What's up, guys! Sorry for the...year long delay ^.^;
I had a lot of problems with my internet (no surprise), and I will be updating "The Fifteenth" shortly, I just wanted to make it up to you first by posting this new story! Part 1 is in Isa's POV, and even if you don't like him, I strongly encourage you to read both so that you can understand where they're coming from. :D
Disclaimer: I do not, will not, and cannot ever own Kingdom Hearts (T.T). Square Enix owns it...
Twin Mirrors
Part 1: Moonlight's Reflection
After forcing Lea's lazy ass to wake up at what he claimed was an "unholy hour to even exist", I stand outside his place, waiting at the door. Once I hear incessant groaning, I know he's ready to go. And from the sounds of it, he's pissed because he didn't get a chance to eat. What a shame, he won't be allowed any access to food for a whole morning. The world's gonna end. Sigh.
"Seriously, Isa, can I at least get a drink or something? I didn't even get to comb out my hair or anything." He whines. Dealing with this daily ritual for years, I have become completely immune to his complaints.
"Wasn't it your idea in the first place? You really need to make up your mind." I tell him. One of the few things you can never adjust to: his fickle mind.
"Well, I just got another great idea. I say I go back inside, crawl up in bed, and fall asleep for another few hours, until I see my clock reading 1:00 P.M."
Rolling my eyes, I walk on towards our destination, knowing too well that he'll follow in three, two-
"WAIT, HOLD UP!" The sound of footsteps rushing to catch up to my own steady pace can be heard from behind. Works like a charm.
We make our way through the town, being friendly to all the people we pass, old neighbors we've known since we could talk, as well as the newcomers. We've had an increase in them ever since Radiant…Hollow Bastion was established. Old friends we've grown up with are either dead, managed to get out on their own, or were devoured by the darkness. They could've very well have become those damned creatures that lurk around this town nowadays. Depressing, but that's what happens: life's gonna bite you in the ass sooner or later.
With the town far behind us, we become more cautious. Most of the town has been destroyed, and some parts are being rebuilt, so there's rubble and who knows what lying around haphazardly everywhere past town. Walking around some things, hopping over objects, occasionally even climbing a few cement blocks or bricks piled high. After descending one or two sets of staircases, we are officially out of the city, now entering the red zone.
Nothing we see even remotely resembles what this world looked like, back in the glory days. Perhaps a pattern carved into the stones here and there, but that's the best we've got. It's all gone. Nothing but dull blue rock that goes on and on, leading on to empty trails that would more than likely reveal even more devastating results of the accident. But that's not what we're here for.
Lea walks on a step or two ahead of me, his head hung low, trying to avoid contact with our surroundings. If he sees anything, he'll just emotionally break down again and demand that we go back. But we've made it this far, farther than we have in the past. If he even gives me that look to return home, I'm wringing his neck.
Unlike Lea, I'm actually interested in the 'new architecture', for some unfathomable reason. Even though there's a saddening story behind its creation, it intrigues me to see all of the rubble. It's a new sight to me that no one else has witnessed, mainly because they're too cowardly or too emotionally damaged, like Lea. And that makes it a bit special to me. No one's dared to see all this head on but myself, and that makes me feel a bit better about our current mission.
Rounding a short corner, we look around and know that we made it. Standing before us is the old laboratory. I don't really know why everyone calls it that, it finished construction just last year. Just because it's abandoned doesn't make it old.
But I might as well fill you in: our mission is to scour the laboratory for any leftover evidence that may still exist. What evidence? Clues to what the hell happened to our home and our lives. All we've been informed of were that the King was gone as well as the apprentices, the creation of those alien things roaming around town at night, and that our world would never be the same as it was.
We walk around the wall, finding a short path that leads us to the entrance. It's hidden from the light of the sun, making it that much more foreboding. Lea stops right before touching the shadows, a bit shaken. Now is not the right fucking time for me to be dealing with this.
"Come on, Lea. We got this far. No point in turning back." I tell him. "Don't be a pussy."
He curls his hands into tight fists, a determined look switching out with his previous fearful countenance. "I'm not being a pussy." He insists, pushing me to the side, striding ahead to the door. I smirk slightly. As I said, I know what makes him work, and I know how to trigger it.
A tight corridor extends a little before us, turning at a corner. With little lighting, the ominous brown colors and the questioning shadows, it looks as if it's inviting us in. Almost like it was taunting us, saying, "I dare you to enter even further than this point. I dare you to explore the inner depths of my home."
This time, I'm walking ahead of Lea, the both of us no further than a foot's length. One hand searches for the wall, finds it, and grasps whatever's there, like a pipeline or something along the lines of that. For what seems like hours, we walk, rounding different corners along the way. We finally realize that we've made no progress whatsoever. The entire entryway is a maze. We're lost.
"Damn it! I knew I recognized that one bend a minute ago. Could've sworn I saw it for the fifth time!" he exclaims.
"Maybe you could've told me that a while ago! Now we're lost!" I exclaim in return.
"Then we should go back." He says, a hint of worry in his voice. I can't help but slap him upside his head. He complains even more, rubbing the spot that was stricken.
"First of all, we've gone this far. I am not gonna turn back just because you're confused about where we're going and because you're shitting your pants over there. Second of all, even if we do turn back, where's the fucking entrance?"
That keeps him quiet. He mumbles nonsense to himself, pissed that he can't make some sort of snide remark. With that, I keep walking, Lea following behind, our feet echoing with each step, the sound vibrating off the metal walls.
After another eternity, I see a source of light. It's just around the corner, and there's lots of it. As if someone is here and decided to turn on the lights for us. We run simultaneously, heading towards the light.
We enter a large square room, completely empty and devoid of life. The only thing here is rubble, no surprise. Two other corridors outline the walls, one parallel to where we are, the other on the wall next to us.
We know we've found something, especially since the corridor next to us is also lighted. Something groundbreaking is only a few feet away.
We walk to the middle of the room, carefully observing everything around us. Something just doesn't feel right.
Lea kicks a piece of rock from the rubbish pile, staring at it long and hard. "It's only been a few months. And to think that whatever or whoever is here is what caused this mess…" he says absentmindedly.
I sigh. "That's life. Got to take whatever it throws at you and move on. All of us have to deal with it."
"I know, but still. It just pisses me off to know that all of this shit has happened. None of us deserved it. Since when did we do anything wrong?" he replies, kicking another rock, which turns out to be a brick. I watch him jump around on one foot, holding the other in pain. I must be a sadist, because it's currently amusing me.
"Look on the bright side. Rumors have it that the apprentices caused all this, right? Now that they're gone, they can't really do anything else to us, am I right?"
I hear no response from him. He stopped jumping around idiotically, and is now looking around the room, as though he heard something.
"Lea? You listening to me?"
He looks over at me, and his eyes are bugging out, a pair of emeralds looking at me, petrified.
"Dude, what's wrong?" I joke a bit, producing a nervous laugh. "Do I have something on my face?" I'm really hoping I do.
"Be-be-behi-behind…" he sputters. He's not looking at me, he's looking PAST me. He's looking at SOMETHING.
I spin around, getting face to face with a Heartless. And this motherfucker's HUGE. And on top of that, he has friends.
My legs are jello, meanwhile my entire's body's comprised of cement. I take a few steps back and fall over, inching away from the Heartless. "Lea…" I call, glancing behind me.
No one. I've been abandoned by the one person who I accepted as blood when we weren't even closely related. The very person who made a pact with me years ago, sealing the deal with our own blood. I've been betrayed. I'm alone now.
"LEA?" I shriek, getting on my feet and running as fast as I can. But it's not enough. I barely make it a few feet before a small Shadow trips me. Falling face first on the ground, I try to get back up. I don't want to die yet. Not here, not now, and definitely not alone. My time here certainly hasn't run out yet, right?
Wait, something's wrong. I can't breathe. I can't move. I'm completely frozen. I don't even know if I'm still here or not. I see reality, but am I really apart of it? I don't know. Whatever's happened to me, it's terrifying. Or is it? Am I feeling fear? Or is this pain? Wait, what's pain? Is it what's within my chest? It doesn't hurt, though. What's going-
Emptiness. I feel empty. No…I feel…nothing…nothing at all…I'm not even really here…yet I am…but why?...I don't deserve this…do I?...
…Do I?...
My eyes flutter open, and the first thing I catch a glimpse of is a full moon above, indicating that night has already fallen. Seems suitable enough. After all, I'm dead, I've already fallen victim to the darkness, so this environment suits me. This has to be hell, because I know for a fact I've never done anything in my life worthy enough to float into the heavens. It's pitch black all around, there's a cold chill sweeping across my cheeks, and the sky is almost completely shrouded, shadows being cast everywhere. The only light here is the pale light of the moon partially hidden behind thick grey clouds. But quite frankly, I don't give a damn. Death is death, nothing I can do about it now.
I sit up with the newfound strength I have, and then force myself to stand. I take quick glances at my surroundings, being cautious and aware of anything that may be concealed within the darkness.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow quickly dart past. I glance over to where the movement came from, but whatever it was, it's already vanished.
Hmph, not as if it makes much of a difference, really. I'm dead, nothing else can happen to me here. See if I care about you running around, you demonic figure, or whatever the hell you are. Nothing can harm me, anymore.
Turning around to make my way out of this hell hole, I notice that I'm still in Hollow Bastion. I'm certain of it, because I'm still standing idiotically in front of the laboratory, looking out at the town below, or at least what survived.
Strange, if I'm dead, I wonder what I'm still doing here. I can't be a ghost, those are myths. And if I am, I know the first person I'm going to haunt…
BUMP!
I look up to see a cloaked figure before me, staring down (at least that's what I'm assuming since their face is completely shadowed). How foolish of me to not see where I'm going. Then again, this person, or thing, seems rather different. Must be an outsider or something of the sort.
"Pardon me." I try to be polite. Do I care in actuality? Not at all.
They don't move an inch. Whoever it is must have some personal business with me, because it's clear they're blocking my path, and they're a bit too close to me.
"You seek answers…" a deep bass states, leaving enough evidence to clearly prove the person to be male.
He lifts an arm, and a small array of letters take form in front of me. In his point of view, they spell out my name in shiny, silver lettering. He flicks his wrist slightly, and the letters spin around my head, gaining speed with each turn until I can only make out a dizzying blur of white before me.
"I can give you purpose…" He claims, the letters making an abrupt stop once he finishes his sentence.
Once again, in his point of view the letters no longer spell "Isa", but instead say "Saix". I stare blankly at the word, trying to make sense of it.
"That is right, the new 'you'…" He informs. Out of nowhere, an abyss of darkness forms behind him, creating some sort of portal. He guides me toward it, keeping a firm yet calm grip on my arm. I don't really have an opinion of my own at this point, so I let him do all this, not having anything else to do.
After being educated about the Organization, enduring brief and meaningless introductions to the members, being inducted and receiving my rank, room and uniform, I aimlessly walk around the castle. It's not really for exploration purposes or to learn my way through this complex maze, it's only to keep myself "entertained".
When my legs become a bit weary, I make my way back to my quarters. This is when I hear another member making their way out of this place's only elevator.
I haven't even made it all the way up the steps, and I hear him.
"Yo, man! Didn't take long to find you."
Not too long ago, I would've expected my fists to clench, my temples to pop out and my teeth to grind back and forth, my anger rising to extremely dangerous levels. Now, there's nothing. Not a single reaction. Just the urge to get rid of him for good. I turn around, facing the very person who caused all of this to even happen.
Sure enough, Lea is only a few feet away from me, that ridiculously sickening smile on his face. What the hell does he have to smile about?
"Damn, what are the odds that the both of us are found by the same dude and brought to this place?" he says, as if I cared.
I just continue to stare, waiting to see if he'll quit the small talk and actually have something worth while to share. The chances of that, though, are slim.
"Did ya get any cool gear? 'Cuz I sure hit the jackpot." He states, summoning two metal wheels with spikes all around out of his own sheer will. He casually spins them, treating them as if they're anything but lethal.
"I think they're pretty cool. Fun to play with, that's a fucking fact." As if to prove his point, he throws one toward me.
I dodge it, the spiked wheel whizzing past only mere inches away from my face. It ricochets off the wall behind me and returns to him, like a boomerang.
Lea smirks, looking amused. Obviously it's not real amusement.
"See what I mean, Isa? Fun toys, huh?" he chuckles, yet another forced action. He continues to casually spin the weapons in his grasp.
"First of all, I would appreciate it if you didn't toss your little toys at me. Secondly, it's Saix."
"My bad, man. How am I supposed to know?" he shrugs, as if mixing up a person's name wasn't disrespectful.
"But I got the same treatment, dude. Boss man decided to give me a new name, too. It's Axel, now. Got it memorized?"
…If he says that one more fucking time…
"What's wrong? Do these make you uneasy?" he teases, lifting up one of the wheels. "C'mon, Sai, don't be a pussy." He laughs at his own joke and throws yet another weapon at me. It's pretty easy to dodge it, though. He has a terribly uncontrollable throwing arm.
As if to test me, he tosses both at me with all his might, and this time they've been lit on fire. Still should be easy-
BAM!
I get knocked off my feet, landing on the bottom of the staircase. I hold my face in my hands, writhing around in pain. The fucking weapons actually cut me, and it burns.
"Shit! You all right, man?" I hear him rushing to my aid, acting all panicky. I'm not an idiot, though. It's just another one of his facades.
"BACK OFF!" I scream. The last thing I want is his help. Because it's been proven to be so useful in the past…
I stand up, which is a feet on its own. Blood is streaming down my face, beginning to cloud my vision. Through red eyes I glare at him, meanwhile he's making this dumbfounded expression, as if he can't believe what he did to me.
"If you think you can come up to me and act like nothing happened, and that we ended up here completely by chance, AND you have the fucking nerve to think you can assist me when, once again, you hurt me after I even warned you, you're being TERRIBLY misguided. Nothing you say or do will make me forgive you. EVERYTHING is your fault. So wipe that shitty smirk from your face, stop acting like we're still even acquaintances, and face reality. I don't need you, Axel. I am DONE babysitting. So FUCK YOU."
The last thing he does is put on some half-ass look that would normally be interpreted as guilt or shame. I refuse to buy it. I will no longer deal with fake "I'm sorry" expressions, especially from a Nobody. So I walk away from Axel, and from here on, I will never turn around and walk back.
Aw, poor Saix D:
No wonder why he hates Axel...
BTW, Lea's is the next chapter, Part 2. LEAVE COMMENTS, I READ THEM AND APPRECIATE IT! ^.^