I'm sorry for the late update, I really am. And now you're going to hate me because I have to put this fiction on temporary hiatus until further notice. (cringes at the angry glares and the sharp pointy objects aimed in my direction) I'm sorry! But I have a scholarship paper I have to finish and the minimum is 17,000 words (it's a story) so I don't know when I'll be finished! So I'm really, really, sorry! Hopefully, this can keep you guys from killing me until it's finished.
But anyway, I think there's been some confusion. Odium does not have a third eye. His right eye is just…really fricked up…
Ahhhg, I forgot this site doesn't like links. So for the fan art thing try this instead: hosekidragon . deviantart . com but without the spaces.
Warning: This chapter contains extreme violence, blood, and trauma.
21: In Darkness No One Can Hear Your Screams
"I'm in trouble. I'm cornered…and I can't laugh." –Joco from 'Shaman King' by Hiroyuki Takai
Out of the corner of his eye, Xilvin saw Xhostam collapse to the floor and Odium pounce on him, the curtain of hair falling over the right side of his face again. He whirled on Tom's Heartless but Nameless knocked him away with a quick kick in the side. Xilvin heard something crack and pain made stars dance in his eyes but he shook it off. Xhostam was in too much trouble.
"What did you do to him!?" The Howling Storm's grip tightened on his weapon.
"He's trapped!" Odium giggled, sitting on Xhostam's back as the Nobody was face down on the floor, "Trapped in his own nightmares! His and Tom's! Ahaaaahahahahaha!" He pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere and started stabbing it repeatedly all the way down the Winged Slayer's arm.
Something inside of Xilvin popped, almost like a balloon that had been stretched too far.
He swung his arm up and started spinning his whip around and around and around until it became a blur of pale blue. He advanced towards Nameless, growling curses under his breath.
Suddenly, his whip halted.
Nameless had a fist closed around it, anger and hatred emanating from him in such a strong manner that they were almost tangible.
"Is that the best you've got?" Kaz's Heartless sneered, "You're pathetic!" He yanked on the whip, dragging Xilvin forward as the Nobody tried to pull his weapon back, "You're stupid!" Another yank and Xilvin was a foot closer, "And you're annoying!" He was inches from Lord Nameless now, staring through the violet tinted glasses and into those abhorrence filled crimson orbs, "And I'll make you suffer!"
Xilvin let go of the whip and aimed a punch at Nameless but the Heartless flicked his hand up and knocked the blow aside. There was a series of sickening snapping noises and Xilvin cried out as his broken arm swung down to his side, useless.
"Idiot! Fool!" Nameless stalked forward as Odium giggled with amusement, twisting a knife through the palm of his hand even as he jumped up and down on one of Xhostam's legs, no doubt breaking it, "Like you could beat us! Like you could beat me!"
Mercy…! A voice in Xilvin's head said to him desperately as he groaned and stumbled backwards, away from his advancing enemy, Beg for mercy! They're kids! They're kids like you! Just beg! Mercy! Mercy!
"Mercy…" The word slipped out before he could stop it, barely a whisper on his breath. He turned his hazel eyes on Lord Nameless, pleading without saying a thing. But the Heartless was just that; heartless.
"I am so tired of looking at your useless face!" Lord Nameless stretched a hand out and Xilvin felt something close around him, almost like the air pressure around his body had increased, "I wanna SMASH IT!"
Xilvin yelped in surprise as he was lifted into the air and thrown against the ceiling only to be slammed back down against the floor. He could barely hear Odium laughing past the rush of air whistling in his ears as he hit first the ceiling and then the floor over and over and over again. When it finally stopped, his head was spinning and he was too dazed to focus. The whole room looked blurred and tilted. But he could still make out Nameless.
"That…is that the best…you got!?" He croaked and Kaz's Heartless howled with rage.
Xilvin saw the wall coming at him and then tasted blood. A film of red glazed over his vision.
"I hate you!" He heard Nameless shouting, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Even when it's submerged into darkness you make Kaz's heart ache! I HATE YOU!"
The Howling Storm screamed in agony as he was bent backwards, still in the air. His spine creaked and popped in protest; it was not meant to be bent that way. Xilvin felt like he was going to be ripped in half but all he could do was scream and cry, a prisoner of Lord Nameless' telekinetic powers.
The edges of his vision started going dark.
This is it… He thought vaguely, even as he shrieked and twisted in Nameless' grip, This is the end…I'm going to…Fade…
Demyx waited impatiently at a corner, anxious for his water clones to return. Soon after Axel had made the comment that he couldn't find Xilvin or Xhostam in the area, the Heartless had dropped in great numbers and the Nobodies had had little trouble eradicating the remaining ones. But when they'd returned to the Cafeteria, the discovered that, no, neither Number XIV nor Number XV had returned. And after the initial encounter with their Heartless, the Organization members were wary to let them out on their own.
So now Demyx was waiting at a corner with Roxas and Axel for the return of his water clones and maybe some news about where Xilvin and Xhostam had run off to. They were only about Roxas' age, after all, and everyone kept a close eye on Number XIII. Of course, it helped that he was the Keyblade Master.
"Ah, they're coming back!" A couple of Demyx's clones glided around the corner and collapsed in on themselves, forming a swirling ball of water the size of a basketball. The Melodious Nocturne held it in his hands and it seeped into his gloves, leaving no wetness behind. He closed his eyes as the images flooded into his head. Then he jumped and snapped around to look at the other two.
"The Heartless!" He gasped, "Xilvin and Xhostam are fighting their Heartless!"
Axel swore loudly, "Lead the way, Water Boy!"
"Don't call me that!" Demyx growled but took off running anyway. Roxas hadn't said a word.
The trio halted outside the room that Demyx indicated but when the Melodious Nocturne twisted the door knob, it burnt his hand through is glove and he jumped back with a yelp of pain.
"Move." Roxas commanded and pointed Oblivion at the door. A beam of light shone from the Keyblade's tip to the keyhole on the doorknob. There was a click and the door swung open.
"TAKE THAT!" Shouted a gleeful voice and Xilvin's limp body came flying out of the room to slam into Roxas. The two Stumbled into a wall and the Key of Destiny became tangled in the Howling Storm's cloak and limbs.
"Heartless!" Demyx squeaked, "Dance, water, dance!" An army of water clones rose out of the floor and threw themselves at the Heartless who looked like Kaz that was blocking their way.
"Axel!" Roxas was on his feet again, "Protect Xilvin, he's been hurt bad! I'm going to try and get Xhostam out of there!" And he jumped into the fray.
"Hey! No fair!" Axel shouted as his friend vanished into the hoard of water clones, "I want to fight too!" He shot a green-eyed glance at Xilvin and cringed, "Yikes, never mind. I think I'd rather have all my limbs still intact, thank you."
"Axel! Catch!" Demyx's voice shouted and Xhostam flew into the Flurry of the Dancing Flames outstretched arms. Blood immediately soaked into the black fabric of Axel's cloak.
A string of curse words rolled past Number VIII lips as he saw the damage done. Flames licked the edges of his boots as he turned glaring green eyes upon the open door through which he could discern little because of Demyx's swirling water clones.
Inside the room, Roxas was trying to fend off Odium who was laughing manically at every move the Key of Destiny made. Tom's Heartless held two shimmering cleavers clenched in his hands and was battering at Oathkeeper and Oblivion with all his might. The clangs resounding from the clashing blades made Roxas' ears ring as he skipped backwards, parrying Odium's blows but unable to land one himself.
"Puny Nobody!" Odium squealed with delight as one of the cleavers skittered down Oathkeeper's length, bounced off the guard, and sliced through Roxas' glove to leave a streak of red on the skin beneath. Roxas hissed in pain and flipped backwards, the heel of his boot catching Odium in the chin and sending the Heartless stumbling backwards.
"Stay back!" The Key of Destiny pointed both of his Keyblades towards the ceiling and energy crackled around their tips. Odium sneered, flicking his tongue out to catch the tiny droplets of darkness that had managed to seep out of the cut on his lip before it healed over. Then he advanced once more. Roxas held the energy within for a few more moments and then unleashed it.
"Thunder!" Lightning crackled above both of them and then slammed full force upon Tom's Heartless. Odium screamed—half in pain, half in delight. Roxas felt his stomach churn at the sick thought; Odium was enjoying the pain.
"Aha…ahahahahahahahahahaha!" Tom's Heartless was on his knees on the floor but still somehow able to laugh despite the condition he was in. His skin was burnt, peeling from his face even as the dark energy sustaining him healed it, "It's going to take more than that to stop us!"
"Time to go!" Demyx shouted, suddenly appearing at Roxas' side, "Axel's got Xilvin and Xhostam! Let's get out of here!" He grabbed the back of Number XIII's cloak and dragged him away from the laughing Odium.
"Where's the other Heartless!?"
"I dunno! But we can't fight them, Roxas! We just can't! Not like this!" Demyx was in a panic. He had never been a fighter, not a good one anyway, and the power and hatred coming from the Heartless was too much. Roxas realized how futile it would be to fight them when they were too worn out from the fight earlier.
The two Nobodies jumped out of the door and Demyx hoisted Xilvin up. With a nod from Axel, who was carrying Xhostam, Roxas opened a Passage of Darkness and they ducked inside.
It vanished just as Nameless stuck his head out the room. His violet tinted glasses were cracked, his red eyes were glowing with abhorrence, and there were several tears in his black outfit. Odium leaned over his shoulder, giggling, and squeezed his arms around Lord Nameless' waist.
"Cut it out." Namless growled and Odium sniggered but let go, opting instead to curling loop one arm over his fellow Heartless' neck just enough so that his chin was perched on Nameless' shoulder. Odium flicked a small knife from nowhere and started sawing through his own wrist.
"They got away." Namless snarled in a low voice, fists clenching, "We almost had them and they got away!"
"Yeah…so what?" Odium pulled his knife away, raising it up to show Nameless it's blacked blade, and grinned, "They're scared of us. That's what counts, right?"
Nameless sneered, "Indeed…"
Well, this is going to be it for a while. I feel like I'm abandoning this fan fiction and I hope you guys don't think that 'cause that's not what's happening. I'm just…life is getting in the way. (sighs) Blech, this makes me depressed…
Thank you guys for hanging on and not trying to kill me (nervous grin) and for all the wonderfully wonderful reviews you leave me because they're all awesomely super sensationalistic! In my head, I'm giving you all cookies and milk! Yeah!
Please wait for the next chapter! Thank you sooooo much! You guys are so awesome! I'll see you later, when I finish the chapter!
Thanks for reading, please review, and have the greatest day ever!