Twilight Thorn, the largest Nobody in existence, had Roxas clutched in its giant and weirdly shaped hands while Sora and Aqua glared up at the beast with their weapons primed.
Sora quickly fired a Firaga blast up at the beast's arms, causing it to bend and wobble in unnatural ways as if it were made of rubber. The Twilight Thorn looked down and attempted to stomp on the young Keyblade wielder but Sora dodge rolled out of the way. It then aimed its other arm at Sora, causing it to extend at an unnatural speed and lengthen to grab him. Now Sora and Roxas both were in the monster's hands.
Just then, a series of large energy filled bubbles appeared around the creature's head. As it looked around, Sora and Roxas noticed Aqua hanging off the back of its head with a bubble of magic around her. She quickly leapt up as the spheres flew inward and crowded around the monster's head, exploding in a fantastic light, causing it to drop both of its captives. Sora landed next to Aqua, whose protective bubble had popped by now, while Roxas landed to the monster's right. The creature then created a blinding white flash. When the light faded, all three of them were entrapped by four glowing lights, one on each of their wrists, and one on each of their ankles, and suspended in midair with their arms and legs stretched out as if they were making an X. Oddly the Twilight Thorn had vanished. Their Keyblades however were still in hand.
"UGH! I can't move!" Aqua said as she pulled against the spheres of light but to no avail.
"Wait for it!" Roxas replied.
"For what?!" Sora asked back. Just then the Twilight Thorn appeared suddenly and reared back its fist.
"NOW!!!" Roxas shouted as for a brief instant the spheres vanished and the three were able to move. They quickly leapt up and each delivered a fierce blow to the monster's head, knocking it backwards into the clock tower before the spheres of light appeared again and they were stuck. The Twilight Thorn recovered and extended its snake like arms at them, grabbing them all within his grasp before hurling them all into the air. It then started to swing its arm around in an effort to swat them down.
"AGAIN!!!" Roxas shouted as the three jolted forward, narrowly dodging the creature's hand and again delivering a fierce blow to its head, causing it to stagger backwards. The three landed on the top of the clock tower, looking down at the monster's head. It then staggered slightly as it stood up, turning its head a full one eighty degrees to "stare" at them. It then held its hands up into the air, creating a massive white and grey sphere of Nothingness energy over its head.
"Uh oh." Sora said as the clock tower suddenly shook, and a burst of black and white thorns erupted from the sides, knocking the three off. They started falling, their trajectory leading them straight towards the sphere of energy.
"THROW THE KEYBLADES!!!" Roxas shouted as they each threw their Keyblades, causing the sphere to explode in the giant Nobody's face and topple over onto its chest. The three Keyblade wielders landed softly on its back.
"Hurry! Now's our chance! Let's end this thing!" Aqua said as they re-summoned their Keyblades and leapt for its head, but the creature recovered too soon and started to stand up, turning menacingly towards the three Keyblade warriors.
"What now?!" Aqua asked.
"Hit it with everything we've got!" Roxas replied before the monster started spitting black and white thorns of nothingness at them, causing them all to have to start evading.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Aqua shouted as they continued avoiding the thorns.
"There has to be some way to defeat it! Roxas, how did you kill it last time?!" Sora asked while dodging.
"I kept hitting its head till it died! That's all I remember!" Roxas replied.
"Then we keep aiming for the head!" Aqua said as she started sliding up towards the Twilight Thorn's head. She leapt up towards it with her Keyblade reared back. Before she could land a blow however, a strange white bird shaped creature flew up and smacked her down towards the ground. It was a Creeper Nobody.
"Oh great! It's called in reinforcements!" Roxas shouted as Aqua hit the ground hard. Sora and Roxas hurried over to her. She was still conscious but she did have the wind knocked out of her. They looked up in the sky around the Twilight Thorn's head as dozens of Creepers appeared floating in the air around it.
"What do we do now?!" Sora asked as the Twilight Thorn reared back its fist. Sora and Roxas quickly raised their Keyblades, but Aqua was still unable to move. The Twilight Thorn threw its fist forward but just before it hit…
FWOOSH!!!
A massive jet of flames flew in and hit the Twilight Thorn's fist, knocking the giant Nobody off guard. Sora, Roxas, and Aqua were stunned. They quickly started looking around until Roxas finally saw it. A floating grey orb surrounded by a ring of fire. Sora saw it too and recognized it from Olette's description.
"That's the orb! That's the orb that's been keeping Hayner, Pence, and Olette safe from Seifer and his gang!" Sora exclaimed as Roxas approached the orb curiously. The Creepers and the Twilight Thorns were totally discombobulated by the sudden and unexpected attack. As Roxas walked closer, he saw something in the center of the orb that was very familiar to him. He then heard a familiar voice from inside the orb speak…
"Roxas...come closer." it said as Roxas stepped back in shock.
"Wait, that voice! I know that voice!" Roxas exclaimed before he walked up closer to the sphere.
"I've got something to ask you." The voice asked as Roxas smirked.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Roxas asked, looking at the image of two familiar chakrams inside the sphere. Suddenly the sphere exploded in a towering pillar of fire, causing Roxas to leap back to where Sora and the semi-recovered Aqua were. They then heard a familiar voice shout…
"GOT IT MEMORIZED!?!?"
The pillar of flames died down to reveal a figure in black Organization XIII robes. The figure threw its arms straight out to the sides, causing a pair of spinning, flaming, chakrams to appear before it grabbed them, the hood falling backwards as if by magic, revealing the grinning, spiky haired red headed pyromaniac underneath.
"Axel!" Sora exclaimed as Axel grinned.
"Yo Sora. I see you've gotten the three of you into a nice mess!" Axel said with a grin.
"WHAT?! I didn't do this?!" Sora exclaimed as Axel laughed.
"I know, I'm kidding! Anyway, these punks just don't know when to quit! What say we turn up the heat a little?!" Axel asked as he glared up at Twilight Thorn.
"Let's do it!" Aqua said as she climbed to her feet.
"Bring it on!" Sora added. Axel grinned at the sight before turning and looking at the Nobodies overhead.
"Come 'ere, I'll make it all stop!" Axel shouted to the nobodies before he started spinning his chakrams over his head, sending out small fireballs from the ends that arced upwards and homed in on the Creepers, shooting them out of the sky.
"Go! I'll deal with these punks!" Axel shouted as Roxas's Keyblades started to glow and he aimed them straight at the Twilight Thorn.
"Time for a taste of your own medicine!" Roxas shouted as his Keyblades suddenly spawned thirteen total clones made of Light. The Keyblade clones quickly divided into four groups of three, with one extra hovering on its lonesome. The Keyblade groups suddenly rammed themselves into the wrist and arms of the Twilight Thorn.
"Aqua! Sora! NOW!!!" Roxas shouted. Sora and Aqua turned and nodded to each other. They then grabbed each other's left hand, facing opposite directions. They then started channeling their energy together before they separated and a powerful whirlwind of energy appeared, swirling around them both. They both turned towards Twilight Thorn and leapt apart, literally flying around to opposite sides of the monster to where they were facing each other. They both reared back their Keyblades and flew straight at it, their Keyblades both glowing with a white light. They came together in a flash of blinding white light and when it faded the two had swung their Keyblades straight forward and had passed each other by, instead cutting completely through the towering Nobody. The monster let out an agonized roar as it started to fade away. Sora and Aqua landed on the ground next to Axel and Roxas before the beast exploded in a flash of brilliant light.
"HA! BURN BABY!" Axel shouted in victory.
"We did it!" Sora rejoiced.
"I suppose then, that you're on our side." Aqua said as Axel grinned and suddenly burst into flames.
"Nope." He replied with a grin. Sora, Roxas, and Aqua suddenly leapt back, their weapons primed. The flames around Axel suddenly died off as Axel's grin widened.
"PSYCH!!!" Axel laughed, causing the three to groan.
"Axel, it most certainly is you. Ugh." Roxas groaned.
"So glad you realized that Roxas." Axel said as he dismissed his chakrams.
"I don't get it. You were an Absent Silhouette just a moment ago. And I thought Absent Silhouettes were just the embodiments of a deceased Nobody's power. How did you regain your personality?" Aqua asked as Axel tapped his chin and shrugged.
"Not a clue really. I just know that I wake up on the top of the clock tower one day as a floating orb. So I decide to wander around for a while. Then I run into those three friends of Roxas' getting harassed by that punk in the ski-cap and so I decide to do the decent thing and give 'em a break. Then after a while I see the three of you charging through the tunnels to get to the Twilight Thorn and I decided to see how you guys fared." Axel explained.
"So when did you decide to intervene?" Roxas asked.
"When I got bored." Axel shrugged.
"Well we're glad you were there, Axel." Aqua asked as the Flurry of the Dancing Flames shot her a suave grin, sliding up next to her with his arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah, so was I. What say you and I go light up the night some time babe?" Axel asked, cupping Aqua's chin as she blushed.
"Umm…I uh…" she stuttered. She had been caught off guard.
"Axel, let her go already." Roxas groaned.
"Quiet ya lil' weasel I'm on a roll here." Axel muttered to Roxas through clinched teeth.
"Uh, No you're not." Sora said, pointing nervously towards Aqua. Axel turned before paling and sweat dropping as he realized he was now grasping Aqua's right breast with the hand that was around her shoulder and Aqua was emanating a murderous aura of impending doom as she glared daggers at him. Axel quickly removed his hand and hid behind Sora and Roxas.
"Don't…do that…again." Aqua warned before turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. Roxas rolled his eyes.
"Axel you're an idiot." Roxas grumbled.
"Can you blame a guy for admiring art when he sees it?!" Axel asked as Roxas groaned, while face palming. They then noticed as Hayner, Pence, and Olette emerged from the underground passage.
"You did it! You killed the monster!" Pence exclaimed as they hurried up to them.
"Yeah, this calls for a celebration!" Hayner declared as Olette immediately produced seven sticks of sea-salt ice cream.
"None for Axel?" Axel asked curiously.
"I always carry a spare, but…who are you anyway?" Olette asked as she handed him a stick of ice cream.
"The name's Axel, that's A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" Axel said with a grin.
"He's the former eighth member of Organization XIII. He's on our side now. He helped us defeat the Twilight Thorn." Sora explained.
"He's also been your guardian angel as of late." Aqua added.
"Huh?" Hayner asked mid-lick.
"What do you mean?" Pence asked.
"You three seem to have an issue with that punk with the ski-cap and followed by the albino chick and the muscle brained idiot. There's also the little guy with the funky hat too but he doesn't seem to be a real problem." Axel explained.
"That's no news. Everyone in Twilight Town knows Seifer's a bully and that Hayner is his favorite target." Olette said as Axel shrugged.
"Okay then, but how do you explain the fireball that torched the punk's bat, the ice cream that quickly melted in their hands when they stole it from the three of you, and the coup de grace, the time when that extra strength stink bomb spontaneously exploded on them, making them smell like gym shorts for three days straight?" Axel asked with a grin. Roxas, Sora, and Aqua were suppressing their laughter at the mental images conjured up by Axel's explanation.
"How did you know about all that?" Olette asked.
"We were the only ones who witnessed it all." Pence said.
"Unless…unless you were that flying fireball that's been saving our hides from the Disciplinary Committee." Hayner said as Axel grinned again.
"No charge." Axel replied as he bit down on the ice cream bar.
"Only one question though…why?" Olette asked. Axel paused for a moment and looked at them curiously.
"I…I dunno really. Why did I help them out?" Axel asked himself. Roxas then put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Maybe because…because you were trying to find a friend. You knew I was one with Sora again, and you were lonely. You wanted friendship and so when you saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette in trouble, you decided to try and help them, because you knew that I was friends with them once too. Am I wrong, Axel?" Roxas asked as Axel pondered for a moment before turning towards the three who were smiling up at him.
"Well if you wanted friendship, I'd say that you got it." Hayner said with a smile.
"Yeah, but you didn't have to protect us all the time just to earn our friendship." Pence added.
"You just had to ask." Olette said as Axel smiled with a satisfied chuckle.
"Whoa. Hold me Roxas I think I'm gonna faint." Axel said as Roxas arched a curious eyebrow.
"Huh?" Roxas asked as Axel put his hand over his chest.
"I think…I think I know why I retained my personality, even after becoming an Absent Silhouette." Axel said.
"You do?" Sora asked. Aqua smiled, knowing the answer.
"He found his heart." Aqua said as Sora and Roxas looked at her in amazement before turning towards the red haired pyro.
"Nothing gets by you does it babe?" Axel asked, causing Aqua to scowl again.
"I think I understand. It's just like with the second tier of my Command Styles, they're formed through the bonds I make in my heart. With nobodies, their hearts are formed when they create bonds with people who have hearts." Sora said as Aqua smiled and nodded.
"Very profound, Sora. It does make sense though." Aqua said as Hayner and Pence looked at each other curiously.
"Would that be why we've been chasing girls a lot lately?" Hayner asked curiously as Axel sweat dropped again.
"Definitely." Aqua said with a twitchy eyed glare. Axel quickly put Hayner, Pence, and Olette between him and the Keyblade Master. Olette suddenly gasped.
"Hey look! I won!" She declared, holding up her empty ice cream stick.
"Won? Won what?" Sora asked.
"Oh just a free ice cream. Sometimes you'll find a stick of ice cream that has the word "WINNER" printed on the stick. You just turn it in to the nearest ice cream vendor and they'll give you a voucher for a free stick of ice cream." Hayner explained. Olette looked at the ice cream stick for a moment before turning and giving it to Axel.
"Here, as a symbol of our new found friendship." Olette said as Axel took the stick with a touched smile.
"Wow. Thanks guys." Axel said.
"Well, I guess we better hit the road. Right Sora?" Aqua asked as Sora sighed and nodded.
"Yeah. We need to keep going. We're on a mission and we can't afford to waste much time." Sora said as Roxas nodded.
"Yeah and I better stick with him, just so he doesn't get into trouble." Roxas said as Axel smirked and nodded.
"He's going to need all the help he can get. Speaking of which, here." Axel said, tossing a small red pendant with the symbol of his chakrams on it to Sora.
"What's this?" Sora asked.
"If you ever need my help, you just need to holler. Got it memorized?" Axel said with a smirk.
"Thanks Axel. I'll hold onto this." Sora said as he turned to Roxas.
"It's that time huh?" Roxas asked as Sora took a deep breath and nodded. Roxas smiled understandingly.
"Hey, look sharp." Roxas said as he started to glow with a white aura before disappearing in a blinding flash of light. When the light faded, the blue sphere with the XIII etched on it was all that remained. Sora silently pocketed the two items before turning to Aqua.
"Well. Let's go." Sora said.
"Right. Goodbye everyone!" Aqua said as she turned to summon her Keyblade Rider.
"Bye! Oh wait!" Pence exclaimed as he reached in his pocket.
"What? What is it?" Aqua asked as Pence pulled out Terra's Lucky Charm.
"We found this when we snuck into the mansion while you were fighting the monster, and we thought that you might have dropped it. Is it yours?" Pence asked as Aqua took the charm in stunned silence.
"I made it, yes. But it belongs to a friend. I'll be sure to give it back to him when I see him again…if I see him again." Aqua said, pocketing the charm, not noticing the distrusting look Sora was giving her.
"Come on Aqua. Are we going or not?" Sora asked, summoning his Keyblade Rider and armor and hopping on.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez where's the fire, Sora?" Aqua asked as she summoned her Keyblade Rider. Axel snickered at the comment.
"Where's the fire? RIGHT HERE!!!" Axel shouted, raising his hands in the air while holding fireballs in each. Hayner, Pence, and Olette each started laughing, so did Aqua.
"Well, so long kids! See ya round!" Aqua called out as her armor appeared around her. She and Sora then took to the stars.
…
"You're kinda quiet, Sora. Something on your mind?" Aqua asked as they flew amongst the stars.
"Where are we going next?" Sora asked bluntly.
"I figured we should start focusing on Shoot Locks next, and those require a lot of magic skill to pull off. I thought, why not just go to the same place Master Eraqus sent Ven, myself, and Terra to learn them?" Aqua said as she flew ahead of Sora slightly.
"Where are we going?" Sora asked curiously.
"A world you probably have never been to. It's called Magician's Bayou. It's full of people who are masters of magic." Aqua said as Sora shrugged.
"Sounds great." He said halfheartedly. Aqua noticed his response and glanced over her shoulder at him curiously.
"Something's eating him. I'm going to have to find out what it is when we get to Magician's Bayou." Aqua said in her mind as they soared through the stars.
End Chapter 17.