Chapter 12: Revelations
Hearing that question that she said, I quickly glanced out of the corner of my eye to be sure that I didn't mishear her. However, that thought was quickly dashed as I see her full unwavering stare looking at me, searching me as for any sort of waver.
Quickly averting my gaze, I put my eyes on the back of the road as I attempted to redirect the question. "Why would you ask that Xion? I mean what do I have to hide from you." I said, making my face seem blank as though as we got closer to our destination.
"Oh no reason," she said. However, I could still feel her gaze, and by the sudden shudder, I could tell that she narrowed her eyes when she said that. "I mean we are friends, right?"
"Yes, we are, I mean we are going to the beach together with others," I said, not seeing the problem to my answer.
"Then friends don't hide things from each other, right?" She asked innocently as my hands unconsciously started to grip the wheel a little bit harder than usual.
"So that's what she wants." I thought as I managed to piece all the hints that she's been dropping. "She wants to know if I remember her."
"I mean yeah they usually wouldn't unless it hurts their friends." I said "In the case that they feel as though their friends may make a mistake then they would hide it. Or if it's a personal problem that they can handle then their friends don't need to worry."
"But what if it's a secret, and their friend suspects that it has something to do with them." She said.
"I can't answer that," I said hoping that she would drop the subject. She, unfortunately, didn't instead she escalate it to my surprise.
"Roxas, can you stop the car for a moment." She said as I obliged her request for a moment wondering how this is going to go…
A sharp stinging pain wracked through my mind as I realized that Xion was looking furious with tears streaming down her face, her hand raised. I was too surprised to react when she grabbed me and pulled me closer to her.
"Don't you dare lie to me!" She hissed her blue eyes glaring at me as though I knew what the problem was. And the bad part is, I knew what she was talking about and yet I still tried to play it off.
"Xion, you just need to calm down…" I said, attempting to placate her only. However, this made things much worse as she realized what I was doing the instant I attempted it.
"Number Thirteen, don't you dare try that on me." She said making me shut up instantly. Realizing what she said and my reaction to it, she quickly opened the door and took off down the road. Her agility still being kept due to Death giving her years that she wouldn't remember to train for this occasion.
I sat their shock for a few moments, before I started up the car and quickly caught up to her. Quickly stepping out, I watched her run to a place like the back alley back at Twilight Town and followed her. I caught up, but before I could explain the situation to her, a barrier was erected separating me from her.
"Oh no," I thought as I quickly took out my phone and messaged Axel to meet me here at my location as I watched as dozens of neoshadows and dusk exiting through the wall in order to get my friend.
To say I was hurt is the biggest understatement of the century when I realized that Roxas remembered everything. I felt betrayed knowing that he and most likely Axel remembered all our times together and they wouldn't tell me the truth even if I was ready for it.
Looking around me though, I do wish that I had Roxas with me but the sound of the barrier coming up told me all that I needed to know. I was on my own for this fight. Looking around, the swarms of shadows and nobodies looked like a sea of white and black, ready to submerge me whole if I wasn't prepared.
Unfortunately for them, I was. In a flash of light, Oblivion appeared in my hands as I got into my stance as they came at me, wave after wave. Each time, I pushed them back as the sounds of fizzling was heard as they were taken down by magical flame rings, ice shards, and lightning. Some were destroyed in quick succession as my keyblade swung to and fro, dodging and parrying multiple hits and taking down the offenders who tried. Other times, weapons such as the berserkers' giant weapons, bats and other enemies' moves were utilized against them as I countered all of them. With each wave, however, I fell two more sprung up form whatever portals or shadows they came from. The sea that I once saw now quickly became an ocean as hundreds of these creatures came at me from all angles and hoping to succeed in their endeavor. They, fortunately, didn't.
However, before I knew it, the feeling of exhaustion quickly crept up on me as I panted for a breath. I watched they reformed their lines as I stood there panting as I quickly attempted to gain as much air as I could. Despite this momentary reprieve, however, whoever commanded them made them stop.
All of them, from the lowly shadows to the berserkers stopped as they seemingly stood there, like an army waiting for its commanders to ride up and offer the terms of surrender. I was about to start looking for a way out when my instincts screamed at me to move in which I did. Watching as two bolts of pink light hit the spot where I previously stood making me realize who I was most likely to face.
"Oh, so it's the poppet this time," said Xigbar as he exited from the portal, he created looking at me maliciously with his yellow eyes glinting with an unseen evil. Looking at me he had to smile noting that I was glaring at him with so much hatred and anger that he would have most likely spontaneously combusted. "What's with you keyblade wielders glaring all the time? It's as if you have no other look." He commented his weapons on his sides.
"Well, I apologize if I want to hang you for working with Xemnas," I said sarcastically. To my surprise, he laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.
"So, you did grow out of being a puppet." He said making me glare even harder at him. Looking behind me, he had to do a double take at who he saw behind the barrier.
"Oh, Roxas is here too? Well looks like we can get two birds with one stone." His eyes alight with malicious intent that made both Roxas and I shiver.
After he said this, the barrier quickly extended trapping Roxas in with me as he called his keyblade to him. Looking behind, to my utter shock instead of the single one I thought he would have, instead he had two.
One was the dangerous black of Oblivion and another was white with a blue light pulsing in the middle. It was Oathkeeper and he was dual wielding them as if he done so his entire life.
"Two!" exclaimed Xigbar while I had similar thoughts.
However, this surprise didn't last as the hordes of shadows and nobodies quickly moved to drown us with their bodies forcing me and Roxas to defend ourselves as Xigbar teleported away. Pushing back against the tides, it felt like the days of the Organization when we worked together. Dozens and dozens came but this time with the help of Roxas, we pushed them back whether they be dusks, berserkers and the whole lot.
Suddenly, a familiar sound of a ping came resulting in both of us dodging instinctively, as we witness a pink crystal move past us and impacted the barrier behind us. Looking up, Xigbar is there with both his crossbows out with a grin that said it all.
This time, a rapid amount of pink crystals came from his crossbows each aiming to take either Roxas or me out of the fight and yet it didn't deter us. Looking at each other, no words were passed but we did look at each other knowing what the unspoken plan was before looking back at him, we then disappeared.
*Pang* *Ping *Pang*
As quickly as we disappeared, we reappeared hitting the crystals returning to the sniper. Seeing this he stopped firing and quickly started to dodge, but with the amount and speed we were hitting these projectiles it became clear that he was going to get hit. The hi landed when Roxas hit several at once. While not every single one hit Xigbar, most manage to land resulting in him teleporting down in order to avoid them. That's when I came in.
Landing from all the reflections that I did with the many crystals, I started to slash at Xigbar making him quickly back up as he realized the danger that he found himself in. However, even with all his dodging, several tears and cuts appeared as he was hit several times by me before Roxas joined in. After Roxas joined in it quickly became one-sided as we started to rack up a combo that finished with Xigbar being launched into the air and Roxas hitting him with several swipes.
"Brats!" Xigbar said, as the pain from the combo quickly got to him forcing him on one knee. His eyes burning with malice as he glared at us. Panting for breaths, Roxas and I looked at Xigbar with contempt in our eyes as we leveled our keyblades to him...only for something to push us back a once.
"About time you got here," said Xigbar as he looked at the two that brought him to his knees.
"I was...preoccupied," said Xemnas without the need of looking at Xigbar. A cold sweat formed as it became quite clear that Xemnas is here and this fight wasn't getting easier by the minute.
In a blink of an eye, Xemnas disappeared only to reappear in front of Roxas and me with two red lights. In another blink, he forced us to start parrying and dodging as much as we could, but there was one major problem. We were both tired, all the fighting allowed Xemnas to take control of the battle. With each slash from both of us, he countered with several combos or grabs. If we attempted to use magic, we were always stopped because dozens of lasers would surround us forcing to use a reflega.
Finally, the battle switched to our favor as Roxas and I successfully landed several combos that injured the leader of the organization. Pursuing our attack, He was pushed back several times before he had enough as he disappeared. That wasn't the only thing that he changed.
What once was an alleyway that was filled with trash and other things, it became a dark as the background switched to pitch black with only me and Roxas seeing one another. This quickly changed as dozens and dozens of red lights surrounded us as our eyes grew wider when we realized that these weren't lights, these were lasers.
Looking around, we quickly knew that there was no possible way to go through them and no amount of dodging will prevent them from hitting us. So, with no words needed, we went back to back as we waited for the onslaught come and it did with the force of several tsunamis.
Dozens of lights came each one testing our defense and endurance as I and Roxas deflected all of them while moving around to be sure none of them hits the other. The amount that started the attack quickly doubled forcing us to move faster and faster or else we will get attacked by the overwhelming tide.
Eventually, it cleared with Xemnas appearing in front the both of us. Pushing Roxas back, he aimed his red light at me and was already mid-swing when Roxas intercepted it...only to be hit with the second one. Quickly, moving in, I slashed at Xemnas forcing him to go back. Knowing that the battle was lost, he quickly retreated with Xigbar in tow as a corridor of darkness took them to their destination.
Sighing in relief, I quickly turned to Roxas...only to see the dark wisps floating around him.