(( Sorry a few of these chapters have been a little dry -- it's kind of hard to escape the whole day-to-day mission format, since that IS what Xurik and Roxas would have been doing during their time at the Organization. Don't worry though... I'll try to keep the boring stuff to a minimum, haha. Besides, we're going to start treading some new territory soon enough; not long now before everything comes crashing down. ))
Day 75
Xurik entered the Grey Area, feeling excited and a bit nervous. Their plan to mask Xion's inability to use the Keyblade seemed like a good idea in theory -- but would Saix fall for it?
"Together?" Saix said, eyes narrow.
Xion nodded. "Yeah, is it a problem?"
The man frowned, folding his arms. "What in the world would possess you to ask at a time like this? We're shorthanded as it is. And yet you expect me to say yes?"
Xurik and Xion exchanged worried glances. He wasn't buying it... what did they do?
"Why not?" Axel said suddenly, coming up behind them. "Seems like a good idea to me. Put two half-pints together and you get a whole."
Saix said nothing, considering this for a moment. Xurik quickly seized the opportunity.
"There are a lot of missions the two of us can't do alone... but if you let us work together, we can definitely do a lot harder missions for you."
Saix sighed, turning and walking away. He waved his hand dismissively.
"Hmph. Fine. As you wish."
Xion beamed at Xurik, who turned bright red. It felt good helping Xion like this... he could only hope that it worked.
"So our orders are to investigate a cave this time?"
Xurik nodded, trying to focus on their mission despite the searing heat from the desert sun. Agrabah was quickly becoming his least favorite world.
"Yeah. Axel and I saw some people looking for a secret entrance in the city, but then they just used the corridors of darkness to get there."
"Well, why don't we do the same?"
Xurik shook his head. "I have no idea where the cave is... we could end up teleporting into a wall or something. It'd be safer to find the entrance ourselves." He walked over and began tapping on the wall that Pete had been investigating previously. Xion soon joined him.
"Hey, this brick is loose here." She gave it a cautious push -- and a square section of the brick wall suddenly slid to the side.
"Awesome... good job, Xion," Xurik said with a grin. "This has to be it. Be careful... we might run into the two people we saw before. Pete and... Magnifi... Malevo... I don't remember. Some green dragon lady. They seemed dangerous, though. Axel seemed to know who the sorceress was, and he seemed to think she was a threat."
"Well, if Axel thinks she's dangerous, we'd better be extra careful."
The two cautiously made their way through the secret passageway. For a while they were walking down a narrow hallway -- but soon the tunnel began to descend, a rough stairway guiding the way down. Xurik cursed as he stumbled down a couple of dimly-lit steps. If only Roxas were here -- the power of darkness was useless when there was already plenty of darkness around. Light would be a lot better in a situation like this...
After what seemed like an eternity of walking, the two emerged beneath a beautiful night sky. The desert expanded around them, and somewhere in the distance a sandstorm raged -- but here, all was peaceful. Before them, to their surprise, was an enormous tiger's head made of sand. Its mouth was open wide, and an odd light shone from the depths of its throat.
"I guess... that's the cave?" Xion said nervously.
Xurik nodded wordlessly, distracted by yet another flashback -- that of two boys, one with silver hair, the other brown, standing in the middle of the desert. But he had never been here before... right?
They approached the cave carefully -- then, when it became clear that the tiger's head wasn't about to spring to life, walked inside more purpose. They soon found themselves in a surprisingly large cavern, lit by torches.
"It just ain't here, Maleficent," a voice suddenly said, and Xurik and Xion quickly ducked behind a column. "Maybe someone else got to it first, or maybe it's hidden somewhere else, or--"
"Will you never cease your idiotic blabbering?" Maleficent hissed. "You make me regret the day I saved you."
Pete fell silent, looking hurt. The sorceress quickly resumed her business.
"Now -- I should say you're right. It doesn't seem to be here at any rate... although this is where the first lamp was hidden. I knew Jafar was too much of a fool to be trusted with such a simple task."
Pete nodded enthusiastically. "I still haven't seen that Aladdin feller you was tellin' me about, but from the sound of it I don't see how he was able to stop that Jafar guy!"
"He outwitted him, as far as I've been able to infer," Maleficent said darkly. "Jafar's lust for power drove him to wish to be turned into a genie -- but that just meant the blasted fool became trapped in a lamp himself. It's so hard to find allies of the darkness who are actually useful."
"What are they talking about?" Xurik whispered, frustrated. Lamps, genies... it wasn't making any sense.
The question was a mistake -- the cavern was too silent for the whisper to go unnoticed. Maleficent whipped around, peering at the shadows fiercely.
"Who's there? Show yourselves!" When she got no response, she raised her staff -- green flames began to flicker around it as her magic began its work.
Without warning, the pillar Xurik and Xion had been hiding behind exploded into a dusty cloud of rubble, and the two tumbled out into the open. They hastily got to their feet; Xurik summoned the Keyblade.
"Blast you! You dare evesdrop on me?" Maleficent's eyes flared dangerously. "I ought to have your heads!" She suddenly hesitated, staring at Xurik curiously. "You... have we... met?"
Despite his terror, Xurik shook his head. Maleficent peered at him suspiciously, then looked down at his weapon.
"That's... a Keyblade! Where did you happen upon such a thing?"
"I... I don't know," Xurik said, surprised. "I've just... always had it."
"I knew someone else with a Keyblade... didn't I?" Maleficent scowled, slamming the butt of her staff into the stone ground. "Damn it all! Why can't I remember? There was someone with a Keyblade helping me, wasn't there? How else could I have found all of the Princesses of Heart?"
Xion and Xurik exchanged nervous glances. Was this lady even sane?
Maleficent swept her hand through the air, dismissing the thought. "No matter. No broken memories are about to stop me. As for you two... you've clearly heard too much." She raised her staff dangerously; green and black flames began to flicker around her. "The Queen of all Darkness is not about to be stopped!"
"W...Wait!" Xurik said, suddenly struck by a moment of inspiration. He held out his hand -- a dark aura appeared around it. "We're not your enemies -- we're like you, creatures of the, uh, dark."
Xion nodded; soon she became engulfed in her own dark aura. "We're sorry for getting in your way, ma'am."
"I see," Maleficent said quietly. "You two... you're not from this world, are you?"
"No. We travel the worlds, looking for... er..."
"Darkness."
"Yeah. Lots of darkness."
Maleficent peered at them suspiciously, then sniffed haughtily.
"Well. Those cloaks seem to stop me from sensing it, but obviously you do have a good bit of power with auras like that. Besides, it isn't as if either of you are any threat to me." She turned her back on them, resuming her search of the cavern. "Begone, both of you! Before I change my mind."
Xurik nodded, creating a dark portal. "Thank you, your... Darkliness."
Xion and Xurik wasted no time moving through the Corridors of Darkness, emerging quickly in Twilight Town. They exchanged glances, then started laughing.
"Your Darkliness? Seriously?"
"I didn't know what else to say!" Xurik grinned. "That was close. But at least we know what she's up to. And we found the cave we were supposed to find, so... mission accomplished?"
They made their way to the Clock Tower, stopping to buy ice cream for everyone. When they reached the top, both Roxas and Axel were waiting for them.
"Hey, mission go okay?" Axel asked as they handed him a bar of sea-salt ice cream.
"Yeah," Xion said brightly. "I think it's gonna work... thanks, Axel. You guys are the best."
"We try," Axel said cheerfully. "So, where'd they end up sending you?"
"The place we went last time... um... Agrabah."
"Oh, that city in the desert."
"We ran into those people from before, too," Xurik said. "Pete and Maleficent."
"Really now?" Axel said, frowning. "She didn't see you, did she?"
"Sort of," Xion admitted sheepishly. "But we managed to get away by convincing her we were 'creatures of the dark' too. It's a good thing both of us can use the power of darkness."
"Heh. Good thinking." Axel shook his head. "Just be careful. The Organization takes in nothing but the best, but you still don't have a Keyblade Xion. I wouldn't want either of you two to get in too deep."
"Aww, Axel's such a softie," Roxas said teasingly, and Axel punched him in the shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah..."
"No, Sora! It's not safe!"
"But your Majesty!" Sora pointed down at the two figures on the ground, far below their perch near the ceiling. "They're right there! Maleficent's the one who started manipulating Riku! Not to mention capturing half of the Princesses, destroying Hollow Bastion, and bringing Heartless to a ton of worlds. Besides, they're up to no good. You heard it yourself, they're trying to bring Jafar back."
"I know Sora," Mickey said, scratching the back of his head. "But ya still gotta be smart about this! Maleficent's not someone you can underestimate." He grinned. "Besides, I don't think Riku'd appreciate you taking down one of his greatest enemies!"
Sora groaned. As much as he hated to admit it, the King was right.
"Fine. But if she starts messing with Aladdin or anyone... I'm not just going to sit back and watch."
"Well, I sure can't blame ya for that," the mouse said, chuckling. "I know stealth isn't something you're too great at, but just try to stay under control. We can't help Riku wake up if we draw too much attention to ourselves."
"I know," Sora said quietly. He hated working this way -- but it was for the best. Wasn't it? If anything, he did trust the King...
Day 94
The days continued to pass like any other. Surprisingly, Xion and Xurik managed to continue doing their missions together without anyone catching on -- although Xurik secretly wondered how long it could continue. Xion was still unable to use the Keyblade -- how long until she remembered how?
When Xurik entered the Grey Area that morning, he expected a mission as usual.
"Lord Xemnas has summoned us," Saix said quietly. Xurik frowned, exchanging a glance with Roxas. The last time that the entire Organization had gathered was when Xion, Number XV, had joined months ago. What was so important that they were reassembling? Were they gaining a sixteenth member?
As soon as they had all gathered on the Alter of Naught atop the Castle That Never Was, however, it immediately became clear. Xurik stared at the dark sky in awe.
"The time has arrived," Xemnas said loudly for all of them to hear. "Look to the skies! There hangs the heart of all hearts -- Kingdom Hearts -- shining down on us at last."
Far above them, a heart-shaped moon hung in the sky, casting a silvery light upon the entire World That Never Was. It wasn't extremely large -- but Xurik suspected it would grow larger as more hearts became a part of it. The mere sight of it took his breath away.
"See the countless hearts that have gathered? Hearts full of rage... hate... sadness... and bliss. There, in the sky, hangs the promise of a new world." Xemnas lowered his arms and turned to face the group, a look of triumph in his golden eyes. "My friends! Remember why we have organized -- all the things we hope to achieve. The strength of the human heart is vast. Soon, though... we will have gained power over it! Never again will it have power over us."
Xurik couldn't look away. All those hearts... he had seen plenty in his missions -- he was the one collecting them, after all -- but individually they didn't seem like anything special. Together, though... their power was almost staggering. What someone could do with all that power... they could change the world, they could --
"Xurik?" Roxas said quietly, touching him on the shoulder. Xurik glanced behind him; to his surprise, everyone else had already returned to the castle interior. Only Roxas and Xion remained outside. How long had he been standing there?
"S...Sorry," Xurik said, giving a nervous laugh. "It's just kind of entrancing, you know?"
He glanced up at Kingdom Hearts, feeling wary. The spell that it had cast over him... it was almost hypnotic. He needed to be careful not to let it take hold of him. They were supposed to be gaining control of Kingdom Hearts, not the other way around.
His Keyblade slashed through the Heartless, releasing a particularly large heart. Xurik grinned at Xion; another successful mission. She smiled back at him, then turned to face the tall front doors of the dark castle.
"Guess we should RTC. We're a little early -- Axel and Roxas probably won't be done with their missions yet."
A deep, gutteral roar suddenly shook the castle. Xion nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Wh...What was that?"
"We heard that the last time we were here," Xurik said quietly. "I thought maybe it was just a Heartless, but... I dunno. Wanna check it out?"
Xion hesitated, then shrugged. "I guess we've got time. Let's just be careful."
The noise seemed to have come from one of the castle's west wings. The two crept down the hallway quietly, keeping an eye out for any sign of life. So far, Xurik had yet to see any evidence that the castle was occupied... aside from the roaring.
"The master is in quite an unfortunate mood today," a voice said from somewhere ahead of them. Xion's eyes widened.
"Xurik...!"
He nodded. "I heard it too." He carefully took a few steps forward and peered around the corner. At first he didn't see anyone, but to his shock, a candelabra sitting in the middle of the floor began to hop around in a circle.
"If only he would leave his chambers," the candlestick was saying, its voice filled with a surprising amount of worry for an inanimate object.
"What did you see?" Xion whispered.
Xurik withdrew, visibly shaken. "Er... I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy, but I think it was a walking, talking candelabra."
Xion rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on..." She glanced around the corner as well, but quickly withdrew. "Y... you weren't kidding. But... how can it...?"
Xurik shrugged. "How would I know? It said something about a master, though. Maybe it's one of the castle's servants?"
"You think?"
"I mean, I'm just guessing. But we haven't seen anyone else." He glanced around the corner once more, then turned back to Xion. "We can't get by without him noticing, but maybe we can skip past him. The hallway goes on ahead a little bit."
"But shouldn't we get going?"
Xurik shrugged. "Like you said, we're already ahead of schedule. Anyway, I'm curious." He held out his hand -- a dark portal appeared on the wall behind them. The two quickly went through and found themselves further down the hallway, just past the candelabra.
"Let's hurry. I don't know how long the candlestick is going to sit in one place."
Xion nodded. They hurried down the hallway, and as they did the damage to the castle seemed to increase. Monstrous footprints, claw-marks on the walls... the Heartless must have been out of control in this world. After a while they reached a doorway at the end of the hall.
"Think this is the master's room?" Xion said quietly. A roar suddenly exploded from the room, startling them; they exchanged glances.
"I... I guess so. I think we probably shouldn't just barge in..."
"How dare she not join me for dinner!" a monstrous voice shouted. Xurik and Xion cautiously peered into the room, and were shocked to see a hairy, horned beast lurking within. "This is my castle! And it is my wish!"
"Xurik, that monster..." Xion whispered once they had moved away from the door.
"I wonder... does this castle belong to him? He called it 'my castle'..."
"Oh, I get it," Xion said, realization on her face. "Everyone in the Organization keeps calling this world 'Beast's Castle'... he must be the Beast. Makes sense. Do you think he's fighting the Heartless, like us?"
Xurik shrugged. "Too soon to say, I guess. In any case... at least now we know a bit more about this place. We don't want to be gone for too long... I think we should head back to Twilight Town."
Xion grinned. "Don't lie... you're scared of the Beast, aren't you?"
"N...no! I'm not!" He frowned at her. "Stop laughing, it's not funny!"
"If you say sooooo..."
"Hey, you two," Axel said, looking up at them as they approached. "How'd work go? Think you can keep pulling off double duty?"
"It's worked so far."
Xion nodded. "Xurik took today's Heartless out in no time flat."
"Well, great. Keep it up."
The two sat down; Roxas handed them their ice creams. They were silent for a while, then Roxas sighed.
"I don't know why we need to continue fighting Heartless like this."
Axel glanced at him. "Sure you do. We have to finish Kingdom Hearts. We finally got our first glimpse of it today, remember?"
"Yeah, but what is it? 'The heart of all hearts'?"
"It's where all the hearts Xurik and I collect wind up," Xion said brightly.
"Exactly," Axel said, nodding. "It's because of those two and the Keyblade that we're finally making some progress. We might finally get hearts of our own."
"Xemnas said 'the strength of the human heart is vast'," Xurik said quietly.
"Yeah, but what do we need with it?"
Axel gave him a skeptical look. "Are you crazy?"
Roxas shrugged. "I just don't understand why having a heart is so important. Do you?"
"Kind of a strange time to bring it up..."
"Well... hearts give people power," Xurik said thoughtfully. "Couldn't you feel it? Kingdom Hearts was practically radiating with it. Light... darkness... and everything in-between."
"I... didn't notice," Roxas said quietly. He gave a small smile. "You seemed pretty entranced by it though, Xurik."
"I wondered about that," Axel said, peering at him. "You three didn't come back inside with the rest of us."
"Xurik was kind of just... staring up at it. Like he was under some kind of spell," Xion admitted. Xurik turned red.
"I... I dunno what came over me. Sorry."
"Huh," Axel said quietly. He slowly got to his feet, staring out at the sunset. "Well, just be careful. It's like Xemnas said... we're trying to gain power over the human heart, not let the heart gain power over us." He looked down at Xurik and gave a faint smile. "I once met a boy a lot like yourself who let his heart control him... and he was destroyed by it. Wouldn't want you to meet a similar fate." He smirked. "Got it memorized?"
Day 95
Heart collection went smoothly as usual. Afterwards, Xurik and Xion appeared on the clock tower early. After a little while, Roxas appeared to join them, and Axel followed shortly afterward.
"Another successful day?" Axel asked as he flopped to the ground next to them.
"Yep," Xurik said with a smirk. "Where'd they send you, Axel?"
"The place you guys hit yesterday."
Xion giggled. "You mean the castle with the talking candelabra?"
"That's the one. They needed me to do a little digging through the dust and cobwebs. How 'bout you?"
"Heart collection in Agrabah," Xurik said, yawning. "Same as usual. Roxas?"
"I did some recon in some world... what was it... Wonderland, I think?"
Xurik grinned. "Fun. You know, I miss doing missions with you guys... but I really don't think Saix would ever let a four-person mission happen."
"I wish," Roxas said laughing. He smirked at Axel. "Guess it's just you and me pairing up, partner."
"You know it," Axel said with a grin. He glanced at Xion and Xurik. "You two are really getting the hang of working together, huh?"
Xion nodded, then sighed. "I don't know how much longer we can fool the other members, though."
"Relax, we'll be fine."
Axel shook his head. "Don't be too sure. They're not stupid."
"Guess we'll just have to cross our fingers."
Xurik rolled his eyes skeptically. "I guess we should worry about fooling Saix and Xigbar, but I mean... Demyx? No worries there."
Roxas and Xion laughed, but Axel shook his head. "Ouch, Xurik, that's not cool!"
"What? He just plays his sitar all the time. I don't think I've ever once seen him do something, you know, helpful."
"I don't think you give him enough credit. He works just as hard as..." Axel paused for a moment, thinking, then scratched his head. "Okay, no he doesn't. But I'm pretty sure he has a job."
Xion nodded. "You know, I've seen Demyx out in the field, rocking out on that sitar of his."
Roxas shook his head. "What does that accomplish?"
"Morale-boosting, maybe?" Xurik said sarcastically.
Axel sighed. "You laugh, but for all you know, he's out there fighting Heartless and doing recon -- just the same as you."
"But I've heard him say he wasn't cut out for combat," Roxas said. He thought for a moment. "I guess everybody in the Organization is good at different things."
"That's right. Everybody's unique."
Xion frowned. "Even Nobodies? Don't you need a heart to be unique?"
Axel shook his head. "Oh, I think we have other things that set us apart. Like our pasts."
"What past?" Xion said, a little surprised.
Roxas frowned at him. "You remember stuff from before?"
"That's one of the things that makes the Organization members special. Unlike lesser Nobodies, we remember who we were."
Roxas shook his head. "I don't."
"Me neither."
"Same here."
Axel stared at the three of them in surprise. "All of you? Really?" He shrugged. "Well, maybe that right there is what makes all of you unique."
Roxas grinned at him. "What kind of person were you like before you became a Nobody?"
"Me?" Axel thought for a minute, then shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. Same guy, more or less."
"I heard Luxord saying Nobodies are given new names when we join the Organization," Xurik said with smirk. "What was yours, Axel?"
Axel looked uncomfortable. "That's... not important. My name is Axel now."
"Oh, come on," Xion said, looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Please tell us?" Roxas nodded in agreement.
Axel sighed. "Fine. My name was... Lea. L-E-A, but pronounced like 'Lee'. Got it memorized?"
"Aww, that's cute!" Xion said brightly, and Xurik grinned.
"Good to know, Lea!"
Axel shook his head wearily. "No. I'm Axel now. If we finish Kingdom Hearts and we all get hearts again... then you can call me Lea."
"I wonder what my name was," Roxas said thoughtfully. "We just take out the X and mix up the letters, right? Rosa... Arso... Oras? That doesn't sound right..."
Axel shook his head. "Geez, you kids just won't let it drop, will you? I wouldn't worry about it. Who needs baggage, right?"
Xurik shrugged. "I guess. But I can't remember anything about my past. Not even my first week as a Nobody."
"I'm like you, Xurik," Xion said, nodding. "I don't remember much from the beginning either."
Axel gave a small smile. "You three do have a lot in common."
Roxas sighed. "I wonder what kind of guy I was before..."
"Is this the place?"
DiZ nodded. He, Naminé, and Sora stood before the iron gates of an old mansion, hidden deep within the forests of Twilight Town.
"Riku should be safe here. At the very least, I doubt the Nobodies would think to look here. I've set up a laboratory in the basement."
"And then you'll restore his memories," Sora said quietly. Naminé nodded, smiling up at Sora. She took his hand gently.
"I'll fix him, Sora. Don't worry. I promised... remember?"
Sora nodded, smiling. "Thanks, Naminé. I trust you."
"Don't forget your end of the bargain," DiZ said quietly. "I take care of your friend... and you protect him from the Organization filth."
"I know." Sora still didn't know if he trusted DiZ -- he seemed hell-bent on eliminating the Organization -- but he was helping Riku. If nothing else... Naminé and DiZ were Riku's only hope. Until Riku awoke, Sora would do whatever he could to help out... even if that meant destroying every Nobody that stood in his way.
Across the world and far above them, on top of the train station clock tower, Xurik, Roxas, Xion, and Axel ate their sea-salt ice cream in blissful peace.