The Uprising

Okay, so the last chapter wasn't my favorite. I'm starting to think that the Altar of Naught makes my writing skills significantly worse. Not to worry, though, as this chapter doesn't include it AT ALL! Which means you'll have to wait to find out what happens to Xion, Roxas, and Sora, however I felt that perhaps we should check in on Axel first. It BRIEFLY flashes back to Birth by Sleep times, but nothing is really spoiled, so don't worry. Sorry it took so long. I've been so busy! Anyway, please read and review!

Oh, and for future reference, you may need to know that Vexen created a series of Replicas in the manga version (which I haven't read, but looked up on the internet!), although I'm not sure if I want to incorporate that into The Uprising just yet… The forty fourth one killed Xaldin in that version as well, although as Xaldin is already dead, we need not worry about history repeating itself.

EDIT: I decided to use such plot elements! :D

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Axel quickly lost all ties to reality.

When Larxene opened that Corridor of Darkness right before the eighth member would have turned into a Nobody Pancake, she wasn't focusing on any particular location to send him. To make matters worse, her energy blast also hit him at full force as Axel was transporting. Now the Flurry of Dancing Flames was floating through the vacant recesses of Betwixt and Between, barely clinging onto whatever shred of consciousness he had left. Hanging onto existence was harder than Axel had thought, although the faint throb in his chest made things easier. A few months after losing his heart, Axel would have given up his state of being without a second thought. Without emotions, what was there to hang onto as a Nobody? However something stirred inside him after Castle Oblivion. That annoyingly upbeat boy had actually made Axel feel for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Now Axel focused only on that steady rhythm in his rib cage, the pounding drum that seemed to pulse out the names of those Axel held dear.

Rox-as.

Xi-on.

Is-a.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

Axel slowly drifted out of consciousness once more.

"Lea! Lea, wake up!"

Axel opened his eyes with a gasp, only to find himself in a world he knew as a present-day wasteland. Isa, the Somebody form of Axel's former best friend who had later transformed into Saix the monster, was standing before him. "This is… Impossible…" Axel whispered, raising one of his Bomb Frisbees and staring at it in awe. His voice surprised him, slightly higher pitched than normal, but he was the most severely shocked by his reflection in the fountain's crystal water. Axel staggered in the body he had long since discarded, the fifteen-year-old vessel of Lea. "This can't be real…" He mused, examining his reflection and running his hands through his much shorter spiky red hair. "If you're done checking yourself out," Isa droned with a smirk. "Then can we get moving? They're likely to run out of ice cream eventually."

Axel ran his hand through the water, in thought. How ironic it is that when you replaced this friend with another, you carried over the ice cream tradition. Axel's conscience began, sending twangs of guilt into its owner's gut. Is it worth living in people's memories if the most prominent ones are bad? The teenager pushed away these thoughts and left with his former friend.

"Good bye, 27."

The Vexen Replica Number 44 was having a rather enjoyable day. This morning he had absorbed the energy of several Neoshadows and had later feasted upon the power of Vexen Replicas 12, 39, and 82. Now with 27's life force being drained directly into the Replica's being, 44 was feeling stronger than ever. His skeletal fingers finally released their death grip on the now deceased version of himself, and the replica breathed in deeply, savoring the shadowy fumes of his prey. Although malnourishment had forever rendered the creature's face gaunt and his body bone thin, the forty fourth Replica of the Chilly Academic had been able to survive on the harvested power of his comrades. Few Vexen Replicas survived now, but 44 was determined to outlast them all, just as he did his original. 44 chuckled at the thought of the original fourth member of Organization XIII and his weak attempt at survival. A survey of his surroundings confirmed that 27 had led him to the Dark Meridian, but luckily with all of the energy he'd been consuming, the replica would have no trouble using the Corridors of Darkness to escape. Such power consumption was evident by the growing layer of ice forming under the withered husk of a man.

As if on cue, one such portal opened as 44 hungrily sucked the remnants of his meal from his bony fingers. A smirking Zexion nonchalantly strode out of it, lexicon in hand and a scheming look plastered on his young face. The surprised copy took a few shocked steps back, but quickly recovered, sending out a wave of fatal icicles towards his foe. Zexion raised his eyebrow and was skewered by the frosted attack, only to immediately re-phase back into existence; an illusionary decoy. "What is this? A trick!" 44 could not utter any further exclamations however because the real Cloaked Schemer had already telekinetically pinned his foe to a nearby rock jutting out of the volcanic beach. "Save your pitiful words, Number Forty Four, my comrade and I have been tailing you for days now and neither he nor I are in the mood for an abundance of small talk." Zexion turned a page of his literary weapon, simultaneously wrapping violently purple pulsating cords around the replica and beckoning Riku out of the darkness, brandishing a jagged black Keyblade and wearing a blindfold that kept his darkness at bay.

The sixth member inhaled deeply, his smirk growing. "Smells as if you've been quite busy consuming your counterparts." The facsimile merely licked his lips and sharpened canines hungrily as he fought his restraints. "And it would appear, my scheming adversary," 44 then stopped for a moment, trying to control his spastic eye motions. "That you have absorbed Luxord himself, although his essence reeks of death. Perhaps we are more alike than my original perceived." The doppelganger laughed insanely while Riku tightened his grip on the new Keyblade. Zexion's eyes narrowed and black sand began to rise around him in a spherical zone of telekinesis. Then, without warning, every grain was sent as a jet into the duplicate. As the Replica sputtered and choked, Zexion approached his captive, grabbing him harshly by the sunken face. "You have one chance to answer, so choose carefully, as your pathetic forty fourth life is at stake, Vexen. You can either join us as my underling, or be destroyed. You have ten seconds before the thought of all of your bones simultaneously being pried apart becomes a reality."

Vexen looked up slowly, a grin slowly creeping upon his face.

"Deal."

Axel sat atop the grand fountain, licking up light blue ice cream drops that were melting down the cone and sitting contentedly next to Isa. Questions about his location were quickly dismissed with happiness at being whole again, but thoughts of Roxas and Xion kept surfacing and any reassurances seemed half-hearted and transparent. Finally, he could take it no more. "Isa… I have to go. I don't belong here…" The blue-haired teen looked up from his ice cream. "What are you talking about?" Axel slowly got up, fighting tears as he knew what he had to give up again. "My friends need me… My… Other friends…" The sky suddenly darkened and the Flurry of Dancing Flames knew that this fantasy was about to become a nightmare. Isa rose from his place, his eyes glowing an eerie yellow and two bloody scars creeping down his face like the ground cracking during an earthquake. Now with his signature X-shaped scar, Isa seemed to radiate power dark power. "You always were one for abandonment." Other figures staggered towards them from behind, their eyes shimmering the same color as the ones belonging to the boy Axel grew up with. First Xion and Roxas crept forward, their feet obscured with mist and faces hidden by shadow. Then all of the voices spoke in unison. "You let us down, Axel." The two keybearers raised their faces, revealing severe scarring and fresh blood.

"You let us die!"

The crowd surged forward, filled with everyone Axel had let down in one way or another. "No… No!" He cried, trying to escape their clawing hands. "It's not true! It can't be true!" Axel ran, but the mob always caught up with him, led by the demonic figures of Isa, Roxas, and Xion. They screamed for vengeance and retribution. Eventually the eighth member tripped and was overcome. Lying on his front in the brawl, he wept for his failures. In between verbal and physical attacks, he saw a man clad in red bandages pushing through the horde, accompanied by four teenagers. His deep voice pierced the growing chaos as he made a path for himself and his companions. At last he reached the Nobody, grasping his gloved hand firmly.

The unconscious illusion broke and Axel found himself in the Old Mansion's courtyard, a portal that led to Betwixt and Between closing behind him. Covered in a cold sweat, he got to his knees, breathing deeply as he adjusted his grip on reality. It was all just a dream, a terribly real dream. The bandaged man stood before him, a subtle smile adorning his obscured face. "I am DiZ." He said in the same deep voice that had shepherded his flock through the maw of Axel's madness.

"And I may have use of you yet."

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Wow. That might've been the longest chapter yet! I don't want to reveal who the four teenagers are yet, but you might be able to guess their identities. As for what the next chapter holds, only time shall tell! Meanwhile, please read and review! Oh, and I haven't added this in a while so need I remind you that these characters belong to Square Enix, however this story is my own concoction, so unless you want to get into legal trouble, paws off! :D