Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!)
Vexen's mind was racing as he ran through possibilities of the unusual turn of events. There were now four members (including himself) that had featured some sort of "heart attack." As soon as he got Larxene into a bed, he started doing a scan of her vitals. He then turned to Zexion. "Well, at least I understand your injuries," Vexen quipped to Zexion.
"Yeah. How lucky for me," Zexion groaned.
"The good news is that I expect you to make a full recovery. The bad news is that it may take a while. It depends on how fast your Nobody body heals." Vexen then turned to Larxene, clicking on his recorder. "Now, Larxene, I am going to need you to explain what exactly happened to you that led to your 'attack,' as it were."
She flashed Zexion a look for guidance. She didn't like talking to Vexen most of the time, and she really had no desire to explain that something Zexion said triggered the attack (especially because she expected Vexen to not react well to news about Zexion's feelings towards her).
"Come now, Larxene. I know you and I have our…differences, but I need to know what happened to you in order to make sure you are both properly healed and so I can try to figure out why you had this attack. You know, you are the fourth member to experience this," Vexen explained.
"It's…well…kind of a personal matter," she began.
"Obstinate just like Luxord. Why do I even bother?" Vexen grumbled.
Zexion gave an exasperated facial expression to Larxene. He smiled, then shook his head and prepared to explain.
However, Larxene beat him to it. "Fine, you old windbag. I was checking on Zexion and he suddenly woke up."
"Ah, so he surprised you?" Vexen probed.
"Well, he did. But not in that way," The Savage Nymph continued.
"He…um…he let me know…how much he cares for me," she finally got out.
Vexen said nothing, but blinked a few times, attempting to process the information that he had just been presented with. "You…WHAT?!"
Xemnas had returned to his office after Vexen scampered off to see Larxene. "This is not ideal," he mumbled to himself as he headed over to his computer.
"Is something the matter?" a new voice called out. Stepping out of a Portal of Darkness was the mysterious man who had visited Xemnas before. He removed his hood to reveal the disapproving face of Young Xehanort.
"There may be complications in my plan. It appears that some of the members are in the process of regaining their hearts."
"That shouldn't have happened. When they are on this planet, they are sufficiently close enough to darkness that their hearts should not regrow," Young Xehanort explained.
"Of course. But I sent several of them out on extended missions to other worlds. That was the catalyst."
"A reckless decision," Young Xehanort scoffed.
Xemnas scowled at him. "My plans had to be accelerated due to the failure of the Seeker of Darkness. If his plan hadn't crumbled at the first sight of Sora…"
"His failure was a disappointment to Master Xehanort, but his failure in no way impacted yours. You chose to speed up your plans and now you have to deal with the consequences."
Xemnas resented the tone Young Xehanort took with him. "My plan has not failed yet. There is still plenty of time to correct these errors."
"I hope so, Xemnas. Regardless, I think I will start work on collecting the true thirteen darknesses," Young Xehanort replied. It was clear that he relished the opportunity to succeed where Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas had not.
"Your faith in me is…touching," Xemnas sarcastically answered.
"For your sake, I hope your damage control is successful." With that, Young Xehanort opened up a Portal of Darkness and disappeared.
Xemnas stared in the distance for a few seconds before he picked up a phone. "Saïx? Spread the word. Meeting in an hour for all members who are here."
Back at the fledgling Nobody base on Lothal, a Portal of Darkness opened and Xigbar and Axel tumbled out. Both were content to simply lie on the ground after the exhausting beatdown that Darth Vader had given them.
"Let's…not do that again," Axel said.
"I'm getting too old for this," Xigbar grumbled. "Luckily, I think we got the kids out of here."
While they were not gravely injured, the two members had suffered a number of bumps and bruises (not to mentioned bruised prides) from Vader force pushing and force choking them during the battle. "On the bright side, we get to stay back on the base now," Axel offered.
"That is true, kid. It'll be a little quieter, but that's something that we could use after these last few days." However, Xigbar's wistful tone suggested that he would miss Sabine and Ezra.
Assassin and Sniper came over to the pair. "Rough day, huh?" Sniper asked.
"You could say that. My arm hurts like a bitch," Axel replied.
"I don't think we brought any serious medical supplies here," Assassin noted.
Xigbar chuckled. "I think Flamesilocks and I are gonna head back to the World That Never Was to patch ourselves up. We'll be back shortly."
"Whatever you say, Boss. Assassin and I have kept construction up just fine in your absence," Sniped added.
"Good work, boys. Keep it up." Xigbar opened up a Portal of Darkness and he and Axel headed in.
Vexen was reeling as he put together the various implications of what Larxene had just told him. He realized that when Zexion earlier had admitted to having feelings of love, he was not referring to someone on the Deep Jungle, but rather Larxene. He also knew that Axel and Larxene were connected, so he was confused as to how that was going to work out (presuming that it was going to work out, which Vexen was not confident about). "You're…you're in love with this crazy bitch?" Vexen blurted out. Remembering that Larxene was present, he added a "Completely a compliment," to her.
She scowled. "Screw you, asshole."
Vexen nodded. "Fair enough, that was deserved. Pardon my incredulity, but this is all very shocking news to me. Putting aside what this means about the two of you, I'm going to delve into the realms of the scientific so that I don't get electrocuted to a crisp."
Larxene smugly nodded and Zexion shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Zexion experienced a pang and then a heart attack. Were these both in relation to Larxene?" The Chilly Academic asked.
"Actually no. The pang was about the new people that I had met. I was worried for their lives after we destroyed the planet. But the heart attack…it was about Larxene, yes." He blushed at this reveal.
Larxene looked at him in surprise. "Really? It was about-"
"I'd rather not get involved in your relationship issues, if you don't mind. I'm sure I'll have strong opinions on that topic later," Vexen interrupted. "Luxord's attack was about an emotional moment he shared with people that he had met and become attached to as well. Likewise, my own attack immediately succeeded what would have been an emotional moment with someone I had become attached to, if we actually had emotions."
"But we don't," said Larxene.
Vexen nodded. "Precisely. Or so we have believed. It is possible that we may have been wrong."
Luxord, who was very eager to return to Toontopia, had taken Vexen's advice and he was on his way to go visit Saïx to get clearance to return to the planet. On his way, he ran into Marluxia.
"Feeling better?" the pink-haired member asked.
"That's just the thing. I never felt poorly to begin with," Luxord explained. "Although my arm has a bruise that I wasn't aware of."
"That I can explain. You rather suddenly passed out and collapsed before any of us could catch you, landing on your arm."
"Fair enough. But yes, Vexen checked me out and there was nothing physically wrong with me. I haven't the faintest idea what happened. He told me to see Saïx to get permission to return to the planet. I'd really like to check in on Jessica and Roger."
"They were quite worried about you. I explained to them that I was going to take you back to our planet for the best treatment. But I agree, the sooner we get back the better," Marluxia replied. "It's all so dull here."
"Agreed. Why don't you come with me to see Saïx?" Luxord asked.
Marluxia acquiesced and soon the pair found themselves at the door of the office of The Luna Diviner. Luxord knocked and Saïx opened the door.
"Luxord, Marluxia. How can I help you?"
"We're seeking permission to return to the mission on Toontopia. Vexen has given me a clean bill of health."
"And there's nothing wrong with me," Marluxia added with a somewhat creepy smile.
Saïx looked at Marluxia skeptically, but chose not to address him. "Very well, gentlemen. I admire your dedication to the mission. Let's head to my desk so I can put it in the system that I'm sending you back out." The trio headed over to Saïx's desk. "I'm pleased to see that nothing was wrong with you, Luxord."
"Oh, well, thank you, Saïx," Luxord replied. He was surprised that Saïx was so complimentary of him.
"Yes, it's-" Saïx began before a phone ringing interrupted him. "Excuse me." He picked up the phone. "Yes, Superior?" He listened for a little bit. "The members from the Toontopia and Deep Jungle Missions are back, but I believe that Axel and Xigbar are still on Lothal. Lexaeus and Demyx are watching Roxas and Xion at the Olympus Coliseum. Do you still want to hold the…Of course, Superior, I will make the announcement immediately." He hung up the phone. "My apologies, but you'll have to remain here just a little longer. Lord Xemnas has requested an emergency meeting one hour from now."
"What do you mean that you might be wrong?" Zexion asked.
"It has always been assumed to be impossible for Nobodies to regrow their hearts. But now? It may be time to revisit that theory…I need to head down to my lab to look at some more data. Larxene, you stay here for another 30 minutes. If there are no more symptoms, you can leave. Zexion, you'll be here for a while, obviously." Neither Larxene nor Zexion spoke against Vexen's instructions. "Besides, it sounds like you have things to talk about anyway. As long as Axel doesn't appear, I'm sure that-" Vexen was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Will the intrusions never cease? Come in!" he loudly called out.
Xigbar entered the room, trailed by Axel. Zexion blanched and Vexen could only muster up a cruel chuckle. "What's so funny?" Xigbar asked.
"Oh, it's just that everyone seems to be coming back to The World That Never Was today. Luxord was here earlier and as you can see, I have these two here," Vexen explained.
"It's just one big homecoming party," Axel replied.
"Yes. What brings you here? Anything unusual?" Vexen probed.
"Nah. Just got the shit kicked out of us on our mission. Scrapes and bruises," Xigbar replied.
"That's a relief. It's been an…unusual day," Vexen replied. "I'm sure you can help yourselves then. I was just on my way out."
"Attention: any members of the Organization that are present in The Castle That Never Was has been requested to attend an emergency meeting one hour from now. Please be prompt," the voice of Saïx called out over the intercom.
"Great. Just what we needed," Vexen complained. He created a Portal of Darkness and left for his lab.
Xigbar looked at Zexion and Larxene. "What happened to you?"
"We had a run-in with Sora," Zexion explained. "And I got the short end of the Keyblade, as it were."
"That sucks. You're lucky to make it back in one piece. What about you, babe? You don't look that bad," Axel pressed.
"Well, I, uh…have been having some issues…uh-" she began.
"Say no more, Sparky. I certainly don't need to hear about any women problems. Tough luck for you, Axel," Xigbar snickered. "I'll just grab some meds and be on my way," he continued. He wandered over the medicine cabinet and grabbed a few things (definitely more than he needed).
Larxene had initially looked to be ready to skin Xigbar alive, but she recovered. "That's not…you know what, never mind."
"You want anything, Zexion? Morphine? Vodka? Both?" Xigbar asked.
"Thanks, Xigbar, but I'll pass," The Cloaked Schemer replied.
"Suit yourself. I'm gonna head to my room and maybe get some shuteye before this meeting. Holler if ya need me." With that, Xigbar teleported away.
"Well, it's good to see you Larxene," Axel began. He had to admit, it was a little awkward to see her again. The pair had not communicated since they had left on their respective missions. And Axel certainly had thought about Sabine more than Larxene during that time.
"Yes. It's been so long," Larxene replied. There was a stiffness in her voice as well. Neither had picked up on each other's tone, but Zexion had sensed it.
A bit of an awkward silence ensued, and Zexion immediately made his move. "If you don't mind Axel, Larxene and I were debriefing so we could figure out what happened against Sora and with this meeting coming up…"
"Yes, yes, of course. My apologies," Axel replied a little too quickly (He too wanted to head out). "Let me just grab a few things here and I'll be on my way. After grabbing some supplies, he headed over to Larxene. "I'll catch you at the meeting then," he said. He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Hang in there, Zexion. Let me know if there's anything I can get ya."
Zexion was a little surprised that Axel offered to be so helpful, but he had to remind himself that he often projected his jealously onto Axel. "I will, thank you."
Axel then teleported away, leaving just the pair in the room.
"Such a time here at the castle," Zexion began. Larxene shot him a warning look. "Fair enough, fair enough. I guess you want to talk about what happened?"
Hey there everybody! Welcome to the first chapter of 2020! It's crazy to me that this will my fifth year working on writing this, but as you know, it's not always easy to find time to write as much as one may like. However, I will say that we are definitely in the endgame portion of A Veritable Maelstrom! In fact, it is my goal to complete this story by the end of the year. If I had to currently guess, I would estimate the final product will have between 40-45 chapters. Anyways, thanks goes out to all of my readers and especially my reviewers! Next time, we shall see how Xemnas' emergency meeting will turn out...
See ya real soon,
The Mustachioed Academic