Chapter 3: Control

"You have a new mission Vaxin. You are to join up with Marluxia to eliminate a Zip Slasher in Twilight Town. He is waiting for you at the site." Saïx said. Something about him seemed off. Saïx watched me carefully as I opened a dark corridor leading to the rendezvous point. Right when I was about to enter the corridor, it hit me. I may be executed for what happened in the sparring match with Roxas. Or turned to a Dusk. Wait, what's the difference? And why do I care anyway? That ass can only obey his master and Xemnas is too busy gawking at Kingdom Hearts to care what I do anyway. I thought. As I walked through the portal, I thought about Xion, Roxas, and Axel. "I'll make it up to them after the mission." I didn't know them all well enough to know what they liked best but I heard they liked ice cream from Xigbar so I guessed that that was what I should get them, but from where? I shook my head as I emerged from the corridor. I saw a guy with long, slightly spiky, pink hair. He was looking at the sunset on the roof of a nearby building. I teleported next to him using a short-range dark corridor and watched the sunset as well.

"Isn't it beautiful? Nowhere near as beautiful as Kingdom Hearts or the Keyblade, but beautiful nonetheless." Marluxia took out a deep red rose and inhaled its sweet smell. I stifled a laugh. It amused me to watch him interact with flowers.

"Yeah it is..." I said softly. My thoughts begin to drift away slowly and my eyes began to close, until I was jolted awake by a very loud scream. I turned my head and saw our target. The Zip Slasher was following the lady who had screamed all around the small town.

"I guess the other townspeople took shelter already. What a shame." Marluxia summoned his scythe and began to traverse the rooftops in pursuit of the Heartless. I didn't understand at first why he didn't just jump down and kill the thing but I soon remembered one of the Organization's most important rules. Stay in the shadows.

"Looks like there's no way around it then." I summoned my sword and focused on the path the lady seemed to be running from the Zip Slasher. She always went straight towards the ramp leading to the clock tower, then she would turn left before getting to the sewer gate at the base and go to the sandlot, before finally going through Tram Common's hole in the wall.

"I gotta cut the Heartless down before they get to the old mansion that's beyond the woods!" Using a corridor of darkness, I teleported in front of the Zip Slasher and blocked its attack before it hit the lady. "Get to safety, quickly!" The lady nodded as she ran out the woods back to Tram Common. As the Zip Slasher backed off to fight me, I began to formulate a plan. As I thought about what to do Marluxia came up from behind the Heartless and tried to slice it in half but it swiftly moved out the way.

"The thing's slippery."

"I got it!" I shouted as I threw my sword at the creature while it was in mid motion. A direct hit! The Zip Slasher disappeared and in its place a heart flew up into the sky. Soon the heart also disappeared. When Dark Revelation returned to my hand I looked at Marluxia and tilted my head to the side.

"What was disappointing about the townspeople being in a safe place by the time the Zip Slasher showed up?" I asked.

"Nothing at all. I was just hoping they'd at least attempt to help their own kind. Now, shall we RTC?"

"You go ahead. I've got business to take care of."

"Alright. Don't take too long or Saïx we'll harm you." On that note, Marluxia RTC'd

"Yeah right..." I said aloud. Saïx had no control over me. Three kids ran in front of me while I was walking and I almost bumped into one of them. I heard a "Sorry" from one member of the group. They must be the neighborhood misfits. I thought while I walked to the ice cream shop I saw.

"Are you new 'round here?" The ice cream man asked.

"Yeah. I just moved here yesterday. Can I have four sea-salt ice creams please?" I pulled out my munny pouch and handed the man 700 munny.

"Sure thing." The man took the munny and gave me four ice creams.

"Thank you." I walked away while putting my pouch away. The clock tower wasn't too far away from here. When I got there no one was up there except for a bird. "I should send a message to them." I quickly wrote an invitation using a piece of folded paper in my pocket, a feather, and the ink Larxene gave me when I joined the Organization. I opened a dark corridor and sent the bird through it.

"Deliver the message to these people; Roxas, Axel, and Xion."