A/N:
Tasha: Yeah, this is mine and Issy's first co-written fic. She's a lazy bum and couldn't be bothered to write anything! :3 Not really! (I love you, Issy, don't hurt me!) Um, this will probably become an epic fic. We'll try and update regularly, as in, once a week. Let's see if we can stick to our promise! Hope everyone has a merry Christmas! On another note, this story will be regaled through many different points of views. Enjoy!
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Axel POV
If Roxas was here, I know what he'd say.
It's all Axel's fault.
Yeah right. As if such a handsome stud like me could cause all this mess. But, no matter. I'll be the one paying for it anyways. I'm kinda freaked that I'll end up like Demyx. No memories. No emotions.
Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?
Thought so. I'd better start from the beginning.
The beginning, in my opinion, would have to be when Larxene joined our rag-tag group. The girl, in my humble opinion, is bat-shit crazy. This kinda explains why she's such good friends with Xigbar. But I digress.
It happened when Reno, my idiotic older brother, and I were on a recon mission to scope out Hollow Bastion's new electricity plant. Something was fishy there, and Zexion had insisted that we check it out.
So there we were, innocently minding our own business as we broke into the plant in the middle of the night, when we heard someone cackle. And lemme tell you, that cackle is enough to make your balls shrivel up and die. Reno cussed and whipped around, his eyes narrowing at the girl. Or what we assumed was a girl. You can never really tell, with everyone wearing personants nowadays.
Wait a sec. You don't know what personants are? Have you been living under a rock for the past, like, I dunno, HUNDRED YEARS?!
Sorry, my temper's getting the better of me. In such a small, dank space, can you blame me for getting a little antsy? Fine, I'll explain personants to you.
About one hundred and fifty years ago, things had gotten really bad, on a world wide scale. Everyone was nuking each other and loads of innocent people were dying. I mean, the living situation for most people was crap. Different races of people were being blamed. If you were a poor woman, you were not given any education and once you got too old to be of any use, you were likely to be murdered by your own family. And so, one rich powerful man, some guy called Ansem the Wise, enlisted the help of some famous scientist dude to help him try and stop the warfare and general hate. It took them twenty years, but they finally perfected the Personant. The earth's only hope for world peace.
In the present time, nearly everyone wears a personant. With the exception of a select few. Like myself. Those who refuse to wear personants are captured and punished by the authorities. Which is, like, a real bummer. A personant is a mechanical, technologically advanced mask. When you put it on, it covers your face, so that there is no discrimination between sexes, races or ages, among other things. Your wear clothing that covers your entire body and your voice is given a robotic inflection. When you're born, the school you will go to and your job are decided for you. There is no currency, nor is there world trade. Since the development of the personant, there have been many changes to the way of living. Everyone on the entire earth is ruled by a single government and humans have become a self-sustaining race. You must be thinking why the hell would I want to upset such a great set up? Well, my friend, that is because, if you bother to look beneath the surface of our perfect society, you'll see that things are a little more than messed up. Why haven't people noticed this? Because they've been conditioned. From birth until death, the majority of the human race is brain-washed into thinking that everything is just peachy. From repetitive adverts to subliminal messages, the government makes sure to keep a tight hold on their public. These things stop the civilians from causing uprisings and rebellions. Which is, like, totally not cool.
Okay, so now that you're up to date with what personants are, can I get on with my story?
Thank you.
So, this creepy girl was laughing at us as we tried to break into an important building. If she had been a normal citizen, she would have reported us straight away while screaming about how we were perverts for showing out faces. So, when, instead, she just stood there laughing, we realized that she wasn't normal.
"Jeez," she chuckled, "What are you guys doing? And without personants, too. Are you drunk or something? Or are you just plain stupid?"
"We, uh, work at the plant but it's locked and we forgot our personants inside…" I answered, hoping she would just shoo.
"Yeah, right. Okay, I believe you. Now, answer me this. Why the hell are you trying to break into the pet food store?"
I hit Reno over the head. "Idiot," I hissed, "I can't believe that you messed up the location. Again."
My brother just grinned sheepishly. As well he should. That was the third time he'd messed up this week. Idiot…
The blonde girl, who you may have realized by now, is Larxene, sighed and stood with her hands on her hips.
"I'm bored and you guys seem dangerous enough. Need some help?"
I was about to refuse when she pulled off her personant, revealing her slicked back blonde hair, bluish green eyes and the widest and cruelest smirk that I ever did see. The fact that she was showing her face gave me pause for thought. She was certainly brave…
Tentatively, I accepted the borderline mentally unstable girl's help.
All in all, it turned out to be a good decision.
She got us to the right place. We got it and we got out. And then she decided that she wanted to come back to AVALANCHE with us. AVALANCHE being the hella cool name of our renegade group. And we accepted because, honestly, we need all the help we can get. When you're trying to overthrow a government and change the living situation for basically everyone on earth, you realize that beggars can't be choosers.
I never did find out where she was from.
When we arrived back at base, Yuffie came out to greet us. Not something you need in the early hours of the morning, after staging a break in and in the heat of the desert. So, no, I wasn't pleased to see her.
"Hey guys, what took ya so long?" she questioned, having not yet spotted our new companion.
Soon enough, however, she managed to spot the petite blonde amidst her excitement.
"So, was the plant- OH MY FREAKING GOD! LEON, GET OUT HERE, LOOK WHAT AXEL BROUGHT BACK ESPECIALLY FOR MEEEEEEE!" the girl screeched, clasping her hands to her chest delightedly as she called for her best friend, and resident tough guy, Leon.
The brunet came stumbling out, scowling as the heat soaked unwelcomingly into his leather outfit. Silly Leon. Only Yuffie could be that energetic all the time.
He squinted in the light at Larxene before asking, "Axel, who the fuck is this?"
"Aw," I teased, throwing my arm over her shoulder "That's no way to treat the newest member of our -OW!- family!" Larxene then continued to bite at my hand until I dropped it.
Leon smirked silently, crossing his arms in a languid manner. "Right… So, where did you find this one?" he asked.
"Actually," Reno interjected as he walked slowly towards the entrance of the little place we called home, "The bitch found us."
The blonde girl smiled at this. Twisted, twisted girl.
"Yeah," I continued, "She didn't even pack a bag, just up and decided to come back with us."
"Oooooooh…" Yuffie trailed off in child-like glee. However, she didn't stay silent for long. "Ohmigosh! I just have to introduce you to the others this instant!" She said this while jumping up and down in a deranged manner, clapping those dangerous hands together. After this she hopped over to Leon, tugging at his long shaggy bangs and pinching his cheeks until his stoic face turned red. He slowly detached himself from his friend, muttering something about Yuffie and being buried alive and how no one would ever find him.
A determined Yuffie is never denied. Unless, of course, you want to lose a limb.
The black haired girl dragged her new friend into the small, abandoned building we use as our base. You may be wondering why we were all up in the middle of night.
That is because we don't get out much in the daytime. If you were a fugitive, would you?
And there, Larxene was greeted by her would-be family. I'd better describe them to you, eh?
Zexion sat with Vincent at the small table that dominated the corner kitchenette. They were arguing over one of the few primitive books we owned. You know the ones I mean. The ones still bound by a spine and printed on paper. As compared to the e-books everybody else has now. My best friend, and Zexion's boyfriend, Demyx, sat, playing his sitar softly while chatting with Xigbar, who was leaning on the arm of our ratty old sofa. Leon followed us inside, ducking out of the way as Zack attacked my brother, his best friend. Why he's friends with such an idiot, I'll never know.
Larxene walked boldly to the centre of the room, took a moment, before pointing at Xigbar.
"What's with the eye-patch?" she asked.
"Aww, dude, not cool," replied the older man, running a hand through his grey streaked black hair, which was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. He stood up and sauntered over to the girl, amusement glittering in his eyes.
I'm so descriptive, aren't I?
I fell onto the couch, next to the sandy haired sitarist and promptly rested my head on his shoulder.
"Demyx, why didn't you say 'hello' to me?"
"I was talking to Xigbar."
"You know what? You make a really bad wife."
"I'm not your wife!" He exclaimed, mock insulted. "When I get married to Zexy, I'm gonna have his babies," he stated proudly.
"But, darling! What about us? What about everything we've been through together!? I pronounced my undying love to you in that burning building that one time, remember?"
"Ax, we were playing rock, paper, scissors and you said, and I quote, 'Dem, I think I kinda like you. I mean, you're alright looking and I'm bored.' End quote."
"Huh. I don't remember that."
"You were drunk."
"Ooooh…"
We sat in a comfortable silence before I mentioned that, "That girl's got a mean bite."
"…Cool."
"Don't worry Dem. She doesn't turn me on like you do," I replied suavely, smirking flirtatiously.
I am so smooth.
Before Zexion joined us and before I met Roxas, Demyx and I had had a 'thing'. But we're mature people now. That didn't stop me from hitting on him, however. Damn, I miss that boy.
Again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
So, as soon as everyone could be bothered, we gathered around the small coffee table in our two room hovel and introduced Larxene. Throughout the whole thing, she just stood there smirking like crazy. I think even Yuffie was freaked out after a while.
You'd be scared too if you knew how hard it was to freak that girl out.
"Dude," muttered Reno to Zack, "why does she keep staring like that?" Zack only had time to elbow him once (you normally have to do it at least three times to get his attention), before Larxene bashed his nose with the back of her fist in a lightning fast strike. I would've been falling about laughing if I hadn't already fallen over in shock (tell anyone and I promise you, YOU WILL DIE).
"Shit!" Reno screamed, "That was my FACE, yo!"
The blond girl turned around, a sweet and totally disturbing smile on her pixie-like face. "Yeah!" she replied happily, "I know!"
Leon coughed, eyes wide in shock and wary fear, "Um… Larxene, are you alright with sleeping on the floor for now?"
Meanwhile, on one hand, I was mentally throwing myself off a cliff while on the other hand I was planning to make Larxene my favourite person ever. Haha! Leon speechless! I don't think he's lost his composure since he learned to talk. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be alive when this girl got angry.
"We should start looking for a bigger place," Vincent murmured behind the swath of cloth covering his mouth, calm and collected as always. He tucked a piece of his gleaming black hair behind his ear, giving us a clear view of his ruby red eyes.
"I totally agree, yo. I mean, someone as beautiful as me needs some breathing space."
Zack chuckled at my brother while punching him on the shoulder. "Your nose is, like, broken, man. You ain't so beautiful right now!"
Reno gingerly felt his swelling nose, commenting darkly that he was better looking than me and Zack put together.
I hope that punch was hard.
Zexion stood slowly, book in hand. His slate hair shone in the meager light of our bare light bulb. "I believe that before we talk about living arrangements, we should hear how the recon mission went." He looked at me expectedly.
"What? It's not like I took notes," I drawled. "The plant had a few cyber-blueprints on a new type of Guard Heartless, but that was it. I've got some pictures of it, because I'm awesome. Got it memorized?"
I nodded to Reno who took out a small black box, an old cell phone that had a primitive camera installed. We can't be too sure on who may be tracking us through technology.
He showed it to the others while I lounged, having already taken a look at the detailed sketches. When they'd finished analyzing the new information on the Heartless, a humanistic robot that the government used to control the masses, I spoke up.
"Hey, shouldn't we give Larxene her personant? I know we have a spare one handy." I smiled, poking Demyx with my foot. Sighing, he stood up and retrieved the odd looking personant from a dusty wooden shelf we'd found at a dumping ground one day. Instead of the normal opaque, white design that most personants sported, the one in Demyx's hand was translucent and malleable. He tossed it to me and I held it out to the girl.
She took it quickly, her look questioning. She was wary of putting it on. I sighed, rubbing my hand along the rough denim of my last century styled clothing. We renegades wore old, normal clothing that actually dared to show our ankles. I know.
I whined at Yuffie. I'd explained our special brand of personants to enough people. She could do it for once.
Luckily, she agreed. She felt at her own face and pulled off her personant, surprising Larxene. Normal personants aren't invisible.
She explained about how they worked. How they gave us extra strength and agility and allowed us the use of a customized weapon, different for each of us. She asked me and Demyx to demonstrate. I summoned my chakrams, a pair of red spiky wheels that emitted fire. I set the edge of the table alight before stamping out the flame with my foot. Xigbar commented on my apparent lack of control. He shut up after that, too preoccupied with patting out the fire that had started on his head. Maybe I do have some issues. Demyx didn't need to summon anything, simply showing off his sitar's power over water, making sparkly bubbles appear, which he then proceeded to pop with a sort of childish fascination.
Actually, thinking back to it, Yuffie explained the whole thing pretty well, only talking about puppies once. I thought it was quite impressive as she only knew half the story. Only Reno, Vincent and I knew the full story. The full horror behind personants.
And we weren't telling anybody.
After the explanation, Larxene was more than eager to don her new mask and see what weapon she would receive. I was hoping it wouldn't be anything too destructive, you know. Maybe something that made rainbows, or healed people.
I should have known I was being delusional.
They turned out to be kunai with the ability to control and summon lighting. Oh the joys.
It took two weeks, actually, for anyone to come looking for the girl.
It was just bad luck that it was me that they spotted, that day in the deserted alleyway.
Or maybe I should say that it was good luck…