him so badly, but what was she going to do? She couldn't think about it anymore once everyone started heading to the door.
What happens to Nobodies once they die? Or are they still Nobodies in this world?
Floor IV.
The floor was empty, so they moved on.
Floor V.
Robert was getting paranoid. Where is everyone?
It wasn't until they left through the exit that a big burly guy came out of the kitchen, holding a tomahawk and a piece of cheesecake. He looked around, and sat down on the nearby couch to eat his treat.
Floor VI.
No one was there, or at least that's what the gang thought. They continued on, unaware of the man with an eye-patch spying on them using a security camera.
He looked to his boss. "They are here. What do ya wanna do with these kids?"
"Let Number VII through IX deal with them. We must prepare to escape,"
A tall and shadowed figure shook his head. "You can escape, I can deal with deal with them. After all, their leader is weak." He pointed to the security monitor that was on Robert. "His weakness will be their downfall."
The boss nodded. "Good. But, I need Sora alive."
"Of course, my Lord."
Floor VII.
It had been a while since they encountered any organization members. Robert was really paranoid now. Not to mention he still ached from being stabbed by six lances. Kairi could not fathom how he was still alive. Riku noticed too.
Floor VIII.
Standing there was a man with blue hair. He simply stood there, expecting the group. The icy calm let everyone know that this was going to be a major problem.
In the far corner of the wide room was Axel. His eyes were still a shade of amber. Terence recognized him immediately, but Roxas stopped him from going to the guy.
"He's too dangerous right now." Roxas whispered.
Saïx crossed his arms. "So, the traitor decided to come back."
"Saïx, whatever Xemnas is doing, it's only for the benefit of Xemnas himself. You are a pawn in his schemes." Roxas said.
"And I suppose you are not a pawn in his," Number VII pointed to Robert. "Schemes? Either way, you're being used."
Sora became angry at his words. "You are just trying to bring Roxas down! He may be my Nobody, but he deserves to be his own being and treated as his own."
Roxas stared at Sora in shock. "What…"
"Hmph." Saïx summoned his claymore. His X-shaped scar started to flare up. "Different name, same fate. Number VIII, deal with the rest of them."
Axel summoned his chakrams. "With pleasure. Better give me one hell of a show!"
A wall of flame separated the team in half. On Saïx's side were Sora, Roxas, Riku, Naminé, and Kairi. The other side had Tink, Terence, Periwinkle, and Robert.
"Moon shine down!" Saïx's amber eyes turned pale yellow, his face becoming borderline demonic. He rose into the air. And his weapon was enveloped in white and blue flames.
"He's gone berserk! Stay out of his way!" Roxas shouted to the others. Saïx slammed his claymore down on the floor many times, sending out massive shockwaves.
The five Keybladers were barely able to keep up with Saïx. He continued running around, slamming the claymore in random directions. One wave hit Riku and Sora, slamming them against the white wall. They were lucky they didn't hit the wall of fire.
"Ow," Sora said, rubbing his head.
Saïx finally ran out of steam and he returned to normal. But the moon was full tonight, so it was only a matter of time before he became berserk again.
Roxas and Naminé got over to Sora and Riku while Kairi was distracting Saïx. Saïx simply stood there, waiting to be recharged. Kairi tried attacking him, but the copies of claymores blocked such attacks.
Naminé used cure to heal Sora and Riku.
"We need Axel if we're gonna beat Mr. Berserker," Roxas said, helping Sora on his feet.
Riku nodded. "They're going to need help pacifying Axel. Someone has to go over there."
"Sora can do it, he still has that amulet," Roxas said.
Sora shook his head as he reached up around his neck to pull the white sapphire amulet off and handed it to Roxas. "Axel was your friend. You can counter everything he is going to throw at you."
The blonde sighed. "Alright," he placed the amulet on. He ran over to the wall of flames and walked right through, untouched by the heat.
Sora, Riku, Naminé, and Kairi braced themselves for another round with Berserk Saïx.
"Why did we have to come here during a full moon?" Riku asked.
"Blame Robert," Sora answered.
The first thing Roxas noticed was that the entire floor beyond the curtain of flames was on fire. The second thing he noticed was a tiny fairy flying about. It was Periwinkle, trying to use her magic against the floor and Axel. Terence and Tink were trying to stay off the floor, their shoes burning. Peri shot ice at their feet to keep from burning. Robert wanted to help, but moving to remove his ring still hurt too much. He was already straining himself just walking. He needed to save whatever strength he had left for the friend in the basement.
"Periwinkle!" Roxas called out. The fairy flew over.
"Oh good, you're here. Know any ice magic?"
"All I have is the amulet,"
"Oh…okay," Peri sighed. "Well then, time to learn, I guess. Just think of the coldest thing ever."
Axel launched a fireball at them. Roxas leapt for safety, Peri simply flew out of range.
Roxas remembered that ice cream that he had a few days ago at Granny's. Sea salt ice cream.
Axel threw his chakram at Peri, but Roxas stepped in the way to deflect it. He twirled Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands.
"This is it, Axel, the showdown you've been wanting." Roxas said defiantly.
"The traitor! I'll show ya!" the red head said, enveloping his chakrams in flames and throwing them both at the same time. Roxas held up his Keyblades in defense. The amulet blocked the flames, but Roxas was still sent backwards from the impact.
"Something cold…" he muttered under his breath. He then remember finding Naminé in the snow in the dead of winter. She looked so close to death. Roxas closed his eyes, pointing his Keyblade straight at Axel. "Freeze?"
A giant cluster of ice shot out of the tip of the Keyblade. It hit Axel square in the hand, making him drop a chakram. Roxas took the opportunity to knock Axel off his feet, causing the burning floor to disappear.
Tinker Bell and Terence stopped hopping about, relieved to be able to stand properly again. Peri returned to human size and froze Axel's body save for his head. Roxas lowered his Keyblades.
"Axel, do you remember me?" he asked.
The red head struggled against his bonds. "You-You're the traitor…"
Roxas shook his head. "Organization XIII, they betrayed us first."
"No! You impeded on our goals!"
"We are friends, Axel. Xemnas is using us. Come on. Remember," Roxas said. "You'd said we'd meet again, in the next life. Well Axel, this is the next life."
Axel's eyes flickered from amber to green. "There is no next life- what, what?"
Terence stepped forward. "Lea? Remember me?"
Axel struggled from his brainwashing. "Wait…No! You betrayed me…"
The wall of fire dispersed. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé looked battered and bruised. Saïx at that moment was recharging. He hadn't noticed yet what occurred to his comrade or the fiery wall had disappeared.
Naminé's eyes widened. "Wait! I can help!" she sprinted over to Axel. She placed her fingertips on his temples. "Your memories will make things clear."
Roxas stared at Naminé. "You can manipulate memories?"
"Yes."
"When did you find out?" he asked, confused.
"I just…know," she said sheepishly. He didn't need to know that a goddess told her.
She removed her fingertips from Axel's temples. "Hopefully that should work."
Axel shook his head. "Ugh…"
Sora and Riku were standing in the way of Saïx's path. He was about to go berserk again. "Sometime today guys!" Riku shouted, not really willing to become a claymore shish-kabob.
Axel closed his eyes. "Terence…you look exactly the same man, whatever you use for de-aging I need some of that."
Roxas face-palmed while Terence laughed. "Seriosuly? You finally see your brother in what? Over 40 years and that's the first thing you say?" Roxas asked, shaking his head. "Good to have ya back, friend."
"Uh yeah, it's nice to be back with the sane people. It would be even more nice if I was not stuck in a block of ice,"
Periwinkle giggled. "Alright." She removed the ice with a wave of her hand.
Axel cracked his knuckles. "So uh, why are you guys down here in the first place? This place isn't exactly a cake wa-"
"I'd love for you all to stand there and chit-chat but we have a problem!" Riku shouted, running away from the berserk Saïx.
"Move aside!" Saïx shouted, very angry that Axel was no longer under his control.
Axel rolled his eyes. "Isa, what have they done to you?" he muttered.
Terence raised an eyebrow. "Who is Isa?"
Axel didn't say a thing as he summoned his chakrams to his hands. "Well? You guys need my help or what?"
All five Keybladers raised their weapons.
"Nah, we're good. We handled Saïx quite well," Sora said, a grin on his face.
"Uh huh, and that bruise on your face says otherwise,"
Everyone dodged out of the way of Saïx's shockwaves. Axel took a minor hit and slammed into the wall. "I think," he grunted. "I liked it better when he was on my side."
"I think I liked it better when I wasn't being hunted down by the Organization," Roxas said.
Robert, who was standing in the same exact spot the entire time, rolled his eyes. "After this, we won't have the Organization to worry about anymore. So suck it up for another hour or two."
All the Keybladers plus Axel unleashed a massive joint attack on Saïx. It was enough to knock Saïx to the ground, unconscious.
Axel looked over Saïx, shaking his head. "I will bring Isa back, one day." He turned to everyone else. "Well? Now will you explain?"
Robert slowly walked forward. "We have to get to the basement. Xemnas has an ally in there and we need to get rid of him before I become too weak to do so."
The red head looked over Robert, whose clothes were torn and covered in blood. "If you are not too weak already," he commented.
"I say we get a move on before Berserker over there wakes up," Riku said, pointing his thumb towards the exit door.
Floor IX.
No one was there, save for an orange tabby cat. Tinker Bell looked at said cat and wanted to take it home with her. It seems the cat was neglected.
"First kidnapping now animal neglect?" Tink said. "This organization is truly evil!" She picked up the cat, going to take it home with her.
Floor X.
Standing there, waiting to greet them was a guy with a sitar in his hand.
"Ah, you!" he said.
"Still lazy?" Roxas asked.
"To be fair Xemnas threatened to kill him if he doesn't do something," Axel defended. "And that includes being a meat shield."
Demyx's face paled. "Can't we all get along?"
Riku thought about it. "Nope."
Roxas darted forward and immediately smacked Demyx's sitar out of his hand. He grabbed the wimp by the cloak and pointed Obilivion right at his face. "You dumped your workload on me all the time."
"Uh…" Demyx said nervously.
"Summon a water clone you will get Keyblade in the face," Roxas said.
"Nah nah, let me handle this," Axel said. Roxas released Demyx. "Okay, there's an extra door to the basement. What is the code?"
Robert raised his eyebrows. "There's a code?"
"21st century, get with the times man," Axel pointed his chakram right at Demyx's face. "Okay Number IX, talk."
Demyx would rather his face not be chakram'd. "The code is I XIII Foretellers."
Axel smirked. "Thanks!"
The gang ran towards the door, leaving Demyx behind. Unknown to him, Xemnas watched the entire time. After this, he would not be heard from again.
Floor XI.
No one was around. Robert could feel the darkness looming closer. He had recovered enough to run around. Kairi still wondered how he was still alive from those wounds.
Floor XII.
They reached a dead end. This was where the map ends.
Sora was confused. "I thought there was a door here?"
Periwinkle nodded. "There is."
Axel walked up to the blank wall and said the password. "I XIII Foreteller."
Xemnas watched through the security cameras. He turned to Number II. "Get Number VII and X. The Boogie Man will deal with them."
Number II nodded. "Alright, man."
The wall opened up to the gang. Stairs led into a pitch black abyss. Robert stood in front, knowing what was ahead of them. What was in front of him. He breathed in deeply.
"It's your turn…" he said to no one.
He started walking down the stairs. Everyone else followed suit. Periwinkle felt concerned for him. He hasn't gotten rid of his civilian form at all. What if he won't ever take it off?
The group stumbled over each other as they descended down the stairs. It was completely dark. Sora held out his Keyblade and formed a orb of light on the tip to light the way. Kairi felt slightly unease. She felt immense darkness.
Naminé yelped when she received a vision of herself fading away to nothingness. Roxas comforted her until he too, received a horrid vision.
"What is going on?" Terence asked.
"Those visions will be commonplace from here on. It's one of his tricks. Don't let them get to you.," Robert said blankly.
They made it to the bottom of the stairs after a while. Robert was the only one who dared to step forward in defiance. "Kozmotis Pitcher, come out!" he shouted, his voice echoing against the walls.
Periwinkle got a familiar chill down her back. Tink clung to Terence in fear. Kairi felt weak. She almost fell over but Riku and Sora caught her.
Robert's fists tightened up.
"Haha, well well, starting to feel weak, Guardian?" a chilling voice spoke from the darkness. Riku lifted up his Keyblade and lit a fire on the tip. It was then they were able to all see a pale man dressed in black standing before them.
"I am not weak," Robert said.
"Oh, but you are. You haven't been able to work because of your mission to find me," the man laughed. "And now you dragged your most loyal servant and her friends down here."
"You may have been able to hide here for some time, but you can't hide anymore,"
"On contrary, am I the one who is hiding?" he started walking about Robert, who remained calm and stoic. "You rely on everyone else to do your bidding. You and that ring on your finger have become a crutch. You are weak with or without it."
Periwinkle couldn't stand seeing him taunt her mentor anymore. "Don't listen to him Jack!"
Sora and Riku's eyes widened. "Jack?!"
"Oh Periwinkle, would you like to hear why you got your powers in the first place? How he is using you?"
"What? He would never use me-"
"But he did. He can't handle the job of being a Guardian, so he started looking for replacements. He gave his powers to a little girl in a far off land, and when she was locked up, he tried again. And then you came along. Face it, tiny fairy, you are nothing but a pawn,"
Peri was crestfallen. "Jack…"
Jack sighed. "It is true, Periwinkle. I sorta used you. And I'm sorry for that fact."
"Just face it Jack. Your past will because your present, your future," Pitch said. "Go on, I dare you to take off the ring."
Jack found he couldn't do it. He is addicted to it. He couldn't just come back from when he could be normal.
Pitch laughed. "You can't, you are too weak to do so."
Jack looked down in shame. He had brought all these people down here and now he just couldn't do what he was supposed to do. "All my mistakes, all I have done. I have ruined so many lives as what I had become."
Pitch smirked as he summoned a massive swirling tornado of black nightmare dust. It shoved everyone away. Touching it gave everyone visions of their worst fears, except for Periwinkle.
"I…I can't do it," Jack said.
"Yes you can! Jack, we all make mistakes! It's time you let the past stay in the past! Even though you might've used me, you still gave me a gift that brings joy. And you have that gift too!" Peri shouted. "Don't let Pitch get to you! He tomorrow will be nothing but a bad dream!"
Jack looked up. He couldn't see Peri in the tornado, but he can hear her. "You believe that, Periwinkle?"
"I believe in you, Jack. Just as all those who believe in you," she answered.
"You lost so many believers Jack, how does your magic fare with that?" Pitch mocked.
"Remember Jack? As long as one believes, you are strong!" Peri exclaimed. "You may desire to be normal, but think of what joy you have brought as a Guardian. You always loved to bring joy and have fun. Who you are is a gift to the world. It is what you bring to the lives of many!" Peri had a single tear fall down her cheek. "Embrace it! Embrace your gift! And let go of the mistakes as we all have made mistakes."
Jack thought back to all the mistakes he had done. He gave two innocent girls a fraction of his power with dire consequences. His first friend since he became who he is, he had let them down. He used Periwinkle and took her away from her sister. He had let his fellow Guardians down once; he was not going to let it happen again.
"Well now, Jack, do you fear the Boogie Man?" Pitch whispered in his ear.
Jack smirked. "You forget, Pitch. My name is Jack Frost, and I fear only the past no more!" He ripped the ring off his finger and tossed it to the ground. Business just got real. Ice travelled up his arms and to his hair and down to his feet. His torn clothes turned into a blue hoodie and some ragged brown pants. His hair turned white as snow and his eyes blue as the winter. He summoned his staff to his hands and pointed it right at Pitch. "I am a Guardian of Fun, and you sir, are not fun at all."
Pitch realled back in surprise. Jack immediately shot a bolt of ice at him. Pitch barely got out of the way time, the black nightmare sand being hit instead. The tornado dispersed., revealing the true Jack Frost to everyone.
Sora pointed to him, "Now I remember! We used to have snow fights as kids!"
Axel scoffed. "Yeah thanks for providing Vexen with his crazy ice powers."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "For the record, he stole the amulet from me."
Pitch flew around the room, realizing he had awakened a sleeping giant. Jack pointed his staff right at him and shot many ice bolts at him.
The Keybladers readied their weapons, taking aim at the Boogie Man with blizzard spells charging up. Peri shrunk down to fairy size, and channeled sharp ice blocks at the Nightmare King.
Pitch Black had nowhere to go. He struggled to avoid the ice being thrown at him. He was running out of power from the people in the room. They had overcame their fears and surpassed them. He ran out of black dust and landed hard on the floor with a thump. His eyes widened in fear.
Jack smirked at Pitch as he summon a beautiful ice box with three keyholes in it with his hands. The box was crafted by the Guardians of Childhood. Jack was glad he had learned how to summon things with his powers. He held the intricate box in his hand. "I bet this is your worst nightmare, Pitch."
Pitch held up his hands in surrender. "No! No!" he shouted, knowing what was about to happen.
Jack Frost set the box down on the floor, and used his staff to nudge it open. As soon as it opened, it sucked Pitch Black in, who desperately clawed at the floor in his effort to flee. Jack snapped it closed, struggling to keep it shut.
"Guys! Lock it!" he called to the Keybladers. Sora, Riku, and Kairi all held out their Keyblades and shot a beam of light into the three keyholes. With three loud clicks, the box was sealed.
Jack breathed heavily from the adrenaline. He had done it. He had managed to lock away Pitch for good, and the Guardians said he didn't need their help.
"So uh, yeah. I lived through those wounds because I am immortal," he grinned cheekily. Of all the things to say, he just had to say that?
Everyone just stared while Periwinkle rolled her eyes.
Outside of the compound, Jack was preparing to leave.
"You're leaving already?" Sora asked.
"I have to. My mission was to defeat Pitch Black and lock him away. Now that it is done, I must go and regain my strength. My power comes from the belief of children. As long as they can see me, I have the ability to defeat a hundred Boogie Men," Jack said, messing around with his staff. He truly forgot how much fun it was to use his powers.
Tinker Bell frowned. "Does that mean Peri has to go as well?"
Jack shook his head. "Periwinkle can visit as often as she wants."
Peri brightened up. "What? But Jack don't you-"
"I kept you away from your sister long enough,"
"It's a shame you have to leave, Jack Frost." Kairi said.
Jack stroked his chin. It seems he had kept the small beard he had grown. "The best thing about being me is that I can visit during the winter, and travel all the worlds. If this town goes poof, I will find you guys."
Peri laughed. "Yeah. It's fun seeing all the sights. Take care guys! I'll see you again, real soon."
Jack nodded. "Always look forward guys. Never dwell." He and Periwinkle turned away. "Wind!" he shouted to the sky. "Take me home!" he flew up high into the sky, cheering happily.
"Where is his home?" Terence asked.
Periwinkle winked at them. "Burgess." She then spouted her wings and flew off after the laughing spirit of winter.
So the nightmare was gone, thanks to me. Well okay, I had some help from some friends.
I am Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun.
And I fear nothing.
So some would say this is the end, but it certainly is not the end. Jack will return to Storybrooke in time for Emma and Killian to go on their time travel adventure. XD
This story does close out some things for my other crossovers (which is why placing this story in the crossover section is going to be annoying because ff,net has an archaic crossover sorting thingy) For The Heart's Desperation, the Organization fled, and for The Dust Keeper, Tink and Peri are reunited and Axel and Terence are mending their brotherly bond. But don't worry, these guys will return one day. But for now they will not appear for the rest of this fic.
Honestly, I think I might move this thing around in the crossover section, because I cannot figure out whether this should go in RotG or KH section due to it being KH focused 75% of the time. But in the end, it is Jack's story.
Reviews are much appreciated. :)