Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters – they belong to Square and Disney.
Stare Into The Abyss – Chapter Fourteen
Sora tilted his head, giving Axel a quizzical look. "Go on…"
Axel hesitated a moment. He could of said nothing, probably should of kept quiet. The boy was bound to run off wanting to seal his precious Keyhole, despite the fact the entire thing didn't feel right. But if he wanted to start having things go his way, he was going to have to go along with it for now, wasn't he? And that world was important, this was an opportunity to go back and maybe find out why.
You'll just have to be careful. Besides, you don't have anything better to do right now, do you?
He switched his attention back to Sora."You can't seal this one because it's already sealed."
"What?" Sora shook his head, confused. "That can't be right."
"You're looking in the wrong place. The Keyhole you want to seal is the one in that other world."
"How's that got anything to do with this?"
Axel sighed. "You heard what Number Two said. That world is connected to this one…"
"…Through each of the world's Keyholes?" Sora wondered, catching on. "So I'm supposed to seal that one?"
"First, yes."
"First?" He frowned.
"They're linked. You seal one world's Keyhole and it'll open the other, so..."
"How do you know this?" Sora interrupted.
Axel paused briefly before responding. "Ansem told me."
"You saw him? Riku! Was he…?"
"No. No Riku."
A flash of disappointment crossed the boy's face. "If what he told you was true, then how am I supposed to seal them both? Won't it just keep opening the other up as I seal one of them?"
"What if we sealed them both at the same time?" Kaze suggested.
Are they really that stupid?
"Are you sure you even want to bother?" Axel asked. "If that's what he wants you to do, maybe you should just forget it."
"I can't do that."
Axel smirked a little. He'd been expecting that. "Don't you think it's odd he's only just decided to tell you where it is? Especially when he seemed against you sealing it before."
Sora eyed him suspiciously. "Did he tell you something else that I should know?"
"What? No."
"We don't know what will happen…" Kaze cut in. "If they're connected, what will happen to this world?"
That was a possibility Axel hadn't really considered. What would happen to this world? Surely there was a reason for the special kind of "link" these two worlds shared. Was messing with it when they didn't understand it such a good idea? All the more reason not to bother with it.
Sora smiled reassuringly at Kaze. "If we seal them both at the same time, there's nothing to worry about."
Of course, the stubborn brat isn't going to let that put him off, is he?
"What if something goes wrong? What if our timing is off?"
"It'll be fine, I promise."
Kaze nodded reluctantly. "If we're going to do it, then I'll stay here and take care of this world's Keyhole."
Sora glanced back to Axel. "How are we supposed to get back to that world?"
"That parts easy. Ansem said he'd leave one of those doorways to it open outside."
"Did he tell you where we can find the Keyhole?"
"No, but it shouldn't be hard to find."
"You're coming with me?"
Axel shot a distasteful glare at Kaze. "I'm not staying with him."
Sora grinned. "That, and you're not going to let me out of your sight until you get what you're after, right?"
"Right. You're not going to be much use if you go and get yourself killed."
The grin faded. "I don't intend on doing that." He looked back over his shoulder towards Kaze. "You'll be alright?"
"Sure. Good luck Sora."
Nodding Sora started to leave, Axel following.
"You don't think this is a good idea, do you?" Sora asked him.
"I don't trust him."
"Your Superior?"
"He's not my Superior anymore." Axel replied through gritted teeth.
"You didn't have to tell me what he said. Why did you?"
"I have my reasons."
"That you're not going to share?"
Axel didn't answer. Sora frowned but remained silent until they exited the building. The shimmering mirror-like object waiting for them outside was unmistakable. Approaching it, he summoned his keyblade and waited for Axel to join him. "Ready?"
Axel wasn't so keen on returning to a world that rendered his own weapons useless. If they were walking into some kind of a set up, this wasn't going to be very much fun.
He stepped through.
Sora shuddered slightly as he emerged back into the empty city. The world felt so… dead. It was hard not to notice how vacant everything was. Trying to ignore it, he addressed Axel. "So, any idea where to start looking?"
"This world is Twilight Town, remember? That's what Number Two said. So, we find something that looks familiar and find whatever would pass for the Organization building here."
"You're assuming it'll be in the same place…"
"Of course it will."
There was no missing the smugness in his voice. Or the added smugness. Axel seemed to always sound cocky. "Are you sure you weren't just told where we'd find it?"
"No." Axel gave him a disapproving look. "Trust me, I'm right."
Rolling his eyes, Sora started scanning the landscape. Row after row of tall buildings… With one that he recognized that stood out. He indicated the large structure poking up above the rest of the buildings. "Remember that? The place we spoke to Number Two at? If that's in the middle of the city it's in roughly the same area as the Clock Tower, right?"
"Which would make the place we're after, this way."
Sora hurried after Axel as the NEO picked a direction and set off. Neither spoke as they passed through the unoccupied streets. While Sora had tried to assure Kaze that nothing would go wrong, he was worried. Axel was right, there had to be a reason why the Organization now seemed to want this Keyhole sealed. Sora had a feeling that they'd probably given him the information so he'd come here. Surely they'd be waiting for him when they arrived?
As Sora was about to ask if Axel actually knew where they were going, he came to a halt. Sora had to stop himself from running into the back of him.
"Nice train."
He moved past Axel to examine the area they'd arrived at. The station itself wasn't that special, it was similar to the one back at Twilight Town, but the main difference that caught Sora's eye was the sleek, silver vehicle that was positioned there. It wasn't like any of the other trains he'd seen in the other worlds.
Why is this world so much more advanced?
Sora moved over to the doors. "Think it still works?"
The hissing of them opening as he drew near gave him his answer. Axel brushed past him, entering, Sora stepping into the train after him. It was dark inside, but as the doors slid closed behind them, lights flickered to life throughout the carriage as it powered itself up.
As the train begin moving, Sora took a look around. No seats, just the cold metallic floor and blacked out windows. If this world was so dead, why was this still working? If this world was where the NEOs came from, was this train perhaps used in transporting them? But to where? What would be the need when they could just use one of them doorways? His gaze shifted towards Axel. And why did he not seem to remember this place while Kaze did perfectly?
His thoughts wandered back to the piece of paper he'd found earlier. Should he mention it? "…Axel?"
"What?"
Sora took hold of the paper and held it out in his hand. "I found this before. I think you should read it."
Taking it from him, Axel's eyes scanned it, before quickly handing the paper back to Sora. "No."
"It seems important…"
"No. I don't want to know about that."
"It could help."
"Then you read it."
Sighing Sora tucked it away safely, as the train came to a sudden halt, jerking him forward. The journey seemed an awful lot quicker compared to the one he was used to.
Exiting Sora was relived to see there was still a large structure standing where the Organization's residence would. But this wasn't the grand building it had being anymore. It was run down, ruined. One corner of it missing completely crumbled away. Its windows were mostly broken and its roof was filled with gaping holes.
Hoping Axel was right and the Keyhole was there he headed towards it.
He didn't want to spend anymore time looking in this world than he had to. The sooner he could find it, the sooner he could leave and start looking for his friends.
Axel followed behind the boy as they entered the building. This place, unlike the rest of the city, didn't seem so different. While worn by age, it was still the same. It wasn't replaced by some skyscraper or filled with the flashing neon lights that the rest of the city had. It was still the same place he knew.
Why?
… And why was there a vaguely familiar feeling like he'd been here before?
They picked their way carefully over holes in the floor as Sora made his way towards the back of the building, a good idea of where they needed to go now, with Axel staying behind him.
Why had Sora shown him what was written on that paper? He'd been trying not to think about any of that and it had served as a painful reminder. A detailed report on the NEOs. Details on what kind of experiments had been conducted.
Details that he'd rather not read about.
As they travelled further into the aged structure, Axel felt the familiar feeling growing stronger. Yes, he'd been here before. Hadn't Number Two even mentioned something about this world been his "home"? But why couldn't he remember it?
"I think we're there."
Sora had stopped in front of what should have been a door. Only half of it was still hanging from its hinges anymore.
The room beyond it was in a poorer state, a majority of the floor completely missing. A dull glow was coming from the room beneath them. Axel grinned triumphantly. "See? I told you I was right."
Sora placed his foot on one of the remaining panels of wood and leaned forward to get a better look at the space below. Axel started to warn him that probably wasn't a good idea, as the floor shattered from under the boy's feet and he disappeared from sight.
Sora coughed sitting up slowly as dust settled around him. He climbed back to his feet, brushing at his clothes, glad that it hadn't been too far a fall. At least he didn't have to worry about finding a way to get down. Getting back up might be a problem though.
He craned his neck back to see Axel peering over the edge at him, smirking. "Oops?"
"Stay there." Sora instructed him. "I'll be back in a minute."
He turned around to locate the source of the glow and smiled as he spotted the Keyhole, right where it had been in the other world.
Now how was he supposed to keep this one sealed while Kaze took care of the other?
Gripping Oathkeeper he aimed it at the hole. Light shot out from the keyblade and spread across the Keyhole. He kept hold of his weapon, even as it appeared to of finished sealing it.
How could he tell when Kaze was done at his end?
Nothing.
No sign that this was changing as a result of the other now been sealed. He waited a few more minutes before finally stepping away and dismissing the keyblade. The only thing he could do now was return back to Twilight Town and see if it had worked.
Axel watched, amused as Sora struggled to pull himself up, finally managing to climb back onto the remaining flooring of the higher level.
"Thanks." Sora muttered dryly as he walked past Axel.
"Finished?"
"I think so."
Think?
As they made their way back out of the building, Axel wondered why that had gone so easily. No Ansem, no Number Two. No nothing.
He kept quiet as they took the train back and made their way through the city, towards the area they'd arrived in. Axel was expecting the doorway they'd came through to be gone, or someone to be waiting there for them.
No one. Just the doorway sat where they'd left it.
Too easy…Sora exchanged a glance with Axel before passing through it. Shrugging, Axel followed him.
He immediately noticed they weren't back outside the residence. Instead, they'd arrived on the roof of the Clock Tower. The highest point in the town, that gave a perfect view of the darkness that was spreading across it.
Darkness very much like that of the world they'd just left behind.
Black clouds were lining the sky and an unsettling sea of shadows were creeping through the streets, filling them.
And it was coming straight towards them.
"No…" Sora stared in horror at the scene before them. "Did I do this?"
Axel didn't respond. From Sora's expression he could tell the boy already knew the answer to that.
So, this was why things had been so easy.
… What had they just done?
Author's Note: Finally got chance to update! Sorry it took a while. The second half of this chapter was originally supposed to go in a totally different direction, but oh well, it's had a bit of a re-shuffle. That stuff will come later instead. ;)
Bit of a switch between Axel and Sora here but I thought it worked better than I originally had it.
AloneInDespair: I couldn't help it! And I think this is just as bad. But I shall try not to leave the next update as long!
sorastalker0: Hehe, I don't think that kind of merging is going to be happening! XD
Ginger Ninja: And some more Sora focus here! He's helping me move things along a bit easier! Some screenshots of the summary have started appearing which are a bit less spoiler-rific. But still make me want the game more.
Saddened Soul: I'm totally confused with what's going on now thanks to that summary! Even Namine sounds like she's got a motive for something. And I still want them to actually show Riku's face!
Crisis Haylo: Aww, thank you! Sometimes I feel like each chapter isn't as good as the last so I'm glad you think they're getting better. I think we'll all be crazy KH addicts by the time KH2 comes out. They need to hurry!
ellenh9: What indeed? ;) Oh wait, I can't be sneaky with that anymore.