Warnings: The same ones that have been in all of these things.
Pairings: Established Roxas/Namine, as-of-now Established Sora/Kairi, Implied One-Sided (Possibly Non-Consensual) Axel/Saix, innuendo all over the place.
Unravel the Heart
Chapter 3: Abeyance
Tintinnabulum ~ Phantasmagoria ~ Fabrication
DiZ watched with ample amusement as Sora's body convulsed repeatedly under the ministrations of electrical impulses rushing through his body. The boy was currently unconscious, strapped to a work table, with various machines frying him every few seconds. Ansem, standing nearby, yawned and looked on with irritation.
"Exactly what is this accomplishi-"
"Shhhhhh." DiZ cut him off, staring transfixed at the Keyblader. "I am sciencing."
Ansem glared, his irritation only growing. Well I suppose it could be worse. The Heartless carefully considered his situation, noting that he wasn't currently being used for any demeaning tasks at the moment, and that perhaps he should be grateful for DiZ's current preoccupation. It gave him more time to consider his own fate and possibly an escape attempt. But still, that wasn't easy to orchestrate, what with two people now possessing the means to command him…
At that moment, the door to the laboratory suddenly swung open, and a man dressed in robes of black stepped into the room. Ansem's first thought was to assume it was one of the Organization, but that thought was quelled immediately – only Zexion was allowed here, and he wasn't that tall.
The man seemed to pay Ansem no attention as he stepped over to DiZ, staring down at Sora in what might have been a quizzical manner had his face not been concealed by his hood.
"…Should I bother asking?"
"I would advise against it." DiZ replied, munching thoughtfully on a carrot he had for some reason.
The black-clad man merely sighed. "The first phase is complete. Marluxia lives."
This caused a smirk to appear on DiZ's face. "Excellent. That should spur Xemnas into action. Which means…" He then turned to Ansem, glaring with his visible eye. "You there. Venture into the Realm of Darkness and observe all changes. I want you to report such changes back to me. And if you could fetch my dry-cleaning, that would also be lovely."
"Could he pick up mine too? I'm in need of a change of robes."
"Ah yes. Be a dear and pick up Zero's dry-cleaning as well."
"I use Stan Moogle's Cleaner, in Twilight Town."
"And I use the Tonberry Haberdasher & Drycleaner, in Radiant Garden."
"While you're out, why don't you get us some CHICKUN as well?"
"My dog is in need of a change of food as well. His current brand won't stop making him throw up. Get the Premium Blend."
"My hair is getting pretty dried in the heat out there. Frizzy. Fetch me some moisturizing shampoo."
"Oh, thank you for reminding me, Zero. We're out of bath soaps. Please pick up some of those too."
"Oh you know what? We're also out of Lemon Pledge. Get some Lemon Pledge."
"Oh my, whatever would we do without Lemon Pledge? I can't work in a lab that isn't lemony fresh. Oh, that reminds me, we could also use some wood varnish."
"I was thinking of building a new counter for the kitchen. There isn't enough to lean on. So as long as you're getting some wood varnish, go ahead and pick up some timber from the House Depart., so we can build that. I'll probably have you do it, though."
"Well if we're going to build a new counter, why not just build a whole new extension? You know what, Ansem, go ahead and fetch a large amount of timber, as well as some tools and an architect."
"All that work is bound to make us hungry. CHICKUN won't cut it. Go and pick up some Delicious Steak as well."
"Yes. So, off you go."
Ansem stared at the two of them with his mouth hanging open, disbelief written all over his face. As he continued to stare, with DiZ and the other man, Zero, not making any indication that they were kidding, he finally nodded, slowly, before turning around and silently departing through a Corridor of Darkness.
As soon as he was gone, the two men burst into a fit of giggles.
However, after a moment, both calmed down and regained a more serious disposition. "I've done as you asked." Zero addressed the red-garbed scientist. "I expect you're prepared for the next phase of action?"
DiZ nodded. "Indeed. My research on the boy is nearly concluded. As soon as I am through, we can begin with the next step."
DiZ's machines seemed to stop torturing Sora for a moment, the Keyblade Wielder merely laying limply on the work table as several nearby computers buzzed and whirred, collecting various snippets of data.
"I suppose you're going to return him?" Zero asked flatly, apparently disinterested.
"At this point, it would be best to throw suspicion away from us. Zexion will be along to collect the boy later; I will have to return him in order to fulfill that end. You'll also want to be gone at this time. It is best that he not know of your connection to this. That man is far too clever for his own good."
Beneath the shade of his hood, Zero merely smirked. "I suppose that may be true. But it won't matter in the end."
The scientist chuckled in response. "And what, pray tell, do you have in mind?"
"It wouldn't be any fun to spoil the surprise, now would it?"
MemorY
Night had fallen on the small campsite. The stranded collection of individuals all circled around a happy little campfire, courtesy of Axel, each lost in thought as they considered what Marluxia had told them.
Most, of course, had been shocked to see the Graceful Assassin walking among them once again. Demyx in particular had freaked right the fuck out, screaming and waling about how Marluxia was totally dead and could never come back. The Melodious Nocturne had then thrown himself into the comforting bosom of his drugs.
But after everyone had gotten used to the idea of Marluxia being alive again, they had listened to the story leading up to his resurrection (as told by Xigbar), as well as the troubling news of Xaldin's soul having apparently been stolen. More troubling still was the news Marluxia had shared with them all regarding Xemnas.
"So he isn't interested in just getting his heart back. He's trying to become some kind of ultimate overlord, and Sora has been willingly helping him do it?" Xaldin had asked, appearing rather disconcerted by the news, as well as the fact that he had still not managed to reclaim purchase of his Pimp Cane. Now where the devil did he leave that infernal object…
Marluxia had explained everything to the group, who now sat deep in thought, trying to determine the best course of action.
"Hey, has anyone seen Sora?" Kairi's voice cut across their thoughts. "I mean, I'm pretty sure he'd want to know all of this, and he's not even here. Man, how did I not notice that sooner?" she asked, now seemingly talking to herself and chuckling. "Man, Kairi, you sure are a fuckup sometimes. Hohoho, what I am I going to do with myself?"
"She does have a point." Lexaeus noted, ignoring her odd behavior. "I haven't seen Sora since we returned from the Temple."
"Didn't you pelt him in the head with a rock or something?" Larxene asked, looking at Zexion. However, her expression told everyone that she didn't really care at all. She was more preoccupied with eating her precious CHICKUN, which she still refused to share with anyone.
"Yes, I did." Zexion replied casually, still lounging on a beach chair of Lexicon pages. "But then he wandered off. I haven't seen him."
"Well, shouldn't we go looking for him?" Naminé asked, appearing concerned, but also ravenous as she eyed Larxene's CHICKUN.
"No. There's no need." The schemer answered again, waving a non-committal hand. "He's right here, see?"
Abruptly, a door appeared in midair, facing the ground and opening wide. Sora then fell unceremoniously out of it and landed in a heap on the ground. The door then closed and disappeared.
Sora got up a few seconds later, scratching the back of his head. "Hey guys, what's up?"
Nobody seemed to see anything wrong with any of this and resumed their conversation as normal, filling in the blanks for Sora, who was apparently unaware that he had been absent. The glaring plot holes then dared the reader to say something about it, licking knives and grinning crazily in a threatening fashion.
"Our course of action seems obvious." Xaldin announced after the group had been engaged in conversation regarding Xemnas for some time. "We all desire our hearts to return to humanity, yes?"
The collection of Nobodies all nodded (except for Larxene), all of them choosing to ignore that Xaldin was obviously lying through his teeth as to why he wanted a heart.
"And Xemnas seeks to abuse this arrangement with Sora, possibly cheating all of us out of our own hearts. It would also be a generally bad thing if he were to succeed in whatever goal he intends to reach." The lancer calmly explained as his dreadlocks were all rather busy around him, grabbing a tea pot and cup and pouring a spot of tea for him. Another lock proceeded to procure some sugar, two lumps, and another grabbed a spoon, stirring it up. Finally, the lock holding the cup raised the porcelain object to the dragoon's lips, allowing him to sip at it (but not before another lock waved at some steam to cool the hot fluid off, another grabbing a small dish to rest the cup upon). "Delightful." Xaldin muttered after taking a sip, giving one of his locks a scratch.
"So uh… what are you getting at?" Axel asked, trying to pretend he wasn't weirded out by the display.
"Well clearly," Xaldin continued, taking another sip before holding up his hand, signaling the lock to stop offering more and set the cup down, which it dutifully followed. "We must kill Xemnas."
"YEEESSSSS!" Sora screeched in glee, jumping up and doing a little jig. "I GET TO KILL SOMEONE. I GET TO FUCKING KILL SOMEONE. LET'S KILL THAT DOUCHEBAG. LET'S FUCKING END HIM."
Kairi stared blankly at Sora. Everyone else seemed to follow her example.
"What?" Sora asked. "Xemnas is an asshole, right? So we should do what Xaldin said and kill him. For like, the good of everyone, and junk."
They continued to stare.
"Yeah, and… truth and love and…."
Staaaaaaare.
"…and friendship and… stuff… and…"
Their eyes were getting tired from all that staring.
"Okay, I just want an excuse to kill someone! Happy?" Sora shouted, his teenaged bloodlust overflowing in an obvious manner.
Zexion broke the silence by chuckling. He then muttered a quiet "Yes."
"Well, I may not want to do it simply for the sake of killing someone, but I kinda agree. We should probably kill him." Kairi agreed hesitantly.
"Hey, I may not be a murderer, but I'm with Sora." Roxas spoke up, standing from his seated position and addressing the crowd. "If Xemnas is being an evil asshole, we should kill him."
The remaining members all tossed in their obligatory two cents, eager to prove that they weren't just side characters. The cliché then invited the reader to try and identify who said what.
"I agree. That bitch is gonna get magically fucked up!"
"Whatever. You losers are all probably gonna fuck up and I'm gonna have to do all the work."
"If it must be done…"
"Let's do this, girlfriends!"
"As if I'd miss out on a rumble like this."
"Maaaaan…. My hands are huuuuuuge."
"Excellent, then we're all agreed."
"Hey I'm all for it. Xemnas can go fuck himself. 'Bout time I got revenge on him for being an asshole in the past anyway."
"This could yield some rather interesting finds… science!"
"This doesn't quite sit well with me. But fine."
"Hmhmhmhm. Yes."
Sora looked around the collection of individuals and grinned. "Well, now that we have the obligatory bullcrap out of the way, shouldn't we also be talking about that guy? The one who brought Marluxia back?"
Marluxia snapped his fingers. "Oh right. I forgot about him."
"How do you fucking forget about the guy who apparently brought you back to life and stole Xaldin's soul?" Larxene asked incredulously.
Marluxia shrugged. "I was too busy thinking about Xemnas."
Axel snickered.
"But yeah," Naminé interjected. "That guy… you said he called himself Zero? He seems like something else we should be paying attention to. I mean, how many people can steal somebody else's soul? And shouldn't we be a little worried about Xaldin considering that?"
Xaldin, however, had at that moment managed to reclaim purchase of his Pimp Cane. He then proceeded to don a purple hat with a feather in it, as well as a spotted purple coat. "There is no need to worry about me. I have procured my effects."
Naminé shook her head at the abstract stupidity that was present here.
"In any case," Vexen interrupted, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "We first encountered this Zero fellow in that temple. I propose a return trip in order to further investigate. We may find clues as to where we are, how to leave, and most importantly, who this man is. The matter of dealing with Xemnas cannot be resolved, after all, unless we get off this island."
For once, Vexen had said something reasonable without bitching. Xigbar was impressed.
"Very well then. We'll set out for the temple tomorrow, after some rest." Xaldin decided for the group before dropping to the ground, abruptly falling asleep.
The rest of the group all seemed to come to a sort of consensus on this, and followed the man's example.
EmeralD
As had been decided upon, several members of the group had set out early the next morning to investigate the temple further; Larxene, as expected, stayed behind again, not interested in pursuing an unnecessary amount of effort. Keeping her company at the campsite were Zexion, who was equally as lazy; Saïx, who intended to keep watch on the site; and Naminé, who stayed behind with the sole intent of bitching at Larxene for being so unhelpful all the time.
Having already carved a path through the dense jungle on prior visits, the road to the temple was quite free of hindrance this time around, allowing the large troupe to make their way across the jungle floor with relative ease. Xaldin, of course, still led the group, dressed up once again in his safari outfit, intent on being the paragon of manliness.
After a rather uneventful and uninteresting trip through the jungle and into the temple, the group now found themselves in the Room of Resurrection – apparently the dead end of the temple.
"So is this it?" Sora asked. "There's gotta be more in here. This temple is huge! There's no way it's just a hallway and this room."
Lexaeus took this as his cue to punch the shit out of the nearest wall in an effort to find more. Strangely enough, an avalanche of candy fell out of the busted wall. Lexaeus raised an eyebrow at this.
"Candy?"
"Yes," a voice echoed through the large, echo-prone room. "Candy."
Leaning casually against the far wall of the cavernous space, Zero regarded the collection of explorers with little care. "This temple is full of it. The society who built it was rather obsessed with the stuff. They really only needed to build this room, so they had nothing else to fill the rest of the temple with. I suppose it was laziness."
"O…kay." Roxas appeared confused, before he suddenly remembered why they were there. Immediately, he called his Serendipitous Two to him, standing at the ready to engage the man. The rest of the group all called their weapons as well, prepared this time to prevent another soul-snatching. "Give back Xaldin's soul!" Roxas demanded.
"Is that all?" Zero asked. "No epic speech, no demands for information?"
"I'm sure demanding Xaldin's soul should suffice." Vexen added. "But if you would be so kind as to return it, I will happily demand information of you."
Zero chuckled. "I assumed you'd want to question me. That's why I came here. I thought I'd do you all a favor and spare you the effort of looking for me. Aren't I nice?"
Marluxia stepped forward, his scythe pointed forward dangerously as he switched personalities to Marluxious, the serious, no-nonsense mother fucker. "You're hopelessly outnumbered. Return Xaldin's soul and tell us what we want to know."
"Oh no! Please don't hurt me!" Zero mock pleaded, laughing to himself. "And what, pray tell, would you like to know?"
"Let's start with your identity."
"Oh? I thought a name was good enough for you people."
A Gun Arrow was launched with sudden speed, landing mere centimeters away from Zero's foot. Xigbar leered. "Warning shot, bucko. There aren't gonna be any more of those."
"Oh my, how terrible. And exactly what do you intend to do with me should I opt not to cooperate?"
Marluxia sighed. In the blink of an eye, he was suddenly behind the man in a flurry of petals, his Scythe positioned dangerously at the cloaked man's throat. "I would cut back on the snark if I were you." He cooed, using his free hand to reach up and lower his prey's hood, intent on removing the man's ambiguity.
Zero stood smiling, a man of pale complexion and light brown hair, which ran down the nape of his neck, not long in the back, but not short either. In the front, he wore his hair in a manner similar to a certain schemer – it fell in a moppy curtain, obscuring his right eye from view. Unlike Zexion's, however, it did not hang limply, nor did it move much. It simply stayed put, thick and unmoving, as if the man had intentionally stuck his hair in that fashion to forever hide his eye, obviously so that he could look emo or mysterious. Or both.
He opened his visible eye, a light gray color, and turned slightly to regard Marluxia, a smirk still on his face. "Satisfied?"
Marluxia was prepared to answer, but was cut off in mid thought by the sight he witnessed before him. Zero carelessly turned away from the assassin, stepping forward right into the blade of the scythe. Instead of the expected gory result, however, the object passed right through him as he continued to move forward, no longer within the range of Marluxia's weapon.
"I know you were hoping to threaten me with your antics, but you'll find I could honestly care less about anything you can do."
And then without warning, he lunged forward, Roxas firmly in his sights. In both of Zero's hands, a pair of Keyblades manifested into place. The shock was clearly visible on Roxas's face as he clumsily raised his own Keyblade to block the incoming assault in a clang of enchanted metal on metal.
"A Keyblade?" Sora exclaimed in disbelief, before deciding to forget about it and help out. He rushed forward, brandishing the Ultima Weapon as he made a beeline for Zero's head.
Zero disconnected himself from his struggle with Roxas and vanished, Sora's Keyblade connecting with empty air. However, Zero was back rather quickly, now behind Sora as he made a swing. The blade was met with the iron shaft of a spear just before it made contact, however, which was quickly joined by a series of other spears, all lunging at Zero.
Zero furrowed his brow in irritation as he stepped back, evading and parrying the thrusts. Xaldin bore down on him moments later, catching up to his autonomous spears and wielding them directly now.
"Hahaha, you would fight me in your condition, Xaldin?" Zero mocked as he blocked another thrust, performing a pirouette to slash away another of the offending objects with one blade, while his other made for Xaldin's chest.
However, its progress was impeded by the presence of a barrier of wind surrounding the lancer's body. Zero's eyebrow shot up for a brief moment as the wind flew forward, blowing him backwards and against a wall. He was quick to stand again, briefly dusting himself off nonchalantly before disappearing, just before several Gun Arrows and deadly icicles rained down upon the spot he had been standing in.
Vexen grunted in frustration at having missed his mark. "He moves too quickly to gather enough data…" he muttered.
Zero had appeared again near Roxas and Sora, engaging the two Keyblade-wielders in a flurry of dual-wielding badassery, while the both of them parried his blows in a similar show of badassery, engaging him in several pincer attacks which he managed to evade. Never once did his smile falter.
Both boys then executed a show of rapid distancing, warping away with an awesome reaction command as the ground beneath Zero's feet suddenly collapsed, courtesy of a nearby Lexaeus pounding into the ground with his Axe Sword. However, it did not seem to have the desired effect, as Zero remained standing as though nothing had happened, suspended in the empty air.
Xaldin stared for a moment before his eyes narrowed, looking at the man's feet. "Wind?"
"Correct." Zero replied. "And that's not all." He sing-songed, waving a Keyblade. The ground all around him began to rupture, much the same as it had when Lexaeus had attacked.
Xaldin quickly called the wind and floated above the collapsing flooring, raising Kairi up as well (who flailed in surprise at the sudden action). Xigbar and Vexen also both took to hovering in midair, Sora and Roxas following suit with a show of suspended gliding. Marluxia, too, joined the group in a hover.
Lexaeus, Axel, and Demyx, however, fell right through the crumbling floor in surprise, into what looked like a deep, black abyss. Thinking quickly, Lexaeus drove his blade into the wall, sliding a bit before coming to a stop, bracing himself against the wall and holding onto his Axe Sword for support. As Axel fell nearby, he kicked into the wall, causing bits of rock to jut out like platforms, catching the fire-wielder, as well as the flailing Nocturne, who joined Axel moments later.
Above them, still standing in empty space, Zero seemed to have a rather large grin on his face, as if reveling in some amazing joke he had just played. He pointed a Keyblade downward, and a stream of ice erupted from it, coating the walls in subzero temperatures, which seemed to be spreading rapidly.
Before his attack could resume, however, he was forced to take a retreating leap backwards as several blasts of energy were fired at him from floating flowers, as well as more Gun Arrows from the ever-firing Freeshooter. The enigmatic man swung his blades around, deflecting the majority of the projectiles, but was backed against a wall, unable to evade the last flurry of energy bursts.
Marluxia grinned for only a moment before seeing that these bursts passed right through Zero again, much like his scythe had earlier. But unlike before, Zero did seem to be in some kind of pain this time around.
"I think that's quite enough," Zero announced with a small cough.
"Running away again?" Vexen asked, firing more icicles at the man heedlessly.
Zero blew out a breath which seemed to superheat the air around him, melting the incoming projectiles before they could reach him. He then smiled disarmingly at Vexen's surprised expression. "I am a busy man, Four. I do have other things to do besides playing with all of you. And since you all seemed to neglect your opportunity to politely question me, I believe I'll be going. But here is a nice parting gift for you."
And with that, Zero was gone. Mere seconds later, however, a loud screech was heard. Looking up, the assemblage was surprised to see a gigantic spider-like Heartless descending from the high ceiling of the temple, each of its legs braced against a section of the wall in a circular fashion as it rapidly bore down upon them.
"Ah, shit," Xigbar muttered as he opened fire on the creature. "Sora! Get her out of here!" he called, gesturing with his head at Kairi, whom was still suspended in a windy barrier by Xaldin.
Sora stared up ahead for a moment before nodding, turning and gliding up to the girl and taking her into his arms.
"I'm not a fucking damsel, Sora!" Kairi shot at him.
"Quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Sora said, kissing her passionately and suddenly. Kairi then threw her arms around him and returned the kiss in kind as dramatic music played from no discernable source.
"'Bout damn time," Xaldin sighed, firing an Aeroga canon at the beast to slow its descent toward them, eliciting another loud screech from it.
"Seriously." Roxas agreed, firing several blasts of Light at the beast.
Xigbar watched as Sora flew to the exit with Kairi in hand, waiting till the pair was gone. "Alright! Time for a new backdrop!" he called. At the command, space around him began to warp around, blinking in and out of reality until the group of Nobodies were now far above the Heartless, which was now crawling downward into the dark abyss below. The platforms Lexaeus had called had been repositioned as well, with he, Axel and Demyx all standing above the creature now.
Demyx called his sitar then, a look of determination on his face as he strummed out several rapid notes, calling a tidal storm of water to surge down from above onto the screeching Heartless just as it was turning around, attempting to find where its prey had disappeared to. As the water made contact with crushing force, it lost its footing on the walls, slowly sliding down as it made several futile attempts to hold on.
Vexen hovered over to Demyx and aimed a palm at one of the flowing streams of water, emitting a gush of cool air, freezing the stream almost instantly. The ice began to spread to the rest of the water as it surrounded the Heartless, finally freezing the creature solid.
"Leave the wrap-up to me," Axel announced, calling his Chakrams and twirling them dangerously in his hands as they began to wheel faster and faster, collecting huge amounts of heat. "Burn!" he called, launching two giant fireballs down at the frozen creature.
The fire made contact with explosive results, the frozen arachnid exploding into several chunks of ice. Axel grinned at his handiwork, but it disappeared rather quickly when the entire structure around them began to shake dangerously. "What the…?"
Vexen had his jaw set in a rather irritated expression as he glared at Axel. "You idiot! Zero froze all of the walls in this place earlier! Did you forget already?" he squawked.
Axel slammed a palm to his face. "Shit." Now Axel was no fool – he paid attention in his physics class! That's how he knew the sudden temperature change from minus Kelvin, to well over superheated would upset the air molecules around the spider and caused a large explosion. He was however, a bit forgetful of small details. Such as the fact that the entire room was still frozen in minus Kelvin temperatures and his explosion had caused a sudden influx of superheated gas.
"This place is going down!" Xigbar warned. "Get the hell out!"
And the group needed no further warning as the walls of ice began to crack under the pressure of hot gas, collapsing into the open cavern while the Nobodies all made a beeline for the exit in whatever fashion they could manage.
As Lexaeus brought up the rear of the group, launching himself out of the exit and into the open air with a blast of rock, the temple finally finished caving in, falling into a giant pile of rubble and candy.
The exhausted nobodies all crouched on the ground outside, catching their breath as they watched the aftereffects of the cave-in, with the temple continually falling apart. When it was finally reduced to a giant mound of rock and all had gone silent, Sora spoke up.
"What the hell happened?"
"Axel was a dumbass." Xigbar answered.
Delicious steaK
"And do you know what else about you makes you a bitch? Your damn flirts! Roxas is my man god damn it, so stop hitting on him!" Naminé shouted. She had spent the last thirty minutes or so regaling Larxene with a list of a thousand reasons that Larxene was a bitch. She was currently on reason number one-hundred and thirty four.
"Uh huh, that's nice Naminé." Larxene responded, soaking up some sunlight. She then let her hand stray over to Naminé's arm, brushing against it. "But isn't this time we could be using to do other things?"
Naminé smacked the woman's hand away. "And that's another one! You keep hitting on me despite how awful you are! Besides, I don't swing that way!"
"I could change your mind~" Larxene replied coolly.
Saïx sat nearby, building a sand castle and trying to tune Naminé out. He had pointed out to her earlier that with all of the bitching she was doing, she was sounding like Vexen, but that hadn't gone well, so he decided to just keep out of it. Glancing over to Zexion, who was peacefully snoozing, he wondered how the schemer managed to be so unbothered by these sorts of things.
Just as he was thinking these thoughts, however, his neck tensed up and his hair stood on end. Something was coming, and he had a sixth sense about it. Immediately he got up and summoned his giant Claymore to him, whirling around and holding it up defensively just in time to block a large, clawed hand.
Staring down at him with hunger on its features was a large Heartless; it's beady, glowing eyes and jagged mouth reminded him the Dark Thorn, the Heartless the Organization had kept some time ago to use on Sora. But this creature was almost pitch black in coloration, with accents of red here and there. It was also thinner than the stocky Dark Thorn, and had several flat tentacles dangling from its head like some sort of hairstyle. A large tongue hung from its gaping, drooling mouth, and a gaping hole in the shape of a heart was present on its chest.
Saïx's eyes narrowed as he realized that this Heartless was a slightly darker-colored version of the variety that had attacked their ship and caused them to be stranded here. Gritting his teeth and letting his wrath flow out of him in a controlled amount, he flung the creature away, righting his position and preparing to engage it in combat.
Naminé and Larxene had apparently stopped bickering long enough to take notice, and were both preparing to fight as well. Zexion was also stirring, looking around as he took note of the situation. Saïx could see what he was looking at; more of the creatures were cropping up all around them, staring with ravenous looks at the four morsels.
"Ugh, these things again! Where do they keep coming from?" Larxene complained.
Zexion stood now, holding his Lexicon at the ready. "They're obviously a new type; they've never appeared before recently. And seeing as they lack emblems, I'll hazard a guess that they're purebloods."
"Possibly an evolution, then." Saïx grunted as he charged forward into a group of three of the creatures, roaring as he swung his Claymore in an eruption of shockwaves, rending the creatures asunder. However, this did not seem to finish them quite as easily as it had for the creatures that had attacked the ship. Wounded but not beat, the Heartless regained their footing and prepared to mount a counterattack.
Larxene was upon them before they could, however, zooming by in a flurry of slices and dices, removing limbs and heads as well. The creatures burst into clouds of dark mist, but there would be no surprises this time; Naminé was ready with several blasts of light, eradicating the darkness before they could multiply, her hand aglow with spells as her other hand held her Heathen Tome open.
Zexion stepped beside her, opening his own tome and preparing to launch some supportive spells as well. "You two tear apart the rabble; we'll clean up." He instructed.
Saïx nodded and let the full might of his cosmic energy flow through him, his hair standing up, his fangs bared, his scar flaying open and his Claymore exploding into a much larger size. He then unleashed himself upon another group of the creatures, Naminé's attacks keeping time with their destruction.
Larxene, meanwhile, split into four clones, each one moving faster than the Heartless mobs could keep track of, slicing them to ribbons as they tried in vain to catch her. Zexion mimicked Naminé's attacks on these creatures, removing them from the Realm of Light before they could reform.
However, the foes were not unintelligent. As the front of their ranks began to dwindle from the attacks of the four powerful Nobodies, they began to fall back and regroup, making it more difficult for Larxene or Saïx to launch themselves into the fray without injury.
Larxene attempted to remedy this through the use of powerful Thundaga spells, which she and her clones launched with electrified gusto. Several crowds of the Heartless roared in pain, but the spells did not seem to cause any actual damage to them, and they made their way forward in offense all the same.
As Larxene began to fall back a bit, one of the beasts at the forefront of the attack launched its tongue outward and wrapped around one of Larxene's clones, dragging her into its mouth and swallowing her whole.
The Savage Nymph balked at this, speeding up as she retreated, her other two clones vanishing. Saïx was too far gone in rage, meanwhile, to commit a retreat, but was still battering through his own crowd of Heartless, oblivious to the slashes and injuries he was sustaining from the crowds he was engaging.
Zexion stepped forward, launching his Lexicon at the crowd pursuing Larxene, successfully drawing several of them into the pages. With their numbers dropped a bit, Larxene nodded and created a total of seven clones, straining her effort to do so for a moment. Knowing she couldn't hold that many for too long, she wasted no time in warping herself and all her doubles into a circular pattern around the remaining Heartless, diving at them from all directions and skewering them silly.
Naminé was quick to follow up her efforts with some Holy spells, putting an end to them. Larxene ignored Naminé's satisfied smirk, instead focusing on calling her clones back to her, leaving only one to accompany her over to Saïx, who was becoming overwhelmed by the numbers he was dealing with.
"God damn it you stupid, berserk dumbass. They're going to kill you, you know." She admonished as she got near, firing several bolts of lighting into their numbers to stun them while Saïx continued to cleave his way through. Zexion turned and aimed his dark tome at them now, releasing the Heartless he had absorbed earlier, launching them like projectiles.
Roaring and screeching, the living missiles landed among the crowd of their fellows in a disorganized heap. Larxene smirked as she and Saïx immediately went to work, cutting the now vulnerable creatures to pieces as Zexion and Naminé banished the aftermath in a storm of light spells.
Finally, the last of the Heartless had been exterminated, and Larxene breathed an irritated sigh. "I'm supposed be on fucking vacation. Who the hell didn't tell these dumbasses that?"
Saïx's berserk aura seemed to subside as his body lost its tension, and he dismissed his Claymore. "If those things are here, they're probably with the others as well."
"You would think so, but no." came the sound of a familiar voice. Turning toward the forest, the four Nobodies could see the rest of their companions coming toward them. Xigbar waved as he approached. "We came through the jungle just at the tail-end of that little spectacle. Nice job handling 'em without us."
Larxene crossed her arms and glared, pursing her lips. "Nice to see you guys are enjoying the vacation, then."
"Bitch, we had no vacation. We saw that Zero guy, and he did a pretty good job of fighting us off with like, no effort." Xigbar explained bitterly. "Guy's something else. But we started to tip the odds on him, so he took off and left us a giant Heartless to deal with."
"Hm. I thought as much." Zexion spoke up, appearing rather pensive. "I detected a foreign scent in your direction. I'm assuming it was Zero, seeing as it wasn't a Heartless."
"You have his scent, boy?" Xaldin asked enthusiastically. "Where is it boy? Point us in the direction."
Zexion began to raise his hand in a manner similar to a blood hound pointing out prey, but stopped himself when he realized how stupid that was. "It really doesn't matter where he is at the moment. We still have to figure out how to get off this island. And preferably before more of those Heartless appear." There was a general murmur of agreement among the group as they pondered their predicament.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
Heads turned in the direction of this new voice, seeing DiZ standing in the sand, an open door behind him. Demyx piped up with an admonishing tone in his voice. "Hey, you told me earlier that you weren't going to help us you asshole!"
"That was before I discovered you could help me." DiZ responded readily.
Xaldin stepped forward, regarding the man wearily. "And what do you want of us? I was to understand you wanted nothing to do with your traitorous former pupils." he inquired, garbing himself in his pimp attire for no adequate reason.
DiZ ignored this. "You are all involved with a man who calls himself Zero, yes? Don't bother answering no, for I am well aware of the truth of that statement. As it turns out, he is becoming quite the thorn in my side as well. I have information that may be useful to all of you. All I ask is that you eliminate him for me."
Xigbar scoffed. "Seems like a pretty no-strings deal, considering that's what we were gonna do in the first place. Not like you at all, old man."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or so the saying goes. Zero is more my enemy than you lot are." he explained, looking upon them with slight disdain. "If you're setting out to stop him, then I am more than willing to offer my assistance."
"Why is he your enemy?" Sora asked, ever welcoming of new information.
"He is intending to tamper with Kingdom Hearts." DiZ replied to Sora, more warmth in his voice. "He is a Nobody, much like the contemptuous company you keep despite my warning against it. But he is a Nobody unlike any other. I am still attempting to discover exactly what he is. All I know for certain is that he is after Kingdom Hearts, and he is intending to obtain it with these."
The man stepped forward, and in one hand he held a shining, golden card. "This is an artifact which I call a 'Kingdom Card'. I regretfully do not know much about it. However, I am aware that it has a power which resonates with Kingdom Hearts. That man is seeking these cards out, and while I would love to keep this one and study it, I am certain he will come to me sooner or later seeking it. It is safer in your hands."
DiZ then approached Sora and extended his hand, offering the card to him. Sora took it between his forefinger and thumb, gingerly, and looked upon it. The front of it was blank; shining with a silver sheen, save for the foot of the card, which was adorned with the number "00" in golden print. On the back, the card's gold backing shined as if constantly reflecting light, a lighter tinted heart emblazoned on it.
"I would ask this of you." DiZ continued, stepping away. "Go and search the worlds. Seek out the remaining cards. There should be," he paused, turning and staring at the group. "… Thirteen of them, if you'll believe that. Uncanny, really. Zero will be searching for them. You mustn't allow him to obtain them. I will see what I can do to deter him while you all engage in this task. Feel free to try and stop him on your own, though, if you feel you're up to it." He added, looking at Vexen in particular.
He spoke not another word as he walked away, stepping through the door into his lab and closing it, the door disappearing afterward. Seconds later, a Corridor of Darkness sprouted up in its place, awaiting passengers.
"Ah, finally!" Demyx cried happily, running thoughtlessly into it.
Axel shrugged and followed after him, dragging Saïx along. "Axel, we should talk tactics first, and see what everyone is going to do, and…" he was saying as he was dragged through the corridor.
Marluxia gazed at the corridor and then to his remaining companions, looking thoughtful. "Thirteen cards, hm? And Zero is after them in order to seek Kingdom Hearts…? I don't understand. Why did he bring me back to life?"
"Who knows?" Larxene responded. "But I haven't even met the guy and he's pissing me off."
"Clearly we need to organize a search party." Zexion added.
"I volunteer my efforts." Xaldin announced, closing his Pimp Coat dramatically as he prepared to head off. "I will search for cards. Xigbar, I request that you assist me."
"Sure thing. Seems like the sort of thing that's right up my alley." The gunman agreed. "Anyone else?"
"I will search as well." Marluxia said, nodding at them both. "I wish to understand how I play into this man's plans, and I feel like I'll discover my answers by doing so."
"I will return to the Castle," Vexen spoke up, placing a hand on his chin as he considered various things that scientists consider. "That man was capable of wielding each of our elements, as well as Keyblades. Most intriguing. Not to mention we could hardly even touch him. I will not allow that old fool to surpass me – I will be researching this Zero fellow, in order to properly understand him. I'll need feedback on a regular basis from all of you, however, to fuel my data." he explained, assuming he wouldn't be questioned.
Zexion sighed. "Fine. I have his scent. I'll set about tracking him down and seeing what I can find."
"So am I the only one remembering that we still need to worry about Xemnas, too?" Larxene asked condescendingly.
"Xemnas is not an immediate concern." Lexaeus replied. "He does not yet know that we suspect his treachery. But it would be wise if someone could keep an eye on him. I believe I will return to the Castle and do so. What will you do Larxene?"
"I dunno." Larxene replied lazily. "What else needs to be done?"
"What about those Heartless?" Roxas asked. "Those strange new ones? What if they're appearing in other places? The Heartless problem has been pretty tame since Sora beat the shit out of all of us a while back, but if new Heartless are popping up, we should probably look into it."
"That's a good point." the Silent Hero nodded. "I suggest that you, Sora, Kairi, and Naminé start looking into the situation, as you can each utilize the light necessary for extinguishing them. Larxene, perhaps you could accompany them?"
Larxene sighed exasperatedly and picked at her ear with a pinky. "Sure, whatever."
"Here." Zexion said, handing everyone a page from his Lexicon. "We can use those to stay in touch with one another. We'll clearly need to."
The group all grunted and nodded their approval of the idea, taking the pages and tucking them away.
"Well then. Shall we be off?" Xaldin asked. No more words were to be exchanged as they each made their way through the Corridor of Darkness to go their separate ways.
KingdoM
DiZ stood in his somber laboratory, observing his computer. Nearby, Zero stood as well, leaning (as usual) against the wall, his hood still down. It was always a wonder that people who wore these cloaks always left their hoods down after they had been removed the first time, but that is another issue.
"This is all going too smoothly." Zero chuckled.
"Indeed it is." DiZ replied, smiling triumphantly. "They're doing all of our work for us."
Zero just continued to smile as his gaze wandered to a tank in the laboratory, where a large, familiar Heartless was in incubation. "The Soul-Snatchers are working out nicely, as well."
"Which reminds me," the scientist wandered over to another monitor, displaying a ruined temple. "I wanted to commend you on your fine work here. You're a rather skilled practitioner of the Xanatos Gambit to predict Axel would destroy the temple the way he did."
"It's all in knowing your opponent." He replied casually. "The Temple served its purpose. The Room of Resurrection is no longer required. The idiots probably don't even realize how much they've screwed themselves by allowing it to be destroyed."
"Just another boon in our favor." DiZ agreed. Finally, he stopped at another monitor, this one displaying an indefinable area of shifting black velvet and dark caverns. And in that black expanse, a bit of white could be seen. "And soon, we'll have another."
When Aria of Life comes to an end,
There is but one place where Souls may mend
Composed with generous whim and grace,
Conducted of fair and honest pace,
This one new chance one mustn't waste,
Where Aria of Life can sing again.
But Composer's sorrow drench our hearts,
This place has now been torn apart,
It never now shall be the same,
Since Brutish Brutes to this chamber came,
And destroyed is it now in open flame,
And Aria of Life, Now never Restart.