A/N-We're back for another chapter! I'll keep it short so you guys can get to reading. Reviews are always welcome. :) Read and enjoy guys! (Bonus points if you can guess Ienzo's summon!)
Midgar. While the world had its share of problems, it had helped out in the war against Xemnas during the final attack. I wasn't there that day but I heard the stories of the skilled fighters that came from there. There we would find the fifth Sacred Aeon buried deep underneath the city built on top of the Temple. For years, it had actually been forgotten until it was unearthed during an excavation project. Even then, it wasn't held in high regard. Yet deep inside were some dark secrets that had been awakened.
It didn't help everything just had to go wrong the second we got there.
If the world had decided to collapse on top of us, I wouldn't have been surprised. Possession, kidnapping, bizarre nightmares, a couple close encounters with Kingdom Hearts and the acrid taste of cheap lipstick. Don't get me started. It's best if you just heard it yourself.
XxXxX
Naminé continued to rock back and forth between her heels and her toes. They were leaving the Stronghold behind to head to their next destination but she couldn't shake the jitters she had when she woke up. She kept reassuring herself she was being silly but with all the bumps in the road they had so far, she felt like she had to expect the worse. Save for their encounter with Oswald, the Stronghold had been a rather peaceful reprieve from fighting for their lives. What bothered her the most were the dark bags under Roxas and Demyx's eyes as they prepared to leave. The toll of being a summoner grew heavier with each new Aeon Demyx collected and it was beginning to show. Roxas continued to have his strange dreams, keeping him from a proper night of sleep.
"You're rather anxious," Jiji stated, starling the blonde. She teetered on her toes and flailed her arms, almost falling forward onto her face. The Cait Sith was suited up in his armor with a proud smile on his face. The Queen had pulled the group aside after Demyx's Trial and requested that Jiji come with them on their journey. Demyx was grateful for the extra help and so they added another guardian and spellblade to their crew. Axel had given him an armband to officially show he was part of the team, the sun displayed proudly on his bicep.
"Just pre-flight jitters," Naminé said, trying to not let her mental worries show on her sleeve.
"No journey is without its trials and tribulations," Jiji reassured her. "We must be strong against adversary or we won't stand a chance against Sin."
"I know but it's hard sometimes. I'm worried about everyone else. Well, except for Seifer. He takes care of himself just fine," the girl noted, glancing over at the Captain picking wax out of his ear with his pinky.
Jiji chuckled and flicked his ears. "Well, now you have an extra set of eyes to watch over them." Naminé managed a thin smile at the Cait Sith's reassurance.
The group said their farewells and climbed into the G. Ship, leaving the Emerald Highlands behind, the world a rich green orb in the distance. Traveling through the dark space between, Naminé stared out the window to watch the stars. Passing worlds glowed like tiny gems amongst the myriad of twinkling lights. She would try to guess which world each colored orb belonged to based on their color. For some reason it made her think of her sister, Kairi. She hadn't spoken with her sister since they stopped by Destiny Islands and Naminé wondered how her sibling was faring. They had no way of communicating, save encrypted messages Roxas sent to King Mickey during their G. Ship flights. While it had only been a week since they left Hollow Bastion, it felt like they had been away for months. Originally, they had planned to take their time collecting the Aeons over the course of a few months so Demyx could adapt to the strain but since Atlantis was consumed, they had pushed their schedule up. Naminé could tell it was taking its toll on everyone. Sleepless nights, nightmares, poor appetites, shortening tempers. Some days Naminé just felt like sitting down and crying.
Hours passed by as they traveled across the space between to the far reaches where the other outer worlds were located. Unlike places like Destiny Island, which were beautiful worlds rich with life and smaller populations, Midgar was part of the industrial world collection. Roxas had described it as a metallic and heartless place and, as they approached, Naminé couldn't agree more. The world was a hazy shade of brownish-green from the pollution in the sky and beneath the clouds was an array of greys and browns that could only be described as sad. Or maybe depressing was a better word. The only spark of color was the vibrant green of the mako generators located around the outer walls of the main city. They looked like radioactive fireflies, failing to give Naminé any reassurance towards their destination.
When they landed, they were greeted by soldiers in LED masks and geared with rifles. 'Arendelle in the middle of winter has warmer welcomes,' Naminé thought to herself. When they stepped out, her nose wrinkled at the putrid smell of car exhaust, open sewers, molding gutters and the phosphoric spike of the mako. She was glade she didn't live in Midgar. All too often she had heard of mako poisoning when people were exposed to the foreign radiation. Those visiting long term were actually given medications for it since their bodies weren't built to resist it like the locals were.
Her attention was distracted by the presence of Reeve as he greeted them at the G. Ship landing bay. By his side was a large wildcat with fiery red-orange fur and several tattoos over his muscular body. Reeve talked with Roxas, although Naminé didn't pay attention to what was being said. Her thoughts were still elsewhere thinking about those they had left behind to go on their journey. She found her eyes shifting to the man standing next to her, noticing Seifer wasn't paying attention either. The Captain's eyes scanned the world meticulously as if he were looking for a needle in a haystack.
"Something wrong?" Naminé asked quietly so the others wouldn't overhear.
"This place gives me the creeps," Seifer muttered.
"We'll only be here a little while," Naminé reassured him. The Captain gave a 'hmph' and adjusted his jacket. Naminé shifted her attention back to Roxas and Reeve, finding they were wrapping up their conversation. They were escorted away from the G. Ship landing area to the nearby train station where they went through rigorous ID checks before they were put into the company of Barrett, one of Reeve's mercenaries, and his men. The burly man had a heavyweight, multi-barreled machine gun on his arm in place of a hand. With him was Biggs, Jessie and Wedge, a trio of likeable characters with their own sets of guns.
The train ride was a bit stressful, in Naminé's opinion. She sat stiffly in her seat, her eyes glancing between the four mercenaries escorting them to their temporary residence, feeling out of place amongst all the drab colors of the world. For once she wished she had brought a darker set of clothes with her. Yellow and white stood out far too much. Seifer wasn't much better with his large, white coat, although Naminé noticed it was stained along the bottom from their trip through the moonflow.
To her understanding, the group would have to meet with the man who now owned the Sacred Temple, Rufus Shinra, as he had bought the land the ancient building resided in. Not that failing to get permission barred them from Temples before. Naminé hoped they would get the visit out of the way in one day, but one look at her group and she knew it wouldn't happen. Demyx looked like he was going to throw up ever since they came within thirty minutes of Midgar, his eyes dull and skin pale. It was almost as if the Sacred Aeons he created bonds with were sapping away his strength like the mako generators pulled the energy out of the atmosphere. His appearance made him look more like a wilted flower.
Then there was Roxas.
Not even ten feet out of the landing bay and Roxas crumpled to the ground. Axel had been carrying him ever since, the group silently worrying how long the Solider was going to be unconscious. Naminé glanced at her adopted brother and noticed the tips of his hair glowed with a faint pink hue. It reminded her of a sunrise, as if he were embodying the ball of warmth that once shone such light upon his home world.
When they arrived at their hotel, they were escorted upstairs. Biggs and Wedge were left outside the room doors for protection while Barret and Jessie left to patrol the ground floor and the front entrance. Naminé peeked between her curtains and saw Jessie pacing around outside, her head turning back and forth as people passed by. The blonde let out a sigh and let the curtain shut. She looked over at Roxas, who was out cold on the bed. Naminé looked up as she heard and knock and hurried over to the door connecting the two rooms. Opening the barrier, she found Seifer on the other side. Beyond him she could see Demyx lying on one of the beds, his breathing slow and even.
"We're not going anywhere today," Seifer stated. "You may want to take a look at Demyx to make sure he's going to pull through. I'd rather not have to visit a hospital while we're here." The girl nodded and slipped past the man over to Demyx's bedside. She checked his vitals, feeling how fast his pulse was racing under her touch.
"We should pick up some supplies while we have time," Naminé said with a sigh. "Although I really don't want to be walking around out there."
"If you'd like, I could go with you," Jiji offered.
"Thanks," the blonde replied. She turned to Seifer. "We should be back in an hour." The Captain nodded and watched the pair leave. Then his eye shifted to the silver haired teen sitting on the other bed.
"How are they doing?" Seifer asked in a hushed tone so Axel wouldn't hear in the next room. The red head had enough to worry about with both of his friends out of commission for the day.
Ienzo peered over at Demyx and shook his head. "Hard to say. There's a lot of turbulence in his aura. There's a lot of darkness building up and it's not the good kind either." Seifer frowned. "I know what you're thinking but we have to trust Demyx to get through this. He's the one holding this mission together and if we make him feel like he's the weakest link, then it's only going to hurt him. As his guardians, we need to be here for him and support him."
"What about the other kid?" Seifer asked.
Ienzo clasped his hands tightly, wedging them between his knees. "It's Kingdom Hearts again, no doubt about that. I can see the light clawing at him, as if it's trying to scrape away what little Roxas is left. The Shard inside of him is more like a festering splinter, to be honest. If we could remove one or both of the parts of Kingdom Hearts, I would do so in a heartbeat but it would most likely kill him. At best, it'll turn him back into a nobody but I wouldn't know who would get the Shard or the light. It has to go somewhere."
"I have a feeling even if we did remove it, the light would find its way back to Roxas," Seifer mused. "He is the most ideal host and if I had a choice between some stranger or someone I already knew handled the light well, I would pick the later." Ienzo nodded with a quiet hum.
"What do you think he sees?"
Seifer crossed his arms over his chest. "I've got a general idea." Ienzo eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?" the blonde snapped. "I knew the kid growing up. We did live in the same world."
"Did he have weird dreams before?" Ienzo asked.
"More like shitty dreams, if you ask me," Seifer replied. "Before he was old enough to join the Twilight Guard, he and his friends would hang around this old mansion that was abandoned decades ago. We had set up a server in the basement there for information gathering since it was remote and we figured if Xemnas attacked he might leave it alone since it was so decrepit. We were working our assess off down in those cold, cramped rooms while Roxas was upstairs with his friends coloring away. Granted, they only did that during their off time. They were busy with the war too so I can't blame them from hiding away to find some quiet time. One of Roxas's friends even started hanging up their pictures in the room, thinking it would make it look less shitty I guess.
"Once they were old enough, they split off to do their war duties. I had brought Roxas out to the mansion with me to collect some data and the dork vanished on me. Took me twenty minutes to find the bastard. He was just standing in that old room with all the pictures with this lost look on his face. It's almost as if he didn't remember drawing any of them," Seifer explained.
"What was on the pictures?" Ienzo asked.
"All sorts of weird shit. I thought it was all a bunch of imaginary garbage."
Ienzo shifted in his seat when Seifer took a long pause. "But?" he prompted.
Seifer reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a wrinkly sheet of paper. He handed it over to Ienzo, who ran his fingers over the rough surface. Ienzo unfolded it and ran his fingers over the image, feeling the bits of wax left behind by the crayons.
"You can't see it but it's a drawing of two people fighting back to back, one blonde, one brunette. There are shadows swarming around them but they're kept at bay by some sort of force field," Seifer described. Ienzo continued to trace his fingers over the lines, deciphering the marks beneath his touch.
"Feels like a cat," the teen noted.
"It's a lion, actually," Seifer corrected. "Curled up like it just decided to take a fucking nap."
"Why did you take it?" Ienzo asked.
"Because I knew what it was. What it represented. It was me back when I was going to the academy. Back when Leon and I were rivals." Seifer accepted the picture back when Ienzo held it out and tucked it back into the depths of his coat. "I didn't tell Roxas Leon was "dead" until right before we lost Twilight Town. This was over a year before that. Somehow he knew without me ever tell him."
"You think Kingdom Hearts has always been trying to tell him something?" Ienzo questioned.
"That's my guess but that prompts another question," Seifer pointed out. "Why did it suddenly stop?"
XxXxX
Waking up on a piece of what looked like the remains of a wall floating around and around in a whirlpool was not what he wanted to see. Roxas sat up and saw other pieces of wooden debris spinning at various paces, depending how close they were to the center of the vortex. Above him the sky was a mixture of black, grey and what he could only describe as an evil shade of purple. It reminded him of the heartless. Thunder rolled within the clouds and lavender lightning flashed, making the sky look like a warzone.
Roxas frowned as a familiar carved piece of wood slowly drifted by his makeshift raft. 'This is Besaid, or what's left of it anyway. Sin destroyed this place years ago, far before my time. Is this what happened to it?' the blonde wondered. He kept his eyes on the storm looming overhead, mostly because looking at the giant whirlpool spin was making him nauseous. Dark droplets began too ooze out from the clouds, falling to the ocean below in a way that made them seem to defy gravity. They fell slowly, each drop taking its time to reach the water. As they liquids connected, the ocean turned a dark ebony that snaked out with thin tendrils. Roxas stiffened as he watched a pair of yellow eyes peer out at him from one of the inky splotches. Then another, followed by two more.
Roxas put a hand over his heart, although it wasn't much of a barrier to the shadowy beings. They would still be able to see it clear enough and strong hearts attracted strong heartless.
The closer you get to the light.
Roxas felt his body freeze over as the voice spoke around him, raspy like the wind.
The greater the shadows become.
Roxas bolted to his feet and saw there was a massive splotch of darkness beneath his makeshift raft. It began to seep onto the surface of the wood, creeping up towards his feet. Roxas tried to shy away and get his light to banish the tendrils away, but it would not come. His light had abandoned him. When the darkness first touched him, he felt cold and rigid. It snaked up his legs, twisting and taking its time consuming his body like an oily cloth. Passing over his face, it felt like someone was licking him with foul smelling breath. It slipped between his lips and poured down his throat, seeping between the cracks of his eyes into the corners of his skull.
A sudden calm washed over him. Roxas looked down at the darkness hardened into armor on his body. His blades appeared in his hands and in the reflection of Oathkeeper, he could make out his acid yellow eyes. Then a grin spread across his lips.
XxXxX
Axel tried not to nod off as he watched Roxas sleep. He could hear Seifer and Ienzo talking quietly in the next room but he didn't feel like paying attention to what was being said. He felt drained, although he knew Roxas and Demyx had it far worse than he did. Yet keeping his emotions in check every hour of the day was taxing on his mind. He managed to find a balance over the past three years of what Roxas would be able to handle and what would bother him, yet over their journey all his previous knowledge had been thrown out the window.
His fight with the Temple guardians in Atlantis had left him battered and bruised, yet Roxas hadn't felt a thing. In fact, he was calm when he met up with the rest of the group, something that Axel wasn't. Then in Djose he woke up for a few minutes feeling a bit worried, no more than he usually was. Later he learned from Ienzo Roxas almost had a panic attack. Whatever natural balance they had established was now shattered, leaving him left to worry over every little bump, scrape and shift in emotion.
It was starting to drive him mad.
Axel jerked awake and shifted his gaze over to the blonde. The sight of the pink starting to show on the ends of his hair pained him. How long did Roxas have left? He shook his head, hoping to shake those thoughts from his mind. It wouldn't do him or Roxas any good to dwell on them. As he looked up again, he saw something flicker around the blonde. Axel leapt to his feet as darkness oozed out of Roxas and sent out waves of dread through the Knights gut.
"Rox-…!" he called out, reaching for the blonde. He was thrown back as a shadowy tendril lashed out, knocking him into the wall with a crash. Wedge burst into the room, shortly followed by Seifer and Ienzo. Roxas sat up and stood next to the bed, the darkness around him hardening into what looked like a second skin made from deep azures and electric purples. He drew his swords and they turned into a pair of black blades, like charred iron covered in ash. Roxas turned his head to look back at the others. The acid yellow burned their minds, particularly Axel's who had flashbacks to Destiny Island when Roxas lost his heart.
"Roxas!" Ienzo called out.
"Come, my King," Roxas spoke, his voice layered with several others no one recognized. Axel felt a jolt shoot down his spine and his mind went blank. Seifer watched as the red head's eyes dulled and his face lost all emotion.
"Shit, get down!" Seifer barked. He tackled Ienzo between the two beds while Wedge ducked into the bathroom. The room exploded with hundreds of shards of black glass, the light reflecting violet off the shiny surfaces. The walls became pin cushions and the outer wall of the hotel blew off, raining debris onto the street below. Roxas leapt off and began bounding across the rooftops while Axel remained rooted. For a second nothing happened but then Axel held out his hand. A dark portal appeared and Axel slipped through, the darkness swallowing him up.
"Well, fuck," Ienzo cursed.
XxXxX
Naminé winced as a sharp pain stabbed her chest. She could faintly tell Jiji was there by her side calling out to her but for some reason his voice was muffled. She could feel a sharp tug at her Shard and she tried to pull back. "Ax-el," she gasped before passing out. Jiji caught her before she hit the floor.
XxXxX
Sora staggered and gasp as pain tore through his chest. He remembered the feeling and it sent a wave of panic through him. Sora gritted his teeth together as he forced himself to pull back against the call. Farther down the beach, he could see Riku and Kairi struggling with the same thing. His worry shifted to Ven and Naminé, who weren't as strong holding back Axel, and hoped they would be alright. In a desperate move, he tried to shift his powers to Roxas but it recoiled on him, sending excruciating pain through his body. Sora screamed and dropped to his knees, every nerve on fire.
"Sora!" Riku cried. The brunette trembled on the ground with no reply.
"Riku, what do we do?!" Kairi called. "I can't hold on much longer…" She clenched her jaw as her consciousness wavered and managed to pull back in time to stay on her feet.
"There's no one else," Riku grunted through clenched teeth. He could feel the darkness oozing from Roxas, knowing right away that was the source of Sora's pain. With the burden of carrying the darkness, Riku was able to detect it in everyone, no matter how small, but that was also true of light. He felt a spark nearby and latched onto it, shifting everything he had towards it. "Kairi! Follow my lead!" he called out.
"Got it!" Kairi closed her eyes and searched out Riku's presence. She found it veering off from its path and sent hers in the same direction. As it connected, she felt a familiar aura surround her in a bright glow. Her eyes snapped open in disbelief. "Is…is that…?"
"Demyx!"
XxXxX
Demyx woke lying in the middle of a stained glass floor. The sight didn't sit well in his stomach and even less so when he stood to see what the design was. Around him were seven circles, four of which were filled in with his Sacred Aeons, and in the middle was a blurred figure that he stood upon. "What is this?" he asked under his breath.
"Don't you recognize it?" Demyx looked around and found someone familiar sitting upon a small pedestal behind him.
"You're…" The woman held a finger up to her smiling lips, making the man frown.
"This is what's inside your heart," the woman stated. She slipped off the pedestal and it vanished. Her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes sparkling as she smiled at the summoner. "You're worried about your friends."
"Of course I'm worried. They're risking their lives for me," Demyx replied. The woman looked over towards Shiva and it glowed, a ghostly figure of Naminé appearing above it. Demyx took a hesitant step towards the figure before looking towards the other circles. They began to glow and more ghostly figures appeared before them, although one of the seven was nothing more than a shadow. From what Demyx could make out, they were dressed in heavy robes with a hat pulled down low over their face. As for the others, Roxas and Axel appeared above the other two blacked out circles while Ienzo stood with Quezacotl, Seifer with Titan, and Jiji with Leviathan. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Perhaps you're not familiar with this view." Demyx's stomach did a somersault as the floor flipped around him like a pancake getting turned over. His rattled nerves settled as his eyes examined the opposite side of the stained glass, find it oddly similar. There were still seven circles but the figures on the glass were different, the ghosts no longer present.
"The Shards of Kingdom Hearts," Demyx stated, recognizing the seven faces around him. Riku and Roxas's portraits had extra detailing around them for the light and darkness.
"So they are." Demyx turned to the woman to find her fading, her smile still bright on her lips. The summoner jumped as Roxas's portrait exploded in a pool of darkness and he dropped to his knees as the feeling of suffocating came over him. The floor lit up, all of the cracks running towards the portrait of Axel. Demyx's eyes widened as the floor beneath him glowed pale blue and the light oozed towards the Knight.
His gaze shot up as he heard a loud crack above his head. There was a rush of wind and Demyx shielded his face from the dust flying up into his eyes. When he peeked through the lids, he found a familiar face looking back at him.
"Riku?" Demyx questioned. The silver haired man held out a hand, his eyes expressing his concern for the summoner to hurry. Next to him appeared Kairi followed by Sora, who both offered their hands to help Demyx to his feet. The dirty blonde swallowed the thick glob of saliva in his mouth and took Riku's hand, Kairi and Sora grabbing onto his elbows to ease him up.
"We're here for you," Sora encouraged. Kairi gave a nod. There was a flash and the trio vanished. Then the floor shattered and Demyx fell into the darkness below.
XxXxX
He shot up in bed feeling like he had just eating six energy drinks with a half a bag of sugar after getting pumped full of adrenaline. Demyx felt his hands shake and his vision seemed to be too in focus. He leapt out of bed and began to pace the floor, trying to figure out why he felt so frayed. He could feel a deep, overwhelming darkness somewhere within the vicinity as well as a far greater power beckoning to him. Faint whispers of two others echoed in the background, already consumed by the increasing darkness.
Demyx couldn't get himself to sit still so he ventured over to the other room and felt relieved as he spotted Seifer picking Ienzo off the floor. The Captain recoiled as he saw how jittery the summoner was. Even Ienzo paled at the sight of him.
"Guys…something weird is going on," Demyx said, pacing around in the doorway between the rooms. His hands darted all over his arms as he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with them. For some reason, he had an itch to get into a fight.
"Demyx, Roxas just went heartless and Axel went rogue. We have to get after them," Ienzo explained.
"Cool! I mean, not cool but you know what I mean and we should really get after them and is it just me or is it really hot in here?" the summoner rambled.
"Why's he freaking out?" Seifer asked the teen.
"He's being channeled Kingdom Hearts energy," Ienzo replied. Seifer gave a nod, knowing the feeling well.
"Okay, captain twitchy, let's get going," Seifer declared. He grabbed Demyx by the back of his scarf and dragged him over to the blown off wall.
"We'll be back," Ienzo said to Wedge before grabbing onto Seifer's other arm. Then the Captain leapt out of the wall. As they dropped to the ground below, Demyx plucked a string on his sitar on his back and a loud cry rang through the air as Valefor caught them, shooting off across the city.
"Ienzo, I need you to find Roxas," Seifer said. "You and I will have to take care of him while Demyx goes after Axel."
"Why am I going after Axel?" Demyx whined.
"Because he wants what you have. You'll make perfect bait," Seifer replied. Demyx groaned and tried to keep still as they flew over Midgar, which was about as easy as standing still in a room filled with scorpions. Ienzo pointed them east and it wasn't long before they caught sight of the tainted blonde bounding across the rooftops. "Don't fuck this up!" Seifer shouted before leaping over the side of the aeon, activating his armor on the way down.
"Will he be okay?" Demyx asked.
"I don't know. Will you be okay?" Ienzo asked back.
"Yeah, I should be able to find Axel on my own. See you guys later," Demyx replied. The teen gave a nod and Demyx dropped him off on a rooftop before flying off to find the missing red head. Ienzo turned back towards the Twilight pair and hurried after them, pulling a chain from his ear. A burst of light and bubbles appeared around him with the scent of a damp river bank. A dragon materialized and gave a growl, silvery scales flashing in the light. Ienzo climbed aboard its back and it took off through the sky, the algae green hair along its spine rustling in the wind.
It was easy to spot Roxas amongst the rooftops. While most of Midgar was filled with the same eerie green light, Roxas was a swirling mess of black and purple. He stood out like a shadow puppet. Ienzo urged the dragon towards the corrupted blonde, flying past Seifer as the Captain darted over the rooftops. Roxas turned his yellow eyes towards the teen and slashed his blades, jets of darkness slicing through the air. Ienzo leapt off his dragon, which turned into a spray of water, and landed on the roof where Roxas was standing. He slipped the ring with the blue mage stone onto his finger and braced himself as the blonde stalked closer.
"You shall bow before our King," Roxas said, raising his blades. Ienzo rolled out of the way as they slashed down on him and buried deep into the roof's shingles. Seifer landed on their building and charged the Solider, his gunblade flashing in the light. Roxas sprang backwards out of reach of Seifer's blade and held out his hands as he landed at the edge of the roof, his swords flashing into his grasp.
"Together!" Ienzo called.
"Right!" Seifer replied. He dropped into a stance while Ienzo's hand shot into the sky.
"Thunderaga!" the teen shouted. Roxas leapt forward, nimbly dodging between the lightning strikes, and clashed blades with Seifer. They exchanged a series of blows before the Captain managed to send Roxas sprawling with a well-placed kick to the gut. Roxas rolled across the roof and dug his blades into the shingles to stop himself from cascading to the ground below. He bared his teeth as he rose to his feet.
"You dare challenge me!" Roxas seethed. Darkness swirled around his body and Roxas slashed his blades. The blast cut through the rooftop with a sickening crack and Ienzo sprang in front of Seifer, holding out his hands as he focused on the darkness flying towards him. As it hit his palms, it felt like someone had hit them with a baseball bat but Ienzo kept them raised. His ring began to glow brightly before the pain began to recede, slowly shifting to the feeling of pressing his hands against a wall. The teen's muscles tensed and he gave the darkness a shove, sending it flying back at the blonde who released it. Roxas stood stunned as the shadows cut deeper into the roof before slamming into him, knocking him over the edge of the building. Seifer grabbed onto Ienzo as the roof caved in and they fell into the top floor. The scent of gunpowder filled the air as the Captain shot out a window and leapt through. He dug his blade into the side of the building so slow their fall, slicing the metal open like flesh.
They hit the ground together and darted after Roxas, who was running off down the street. Ienzo glanced at the ring on his finger, noticing there was a mysterious swirl of purple wisp spinning inside the stone. He grunted and conjured up a ball of fire in his hands.
"Firaga!" he shouted, releasing the flames with the purple mist. The fire changed from bright orange to an azure blaze and slammed into Roxas's back. The blonde tripped and his chin hit a car parked in front of him. Blood splattered out of his lips as he bit his tongue and for a moment the dark aura flickered. "He's wavering," Ienzo called.
"We just need to release it then?" Seifer asked.
"Yeah, but I don't see how," Ienzo replied.
"No problem." Ienzo's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as a grin spread across the Captain's face. He tossed his gunblade into the air and it exploded into a myriad of white and silver sparkles. The blade came back down and Seifer caught it, his keyblade still faintly glowing. "What the…?!"
"Roxas!" Seifer barked as the Solider climbed back to his feet. The blonde's clashed blades, exchanging blows with showers of sparks. Roxas winced under each strike of his Captain's keyblade and Ienzo could see the darkness's hold on him weaken. Seifer swiped Roxas's feet out from beneath him and slammed the tip of his keybalde into the younger blonde's chest, flattening him against the pavement. "Time to wake up, sunshine," Seifer murmured. He turned his keyblade and Roxas's eyes went wide. A silent scream sounded in his throat as the darkness blasted off of him like sand being blown off a glass table.
Ienzo's hand shot into the air. "Thuderaga!" he shouted. The lightning blasted apart the heartless trying to form, tearing them to papery shreds. Roxas's body gave a shudder before falling still, his eyes glazed over as they stared off into the distance. Seifer removed his keyblade and it changed back into his gunblade with the same burst of silvery-white sparkles. Ienzo strode over as the Captain checked on the younger blonde's vitals.
"He's alright. I think he's just exhausted," Seifer stated. Ienzo nodded and knelt by Roxas's head, muttering a sleep spell under his breath. The Solider's eyes slid shut and his breathing slowed, his natural light shining dimly inside of him.
"What was that?" Ienzo wondered.
"I don't know, but we need to get after Axel," Seifer replied. He sheathed his weapon and heaved Roxas onto his back, the blonde's head resting on his Captain's shoulder. "You have anything to carry both of us?" The teen shook his head. Seifer swore under his breath.
"No, but I think there's another way," Ienzo brought up. Seifer arched an eyebrow and followed where the teen was facing, a smirk spreading over his face as it landed on the dent in the hood of the vehicle Roxas collided with. "Think you can hotwire a car?"
"Give me twenty seconds."
XxXxX
Demyx urged Valefor to hurry as he felt Axel calling out to him. The energy of the Destiny Island trio continued to surge through his veins and it was starting to make him dizzy. He needed to release it soon or he was going to throw up. Valefor dove towards a city square where a large statue stood in the center. Demyx spotted Axel perched on the statue's shoulder, his eyes locked on the sky. The summoner leapt off his aeon, dismissing Vaelfor as he landed at the base of the statue. Axel's gaze shifted to the blonde, his eyes glowing with the same glow as mako energy.
"At last you've awakened," Axel said, his voice layered. He sounded happy, almost relieved. Demyx's tensed as Axel held a hand out to him. "Come, my child. We must rid these worlds of their taint."
"Axel, snap out of it!" Demyx shouted. The red head began to giggle which bubbled up into a laugh that sent chills down the blonde's spine.
"There is no more Axel," the Knight replied. "When he gave up his life to me, he erased himself from his realm. All that remains is an echo, an empty shell." Demyx pulled out his sitar as the dark teardrops blossomed upon the other man's cheeks, just as they had when Axel was a nobody. A sickening smile spread across the red head's lips. "You defy me?"
"Get out of Axel!" Demyx ordered. His foot slid across the pavement and he struck a chord. His body moved in a graceful dance, the smell of salt filling the air. The smile slipped into a scowl on Axel's face as summoning circle began to glow behind the blonde. A large serpent roared as it burst into the physical world, its body coiling into the air, scales dripping with sea water. Rows of razor sharp teeth filled its maw, stained yellow and pink from ripping into prey. A spray of mist and rancid breath left the beast's mouth as it gave a heavy exhale.
We meet again. Leviathan breathed in Demyx's mind. My old nemesis. Kingdom Hearts.
