Simple Movements

Chapter 16

-Loathe-

"Is that right?"

Sora's nerves were buzzing like electricity. Tiny needles were pricking every inch of his skin and each breath was becoming harder to take. He felt those blue eyes staring him down in the mirror's reflection, the lips on Luxord's face now pulled into a full blown grin.

"Now why did you have to go and do that?"

The words were mocking. Sora threw a hand in front of Lilo, pushing her further back. He looked to the blonde man with an expression somewhere along the lines of hurt and anger meshed into one. Luxord lifted a finger to his goatee, stroking it delicately with his grin never faltering.

"What the hell did you do?" Sora spat out keeping a hand raised as if anticipating Luxord's next move. "How could you?"

Luxord chuckled, his eyes wide and maniacal. "Oh please, let's not get into that."

He motioned forward, only to be repelled backwards by a forceful wind. Sora was not kidding around. His clothes were billowing and hair rocked by the onslaught of air circulating around the small room. The pupils in his eyes grew to engulf the entirety of the orbs and giving Sora the look of a nocturnal animal scurrying through the forests. "How could you?"

Lilo's chest tightened at the sight for even she knew something was amiss. Sora was entering a state she had never seen before, and at this point, it was very risky to let him do so. Their first order of business was to somehow get away from Luxord. The fact that the ship was still intact made it clear Luxord was still chanting the scriptures. With not a lot of options before her, Lilo acted on the first idea that came to mind.

"I'm sorry Sora, I know this will hurt."

She intervened with the wind and manipulated it into forming a sphere before slamming it into Sora's stomach. His eyes returned to their natural blue, and his body slowly fell backwards. The blonde witnessing this ran forward, not about to back down. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I hate you!" Lilo screamed at him as she used the wind to hold Sora up, "Godmother trusted in you, I trusted in you, and you go and do this? What could The Council possibly offer you as a deserter?

She blasted him with another torrent of air, this time sending Luxord crashing down the hallway. With a palm faced against the wall of the bathroom, Lilo smashed a hole through the sleek material. Immediately the gales of wet air swarmed through, pelting her face with tiny droplets of sea water. With Sora encased in wind, Lilo sucked in a breath and threw herself into the darkness. They plummeted through the shockingly cold waters with Lilo immediately chanting from the Scriptures of Leviathan. A form began to take shape beneath them before rising towards the surface, a similar, glistening ship appearing. As Luxord had mentioned to Sora earlier, anyone worth their weight in salt should be able to master the Scriptures of Leviathan. With a new vessel carrying them, the pair didn't waste any time in sending it barreling across the sea.

"What happened?"

Sora got up, a hand against his stomach. He looked to Lilo at the edge of the ship, her back to him. She glanced at him with warm eyes. "Sorry about that back there, I didn't know how else to calm you down."

He held a hand to his face, removing it and then looking it over. "I got so angry all of a sudden, I sensed I was losing myself."

"Your eyes got all black and buggy," Lilo replied, her lips moving with the silent reading of her Scriptures, "it sent shivers up my spine."

A booming sound stopped his words before they tumbled out. Their ship shook violently, veering to the right sharply and causing Lilo to scream as she lost grip of the railing. Sora immediately ran up, holding her up as they looked into the darkened horizon. It was a dot at first, but the object was closing in at high speed. They watched as it neared them and witnessed what had caused the earlier shaking. Aided by a pair of feathery white wings, Luxord was traveling towards them with a lemon yellow sigil hovering behind him. It began to glow before shooting an orb of bright light at them. Sora moved his mouth. "Lilo! Keep chanting, I'll fight him off."

"But Sora, you don't have the strength," she said swerving the ship before the orb smashed into the water, "you memories may be back, but you haven't used magic in a century."

"Then explain to me how I was able to break through the spell Luxord cast on you?" he replied with a wink. "I'm a lot stronger than you think."

Gripping her small shoulders, Sora threw his eyes forward, narrowing his brow. He extended an arm as if pinpointing Luxord's flying form. He continued to summon spheres of yellow light and hurling them at their vessel, but Lilo was not giving him any chance to hit them. With an intake of air, Sora began his chant.

"Relaying from the Scriptures of Ramuh: The skies resonate with my being, the darkened clouds beg for release. A thunderous roar brings forth the rain and stings the naked skin. Bright and powerful, luminous and beautiful, the radiance that falls will give me strength. I call for your mighty strike, bless my body for I am worthy of it. Lord of thunder and lightning, I pray to you."

Sora's extended arm crackled, a volley of sparks radiating off it. He brought his other hand, his thumb and forefinger clutching onto a single spark before pulling it back with a swift, effortless movement. He stood at the front of the ship, a makeshift bow and arrow of coursing electricity aimed high. Luxord froze in the air, shooting his wings out as if anticipating Sora's next move. Closing an eye, Sora finished his chant.

"Judgment Bolt!"

A golden aura encompassed Sora's form, a transparent bearded man in ethereal robes hovering behind him as he released his finger. A giant forked staff shot from where Sora stood, the electric blur traveling at alarming speed. Luxord threw the wings in front of him, creating a barrier. Sora clenched his teeth, watching the staff as it met with the protective stance of Luxord's wings. A bright flash blinded everything, a boom resonating a second later. The force from the impact sent the waters into turmoil, forcing the ship to rock every which way. Sora stood his ground, struggled to stand against the blast and blinding light. As soon as it came, the night once again engulfed everything around them. Lilo scurried up to Sora, the once flying man nowhere to be seen.

"That was amazing," Lilo breathed out almost in a whisper, "you took out the Wings of Alexander with one hit. Alexander is a Guardian Force with some of the highest defenses even the High Seraph Ultima has trouble against it."

"Yeah," Sora said slightly out of breath, "reading from the Scriptures of Ramuh wouldn't have been enough, but you're forgetting one thing."

"What's that?"

He looked to Lilo, offering her a small grin. "I chanted the Scriptures a thousand times before firing."

Her hands cupped her mouth before the young girl burst into a giggling fit. Sora shared a smile before zeroing in on a spot out on the sea surface. "Lilo, move us in that direction, we're going to pick him up."

The ship traveled about a mile or so before coming to a slow stop. The night was bright and the passed out body of Luxord was easy to detect bobbing up and down in the water. Sora grabbed a hold of the railing and began to descend down a series of steps as he reached out for the unconscious body. With a grunt, Sora lifted Luxord against himself, his breath ragged. He threw him over and with a thump, rolled a few times on the ship floor. He eased himself back on and stood there for a few seconds watching the rising of Luxord's chest.

"Bind him."

Black chains materialized out of thin air and coiled around the blonde. The chains traveled upwards, bringing Luxord into a suspended formation. His head lay dipped forward against the now soaked and transparent white shirt he had been wearing. Lilo stood in front of Sora, her dark eyes veering sharply and mouth tightly closed.

"We can't let him get away with this," Sora expressed, "he needs to tell us everything."

"When you left Godmother's house running, that's around the time that Luxord came in," she said sniffling, "we didn't have a clue and that's when he attacked. Riku and Pocahontas were knocked out immediately and Godmother didn't know how to react. That's the only way he managed to get her. She trusted him…she never would have suspected him."

Sora licked at the salty taste on his lips, the ocean air coating them thickly. "Did you notice anything strange about the spell he cast on you?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded in agreement, "the spell had a purple aura. The spell was a manipulated form of the same magic Godmother used to create Maleficent's Needle. That's why it was able to seal off my memories of what had happened."

"But something must have happened for you to notice that you were under a spell. What tipped you off?"

Lilo cupped her hands a few times finally realizing she was soaked and the air chilling her to the bone. "When we were sleeping on the bed…I started seeing things in my dreams. I saw you, standing in front of a blazing car. And there was a shadow standing off in the distance, someone that I knew."

"A blazing car," Sora mused, "inside the walls…I remember a car that burst into flames. "And you saw this in your dreams?"

She nodded, "I don't know why, but it didn't feel like a dream. I was experiencing something you saw firsthand. As soon as I woke up, I began to fight the spell. That's when you found me in the bathroom of Luxord's ship. That car was carrying two Scripture Readers. The shadow I saw was the person that caused it. Luxord killed them."

"This doesn't make any sense," he said scratching the side of his face, "Why kill them? If he was planning on handing us over to Rinoa, why kill her Scripture Readers?"

"I dunno…maybe we should wake him up and find out."

Sora flicked his finger, the black chains glowing an acidic yellow and Luxord began to groan. He slowly opened his eyes, finding a blurred world bathed in shadows. His vision adjusted itself, a cough here and there leaving his throat. Luxord looked to the pair in front of him before noticing the chains that held him tightly in the air and his feet barely touching the ship floor. He eyed Sora, his lips turning into a smirk. "I guess I underestimated you."

Sora didn't waste any time. "Why did you betray us?"

He sighed, the chains rattling slightly. "Guess there really is no point in hiding it anymore. Well, where should I start? I'll be a good boy and answer your questions. Like those Scripture Readers? It wasn't me that killed them, no, that was entirely you. A lapse in your memories as you hadn't taken Maleficent's Needle because of the time you spent with Riku. I watched you Sora, you unconsciously tapped into your power and destroyed that car."

There was something about the almost enthusiastic way Luxord was acting. All things given, he was at their mercy. Luxord had been found out and whatever his plans were now foiled. So why was he acting as if there wasn't a care in the world? Sora shook his head. "What did Rinoa offer you?"

"It's simple, really," the blonde began licking at the corner of his mouth, "she made me a very generous offer."

"For bringing me back, right? All The Council wants now is the reincarnation spell. With the system finally reaching its limits, they're desperate. I'll ask you again, what did Rinoa offer you?"

At this Luxord's ice blue eyes glinted with a darkness that peppered Sora's skin with goosebumps. The blonde man winked at him. "Why, you of course."

The air was choked from his lungs. Sora heard it wrong and blinked furiously. "W-what are you talking about?"

He chuckled gruffly, the voice resonating deep in his throat. Luxord raised those blue eyes, a glistening lust in them. "How many times have you come to my bed begging me for Maleficent's Needle? It was your plan from the beginning, you instructed Godmother to create it in order to keep your memories shattered and the reincarnation spell asleep. You effortlessly played the part of a broken orphan from the outskirts. Your need in wanting to forget the desperation you felt at times brought you to me. It was a genius way to get you your dosage of Maleficent's Needle. Watching you sleep, alongside me…I realized something."

Sora's hands were nearly shaking. "That being?"

He ran his tongue over his lips, the man gasping an elated breath. "You needed to be mine and mine alone."

The blood running through Sora's veins froze and boiled all at the same time. Hearing the words uttered to him horrified, yet angered him altogether. Sora took a step back and leaned slightly against Lilo's small body. Her lips were pursed and shaky. "Sora?"

"Lilo…please go down into the cabin."

She meant to argue, but the look he was offering her silenced the young girl and she simply nodded before descending into the lower part of the ship. With her presence gone Sora swiveled around, facing the deranged blonde and walked a bit closer. "I must have the worst luck in this world."

Luxord didn't respond. Sora continued pacing forward. "Zack found me one day, told me about this wonderful life I could have watching over the world. He wanted to save me from the disease I had fought my entire childhood, from an unavoidable pain and death I knew I was destined for. He took that away from me…he so selfishly took that away from me. I became a Council member because he said so, I had no choice. While in The Council, Godmother told me about how Zack had watched my life for centuries. He followed everything I did, every life I lived in some kind of obsession. It made me sick to my stomach."

He was now but a few feet from Luxord's suspended form. Sora remained hidden behind his chocolate spikes and the hands at his sides clenched tightly. He let out a sigh. "I hated the wishing system. But part of me hated Zack even more. You and Godmother allied yourselves with me against Rinoa's influence and stole the reincarnation spell before disappearing from The World that Never Was. My plan was to break the system and bring an end to the suffering to those few like us, those born with nothing. If it meant a world flooded with nothing but Blank Points meant for eternal life, then so what? It would mean nobody would do what Zack did to me."

Sora raised a hand, his fingers glowing a soft blue. The chains around Luxord resonated with his hand, their grip only tightening on the older man. His lips grew wider. "You can't kill me, if that's your intention. Come on Sora, look at who we are."

He slowly raised his head, the starlight illuminating the features on his face. "Yours and yours alone? Never."

Sora swerved a finger across his lips. "Zack is being held in Anima's Chamber if you remember correctly. But it wasn't Rinoa, Axel, or Kuzco that sealed him there."

Luxord's eyes went wide. "No, you don't-"

A saddened expression caressed Sora's features. "It was me."

And he began to chant:

"Relaying from the Scriptures of Anima: It sears, blinds, and suspends from a labyrinth of chains. The cavernous, endless abyss of nothingness longs for the companionship of flesh and blood. An offering bound by silk, a silent scream that leaves exasperated lips. It descends and is caressed by your cold, lingering touch. Eternal shall your stay be."

A metallic black door appeared behind Luxord, the material quivering. It looked as if multiple hands were pounding on it from behind in a desperate effort to escape. Luxord barely moved his neck around to see the ominous looking monolith. His teeth began chattering and tears were gleaming at the corners of his eyes. Luxord shot a frazzled look to Sora, the brunette simply watching as the ocean breeze began to play with his hair. "You can't do this to me! After everything I did for you!"

"Zack stole my freedom…you betrayed me for your own sick and selfish desires. I must have the worst luck in the world if all I am is something for someone to own."

Anima's Chamber began to open, a black darker than any abyss exuding from it. The chains holding Luxord captive began to move, slowly wafting towards the awaiting coldness. His teeth stopped chattering and a wicked grin appeared. The darkness was lapping at him, touching the sides of his face.

"HA! They'll never stop hunting you! You honestly think this will be the last time we see each other? You greatly underestimate Rinoa and the remaining Council. They'll suck you dry of the spell, and throw you into this same abyss. How will it feel to know you will spend the rest of eternity so close to those you apparently loathe? We'll be so close Sora, not just me, but Zack…the simplest of movements while bound by these chains will bring us closer."

"Is that right?" Sora whispered as Anima's Chamber swallowed Luxord up to his head, leaving just the tiniest fraction of his face visible. "Simple movements…"

Anima's Chamber shut tightly, sealing Luxord off and disappearing into dark nothingness.

-0-