Over the next few weeks, Axel and the other members of the Organization helped Rose and her sister Okami regain their memories and helped them learn new skills. Axel had taught them how to teleport and how to summon a new weapon in case they were without their Keyblades. Xemnas wanted to make sure they didn't rely on them and were left without anything to defend themselves.
Rose, who had taken much influence from Laurium, a friend she had met when she was younger, chose to use a scythe like he did. She loved how it flowed around her and how easily she could manipulate it around her. Rose had also gained a technique that allowed her to summon rose petals, using them to either blind or distract her opponent. When she used this technique, there were always roses left over from their training sessions that sometimes annoyed the others, but made her secretly laugh.
Okami chose a simple weapon called a kama, which were basically curved daggers that she used to pin her opponents down before she attacked with her Keyblade or allowed anyone with her to have an advantage. She also sometimes used her weapons, which she coated in darkness to blind her opponents before she attacked.
Axel stood back and watched the two spar, an amused look on his face. He had heard what had happened to them ten years ago and he was glad they had forgiven each other. He knew how much they cared for one another and thought it was best to have them work together constantly to restrengthen their bond.
As Axel watched them fight, a figure who had their hood up, appeared beside Axel, accompanied by another figure who Axel knew was Xyle. Xyle cleared his throat as he pulled the hood down, his dark blue hair falling from the hood.
"You haven't said anything to anyone have you?" he questioned, glancing towards the other figure who had moved closer to Axel. Axel glanced back at him and rolled his eyes. He moved his hand to the side, making sure to be ready to summon his chakrams if they chose to start a fight.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid? I'd very much like to stay alive to any day marry Rose. So I won't be telling anyone anything anytime soon" he assured Xyle. The other figure reached up to pull his hood down, their long brown hair falling over their shoulders. The figure was in fact male and wore glasses with brown eyes. He was approximately six feet tall and wore the same outfit as the others, the usual leather Organization jacket.
"I mean, I'm sure if you wanted to you could probably tell someone and we would never really know about it" the figure said, a faint British accent escaping his lips. He gently brushed his hair from his face, pushing his glasses back to their proper place, "Can we go now? I'm kind of bored." Xyle shook his head an sighed, glancing back once more in Axel's direction.
"Xathoms and I will be watching you" he warned as he turned to leave with his friend in tow. Axel rolled his eyes and noticed that Okami and Rose had stopped fighting and were both now staring at him. Axel rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously.
"Don't worry, girls. It was nothing important" he assured them. Rose and Okami glanced at each other for a moment, both shrugging in unison as they turned back towards each other, readying their fight stances. Axel watched them and smiled, happy with the progress they had made in the past few weeks. He was thankful they were quick learners so he would not have to deal with Xemnas if they weren't progressing the way he had liked.
Axel paused for a moment, before disappearing for a moment and soon reappeared with three Popsicle's in his hand. He made his way over to where Okami and Rose were, both stopping to see what he was doing.
"Here, you guys need a break. I brought you guys something to cool off" he said, offering each of them a Popsicle. Rose took one of them from his and examined it, a confused look on her face. She thought for a moment and suddenly remembered what it was. It was Sea Salt Ice Cream she use to eat back when she was at the castle. Rose grinned and thanked him before taking a bite, walking over to the couch she had brought in there and sat down.
"Mmm, I haven't had one of these in such a long time. Thanks, sweetie!" she said as she bit down into it, Axel moving to sit beside her and bit down on his own. Okami stood there, still staring at the ice cream, unsure of what to do with it.
"Is this...blueberry flavored?" she asked, looking back at them. Axel and Rose looked at each other in confusion and shook their heads.
"It's basically a salted vanilla" Rose explained to her, leaning back against the couch. Okami nodded and took a bite of it, her face contorting for a moment at the sudden surge of saltiness before the vanilla taste hit her mouth.
"Oh, man! That's really salty! But also sweet...I'm not sure how I feel about it" she said as she walked over, sitting down beside Rose who had already finished half her ice cream. Okami glanced up at the ceiling, a figure appearing above her and placing a kiss on her lips. She practically jumped, but soon realized it was Saix. Okami smiled and put a hand on his cheek and quickly kissed him back, not liking to show public displays of affection that often.
"Get a room you two" Axel teased from beside Rose. Rose covered her mouth to stop from laughing, a soft giggle escaping her lips. Axel grinned and put an arm around her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You are so adorable when you do that" he whispered in her ear. Rose began to blush, moving away from him slightly.
"I am not, Axel!" she pouted, trying to push him away playfully, as she tried to hide her grin. Axel then grabbed her and pulled her closer, his lips closer to hers, causing her blush to worsen at the proximity.
"You know you won't win in this fight. You got it memorized?" he said as he brushed his lips gently against hers, enough to send shivers down her spine as he stood up, making his way to the door. "We have to report to Xemnas, come on girl" Axel said as he disappeared through the door. Rose and Okami glanced at each other, shrugging as they stood up. Okami took Saix by the hand and led him with them to the throne room.
When they got there, everyone from the organization was gathered there. Rose knew very well at this point, when everyone was there, there was an important mission Xemnas was about to give. She didn't mind the missions, though. Having missions meant she didn't have to be around her father that often which suited her just fine. Rose snapped her fingers and disappeared, reappearing in her seat beside her father. She didn't much like it, but she liked to feel like she had some power around here. Okami soon appeared beside her, linking arms with her as Rose smiled in her direction.
Okami knew she didn't like her father much, but Okami was always there for her when he was near. Xemnas glanced around the room as he waited for everyone to be quiet before he spoke, moving his hands in front of his face in a sort of contemplation sort of pose.
"Thank you all for coming" he said, his deep voice carrying around the room, "As all of you must know by now, there is a new enemy we have encountered. We have a new Keyblade Master to deal with now alongside the Heartless. I need two among you to go and get as much information as you can about him. Take as long as you need." Xemnas finished, looking around the room once more. A few people moved uneasily in their seats, but no one said a word. Rose glanced around the room, noticing no one had said anything.
"I'll do" she began to say, noticing that Axel had said it as the same time as her. Xemnas glanced at both of them and shook his head.
"I'm sorry. You cannot both go on this mission as I know how both of you lack self control. Only one of you may go. I will let you decide amongst yourselves" he explained, watching their reactions. Rose glanced over at Axel, a frown on her face.
"Well, I don't want Axel to get hurt. I'll go, father" she said. Axel looked at her, a shocked expression on his face.
"I can't let you do that, Rose. You know how dangerous Heartless can be" he said, gripping the side of his chair. Rose rolled her eyes and sat back against the chair.
"Well I'm sure it's my decision to make, so I've decided I'm going. I can take care of myself, sweetheart" she said, her tone softening as she spoke. Axel sighed and shook his head, leaning back against his chair without a word. He knew arguing with her would do nothing to help his case so he chose to stay quiet. Xemnas nodded in Rose's direction, pleased that she had chosen to go. That was his plan all along so he was grateful everything was going according to plan.
"Very well. I will need someone to accompany you" he began as Lexon raised his hand, signalling the attention towards him.
"I'll go with her, boss" he said, leaning against his chair as he smoked his usual cigarette. Xemnas nodded, very much enjoying that he did not have to chose himself.
"Very well. Your mission will start tonight. Please gather what you will need and prepare yourselves. Meet me back here tonight for your details. Everyone is dismissed" Xemnas said as he waved a hand in dismissal. Everyone soon started filing out of the room, excluding Xyle and Xathoms who stood back to talk to Xemnas.
"Do you want us to keep an eye on them?" Xyle asked, glancing in the direction of his companion. Xemnas contemplated for a moment before answering.
"No, I think we will let them be for a while. I'm sure Lexon will keep my child in her place" he assured them. Xyle nodded and motioned for Xathoms to follow him with the motion of his head. Xathoms nodded and followed after him, both boys disappearing within their own dark portals.
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Night soon fell and Rose sat up from her spot on the couch where she had been laying with her head on Axel's lap. They had talked for hours, mostly Axel trying to convince her not to go, but he knew after a while he wouldn't be changing her mind anytime soon. Instead, they sat in silence, enjoying each others company as Axel played with her hair.
"I'm going to miss you, you know" he said softly as Rose stood up. Rose turned to him, a small smiled on her face.
"Nothing is stopping you from coming to visit" she teased, leaning over to give him a small kiss on the lips. "I mean, father didn't say you couldn't visit. He just said you can't come on the mission with me" she said as she winked, moving to give her sister a hug that was seated on the other couch with Saix. Okami hugged her sister back, pulling her down between her and Saix.
"You better be freaking careful, okay? I don't want you dying again on me" she warned, a large grin on her face. Saix chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her shoulder gently.
"I trust her. I see how she fights. She's kicked my butt a few times so a couple of Heartless will be nothing to her" he assured Okami. Okami sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying not to cry. Rose frowned and hugged her sister again, placing a kiss on her head.
"Don't cry, Kami. I'll be back soon, okay?" I love you sis" she said as she squeezed her once again. Okami looked at her sister, her eyes slightly rimmed with red as she moved closer to her sister, Axel coming to join them in a group hug. Rose smiled and sat there, enjoying the affection.
After a few minutes, everyone parted ways and Rose stood, glancing back at her sister and Saix, before heading towards the door with Axel. Rose paused and turned her attention to him, taking his hands in her own.
"You need to stay here, Axel. We don't want him suspecting anything, okay?" she asked, looking him in the eyes. Axel sighed and glanced away for a moment, trying to regain his composure before looking at her again.
"Alright. Just be safe out there, okay?" he said as he pulled her into a tight hug, tilting her head upwards so he could place a kiss on her lips before he let her go. Rose pulled away from him a few moments later, looking back at them as she disappeared out of the room.
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As she walked down the long hallway towards the throne room, Rose thought about all her friends who she would not see for a while and wondered if she should have sent someone else instead. She decided she would miss them, but wanted to get out of this more and did not want to put her friends in danger. Rose paused when she saw Xyle and Xathoms standing on each side of the door.
"Hey guys, hows it going?" she asked, a smile on her face. Xathoms nodded in her direction as Xyle pushed away from his spot on the wall, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, a smile on his face.
"I'm doing well. I'm proud of you, though. You're very brave taking on this important mission. You've come very far from when you were younger" he said. Rose smiled and hugged her old friend gently, pulling away after a few minutes.
"Thank you, Xyle. That means a lot to me" she said as she turned her attention to Xathoms. "And nice seeing you again, old friend." A small smile formed on his lips, but he did not move or say anthing, but simply nodded in acknowledgement. Rose pulled away from Xyle, making her way back to the door. She opened it slowly, glancing around the room. The room was completely empty except for Lexon and Xemnas who stood in the middle of the room.
"Nice of you to join us, my child" Xemnas spoke, motioning for her to step forward. Rose made a face before closing the door behind her. She made her way over to them, stopping to stand beside Lexon. Lexon glanced down at her, reaching to ruffle her hair.
"Nice of you to join us, kid" he said, pulling his hand away to reach into his pocket for another cigarette. Rose rolled her eyes as she fixed her hair, reaching over to pluck the pack of cigarette's out of his hand and chucking it.
"No smoking on this mission. That is my only request" she said, glaring at him. Lexon chuckled and shrugged.
"That's fine" he said in agreement, putting his hands in his pockets. Xemnas watched the both of them, an amused look on his face.
"Once you two are done, I'd like to tell you about your mission" he began, waiting for them to stop talking before he continued. "Your mission is to watch over a child named Sora. He is a very big threat to our organization and we can't have him stopping our plans" Xemnas explained, glancing in Rose's direction, daring her to say something. Rose sighed and looked away. She knew nothing she would say would change the fact her father did as he pleased so she chose to keep her mouth shut for once.
"How long is this mission going to last?" Lexon questioned, turning Rose's face back towards Xemnas, making sure she paid attention. Rose rolled her eyes at Lexon and waited for Xemnas to continue.
"Your mission will last as long as we need. We cannot have him messing with our plans. You two will be living on the island called Destiny Islands where you will be father and daughter. You have just moved there. Rose, I want you to make friends with Sora and get close to him" he said. Rose frowned, biting her lip to stop herself from saying something she'll regret.
"Yes, father" she said quietly, biting her lip so hard she could start to taste blood. Xemnas nodded and waved his hand, a dark portal appearing in front of the two. Without a word, Lexon put a hand on her back, leading her through the portal as it disappeared behind them.
Xemnas sighed and rubbed his face in annoyance, not believing he had to deal with all of this again after so many years. He glanced up as the door opened and Axel appeared in the doorway, closing the door behind him.
"What is it, Axel?" he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Axel frowned and debated whether or not to say what he wanted to. He decided against is as he moved away from the door, taking a seat on his usual throne.
"You know I'm not one to question you, but are you sure she's ready for this? This kid can potentially be very dangerous" he said, bracing himself for the potential outburst from Xemnas. Xemnas frowned, contemplating his question for a moment.
"Do you doubt your ability to teach, Axel? I know very well you are an amazing tutor. You have trained most of my men and women. Why doubt yourself now?" he asked, moving in Axel's direction. Axel shrugged and leaned back against his chair lazily, tracing his finger along the design of the arm of the chair.
"I just have a bad feeling that's all. Sorry for doubting you Lord Xemnas" he said, pausing for his reaction. Xemnas stopped in front of Axel, reaching up to touch his cheek gently. Axel flinched, expecting a backhand, but none came. Axel glanced back at him, watching to see what he would do.
"No need to apologize. Now, I have a special mission for you" he told Axel as he removed his hand, heading in the direction of the door. Axel soon followed after him, following him out of the door and down the hall. He glanced back, noticing both Xyle and Xathoms following behind them. Axel had a feeling something was going to happen to him.