Authors Note: Thank you for your reviews. As expected, quite a few of them mentioned the length of the chapter. I know it was shorter, but it was still 8K words in length. Thank you for your comments though. They were great to read. Here is another chapter for you all. This one is a bit Dialogue heavy, so I hope you all are ok with that.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Blank Slate
Chapter 12
Day 27
If there was one way axel didn't expect to spend his afternoon, it was testing his strength against one of the Keyblades chosen ones. He had to admit, the fight between him and Sora was one of the best he he'd experienced in a while. Though, he did underestimate this kid. They were pretty evenly matched for a while, but eventually Sora's power overwhelmed the fire nobody.
It was quite surprising how powerful the Keyblade wielder was and made him realize why Marluxia was so fixated on wiping his memory and using him against the Organization. Currently, Axel's flames were dying down slowly before he collapsed to one knee. His Chakrams disappeared as well, leaving him completely defenseless.
Sora was still crouched in his offensive position, making sure this person didn't make any sudden moves. He was impressed with how Axel managed to go toe to toe with him, Donald, and Goofy for a while. Whoever this person was, he was strong.
Looking up at the spikey haired boy, Axel gave a small chuckle. "Not bad Sora." He said, slowly pushing himself to his feet.
Surprisingly, a small grin formed on Sora's lips as well. "Heh, you aren't half bad either." He said, relaxing from his stance and allowing the Keyblade to disappear.
This action surprised axel a bit. "You sure you want to let your guard down like that? I mean, I just attacked you."
"It isn't the first time." Sora said, now completely relaxed. "When I first met one if my friends Leon, he attacked me too. There's nothing really bad about a spar, right?"
Axel shook his head in disbelief, a grin spreading across his face. "You're interesting." He said as he turned to a door located at the side of the room. "Alright, you two can come out now. I've had my fun."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy raised an eyebrow as they looked over at the same doorway. It was slightly cracked open, just enough for two pairs of eyes to peer through. Soon though, the door swung open to reveal two girls standing there.
The first girl was about average height and had shoulder length blond hair. She was also wearing a white dress, accompanied by white shoes. The other girl caused Sora to do a double take. Her hair was jet black, but her face…her face was incredibly similar too…
"Kairi?" Sora whispered before shaking his head. "No, what am I thinking."
The two girls walked forward before situating themselves next to Axel. They peered over at Sora with curious eye.
"Who are you?" Donald demanded.
"Calm your feathers bird brain." Axel drawled, causing Donald to angrily squawk at him. The red haired nobody gestured to the girls. "This is Naminé and that's Xion."
"Um…It's nice to finally meet you Sora." Naminé said.
Sora scrunched his eyebrows a bit, confusion written all over his face. "Finally? Do you know me?"
Naminé looked down in shame as she shuffled her feet. "…Yes, well…kind of. You see…" She stuttered, trying to find the right words. "You came to this castle because of me."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy glanced at each other, trying to understand what she was talking about.
"Ya know, that don't make too much sense to me." Goofy said, scratching the top of his head.
"I know…I'm sorry." Naminé said, still looking a bit ashamed. "But, I'm glad you're here now."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked.
"Well…you see, we need your help Sora." Naminé said.
Again, the trio of friends didn't know how to respond to this. "Hold on though. What are you talking about? How do you know me?" Sora asked.
Axel sighed a bit, already annoyed with this awkward conversation. His impatience was getting the better of him. "Well, let's cut right to the chase then." He said, waving his hand around lazily. "Before I came, the person in charge of this castle wanted Naminé to wipe your memory." Axel said, causing everyone to gasp, even Naminé.
"Axel!" Naminé hissed.
"WHAT?" Donald screeched. "How is that possible?"
Again, Naminé felt shame build up in her chest, causing her to grip the front of her dress. "I don't know why I have this power, but I used it to lure you three to this castle." She said as she bowed to them. "I'm…I'm so sorry."
Sora scratched his chin in thought. "Oh, so that's why Donald, Goofy, and I all felt the same way about this castle."
"Sora! You believe her?" Donald demanded.
Sora rested his hands behind his head. "Why not? It makes sense, right? And she seems to know us for some reason."
"Well…I guess."
Seeing Sora's laid back attitude toward the situation really put a grin on Axel's face. "You're taking this really well."
"Huh?" Sora said before he noticed Naminé still bowing to him, causing him to feel a little uncomfortable. "Um…It's alright. I don't really understand what's going on, but please don't bow. I mean, you didn't wipe our memory, right?"
Naminé looked up at him before frantically shaking her head. "No I didn't, but I was going to be forced to. Marluxia said he was going to lock me here forever if I didn't do it." She said, tears perking the corner of her eyes.
"Marluxia?" Goofy asked.
"Yep, good old' Marluxia. That's M-A-R-L-U-X-I-A. Got it memorized?" Axel asked, tapping his temple as he turned to Naminé. "But ya know Naminé, I don't think the kid is up to snuff."
"What's that mean?" Sora demanded, annoyed as the sudden remark at his strength.
Naminé shuffled a bit as she glanced up at the fire Nobody. "Is that what you gathered Axel?"
Axel scratched the back of his head again. "Yeah. Even though he beat me, he still isn't a match for Xemnas. Not even close."
"Hold on, what are you talking about?" Sora asked, even more confused by their words. "Who are you guys anyway? What is this place? Why did you call us here?" He said, firing one question after another.
There was silence between Axel, Naminé, and Xion as they all glanced between each other. Xion and Naminé peered up at Axel expectantly, which caused him to scratch the back of his head in annoyance. "You do realize that Xemnas will kill me if he finds out about this, right? I mean, I really don't feel like turning into a dusk."
"But Axel, you told us the only reason you're a part of the Organization is because Xemnas would kill you. You know what he's doing is wrong!" Xion said, surprising everyone by her sudden outburst.
"Yeah, I know that. Believe it or not, I was a decent person when I had a heart." Axel responded.
A tiny smile formed on Xion's face. "You could've fooled me."
"Ouch."
"Huh?" Goofy said as he and Donald glanced at each other. "Waddya mean by when you had a heart?"
"Crap, said too much already." Axel said as he turned his attention back to Sora and his friends. "Well, it's too late to turn back now, so Listen here and Listen good. I'm only going to explain this once so pay attention, alright?" Axel said as he started his huge information dumb on the trio of light.
The next hour or two consisted of Axel explaining everything to Sora. He explained what the Nobodies were and what the organization was. Naminé also explained certain aspects as well, including what Marluxia planned for Sora once he reached the castle. All in all, Sora took the information pretty well.
"So…let me get this straight." Sora said, his head steaming from all the information just dumped into his lap. "This guy, Marluxia, was going to have you wipe my memory to make me fight against this…Organization 13?"
"Pretty much." Axel said, laying on the marble floor, picking at his ear.
"And, this Organization is full of these people called…Nobodies, right? And Nobodies are the empty shells of strong people who have lost their hearts to the heartless?"
"Yep." Axel grunted, not particularly enjoying the reminder of what he was.
"And these nobodies are collecting hearts and forming Kingdom hearts so they can…exist, right?"
"You got it."
If it were possible, Sora was even more confused. "Ok, but why? How does Kingdom hearts help you guys at all?"
"Beats me. Xemnas is the man with the plan. We just obey the orders." Axel said with a yawn.
Sora scratched his chin. "And you also said they are collecting hearts, right? How are they doing that?"
Axel paused for a moment as he sat up. "You remember me telling you that I knew someone who could use the Keyblade, right?" He asked, causing Sora to nod. "Well, someone in the Organization actually could use the Keyblade. A Nobody named Roxas."
Hearing this new information caused Sora's eyes to widen. "Really? But how? Didn't you say nobodies didn't have hearts? I thought only people with strong hearts could use the Keyblade."
"I don't have a clue. The Origination just found him a few weeks ago, they were planning to use him to harvest the hearts from the heartless."
"Wait, Harvest hearts from the heartless? But I thought the worlds were at peace after we beat Ansem!" Sora said, a dejected look crossing his face.
"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that isn't the case." Axel said, biting the inside of his cheek. He knew this next bit of information was going to greatly disturb the boy. "Since Roxas disappeared, the Organization has been releasing more heartless and Nobodies into different worlds to find him."
"…"
There was a pregnant pause as everyone digested what Axel just said.
"WHAT!" Sora, Donald, and goofy erupted.
"What do you mean they are releasing heartless into other worlds? Why would they do that?" Sora exclaimed with a look of complete horror on his face.
"I just told you. They released the nobodies to find Roxas, but they are also releasing heartless so they can collect hearts."
"But that's…that's horrible!" Donald cried.
"We know that." Naminé said. "That's why we need your help. Sora, the Organization must be stopped. Xemnas must be stopped from collecting all those hearts."
"You don't have to tell me twice. Just tell me where he is and we will do the rest." Sora said, fierce determination burning in his eyes.
"Ehh, I don't think it will be that simple." Axel said, causing the others to look at him. "Listen, you beat me, I will give you that. But you are still no match for Xemnas. He is stronger that you are right now, got it memorized?" Axel said as he tapped his temple.
Sora stared at the fire nobody before crossing his arms. "And how would you know that?"
"I wasn't just fighting you for the heck of it. Since we knew you were coming, Naminé suggested we fight so I could test your strength. And to put it as plainly as I can, you are not strong enough to take on Xemnas." Axel said, a look of complete seriousness on his face.
"Garsh, is he really that powerful?" Goofy asked.
A slum expression crossed Axels face. "He is. In fact, there are quite a few members of the Organization that are only members because Xemnas could obliterate them, myself included." Axel confirmed. "In fact, the second he finds out I'm telling you this, he is probably going to kill me too."
Sora cocked his head at the fire nobody. "Then why are you telling us this? Aren't you a member of the organization? Don't you also want a heart?"
"Corse I do." Axel said, rolling his eyes. "But I don't understand how Kingdom hearts will fix that little problem. Xemnas isn't really specific when it comes to his plan. And I don't particularly agree with the method he is using to collect hearts, but what can I do?"
"So, you all just listen to him?"
"It's not like some of us want to, but what other choice do we have?" Axel asked, looking over at Naminé and Xion. "Those two know what I'm talking about. In fact, if it weren't for me, then Naminé would have wiped your memory already. She didn't want to, but she didn't have a choice either."
"…"
Sora paused again as he looked down at the ground. "Then…what should we do?"
"You're the Keyblade master." Axel said, waving his hand around. "Figure it out. As for me, I'm gonna continue doing what I've been doing."
"Wait, you're not going to help?" Sora exclaimed.
"Hey, I did my part. I stopped Naminé from wiping your memory. My big mouth told you everything you need to know about Organization 13. I put my very existence…or non-existence on the line by spilling the beans. You have no idea what that's like because unlike me, you have a heart." Axel said seriously.
"Axel" Xion said softly. "Can't we do something? You know what they' re doing is wrong."
"And what can we do? All six of us storm HQ and take on the rest of the members of Organization 13 by ourselves? Need I remind you that Xemnas isn't the only one that's more powerful than me?"
"I know, but…"
"Yeah, that's a great idea. Lead the Keyblade master right to their front doors so Xemnas can beat him to a bloody pulp while the rest of us get wiped out by his underlings. Fantastic." Axel said, sarcasm dripping with every word.
"Hey! We aren't that weak! I bet we can take him on." Donald said confidently.
"Hah! You probably wouldn't even make it to the castle itself. Face it, you aren't ready to defeat someone like Xemnas." Axel said simply.
Sora didn't say much as he felt his hands clench into fists. "we…we really need to find the king." Sora whispered finally.
"huh?" Goofy asked.
Sora turned to his friends and gave them a reassuring smile. "We need to find King Micky. Surly he'll know what to do about this."
"Yeah, but we haven't seen him since we closed the door to darkness." Donald said.
"I know, but he said there was always a door to the light. So, if we find that, then we can find him and Riku." Sora said, a bit of his confidence returning.
Just as those words left Sora's mouth, a Corridor suddenly sprang from the ground just a few feet away from the group. Instantly, everyone attention was drawn to the wispy entrance. Axel sprang to his feet, angrily cursing his luck as the fire Chakrams burst into existence.
"Damn, this isn't good! Is someone checking up on us already?" Axel asked out loud.
"Axel, what is that?" Sora asked, the Keyblade appearing in his hand. He had seen this kind of darkness before. Maleficent used it in the past, but a more vivid memory was of a person in a black coat who used this kind of darkness to appear before him, Donald, and Goofy. The fight that assumed right after was quite challenging.
"It's the damn corridor of darkness!" Axel hissed, crouching down in his fighting position. "It seems the Organization wants to check up on me. You better get ready for a fight."
Not needing to be told twice, Sora crouched down in his fighting stance as well. Goofy raised his shield and Donald readied his staff while Xion prepared her spells.
It wasn't a second later before someone exited the Corridor or darkness. He was wearing the signature Organization 13 coat, but the hood was lowered, allowing everyone to see his face. He had a crop of spikey blond hair and piercing blue eyes. The young boy exited the Corridor of darkness, allowing the portal to disappear behind him. He simply cocked an eyebrow at everyone's defensive stance.
Sora, Donald, and goofy all kept their guard up, but Axel and Xion stared at the boy with wide eyes.
"…Roxas?"
Roxas didn't know what to expect as he exited the corridor of darkness. Was Axel and Sora still fighting? Did they try to kill each other? Did Axel kill Sora, or vice versa? What he didn't expect was to have an entire group of people armed and ready for a fight. And from there defensive posture, they were ready to fight him.
However, once he and Axel made eye contact, the Fire nobody immediately dropped his Chakrams out of shock.
"Roxas?" He asked, his eyes wide.
"…It's been a while, Axel." Roxas responded as he looked around the rest of the group. He saw Donald and Goofy first. They were glancing between him and Axel in confusion. However, standing just next to him was the boy in his dreams. The boy who had traveled to many worlds and defeated countless heartless. The boy who destroyed Ansem and restored the worlds. The boy who, like him, could wield the Keyblade.
"Sora." Roxas said.
Sora simply raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Um…do I know you?"
Roxas felt the sides of his lip curl up in amusement. Yuffie almost had the exact same reaction. Still, this was a surreal experience. As soon as he heard Sora speak, it felt as if Roxas knew this boy all his life.
"Roxas! What the hell? How did you…When did you?" Axel sputtered, trying to form a complete sentence, but was way to shocked manage it.
"What?"
"Where have you been!? The Organization is looking everywhere for you!" Axel exclaimed.
Hearing Axel mention the Organization made Roxas's eyes narrow. "I don't care what the Organization is doing." Roxas responded, a serious bite to his voice.
His response was clearly something Axel didn't expect. "What do you mean? What's going on? How long have you known how to use the Corridor or Darkness?" Axel asked.
"Long enough. And screw the Organization." Roxas said simply as he glanced over at the remaining people. There were two other girls standing there, both whom he didn't recognize. There was a girl with blond hair and a white dress, but the other own was wearing the Organization 13 coat. This made his eyes narrow again.
"Roxas, what are you saying? Screw the Organization? Have you lost your mind?" Axel asked. "We have to get you back ASAP! The Organization is losing their shit without you."
Roxas turned and gave Axel the harshest glare he could manage. "I am not going back to the Organization…Ever!"
Again, Axel was taken aback by the serious anger in his voice. Just from the glare Roxas was giving showed how much this nobody had changed in such a short amount of time. The last time he saw Roxas, he was no different than a zombie. He did what he was told, showed no emotion whatsoever, and was basically a blank slate. The Roxas that was standing in front of him right now was a completely different person. But how was that possible.
"Hold on, this is Roxas?" Sora asked Axel. "The same Roxas that can use the Keyblade?"
Roxas turned his attention back to Sora. "It's nice…to finally meet you, Sora."
Hearing this caused Sora to drop the Keyblade and grip the sides of his head. "What is going on? How do you know me? I've never met you before…right?"
Roxas shook his head. "We've never met before, but that's not important right now." He said as he turned to Axel. "Axel, I came here to tell you something."
Axel's brow rose slightly. "What? And how did you even find this place anyway? You've never been here before."
"…"
Roxas was again silent. He didn't even know how to explain his dreams to the rest of them. It sounded so ludicrous if he tried to put it in words. "I will tell you that later. What really matters is what I came to tell you right now."
"Well…Spill it then. What's gotten into you? Why aren't you going back to the Organization?"
"Because they lied to us Axel." Roxas said.
His words caused everyone to go silent. They Stared at the spikey blond-haired nobody in confusion.
"What do you mean they lied to us?"
"I mean that Xemnas lied about Kingdom hearts. He lied about us becoming whole through its power. He is using Kingdom hearts for something else." Roxas said without a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"Ugh! It's no good. The trail ends right here." Pyra said as she took one last sniff in the air.
"What do you mean it ends?" Smith asked.
"Exactly what I said. This trail ends right here." Pyra said back, a bit of annoyance in her voice.
Kimihito looked around the empty alleyway. "Are you sure he didn't just…jump onto the rooftop or something?"
"Look, Hellhounds specialize in tracking. Hell, this nose can track the souls of the damned. So, trust me when I say that his trail is gone! It's not there! Zip, Zilch, nada."
Smith took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes in frustration. After she got the frantic call from Kimihito about Roxas missing, she deployed all of MON to try and find him. But he was gone, vanished into thin air. According to Kimihito, he didn't return after the incident with Rachnera. It had been almost a full day now. Calmly, she looked over at Pyra and Yukiko.
Pyra also had a frustrated look on her face as she texted away on her cell phone. Smith could only guess she was texting Roxas to see if he would respond. Her eye was twitching in annoyance though because he hadn't responded to anything.
Yukiko was much the same, but she was much less composed. When she found out that Roxas was missing, she made several calls and texts to the boy in the hopes that he would answer. But not a single reply was given. Not from Pyra, Yukiko, Kimihito, even herself. His phone was turned off.
Now they were trying to use Pyra's expert tracking skills to locate him. But now she was saying that his trail ended here. So Currently, they had nothing.
After Kimihito called Smith, he took the rest of the girl's home, even though they strongly insisted they stay and help look. But in all honesty, they would have been more of a distraction. Besides, they need to be at the house because Rachnera would be showing up soon. Someone needed to be there, let her in, and show her around.
Currently, it was just Smith, Kimihito, Pyra, and Yukiko. The rest of Mon was scattered about, trying to find any leads. Thankfully, Smith gave them permission to be out on their own.
Smith glanced over at the two younger Liminal. "Do we have any clues? Anything at all?" Smith asked. "Did he say anything to you guys?"
Pyra and Yukiko tried to remember anything that Roxas may have said that would give them a clue.
"Well…Roxas was saying some funny stuff after the…incident." Pyra said, glancing over at Kimihito.
"Ok…What did he say?" Smith asked.
"It was something about…I don't know. It didn't make much sense." Pyra said, trying to remember exactly what he said. "Something about not being able to understand why he felt so down about what Kimihito said to him."
Hearing her words caused Kimihito to feel even worse about his words, but what did Pyra mean by that?
"you're right, that doesn't make much sense."
"He also said he had questions that no one here would be able to answer."
"No one here?" Smith asked.
"Oh!" Yukiko piped up as she turned to Pyra. "Hey, do you remember what Roxas said the other day after school?"
"Um…Not really." Pyra responded.
"He said something about seeing how the others were doing, remember?" Yukiko said. "Something about Organization…10? 23?"
Kimihito blinked a few times as his mind remembered something. "Organization 13?"
Pyra and Yukiko glanced over at the human in surprise.
"Organization 13…I remember Roxas mentioning something about them when we first met." Smith agreed, scratching her chin.
"Wait, Roxas told you about them?" Yukiko asked.
"Yeah. Apparently, they were the first people to find Roxas after he lost his memory." Smith said. "But I don't see how he would be able to find them. I mean, he got here by complete accident when he used the…what was it called again?" Smith asked, scratching the top of her head.
"The Corridor of darkness?" Yukiko suggested.
"Yeah that…wait, how did you know about that?"
"That Corridor of what now?" Kimihito asked.
"The pure Darkness." Pyra said, a chill running down her spine. "Roxas uses it to teleport."
"Wait, he can what? Teleport?" Kimihito exclaimed, never hearing about this little detail before.
"Hold on, Roxas said he wasn't able to control that ability." Smith said.
"Well…he learned how. And if he did use it, then that explains why his trail disappeared." Pyra summarized.
"So, he could be anywhere right now?" Smith asked.
"Wait! Hold the phone! You're saying Roxas can teleport?" Kimihito asked. "Why didn't he tell anyone that?"
Yukiko and Pyra glanced at each other, both coming to the same conclusion. "It's probably because you didn't ask. Roxas doesn't just tell people about what he can do." Yukiko said simply.
Kimihito blinked a few times as he remembered the first time Roxas did magic in front of him. That was almost exactly what he said when Kimihito asked why he didn't say anything about it.
"Well…fine, but what do we do now? I mean, if Roxas returned to this…Organization, then how can we find him?" Kimihito asked.
Smith glanced over at the host. "The simplest answer…we can't. We don't know anything about the Organization except for what Roxas has told us. And if you've noticed, he is pretty tight lipped about those people."
"…yeah…I've noticed that." Kimihito said.
"And we have as well. Roxas doesn't say much about them, only their Organization name." Pyra said.
"But if he left…do you think he will come back?" Yukiko asked, feeling a bit more frantic.
"Honestly, I don't know. We don't know anything about this Organization…or why he even left in the first place."
Again, Kimihito hung his head a bit more. "Do…do you think it was my fault? Do you think he was upset that I went off on him?"
"Nah, I don't think Roxas would never return because of that." Smith said as he patted the man's head. "But according to Pyra, you did scold him pretty well."
Kimihito slumped more. "I know."
"But what if he doesn't return? What if he decides to stay away!" Yukiko exclaimed, tears perking the edges of her eyes.
Pyra sighed as she walked over the Yeti and threw a comforting arm over her shoulder. "Only time will tell. But honestly, I don't think Roxas would just abandon everyone here just because he got told off."
"Are you sure?"
"Nope, but I have faith he will return soon." Pyra said. But even though she said that, there was a hint of worry in her voice.
There was a significant pause as Roxas finished talked. It was completely silent, no one daring to make a sound because they were all trying to register what he just said.
"Wait, ho-how could you possible know that? Why would Xemnas lie to us?" Axel asked, a sinking feeling forming in his gut.
"Hell, if I know." Roxas said bitterly. "I'm just here to tell you what I heard. Xemnas isn't using kingdom hearts to help us. And I refuse to be the tool that will collect hearts for him."
"Roxas! How can I believe that? How do I know you're not lying?" Axel responded. "I mean, sure I don't like the guy, but even he wouldn't do that…"
"He's bad enough to release heartless into countless worlds. You know what those heartless will do." Roxas said angrily.
"How did you know about that?" Axel asked, trying to remember if he ever told Roxas that little detail.
"Like I said Axel, I overhead what they were talking about. They said that Kingdom hearts will not help us become whole. They said they released heartless and Nobodies into many worlds to look for me and collect hearts." Roxas said as his eyes narrowed further. "and they also said that when they find me, they will kill you."
Again, there was a long pause as Roxas dropped the ball. Everyone in the room slowly looked over at Axel, whose face was getting whiter by the second.
"W-What?"
"You heard me Axel. The main reason I came here was to warn you. They said you were too much…trouble to keep around. So, after they find me, they won't need you to babysit Xion anymore." Roxas said angrily.
"Hold on! What's going on here? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Sora asked, trying to wrap his mind around everything he just heard.
Roxas glanced over at the boy. It was so strange seeing him face to face. "I just explained it as simply as I could. I'm just here to warn Axel, that's all."
Axel was still trying to absorbed all he heard, but it was difficult. He just couldn't believe that they would cast him aside like that.
"Roxas…how can I know you're telling me the truth? Why would you warn me anyway?" Axel asked.
"If you believe me or not, that's up to you. As for why I warned you…It's because…" Roxas started, pausing briefly before looking axel straight in the eye. "It's because you gave me Ice cream."
"Huh? Ice cream?"
"Yeah. You and I sat on Twilight tower eating Sea-salt ice cream." Roxas said. "That's something…something friends do with each other."
Axel stared at the nobody in disbelief as he chuckled. "Roxas, we're nobodies. We don't understand the concept of friendship."
"That's a lie Axel."
Everyone's attention was changed to the girl with dark hair. She was looking at the older nobody with a soft look in her eyes. "Aren't we friends? Didn't you take me and Naminé to get Ice cream and watch the sunset as well? Didn't we talk and Laugh while we took breaks from watching over Castle Oblivion?"
"Yeah Axel." Naminé said, agreeing with the other girl. "You freed me from Marluxia. You treated me much better than he ever did."
"…"
Axel paused as he scratched the back of his head, trying to understand what was going on. "I just did that because it was too much of a hassle to be mean to you."
"Sure..." Naminé said with a giggle, obviously not believing him. "Axel, I don't think nobodies are as empty as Xemnas says they are. I mean, if they were, would you feel scared about disappearing? Isn't scared an emotion?"
Everyone in the room paused as they heard that. When thinking about her logic, she was right.
"No, it's because I remember what it was like when I had a heart, so I pretend to be scared." Axel responded.
"…You're wrong again Axel." Roxas said, getting everyone attention. "I don't remember my past…but as I live day to day, I notice something about myself. I notice that I…feel something. I feel happy, sad, angry, all of those. That's the reason I returned to HQ. I wanted to ask why I was feeling this way…or why I was even feeling at all. Since we didn't have hearts, I didn't think that was possible."
Axel turned his attention back to Roxas. Even he had to admit there was something very different about the young boy. It was true that Roxas didn't have memories, and thus he couldn't mimic emotions like the rest. So why did he show anger when he talked about Xemnas? How was that possible if nobodies didn't have hearts?
"Man, this is so confusing!" Axel said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to believe now."
"…that's up to you to decide." Roxas said. "But I just came here to warn you. I'm never going back to the organization. I'm never collecting hearts for Xemnas. You shouldn't either."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Axel said. "If what you said is true, then I'm dead either way."
"Axel…" Xion said, sadly glancing up at the nobody.
Roxas turned his attention back to the girl, raising his eyebrow. "Who are you two anyway?" he asked the two girls.
Xion and Naminé glanced between each other. "Well, I'm Naminé. I was forced to stay here in this castle by Marluxia." She said with a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you Roxas."
"…Nice to meet you too." He said as she turned to the other girl. "and you?"
Xion scrunched her eyebrows a little. "I guess you wouldn't recognize me since we've only met once."
"We have?" Roxas asked.
"Yes. My name is Xion. I'm number 14."
Roxas felt his eyes narrow a little as he heard her name. He remembered seeing her vaguely when she first came to the Organization. Back then, she only wore a hood, so he didn't see her face. But seeing her face now, she looked…a little familiar honestly.
"So, you're Xion." Roxas said. "Xemnas mentioned you as well."
"He did?" Xion asked.
"Yes. He said you were supposed to copy my ability to use the Keyblade."
"W-WHAT!" Donald suddenly screeched.
"How is that possible? The Keyblade choses its wielder. You can't just copy it." Sora exclaimed.
"I'm only telling you what I heard." Roxas said in frustration. "I don't know how it works. Hell, I don't know why even I can use the Keyblade!"
Sora crossed his arms while tapping his foot. "None of this makes sense. You say you can use the Keyblade, right?"
Instead of answering him, Roxas stretched forth his hand and summoned the iconic weapon. It flashed into existence in front of everyone. He held it there for a few seconds before letting it disappear again.
"But how is that possible? You said nobodies don't have hearts, so why can you use it?"
"That was another question I wanted to asked Xemnas." Roxas said. "I don't know why I can use the Keyblade."
"UGH! It's so confusing!" Sora said, clasping the sides of his head dramatically.
Roxas felt the sides of his mouth curl upward again. Sora was exactly how his dreams depicted. Dramatic, a little childish, but had a strong sense of justice.
"But uh…how are ya able to copy the Keyblade?" Goofy asked.
"I um…I don't know." Xion said honestly. "I didn't even know that was my purpose."
"I don't know how either." Roxas said. "But Xemnas said they created Xion for that reason. They called her a puppet…or something like that."
"yeah, I remember them saying something like that." Axel said.
"They said that after she copy's my ability to use the Keyblade, then they will have the Keyblade under there complete control."
"But…I would never do that…I would never work with them, not after what they have done." Xion said, her eyebrows scrunching up.
Roxas was a little surprised by her response. "Why not?"
"What do you mean why not?" Xion asked, a bit of anger in her voice. "He's killed people to get hearts for us to collect. How can I just go along with that?"
"…So, you…" Roxas said curiously. "So, you also don't agree with what he's doing."
"Of course, I don't!"
Roxas nodded his head. He didn't really expect that from the so-called puppet. Since she was created by the Organization, he half expected them to brainwash her and convince her that their cause was a good one. But here she was, voicing her opposition to their plan.
"Aren't we forgetting something really important right now?" Axel spoke up. "None of us are strong enough to take on the organization! Even if what they are doing is wrong, what can we do about it?"
"I believe I might have an answer for that." A voice echoed through the entire room. Everyone frantically glanced around, looking for the source of the voice.
Suddenly, a Corridor of Darkness erupted from the ground. Everyone in the room readied their weapons. Two Keyblades from Roxas and Sora, Chakrams from Axel, A staff from Donald, and a shield from goofy. Everyone faced the Corridor as it vanished, leaving a person standing there.
Just from a glance, it was easy to tell this person wasn't from the Organization. He was wearing a maroon cape and a grey cloak that covered most of his body. His face was completely shrouded in red bandages save for his mouth and right eye. All in all, he looked extremely suspicious.
The mysterious figure chuckled a little. "What's with the hostility? I mealy wish to offer you my advice."
"Who are you!" Donald demanded.
"Oh, my apologies. I am known by many names, but you can call me Diz."
The last thing Rachnera expected when she arrived at Kimihito's place was to see a group of depressed Liminal sitting around the kitchen table. When she first walked out of the truck, she was greeted by a less than happy Lamia. She hardly said a word as she motioned for the spider woman to enter the house. Now, she was in the kitchen, watching a Centaur nervously polish her sword, a Harpy who was slogged on the table in misery, a Lamia who was burning god knows what on the stove, a mermaid who was…strongly gushing about a tragedy of some kind, and finally the most peculiar Liminal of the bunch.
A slime that was sitting there with her head resting on the table between her folded arms. This was the first time she had seen a slime before, let alone one that looked as humanoid as this one did.
But still, this atmosphere was terrible.
"So…aren't we a cheerful punch." Rachnera said dryly causing all liminal looked over at her with small glares on their faces…except for Mero.
"You must be Rachnera." Centore said as she rested her sword on the table. "My name is Centorea, the centaur."
"A pleasure." Rachnera said. "It seems you were informed of my arrival."
"We were, it's n-nice to meet y-you as well." Miia forced out, not looking the least bit sincere.
"Clearly." Rachnera responded with a flat look.
"I'm Papi! Hubby told us we were going to have another friend to play with." Papi said, her miserable look changing to one of excitement. "Do you want to play games with me?"
Rachnera chuckled as she reached over at patted the Harpy on the head. "Maybe some other time. I would rather get to know my new housemates first."
"Awe man!"
"I am Mero, the Mermaid. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mero said elegantly as she raised her skirt in a modified curtsy.
"The pleasure is all mine." Rachnera said as she glanced over at the last remaining…Liminal. "And, who might you be?"
Suu slowly glanced up at Rachnera, a look of complete misery on her face. She didn't say anything as she stood up and exited the room.
"…Was it something I said?" Rachnera asked.
"No, not at all. Suu is just really…sad right now. Isn't it wonderful?" Mero gushed.
"Excuse me?" Rachnera asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Please don't mind Mero. She has a…thing for tragedy." Centorea said as she resumed polishing her sword.
"Tragedy huh? Who died and left everyone so miserable?" Rachnera asked as she glanced around. "And where's Honey at? I expected him to welcome me to the house."
"H-HONEY?" Miia screeched, dropping the pan full of…purple goo on the floor. It sizzled and bubbled before completely melting a hole through the kitchen tile.
"Master is out with the Coordinator right now. They are looking for Roxas." Centorea said.
"Roxas? You mean the Liminal kid with Blond hair?" Rachnera asked.
Everyone paused as they glanced over at the Arachnera. "Yes…. how did you know?"
Rachnera surveyed everyone for a few seconds. Seeing their reaction clearly told her that Kimihito didn't mention the little fact that Roxas almost took her life. Then again, she couldn't really blame him either because these girls might see him quite differently if they knew.
"Oh, you know. Lucky guess." Rachnera said with a face that would make any professional poker player jealous.
Centorea narrowed her eyes a little. "Right…so anyway, Master is out looking for Roxas. He didn't return last night and everyone is a little worried, especially Suu."
Rachnera scratched her chin a little as she remembered the look on the boy's face when Kimihito scolded him. He looked as if he were devastated, but the scolding was mild, so she didn't think he would run away because of that.
"So, when's Honey going to come back?"
"Don't call him that!" Miia exclaimed.
"Depends on if they find him or not." Centorea responded calmly. "But on another topic, I've wanted to ask you a question."
Rachnera raised an eyebrow. "Shoot."
Centorea's eyes narrowed quite a bit as she clenched the handle of her sword. "Why did you kidnap my Master?"
Rachnera let out a long breath. This was going to be a long night, she could tell.
"You really test my patience by bringing these two Humans here."
"Awe! Don't be like that Kii! Big bro and Coordinator Smith are really good people." Yukiko said, gesturing to the two humans. Currently, the two humans were being held upside-down by Kii's vines.
"I don't care! You know my distaste for humans, yet you brought them here anyway."
"Kii! We don't have time for this!" Pyra growled at the Dryad. "We only brought them here because Roxas is missing. We wanted to see if he stopped by here recently."
Kii Slowly looked over at the Hellhound, her head cocked slightly. "Roxas is…missing?"
Both Yukiko and Pyra nodded. "We don't know where he is and you know the Rules Kii. We can't be out on our own without a host."
Kii looked as if she were at war with herself as she slowly lowered her arm. "Such a counterproductive rule." She said as she guided the vines which held Smith and Kimihito. They unwound themselves, causing the two humans to painfully hit the ground with a thud. "I thought it was strange that Roxas didn't show up this morning. But now you say he is missing?"
Yukiko nodded sadly. "So, you haven't seen him either? Do you have any clue as to where he could have gone?"
Kii shook her head, her leafy hair swaying from side to side. "Roxas and I don't converse that often, and when we do, he rarely talks about himself." She said as her angry glare landed on the two humans. "Now leave my forest. I will forgive your trespass this once, but if you return again…" she said, the vines and trees shaking around her.
"W-We understand!" Smith said as she and Kimihito turned and hightailed it out of there.
"And you two." Kii said, addressing Yukiko and Pyra. "Do not test my patience again by brining humans into my domain."
"We understand Kii…but you really should give bro a chance. He's a really nice person and he wouldn't do anything to hurt the forest." Yukiko said as she and Pyra turned to leave the forest.
The two girls quickly caught up to Kimihito and Smith, who were at the edge of the forest, trying to catch their breath.
"Y-You three know a Dryad?" Smith asked, clearly impressed.
"We met her through Roxas. Apparently, he made quite an impression when they first met." Pyra said
"…That is pretty impressive considering how much all the Dryad hate humanity."
"They all do?" Yukiko asked.
"Yes. It was even a chore to get them to sign the Culture exchange bill. It is rare to see one anywhere."
"I can see why. She really didn't want us there." Kimihito said before his countenance dipped a little more. "But that was our last lead…wasn't it?"
"Yeah." Pyra said. "I guess the only option left is to wait for him to return."
"If he even does return." Yukiko said, tears gathering in her eyes again.
Kimihito felt awful. Again, he didn't know if it was his fault or not, but seeing everyone so worried really hurt. Slowly, he rested a hand on Yukiko's head. "Why don't you two come over for dinner. Hopefully Roxas will return by then."
"Hey! What about me?" Smith asked dramatically. "I've been busting my tail all day trying to help you. I deserve a good meal too!"
Kimihito chuckled slightly as he nodded his head. "Well, the doors open Mrs. Smith."
Diz glanced around the room. It looked as if he were sizing everyone up until his gaze rested on Roxas and Axel. There was a slightly angry change in his countenance before his original composure returned.
"Ok then Diz," Axel said, flames already circling around his body. "That's a pretty nifty entrance considering you aren't wearing the coat."
"Those who have expansive knowledge of the darkness knows its secrets." Diz said. "But that is beside the point. You must pardon my rude behavior, but I couldn't help but listen in on your very interesting conversation."
"Yeah, and what of it?"
"It seems that we have a common enemy. I've been spying on Organization 13 and its movement for a while now and they must be stopped." Diz said as he looked over at Sora and his friends. "However, you are correct when you say none of you are strong enough to destroy Organization 13. That is where I offer you my assistance."
"And why should we trust you?" Sora asked. "You just show up out of nowhere and expect us to listen?"
Diz paused for a few moments before he started chuckling. "It seems that Riku was right when he described your interesting character."
"…"
Sora's eyes widened as that phrase came out of Diz's mouth. "W-What did you just say?"
"I need not repeat myself Sora. I believe you know exactly what I said." Diz said with a grin.
"Y-You've seen RIKU?" Sora exclaimed. "Where is he? Is he still trapped in the realm of darkness? When did you see him?"
Diz raised his hand to stop Sora from continuing. "I found him wandering the darkness and brought him to castle oblivion. My original intention was to use him to rid a few members of Organization 13. However, most of the members were called back to them headquarter recently."
"Y-You mean he's HERE?" Sora yelled. "Where is he!"
"yeah! If he's here, that means the king is here too!" Donald Exclaimed.
"Oh yes, the king." Diz said with another chuckle. "Unfortunately, they are no longer in castle oblivion."
"What? Why not?" Sora asked.
"It's because Riku went on a journey to master the darkness that nearly consumed him. Even though you defeated Ansem, a large fragment of him lives within Riku." Diz said. "King micky decided to accompany him on his quest to overcome and control the darkness."
Sora felt himself deflate a little. "So…he's not here then."
"Not anymore."
There was a brief pause before Sora suddenly perked up, a huge smile on his face. "Whatever then! At least we know he and the king are ok."
"Yeah, you're right." Goofy agreed.
"Indeed, but that still leave you Sora." Diz said, trying to get the conversation back on topic.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, king micky also knows that you are not ready to face the dangers of Organization 13. So, he devised a plan that will help you get stronger while defending the worlds against the heartless."
"Right…The worlds aren't at peace yet." Sora said sadly.
"Unfortunately, not. However, you did stop a significant threat and restored the worlds that were lost. That achievement alone is commendable, but it's not enough."
"So, then what do we do?"
"Micky has entrusted your training to an old master. I believe your friends know him as Yen Sid."
"Master Yen SID?" Donald exclaimed. "He's going to be teaching us?"
Sora cocked an eyebrow as he glanced over at his feathered frowned. "Who?"
"Master Yen Sid is the one who taught the king himself." Goofy said.
"Really?"
"Indeed. Master yen Sid will watch over your training, while I help Riku learn to control the darkness in his heart."
"Riku." Sora said quietly. "So, will he be able to do it? I mean, the darkness is evil, isn't it? Why would he want to use it?"
"You have to remember something Sora." Diz started. "Darkness cannot exist without the light, but neither light without the darkness. You represent the light, while Riku resides in darkness. It does not mean that one is less important than the other because both are needed to balance the worlds. And just because the words reside in the light, it also doesn't mean that Darkness is necessarily evil either."
Sora slowly nodded his head, absorbing the wisdom of this stranger.
Meanwhile, Roxas, Axel, Naminé, and Xion almost felt as if they didn't belong here. Through this whole conversation, Diz had completely ignored them.
"Um, hello? What are we supposed to do then?" Axel asked.
Diz turned to the nobody, a look of distaste on his covered face. "While you seem to have forsaken the Organization, all nobodies are an abomination. What you do and where you go means nothing, after all, that's what nobodies are."
Roxas narrowed his eyes at the man in red. "It's not like we chose to be this way."
"True enough, but that doesn't change what you are. If you want my advice, stay out of Sora's way while he takes care of Organization 13."
Hearing this caused even Sora to frown. "But Roxas can use the Keyblade. Couldn't we use all the help we can get?"
"We don't need help from a nobody. They are beings that don't truly exist and therefore they should all just fade away into nothingness, after all it's the fate of a nobody."
"Piss off!" Roxas hissed angrily.
Everyone glanced over at Roxas in surprise. Even Diz was at a loss for words. The way Roxas said that was so…real. Even Roxas was a little surprised by his own outburst. It seemed Yukiko wasn't the only one influenced by Pyra.
"H-How vulgar." Diz said.
"What gives you the right to say that about us?" Roxas asked angrily. "We may not have hearts, but we want to exist just like everyone else."
Axel glanced over at the young nobody again, clearly surprised by how much passion was in his voice. He didn't think that was possible for a nobody.
"Humph, Wishful thinking. A nobody cannot truly exist. Now that you have realized Xemnas's deception, you have to face the reality that there is no future for the Nobodies." Diz said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Roxas growled at the man again. This Diz guy was really getting on his nerves. But was he, right? Was that the fate of all nobodies? Were they really destined to fade away into nothingness?
"Why can't nobodies exist?" Roxas asked quietly.
"Because Nobodies lack a heart. They have no emotions, and thus they have no way to connect with anything or anyone. No one will remember you when you do finally disappear and no one will care that you are gone." Diz said as he looked over at Sora. "You would be the best one to confirm this. Countless times, it was the power of your friends and those who you are connected to that won your battles. That is the true power of the heart."
Roxas frowned a bit when he thought about what Diz said. When he was first found, this man's words were completely accurate. He didn't know anything about forming a connection with someone. He didn't know anything at all, nor did he feel anything.
But now…
Roxas though back on when he vanished for a few minutes when he learned to use the Corridor of darkness. When he returned, he remembered the concerned looks on Pyra, Yukiko, and even Kii's face. Yukiko was nearly scared to death that the darkness had overtaken him, while Pyra wacked his head because he made her worry. And they were worried just because he was gone for a few minutes. Even someone like Roxas could tell that they…that they cared for him.
"Your wrong!"
Everyone's attention was turned to the dark-haired girl standing next to Axel. She was also glaring at the man in anger. "We nobodies can make connections. We can make friends! I know this because…because Axel and I are friends."
"Preposterous! You only pretend to be friends, nothing more. There is no connection without the heart."
"Then I will prove you wrong." Roxas said, causing Diz and everyone else to look over at him. "I…I've been away from the Organization for a while now and I can say, without a doubt, that I have made friends. I care for them and will never let anything happen to them."
"You either do not understand what you are, or refuse to believe it." Diz said.
"Neither, it's true. And I will prove to you that Nobodies can truly exist." Roxas said firmly.
A grin formed on Diz's face. "Then I will take that challenge. I look forward to you proving your existence to me. But for now," Diz said, maneuvering the conversation back on topic. He turned to address everyone else in the room. "You must leave castle Oblivion. Members of Organization 13 will be here shortly to check on the status of the castle."
"But how?" Donald asked. "How are we going to meet up with Yen Sid?"
"The king has advised me of a way to transport you to Yen Sid's residence. He has also requested Naminé to join them as well."
"Me?" Naminé asked, pointing to herself.
"Yes. Your peculiar ability to change Sora's memory is something that the Master is interested in. He has requested you come and talk with him, but as for the rest of you…" Diz said, turning to the group of nobodies. "I would suggest you also leave this castle. Where you go or what you do is no concern to me."
Roxas nodded, already having a destination in mind. He turned to Axel, Xion. "What are you two going to do?"
Axel looked completely stumped as he scratched the back of his head. "I don't have a clue. Everywhere I go, the Organization would be able to find me." He said as he glanced down at Xion and Naminé. "What about you?"
Naminé looked a little uncomfortable as she glanced back at Sora. "I…I think I will go with them for now. I want to know…if I would be any help in trying to stop the organization."
"Very admirable." Diz said.
"Well…Xion said, glancing back up at Axel. "I would like to go wherever you're going."
"But that's the problem, I don't know where to go!" Axel said in annoyance. "Anywhere I can think of to go; the Organization could easily find me."
"Then why don't you two come with me." Roxas suggested.
Xion and Axel looked over at the spikey haired nobody. "Go with you? To where?"
"To where I have been this whole time. A place where the Organization hasn't found me yet."
Axel and Xion looked to each other a bit unsurely. "You sure that's a good idea?" Axel asked. "I mean, if the Organization does find you, then that world will be in danger, right?"
"Yes, but if the Organization is flooding the worlds with heartless, I want to be there to defend it as well." Roxas said, clenching his fists. "My friends are there and I need to protect them."
Hearing this really brought a lot of confused looks. Even Diz couldn't retort because of the amount of conviction in the young nobody's voice.
"Well…I don't have any objections, what about you?" Axel said as he looked over at Xion.
"It's the best plan we have."
"Alright then. Lead the way Roxas." Axel said.
Roxas simply nodded as he extended his hand and summoned the Corridor of darkness.
"Wait!"
Roxas, Axel, and Xion all glanced over at Sora.
"I don't know much about the nobodies, but I will say this…" Sora started, a small smile on his face. "even though you may not have a heart, I don't think that can stop you from making connections with others. After all, it seems that you have already done so, right?"
Roxas nodded as he though back on all his friends at the other world.
"And even though we just met, I can tell you aren't bad people. If you're ok with it, I would also like to be friends with all of you."
Again, Roxas felt the sides of his mouth curl upward. This was the type of person Sora was. He made friends with anyone and everyone no matter what they did or who they were.
"Sora, I will continue to train as well. And one day, I will help you destroy Organization 13." Roxas said.
"I will as well." Xion said as she turned to look at Axel.
"What? You want me to join the suicide squad?" Axel asked sarcastically. "I think I'll pass, but I won't object to being friends if you're ok with being friends with a nobody."
"It doesn't bother me. Just make sure you get stronger though. I would hate to wipe the floor with you again." Sora said with a grin.
"Ha! Next time you won't be able to take the heat, got it memorized?" Axel said as he tapped his temple. "Alright, enough of this mushy stuff. We got places to be, right Roxas?"
"Right," Roxas agreed. "Goodbye Sora. It was nice to meet you."
Sora raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "Are you sure we've never met before? I just feel like…I know you from somewhere."
Roxas shook his head with a small smile. "Beats me." He said as he turned and wordlessly entered the Corridor. Xion and Axel followed soon afterwards, leaving the rest of the group alone in the castle.
Smith gave a sigh as he stacked some papers on her desk. It had been a long day of searching, but Roxas was nowhere to be found. The rest of Mon also came up empty handed, meaning they had absolutely no idea where he went either. It was nearing the end of the day now and smith was trying to calm her mind.
Dinner at Kimihito's would usually be one of fun and entertainment, but instead it was gloomy and depressing. Everyone was worried sick about the disappearance of Roxas. Even smith had to admit that she was a little worried.
Just as she thought that, a pillar of darkness shrank up right in front of her desk. It caused her to jump in fright, accidently leaning back to much in her chair and causing it to fall over. Papers scattered everywhere as she scrambled around, trying to get back to her feet.
"Um…Smith? What are you doing?"
Smith froze completely as a familiar voice rang in her ears. She finally pushed herself to her feet before looking across the desk into the confused blue eyes of a familiar boy.
"R-Roxas?"
Roxas simply looked confused again as he cocked his head. "Yeah, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong...WHATS WRONG?" She yelled, causing the boy to jump slightly. "Do you have any idea how WORRIED EVERYONE IS? WHERE WERE YOU?"
Roxas was clearly taken aback by her sudden outburst. Smith was normally a very composed person. "Um…What?"
"Everyone is worried sick about you! Where did you go? What…" Smith started before she noticed that there were two other people standing in the room with her. They were both wearing the same exact coat as Roxas.
One of them was a young girl about Roxas's age. She had black hair, blue eyes, and a petite figure. She was simply staring at her curiously.
The other person was much taller. It was a man that looked to be…maybe around her age actually. He had long red hair, bright teal eyes with two marks below them.
"W-Who are these people?" Smith asked.
"Oh yeah." Roxas said as he glanced over at Xion and a highly-amused Axel. "This is Number 8, Axel, and Number 14, Xion."
"Um…What?"
Roxas blinked a couple times as he took a deep breath. "There is something I need to talk to you about."
Authors Note: Yes, I know that many of you might complain that Roxas and Sora met way to soon, but it is what it is. Sora Still doesn't know that Roxas is his nobody, and Roxas doesn't know that either. They only met, so calm your tits. I have this under control.
This chapter was pretty Dialogue heavy, but it needed to be in order to sort some stuff out. Now that this has happened, we won't see much or Organization 13 or other Kingdom hearts stuff for a while.
But now Axel and Xion are here. Don't worry, because the main focus is still Roxas, but I also have a plan for Axel and Xion. So don't stress to much about that.
Sorry for another cliff hanger, but this chapter was long enough. Over 10k words. I was surprised I could get this out so quickly despite its length. I guess I have a hard time writing smaller chapters, but you guys like the long ones, right? If you do like long chapters, please leave a review on the story. It really is appreciated, way more than you think. Thank you.
Until then!