Chapter 12
"We'll Find A Way"
Kaycex awoke with a yawn, a big blush on her face to find Zexion was awake and reading a book while her head had laid on his chest when she was asleep. She raised herself up with her hands and felt the left side of her hip touch the wall, and soon her left shoulder as she sat up on his bed. "Morning." She said, a blush on her face.
He glanced over to her. "Evening." He corrected, laying the book on his chest. "Did you sleep well?" He asked.
She raised and eyebrow at him and did one of her notorious chuckle like sighs. "You always correct me on that, I seem to always sleep in too." She noted. "Very well to be honest." She commented. "You?"
"Decently. Except for the part where I woke up and you were holding onto me." He let out a small laugh. "Not that I mean it was uncomfortable or anything. It was just a surprise."
She blushed brightly. "I-er, sorry..." She commented, feeling herself get nervous. "I didn't wake you up did I?" She asked.
He shook his head. "No, you were sleeping soundly. I didn't want to wake you, so I tried to go back to sleep. That didn't work too well." He sighed.
Her cheeks grew hotter and she did a small nod. "Oh. I see. Uhm.. well.. yeah, back on topic. We need to speak to Yubaba." She mentioned.
He nodded as well. "Yes. But what will we ask her? And will she even be willing to talk to us?" He wondered.
Kaycex pondered his question. "Good questions. Well, she took Xarsha and I in, and I don't know how she will react to us being nobodies. We will need to come in strong that is for sure, but not looking like we are picking for a fight. I suggest telling her everything, and then I could ask her the questions about Xehclis."
Zexion thought for a moment. "So what is this Yubaba like?" He asked.
"Hm...She is pretty nice, but before Chihiro, also known as Sen, came around, she was pretty bitter. I never really met Chihiro, but she sounds like a really nice person, inspired me really. And Yubaba took us in, so it shows that she is a kind woman, but she expects work out of us as well, I used to have to clean the baths, clean the restrooms, make dinner, tend to the guests. etc."
He nodded. "I see. And she's the owner, correct? I wonder how we'll get to see her?" He shrugged, sitting up and moving over to the edge of the bed.
"We can either make an appointment or go see her ourselves. I know a way to her room." She responded. "The only thing is...I don't know how to get past the Superior. I feel like he suspects something."
Zexion shook his head. "I've been covering that. When I went to go find you when Axel attacked you, I told the Superior you left for training with Axel and Xehclis and I was going to accompany you all. I've been doing this for a while to protect what we found." He explained. "I'll just tell him we have another training session scheduled today."
She nodded, and smiled. Also glad he kept his voice down. She then nodded and then realized she would have to climb over him to get ready to leave. "Er..." She started.
He threw his legs off the bed and yawned, shaking out his hair. "We should shower before we leave, don't you think?" He asked, looking over to her.
Kaycex looked at herself and realized she would probably need one after her adventure yesterday. She nodded and they both got up, went to the showers, and grabbed some towels, going in the stalls and taking their clothing off and washing themselves.
Zexion stripped in his stall, throwing his cloak, undershirt and slacks over the wall, his boots on the other side of the door. He turned on the hot water, letting it run over his hair and back for a few minutes until it became too uncomfortable and he turned the cold knob slightly. He took the soap bar from the small metal dish and ran it under the warm water. The suds ran down his chest and back as he stretched his arms out. He let the warm water relax him as he stayed in there for a few minutes longer, finishing up the important stuff before turning off the water and wrapping his waist in the towel, his hair dripping water off his bangs and down his neck as he stepped out. Kaycex did the same, washing her hair thoroughly, she scrubbed every inch of her and then rinsed, she wrapped the towel around herself and when she got out she nearly bumped into Zexion. He simply blushed and nodded his head in casual acknowledgement as he strutted out, his clothing draped in one arm. She went to the sink and looked in it, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It was then she felt ready and dried her hair. She then went to the room she shared with Xarsha and got ready. They met outside and she opened a portal.
Kaycex followed through the portal and they appeared in Kamaji's work room. Kaycex opened another portal, "This should lead us right into her office." She whispered to him, hence Kamaji was sleeping.
He peered around the room and then looked to her, nodding and following into the portal after her. They then appeared in a hallway, wooden floorboards and walls shimmering faintly in the candle light, decorated with deep and bold drapery.
He peered around the room and then looked to her, nodding and following into the portal after her. They then appeared in a hallway, wooden floorboards and walls shimmering faintly in the candle light, decorated with deep and bold drapery.
She walked past the pillars in the hall and then got to her door, she took the wall knocker and knocked it, the door opened and Yubaba smirked at her guests. "I had a feeling you would return." She told her.
Kaycex walked forward and bowed to her, Zexion followed suit and then she looked Yubaba between the eyes. "I'm here to talk to you about Xehclis." She told her. Yubaba felt herself laugh and then her expression turned sour. "That treacherous brat?" She stated rhetorically. "Go on." She added.
Kaycex nodded and told her in full detail what had happened, including Xarsha's death and the strange way Axel acted around Xehclis. She soon finished. "Hm. I taught her a lot, and no offense but you are in no condition to fight her the way your strength is. The spells she knows are many, and are full of power. Unfortunately she used them for the wrong reasons; of course. Selfish as humans can be. Anyways, it sounds like she is controlling him, and has him under a pretty big spell." Yubaba commented.
"In order to defeat her I am going to need to teach you all I taught her, and pity is I don't have the time nor patience." She added.
Kaycex sighed. "I understand, but in time she may come back for you. She's been talking to another witch." She explained.
Yubaba's expression narrowed and her eyebrows creased. "Really? Hm, sounds like her. The only way to get him out of that spell is to make him realize these things himself, which isn't as easy as it sounds, he needs to be away from her and without her influence. True love may break it, it's one of those flexible but strong spells. I'm willing to give you the log book she left with all the spells I had taught her and the ones she was teaching herself. Other than that, I don't have much more help to offer." She told her.
"That could prove very useful." Zexion mused. "We thank you very much for your information." He added.
Yubaba merely stared at him and made a gruff "hm" setting the book on the corner of her desk. Kaycex went and grabbed it, and then she left with Zexion.
He opened a portal and the two of them landed back into his room. "So that book contains all the spells she knows?" He questioned. He crossed his arms, one hand going up to his chin in thought. "First things first, we have to get Axel out of that spell." He noted.
Kaycex nodded. "She did say true love." She told him, opening the book and looking through it. She finally found the page on it. Her hand came to her chin as well. "Hm." She thought aloud.
"What does it say on it?" He asked, moving over to her side and looking at the page.
How to control one's heart:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breaking the spell: A kiss from one's true love or ---------------------------------------------
Kaycex grimaced. "It looks like she erased half of it and scribbled over how to do it and the other half of how to break it..." She stated, squinting her eyes. It was then she saw some writing beside how to break the spell, faintly and quickly erased, it showed remnants of the sentence beforehand. Or Kill them.
"Well, that's helpful."
Zexion frowned as well. "Yes, very." He agreed as he saw the light pencil text. "A kiss from one's true love, huh?" He restated as well, not liking the thought of who his true love just might be.
Kaycex nodded, feeling herself blush. "It would seem so, or kill him." She stated. "But most importantly we need to train me, maybe I should learn some of the counter spells to these?" She asked.
"That would be the best idea. Should she ever try to attack, you can counter attack." He then 'hmm'ed once. "Now that I think about it...before she asked to be a nobody, don't you think she might have wanted to destroy this book? I wonder why she didn't or if it never crossed her mind."
Kaycex thought for a moment. "She's smart, but not that smart. I don't want to underestimate her, but...eh, I think she probably couldn't. Which might explain the erasing and scratched words?" She surmised.
He nodded. "Most likely it does, when you put it that way. Do you think she might have also kept this as a diary of some sort? Maybe there's some other information other than spells." He proposed.
Kaycex flipped through and just shook her head. "No, there isn't anything very relevant, it's best we just learn how to counter and save Axel and which in turn will save us." She told him.
Zexion nodded. "Yes. I suppose if this is all we have to go with, we'll have to use it to its extent." He agreed. "We should find a more open and...Outside area to practice these, don't you think?" He asked.
She nodded. "We could do it on the shore?" She asked, and then thought. "We should teach our allies how to do it also. So Roxas nor Demyx nor Lexaeus will fall victim to her." She added, opening a portal. "You'll let them know, right?" She asked, cocking her head, which caused the chains on her jacket to clink together and shine a bit of light on her face.
He nodded in response, letting out a small 'mm'. "I'll go get them now." He said, opening his own portal.
The both retreated into the darkness, and she passed through until she reached the shore. Zexion came a few minutes after, everyone trailing after him. Kaycex filled them in on what was going on, and how Axel was being controlled. Roxas' eyes narrowed when he heard the news, his anger building up about Xehclis.
They then each started on a spell and counter spell to work on, and in the middle of their training Kaycex interrupted. "Do you guys think she killed Xarsha?" She asked, causing everyone to grow quiet. Demyx looked down, noticing Roxas' sorrowful expression.
Zexion gave an audible exhale. "I think so." He stated. Lexaeus grunted once as a yes with a slight nod.
Kaycex sighed and then sent a spell toward him, one that would control him, but he immediately deflected it with a counter spell. She then smiled at him and then nodded as he threw it back at her, but then she deflected it as well, it then started a volleyball like play of it as each member threw it at one another, eventually they all fell in the sand, enjoying their time, barely aware this was more than beneficial to their survival.
Zexion looked over to Kaycex, letting out a chuckle. "It seems like we've gotten the hang of it very easily." He noted.
Kaycex nodded, throwing one last one at Demyx, which he blocked. "It seems we have." She smiled. "I'm ready to find her and kill her." Roxas stated darkly.
"Granted we appear ready, we cannot simply rush in, Number 13. This now brings on the question of how we should defeat her, and the place." He said.
Demyx thought for a moment. "Maybe we could intercept her on the way to Ursala?" He asked. Kaycex then got an idea. "We could beat her to Ursala and then defeat that witch and take care of the other one, but we must ensure Axel isn't with her, or else he will protect her with his life." She mentioned.
"That would be a big problem. And we don't know how to tell if he isn't with her. But then again is it five against two...or three, depending on how it all turns out." Zexion noted.
Kaycex nodded. "Demyx, I want you to scout Atlantica, and see if she will be there, and to report back with her status. Roxas, I will go to the Pride lands to see if Axel will be there. Zexion and Lexaeus, you go with Demyx, he might need help and you could also get rid of Ursela."
Zexion nodded. "You two might want to be careful as well. Who knows if she's already taken away what sanity he had." Lexaeus warned.
Kaycex ignored his last comment and then they all went into separate portals. Kaycex appeared in the pride lands with Roxas. "Now, where did you see him last?" She questioned.
Roxas started walking forward. "Near that rock mound over there. Follow me." He stated.
She followed behind, minding her footsteps and trying to dodge a few shadow heartless. She had forgotten how long it had been since her and Zexion did a mission to reap hearts. She shook her head out of remembering those times and then followed in suite as Roxas knelt low to the ground, stalking near the rock, he turned and there was Axel.
Axel's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps. He whipped his head around and gasped at the two other lions before him. "Rox! And...!" He didn't even finish his sentence as he got up.
Kaycex nodded. "Axel, I can only say things so swiftly. Xehclis, she is the one who killed Xarsha, and she had wanted to kill me, she is controlling you!" She told him.
Axel's eyes widened a bit. "What..what is this, some joke?! Xehclis is...strange, I will admit, but she isn't a killer! She couldn't have killed Xarsh, she was her friend!" He yelled, shaking his head back and forth. "Whenever she's around...I feel like...there's something. There's feeling. There's a heart. She couldn't have done it."
Kaycex stood her ground. "She's using a spell, Yubaba had her as an apprentice. Please, listen to me. Do you think she would let you think you killed me?"
"You attacked her in the first place!" He growled.
"I did not! I'm not dead am I?" She asked.
"No, you aren't...I'm glad you got away, but...Xehclis couldn't have done it. And I doubt I'm under some spell." He scoffed.
"Then why don't you remember killing me?" She asked.
"I saw your confusion that day. Someone had saved me from you, and from afar I could see how you were shocked by it all." She added.
"I must have blacked out...or something. Look, she's not a murderer, okay?!" He barked.
"Well if she isn't than she did lie to you. You know it yourself, fight it Axel!" She pleaded.
"She...Stop it! You don't know what you're talking about!" He yelled, backing up against the rock.
Roxas stood by her. "I believe her Axel. And the only way to break your spell is a kiss from your true love." He told him.
"I'm not under a damn spell! She isn't a liar!" He growled again, his claws digging into the ground in agony.
Kaycex backed away some, but still faced him. "Axel, please listen to me..." She stated, her gaze downward.
"Why should I?! You're not making any sense! Xehclis couldn't..she wouldn't..." He stuttered.
"Well wasn't Xehclis not making any sense either?" She asked, trying to get him to break free from the cloud of confusion she had made around him.
"I...I don't know. It was hard to just say no...And I couldn't walk away. And now here you are, alive and breathing in front of me..." He said, his eyes wide looking at his friends as he shook his head back and forth.
Kaycex sighed, trying to think of anything else but the alternative. She then decided on what to do, she bounded forward and pinned him against the rock, she then copied his movements from when he had first kissed her. She then pressed her lips against his, and then she pulled away, noticing how his eyes widened and some kind of transparent fog disappeared from them.
Axel stayed still for a moment, it didn't even appear as if he was breathing. His chest moved once and then he spoke. "So...I really was?" He questioned.
Kaycex nodded, a blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, she was controlling you, and now the spell has been broken. She had killed Xarsha and in turn was trying to kill me."
Roxas nodded in agreement, surprise still showing on his face, due to the fact that her kiss had broken the spell.
"So in order to break whatever I was under, it was a kiss?" He asked.
Roxas nodded. "From your true love."
Kaycex was lost in her thoughts, blushing brightly.
"T-true love?!" He exclaimed.
Kaycex nodded, and then shook her head out of the situation. "Look, we really don't have time to ponder on this, what we have to do is make sure Demyx and the others are all right. They are in Atlantica as of now and are planning to intercept Xehclis and kill Ursela." She explained, opening a portal. "Let's go."
"Yeah, sure, but what if she tries to put that spell on me again?" He asked, following the two.
"Once it is broken it cannot be replicated." Roxas explained. "Kind of an immunity to it." He added.
"Oh, well...That's handy." He smirked slightly. He then looked to Roxas, then Kaycex. "I'm sorry, guys." He sighed.
"It's okay, you were under a very strong and influential spell." Kaycex told him. They were then in Atlantica, and they face Zexion, Lexaeus, and Demyx.
"Zexion and--Axel!" Demyx boomed, bounding over and giving his buddy a hug while laughing enthusiastically.