Draco: WHY DID NO ONE FREAK OUT ABOUT THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER? ROXAS KAIGARA WAS BLOWN UP! I BRACED MYSELF WITH COUNTERARGUMENTS! COME ON, THE ONE TIME I'M PREPARED FOR PEOPLE TO GET PISSED AT ME AND YOU DON'T? Feymarch, what is it that makes you guys so calm about people dying. Jeez. If I have to kill Kairi to get you guys to start giving appropriate responses to stuff like (implied) character death, I will. And I'll make Sora do it. I've done it before.

Nah, I jest. I dropped a lot more hints than I should have. I can admit that now {Xehanort face}. I'm not going to tell you where I got the idea from because it's still more or less new and some people haven't seen it yet, but I am going to tell you they did it a lot better than I did. Once it's been out for a while, then I'll start telling you guys where I'm getting references.

Hey, warning! Pseudo-Final-Fantasy-VII plot ahead! Prepare to be confused! I already am.

Characters, weapons, origins © Square Enix and Disney. Monsters, setting, and encyclopedia © Akihisa Ikeda.

Chapter 26: Escape

"You... What are you? Some kind of immortal?"

The figure of Roxas, crafted from remnant flames, only laughed. He could hear Slasher and his team getting out of range as he began to gather what he could. He didn't have long - if he didn't act fast, the body would die and take his consciousness with it.

"Okay, yeah, no," Roxas admitted. "Asura is an immortal. Bahamut is an immortal. But me? I'm not."

What was left of Roxas' body began to combust, flames forming pillars atop his hands.

"Because mortal is enough to deal with you."

He shot forward.

The robe shot forward.

The robe hit first, and a blade of darkness tore through Roxas' body as the flames on his hands faltered.

Roxas glanced down at the cut point. "Well, damn."

He raised his gaze to the robe... and smirked as was wrapped in red-hot ice, erupting on the spot.

+x+x+x+

His fist slammed into the mattress as the infirmary shook.

"That could've gone better."

Roxas exhaled deeply, his breath sparking slightly. Naminé was standing next to him, and she set a hand on his arm. "Did you get Kairi out?"

"Yeah," Roxas confirmed, "but that robe kicked my ass. I think I blew up the infirmary front doors."

"How did you do that?" Naminé asked. "Doesn't it hurt for you to produce something like that... solid heat?"

Roxas shook his head. "Nah, it's just a bit of energy. Worst case scenario, I'll have to rest for an extra day before I can use my foxfire again." He turned to the witch. "What about you? How're you handling that... what'd you call it, magic poisoning?"

Naminé sighed, flexing the fingers of her chain arm. "It's getting better," she murmured. "Still a bit painful, but I should be fine."

"That's good," Roxas mused. A sigh passed through his lips. "Hope they make it."

+x+x+x+

Fenrir was halfway to the tunnel when Sora heard someone approaching them.

Impressive, considering it had taken them all of five seconds to get halfway to the tunnel.

The Yokai bus was storming towards them at a perpendicular, moving at speeds no bus should logically be able to move. Directly where they were going to impact was the bus driver, who was standing with one hand aiming at Sora, Kairi, and Xion and the other hand angled towards the bus, a dark, almost empty grin on his face.

Sora didn't have time to wonder who the hell was driving the bus - he had to act now.

"Xion! Hold on!"

The Keyslinger drove his weapon into the ground, slammed on the brakes, and twisted the handlebars of Fenrir, causing the blade slots to open. The combination of added surface area and the wheels grinding against the earth provided a lot of drag, and Sora's Keyblade caused the bike to veer into a sideways skid. The bus driver's empty grin vanished - the bus began to skid its own tires against the ground, but it had a lot more mass, and inevitably the massive vehicle neared the driver.

Sora expected a sudden stop, maybe a crumpled hood and a massive lift of the rear end that he would have to skid under.

Nope.

The front end slammed into the bus driver as the bus continued on its path unhindered.

The blade slots on Fenrir closed as Sora righted the bike and roared towards the Tunnel Of The Fourth Dimension, wind whistling through the muscle tissue bound around him. He made sure he was lined up properly before closing his eyes and focusing. The cross against the crown of his rosario lit up, and the gem in the center began to shine as they passed the curtain of darkness.

"Come on, come on, come on..."

Kairi thrashed against her binds, but Sora refused to waver his concentration.

"Come on... come on... come on!"

Xion's voice behind him called towards him; "Sora, we've got light!"

Sora's eyes snapped open - the light had appeared at the end of the tunnel, and was getting very close very quickly as Sora narrowed his gaze.

"Finally!"

The moment they left the darkness of the Tunnel, everything turned bleak.

Xion gasped, looking around and coughing weakly as Sora continued to drive, slowing it down to a small-town speed. "Sora... is this...?"

The Keyslinger nodded.

"Welcome to Midgar."

He glanced at the ruins of the city as they passed the first few decimated structures.

"At least... what's left of it."

+x+x+x+

Sora took Xion and Kairi to a mostly intact building near the center of the city. Despite Kairi constantly thrashing against her bonds, Xion managed to bring her inside without touching the holy chains as Sora showed them in.

"What's all this?" the snowgirl asked.

"The old Seventh Heaven bar," Sora replied. "Cloud and his friends used to use this place as an old hangout. After that Makonoid scandal with Shinra, social constructs started to... well, fall apart. It hit an all-time high after some pro at the top of the SOLDIERs kind of went all... omnicidal."

Xion was surprised. "And Cloud stopped him?"

Sora angled his head from side to side. "Not on his own, he didn't," he admitted. "But the battle was kind of, uh... hellious. All these ruins? That was one fight."

"You speak of it as though you were there," Xion mused.

The Keyslinger only gave a brief laugh. It faltered out before too long.

"I told you your mom used to visit Cloud, right?" he prompted. "Cloud was kind of... depressed, after she left. When I started to understand things a little better, I let him confide in me. He started picking himself up once he had let it all out."

Kairi thrashed again in Xion's grip, causing her to pull away in shock; but she faltered before too long, and slowly the human-turned-ghoul fell to the ground, weakened.

Sora sighed, glancing around. He approached what appeared to be a rather nondescript pinball machine in the corner of the room, with an Out Of Order sign plastered on the backboard. "Bring her over here for me, will you?"

Carefully, the snow fairy pulled Kairi over to the pinball machine. When she was nearby, Sora locked gazes with her.

"Memorize these movements."

He set his hand in the center of the game board; then he swept his fingers across the surface, tracing a curious pattern over the game. It ended where it had started, and when it had finished, the machine shook suspiciously. Xion stepped back as the pinball machine sunk into the floor, sliding out of the way as a small, bright square of solid steel rose in its place.

"What the...?"

"Cloud's gang called themselves AVALANCHE," Sora replied. "They held meetings here - an out-of-the-way run-down old bar isn't your local hangout. But it was still a functioning bar, and they couldn't exactly plot anti-world-domination strategies in plain view. So they held their meetings down here."

He beckoned to the platform; Xion stepped on, pulling Kairi with her, and Sora stepped on after them as it began to descend.

Below looked like what used to be a meeting room. Two broken pieces of a large table were pushed into the corners to make room for a large, unfavourable mattress that lie in the middle of the room. Next to it was a small bag labelled Kingdom.

Sora picked the bag and beckoned to the bed. "Set her down on here."

Xion lay Kairi on the mattress as Sora dug through the bag. "Do you live here or something?" she asked.

"No," Sora admitted. "I had to stop at Midgar on my way to Yokai to get gas. I had been told to meet the bus outside of town the next day, but Fenrir was a lot faster than I thought, so I made my way to the bar and set up a little... nesting ground down here. I knew I forgot something. Thought I left the stove on."

A bright look lit up on his face, and Xion watched as he drew out a cell phone - a small, nondescript flip-phone that looked rather... outdated. "Here," he prompted, reaching into his pocket and drawing out the smartphone that Shijin had given him. "Take this, familiarize yourself with it. That's your connection to Roxas and the rest of the group at school. The only numbers in there are Slasher's gang and him. Roxas is under 'Yokai client'."

Xion seemed excited as she accepted the cell. "Thanks," she murmured.

"No problem," he insisted. "Hold on, we gotta put each other's number in. If we need to keep separate, I'll call you when I need you. I'm gonna call Cloud and see if he can meet us with a little more... sturdy transportation."

+x+x+x+

"Well?"

Yazoo huffed irritably from his refuge point in the foliage near the bus turnaround. "I was right," he prompted into his cell. "Kingdom has found a way to pass through the school's shadow tunnel. He's left the school grounds."

Kadaj growled on the other end. "If he's got passage, that's a problem. Grab Loz and rendezvous at the abandoned prison. I need to have a talk with Kingdom's friends."

"Understood," Yazoo replied. He flicked his phone shut and started back towards their hangout as the bells went off around the school.

+x+x+x+

A phone went off.

It was in an empty room of the bar, a well-known facility in a small town called Edge. Normally, that room was well-occupied, but its usual inhabitant was absent at the moment. The phone rang alone for a moment; then a young girl in white stepped into the room and picked it up.

"Hi. Strife Delivery Service. You name it, we deliver it."

There was a confused hum from the other end of the line. "Um... who is this?"

The girl didn't recognize the voice on the other end. "My name is Marlene," she said warily.

"Oh! Marlene! Sorry. Can I speak with Cloud, please?"

"Cloud's not here," Marlene insisted, growing concerned.

There was a disappointed sigh from the other end. "Is... is Tifa there?"

Marlene didn't answer. "Who am I talking to?" she asked.

"It's me, Sora."

The girl's face lit up. "Sora!" she exclaimed. "Hold on a minute, I'll go get Tifa!"

+x+x+x+

"Hey, fangs, that you?"

Sora chuckled as the phone was picked back up. "Tifa~a. Long time. How's the bar doing? Things going well?"

"Good business," Tifa admitted. "Marlene said you wanted to see Cloud?"

"Is he seriously doing business in the Hardy-Daytona?" Sora prompted. "He said it sucked for deliveries. I couldn't believe he let me take Fenrir."

"No, it's still here. Sidecar's still here, too. Cloud had to see a man about a Chocobo."

Sora pulled back. "Excuse me?"

Tifa laughed on the other end. "That's his flimsy excuse for birthday shopping," she whispered into the line. "Marlene's birthday is coming up and he said he wanted to get her something nice." She was quiet for a moment. "Hey, it says you're calling from the old bar. What're you doing in Midgar? Didn't think they'd let you off the school grounds."

The question caused Sora's carefree attitude to fade. "Look, Tifa... I got a problem. I have a friend here from school. She and I..."

"Sneaking off grounds for a date?" Tifa joked. "Naughty boy, Sora. Don't see the attraction in Migdar, but I bet there's a ton of drinks at the old place waiting to-"

"Would you listen to me for a second?" Sora insisted. "This is serious."

That shut Tifa up. "What's going on?"

Sora glanced at Xion, who was absently looking over the - admittedly still-full - liquor cupboard. She didn't look nearly interested, however; it was obvious she was staying out of the conversation. Tifa and the rest of Cloud's gang knew about the whole 'monsters and magic' scenario - Zack and Aerith weren't the only ones around."

"I'm with a friend from Yokai. Our situation's kind of... sensitive, so I can't say much over the line, but we have Kairi Chikai with us."

"Chikai?" Tifa mused. "That surname sounds kinda familiar... Who are her parents?"

Sora sighed. "She doesn't want to talk about her dad, but lending her 'spending money' justifies a grand. Thing is, Kairi... she's human."

Tifa gave a muffled yelp. There was a bit of chatter - she must have been speaking with customers at the bar - before she returned to the conversation. "A human?" she whispered into the line. "I thought you said Yokai Academy was a strictly monstrous institution."

"She showed up by freak accident," Sora replied. "I ran into her on day one. She was keeping herself a secret, but someone found out. We've got a few friends at Yokai trying to calm the situation down. We're in a different problem, though. Kairi's in a... sensitive condition. I brought her here on Fenrir, but I had to go really slow as soon as I lost my pursuers. It's really not a safe-transport vehicle. Do you think you could bring the Hardy-Daytona to the old Heaven with the sidecar and we can talk then?"

There was a worried grunt on the other end. "Sora, I'm kinda busy," Tifa insisted. "Business has been through the roof recently. Something's going on in Edge and people keep dropping by for their drinks. Plus, it's the Holy Wave celebration tonight. If I shut down the bar, people are gonna start thinking that..."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Look, just drive over when you get the chance, okay? We're gonna have to stick around Midgar and lay low until we can do something about Kairi's condition. We'll be here all day."

"You got it."

The Keyslinger sighed, hanging the phone back up. "It's gonna be a long night, Xion," he admitted, turning to the snow fairy.

Xion was quiet for a moment. Then she reached into the cupboard and pulled out a bottle. "Well," she prompted, turning to Sora and closing the door behind her, "might as well make time fly."

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh, don't. No. Please. You're Aerith Gainsborough's daughter and I'm an Ramuh-damned vampire. We're going to get wasted and then you're going to make this place look like Shiva got wasted and then Van is going to kill me and then Zack is going to kick my dead ass and then Aerith is going to put the ashes of my soul in the waters of Pandaemonium. Please. Just don't."

The snow fairy looked disappointed. "Come on, Sora, please?"

"Alchohol is my Jade Passage, Xion," Sora insisted. "If you want to, I'm not going to stop you, but nothing on this mortal earth can make me drink that stuff."

A sigh passed through Xion's lips as she put the bottle back. "Well, what else should we do?"

Sora drummed his fingers on the counter. "I gotta hide Fenrir. The bike is a dead giveaway. After that... I guess we can try looking through the abandoned shops. I bet there's something here you'd like."

+x+x+x+

"Sora, I'm kinda busy," Tifa prompted into the phone. "Business has been through the roof recently. Something's going on in Edge and people keep stopping by for their drinks. Plus, it's the Holy Wave celebration tonight. If I shut down the bar, people are gonna think..."

Marlene knew what she was talking about. The Holy Wave celebration was the most cherished event in Edge. To close the bar would raise the implications that Tifa was against it.

She heard Sora speaking from the other end of the line. Tifa nodded. "You got it," she prompted. She pulled away from her ear and hit End before handing the phone to Marlene. "Could you hang that back up in Cloud's room?" she asked.

"Sure," Marlene complied. "What did Sora want?"

"He's stuck in Midgar at the old bar and can't bring Cloud's bike back," Tifa replied. "He asked if I could bring the Hardy and the sidecar, but I had to tell him to wait."

Marlene thought a moment. "Why don't I handle the Holy Wave party?" she asked. "Then you can go get Sora!"

Tifa chuckled. "Sorry, sweetie, I don't think that'll work. You remember how busy it got during the Holy Wave last year?" Marlene nodded. "Well, think of that..." she did a quick sweep of the bar and finished, "three times over."

"Woah," Marlene murmured. "Well, why don't I take the Hardy to Sora?"

The hostess' eyes widened, horrified. "Um... that's not a good idea, Marlene," she insisted. "It's alright. Sora said he could wait. He needs to stay hidden, so there's no sense in going in with a party."

Marlene felt kinda suspicious, but she just took the phone back to Cloud's room.

+x+x+x+

"Why exactly can't you bring Kairi to Cloud's place on Fenrir?" Xion asked as they dragged the bike into the ruins of an old building, hiding it behind the counter.

"It's not made for safety," Sora stated. "It's made for battle. That means speed and blade slots and not a lot of stability. Roxas said not to touch the holy chains - that's not gonna be easy. I can't believe there wasn't any contact during the rush out of the tunnels. The Hardy-Daytona's our only choice if we want to take Kairi with us. We can put her in the sidecar, Tifa can take her to Cloud's place, and me and you can take Fenrir without having to worry about that." He shifted around some display stands so they completely obscured the counter before taking a deep breath. "That should do. Alright," he mused, turning to Xion, "where to first?"

Xion shook her head. "I'm not really in a shopping mood, Sora," she admitted. "Is there anywhere else in Seventh Heaven where we could sleep? Like, maybe, an actual bedroom?"

Sora sighed. "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think Tifa might have a loft in there where you could sleep. Come on."

They made their way back to the bar, where Sora found a hidden ladder that led up to a small attic with a rather comfortable bed. "Go on," Sora replied, "take a break."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Xion asked.

"When I sleep?" Sora added. "It's still the middle of the day." Then he answered, "I'll probably come up here and set up a bedroll on the floor. Until then, I'm gonna keep a lookout and see if I can get this muscle tissue off. I still can't feel my ass."

Xion chuckled lightly. "Alright, Sora. See you." She laid down on the bed and wrapped herself in what blankets were left; Sora only made his way down the ladder and closed the entry behind him.

+x+x+x+

"Ste~p into the ra~inbow
Fi~nd another view...
Chase the tender li~ght
Borders let's cross o~ve~r!
Rea~dy to defi~ne the
Mi~sts inside your he~art
Take a breath and sta~rt yo~ur li~fe!"

It was quarter to eleven at Seventh Heaven, and the Holy Wave celebration was in full swing. That in its own tended to be overwhelming, but what with the business the bar - and Edge in general - had been recently, it was overboard. Tifa's observation to Marlene had been an understatement - this was easily five times the usual Holy Wave crowd. There were people from all over - standing on one of the tables was a girl who looked like she should be waving staves around, singing beautifully in tune. Impressive, considering she also looked drunk.

Marlene was hanging out in her room, leaving the hostess with no company to comfort what this place had become.

The phone at the bar's counter rang. Tifa gave a heavy sigh as she picked it up. "Seventh Heaven," she greeted, jamming it between her cheek and her shoulder as she continued to mix drinks.

"I've been gone for three days and that's how you greet me?"

Tifa perked up instantly. "Cloud!" she exclaimed. "You're missing the Holy Wave celebration! Where have you been? Marlene was worried that Chocobo ate you!"

Cloud snickered at the comment. "I'm in Wutai. Yuffie's not around, but she'd paid her dad already. I'm on my way back with gifts for Marlene - one from her, one from us."

"She's not around?" Tifa and Cloud had met Yuffie some time after the Midgar incident, while Sora was off doing a delivery for Cloud. She had quite the mischievous side to her, but she was an all-around nice girl. "Did Godo say where she was?"

"Off on some trip," Cloud replied. "Hey, I meant to call earlier, but have you heard from Sora?"

Tifa's eyes widened. "I'm glad you didn't call earlier," she prompted, lowering her voice to a whisper as she finished mixing drinks. "Otherwise you would've missed." She grabbed the phone proper and brought it close to her mouth. "Sora called - he's in Midgar. Wanted to talk to you. Got a couple of girlfriends from Yokai. He needs the Hardy-Daytona and the sidecar - something about a sensitive situation. Hey, you recognize the surname 'Chikai'?"

"Chikai... Chikai... Nope, sorry," Cloud admitted. "Seems kinda familiar, though. I'll have to check it out. What's Sora doing in Midgar?"

"I think he might have got into some... monster trouble," she conferred. "He's got Fenrir with him. Look, how far are you?"

Cloud gave an annoyed grunt. "I've still got two days before I get back," he admitted. "Sora on a rush?"

Tifa shook her head. "Just laying low," she replied. "He said I could wait until after Holy Wave to grab him. Just hurry back, alright?" A thought occured to her. "Wait, how are you getting back? You said the other day you had to hitch a ride on a train to get there."

"Barret was on his way past. He's not coming all the way, but I swear I'll be back in time for Marlene's birthday. Tell Sora I'm on my way."

"I can do that," Tifa replied. "Bye."

"See you."

Tifa hung up the phone and turned back to the bar. The singing girl in the robes was no longer atop the table; she was now dancing across the floor, hand in hand with a boy who looked like he had got his clothes from a rubbish sale. His shoes matched. Everything else was lopsided one way or another. He was singing a seductive party song and dancing appropriately and somehow not running out of breath.

"Swing now baby, now
Swing it all around, I'll make you se~e!
Just swing now baby, now
We be all alone just you and me~!
So sing now, make it loud
Drop it to the floor so you can't bre~athe!
Just swing now baby, now
Oh, swing for me, baby!"

+x+x+x+

"On his way back? Great!"

Xion clambered down from the loft to find Sora was on the phone again. "Just in Wutai? ... Wait, Kisaragi? That name sounds kinda familiar..." Sora drummed his fingers on the counter. "Damn it, can't remember. ... Yeah... Yeah, you got it. Alright, see ya!" He hung the phone up and sighed. "Hope he knows how to deal with this," he murmured."

"Who knows how to deal with this?"

Sora spun round. "Oh, Xi-" The Keyslinger cut himself off with a grunt, averting his gaze. "You couldn't have got dressed first?"

Xion glanced down at herself and yelped, tightening her cloak around herself. Having woken up to hear Sora talking, she had simply thrown it over her (admittedly rather revealing) nightgown without bothering to do it up.

"Sorry," she prompted. "Um... who was that?"

"That was Tifa," Sora replied. He risked a glance and sighed when he saw she was covered properly. "Cloud's on his way back from Wutai. He'll be here in two days. Tifa said she'll pop over tomorrow with the Hardy and we can take Kairi to Edge."

Xion nodded. "I see you're still badass," she prompted, beckoning to the muscle tissue.

Sora rolled his eyes. "I gave up when Tifa called," he admitted. "Look, can you lend me your claws and help me get this thing off? I don't want to scare Marlene when I get to Cloud's place."

The snowgirl chuckled, wrapping an icy claw around her index finger. "Let's start with the arms," she prompted, stepping towards him. She lightly pierced the muscle tissue on Sora's right shoulder and angled the edge further down the arm. Sora's chilled gasp told her that she was in all the way, so she quickly circled the area and pulled her claw out as Sora grabbed the seam. When he had trouble pulling it off, Xion grabbed it with her empty hand; the two managed to roll it down Sora's arm and off his hand - after which it snapped back into form and flubbed onto the floor.

A snicker emerged from Sora. "Nice."

They slowly managed to pull off his suit, starting with the next arm, then slicing off the legs. Those were made considerably easier by the steel-soled boots that they formed, but Sora was left with his feet bare.

A horrific thought occured to Xion as she remembered Sora trying to get the suit off when she had seamed the back. "Sora," she prompted warily, "are you actually wearing anything under that?"

Sora opened his mouth.

Sora then proceeded to close his mouth and turn away. "Shit."

Xion clenched her fist, forgetting she had an ice claw on her index finger and thus digging into her wrist. "Ow!" She gripped the wound and let the claw evaporate, thinking. "I'm... I'm gonna go get dressed," she prompted. "Did you bring any clothes in Fenrir?"

"Yeah, they're in the storage in the back," he prompted. "Left side. You know how to open the compartments?"

"Uh-huh. I'll go grab your stuff; then I'll seam the back, and you can get changed in the loft.

Sora nodded. "Thanks."

After Xion got changed, she made hey way out. It took her a moment or two to remember which shop they had hid Fenrir in. Considering the dark that came with quarter past eleven, it wasn't easy, but she managed to grab all of Sora's stuff and brought it back to the abandoned bar. She then opened a seam across Sora's back, careful not to cut his spine this time; then he clambered upstairs.

The snow fairy sighed, leaning back against the counter as she waited for Sora to finish. The arms and legs of the clawslinger's bodysuit were still lying on the floor, and realizing those would be suspicious, she picked them up and stuffed them into Sora's bag.

A motor sounded outside.

Xion didn't react until she realize this was Midgar.

In a shock, she spun round to see a motorbike driving up in front of the bar. This looked like a more traditional bike - a clearly visible engine and handlebars that actually steered the bike. On the bike, to Xion's surprise, was a young girl, maybe of age six, in a white skirt and a soft white turtleneck. Xion didn't understand what this girl was doing in Midgar, but after seeing Slasher's gang, she wasn't taking and risks.

Claws of ice wrapped around her right hand.

She was about to call her Keyblade to her left when a gunshot sounded.

Draco: No way was I gonna post another 9000+ chapter.

Yes, that's my idea of an author's comment when somebody shoots at a helpless little girl. Why? Because I'm evil like that.