Ariexan walked into the infirmary, stopping short when she saw the Xemnas clone from earlier sitting on a medical bed and being tended to by Vexen. She slowly took a step back trying to escape with out being seen, but it caught her, and so did Vexen.
"Something you need, Thirteen?" Vexen asked, not turning. Ariexan swallowed and tugged at the collar of her cloak.
"Uh, no, I was just, uh…" Ariexan stuttered, this time Vexen turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at her. She laughed nervously and smiled, then continued on laughing nervously. Vexen gave a sigh and rolled his eyes.
"Retire to the lab." He said, the clone stood and walked away, it opened the lab door and went inside, closing the door behind it.
"Now can you tell me what's wrong?" Vexen asked, putting down the needle and medical thread.
"I was just looking for Driaxenne. I haven't seen her in days." Vexen gave a sigh.
"And what makes you think she's here? Driaxenne avoided the labs since she found out about the clones." Vexen informed her. Ariexan rolled her eyes.
"Thanks." She said and disappeared, it had been months since the rest of the Organization found out that Xemnas was still alive. So many days, so many clones killed by her hands. Every time one disappeared into dust, she felt bad. Months, almost a year had gone by, and they were still unsure if Ariexan would be able to kill the real Xemnas.
So long without Luxord. Almost a year had gone by. Ariexan had entered a numb state. Feeling as a true Nobody felt. She walked through her missions absentmindedly and Kingdom Hearts was about 95% complete. Every time she looked up at that heart shaped moon, she wondered if he would be there for the completion. A few thousand more… That's what Saix said it would take to complete it, a few thousand more hearts.
She sighed through her nostrils and walked up to Saix' office. Going up the flight of steps and down a hall, then another flight of steps. The castle she now lived in was massive. With brilliant colors and lively rooms. She felt odd in her black uniform amongst so many colors.
Coming into Saix' office, she entered and sat down in front of Saix on the other side of the desk. There was an Organization member standing behind him, facing the window at the other end of the room. They had their hood up. Ariexan pointed at Saix and rose an eyebrow.
The Diviner nodded. Ariexan gave a 'what the hell' look. Saix merely shook his head and said nothing. Ariexan looked to Driaxenne. Saix leaned forward and wrote on a piece of paper. Then slid it across the desk to her.
Driaxenne controls sound, so we can't just send her out or whisper. So we'll have to act like teenage girls and write notes. We need a pair of eyes in on Xemnas. Driaxenne was working for me as a spy on Xemnas. I think she's our only hope. I believe she'll agree to spy on him again, but she needs a good excuse before Xemnas can trust her again. Any ideas? Ariexan nearly face palmed. She took the pencil and replied.
I think. Driaxenne and I open a Dark Corridor to TWTNW and put on a show. She runs in first and acts like we've been keeping her against her will. Then I come in and try to take her back. We fight, I lose and retreat for the moment, saying I'll bring her back and then I leave. How's that? Ariexan slid the paper across the table and Saix read it. He nodded and put the paper in his desk.
"Driaxenne." Saix said, the Somebody turned, her butterscotch eyes biting through the shadows of her hooded face.
"We need a spy on Xemnas, would you-"
"Yes." She said, cutting him off, Saix gave her a bewildered look and then gave Ariexan a slightly nervous look.
"Okay, Ariexan has a plan. Ariexan." Saix said turning to the Keyblader.
"Alright, I know that Xemnas probably doesn't trust you any more than the rest of us. So we need a plan to convince him that he can. I have it. We run into TWTNW and stage a fight, you mention that you aren't going back, no matter what. When I say back, I mean here. And we fight. I lose and retreat, telling you that I'll be back to get you when I leave, you have to tear up and give him a sob story about how we forced you to come with us and that you haven't gotten away until then. How does that sound?" Ariexan asked.
"How is Xemnas not going to attack you. How are you going to protect yourself from this?" Driaxenne asked in a monotone.
"Uhh, well… if he does. I'll leave then and we won't finish our fight, sound good?" Ariexan offered. Driaxenne nodded.
"When?" She asked. Ariexan looked to Saix. He thought about it.
"Does ASAP sound good?" Saix asked.
"So you mean now? That's fine." Driaxenne said. Ariexan opened a dark corridor and Driaxenne walked through it. Ariexan didn't waste a second, she followed Driaxenne into the corridor and they both burst out into a run.
Entering TWTNW, Ariexan let out a scream and threw Oblivion over Driaxenne's head. It sank into a wall.
"GET BACK HERE, TRAITOR!" She screamed and conjured the Keyblade to her. She then conjured Oathkeeper and attacked.
"Never, I will never go back!" Driaxenne said quietly. Ariexan gave another shriek and land slid towards the Immortal and swung at her. Driaxenne quickly summoned her hook swords and blocked, hooking her sword with Ariexan's Keyblade, she pulled down and brought Ariexan to the ground and nearly sunk her other hook sword into Ariexan's head. Ariexan just moved to the side. Rolling over onto her stomach took Driaxenne to the floor. Ariexan stood, Driaxenne went into a type of alligator roll and brought Ariexan back down to the ground with her. They screeched at each other and wrestled for the upper hand. Driaxenne's eyes went to an upper balcony, Xemnas had made his arrival. Driaxenne flung Ariexan to the wall.
"I WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE!" Driaxenne shrieked. Ariexan dismissed her Keyblades and stood from her attacking stance.
"Alright, fine. You won't go back. Not now at least. But you will, I will come back and if I have to bind you and drag you through a Dark Corridor by your feet, I will. Have fun being Xemnas' tool." An Ethereal Blade came flying through the air at Ariexan, but she easily deflected it and turned to Xemnas, her silver eyes flaming dangerously. The silvernette nearly faltered.
"Patients, Xemnas, patients, you're turn will come, but until then, farewell." Darkness of a dark corridor swirled up and took her away from TWTNW.
Ariexan appeared in Saix's office, the blunette looked at her.
"I take it the mission was a success." Saix told her, toying with a pen. Ariexan nodded.
"Yes, Driaxenne is in place, but how is she going to get away from him? I mean its not like Xemnas isn't going to be slightly suspicious, I know he's gullible, but he isn't stupid." Ariexan said.
"Driaxenne has several millennia's experience on her hands, she's smart, she knows what she's doing." Saix reassured her. Ariexan nodded.
"Let's hope this will help." Ariexan said. Saix nodded.
"All we can do is hope now. Since the Xemnas clones don't seem to be developing Xemnas' powers we will just have to do with what we have. You may have to go into this battle half blinded. I just wish there was another way." Saix said. Ariexan nodded in agreement.
"I wish I could decipher what that dream meant, give him what he wants. There is no way I can give into the Darkened Light, it works with me now. I can't just give in. Ugh!" She growled and slammed her fists on Saix's desk in fury.
"WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT!" Ariexan screamed and sat back down heavily in her chair. Saix grabbed her upper arms.
"Ariexan, calm. I promise, everything will turn out alright-"
"NO, don't say that! Luxord said that and look what happened to him." She cut him off. Saix stopped and sat back down.
"Alright." Saix said, closing his eyes and nodding. Ariexan stood and left the office. She went to her room and laid down. Why couldn't this have ended when she fought Xemnas the first time. Everything would be so much easier. In the dark lulling aura of her room, she felt safe. She closed her eyes. She wanted him back. The only thing that she could feel now was longing. Her love. The other half of her heart. Her other half.
Something told her that all this was almost over, all she had to do was figure out what she had to do to defeat Xemnas. That's all she had to do. BUT IT WAS THE HARDEST TASK SHE HAD BEEN MET WITH! Give him what he wants, that couldn't be done, the Darkened Light wasn't willing. It wasn't, she had already confronted it about that. If the Darkened Light took back over it would be forever and always. She would never see Luxord again, never see any of those who care about her, never she those whom she cared about. She didn't want that. That wasn't winning in her opinion, at least for her. She realized she may have to lose in order to end this fight. Ariexan opened her eyes. She took in a shaky breathe and then closed her eyes again.
She was in the Darkened Realm of Light. She was faced by a nearly mirror image. The black lips were turned down in a thoughtful frown and the odd black and gold eyes watched her with a type of concern.
"What do we do? Is giving in to you the only way to do this? Is this the only way to stop him. I want to win this, I want to see him again. But… if I have to give into you to win this, I never will. There has to be another way." She begged the Darkened Light. It closed its eyes and gave a hefty sigh.
"I don't recall any other way. All my other hosts had to do that same thing you're faced with, unless you're able to defeat Xemnas without me, I'll have to." It told her. Ariexan buried her face in her hands. Tears coming back after she hadn't cried in months.
"I don't want to." She muttered quietly. The Darkened Light said nothing. Ariexan looked up at it, tears racing down her cheeks.
"I-I can't Xemnas wants me under your influence so I can be an attack dog, if that happens, he'll sick me on Organization XIII and then probably Sora and his team." Ariexan said. The Darkened Light shook its head.
"No, I know who to go after. Even if taking out all your friends is part of the deal, it has to happen, Xemnas is the target, I take him out first, either you or me. Your choice." It said heartlessly. Ariexan felt rage build up inside of her. She conjured her Keyblades and swung.
"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE ME! HUH? WHY NOT SOMEONE ELSE, ACCORDING TO EVERYTHING ELSE I'VE HEARD, I'M NOT EVEN A KEYBLADER OF THIS GENERATION! ISN'T THERE A DIFFERENT HOST EVERY GENERATION?" Ariexan screamed, striking the Darkened Light on every word.
The Darkened Light summoned its Keyblades and blocked on both sides, staring Ariexan in the eyes as she struggled to break the friction and attack again.
"There is only a good enough host for something like me every few generations, thousands of years can go by before I even find a new host. You had to lose part of your heart so you can handle something like me. That grey margin that separates and keeps the dark and the light from colliding head first. I AM THE SEPERATION, YOU ARE MY HOST AND YOU HAVE TO BEAR THIS BURDEN, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU DON'T WANT IT." The Darkened Light screamed at her. Ariexan fell to the ground, in a sort of bowing position, sitting on her folded knees. Tears leaking from her eyes in a constant flow, her Keyblades still clanging against the glass platform. Her hands tangled in her hair.
"Xemnas is your enemy, he is the reason I had to be called into duty, you get rid of him and I am out of your life forever." The Darkened Light hissed and disappeared, leaving Ariexan alone in the Realm. She pounded the glass with her fist and screamed, causing hair line cracks in glass. Hair line breakages, the most painful and hardest to repair, so hard to see, yet they exist. Hair line breakages in the heart, even harder to repair, for its hard enough to tell what or who is causing them.