Chapter Eleven: A Villainous Plot
"That may be, but you yourself do not even know what I am about to tell you. Some of which, Kairi can hear, but not you. Kairi, go." Riku ordered, his cold blue eyes turning to glare at Leon and Kairi. Leon nodded and left without a word, but there was anger in his eyes. Kairi left reluctantly and went downstairs and outside.
Xemnas stood on the rooftop of a house in Hollow Bastion, his orange-red eyes glittering with a new plot. This time he would have his heart. "Saix, we can never trigger anger in Sora's heart, as you know, unless we have something very dear to him. I have an important job for you."
"What is it?" Saix asked from behind Xemnas, his blue hair waving in the wind.
"Go and get that girl we have last time, Kairi. This time she won't escape so easily, because Naming is no longer here. She is in Traverse Town with her friends. Bring her to me once you get her. She and I have to have a little talk." Xemnas ordered.
Saix dipped his head saying, "Yes," Then he left without another word.
Saix appeared in Traverse Town, his black robe billowing in the wind. He could sense the Keyblade bearers near. He followed the power source until he happened upon an apartment. He spotted Kairi sitting outside, a hurt look on her face. She had her Keyblade in hand, and was staring into the shadows.
Saix jumped down from the building he was on and into a dark portal. He fell through it, only to appear in front of Kairi. "It's been a while." Saix smiled as he reached out for her.
"Ah!" Kairi screamed, holding up her Keyblade as a shield.
Axel looked at Scalvatrx and said, "I was unable to finish, Leon and Kairi heard us upstairs."
Scalvatrx blinked and nodded, "Did you tell him about any resentment in Sora's heart? And about Arkath?"
Axel nodded, "I just wished I could have explained why Riku has his dark powers back. I wonder if he even wonders about it himself?" Axel was sitting on the edge of a building in Hollow Bastion. Scalvatrx was standing, his arms crossed. His silver hair was blowing in the wind. The moonlight struck the small town, providing little light and a lot of shadow.
"I'm very sure he does, but Sora does not seem to realize what danger he is to his friends. I haven't the slightest clue why he attacks Riku and Riku only, but it might be because Riku's heart was taken by the darkness. It is the only thing I can figure out. Sora's Dark Form sees Riku as a threat." Scalvatrx, for the first time, was confused and was thinking hard for an answer.
Axel looked up from where he was and dared ask, "Why did you kill your friend, Arkath?"
Scalvatrx cast him a rageful glare before responding, "Even you aren't that stupid. I told you we were sword-fighting when it happened. My dark side saw Akira as a threat and so I killed him. And don't ever call me Arkath again. That is not my name, Axel."
"But it was. It was your true name! Do you not remember?" Axel asked, he was trying for the fifth time since he had met Scalvatrx. "You aren't like me, a person with no heart. You have a heart, you have feeling, but you choose to pretend you feel nothing! Arkath, you must fight the darkness in your heart. You can't hide forever!"
"Silence!" Scalvarx roared, his long-as-heck sword appearing in his hand. He pointed it at Axel and snarled, "I am not to tell you again, Axel. I am Scalvatrx forever, you can not bring me back from where I am now! We will not let Sora end up like me, do not try to make me fight someone who never was or is!"
Axel drew back from the sword, his hands clutching the edge very tightly as he hung on, the tip of the blade just inches from his face. "Alright, alright!"
"Get away from me!" Kairi yelled at Saix as his hand drew closer. She hit his arm where it connects with her Keyblade. Saix flinched in pain and grabbed her with his other arm, summoning a dark portal. He flung Kairi into it just as Leon burst out of the door, sword in hand.
"What's going on-Saix!" Leon yelled.
Saix grinned as the dark portal began to close behind him. He did not step into it, instead he said, "Tell Sora I said I'll be waiting."
Saix stepped into the dark portal just as it closed. Leon stood there, his eyes narrowed in fury, his sword's tip resting on the ground. He had missed him!
Xemnas heard a portal materailize behind him. He turned to see Kairi fall out and onto the hard concrete roof. She grunted as she tried to stop her fall, but didn't succeed. He walked towards her just as Saix stepped out. He moved out of the way knowingly.
"Hello, Kairi. Do you know why I brought you here?" Xemnas asked, bending over her.
Kairi lifted her head, growling, "Shut up you loathsome, heartless fool!" She had dared say it.
Xemnas continued to grin evilly at her as he said, "I brought you here so I could steal Sora's heart. With it, I will be able to wield the Keyblade. And create my perfect world."
Kairi gasped and drew back away from Xemnas, "What?" she yelled in shock.
"Not expecting it?" Xemnas asked, laughing at Kairi's shock. "And you can't escape this time, you know why? Because Namine is not here to help you this time, nor is Riku."
"Kairi!" Sora yelled in distress as Leon told Riku and him what had happened.
"Oh no…!" Riku breathed. He put his hand to his eyes, shaking his head. "Oh no!" he whispered again. This was the Organization's plan. This as sure to bring Sora right to them, and Riku couldn't tell Sora only because Sora wouldn't care. He raised his head to see Leon holding Sora's collar as he struggled to get to the door.
"Let…me…go!" he snarled at Leon, his eyes flashing with rage and determination.
"Sora! Calm down! We'll find her, I promise, but we need to rest, it's nearly two o'clock in the morning!" Riku said, rushing forward and shoving Sora backwards.
"You! You just want to leave her there like you did us before?" Sora challenaged.
This time there was no hesitation left in Riku. He knew who had spoken this time. His Dark Keyblade appeared in his hand, and within a flash, he struck Sora in the side of the head. There was a loud gasp from Sora as he hit the floor. "Shut up!" Riku snarled, his Keyblade vanishing.
"Way to hit someone." Leon commented. "Here, I'll help you carry him upstairs."
When Riku awoke the next morning, he hurried downstairs, his mind swarming with the thoughts of yesterday. He needed, no he had to know if Saix had said something else to Kairi or Leon. Riku just knew there was something, because it was bothering him, and it had haunted his dreams. Racing down the steps, he bumped into Leon who was sipping some coffee.
"I see you're awake. Well we'll set off for Hollow Bastion when Sora awakes." Leon said, lowering his cup.
"Leon, can you tell me if Saix said anything to you, or Kairi, if you heard it?" Riku asked urgently.
"Why the rush?" Leon asked, taking another sip as he waited for an answer.
Riku was hesitant to answer him, but finally replied, "It's just been bothering me ever since last night, that's all. Are you sure you told us everything?"
"Well…" Leon said, sitting his coffee cup down, he spoke, "I don't think it's important, but I guess I should have told you. Anyway Saix said that to tell Sora he'd be waiting."
"Damn!" Riku swore louding. "Axel was right!"
"What? Do you mean I should have told you this?" Leon asked, his voice flooding with fear.
"Yeah, but we couldn't have done anything last night even if we had wanted too. We don't know where the Organization is at the moment." Riku muttered. "But we can't let Sora out of our sight, Leon."
Just as Riku finished speaking, there was loud crack upstairs. He heard shattering glass. Leon and Riku glanced at one another, guessing what had happened, and hurried up the steps. Riku flung the door open just as Sora leapt out of the window. "Sora!" Riku shouted, diving for his friend.
His finger tips touched Sora' sleeve, but he was unable to take hold. Baring his teeth, he yelled, "Sora! Stop, you're heading to your death!"
Sora, who wa snow on the ground, turned around with a look of pure rage and detemination, "I don't care about me, I only care for Kairi's life, and you can't stop me!"
Riku hesitated in following his friend because of the remark, but he would not let Sora leave, it was too dangerous. Sora didn't understand why the Organization XIII had taken Kairi, but Riku did, and now he had to deminish Xemnas's plan before it began.
Leaping after Sora, he heard Leon call, "I'm coming too!"
Riku didn't reply as he hit the ground, and stood up with ease. He quickly dashed after Sora, summoning a dark portal. He appeared five feet in front of Sora within a split of a second. Sora didn't have time to stop running and crashed into Riku. Riku quickly grabbed Sora's sleeve and snarled, "Don't do this! I'm not going losing another friend!"
Sora gave him a look of hate before replying sharply, "How do you know I'm going to die, Riku? Besides, you'll lose Kairi if we're not quick!"
Riku glared at Sora as Leon came up from behind Sora. "Kairi's going to be fine, I can tell you that, and Axel explained things to me that I can't share with you-at least not yet."
"How can you be so sure Kairi's OK? And what kind of friend are you, keeping something like this from me?"
That one stung, but Riku didn't show the hurt. "Sora! Snap out of it! I know this isn't my friend speaking, the Sora I knew trusted me even though what I did was wrong. And you know I only went with the Organization because I had wanted to save you, but that seems foolish to have let the darkness in. Now you have to stop it Sora!"
Xemnas was in an underground city right under Hollow Bastion. He was now on the tallest tower of his newly created castle. The walls surrounding him were streak with black over white. The black crept up the walls like thorns. On the farthest wall to the door, Kairi lay with her head resting on her shoulder. She was sleeping, and Xemnas could tell it was a restless and uneasy sleep.
Looking out the large window, he looked over his city of darkness, and knew the time was coming when he could reveal his massive creation. When he obtained the Keyblade, he would kill swams of Heartless and create a new Kingdom Hearts. That was his plan, and then he could have his true heart back. That was when he could truly be the person he had been before.
Xemnas turned away from his city, heading towards the door. He stepped right through the electric blue surrounding the entrance and into the hallway. Xemnas then headed for the stairs and climbed down them, reaching a room with a metal door on it with the symbol of water.
He slid the door open to reveal Demyx practicing with his water techniquies. He had a new weapon, a long flat blade with a black and red handle. In the middle of the flat stone gray blade was the scratch markings of a water dropplet.
The pools of water vanished as Demyx looked up from where he was standing. He saw Xemnas and dipped his head respectfully, "I am nearly done with my training, sir."
Xemnas lifted one hand, fiddling with his fingers, "But do you have the courage to fight?" Xemnas asked this because last time Demyx had been told to fight, he had been reluctant. He wasn't very skilled then, and ended up falling under Sora's Keyblade.
"I believe I am." Demyx said, blinking. He pushed a lock of hair back, and looked at Xemnas with hard eyes. Xemnas saw the will that had not been there before and knew that this new Demyx would fight for him without complaint.
"Good, you are to be prepared for the upcoming battle. I hope it will be soon." Xemnas ordered.
"As do I," was Demyx's reply. Xemnas left without another word, shutting the door behin dhim.
He headed further down until he reached where Saix was speaking with Luxord. "You two," he said, interrupting their conversation, "go outside and into Hollow Bastion. I want to find out what the Restoration Committee is doing. And when Sora and his friends will be arriving."
Saix and Luxord nodded. Luxord stood and said, "How do you suppose we listen in?" he asked his boss.
Xemnas barley even glanced at Luxord before replying, "Saix will help you." With that, he left once more without so much as another command or glance at his followers and went further down to Xigbar and the rest.
Before he reached them, he saw something outside one of the thin-glassed windows. Xemnas stepped over to it as he saw a figure racing through his city. Fire was following behind the man as he ran, destroying the Shadows and Nobodies. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Axel, spying on us!" he muttered to himself. He continue dhis search for the rest of the Organization XIII.
He found them in the hall, all of them were wearing scowls, but their expressions changed as they saw Xemnas. Xemnas didn't have a calm look on his face as he had minutes before, instead it was an angry face, "All of you, I want you to find Axel and kill him."