A/N-Another chapter for you all (promise kept! tis longer!) Enjoy! (Oh and remember to tell me if you see those pesky spelling errors! Too tired to edit fully now, sleepy time -.-zzzz)
A week passed by with the usual routine: someone would send a raid, Twilight Town repelled it. By the end of the week, Roxas noticed there was a definite change in the air around Twilight Town. Visitors from other worlds were few and far between. Raids were more annoyances than actual attempts to weaken the world. The blonde soldier was beginning to wonder if something was going on that Twilight Town was being kept in the dark with.
He expressed his concerns with Hayner and Olette but they didn't really seem to notice. If anything, they were relieved with the break in attacks. Roxas attempted to talk to Seifer but he barely said two sentences before excusing himself from the captain's unbearable ass hole presence.
He finally went to the head Twilight Guards but they merely laughed. He was ordered to take a break from duty for the rest of the day since they believed he was simply over-stressing. Roxas frowned at their response but didn't comment. He visited Pence in the factories and found the dark haired teen distant and pensive.
"Something on your mind?" Roxas asked, breaking his monologue of ranting about no one listening. Pence glanced up. They were sitting on the iron fire escape on the side of one of the factories. Their legs dangled through the bars.
"Eh, I suppose it's nothing," Pence muttered.
"Come on, Pence. I'm sitting over here ranting my ass off. You have the right to get whatever's on your mind off your chest." Pence smirked.
"Well, if you put it that way…I suppose I'm just wondering how long this will last."
"The war can't go on too much longer. It's already been ten years."
"And what have we accomplished exactly?" Roxas paused and thought about it. "Exactly. Besides, I wasn't talking about the war." Roxas's eyebrows arched in confusion. "I was talking about this." Pence motioned to the blur of Twilight Town in the distance. The setting sun bathed the city in a golden glow. Roxas felt a weight sink in his chest.
"Do you really think they'll destroy us?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know, yet I can't help but feel deep down in my chest this wasn't meant to last. It's like the feeling you get before a bad storm and a tree falls on your house. You keep telling yourself you're overreacting but the sense of foreboding is just too powerful to ignore. They've already destroyed one world, Roxas. Who's to say they won't destroy more?"
"The other worlds will rebel."
"They already are rebelling," Pence reminded sharply. "What more can we do? Xemnas has the heartless working for him. No amount of military strength could hold that back."
"At least he doesn't have the nobodies." Pence nodded.
"For now, at least. They don't like having a master like the heartless do. I suppose, in a way we're lucky. The nobodies are more powerful than the heartless. If Xemnas controlled them, we'd be sunk." Roxas sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"What would you do if Twilight Town disappeared?" he asked. Pence scoffed.
"I'd be dead, Roxas." The blonde chuckled.
"Right. Hypothetically if you escaped before the world was destroyed."
"I'd probably go to Traverse Town. They do have the largest refugee camp there. Maybe I could make some friends there. What about you? Are you going to rage against the King?"
"Oh, I'll rage alright, but I'm not stupid. There's no way I could take him one by myself let alone get to him with his entourage of personal Knights. I'd be cremated before I reached the front door of Castle Oblivion."
"So then what? You're just going to sit and stew for the rest of your life?" Roxas ran his hands through his hair, stopping halfway so his fingers were tangled in the blonde locks.
"That's what I want to know." Pence gave his friend a sad glance. Roxas looked so troubled and stressed the dark haired teen was worried he would crack under the slightest touch. Pence put a hand on Roxas's shoulder.
"Do what you think is best, Roxas. Don't forget: you're the light of this dark world." Roxas dropped his hands and gave his friend an odd look.
"What?" Pence chuckled, dropping his hand. "I'm an emo teen! There's nothing light about me."
"You can do light magic."
"That doesn't make me special." Pence gave a shrug.
"Well, there goes my tactic to cheer you up." Roxas burst out laughing.
"You're so weird sometimes, Pence." The pair fell into a fit of laughter.
"Look who's talking!" Their chuckles died out into large sighs on content.
"Thanks, Pence. I needed that," Roxas said with a light smile on his face.
"No problem. And thanks for coming to see me. I miss hanging out with you guys."
"Then as soon as the wars over, we'll all get together and have ice cream on top of the clock tower." Pence brightened.
"Where are you getting ice cream from?"
"We'll make it, if we have to."
"I'm up for that." Roxas nodded happily.
XxXxX
Roxas's eyes snapped open. His gaze was cold as he stared at the ceiling of his room. There was no reason for him to be awake. The sun hadn't even fully risen. He sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side. His eyes stared at the golden armor hanging in the shadows.
"This is it," Roxas breathed. He stood and slowly started to piece together his armor on his body. Then he strapped on his belt and positioned it so his swords were in place. Roxas unsheathed the blades and stared at his dim reflection in the metal surfaces. "No going back." He sheathed his blades and headed outside.
Roxas wasn't the only one.
The streets were filled with the Twilight Guard. All of the soldiers had the same dark and serious expression. They knew what was happening and what their future had in store. Roxas found Seifer amongst the crowd. The captain was chewing on a toothpick sourly.
"Orders, sir?" Roxas asked softly. Seifer grunted. For once he didn't have a snarky response.
"Start the evacuation. Get everyone to the G. Ship hanger that you can," Seifer said in a low tone. "They're not going to listen, though. At least not until it's too late. Tell Fuu to use all of the G. Ships to get the refugees out safely. Don't bother sparing any for a defense. Nothing will stop them now. We might as well save as many as we can."
"Why hasn't anyone else taken action yet?" Roxas pressed.
"The higher ups aren't smart enough to evacuate now, the shit heads. Be discrete, Roxas. I hate for my team to be discovered because they were fucking careless. Got it?" Roxas nodded stiffly. "Good. Now get your ass moving. Your pal Hayner's already out on the far side of Town. Stay on this side and get everyone to the train station. I'll handle the higher ups."
"Seifer?" The captain shot a glare at the younger blonde. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"Not being a complete ass hole." Seifer smirked and spit out his toothpick.
"Right." The captain turned his head away to stare off in the distance. "I lost a friend that day, when Radiant Garden fell. We were pen pals. Then we met face to face and we became rivals. It's not like I miss him but I feel like I'm missing something."
"You wanted to face off one last time," Roxas guessed.
"Something like that. Too late know, I suppose." Seifer shook his head and gave Roxas a shove. "Get going before I kick your ass into your balls." Roxas stumbled off and headed away from the Twilight Guards to the side streets. A smile tugged at the edges of his lips.
'We all lost something that day. Some just lost more than others.' Roxas thought.
He started knocking on doors. Sleepy patrons answered and gave him questioning looks until Roxas explained they were going to evacuate. Half shut the door in irritation. A quarter were unsure what they should do and the rest were grateful for the news. As Roxas continued farther up the streets, he watched as citizens started to spread word on their own. He asked them to be quiet and try not to attract attention from the soldiers in the streets. Many of the people leaving had bags on their shoulders and bundles in their arms. Roxas couldn't blame them. It was hard to leave behind the life you always had.
There were a few scuffles or protests when people refused to leave or were angry about leaving behind something that was obviously too big to carry. When Roxas reached the train station, it was busy. The trains were packed to the brim and then some. Children sat tucked up in the luggage overhangs or on parent's shoulders.
When Roxas reached the station, the Guards finally caught on people were leaving. They ordered citizens back to their homes but only half listened. Roxas squeezed into a train and headed to the other side of Town. He pressed through the crowd at the smaller station and over looked the edge of Twilight Town. Fuu had done her part. Four G. Ships stood ready on the edge of the fields loading passengers. The ships could only hold so many at a time but even then they packed them fuller.
"Roxas!" The blonde turned to find Hayner jogging up to him. Hayner slid to a halt and nodded at the ships. "I can't believe this is happening. To be honest, I almost didn't believe it. It's weird that we all can feel it: the end. It feels like thirteen years ago. We all just know."
"Do we only have four G. Ships operational?" Roxas asked, changing the subject.
"Well, sort of. Four was all they were willing to spare. We have three more but they're a fighter variety and wouldn't hold many anyway."
"Right. So how many can we get out at a time?"
"The one can hold sixty, although I think we're packing it with seventy five. Those two can hold twenty and we're packing thirty each. The last is a cargo G. Ship. It's not meant to carry people but we're packing it full."
"How many?"
"Two hundred with no standing room."
"So three hundred thirty five."
"Something like that."
"Where are they headed?"
"Closest place to go is Disney Town but we wouldn't put pressure on them there. Traverse Town is right past it, although the trips a little longer."
"How long?"
"Twenty minutes if they push it. Plus the time they need to unload and reload."
"So we can get 335 out in an hour," Roxas deducted.
"Roughly speaking. We can squeeze it out in fifty minutes if we hurry."
"Right." The walkie talkie clipped on Hayner's belt crackled to life.
"Ready," Fuu's voice called. Hayner unclipped the communicator and pressed the talk button.
"Permission to leave. Let's get these people safe!" Hayner shouted.
"Affirmative," Fuu's voice replied and the line crackled back to silence. The G. Ships roared to life and the doors closed. There was still a crowd of people gathered at the edge of the city. Fuu was flying the sixty passenger G. Ship with volunteers flying the others. Her ship took off first to chart the path to Traverse Town. The two small ships went next and the cargo ship picked up the rear.
A small roar of cheers came from those who were still waiting for their evacuation. Roxas and Hayner smiled at the G. Ships as they pulled higher into the sky.
Then one of the smaller ships exploded.
Screams rose from the citizens. Hayner and Roxas rushed to them. The elder blonde whipped out his walkie talkie. "Fuu! Report!" he barked.
"Fighers!" Fuu responded.
"Are the other ships in tact?" Hayner searched the sky but the G. Ships were no longer in sight. Chunks of the burning ship plummeted towards the field below.
"Affirmative."
"Then stay focused. We can still save the rest." Fuu didn't respond but Hayner knew she got the message. He clipped the communicator to his belt and focused on getting to the people. "This would be a lot easier if the soldiers weren't all on the other side of town."
"How many do we have over here?" Roxas asked between gasps of breath.
"Sixteen, maybe less. I lost count, honestly."
"Let's get those people back inside the city walls. We can hide them in the tunnels until the ships return."
"Got it!" They split apart as they neared the outside of the city.
"Please remain calm!" Roxas shouted. "I need everyone to get back inside the city and into the tunnels. When we receive word from the G. Ships, we'll run you back out to be loaded!" The people started to scurry up the hill towards the tunnel entrance. Other soldiers soon caught on and helped the citizens move.
Roxas looked up as a dull roar was picked up by his ears. "Shit!" he roared. "Everyone move!"
Hollow Bastion soldiers rained from the sky.
They used magic to transform their weapons into personalized ships. The soldiers wore black armor with dark blue and purple accents. The ground was spotted with black pools as heartless wavered to the surface. Roxas drew his blades and ran to the back of the crowd. He flinched as something erupted to his right. A group of people were sent flying and screams rose from the panicked citizens. Roxas hurried over to them and held the heartless at bay.
"Medics!" he roared. Two Twilight soldiers rushed to join Roxas. One used his ranged weapon to keep the soldiers at bay while the other assessed the wounded.
"Roxas!" Hayner shouted, running back from the tunnels. He unlatched his bat from his back. He swung it as a soldier flew too low and the Bastion man was sent spinning off into the wall surrounding the city.
"Can you reach Seifer on that?" Roxas asked, nodding towards the walkie talkie.
"I can try." Hayner started flipping through the channels, searching for his captain. Roxas focused on clearing the heartless. He sent out pillars of light and banished the shadows from the field. The tension in his gut grew as the soldiers started landing on the field, carriers returning to weapons.
"Hurry up!" Roxas roared.
"I'm working on it!" Hayner barked. The walkie talkie finally crackled.
"Command," a woman responded.
"Get me Seifer NOW!" Hayner roared over the noise. There was a long minute before Seifer picked up.
"What is it, chicken wuss?" the captain sneered.
"We're being overrun! Hollow Bastion is flooding the place. We lost a G. Ship but the other three managed to escape. ETA forty five minutes."
"We're busy over here, dick wad! Bastion's coming out of the wood work."
"We're moving all citizens to the tunnels."
"Same here. The streets are a fucking blood bath. We're sending the injured over via train."
"Alright, we'll…oh shit," Hayner gasped.
Roxas looked up and his eyes widened. Hayner swung his bat but missed as the target vanished. They reappeared farther back. Then a series of purple darts bombarded them. Hayner was thrown back as one tore through his leg and stomach. Roxas tried to find the attacker but they kept warping around. When he finally stopped, Roxas nearly choked in surprise. The man was standing upside down on the air! Then his heart nearly stopped.
"Oh no," he breathed. He rushed to Hayner and ripped the walkie talkie from his friend's grasp. "Seifer, we have Knights!" Roxas barked, his voice shaky. Hayner tried to sit up as blood oozed from his gut. He put a hand over the hole to try and stop the bleeding.
"FUCK!" they heard Seifer roar on the other side of the communicator.
"Fall back!" Roxas ordered. The other two soldiers complied. One had a woman in his arms and the other propped two older gentlemen on his shoulders. Roxas scooped up a little girl and pulled a woman to her feet. Her leg was broken but she had no choice but to run. Hayner forced himself to his feet and staggered after his friend. Four more Twilight soldiers hurried down the hill and shut the gate. Another left on the outside couldn't be saved.
The woman Roxas was dragging was picked up by a different soldier and a woman went to Hayner's aid. Everyone scrambled up the hill to the medic center. Olette was running around tending to the wounded with the other nurses.
"We have to hold the gate!" a soldier cried.
"It's suicide!" another reasoned. "Hollow Bastion brought their Knights."
Panic seemed to rise at the mention of the names. The Knights of Hollow Bastion were King Xemnas's elite guards. They were the best of the best. If they were in Twilight Town, it meant it would take the strength of ten Twilight Guards to even attempt to take on one Knight.
"Hayner!" Olette screamed. She quickly grabbed bandages and alcohol to try and clean the wound. Hayner flinched under her touch.
"Olette, the gates won't hold back the soldiers for long. We'll need to stall them," Roxas stated.
"There's twelve of you, Roxas. How are you going to hold back hundreds of Bastion soldiers and a Knight?" Olette tried to reason.
"If we don't try, then they'll only walk all over us. It's at least thirty five minutes before the G. Ships return and we still have thousands of people to evacuate!" Roxas shot back. Hayner winced and his face paled as more blood slipped from his abdomen.
"Oh, geez Hayner you're bleeding everywhere!" Olette muttered. The elder blonde grimaced a grin. He tossed Roxas the walkie talkie.
"Keep in contact with Fuu. She's on channel 3," Hayner croaked, his throat dry. Roxas nodded and changed the station on the device before clipping it to his belt.
Everyone jumped and froze as a large explosion erupted in the distance. They all stared at the plume of smoke and flames coming from the factories. There was a long moment of dead silence, no one moving. Finally the nurses snapped out of it and hurried back to their work. Olette tried to focus on Hayner's wounds but Roxas could tell she was just as hurt as Hayner was. Tears slid down her face as she pressed gauze to Hayner's stomach.
"Oh, god, no Pence!" she cried. Roxas felt his heart clench painfully.
"Hey, he might have made it out," Hayner said quietly. Olette shook her head violently.
"Shut up, Hayner! Pence wouldn't just leave the factories and in case you missed it, they all exploded! Bombed! Destroyed!" Roxas stared at them, unsure of what to do. Olette was seething and Hayner merely stared back at her. Then he did something unexpected.
He pulled her into his chest.
"I know," he muttered. Olette's eyes widened. Then she pulled away angrily.
"What the Hell!" She tried to slap Hayner but he caught her wrist.
"HEY!" he barked sharply. Olette flinched. "We're all torn, but you need to focus. Focus on those of us who are still here. Roxas will need your help when he gets back and I need your help now. Come on, Olette! You're strong and if you don't pull yourself together, I'm going to bleed out all over the pavement." Hayner's grip was faltering on the girl's wrist. His skin was clammy and pale. Olette pulled her wrist free and quickly got more bandages. She pressed the to Hayner's wound, tears landing on the stained fabric.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Hayner put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. "Don't!" she screamed. "Stop trying to comfort me! I can handle it on my own."
"I'm just trying to be your friend," Hayner snapped back.
"So now you want to be my friend?"
"We've been friends for awhile now."
"I couldn't tell through that self-centered ego of yours."
"Well, sorry! I wasn't trying to be rude to you."
"Then you did a poor job."
"I was just trying to get to know you better," Hayner reasoned. Olette frowned harder. "Sometimes I just never know what to say." Hayner lowered his gaze. He gently placed a hand on top of Olette's.
"So you were a jack-ass to me?"
"I didn't try to!"
"It almost seemed like it because you're always here pestering me during my shift."
"I was over here because I care about you!" Olette's frown faded into a flat line.
"W…what?" she stammered. Hayner raised his eyes so they met hers.
"I just thought I'd let you know." Then he lowered them again. "'Cause I always wanted you to know." Roxas felt a light smile brush his lips. Then he turned to the sound of the gate crashing open, swinging on its large hinges.
"Guard members get to the streets! Stop anyone trying to get to the tunnels!" Roxas ordered. The eleven other soldiers nodded and hurried down the hill. Roxas turned back to his friends.
"Don't worry, I got things covered up here," Hayner said, trying to boast but it came off weak.
"You're injured!" Olette growled.
"And so will you if you don't let Roxas go." Olette pursed her lips but her turned to patching up the older blonde.
"I'll be back," Roxas promised. Hayner gave him a nod and then he took off after the other soldiers. They were all assembled on the train tracks than ran the tram across the small side of the city. The train car was long out of commission.
Roxas's walkie talkie crackled. "Drop successful. Returning for pickup." Roxas felt reassured by the message. They managed to get 300 out safely. He glanced at the distant clock tower. The trip had taken shorter than expected. He felt better knowing the entire process could be completed in 40-45 minutes. The problem was they could only carry 300 people.
And Twilight Town had over 5000 people.
They weren't going to save them all.
Roxas shook his head to clear it. He couldn't think about those he was going to save. He had to focus on getting those next set of refugees to Traverse Town safely. The Twilight soldiers stood ready as the Hollow Bastion army stormed up the streets. As they approached the small force, they slowed to a halt. Roxas felt a bead of sweat roll down his spine.
A gust of wind rushed from between the two groups and a man with long black dreads appeared and some large side burns. He wore armor different from the soldiers. It was the customary Hollow Bastion blue with red, pale yellow, and black accents. The man smirked and he pulled a lance from his back.
"What a pitiful resistance," the man stated. Roxas fell into a fighting stance.
"What do you want here, Knight?" he asked sharply. The other Twilight soldiers followed suit. The man scoffed.
"If you think you can defeat us like this, you're sadly mistaken. Don't you find it odd no one is coming to help you? No other world is coming to your aid? It's simple: they've abandoned you. Next to Disney Town, Twilight Town is the one that poses the most threat to the true King. Get rid of the light, and maybe the war will finally end."
"You won't stop here." The man chuckled.
"Of course not, but let the other worlds think that. In the meantime, they can watch you burn…" The buildings around the Hollow Bastion soldiers started to explode. Roxas's eyes shot upward and the three fighter G. Ships flew overhead. Since all of the Bastion soldiers were clumped together, they made an easy target for the ships to fire upon. Roxas flew skyward as the bombs exploded. The enemy dispersed and spread out, seeking shelter from the bombardment.
The man with dreads scowled briefly before grinning widely. He stabbed his lance into the ground and a gust of wind shot up around him. Then five more lances appeared around him, controlled by the wind.
"I'll be more than a match for you," the man stated.
The five wind lances flew out and struck five Twilight soldiers down instantly, the weapons protruding through their chests. Roxas's eyes widened. He hadn't even moved and he already lost five of his comrades. The remaining six rushed at the man and attacked. The wind around the Knight protected him from the blows and he sent two Guards spinning off down the street. Roxas slashed and leapt back, leaning backwards to avoid the lance soaring past the tip of his nose. He sent his beams of light crashing into the man.
The Knight staggered for a second. Then he grinned.
"I see. So you're my opponent. I might as well clear out this garbage." The lances in the five dead soldiers flew back into the air and spun around so they were all upright. Then they flew around wildly so their paths couldn't be tracked. Roxas felt his stomach churn as five soldiers fell with sickening screams. The last Guard panicked and was quickly cut down by the Knight's lance in his hands.
"You're sick!" Roxas spat.
"Not as sick as this forsaken world. Show me what you're made of!" The five wind lances flew back to the Knight and hovered around him, blood oozing down the shafts and dripping on the ground. Roxas swallowed hard.
He jumped back and sent his beams of light towards the Knight. Then he rolled to the side and sent another four. The Knight easily dodged out of the way. His lances spun around in the air and formed a long train. The man jumped onto the first and rode it like a skateboard. Roxas tried throwing some magic but it never reached the Knight.
The man swooped down and sliced at Roxas, scratching the blonde's chest armor across the sun emblem. Then he leapt to the ground and swung the lances around as they were still connected end to end. Roxas threw up his arms to protect himself, receiving multiple cuts to his forearms as the Knight spun the lances rapidly. The Knight threw his lance up and it turned into his weapon transport. The lances formed up and three split apart at the end.
Roxas's eyes grew wise as light began to form between the three lances. Static was being charged up in the wind swirling around between the weapons. Then the air blasted at Roxas, bringing the static charge with it. Roxas tried to roll out of the way but the beam followed him. He was hit with a thousand different volts. His muscles tensed as the current flowed through his body. When the beam died, he collapsed to the ground.
"You're not even trying! What kind of soldier are you?" the Knight taunted. Roxas gritted his teeth and stood. Then he charged at the Knight. The man's lances materialized back to normal and blocked the blonde's attack. He swung back at Roxas only to find his attack was blocked. Roxas summoned his light tightly packed around him so it acted like a shield. He then pulsed it outwards as the man was startled. The Knight was pushed back with a grunt.
Roxas exchanged blows with the man, both getting nowhere fast but it was clear who was winning. Roxas was getting worn down quickly and the Knight had only broke a sweat. The blonde tried everything he could but it was never enough.
At one point, he concentrated the light at the end of his swords and launched it in a sphere. The Knight knocked it aside with his wind lances. Roxas kept throwing his light magic at the enemy with little effect. He was glad the G. Ships were covering him but he could see the Bastion soldiers setting up mortars to take the ships out.
The Knight knocked Roxas back as he swung his lances in a long chain again. The blonde was severely winded. He staggered to his feet and looked around wildly. The Knight was gone.
"Weak," a voice called. Roxas spun around and was knocked off his feet as a lance buried itself into his shoulder. He crashed into a street sign and crumpled to the ground. The lance felt like it was vibrating it was so full of magical energy.
The Knight gently dropped down from the air and his wind lances vaporized into the void from which they came. He strode over to Roxas, a smug grin on his face. "I see you're nothing more than a puppet. It's a pity to kill you now since you put up such an honorable fight." Roxas bared his teeth at the Knight. The man ripped the lance from the blonde's shoulder, sending a scream through the teen. He paused and pressing his finger to his ear. Then his grin broadened. "Looks like you won't have to wait long." He tossed the lance into the air and jumped on. Then he flew off over the city and into the sky. Roxas gritted his teeth and wobbled to his feet. He watched the other Hollow Bastion soldiers begin to leave as well.
"Damn," Roxas growled. He sheathed his blades and limped up to the medic center. Upon arrival, Olette shrieked at his appearance. Roxas was cut all over his arms and his shoulder was bleeding badly. His face was streaked with dirt, sweat, and blood. He was ushered to a bunk and the nurses began to patch up his shoulder.
"Take it easy, Roxas," Olette said calmly. "We'll get you patched up."
"Olette, they're all leaving. The soldiers are leaving! That means…"
"I know, Roxas. We know. We still have hope Fuu will get back here in time."
"She can't save us, Olette!"
"She can save who we can."
"Where's Hayner?"
"He's…" Olette paused, her gaze falling on the ground. "He doesn't have long. He lost too much blood and the hospitals are all on the other side of Town." Roxas felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. He tried to sit up but Olette forced him back down. "Be still! We can still get you back in shape."
"Olette, I'll be dead within the hour so what does it matter?" Olette frowned.
The walkie talkie crackled to life on Roxas's belt. "Prepare to board," Fuu's voice called out. Olette picked the device up.
"Understood. They're going to destroy the world so don't come back after this trip. Please hurry! We still have some time," Olette pleaded. There was a long period of silence.
"Affirmative," Fuu responded quietly. Olette set down the walkie talkie and sighed.
"Now for the hard part," she muttered. Roxas remained behind at the medic center as Olette went off to inform the citizens what was going on. It was a good five minutes before he saw a group of people mobilizing towards the edge of the city.
Then the G. Ships came into view. They were slightly battered but still in shape to fly. As they were landing, the few remaining troops on the smaller half of Twilight Town fired a mortar and took down the second small ship. They were down to two.
The G. Ships landed and people were ushered on board. Roxas lay his head back and let out a long exhale. Then he sat up and went over to Hayner. His friend was unconscious and pale. Roxas put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"We had a good run," Roxas muttered. He smiled weakly at his friend. "I promised Pence we would eat ice cream together when this war was over on the clock tower. I guess we won't get to do that now. Maybe we'll just have to settle as being ghosts." Roxas wiped his friend's damp brow.
Then Roxas was grabbed from behind.
He stumbled painfully and tried to stay standing as he was being dragged away. Roxas looked up and saw a bloody and battered Seifer scowling. "Captain?" Roxas asked, confused.
"Keep moving," Seifer ordered. He had his gunblade in his left hand. He spotted a Bastion soldier taking flight and fired, bringing the man down. Then he blocked an attack from another soldier who was hiding in the shadows. Seifer whirled his blade around and sliced the soldier open. He pushed Roxas onward.
They reached where the G. Ships were loading. Fuu's was packed and the other was nearly full. Olette turned at their arrival. She let out a sigh of relief. Roxas was shoved forward.
"One more for the road," Seifer remarked. Olette nodded.
"Thanks." Roxas was confused. Seifer pushed him onto the G. Ship and a couple people grabbed onto him so he remained standing.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Roxas roared.
"Saving who we can," Olette responded.
"Don't waste it," Seifer commented.
"No! Olette!" Seifer slammed the door and gave Fuu a thumbs up. She took off and they headed skyward. "STOP! THIS IS A MISTAKE!" Roxas screamed, pounding on the door. His body screamed in protest.
"Hush now," a woman cooed. "You'll be alright." Roxas felt weak and he could barely stand. The two people holding onto him helped to support him. The ship grew dark as they entered into the space between the worlds. Roxas saw the millions of stars twinkling back at him and it made him sick.
Then the world erupted. Fire and smoke covered the place in a living Hell. The people of the ship screamed, save Roxas and Fuu. The ship jerked as the blast hit them. It was like watching Radiant Garden all over again, only this time it was their own home.
Five minutes of silence passed. Roxas spied Disney Town as they flew past it. They were almost to Traverse Town. A man next to Roxas cleared his throat. "Time to see if we'll make it," he muttered.
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.
"We have to fly past Hollow Bastion to get to Traverse Town." Roxas felt his blood run cold. "The ships made it before so we might have a good chance." The blonde didn't think that was likely. Three minutes later the ship jerked violently. Hollow Bastion was firing upon them
"Brace," Fuu's voice called from over the intercom. The people gripped onto whatever they could. Roxas faltered and slammed against the door. Fuu did her best to avoid the shells being fired upon her but the ship still rocked violently. Then their luck ran out and they were hit. The hole was small near the top of the ship. Everyone gasped as the air was sucked out. Then the wall on the left side was split open.
People were pulled from the G. Ship and lost into the space between the worlds, lost to the darkness. Roxas grabbed the handle on the door and hung on tight. Suddenly the ship started to spin wildly as they plummeted.
More people were pulled from the G. Ship as they were tossed around like a batch of laundry. Roxas clung on for dear life. The handle snapped and he was pulled towards the hole on the other side of the G. Ship. There was an explosion and he was thrown forward into the cockpit door.
The ship went down. Fuu used all of her piloting skills to try and land safely. Roxas was flung to the back of the ship as they crashed into the ground. He bounced around and landed on his back. Roxas waited for what seemed like an eternity before he tried to move. He cracked open his eyes and surveyed the damage to his body. Besides his previous injuries, he now had a small burn on the left side of his neck and his armor was singed. The worst was his side. Roxas's left side was embedded on a piece of jagged metal that was once part of a row of seats.
He took a deep breath and tried to move. He screamed in protest, blood pouring from his side. Roxas heard movement and found Fuu leaning down to help him. She had a large cut flowing freely on her brow and Roxas could see her ribs were broken through her jacket. Fuu managed to calm Roxas down enough to help him. The blonde had so much adrenaline running through his veins he was shaking.
Roxas gritted his teeth as they both pried his body off of the metal. He screamed in his throat. He jerked free and landed in Fuu's lap. Roxas cried at the pain in his sides. He clamped his eyes shut, tears leaking out. Fuu helped him get to his feet. They needed to move. Hollow Bastion soldiers would be looking for them.
Right in the outskirts of Hollow Bastion.
The pair trudged along in silence, Fuu supporting Roxas since he couldn't stand on his own. They headed off down a path and prayed it would lead them somewhere. As they were walking, Fuu wavered. Roxas wondered if she had suffered a concussion.
Ten minutes later, she collapsed.
"Fuu, Fuu!" Roxas called, shaking her shoulder. She wouldn't wake up. Roxas checked her vitals and found she was simply dead. He was to face Hollow Bastion alone.
'Not for long, at least.' Roxas thought. He pressed on, hoping to get somewhere to die quietly. His heart ached and his head was fuzzy. Everything was gone. Roxas knew Twilight Town hadn't made it. Radiant Garden was turned to ashes so what hope did Twilight Town have?
His thoughts were jarred when a new sound echoed in his ears. Roxas looked down and noticed he had stepped into a waterway. He hadn't realized how close he actually was to the main city or Castle Oblivion for that matter.
'I'll get caught for sure. It's only a matter of time before a patrol finds me.´ Roxas took a couple more paces before staggering into a wall. He forced himself to keep walking, leaving behind a gruesome red smear on the stone. Roxas pushed off from the wall and staggered forward. His vision was blurred and he felt dizzy. His right arm was wrapped around his stomach, his hand holding his side together.
Roxas tripped and stumbled into a railing. He caught himself and sank to his knees. He didn't know when he fell down sideways but when he opened his eyes again he was lying on the ground. Roxas lay on a shallow waterway, only about an inch deep, so his face was pressed into the water. He blinked and watched his vision fade.
Then he closed his eyes and started to slip away.