Welcome back, readers.
Please excuse me for the last chapter being so short. I don't really have a reason for it, only that I kind of rushed to get it done. I've kept myself at a good pace so far, and I will for the rest of the story.
So, shall we continue?
Play: At Dusk, I Will Think of You... - KH 358/2 Days
Kirux walked over towards the edge of the clock tower. He heard Roxas and Axel talking around the corner, which gave Kirux some relief.
Some, but not a lot. The day had been one giant mess ever since he had talked to DiZ that afternoon.
"Hey, guys." Kirux said, trying to sound happy. But all of his enthusiasm had been taken over by confusion and anger.
"Kirux! There you are! We've been waiting for a while." Axel said with his usual smile.
Roxas, however, saw that something was up, "Is something wrong? You seem a little upset."
"Yes. Xion is unconscious and I can now wield the Keyblade out of nowhere. Plus, I'm being lied to by some of the only people I can trust." Is what Kirux wanted to say.
No, not say. Yell.
This day had not been kind to him.
...
"Well," he said, looking down, "Man, where do I even start? I was at Beasts' Castle, fighting this Heartless and I was losing, then out of nowhere, and, well..."
He stopped, "Just look."
He put his hand out, and his Keyblade appeared in his hand. Roxas and Axel were both stunned.
"You...can wield the...Keyblade?" Roxas struggled to say in his own shock.
Kirux shook his head, putting the weapon down to his side, "I don't know how. There was a flash of light, and then bam. The Heartless was gone, and the Keyblade was in my hand."
He let the weapon fade away, and sat down beside Roxas, "And that's only the beginning."
Axel struggled to find words, but did, "Well, what happened then?"
"I heard a scream coming from the bridge. When I got there, I found one of us on the ground. They had their hood up, so I couldn't see initially. But when I ran towards them...it was..."
He didn't want to say it, but Roxas persisted, "Come on. You can't stop there."
Kirux sighed.
"It was...Xion."
Axel and Roxas both gasped.
"That's why she's not here today."
Roxas spoke up, "Where is she now?"
"Back at the castle. I took her there immediately. I was there in her room for hours, but...she didn't wake up."
"Well, why are we still here? We need to be there with her!" Roxas said, preparing to stand up.
"It's pointless," Kirux said, putting his hand on Roxas' shoulder, stopping him, "I told you. She didn't wake up, and she won't anytime soon."
"How do you know?"
"I just...I just do, alright. It's just a hunch that I've got."
Roxas sighed, sitting back down, "Who would have done something to her?"
Kirux didn't say anything, even though he knew the answer to his question already.
...
DiZ. Riku.
You both will regret this.
...
Kirux clenched his fists, standing up.
"I know who it is."
"What?"
"The one that hurt Xion. I know who it is, and I know where they are."
"Well," Roxas said, standing up, "What are we waiting for? Let's go find them."
Kirux shook his head, "No. I've got to go alone."
"Why?"
"Xion got hurt when I was in the same world as her. Therefore, it's really my fault she got hurt in the first place."
"Besides," he pulled his Keyblade out, "I want to see what I can do with this."
"He's right, Roxas," Axel said, "But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful, Kirux. We have no idea what you're up against."
...
...
...
Kirux looked down, "Yeah. I do."
He disappeared as his portal enveloped him, sending him away.
Stop: At Dusk, I Will Think of You... - KH 358/2 Days
Play: Disquieting - KH ReCOM
When Kirux arrived at the mansion, he found DiZ already standing in the foyer. When he saw him, he got angry. He walked towards them.
"What did you do to her?!" Kirux yelled.
He turned around, "Are you referring to the puppet?"
"She has a name. You know that!"
"That thing has no name, nor any point in being. It's existence is merely a burden on our progress."
"Are you just going to ignore my question?!" Kirux said, his anger growing by the second.
DiZ shook his head softly, "When Riku first found you and brought you to me, I thought that you would avoid trying to become close with any of those Nobodies. But, to my surprise, you've developed a connection to three of them."
"This wouldn't be a problem, if two of those three weren't the keys to awakening Sora."
"What does that matter? I'm doing my job, am I not?"
"Please. All you've done is spot the targets. But you're too afraid to strike. You don't want to lose the only connections you do have."
Kirux's anger continued to grow.
"Of course I don't! Those three are the only ones I can trust! I don't even know if I can trust anybody here, apart from Namine!"
"Who's to say you're not going to destroy me once this is all over?!"
"I would never do that to somebody who would have done so much to awaken Sora."
...
"Then why," Kirux said, "Why did Riku hurt Xion? Why did you allow him to?"
"Like I told you. The puppet had to-,"
"Stop calling her that!"
He heard a door open to his left, and he saw Namine up on the railing.
"She had to be put on a new path. I would have had her unharmed, but the Organization has filled her with so many lies that the only way to achieve this was with force."
...
...
...
He's lying, again. He doesn't care about her, or her safety.
"Just shut up! Enough with the lies!"
"Come again?"
"All you've done since I've gotten here is tell me how much Sora's memories matter for waking him. But, you wouldn't hesitate to destroy Xion and Roxas just to get them back!"
Kirux wasn't finished, "You don't care about Roxas! Or Xion! Or me, for that matter!"
He drew his Keyblade, seeing DiZ smile.
"Anyone who tries to hurt my friends will have to go through me!"
He ran towards DiZ, jumping at him, prepared to strike. However, his blade hit an invisible barrier. Then, a shockwave went out, sending Kirux flying backwards. He fell to the ground hard, his Keyblade clattering next to him.
He heard soft footsteps run down the stairs, but stop before they reached him.
DiZ started laughing, "Foolish boy. Did you really think that you would be able to do me any harm?"
Kirux sat up, struggling to stay partially upright.
"I'm expecting your reports to be more frequent."
Kirux was confused, "You still...want my help?"
"I don't want your help. I need it."
He turned towards Kirux, "Sora needs it."
...
DiZ walked away.
Namine ran towards Kirux's side, "Are you okay?"
Kirux sat up, fully this time, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"Why did you do that?"
"Xion is unconscious. She still hasn't woken up from he fight with Riku."
"So you tried to fight DiZ?"
Kirux stood up, "I had to do something. Xion is my friend, and I'll defend her from anybody that tries to do her any harm."
Namine smiled, "I guess your connection to her really is that strong."
"Yeah," He chuckled lightly.
He summoned his portal, "I'm heading back to the castle. See you around."
Namine nodded, "See you soon, Kirux."
Stop: Disquieting - KH ReCOM
Play: Dive into the Heart - Destati - KH1
Kirux's eyes opened slowly. He looked around, finding himself floating towards a glass platform. There was a picture of Riku on the glass, holding Soul Eater in his hand. He drifted downward, landing on the platform.
"What...is this place?" He said quietly. There was nothing around him, just the platform he was standing on.
...
...
...
Suddenly, he heard a voice.
"Kirux..."
"Wha-. Who's there?" Kirux said, looking around, but finding nobody.
"Kirux."
"Who are you?"
"Kirux."
The voice came from behind him. He turned around, finding somebody in a black coat.
...
'Wait a second.'
'Is that...Xion?'
...
"Xion? Is...is that you?"
The person just stood there, staring at him. Without another word, they turned around and walked towards the edge. When they reached the edge, a pathway emerged underneath them.
Kirux was stunned, but he snapped out of it.
'If that's Xion, I've got to follow her.'
So, Kirux ran up that same path that "Xion" went on.
...
...
...
That path led him to another glass platform. But this time, the person on the platform was different.
It was Kirux, in the same pose, instead holding his Keyblade.
"Xion, where are you? Please answer."
"Can you face them?" A voice called out.
"What?"
"Do you have the strength to?"
"What are you talking about? Face who?"
Then, a blob of darkness came out from the platform. It took the shape of a person, someone Kirux knew all too well.
It was Axel.
"Axel? What are you doing here?"
"Axel" didn't respond. Instead, he started raising his arms, only to put them out to his sides. Suddenly, two sharp weapons appeared from flames in his hands.
Kirux was surprised, his Keyblade appearing in his hands.
"Do you have the strength to face your friends?"
"What do you mean?"
"On your path, you will have to betray your friends, the ones you care about the most."
"You will have to face them, but can you do it?"
Kirux shook his head, "No. I won't fight my own friends, not on the outside. I'll keep everything the way it is AND help wake Sora up."
He raised his Keyblade, rushing towards the fake Axel and striking him once. He faded away, but the dark blob remained.
...
This time, Roxas was formed out of the darkness, Keyblade in hand. This time, the fake actually put up a fight, as it was the one that rushed Kirux.
Their blades collided. Kirux struggled to fend Roxas off, but he did eventually send him back. He then retaliated by striking Roxas in the back of the head, which took him down.
The dark blob sank back into the platform again. And again, it formed the last of his friends.
...
Xion. Like Roxas, she had her Keyblade in her hand.
Kirux stood there, his feet planted into the ground. He knew that he should probably do something, but his body wasn't letting him.
"Are you too weak to face her?"
"It's not my strength," he said, letting his Keyblade fade away, "I'm not gonna fight Xion."
"And why's that?"
"You see. Xion and I, we have something special, something that I don't have with Roxas or Axel."
"The two of us, we're never truly apart. This connection will keep us together, even if we're destroyed or lost to the darkness."
"So I won't fight her. Because how could I fight the one person that I care for the most?"
...
...
...
The voice came back, "That's very sweet of you, Kirux."
The dark blob sank back into the ground. It took shape again, but not as a person. It took shape of a door.
Kirux's Keyblade reappeared in his hand, and the end started glowing with light.
Kirux lifted it up, pointing it at the door. The light then shot at the door, opening it.
Kirux was blinded by the light that came from the door.
Stop: Dive into the Heart - Destati - KH1
Play: Friends in My Heart - KH2
When his vision came back, he was standing on a beach. The waves were crashing, the water reaching Kirux's feet. There was a beautiful sunset, almost identical to the one in Twilight Town.
"Kirux." A voice came from behind him.
Kirux turned around to find her.
Xion.
...
"Xion. What...are you doing here?"
Xion walked up beside him, "This place is where I usually am when I'm asleep, even at night. It's...peaceful here."
She stared out at the sunset, smiling, "The sunset reminds you of Twilight Town, right?"
Kirux smiled with her, "Yeah. It does."
...
The two of them were quiet for a little, before Xion looked over, "Kirux. You know who that man was, the one I fought, don't you?"
He looked down at his feet. He was hesitant to say anything about Riku, given what he had done.
He looked back up, crossing his arms, "Yes. I do. His name is Riku."
"Riku..." she said quietly, "Tell me. Why does he look exactly like you?"
"Because Xion," he looked over at her, "I'm Riku's Nobody."
Xion gasped, so Kirux continued, "I was created from the darkness that resides in Riku's heart. That's why I have all these dark powers and Ansem tried to take me over."
"I see. That explains a lot."
"Right. But Xion, you've seen Riku in your dreams. But can you tell me, is there anybody else that you see, in those dreams? Anybody that sticks out?"
Xion looked down, resting her hand on her head, "Well, there's a boy with brown, spiky hair. He's Sora, I know that from the dreams."
"But, there's also a...girl. She's always with Sora."
...
'She's talking about Kairi. It's got to be her.'
"You mean...Kairi."
"Kairi. That's right. She's the one that looks so much like me."
"Yes. And to Sora, she's someone very special."
"It's just...I remember things about the two of them. But, I don't know why."
She looked back up at him, "Do you?"
Kirux nodded, "I do know, yes. But that's something you're going to have to find out for yourself."
"But...how? I don't even know where to go, or where to find out."
"Don't worry. Once you wake up on the outside, I'll be there to guide you."
Xion looked down at her feet again, "Do you know where I can find Sora?"
"Sorry, but that secret stays with me."
He walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Don't worry, Xion. Once you wake up, we'll get everything figured out."
"I promise."
She sighed, before doing something Kirux never expected.
She hugged him, her arms wrapped tightly around him.
"Thank you, Kirux."
Kirux didn't know how to respond to this. All he did was just stand there, awkwardly.
Eventually, he did hug her back.
When she pulled away, the area started to become coated with light. Kirux could barely see the island they were on, but Xion was clearly visible.
"I'll see you on the outside, right?" Xion asked.
Kirux nodded, "Of course. I'll be right there."
She smiled again, before he lost sight of her in all of the light.
Things are finally about to "heat" up.
Thanks for reading!
-Broncozfan623