When they got back to the base, Xemnas was there waiting for them, arms crossed over his chest. Rose paused for a moment, trying to figure out what she could have done to upset him. Then again, it didn't take much with her.
"Hello daughter" he said curtly, turning his attention to Axel, "I'm going to assume you have a good reason for leaving the castle without telling anyone?" Xemnas snapped, his eyes daggers. Axel rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously.
"I was actually coming to see you, Lord Xemnas. We have a traitor in the castle" he started to explain. Xemnas held up a hand, signaling for him to stop what he was doing.
"I already know about it, Axel" he said boredly, "Marluxia already told me how you had planned on taking over the Organization and trying to ruin my plans. You know what happens to traitors who go against me" he said as he lowered his arms, clenching his fist. A moment later, a ball of darkness began to form in his hand as he raised his hand in Axel's direction.
"Father, no!" Rose exclaimed, pushing Axel aside as the darkness came in her direction, knocking her in the chest and sent her sliding across the floor.
"Rose!" Axel exclaimed in horror as he rushed over to her. He knelt down beside her and rest her head on his lap, "Rose! Wake up" he said, his voice quavering as his eyes filled with tears. Xemnas took a step towards them, unable to say a word as he crouched down next to him.
"I did not mean for that to happen. That was meant for you not her" he said coldly as he watched them. Axel's tears flowed down his cheeks as he looked up at Xemnas angrily.
"You better find a way to fix this, if not you're next!" he spat. Xemnas sighed and stood up, turning his back to Axel.
"Come with me, I have a way to fix this" he said as he made his way towards the portal that had appeared nearby. Axel lifted her limp body, holding Rose's body close as he followed Xemnas through the portal. They appeared on the other side, now in a white room. Xemnas made his way over to the middle of the room, the entire room empty except for a throne. "Place her here" he told Axel, pointing in the direction of the throne. Axel glared at him as he did as he was told, gently setting her down in a sitting position.
"How is a throne suppose to help? You blasted her with pure darkness!" he spat. Xemnas rolled his eyes and pulled Axel away from the throne, kneeling down in front of Rose now.
"This is a room of healing. It is made up of pure light and can heal the darkness of hearts" he explained as he brushed the hair from her face. He then stood up and glanced over at Axel who had his fists clenched at his sides. "I know it wasn't you who betrayed us. I have already disposed of the traitor. I apologize for misplacing my anger. I did not mean to hurt you or her. She will be fine in a few days" Xemnas said as he took a step back, heading in the direction of the portal again. Axel paused to watch her quietly as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I will be back for you in a few days, my love. I promise" he said quietly, following Xemnas through the portal once again. When they had emerged, he had quickly parted ways with Xemnas and stormed out of the room, in the direction of Casaix's room. Axel knocked on the door loudly, hoping he was there. Casaix quickly opened the door a few moments later, a look of confusion on his face.
"What's the matter, Axel?" he said, concern in his voice. Axel sighed and took Casaix by the hand, pulling him out of the room.
"I'm calling a meeting. I'll explain everything when we get there. Please gather our friends" he told Casaix, letting go of his hand and heading down the hallway. Casaix paused for a brief moment, trying to make sense of all of this. He shook his head and decided not to think about it too much as he made his way in the opposite direction, deciding it was best to just go along with it.
When Axel and Casaix finally managed to gather all of Rose's close friends, Axel stood in front of them, clearing his throat to get their attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on him.
"Now, before I say anything further, I just wanted to let everyone know Rose is fine. There was an accident that happened and she got hurt, but shes going to be fine" he began. Roxas quickly sat up in his seat, a shocked look on his face.
"What happened?! Who's ass do I have to kick?" he suddenly said. Axel shook his head, waving his hands out in front of him.
"No ass kicking for now. We need to wait for Rose to get better before we do anything! She's currently healing in an undisclosed location and will be better in a few days. In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan to help get rid of Xemnas" he said firmly. Everyone looked at each other in shock at his declaration.
"Are you sure we're even strong enough to do this? Rose is hurt and Okami is still missing!" Rae piped up, "even when she's better we still won't be strong enough to take HIM on!"
"Are you kidding? Rose doesn't need her sister! She can take out any one of us here AND Xemnas by herself! Roxas said.
"I agree with Roxas. She doesn't need any of you to help her out. She's stronger than all of us combined. Rose can easily take Xemnas on!" Lexon explained, taking a drag from his cigarette. Xyle pushed himself from the wall he was leaning on and sat on the arm of the couch near Roxas.
"You guys are such idiots. You can't just rush in and hope to beat Lord Xemnas! You need a plan and a good one at that" he told them. All their eyes turned in his direction, causing his face to blush slightly red.
"What do YOU know about Xemnas that you're not telling us. Hmm?" Lexon said, looking at him suspiciously. Xyle chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, it's pretty simple on how to beat him. What does he want more in the world? He wants a heart! And who is the two people he cares the most about in the entire world? His daughters! We have to use them to defeat him!" he explained to them, waiting for their reactions.
"I'm not putting her in harms way again. Not going to happen" Axel told him, crossing his arms over his chest. Xyle sighed and ran a hand through his medium length hair in annoyance.
"If you guys don't want to listen to me, fine. Suit yourselves! If you need me I'll be in the dining hall" he huffed as he disappeared out the door. Axel paused to wait for him to close the door before he continued.
"Anyone else have any ideas? Yes his idea is a good one, but I don't want Rose or Okami getting hurt in all of this" he told them. At that moment, Saix appeared, his hand clenching his side. He fell to his knees in front of Axel. Axel quickly crouched down next to him, a look of concern on his face. "Saix! What happened?!" he exclaimed. Saix glanced up at him, a small smile on his face.
"I'm alright. This is only a scratch" he assured him. Axel rolled his eyes and helped his friend to his feet, making room beside Roxas and sat him down.
"Is there anyone left?" he asked. Saix winced in pain as he sat back, looking up at his friend.
"As far as I know, several of us are still alive. When I thought you died, I went after Sora, but he almost got me. I had to leave before I was killed" he explained. Axel nodded and turned his attention back to the others.
"We will have to wait til Rose is healed as well as Saix before we do anything. We'll meet back here in a few weeks to go over the plan" he said, dismissing everyone. As everyone was leaving, Roxas decided to stay behind to help Axel.
"Axel, you didn't tell us what happened to Rose" he said quietly. Axel turned his attention to Roxas, a sad look in his eyes.
"She got hit by darkness. She's now in a secret room in the castle so she can heal. That's all I know" he assured him. Roxas clenched his fist, seeming like he was ready for a fight.
"Who did this! I'll kill them!" he spat. Axel walked over to him and placed his hands on the young boys shoulders.
"You can't help Rose if you're dead. You need to calm down and think about this rationally. Got it memorized?" he said soothingly. Roxas sighed and nodded, unclenching his fist soon afterwards.
"You're right. I'm sorry" he said quietly, glancing over to Saix, "need help taking him to the infirmary?" he asked. Axel nodded and made his away over to Saix who was still on the couch, Roxas following beside him as they lifted him up, causing him to wince.
"I can walk you know" he muttered, a slight pout to his lip. Axel rolled his arms and wrapped an arm around his friend.
"I know, but I just don't want your injury to get worse. Rose would kill me if you died" he said with a chuckled. Saix chuckled at his comment, causing him to wince again as he walked with the help of Roxas and Axel down the hall to the infirmary. When they got there, Rae was waiting for them now wearing a nurses outfit.
"Come! I have a bed ready for him" she said, ushering them over to the empty bed beside her. She helped them lower him carely on to the bed and waved her hands in the signal that she wanted them to leave now. Axel took Saix's hand gently and squeezed it, kissing the back of it gently.
"I'll see you later, okay? Don't die on me" he teased as he let go of Saix's hand, turning his attention to Roxas, "Hungry? Let's get something to eat" he told him as he put a hand on his back, leading him to the door.
A few days passed and Rose had not returned yet. Axel was starting to get worried. He wondered if the darkness was too much for her and she would not wake up again. Axel sat in her bedroom in her usual spot by the window, playing with something in his hand. It was the popsicle stick she had saved to take him for his free ice cream. He glanced down at the stick when the door opened to the bedroom, interrupting his thoughts. Axel glanced over and saw Rose standing there, a small smile on her face.
"Did you miss me?" she said, a grin on her face as she leaned against the doorway. Axel stood up slowly, trying to take in what he was seeing. He made his way over to her quickly as he wrapped his arms around tightly, pulling her against him.
"Rose" Axel breathed, leaning down to press his lips against hers. Rose smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, staying like that for a few moment before pulling away from him.
"I wasn't gone that long, silly! It's only been a few days. I think? Either way I'm back now so you don't have to worry" she said softly. Axel smiled and brushed the hair from her face gently, admiring her for a moment.
"When he attacked you, I thought for sure he would have killed you. But, you're safe now that's all that matters" he said quietly as he hugged her gently before pulling away. Rose watched him quietly, her thoughts interrupted by the door opening beside them. Casaix peering inside the bedroom, a small on his face.
"Rose! You're back" he said happily, stepping inside. Rose smiled and held out an arm to him, still holding on to Axel. Casaix chuckled and hugged her, grinning in Axel's direction. "So, do I get to know what happened to you? Or is that off limits?" he questioned. Axel glanced in Rose's direction, waiting for her okay. Rose nodded in his direction.
"You can tell him, we can trust him" she assured him. Axel nodded and pulled away, running a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Well, Xemnas got angry because he thought I was betraying the Organization. So he decided the best way to take care of it was to kill me. Well, Rose got in the way and she got hit by the ball of darkness intended for me. She was put in a room no one knows about besides Xemnas and now shes back" he explained, looking from Casaix to Rose.
"Well that explains a lot" Casaix said grimly, touching Rose's back gently, "I'm just glad you're okay" he said, a small smile on his face. Rose smiled back at him and looked over at Axel who was watching them carefully.
"Let's go get something to eat" she announced, taking Axel and Casaix by the hand, leading them out the door to the dining hall. Rose paused when came face to face with Roxas, waiting for him to notice her. Roxas stopped for a moment, looking her in the eye for a moment.
"Rose, you're back! I'm so glad you're back! I've missed you" he suddenly said, practically launching himself at her. Rose laughed and caught him, hugging him tightly to her.
"I missed you too! So glad you actually remembered who I was" she joked. Roxas pulled away from her enough to look her in the face.
"Of course! I would never forget about you" he said quietly, his face really close to hers. Rose watched him and smiled, unsure of how to proceed with this. Axel was standing right there watching them, an annoyed look on his face. Rose leaned forward and kissed his cheek before pulling away again.
"Let's go see some food, I'm super hungry after that long nap" she laughed and led them to the dining hall where all her friends were gathered. She didn't know how they all knew she was back so soon, but she enjoyed having all the attention. Rose took a seat beside Lexon and smiled shyly.
"Hey, Rose! Glad to have you back" he said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. Rose smiled and touched his cheek gently.
"I'm glad to be back as well. I missed all you guys and I'm sorry I put you all through that" she told them. Roxas sat down beside her, touching her arm gently.
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault, okay? Let's just forget about what happened and move on from it. You hungry? I got your favorite" he said offering her Asian noodles with faux chicken in it. Rose grinned and took it from him, taking a big bite.
"Mmm, thank you!" she said, mouthful of food. Axel sat down across from her, watching her quietly. As he watched her, he thought of how happy she looked and wished he could make her happy like that. Rose glanced up at him, a smile on her face. "You do make me happy, Axel" she assured him. Axel looked at her in shock, not believe what he was hearing. How could she have known what he was thinking at that moment?
"Um, Rose. How did you do that?" Axel said, watching her carefully. Rose shrugged and picked at her noodles.
"Well, ever since I woke up from being out for so long, I suddenly have the ability to tell what people are feeling. Not their exact thoughts, but something along the lines of what they're thinking" she explained, glancing up at him. Axel sat back in his seat and watched her.
"That's a cool ability. Would be good in combat" he told her, going back to his food. Rose glanced up and saw Saix standing behind Axel, a smile on his face.
"Saix! Thank god you're okay! I heard what happened" she said as she stood up to greet him. Saix shook his head and motioning for her to sit down, making his way over and bend down to hug her gently.
"No need to worry about me. I'm totally fine" he assured her, kissing the top of her head. "I just came to say hello, I need to report to Xemnas about the incident now that I'm a little better. I'll see you later, sweetie" he said, giving her another quick kiss on the head before heading for the door. Rose watched him leave and sighed quietly.
"I can't wait for this crap to stop. My father is starting to really annoy me" she muttered. Roxas put a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention.
"We'll get back at him later. For now we need to get you back in shape!" he told her, a determined look on his face. Rose laughed quietly and shook her head in amusement.
"I missed you guys so much! After dinner we should relax with a movie then see if we can get a small mission for today" she said, taking a bite of her noodles. Axel watched her and smiled, amused about her enthusiasm. Rose smiled over at him, reaching across the table to hold his hand gently, "you're welcome to come too! I'm sure father won't say no after what happened" she assured him.
"You're right, dear. I'd love to come with you and Roxas. I could be really fun" he said, squeezing her hand gently. When they were done eating, they made their way to the living area for a movie. They had decided on a horror movie, glad to have a distraction. Rose sat down between Roxas and Axel, leaning against Axel who put an arm around her and sat her legs on Roxas' lap. Roxas smiled and pulled off her shoes, starting to rub her feet.
"Excited for our mission later. I'm sure it will be great! We can have ice cream afterwards!" he said excitedly. Rose nodded and smiled in agreement, getting comfortable against Axel. Today was going to be a great day.