18

Writer's Note: For anyone concerned that all this jumping around was going nowhere, well you finally get your wish. Storylines are begining to mingle, and I don't want to give too much away, but the formation isn't too far off yet. This is probably the last 'battle' for a good long while so if you enjoy the mayhem of combat take it all in, there'll only be minor skirmishes for a good next third of the story, and Marluxia and Larxene get their days too.

Zexion

Almost three weeks had passed since Maleficient came to me for the second time. Lexaeus and I were sitting on some benches in the second district. There were a few other people around, talking, laughing. A pair of guys were talking in low voices, like they were trying to keep something from the rest of the world. One had blonde hair, and had some goggles on his forehead. The other was younger, with brown hair. He had a scar across one eye. He looked somewhat familiar, like I'd seen him once before, but I couldn't quite place him.

Lexaeus and I were discussing that old woman, by the way. He was wondering what her deal was. We had both rattled our brains over it, but didn't figure it out. I didn't try to access that darkness she gave me, I was worried there would be strings attached. Lex had brought up a good point right from the start: what did she have to gain from helping me? We thought about it, but from our perspective, there wasn't anything she could gain. We needed more information, otherwise we'd be stuck where we were. But something happened whether I wanted it to or not; people...smelled different. Tasted different even. Not food, or oil, or anything like that, just people. It wasn't a bad smell, nor was it a good one, it was just...different. I had no idea what I was smelling. Some seemed identical, some unique, it was odd, I could only assume it had to do with that darkness Maleficient "tempered", as she had put it.

A bonus for me, I guess, was that Lexaeus was now thinking about other worlds too. He had figured out Maleficient wasn't of this world, like I had, but where she came from, how she did it, and pretty much everything else was a mystery. Oh, I mentioned good for me right? Not so good with Lex, he was very trim, and everything was matter-of-fact with him, I could only assume what the unknown was doing to his mind, probably flipping it upside down. But he seemed to handle reasonably well, considering, though he was still having trouble.

I had happened to glance up during the conversation, for no reason really. I just felt compelled to look up to the walkway that went by the hotel. Lucky I did, cuz I saw it coming, headed right for Lexaeus.

"Move!" I shouted, and tackled Lex, shoving him out the way and it crashed right into where he had been sitting a second before. It was one of those things. Heartless, Maleficient had called them. It was just like that one in the third district a few weeks ago, all black, with the two yellow eyes. Obviously, this drew some attention. People gasped, pointed, and whispered, yelled, whatever, with each other. Except for two, the strangers who had been whispering before. The blonde one came and tried to block people from getting near it. He knew it was dangerous too, I wasn't the only one I guess. The brown haired one came with a sword I recognized, a sword with a gun set into the hilt. I remember! He's the one who tried to attack Maleficient! He sliced straight through the Heartless, and it vaporized into a bunch of bubbles like the one I had killed did. When he did, my nose, which had been smelling that new smell like crazy for the past few minutes, eased up on the gas a little. It was the Heartless, whatever this smell was, the Heartless generated a lot of it.

"Wow," I began, and reached my hand to shake the stranger's, "thanks..." I got cut off. I assume I looked odd, cuz I swear my face twisted or conformed to some crazy shape it wasn't used to being in. A really, really bad smell this time, just like the Heartless, but much more intense. From out of nowhere a bunch of them appeared. Some like the one the brown-haired guy killed, some were taller, stood on two legs, with silverish helmets, like soldiers. The brown-haired stranger was really outnumbered, and they were all closing in on him. He could probably run, but all the people were behind him.

The blonde haired one figured this out, and looked at everyone else, "All of you better get outta here, no staring unless you wanna end up dead. Hurry up numb butts, get outta here!" and the people began to head out for the third district. Brown-hair was around the fountain, and beating back the Heartless that attacked him, but his moves were becoming less intentional, more desperate. He wouldn't last long. Suddenly, on my left, Lexaeus ran towards one of the soldier-type Heartless, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Hyaaaaah!" and with a punch that would've knocked me out for a week, Lexaeus smashed the Heartless right into the stone wall. I could hear a sickening crack as the helmet cracked open. Probably either a really painful way to die, or a really quick one. Except death wasn't the end result here, the Heartless simply stood up and performed some action that was...kind of...like brushing himself off like nothing noticable occured. Scar swung his gun-sword and two more Heartless disappeared. While Lexaeus couldn't kill any of the Heartless, he could distract them long enough for Scar guy here to keep his cool and kill them all. Although the punch was a failure, Lexaeus was turning to different methods of defense. He had gone over to a bench, and picked it up, like it was acting as a huge club. Putting his force into it, muscles bulging at his exertion, he swung it into a group of the smaller black Heartless. Lexaeus though didn't hit anything this time. The little black Heartless just...melted it seemed into the floor. They became like shadows, and when the bench swung by overhead, they simply rose up and resumed their previous activity. One leaped for Lexaeus, trying to kill him, I guess he was a bit of a threat to them.

"Lex!" I shouted, and reached out my hand like I could help him. It was useless, he was too far away, I wouldn't be able to help him no matter how hard I tried. But like I've mentioned before, we were best friends, what was I supposed to do? I have to save him, I'll never forgive myself if I can't...

Except I was about to have a take two. I felt, more than saw, the bright, green/yellowish light consume my body again, just like that night with Maleficient. Suddenly a dark, purple/black cord shot out from my hand, and wrapped itself around the Heartless. On my end of it, it wrapped itself around my wrist, like it was some kind of gauntlet, and I felt a wave course through my body, into the rope, and into the Heartless, how I felt that last part, don't look at me, I'm just the guy who this happened to, I didn't cause it. The Heartless vaporized like the others. I stared at my hand for what seemed like a good long while. I flicked my forearm, testing this whip, and it was very powerful, I could feel it. I could smell that scent again, probably just more Heartless.

Looking up, I saw a black Heartless move in on Lexaeus. I flung my whip at him and sliced right through the Heartless. The blonde-haired stranger came now, he had a spear, and was stabbing at Heartless too. We definitely just turned this into an all out war. As we kept fighting, more Heartless kept appearing. It was an endless tide, we couldn't even tell if the number had peaked, more just kept coming. And then I had a reflex. A Heartless was leaping on my blind side, left side, without the weapon, which was entangled in some kind of floating ball Heartless. I extended my hand, just like that day, and from it came a small dark ball. Black on black, with a low sort of clanky hum, and a whirling sound, as it sucked up the Heartless, and pressed it to the ground. I thought it was simply melding into the ground, like it had with Lexaeus, except when it came back up, it burst apart and was destroyed. This time I tried it deliberately, on a group of them. The strange black ball came out and flattened everything it covered. Likewise, it blew them all apart. I used the technique again, this time it was bigger, more powerful. And suddenly, the Heartless pulled away. Just vanished into thin air.

"Ha-ha! Don't want any more of this, do you, you yellow cowards, huh?" the blonde-haired man shouted at the sky.

I sniffed the air. That stench was still there. An overpowering smell still. It wasn't quite as big, but it seemed somehow...closer. Though not as urgent. I couldn't figure it out, and looked to the two strangers who had helped us fight, "Thanks," I said, extending my arm to scar-face.

"You're welcome," he answered, giving me a quick shake, like I wasn't quite worth the time. I should have felt insulted, but I know everyone thought stuff like that, it was just which of us were willing to show it.

"Hey, kid, we better get back to the hotel, see if the girls are OK," the blonde-haired man said. Scar nodded and turned in the hotel's direction.

"Hey wait," I asked, stepping forward, almost too eagerly I suppose, "You guys know Maleficient, right?"

They turned around, and the blonde man answered, "Who the heck is that supposed to be?"

"You tried to kill her a few weeks ago," I said, looking at Scar. What the heck? He obviously has a grudge against her, but doesn't even know her?

"I don't know who you're talking about," Scar said turning away.

"It's hard to forget her," Lex said stepping up beside me, "black robe, green tip staff, horns coming outta her head."

That got their attention. Blondie raised his eyebrows, and gave Lex and me a look that just screamed "keep going". Scar didn't look at us, but I saw his fist trembling as his grip tightened on his sword. I just kind of looked back and forth between the two of them. It was quiet, for a very long time, like they were trying to take it all in.

Blondie lowered his head a bit, like he was averting his face from something disturbing, "Yeah, we know that witch."

"She's approached Zexion here a few times," Lex said, gesturing at me. "Maybe you know what her deal is, we can't figure her out."

"Witch has no 'deal'," Scar said, his voice low, barely controlled rage escaping his body. His speaking was more like talking from the throat than the mouth, like there was a lump there and his voice could barely make it out to us. "All she wants is to destroy, her and those Heartless, all they know is destruction."

"Wait, the Heartless," I almost shouted in my confusion. "She's connected to those things?"

"She controls them," Blondie said, his voice was somewhat relieved from before, more normal. "Her and this other creep, some brown-robed dude."

"Wait, isn't she the one who gave you those wierd powers?" Lexaeus said looking at me.

"If Maleficient gave you something, you should be careful. And you damn sure better not trust it," Scar said, turning around. His voice was still constricted, and his grip seemed looser, but it was definitely still an anger grip. "Maleficient destroyed our world. We barely made it here," he said, looking around the town.

"Well, I'm Zexion, this is Lexaeus," I said, "so you're the 'strangers' everyone kept talking about."

"Yeah, we are," Blondie said, "Name's Cid, this is Squall," he said pointing at his companion.

"Leon," he said, as if he were correcting him.

"Look," Lexaeus said, trying to mediate everyone to normalcy, "it's getting kinda late, I say we all get some rest, meet somewhere tommorow."

"Good idea," Cid said, "Where's your preference?"

"How about the restaurant in the first district?" I offered, looking from Lex to Cid to Leon. They all nodded their heads.

"We'll see you there, tommorow night at about six," Leon said, and walked away with Cid for the hotel.

"Well, someone else who knows about the Heartless. I would've never guessed," Lex said, looking up at the sky. We approached the district door, Lex pushed it open, went through, holding it open for me, I grabbed the handle and continued through. Our house was right by the district door, some 10 meters from it. I got a strong smell this time. I know before I said this smelling thing wasn't quite a good or bad smell, but this was bad, I must have grimaced or something because Lexaeus looked at me funny, "something wrong?"

I shook my head no, "No, sorry, I don't know, whatever." I moved on to the current topic, "Yeah, I can't believe it, incredible."

"Yes, incredible," a soft but poisonous voice said behind us. I spun around, and saw Lexaeus scowl out of the corner of my eye. Maleficient. "But not quite as incredible as you were, my dear Zexion," she said making a grand gesture at me.

"You're the one in control of the Heartless right?" Lexaeus asked her, "That means you sent those things after us tonight, what's your deal? You trying to kill us for no reason?"

"Us?" Maleficient confusedly chuckled, "there is no us, dear Lexaeus, only Zexion. This was all a test for him." She turned to me, I hope I didn't look half as confused as I felt, then I probably would've looked helpless, but I think I did, "Yes, Zexion, you seemed quite firm in your desire to resist your darkness. Even though you have opened your heart to it, your mind and soul do not yet understand that. I needed to use you to your full potential, young one," she said explaining her situation.

Next to her, another being materialized. This one was very different, he wore a brown robe. I didn't want to be rude and stare, but I couldn't find a face under his hood. He floated there, with this odd, greenish glow around him. And this smell, it was intense, overpowering, I could no longer even smell what I figured was Maleficient, or any other smells I could normally smell. This one was overpowering, which probably meant it was this guy, whoever he was.

"Hey Zex," Lexaeus asked me, "doesn't this guy look like that 'other one' Leon and Cid described?"

"You're right," I said. This was definitely that other general who commanded Heartless.

His voice was very deep, and somehow...soothing, I think. It was definitely strange, to feel comforted by this definitely evil man, but Lex didn't seem so. Maybe Maleficient's darkness had taken more root than I believed, "Yes, you have grown quite powerful," he told me, "worthy of one who wields the darkness."

"You too, huh?" Lex said, he had balled his fists, and was looking to be ready for a fight.

"Lex, stand back," I ordered him. It must have sounded wierd, for the first time in his life, he wasn't the stronger one. I was always slim, frail in a way, feminine even, if you want to give me an overall appearance rating, Lex always had the brawn, the muscle to protect himself, and me once or twice. But after this whole darkness fiasco, I was now the stronger one, and certainly by more folds than Lex had ever been more powerful than me. I summoned my whip back to me. It appeared about the same as it had before, extending from some kind of energy focus in my palm, and wrapping itself around my wrist and forearm.

"Ah, most impressive," the brown-cloaked man said, "you have managed to control your powers most exquisitely after only one trial run, you certainly are magnificent," he said looking at me. "You were right Maleficient, he may be the perfect candidate."

"Candidate for what?" I asked, readying myself for an attack, "why don't you share with the rest of the class?"

"To become one with the darkness," Maleficient said, "You can become as powerful as us, if you would only yield to the darkness in your heart. Why don't you open up to it?" she offered me, extending her arm.

"I don't think so, and become as stupid as you two to boot? How dumb do you think I am?"

"Very well, perhaps the proper motivation..." Maleficient trailed off, and pointed her staff at Lexaeus.

Green lightning shot out and entangled Lex, lifting him off the ground. I don't think those screams are something I'll ever forget, "Hraaa-AAAAHHHH!" he screamed in desperation. Powerless, that was the only way to describe him.

"Stop!" I shouted, flicking my whip at Maleficient. But it just bounced off her, it was no use. Lex continued to cry out in pain, I could see the tears welling up in his eyes, "I told you to stop it you witch!" And I fired my black ball at her, but it just fizzled out on top of her.

She smiled menacingly, and the brightness of that lightning intensified, and Lex cried out in more pain, and then, he went limp. Damnit, this is supposed to make me stronger right? That's how it works in all the stories. My friend gets hurt, and I get more powerful, angrier, more desperate, I'm supposed to be the one who saves him in the nick of time. "Rrraaaaahhhh!" I launched another ball at her, this one was bigger, huge, it encompassed the enitre street. It didn't do anything to Maleficient, but it did leave a huge cracked outline in the pavement. So it wasn't that I was weak, I was just not strong enough, probably the most humiliating kind of defeat. No way, I have to save him! Out of options, I ran straight at Maleficient, I was going to hand-to-hand if I must, I had to save Lex. Except robe-guy set himself right between me and the witch. He extended his hand to my chest before I could react. His hand went straight into my chest, it didn't hurt, but certainly was uncomfortable. I swung at him but my hand only went right through him.

"No," he said, apparently speaking to Maleficient, "it won't work. Though his darkness is vast, he can only unlock it with his light. It will never do."

Maleficient dropped her electric grip on Lexaeus, who dropped to the floor. "Very well, what shall we do with him then?"

The brown robed man curtly replied, "Why don't we just kill him," and disappeared as he had arrived.

Maleficient looked back at me, "Very well," and she raised her staff over her head. I heard Lex groan over to my side, but I saw my opporunity, I raked my whip over to hit Maleficient in the side, but like before, it kind of just bounced off her.

"Meteors of Heaven! Unleash my fury!" Witches and their battle cries. Although it was a bad time t mock her in my head, as these HUGE meteors shot out from behind her and came soaring at me. I used my black ball to neutralize one of them, the second hit me right on, and flung me into the stone wall. The thrid passed me by, angled poorly I guess, and the final one was a glancing blow, but crushed my left arm.

"Zexion!" Lexaeus was up. His fist slammed into the pavement, causing a tremor in the ground. That was wierd.

Maleficient turned to face him, "Ah, so you too have powerful darkness in your heart. I'm afraid that means I shall need to destroy you, too."

Maleficient launched a meteor at Lex, even if he had darkness, I didn't think he'd be able to stop it. But right in front of him, another being materialized. This one didn't have that dark-portal thing, he just kind of faded into existence. He was wearing some strange clothes, bluish-white, he had long brown hair, and carried a sapphire shield. like an oval, with five spikes coming out of the bottom extension. At this point, the meteor was like three meters from them. The new stranger raised his arm from the ground to the sky, "Hooo!" and a wall of ice came up right in front of him. The meteor hit, shattering the wall of ice, but the meteor was also destroyed on impact. I ran over to Lexaeus, who seemed pretty much recovered. I looked back to the guy who just saved his life. Using the same hand, which was still above his head, he lowered it directly in front of him, glowing a light blue all over his body. In his strange tenor-like voice, he seemed oddly intimidating after this show of force, "Diamond Dust," and shards of ice shot out from his hand, covering Maleficient in a casing of frozen water. Even as she was being covered, I could see her bright green fire glowing beneath it, melting her prison.

"If you two want to stay alive, I recommend you come with me," he said, extending his arm to us, offering it for us to take. We heard Maleficient scream as she burst out of the ice case. The ice man became more urgent, "Quickly! Grab on!" We complied, and grabbed his hand. I felt wierd for a moment, a sensation went through my body. And suddenly, the world rippled, and disappeared. And then, we were...home? It was like Traverse Town, just not. The buildings were lighter in their tone, and it wasn't night anymore, it was dusk. "Close one," the ice man told us. "By the way, welcome to Twilight Town."

"Twilight...Town...?" Lex asked as he stood up, looking around him.

Although I didn't get quite as good a look, as I blacked out right about then.