Chapter Six: Both Sides Solidify
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I didn't create them. I'm just manipulating them. Many of the elements belong to Disney and Square-Enix. Haven't you seen the disclaimer's from before???
Author's Notes: Alrighty.. soooo.. it took me a while to get chapter six up, but chapter six flowed rather smoothly. I just figured I should get it up as soon as possible and keep writing this story in stride. Hope you enjoy! I won't really comment on the story. I will be individually responding to all of my NINE reviews when I post chapter seven. So ifimreallyluckyimighthavemorethanninreviewsto respond to.
"What are you planning on having Axel and Sora do?" Xalden seemed especially indignant this morning.
"They will head out to Villains Vale, and revive Maleficent."
Xalden's insides squirmed. He was assigning a job for Sora that was previously Roxas'. It was as though Xemnas was brazenly playing on their similarities. "You don't need to remind me that Roxas walked out on us, but you do need to worry less about my judgement. It's become quite irritating."
"Of course sir. Sir, do we have any news about DiZ's plans."
Xemnas smirked dangerously. "It just so happens that we do. As you know, he's been very discreet of late, but this has all changed."
Xalden waited in suspense. "Oh?"
"For reasons I'm determining involves moving Roxas, DiZ is wrecking his virtual Twilight Town."
"Why would he? That's very strange.." Xalden fell silent in ignorance.
Xemnas lorded this knowledge over Xalden's head. "Oh, I don't think it is."
Late late late! Axel was never casual in the mornings. Being in the Organization required a sort of rigidity. Demyx was worried for Axel. Xalden would surely catch on to the changes in Axel, and try to convince Xemnas to abort the plan. How could Axel be so careless. He should be more professional. Demyx paused in thought. Really, who was Demyx kidding. He was the only one less professional then Axel, but still.. every member was professional to a degree. Sleeping in was not professional.
Yet, at the same time, Xemnas was being so lenient with Axel. It was bemusing. Demyx had a lot of time to puzzle about things in the morning. He had cooking duties until everyone had eaten breakfast. "That jerk is keeping me freaking starved so he can get in another couple of hours!" It was closer to 9:00 than 8:00. What was the time exactly? 8:47. Demyx had even bothered to make the breakfast somewhat celebratory. After all, this would be Sora's first meal with..with-- WAIT NO! Demyx couldn't afford to think like that. "Aw crap!! Waisted effort! Waisted effort all around." He briefly considered whether he should serve it. It was much brighter than their regular breakfasted, although not much tastier. That isn't to imply that Demyx's food wasn't delicious, but this meal was especially so.
He grinded his teeth in frustration. He was rarely ill-natured, but.. well.. he was never ill-natured. This was the closest he could get to being ill-natured, but it was still unusually bothered for him. On the other hand, when all you have are self-manufactured feelings.. how ill-natured could you become. This is something that Axel wished the other members focused on more. Demyx sympathized with it as well, if too a less emphatic degree: Organization XIII should want their emotions back as well as the power of hearts and whatnot.
"I'll kill him." Demyx eyed the crepes sitting under heat lamps warily. Did he dare? What if he was over thinking this? Sora didn't seem all that observant really. He would be too googley-eyed at Axel perhaps to even know what he was eating. No, that was too optimistic. Sora might notice. Would he really? Demyx could always just bullshit about how its in honor of Sora's recovery. Maybe-
"Hey, Demyx! C'mon now. We're starving, and we have to get a jump on Sora's first mission." Axel squirmed in realization of that statement.
"My first mission?" Sora looked vaguely confused.
"Well.. first post-recovery mission. It will basically be like starting over for you."
Sora smiled trustingly, "I understand then." Everything had been so reserved since Sora woke up. Maybe yesterday hadn't happened. It was part of the dream of his.. coma? Had he been in a mild coma. He looked over at Demyx who was peering in an annoyed manner out of the kitchen window into the dining hall.
"Hi Demyx! See, I haven't forgotten who you are!" Sora excitedly knocked on his head. This was to indicate that his head wasn't totally jumbled.
Axel gave Sora weird look of confusion.
Demyx's irritation melted into blank confusion. "Uh.. good. I guess that means you didn't relapse?" Demyx really didn't understand what Sora was thinking, but neither did Axel. Demyx gave Axel a quick shrug that Sora didn't catch. Axel and Demyx could be pretty smooth if they needed to be.
"Relapse? So.. so.. yesterday happened?!" Sora was gleeful. Axel smiled. He was such a good lover that his companion thought he was a sexy dream. This certainly improved Axel's confidence.
Demyx looked surprised in a wide-eyed way. "Erm. Yeah. Yesterday happened. It sort of always happens."
Sora nodded happily.
Demyx held a look of exhaustion. What a weird little guy, although weird in a cute naive way.
"C'mon Demyx, we need foooooooood!" Axel flashed a wolfish grin. It was so smug and mischievous.
"Screw you, man. You can't just show up to breakfast an hour and a half late and expect me to jump up prepared. I've been starving back in here waiting to eat because you very well know that I can't eat until EVERYONE else has eaten, and you.. you.."
Demyx had just now noticed Sora shrinking with everyone word he was flinging at Axel.
"Uh.. Uh.."
Axel allowed a somewhat restrained and knowing smile peel across his face.
Sora looked somewhat devastated to think he had caused Demyx all of this trouble. His adorable face drew up into a sad little pout.
"OH OH! Um, nonono.. Sora.. it's not you're fault! Please, don't freak out man."
Sora's face snapped back to a blank appeasement.
"It's just uh.. haha! Didn't sleep well last night.. wrong side of the bed and all that." He chuckled nervously, and intermittently threw murderous looks at Axel.
Demyx burst out of the kitchen with their breakfast, and his own. He would have made a superb waiter.
"Thanks a bunch, Demyx. This looks pretty good. How refreshing."
Demyx's hand twitched. "You sound surprised." Steam seemed to pour out of Demyx's ears. Since Zexion had died, Demyx had developed something of an affinity for cooking. He had sort of been unofficially apprenticed by Zexion in the art of cookery. People always suspected a lot from all of the extra hours they spent in the kitchen, but they were false speculations. The two had a sort of artistic relationship. Their minds played off of each others' comfortably. Art was their sex. Elegance in creation was their foreplay. The members probably would have had a hard time believing that since they didn't give Demyx a lot of credit for brain power, and they think of Demyx as an artistic type. He was certainly somewhat philosophical, and that usually leads to other arts, but he seemed much more like a dry intellectual. That was before they assigned him to kitchen duty. In reality, the unorthodox relationship between the two was not at all impractical. Still, the other organization members just figure they were spending all of that time boning each other. Naturally, Xalden disapproved.
Sora savored his breakfast. It was so colorful, creamy, savory, sweet.. what a meal! He ate cleanly, but enthusiastically.
Axel watched Sora eagerly. If they had their first sex it should be here. Wait, what? Axel's head snapped to attention. If they what? Axel struggled within himself.
As though you're not already planning it.
That's not fair. Look at him.
Yeah, exactly. Look at him. That's why it's not as though you're already planning it.
Shut shut shut upupup. I just need to keep calm. I can do a casual relationship.
I think I would know, and I'm going to have to say that in this case, you can't.
AND JUST WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?!
...everything. I'm you.
YOU KNOW NOTHING.
I know that we're out of practice talking like this so I'll reintroduce myself. Hello Painful Modesty, my name is Sensual Desire and if you remember our history together, I always win.
"Hey Axel!"
The argument in Axel's head disbanded. "Uh, yeah?"
"You haven't touched your food. It's really good."
Demyx who had been quietly glaring at Axel turned to smile at Sora.
"I do have a tendency to make things that are really good."
Axel stared wide-eyed at his food. "Oh yeah! Ahahaha." His nervous and somewhat hysterical laugh caught Sora off-guard. Sora thought Axel seemed very distracted this
morning. Sora's confusion was not abated when Axel piled the entire plate into his mouth.
Demyx stared in exasperation. "If you really feel like you have to eat everything all at once.. don't do it in front of other people."
Axel nodded vigerously as food gently dribbled out of his stuffed mouth.
After breakfast, Demyx took Axel aside in the kitchen while Sora had volunteered to gather up the dishes. "So what's his mission."
"We're going to Villains Vale."
"Oh.."
"Shouldn't be too hard."
"No, but I wonder if Sora will do it."
"We're not going to tell him exactly what he's doing."
"Of course."
"Sort of ironic, don't you think. Having him play a part in reviving MalFFNN-NNTT!" As Demyx finished his sentence Axel clamped a hand over his face. He gave him a
warning stare. Don't blow it.
A wave of protectiveness oscillated within him. He would not let anything take Sora from him, not even Demyx's incompetence. "We do not mention details like that."
"But he can't remember anything."
"Don't chance that."
Demyx's eyes widened. "Does Xemnas think he's remembering?"
Axel stood stiffly. "No, hah! No.. I don't know what that was about.."
"Hey.. uh.. it's fine. You guys need to go though. It's 9:30"
"Exactly 9:30? Well yeah, look it is. Shit, we do need to get going."
"Yes. 9:30. Go."
Axel swept back into the dining hall. "Ready Sora? We've got to get going."
"Absolutely." He saluted Axel.
Axel's inner monologue became violent giggles, but it didn't show on his face.
Axel gently took Sora by the arm, and led him through a corridor of darkness. Sora passed through unflinching. He wanted desperately to impress his hot mentor.
Namine watched the crystal vacantly. She had been waiting for something to happen for hours. It was as though she were staring into the night sky and waiting for fireworks. She waited intensely. The night sky remained black.
Riku appeared over her shoulder. "Don't they say that watched pots never boil. Not that I would really know."
Namine peeked over her shoulder. "Oh, hello Riku," she said cheerfully. "Are you hanging around to wait for them to wake up. It will definitely happen today." This was the first time she had seen Riku just sitting their in the mansion. He always seemed so busy.
Riku nodded nonchalantly ruffling the hair beneath his hood. His face was not at all visible. "Looking the way I do now, I'll probably scare the crap out of them."
"Just don't scare them to death or this will have been a lot of wasted effort." Namine smiled, which was a rare thing lately.
"You're eager for him to forgive you.. aren't you." It wasn't a question.
Namine was still and quiet. "Yes."
"I know Sora. He's probably the most forgiving guy in existence.. You picked the right guy to want forgiveness from."
"Though whether you deserve it remains in question." DiZ had just joined them.
He had a funny way of sometimes exploding Namine's self-esteem.
"I have an somewhat straight-forward, but more difficult route prepared for them. I've unlocked a space path to the Organization's World That Never Was. A name befitting people who really aren't. It will be a longer, but much safer path." DiZ had scrapped his idea of using the corridors of darkness. He didn't want to pollute their hearts on a crucial mission like finding the keyblade master.
Namine squirmed. DiZ always sneered at the idea of nobodies. She always felt that he was being rather unfair to her. She wasn't evil after all.. although she had certainly done some questionable things. Namine often struggled with this.
"Do you think they plan on rejoining Roxas with Sora?" Riku directed his question, surprisingly, at Namine.
"Um.. I suppose they have as much to gain from it as we do." Namine was nervous that Riku had asked her opinion and not DiZ's, and she worried that DiZ might be a jealous scholar.
DiZ had a strange gleam in his eye. It was time to reveal the plans he had made by himself. "I'm bringing Roxas here. It seems our greatest weapon would be a Roxas seeded with the truth. That way, if they send a completely brainwashed Sora to us, Roxas could help us undo it. He could be the most powerful weapon we have against the polluted mind of our greatest hero."
Riku and Namine both looked completely surprised at this revelation. "How will you do it?"
"Right now, he's already being filled in, and I'm crashing Twilight Town down around his ears."
This all seemed rather rash of DiZ, and DiZ only made quick decisions when completely necessary. It was surprising to say the least, but it felt like positive progress.
"Namine. I want him to meet you first. As I would have expected, he doesn't like dealing with me much." DiZ laughed.
"Riku, perhaps you should go as well. You two are Roxas' greatest ties to his true self. You're friendships could do him a lot of good."
"Because I'm the other half of Kairi?"
DiZ paused. He was annoyed at the tone of Namine's accusing voice, but he replied cooly, "Yes. Because you're her other half."
"How's he taking this."
"Not so well."
In the corridor, Sora's lust was inflamed by the darkness. He tackled Axel into the side. "Um.. Sora! People usually don't just stop in the corridors." Sora traced Axel's jawline with his tongue. He kissed softly along his high cheekbones. He pulled at the corner of Axel's lips. He was being so uncharacteristically predatory. Axel's blood heated, and he panicked.
Axel suddenly hoisted Sora up in the air. "L-lets.. uh g-g-get you out of here." Holding Sora up like a large doll, Axel sprinted out of the corridor and to..
Hollow Bastion.
Axel's mind remained in the corridor. Maybe that's where they should have their first sex!
No, stop thinking about that.
But you know it was hotttt.
I will smother you with chastity.
NooooOOooOoOo. Not possible!
"Wow.. this place is bizarre." And impossibly familiar. Sora surveyed it feeling strange.
"Yes, now just stick close and we should be fine."
Several glints of red spiraled towards them. Divine Rose appeared in Sora's hands. Sora hardly glanced at it. He knew instinctively that it was a more powerful keyblade.
Axel despaired. The first heartless to come at them were FIRE RESISTANT. He was going to look useless in front of Sora. He recovered quickly "Okay Sora, I think you know what to do. I'll step in if you need help."
Sora nodded. Axel watched as he manoeuvred through the air flawlessly. All of his natural abilities had come back instantly. The six Red Nocturnes all parted with their
stolen hearts. Axel was very pleased to see this. "See Sora, you've released the stolen hearts back to Kingdom hearts."
"Kingdom Hearts?!" Sora gave Axel a look of relief.
Axel wasn't sure what he had just done.
"You mean.. it exists. I'm not crazy. A voice keeps telling me about kingdom hearst. About the heart-shaped moon."
Axel winced. Would telling Sora about Kingdom Hearts damage this giant charade. "Yes, that's Kingdom Hearts." He left it at that wthout any further explanation, and somehow Sora knew not to ask. Axel turned his attention to the strange appearance of Hollow Bastion.
Hollow Bastion had changed somewhat. The absence of Maleficent was very obvious, and in the distance Sora and Axel could hear people working on some make-shift town.
Axel made his way expertly to Villain's Vale without encountering a single one. "This will be your first excersize in using the keyblade to unlock special locks." Axel pointed to a birdcage with a large keyhole in the front.
Sora excitedly pointed the key at the keyhole, and the magical unlocking was automatic.
"Good Sora." What a simple mission. Is this all he trusted Sora to be able to do. No, surely not. This was an important mission even if it was completely easy.
An evil-eyed crow shuffled out of the darkness of its cage, and ducked out of the dark curtain covering most of the bird cage.
Sora looked alarmed. "Oh crap! I've released someone's pet!" The crow watched Sora carefully. "I've got to put it back in."
"Huh?! Sora don't!" Sora ran all over the place trying to clap his hands around the panicking bird. It shrieked loudly fearing for its life. It swept out into the sky with a harassed cry. It was rocketing towards the vicinity of a powerful wizard with a long and slender black-purple cloak in its beak. Sora had just done something terrible, but he didn't know. Axel watched the raven struggling to fly with a coat whipping in the wind behind it.
"Who the hell are you two, and what are you doing here? This is our home. I hope you don't have anything to do with Maleficent, or you'll die right here." Axel scoffed at the voice without even looking to see where it came from
Sora whipped around to see Leon brandishing his gunblade threateningly.
"Riku, look!" Namine's face lit up.
The crystalline flower pods began to unfold.
"They're finally done! They should be waking up now!"
Next time: I'll be sending Goofy and Donald on a Sora hunt. :)