Inverted Sky: KH 358/2 Days
Chapter 20: The World That Never Was part IX
Roxas' Log: Day 220
We're getting closer to the point of when Xion's plan will finally come into effect. Genesis has been lured closer and closer to the real members of the Organization, rather than just the illusions she had the others make. Which means, things will be happening very soon and we'll have to be ready to act.
The plan as I understand it, is simple: While Genesis attacks Xemnas, the rest will sneak into the castle and confront the remaining members of the Organization.
It sounds so simple, yet there are so many layers to it.
The main reason why Xion asked Axel and I to befriend the others, was because she felt that they would be wonderful friends. But also, because she wished to turn them against Xemnas at some point in the future. In the letter she sent to Axel and I, Xion told us that her end goal was to free everyone from Xemnas' manipulations.
Then of course, there was combing that plan, with the one she came up with to counter Genesis. By turning his attention toward the Organization, she could theoretically pit both sides against one another. And in turn, it would provide us with the perfect opportunity to take out both of them at the same time.
While it seems like a pretty air-tight plan...who knows if it'll actually work out in the end. But, I'm choosing to trust in Xion. Even if she's under Xemnas' control, it's clear that she can still withhold information from him. Otherwise, this place would have been raided weeks ago.
Roxas sat silently in the seat next to the bed, simply listening to the crackling fireplace nearby. Almost everyone was away for the night, as Merlin had gone somewhere to seek advice from someone. The only ones left in the house, were him, Kairi, and Cid. But while the older man was preoccupied with the computer, the auburn-haired girl was currently napping on the bed itself. Her having been training with Merlin and Leon for almost the entire day, which she had been doing for the past several days. All the while, she was constantly involved with the planning process of their eventual raid.
Her even being the one to appoint specific people in the group to combat certain Organization members, in case it came to that. But as Roxas looked at the girl for a moment, his gaze slowly shifted away. 'She's really running herself ragged as of late. I'm kinda worried that she might be trying to do too much at once.' the boy thought to himself, glancing to the floor.
'Then again...I'm not one to talk.' he continued in a tired sigh, his head drooping ever so slightly, as though following his gaze.
Though the shadows from the fireplace shifted from the new angle, the darkness around his eyes remained. 'I have been deliberately trying to avoid sleeping since 'that' day. But I can't help it...' Roxas claimed inwardly, slowly leaning his head back against the chair.
'...I keep having a nightmare about Xion stabbing Axel. Even if I'm hopeful that he'll be reformed...it doesn't change the fact that he died right in front of me, and by one of my best friends at that.' the blond stated as his eyes slowly and unconsciously began to close.
'I...I'm scared...' were his last thoughts as sleep began to take him.
However, he was suddenly snapped free of this when hearing Kairi's whispering voice from the side; "Sora..."
Leaning forward quickly, Roxas shook his head and rubbed his heavy eye lids. He then turned toward the auburn-haired teen with a blinking gaze, curiously raising a brow. "Sora...you promised..." she spoke softly in her sleep, making the boy simply stare in surprise.
'I see...so that's why she's trying so hard. They made a promise to one another.' he mused while gaining a faint smile on his tired features.
"I made a promise too." the boy whispered aloud, thinking about his declaration toward Xion.
As his eyes drifted back toward the blazing fire ahead, he felt a great calm wash over him. A sense of remembering why he was doing his part to make this plan word, and what his true aim was. 'To get Xion bac-.' he started, yet these thoughts were cut short as the door suddenly swung open.
Upon which, both he and Cid jumped to their feet, whilst Kairi sat up swiftly on the bed. At the door, stood an out of breath Riku as he looked between everyone in a slight panic. "Genesis..." he heaved out between his breaths.
"...he's fighting Xigbar!" he claimed quickly, making everyone's eyes widen slightly.
Roxas' Log: Day 221
The time has finally come for our assault.
After surviving his encounter with Genesis, it seems Xigbar returned back to the castle. Which means that Xemnas is definitely aware of the man, and has assumed that Genesis will likely be following Xigbar there. So now, we have a small window of time to get things moving.
Though the distraction all hinges on what Genesis will do, I think if everything is going according to Xion's plan so far, there's no reason to start doubting now.
So far, it's only been an hour since we first heard the news, but we've gathered everyone we could outside Merlin's house. Kairi, Riku, Leon, Yuffie, Zexion, Lexaeus, myself, and a blond girl.
"Will you be alright? Neither of us got much sleep before this." Roxas questioned as he tilted his head to Kairi.
The girl herself merely smiled lightly and nodded in response; "Positive. I've been training for this fight for a while, so I'm not gonna let a little sleep loss hold me back." she declared in a confident tone.
"Besides..." the auburn-haired teen continued, yet paused as she glanced toward the blond girl just a few steps away. "...she'll be there to back me up."
This being Namine, yet it was the first time Roxas had seen her. Despite not actually being introduced, he could feel an immediate kinship toward this teen. While not understanding how or why, he also didn't even wish to question it, like it was comfortable not knowing. "Right." he uttered out silently, quickly turning away when seeing that Namine was about to look in his direction.
"W-Well, stay safe regardless." Roxas urged silently to Kairi, his determination to make sure that she and Sora would unite again swiftly filled him.
Whether this drive was from his own self-projection for reuniting with his friends, or a lingering connection to Sora he was unaware of. Either way, he wanted to make sure this plan worked, no matter what. But as he looked around to everyone, Roxas simply took in the idea of what they were about to do. They were the assault team that would be taking on the remnants of the Organization, and he was surprised to say that he trusted them. Whilst barely spending time with most of them for these past few days, Roxas still felt a connection to each one, Kairi and Riku in particular.
Even when meeting complete strangers, the blond almost couldn't help but immediately trust them. Perhaps it was because Kairi saved him, or maybe it was the fact that they knew Xion, Roxas couldn't be sure. It was in this moment though, that the boy gained a small smile on his features while a single tear fell from his eyes. Without even realizing it, he had shed tears of what could only be described as, a powerful sense of true friendship.
These swiftly dried up however, as Merlin came out of his house after grabbing his staff. He then turned to everyone with a simple nod; "Good luck...all of you." he said in an encouraging and hopeful tone, just before they were teleported to a new location.
However, it wasn't the Organization's world. The group currently stood on a tiny floating island, in the middle of what appeared to be a nebula. On the far end of this island was a tall and crooked tower, which made Roxas blink many times in curiosity. "This is Master Yensid's tower." Mickey suddenly spoke up from the side, causing everyone to turn toward him and the master in question.
This individual was a tall man, with long blue robes, and a thick grey beard. He also wore a tall wizard's hat that matched his other garments, but also had moon and star shapes across it. All the while, King Mickey held out what appeared to be a series of small white orbs in his gloved hands. "These are teleportation spheres, they'll bring you back here once you activate them. Use yours if you need to make a quick escape." Yensid explained as the mouse king handed these orbs out to everyone, saving the last for himself.
"We better be quick." Mickey started in a strangely firm voice, despite its naturally high pitch.
While his eyes briefly lingered on Roxas, he simply offered the boy a quick nod before continuing on. "Genesis has just arrived at the Organization's base, so our window of time will be short. We have to get in while Xemnas is distracted, and hope we can subdue the other Organization members before he returns." he ordered, giving everyone a stern gaze.
"Be prepared to fight or run, but no matter what, we have to make sure to get out the moment Xemnas shows up. We don't know how strong he is, so I'm asking that no one engage him." he continued with his eyes briefly directed at Roxas and Riku.
"Count our return as victory enough this time." Mickey finished before turning toward Yensid.
Said man nodding briefly before holding both hands out, clearly ready to teleport the party to their actual destination. At the same time, Roxas simply looked to his orb for a moment. Him slowly nodding and placed it in his coat pocket, his expression being a thoughtful one. 'Just have to get close enough.' he mused to himself while looking to Yensid.
Said man offering the group a gaze of determination and confidence; "Be swift, we will not get another chance like this." he stated while clapping both hands together.
Instantly following this, everyone was teleported once again, along with Mickey. This time though, Roxas instantly recognized where they were. The party was in the city, just outside of the Organization's castle. They seemed to be an alleyway, only a few dozen meters from the main street. As they looked around slowly, the air felt heavy and almost suffocating with each breath they took. Even the shadows nearby moved and shifted on their own accord. Though everything appeared quiet on the surface, it still somehow exuded a sense of being a hair's length away from something attacking.
'Home sweet home...' Roxas mused to himself with a sigh, almost having forgotten how it felt to be in this world that wasn't.
As the quiet of this place finally settled around the group, they almost hesitated to breathe as it actually seemed alarmingly loud. But just as they were about to move, a loud explosion ended the silence in an instant. The echoing boom coming from all directions, making its origin impossible to track. Yet they all took this as their sign and rushed forward, knowing that if there was an attack, it was coming from Genesis.
Running out from between the tall buildings around them, everyone swiftly stopped as they saw two figures in the central plaza. The neon lights illuminating them perfectly, showing Genesis engaged with Xemnas, just as they hoped. The pair being locked in battle, with the silver-haired Nobody's crimson beams sparking against the other man's similarly colored blade. With their eyes focused onto one another, they suddenly disappeared. Both rushing further down the street and out of sight. Their speeds being too fast for anyone to see exactly which way they went, but a more distant explosion indicated that they were heading away from the castle.
Realizing that the fight had only begun, Roxas turned to the others and moved in front of them. "This way." he whispered out, making a gesture for them to follow as he ran forward.
Despite moving in rapid succession, all of them stuck close to the shadows in order to avoid being immediately seen by anyone passing by. Carefully and silently making their way toward the castle, the group eventually reached the outside of the large structure. It floating defiantly in the midst of the endless darkness that surrounded this entire world. If it could even be considered a 'world'.
Roxas then moved out into the open and held out a hand, creating a path for them to reach the castle on foot. 'I miss using corridors of darkness.' he mused to himself, knowing that Xemnas can very easily create wards against such techniques for all the Organization members, if he so chooses.
Once this faintly glowing path formed ahead of the party, they all instantly darted across it. Upon which, they entered the castle proper and saw all the remaining members of the Organization simply waiting for them. Seeing this, Roxas' eyes narrowed slowly while a sinking feeling began to well up from his stomach. His gaze swiftly shifted to Xion as she took a few steps forward, her expression entirely emotionless like before.
"Well done Roxas...you have brought me the traitors." she spoke up silently, her eyes briefly glancing toward Zexion and Lexaeus.
"Just as I told you to do in my letter."
The final confrontation begins next chapter. I realized that I was gonna have to go beyond 20 chapters if I was gonna do this segment properly, so this part might be a little bit longer than expected. However, I still hope all of you are enjoying, I know it's a lot different from how it was originally. Anyway, please let me know your thoughts, and until next time.