The Uprising
Hello dearest readers! Maybe I can actually get a chapter posted within a reasonable time period! Hooray! Or maybe I'll lose focus and it'll be another few months. I guess we'll find out. Anyway . . . I hope you enjoyed the last chapter as much as I did writing it… MUCH better than Chapter 14, in my opinion and I'm very glad I ended up included Vexen's 44th Replica. Anyway, I suppose we should check in on our beloved characters now, shall we? For those of you unfamiliar with Days, there is a Moogle clad in a Black Cloak that sells his merchandise to Roxas throughout the game and eventually flees with him to Twilight Town. But he or she (I think it's a boy…) is pretty minor…
So you know the old song and dance… Don't steal my work or sue me…. Please. And don't forget to review! Suggestions? Criticisms? Comments? There's a link at the bottom that allows you to send 'em to me!
Oh, and I back tracked a bit in Twilight Town. It felt incomplete just starting at the Old Mansion after Axel's escapade in Betwixt and Between. And for future reference, Pence sometimes uses the Struggle Hammer and Olette the Struggle Wand, although neither of them are really fighters like Hayner. I just included that so that those two aren't totally useless…
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The Organization XIII Moogle paced in midair at the base of the Altar of Naught. Since Marluxia's first activation of the machine, the Moogle had been synthesizing add-ons right and left, in hopes that the contraption would finally accomplish its purpose, although so far with no avail. To make matters worse, Roxas and the she-puppet were slowly regaining consciousness, adding to Marluxia's frustration which lessened the Moogle's life expectancy. The sounds of Larxene's electricity powering the generators, followed by a power down sequence and Marluxia's growls of rage warned the flying creature that trouble was on its way down the winding steps.
"Oh Mooooooogle!"
Larxene's sing-song voice drifted down the staircase, dripping with sadistic pleasure. The mole-bat jetted up to the nature-controlling Assassin's position, trembling under his icy stare. The petals around his feet wilted and deteriorated into ash. "Imbecile! Your 'solution' once again has failed me. If you value your pathetic life, you will bring me a Dying of the Light ring. NOW!" The Moogle fluffed his red pom-pom nervously and shuffled his tiny feet. "W-we used the last Orichalcum on the Ultima Weapon, k-kupo… It's a main ingredient in that p-piece of m-m-merchandise." Marluxia's eyes narrowed and, without warning, thrust his open hand towards the creature that was quickly trying to flutter away. Barbed creepers, identical to the ones that held the struggling Namine in bondage to Xemnas's case, flew from within the wide folds of the reaper's sleeve, on a fatal collision course for the cloaked synthesizer. Before they could make their lethal contact however, Larxene caught most of the vines in a clump entangling her slender hand. With a defiant smirk she electrified the vegetation, killing it instantly.
"Oh Marly," She cooed, slowly stroking her cohorts darkened face with her slender finger, her path ending at his pigmented lips. The temptress then leaned in, her warm breath tickling his ear. "Let's not move in for the kill until his usefulness has fully run out." With that, she nipped his earlobe and stepped back. Marluxia clenched his fists and a low rumbling emitted from his throat. In forced calmness, he turned back to the trembling Moogle. "Perhaps you can still prove your worth. Bring your remaining synthesis materials here and perhaps I won't sick Larxene on you."
Thirty six hours ago, Hayner's life was normal.
Then the Clock Tower was obliterated and all standard rules of existence with it. Since the incident at Station Plaza, Hayner and his friends Pence and Olette watched as the town deteriorated. On the surface, things appeared to be unchanged, but if you looked closer you could see the fear in the residents' eyes. The streets were mostly empty and barren as people locked themselves away in their homes, waiting for what would happen next, the tension building to a breaking point. Now he and his two friends sat forlornly in their Usual Spot, contemplating the events leading up to this point.
"Do you think the trains are still running?" Olette nervously fidgeted with her beaded bracelet, drawing her feet up onto the ratty couch. Hayner stretched, yawning, and put his hands behind his head. "They'll start rebuilding the tower soon, but I don't think we'll be visiting Sunset Terrace anytime soon, if you know what I mean."
Their discussions continued until the tattered curtain separating the gang's hangout and the Back Alley was brushed back, revealing the cocky scarred face of Seifer, his lackeys right behind him. "'Sup, chicken wuss? Been reading the daily tabloids? Miranda Daylight's saying that it's practically the end of the world." Hayner stood to face his rival, his face brooding over the disrespect of the invasion of his turf. "What do you want, Seifer? You aren't welcome here." The vested boy moved further into the room, never taking his eyes off of his foe and proceeded to jump onto the couch next to Olette, draping his legs over her, much to the disgust (and in Fuu's case, jealously) of both girls in the small enclosure. "Augh! Get lost, you creep!" Olette pushed him away, moving next to Hayner, her arms crossed. "Tsk, tsk. Feisty, aren't you? Heh, heh. The way I see it, this Town's gonna need someone to look to for protection with all this crap going on, and that's where we, as the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee come in. And as our first act of security, we claim this spot as our headquarters. So beat it, Hangnail. And take the queen bee and chubster with you." Pence clenched his fists as Rai erupted into dumb laughter.
"Let's settle this on the Sandlot, Seifer."
Hayner gripped his Struggle bat firmly, the evening sun casting long shadows across the sand. Seifer held his own weapon one-handed, pointing towards his adversary, a display of his confidence. The strain hung in the air and time seemed to stand still until Vivi rung the bell, initiating the fight. Hayner rashly rushed into battle, his downward assault quickly deflected and retaliated with by a devastating counterattack, knocking the blonde to the ground. With a smirk, Seifer spun his weapon in his hand and thrust downward in a winning assault; however, before the spongy foam of the bat could make contact, Hayner kicked his opponent in the back of his calves, sending the gang leader sprawling.
That's when Hayner noticed him.
He stood in the shadows, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, but there was something terribly remarkable about the boy. Maybe it was the acid green tips that were so out of place with his spiky platinum hair or perhaps it was the way the shadows seemed to cling to him, but whatever the reason, Hayner somehow knew he had to follow him. The mysterious teen suddenly became acutely aware of the posse leader noticing him and started to slink out of the Sandlot and into the Tram Common, hoping to lose himself in the shops and activities.
"Stop!" Hayner leaped to his feet, running after the boy, followed by Pence and Olette, trying to find the source of their ringleader's outburst. Seifer knit his eyebrows together, being helped up by Rai. "Running already, chicken wuss?" Fuu rolled her eyes at the absurd situation. Rai scratched his head, stupidly. "Maybe we should go after them, y'know? See what they're up to." The band of tormenters exchanged glances and then headed in the direction of Tram Common.
Hayner ran past Wantz's shop, keeping his target in sight. The boy, thinking he had lost them, glanced around before disappearing through a crack in the city wall. "Wait!" Olette's cries grew louder as she and Pence caught up with him, crawling through the break to follow Hayner into the Woods. Breathing deeply, Pence put his hands on his knees, watching his friend scan the area. The forest was eerily quiet. With caution, the three moved deeper into the area, struggle bats raised in defense. Cracks of light fell upon the ground through the twisted branches, giving just enough illumination to see a small army of Dusk Nobodies stretch and twist themselves out from behind the trunks and begin flipping in their elastic way towards the teenagers. "W-what are those things?" Olette screamed, attacking one uselessly with her Struggle Wand. Similarly, Pence threw his spongy Hammer at the creature, only for it to bounce off harmlessly. The beasts grew ever closer, their dangerous whip hands lashing out, one such attack drawing blood from Hayner's cheek and leaving a deep gash on his arm. Their weapons were useless against the growing number of assailants.
"Ugh… This is not my day."
The boy they had been chasing suddenly stepped out from the shadows, looking very annoyed at his pursuers. He raised one of his gloved hands, sending jets of green flame to engulfed the writhing Dusks. Then, to defeat the stragglers, he summoned dark thorns from the ground that wrapped themselves around the foes, dragging their forms beneath the grass. Finally, as if they were the problem, he rolled his eyes at the Twilight Town teenagers and began to stomp away in the opposite direction. "Beat it, twerps! Don't follow me again."
Pence and Olette stood shaking, grasping a tree for support. Their rest was soon interrupted however, by Hayner once again running after the mysterious figure. "Hayner! Cut it out!" Pence wheezed, stumbling after him. After dodging trees and gnarled tree roots, the blonde soon arrived in a clearing, just outside the Old Mansion that many said was haunted, his object of interest magically unlocking the gate that kept intruders out. Entering the courtyard beyond and turning to latch the barrier once more, the boy saw Hayner, watching apprehensively. "You!" He cried, flinging the gate open with bolts of green electricity and marching up to his irritant. "Get lost, will you? You and your friends don't belong here." Hayner bit his lip, rethinking his actions. Why did I follow him here, anyway? Just because this stupid kid looked unique? Now I've lost the match and the Usual Spot . . . "Hey!" Olette's tom boy attitude always shone through when she was telling people off, especially now that she and Pence were striding towards them. "We have just as much right to be here as you do. Now I demand some answers! How did you . . . Do that thing with the creatures?" Seifer and his crew appeared at the edge of the property and were quickly noticed by the Darkness-wielding young man. "More intruders?" A dark ball of fire formed in his hand. "I'm only going to say this once and one time only, so listen up! If you don't make yourselves scarce right now, DiZ is going to-"
"Going to what, Delta?"
A man clad in red bandages materialized behind the replica, whose face had gone quite pale at the sound of his voice. "D-DiZ!" There was obviously fear in his voice, surprising to the normal teenagers, who had seen him perform great feats of dark magic. "I was just getting rid of the trespassers, sir." DiZ regarded his ward coldly with his one exposed eye. "That is no way to treat our guests, Replica. We may have use of them yet." Disdain oozed from his words. "Answers." Fuu broke the silence that followed, in her trademark one-word answers. "Ah, yes." The commanding man ushered the group past the gate, eying each one carefully, especially Vivi, but a false smile was all he needed to bring them into his clutches and tangle them in his web of revenge. After they had been heralded into the Old Mansion, DiZ leaned over to his replicated puppet.
"After this, I may have business to attend to in Betwixt and Between, so ready the portal, Delta."
The Altar of Naught was a technological battlefield. The circular domain was littered with various pieces of equipment, generators, crystal orbs, and lightning rods, all for Marluxia's imperfect machine that was now at last functional. The Moogle trembled behind his master as the reaper gave the device one final check over. Xion, Sora, and Namine were all gagged to silence their protests, a more humane option that the Moogle suggested after Larxene knocked Roxas out using the heel of her boot. Now the Savage Nymph focused her energy on bringing a constant stream of electricity to the five rods situated around the machine. Chuckling to himself, Marluxia pulled the lever that would initiate the merging process. Demyx, who had returned to avoid being denounced "lazy" by Larxene and promptly killed, bit his fingernails fearfully and winced as his gnawing teeth drew blood. The three tilted circular slabs began to rotate, gaining speed with each cycle. The whirring and grinding of the machines blocked out all sound, and the Altar shook with the intensity of the process. The Trinity crystal housed in the glass chamber in the center of the cyclone glowed and shuddered violently.
"It's working!" The images of Sora, Roxas, and Xion began to phase out of sync and the Trinity Crystal was slowly blurring into the form of a figure. Larxene increased the level of her electricity and the various generators were bursting with the light of their power sources. At last the three stone slabs fell to the ground, empty, the Nobody insignia facing upwards on each. All members present held their breath as the smoke that had accumulated inside the glass case began to clear as it opened slowly. Two feet of a young man, one clad in a long slender boot of black, the other in white, stepped out from within the enclosure. He wore similar shorts to the form he once took, accompanied by a form-fitting jacket, matching the boots in color. His arms, covered by a thin fabric, ended in jagged sharp gloves. Black belts were securely fastened over his eyes, diagonally across his face and on his arms and legs. With the hair and build of Sora and ancient symbols glowing around him, the supreme marionette strode forward. The glowing symbols eventually gathered around him, merging into the four letters of Sora's name. With a wave of the being's hand, the letters rearranged themselves, proclaiming the wielder of both Light and Darkness as Aros, an anagram of his original name. Silently, he walked up to the Kingdom Hearts moon, not needing sight to guide him. Marluxia smiled triumphantly at his monster and handed him the synthesized Ultima Weapon. Breathing in its aura of power, Aros held it pointed towards the hard ground, both hands on the grip, and synched it into two separate weapons, black and white, the epitome of twilight. He raised both blades to Kingdom Hearts and spoke, Sora's voice in unison with Xion's and Roxas's. "Hear me, O Kingdom Hearts! Lend us your power so that we can make you complete. Give us the ability to erase the fools that hinder us!" Twin beams of energy shot out of the Ultima Weapons and hit the heart-shaped moon. A harsh pink aura surrounded Aros and the Moon and sent out a shockwave of power. Larxene savored the glow, electricity shooting through her. Lesser Nobodies in the Dark City cringed and quivered as their bodies absorbed sensation.
"Our reign is nigh."
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So… It's been what? A week? That's pretty good compared to my other chapter intervals!
In case you were wondering, Aros is practically quoting Xemnas from Kingdom Hearts II.
The timeline is a wee bit funky, so I'll help sort it out. That Twilight Town scene is happening as Axel is having his little meltdown, but before his rescue and like an hour or so before the Altar of Naught scene. I hope that clears some of it up.
I hope you liked it, even if it was more of a bridge chapter. Sorry guys, but I needed to set some stuff up! I promise that the story WILL move on more next time. This was also unusually long (nearly 3,000 words!)… What an unusual chapter for me. Anyway, some BIG plans hit me for the future of the Uprising and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I don't want to reveal much, but playing Re:coded has inspired me a bit. I'm already working on the next chapter and I'm hoping it will be pretty epic! Next chapter is going to include a Xigbar segment and also the follow up to the birth of Aros and Axel's predicament. Oh and Kairi will make an appearance! Stay tuned and review!