Chapter 12: Another Side, Another Fate
Unknown Location, some time after…
Rikxaga
Darkness. That was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. Everywhere I looked, it was dark. I felt weightless, as though floating through empty space. Then I felt the cold of the darkness around me. It was as if I were naked in the midst of a terrible blizzard, unshielded to the elements. I was very cold, and very alone. Then, before I knew what was happening, a brilliant and blinding light cut through the darkness and shone all around me. The light felt warm, so I reached out to it, hoping to pull it towards me. But then, just as I began to get close to the light, a sudden burning sensation coursed through my head, and images were flung into my mind. I saw a much younger version of myself sitting in a room with a doll in my lap and a bright smile on my face. Another girl whose face was hidden by light sat beside me in the room, smiling just as brightly. Just then, I watched myself scoot over to the other girl and take her hands in mine. The other girl looked up at the other me in confusion, and the other me smiled.
"I love you so much." Other-me said. She wrapped her arms around the unknown girl tightly. "We'll always be together, right ****?"
For some reason, I couldn't quite make out the unknown girl's name, and I didn't get another chance. Right after the other me had finished talking, something yanked me away from the light, and back into the cold of the dark.
"Let me go!" I pleaded. "What was that? What did I just see?"
"There will be another time, old friend." a vaguely familiar female voice said from somewhere all around me. "But for now, it is time for you to wake up. Your allies are waiting for you."
The light vanished, and all that remained was darkness. I let out a scream and reached out for it, and suddenly found myself in a completely different place. Now I was in a large white room with a soft bed, a dresser, and a vanity table and mirror. I looked about the room and sighed. Another nightmare…I really hope superior finds out what's wrong with me soon. I thought as I stood up and headed for the dresser. I reached inside and took out my underthings, and then my black cloak as soon as those were on. It had been a week since I encountered the strong tan woman who was undoubtedly the cause of my nightmares. The moment my eyes met hers, I began to see terrible visions, many of which depicted some other girl with the same eyes as the tan woman having their way with me. Since then, I haven't been able to get a decent night's sleep. Once I finished getting dressed, I made my way to the door leading to the rest of this strange place I called home. Outside my room I saw a tall man in similar attire to me reclining against the wall of the hallway. He had short dark hair and light blue eyes, and he smiled fondly at me as I approached him.
"Good morning, Ikxaru." I said plainly to the man as I walked past him.
Although I did not see it, I knew he was rolling his eyes at me like he always does. Ikxaru is my closest friend, and a fellow nobody. He's the only person I can stand talking to in this place full of weirdoes and power hungry maniacs, aside from the superior of course. It didn't take him long to catch up to me, considering I was little more than half his size and didn't walk nearly as fast as he could.
"Morning, Rikxaga. You feeling any better?" he asked.
"A little. I'm still having those strange dreams…and this last one was weirder than the rest."
Ikxaru hmmmed and rubbed his lightly bearded chin in thought. "I wonder if they could mean anything, your dreams."
"It's probably nothing." I said dismissively. I didn't like talking about my dreams, since most of them were quite awful. "So, what orders does superior have for us today?"
"He didn't say. He just told me to come get you, and that he had some very important news. He looked pretty excited, so it must be something big."
He was probably right, since the superior was rarely ever excited about anything besides his grand tournament that he was always busy running. Eventually Ikxaru and I arrived at Marluxia's laboratory, where he was waiting for us with a smirk on his face.
"Good, you're finally here." he said in his usual intelligent tone. "Come in, there's something I want to show you."
Marluxia opened the door and lead us inside his lab. We walked past his desk, which was strewn with research documents and a journal. I noticed one of the documents had the words 'nobody replication process' on it. Before I could bring it up with Marluxia, we arrived at a door on the opposite end of the study portion of his lab. He glanced back at us with a mischievous smirk before gesturing for us to follow him inside the other room. Ikxaru and I exchanged a confused look before entering. What awaited us inside the other room was definitely not something I had expected. Marluxia stood in the center of a large room with a few couches and furniture, upon which a group of ten figures of varying sizes sat or stood by. Everyone one of the strange figures wore a black organization cloak like me, Ikxaru and the superior. Marluxia gestured toward the occupants of the room with his arms.
"Ikxaru, Rikxaga, allow me to introduce your new allies, the remaining members of the New Organization." he said proudly.
I glanced around at the other nobodies. Some had their hoods up, while others had theirs down.
"Everyone, these people are No. 2, Ikxaru, and No. 3, Rikxaga. They will be training you from this day forth. Now introduce yourselves, if you would be so kind."
The group nodded, and one by one walked toward us.
"I am No. 5. My name is Xetsera." she is a tall woman with pale blonde hair and silver eyes. She wore a choker with a strange marking on it.
"No. 7, Esudx." he is a dark skinned man with white hair and a large nose.
"I'm No. 10, Mokxoti." she is a short girl with black hair tied into twin pigtails and yellow cat like eyes.
"I'm Axim, No. 8." she is a busty young woman with reddish orange hair and violet eyes. Mokxoti always stood fairly close to her.
"What's up? I'm No. 6, Akaxi." she is a young woman with short black hair and bright orange eyes.
Now the shyer members were forced to remove their hoods as they approached us. The first to reveal themselves was a strange looking humanoid creature with dark skin, reptilian eyes, and four mandibles lined with razor sharp teeth in place of a regular mouth. He held out a four-fingered hand to me.
"Greetings. I am called Lehxt, and have been designated No. 12." he said in a deep voice as I shook his hand.
"Hello there, young lady. I'm Xeranov, No. 13." she is a beautiful woman with dark hair and light purple eyes.
The next hooded member approached. By the shape of its body, the nobody seemed to be a male. However, he made no effort to remove his hood, or make much of a response. The only thing we really got out of him was a low and inhuman growl that sounded like 'hi'. For some reason, the room felt awfully hot when he was close to us.
"It's best that he doesn't remove his hood unless it's necessary." Marluxia explained. "He is No. 4, and his name is Roxfienn."
The next member was less awkward, though for some reason he had a helmet with a vertical purple visor in the center underneath his hood, so I couldn't make out his features.
"My name is Thryx, I am No. 11." he said in a robotic voice.
Ikxaru and I shook his armored hands and turned our attention to the last of our new comrades. This person was a little taller than me, and looked a little more endowed in the chest region as well. She didn't remove her hood until she was standing right in front of me. She had beautiful green eyes that sat behind a pair of glasses, and she had green hair that hung in two long curls over her shoulders. For some reason, I felt a strange feeling build up in my chest at the sight of the girl, a feeling unlike any I had felt before. She smiled shyly before holding out her hand to introduce herself.
"My name is Oxymi, and I'm No. 9. Pleased to meet you." she said in a quiet and melodious voice.
I smiled gladly and shook her hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Oxymi. I look forward to-"
The instant my hand touched hers, that familiar burning sensation went through my head again, causing me to cry out in pain as I collapsed to my knees. Ikxaru was at my side in an instant.
"Oh, not again! Rikxy, what's wrong?" he demanded.
"Did-did I do something wrong?" Oxymi stuttered fearfully.
I ignored the pain and looked at her. "No…its not…gah!...your fault…it just…hrn!...happens…"
"Ikxaru, get her back to her room!" Marluxia ordered.
My friend picked me up without a second thought and carried me to my quarters. His worried expression was the last thing I saw before the pain became unbearable and I passed out.
I was once again floating through a cold and endless darkness, alone. Just like the last time, the light appeared to warm me. I tried harder to reach for it than before, and once again I was given more visions. This time I saw a version of myself the same age as I am now, sitting in a wheelchair with a doll in my lap. I had this strange, emotionless glare on me, and it was directed at another girl. The girl my other self was staring at bore a striking resemblance to Oxymi, only her hair was black instead of green. Other than that, she looked just like my new ally. The girl ran over to the other me with tearful eyes before wrapping her arms around me.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, ******! I promise, I won't let you get hurt again! I'll take care of you!" she said through her tears.
It seems names are still indistinguishable. The other me smiled cruelly and put her hands on the girl's head.
"Then stay with me, ****. Always stay with ******." she said before lifting the girl's head up. "Don't worry, because ****** loves you so much, I'll forgive you."
The scene shifted, and now the other me and the green eyed girl were sitting in a room playing with dolls. The green eyed girl looked depressed, even though she was smiling.
"****, is something wrong?" other me asked.
The green eyed girl paused. "******, you know you don't need that wheelchair, right?"
Other me was taken aback. "Wh-what are you saying?"
"Your legs aren't broken, I know they aren't. So please, stop pretending. You know, I would like it if we could go outside and play every once in a while..."
"Why would you want to do that? Going outside is scary!"
"******..."
Other me's gaze turned to one of anger. "Do you hate me?"
"No, I-"
"Do you not want to be with ****** anymore?"
"That's not what I'm saying!"
"Don't lie to me!"
The other me suddenly sprang forward and pinned the green eyed girl to the ground. The girl stared back at other me in fear.
"******?"
Although she tried to keep up an angry glare, other me's expression turned to one of grief, and she let out a cry of anguish before tightly hugging the girl beneath her. The girl stared at the other me in confusion as she began to softly cry.
"Please...don't leave me ****...I don't want to be alone..." other me sobbed.
The vision ended after that, and the light vanished.
"Wait, come back! I want to see more!" I begged as the darkness closed around me.
"All in good time, my friend. All in good time." the strange voice from before said.
Like last time, I awoke immediately after hearing the voice. The dampness of my sheets and pillow told me that all the excitement of my dreams had caused me to sweat like crazy. Sighing heavily, I sat up and wiped the drowsiness from my eyes. Another weird dream. I thought. But who were those girls? Why couldn't I hear their names? And...why did one of them look exactly like me?
After getting another inspection from the superior, who still couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, I was ordered to meet with Ikxaru in the training facilities. The others were waiting for us there, standing in a tightly formed line. As senior members of the New Organization, Ikxaru and I had been tasked with training the new recruits. Since there were ten of them, we decided to each take five members. I got first pick, so I walked down the line, taking a good look at each of the recruits. Despite the fact that most of them were much taller than me, I saw a few of them sweating anxiously as I wlaked past them. I came to a stop in front of the recruit I really wanted to see. Oxymi looked at me for a moment, then gazed down at the floor shamefully. she bowed her head in offering for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry about yesterday, sempai." she muttered quietly.
I smiled at her gesture. "About what? You didn't do anything wrong."
She looked up at me in confusion. "But, because of me you-"
I shook my head and held up a hand for her to stop. "Don't worry, that just happens to me sometimes. It was just bad timing, that's all." seeing her perk up a bit, I gave her a mischievous smirk. "In fact, I want you to be one my first student."
"R-really?"
For some reason, I almost squealed in delight at seeing how cute she looked when she stuttered. "Yes, really."
She smiled brightly with her mouth open. She's like a little kid...and a cute one at that. I found myself thinking as she stepped away from the line. A few minutes later, and I had selected the rest of my students. Including Oxymi, I was to train Akaxi, Xetsera, Lehxt, and Esudx. I decided to give my students the rest of the day to relax, and said that I would train them the next day. When it was time for their training to begin, the first thing I had my students do was call upon their weapons, that way I would be able to work out the best way to teach them. It took them a bit to materialize their weapons, but I was quite pleased with the results when they did. Akaxi was able to call forth an elegant blue halberd, Xetsera had a large claymore that had a marking identical to the one on her choker, Lehxt wielded two dual bladed swords that were held horizontally instead of vertically, and Esudx got large golden nunchuks. Oxymi seemed to be having the most trouble manifesting her weapon, so I went over to help her out.
"Having trouble?" I said as she sighed in defeat.
"Sorry sempai, I just can't seem to get it to work." Oxymi replied.
I sighed lightly and and walked up behind her. She let out a startled gasp when she felt me press against her and put my hands on her arms.
"Just relax. Rikxaga will help you to do it." I said comfortingly.
She nodded shyly and relaxed her muscles.
"Good. Now, the way to summon your weapon usually has to do with how your weapon is held. Basically, you need to get your hands in the right position before you call it, or them out."
I began placing her arms in different positions, hoping to get her weapon to appear soon. The others were already practicing with their weapons, swinging them about here and there. I noticed Oxymi glance in their direction with envy, and for some reason it made me very upset to see her saddened like this.
"Hey, don't worry. It's not really as easy as it looks. It actually took me longer to get my weapons than it did for Ikxaru."
My words didn't seem to have any effect, so I decided to try something else. Without warning, I lightly stroked the sides of Oxymi's chest in a sensual manner. The greenette responded by letting out a high pitched yelp and retracting her arms toward her chest. She turned around to face me with reddened cheeks.
"S-S-Sempai, w-what was that for?" she stuttered.
I was just about to respond when I took notice of something in front of her and froze.
"Sempai?"
"Oxymi...look in front of you." I whispered.
She obeyed, and gasped as her eyes followed my gaze. Resting in her hands was a long and wickedly curved black scythe with vertebrae like decorations just under the scythe blade. Oxymi had one hand held just above her chest, while the other sat diagonally across from it below her breast. She looked at the scythe in her hands, speechless at her sudden success. The others quickly took notice of her weapon and strode over to congratulate her. As they gave her words of praise, she looked over at me with immense gratitude.
"Thank you, sempai!" she told me with a smile.
"What're you talking about? Rikxaga isn't the one who put such a great weapon in your hands. That was all you, Oxymi. Well done." I said, returning the smile.
I gave her the chance to try out her new weapon for a bit before we decided to call it a day. Soon after, Ikxaru and I were walking down the hall to my room. I was still beaming with pride from earlier, which did not go unnoticed by my tall companion.
"Well, well, you look pretty happy for a change." he said snidely.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said sarcastically.
He laughed. "You did good, Rikxy. I think you'll make a great teacher. And judging by the look of things..." he glanced behind us at Oxymi, who was currently entering her room. "...that girl thinks so too."
"Heh, I guess you're right."
"Course I am! I'm always right!"
I shook my head at him playfully, then we parted ways and he left for his quarters. I quietly entered my room and got ready for bed. Yawning, I got under my covers, mentally prepared myself for what was sure to come, closed my eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Just as I expected, I was immediately thrust into the dark void when I opened my eyes in my dream. Only this time, something was different. Now there was a deep gash in the darkness, with light shining through it. However, when I got close to it and felt its warmth, it did not show me visions or start to disappear. It did, however, display a single image: that of the girl who resembled Oxymi.
"It's finally begun..."
I turned around to face the owner of the voice, and found myself staring at a small ball of blue flame that hovered in front of me. I stared at the flame in confusion before it did something that made me back away in fear. A pair of bright amber eyes appeared in front of the flame, the same eyes that belonged to the girl from my nightmares. But something was different about the way those eyes looked at me. Instead of sadistic pleasure, the amber orbs now gazed on me with mixed regret and relief.
"It's finally begun..." the flame repeated.
"What has begun?" I asked.
"You're beginning to remember."
"Remember? Remember what?"
The eyes of the flame stared at me intensely. "Tell me, what is your name?"
"My name? Well obviously it's..." I paused. For some reason, I momentarily forgot who I was. "Rik...xaga."
The flame closed its eyes and made a sound that sounded like a sigh. "So you still don't know..."
"Eh? What are you talking about? I told you, my name is Rikxaga."
"No...that is a lie. There is no Rikxaga, there never was."
I grit my teeth in frustration. "You'd better start telling me what the hell's going on here, or-"
All of a sudden, the flame turned from a ball into the silhouette of a burning young girl, with an immense aura of blue flame surrounding them.
"Or you'll what? Please, do tell me."
Despite the fact that I was utterly terrified at the display of power, I chose not to give in and glared straight at the shadow.
""Who are you? Why do I keep having these strange dreams?"
"The question you should really ask is not who I am," the shadow lifted a flaming finger to point at me. "But who are you?"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
The shadow lowered its finger and sighed again. "Very well. It seems that I must continue to show you the truth until you understand. But know this," it glared at me in warning. "The pleasant dreams won't last forever, and when they've run out, the only thing left will be your pain."
The world and the shadow began to fade away.
"For your sake, try to remember who you are before that happens..."
1 Month Later...
I stood in the center of the training facility, with all five of my students standing in front of me with their weapons drawn. Over the last month, I had trained them as best I could to be great fighters. Now, it was finally time to see their progress. I summoned my sword and shield and took a stance.
"Alright everyone...show Rikxaga what you can do!" I challenged.
My students all shouted in response, and charged to meet me.
5 minutes later
All five of my students were either leaning on their weapons for support, or sprawled out on the floor unconscious. Despite the end result, I was pleased with the progress they had made. Smiling proudly, I put away my weapons and had everyone who was conscious line up in front of me for their lecture.
"It would seem you all still have a long way to go. Akaxi, watch your rear once you finish an attack. It seems every time you do so, I am granted a splendid view of your backside."
"Y-yes sensei." the spearwoman said shyly as a small blush crept onto her face.
"Xetsera, you need to keep your head in the fight. You are still overconfident in your own abilities."
"Yes, sensei." she whispered ashamedly.
"Esudx is out cold, but he needs to use a little less power. Otherwise, he'll just blow himself to smithereens."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Lehxt, you've done fairly well, but there is still something out of place. You always swing too wide when you lunge. If you don't learn to correct that mistake, someone could very well duck under the attack and slice your scaly head from its shoulders. Understand?"
"Yes, sensei." he half growled.
"Oxymi."
The green haired girl was practically trembling where she stood, and gulped nervously. "Y-yes, sensei?"
I stood right in front of her and glared into her eyes for a moment for dramatic effect, then sighed heavily. "You're holding back too much. Rikxaga knows you're better than what you just displayed, but I haven't seen any of that today. Remember, when you're in a fight..." I summoned my sword so that it rested on top of her shoulder. "...it's to the death. If you don't end them, they'll end you."
She nervously nodded in understanding, and I put away my sword. Honestly, I only said that to avoid making it look like I picked favorites. Oxymi was so kind and so sweet, that I found it hard to picture her as a killer like me. I backed away so that I could address all of my students.
"Putting that aside, I'm very pleased with your performances. Rikxaga is proud to be your teacher." I said with a smile.
My students all returned the gesture. "Thank you, sensei!" they said in unison.
I nodded in approval. "I think you deserve the rest of the day off. Dismissed!"
My students went and helped their unconscious ally to his feet and began to leave. Ikxaru was still training his students, and Oxymi and I were the last to leave, so we were alone in the hallway as we walked to our rooms. When I was certain we wouldn't be heard, I put a hand on my student's shoulder.
"Oxymi." I whispered.
She turned around confusedly. I stared at the floor, unable to meet her eyes.
"Let's go to my room. I...I need to talk about something with you."
Every night of the last month, I had more dreams about the girl who looked like me and the girl who looked like Oxymi. I still couldn't figure out their names, but from what I could tell my look alike was deeply and obsessively in love with Oxymi's look alike. And what's more, every time I was near the greenette, I would get this strange, warm feeling in my chest. Was that the love my look alike always talked about? Is this what it felt like to be interested in someone? I wasn't sure, and if I really was in love with Oxymi, then I had to know if she felt the same way. Luckily she accepted my offer without a second thought, and soon enough we were in my room sitting on my bed.
"So, what did you want to talk about, sensei?" she asked sweetly.
"It's alright for you to just call me Rikxaga, you know. I'd prefer if you did when we're alone like this." I answered.
"Oh, okay. Um, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
I took a deep breath before starting. "Oxymi...do you know what 'love' is?"
That caught her off guard, and she paused. "Eh?"
"I mean, do you ever get a certain feeling around someone...and it feels like you were meant to be with them?"
"Rikxaga...are you...?"
"I...I think so..."
She looked nervously down at her lap. "Oh...I see...um, would it be alright if I asked who? Oh! Is it Ikxaru?"
Now that, I had not been expecting. I gave her what could only be described as a 'wtf' face. "What?! No! It's not him! He's just my friend!"
"I got it, I got it, just calm down. Well, if not him then who?"
I paused again, unsure of how I was too phrase my feelings for her. "Promise you won't freak out or tell anyone?"
"Of course! I won't say a word." she said proudly.
"No, really. You can't tell anyone. EVER. And please promise you'll hear me out and not freak."
"Rikxaga, it's alright." she put her hand on mine for reassurance. "You can trust me."
All of my doubts and fears seemed to melt away at the action, but they came back again as I prepared to reveal my secret.
"Y-you see...I...the one Rikxaga loves is..."
What happened next was a blur. The last thing I remember, I was trying to tell her how I felt. Then the next thing I knew, she was beneath me, on my bed, with my lips pressed firmly against hers. It took me a moment to register the position she and I were in, and when I did I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. Oxymi still lay dumbfounded below me, eyes wide open and blinking in surprise and our lips still connected. Slowly, I pulled away from her. We were staring right into each others eyes, both waiting for one of us to say something. I decided to take the initiative and sat up.
"T-That's how it is." I stuttered quietly, glancing to the side. Oxymi was still staring at me in shock. "Rikxaga understands if all of this is making you feel uncomfortable, so I'll just keep my feelings to myself from now on, and you can pretend this never hap-"
"No!" she cried suddenly, throwing her arms around me.
"O-Oxymi?"
"I...I don't..." she glanced shyly off to the side. "I don't want...to pretend that this didn't happen. I...I want to remember it."
Her words gave me a mixed feeling of confusion and joy. If she was saying what I think she was saying...
"I don't want to forget this, so...if it's alright with you..." she blushed sweetly and looked at me out of the corners of her eyes. "Could you...maybe...do that again?"
So I wasn't just getting my hopes up. She really did like me. I put one hand on her waist and caressed her cheek with the other.
"Are you sure? You don't have to force yourself to do this. You can still walk away."
She nodded. "I want you to, Rikxaga. I think...I think I love you too."
I smiled fondly at that. "When you say it like that, I can't possibly turn you down."
She returned the smile, and we closed the distance once again. I remained like this for a time, savoring the sweet taste of her lips on mine. I felt a strange sort of longing start to build up inside me, and decided to take the kiss a little further. Without warning, I reached out with my tongue during one of our kisses and traced her bottom lip with it, asking for entrance. Oxymi giggled lightly before opening her mouth to me, and my tongue went inside to investigate its depths. Soon enough, her tongue began poking and prodding at mine, and they began to dance around each other. Oxymi let out an erotic moan at the exchange, which awakened something in me. Suddenly, I found myself lowering her onto my bed, still kissing her fervently. Once her head came to rest on my pillow, I parted our lips. The longing I felt earlier became a need, and my hand slowly crept up her torso before coming to rest on the zipper of her cloak. I shot a glance back at her face before trying anything risky.
"Rikxaga probably should have asked earlier, but...how far do you want this to go? Like I said, I won't force you." I said.
"I...I'm not sure. Part of me is saying to go as wild as possible, and the other part is saying that this is all going too fast." she replied.
I thought for a moment about what would be best for both of us. Sighing internally, I made my decision.
"We...we should probably stop here for now." I said with unconcealed disappointment. "People will notice if we're too exhausted to do anything tomorrow."
Oxymi nodded. "Y-yeah...it's probably for the best. Um, but if you don't mind..."
"Yes?"
"Could I, you know, sleep here with you tonight?"
I smiled softly and pulled aside the covers. "Of course. You're welcome here anytime you want."
She smiled brightly before letting out a petite yawn. I got under the covers, then shuffled over so that she had room next to me.
"Goodnight, Rikxaga." she said softly, closing her eyes and hugging me close.
Almost immediately afterward, I could hear her breathing softly, and knew that she was asleep. Returning the hug, I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before closing my eyes.
"Goodnight, my love."
That night, no dreams came to haunt me. I saw the shadow from the darkness for an instant, and it seemed to smile at me before disappearing.
"Enjoy your new happiness, my friend. You deserve it far more than you know."
"You're leaving?" Oxymi asked worriedly.
I turned to face my lover.
"I'm afraid so. Superior said that Ikxaru and Rikxaga are needed to deal with a serious threat." she pouted in disbelief, so I gave her a tight hug. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."
She returned the hug, and gave me a quick kiss before wishing me luck. I made my way to the observation room, where Marluxia and Ikxaru stood waiting. Now that I had arrived, the superior made to address us.
"I have called the two of you because this mission is of the utmost importance. Just over a month ago, I sent the three most powerful groups of adversaries to our cause into a pocket dimension. However, it seems that they are beginning to reappear. Your mission is to go to the world where one of the groups will appear, and defeat them. If it is necessary, I would ask that you kill them entirely. I'm leaving this task to the two of you, because you are my greatest soldiers."
"Hey! What about us?" Grimmjow called from a nearby room.
"Sorry, you are my greatest and brightest soldiers."
"You know what? Fuck you."
Marluxia just rolled his eyes in response. "You are to leave immediately. Good luck."
With that, a portal appeared in front of me and Ikxaru, and we departed on our mission.
Fuuka Academy, shortly after...
"So, how are things with Oxy?" Ikxaru asked while we waited for the enemy on the roof of the school.
I turned toward my tall partner, the only other person in the organization who knew about me and Oxymi. "Pretty good. She's worried about me as usual."
He nodded, staring lazily up at the sky. "Makes sense. I'd be concerned about you if you were my girlfriend. So, have you guys...you know, done it yet?"
I sat up, blushing madly. "Of course we haven't!"
"Just askin. You two seemed to really be into each other."
"It's just...this is all so new to us. As nobodies, shouldn't something like love not be possible for us?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess there are exceptions." then he sat up and looked down on the ground. "I wonder what they're talking about down there?"
On the ground below us were the three guardians Marluxia had sent to this world. They consisted of a woman with wild red hair tied in a long ponytail, an alien creature that looked to be of the same race as Lehxt who wore ceremonial armor, and a 7ft tall man wearing green full body armor with an orange visor. Ikxaru and I stayed quiet for a moment so we could pick up what they were saying.
"So let me get this straight," said the man in green armor. "You two are a couple..."
"Yes." the alien and the woman replied at the same time.
"A romantic couple..."
"Yes."
"As in boyfriend/girlfriend..."
"Yes."
"...meh, I'm not one to judge. Still, I didn't expect you of all people to fall for a human, Arbiter."
"It was...unexpected. Still, I have never been happier than I am with Midori." replied the alien.
"Awwwww Arby-kun~, you're making me blush!" the woman said playfully.
"Pfft, she calls you Arby-kun?" the armored man sounded like he was about to burst out laughing.
"Shut it, spartan." the alien glared. "At least my girlfriend is real."
The armored man stopped laughing. "Hey now, that's low. Just because Cortana's an AI..."
"Hey guys, we've got company!" the woman interrupted.
Just then, a short brunette girl with crimson eyes and a tall man with dark hair walked up the steps to face the guardians.
"Is that them?" Ikxaru asked.
"Yeah, that's one of the groups superior was talking about." I answered. "I've met them before, but I'm not sure how strong they are."
"Looks like we're about to find out."
We decided to give the guardians a chance to fight with the pair before we made a move. The short girl and the tall man fought side by side, completely in sync with each others movements and attacks. In a way, they almost reminded me of Ikxaru and myself. In no time at all, the pair had decimated all three guardians. Nodding to each other, my partner and I summoned our weapons and leapt down to meet the pair. The girl immediately bared her teeth and readied her enormous gauntlets upon catching sight of me.
"You!" she yelled.
I smiled mischievously at her. "So we meet again after all. And here I thought you'd gone up and died. Oh well, a deal's a deal. My name is Rikxaga, and this is my partner, Ikxaru. And you are?"
"Tsuyo-sa Irino. The man beside me is my friend, Yasha."
I was about to make another witty remark, when all of a sudden I noticed Ikxaru and Yasha were staring intently at each other.
"You there, Ikxaru was your name, yes?" he said.
"That's correct." my partner answered.
"There is a familiar presence about you...a kind of power that I have not felt since-" he paused for a moment. "Tell me, does the name Asura mean anything to you?"
"Asura...it sounds familiar somehow, but no, I don't know anyone by that name."
"Very well then, let us not delay any longer." he entered into a combat stance similar to that of Ikxaru.
Without another word, we sprang into battle. I took on Tsuyo-sa, and Ikxaru duked it out with Yasha. The girl was stronger than the last time she tried to attack me, and I found myself occasionally struggling against her powerful blows. However, she seemed to be struggling just as much against my speed with my sword. Ikxaru seemed to be doing fairly well against Yasha, as both were rapidly exchanging kicks and punches at speeds I could never hope to reach. After the battle went on for a time, Tsuyo-sa and Yasha decided to change up their one-on-one battles for a two-on-two bout. Against the combined strength and speed of both fighters, even Ikxaru was having a hard time keeping up. Catching our breath for a moment, we both shot a glance at each other and nodded. Ikxaru dashed forward and unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches on both of our opponents. While they tried to deal with him, I leapt over his head and tossed my shield at them. The pair leapt back, separating just as I predicted they would. Ikxaru grabbed hold of my legs and tossed me at lightning fast speed toward Tsuyo-sa. I held my sword in front of me as I neared my target, knowing there was no time for her to try and block.
SCHINK!
My sword tore into flesh, but it was not Tsuyo-sa whom I had struck. Yasha stood in front of me, with my sword through his chest in a vital area. Somehow, he had thrown himself between me and the girl at the last possible second, taking the blow for her. I stared up at the tall man in surprise. He glared at me as best he could before forcefully tearing my sword from his torso, and throwing it aside, taking me along with it. Ikxaru caught me before I hit the ground.
"Yasha!" Tsuyo-sa cried.
I looked over to see her on her knees, with the tall man laying across her lap. Yasha weakly opened his eyes and smiled up at her.
"Why did you do that?" Tsuyo-sa said through tears.
"Because...you're strong enough now...you don't need me anymore." he said.
"Idiot...you big idiot..."
Yasha closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "I want you to live on, Tsuyo-sa. Live, and put an end to Marluxia and his cruel game. You can do it...I know you can..."
The tall man exhaled deeply, then breathed no more. Tsuyo-sa stared sorrowfully at her dead ally, unable to speak a word. Suddenly, Yasha's body began to dissolve into bright lights, and drifted away. Tsuyo-sa looked up at the lights as they took to the sky.
"No...come back...I'm not strong enough..." she whispered weakly. "Yasha...I need you...you big idiot..."
The small girl burst into tears, and cried deeply and loudly in front of us. Ikxaru and I slowly stood up.
"Should we finish her off?" my partner asked.
I stared at the crying girl for a few moments longer, then turned around and made a portal back to our base.
"No, that won't be necessary. She's already finished."
That night when I got back to headquarters, more dreams haunted me. This time I saw the other me and the other Oxymi, but now there was another girl with sapphire eyes. I was too tired to understand what anyone was saying, but it looked as though the new girl was creating a rift between other me and other Oxymi. I thought back to earlier today, and how Tsuyo-sa had looked after I had taken Yasha away from her. I decided I wasn't interested in listening to the shadow tonight, so I pushed all of the dreams aside and slowly drifted away into sleep.
A few weeks later, Ikxaru and I were sent away again. Now we were in a place called Ohstriensberg, somewhere in Europe during the 17th century. According to the superior, two of the guardians had already been slain by the enemy that had appeared here. That's right, just one enemy. One single warrior who had somehow managed to royally piss of Marluxia and slaughter several guardians by themselves. The streets were already in a panic when we got there, so we had to wade through the terrified townspeople to get to our opponent. Eventually, we found them pinning a young blonde woman with a shield and short sword to the ground. The woman was moaning and weeping as the grotesquely disfigured woman on top of her busied herself with tearing off the clothes on her chest and biting down softly on her shoulder. The blonde's arms and legs were tethered to the ground by what looked like vines.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...please, don't do this to me..." the blonde pleaded.
The white haired woman on top of her stopped biting for a moment and opened her almost ethereal red eyes to look at her victim.
"You said your name was Pyrrha, correct?" she spoke in a somewhat distorted voice.
The blonde nodded weakly.
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but I've been waiting for a very long time to get the love I want from my precious one. However, since she is still out of my reach, and you just happen to be so pretty, I figured you'd suffice for now. Don't worry, I won't turn you, I just want to borrow your body for a little while. Now, be a good girl and let me do my work..."
Pyrrha was about to protest, when the woman on top of her silenced her with a kiss, to which she responded with a muffled scream. The sight of the two women sparked something in me that brought back those horrid visions of me being in a similar position. The girl who did that to me had aid nearly the same thing this one had, right before she...no, I don't want to revisit those moments any longer.
"Okay, I think that's enough. Ikxaru, let's-Ikxaru?"
My partner was currently staring at the two women in awe, a small stream of blood trickling out of his nostrils.
"Just give it a few more minutes..." he said dreamily.
I groaned in annoyance. Him and his stupid male hormones."Ikxaru, if you don't suppress your personal feelings and focus, then I'll tell superior all about your loli-themed doujinshi collection."
He looked at me and gasped. "Rikxy! You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh yes I would."
"(sigh) fine, let's just get this over with." I thought I heard him whisper "Buzzkill."
We summoned our weapons and turned back to the women, but to our surprise only the blonde was left laying on the ground.
"You know, you two really suck at being stealthy."
Surprised, my partner and I jumped back and turned around to find the monster woman standing directly behind us, with a pair of flesh like longswords in her hands. She glared at us with her ethereal red eyes, and her gaze seemed to intensify upon settling her gaze on Ikxaru.
"You...what are you doing here? I killed you already!" she growled.
"What the hell are you talking about? I've never met you before in my life." my partner replied.
"Don't you dare lie to me! I've had enough of you, Kurai Shosetsuka!"
Ikxaru froze at the name, and for reasons unknown to me fell down on one knee.
"Ikxaru! Are you alright?" I asked.
"Gh! My head! It's-gaaaaaah!-it's burning!"
I glared at the monster woman and summoned my weapons. "You bitch, what did you do to him?"
The only response she gave me was an inhuman scream before charging at me in a fit of rage. I barely managed to block her initial attack, and it only got harder from there. I quickly found out that the pair of longswords in her hands were not the only weapons in her arsenal, as two more pairs materialized out of nowhere and began slicing at me simultaneously, just before a torrent of barbed vines burst from the ground and slammed me into the wall of a nearby building. I tried to get loose, but then the woman's vines wrapped around my arms and legs and lowered me until I was at eye level with her. Her angry red eyes bore into me with a hatred unlike any I have ever seen.
"You'll pay..." she whispered. "You'll all pay! I will never forgive anyone who tries to keep me from Hisana!"
I glared at her in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't know anyone named Hisana!"
"Don't lie to me! One of your allies is traveling with her, stealing her away from me! I won't let him have her, Hisana belongs to me and me alone! Now, where is he? Where is the man called Axel? Answer me, nobody!"
"Go fuck yourself, you crazy bitch!"
To be honest, that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. The woman replied to my insult by raising her swords for a killing blow. Luckily, right as she swung down a certain someone's silver clad fist sent her flying back. Ikxaru wasted no time in getting me free from the vines. It looked like he was still in pain from whatever happened to him earlier, but he still managed to open a portal back to our base. Seeing the monster woman starting to rise, we quickly retreated back to sanctuary. Upon our return to the base, both Ikxaru and I collapsed from our injuries. The woman had cut me pretty badly during our skirmish, and I had lost a lot of blood. Just before I passed out, I saw Oxymi running towards me with terror written all over her face.
"I've been patient," the shadow began. "I tried easing your mind back into place with happier, brighter memories, but none of it seemed to work. I'm sorry my friend, but I'm out of options. At this rate, you're never going to remember unless I show you everything."
"Memories? Show me everything? I don't understand."
The shadow seemed to sigh at me. "I know you don't, and I'm sorry it came to this. Please, try to understand that I only did it to help you."
Without another word, the light appeared brighter than ever before, completely disintegrating the darkness around me. Visions began flooding into my head so fast that it hurt at least 100 times more than usual. I saw other me, other Oxymi, the sapphire-eyed girl, and an all too familiar amber eyed girl standing hand in hand. Then in another scene, other Oxymi and the sapphire girl were laughing with each other, while the amber girl and other me were left aside. The amber girl stared solemnly at the happy pair before looking at the other me.
"Is this how it feels, being ignored by the one you love?" the amber girl asked her in a sad tone.
The other me nodded shyly. "Yes, Yuu. This is exactly how it feels."
I paused. Her name is Yuu...I can finally hear their names. Yuu sighed and glanced back at the pair.
"I've only got one shot left, one more chance to show Mato that I love her."
The other me put her hand on Yuu's shoulder. "Don't worry Yuu, I'm sure she'll see how much she means to you."
"I hope so..."
The vision shifted again, and other me was now walking down a hall carrying a tray of cookies. All of a sudden, Yuu came running past her carrying a blue heart shaped valentine and with tears pouring from her eyes. Other me called out to her, but she didn't listen. She was rejected...she finally got the courage to confess and she lost it all... The scene shifted once more, to just after Yuu raped other me. The amber girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring solemnly at the floor of the room. She glanced over at the other me, who lay naked and unconscious nearby.
"Im so sorry...I know how much you wanted Yomi to be your first." she said softly.
Yomi? Was that the name of the other Oxymi?
"I'll keep my promise to you, my friend. I will give you the power you need to take her back. Just promise that you'll bring me Mato in return."
The next time the vision shifted, other me, Yomi, and Mato all looked different. Mato was lying unconscious in Yomi's arms, with a bloody fist sized hole in her chest. Yomi was crying terribly over the girl in her arms.
"Mato! Stay with me, please!" she pleaded.
The other me looked down at her hand, which was covered in Mato's blood. Yomi looked up at her with mixed grief and hate.
"What have you done?!"
"No...I...I didn't...I didn't mean to...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" other me said before gripping her head in pain.
"I GAVE YOU MY POWER, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! SAY GOODBYE TO YOMI, YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!" Yuu's enraged voice cried in her head.
The other me screamed in immense pain as her body became engulfed in blue hellfire and she collapsed. As she burned, she forced herself to look up and reach out toward Yomi.
"Yomi...I'm sorry...I couldn't let go...please, forgive me...please Yomi...forgive Kagari..."
The other me turned completely to ash, and the visions came to an end. I stood floating in the swirling light and darkness of my subconscious in shock. Kagari... it sounded so natural. Could it be...was this what the shadow was talking about? Was that...was Kagari...my real name?Kagari. K-a-g-a-r-i. Funny, if you switched the letters around and added an 'x', then it would be...Rikxaga.
"You remember now, don't you?" the shadow said, reappearing from the void.
I turned toward it. "My name...is Kagari Izuriha."
It seemed as if the shadow was smiling in response. "You do remember! Then, if your memories have all returned, there's no need to continue this facade."
The flame surrounding the shadow began to fade away, revealing a young girl shorter than me with bright amber eyes and an orange barrette in her chestnut brown hair. I knew who she was without even asking. Now that my memories were back, there was no way I couldn't recognize Yuu Koutari, also known as the infamous 'Fury', the same person who had destroyed my life. Anger now taking hold over reason, I glared at Yuu and clasped my hands around her throat.
"You little bitch! You tricked me! You raped me! You murdered me! How dare you show your face to me after what you've done! I'll kill you!" I growled.
Yuu made no effort to fight back, and only gasped weakly as air left her body. She managed to open her eyes and smile weakly at me.
"If...that'll make you feel better...then go ahead...you deserve...to be happy...after all that's happened..." she gasped.
I stopped strangling her at that. Somehow...revenge didn't feel as sweet as I thought it would when she was willing to die. More importantly, there were still a great many things I was confused about, and she was probably the only one who could answer me.
"How the hell are you here in my mind anyway? Didn't you die?" I demanded, letting go of her.
Yuu took a moment to regain her breath before answering. "When I put my power into you, I must've placed a portion of my soul there as well. When Marluxia brought you back to life, even as a nobody, you brought me back with you. However, my presence is limited to your mind and body, so I cannot create a truly physical form."
"Alright, now why were you trying to make me remember who I was? Why give me back my memories?"
"I wanted to make up for all of the things I've done to you, and you wouldn't be able to live as happily you could if you remained a puppet of Marluxia. So I tried to put you back to normal, so you wouldn't have to pretend the feelings you had were real."
It made sense, so I accepted the answer. "Wait, if you've been inside me this whole time, and you know about my servitude to Marluxia, does that mean you can see everything I see?"
Yuu nodded. "I can."
"So you know about me and Oxymi?"
"I do."
"Is she...is Oxymi...is she a nobody of Yomi?"
Yuu gave me a sad smile. "She is indeed."
"Does she...remember anything?"
"No, I'm afraid Marluxia has done something to her and all the other nobodies that were made after you that prevents them from remembering their true selves. It's likely that she'll never know the truth."
"I see...wait, all the nobodies 'after' me? Does that mean Ikxaru can remember his true identity?"
"I believe so. Judging by his reaction earlier, I'd say he's started down the same path to remembering as you."
"That's right! That weird girl said something to him, and his head started to hurt and he collapsed, just like Kagari did when I encountered that woman with the same eyes as you."
Yuu perked up at the mention of the second woman. "Evelyn?"
"Wait, you know her? Is she a relative of yours?"
"She's...my daughter."
"I see...sorry for attacking her."
"It's fine, you didn't know what you were doing anyway. That other girl you met, the one with the corrupted body, she's one of Yomi's children."
I froze in shock. "That monster was Yomi's daughter?!"
Yuu nodded. "Her oldest. Shinzo Takanashi. Don't worry, her younger sister Hisana is nothing like her."
I lowered my gaze. "So Yomi had children...Kagari is assuming they are Mato's as well, aren't they?"
"...yes."
Oddly enough, I wasn't as depressed as I thought I'd be. "Well, at least Yomi was with the one she loved before she died. But still, how did two women-"
"Actually, I was just about to bring that up. You see, since my powers still exist inside you, you have the ability to impregnate with other women." seeing me gasp, she quickly added "Don't worry, it's nothing like that. All you do is have her swallow your essence, and then the next time you kiss her lips, she will be with child. Oxymi has no chance of regaining her memory, and now you are the sole object of her love. If you so wished, you could..."
"No, I don't think that would be a good idea. Kagari loves Oxymi, this is true, but a baby...we're just not ready for something like that. We haven't even had sex yet."
Yuu sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Your choice. I'm not going to force you to do anything, but quite frankly I wish you two would just stop beating around the bush and fuck already. I can tell you both want to really badly, especially you." she smirked as she finished.
I could feel heat rising to my cheeks at the thought of me and Oxymi getting intimate. "T-t-t-that's-"
Yuu laughed. "Don't worry, your feelings are safe with me. Well, I think I've kept you long enough. Now that you remember who you are, you should try to keep it a secret from Marluxia. I don't think he'd be too fond of one of his minions getting out of hand. If you ever need me, I'll be here in your head."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
Yuu smiled honestly at me. "Well, good luck old friend. May you find happiness for the rest of your days."
When I awoke, I found myself lying in a bed inside a room that was not my own. Looking around, I noticed Oxymi kneeling beside me, resting her arms and head on the bed. I could see stains on the sheets from something wet around her head. She must've cried herself to sleep worrying about me... I realized. I sat up to reach out for her, and rested my hand on top of her head. After gently petting it for a time, she began to stir. My lover sleepily opened her emerald eyes to look at me, and they immediately widened upon seeing me sitting upright.
"Rikxaga!" she cried before flinging her arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug.
I paused for a moment before happily returning the gesture. "Hey you." I said quietly.
"I was so worried...you looked so horrible when you came back, I thought you were going to die!"
I softly ran my hand through her hair, letting her cry it all out. Eventually her tears were gone, and she was still clinging onto me. Looking to brighten the mood, I took a good look at the room we were in for the first time. The walls, as well as just about everything else, were all colored in varying shades of green.
"Oxymi, is this your room?"
She managed to nod against my chest. "Yeah. Superior told me to get you somewhere to recover, so I brought you here."
"I see. What happened to Ikxaru? He didn't look too good the last time I saw him."
"Superior sent him to his room to try and get better. After that, superior just stormed away muttering curses about not realizing who the enemy was."
"Heheh, I'd imagine he's pretty upset."
"Still..." she hugged me tightly again. "I'm glad you're safe. I don't know what I'd do without you, Rikxaga."
It took me a second to remember that she didn't know about the real me. Smiling, I returned her embrace. "Same with you, Oxymi. Rikxaga loves you so much."
I could hear her sigh contently. This girl, she's everything to me. I don't want to lose her a second time, I want us to be happy together. But...how can I be sure she really loves me?
"Oxymi." I put a finger on her chin and tilted her head up towards me.
Her emerald eyes stared longingly into the gold of mine. Slowly, we closed the distance. I noticed she had become more aggressive since the last time we made out, and found myself being lowered onto her bed, with her knee between my legs and her arms at my sides. We kissed a few more times before staring into each other's eyes again, with our faces flushed and our breaths fast and ragged. Nervously, I reached toward her chest with my hand. She stopped it midway. I thought she was going to tell me no, but then she slowly, tentatively guided my hand to the zipper of her cloak. Despite the excitement I felt at the implication of her actions, I decided not to assume too much. I looked up at her again.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
Oxymi paused for a moment, then nodded. "I'm not afraid anymore. I want to know what it's like..." she took off her glasses in a surprisingly slow and sensual manner. "...to feel the touch of the one you love."
Goddamn! How can she be so cute yet so kinky? I couldn't possibly deny her after a request like that. "If that is what you wish, then I will gladly teach you how to love."
She smiled happily, and with that she glided my hand down. Her cloak slid off her perfect body in one swift motion, and her lips came crashing down on mine. I can't completely remember what happened next, only that it was like a dream come true. What I do remember was the the feeling of her breasts in my hands, the sensation of her fingers on (and eventually, inside) my center, the taste that came from hers once I showed her ecstasy, and then finally the feel of both our precious places touching. Eventually we were too exhausted to do anymore than kiss as we came down from paradise. Just then, I felt a weird tingling in my throat. It was probably just the after taste of her sweet nectar, so I paid it no mind. Suddenly though, Oxymi pulled away from me and started coughing.
"Oxymi? What's wrong?" I said nervously.
She coughed a few more times, then stopped. "I...I think I swallowed something."
"Huh? But the only thing in my mouth is you."
"Yeah...maybe that was it. It sure felt weird though..."
"Maybe we're so exhausted that we're feeling things. I think it's time we got some sleep."
She nodded and let out a petite yawn. I took that as a yes, and waited for her to lie down beside me before pulling the covers over us.
Two weeks had passed since then, and something strange was going on with just about everyone. Superior was constantly arguing with that annoying arc guardian Nightmare, who kept demanding to go after Shinzo for reasons I was unaware of. Ikxaru was still under the weather since that last mission, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was regaining his memories like I did. But the most noticeable change was Oxymi. Ever since we made love, she's been having these weird mood swings and was almost always sick in the morning. What's more, her stomach seemed to be getting bigger. Odd, considering none of us really ate much. I let another week go by before deciding to take my girlfriend to see the superior and find out what was wrong. I was currently waiting for him to finish tracing over Oxymi with some kind of scanner he recently made. As soon as the scanner reached her distended stomach, it began making a loud beeping noise. Worried, I stood up from my seat.
"Superior, what is it? What's wrong with her?"
His expression was one of shock, then it turned into a sadistic smile that scared the living shit out of me. "Oh, it seems I was right after all."
"What are you talking about? What did you find?" Oxymi demanded.
Marluxia just chuckled crazily before walking to behind his desk. "I can't believe you hadn't figured it out yet. Oxymi, you're pregnant."
Both me and my girlfriend froze. "WHAT?!" we screamed at the same time.
"You heard me. And want to know what else? According to the energy readings I got, Rikxaga is the father."
Oxymi looked at me in utter horror. I returned the gesture, as I was equally stunned at the news.
"How...how is that possible?!" I demanded. It just didn't make any sense.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it appears that she has ingested something that has given life to a child of two women. How interesting..."
"Wait...ingested...you mean I swallowed something?" Oxymi said.
"Looks that way."
"But that doesn't make any..."
It hit her the same time it hit me. The tingling sensation in my throat. Her suddenly choking on something. Somehow, I had given her something that impregnated her the night we had sex. She looked ready to burst into tears, and I knew that I wasn't much better. Mustering what willpower I had, I turned toward Marluxia.
"How...how far along is it?" I asked.
"8 months."
"8 months?! But it's only been three weeks!"
"Well whatever you did, it seems to be growing abnormally fast. Oh well, it's not as though it matters anyway..."
The sudden venomous tone he used did not sound good. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, let's just say I'm not as out of the loop as you might think I am. I know all about your memories, Rikxaga. Or should I say, Kagari?"
I froze where I stood. How did he know? I thought I had hidden it perfectly.
"How do I know? Kyubey told me."
"Kyubey?" Oxymi and I said at the same time.
"You rang?" came a childish voice.
We turned to see a small cat like creature with long ears, white fur, and beady red eyes that never blinked. Kyubey leapt over me and landed on Marluxia's shoulder.
"Kyubey here has been keeping track of everything that goes on in this place for me. It's a shame, really. I would've loved to have seen what it's like for a nobody to give birth, it would've made for good research. But, I'm afraid that now that you've recovered your memories and put an uncontrollable element into my hands, I am forced to be rid of you."
Marluxia instantly summoned his scythe, grinning madly. "Once I'm done with you, I'll have to fix Ikxaru so that he doesn't end up like you. Then I'll have to send my arc guardians out for more materials to make replacements for you two. It's been fun, farewell!"
He swung straight for Oxymi's stomach. Panicking, I leapt in front of her and summoned my shield. I just barely managed to block the strike in time and knock him off balance. Before he could recover, I summoned my sword and slashed at his chest. He tried to lean out of the reach of my sword, but he wasn't quite quick enough, and my blade cut through his robes. Strangely enough, I heard the sound of shattering glass, followed shortly by a dark aura surrounding Marluxia and dropping him to his knees and sending Kyubey flying into the wall. He clutched at the spot where I had cut something on his chest, and I saw what looked like black sand falling through his fingers. I didn't bother to stay and try to find out what just happened, I just took Oxymi's hand, and bolted out the doorway with her. I knew it was probably not a good thing to force a pregnant woman to run, but I also knew that we didn't have long before the others were sent after us. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to complain about anything, but that could also mean she was royally pissed at me and wasn't willing to talk. Well, I can't really blame her, but at least I can protect her.
"Just a little further! Once we get out of here, we can stop and rest!" I said.
"Rikxaga..." I heard her say painfully.
"It's alright if you're mad at me. You have every right to be. But I swear, Rikxaga never meant for this to happen, I never meant for you to get pregnant. Rikxaga doesn't know how she did this to you, but I promise I'll do my best to take care of you and the baby."
There was silence again as we ran through the corridors, until I heard a faint "Thank you."
I smiled. "Anything for you, my love."
I caught sight of the transport room, and lead us toward it. We were home free, or so I hoped. As soon as we entered the room, Ikxaru stepped right in front of me, holding a huge silver zweihander in his hand. He stared at me and Oxymi with what almost seemed like a glare.
"Ikxaru..."
There was no way in hell I could beat him, but I prepared to summon my sword anyway. I wasn't about to give up my lover and child without a fight. Ikxaru just stood there, staring at us. Then, to my surprise, a huge smile broke out on his face.
"Who's Ikxaru? I'm Kurai Shosetsuka." he said in his usual headstrong tone. "You're late, Kagari. I was just about to leave without you."
I couldn't help but smile at him. "You son of a bitch, I thought you were about to kill me."
"Me? Of course not. Not too sure about them though." he pointed behind me.
I turned around and saw Mokxoti, Axim, and Thryx all charging toward us with their weapons drawn.
"I suggest we leave. Immediately." Kurai said.
"Sounds good, now let's go!"
Right as the others were about to catch us, we quickly opened a portal to who knows where and leapt through, sealing it shut behind us. From now on, we were enemies of the organization.
For the next few days, we were on the run. I found time to explain to Oxymi the truth about me and Kurai (omitting the parts about Mato), and Kurai managed to explain to me how we ended up nobodies in the first place. Apparently, Marluxia had somehow managed to get his hands on our remains (my ashes, his sword), and pulled the memories stored within them to recreate us as nobodies. However, this was not the only disturbing thing the sword smith had to say.
"I got a brief look at his journal, and I think I have an idea on his grand plan." he began.
Oxymi was napping nearby, the stress of carrying a rapidly growing baby had become a great burden to her. So, I was the only one listening. I nodded for him to continue.
"It seems to me that he intends to use the method that created us to make an army of nobodies. If he succeeds, then he won't need to have this game running any longer."
"I forgot to check, but how many of his guardians are left anyway?"
"Hmm...I think there were around 15 when we left the headquarters."
"If it's that low, then it's highly likely he'll try to accelerate his plans."
Kurai nodded in agreement. "We should try to warn the king of Windbloom. His city is one of the few places in the multiverse with a multidimensional broadcasting device."
"Sounds like a plan to me." I turned over to Oxymi. "About her...how much longer does she have left?"
Kurai sighed. "Not long. She's due any day now."
I frowned as a wave of guilt came over me. "It's all my fault...if only I had controlled myself..."
"You couldn't have known about how to activate the ability. It was probably set off by accident."
I shook my head. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters now is keeping her safe. This time, Kagari will be the one taking care of her."
Kurai smiled softly. "You really love her, don't you?"
I nodded and went to join my lover in sleep.
"More than anything in the world."
The next day, we arrived on the outskirts of the desert surrounding Windbloom. The city looked to be at least a two hours walk away, but at least we were close. Before I could enjoy the moment, I felt a number of familiar presences begin to close in on us. I turned to Kurai.
"Kurai-"
"I know. They're coming." he said without waiting for me to finish.
"Dammit! Alright, we need to move now! If we hurry, we can make it to the city before they-"
"Aaaaaaaaah!" Oxymi suddenly cried out.
I rushed to her side as she fell down on a knee.
"Oxymi, what's wrong?"
She cringed in pain as she spoke. "I-I think it's time!"
I froze. "The baby's coming now?!"
She nodded weakly. I put a hand against my forehead. This wasn't good. There was no way we could get her to the city in time and fight off whoever was coming our way. Somebody had to stay behind and buy time, and somebody had to take Oxymi to a hospital. Realization dawned on me. So...this is how it's going to be, huh? Well...at least this time I did it right.
"Kurai." I said, rising to my feet.
"Kagari, this better be important!" he answered.
"...run."
I could hear him stiffen in surprise. "What?"
"I want you to take Oxymi, and run as fast as you can. I'll hold off the others."
He immediately knew how that would turn out. "No...no I'll fight them! I'm stronger than you!"
"And you're also faster. Please, I can't carry her that far."
"Kagari-"
"There's no time to argue! Go Kurai, get her out of here!" I summoned my weapons, and turned toward the direction the others would come from.
He sounded like he was about to protest, but all he managed was a deep sigh. "I'll make sure she gets there safely."
I nodded. I heard him pick up my lover, who was calling out in protest at my demands, and took a few steps away.
"Farewell, Kagari Izuriha. May you fight with honor, and die proud."
"Farewell, Kurai Shosetsuka."
"Kagari, wait! Please! Don't go!" Oxymi cried as Kurai took off. "Kagari!"
I didn't turn around. I didn't let her see the tears that fell rapidly down my face.
"Goodbye, my love."
Mokxoti, Akaxi, Lehxt, and Roxfienn appeared from dark portals. The three unmasked nobodies glared at me as claymore, halberd, and energy swords appeared in their hands.
"Sensei...why?" Akaxi said.
"Traitor..." Mokxoti spat.
"You're going to regret humiliating me!" declared Lehxt.
Roxfienn uttered what sounded like a deep growl. He had yet to summon a weapon, and stood with his arms crossed. I smirked at them and readied my weapons as all but him began to charge towards me.
"Live for me, Oxymi." I whispered.
I lasted longer than I thought I would. For a time, I managed to hold my own against my former students and Mokxoti. But it all came crashing down when Lehxt severed both of my arms from my body. The cocky bastard laughed at me while I cringed from the pain. He lunged at me in an attempt to finish me off, but his swing was too wide.
"Two months..." I whispered.
Right as he was about to cut me, I ducked under the attack, kicked my sword up in the air, caught it in my teeth, swung, and in the next instant Lehxt sailed harmlessly past me, headless. I spat out my sword and glared at his corpse in disgust.
"Two months I trained you, and you didn't learn a damn thing!"
The others were surprised at the sudden death of their ally, and hesitated before preparing to strike again. However, Roxfienn held out his arm in front of them, and began to slowly walk toward me. Although my vision was blurring from the blood loss, I could make out something glowing from beneath his hood. I also felt the desert heat intensify the closer he drew near me. A gargantuan flaming sword appeared in his hands, and he raised it right as he stepped in front of me. As he did so, I got a good luck at his face.
"You are one ugly motherfucker." I smirked.
He swung, and the whole world went dark.
General P.O.V.
Kurai tried his hardest not to shed tears as he walked to the city hospital. In his arms, he carried an armless blonde girl covered in yellow/black blood and gruesome burns all over her torso. By the time he had returned to try and help her, she had already lost. The others had already gone, leaving the former No. 3 to wither away in the desert. But the old sword smith was damned if he was going to let the girl die like that. Scooping her up in his arms, he had quickly traversed the desert once again, trying to drag out her final moments as long as possible. He ran into Tsuyo-sa on the way to Oxymi's room. The brunette had immediately recognized Kagari on sight, and looked ready to pummel what little life remained out of her. At seeing her intention, Kurai shot her a disgusted look.
"Forget about your vengeance, she is already fatally wounded." he barked. "At least let a father see their child before they die."
Tsuyo-sa was about to respond, but stopped upon realizing he was right. The brunette moved aside to allow him entry. Oxymi held her baby fondly in her arms, smiling sadly. The child had blonde hair like it's father, and it's mother's emerald eyes. Hearing someone enter the room, she turned to see her lover hanging lifelessly in the man's grasp. Were it not for the child in her arms, she would have screamed as loud as she could. With a downcast face of regret, Kurai walked over and gently lowered Kagari so that the blonde could see her lover and child. Weakly, Kagari opened her eyes.
"Oxymi..." she rasped.
"I'm here, Kagari." the greenette replied through tears.
Kagari's gaze drifted from her lover to the infant in her arms. It was Oxymi's child, their child. The blonde girl managed a smile.
"It's a boy." Oxymi said, knowing her lover lacked the strength to speak more than a little. "I was hoping...that maybe you could help me name him."
Kagari gasped heavily for a few moments before speaking again. "Nasu...mora...Izu...riha..."
"Nasumora...I like that. Our little Nasumora."
Kagari closed her eyes contently. "I'm glad...you're safe...you're both...safe..."
There was another deep gasp from the blonde, and then she made not another sound. Kagari Izuriha, despite her struggles, had died with a loving smile on her face. This time, she had not made a mistake. At long last, she was at peace.
A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile, so I decided to give you this super extra awesome ultra sexy triple length chapter that I probably should have just made into a oneshot. 13,660 words. 13,660 FUCKING. WORDS. My god this took forever. I apologize if this does not meet your expectations, as it is more of an indirect continuation of the story meant to build suspense and be awesome at the same time, and I promise the main storyline will resume...in chapter 14. (I promised some people an omake chapter, and dammit I'm gonna make it happen!) Lol as always don't forget to review and keep reading! Till next time! DarkNovelist out.