Okay, so whilst being vague and not spoiling things for the chapter, I mildly moved around the timeline for a couple major deaths in the game. I did so to benefit Rueki's character progression, and one of the characters that causes one of these deaths, I switched, because I felt like it benefited this particular story to switch it. Anyhow, you've been warned. Death is ahead, my children. I'm gonna go take a bubble bath and shop online, read away! Also, chapter's 16-21 (?) will contain spoilers for The World Ends With You. This isn't a crossover fic, but Kingdom Hearts is really just one giant crossover fic, and Neku, Shiki and the gang have all made appearances in KH, so that's my justification. But if you want to play TWEWY and haven't and don't want it to be spoiled, I highly suggest you play it before chapter 16 comes out. Have a lovely evening my friends
XIV.
"Well, I can certainly say that you're an unexpected guest." Zexion is hunched over a table in the corner of a dimly lit room, nose deep in a book, hair falling heavily in his face. Truly, I have no idea how he can see, because I can barely make him out. The room appears to be white, like the rest of the castle, but in this light it's almost a purplish hue and he is nothing but a mass of darkness. Still, he can see me clearly and I offer a half smile and a little wave. "You smell of Larxene. Strange, all things considered."
"What does Larxene smell like?" I ask.
"Ozone." He replies, as though we are merely talking about the weather.
"Well, her and I got in a fight." I shrug.
"I suppose I don't understand being so easily worked up as the two of you are. Larxene herself shouldn't even. I suppose you have an excuse beating in your chest." He says.
"She pushed the wrong buttons at the wrong time." I tell him. "Naminé sent her through a portal to who knows where though." He looks up for a moment, head tilted to the side and he scrunches his nose in a way that can only be described as cute.
"She is on the…fourth floor, I believe. Wandering through a hall that leads to nowhere. This castle and everything in it truly is a marvel." He tells me.
"How can you do that?" I ask.
"Sense her? Part of my elemental manipulations. Illusions are my expertise, as are the shadows that lurk within them. The smell of darkness is prominent if you know what you're looking for and everyone's heart has its own unique amount of dark. Even those of us without hearts, the voice is still unique to each Nobody. I've spent enough time with all of the members of the Organization. It is likely that my reach on their scent even extends through different worlds." If Marluxia speaks like poetry, Zexion speaks in prophecies, eloquent, elaborate, deceiving and somehow straightforward all at once. I am intrigued by him, instantly. This is the intellectual debate I have been longing for my entire life, this is someone who would challenge me mentally and that excites me. I'm certain he does not feel the same enticement.
"So that's how you knew who I was right when I entered from the portal?" I ask.
"Among other things." He replies, and then with a smirk "you have a terrible habit of not lifting your feet when you walk. A telltale shuffle."
"You're observant." I say.
"You'd be surprised what can be accomplished when you aren't busy reacting." He says, turning a page in his book.
"You control illusions then?" I ask, stepping closer to the table, setting a hand atop it. I'm going to choose to ignore the obvious insult for now.
"Manipulate them, more or less." He corrects and then, with a demented smile. "Would you like to see how it works?"
"No thank you." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling quite small. Zexion's smile doesn't disappear, but his eyes flick back to his book.
"Then, what, pray tell has brought you into our neck of the woods, Rueki?" He asks me.
"Getting away from Larxene." I confess. "She's probably gonna kill me when she finds me, I'd like to prolong that as much as possible."
"And you've no concern about Naminé's wellbeing?" He asks.
"Do you?" I counter, because apparently I have an attitude problem.
"Truthfully, no. Her existence does spark interest, but without a heart, what motivation have I to act on it?" He asks.
"The other members seem driven." And then I catch myself. Fuck. His smile tugs and I know he has intentionally lured me into a position where anything I could say might implicate Axel. "Larxene and Marluxia that is. Quite motivated to use her to manipulate Sora."
"Of course, the hero. And your savior if I remember correctly. And yet you're content to let the others use him as a pawn. I'm sure it's an easier pill to swallow when Axel is the one putting it down your throat, no?" He raises an eyebrow.
"I'm not Axel's puppet, if that's what you're asking. And he's not shoving anything down my throat." I insist. "This is Marluxia's plan." And with anyone else, I'd go in, guns blazing, telling them off and screaming that Axel isn't a traitor to the Organization and to get their head out of their ass, but with Zexion, I am well aware that it is going to take a bit of finesse. I can't just yell and hope for the best, I have to convince him.
Hell, I couldn't even convince a fourteen year old boy that I'm his enemy. I am so screwed.
"Of course, Marluxia, lord of the Castle. I wonder, do you know how he acquired such a role?" Zexion asks.
"I have an idea, yes." Because he's a traitor and it needed to be confirmed. But Marluxia is smart, he's strategic but he's cocky. I saw it playing chess, I see it in our everyday interaction. He's intelligent but if his ego is used to distract him, he can be baited. That's what Xemnas must've planned. Give him a bit of power, and Marluxia would crumble.
"Then perhaps you understand the issues I have in his so called plan. After all, I am one of the founding members of the Organization." He tells me and that shocks me. There is no way Zexion is older than me, in fact I would be willing to guess that he's about two years younger, and yet, I know the Organization was formed a decade ago.
"You would've been a child then." I say. His expression softens.
"An orphan, Vexen cared for me when I was a boy." He nods. "Back then, the Organization had one purpose: Experimentation. On the heart, namely."
"On how darkness effects it." I say, remembering the book I was reading earlier in the week. Amnesia, memories, darkness, experimentation and someone named 'A'.
"I see Axel has educated you." He says.
"I educated myself." I reply, proudly. "Found a library in this castle, I wanted to do some exploring. There was a book, about memories and how darkness can shroud them. It was mostly handwritten, by someone doing experiments on the heart."
"Curious." Zexion replies, though he does not seem overly enthusiastic to have this new information. I thought motivation was in the mind, not the heart, but Zexion does truly seems to lack even a trace of it. He isn't cruel or cold, nor is he overcompensating to make up for a lack of heart. He might be the first Nobody who truly does seem like a shell. "Nevertheless, it is unsurprising that Axel didn't educate you. The man is as fickle as the element he controls."
"I suppose so." I say. "He's not overly fond of our upstairs crew though. Makes me wonder why he didn't choose to come down here with you guys."
Here we go, time to plant the seeds of doubt.
"Again, the three of us are founding members. Vexen is a bit of an elitist. Even if Axel tried to come down here, it would've been all for naught. And surely, he wouldn't've been helpful to our mission." He says.
"Which is?"
"Experimentation. Unlocking the secrets of this castle. And attempting to use Sora's dear friend, Riku along the way." He offers, and while at first, to me it seems like all the information in the world, I quickly realize that it is barely a nugget.
"Sora's friend is in the castle?" Not only do I recall Axel mentioning Riku, but I vaguely remember his name being brought up in a game of Twenty Questions. While it was only a few months ago, my time with Sora in Transmute City feels lifetimes away.
"Indeed. And odd turn of events, but you know what they say: there's no such thing as a coincidence." Funny how I used to think the very opposite. Now, I'm not so sure.
"So what's your plan for him, then?" I ask.
"That, I'm afraid, is classified." He offers me. I pout, pulling the chair opposite him out and taking a seat. "After all, who is to say that you and your beau aren't working alongside the suspected traitors?"
"Would telling you flat out that we're not be helpful?" I ask.
"No." He replies, blithely.
"But I would assume Lexaeus is away, working out whatever you're supposed to with Riku?" I raise an eyebrow.
"You're not wrong." He concedes. "And with Vexen upstairs, I've been allowed a moment of reprieve to hit the books, so to speak."
"You and me both. Today is the first time I've seen anyone in about a week. And it's been a hell of a day. Your coworkers suck, do you realize this?" I ask. He snickers.
"I do." He says. "So you've not been to see any of them?"
"Naminé, briefly. Axel once. But that's it. I wish I never stumbled into your world in the first place." I confess, and I can tell he is uncomfortable with how candid I am being, he shifts, anxiously.
"Were you not sent down here by Axel, then?" He raises an eyebrow.
"I told you, I wanted to get away from Larxene." I lie.
"Yes, of course. You know I can smell him on you as well?" I don't need to ask what Axel smells like. I've got that memorized.
Ew, cringe.
"We had a…falling out, I guess you could call it? We wanted to umm…remember each other. One last time." Again, I lie, but not by too much. This one could actually be believable, and truly, it Is believable enough for Zexion to wrinkle his nose in disgust.
"Point made."
"Can you blame me for not wanting to be upstairs?" I ask.
"I suppose not." He concedes.
"What is Vexen doing upstairs?" I ask.
"Making an attempt at a peace offering." But he doesn't even try to sound convincing as he flips past another page in his book.
"I thought you said he was an elitist and didn't care about the newer members?" I ask.
"He doesn't. But he is interested in fulfilling the Superior's wishes." Zexion says.
"Which are?"
"Up for speculation." And dammit, I am so sick of everybody talking in circles. "However, certain members believe that there is a chamber, within this castle, a chamber that pairs to one Xemnas and Xemnas alone has access to."
"What's inside these chambers?" I tilt my head, because I'm wondering if maybe this chamber is the 'something' that Axel is searching for, using me to bide time.
"Even I am unaware of that. As I said, Xemnas and Xemnas alone has access to them." He replies.
"But if you had to guess?" I press.
"I don't make a point of guessing these sorts of things." I want to pull my hair out. This isn't going to be free, fine. I'm a fucking alchemist, joke is on him if he thinks I don't understand: you have to put effort in to yield a result.
"Naminé is at a breaking point." I offer. "She's growing confidence and a conscience to boot. Vexen's replica pushed her over the edge, I think. Having to watch Sora fight his friend is…upsetting to her."
"A Nobody cannot be upset." He waves his hand. "Besides, it was quite obvious the girl was fed up when you informed me she sent Larxene through a portal. That truly was a brave and desperate act."
"The point is that if you want Riku on your side to counter Sora, you might as well call it quits. It is only a matter of time before Naminé turns on Marluxia. I'm sure you'll want to give that scene your undivided attention." I tuck my hand under my chin and lean in.
"Do you have any proof beyond the little portal incident?" He asks.
"She flat out told me that she wanted to take control of her own existence. Axel plans to set her free, let her go to Sora and let him stop the traitors." Which might be true but maybe not, I'm not even sure anymore, but I feel his words coming out of my mouth, convincing and charismatic. A light twinkles in Zexion's eye.
"Well, well, well. I didn't think Axel revealed his plans to anyone, ever." Zexion leers.
"He did to me. It's how we reconciled after I found out he didn't have a heart." I chew my lip, not enjoying the reminder, myself.
"Fair enough, Rueki, you've earned yourself a guess. This is what those from Transmute City might refer to as 'Equivalent Exchange', no?" He cocks his head to the side.
"That's right." I nod.
"If I had to offer up a hypothesis, I would say it is a connection to the very distant past. To when we were merely apprentices of Ansem the Wise. And quite possibly a connection of sorts to Kingdom Hearts, or some sort of piece to the puzzle of getting our hearts back." He says, which really isn't helpful, but isn't utterly unhelpful. It's something for me to take back to Axel, though I assume he already suspects as much if he's on the lookout for this secret chamber.
"So why not come here himself and search?" I ask.
"The superior has plenty of other—"
He is quiet for a moment, as a stillness settles in the air between the two of us. I hold my breath, waiting for the tension to settle but then, suddenly-
"Something is wrong." Zexion announces, something dangerous flashing in his eye. I push myself back from the table, crossing my arms defensively to my chest, watching him like an animal about to pounce.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Simultaneously, two presences were lost in this castle." My heart stops.
"Open up a portal back upstairs, I need to go check on him." Though I'm not sure who I mean, Sora or Axel.
"There is no need for that. It appears that I have seen why you were sent down here, a pity really." He all but sneers.
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"Lexaeus has faded. His fight with Riku has been his last." But I know that is not the cause for his very sudden and very dramatic change in tone. "Vexen, however has also been eliminated."
"Marluxia baited him, told him that he wasn't strong enough to fight Sora. I'm sorry…" I say, cautiously, because he should not be grieving a loss, not without a heart. And still, something in his eye is regarding me with utter hate. He is looking at me the same way Saix does.
"Oh, but neither Marluxia nor Sora were the cause of Vexen's death. No, Rueki. It was Axel."
The words crash into me like a landslide and I want to duck for cover to shelter myself from the blow, but instead, I stand with shaky legs and wide eyes.
"He was supposed to foil the traitors plans." I breathe, words falling from my lips without my consent. "He told me, he was sent here to derail Marluxia and Larxene."
"But apparently, joined them instead." Zexion stands from the table, clapping his book together, but never once does he leave the shadows.
"There's no way, you're sensing it wrong." I insist.
"Oh, of course, please do tell me how my powers work." He snaps. I swallow, dryly.
"Axel wouldn't."
"Eliminating other members of the Organization is utterly deplorable. The Superior will not accept this. Perhaps you should say your goodbyes to him now, girl." With the wave of his hand, he opens up a portal. "I sincerely doubt you will have much longer to turn a blind eye to his treason."
"Axel is not a traitor." I shout, taking a step back and into the light. "If he killed Vexen, he had a reason for it, or it wasn't intentional."
"Axel does not have a heart, the sooner your process that, the better. And although he may act a certain way around you, you'd do best to remember that it is, indeed, an act." He reminds me. "He sent you down here so that you wouldn't be in the way of his grand plan. You are his pawn, he serves no one but himself."
I stare at him, hands balled into tight fists, fingernails biting my palms. No. No more of this. No more getting accused of being someone's sidekick. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions and I am so over letting Axel or Organization XIII or anyone else try to tell me what my motives are or what my actions should be.
"You assholes all think you can see everything so clearly because you don't have emotions clouding your judgement." I hiss.
"And it's true. You are exactly what everyone has accused you of being, a slave to your own heart." He insists.
"Maybe, but my heart knows the difference between reality and a well calculated fiction. Sometimes you need to be subjective to learn the truth." I say.
"Do you even hear yourself?" He laughs. "You are blinded by your feelings."
"He's not using me! No one is, and you have no right to accuse him of anything until you know why he did what he did. Axel is crafty and if Vexen needed to die for him to survive, don't act like you wouldn't do the same!" I snap.
"How foolish you are. Willing to defend a man who volunteered to kill you."
"I'm so sick of all of you acting like I have no idea what's going on." I brandish Survivor. He blinks at me and throws his head back laughing.
"Really? This is you solution? Fight for his honor." He picks the book back up off the table. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
I leap at him, but Zexion is quick, and in the shadows, teleports behind me. I whip back around to see him with a cold, calculating smile on his face. Calculating or not though, he made a grave mistake getting this close to me and I slash at him with all of my might, the claw dragging across him. He holds the book out in front of him, like a shield, and to my surprise, it absorbs the brunt of it. I blink and then slash again, but once more, the book absorbs it.
"This will not end how you expect it. You've never fought anyone like me before." He grins.
"Guess there's a first time for everything." I smash a grenade down onto the ground, as hard as I can, and the both of us go flying across the room and into the wall, coughing at the kick up of smoke. I down a potion as the haze clears and when I see where he's at, across the room, I dive in. This time, I leap into the air and attack on the downstroke, punching and once again, he absorbs it with his book.
"Now you've done it." He leers, and at the speed of light, he unleashes a combo that knocks me to the ground. Slash, slash, punch. The damage crashes into me with familiarity. He stands above me, grinning as a clone, an illusion deals the damage, and I wince, on the ground, pushing myself back up as he teleports back into the shadows.
"Asshole." I hiss as the outskirts of the room go completely black. I take a few steps into the center, which is blindingly white. This must be what he meant by illusion, he's not controlling the dark, I know, but from within the shadows, he can manipulate me. I revolve, in the safety of my brilliantly lit circle, eyes narrowed for any signs of movement. I see one, and jump, locking my arms around…A clone. It disappears and within the darkness, I hear him laughing. But not next to me or half way across the room. His laughter echoes in every which direction, coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once.
I suddenly feel the same three attacks lash out at me as before. Slash, slash punch. I scream, they come faster than I expected he would be able to move with zero visibility, but that's when I realize:
They're not his attacks, they're mine. The exact combo, the speed, the firepower that I put in, my own movements being used against me.
"You're a mimic!" I cry as I attempt to scramble into the light, but he's faster than me and I feel a hand wrap around my ankle and drag me back, deeper into the darkness. I scream, whipping around to slash at it, but the clone disappears before I can place a hit.
"Am I? Or is that merely the illusion you're creating in your mind?" He taunts. "Are you perhaps your own worst enemy, your own greatest fear?"
"As if." I roll my eyes, fishing into my pocket. He wasn't able to mimic my use of grenades, maybe items are out of his range. I feel another attack, this time at my back and I make a face, but hold steady, trying to just absorb it.
I whip around in the direction the attack came from and throw a grenade. The spark illuminates the area and I see a series of clones disappear all except one in the corner. And through the smoke, through the explosion, I close the distance between the two of us and unleash a flurry of attacks. This time, even in the darkness, I can tell I hit him. I don't feel the book in the way and I hear him grunt. He may be cunning, but I'm quick. I kick, slash, punch, headbutt, anything I can do to deliver a blow before he has time to get his guard back up. He doesn't, instead, I am mid attack and suddenly, he disappears, teleporting to who knows where. I sprint out into the light, huffing and puffing while I search for a potion. I knock one back, shoulders tense, looking around the room.
"If you think you can win this with cheap hits, you are sorely mistaken." His voice radiates across the room.
"And if you think stupid illusions and clones will help you win, then you're just flat fucking stupid!" I snap. The potion has helped, but suddenly, from the darkness, a face emerges and I take a step back, heart skipping a beat. It's my face, a wicked smile across full pink lips as the false Rueki tries to deliver an attack. She slashes into me, just as hard as this most recent attack I landed on Zexion and I whip around, through the pain, kicking the clone right in the stomach. She looks at me with hurt eyes and turns to dust. "Dude, I have fights with myself all the time in my head." I inform him, searching for another grenade in my pocket. I need to take a Panacea, cure anything that this darkness has done to disorient me. But first, I need to stop him before—
"But don't you just hate it when we fight, Rueki?" Axel's voice sends chills up my spine. I feel sick.
"You're not Axel. Beside, this isn't the play you wanna make." I warn.
"And why not? Wouldn't this be so much easier? To just submit to the illusion?" A clone of Axel walks through the darkness and I narrow my eyes.
"Sure would. But I'm not an idiot. And I told you, this isn't the play you wanna make. I punch this fucker on the regular." I close the distance between us and before the clone even has time to hit I swipe at him and the clone disappears.
Another clone of him appears, crouched over, in pain, and instinctively, I take a step closer to it. The clone's eyes flick up to mine, brow furrowed, arm around his abdomen.
"So you're okay with me fading, Rueki? You really think Xemnas is going to let me live after all of this betrayal?" He asks. "Never mind me, won't it hurt you to see me disappear from existence?"
And it will, of course it will, the very thought makes me sick and I crouch down onto my knees to touch the clone's face, gently.
"I love you."
The clone is the only one who might feign reciprocity.
My words stall Zexion.
I chuck a grenade behind my back, and desert the clone, to where I see the illusionist lurking. Moving as fast as my legs can take me, I load two antidotes into Survivor and shoot them into the air, feeling the energy move straight out of me, knocking the wind out of me. But the darkness dissipates all around us and Zexion's eyes go wide.
I know instantly that I have won.
I tackle him to the ground and smash my claw into him, straddling his chest as I swipe at his face. Again, and again, over and over until I see him twitch, spasming violently. He knocks me off of him, unintentionally. As I hit the ground, I see him lurch up, eyes wide and horrified.
"Is this what he ordered you to do?" He shrieks at me. "He sent you down here to murder me?"
"I—" And the reality of the situation hits me. There is not an outcome to this where we both make it out alive.
"Is this really what you have become? Just as heartless as the rest of us?" He spits. My heart hammers in my chest and I shake my head.
"No, come on, I didn't mean to, I just…" I don't know what I 'just', but then again, I do. Whatever Axel asks, whenever he asks it. And no, he didn't tell me to eliminate Zexion but my job was to silence his doubts, no matter the cost. If this is for him, it's noble, maybe even heroic?
Regardless, if it keeps him alive, if he needs this, then who am I to deny him? If it's his life or Zexion's, it is no contest.
Fuck, I am so tight on his leash, his puppet, through and through. I blink back tears, but I realize, the levee has broken. It broke days ago and this is just the cherry on top.
"Do you know the funniest part? This will haunt you forever, but me? I will just be a memory, etched into your very being." A smile slowly creeps across his lips.
"Fuck you." I hiss, struggling to get to my feet. He waves his hand and instantly, I feel a pair of hands lock around my wrists. My head snaps around and there's the Axel clone, grinning at me.
"End her." Zexion orders and with the last of his energy, he wills the clone to drop my arms and wrap its hands around my throat. It raises me high into the air, thumbs pushing against my windpipe. My vision goes white. I kick and thrash against it, swinging my arms, but they go straight through the clone. I swing around again, but I just hear Zexion laughing. "He would've been the death of you one way or another, Rueki. Perhaps this is for the best."
I wheeze, struggling for air, my limbs starting to tingle. Maybe he's right. Maybe this way, I don't have to die a monster.
Something kickstarts in that moment, a survival instinct, and I realize—I do not want to die this way.
I stop struggling and fumble for a grenade. I don't have the strength to throw it, I just drop it to the ground and it combusts. I am thrown across the room, the clone disappears, my head smacks against the dimly lit white wall. I gasp, desperately, my body trying so hard to make up for the air I have lost. My lungs burn, my head throbs and…
When the smoke clears, I look across the room to see a mass of blackness, disintegrating like ash. A gloved hand struggles in the dust, but within a matter of seconds, the hand is gone and Zexion is no more.
My hands shake, my heart hammers, my entire body goes cold.
I weep.