Soooo, I am disappointed.
Reason: Lack of reviews.
Chapter 13 only got 5. The number of reviews has slowly been decreasing and that's not a good thing.
I need you guys to review so I know if you like the story or not. If no one reviews, how do I even know if you're really reading it in its entirety? It might be the kind of thing where someone just clicks on a chapter, skims the first few lines and moves on to something else. Reviews are key and I need to see more of them or else I'm not going to be updating.
I don't want to sound like a tyrant, but it gets to be a pretty big deal when some of the earlier chapters got 14 reviews and the last one got five.
So let's try and improve on this RIGHT NOW!! 10 reviews for this chapter, or it'll be a while 'til #15 comes out.
"How are you feeling today?" Leon asked Vilixa as she stretched her tired muscles. About a week had passed since Sora had departed, and every time Vilixa thought that she was healthy enough to start training with Cloud, something would happen to set her back. A twisted ankle, a migraine, even a fainting spell. But she woke up that morning knowing that she was going to be ready.
"I'm fine," she answered, sending a smile his way. "I'm going to go look for Cloud."
"Don't overexert yourself," Leon warned. "And be careful. There are still Heartless and Nobodies running around the town."
She nodded and headed out the door. It was still fairly early--the sun had just barely made its first appearance and there was a bit of a nip in the air from the cold night. She walked along the path to the marketplace and saw Cloud in his usual spot, leaned up against the wall staring at the ground. She wondered if he ever even moved.
"Cloud?"
His head perked up and his eyes softened slightly. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Can we start training now?"
"Come on," he said, as he started to walk away.
Vilixa caught up with him and asked, "Where are we going?"
He glanced at her and stated, "The Great Maw. It's an open space not far from here. You'll be able to train properly...without destroying anything important."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she challenged.
He smirked. "It means that you won't break anything."
"I know that," she said bluntly.
"It's a joke," he replied monotonously. "Ever heard one before?"
She just stared up at the spikey haired blond that was looking down at her curiously. She just shrugged and said, "You don't look like the joking type."
The rest of the walk to the Great Maw was silent. They arrived at the large, open space and Cloud unsheathed the large Buster sword from its holder and held it in front of him steadily. Vilixa eyed him suspiciously.
"I'm going to attack you," he stated. "Do your best to defend against it. Concentrate your energy...don't forget, we're trying to control your power, not abuse it."
"Um," she nodded nervously, summoning her Keyblade. "Okay."
In a flash, Cloud charged at her with his sword. Vilixa held her Keyblade horizontally in front of her, blocking the blows as best she could. She tried her best to concentrate, thoughts flying through her mind, but nothing was happening. She could see the intensity in Cloud's eyes--he wasn't about to let up until her powers were triggered.
"Why isn't it working?" she asked herself. "Am I...trying too hard?"
And then something strange happened.
Cloud jumped back and prepared to charge again. Vilixa squeezed her eyes shut and let her mind go blank for just a second, and a surge of energy passed through her body like an electric shock. It was just like the times before, except when she opened her eyes, she didn't feel as if someone else was controlling her body. It was all her.
"Good," she heard Cloud's voice echo in her head. "Steady, now."
She heard rattling noises behind her and saw a large number of Heartless that had appeared out of nowhere. She was surrounded from all sides, but was still encompassed by a ring of white light.
"Target practice," Cloud informed her, soaring high in the air and landing on the rocky ledge above. "Do your best not to drain your energy."
She nodded and gripped her Keyblade tightly. She ran at the Heartless and swung her Keyblade into their armor. Light poured out from her Keyblade and sliced through the Heartless' bodies that were up to six or seven metres away, and in mere seconds, they were gone.
The light started to fade and Vilixa fell to her knees. She was panting heavily--tired and a bit worn out, but not pushed so far off the edge that she couldn't recover. The sound of footsteps behind her let her know that Cloud was approaching. She turned to him and gave him a small smile.
"Good work," he said. "Dawn, tomorrow. Be here, and we'll try it again. Next time, I don't want to see you breaking a sweat."
* * * * *
"Do not think that we have simply overlooked the escape of Number XIV," Xemnas boomed from his throne, looking down on the remaining Organization members. "I want her found and eliminated. This has gone on long enough. We have shown her mercy countless times, and to no avail. This time, I want her erased from existence."
Axel grunted and avoided eye contact with the Superior. He could feel his eyes boring through his skull, and Saix's suspicious glances from the other side of the room.
"Number VIII," Xemnas called to him. "Is there something that is troubling you?"
Axel looked up briefly, but then quickly removed his eyes. "No, sir."
"She escaped on your watch," he noted. "Don't believe that we have forgotten. This is not the first time that something such as this has occurred." Xemnas looked around the room. "This goes for everyone. If you spot Vilixa, it is your duty to destroy her upon sight."
Axel furrowed his brow and clenched his fist slightly. He peered over at Saix, who had a smug grin on his face. He narrowed his eyes at his comrade and let out a silent, frustrated sigh.
The smile was evident in Xemnas' voice as he casually rested his elbow against his armrest and said, "Meeting adjourned."
Axel summoned a portal and found himself in the Gray Room. He plopped down on the couch closest to the enormous windows and propped his feet against the table, his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't in the least bit happy.
Demyx sauntered over in his usual happy-go-lucky way and sat down on the couch opposite to him. "Wow, rough meeting, huh?" he asked, striking up conversation.
"Yeah," Axel replied shortly.
Demyx drummed his fingers along his chin. "If you see Vilixa, are you going to go through with it?"
Axel looked up at Demyx, but then sighed once more. "I don't know. She's still my friend, but an order is an order."
"Yeah," Demyx nodded slowly, "I guess."
Saix marched over to where the two Nobodies sat and handed them each a piece of paper. "These are your missions for today," he said. "Axel, you are to eliminate the giant Heartless that has surfaced in Agrabah. Demyx, head out to Hollow Bastion. See if you can awaken Roxas from within the Keybearer. It doesn't have to be immediately, but see to it that this mission gets completed."
"Again?" Demyx whined. "I tried that before, and I got lots of bruises! I'm not meant for combat..."
"It's either duel the Keybearer or be eliminated," Saix responded brusquely. "Your choice."
Demyx sighed. "Some choice."
Saix smirked triumphantly and walked out of the room. Axel looked at Demyx, the colour drained from his face. He didn't look like his usual self--it was almost as if Demyx's ghost, provided that he had one, was sitting in his place.
"No matter what happens, I'll be dead meat," he said shakily.
Axel walked over to Demyx and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "You'll do just fine against him. Maybe he'll take it easy on you...you remember how Roxas would always let you go."
"This isn't Roxas," Demyx hissed. "I tried that in the Coliseum. The Keybearer is a dangerous kid." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I'll leave for my mission tomorrow. But for now--" he waved his hand and his sitar appeared out of thin air. "--I need my music."
Axel summoned a portal and set one foot inside. He looked back at Demyx and shook his head. Then he called out, "Good luck, then."
Demyx looked over and nodded. "Goodbye."
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