Chapter 221: know how

"Well, y'see, that's a funny story," Joseph said. "29 just said we couldn't go after Namine. He said nothing about going after Vexen who has also been kidnapped and—"

"I- I don't think-" Sora stuttered, holding up a hand to interrupt Joseph. He wasn't exactly sure how to reply, though, and his jaw was near the floor as he gaped at the boy. He hadn't heard what 29 had said, but he was fairly certain "don't go after Namine" also meant "don't go to the World that Never Was". Or whatever this place was called.

Sora sighed, and wondered if his parents had ever had this much trouble dealing with him. He remembered finding loopholes in what they'd told him to do or not do in the past, but never had he done something so… dangerous. There was nothing dangerous to do when he was Joseph's age—even if Joseph was only three years younger than him.

Sora decided he felt incredibly sorry for 29—and his own parents—and then got back to the task at hand.

"When did you leave Hollow Bastion?" he asked Joseph.

"Five minutes ago," Joseph replied automatically, as chipper as always.

Sora sighed in relief. "So you haven't been here long?"

"Nope!" Joseph popped the p as he said it.

"And you've just been running around?"

"Jeeze Sora when did you become such a killjoy?" Joseph groaned, slumping a little with annoyance. "I thought you'd be excited to see us!"

"Well I- I suppose I… killjoy?"

"Axel uses it," Joseph explains. "It means something like party pooper but sounds a little fancier and takes less time to say."

"I…."

Frankly, Sora was at a loss for words.

Joseph sighed and put on a very impressive pout, complete with puppy dog eyes. It was rather obnoxious to see such a look on someone his age—he was old enough to know not to pout like that—but Sora didn't have a chance to tease him about it.

"Are you really gonna send me back to Hollow Bastion? Or C.O.?" Joseph asked, whining a little. Then he smirked, ever-so-slightly. "Though, you couldn't keep me there, y'know."

"I could tell 29."

"Sora you don't have any form of transportation."

"….crap."

Joseph broke into a grin, then. "Well, I know!" he said. "Me 'n Toby could stick with you! That way you can keep an eye on us and keep us out of trouble and stuff! I promise we'll stick out of your way if we have to."

"I can't believe this…" Sora groaned.

Unfortunately, he didn't see a way out of it.

"What were you doing, huh, before? Heading somewhere important?" Joseph asked.

Sora shrugged. "Just sorta heading after Riku, hoping to catch up to him. And Kairi." He rubbed the back of his neck, still grimacing. Joseph was going to derail him and drag him off somewhere else. He just knew it.

"That sounds pretty important," Toby said, looking up at Joseph. "Maybe we should just do that."

"Mmmmmm I guess it is pretty important," Joseph replied. He tapped his thumb against his chin as he thought. "I know! Listen, Sora, our next stop is the surveillance room, to figure out where Vexen is. We can figure out where Riku and Kairi are while we're at it. Then I can take you right to 'em!"

Well, it was a better idea than wandering the castle aimlessly.

"Okay," Sora said.

"Great! Let's go!" Joseph said, beaming. He opened a dark corridor and stepped through.

Toby let out a long sigh, and Sora looked down at him. He'd been awfully quiet this whole time—though, it wasn't like Sora knew the boy very well. Or at all. Just knew his name, really. Maybe he was always like this.

But from the way he was holding himself and rubbing his arms sent off a nervous vibe, so Sora asked:

"What's up?"

Toby shrugged. "Don't really wanna be here…" he said, his eyes on the ground. "But I'm not sure how to convince Joseph to leave—I was hoping maybe you'd do something about it, but…"

"Sorry." Sora sighed, too, a little frustrated with himself. "Joseph just talks circles around me. But if you really don't wanna be here, why don't you, y'know, just go?"

"Can't form corridors."

"Oh." That would put a damper on things. Sora laughed, though, trying to lighten the situation, for the both of them. "Guess we're in the same boat, then. I can't either."

Toby shrugged again. "That's alright," he said. He didn't seemed any more thrilled about the idea, but there was at least a smile on his face. "Let's go before Joseph comes back and yells at us. Or closes the corridor."

"Either would be bad," Sora agreed, so they stepped through.

xxx

Demyx did, indeed, fight with a sitar. For the most part he just used it to summon and/or control water, but it obviously it was reinforced, seeing as he'd bashed Roxas over the head with it and it hadn't broken.

"Why'd you wanna leave, anyway?" Demyx called. The comment was, obviously, directed at Roxas.

Roxas paused long enough to speak, though he didn't drop his battle stance. "Because I thought it would save Xion," he said.

"Who?"

"Geeze, she was right when she said no one knew about her."

Demyx lazily sent a couple of water forms—musical notes made of water that could move of their own free will—out at Kairi and Riku. Kairi had to finish them off with fire, as simply punching them didn't do anything besides get her hands wet.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend," Demyx said, his words still directed at Roxas.

"She wasn't my—"

"Hate to cut the chitchat but we have a battle to fight here!" Riku screeched. Kairi looked up at the sound of it, just in time to see him run at Demyx.

"Oh c'mon," Demyx laughed, deflecting Riku with a blast of water to his face. "Nothing wrong with talking. We could always talk about our probl—OKAY OKAY NEVERMIND!" He flinched out of the way of Roxas's Keyblades, and hid behind his sitar.

"I wonder if I can dart past him," Riku mumbled as he wiped the water off his face. Kairi wasn't sure how they'd gotten right next to each other, but she decided not to question it.

"You tried last time and it didn't wo~ork," she sang. Not that Riku heard her—he was already running.

Sure enough, while there were no Samurais or any other Nobodies to stop him, a large wave of water materialized and shoved him back. Kairi didn't bother moving out of the way of the wave, just braced herself against it as it passed around her shins. She'd been far enough away from it that'd nearly exhausted itself before reaching her.

Riku hadn't been as lucky. The wave hit him full on and pushed him all the way to the other side of the room, leaving him coughing and spluttering on his knees. Kairi sent up a Cure for him, though she sort of doubted he needed it.

Demyx grinned in Riku's direction, laughing. Roxas snuck up behind him in his distraction, but before he could attack, he collapsed. Demyx quickly got out of the way, launching himself across the room with jets of water.

Kairi rushed over to Roxas, knelt down beside him. Her skin started itching, but she ignored it. It was likely just the saltwater. Roxas was clutching his head, and he groaned as he straightened—then promptly spat water out of his mouth and started coughing. Kairi pounded him on the back once, twice.

"Just keep coughing it up, you're fine," she told him. "I'm sure it can't have been more than a mouthful. It won't kill you."

From the sounds of things, he'd accidently inhaled water. Kairi pounded his back one more time, looked him over. With shock she realized his eyes had glazed over.

"Roxas!" She jostled him to get his attention. "Roxas, listen to me! You don't want to kill Riku!"

She then realized jostling him wasn't the best idea right now, and quickly grabbed his arms to restrain him should he get up. Her hold wouldn't last long, but she was prepared to tackle Roxas if she had to.

Roxas just coughed again.

"Wh-what?"

"There is literally no point in killing Riku it gets you nowhere."

Roxas shook his head, to clear it. "Why would I want to… kill Riku?" He sent a dazed look over his shoulder at her—a tired look.

"Oh good." Kairi let go of him, then frowned. She scratched her arm, absentmindedly. The itch had gotten worse, but she needed to focus on Roxas. "Are you oka—ack!"

A blast of water separated them.

Roxas was on his feet again, swinging at Demyx.

Kairi got to her feet, too, rubbing at her arm furiously. It only took one look around the room to figure out why she was so itchy. Riku'd been throwing darkness around. She wasn't sure how she knew it was making her itch, but the moment she laid eyes on the darkness-scorched walls she just knew.

Kairi watched for a second longer, as Riku sent another blast of darkness at Demyx. He hardly flinched away from it.

"Riku I don't think that's working!" Kairi called at him. Also it's making me itch like crazy and I'd really prefer if you'd quit it, she added, silently.

Riku shouted something incoherent in response, but dropped the darkness he was holding and rushed in for a physical attack.

Kairi sighed in relief. Her skin still itched a little, but that would pass. Hopefully. In the meantime, she tossed up a Cure for Roxas—she doubted it'd help his predicament, but it couldn't hurt—and then turned to throw a Fire at Demyx.

Between Riku and Roxas's near constant attacks, Demyx didn't last much longer.

"See?" Roxas laughed as he banished his blades. "I said we'd beat him quickly."

"He put up one hell of a fight, though," Riku grumbled as he banished his own blade.

Kairi sighed and tried to wring the water out of her shirt. "I'm soaking wet…" She looked up at the boys, and quickly grimaced. Roxas was completely dry, from the looks of things, and Riku looked pretty dry, too. Well, the water hadn't clung to his dark suit, anyway. His hair was another story, and Kairi had to cover her mouth and stifle a laugh.

"What's that look for?" Roxas asked.

Kairi nodded at Riku and said in an exaggerated whisper: "He looks like a drowned rat."

Roxas snorted, too, at the thought. Riku ignored their giggles and looked straight at Roxas.

"You really wanna come with?" he asked.

Roxas nodded, sobering instantly. "Yeah."

"…guess I can't stop you," Riku sighed. He started off again without saying anything more.

Roxas grunted in annoyance and hurried after him. Kairi abandoned her attempts to get the water out of her hair and ran to catch up.

"Are you actually okay?" she asked, falling into step beside Roxas.

"Yeah." He seemed angry and a little distracted. "Brain's just… fuzzy. I'll be fine."

Kairi bit her lip. "What if you're not? What if it gets worse?"

"Then you leave me behind."

"I couldn't do that!" Kairi protested.

Roxas came to a dead halt and looked her in the eye. "Can you take me to C.O.?" he countered.

Kairi grimaced.

"No…"

"Then you leave me behind," Roxas said. He turned away from her and took three large steps to catch up to Riku, as if to "end" the conversation.

Kairi rolled her eyes at his attempt. "Boys…" she groaned.