Author's note: Zexion is in this chapter and shows up every now and then throughout the rest of the story, but been as I haven't played Kh:COM (stupid considering Axel is in it alot more than he is in KH2), I don't really know much about him or his character.But like,hope you like this chapter and please review.Not many chapters left now!-crys-
Roxas came to a skidding hault at the top of the staircase leading down into the cells. Knowing Xaldin was still after him he frantically called out Namine's name. There was a flurry of footsteps before Namine practically threw herself onto her knees at the bottom of the stairs, looking up with worried eyes. The boy chucked her the key card and explained what it was before having to dash off again. He knew he couldn't stay around as Xaldin would only come here and capture them both. With a quick glance back over his shoulder to ensure Namine hadn't followed, Roxas fled out of the castle and into the darkness of the city, with Xaldin hot on his trail...
Namine hurried over to the cell door and with shaking hands she pushed the key into the lock. The door made a crunched 'click', before Namine managed to pull it open. The three teenagers inside looked dubious towards her.
"This way," she spoke
The silver haired boy stood up first, and upon walking out the other two followed. The brown haired girl who had been sat in there came to stop in front of Namine. She looked if anything, worried. As if she had just seen a ghost...
"Kairi come on," spoke the spiky haired teen as he held her arm and gentley pulled her away from Namine.
Kairi went to object as she clearly wanted to say something to the organization member, but hesitated and let herself to be lead away. The three of then dissapered off up the stairs, leaving the organization to the keybladers mercy. Realising she was now completley alone, Namine became torn on what she should do. She could just wait here for Roxas to come back, been as he did promise, but that whole option would be boring and mean Xemnas could find her at any minute. Other option was to just go see if she could find any one of the three guys who were somewhere in the castle, working on the same plan as herself. Namine wandered over to the steps and began to climb them one-by-one.
The room was submerged in a hazy silence as Namine arrived in it. Her eyes wandered over the area, ensuring there was nobody lurking around. The girl began her way down a long hallway, the one Xemnas had lead her down upon the day she was brought here. On your own in the castle wasn't the nicest situation to be in Namine noted as she wandered down this seemingly long hall. Each one of the walls seemed to be spying on you, as if to alert Xemnas where you were. Eveywhere was always submerged in practical silence, unless of course there were quite a few organization members situated there. The strange thing was that the castle was huge, and there were only fourteen nobodies occupying it. Why need such a big place when there are so few to fill up the space? Namine pulled her hood up over her blonde hair, disguising her face from view.
She had just reached the end of the hallway when Namine recognised the distinct sound of footsteps. Two pairs of footsteps...
Right in front of her two cloaked figures came into view. They stopped abruptly as soon as their gaze saw Namine who was now wishing she hadn't come down here.
"Huh...who the..." spoke a male voice before he came over and upon reaching Namine, flicked back her hood.
Namine let out a little squeak, and tryed to distinguish the face submerged in the darkness under the hood, wanting to make sure it wasn't someone she knew.
Having still not recognised him, the boy turned back to face his somewhat 'taller', companion. Taller probably wasn't the word, the guy was huge, and Namine felt tiny when he came and stood near her. Noticing the space behind her was clear, Namine discreetly tried to back away slightly.
"Oh no you don't," voiced the smaller guy as his hand clamped onto her arm, noticing she had tried to slip away.
The taller man pushed back his hood revealing a brash, hard figured face. He didn't look like the type of nobody you'd want to mess with, having the appearance to be able to turn you into a little ball of nothing if you said the slightest word wrong to him.
"I'll take her back to Xemnas," explained the still hooded nobody "You can deal with them..." and he pointed to somewhere behind Namine.
Managing to look back over her shoulder she spotted Kairi and the two boys, keyblades brandished. Namine hadn't even noticed they'd arrived here, but maybe now they could help her escape from this one who held her captive. The tall man made a low grunt before taking heavy footsteps over to the other group.
"Don't take too long though, wouldn't want you to miss the show Lexaeus..."
With that Namine found herself been dragged off, and away from the ones who could have saved her from wherever this boy was taking her.
Rain patted against the heavy, black material. Thunder rolled distantly overhead, but the area then dropped into an uneasy silence. Roxas lay on his front on the cold, wet concrete, one keyblade still lightly clutched in his fingers. His blue eyes were encased under his lazily shut eyelids, unable to help but flicker slightly each time a raindrop hit his cheek.
"Oh dear, looks like someone got ahead of himself," spoke an amused male voice.
A pair of hands roughly grabbed him and Roxas was pulled to his feet on which he wavered un-steadily. Forcing his eyes to slit open so he could at least see what was going on, Roxas made a spluttered noise and the keyblade fell from his slackened grip. Fighting Xaldin hadn't been as easy as he thought. Since when had the freelancer got so tough? Surely it wasn't Xaldin holiding him up now, about to make a mockery of him and finish off the young boy. Roxas felt himself be steered off, the hands holding him up but his feet still tripped slightly. Something sticky, warm and wet was trickling down his face from an aching soar spot on his forehead, Roxas wanted to lift a hand to wipe it away but found it anchored to his side.
"Well done Roxas, well done," spoke the man walking with Roxas "You went and killed Xaldin, you're in some hot water now..."
The voice became recognisable as Xigbar's. What was he doing still alive? Hadn't Axel taken care of him.
"But it's done, and you're sure gunna love your punishment!" Xigbar spoke with a menacing tone
Roxas dreaded to think what it was. The worst that could happen would be for Xemnas to dispose of him...But nothing would be clear until he got there.
Walking through the castle, Roxas had managed to wake himself up more, but still found his body heavy with fatigue. He had been firing questions at Xigbar, knowing it annoyed the older nobody and hoped if he got too annoyed he might just let Roxas go to get some peace. No such luck, and eventually they entered a room Roxas had never been in before. Xigbar hauled him to a stop, and Roxas saw Namine in front of him. She was stood innocently in front of Xemnas, who had his hands on both her shoulders.
"What are you..." the blonde haired boy stopped and waited for Xemnas to answer his predictable question.
"Normally, I would have just had you destroyed for what you have done," scowled the superior "But I thought a 'change' in punishment was required..."
There was something suspicious about the way Xemnas had said 'change'.
"So, what is it then?" asked Roxas, flicking his eyes every now and then to Namine's scared face.
Xemnas laughed "Change, Roxas. When the keybladers have been 're-caught', Namine is going to change their memories, and of course, she is going to change you..."
Roxas was confused to Xemnas' words, usually that was Luxord's job to baffle people.
"Change me? How?"
"Oh..you will soon find out number XIII. But I also just thought you'd like to know, that Namine will be no use to me afterwards..."
There was a melicious grin on Xemnas' face that needed to be wiped off.
"I will ensure, that Namine purely becomes, just a memory."
Roxas tried to fight away from Xigbar's hold "You dare touch her Xemnas and I swear I'll destory you!" he snarled
The superior merely laughed and Namine looked sad along with the fear in her.
"You could never destroy me Roxas. Just another one of your pitiful hopes you keep to make you feel 'alive'. I have no use for you until you change, so go, go find that 'friend' of yours. He may be a little cold..."
Xigbar turned Roxas away from Xemnas and Namine and pushed him out the door. The blonde turned back just to see the white door been shut in front of his face, locking him out from Namine. Realising he couldn't get in, Roxas had to reluctantly leave, and instead go in search of Axel or Demyx. Which ever he found first, or which ever was still alive.
Roxas travelled through the entwining hallways of the castle like they were the back of his hand. He was quite high in castle and was having to use the giant staircases to travel down floors. Xemnas had blocked his portal use, and so now walking was the only option. Tiring, considering the size of the castle.
Down numerous levels which Roxas hadn't bothered to count, he came back into the entrance hall of the castle, and was greeted by the sounds of shouting voices.
Demyx, Zexion and Axel...The former was shouting at Zexion for something, which was quite strange considering Demyx never seemed to raise his voice. Like always Zexion was taking it but not replying and merely humouring Demyx but not saying anything back. Axel stood looking bored and shifting from each foot. Everyone looked ok...
"Axel..." called Roxas as he approached the red head.
The call of name made Axel arch a single red eyebrow, as if Roxas was making a mistake.
"Axel, Xemnas has Namine, he's gunna change the keybladers memories and then get rid of-"
"I'm not Axel..."
It was now Roxas' turn to look confused.
"What?"
The red head must be insane or at least losing it. It was definatley Axel, his looks, his voice, the faint smell of smoke that seemed to come with him...
Axel pointed towards Demyx who was still having a go at Zexion for something.
"That's Axel," he spoke
What...
"But that's Demyx!" cried Roxas
"Nuh uh, I'm Demyx. Zexion switched us, so Axel's in my body and I'm in his. Axel had some sort of 'ice curse' on him so been as it don't affect me I was riding it out for him..."
Roxas was still confused "How...how did Zexion do that?"
He never knew the schemer could do something such as switch two nobodies...and he still didn't understand how Axel could 'be' in Demyx, and vice versa.
"No idea really. But like Xemnas said, 'Zexion knows more than he's worth'."
Roxas looked over to the other two nobodies, well now it did make sense to why 'Demyx' would be arguing with Zexion. Axel and Zexion did not get along, it was a wonder to how they had managed to persuade him to change them in the first place.
"So how long you been Axel then?" Roxas asked to Demyx
"Long enough. I don't like been this tall and I smell like something that's just been on a bbq. Axel is trying to get Zexion to change us back now been as the curse has worn off but Zexion is refusing..."
He looked back over to the pair, Roxas became slightly amused to watch Demyx (even though it was really Axel) shouting at Zexion. His usually light voice strained with anger, cheeks flushed and eyes pierced towards the other nobody. Zexion made the matter worse though by rolling his eyes, and it seemed to send the other nobody over the edge. Demyx's hands, fueled by Axel's rage grabbed Zexion's cloak collar and he slammed the nobody against the wall, snarling something un-repeatable in the schemer's ear.
"Ah geez," spoke 'Axel' behind Roxas "He's gunna give me a bad reputation..."
Dropped to the floor Zexion brushed down his cloak "Fine," he murmered and with a flick of his hand there was an eerie swirling white and black light that Roxas had to shield his eyes from. When it had dissapered the two nobodies who had been switched were acting happier, relieved to be back in their own bodies.
"Well at least that's over," spoke Axel "I can't stand been that small and weak..."
Demyx blushed with a scowl but didn't say anything. Roxas turned to Axel, finally able to tell him what he had wanted to in the first place.
"Xemnas has Namine," he began "He's gunna get the keybladers too and then when she's changed their memories Xemnas is gunna get rid of Namine and something's gunna happen to me apparently I'm gunna-"
Axel stopped him by holding up his hand. The smaller nobody was talking in one big slur and he was hardly able to understand a word.
"Slower Roxas," he said
Zexion was suprisingly still around, maybe also wanting to hear what Roxas was about to say.
"Xemnas has Namine," this was pretty much the third time he'd explained this "He's gunna get the keybladers and then make Namine change their memories...When she has done that, Xemnas is going to get rid of Namine and he said I'm going to change."
"Change?" asked Demyx and Axel in unison
There was a quiet snicker from Zexion.
"You know summit we don't, Zexy!" snapped the pyro
There was a slight shrug from the blue haired boy "Maybe..."
"Care to spill?" grinned Demyx who was stood next to Zexion
"No," came the simple response
Roxas stared at Zexion, who's shallow eyes came up to meet his. There was a smirk on his lips as he pointed his finger at him. Roxas stared dubiously, thinking he was about to be given an answer to what was going to happen.
"...You've got blood on your forehead..."
Roxas scowled at Zexion's 'humour'.
"Just tell me!" he cried, a keyblade flashing into his grip
Zexion turned his back to them and glanced at Demyx quickly. It was never in his nature to be nice to Axel and anyone the red head got on with, especially considering they were traitors. But telling them though seemed to be a more interesting option, not that he would give anything away...
"Heh, let's just say Roxas will be...'possessed'..."