Day 71:~Reunion~
Roxas sighed heavily as he walked into the Grey room and saw there were already two members that were already present. The first one who approached him was Xigbar, much to Roxas's chagrin.
"Heh heh, here comes sourpuss. Why the long face?" Xigbar asked while Roxas scowled at him.
"Nothing, okay?" Roxas replied, as he wished to be far from this conversation.
"You gotta admit, the castle's a lot quieter. Half as loud, you might say. But I could get used to a smaller, more tightly knit group, how 'bout you?" Xigbar inquired but before Roxas could respond he felt his hair being ruffled as Demyx walked up next to him.
"Hey, Roxas, man, did you hear? No survivors! Everybody at Castle Oblivion got KO'd! Heavy stuff." Demyx said as Roxas's expression fell at the reminder of their fallen comrades along with Axel.
"Then they're really gone..."
"Gone with the wind-right, Xiggy? Whew, I really dodged a bullet there." Demyx said with relief while Xigbar chuckled.
"Lucky you. Heh heh, now you get to double your hours to help pick up the slack."
Demyx appeared to be repulsed at that notion. "Blegh! Roger that. Remind me to underachieve twice as hard from now on. Everybody out in the field pulling double duty. Hard workers, I salute you!" Demyx remarked as he then summoned a corridor of darkness to walk into- intending to avoid Saix and leaving Roxas and Xigbar alone.
"Make sure to pull your weight, kiddo." Xigbar informed while Roxas didn't respond to him. "Not that you weigh anything. What are you, around a buck five? Here, better take this in case you pass out." The senior member remarked as he held out a potion towards him- which Roxas accepted as Saïx approached them.
"Where is Demyx?" Saïx asked, but it sounded more like a demand as Xigbar chuckled.
"Beats me."
Saïx narrowed his eyes at the second member of the organization but then turned his attention to Roxas. "You will be conducting missions solo for the time being, until we can restructure. Finish your preparations and be on your way."
Roxas only nodded as a corridor was opened before him. But just as he was about to walk through he stopped as he heard Xigbar's voice.
" If they're gone, they're gone. No point in crying over spilt milk."
?: Hey, Roxas!"
Roxas's eyes widned as he heard a familiar voice. Turning around, he froze in place as he saw an all too familiar red-haired man walked towards him.
"How's it hanging?" Axel remarked nonchalantly as he approached his junior. He frowned for a moment as Roxas gave him no reaction. " What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Axel?" Roxas asked, his voice slightly shaking as he spoke aloud.
"Last time I checked, yeah." Axel said with a joking tone.
"But...I thought you were gone! Castle Oblivion-the whole tea was annihilated..." Roxas remarked in a somber tone as he thought about the comrades that were lost.
"Correction: the weaklings were annihilated." Axel clarified without missing a beat, while Roxas shook his head in disbelief.
"You had me worried." Roxas said earnested, feeling a little dejected that Axel hadn't appeared before him sooner.
"Worried?" Axel scoffed as he placed a hand on Roxas's head. "Well, that's a neat trick, considering you haven't got a heart to feel with." He said affectionately towards his junior, but then frowned for a second as appeared to recall something.
Roxas suddenly lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he took a step back. "W-wait here. I'll go buy us some ice cream!" The thirteenth member said as he then immediately ran off, leaving Axel behind by himself.
Atop the clocktower, both with ice cream in their hands, Roxas couldn't hold back a smile. He hadn't realized how much he had actually missed his friend until he was back by his side. They chatted for a little while as Axel finished off half of his ice cream.
"I gotta check in with the boss, or he's gonna let me have it."
Roxas looked at Axel in surprise. "You haven't RTC'd yet?"
"Nah."
Roxas then tilted his head curiously. "Well, why come here?"
Axel glanced at Roxas for a moment as his mind flashed back to Castle Oblivion. The image of Marluxia and their junior was burned into his mind, as he recalled the what the traitor has told him.
"Guess... I needed some time to sort out my feelings. That's all." Axel said, taking a bite of his ice cream, which tasted bitter all of a sudden.
Roxas only shrugged him off. Whatever, mister I-don't-have-a-heart." He remarked as Axel let out a chuckle, ruffling his junior's hair.
"Hey, your ice cream's melting. Eat up." Axel instructed as Roxas smile at him. But just as Roxas was about to take a bite, he turned to his friend with a spark in his eyes.
"You know, I started inviting Xion up here while you were gone."
Axel's eyes widened in surprise as he recalled the fourteenth member of their organization. It was surprising that Roxas had befriended them of all the remaining members. "Xion? Really?" He asked as Roxas nodded with a smile on his face.
"Yeah. I promised her the three of us could have ice cream together- you know, once you got back. Me and her are friends now." Roxas said as he took a bite of his ice cream. Axel glanced at his friend curiously, wondering if there was anything else that he had missed when he was absent.
-Roxas's Diary Entry: Day 71-
After work, Axel turned up. Just like that, out of nowhere. I didn't know what to say. I thought we'd lost him for good. We went up to the clock tower and talked for a while. I told him about Xion. I sit up on the clock tower, but no one comes. Not Axel, not even Xion. That weird lump in my throat won't go away.
Something else is bothering me. This is gonna sound crazy (good thing this is a private diary!) but these pictures keep flashing through my head. Not all the time, just sometimes... Ever since I collapsed. It happens when I'm awake, too-on missions-so I don't think it's a dream.
Where are the pictures coming from?
-Secret Report: Xigbar-
Saïx had a hand in what went down at Castle Oblivion-well, more like a whole arm. Which means Axel was in on it as well. It's a fact that Xemnas ordered Axel to take out the traitors, orders which went through Saïx. No specific names were given, but naturally, Xemnas knew who the turncoats were right from the get-go.
However, if there was anyone who could explain who the kiddo really is, it was Vexen. Everyone believes that the kiddo was the key blade weilder from back then. But something is definertly off about him, no one wants to admit it aloud, but it appears I'm not only one who noticed...