Rhiannon: Another day, another chapter... although, I have surgery tomorrow so there might not be a chapter.
Chapter 10—What Kind of Name is Demyx?
The ship wasn't as bad off as they'd first thought. The engine had mostly suffered cosmetic damage and with some created maneuvering with a keyblade and a fire spell as well as Demyx's power over water they'd managed to seal the engine back up and into place. But take off still wasn't an option due to the ships need to recharge itself.
"So we're stranded?" Sora pouted flopping on the ground lazily.
"Looks like it." Riku murmured as he looked out across the vast dead plans. Off in the distance he could see what looked like elephant bones in one direction. In another was a large rock formation standing proudly. Nothing else was really distinguishable except for yonder dead tree.
"Man, does this place need a make over." Demyx whined from where he leaned against the ship looking out.
"Something terrible must have happened here." Kairi whispered sadden by the absolute desolation that surrounded them.
"For that astounding observation you win an award." The baboon nobody teased and she glared at him.
"It's not funny Demyx!" She cried and on pure accident sent her keyblade flying at him.
"HEY! I am not the enemy!" The blond baboon whined, rubbing at the swore spot on his head.
"Well… at least we can still fight." Leon murmured as he looked out across the vast desert. "That's got to count for something."
"I told you! Dinner!" A strange voice called out and they turned to see about six or so hyenas staring at them hungrily. "See!"
"We don't have time for this." Leon rolled his eyes.
"Time? Who needs time?" Another of the hyenas spoke and Kairi wondered if all their voices were as annoying as those two.
"Hey… um… isn't this the time to use some Jedi mind trick and get us the hell out of here?" Riku asked as he noticed that more were coming.
"Do I look like a Jedi to you?" Leon asked looking over his shoulder.
"Just attack already." Sora muttered under his breath before he shot forward barreling into the side of one of the mangy creatures and sending them rolling into each other.
The attack sent him airborne and his keyblade appeared, in his teeth. Unconventional, but he'd work with it. He charged back at the swing his blade and noticed that Riku and Leon seemed to pick up the idea, charging with their weapons held in their mouths as Kairi flung her keyblade at the hordes.
Demyx on the other hand just leaned against the ship and watched.
"You could help!" Kairi yelled at him annoyed.
"My keeper didn't allow me to fight." He shrugged idly and continued to watch with little to no interest as they finished with the hyenas, sending them running back the way they came.
"How convenient." Leon drawled after he dismissed his blade. "Riku, Kairi and I will stay with the ship. Sora, take Demyx and go scout and see if you can find some friendly natives."
"Why me and Demyx?" Sora whined but Leon looked at him firmly.
"You control Demyx's power. Order him to fight and he will. What you're doing shouldn't take long."
Sora grumbled and started to walk off towards the large rock formation in the distance as Demyx followed him. Sora wasn't one for silence and he found the Demyx wasn't either as they both opened their mouths to speak and then paused.
"I'll go first." Demyx decided aloud. "Are you guys from Radiant Garden?"
"Yeah." He shrugged and then cocked his head to the side and asked the question that had been on his mind for a while. "Do all nobodies want hearts?"
"Yeah… in a manner of speaking." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't quite remember how I became a nobody… I know that Axel did it on purpose and killed his heartless."
"Axel? Another member? Why would he do something like that?" He stopped because that of all things confused him.
"Axel came from a world filled with fortune tellers and other weird shit. He was told that the only way to find what gave him power, made him complete was something he could only find without a heart." Sora frowned.
"So he became a nobody for power? That sounds kind of greedy."
"Not exactly." Demyx smiled sheepishly, he was always telling people things he couldn't. "The power he was looking for was the power to save his world. It caused him to be banished from it. Having no home, he killed his own heartless to sever all his ties. Or so he told me. He said there was more to the prophecy but he didn't tell me."
"Wow." Was all Sora could say and then he started walking again and Demyx followed him.
"I know that the first five use to research hearts… and in an accident during their research caused them to be separated from them." Demyx shrugged. "I don't remember what it's like to have a heart… but it sounds like a noble goal doesn't it? Destroy worlds and create Kingdom Hearts just to get a heart? Billons of hearts just to forge thirteen measly hearts."
"That's not right." Sora whispered softly.
"I guess that would be why you've decided to stop Xemnas." Demyx cracked his knuckles. "Though I guess it would be twelve hearts by now. When Xemnas finds me, he is so-o going to kill me."
"Who are you!" A growling female voice spoke from the lioness that stood at the base of the rock formation, they hadn't even realized that they'd reached it.
"I'm Sora… and this is Demyx." She cocked her head and stared at them funny.
"What kind of name is Demyx?" She asked and the baboon's eye twitched.
"It's my name. Got a problem?"
"No." She gave a thin smile. "Come with me… maybe Rafiki will know what to do." She turned and walked towards up the path on the side of the formation.
"Uh… could we get a name?"
"I am Nala." She whispered and they followed her up to a hollow in the rock.
An old frail looking mandrill slipped out at her beckoning. He walked around them, studying them carefully before he laughed out loud and fell against the rock wall.
"Off worlders! Off worlders!" He cried as he hopped around them.
"I think pops is a little off in the head if you get my drift." Demyx muttered under his breath and then let out a whine as the shaman-like creature whacked him in the skull with his staff.
"Ugly baboon is stupid." He muttered and the tutted under his breath. "Follow me. Follow me. You must meet the King!"
"Have I ever mentioned that I hate kings?" Demyx asked Sora and the lion cub rolled his eyes.
"Shut up before you get us killed or something."
The king was a majestic brown lion with a reddish man and a startlingly young looking face. He was looking off into the land with a sad look on his face, more concerned about the sorry state of his world then the people around him or so it seemed.
"Simba… We have guests." The mandrill spoke.
"Who Rafiki?" He turned and looked at them with an almost blank face.
"I'm Sora! And this is Demyx!" Sora smiled brightly at them and the lion smiled back.
"I'm Simba." He greeted and head butted Sora lightly. "What brings you to the Pride Lands?"
"Is that what this place is called? Not much to be proud about." Demyx muttered under his breath.
"This place will be beautiful once again!" Simba growled, suddenly looking like the king they all claimed he was.
"Take it easy! I was just observing." The baboon whined.
"You know… I think you are the ugliest baboon I ever met." Rafiki murmured sweetly and Demyx pouted even more. "Tell us, tell the King of your plight off worlders!"
"I have to say." Axel murmured from where he stood in a foreign town. "This wasn't one of my brighter ideas."
He was standing in the middle of Radiant Garden, wondering how to infiltrate the old castle where Ansem was supposedly hiding. It was in the much feared, third district, though there were no walls separating second and third. He had heard, through Xigbar that Ansem had been collecting Princesses of Heart to try and open a gate to the darkness.
"How dramatic." He muttered to himself as he jumped from building to building to get closer to the castle. "So he's has about five of these girls…I hope I don't get stuck baby sitting."
He managed to sneak into the castle and rolled his eyes. Oh, sure… use heartless as bodyguards. They were about as useful as Chihuahuas in his mind as he simply walked passed them and occasionally destroyed the ones that actually put up a fight. He shifted quietly through the halls after all, the heartless weren't actually interested in him, he had no heart.
He found Ansem admiring his collection of frozen girls like one would a garden, Axel was creeped out to say the least. He stepped out slowly and let his chakram fly. The man in question turned and block it effortlessly.
"I was wondering when Xemnas would send someone to kill me."
"You think to highly of yourself." Axel murmured as he stepped forward. "Allow me to fix that for you."
"Fix? I think you might be the cocky one." He lifted his arms calling magic and Axel dodge and threw his chakrams and managed to send the figure stumbling back.
Axel grunted as his was shoot through with pure electricity and fell to his knees, he stood up slowly, his hair felt like it was standing on end but he was sure that wasn't the case. He smiled at his opponent and moved in.
"And here I thought this wouldn't be a challenge." The silver haired man smiled and appeared behind Axel slamming a fist into his side.
Axel gasped for breath and turned and sliced into the heartless before him and managed, only just barely to injure him. He was definitely out classed. That he could deal with. He just hoped that Roxas got his message.
Roxas woke up from yet another nightmare of all encompassing darkness. Only this time he wasn't in the center of it. Axel was. Shrugging it off, he pushed himself up and moved to head out the door. On the wall, there was a letter with scorch marks. He shook his head and pulled it down to read it.
If you want to meet your other. Now would be the time.
And Key to Destiny… you will be missed.
Well, that was weird. But he understood a clear order when he got one. He clamored for his cloak and walked out the door and opened a portal. He sincerely hoped this would be his last time seeing the Castle That Never Was… he just wished that Axel had been there to say goodbye. It left a hallow ache in him that he wasn't sure he understood.
Rhiannon: Um... yeah...