A/N-Well, I managed to cobble this together during some free time at work. Yay? So we're starting to get into the heavy meat of the story before we really hit the ground running for the end. Really glad I picked this up again. :) I've seen too many abandoned fics lately and I won't let this one be one of them. :D More Midgar next chapter (and hopefully some familiar faces :D). Read and enjoy!
Remember when I said things turned to shit really fast? Yeah, they just kept getting worse. Even after managing to get Roxas back to normal, Demyx had one Hell of a fight with Axel. For once, I was glad I didn't get to see the carnage they did to the square. I figure we're going to see a bill later, provided we save the worlds from Sin first.
We also get some pretty shitty news that Sin may not be our worst problem.
XxXxX
Zexion clenched his teeth together as he stumbled, catching himself on the outside of the room overlooking the computer servers. He felt feverish and weak, but it didn't matter when he had so much to do. The door slid open as he tapped the button and his body stiffened as he found Pluto sitting on the other side. The dog sat perfectly still, his eyes looking over the king carefully.
"H-hey," Zexion greeted. He hesitated before reaching out a hand and was relieved as Pluto padded over to him, bumping his head against Zexion's palm. The king scratched the royal dog's ears, a small smile blessing his strained features. "You must be worried too." Pluto gave a sniff and tugged at the king's sleeve. Zexion tried to jerk away but the fabric tore, revealing a patch of scaly skin underneath. Pluto gave the wrist a sniff before growling. Zexion tried to pull away again to no avail. "Please, just let me go!" he begged.
A wave of dizziness washed over him and his knees gave out. Yet before he could collapse, he found that Pluto managed to keep him upright by holding onto his sleeve. Pluto's growl turned into a whimper as he released the fabric, sitting down in front of the sickly king. He bumped his nose against Zexion's forehead.
"There you are." The king looked up as Ansem walked in through the other door, his face riddled with worry. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Vexen and Lexaeus have returned from their mission to Twilight Town."
"Are they hurt?" Zexion asked, hiding his arm in the folds of his robes.
"No, but they have some information that I believe you'd want to hear," Ansem replied. He strode over and eased the king to his feet, Pluto taking it upon himself to trot along behind as they left. Zexion initially thought they would be going to the conference room but when Ansem steered him towards the infirmary, he began to wonder what his comrades had encountered in the dead world.
When they arrived, Lexaeus stood off to the side with his arms crossed as usual while Vexen sat at his desk with a pensive look. One of the beds was occupied by a stranger that looked like he was in desperate need of some proper nutrition. Zexion was eased into a chair between Vexen and the stranger, Pluto taking a seat at his side so the king could scratch his ears. Vexen began explaining what transpired in Twilight Town, introducing the king to Pence when he reached that part of the tale. When he finished, Zexion was quiet.
"So what does this mean?" Ansem asked.
"It means we'll need to be careful," Vexen replied. "It also appears we'll need to make some sort of contact with Roxas."
"That could be arranged. I received word not long ago that the party made it to Midgar," Ansem brought up. "I'm sure Reeve would be more than willing to set up telecommunications with us if we present this matter as urgent."
"Please do so," Zexion requested. "I don't want to see any more people harmed by this terrible blight."
"Does that include yourself?" Pence asked. The elder trio exchanged perplexed and concerned looks while Zexion paled. "I recognize the taint on your arm. I watched it consume the people around me. But how did you get Sin Sickness?"
"You must be joking!" Ansem protested. Vexen leapt off of his stool and snatched up the king's arm before Zexion could pull away. As the sleeve was pushed down his arm, thick, scaly flesh was revealed to be consuming his limb. The king turned his gaze away, his hair shadowing his face as he was overwhelmed with shame and humiliation.
"How bad is it?" Vexen demanded in as soft of tone he could muster, although he really wanted to shake the silver haired man senseless for being so idiotic. Zexion bit down on his bottom lip, refusing to answer. Vexen beckoned Lexaeus over and the pair began removing the king's robes. Pale flesh no longer existed on Zexion's chest or back. Instead it was replaced by azure and silver scales, veins of white, and several sharp spines hanging off of his collar bone.
Lexaeus knelt by his friend's side and took Zexion's hand within his own. "How long?" he asked, his voice soft. He felt Zexion's hand tighten and his body trembled as he failed to hold back his pent up emotions.
"I don't…I don't know," Zexion wept. Vexen took one of the king's robes and draped it over his shoulders, rubbing the man's back to soothe him. "A-a few months, maybe?"
"Do you know what caused this?" Lexaeus urged.
Zexion gave a rough nod. "I-I was tending to some of the wounded that came back after the Enchanted Domain was corrupted. One of the men was still burning. I…I wanted to comfort him but…" Zexion slowly raised his head, his eyes wide with fear, and Lexaeus brushed aside the hair from his face. A large, green scar marred the outside half of his eye and his temple. "I didn't think much of it until…until…"
"Hush," Lexaeus cooed, rubbing small circles in the back of the king's hand. "It's alright. We'll fix this."
"You're not going to have much time," Pence warned. "Once it progresses that far, it's up to the will of the person to keep from turning into a Sin spawn. Those with weak hearts don't last long."
Lexaeus gave Zexion's hand a gentle squeeze. "Why didn't you say something?" he asked. The king sniffed, tears continuing to fall down his face.
"I didn't want you all to worry. I thought I could fix it myself," Zexion croaked.
"And how did you expect to fix something like this?" Vexen scolded.
The silver haired man shivered. "There's…there's a lab," he murmured. "Xehanort's old lab. It's located beneath the server room."
"I never knew he had a lab down there," Vexen mused. "How did you find out?" Zexion didn't respond. Instead, he quietly rose to his feet and huddled deeper into his coat. Ansem beckoned Pence to come with as the group started to file out of the room so the brunette lagged behind with Pluto. They ventured to the computer servers and Zexion held out a hand, a glowing panel appearing in front of his palm. It beeped and the floor slid open to revel a long flight of shallow steps into the underground.
The stair ended in a white hallway that reflected the design of Castle Oblivion, although the heavy metal doors staggered down the hall boded rather sinister vibes. Zexion led them to one of the doors and used a hand scanner to open it. Inside was a lab, much like the ones they had upstairs, only this one radiated a dark aura.
"Xehanort was forcing me to work on the Sin project," Zexion murmured. He stayed in the back as the other began to examine the contents of the room. Several vials containing pieces of Zexion's scaly skin were sitting in various fluids while machines whirred as they worked on finding a solution to rid the flesh of the taint. "There were other researchers down here but I don't have access to their labs. To my knowledge, they all left after Xenmas fell."
"What did you do here?" Vexen asked, flipping through pages of notes.
"My job specifically was to look at magical disruption caused by Sin. He knew I could use the dark portals and he blackmailed me into taking samples from various worlds to find those that would have the biggest effect caused by the devices Xehanort had constructed." Zexion shrunk in on himself as he watched Pence scanning the room in the doorway. "I went to Twilight Town. I almost was caught that day too." The brunette thought back to the time of the war when Roxas reported a mysterious figure who had bound off Seifer's wounds. "I'm the reason Twilight Town was destroyed."
"No you weren't," Pence shot back. "Those who assemble the guns aren't the ones responsible for firing the trigger." Pence turned his head towards the king and smiled.
Zexion was taken aback. "Y-you're not mad?" he stammered.
"Why the bloody Hell would we be mad?" Vexen snapped. He marched over and waggled the papers in front of his king's face. "Look here! How do you expect to run a lab by yourself? Hmm?" Zexion opened his mouth to protest but Vexen whacked him on the head with the papers. "Impulsive, short sighted, naïve! Who was the one who had to keep your ass in line? Who's the one who had to keep scraping you off the floor?"
"You were," Zexion mumbled, keeping his gaze lowered.
"That's right. Me! I'm disappointed you wouldn't rely on my expertise! Now I'm going to read over your results tonight and by tomorrow morning I expect you in my office to discuss these," Vexen said, waiving the papers in front of Zexio's face again, "in greater detail to find a reasonable solution. Honestly!" Vexen stormed off in a huff and plonked himself down on the stool to begin reading.
"You okay?" Lexaeus asked his friend.
"Yeah," Zexion replied, his shoulders shaking. "Just like old times, huh?" The Knight smiled and nodded.
XxXxX
He figured his day couldn't get much worse, although it was still early in the afternoon so he wouldn't be surprised if it continued to go downhill. Axel had activated his armor and used one of Roxas's light dashes to pop in front of Demyx, knocking the summoner back off his feet. Leviathan roared and dove at the possessed man, tearing up the pavement as the Aeon ripped through like it was paper. Axel managed to leap out of the way and tossed his chakrams into the air. They began to glow with sunlight, although it felt more like the violent kind than the warm, comforting rays Demyx was used to. The summoner rolled back onto his feet, his eyes widening as the airborne chakrams multiplied into ten different forked wheels of dazzling death.
Definitely not a good day.
Demyx managed to dodge the first as it flew by his head. He knew the second was going to hit him but his body seemed to move on its own, throwing up his sitar to block the blow. Then he remembered Sora, Riku and Kairi were there to help him and he felt a bit more confident. Demyx let Sora's abilities flow freely through him, nimbly blocking each chakram sent his way. The last one ground against his sitar and Demyx sent it flying back at its master. Axel tipped his head to the side, the chakram whizzing past and embedding itself in the statue's base.
Water spread out from the summoner's feet and began to flood the square up to the pair's ankles. Axel scowled at the water, as it put a damper on his fire abilities, while Demyx placed a foot on top of the water's surface and pulled himself out of the small sea. The sound of water rushing into the sewers filled the air but with Kairi fueling his elemental powers, the flow seemed endless. Demyx pushed off and skated over the water's surface with ease while Axel was forced to slosh around as he moved. Leviathan burst out of the pavement next to the statue, knocking one of the details off in the process, and opened its gaping jaws. Pressurized water blasted out at the red head, forcing Axel to light dash away as the hydro-jet chased after him. Demyx slid in an arc, intercepting Axel and taking a swipe with his sitar. Axel bound out of the way, shooting into the air with a gust of wind.
"Oh, no you don't!" Demyx shouted. A pillar of water shot up and snatched Axel out of the air, dragging him down onto the pavement. Leviathan dove and took the red head in his jaws as they vanished underneath the pavement. As they reemerged, the Aeon let out a shrill cry as fire burned down its throat. Axel leapt off, or at least what Demyx assumed was the real Axel as there were two copies of him still tearing up Leviathan's face with their chakrams.
Demyx skated backwards away from the Knight and called up the water to put shackles on the man's limbs. He waved his hand and the shackles began flowing with darkness at its core, strengthening the bonds. Axel tried to rip free, glaring at the blonde as he struggled. The summoner took the moment to check on Leviathan and the Aeon had managed to knock off one of the clones with his tail. Another pressurized blast of water sent the second clone flying.
"You shouldn't look away." Demyx's eyes widened as his gaze snapped back to Axel, finding the red head inches from him glowing with Roxas's light. The Knight snatched up Demyx by the throat, the blonde squirming as it became harder to breathe. A painful gasp escaped from the summoner's lips as Axel stabbed his hand into his chest. Scalding fingers clutched around his heart, the organ beating wildly in Axel's grasp. Demyx saw the red head's image waver to an armored figure with a malicious grin.
You give up too easily.
Demyx went flying as Axel was hit in the back with Leviathan's blast. The summoner slipped into the stream, using his water abilities to go against the flow while the red head slammed into the side of a building. The water died and Demyx landed heavily on Leviathan's coils. His chest ached as blood poured from his open wound but it lessened as glimmers of light in a rainbow of colors began to close the hole. 'Kairi,' he thought.
"Thank you," Demyx gasped as he gulped down air into his lungs.
Prepare yourself, summoner. He rises. Leviathan warned. Demyx looked over to where Axel peeled himself off the damaged building, landing on the water with a scowl. The blonde's fingers twitched over the strings on his sitar, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to stop Axel. His initial energy rush had dwindled and if the fight lasted much longer, he was sure Axel would consume the Militia trio as well as himself. That was an outcome that could not happen.
"Any suggestions?" Demyx asked, watching as Axel stalked closer. He threw up his chakrams again, the pointed wheels spinning so fast with air and sunlight they looked like saw blades.
You're the Shard. That's your duty.
It suddenly clicked in Demyx's mind what he needed to do, however he lacked the tools to do so. He didn't have a keyblade. Yet he remembered that Roxas didn't have keyblades either at one point. He ran his fingers over the strings of his sitar, closing his eyes. Then he attached the instrument to its harness on his back and held out his hands in front of him. 'Okay, Shard. If you're really in there, help me out here,' Demyx requested. He tried to think of the other wielders and how they managed to summon their blades. The summon flinched as Leviathan swatted a pair of chakrams away with his tail, the Aeon roaring with distaste at the Knight. 'How can I even do this?' Demyx wondered. His knees had started to shake as time was running out. 'All the others had it easy. Radiant Garden taught them how to use keyblades. I don't have that.'
Demyx then recalled his conversation with Seifer in Djose. He remembered the Captain's blade and how he had practiced with Leon to get a blade of his own. 'They were friends back in their academy days. What do I have?' Demyx felt the fingers of his right hand curl around the crystal on his neck. He felt the faint glow, filling him with the life of his home world. Demyx concentrated on the feeling and his eyes were blasted with pale blue light. He cracked open his lids, finding his crystal shining brightly in his grasp. The light broke into long ribbons and danced around him like fish swimming in the sea. Then the ribbons began to twist together under his palm.
"Whoa!" Demyx cried out as the blade solidified in his hand, nearly knocked back off his feet. His eyes looked at the keybalde in wonder, still in disbelief that he managed to summon it. The shaft was made of interwoven azure metal with pale blue runes glowing in various places. Between some of the openings were tiny grey pebbles gently floating. The teeth were jagged and pointed like a predator's maw. The hilt and handle were wrapped in pale blue and white strips of fabric. Hanging from the keychain was a familiar sight: Leviathan. Not the Aeon he currently stood on but the crayfish-like mechanical beast guardian the Sacred Temple. Resounding through him was a name that felt right: Lost Echo. The name made the blade seem all the more real.
Demyx tightened his grip on his keyblade before shifting his gaze to the red head below. "I don't suppose you work well with others?" he asked of the Aeon.
If I must. Demyx nodded and swung his keyblade, slipping into a familiar dance. Levaithan's coils followed his feet as the summoner moved so he didn't fall and the air dipped in temperature. Shiva landed on the Aeon next to Demyx and gave her master a nod.
Demyx leapt off of Leviathan, water shooting up to his feet so he slid easily to the street below, and charged at Axel. Water shot up in all directions, latching onto the red head while the summoner dodged and blocked the whirling chakrams sent his way. One almost hit his face but slammed into an invisible barrier he didn't even realize he put up. Silently thanking Riku for looking out for him, he infused the bonds latching onto Axel with darkness to strengthen them once more.
"Now!" Demyx barked. He dug his feet into the water and braced himself. Leviathan's blast felt like it tore the skin off of his body but Demyx managed to keep some of the pressure off by pushing back against the blast. Axel strained under the weight of the water pushing down on him. The water's temperature dropped and Demyx used Riku's darkness barriers to create a bubble around him. Then the jet froze solid. The summoner released the barriers and broke free, finding Axel frozen in place. It wasn't going to last long as the Knight was already glowing with fire and light to melt away his prison.
Demyx pointed his keyblade at the man's chest and a pale blue light began to glow at the tip. Then he turned the key and the man's ice prison shattered. Axel collapsed into the street, the marks on his cheeks vanished as he returned to his normal body. Demyx rushed over, the water draining from the street, and checked on the red head. Axel was breathing but he looked sickly. Demyx dismissed his Aeons, the pair giving him a grateful nod as they vanished, and hoisted Axel's arm over his shoulder.
As he began to wonder how he was going to drag the Knight away from the square, a car drove up and slid along the wet pavement before screeching to a halt a few yards from him. Ienzo and Seifer jumped out, both looking relieved at the sight of Demyx mostly unharmed. Not that they needed to know there was a hole in the summoner's chest a couple minutes prior. Although he forgot he was still holding onto his keyblade. Seifer gave him a dark look but Demyx couldn't hide his blade even if he wanted to. Summoning it was one thing; returning it to whatever magical void it rested in was another.
"Good job tearing up the town," Seifer commented, looking over the damaged square. Demyx gave a sheepish grin and winched as he heard the statue in the center of the square groan and collapse into a pile of twisted metal and rubble.
"Did you guys stop Roxas?" the summoner asked.
"Yeah, he's out cold," Ienzo replied. "What happened with those two?"
"It was like they were possessed," Seifer commented. He rushed forward as Demyx's legs gave out and he caught the pair before their faces smashed into the street. Demyx's breathing became labored as he felt the Destiny Island trio withdraw their powers and the strain of summoning two Sacred Aeons left him on the verge of throwing up. Seifer and Ienzo helped Demyx into the passenger seat before placing Axel in the back seat next to Roxas. Ienzo crouched on the center console while Seifer drove off to the nearest hospital.
XxXxX
Roxas woke to the sight of empty blackness. It felt strange and he guessed there was a light source nearby in order for him to see at all. He pushed himself upright and noticed a tiny, golden glow off in the distance. The familiarity of the glow gave him goose bumps but he didn't let the chill bar him from venturing towards it. As he approached, he made out the golden figure he saw in his dreams a week ago before starting their journey to stop Sin.
The blonde stopped short as the figure moved, empty golden eyes turning towards him. The figure reached out a hand, prompting the blonde to take it. Roxas hesitated before reaching back. He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder and he found Lulu's frowning features staring up at the golden figure.
"Don't let him deceive you," she warned. "He's trying to undo what has already been done."
Roxas lowered his hand to his side. "Does this have to do with what you warned be about earlier?" The woman nodded, her gaze never leaving the golden figure.
"He's growing tired of waiting," Lulu stated, watching as the figure retracted his arm. Roxas felt an aura of irritation flow from the golden light. "He wants the streams to return to their flow but in doing so, he'll damage not just the worlds, but the people as well. Should he get his way, you'll disappear."
"What?!" Roxas balked. "Are you saying I wasn't supposed to exist?"
"In a way. Remember, this is no longer his story," Lulu reminded. She gave the blonde's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes turned to meet his and a thin smile pulled at her lips. "Don't let his Sin destroy you." The golden figure gave an angry roar and a bolt of gold lightning shot out at the pair. Lulu held up a hand and stopped it with her palm. "Remember, Roxas. We broke the flow once before. Now it's time to do so again." Lulu shoved the Soldier away and he fell through the floor into the darkness.
When Roxas opened his eyes, he found himself staring at an off white ceiling. He tried to remember where he was and for a moment he thought he was back in Traverse Town, although he knew that wasn't true as the Traverse Town hospital had warm grey ceilings. He lifted his head and scanned the room with his eyes. A familiar face smiled at him from his bedside and Roxas rested his head back on his pillow.
"Feeling better?" Jiji asked.
"My head hurts," Roxas replied. He found it hurt to talk, his jaw giving a throb when it moved.
"Understandable." The Soldier listened as Jiji filled him in on what happened since they arrived in Midgar. When he got to the part where darkness consumed the Soldier, Roxas became uneasy. Jiji was only able to fill in bits and pieces of his rescue, as well as Axel's, since he was busy tending to Naminé elsewhere. "She's recovered, although I can't say of the others. I have to say, hearing your tale of the war from Ienzo was rather enlightening. We were moved to a new hotel and Barret's subordinates are watching over Naminé and Ienzo for us. I think they need some quiet time after the frightful shake they had this morning."
"Where's Seifer?" Roxas asked.
"He's here too. We've been rotating between you, Demyx and Axel to make sure you're all well. You're the first one to wake," Jiji responded. "Axel appears fine but I think the ordeal drained him. The doctors gave him some medication to sleep."
"And Dem?"
The cait sith's ears swiveled, his whiskers giving a sad twitch. "He's ill, to put it gently. A pilgrimage is a lot like climbing a mountain. After achieving a certain height, you must rest and regain your strength as you adapt to the new atmosphere. Demyx has been pushing himself in order to stop Sin as fast as he can and the strain is becoming too much for him to bear. If he continues at this pace, he will die trying to summon the Final Aeon, if not before." Jiji placed a hand over Roxas's. "I know how important this quest is for you all but right now you all need rest."
"We can't stay here, though," Roxas rebutted. "There's something about the energy of this world that's different. If Axel goes berserk again before we leave, we may not have the strength to fight back."
"I see." Jiji's ears flicked back and forth as the cait sith mused. "If I may, I would like to contact an old friend of mine. Once we are finished here, he would be able to provide us shelter for a period of time to regain our strength. Then we may continue with our journey to destroy Sin."
"That's probably for the best," Roxas agreed. Jiji rose from his seat and excused himself from the room. The blonde was left alone to his thoughts and he found himself gently reaching out to the other Shards. They all gave him a reassuring glow except for Axel, who remained sleeping. Even with the drugs, the red head felt shaken. Roxas closed his eyes with a sigh before sitting up. He gave his muscles a quick stretch, testing how much strength he had left in them, and determined he was well enough to move around. The floor felt cold against his bare feet as they wandered down the hall. He made sure to alert a nurse he was going to check on his friends so he didn't cause a panic. The Traverse Town nurses were used to him not staying in bed like he should. Midgar, not so much.
He stopped by Axel's room first but didn't stay long. There wasn't much to say to a man who was merely sleeping. He wielded some bruises from his fight with Demyx but otherwise came out unscarred. Roxas tried reaching out one more time with the same results, leaving the red head's bedside with a heavy heart.
Demyx was a different story. Several IVs hooked into his arms providing saline, pain medication and several other mysterious mixtures Roxas didn't know. An oxygen mask covered the lower half of his face, small puffs of air hitting the plastic as he exhaled. His skin looked ashen and pale while a cold sweat beaded on the corners of his brow. Roxas sat in the chair already pulled up next to the bed and placed a hand over one of the summoner's.
Instantly he was hit with a wave of dizziness and his vision blacked out for a moment. Roxas clung to the side of the bed with his other hand as the moment passed. Then he felt a familiar glow. 'Aerith?' he thought. He knew it couldn't be true as Aerith died at the hands of Isa, Xenmas's queen, but yet the familiarity was unmistakable. His thoughts flowed back to the war and he recalled his meeting with her before her spirit departed. 'That's right. She gave up her spirit to bring back Demyx from the dead. But…that can't be right.' Roxas's vision returned and he managed to sit up straight again. 'Kingdom Hearts broke apart into seven Shards, the light and the dark, giving them to the new Shard holders. Does that mean Aerith actually gave Demyx the Shard instead of just using it to bring him back?' Roxas ran his thumb over the back of the summoner's hand with a frown. 'If that's the case…'
The Soldier closed his eyes and reached out to find the Shard inside his friend. There was a faint flicker and Roxas shined his light through the darkness to reach it. He found himself opening his eyes to a black void with a large stained glass window beneath his feet. The pictures on the outer circles reflected the Shards of the past, including Isa, Xion and Aerith. Roxas's heart gave a sharp pang as he saw Xion's face, the tiny smile on her lips. He placed a hand over the keyblade on his necklace.
"Roxas." The blonde whirled around and found Aerith standing there with a smile, dressing in a long white, halter-top gown and her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. "I was wondering when I'd see you again."
"Aerith…" Roxas started but the woman held up a finger, shaking her head.
"I'm just a spiritual apparition. I merely take on this form as I reside here. What I am is a fragmented Shard looking for my other half," Aerith stated. "Or in this case, you."
"Me?"
"Yes. Do you remember what happened during the war?" Aerith asked. "Do you remember that day on the beach?"
"Isa's Shard disintegrated and instead there was one inside of me," Roxas replied.
"That should not have happened," Aerith noted. "Yet somehow it did. Along the line, her Shard gave up on her and cracked. You managed to pick up a fragment and it clung to your light as well as its own, growing within you. When Xehanort tried putting Kingdom Hearts together her Shard crumbled, giving you the full piece." Aerith swept out her arm and the images on the floor changed to the current Shard holders. "Because of this, the balance was ruined. Kingdom Heart no longer had seven Shards; it had eight."
"But it fixed itself, didn't it?" Roxas pressed.
Aerith shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Xion's Shard went to Sora and Aerith's to Riku with the darkness. All the others returned to their previous holders. Yours, however, remained fragmented, torn in two between you and Isa during the war. There's a reason why you continue to falter, Roxas. You struggle to survive because Kingdom Hearts brought you back and only half of it remains within you with the light."
"How did my other half get inside Demyx then?" Roxas pressed.
"That I do not understand myself. My guess is that Kingdom Hearts recognized Aerith's spiritual energy in Demyx and remembered she was one of its Shards. As your piece was cracked, it split between the two of you. That was the day you first collapsed. Since then your Shard has been searching for its other half while still clinging onto Axel to sustain your life."
Roxas was quiet for a moment. He looked at the images on the flor, noting Demyx's sleeping figure in the center. For some reason this struck him as odd. "If Axel's the host for Kingdom Hearts, then why is the focus on Demyx?" He turned to Aerith for answers but she merely smiled.
"Like all stories, there are two sides." Roxas wanted to ask her what she meant but she vanished into a myriad of sparkles and the Soldier found himself being shaken awake. He turned to find Seifer frowning at him.
"What's with the light show?" the Captain pressed. Roxas raised a questioning eyebrow. Seifer went on to explain when he entered the room, pale yellow and blue light streamed around the pair like pyreflies. It vanished when Roxas was pulled from his mind. The Soldier gave a brief summary of his encounter with Aerith's spirit and Seifer crossed his arms over his chest with a deeper frown. "Figures," he muttered. He then began to fill in the details of the two fights that Jiji had left out, leaving Roxas mystified and intrigued by both Seifer's and Demyx's keyblades.
"So what did she mean by two sides of a story?" Seifer asked.
"I'm not sure," Roxas replied.
The elder blonde grunted. "Well, I guess we'll figure it out eventually. Nothing ever does come easy for us. I came looking for you because Reeve wants to meet up. Sounds like Hollow Bastion wants to contact us," Seifer explained. "I told them once you were better we can meet up. Figure we'd bring Ienzo along to help smooth out the king's feathers. No doubt he's worried."
"Right," Roxas murmured. He gave his captain a nod. "Thanks, Seifer. I'm really glad you decided to come with us."
"Hey, don't get soft on me, chicken shit," Seifer shot back. Roxas couldn't help but smile.
XxXxX
The ride out to Reeve's office was quiet. After Roxas discharged from the hospital, he left with Seifer to pick up Ienzo before they headed off to speak with those in Hollow Bastion. Jiji remained at the hospital to watch over Demyx and Axel. He was joined by Naminé, who didn't want to be left alone at the hotel twiddling her thumbs.
Roxas glanced at Ienzo, who sat staring straight ahead. He wondered if he could ask the teen to confirm what Aerith's spirit told him a few hours ago but he didn't quite know how. His thoughts shifted to what sort of message the others had for him and it put him on edge. Listening to Wedge hum as they drove across the city didn't help calm his nerves either. Arriving at Reeve's office, they were greeted by the man and his companion, Red the terra-cotta colored cat they met earlier, and were escorted to Reeve's office to use his computer terminal.
As they connected, they found Zexion, Ansem, Vexen and Lexaeus waiting for them. The king's shoulders relaxed at the sight of his brother. "I'm glad you're all well," Zexion said.
"For the most part," Ienzo replied. "Demyx isn't feeling good but I guess that's to be expected."
"He's pushing too hard," Ansem muttered. Roxas was glade Ienzo didn't bring up their scuffle earlier that morning or any of the other details of their trials along their journey. Maybe no news really was good news.
"So what's with the call?" Ienzo asked. "We've only been gone for a week. You can't miss me that much."
"I'm afraid it's much more serious than that," Vexen brought up. He went on to explain the cryptic message they received from Twilight Town as well as the visit to the world. Roxas's and Seifer's expressions turned dark as Vexen went into details of what they encountered. "We did make an…interesting discovery there. Perhaps it would be best if we showed you." Roxas and Seifer exchanged looks while Vexen beckoned to someone off screen.
"P-Pence?!" Roxas cried, nearly falling out of his chair, as he recognized his friend as the brunette stepped into the frame. Seifer raised an eyebrow, his crossed arms tightening.
"Heya, Roxas," Pence greeted with a small wave. "Long time no see. Rocking a new hair color I see." Roxas forgot the red was starting to show and ran a hand through his locks.
"Um, yeah. How are you alive? How…?" Pence gave a brief explanation to his survival as well as some details on the Sin spawn that now consumed the world. It hurt to hear what happened to Twilight Town over the years and Roxas felt like he was stuck in a daze from the surrealism of Pence's survival. He jerked out of his thoughts when the Hollow Bastion crew stopped talking and stared at him for a response. "Sorry?"
"We asked what you knew of the pictures in the old mansion," Vexen repeated.
"They're just scribbles," Roxas replied, unsure why the scientist was so interested in them. Lexaeus unfolded the page they took and Zexion held it up to the screen. Roxas paled at the sight of Kingdom Hearts staring at him, although Seifer merely grunted. "I don't remember drawing them, sorry."
"It's clear you had some connection to Kingdom Hearts before the war reached its peak," Vexen noted. "We were hoping you could fill us in."
"Well, I accidentally met the princess of Radiant Garden when I was small and that's supposedly when the light looked to me for safekeeping," Roxas remarked. "I think I started drawing them shortly after. But I stopped once I entered the Twilight Guard and none of the pictures look familiar."
"Roxas, we think that after your encounter with the princess, Kingdom Hearts tried to warn you of something. Then once Radiant Garden fell and you received the light, your memories of those warnings vanished, or at least were never there to begin with. Subconscious thoughts, if you will," Vexen explained.
"And what does this have to do with now?" Roxas pressed.
"Please take a good look at the picture again and tell me what you see," Vexen requested. Zexion held up the sketch one more time and the Twilight pair looked it over thoroughly. Roxas wasn't sure what they wanted him to see when Seifer stiffened next to him.
"What is it?" Roxas murmured.
"That's not Hollow Bastion," Seifer stated. Roxas wanted to ask how he knew when he saw it, the faint outline of a heart glowing in the background. Yet he knew it wasn't a heart. It was a moon. The drawing didn't depict what happened three years ago. It warned what was going to happen in the future.
In the World That Never Was. The realm of the nobodies.
Zexion lowered the picture from the camera. "We're worried for you all," he said, folding the picture on his lap. "Please be careful out there. I have a feeling things are only going to get worse from here on out."
"We'll be careful," Ienzo promised. Zexion gave a nod. They ended their transmission there, both sides keeping their secrets so the others wouldn't worry. The trio in Midgar remained silent for awhile as they digested the new information they learned. "So Axel's…"
"Stop," Roxas snapped. "Please, stop. I don't want to hear it." Ienzo didn't need to see to know the blonde was shaking. Seifer placed a hand on top of the Soldier's head.
"We'll figure it out," the Captain reassured him. Ienzo wasn't too sure himself but he could see the darkness starting to roll around in Roxas as the blonde feared the worst. He didn't want to become Kingdom Heart's slave again and, if the worst were to happen, he would lose his life.