Disclaimer: Square Enix/Disney owns Kingdom Hearts/Organization XIII. I own Misu, Ixmus, and the guy that appeared in "Memories"'s second flashback/vision.
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Chapter 11: Motives of Revenge
One last metallic crash shook the battlegrounds.
Axel and Ixmus skidded toward the forest from the impact while Xion skidded toward the gate to the Mansion. This battle, a very emotional one at that, had been going on for the longest. All three competitors were utterly exhausted.
Ixmus was probably the most worn out due to the efforts he exerted during the search; however, he persevered astonishingly. Why? Because of his motivation. If he hadn't had the motivation to continue this fight, we would've let Axel deal with Xion alone. His motivation was his promise to Xion…and his feelings for her. That's what made every blow, every clash, every time they had eye contact even more heartbreaking. Each time that happened, more tears automatically fell from his woeful silver eyes.
Thankfully, he would not have to shed any tears. Xion gave in to her exhaustion and passed out, falling on the ground and dropping her keyblade. Axel, completely relieved, dismissed Eternal Flame and tiredly sauntered to the unconscious Xion. Ixmus, also relieved, collapsed to one knee dismissing Guardian Soul. Finally, it was all over.
Axel picked up Xion and hung her over his shoulder. "Come on, Ixmus." Axel directed as he spawned a Corridor of Darkness. "OK…" Ixmus weakly responded and approached his friend. Once again, Xion would be taken home.
-World That Never Was-
Neither Axel nor Ixmus possessed enough strength to make the Corridor of Darkness's destination The Castle That Never Was. The search and battle pretty much sapped them of their strength. How they still managed to walk is beyond mortal comprehension. Fortunately for them, no ounce of the armada of Heartless that usually haunt the streets of the Dark City appeared. That would only worsen their already poor condition.
They passed the block containing Memory's Skyscraper and reached Nothing's Call, the entrance to The Castle That Never Was. "We're…here." Axel announced in an unusually lower tone. Suddenly, Axel's limits caught up to him and the Nobody fainted from fatigue. He collapsed onto the dark ground dropping Xion in the process. "Axel!" Ixmus exclaimed as he ran over to attend to his fallen friend. Unfortunately, Axel was unconscious and no longer could continue going on. Now, Ixmus would have to persist on for the sake of both Axel and Xion. Releasing a sigh of dread from his mouth, he stood up and went to pick up Xion.
However, Xion was not there.
Ixmus, now worried once more, looked around to see where his friend had gone to now. Only mere feet away from them was Xion hanging over the shoulder of a silver-haired man. A man Ixmus recognized entirely. "Xemnas!" Ixmus shrieked and charged at the leader of Organization XIII. The Shadows of Hope did not care that he was threateningly charging at his superior, he only cared about the person being taken away by him. Number XV's valiant effort would be shot down as Xemnas swung an aerial blade straight across Ixmus's chest. The injured Nobody slid on the ground from the force and wound up adjacent to the knocked-out Axel. Dismissing the aerial blade, Xemnas turned around and continued to walk away from the Nobodies.
The sole blow was enough to sap away the remaining strength Ixmus possessed. He desperately tried to get up and pursue but his body would not allow it. He had reached his limits.
But, limits or not, there was a friend being taken away, a very close one. Amazingly, Ixmus, bypassing his limits once again, stood up and chased Xemnas into the block of Memory's Skyscraper, summoning Guardian Soul while he did.
He spotted Xemnas in the middle of the large block, still walking. "Xemnas, put her down!" Ixmus demanded heatedly as he ran over. In the midst of his charge, a Gigant Shadow Heartless suddenly blocked his path. The worst fear from before was being realized: legions of Gigant Shadow, Neoshadow, and regular Shadow Heartless were spawning around him. Ixmus could only watch helplessly as Xemnas walked into a Corridor of Darkness with Xion.
There was no way out….
This was an unfavorable position….
How could he survive such a condition?
….His hope, that's how. His motivation would drive him even longer to reacquire his stolen friend. He no longer showed fear or distress in his eyes, but a raw, fiery determination. Clutching Guardian Soul, he swung it and killed the first Gigant Shadow in his way. He would get rid of these guys first and then head on to the more important ambition.
-Later-
The last of the Heartless disintegrated to their demise. Ixmus did it. He managed to defeat the seemingly endless armada of Heartless at the feet of Memory's Skyscraper. There wasn't much difficulty in it but the sole fact that Ixmus was already in a poor condition before the fight made passing out for him eventual any second. His body grew limb, forcing him to use Guardian Soul as a support to keep him on his feet. His body screamed pleadingly for rest but Ixmus's mind was contradicting that. He still had to save Xion. He created a Corridor of Darkness and walked over to it using Guardian Soul like a makeshift cane. The pain was damning. The physical agony was far past his limitations, it pleaded him to stop his advancements. But, his mind and "heart" did not comply. The determined Nobody walked into the Corridor of Darkness hoping that any shadows of doubt his failing body possessed would go away.
-Twilight Town: Train Station-
"Who…are you? I was going to tell you something, but I don't remember what…"
"That's…fine…Roxas."
Xion's frail body lost all its strength and fell over, prompting Roxas to catch her. When he did, crystal fragments began to rise from her body into the golden sky. Could this mean…?
"Did I…hurt you?"
"No. I'm disappearing of my own will. Because I will not allow myself to become what Xemnas wants…I will return to Sora, where I belong."
Roxas's hand on her right shoulder notably shifted. The crystals floating up from her body to the heavens phased through his hand. This seemed to be a happening that he could not prevent.
"I have just one thing…to ask you." Xion said weakly, "The hearts I trapped in…..Kingdom Hearts….Set them free."
"Set Kingdom Hearts…free?"
An odd and enigmatic request from a friend indeed…But, it was actually her dying wish. Roxas noticed that her feet began to crystallize. This concerned him. Her body began to transform and she had mentioned about disappearing beforehand. It can't be….
"Because it seems that….I won't be able to do that after all."
As the lower parts of her body became shiny, white crystals, streams of faint light began to join in the fragment's ascent into the sky.
"Kingdom Hearts…the way Xemnas wants it to be…"
Roxas, miraculously, began to feel forms of sorrow welling up inside him. The reality makes it seem that way, but he did not want to accept it…
"Goodbye, Roxas…Let's meet again, OK?" Xion said, "I'm glad to have met you…No, you, Axel, and Ixmus. You three are my best friends." With the last of her strength, she raised her hand to caress Roxas's cheek. "That alone…please don't forget it."
Now, sorrow was identifiable. Especially in the sapphire eyes of Roxas. The reality started to set in….it was happening….
Xion's hand went lifeless and started to fall away from his face. "No!" Roxas exclaimed grabbing her hand. Of course, the swift contact released more crystal fragments. "Xion…Let's eat ice cream and chat together again, all four of us!" Roxas stated distraughtly. He refused to accept what was happening. Not this way…
Sadly, Xion didn't respond…Her smile and radiant face was going to be the last thing Roxas would see of her. The crystallization of her body increased dramatically. The accelerated formation of white solidity was signaled by bright illumination. Pretty soon, her whole body was consumed by the crystals. Xion's crystallized body then glowed even more intensely. Roxas watched helplessly as light particles and crystals rose into the sky, sealing their perpetual journey to heaven.
The reality finally settled in….
Xion…was dead.
Forever gone and out of everyone's lives…How did it come to this?
Roxas noticed an object in place of Xion's former body, a seashell. When Roxas was in coma for awhile, he discovered a necklace of seashells crafted by Xion near his pillow. He touched the seashell. Upon doing so, a flashback of Xion's exuberant, beautiful smile and face entered. "Xion…" Roxas whispered softly as tears flowed from his eyes. Never again would he be able to enjoy Xion's company, it was truly the saddest day of his life.
But, he was not the only person wallowing in sadness…
Ixmus stood petrified in his place as he stood at the Train Station's entrance via Market Street. His Guardian Soul Keyblade laid forgotten at his feet. He had arrived at the scene only five minutes ago, just in time to see Xion wither away to her death. Tears immediately fell from his silver eyes, "Xion…" He whispered softly as his sad emotions overcame him.
Their promise…broken.
Their friendship…broken.
His heart……..broken.
The moment he moved his left leg, his limitations finally forced him to become lightheaded. He was dizzy in the head and his vision became blurry. He extended his hand trying to reach out to Roxas and Xion's former place in vain. But, all he saw was the clay ground when he finally collapsed unconscious.
-One Day Later-
"Why did I…?" Axel mused aloud as he lay sprawled out on his bed. He had recovered his state of unconsciousness long after Ixmus left to get Xion. He was found by Xaldin and Demyx and they helped him get to his room until he regained consciousness. The Flurry of Dancing Flames had truly reached a dead-end. The whereabouts of Xion, Roxas, and Ixmus were unknown to him. "What now?" He thought as sat up and looked out his window.
When he did, he noticed something on his window seal. It was an envelope. Curiously, Axel got up from his bed, approached the window seal, and grabbed the envelope. He ripped open the seal and removed whatever was in it. It was a popsicle stick, the same kind used for a sea-salt ice cream bar. The letters embroidered near the top of the wooden stick were "Prize".
Now, Axel had a memorandum of Roxas. That same popsicle stick was there when they first hung out and ate sea-salt ice cream. Axel gave Roxas that popsicle stick to symbolize their friendship, so it meant something dear to him. But, what was it doing here?
There was only one possibility…Roxas came back to The Castle That Never Was at some recent point in time. But the question remained…why?
Then realization dawned to him. "Ixmus!" He gasped softly as threw the memorandum on his bed and ran out of the room.
-Ixmus's Bedroom-
The two people he cared about the most….gone…forever.
Ixmus, even when he was formerly unconscious, could feel the past haunt him and the tears returning. He had just recently woken up only to feel the sorrow catch up to him.
The crystallized Xion disappearing in Roxas's arms…
Axel's disgruntled face when he announced Zexion's death…
Ixmus's covered his eyes with his forearm and wept even more. His life had taken a downward spiral really quick.
….All because of two people….
Sora and Roxas….
They two people that took away the people he cherished the most….
He no longer harbored friendly feelings for Roxas because he murdered Xion. That was pretty evident even when he arrived at the scene only five minutes before she completely died. He could not identify the sorrow in Roxas because he was too distraught to notice.
Revenge….
He suddenly stopped crying as the word started to come into his mind. He had already planned to invoke vengeance against Sora for taking away Zexion in Castle Oblivon (even though, unbeknownst to him, he never did).
So be it…
From this point on, he would invoke revenge on both Sora and Roxas for eliminating his cherished ones. However, he still had to find them and being apart of the Organization hindered that cause.
….
….
"Fine then…." Ixmus stood up from his bed and walked out of his room leaving behind a letter for Axel.
Speaking of Axel, the Nobody then burst into Ixmus's room minutes after the owner of the bedroom left. "Ixmus!" Axel called out only to see the Nobody wasn't in the room. But, he saw the letter he felt. He picked it up the piece of paper and read what was encrypted on it.
Dear, Axel
I'm afraid I must leave Organization XIII.
Why?
Revenge….that's why.
Xion and Zexion-sensei, the two people that matter to me the most other than you, were taken away from me by two people.
Sora and Roxas.
As of now, I'm cutting off my ties with the Organization in order to pursue my revenge. Don't follow, this is something I must do. Hopefully, we'll meet each other again.
Also…pray that you find Roxas before I do. He's the one who took away Xion…
Sincerely, one of your best friends, Ixmus.
Axel clutched the letter of revelation tightly until wrinkles started to form all over the paper like veins. Axel, completely frustrated, ripped the paper in half screaming as loud as he could. He no longer had anymore friends in the Organization…
-Memory's Skyscraper-
Ixmus, even though with his mind completely focused on his objective, could hear Axel's frustration-induced howl from a distance. "I'm sorry, Axel…" He said softly as he walked in the very center of the block.
As desired, the armada of Pureblood Heartless surrounded Ixmus plentifully, but they didn't scare him…not at all. In fact, it was the fiery look in his eyes that frightened them. The determined yet unsettling eye expression Ixmus used to glare at the Heartless would have caused a mass murder if looks could kill. Ixmus reached behind his head and pulled up his hood to cover his head and face, just like when he first joined Organization XIII. The feeling of anonymity helped to empower his being. It also blocked the Heartless from looking at his eyes so that they could attack him with all their might. Dropping his arms to his side, two bars of light formed in his hand and darkness began to cover them. Pretty soon, two keyblades, vastly different from Kingdom Key and Guardian Soul, formed.
The right-hand keyblade was designated as "Stolen Scheme". The hilt guard was actually a replica of Zexion's Tome of Judgment. The handle was dark brown and the token on the end of the keychain was Organization XIII's symbol. The shaft was colored off-white and was long and flat (like Guardian Soul's shaft) and had black inscriptions, resembling text, on it. The teeth were actually a replica of the Prohibited Notes Lexicon, connected to the shaft, with its spine facing out to the air. Stolen Scheme represented Zexion.
The left-hand keyblade was designated as "Phantasm". The hilt guard was the Roman numeral "XIV" (Xion's number). The handle was black and the token on the end of the keychain was also Organization XIII's symbol. The shaft was also long and flat. The outline of the shaft was black while dark purple filled it in until the first tooth of the keyblade. Therefore, the head and teeth of Phantasm were black. The head also possessed the Roman number "XV", colored light lavender. The numeral faded away and reappeared occasionally. The teeth resembled blades of a scythe. Phantasm represented Xion.
Number XV got into a battle stance and fearlessly proceeded to maim the variants of Pureblood Heartless.
No matter how long this would take…
No matter how hard this would be…
Ixmus promised himself revenge on Sora and Roxas to avenge the people his keyblades represented.