Kingdom Hearts: Nonexistence
13: Real Endings
.oOo.
AXEL
- - -
The portal inside Proof of Exist led to a large flat plane made of metal. The gaping, black sky overhead conveyed a feeling of loss. Something was missing. Axel knew exactly what it was: a massive, heart-shaped moon that floated over the World That Never Was.
Kingdom Hearts.
The envy of all Nobodies, the source of all light and darkness, of balance and confusion. Kingdom Hearts had been the target of both the Heartless and the Nobody of Ansem the Wise's cohort in science, Xehanort. Sora, Riku, and King Mickey had thwarted their plans, leaving Kingdom Hearts to fade back into the safety of its own void once again.
Now that he had a heart of his own again, Axel could feel why Sora had defended Kingdom Hearts so readily: the heart of all worlds was the source of all balance. Light and darkness couldn't exist without the other, and balance was just as necessary. Kingdom Hearts provided the necessary elements of life to sustain the existence of all worlds.
Axel couldn't think more highly of Sora after realizing this.
Axel stood there, his chakrams in his hands. The plane of metal seemed endless – he could see nothing. The stars above were twinkling rapidly, giving off their faint lights, but Axel could see nothing else. Before him stood two people: a white duck with a magic wand and a tall dog in knight's armor bearing a shield. They stared at the Organization member with utter loathing in their eyes.
Axel grinned. "And you two are right up my alley, aren't you?"
"We're here to stop you!" the duck cried. "We can't let you through!"
"Kingdom Hearts ain't yours fer the takin'!" the dog shouted. He spun his shield and stepped forward.
"Kingdom Hearts doesn't exist in Nonexistence," Axel argued. "Even if it did, I seriously doubt you dorks would be the ones defending it." He brandished his chakrams and grinned wider. "But if that's what you think, then you can try to stop me."
Axel charged forward, enjoying the rush of wind through his spiky hair. He spun around and delivered a backhanded slash to the knight, whose shield made a lovely metallic ring when it blocked the redhead's blade. Axel leapt over a fireball cast by the duck, flipping into an offensive position that set him up for another leaping charge. He sped towards the wand-wielding waterfowl and gave a wide slash with his other hand. His chakram was met by a field of wind surrounding the duck that pushed the Nobody back.
"Not bad, Donald," Axel laughed. "Who would have thought that you and Goofy were actually good enough to stand up against me?"
Donald's reply was a raise of his wand, issuing a vortex of lightning to surround the Nobody. Axel's smile widened as the lightning closed in on him. He began to do a kind of dance, dodging, rolling, spinning, leaping, and sliding, completely avoiding every lightning bolt. The spell ended, leaving Axel standing completely still, as tall as he could muster, grinning widely at the duck's horrible display of power.
"And that's all you've got," Axel sneered. He threw out his arms and a wall of fire appeared in front of him. With a wild wave of his arm, the wall burst into movement, flying along the ground towards Axel's adversaries. Goofy's shield was able to protect him from it, but Donald wasn't so lucky. The flames scorched everything around him, causing him to fly backwards through the air. The duck landed noisily on the ground, but was quickly back up on his feet. His white feathers were singed, but he seemed to be fine.
Goofy charged Axel, his shield spinning like a top in his hand. Its razor-sharp edge flashed dangerously close to Axel's body, but Axel was quicker than Goofy. He jumped back, landing easily out of the dog-knight's reach, and launched in underneath the danger zone of his shield. He gave a great slash and felt his chakram connect with Goofy's body. Utilizing his inhuman strength granted to him as a Nobody, Axel threw Goofy away from him. With a cry, Goofy flew through the air and landed on the ground in a crumpled heap.
Donald's wand was raised into the air as fast as it could be raised. Lightning shot forward, striking Axel's chakrams, blasting one of them straight out of his grasp. A small storm of ice engulfed the redhead, whipping his cloak up around his lithe form. A violent wind lifted Axel up off of the ground and threw him high into the air. He tossed head over heels as lightning and ice convulsed around him. Just when it seemed to have overtaken the entire night sky, a massive sphere of flames erupted from somewhere within the vortex of elements. With a massive cry, Axel pushed out with all his might. The sphere of flames expanded rapidly, pushing back the wind and melting the ice. The winds only aimed to fuel the fires as they quickly engulfed the entire sky over Donald's head.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, Axel floated silently, grinning down at his opponents. The flames wrapped around his form like a ghost, liquidlike in its motion. Axel was completely silent, but his eyes danced in a fashion not unlike the flames around him. Very slowly, he lowered to the ground, where flames of all sizes awaited his form. As soon as he touched down, the flames engulfed him to the point of hiding his body. A massive circle of flames surrounded the duck, who looked around helplessly.
Without warning, Axel's chakram appeared from within the wall of flame and slashed across the duck's form. It quickly flew into the flames on the other side of the circle, then reappeared from elsewhere, slashing again. Two, three…six times the chakram slashed Donald's form in passing.
A sickening thump signaled the flames to die down, revealing Axel's panting form. When he saw neither of his opponents moving, he stood up straight and turned, his cloak billowing out behind him like it never had before. A sense of power coursed through Axel's veins, but something inside him told him that he had yet to experience his true purpose in Nonexistence. As he stepped up to the chakram that had been blasted out of his grasp, reaching down to pick it up, Axel grinned.
The portal was in front of him now, urging him to step through it. Proof of Existence awaited him.
And so did Sora.
- - -
ROXAS
- - -
Roxas appeared from within the portal from Proof of Existence, his eyes narrowed and darting in every direction. He saw the lightning in the sky overhead, the clouds obscuring all light…
He knew this place.
A massive skyscraper stood before him, neon letters and billboards stapled to the buildings surrounding it. The city was dark, and it was beginning to rain. Roxas wanted to sigh as he felt the cooling drops of water begin to fall on him, but his attention was suddenly elsewhere, for he saw a figure moving atop the skyscraper. Roxas was the size of an ant to him, and he to Roxas, but he could still see every detail about the robed figure.
Silver, shoulder-length hair. A black blindfold over his eyes. An Organization XIII cloak.
In a flash, the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades were brandished in Roxas' grasp. The Nobody's teeth were bared in hatred as memories of this exact scene began to play through his head. He knew who that figure was. He also knew that he had to stop him.
Kill or be killed. It was the way of life, and the way of the Organization. It felt strange to Roxas to be living by that very same concept now, after he'd been his own person again. But that didn't matter – the only thing left to do was to fight once more.
"I beat you before, I can do it again!" Roxas shouted up the side of the skyscraper. "Come and get me, Riku!"
The robed figure brandished a strange Keyblade that looked as if it were born of demons. The Way to Dawn glinted in the lightning as it lit up the sky. Riku spread his arms wide and fell forward, swan diving off the skyscraper.
Roxas was expecting such a move, and was already dashing for the skyscraper's base. Once he reached the top of the staircase leading up to the locked front doors, Roxas leapt into the air, flipping in just a way to land his feet on the side of the building. Without letting gravity take its hold on him, Roxas pushed off of the building straight down, launching himself up the side of the skyscraper. He was at a dead run, his Keyblades out in each arm, charging towards the falling Riku.
Before he knew it, Roxas was mere inches from Riku. Metal rang against metal as the Oblivion met with the Way to Dawn. Riku spun in midair and brought the blade down on Roxas' backside, but the Oathkeeper was already placed there. Another ringing sound echoed through the alleyways as Kairi's memento protected Sora's Nobody. Riku fell away from Roxas, but Roxas wasn't finished yet. He put his feet together and launched straight off of the building, flying through the air until he and Riku were almost exactly next to each other. A deadly dance of aerial acrobatics and swordplay ensued, Riku spinning and slashing with his single Keyblade while Roxas deflected and counterattacked with his dual-wielding skills. The ground beneath them rushed up at them, faster and faster, as they ignored their plunge to death, only concerned with the death of the other Keybearer.
Roxas flipped head over heels, landing easily on the ground. The shockwave from such a long fall should have broken almost every bone in his body, but Roxas knew that the Keyblade had protected him – regardless of whether or not its user was good or evil, the Keyblade served to entirely protect its wielder. Unfortunately, this also went for Riku, who had similarly flipped and landed gracefully on the steps in front of the skyscraper.
The two Keybearers stood facing each other, neither saying a word, as rain continued to fall around them. Lightning lit up the pitch black sky and thunder rang through their ears. Roxas saw that Riku was not in the least bit exhausted from his earlier display of acrobatics, but neither was Roxas.
Riku was the first to move this time, charging forward with the Way to Dawn at his side. Roxas parried the amazingly quick slash with the Oathkeeper, raising the Oblivion to slash down on Riku's back, but Riku had other ideas. The silver-haired teenager ducked down and swept both feet out, tagging Roxas' ankles and sending him flying head over heels onto his back. The Oathkeeper flew out of Roxas' hand and skid to a halt over six feet away. Riku bore down on Roxas, who could only parry in such a position with the Oblivion. Due to the rail-like appearance of the Keyblade, however, Roxas found himself having to shift his head and torso to avoid some of the Way to Dawn's pointed edges as Riku hammered down on his foe.
Riku lunged in, feeling Roxas begin to weaken with the overuse of the Oblivion, the Way to Dawn aimed straight for Roxas' chest. A flash of light and a metallic ringing sounded through the alleyways once more. The Oathkeeper, summoned to his hand by Roxas, backed up the Oblivion in an X-shape, capturing the Way to Dawn's point. Roxas struggled against Riku, who had the advantage of using his weight against the Nobody's upper body strength, causing all the Keyblades to begin to fall towards Roxas, albeit slowly.
Roxas lifted a leg and kicked Riku in the diaphragm, then began to somersault backwards, throwing the silver-haired Keybearer off of him and onto the street. Roxas was on his feet in an instant, the Oblivion twirling dangerously in his right hand. With the blade pointed down, Roxas stabbed down at where Riku lay, but Riku had already moved out of the way. The Oblivion bounced harmlessly off the concrete. Roxas stood up just in time to parry the Way to Dawn with the Oathkeeper while he readied the Oblivion for another counterattack. Riku slashed again and again, his strength not seeming to even begin to wither, while Roxas felt himself begin to fatigue.
Riku reared back for a large downward slash. Roxas saw the opening, charging forward and slamming his opponent with his shoulder. With a cry, Riku fell under Roxas' weight, landing harshly on the concrete steps. Roxas kicked off the ground and flipped to his feet at Riku's head. He spun around and brought both Keyblades down only to be slashed away by Riku's own blade. Riku pulled himself into a somersault that distanced himself from Roxas, who was already charging after him. With a single sideways slash from the Oblivion, Roxas felt his Keyblade connect with something. Riku shouted as blood flew from a nasty-looking gash in his left shoulder, but the Way to Dawn was still firmly held in his right hand. Riku spun around and gave a great downward slash, knocking the Oathkeeper out of Roxas' hand.
Riku stepped backwards in a surprisingly calm fashion, Roxas panting heavily with the Oblivion brandished as his only defense. A portal of darkness appeared behind the silver-haired Keybearer, through which he disappeared. Roxas charged forward, but he was too late – Riku was gone.
Confused, Roxas turned around, only to see Riku appear from a portal right next to the Oathkeeper. With a grin, Riku picked up the white blade and inspected it, not saying a word. He twirled it in his left hand, seemingly oblivious to the pain in his shoulder, and stopped in an impressive dual-wielding stance. Roxas' eyes narrowed.
His heart was stronger than yours in that instant. The memory flashed before Roxas' eyes in a heartbeat. Hollow Bastion. The Beast. Donald and Goofy. Sora. Riku.
That was it!
Roxas felt a smile spread across his face. The was Nonexistence! The Nobodies had hearts, and the real did not. Therefore…
Roxas held out an open palm to face Riku, his eyes closed. Riku seemed somewhat confused by this, but his confusion evaporated as he began to feel the Oathkeeper vibrating in his left hand. He struggled against it, but the Keyblade wanted nothing to do with him. It vanished in a burst of light, reappearing in Roxas' hand.
Roxas brandished the pair of Keyblades, mimicking Riku's previous display of swordsmanship to the ending pose. A grin was spread across the Nobody's face. "Shall we dance?" he asked.
Riku scowled for only a moment before he charged forward, the Way to Dawn high over his head. Roxas was prepared, however. He stepped to the side as Riku lunged past him, bringing the Oblivion in…
Riku stopped, his eyes wide. He gasped for air, but found that he couldn't breathe. He looked down and saw the black point of the Oblivion Keyblade sticking out of his chest. His eyes slowly rolled into his skull as he fell limp on the blade. Roxas lowered the weapon to the ground and let it disappear. There was no point in making a bloody mess by trying to pull it out.
Roxas turned his back to the corpse lying before him. He looked up into the rain and sighed. He could have just let his consciousness go right then, let it slip into the cool water from the heavens, the bright lights of the sky, and the roaring applause of thunder. But Roxas' attention was turned to a strange noise in front of him.
The portal to Proof of Existence had reappeared before him, beckoning him to return to it. For a moment, Roxas contemplated staying there, in the rain. It felt nice, just to stand there and let everything be washed away. But alas, he knew that he still had work to do.
And besides – Axel and Naminé were waiting for him.
Roxas stepped forward, allowing himself to be engulfed by the strange, misty portal that would lead him back to his friends, and their liberation of Nonexistence.
- - -
Axel and Roxas stepped through their respective portals at the exact same time, only to see a very contented Naminé standing with a large grin on her face, her hands innocently placed behind her back. Behind her was a rather large pile of unmoving Nobodies and Heartless. Axel was surprised that they hadn't disappeared like when he or Roxas destroyed them with their weapons.
As if reading his mind, Naminé looked back over her shoulder at her disabled enemies. "I figured I'd better not destroy them. After all, they're Nobodies, too, which means they exist here, right? It's not right to kill things with hearts. Once we get rid of our tyrannical friend at the Altar, they'll be free to do whatever they want again."
Roxas laughed. He'd expected something along such lines from her. "Well, nice going," he said. With a sincerely serious look in Axel's direction, Roxas' eyes flashed dangerously. Axel knew that look – it was the look of one who knew how close he was to obtaining a goal. Axel's eyes flashed in a similar fashion.
The three of them turned and faced the now-open gateway to the Altar of Being. Their pathway was set in front of them, unopposed.
Bravely, the three of them stepped forward, up the staircase out of Proof of Existence.
The rest of the way to the Altar was almost boring. No one challenged them as they continued their trek. It was slightly unnerving, to realize just how deep they were inside the enemy's stronghold. Not even the most powerful underlings were showing their faces in such sacred of places.
Axel was the first to step up to the Altar of Being, the empty night sky hanging above him. Naminé was next, followed by Roxas. The three of them had finally made it: Sora's realm.
Before them stood a simple white door without window or design. It had no handle, but it had a Keyhole. Roxas' eyebrow twitched as he raised Oathkeeper to point at the door. A white beam of light shot out of the tip of the Keyblade and inserted itself into the door, and a clicking noise, like something being unlocked, resounded through the void that was the Altar.
Axel approached the door and gave a meager push. It slid open as if commanded, and the redhead took a valiant step forward, Roxas and Naminé directly behind him. As soon as the three of them were through, the door behind them disappeared, leaving them to marvel at the strange place that they had been transported to.
The world seemed to have become a swirl of black and white. The Nobody insignia hung in several places in the void, completely intangible and nearly invisible. But aside from these, the Heartless insignia, as well as the Disney Castle symbol, hung silently in the void around the trio.
So you have come. The voice seemed to resonate through the heads of the challengers, as if by telepathy. Axel's chakrams and Roxas' Keyblades were in their grasps in mere moments. Naminé's hands erupted in flame and ice as her eyes glowed wickedly.
"Sora! Where are you?" Axel shouted to the void in front of them. At this rate, he was surprised that they still had solid ground beneath them.
There is no need to shout. I am right in front of you.
Axel lowered his eyes to face the ground in front of him. Sure enough, Sora's teenage frame stood floating inches above the ground. But something was wrong: Axel didn't recognize Sora's clothing. It was shimmering white and a strange light seemed to envelop him.
Upon glancing at their opponent, Roxas gasped. "Final Form? That's impossible!"
"Final…Form?" Axel was completely confused.
"Sora utilizes the Keyblade's true power by using the life forces of two comrades in battle," Roxas explained, his eyes straining themselves to stay on the shimmering form before them. Axel, however, couldn't take his eyes off of the twirling Keyblades that seemed to hover mere inches from Sora's hands, telekinetically grasped by the Keybearer.
"Who would he have joined with?" Naminé asked. "We defeated Donald, Goofy, and Riku."
Just then, Roxas realized the keychains of both Keyblades hovering before them. One was a symbol of three conjoined circles. The other was a star-shaped fruit with a forest green leaf.
The symbol of King Mickey and a paopu fruit.
"He's using the life force of Kairi and King Mickey," Roxas whispered, astonished.
"King Mickey?" Axel repeated, intrigued. A grin spread across his face. He brandished a chakram and laughed. "This should be fun, then!"
"Axel, be careful," Roxas warned. "I've been inside Sora for a long time. I know what kind of damage that Form can do." He continued to look straight at Sora, but his whispers redirected themselves to Naminé. "Naminé, stay back and try using your magic against him."
Naminé didn't say anything, but she nodded.
"All right!" Axel cried as flames erupted around the quartet in a massive circle. "Let's do this!"
A strange light enveloped Roxas as he twirled his Keyblades. "No problem." The light was engulfed in darkness, and then a strange yin-yang effect took place, as white and black light swirled around him.
Sora was the first to move. Almost too fast for Axel to see, he closed the distance between himself and the trio, the Paopu Key twirling dangerously. Axel raised a chakram just in time to parry it, but the sheer force behind the Keyblade sent the redhead off his feet. Roxas leapt over Axel's fallen form and gave a dual downward slash with his own Keyblades, but Sora was too fast, and had already dodged around Roxas' still-falling body and closing in on Naminé.
Naminé did not panic, however. With a shout, a whirlwind erupted around her, throwing Sora back. The Keybearer flipped in midair and never touched the ground, but his back was open. Roxas was already charging with the Oblivion outstretched. Sora turned just in time to avoid its black points, bringing down the Kingdom Key on Roxas' hand.
"Gah!" Roxas' hand let go of the Oblivion in that instance, and Sora lifted an arm. The Oblivion disappeared from the airspace in front of Roxas, only to find itself floating around Sora in a dangerous spin. Axel and Naminé backed up, but Roxas was not impressed.
Roxas charged forth, the Oathkeeper's wide blade easily parrying all three Keyblades being flung at him by Sora's strange psychic abilities. Axel took the opportunity to charge forth as well, his chakrams spinning just as dangerously as Sora's tri-blades. Roxas gave a great uppercut that Sora had to bend backwards to avoid, but that left him open to Axel's assault from behind. With a great twirl, Axel felt his chakram connect with something and throw it clear across the void.
Landing on his feet, Axel investigated what had happened. The Kingdom Key had blocked Axel's chakram, but in Axel's burst of strength had flipped out of Sora's grasp. Roxas was already on the case, extending his hand out to the Kingdom Key. In a burst of light, it appeared in the blonde's hand, and he brandished both it and the Oathkeeper expertly.
Roxas leapt into the air and swung both Keyblades in several directions, each attack easily parried by Sora's psychic weaponry. Sora turned to face Axel, his attention no longer on his Keybearing opponent. This amazed Axel, that he could so easily ignore Roxas and allow his Keyblades to fight for him. But now, Axel realized, Sora had no way to attack or parry Axel's chakrams.
Axel launched forward, but Sora's left hand raised itself. A strange sphere of light encased Sora, and as soon as Axel's weapons touched it, a searing pain was sent flying through his body. Axel cried out in pain and jumped back, holding his shoulder as his left arm began to go numb. Naminé, worried, appeared at his side and left a healing touch to his shoulder. Suddenly Axel felt a tingling in his arm again, followed by full mobility in his fingers.
Glaring at the floating form before him, Axel realized what made this Form so dangerous: it had a total and complete mastery over both magic and the Keyblades it wielded. Therefore, it would be nearly impossible to strike a blow on Sora.
"Naminé," Axel whispered, "Roxas and I can't do this alone. It's going to take all three of us to defeat him. That Form thing Roxas mentioned is too strong. Magic and the Keyblades…there has to be a weakness!"
Naminé's response was a blast of ice aimed at Sora. A gust of wind shot up around him, blowing the spell off-course. Naminé gasped as the blades of ice shot straight back at her, but Axel's flames erupted in front of her, melting the shards of ice instantly.
"I said we have to do this together!" Axel cried. He stood up and brandished his circular weapons before charging forward. Naminé's hands were raised as well as a gust of wind appeared around Axel's form. The closer Axel got to Sora, the stronger the wind became, until Naminé had to expand it or risk blocking Axel's view with wind. The redheaded Nobody slashed down on Sora, but the same crystalline shield appeared. This time, however, the ricocheting pain was absorbed by the wind barrier, and Axel was able to attack a second time. Unfortunately, The Paopu Key was in Axel's way, deflecting Axel's second weapon.
The Oblivion appeared in a twirling mess of metal, bearing down on Axel, but the Oathkeeper intercepted it, throwing it back. Roxas landed next to Axel and leapt right back into the fray, doing a front-flip leading into a dual-bladed downward slash. The weapons pinned the Paopu Key to the ground. "Go!" Roxas cried.
Axel charged in, only to be intercepted by the Oblivion once more. Axel deflected its attack, but once again the force behind the blow was staggering. A gust of wind pushed Axel forward, however, and the redhead was able to follow through with the attack. Slipping the chakram to a slight angle, Axel allowed the Oblivion's blade to travel through one of the gaps in his weapon, then, with a flick of his wrist, sent the Keyblade flying out of Sora's psychic grasp.
Axel leapt into the air, flames and wind propelling him far faster than he could have jumped on his own, his chakrams spinning dangerously. Sora lifted his arms and the mirror-like shield appeared once more, but before Axel could touch it, a fireball slammed into it. The shield disrupted as it counterattacked its assailant, and Axel heard a bloodcurdling scream from behind him as he brought down his chakrams in a cross slash.
Axel landed on the other side of Sora's form as it slowly allowed itself to fall to the ground, feet first, then its knees, then its whole body. The white glow began to dim and Sora's clothes began to return to normal. The Keyblade pinned down by Roxas' own began to settle down, and finally came to rest under the blonde's body weight.
Axel stood up and loomed over the bleeding form before him, gashed two different ways by the redhead's weapons. A slight feeling of pity found its way into Axel's heart, but the redhead merely shrugged it off, ignoring it. Instead, a new feeling appeared in its place: worry for the scream he'd heard right before ending the struggle.
Roxas was up in a flash, running towards Naminé, Axel right on his heels. The two of them bent down and found themselves on either side of the blonde, staring down in her pain-contorted face. She gasped and coughed.
"Naminé," Roxas whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "You did it."
Naminé smiled weakly and looked up at Roxas with hope in her eyes. "I'm glad," she managed to cough.
"Sora's gone," Axel said quietly. He stood up, allowing Roxas to take care of Naminé. "Nonexistence is freed."
A strange black portal appeared in front of Axel, issuing his chakrams to appear in his hands. "Who's there?" he cried.
A tall, dark figure appeared from within the portal. Xemnas. "You've done well, Number 9."
"The name's Axel," Axel replied, his voice dripping with acid. "I have a name. I'm not just a Nobody anymore."
Xemnas laughed. "Of course. But I am still your Superior."
Axel laughed louder than Xemnas. "Or so you think." He looked down at Roxas and Naminé, who were slowly making their way to their feet. "What do you guys think?" Axel asked them.
Naminé laughed weakly. "Xemnas, you couldn't rule Nonexistence if your afterlife depended on it."
Roxas grinned up at the Number One. "I'd have to say that I agree."
Xemnas stared down at the two of them in disbelief. "You two never died! Why are you here?" he demanded.
Axel's face became stern. "I brought them here from the living realm to stop Sora, so that we could be free. What are you going to do about them?"
Xemnas scowled. "The only thing I can do: make them my servants as well."
Roxas poked his temple with the hand not helping Naminé stand. "You just don't get it, do you, Xemnas? We're not Organization members anymore. We're not Nobodies. You don't own us! We have our own lives. Our own hearts! How can you stand here and expect us to become your loyal minions when we can think and feel for ourselves?"
"It is because I have always been the Superior." was Xemnas' reply.
"Eh, I don't think I like that answer."
Xemnas turned around, flustered. "Who dares say such things?" he demanded harshly.
The entirety of Organization XIII stood behind Xemnas, each one with their arms crossed or at their sides, each staring the Superior in the face.
It was Zexion that spoke. "We're tired of being your lackies, Xemnas. We want our own afterlives. Like Axel."
Xemnas took a staggering step backwards, bumping into Axel, who laughed. "Y'see, Xemnas? Being dead has its advantages. We don't need you to get what we want anymore." Axel shrugged and gave a laugh. "But then again, I'm one of the few who never believed that we needed you to begin with." He gave an affectionate grin to Roxas and Naminé, who both grinned in return.
Xemnas huffed. "But someone has to lead this world. If no one does, chaos will ensue."
"Then why don't we rule it together?" Larxene suggested. "The thirteen of us…no, wait…Roxas and Naminé aren't really dead…do they count?" she asked no one.
"The fourteen of us."
Axel, shocked, looked towards the person who had said it: Roxas. He and Naminé were holding hands, smiling at each other, then turned their gazes upon the others.
Axel was flabbergasted. "Roxas, wait! There's a way to get you back to the living realm! I know there is! You don't have to stay there!"
Roxas looked over at Axel, his eyes showing the redhead that he'd already made up his mind. "There's nothing there for us anymore, Axel. Sora and Kairi are living normal lives again. The Heartless and Nobodies are no longer a concern in the multiverse. We're better off here."
Axel was stunned. Roxas and Naminé were giving up their chances to live again! But…
"Why?"
"We've missed you." Naminé's answer was simple, and yet it flooded everyone there who knew her with emotions.
"Alright, then," Vexen said, crossing his arms. "It's settled."
Xaldin nodded. "We, Organization XIV, will lead Nonexistence."
Roxas shook his head. "No. I have a better name."
Xemnas gave the blonde kid a strange look, as if to ask how he could defile the Organization any further.
"The Council of Fourteen."
.oOo.
AFTERWORD
.oOo.
This piece has been a lot of fun to write. I really have to apologize for the lack of updating as it got longer. I got a job, so I had limited time, and when I did have time, I was always working on other things. I'm really sorry for it, but I'm really pleased with the results. I really hoped you enjoyed Nonexistence, and I hope you take a look at some of my other works as well.
Peace out! -TigStripe
