Author's Note: Yes, I'm a terrible author. I have no excuse for the wait you've had to endure for this chapter. BUT here it is. I'll post another chapter tomorrow to make up for it.
To clear up any confusion so far, here are some helpful hints.
So far there are three different figures present in this story.
Figure one: Ven's captor (often referred to as the "boss man" or "Ven's captor") Just murdered Riku.
Figure two: The man who has befriended Ventus. (He is a sucker for puppy dog eyes.) Also referred to as Ven's favorite Villian. [Identity will be revealed in this chapter.]
Figure three: Figure two's best friend. (Can transform into the appearance of other people.) [Identity will be revealed in this chapter.]
Enough of that. On to the story. :)
"He's gone." Aqua stated to herself, as she watched the night sky. Kairi sat beside her, looking to the stars like she was.
"Who?" She asked, afraid of the answer.
"Riku." Aqua solemnly stated. She stood up and stared again into the sky, noticing how a bit of light came back after the dramatic dimming.
"Riku…" Kairi held a hand over her heart, and saw the change in the star as well. "Something's changing." She stated.
"I can only hope Ventus and Sora will put a stop to this now." She explained to the smaller girl. "That they will avenge Riku's death and save others from his fate."
"Sora must be devastated." Aqua sat again, putting a hand on Kairi's shoulder, in an attempt to console her.
"The sad thing is, he may not even know."
The figure explained to Ven how he was told to create the illusion that he was Cloud, and that he was to lead the remaining warriors of light to a warehouse. He knew the boss had plans to assassinate the light, but from what his friend told him, he planned to try and spare Sora. The smaller figure grew angry when he explained how the taller figure failed to tell him what the boy looked like.
"He said he wouldn't hurt Sora. I have to believe that now."
"Zexion, don't blame yourself. It's not like you killed him." The smaller figure glared at the taller one, who's hands reached up to cover where his mouth was. "Oh crap! Please! Please. Don't kill me!"
"Your name's Zexion?" Ven quickly asked. "Weren't you apart of that organization that disbanded?" He paused for a second then looked to the taller figure. "That means you! You're a part of it too!"
"Okay! You caught us!" The taller one said. The shorter one continued to glare at him.
"I can't believe you said my name. Idiot."
"Aw, you still love me Zexy."
Zexion facepalmed, "And you had to call me that too." He turned to Ven, "And his name is Demyx, by the way." He glared at the taller figure again. "So if I go down, you are going down with me."
"I'd go down with you anyway." The taller figure pulled his hood down and revealed a creative combination of a mullet and mohawk. His hair was blonde and he had striking almost teal colored eyes, like a combination of seaweed and an oceanic blue. "So, yeah. I'm Demyx. Nice to officially meet you." He attacked Ven with a hug. A huge smile on his face. Ven smiled, finally able to put a name with a face and actually know his friend.
"And," Zexion pulled his hood down, revealing slate hair covering the right side of his face, but bright blue eyes underneath shined through. "I'm Zexion." He nodded. Demyx broke the embrace on Ven and Ventus nodded back at the slate haired boy.
"So Demyx and Zexion. You don't know how nice it is to put names and faces on you guys."
It's also a bit disturbing too. All we've learned is wrong. You guys can be good.
Sora put as much distance between himself and that building as possible. He wouldn't go back to Merlin's just yet. He couldn't bring himself to tell Aerith what happened. The brunette knew that she must be told, and after what could have been any amount of time, he decided to head back. This was the first time Sora ever felt truly powerless.
Sora's going to hate me. Sora's going to hate me. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He's probably at Merlin's. That's where they all used to congregate, I hear. Damn, that's where everyone goes in Radiant Garden. I'll drop by and see if he's there.
The blonde, spiky haired boy reached for the door knob of the building. The force exerted by the simple touch of his hand on the knob, made the large slab of wood creak open. "Hello." He called, "Anyone here?" He budged the door open a bit more, hearing no response. "Your door was kinda open." The blonde continued, his striking blue eyes examining his surroundings. He stepped in, looked to the left, and saw it. The sight elicited a gasp from the boy and he reached to cover his face. He dropped to his knees.
The blonde was frozen there in shock for a moment and then heard rushed footsteps behind him.
"Aerith! Aerith!" Sora shouted as he rushed in the open door, his keyblade readied in one hand, Riku's in the other. He stopped short when he saw the picture in front of him. A blonde on his knees, and a lifeless, bloody Aerith on the ground. He disbanded his weapon and approached the boy, turning him to face him. "Roxas?" Sora asked. "Roxas?"
He probably came to find me, but look what he walked in on.
The brunette gently shook his old friend, trying to get him to respond. "Roxas, it's me, Sora." The blonde's blue eyes fluttered quickly before he snatched a quick breath, almost losing balance and tumbling onto Sora.
"Sora!" he grabbed the opposing boy, trapping him in a hug. "I was trying to find you. And I figured, Merlin's duh. And the door wasn't closed all the way, and it budged. I walked in!" He held his friend's shoulders; his word's racing a hundred miles a minute. "I then." He gulped. "Then, I uh, saw, Aerith." Roxas pointed to the body, "There's so much blood," and then he hugged Sora again, pulling the small brunette's body to his form. He firmly planted his forehead against Sora's shoulder, and sighed. "I thought they got you too." He stated, more calmly than before, but he was obviously still shook up, seeing how his grip on Sora didn't lessen.
"Roxas. It's alright." Sora comforted his friend, holding the blonde gently. "I'm here." He patted his friend's back and ruffled his hair. "Roxas. I'm okay. Everything's going to be alright."
I would explain the situation, but I don't want to drag Roxas in on this. It would be way too much for him, seeing his reaction to Aerith. I couldn't do that to him. I care way too much to hurt him, but while he's here, maybe I can get him to explain why he left in the first place. But, right afterwards, I've got to go after Ven. I have to save him from that monster. I couldn't save Riku, Tifa, Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, or Aerith, but I will save Ventus. He can't die. I won't be helpless again.
But what happens if the man lied. What if he's already dead?
Author's Note:
Kirei Ryuusei guessed right, the favorite villain was Demyx. I'll take this moment to give a her a shout-out. You are FREAKING awesome for reviewing since I started this story and putting up with my failure to post updates on a regular basis. :D
So, update tomorrow on Christmas, and on that note, Happy Holidays. :)
Spoiler alert: Vanitas. Nuff said.
