Part Twelve

Deling City Assignment

Balamb Garden

For Roxas it was like coming home. Inhaling Axel's unique scent and tasting the mixture that belonged solely to the Flurry of Dancing Flames was like coming home after a long journey. He was standing there being watched as he wrapped his arms around that painfully thin waist and cried out of sheer relief. The beautiful warm feathers of Axel's crimson and gold wings brushed against Roxas' skin and he shivered from the pleasure of it all. Things would be ok now. Axel was here again. Everything had to be fine now.

"I missed you." The blond boy murmured.

"Roxy..." Axel sighed gently. "We've got an audience."

"Does it look like I care?" Roxas muttered.

"There's the Roxy I know." the red head grinned. His jade eyes met Seifer's lighter ones.

"So you got your wish." Seifer murmured with a shrug. Roxas let go of Axel but he refused to leave his side.

"We missed you Axel!" Demyx cried as he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the fire wielder.

"Demyx...you look amazing." Axel whistled as he got a good look at the bubbly blond.

"Thanks!" he giggled. "You look awesome. I love the wings."

"And you Demy...you're a GF now." Axel sighed. When his flesh came into contact with Demyx's steam billowed into the office. Demyx felt his skin heat up while Axel seemed to be cooling down.

"Yep." He flashed that gorgeous smile. "The name is Siren."

"Sweet. Just call me Phoenix, got it memorized?" Axel made an elegant bow. It wasn't long before the plan to include Sora and his allies was drawn up.

Squall Leonhart was alone just as he liked it so he could mull over his thoughts and feelings on the situation at hand. So much had happened since they arrived back from the Galbadia Garden with Sora and Riku in tow. Irvine Kinneas had joined them to accomplish his mission to assassinate the Sorceress.

He was probably staying around Zell, Selphie, Rinoa and Quistis but Hyne only knew where Almasy had disappeared to with that GF of his. After the rather strange reunion between the boy Roxas and the Phoenix the group had been separated for Cid to talk to Sora and his friends about the Sorceress. Their knowledge of Saix, Luxord and Xigbar would prove to be invaluable as well as those Keyblade weapons they carried.

Seifer had to let Axel return to his mind despite Roxas' pleas not to take the red head away again. Squall had picked up words that told him a story of a Gateway, a sacrifice and a young Sorcerer who went insane from the use of Dark Magic.

Their tale seemed too good to be true, too fantastical to be real but their knowledge couldn't just be brushed aside. And then came the most disturbing part of their story. They were still missing two members of their party. One was a blond swordsman called Cloud Strife. It was hard not to miss him apparently. His glowing Mako eyes gave him away as did his choice of weapon.

The most disturbing fact was when Sora told them about Cloud's companion. Squall and his team had listened in stunned silence as Sora described Leon to the group. Leon was Squall's double in every sense of the word. He carried a Gunblade for a weapon, he had a scar along his face and he wore the Griever Pendent around his neck. Squall had been deeply disturbed by this and he promptly left the office. No one had tried to stop him and for that he was grateful. He needed time to sort out his thoughts before heading off to Deling City with the others.

The groups had yet to be made up but once they got to the meeting with General Caraway then they could sort out what to do. It was already decided that Sora and the others would be coming along. It had been over an hour since the incident in the Headmaster's office and Squall was now making his way towards the main gate. He frowned as he thought back to Seifer's reaction to Axel and Roxas' kiss. The blond had looked forlorn and almost heartbroken. Was it because his GF had kissed another person? Was Seifer jealous? And why the hell was any of this even bothering Squall?

Seifer Almasy was a loud, obnoxious, pain in the ass who never knew when to take no for an answer. He had always been Squall's rival and he would remain that way until he died. The Ice Prince scowled out of pure irritation.

Lately Seifer had been really bugging him as well as this dark gap in his memory. Every time he thought about Seifer he felt as if he were missing a piece of his memory. It was futile anyway because even f he got rid of Shiva he would never get the memory back. Squall just wanted this confusion to vanish.

When he reached the main gate everyone was gathered there. Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa and Quistis were to ride in one car while Sora, Riku, Roxas, Baralai, Ienzo and Seifer took the other one. Squall caught Seifer's gaze for a brief second then he turned his head away, not daring to understand what he saw in those jade depths.

They were to take the car to Balamb then catch the next train to Deling City in time for the festival. Squall nodded at the others then got into the car along with Zell and his team-mates. Seifer had decided to stay with Sora and his friends for the journey.

The trip to Balamb was made in relative silence. Seifer could feel Roxas' eyes on him but he made no attempt to yell at the teenager. He could feel Axel's emotions for the blond swirling around in his mind and heart. There was a part of him that wanted to give Axel over to Roxas. The need to be joined with the Keyblade Master again was becoming too much to bear. Axel hadn't spoke since Seifer took him back in and the scarred man welcomed the silence for now.

As soon as the Sorceress mess got sorted out Seifer would then try to hand Axel over to Roxas. The problem was that he had never used a GF before so he was unsure about taking Axel out of his mind. Baralai was locked in conversation with Ienzo while Sora kept his head on Riku's shoulder. Seifer turned his head so he could glance out across the vast green fields on the small island. He hoped this issue with the Sorceress would end quickly for all of them. Seifer wiped his eyes to get rid of the moisture gathering there.

Since he witnessed Axel and Roxas' reunion the feeling of loneliness had gradually begun to increase in strength. He couldn't stop the one treasured memory he had of Squall from surfacing and pretty soon Axel would start asking questions.

For now he concentrated on the mission at hand. Anything to take away from the pain of not being able to have Squall anymore. The cars reached Balamb quickly and within the hour the group were already on the ship heading for Dollet.

Within the hour the boat had docked and the group were already boarding the last train to the city. Apparently it was almost impossible to get into the city now because of the festival that was taking place there soon. They didn't have a lot of time if the festival was already taking place there. As the train carried them towards Deling City apprehension filled the air while a select few thought of the confrontation they would endure against old enemies.

Deling City

Cloud Strife had seen a lot of impressive worlds in his time. Radiant Garden was once a magnificent place but now it was simply a mere shadow of its former glory. He had gone to the Coliseum and the Underworld as well as Destiny Island and Port Royal.

But he had never been witness to anything quite like this festival that was going on right now. Cloud and Leon had been in the city for almost four days and in that time the residents appeared to have gone crazy. They kept talking about a new leader who was coming to save them. Everyone in the city had gathered together to make this festival happen in such short time.

While Leon was impressed he couldn't help but smell a rat in all this. Something was right and when he heard a group of people talking about a Sorceress his fears were confirmed. He would never forget what the Dark Magic had done to Myde in the short time he possessed it.

Magic like that turned someone so pure and good into a monster overnight. If the Sorceress was using that kind of power then it meant serious trouble for everyone. Myde had attempted to end the world because of it.

Leon and Cloud had made their way to the large front gates of the city where a crowd of people had gathered for the arrival of the Sorceress. Next to the gate was a clock tower and on the second level of the tower stood a tall woman alongside a man.

The woman raised her hands and the crowd cheered for her. The woman was a stunningly beautiful person but from where Leon stood he frowned as she started to speak to the crowd. She laughed as she spoke about how they were little more than cattle for the slaughter house.

"Where is this evil Sorceress you are supposed to fear?" she called out. "She is right here, standing before you and ready to conquer all."

"What the hell is going on here?" Cloud hissed to his partner.

"Let's wait for a moment." Leon replied.

"You all fear me and yet you willingly bow to me even though you fought Adel merely two decades ago." The Sorceress laughed. "But I will not fall easily. My Knights will see to that."

"This isn't good." Cloud hissed and Leon silently agreed with him when they saw who the Knights were.

"They must've fallen through the Gateway before Axel shut it down." Leon moved through the crowd with Cloud at his heels.

"If they're here the Heartless might have come through with them." Cloud choked out.

"I won't let the Heartless take another world." Leon swore.

"There's an entrance into the tower." Cloud pointed towards a gate but guards surrounded it.

"Do you think Sora knows about them being here?" Leon questioned.

"We can only hope that he does." Cloud replied. "We better get to them though."

The brunet and the blond made their way to the gate were they easily dispatched the guards. The door into the tower was locked but once Cloud used his sword to slice open the metal the way inside was no longer an obstacle.

Leon and Cloud entered a narrow corridor lined with paintings and a plush red carpet. A wooden door lay at the other end of the corridor. Cloud and Leon made their way to the door and pushed it open to reveal a staircase that spiralled up to the second level. Leon led the way up, Lionheart out in front of him as he grabbed the handle of the door on the second level and pulled it open.

The swordsmen entered into a beautifully decorated room with blue drapes hanging low from the ceiling. There was a single chair in the centre of the room covered in silks and curtains. The chair looked to be made from expensive wood.

There was another door at the other end of the room. After inspecting the area Leon and Cloud made their way to the door but stopped when the sound of trumpets erupted from outside. It sounded like the party was in full swing.

"We better hurry." Cloud muttered and he tore open the door.

"Great..." Leon muttered. They were standing on a low balcony that overlooked the city. Below them a large float carrying the Sorceress and her Knights went through the streets towards a large arch.

"You ready?" Cloud turned to his scarred lover. He got a grin in reply. The sound of the crowd yelling made them look to where the float was. A gate had come down against the entrance and exit of the arch, effectively tapping the Sorceress and her Knights inside.

"It wouldn't be the first time we jumped off a building." Cloud grinned. Leon rolled his eyes but a smirk was visible on his lips. As they were about to jump a single shot rang out and the crowd started screaming.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Cloud growled out.

"Someone wants that woman dead." Leon commented dryly. "Come on."

The two swordsmen jumped off the balcony and landed with ease on the ground. Leon looked around for some sort of transport then grabbed Cloud's arm when he spotted a car nearby. Both men jumped in and Leon silently thanked Hyne when he saw keys in the ignition.

It didn't take him long to work out how the operate the car and within minutes he and Cloud were speeding towards the gate where the Sorceress was being held. Turning the steering wheel Leon forced the car to turn sharply and it crashed into the iron gate from the side. Cloud jumped out along with the brunet and they sliced through the thick bars and into the underbelly of the arch.

"What is this?" the Sorceress demanded when Cloud and Leon climbed onto the float.

"We saw some friends of ours here." Cloud replied coldly.

"I doubt you missed them." Leon gripped Lionheart, his stance ready for an attack.

"Look who it is." A voice laughed. A dark portal appeared and Saix stepped out. One hand was wrapped around Zell Dincht's throat.

"What the hell?" Leon and Zell cried at the same time.

"It would seem certain people have a double in this dimension." Luxord announced when he appeared next to Saix. He was holing Selphie Tilmitt by the arms.

"So the little dude here was quite the surprise." Xigbar grinned. He was holding onto a tall elegant looking woman with blond hair. Leon gasped when he recognized her but she had died when the Heartless had invaded his home world. Quistis was still struggling but it was useless.

"I want them alive." The Sorceress ordered. "They should have excellent stories to tell me."

"They are not to be taken lightly." Saix commented. The Sorceress glared at the blue haired man then nodded and stood up.

"Then I shall show them what a Sorceress can do." She raised her right hand and a large fireball appeared.

"And the fun never ends." Cloud muttered then he raised his sword and attacked.

Note-For the benefit of my story the sword Cloud has is the one from Advent Children. You know the one that he can detach and then carry two swords. That weapon is so cool. Also in the next chapter Leon meets his twin and the whole mission to take down the Sorceress will be explained from the point of view of FF8 Squall. I know you guys can't wait to see that. Till next time everyone. And on a final note happy B-Day to justme. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one.