Sahxyel: Hello. New chapter. Hooray. This is just on Nexaild and his journey through the castle.
Disclaimer Guy: ...That's it?! Okay, I think Sahxyel's is getting burnt out. Scary. Ownage? No.
Chapter 25: Nobody's Plight and Fairy Flight
As small gust of wind swept through the front of the castle, allowing three small beings to shiver in the cold wind. They hovered a few feet above the ground, looking hopefully at the door of the castle.
"Brr! It's chilly!" One piped up in a loud voice, rubbing her arms to regain body temperature. She looked to the two who floated next to her. "When's Leon going to get out here?!"
"He's probably just talking to Cid." Another one said, somewhat more calmly than the first one. "Just wait for a little Rikku-"
"How can I wait in this weather?" The hovering being, Rikku, whined. "It's cold!"
The third being, wearing mostly black, sighed in exasperation. "If he's not out here in three minutes-"
"Yuna! Can't we just go inside?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
The one dressed in black sniffed, "Ever since you broke that one thing."
Rikku shrugged, "It wasn't my fault Paine!"
Paine rolled her eyes, "Says you."
The tree continued to squabble unmercifully, unaware that a black cloaked figure was trudging up to where they were, apparently grumbling to himself while using the large silver staff he held for a walking stick. He brushed the black strands of hair from his eyes, looking around curiously.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
"What the heck is going on?" Nexaild wondered, hearing many voices talking at the same time. Blinking, he walked up the stairs, onto a large platform while was connected to another series of stairs that led down to the entrance of the large imposing castle. Three beings hovered in the middle of the platform, all snapping heatedly at one another. Confused, Nexaild approached the group. "Is there anything wrong here?"
"NO!" All three spun around, glaring at Nexaild before stopping themselves. They stared at him as he stared back.
"Uhh...hi?" Nexaild greeted uneasily, looking the three over. The first one in the front had brown hair and differently colored eyes, as opposed to the blonde one that hung to the right. The final being hovered to the left, her cold eyes staring at Nexaild unbelievably. Then...all three flew quickly away, down over the ledge and into the castle.
"Hey! Wait!" Nexaild called, running after them. He hopped over the ledge, landing on the concrete below and raced after, entering a hallway of some sorts. For a short second, Nexaild saw a sparkle of something at the end of the hall before it disappeared.
It didn't take long for Nexaild to fully make it down the hall, but as soon as he did, he frowned. Different halls branched from the main one, all leading in different directions. Sighing and sounding completely frustrated, he looked down all of them, hoping to see a faint shimmer of something, suggesting that the fairy-like beings were close by. No such luck.
Scratching his head, Nexaild swept around again, looking around the halls. Without any real reason, he walked down the one directly opposite to the exit of the castle, hoping that ANYONE would be there.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
"We need to tell Leon about this!" Yuna shouted, zipping down another hall and straight for a door at the very end. Paine and Rikku followed closely, the sparkles flying from them and landing on the ground.
"I can't believe it! A Nobody, less an ORGANIZATION member!" Rikku shouted in surprise. Paine nodded in agreement before helping Yuna open the door. The three fairies fluttered inside before shutting the door with a loud 'snap!'.
"Hey! Didn't I tell you three to stay outside?" A stern voice asked from behind them. The three spun around to see a man standing behind them, with shoulder length brown hair and a scar across his face. Presently, he looking slightly irked.
"B-b-b-But LEON!" Rikku whined again, "You won't BELIEVE what we saw!"
"Is it that 'Behemoth' heartless you three saw last week?" Leon asked sarcastically, making the three frown.
"No! We really saw something important this time!" Yuna protested, pointing to the door. "We saw a Nobody out there!"
"Really?" Leon looked surprised, "I thought all the Nobodies vanished, ever since Sora defeated Organization XIII, I haven't seen one." He looked like he was deep in thought, "Well? Was it a Dusk, or one of the larger ones like a Gambler?"
"It was an Organization member Leon!" Rikku squealed, zipping around the room in a panic. "Whatarewegoingtodo?!"
"What are you talking about? All of the members were destroyed." Leon stated, looking irked at the three again. "Every single one's been taken care of. Are you sure you actually saw someone in a black cloak like the Organization's walking around, or just someone wearing alot of black?"
The three stared at Leon in disbelief, "He walked right up to us Leon." Paine said, articulating everything precisely. "I'd think after spying on that lame group for Maleficent, we'd know an Organization member when we see one."
A voice carried from the room connected to the one the four were standing in, "That'd explain why heartless are showing up alot more!"
Rikku turned to the hall, "Thanks Cid!"
"I'm just telling yeh what I think!"
"Come on Leon, it won't hurt to just see if we're right." Yuna pleaded, giving him the most persuasive look she could muster. The man stared at her before sighing and reaching behind a desk in the room.
"You better not be pulling the wall over my eyes again." Leon growled, withdrawing a large silver weapon. All three fairies darted around him as he opened the door, allowing the three out before himself. "Now, where is this 'member'?"
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
"Where'd they go?" Nexaild wondered, walking down yet another hallway. The castle was seemingly under construction, so many paths were blocked off by bits of metal and pipe that stopped any further exploring. He soon came back into the intersection of all the hallways, wondering which one he should try next.
Looking hopefully at his staff, Nexaild wondered if it could help him in one way or another. Sadly, all it seemed to do was give off a comforting, and if not eerie, green glow. The Nobody symbol spun slowly inside the green orb, telling the Nobody that Danny wasn't in the vicinity.
Sighing, he looked around a final time. The fairies that he had seen at the front of the castle had all but vanished in the labyrinth of halls. He turned, but realized something with a sinking sensation,
"How do I get outta here?"
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
"Okay. Where did you three see him last?" Leon asked calmly, his hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. The four stood outside of the castle, on the same platform the three fairies hovered above earlier. Yuna spoke up, while Rikku and Paine looked around for any trace of the Nobody.
"We were floating right here, talking about how cold it was, when he walked up from the path over there." Yuna explained, pointing to the only path up to the castle. "He was carrying a staff, with a weird green orb on the top."
Leon glanced around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "Anything else? Was his hood down?"
"Yeah!" Rikku piped up excitedly. "He had messed up black hair and blue eyes!"
"And he looked about 15-ish." Paine added boredly, still trying to find anything.
Again, Leon frowned at the three fairies. "Funny. I don't remember in any of the notes Sora gave to me about the Organization describe a member who looks like that." His steely gaze hardened, "Not one."
The three looked at Leon, obviously horrified that he wouldn't believe what they were saying. "B-b-but!"
Without another word, Leon turned, shouldering his Gunblade and headed back down the stairs towards the castle. He headed back inside, not even glancing back at the crushed Gullwings.
"I can't believe him!" Yuna fumed, glaring at the entrance to the castle. "He didn't believe us!"
"Yeah!" Rikku added, pouting.
"I can believe it." Paine said, "We haven't been saying believable things recently. Why'd he believe us now?"
"Because we're right!" Rikku pointed out. The other two nodded in agreement, before they all gave a collective sigh.
"Well, now what do we do?"
"I dunno."
Yuna stared hard at the entrance of the castle. "You know, I bet that the Nobody ran in there, and kept avoiding us when we went through with Leon."
"Oh yeah, how could anyone get past Leon in there?" Paine scoffed, "You'd have to be idiotically lucky-"
"Look!" Rikku gasped, pointing at the entrance and silencing Paine. The three peered over the edge of the railing to see the black cloaked Nobody stagger out of the castle. His staff with the orb glowed brightly, illuminating the dim corner in an eerie green glow.
"Well, what do you know. He was idiotically lucky." Yuna said, amazed that the Nobody had managed to miss Leon twice. The Nobody looked around, seemingly confused, and scratched his head. Although they were a ways away, the Gullwings could hear what he said.
"Great. I find three people who could help me find Sora and they totally disappear. Just great!"
Gasping, the Gullwings huddled in a pow-wow, hastily discussing betwixt themselves about the situation at hand.
"What should we do?"
"We need to tell Leon about this guy-"
"How're we going to get him to believe us?"
"Well, we need to do something!"
"Why not bring the Nobody to Leon?"
"That's stupid!"
"That's crazy!"
"...It's the only way to get him to believe us now."
"..."
"..."
"Fine."
"Umm, excuse me-" The Gullwings leaped at least a foot in the air in surprise. During their talk, the Nobody had managed to get back up the stairs and was within three feet of them. He looked at them all curiously, his icy blue eyes studying them critically. "I was wondering if you could help me?"
"..." The three stared at him again, not knowing fully what to say. Rikku and Paine looked to one another, before pushing Yuna out in front of them.
"Umm..." Yuna blinked, still shocked. The Nobody blinked back, before giving the three a confused look.
"I was looking for someone, but I don't know where I can find him." The Nobody explained, "And I thought he might have been over here, or at least someone that know him..."
"Who?" Yuna asked faintly, before Paine elbowed her hard in the ribs.
"Umm, the Keyblade Wielder. You know, Sora?" He said hopefully. The three continued to stare before Yuna managed to speak again.
"I don't know if he's here or not. But we know someone who'd know."
The Nobody perked up instantly, his blue eyes shining with relief. "Really?"
"Yeah...we can lead you to him if you want." Yuna replied, a little more strongly. Rikku nodded a little while Paine fixed the Nobody with a hard stare. He nodded back, taking a deep sigh.
"Phew, I thought for a second I wasn't going to find anyone here." He managed a small smile. "Thanks."
"No problem." Yuna replied, motioning for everyone to go back into the castle. They hovered in the air a good couple feet in front of the Nobody, the three smiling to one another and winking.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Relief couldn't have been an emotion. Nexaild was sure of it upon hearing that someone knew Sora and that they would bring him to that person. He followed the three at a respectful distance, since they all seemed to be a little jumpy around him. For every fiber in his nonexistent being, he wondered why, but the answers all cleverly alluded him.
The fairies led him down hall upon hall, making Nexaild a bit dizzy before ending up in a new place. This room was another connecting room, but unlike the last one, only one hallway was open. Metal and pipes closed off the other halls.
"Down here!" the blonde fairy chirped, fluttering towards the only open hall. Sighing, he followed, and was again relieved to see that a door sat at the very end of the hall. The other two fairies had started opening the door, but backed off when Nexaild approached and slid it all the way open. He looked down to the fairies, to see that they were all pressed against the wall. "What are you-?"
BLAM!
With no notice, a large fireball collided with Nexaild, sending him sprawling to the ground. His cloak however, was not burned within the least. He groaned loudly, before feeling cold metal press right against his neck.
"Don't move Nobody." A voice snarled. Nexaild's mind instantly rewound back to what Axel had said in the great maw. Inwardly, he cursed himself for being so naive and gullible.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
"Alright Leon!" Rikku cheered, pumping a fist into the air. The Nobody was now pinned under Leon's large Gunblade, unable to move without slicing his neck open. The staff he carried had landed too far away for him to use, which gave Leon all the better advantage.
"Go get Merlin. Now." Leon ordered, looking directly at the Gullwings. With an over-zealous salute, the three zipped into the room, heading into the next hall, which led to the Computer Room.
Inside the Computer Room, Cid was typing away like mad, trying to decrypt the computer with the help of Tron and 'the loony wizard'. The screen only showed a 'Data Corrupt' popup, making the man chew on his toothpick in anger.
"I told you we should use magic to fix it." An old wizard who wore blue sniffed, looking at Cid haughtily.
"Just shut up!" Cid snapped back. The Gullwings all chuckled at this, but remembered the mission they were on, so all started zipping around the room frantically.
"Merlin!"
"We need to tell you something!"
"Blast it all!" Merlin snapped, stepping out of the way of a zooming Rikku. "Just tell me and get on with it!"
"Leon just caught a Nobody from Organization XIII! He has him pinned down! Come on!" Yuna exclaimed, tugging on Merlin's beard to get him to walk. The wizard shooed the fairy away from his beard, before walking towards the study. Curious, and too frustrated to work on the computer, Cid followed.
Upon entering the study, the Gullwings saw that Leon moved the Nobody inside. The door was shut, and the Nobody was up against the wall, the Gunblade a few centimeters above his throat. "My word!" Merlin said, looking utterly surprised.
"Well I'll be." Cid muttered, scratching his chin. The Nobody's eyes darted around, looking at everyone before blinking. It was no mistaking the black cloak was identical to the Organization's, and those were custom-made. No one could readily get one.
"Wha-What's going on?!" The Nobody shouted, "I-"
"Shut up." Leon snarled, pressing the Gunblade closer to the Nobody's neck. He silenced, but appeared to be slightly confused. Merlin frowned at the Nobody, stroking his beard in a thoughtful manner.
"The King needs to be notified about this. It is rather an important situation." He murmured. Without a moment's delay, the old wizard disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, much to the 'surprise' of the Nobody.
The Gullwings looked to one another, before chirruping gleefully. "We told you so!"
Leon's glare wiped the smiles off of their faces. "Go and tell Yuffie about this. There might be more of them prowling around."
The three fairies looked to one another, before shrugging. "Whatever." Yuna said. In three flashes of light, the Gullwings vanished, once again 'surprising' the Nobody.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Nexaild tried his hardest not to move a muscle. The man holding the strange gun-like weapon at his throat wouldn't default with his grip. The metal still pressed uncomfortably close to his neck, making him desperately wish that Zexion taught him how to fully call a portal. He was mentally trying summon a portal to engulf him, but alas, nothing appeared. Apparently, he was still too young as a Nobody to fully handle the portal summoning yet.
The man with the blonde hair shook his head, "I never thought we'd have to deal with this again."
"So did I." The man holding the weapon muttered, glaring at Nexaild. He couldn't help but frown, not quite knowing why he was getting punished for something he never did. Then again, Axel did say that most people in the town didn't take well to Nobodies.
Even still, this really sucked.
A sudden plume of smoke appeared in the middle of the room, allowing the brunette who held the sword to look up. Nexaild also watched with fascination as seven figures materialized in the thick smoke. The same man wearing all blue stepped out of the cloud, sweeping away the smoke. Still, Nexaild could see who was there.
"He was right!" A voice exclaimed, shocked.
"Another Nobody, wearing an Organization cloak of all things!" Another piped up. A bark accompanied that, suggesting that one of the figures was a dog.
"Well, we can finish him right now-"
"No!" Nexaild shouted out, eyes widening. He didn't care if the man with the sword pressed it tighter, he still needed to speak. "I'm not going to sit here and let you all destroy what me and my Other have been trying hard to fix!"
"Other?" This time, a high-pitched voice spoke questioningly. The smaller figure in the smoke made a motion to the man holding the sword. Reluctantly, the man withdrew this gun-like weapon from his neck. Instantly, Nexaild rubbed the spot, hoping that nothing was damaged.
"Don't you try anything funny." He growled sharply at Nexaild, before lowering the weapon. Nexaild gave a defiant glare before turning to the group that had appeared.
"Me and my Other traveled far to try and find the Keybearer, so that he could help us remerge." Nexaild explained. One of the figures in the smoke moved slightly, but only just. "We came here, seeking him, but we sorta got separated. Our heart's locked in a heartless that we have, and all we need him to do is to release it so we can be completed." He sighed, "And that won't happen if I get wasted before we can find him."
"He's lying!" One of the taller figures spat. A sudden slash through the smoke revealed a silver haired teenager, wielding a peculiar blade, who was glaring at Nexaild. The smoke had all been cleared away, revealing the others who were there.
To Nexaild's curiosity, a duck, dog, and mouse who stood on their hind legs all gazed at him suspiciously, as though casting judgment. The other three were teenagers, one with ridiculously spiky brunette hair, the silver haired one with the weird blade, and a girl with maroon colored hair. She held a green dog with red eyes and a spiky collar in her arms, which also gazed at Nexaild curiously.
"I'm not lying!" Nexaild snapped back, starting to get frustrated. The newcomers still looked at him suspiciously, making him sigh.
Suddenly, the green dog yipped, leaping out of the girl's arm. It padded directly up to Nexaild, sniffing him critically.
After circling Nexaild several times, it sat in front of him, starting to wag his tail very quickly. Nexaild stared back at the pup, before something snapped in his head. It was some memory of the dog, not his, but from Danny, way long ago. His mind flashed pictures of training the pup and trying to keep it out of danger. Eyes widening, one word summed up the entire memory.
"Cujo?!"
The dog barked in reply, before leaping into Nexaild's arms and licking him on the face.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Sahxyel: Enjoy. Now to just make a small announcement. I would like to request something, cause only I know how much I want to see it. I supply this crossover to you, and would request that someone write a crossover for me. Please! I'm dying to see a Danny Phantom/Ghostbusters Crossover! Yes, shameless I know, but really! I can't write it for obvious reasons, so I'd like to ask someone to take the initiative to write one! Okay, announcement done, now on to reviews!
Danny: We're back!
Random Moogle: Kupo! Miss us?
Replies to Reviews:
Cold-heart-Angel23: Thanks! And updated!
Mike Industries: Keeping it up! And thank you!
Nobody Famous: Yeah, I know. But hey, Cujo reminds me of my dog. As long as it gets attention, it doesn't care if it involves something highly dangerous. No. Not the center of light in the universe...
Linda: Updated and thank you! Now, go play KH2! You can beat Xigbar! Go!
best with breadsticks: Yeah, Cloud's like that...alot.
Firehedgehog: Okay..?
i AM the Random Idiot: Yes! He will be here very soon. But not now. Luckily. Merlin came in at last second and saved Disney Castle! Unwittingly that is. Actually, credit to saving the castle goes to Nex if you think about it...
watashi wa jeru desu: It's okay, I think I'm corny too. It's just a corny world. Hehe, anyway, thanks for that mental image, I don't think anyone would pry my spirit away from My Preciousssss...
Yuleen75: Cliffhanger suck. I suck. I know I suck. I hate myself for cliffhangers. (sighs) But I do it anyway.
Silvia: Well, here's the next chapter. And this is a VERY interactive fic if anyone's noticed. I do take some suggestions readers have to heart you know. But that was earlier in this, now I know EXACTLY what I'm doing. It's great isn't it? (sweat-drops) Ehehehe...
--- --- ---
Random Moogle: Well, that's it for this chapter, and we'd all like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!
Danny: And a good New Year too!...Okay, I said it, now untie me!
Me: Fine! While I'm untying Danny, please Review! Thanks!