A/N: So here is the chapter where my incredibly sarcastic and humorous side came out to say hello to everyone, and I'm not quite sure why, but looking back, I really wouldn't have it any other way. It was just too fun to write this way, which is why I even made a joke out of the title. Anyway, thanks again, Chibi for betaing and Axelyssa for reviewing-you two are amazing! Haha, anyway, on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts aside from the copies of the games and manga I bought, nor do I own dragonblade3325's game script-just my ideas. And my sarcasm/jokes. Those are totally mine.
Chapter 7-Disillusionment
"What kind of game is this? You think cowering behind Namine will stop me? Think again. Your little mascot can keep you company in the void. Farewell, Marluxia." Namine cringed at Axel's words as she was brought to stand right in front of Marluxia, the pink-haired Nobody's hand resting on the top of her head. For a moment she wondered why she always seemed to be the unlucky one who ended up in all these situations rather than someone else or no one at all; was it really imperative that she be used as a last-ditch attempt as a shield? Everyone said Nobodies had no hearts, so why in the world did Marluxia seem to think that putting her between Axel and himself would stop Axel from trying to kill him? It wasn't like the Nobody would care whether she was there or not, would he?
Would he?
Namine remembered Axel saying that he had friends. He certainly liked to annoy everyone around him, calling her that annoying nickname and giving everyone else annoying nicknames as well, getting bored and causing trouble, he seemed to like smiling a lot, and he had acted as though he was irritated when the replica tried to pick fights with him about one thing or another while he was trying to annoy her. Was it possible that maybe he still had a bit of his heart left, or was he just good at acting? Had Marluxia found out about the trips outside? Did he think Axel was attached to her or something? What was the point of using her as a shield?
"Oh, I think not. Are you listening, Sora?" She glanced over Axel's shoulder to see the doors to the room drifting closed. Oh. That was the point behind trying to use her as a shield. "Axel is willing to harm Namine just to get at me! Destroy him!" Before there was any time to think, to wonder or worry about Sora or Axel, Marluxia was dragging her backwards through a dark corridor and away from the possible fight. It seemed that she would have to wait to see the battle's results, of course, that was if she survived being alone in a room with Marluxia alone until Sora or Axel could come chasing after them.
When they were at the end of the dark corridor, Marluxia shoved her out, into the room. She fell on her hands and knees hard before she looked back to glare at her kidnapper. "Sora will stop you." Her voice was suddenly firm and full of anger, Marluxia laughed at her.
"I think not. That's why I have you, Namine. No matter how things go, you are the answer to all of my problems concerning Sora. You are the solution to every twist and turn this story might take." She frowned at the comment before a small smile formed on her lips.
"What if Axel shows up instead? What do you plan to do then? Or, better yet, what if they decide that getting rid of you is more important than trying to get rid of each other and show up together?" Marluxia took a step towards her as though he was going to try and hurt her, but that was when the doors to the room's entrance exploded open and Sora, with Donald and Goofy in tow appeared.
"So you've destroyed Axel. You have my thanks, Sora. Or perhaps I should thank the power of the Keyblade. How I long to make it my own and have the Organization at my mercy!" The line was spouted almost calmly, giving no trace of the conversation (Or had it been an argument?) that had gone on moments before. Namine felt a twinge of sadness at the suggestion that Sora had destroyed Axel, and she remembered the time he had annoyed her until she had agreed to take a break to go outside of Castle Oblivion with him for the first time. He had been the only one who had been remotely nice to her before the replica, and it had only been nice to her because she had altered its memories. Sure, he'd been one of the ones who were trying to control her, but he hadn't treated her like trash…
"Get real, Marluxia. Let Namine go!" Sora seemed unimpressed by the speech, basically ignoring the praise Marluxia had given him and the fact he had basically spilled his entire plan to run over him and request that Marluxia let her go. She had to try hard to not laugh.
"You cannot win as long as she is in my hands. Namine... Erase Sora's memory!" Namine felt her mouth pop open in surprise and horror. Had Marluxia lost his mind? Did he know just what he was asking her to do? Namine was going to make sure, even if she had a feeling that he knew exactly what he was asking for.
"But...if I do that..."
"Yes. If you uproot the memories you planted...then Sora's heart will collapse and all his memories will be torn asunder." Marluxia's response sounded almost bored, as though to say 'Well duh, stop trying to point out the things I already know.' Sora's friends one the other hand..
"Sora's heart..." Goofy started, sounding shocked.
"Collapse?" Donald squawked, finishing where Goofy had left off. Namine felt like yelling at them that that was just what Marluxia had said—at least she was asking for confirmation rather than repeating what had already been said.
"I'd prefer the Keyblade master unmarred...but even a riven heart can be rebuilt with time. Sora will yet be my slave. Do it, Namine! Obliterate his memory!" Again with the bored tone, up until he got to trying to order her around, anyway. However, this time Namine decided that she wouldn't let herself be ordered around again. Not anymore.
"No. Sora forgave me even though I deceived him. I could never break his heart! I don't care what you do to me. I won't hurt Sora!" She shouted in defiance, knowing she was welcoming disaster with open arms, most likely even her own demise, but Namine was fed up with hurting the boy who had been so kind to her, even when she had told him the truth about what she had done to him.
"Then you'll pay the price —" Marluxia's reaction was just as she expected, however, Sora's was not what she expected at all.
"Do what he says, Namine! I don't care! Erase my memory!" Namine felt her mouth pop open again; at the same time she had the very strong urge to ask Sora if he'd lost his mind along with Marluxia. He was just begging to give the bad guy what he wanted!
"Sora, what are you saying?" Goofy didn't put it exactly the way she would have, had Namine been able to ask the question her way, but it was good enough.
"Who am I going to look after if I don't have you? Do it, Namine! Erase my memories, break my heart... I'll still have my promise. I'll still protect you!" Now he was really pushing it and frustrating her as he did.
"Sora..." How about you look after yourself for once? You never really promised me anything, so why do you keep trying to protect me like that? Namine wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She suddenly found herself unable to say anything beyond his name; her mouth wouldn't work.
"I don't need my memory to take on Marluxia." Do you even understand the words that are coming out of your mouth? You obviously don't, because you kind of need to remember what you're fighting for to fight someone, and that aside, did you totally miss part where Marluxia said that you heart would collapse? That would mean it would cease to work, you would cease to be you, nothing more than a life-sized doll with a brain that does nothing more than tell you to breathe and keep your physical heart beating… Namine found that, once again, her mouth would not work well enough for her to say what she wanted to. Sure, it would have hurt his feelings, but Sora did not seem to understand just how important having a heart was—look at the situation the Organization was in without them! They were a bunch of greedy, backstabbing people desperate to get back what they had lost to obvious screw-ups they had committed during their lives, and here he was willing to let her break his heart to keep a nothing like her safe. Oh no, that was not going to fly.
"Yeah! Even if Sora forgets, we won't!" Donald chimed in, and Namine wanted to facepalm.
"All we gotta do is remember for him!" Goofy added on, scratch that, she wanted to bang her head against the wall. Apparently absolutely no one understood what the collapse of a heart would result in.
"With everyone else's memories, I can piece my own together again in no time!" Namine gave up right then and there. Clearly she was surrounded by very heroic idiots who did not know how to put two and two together. It was cute in a way, but it was also almost as annoying as Axel calling her Nami rather than Namine.
"Ignorant fool! If Namine destroys your memory, you'll be naught but a lifeless shell. Your heart will be unable to feel, to care! Just like that pathetic imitation of Riku." The insult to the Riku replica stung and Namine cringed at the mention of it, but she was thankful her mouth still didn't feel like working correctly because otherwise she would have yelled out 'Thank you!' to Marluxia for finally explaining what would happen if she erased all his memories.
"Guess again." Namine gasped as suddenly the replica came flying out of nowhere to attack Marluxia, who was saved only by the grace of fast reflexes while she was forced to dive out of the way. However he had been knocked off balance enough that he took a few steps back.
"It cannot be!" Marluxia gasped about the same time Sora shouted "Riku!" and reminded Namine that she wanted to bang her head against the wall, considering she was pretty sure they had cleared up the issue of that not being the real Riku not all that long ago.
"No, not Riku. Just someone's pet project." The replica responded, opting to answer Sora rather than Marluxia.
"But...you're an empty shell! You've been stripped of all you had!" Marluxia continued in faked disbelief, the replica turned his attention to Marluxia with a bitter, mocking smile on its lips.
"What did I ever have? My body and heart are fake. But there's one thing you can't take from me anyway... even if it is a lie! I will protect Namine. Phantom promise or not, it's MY promise!" The guilt welled up again, it seemed now that the truth had come out, the replica had become self-loathing. It was a problem she was fairly sure that she couldn't fix, even if she tried.
"Know your place! You would chain your heart with false memories? Cast your heart's freedom aside? You turn from the truth because your heart is weak. You cannot defeat me!" Marluxia shouted as he raised his scythe and caused phantom rose petals to appear out of nowhere and float around him as though he stood at the center of a miniature tornado. That was when Sora and the Riku replica charged with Donald and Goofy not too far behind and Namine scrambled to the corner of the room furthest from the fight to take cover behind one of the marble statues so common around Castle Oblivion. She just hoped that Marluxia wouldn't notice her and try to use her as a shield again—she really didn't feel like becoming collateral damage.
A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it, and if so, please review. Reviews make my day, guys. Anyway, seeya next week!
