By day three of this routine the frustration on Larxene's face was palpable and she was practically a danger to be around for anyone that annoyed her, even Xaldin who quickly found she was intent on properly defending and hitting the man her singular focus on that objective forcing him to keep his guard up at all times when training with her. She had little time to do anything else aside from her missions in Traverse Town, then intensive training, and finally having to read up on that massive book. And her dissatisfaction was prevalent to every member as even Marluxia who had probably the best relationship with her found himself being a bit more careful with his wording in their conversations like for instance at this very moment where she had decided to barge into his room early on the fourth day while he was working on his plants. A personal hobby of his that not only helped distract him from the emptiness inside but also gave a hobby to pass the time when not on missions. "You seem tense."
As he expected that only made the girl give a light stomp before explaining the issue. "Saix told me this morning I'm now in big trouble because of what I did yesterday on my last mission." Her face now a pout as she curled her hands into fists.
That got the Graceful Assassin's attention as he momentarily stopped his garden work to question his companion. "What exactly did you do?" His curiosity peaked as he grabbed a potted plant and separated it from the girl next to it before she decided the object deserved to incur her wrath.
Larxene to her credit didn't destroy anything yet and just let loose a random spark of lightning. "Xigbar was being his usual obnoxious self and completely distracted me allowing a couple Soldiers to double team me. Well then right after he says, 'Keep your focus on the enemy sparky I thought that was what all the training was for.' By that point I was just done with his comments. Next thing he knew a knife came flying right for that eye of his, only regret is he saw it coming and just teleported out of the way."
Marluxia made a mental note he owed Luxord about 50 munny since he bet that she would commit attempted murder on the second day, and he was the only one that stuck to the third. That man was about to earn a small fortune from most of the other members. "And you're in trouble because of that?"
She then huffed in response. "No! Apparently, I'm in trouble because I used a knife on a mission when I am only allowed to use this thing!" Her voice an angry shout before she summoned the weapon now christened Dark Desolation with the former word coming from the dark colors and the latter due to her status as a nobody.
For the first time he got to look at it closely, and it was magnificent. The power that he could feel radiate was intoxicating, and the hype he heard about the mysterious tool did not do the object itself justice. Just looking at it the man knew he had to have it, of course as explained before by Xemnas the Keyblade will only work for its true master so in essence he could not physically wield the weapon, but that did not mean it was out of his control. Yes, since the first day of joining the Organization he had ambitions to dominate, and he knew upon meeting Larxene she could make a worthwhile ally. Now he was certain she had to be under his thumb if he wanted to succeed, and in that way, he knew he couldn't just have her as an ally that would be able to rebel. "I suppose they are resolute to make that your dominant tool and merely see any reliance even instinctual on knives as an obstacle towards that goal." His words remained not carrying a hint of judgement remaining neutral as he simply allowed the girl to speak her mind, like the quiet friend who always had an open ear to listen to someone's problems who just needed to speak and let them get it out. He also allowed her to use a few of his empty flowerpots as a way to vent her frustrations by destroying them an act which ultimately would only take little effort to replace but no doubt be recognized as a helping hand to the girl.
Axel's Room
As for the Flurry of Dancing Flames he found himself woken up by his friend Saix and with a yawn sat up. "What's with the early rise, you know I always like to sleep in a little late." His complaint though fell on deaf ears as always and by now he knew just to get up and listen to what he was probably about to be ordered.
The Luna Diviner to his credit did give his teammate a few minutes to wake up before speaking. "I have a mission for you directly from The Superior himself." That certainly got his attention as usually Xemnas just left his second in command to give out the missions. "For the next four days you'll be joining Number 12 on her missions after the incident yesterday." Oh yes, he had heard about that from the Freeshooter himself bragging about he had finally made the girl snap which he himself considered a strange achievement.
"And you're going to set me up as her guide next? I'm pretty sure she is about ready to slice me to ribbons almost as much as Xaldin or Xigbar." His voice joking but underneath it was also a knowing tone. He knew Saix was most likely the one that personally suggested he be put up to the task even if it was not his forte as whatever this new mission was no doubt had been meant to serve the two's own purposes of overthrowing Xemnas as was the entire reason the blue-haired man become his right hand.
Saix in turn nodded confirming Axel's thoughts entirely. "Yes, make sure she does not stray from our objectives and remains loyal to the Organization. Other than that, simply keep an eye on her and gain her trust."
That last part threw the man for a loop and he wondered if there was more to this than met the eye. "Her trust, what do you want me to become her friend or something?" Saix's stare was all the answer he needed. "Ah I see now; you know she'll never be fully loyal to the Organization, so you think this is the better option. Well never say I didn't enjoy a challenge, just let me do it freely without any major restrictions and I'll get the job done." His grin informing Saix he'd most likely have to cover for Axel's more out of the box thinking briefly reminding him of the days Isa would do the same for Lea when it came to being caught by the guards.
With a bit of reluctance, he agreed to it. "Very well, just make sure whatever must be done to gain her loyalty does not interfere with our goals and more importantly does not arose Xemnas' suspicion." With a mock salute Saix left Axel to prepare for his mission.
Marluxia's Room
After nearly ten minutes of continuous smashing until now the flower pots were just a bunch of scattered pieces on the floor Larxene finally managed to settle down, now just sighing as she looked over the Keyblade laying on the man's bed which smelled of roses."It's not a bad weapon but I was taught how to use knives not this." An off-handed remark that seemed to carry an edge of bitterness in her voice.
That did earn a touch of interest as despite his few attempts Larxene refused to speak anything about her past. "I see you were taught quite well then considering your accuracy and precision with your former weapon. Might I ask who was it that chose to show you how to use them so well?" His question voiced without much care, but the girl was not fooled.
She knew Marluxia had a passing curiosity at her somebody's life much to her endless frustration and on instinct was about to simply brush off the question, but then she remembered how he had helped her just now as evidenced by the trashed pottery thrown about and decided to concede to an extent at least on this answer. "Often times many would confuse him for a clown because of his appearance and the way he dressed, until of course they soon had a knife fly across their jugular's without even knowing it until they found themselves lost for words shortly before losing their life while he cackled in delight. The memory of when she and him met when Elrena simply said as a joke to try and ease those terrified nerves, 'That make-up looks far better on you than it would on me.' Apparently, that was the first time he ever heard that comment and only because of that on a whim chose to spare her. Of course, mercy is in the eye of the beholder and Elerna found myself "chosen" to become his apprentice and find perhaps simply being put out of her misery would have been preferable. I would dare say the lessons he taught her make my current ones with Xaldin in comparison seem like gentle admonishments by your favorite teacher." That description certainly explained a bit about the more sadistic tendencies of the girl as even unable to feel emotion she could certainly fake an enjoyment of delivering pain implying she had once before.
Another thing he noticed was how every time her somebody was mentioned the girl would talk in third person as if she were someone else entirely, compared to the rest of them it was unique. Ultimately while they did see themselves as new people every other Organization member always described their former selves in the first person. Slowly the calculating man began to gain more insight into his ally her words even if she had never meant it broadcasting much about her both in terms of history and its relation to her current self. He only wished he could gain more intel but knew any other prompts would only be met with a blockade as she no doubt saw this exchange of information as a form of relieving her small debt to him. Realizing she had spent a bit longer than she should have with her presence needed for the next mission today Larxene got up off his bed and went to make her leave. "Thanks for letting me get my frustrations out a bit, I'll see you later." And quickly left finding that the way Marluxia stared at her once she summoned Dark Desolation was almost unsettling, yet she could not understate how being able to do a bit of destruction helped cool her off.
Arriving to get her mission she found Axel greeting her the man handing the briefing which she responded with a bit of electricity burning it to ashes. "So, let me guess you're my new babysitter now?" Her question came out more as a grumble.
Unperturbed by her attitude he just shrugged. "Call me whatever you like as I'm just here to accompany you until the end of the week, and since you didn't read the report let me explain what we're gonna do." He said summoning a Dark Corridor and the two entered arriving at The Third District. "Today not only will you be facing heartless but now it's time to expand your magic repertoire since you seem to only use Thunder Magic and that won't do. As Saix put it since you have the Keyblade it's time you learn how to use elemental spells you don't have an affinity for and since fire is the easiest one to get I'll be teaching it to you."
(At least it's something different from just sword training.)" She thought with an internal sigh thinking about how far things had fallen for her that this was almost alright with her. "Well then begin teaching me oh wise master." Her sarcasm strong earning a chuckle as they began.
Altar of Naught
Up at the very top of The Castle That Never Was the leader of Organization XIII brought his hands up summoning the few hearts already collected both from the short bursts The Mouse King had destroyed and the ones his new weapon had done in these past few days. After a few moments of focus they all gathered together and now in his hands was a small golden heart glowing like an infant star yet to reach its destiny. "Beautiful." Was all the man could say his yellow eyes radiating from being near the object the two practically made for each other as this was one step closer to his true goal.
Despite being so small Xemnas could already imagine the power it would amass like the seedling that with proper care and feeding would grow into the tallest of trees able to withstand the greatest of storms. All it needed was more hearts and now they would be given without any issue now that he had his own personal Keyblade Wielder gathering them as the minutes passed. Unfortunately, it seemed his musing was cut short as someone appeared behind him one he knew all too well. "Have you come to see what shall soon become our Kingdom Hearts?" The Superior questioned.
In response he just received a snort of amusement. "Nah, I just came to ask ya something, or I guess just to confirm a thought I had." The voice of Xigbar grating to Number 1's ears. "I've been wondering on why you wanted sparky to go to Traverse Town, we both know that's an area not only Maleficent has been eyeing but also The King has allies in. It's been pretty hard for me to keep them from finding us and I wouldn't be surprised if that motley crew from our old home end up meeting with our special girl. The way I see it what you're doing is almost guaranteed to get in the way of your other plan currently going on." His words carrying a hint of mirth as if he knew something and Xemnas for all his calm exterior never failed to get annoyed at the smug attitude of his real second in command.
Turning away from the object of his desire for the moment the man locked eyes with Xigbar. "I tire of this drawn out conversation."
That was enough to earn a wide smile from the eye-patched individual. "Well to get to the point I've realized something, you want your heartless to fail." And there it was the answer to the million munny question that was on his mind for the past four days.
As for The Superior himself he seemed unfazed by the accusation but to someone who knew Xemnas like the back of his hand Xigbar knew better. The way his eye lids squinted by the slightest of margins, how his stance grew just a bit tighter, and most importantly the way both of his eyes seemed to now be glaring into the Freeshooter with the briefest flickers of emotion. It all told the story that could not be denied, yet he was intent on doing so. "I see no reason why I would do such a thing. I merely wish to continue my contingency should my heartless fail." False words from a false king the true Number 2 thought to himself.
But of course, he knew not to voice it as there were limits to everything even his own opinions when concerning this man. "Please, I know you enough to understand how you think bossman. While both of you may have been the same person once before, now that's a completely different story and only one can have that power, and do you really want a heartless a being comprised entirely of darkness to have it considering your goals?" He left that question hanging as he turned to leave his Leader back to his own pondering an ever-present smirk on his face as both knew he had hit the nail on the head.
Traverse Town
Larxene had to admit using fire was as hard as she would have imagined learning new spells, of course that also could have been because in a way electricity and fire were practically cousins both elements of boundless energy and many times the former could cause the latter. "Fire!" She yelled shooting out a small ball of the stuff destroying a Shadow on her fourth try with the first two just doing nothing while the third nearly blew up in her face. It was after a bit more coaching by the man that she managed to get the idea and incinerate the heartless enjoying how it burned away into the night sky.
As for Axel himself he seemed pleased by the performance glad this wasn't a bother to teach and they could move on from this simple lesson. "I see you've got it down; maybe next we can see about Vexen teaching you some blizzard magic." He figured that would be the next easiest to learn even though he never tried branching out to that spell considering his natural element was its polar opposite.
Immediately Larxene's grin faltered remembering how just like Xemnas and now Marluxia he looked upon her with strange fascination, although it was slightly different more like a scientist looking at something to dissect which fit the mad man perfectly. "Maybe, but I always get the feeling he now sees me as some kind of experiment. I even noticed yesterday he was watching me train with Xaldin and I think even taking notes, something tells me he's very interested in studying this Keyblade." Hearing this new information, the Flurry of Dancing Flames wondered if it was his own desire or had he been ordered to, it certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. In his distracted thoughts he failed to notice Larxene's low attention span cause her to walk off wondering what was behind one of the corners of the Third District as yesterday she had not been able to explore this space considering Xigbar's lectures and taunts, but now she could and soon found an interesting sight. "Fancy door." She remarked at the large red door sporting the image of a flame on it piquing her interest and on impulse chose to see what was behind it... Only to find it would not open latched shut somehow. Unperturbed by that Larxene decided if it would not open by itself, she would make it and unleashed a thunder spell only for nothing to happen. "Maybe it's made out of wood, well then I'll just burn it to the ground." She thought and sent a fire spell, but much to her surprise when it hit the door was undamaged and actually brightened up.
As she went to go through it Axel finally noticing she had walked off came up behind her. "What did ya find?" Looking inside the two saw a strange house across a series of moving rocks. "Looks abandoned, doubt there's anything of note the-" Axel didn't even finish his sentence as Larxene was already hopping across completely tuning him out. Finding himself with no choice he followed and after a short search for an entrance the two entered only to see that the inside was far different from the outside filled with bright colors and furniture.
At the center sat an old man with a very long beard in what could only be described as pajamas wearing large glasses that fit with his attire. "It's been quite a long time since I've had visitors which makes me glad, I chose to shape up my house before the two of you arrived. Oh, but where are my manners, come in and enjoy a nice cup of tea I made for the two of you." He then gestured to the two other cups on his table sitting across from him. Whether out of naivete or sheer lack of caring Larxene chose to abide by the strange old man sitting down to enjoy her prepared drink.
Meanwhile Axel remained a bit more cautious at the prospect they had apparently been expected to come here today. "Not exactly everyday this happens so I'd like to know who you are and more importantly how you knew we'd show up."
His question seemed to spark recognition in the old man. "Oh yes I must have forgotten. You see I am Merlin a Wizard, not Sorcerer mind you as the two are quite commonly lumped in together when in fact they bear differences that while seem minor are important. As for how I knew you two would be arriving today my use of the magic known as foresight informed me two guests would be arriving today before I left on my constant travels." He explained stroking his beard.
Sipping on her tea Larxene licked her lips enjoying the sweetness of the drink while Axel finally joined her heating his up a bit more before doing the same. "You must be pretty powerful to have that kind of magic; also can I have some more?" She said after finishing her cup and a tea pot floated to her on its own to pour her more while also serving as a demonstration of his expertise. "I'd say that confirms it."
After untangling his beard from being caught on a piece of the table Merlin now chose to question them. "Might I inquire the names of my two guests?" His tone genial like that of your aloof grandfather and Larxene decided she didn't despise the friendly old man especially after tasting his tea. It had been forever since she had a good drink aside from water as Xemnas didn't even allow Soda in the Castle saying it would make them unhealthy.
Now on her third cup while Axel was still enjoying his first, she answered without hesitation. "I'm Larxene and this fire bird is called Axel." She received a subtle glare in return at having his name exposed since they were supposed to remain undetected and unknown as directed by the Organization, and in the span of five minutes she had just destroyed all of that without a care in the world.
As he thought about how he planned to hide this the three exchanged a few more pleasantries until the old wizard looked down at his watch. "It seems I've gotten a little behind my schedule, I hate to be a bother but would you two be willing to do a small favor for me?" He asked but without receiving an answer the old man floated a torn-up book towards them. "This book is quite the treasure to me but recently it suffered some damage. I've requested the services of a friend at the Accessory Shop on the First District, all I require is that you deliver it to him so he may repair it."
Looking at it Larxene saw much of the cover had been torn apart the only words she could sort of read were, "(Win Poo? Maybe this is some kind of toilet training book the guy had as a kid, would explain why the old man even cares about it.)" Picking up the item she did feel a strange magical energy emanating from it and thought it may have some sort of importance beyond just sentimental value. "What's in it for us if we do this?" After all, why do something out of the kindness of your non-existent heart when you can get something in return. It was good business something that had been drilled into Elrena's head for years and Larxene could at least indulge in a few pragmatic memories.
Considering those words Merlin mewled it over in his head until he answered. "Should you do this for me I will be indebted into you and when I return from my travels, I shall teach you a few lessons in magic one can only learn from a wizard of my experience." Immediately Axel picked up on this strange offer gaining suspicion in this seemingly kindly old man. If he actually cared so much about time taking a book to a place only minutes away would be much easier than teaching others for what would most likely take hours to do.
Before he could hint at the girl to perhaps not take the offer, she had grabbed the book. "You got a deal Merlin." Her hunger for knowledge being the only thing on her mind at the moment.
With a smile Merlin then summoned his magic guiding the two out in a haste. "Well then I must ask you both to leave as I need to hurry packing and be on my way before I am late." His words implying a rush but his tone conveying no such thing. As the two left with Larxene taking the lead the wizard waited until they were gone to talk to himself as he packed up. "I do hope my intuition will not come to backfire."
First District
As Larxene walked to the shop both her and Axel stood on a rooftop the latter warning her. "You know if anyone finds out we'll be in trouble and considering yesterday I doubt Saix will be lenient." Despite his at times more rule breaking personality he had the common sense to know this was a bad idea, but one could never say the Savage Key lacked guts as she didn't seem fazed at the idea perhaps a bit too overconfident that this would not come back to bite her.
While he said this she stripped herself of the black coat and gloves getting rid of her usual attire to don on some clothes she had a clone snag from an abandoned clothing store in the second district to blend in since no doubt the mysterious coat would gain some attention. Now she sported a short-sleeved shirt and shorts that fit snugly around her body. "Quit whining, I'll be in and out before you know it. You just hold my coat while I get this done and then we can leave." She then tossed it at him which he side-stepped. Now hopping down to the entrance of the shop she walked inside and was greeted by a man who just from a glance looked incredibly grumpy while he was tinkering with something. "You the owner of the shop?"
Her words interrupting his concentration causing him to nearly spark his hand. "*$%$!" He cursed out before turning to who had distracted him seeing the girl that currently whistled with thinly veiled amusement. "Yea I'm the owner, name's Cid what's it to ya?" The man barked.
Walking to the counter unperturbed by his bad attitude Larxene brought the book out and dropped it on the counter. "Merlin told me to bring this to you, said you could fix it." That seemed to break his mood as the owner picked it up inspecting it.
Now Cid was no fool and he knew that old codger while a pain was smart in his own right and wouldn't just give away his precious book to some random girl to haul around. He had to have some sort of underlying reason or have known this person for quite some time to trust her with it. "You an old friend of the coot?" He ventured for much needed info while discussing it as a simple question.
With a shrug she responded, "Nah just met him like half an hour ago and he asked me to bring it to you in exchange for some help in the future." Keeping the explanation, a bit vague.
That was enough though to paint a vivid picture in the older man's mind, and he remembered something Leon asked him two days ago. "Could you keep an eye out for anyone new or mysterious? I think someone important is walking through the town and may come here to buy some equipment." Although he had no idea why he did trust the younger man and already a couple bells were ringing in his head that this may be who he was looking for as by now she already stood out from most others he met in Traverse Town.
Putting the book up to work on later he asked, "Well I guess it doesn't matter. You gonna buy something?" Deciding that perhaps her next words may just certify his suspicions.
Thinking on it Larxene realized this just may be her chance to get some neat equipment, although she'd need to hide it from the guard dog. It was a risk, but she just couldn't resist getting some nice stuff to make her stronger. She decided to get a Protect Chain and Obsidian Ring, but to her dismay there were no Ribbon's for Luxord so she could get that Elixir. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a Ribbon would ya?"
Cid was about to tell her no dice but then he had a thought. "(Why not just makes sure she comes back and have Leon verify the whole thing so I can move on with my stuff.)" Thankfully he knew a generous flower girl who might be willing to part with a spare Ribbon. "If you'll come back in a couple days, I can get one." He offered.
Larxene considered this wondering if he was just trying to scam her, but the knowledge it would get her that oh so glorious elixir of life was too much of an opportunity to pass up. "Sounds good, see ya in a couple days." She then left heading back up to meet Axel. "Told ya it would be quick, now is it time to get back before something else happens?" She asked now putting the coat back on while choosing to keep the clothes.
For the time she had been gone Axel had considered his approach to gaining the girl's trust, it would not be easy and most likely he would have to play the long game as she seemed distrustful of many especially those in the Organization itself. Obviously, he couldn't push it so instead he chose to be a bit more subtle about it using bait to lure the fly into his palms. "You go on ahead I've got somewhere to be." He waved off and went to leave taking a few steps while counting in his head. "(3-2-1...)"
And just as he had expected the girl's curiosity came through. "You go places besides the Castle?" A hint of skepticism in her tone.
Turning back around the man held a smirk chuckling at her words. "Well of course, you think I just sit in the Castle all day and do nothing? If you're so skeptical then come on, I'll show you what I do in my free time." He offered to the girl who now intrigued by this apparent important place chose to join him.
Against her better judgement she followed and soon the two were in Twilight Town earning a look from Larxene. "What could you possibly do here?" But he remained silent as she followed him until they came to an Ice-Cream Vendor next to the Train Station. Next thing she knew the girl had a bar thrust into her hands while being led up top onto the clock tower while being told she couldn't eat it just yet.
After a short trip up with her still very confused about why they were coming here finally they came to their destination with Axel taking a seat and prompting her to do the same which she hesitantly did. "I come up here almost every day to enjoy the sunset and a bar of the best ice-cream in the Universe. Go on try it, unless you're scared it's poisoned." He teased.
With a bit of a huff taking on the challenge Larxene took a bite of the substance tasting what had been given to her. Mewling it around in her mouth immediately she felt like she had poured salt onto her tongue, but just as soon as that suddenly the bitter salty taste became sweet like sugar creating a multitude of sensations in her mouth. Seeing how her face morphed by the second the man couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he enjoyed his treat. "Enjoy the Sea-Salt Ice-Cream, or do you just make those faces for the fun of it?"
Larxene was tempted to throw the bar at him for that comment but resisted finding she liked the delicious snack too much to waste it. "You're lucky I'm so generous as to let that remark go." The two spent nearly an hour just watching the sunset and chatting with Axel delivering many useless facts about the sunset while she listened. She had to admit it was a nice sight certainly a change from starring at the endless abyss of The World That Never Was, but even by the end when they had to get back a question kept ringing to her mind. "Why even invite me up here, I doubt I'm what you would consider good company. Heck i thought you and Saix were buddy buddy so why not just get him?"
At that he just shrugged after looking at his stick. "Compared to everyone else you're at least a breath of fresh air, and as for Saix he'd just consider it a waste of time." The girl accepted this logic finding no real fault in it and as the two traveled back to the Castle found she didn't mind the idea of coming back here tomorrow just to enjoy another round of her new favorite dessert.
Destiny Islands
One person who found himself at a crossroads was the being known to only a select few as Ansem The Seeker of Darkness. For the past few days he had pondered on recent events keeping an eye on how the darkness seemed to register a new threat to its desire to dominate, oh yes he understood that a Keyblade Wielder had emerged and now events were transpiring unlike how he had anticipated. As he watched his prize a silver haired boy and his two friends beginning what they saw as a raft to sail across worlds, the man almost laughed at their pathetic attempts to cross over so naive to the true power that could grant such abilities. For a moment he felt a faint sense of nostalgia but was unable to place where it had come from before brushing it off. Yes he had hoped to wait a little while longer to enact his plan as he still wished to push the boy a bit further into darkness over the next month or two, but now he realized perhaps it was time to accelerate his plans before this new pest managed to interfere in his goals. With that thought he decided that before the week was up despite the minor complications of this change in plans overall it would be best to drown this world in darkness so he would have not only his new vessel but also the Princess in his grasp.