Chapter 10 See you in Hell

Ikari Hikari was afraid.

He hadn't felt fear, real fear for his person in a long time. Maybe when he was a teenager, he couldn't remember exactly when, but he was definitely feeling it now.

Sora and Yutari had left a while ago to go to this Dr Marx fellow. Just saying the name gave him a bad taste in his mouth. He had never even met the man, but Ikari hadn't gotten this far from not following his gut. He wouldn't be alive to say that if he hadn't.

Of course, that wasn't the worst thing he could have thought about. This Xosnaj that Sora had mentioned. That name . . . why did it feel so familiar? Ikari smashed his hand down on his desk. This was so damn infuriating!

Xosnaj's partner had definitely brought back memories. The savagery, the bloodlust, the complete and utter insanity. Ikari only knew of one person in all the worlds who was like that. He knew him personally, but hadn't seen since their insurrection. But that would be impossible. They had died years ago in the Wilds. There would be no way even they could survive to this day.

Ikari, trying to calm himself, moved into the kitchen and poured himself some coffee. Yutari kept telling him to get decaf, but if he drank that, he would never wake up and get to work. Ergo, no food for tummy.

He took a quick sip and turned around to see the most horrific sight he had ever seen in his life. Rainbow hair, rainbow eyes and an almost wolf-like smile.

"Hello, pencil-neck."

Ikari couldn't breathe. There had only been one place, one time, when anyone had called him by that name. The Shinra Electric Power Company. His long far off home. The super company that had supplied power to the entire planet, on another world, and had control of every aspect of life. The ruthless tactics that they had implanted, into him, they had made him a perfect tool for their use. A blade at the back of their enemies throat. He had remembered the one technique that had made him famous among SOLDIER. The mission where he had lost of his weapons and murdered a man with nothing but a pencil.

Not too long after that, his sparring partner began to coin the phrase 'pencil-neck.' The man who stood before him in his kitchen as if on a Sunday tea stroll. That same Shinra military agent who worked in the Laser Optics Division . . .Colby!

Now Ikari was shocked to see his old sparring partner to be sure, but he hadn't gone through a lifetime of rigorous military training for nothing. In a flash, he pulled a pen from his pocket. Flowing like water, he jabbed forward with the speed of a jungle cat.

But 'Colby' had gone through the same training, and he had harnessed that training with years of rational gone askew. Colby brought his hand up even faster than his partner and a crystal dart shot forth flying through Ikari's grasp. Thus causing the pen to explode in a shower of black and red.

"I wouldn't try it, old friend," he said grinning, "you know I was always faster than you with a blade." He scanned the bleeding man with a quick glance. He shrugged almost casually and smiled slightly. "Not to mention, that my friend is standing right behind you ready to ram a sword through you, if you so much as blink the wrong way."

Ikari turned on his heel to see a clean shaven man with a glistening silver blade held at his back only a foot from him. Sterling blue eyes pierced through the darkness showing the hate and focus of his newest visitor.

"It's been a long time, old friend," the man said the without removing the sword from sight.

Ikari glared at his newest guest. "Not long enough, Jason."

'Jason' growled at that name.

'Colby' waved his finger. "Uh, uh, uh," he uttered in a mock rebuking tone as if he was a parent disciplining a small child, "We go by more explanatory names that represent our new 'nature," he said lightly, placing quote makings around his words, "you might call it."

'Jason' pushed the Blade further towards Ikari. "The names are Boxcly and Xosnaj. Remember them, they may be the last you ever hear."

Boxcly made a fake yawn and stretched. "Now that annoying formalities are over, can we can get on to the serious business that we came here for-namely, to butcher you." A pleasant smile spread across the Ravagers face as though he was simply discussing carpet designs. After which, an unexpected glance from Boxcly to Xosnaj as if asking permission.

A simple shake of the head 'no', caused Boxcly to first tilt his head in confusion that quickly grew into annoyed anger. "Why not?" he snapped. "We're right here! He's right here! I haven't killed anything in the entire three hour trip it took to get here! You wouldn't even let me kill that nest of turtle eggs on the beach!"

Xosnaj began to pace around Ikari with a predators' gleam in his silvery blue eyes. "We were once comrades, Ikari," he said slowly, with drops of venom lacing his voice. "We were once allies and friends.—"

Then Boxcly interrupted. "Yes but now we're enemies. So let's kill him. Please! Can I kill him?" An almost begging tone dripped into his last sentence, making Ikari wonder how much of Colby had really changed. From the looks of it, no much at all.

Xosnaj glared at his companion. "I never said you could speak."

Boxcly backed down, though he spat the ground.

Ikari took a long look at Xosnaj. He had grown bigger since he had seen him last. Stronger, with more build. And of course, that horrid mark seemed to have been covered, just as his pride would demand.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods, scar-face?" Ikari said, with a slight bit of trepidation as he realized what he said.

Boxcly would have giggled at that moment if he wasn't gripped by an apprehensive fear that he might have his chance to kill Ikari stolen from him.

Before anyone could react, Xosnaj slammed Ikari down to the ground with his arm. A loud chime rang through the house, so loud that even Boxcly had to cringe at the intensity of it. Ikari, barely conscious, felt blood run down his face.

Ikari groggily felt his form rise up in the air. Xosnaj held him by the scruff of his shirt with his arm. Power and hate rang though his voice. "Don't ever say that again, if you want your son to be of this world."

Boxcly seemed to perk back up at this, but remained silent out of prudence. Ikari gurgled out the blood in his mouth. "You can't take criticism, old man."

Xosnaj threw him into wall, causing a huge indention. "You should be one talk about criticism, pencil-neck. All those lives. All those innocents, do you remember their screams? Their faces?"

Boxcly piped with a wicked smirk. "Oh, that's right. You never saw them, did you? Always taking them from behind. Never facing those whose lives you took."

Xosnaj kicked the pained Ikari in the ribs. "Like a coward."

"Do you think any of them was a father, Ikari," the rainbowed man bent down right up to the man's face. "Any of them had a child? A son, maybe? A son whose father you took. I guess then, what we're planning on doing isn't much different from you, Ikari Hikari." A crystal spear began to grow in his hands, just for the occasion.

"Boxcly!" barked Xosnaj.

"What?" he barked back "Just having a little fun. You know, like . . . foreplay."

Xosnaj sneered as he made his way closer. Before his partner could react, Xosnaj pulled the Ravager from Ikari. "We don't have time for your fun,' he said sternly, with a threat laced in his words.

Boxcly growled, thick, and gutturally, like one you might expect from a dog, a rabid dog, a starving rabid dog.

Ikari watched the exchange of words and blows with interest. Even through the blood, his mind circulated through ways of turning this mess to his advantage. "Both of you," he said wheezing from the force of the push that had rammed him to the wall, "hope to see you both in hell."

A pounding came from the front of the house. "Ikari!' a man yelled. "You alright? I heard a loud crash. Open up!"

Boxcly smiled and chuckled a bit. "Aww, isn't that nice to know that people care about you, Ikari." A spear materialized in his hands and with a grin. "We might as well kill them both before the whole peanut gallery shows up."

Xosnaj shook his head. "Let the dominos fall," he said calmly.

Boxcly couldn't believe his ears. His eyes bugged out like he was having a stroke. "WHAT?" he screamed infuriated. "You mean that we came all this way, wasted all this time, all this time talking, and I don't even get to kill him?!"

As Boxcly grew angrier, Xosnaj watched in fury as his black cloak and skin began to take a metallic sheen. How he wished for the death of a certain rainbow right now. He raised his hand as if he was about to grasp something. His metal face snarled at Boxcly. "Do not test me."

Boxcly snorted in disgust. "Let's get the hell out of here before I change my mind." He turned around and opened a Corridor of darkness. He stopped, as if waiting. "And kill both of you." They both left without a trace.

XXXXXXXXXX

Oni Nixel was really getting irritated. The red head was on the floor, unconscious, and with a nasty bump on his head. His wife was screaming at him for 'terrifying' the locals. The weirdo in all the blue was talking, and that within itself was getting on his nerves. And on top of all this, his daughter was nowhere to be found. Wonderful.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop that!" she shrieked in his ear. "You might as well have brought Marley and you two could have brought the whole place to ruin!"

The red head had yet to awaken. Oni had contemplated just kicking him in the head but fortunately for the kid, he thought better of it. If she was this ticked off just making the kid faint, cracking his skull open would really have him in the dog house.

A groan below him was the telltale sign of consciousness. Throwing decorum into the fire, Oni grabbed the young man by the collar.

"You've kept me waiting for nearly an hour," he said, growling right in Axel's face, and the boy more terrified than he'd ever remembered being, "it's time for you to pay the piper. Where. Is. My. Daughter?"

"Dad?"

A soft thump later and Axel was back lying prostrate on the ground with a matching set of bumps on his head. Mr. Nixel had dropped him and turned around to look at someone. Axel stole a glance around the large man to see what poor soul had come to witness his human demise.

Oh hell.

Larxene stood there in shock of what was in front of her. Her father and mother were standing over Axel's body with shock plaster over their faces. Her father was older but no larger than when last she saw him. Course, the sword was a nice touch. Her mother seemed much older. Much more weary and a bit thin, even pale.

The electrokenetic curled her lips at them. "What are you two doing here?" she asked, her face tracing back into her old cruelty. "I thought I told you that I didn't want any more to do with you!"

Oni's shoulders drooped slightly. He remembered the arguments, the fights. They seemed like yesterday, but four years placed between now and then. They really had no right to be here, as he had screamed that they were washed of her, but he couldn't let go. "Elerna—" he began, but she beat him to the punch.

"That's not me anymore, old man!" she yelled. "If I remember, correctly, I haven't gone by that kid's name for four years. It's Larxene now. The Savage Nymph. I am my own person now! So just go!"

Tenshi kept her calm throughout her daughter's screaming match. "Sunshine," she said, "we realized right after you left that we should never have tried to force anything on you. Please, come home."

Larxene, quickly losing the fledgling forms of her patience, snapped back. "I am home, Mrs. Nixel. I have a home here! I can do whatever I want. I don't have be some ass behind some desk that you always wanted me to be! I could be anything from a hit man to an artist.' Her mother's eyes widened at her daughter's choices. "There's nothing you have to offer me. Why are you even here?"

Oni regained his voice, though much softer than before. "To have my daughter back."

Larxene laughed. "You never had a daughter. You had an heir, one who continued to defy you to the point of exile. You had and never will have a daughter. At least, not one with my charm."

Larxene sidestepped her father, grabbed the fallen red head by the forearm and dragged him to his feet. "Get up, dear," she whispered though loud enough for her parents to hear, "we're leaving."

Together they strode off, Demyx trailing not too far behind, leaving two very despondent millionaires.

As they turned a corner and he was sure the Nixels couldn't hear him, Axel asked, "I-your 'dear'?"

Larxene gripped his forearm painfully, forcing him to shut it. "Just go with it and if you even think about getting fresh, not even Merlin will find the pieces."

Axel didn't know who to feel sorrier for, the Nixels or himself?

Muhahahaha! Are you confused? Good! We have been planning this syuff for months! You're of course wondering what in the worlds is going on, but I don't plan on tell you out off story. That means you too, flowergirl220!

The reason that this chapter took even longer was my father almost had a heart attack so I have my attention away for some time. Keep him in your prayers and hope you enjoy the rest of Next Life.

Now ON TO REVIEWS:

Turner Child- Thanks for the compliment, and now you know who Marx is: ME! At least my dark side seen through a magnifying glass, I hope. Still wondering about Ikari? Read on!

Fiendslayer- We do love this! May balors and pit fiends find their way to your blade. SHAR! SHAR! Sorry, couldn't resist.

Anonymous- Women . . . ah . . . Don't I wish that I had one. I had one but . . . we had to cut it short, so now I'm stuck writing Adventure stories with dabs of romance. I suck.

Flowergirl220- You now get to bask in the glory of Xosnaj once more! May you be blinded by his awesomeness. I know the mystery on all of you is wearing thin and the fighting will return soon and I will send you another chapter of CoRL to look at but just remember it is me who is the author. MUHAHAHAHAHA!

Bye everybody! Happy Thanksgiving!