Yeah, I'm trying to make up for lost time. Here we go. I don't own these characters, except Bruixe, blah blah blah, enjoy.
"Bruixe. Bruixe, wake up."
A hand on her shoulder shook her out of sleep. She glanced at the clock. 3:47 AM. Roxas stood over her, looking slightly guilty about being in her room.
"Somebody better be dead," she muttered. "'Cause otherwise someone will be. It's three in the goddamn morning."
"Xemnas called a meeting," Roxas said tersely. "Come on, let's go."
The meeting room was a huge, cylindrical room with thirteen chairs circled around, all at different heights, but each tall enough that it required opening a portal to get to your chair. Bruixe had been given Zexion's chair when the Castle Oblivion group shipped out. She slouched tiredly over one arm, resting her face in her hand.
Far below, a lone cloaked figure stood in the center of the circle, bright red hair standing out like a beacon against the white room.
"Axel?" Bruixe gasped.
"Shhh," someone hushed her.
"Report," Xemnas said thunderously.
"I've just come from Castle Oblivion," Axel said, craning his neck to look at the Superior. "I… well, I'm the only one left."
A low murmur went up around the room.
"Explain," Xemnas demanded.
"As you know, I was assigned to the top levels with Marluxia and Larxene," Axel began, and Bruixe was surprised to hear no sarcasm whatsoever in his voice. Her guess would be that the hothead thought he was in trouble, and didn't want to make it worse. "We had control of the witch Namine, and were instructed to use her to lure the Keybearer to us. So that the Organization could use him."
Across the room, Roxas shifted uncomfortably. He does that whenever that Keybearer guy is mentioned, Bruixe observed, making a mental note to ask about it later.
"When the Keybearer arrived at the castle, I overheard Marluxia and Larxene talking," Axel went on. "They were planning to use him for their own purposes. To uproot the rest of the Organization."
More whispers. Bruixe remembered Axel saying something about how Marluxia had been power-hungry.
"I made the decision to gain their trust and act as a double-agent," Axel continued. "Meanwhile Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were set upon by the dark hero – the Keybearer's friend, if I remember correctly. He had appeared in the basement. Vexen had obtained data on the boy, and used it to create a replica to be used against Sora – the Keybearer.
"Marluxia believed that Vexen knew about his plot to overthrow the Organization. When Vexen's replica failed – as we'd known it would – Marluxia ordered me to 'rid us of our traitor'. Since he was in charge of the castle, I believed I couldn't refuse. Sora fought Vexen, and Vexen was going to tell him about our plan. I acted quickly. I destroyed Vexen."
"What?" Xaldin shouted angrily. Several others murmured agreement. Bruixe just raised an eyebrow. She'd never liked the so-called 'scientist'. Xemnas raised a hand for quiet, motioning Axel to continue.
"Marluxia made the mistake of trusting me with the witch-girl. I knew there was no way I could capture Sora alone and use him for the Organization. The original plan was lost. I believed that letting him go was better than letting him be used against us. I freed Namine with the intention that she would keep Sora away from Marluxia. I was right. Sora destroyed Larxene because of Namine's guidance.
"By then Marluxia discovered what I'd done. I apprehended Marluxia on floor thirteen of Castle Oblivion, reminded him that he'd ordered me to dispose of the traitors. Technically, that was him. But he had recaptured the witch. He tried to use her as a shield. I had every intention of destroying her with him, but then Sora arrived. I was forced to fight him. I lost… but managed to escape to the basement floors. After I left, Sora annihilated Marluxia.
"Only Zexion was left. He was faced with the problem of Riku. He asked me for the data on the boys' home, which I gave him. He tried to play some sort of mind game to destroy Riku… but he failed. Riku killed him."
From the shifty look in Axel's eyes, Bruixe had a feeling that wasn't the whole story. Another thing to ask about later.
"With the castle full of enemies, there was no way I could retake it alone," Axel finished. "So I came back."
Xemnas frowned; another round of whispers went up. For a long time, nobody said anything. Finally, Xemnas broke the silence. "Xigbar. Xaldin. Saix. Stay. The rest of you, dismissed."
Axel caught Bruixe's eyes and raised an eyebrow. We need to talk, said the look on his face.
She nodded at Demyx, indicating that they'd meet in his room.
"So what's the real story?" Bruixe demanded once the four friends were gathered. "And spare us the suckup official bits, okay?"
Axel grinned. "Good to see you too, babe."
She ignored this.
"Don't lie, hotcakes," Demyx said. "Traitors or not, you pretty much had a hand in all of them dying. Are you smoking crack or something?"
"Technically, the only one I killed directly was Vexen," Axel corrected. "But man, you should have seen him squirm. He was literally begging. Let's see… Larxene, yeah, I guess that was my bad… and I had every intention of killing Marluxia myself, but that Sora guy got in the way."
Again Roxas squirmed.
"Okay, spill," Bruixe said. "Roxas, what's your problem with the Keybearer?"
"He's my other," Roxas said quietly. "According to Xemnas."
"How does that work?" she asked, confused.
Group shrug.
"Still haven't figured it out," Roxas admitted.
"Don't change the subject," Demyx chided. "Okay, Larxene and the Flower King, well, you can get away with killing them 'cause they're traitors. Even Vexen, well, you had to gain their trust. I get that. But admit it. You had something to do with the other two dying, didn't you?"
"Not Lexaeus," Axel said defensively.
"Zexie?" Bruixe prodded.
"Well, he did fight Riku," Axel told her. "That much was true. But Riku didn't kill him. Actually, I guess he did… sort of… but the wrong Riku…"
"Start making sense," she demanded.
"There were two Rikus, remember?" he reminded her. "The real one, and the fake one Vexen made. I got a hold of the fake after they all bit the dust. He was obsessed with becoming real. After the real Riku beat the crap out of Zexie… well, I kind of goaded the fake one into finishing him off."
"You stood by and watched him get toasted," Roxas clarified.
"Well, yeah," Axel grinned. "You know me, I like a good show. You should've seen the Schemer's face. I'm all like, 'Saving you doesn't seem half as entertaining as observing Sora and Riku,' and then Faku takes him out –"
"Faku?" Roxas wondered.
"Fake-Riku," Demyx told him knowingly.
"Anyway, it was hilarious," Axel said.
Bruixe shuddered. "Remind me to stay on your good side."
"You ask me, I'd rather be on his bad side," Demyx disagreed. "Especially if killing people puts him in a good mood."
"Hear, hear," Roxas chorused.
Bruixe sighed. "Can I go back to bed now?"
Roxas chuckled.
"What?" she demanded.
"When I woke you up, you said, 'somebody better be dead'."
The four dissolved into helpless laughter.