In which their purpose for chasing Neku is revealed and Zarxilt isn't what he seems…

Chasing The Truth

By FlikFreak

Chapter Eighteen: Confrontations


Bolt was angry. That man…the one with no scent…had barged in, hurt everyone in the room, and then proceeded to take the sick human girl away. And she had been so close to being cured, too. How could any human be so cruel?!

No, not a human. That boy was less than a human. What was the phrase his friend had once used? 'Creature of darkness' or something? No, that fit those heartless things better…but either way, that thing was as good as scum.

He knew he had to get help. He sniffed the air, trying to find a strong trace of Rhyme's scent. He leapt onto the bed, finding an important piece that they had left behind: a large portion of black cloth that the girl had worn on her head. Grabbing it in his jaws, Bolt jumped down, giving another look to the human boy that had hardly left the bed. He was still alive and breathing. The kind woman was still near the door. She was okay, too. With grim determination, Bolt ran outside, jumping over the remains of the wooden door and heading as fast as he could for the marketplace.

Several white monsters appeared. He ignored them, instead choosing to outwit them. When several blocked his path, another person…no, not a person…in a black cloak appeared, demolishing them with a sudden burst of lightning. He spun to Bolt, his young face looking down on him urgently. "Hurry, boy. Go get help."

It was him! The scentless one that was helping them! Nodding and giving a muffled bark in compliance, Bolt continued forward.


"He has arrived, Zarxilt."

The shortest of the Zoners smirked, looking up at Naxeyv with his functional eye and checking to make sure that his other one was still covered by his eyepatch. "Do I get to toy with him a little before we bring him in?" he asked. "It's more fun that way."

Naxeyv nodded. "Yes, but remember to save most of it for after we're done with him. Then, you may play with him to your heart's content."

"We don't have hearts," Zarxilt reminded him, "But don't worry. We will, once this machine is up and running again." With that, he vanished into a dark portal.


The landing was rough, but Neku didn't care. He and Sora were at the lead of the pack as they tore through town, heading for the Restoration Committee's headquarters.

Hurry…

I am! I am! Neku cried in his mind. He screeched to a halt, however, when he saw a little white figure approaching. He felt Sora next to him shift, ready to summon the keyblade, but then the figure came in view.

It was a dog, only roughly higher than his knee. Upright white ears were laid flat against his skull as he charged forward, a black lightning bolt mark on his back. The collar around his neck jingled with every step. What caught his attention, however, was the object in the dog's mouth: a black beanie, decorated with a small skull motif.

Neku knelt down as the dog halted in front of him and took the beanie. "This is Rhyme's," he nearly whispered.

"Do you know where Rhyme is, boy?" Sora asked the dog.

Barking in reply, the dog ran off toward the residential area. The group wasted no time in following him at a high pace. Neku nearly felt his heart stop, however, when he saw the entrance to the committee.

The door was shattered like fine glass. Even the metal hinges and the actual knob had been split into several pieces. Whatever had blasted that door apart couldn't have just been dynamite.

Sora was the first to react. His eyes went wide and he ran inside. When Neku caught up, what he found was even more shocking than the door itself.

Aerith had been knocked out, and she was lying on the ground near Cid's computer. In the back of the room was an overturned water bowl – probably for the dog – and Beat, whom had been thrown against the now-cracked wall. Rhyme's bed was empty.

Neku…

Not now! Not now!

Sora's face contorted into what could only be anger as he made his way for the unconscious skater. "Beat! Beat, wake up!"

It took a few shakes, but Beat's eyes finally cracked open. "Wha…" He muttered. "You guys…'bout time…"

"Where's Rhyme?" Sora asked, his voice darker than normal.

"Kid in a black coat took 'er," Beat replied, his voice hoarse. "Couldn't do anythin', yo…"

"He's in bad shape," Kairi said, biting her lip. "Took a serious hit…otherwise, he'll be fine."

"You sure about that?"

Everyone spun around just in time to see the darkness finish whirling around a familiar figure in black. Neku ground his teeth together as he recognized the sickeningly child-like face with the eye patch over one eye. The very same one he had encountered in Monstro. He scowled deeply, balling his hands into tight fists. The dog seemed to share his sentiment, and the growling commenced.

"Zarxilt," Sora snarled. "What did you do with Rhyme?"

"Oh, you mean the girl?" Zarxilt asked casually. "She's fine. We've got her a nice, safe spot in the Cavern of Remembrance…right next to Ansem's Computer."

"What are you going to do with her?" Neku demanded.

Zarxilt only rolled his eyes. "Geez, so pushy. We'll give her back to you as long as you help us out a little in the Cavern of Remembrance, promise."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Give it up. We can't start up that machine for you. Not even Cid knows how."

"I never said that's what we wanted," Zarxilt teased. "Just come to the Cavern if you want her back…alive."

"Rhyme never did anything to you!" Shiki cried angrily.

"Yeah!" Sora agreed. "So let her go!"

"That wouldn't be any fun at all," Zarxilt replied. "And no, Rhyme didn't do anything…but you did."

Sora blinked. "Me…?"

Zarxilt giggled. "If you wanna find out, come to the Cavern of Remembrance. We'll tell you everything you wanna know…once you give us what we want." And with that, he vanished.

Riku swore loudly. "They're using her as live bait…what do we do?"

"We go after him," Neku replied automatically. "We did not go through all that just so the shoalweed could sit here and rot."

"I'll stay here," Kairi offered. "When Aerith wakes up I'll be helping her with Rhyme's remedy."

Sora nodded in approval. Meanwhile, Neku's gaze drifted to Shiki. "Can you…?"

"Forget it," Shiki replied. "I'm not staying here." She grabbed a nearby rod. "Besides, if anything comes at me, I can hit it with this."

Neku gave a nervous laugh. That's a relief, he thought sarcastically.

Riku knelt down next to the white dog that had stayed near them and examined his nametag. "Bolt," he echoed. "Weird name."

Bolt growled in protest and Riku sighed. "All right, all right; sorry. Look, you stay here and keep the house safe. If any nobodies come here, feel free to chew off their limbs."

Barking compliantly, Bolt trotted next to the door and sat down. Sora whipped out the keyblade and turned to the other three with him. "Let's go."

Neku followed without a word.


I sent word to the Traitor. He's on his way.

About time. It looks like they're headed for the Cavern.

Gonna go watch?

No, it's too dangerous. They're going to bargain with Neku. If he helps them, they'll give Rhyme back.

And he's going to go with that? I seriously doubt it.

I doubt it, too. Still, Neku's a very clever boy…


There were some heartless in the Cavern of Remembrance, but Sora had no trouble swatting them away. Riku didn't even need to draw a weapon; Remembered Dream was doing all the work. Neku gave the entire cave a wary look as they shot through, and Sora bit his lip again; Neku's keyblade (if that's really what it had been) had not appeared since the encounter in Monstro. There was no time to wonder why as he approached the whitened halls of the cavern, pushing through several dusks that began to appear and assault them.

When they arrived in the computer room, they found Zarxilt and another of the Zoners standing by. Sitting on the ground nearby, eyes open and devoid of emotion, was Rhyme. Sora choked; he had seen that look before when Kairi had been without a heart.

Zarxilt grinned. "See, Lord Meyxours? I toldja I could get him over here."

"Most impressive," Meyxours replied, keeping his hood low. "Your abilities never cease to amaze me."

"Hold it," Sora began. "You're the leader?"

Meyxours barely paid any notice to them and vanished into a dark portal. "Hmph. Proceed with the plan, Zarxilt."

Waiting until his leader was out of sight, Zarxilt returned his attention to the group. "You have questions right? You don't have to tell me what they are…" He closed his eye, holding the palm of his hand forward. A high-pitched sound echoed in Sora's ears, loud enough to annoy but silent enough not to hurt. When it faded, Zarxilt had opened his eye again and his arms crossed. "You still don't know why we want this computer, huh?" He said. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Would we wonder why if we knew?" Riku retorted calmly.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Zarxilt turned around. "This computer hosts a number of perfect data replicas from Organization XIII. Meyxours wants to revive the Organization, see..."

"Why would he want to revive the Organization?" Shiki asked.

Zarxilt rolled his eye. "Well, duh. Universal domination with their help is my guess. He won't tell us. Trust me though, we don't want our hearts back. They just get in the way of what's really important. Problem is, we can't start this thing up without a power source. That's why we've been looking for Neku."

"Why does that have anything to do with me?" Neku asked firmly.

Zarxilt giggled. "Man, you're so slow! We were after you because you have the power we need to crank up the computer and revive the data!"

Neku's eyes widened. "Wha…you mean I'm the power source?"

No way! Sora cried out in his mind. So all this time, the answer was right in front of us?!

I don't like where this is going.

"Yep!" Zarxilt replied proudly. "One great big living battery. You had enough Imagination to wipe out several powerful reapers on your world, and you've got a strong enough heart to wield a keyblade. Man, it was so much easier when ol' Ventus unlocked your heart. Now we can access that power without having to hi-jack you."

"You…" Neku snarled, fists tightening. "You were going to use me all along! I knew it!"

"Oh, man! Your face is so priceless, Neku!" Zarxilt laughed again.

"Who's Ventus?" Sora asked. And why is that name so familiar?

"If that's all your questions," Zarxilt began, ignoring Sora's inquiry, "It's time for you to get to work. Then you can have your friend back."

Sora gave Neku a pleading look, but the proxy ignored him, eyes narrowed. "Fine," he said. "I'll help you."

What?! "Neku, don't!" Sora cried. "If you help them, they'll-"

"You always were too nice for your own good, Sora," Neku replied, cutting Sora off. "I'm getting Rhyme back no matter what it takes. Besides, you need to get a reality check. You let your heart get in your way too much. These guys don't."

What the?! He can't-!

Riku grit his teeth. "You son of a-"

Shiki gasped. "Neku! Why? I thought you-"

"Shut your face," Neku interrupted. "Didn't I tell you before? Friends are nothing but extra baggage. They pretend to care, and then they throw you away. Now I see what point Xsoh was making in the UG." With that, he strode forward.

That little…

Hang on, Sora. Something's not right.

Duh! You think? Neku's just turned traitor on us!

But he's not like this. He'd never let the enemy use him.

Yeah, right! Look at him now!

Zarxilt's face lit up with a smile. "Well, step on up. I'm sure you'll know how to start this thing."

Shiki was shocked, having fallen to her knees. Riku began to charge forward angrily, only for Zarxilt to thrust his palm in the group's direction, separating them with an enormous, transparent barrier. Riku fell back, his nose bleeding from the sudden impact, and sneered at Neku. "Little…"

Sora stood still, watching helplessly as Neku placed a hand on the computer's monitor. The machine revved to life. As it did, thirteen large objects strongly resembling upright coffins appeared circling the area. Neku barely noticed, his fingers brushing several buttons and making selections. His face was blank. "I'll pull up only one at first to see how much it takes out of me," he said. "That fine with you?"

Zarxilt nodded. "Go ahead. Don't break yourself."

With a nod, there were a few more blips before Neku pressed both of his hands to the screen. All at once, an electric current engulfed the proxy's entire body, channeling into the computer and causing a high-pitched whine to emit from it. One of the coffins began to pulse with light, growing brighter and brighter. Neku screamed as his energy was channeled into the machine, and when it finally finished he slumped to the ground.

Steam hissed out of the coffin as the door opened. A tall, hooded figure stepped out quietly, glancing over the room. Excited, Zarxilt flew up to him. "Finally! This is so exciting, getting to meet a real Organization member! Well, not real, just a replica, but a perfect replica, so it's just like it! Man, I can already taste victory! So, Neku, who'd you pick?"

Neku didn't respond. He pushed himself to his feet, crossed his arms, and said nothing.

Zarxilt must have decided that Neku was too tired to reply and went back to the man. "So, you wanna tell me your name? The other Zoners will be pretty happy to meet – hey!"

The cloaked man had swatted Zarxilt away with one hand, causing the boy to hover in the air over the computer. The replica stood his ground, arms at his sides as the shorter nobody gritted his teeth. "What gives? I thought…" He turned to Neku. "You! What did you do? The Organization should be kindred to the Zoners! You screwed up the data, didn't you?!"

"Nope," Neku replied. "The data is one hundred percent intact."

"Then what went wrong?!" Zarxilt demanded. "What happened?"

Neku grinned knowingly. "You said so yourself, didn't you?" He explained. "This computer hosts perfect data replicas of each and every member of Organization XIII, including their appearance, their powers, and most importantly…their disposition."

Zarxilt grunted angrily. "What're you getting at?!"

"It means I'm not about to follow orders from a bunch of Organization wanna-bes like you," the cloaked figure replied, pulling back his hood and grinning. Lengthy red hair fell over his shoulders, teal green eyes stared out at everyone in the room as he smirked. "Got it memorized?"

Sora's eyes lit up in realization. "Axel!" he cried. I knew it! He wasn't betraying us after all! Shiki must have shared his sentiment twofold, because tears were falling from her eyes as a smile climbed up her face.

Riku blinked. "Wow. Nice move there, Neku."

Neku grinned. "You didn't really think I was going to betray you, did you?"

"I can't believe you!" Zarxilt screamed angrily. "You tricked me! You…you…why couldn't I read you?!"

Axel wasted no time in summoning his chakrams in a burst of flame, hurling them at the barrier and shattering it. "Time's up for you, kiddo. You and your little friends."

"That's right!"

From above, another cloaked figure – one whom Sora instantly recognized as the traitor – fell from over the edge of the rising falls, slamming into Zarxilt and pinning him to the ground. Then, in one swift movement, he tore away Zarxilt's eye patch with a clearly audible ripping sound and leapt away, leaving the nobody to scream in agony and clutch his eye. "Playtime's over, Zarxilt," The traitor mocked.

Zarxilt looked up, hovering in the air with his posture hunched over. His hands gradually drifted away from where his missing eye was supposed to be. Sora was horrified by what he saw: instead of a dead eye or even an empty socket, there was a light red crystal pulsing a pale light, several sections of skin melted into several grooves where it had apparently shattered once. The glowing aura around the eye began to form around the rest of Zarxilt's body, the one around the eye remaining the most intense, and his hands glowed with a pale yellow energy.

Sora swallowed hard, not sure whether to feel nauseated or terrified. No way…that's not even an eye!

"And now he shows his true nature," the Traitor commented, clenching his fists.

"Meddlesome traitor!" Zarxilt roared, his childish appearance betraying his rage. "I created you; I can just as easily dispose of you!"


I liked this chapter...then I didn't. Then I did, then I didn't. The decided to delay it's release a bit. The little turd. Oh, well. He's cooperating now. n.n

Characters met/mentioned:

Axel (replica) (Kingdom Hearts)
Ventus? (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)

Zoners:

The Deceptive Evoker, Meyxours (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Elegant Reaper, Jaxuk (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Fallen Prince, Zarxilt (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Ruthless Emperor, Naxeyv (Chasing The Truth/???)