"The rules are simple," Aqua said to the eight people lined up in front of her. "Corridors, items, summons, memory altering, Keyblade Gliders, armour, gummiphones, murder, and using your Keyblades to lock or unlock things are all prohibited. You can move freely through both the castle and the grounds, with the exception of the bedrooms and the kitchen. Please do not destroy anything. And most importantly, do not touch Master's Defender. Anyone who breaks this last rule will answer to me."
Lea didn't know what Master's Defender was, but he wasn't even going to look at it.
"Each team has a flag," Terra took over. "Your goal is to steal the other team's flag, and return it to your own base. Whichever team successfully retrieves the other team's flag first wins. If your armband is taken, you're 'out'."
Lea's team all had blue armbands. He was pretty sure he had an unfair advantage, given that the others were all pint sized and would have a hard time even reaching his.
"Your flags have already been set up and you have five minutes to head to your bases and form a plan. Your time starts now!"
Lea followed after his tiny teammates as they booked it for the Castle. Their flag had been tied to the raised part of the armrest on the middle throne of the throne room they'd spent the previous day training in. The four of them crowded around it in a huddle, hyperaware of how short five minutes was.
"So what's the plan?" Kairi asked.
They didn't know where the enemy base was; Aqua had only told them where to find theirs. Given the direction they'd headed when they'd split into two groups, though, it was safe to presume it was outside somewhere.
"We'll have to be really careful," Sora said. "At least two people should stay to protect the flag."
Lea snorted. "Isa said things got so out of hand yesterday that Roxas and Riku went off-world to duke it out." The only person he knew Roxas was going to willingly work with was Naminé. "They're gonna be so dysfunctional we'll be able to waltz right up and grab their flag while they're still bickering."
"Or," Xion countered, "that just means they'll split up."
"Even easier." They could pick them off one-by-one.
"The question is, who do we think they'll leave to defend the flag?" Kairi tapped her chin.
"Naminé," Lea said. "She's got the least experience with the Keyblade, so they won't want to risk her running into one of us."
"Right. And knowing the other three, they'll just come charging in here faster than we can get to her."
This was going to be a walk in the park.
"We should have three people here then," Sora said. "And one person can go and get the flag."
"I'll handle Naminé," Lea grinned. Which left the other three on defence.
There were no protests and when the five minutes drew to an end, they waited another few before they split up, giving the other team time to do the same. Lea headed straight for the forecourt. He didn't run into anyone on the way out, and the courtyard was also empty, with the exception of Terra, Aqua, and Isa leaning against the wall. Wherever Roxas, Ven, and Riku were, they weren't close yet.
Lea walked down the mountain path with Flame Liberator slung over his shoulder. If anyone except Naminé was still around, he'd hear them before he saw them, but it was best to stay cautious just in case. He knew better than to underestimate the other three. All of them were heavy hitters.
A large boulder at the base of the path afforded him enough cover to take a peek at what he was getting himself into. The red enemy flag was tied to one of the rings in the training ground. Standing in front of it was only one person. Kairi had been right.
Except it wasn't Naminé.
"Hey," Roxas said as Lea stepped into the field. "Should've guessed they'd send you first."
"First?" Lea raised a brow, letting himself relax. They both knew they wouldn't fight each other. He could take his time; when he went for the flag, at most he'd just have to outrun him.
"You left the other three to defend your flag, right?" he smiled. There was something off about it that made Lea uncomfortable. "Makes sense to send you. You're experienced at sneaking around."
Lea was no longer relaxed. Something about him was off.
"Wait a minute." The realisation dawned on him, even as common sense protested that there was no way this could possibly be happening. "Ven?"
"Huh, you were right," Riku's voice said from behind. Lea whirled around to find him and Roxas emerging from where they must have been hanging behind the wall. Roxas was wearing Ven's clothes, right down to the armour plating. "Took him less than a minute to realise."
All three of them were armed – Roxas and Ven going so far as to be using each other's Keyblades. Lea was surrounded.
"Because we're friends," Roxas grinned, "we'll give you a chance to surrender."
Three on one. Lea had faced worse odds. Add to that the knowledge that Roxas wouldn't be able to do more than support, and that while Riku and Ven and maybe Ven and Roxas would work together, Riku and Roxas was a no go, and Lea was fairly confident he could take them.
He gave Flame Liberator a threatening twirl. "Bring it."
Ven moved first, Kingdom Key now in his signature backhanded grip. Lea braced for an attack, but instead of swinging at him, Ven slid around him – and oh god that was reversal, what was happening. Roxas and Riku made use of the distraction, Riku freezing his legs in place with blizzard and Roxas aiming the light glinting off the armour plating on his shoulder right into his eyes, forcing him to shield them.
When the dazzle faded, Ven and Riku had their Keyblades pointed at him.
I'm in a horror movie, Lea thought. They were working together.
"Sleep!"
And Lea slept.
.
.
"Axel's been gone a while."
He had. A lot longer than Xion had expected him to be. But Axel knew how to handle himself and how to stay out of sight. She was more worried about the complete lack of sightings of the other team. They knew Team Super Friendship had their base inside the castle because they'd seen them come straight here, but so far Xion hadn't even heard anything.
"Do you think he's dead?" Kairi asked, lounging on one of the thrones.
"Murder's against the rules," Sora reminded her.
"Riku's been known to cheat."
Xion idly kicked at the dais' step. Axel was definitely not dead. "Roxas wouldn't let him."
Sora stood from where he'd been perched on the step. "Maybe one of us should go investigate."
"Like a recon mission?" Xion asked. She hadn't been on one of those for a long time.
"Sure?"
Of the three of them left, only Xion had any actual experience with sneaking around. Which was how she found herself slinking first through the forecourt (offering a brief wave to Aqua, Terra, and Isa sitting on the wall), and then down the path towards the training ground. She didn't make it all the way before she spotted a familiar head of bright red hair propped up against the rocks.
"Axel!" she raced over to him. He was out cold. Xion knew she wasn't allowed any items, but cure was still on the table. Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing. She frowned. Well, Aqua had taught her a new support spell, so, "Esuna!"
That did something. Axel stirred, blinking up at her blearily.
"Axel, are you okay?" she asked. "What happened?"
He stared up at her in confusion, before wakefulness snapped back in full force. "Oh man. Nope. Nope. I'm out." He pushed himself back up to his feet faster than Xion thought was safe and started marching back up the path towards the castle. "Not dealing with that."
Xion chased after him. "What's wrong?"
Axel paused, looking over his shoulder at her. It was only then that she noticed his armband was gone. "I'm not allowed to help now, but I'll give you some advice: Run."
"Run?"
He ruffled her hair. "I'm gonna go join Isa in the forecourt. Do yourself a favour and do not go down there."
This time when he left she didn't stop him, hesitating in the middle of the path. She'd found what she'd been looking for, but with Axel out they now had no idea what they were up against. Whatever had him so freaked out, it wasn't good. She was going to have to investigate further.
Xion crept further down the path, hugging the wall as much as she could in an attempt to stay unnoticed. She took cover behind the large boulder sticking out of the path and peeked out as much as she dared.
The other team's flag was hanging from one of the training rings. Roxas was sitting on the grass, leaning against the support pole.
Definitely not Naminé. And if Roxas was here, where was everyone else?
She couldn't pick a fight with Roxas. Not being able to fight each other hadn't saved Axel and she wasn't about to risk it when he'd blatantly told her to keep her distance.
Xion sprinted back to base, half paranoid that she'd run into one of the other three along the way, but the journey was eerily quiet.
Sora and Kairi were exactly where she'd left them.
"I've got bad news," she told them, slipping in through the doorway. "Axel's out."
They gaped at her.
"It gets worse. Roxas is the one guarding their flag."
Sora frowned. "What happened to Axel? If it's Roxas..."
Xion shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know. He was knocked out on the path. It took esuna to wake him up, and all he said was that I should run."
"Must've used some kind of status effect," Kairi concluded.
"What do we do?" Xion asked, sitting down cross legged in front of Sora.
Kairi sat up in her chair, a devilish smirk forming on her face. "We weren't completely wrong; they did split up."
"Yeah?" Sora tilted his head back to look up at her.
She jumped up to her feet, slinging Destiny's Embrace in a loose circle. "I have a plan."
.
.
Roxas lazily lifted his gaze from where he was pulling out grass as the sound of approaching footsteps reached him. Kairi kept her head high, not faltering. They might have guessed wrong about Naminé, but this was going to work. She had absolutely no doubts about that.
"Hey," she said, stopping a safe distance away.
"Hi," Roxas returned. His Keyblade was propped up beside him. He made no move to grab it, or to get up. "If you're here for the flag, you're gonna be in for a bad time."
She offered him her sweetest smile. "Actually, I came to talk to you."
"Me?"
"I have a... proposition for you," she said, letting her expression turn mischievous. She hadn't interacted much with Roxas before, but she knew deep down they were kindred spirits. A belief that only strengthened when he pushed himself up to his feet, grin matching hers.
"I'm listening."
"Join our team as a double agent."
He raised a brow. "You want me to betray my team?"
Kairi shrugged. It wouldn't be that hard. The only one on it he was really friends with was Naminé.
"What's in it for me?"
Ah, this was the part she knew he wouldn't resist. "We'll let you be the one to take down Riku."
That startled a laugh out of him. "Wouldn't it be faster to just take the flag?"
"Yes," she agreed. Much faster, actually, if not more dangerous. "But where's the fun in that?"
"So let me get this straight," Roxas said. "I switch sides, but don't let my team know I've switched sides. I help you guys take them out, and then we celebrate a crushing victory."
Kairi held out a hand. "You in?"
He looked away in thought. "You do make a compelling argument," he tapped his chin. "But I'm sure someone already told you I beat Riku yesterday."
They had. Kairi wished she'd known so she could've watched. She loved Riku dearly, really she did, but he'd had it coming. "Don't you want to do it again? Even just to see the look on his face when he realises you're a spy?"
"Can't argue with that." He took her hand. "I'm in."
Just as she'd suspected.