Chapter Nine: The Return
Riku stopped where he was. He didn't follow the others into the apartment, instead, his eyes were fixed on the shadows behind him in the furthest part of the alley. "Riku?" Kairi's voice entered his ears. "Are you coming?" she asked.
Riku turned around to look at her and nodded, "Be there in a second." he promised.
Riku swore he had sensed something, something with no heart, but it was not a Heartless. He had sensed a Nobody.
"A Nobody…Where are you?" Riku whispered, his sky-blue eyes scanning the dull shadows. He didn't see anything, but it was still there. Blinking, he ignored Kairi's stare and crept over towards the stacked creates.
"Riku, what are you-" Kairi began but Riku cut her off with a wave of his hand to silence her.
When he was able to look behind the crates, his Way to Dawn Keyblade appeared. He snuck behind the crates just to see the wisps of darkness vanishing from a dark portal. "Damn!" he swore and slashed at the crates in his anger. He knew who had been there. The dead Organization XIII, Xigbar. The crates busted easily, but they also attracted attention from Sora and Leon.
"What's going on, Riku?" Sora asked him, poking his head out the door.
But Riku wasn't listening. Instead he was glaring at the spot where Xigbar had been spying on them at. "I missed him!" he snarled, kicking the remains of the creates. His Way to Dawn vanished seeing as he wasn't holding it.
"Who?" Leon asked.
Riku finally looked at them and replied, "An Organization XIII member." He didn't give the name.
"Who was it?" Sora immediately asked.
"I don't know." Riku lied, "Their presence was much more powerful then before, I couldn't be sure." It was true, though, that the power in Xigbar had increased majorly. Had darkness revived every Organization XIII member? Riku wondered. Yes, Riku knew it was darkness that had revived the Organization XIII because that was what had brought Axel back.
"Sora, didn't you tell us that Axel turned out to be an ally after all?" Riku questioned his friend.
"Yeah, why?"
"Because, isn't it strange, that if Axel had been an ally, why is he an enemy now?" Riku pondered.
Kairi and Leon looked at Riku and nodded, but Sora had a confused look on his face. "You know, that's a good question. Why is he against me?"
The real question is: why are you against me? Riku thought to himself.
Axel looked at Sora as he rushed at Scalvatrx. He sensed the growing darkness within the one person who had made him feel real. It was something that had to be stopped, and Axel would stop it to save Sora. He had made an enemy of a friend, but he had to take that risk. Sora didn't yet realize what the Dark Form did to him each time, but Axel knew.
Axel had listened to Scalvatrx only too much to know what happens what happens when you are fully consumed by the darkness within yourself without the help of the outside. Destruction would come if Axel didn't try to help, but how was he to explain that to Riku, Kairi, Sora, and Leon?
His mouth twisted into a frown as he saw Sora's eyes brighten into a yellowish color. How had the darkness gotten so strong within a two day period? Standing in the moonlight, he sat on the roof, his eyes bearing a sad look to him. Roxas was with Sora and Sora was with Roxas. Roxas was Sora, and Roxas was Axel's best friend, which made Sora his best friend.
Sora's fingers were about to scratch at Scalvatrx. Axel knew what was coming. He had learned from experience. The man who had suffered so much, vanished within the darkness, his eyes flashing a silver color. Axel blinked, only once before had he seen that happen to Scalvatrx. That was the day the darkness entered the man who once wielded a Keyblade until the faintest of darkness had taken him completely. That day it had happened, was the day Axel was there.
Scalvatrx's eyes had flashed a silver color before he had attacked Axel with unimaginable powers, but Axel had escaped. Now Scalvatrx had fought the darkness down, but he had had help from a man who was dead now: Ansem the Wise.
Axel sighed and stood up, his black cloak flowing in the wind that raced over the rooftops. Suddenly he felt eyes boring into him. Looking down, he spotted Riku looking at him with mistrust. Axel looked back, but his eyes were full of annoyance and sadness. Riku should understand, after all, he had been possessed by Xemnas-the fake Ansem. His heart had fallen into such a darkness that he could not reach the surface.
Axel shook his head before summoning a dark portal and vanishing, not looking back down at the others.
He knew that the Organization XIII was back, and he knew where they where, but he could not get close enough to Riku to tell him. He wouldn't tell Sora because all the Organization XIII would do, was take him and put them in the Organization as Roxas. He wasn't stupid.
Axel was going some place where he could explain everything-he hoped. He was sick of fighting his friends, but it was finished yet, but maybe after a little chat, it would be.
Sora sighed when he didn't get a reply and went back inside. Leon had already gone back in and was sitting on the bed that was downstairs. He was reading some paper that was stamped with a strange mark on the right-hand corner of it.
Sora didn't ask what it was. He knew Leon would tell him what it was if he wanted to. Instead, he turned to look at Kairi and Riku. Both had just come back inside. Kairi was just shutting the door as Riku stated, "Hey Leon, you have any food in this place?"
Leon looked up from the letter and nodded, "In the kitchen."
"Duh!" Kairi couldn't help but say. Riku shot her an annoyed look as he headed towards the kitchen.
Sora yawned as he went over towards the couch. He was tired, but at least he was able to walk on his own-for a few minutes at least. He dropped on the couch and just watched everyone. Riku was digging through the cabinets while Kairi was leaning over Leon's shoulder, reading the letter. Leon didn't seem to notice, or much less mind.
Leon, after a few seconds, looked up at said, "There's two beds upstairs. They enlarged the apartments, I found out. You can go up there, the couch isn't to comfortable."
Sora nodded. He knew the couch wasn't comfortable. It was old and lumpy. He picked himself up and headed upstairs, yawning half the way. "What a night…" he muttered to himself as he opened the door to the room upstairs.
At first he didn't notice the figure sitting in a chair halfway across the room, but the black coat caught his attention. "Huh?" Suddenly he saw Axel sitting in the chair, a bored look on his face. "Axel!" Though Sora was tired, he summoned his Keyblade anyway.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I'm not here to fight you, just to talk to you." Axel explained.
"What's to talk about?" Sora growled, gripping his Keyblade tighter.
"The questions you keep asking." Axel replied, a sneer on his face.
"Yeah? And why would you want to answer them?" Sora challenged, not changing his stance.
"Because I've tried to help you, but you insist on not cooperating. Now cut the chit-chat. Riku asked you why I was your enemy. Well for starters, I'm not your enemy. Number two, you have no reason not to trust me or Scalvatrx, we just are who we are. Number three, you have to listen to me for force yourself to death. Number four, I know everything you need on the Organization XIII. Number five, Riku was lying to you." Axel counted things off on his fingers, and then looked back at Sora, "Got that memorized?"
"Shut up. I have my reasons for not trusting you guys now. You're my enemy and that's final, Riku never lied to me, and what do you mean 'force yourself to death'?" Sora growled, his grip on his Keyblade seemed to loosen.
"Well, if you put that Keyblade away, I'll explain everything." Axel promised. Sora looked down at . You're my enemy and that's final, Riku never lied to me, and what do you mean 'force yourself to death'?" Sora growled, his grip on his Keyblade seemed to loosen.
"Well, if you put that Keyblade away, I'll explain everything." Axel promised. Sora looked down at his Keyblade, making it vanish. Axel smiled and then nodded, "Good. Now, I don't care what your objectives are, but I have to speak with Riku, and not you, got that?"
"What!" Sora snapped, his voice rising with anger.
"Calm down, you'll attract the others downstairs. Riku can tell you, but he needs to know more than you, but trust me, I'd tell you everything if it weren't for your safety." Axel said.
"You sound like Saix!" Sora grumbled, his voice holding venom.
Axel decided to ignore that comment. He hated being compared to his enemies. It always stung, but Sora's word came back to him. The words he had said before Axel had vanished from existence.
"You can tell her that yourself Axel…Axel?…Axel…"
That was when he had told Sora about Roxas. They had been allies all along, but Sora never realized it until Axel had met his demise. "Go get Riku, Sora. I can't go down there without being attacked, and you know it. But if you don't tell anyone I'm up here, I'll let you listen to the most important part."
"Fine." Sora finally agreed.
As Sora made it downstairs, he wondered if Axel could really be trusted, but he seemed OK, but only at the moment. As he came into view of the others, he noticed Leon's gaze was fixed on him, "Hey, I thought you were going to sleep?"
For once, Sora dared ignore his friend as he walked over to Kairi and Riku. Riku was eating a sandwich while speaking to Kairi, "So, do you think Sora's-" Kairi cut off as she spotted Sora coming towards them.
Riku turned to see what she was looking at and saw Sora looking at Riku. Sora's eyes were full of flaming fury, and the deepest mistrust Riku had ever seen, but there was a shadowed look about his appearance. "Sora? What are you doing up?" Riku asked, hoping all of the mistrust and anger wasn't directed towards him and Kairi.
Sora sat down beside him and whispered in his ear, "I can't tell you yet, but come up stairs with me, I have to talk to you." Sora didn't mention Axel, knowing Riku wouldn't listen to anything else Sora would have to tell him.
"Why? About what?" Riku asked back quietly.
"Number one, the Organization XIII, number two, Scalvatrx, number three why you lied to me. Got that memorized?" Sora said the last part as a huge hint.
He sensed Riku's tension as he looked at Sora, his lips twisting into a frown. Sora turned away and headed upstairs without so much as a glance towards Riku or Leon, or the watching Kairi. Reaching the closed door, he opened it to reveal Axel sitting in the chair backwards, his arms resting on the back of it. His head was laid upon his head, his eyes boring into Sora as he walked in.
"Surprised you came back with Riku and not a Keyblade in sight. Okay, now all of this stuff I'm about to tell you is very serious and I want no interruptions, got that?" Axel growled.
Riku was looking at Axel with a deep misgiving. He watched the former ally's every move. Sora on the other hand, was sitting on the one of the beds, spoke up, "Alright, alright, you already told me this was important, but want I really want to know is what you-"
"Do you want me to explain it Sora?" Axel asked.
Sora fell silent as Axel began, "Now, Xemnas, Saix,-Opps, almost forgot, Sora, I told you that you can't listen to some of this, but only for your safety. Now good-bye." Axel lifted his head and summoned a dark portal around Sora.
"Hey! Wait, but I-" Sora was cut off as he was taken by the dark portal.
"Don't worry, Sora, Scalvatrx will explain everything you need to know!" Axel called as the dark portal vanished.