Disclaimer: Imagine, if you will, a cardboard box whose contents amount to no more than air and a piece of frazzled string. What you see before you is the entirety of things I claim to own. Note how Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy are not present in the box. *sob*
A/N: If you're still reading this thing, kudos, my friend. Kudos to you; because in hindsight, this plot is probably taking a lot longer to develop than necessary, and I'm surprised you're not all bored with it by now. ANYWHO. Onward, ho!
Bon à lire!
-Slay
A Day of Mercy
Chapter 15
Plans
-o-o-o-
"Paaaaaaaaaaine! Come on, how much longer are you gonna be at your grandma's house?"
Paine held the phone away from her ear and grimaced. "I told you, it's going to be a while. She's very sick."
"Awwww!"
Guh. She didn't have time for this. What was meant to be a quick call informing her friends of where she was—at least, where she was pretending to be—had turned into an all-out whine-fest with their band's most exuberant member, who wouldn't know subtlety if it bit her in the ass.
"But we've got a show in Midgar in like, three days!"
"I'm sorry, Rikku," Paine persisted flatly. "I can't do it. You'll just have to get someone else to play."
"Wow…" The chipper voice on the other end dampened, a soft tone of concern weaving into it. "She must be pretty sick, huh? Do you want us to come help?"
"No."
"Paine—"
"Don't wait up." Paine snapped the phone shut before Rikku could respond and slid it into one of her pockets. Damn. She had really been looking forward to the next concert, especially after her idiot brothers had ruined the last one; but it looked like she was going to be stuck in the Forgotten Capital longer than she thought. Now that their uncle had made an appearance, she couldn't very well leave—even if everyone present (Paine included) knew she was completely useless to them by now.
Paine heaved a despondent sigh before trudging back into the conch house, where her uncle and brothers were scattered about the single room, talking.
"…and what of his element?" Uncle asked. "Have you discovered that yet?"
"Yes," Kadaj answered quickly, seemingly doing everything in his power to keep from wringing his hands nervously. "He's a Shadowcaster. …Like Father."
Their uncle's expression lightened a shade, a trace of genuine surprise trimming the edges of his stark eyes. "Really? You're absolutely certain of this?"
Kadaj nodded earnestly. "Yes! Yes, we saw it with our own eyes. Didn't we?" Yazoo nodded supportively, but Loz was too distracted by the ragged scar that had made itself plain on his right hand to respond. Their uncle glanced briefly at Paine for further confirmation, but all she gave was a disengaged shrug.
"I see…" Uncle started to slowly circle through the room, one arm bent behind his back, the other raised as he stroked his jaw thoughtfully. "How interesting. Who would have thought that the mutt would be the one to inherit Kira's power?"
To their uncle, Paine and her brothers had been one colossal disappointment after another. Each of the triplets had mild, energy-based elements that were exceedingly common among their kind. Paine had no element at all, and was seen as a terrible embarrassment to the clan. Not that she cared.
But a Shadowcaster…
A Shadowcaster was exactly what their uncle had been waiting for.
Of the two, Kira was the only son with the prized element, and he hadn't been too keen on humoring his brother's thirst for conquest. This being the case, their uncle had resorted to hunting down any and all children Kira sired, hoping to snag himself a Shadowcaster that he could actually bend to his control. After Kira died, he had surrendered and accepted the fact that he would never have access to such power.
That's when they discovered Riku.
And Riku was a Shadowcaster.
Paine's chest tightened. If Riku hadn't been in serious trouble before, he definitely was now. Now that their uncle knew about his element…
"Well, I think it's about time I paid Riku a visit," their uncle reiterated. After a moment he cocked his head at Kadaj. "Unless…you were serious about bringing him to Whirlwind? I am terriblybusy up there, and if I could trust my beloved nephews to collect Riku for me…" Their uncle started moving toward the doorway, watching them sharply.
"Of course, Uncle," Kadaj nodded.
"We won't fail you," Yazoo added coolly.
"See that you don't." Their uncle paused to size each of them up one last time, his amber glare lingering uncertainly on Paine. He seemed to get over whatever little doubt was smoldering in his thoughts, as he pulled his gaze away and turned, stepping through the doorway.
"You have three days," he tossed over his shoulder, "before I feel obligated to step in."
-o-o-o-
Okay, this place was seriously starting to gross Roxas out. The hut had obviously been constructed a long time ago, tucked away in the sandy corner of a coastal alcove, hidden from the cliffs above by their own crags and isolated below by the rolling surge of deep sea water. Inside it was bare and musty and dark; bundles of moss slunk up through the reedy flooring and drenched the close air with a hot, rancid stink. Roxas wrinkled his nose. "Axel, this thing is disgusting," he groused. "I think I'll need a shower just from standing here."
"Sorry," his fiery friend murmured, peering for the hundredth time through the ratty wooden shades of a square-cut window in one of the walls. "I had to pick a place where they couldn't possibly eavesdrop on us."
"…And a grody, decaying bungalow on the sweaty ass of the island was the first thing that came to mind? Axel, I can think of about twenty other places that would have worked."
"Shush," Axel hissed without looking at the blonde, gesturing absently for him to shut up.
Roxas gaped at him. "Shush? Don't you shush me, you troll-haired beanpole—"
"I said shghshh!" This time Axel flew across the hut and clapped a hand over Roxas' mouth. "Will you just cool it?" He grumbled. "She'll be here any minute, and then the smell will be the last thing on your mind."
Roxas shoved the redhead off of him. "Why are we meeting in person, anyway? Isn't it dangerous for her to be here with Kadaj and them snooping around?"
"It's dangerous for her to be anywhere," Axel countered almost tiredly. "Besides, we're running out of time. We need to think up a new game plan."
"New game plan?" Roxas crossed his arms huffily. "What, tossing my brother off the roof of our house so he and Riku would meet "naturally" wasn't good enough for you? Getting run through with a sword wasn't good enough for you? What's next? You want us all to hold hands and dive off a cliff together? Will that solve our problems?"
"Oh, hop off your menstrual cycle, already. This is serious." Axel started pacing back and forth in the small hut, rubbing his mouth nervously.
"It's only a matter of time before Xemnas catches wind of Riku's element, and when that happens…" He hesitated. "He'll pull out all the stops. We'll be screwed. …God, where is she?"
Roxas' arms fell. "His element? What, you mean that freaky, shadowy thing he did back at the Fantasy Dome?"
"Yes. It's a long story…" Axel stole another look out the window. "Suffice it to say that Riku's special, and Xemnas will go out of his way to get what Riku has."
"And…I'm guessing that'd be bad? Which is why we've been busting our asses all week?"
"Exactamundo."
"So what now?"
"Now we wonder where in the blazing hell—"
Axel stopped talking when the lazily-hung tarp of a door was pushed open. A lithe woman, soft and pale and gently aged, swept cautiously into the hut. Upon spotting Axel and Roxas, a kindly smile drew across her face; she brushed a veil of dusty blonde hair out her electric eyes. She came to stand before them, folding her hands together pleasantly. "It's been a long time, Lea. I must say the phone calls do you no justice."
Axel's face fell into a relieved grin, and he pulled the woman into a companionable hug. "I know, I know. It's good to see you, Hama."
Hama chortled. "Oh, it's good to see you, too, dear." She pulled away and looked to Axel's side. "And you must be Roxas," she crooned, pulling the blonde into an equally warm hug. "I've heard a lot about you."
"That makes one of us," Roxas muttered, sliding Axel a look. Hama released him and stepped back, amused.
"Don't blame him," she said. "I ask Lea not to talk too much about me. I am meant to be dead, after all. Now," She ignored the confusion that rose on Roxas' face and switched her attention to Axel again, "where is my darling son?"
A/N: Another (short) chapter down! *fistpump* Chapter 16 is on the way—and it's gonna be a fun one! Review for a chakram cookie~ Flame for a chakram to the face!
I love you all!
Dif-tor heh smusma!
-Slay
UPDATE: Heh...I had to fix a tiny error. Axel did not, in fact, "steal out the window" like some kind of spastic squirrel who just ruined your grandma's cherry pie. I have fixed it to say that he "stole another look out the window" which is what it was supposed to say. :D
Carry on.