I'm surprised at the responses about Meytha... But I'm truly sorry people: I'm sticking to the original script I have for this fic. Hope you can still enjoy...
Zexion had been kneeling over and examining Axel for what seemed like hours, though it was only a few moments. Time and everything else seemed to be planes away right now for the Schemer. Finally, "He's alive. And stirring...coming to."
"Zexion," Demyx's breath came out in a rattle as he took in the scene in the center of the plaza. Zexion finally looked up, and his eyes widened like saucers when he saw Meytha's back slip out of the claymore and onto Larxene. The two saw Saix howl and wrench the claymore away, as if Meytha's blood had tainted it in some way. "Zexion," Demyx repeated, "he killed her. He killed Meytha..."
"MEYTHA!" the anguished scream tore loose from behind them. Axel bolted forward and toward Saix, seemingly oblivious to his injuries. Saix turned just in time to see Axel, but was too late when Axel slashed open the berserker's chest with a blazing chakram. The air was instantly pungent with burning flesh. Saix snarled weakly as he retaliated by swinging his claymore at Axel's head. Luckily, Axel had plenty of time to duck and aim a kick to Saix's stomach. The two resumed their previous battle in a tangle of snarling voices and bleeding flesh.
"Meytha," Larxene began weakly, gently sitting the girl upright in her lap. "Get up, kid." Larxene was ecstatic to know that Axel was still alive, but now her attention shifted to a more pressing matter: Meytha. "Come on," she breathed in her ear.
But Meytha's eyes were cloudy and almost sightless, glassy dark green orbs that appeared dead.
Then there was a meek cough as blood dribbled from Meytha's lips. The girl closed her eyes in pain, but reopened them to see faint relief in Larxene's cerulean eyes. "Hey," she smiled a cloudy smile, dazed and teetering on the line between consciousness and unconsciousness. "You're alive," she croaked. "I guess that means I saved your butt and deserve a thank you, eh?"
Larxene allowed herself a weak chuckle. "I take it you said the same thing to Axel when you two first met?" When Meytha smiled in confirmation, the Nymph asked, "I'm surprised you're not dead."
"He didn't quite...hit my spine," Meytha quietly gasped. "In fact, he completely missed. A few broken ribs seem to be...the most damage." To prove her point, she winced and her eyes squeezed shut. Looking back up at Larxene, her dark green eyes held a muddy, mischievous light. "Why don't you take me...to your other friends? They're over there by the pink-haired guy."
He surveyed the plaza below with piercing jade-green eyes. He observed the berserker in combat with the flaming pyro. "He's out of control," he said frostily to his taller companion.
"Indeed," he replied, allowing a hint of remorse creep into his voice.
"If he isn't stopped, this will go on," the older man insisted. "Soon he will reduce your Organization to half; reduce your Organization to mere shambles if his ambitions are not stopped." His cold eyes turned to his companion, beseeching him to understand.
"You are right, Vexen," Xemnas said. "This must be put to a stop. And I regretfully know only one way it can be stopped."
Axel gasped raggedly and cried out in a snarling caterwaul as the claymore ripped across the skin of his thigh. Axel propelled himself forward and engulfed himself in flames, a human fireball as he headbutted Saix's open chest, the Luna Diviner roaring in pain this time. He staggered about until his claymore crashed on Axel's chest, blood spurting forth. Axel fell to his knees, quickly gasping for air as his sweat mingled with his blood as well as Saix's.
All honor had vanished with the coming of Saix's berserk persona; that was most definite now as Saix prepared to swing down his claymore to crush Axel, whose back was exposed while he was on the ground.
Axel heard Larxene scream his name and he looked into her eyes from across the plaza. Her cerulean eyes swimming with distress, sorrow, anguish, pain, love. So much that it threatened to spill over in the form of her tears. Axel tried to roll away from Saix's claymore, but he had already swung down...
Axel felt no pain. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all that would indicate that he had been hit in the first place. He quickly looked up--
--and saw Vexen blocking the blow with his indestructible shield. Bewildered as he was, Axel couldn't help but stare at Vexen's back in confusion.
"Go, Axel!" Vexen commanded before returning his attention to an enraged Saix.
"Traitor!" Saix snarled, his fangs bared. "This Organization if FULL of traitors! I'll kill you all!" Saix hammered once more on Vexen's shield, but just like the first time, it did no damage. Neither scratch nor dent was formed.
"I never said I would join you!" Vexen protested vehemently. "You automatically assumed I would still bear a grudge from another time! Unlike you, I don't go around stirring up past conflicts that had been buried!" He shifted forward, causing Saix to stumble backward from the sudden movement.
"Fool!" Saix boomed. "Regardless, I'll KILL you, too!" There was no mistaking the blood lust in his enraged snarl now.
"ENOUGH!" The new voice thundered with absolute authority; authority Saix cringed at out of practiced loyalty.
The plaza grew silent as everyone's attention flew to Xemnas, the Superior, as he strode purposefully across to Saix and Vexen. In one of the corners, Axel squeezed Larxene's hand; the two warily watched to see what would happen, now that Xemnas was fully aware of Saix's intentions. Beside them, Marluxia sat up painfully beside Zexion, who had been trying to coax the Assassin to rise. Meytha was cradled in Demyx's arms carefully, dry blood on her bottom lip to her chin, the Nocturne's coat wrapped around her body to stop the bleeding.
"A month ago Axel and Larxene came to me," Xemnas began, his deep voice reverberating around the walls of the silent 3rd District. "They told me of your actions. I refused to believe them, mainly because I could not accept such acts had come from you. Acts of endangering our Organization." His orange eyes burned, and for a brief moment he resembled something like a tiger. "And such acts fall under treason; a capital crime." By now Vexen had stepped aside, and Saix's features began to literally soften, his humanity becoming unearthed from the skin of his berserk change once more.
Xemnas stared at Saix with an unreadable expression now. "By persecuting my members you have endangered our Organization. That falls under betrayal. And you know the punishment for betrayal."
Saix's golden eyes glittered, but not with fear or any other emotion. They glowed with acceptance.
"The punishment for betrayal is death."
Saix, the martyr, remained silent and stood straight at attention as Xemnas advanced upon the berserker, regret and remorse in every fiber of the Superior's being as he called forth his sabers.
Larxene never looked away nor blinked as Saix fell, not a cry uttered from his throat as Xemnas dealt with him. Secretly, she had expected herself, or even Axel, to be the one to bring down Saix for good, not the person who was as close of a best friend to the berserker as he could get. But she knew that as a leader, Xemnas had to put forth the security of his Organization before his own feelings; to not allow emotion come before proper judgment. The Savage Nymph wondered if Xemnas was regretting his heart now, after slaying his most trusted comrade. She shivered in brief empathy for her leader.
Xemnas stood rigid to the spot as he stared down at Saix's body; now that they were not Nobodies, their bodies did not fade away. Rather, it was like ordinary people, in that the body would remain there unless moved, there to decompose. Vexen slowly walked over and led Xemnas away through a portal, but the Superior shook his head and turned, walking instead to Larxene and the rest of the neophytes...and Meytha. Vexen stared after his leader and decided to stay put by Saix's body in a sort of vigil.
"I apologize for not believing you, Larxene. Axel." Xemnas surveyed the huddled group, his orange eyes still swimming with pain. "I blame myself for things getting out of hand."
Zexion's silver-blue eyes flicked up to him. "None of this was your fault, Xemnas," he reassured calmly. "It was Saix, plain and simple. The choices he made had hardly an influence. It was all him, so to speak." With that last comment, he returned to examining Marluxia's wounds.
"You are right, Zexion," Xemnas conceded quietly after a long pause.
"As always," Zexion returned.
"Superior," Demyx's voice sounded next to Marluxia, "We need to take this girl back with us." He motioned downward with his head to Meytha, whose eyes were halfway closed. "She'll die if we leave her here." Demyx insisted, his aqua-green eyes steady and determined. "She got us untied when Saix hid us in the building up there. And she saved Larxene's life by nearly sacrificing her own!" Demyx felt Axel beside him, lightly brushing Meytha's small bangs from her forehead and murmuring encouraging words to the young girl to stay alive.
Xemnas closed his eyes. "In a sense," he began, "our Organization was no more as soon as we entered this realm. We are all here, but without our original aim: to gather and collect hearts in hopes of regaining our own."
Larxene raised an eyebrow while rubbing her left arm. "And so what are you saying? What does this have to do with Meytha?" she asked.
"We must seek a new purpose," Xemnas responded. "For what is living if one does not have a purpose? If you continue to live without a purpose, you may as well be dead."
Aren't we already dead? Axel thought humorously, but he held his tongue, knowing full well what Xemnas meant.
"We shall take in this girl, yes," Xemnas answered solemnly. "By doing so she will no longer be a vagrant here. Am I right, young one?"
"Damn straight," she admitted, coughing.
Zexion allowed himself to chuckle lightly. "I think I'm going to like this kid," he said smoothly. Looking up to Xemnas, he said, "What will you tell the rest of the Organization about Saix?"
"I will tell them the truth," Xemnas said simply. "And I will tell them all that has happened because of his ambitions."
Larxene nodded with the rest of them, then turned to Axel; the pyro was stroking Meytha's cheek with an index finger. He stopped and withdrew his finger when Demyx carefully lifted the girl and walked though a portal, following Zexion, who was leading Marluxia. Axel turned to her, smiled, then looked to Xemnas. "What are you going to do with...Saix?" he asked awkwardly, his eyes flicking to where Vexen was still standing by the berserker.
"Vexen and I will see to him," Xemnas answered softly. "Axel," he began after a brief pause, "I have a favor to ask of you."
"Hm? Sure."
"I wish for you to burn his body," Xemnas said steadily. "It is believed in some worlds that when the body is burned after death, the soul is released. I know you were never on good terms with him, but I ask you to do this one thing for him." Axel saw his orange eyes, and also noted how Xemnas was not commanding him this time. Xemnas was asking a favor for his friend, Saix: the Luna Diviner who was a savage wolf to his enemies but a loyal dog to his friend.
"Okay," Axel answered with resolve. Turning to Larxene, he whispered, "If you want to leave, I'll catch up with you back at the Castle."
Larxene gave him a hard stare. "No," she said testily. "I'm staying." Both knew that love as well as pride was edging her to speak this comment for her, but she knew Axel understood.
"As you wish," he murmured before following Xemnas to where Vexen and Saix were.
A/N: I gotta give SOMETHING for Saix! And I really wasn't planning for Meytha to be the one to die, so for those of you who, er...thought her to be dead, my bad. I think there will be one more chapter left...
