Once they had figured out their definite plan, Roxas and Sora were ready to head over to the castle immediately. Though Xion declined, insisting that they at least get a good nights sleep before Roxas just went barreling in there. Sora, of course, tried to protest, claiming that she would kill Riku if they didn't hurry and get over there. But Xion assured them that Larxene wouldn't do anything till the next day, seeing as the woman loved to make a spectacle out of things and would want to make his execution into a big event. So, begrudgingly, Sora agreed and slowly made his way up the stairs, mumbling about how he wouldn't get any sleep anyways. Vanitas of course followed after him. Partly cause they were brothers, but mostly just to make sure Sora didn't try anything stupid. Much to Axel's perverse dismay and Roxas' releaf, they had been given separate rooms, thanks to how large the mansion was. Though they were also right next door to each other. Roxas was glad to have the privacy though.
His room was large to say the least. There was a queen sized bed in the middle, with nice comfy looking bedding and on either side of the bed was a night stand with lanterns. Then there was a bureau and armoir off to the side. Then, on the back wall were glass double doors with dark curtains, that kept out the sun light, that lead out to a nicely sized balcony. Then to the far right corner was a small table with two cushiony gray chairs. All of this, with room to spare.
It was nice and simple though, and Roxas couldn't wait to crawl into that bed and go to sleep.
Larxene stood on the balcony outside her room, looking out before her at the starry sky as she thought about the next day and the afternoon execusion that she waited so anxiously for. All she needed now was her knave and her night would be complete. She had sent him to retrieve the hatter that afternoon, but hadn't seen him since, and she couldn't help but wonder what happened to the male.
Though seemingly as if he had read her mind, there was a knock on her door and immediately after the door opened, revealing the only person allowed to enter without permission.
"Marly!" She said happily, taking quick steps over to the man and wrapping her arms about his waist. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to!"
Marluxia smiled and pat her on the back.
"My apologies highness. I had some business to attend to with the mouse." Marluxia said. Larxene pulled away from the man and looked at him seriously.
"He hasn't been disobeying me has he?" Larxene inquired suspiciously. Marluxia chuckled and shook his head.
"No highness, he's done nothing. He was simply curious about the hatter. Then I had to assist those guards with said man." Marluxia explained. Larxene arched a thin brow at this as she settled her hands upon her hips.
"What do you mean? What happened with the hatter?"
Marluxia shook his head in exasperation. "Nothing much. He just seemed to have lost his head for far longer than anticipated. He was scaring the guards with his laughter."
Larxene's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest and spun around.
"That bloody loon has lost his mind." She said irritatedly. Marluxia chuckled and nodded his agreement. "Whatever, he'll be dead tomorrow afternoon."
Marluxia raised a brow at this. "Are you sure that's a wise decision?"
"What do you mean?" Larxene asked curiously, getting slightly irritated.
"He's the only one that probably knows were Roxas is. If we immediately kill him, we may not find him in time and Riku's plan will succeed." Marluxia explained. Larxene paused for a moment, thinking over all he'd said.
"I suppose you're correct. Very well, we'll prolong his life!"
"Glad to hear it majesty." Marluxia said with a soft smile.
"Let's not speak of him any longer though. After all, it's just you and me." He said, raising a suggestive brow. Larxene smirked and turned back to look at him. It was like the look of a lioness while stalking it's prey.
Mean while, far below in the dark musky dungeon resided Riku. He was still completely bound, save for his mouth since he'd started to thrash and bite when they tried to put it back. The guards, figuring it didn't really matter much (fucking newbies) left it off. His eyes, however, were covered with a black cloth. He could feel the wall he was chained to behind him and hear the jingle of keys from the guard left to watch over the dungeon as he spun them around his finger.
He didn't really care much about any of this though. He wouldn't try to escape, he knew he wasn't going to die yet. Not today. He had faith in Roxas. He knew the boy could do it. He just needed incentive. Well here he was, ready and waiting. This of course didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun though. Slowly he started to hum. A childish yet insanely creepy melody. Finally, a sadistic grin broke out across his face and he started to sing.
"I'm a little tea pot. Short and stout." He began, singing slowly and to the creepiest tune he could muster.
"Here is my handle. Here is my spout! When I get all steamed up hear me shout..." He trailed off slightly as he slowly raised his head, knowing the guard was right outside his cell. He managed to look directly at him, scaring the shit out of the man, and slowly tilted his head to the side, sadistic smile still in place. "Slice you open and pour your guts out..."
When he finished he broke into manical laughter, making the guard nearly piss himself in fear. Oh yes, he could be absolutely... Mad...
Roxas lay in his bed, eyes shut and snuggled up in the warm sheets. He was almost asleep when he felt a chill breeze blow over his face. He scrunched his face in confusion. The balcony doors were shut weren't they?
Just to be sure, he peeked an eye open and looked over to the balcony. Sure enough, both glass doors were fully open. What the hell, he was sure he'd checked them before he went to bed, a habit of his due to his mother never locking the doors and constantly leaving them open.
He tossed the warm blankets off him, allowing the chill night air to prick at his skin and cause goose bumps on his arms. He padded across the soft carpeted floor and over to the glass doors. Just as he was about to close them though, he noticed a good deal of smoke floating through the air. His brows furrowed in confusion. It was coming from the right of the balcony, so it definitely wasn't Axel, his room was to the left, and his room was at the end of the hall.
Cautiously he stepped onto the balcony, the cement cool beneath his bare feet and looked in the direction of the smoke. On the metal railing sat an older man with long blond hair, dressed completely in blue. His button up was a powder blue with ruffles, his slacks a dark navy, and his long trench coat was a sky like blue. The only thing differing in color from the blue attire would be the black boots he wore. Then perched on the end of his long slim nose was a pair of thin rectangular framed wire rimmed glasses. In his hand, the man held the hose of a hooka that sat on the small metal table of the balcony, taking a puff of the smoke every now and again as he looked off at the starry sky.
"It's rather odd is it not? Living in a world filled with war, terrified of the day that you might die. Such a silly notion to some, yet even they can't fully deny that they don't fear death, even just a little. We sit at home, slowly driving ourselves insane just thinking about it... What a mad world we live in, don't you think?" The man said, not even glancing at Roxas. Said boy being taken aback by the statement.
"I think you're wrong." Roxas said thoughtfully, taking a step forward.
"Oh?" The man said simply, raising a brow. "Is that so?"
"Yeah, it is. I'm not afraid of death, not in the slightest. There's actually been times I've welcomed it. Because I've lived long enough to know that in all reality, there's nothing worse than life. Sure, maybe it has it's good spots, but every good day, seems to come at the price of at least ten bad ones. Maybe some fear death, but in my opinion, those people are the weak type that are simply afraid to even live their life to the fullest. Those that have no clue what real pain and tragedy is."
A smirk came to the man's face at Roxas' words and he finally looked over to the younger blond.
"Quite the insightful young lad aren't you?" He said with a small, almost silent chuckle.
"You could say that." Roxas answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just who are you anyways?"
The man raised his brow once more, then brought his attention back to the sky.
"Who am I? Who are you? Just who are any of us in this strange world?" The man questioned.
Roxas looked at him in a mix of confusion and irritation, though instead of questioning his words, Roxas decided to simply change his wording.
"What's your name?" He stressed.
"I'm Vexen. And who, might I ask, are you?" Vexen said, looking at Roxas once more.
Deciding against being a smartass, Roxas answered simply. "I'm Roxas." He said.
Vexen waved his hand in dismissal and shook his head slightly. "Yes, but who are you?"
Roxas looked at the older male confusedly.
"I just told you, I'm Roxas!"
The man sighed in exasperation and placed a hand to his forehead. "But who are you!" He reiterated, stressing his words.
"What do you mean 'who am I'? I'm me! Nobody else!" Roxas was starting to get irritated, and he could tell the man was growing weary as they continued on.
"My patience grows thin child." Vexen said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, well join the club!" Roxas snapped, placing his hands on his hips. "And I'm not a child!"
"If you can not comprehend such a simple question then you must still only be that of a child." Vexen countered coldly. The smoke, instead of blowing away as it had been, was starting to get thicker at this point, but Roxas paid it no mind as he continued on.
"Just because I can't understand your silly question doesn't mean I'm still a child! No one could understand that!" Roxas snapped. It was starting to get harder to see the man now though. The smoke burned his eyes, making them water and he was starting to cough as he inhaled the smoke.
"We shall continue this another day. For now, I shall bid you adieu." Vexen's voice echoed through the smoke.
"Hey! I'm not... Done talking... To you!" Roxas managed through his coughing fit. Soon after, he fell to his knees, coughing so hard his throat was starting to hurt. Then, the next thing he knew, his eyes snapped open and he was in Riku's guest bed. The room was dark, though he could see the slightest bit of sunlight peeking through the curtains. He blinked several times as he looked around the room in confusion.
"Was it... All a dream?" He questioned softly. He was snapped out of his thoughts though as he heard a knock on his door. Moments later, Axel entered.
"Oh good, you're up. Hurry up and get ready, we gotta head out now if we want to get there before the execution." Axel said. Roxas nodded and ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath. Clean air. Thank god. He never wanted to be around smoke again.
Axel's brows furrowed as he took in Roxas' body language. He slipped inside the room, shutting the door behind him and walked over to Roxas' bed, plopping down on the edge.
"You okay Roxy?" He asked, the slightest twinge of worry in his voice. Slowly the blond nodded.
"Yeah, I just had a bad dream I guess." Roxas said as he climbed out of the bed, walking over to the table in the corner where he'd left his shoes and Luxord's jacket.
"You guess? You're not sure?" He asked confusedly.
"I don't know..." Roxas said, shaking his head as he tied his shoes. "It seemed so real, but... I don't know..."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Axel offered, though before Roxas could respond, there was another knock at his door.
"Hurry up you two! We don't have time for you to be fucking each other!" Vanitas called through the door, his words making Roxas blush a dark shade of red.
"Fuck off Dum!" Axel snapped back, as he noticed Roxas' embarrassment. There was a loud thud as Vanitas hit the door.
"I'm Dee you fucking asshole!" He snapped through the wood.
"Vani calm down!" They heard Sora fret.
"Takes one to know one!" Axel called back smugly. Before this could continue on and Vanitas broke something, Roxas hurried out of the room while simultaneously pulling on Luxord's coat. Sora and Vanitas were outside the door, Sora holding back his brother, and Xion was hurrying up to them from down the hall.
"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Vanitas snapped as he saw Axel.
"You say that, but when are you actually going to do it?" Axel taunted smugly.
"Right fucking now!" Vanitas yelled as he pulled against Sora's grip.
"Big talk from such a little guy." Axel teased.
"That's enough!" Xion shouted as she walked up. Axel looked at her boredly while Vanitas stopped trying to pull away from Sora and looked over angrily.
"He started it!" Vanitas snapped.
"Now that's just not true, Roxas can testify to that." Axel said calmly, but sternly, showing how serious he was.
"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it." Xion said, hands placed on her hips. "Now come on, Riku's waiting. We don't have time for petty squabbles."
Vanitas sighed, dropping his shoulders in exasperation.
"Fine, but you better watch your back cat!" He spat before marching off down the hall. Xion sighed, but put on a smile as she looked to Roxas.
"Well, you better be on your way." Roxas nodded in agreement. Xion politely lead the three to the front door, where Vanitas waited with his arms crossed and a scowl etched onto his face.
"You boys be careful now. I don't need you arrested as well." Xion said worriedly. Her expression and tone of voice reminded him deeply of his mother, before his father had died.
"We will!" Sora said happily before skipping out the door, Vanitas and Axel following close behind. Before Roxas could follow suit though, Xion grabbed his arm and looked at him with a deadly serious expression.
"Watch Axel okay? I love him like a brother but, he plays by his own rules." Xion warned. Roxas blinked a couple times in surprise then slowly nodded. He was confused beyond belief, and wanted nothing more than to question her words, but he knew they didn't have the time to spare. Xion then released him, and after a moment of staring at the girl, he hurried after his group.
What was with everyone and Axel though? He didn't seem like that bad of a person, he was just a pervert. A seemingly kinky one at that. Why did everyone seem to have some kind of problem with him?
"What did she want?" Axel asked curiously, obviously aware that Xion had stopped him.
Roxas shook his head. "Nothing."
"It was about me wasn't it?" Axel pushed. Roxas looked over in confusion. The cat was smarter than he looked. A knowing smirk came to his face at Roxas' expression and silence.
"I knew it." He said smugly, then continued on. "What did she say about me?"
Roxas sighed and shook his head in exasperation.
"She said nothing, now beg off pussy cat." Roxas said with a small smirk.
"Come on Roxy, tell me." Axel said as he stepped a bit closer to the teen. Roxas just rolled his eyes and ignored him, continuing to follow the twins before him, watching as they seemed to argue.
"Roxas~" Axel purred seductively in his ear, making a shiver run down his spine. It took him a moment to even realize how close Axel had gotten to him, but by now, his whole body was tense as Axel's fingers danced along his back.
"What did she tell you?" He whispered in the blond's ear. Roxas stood there for a moment, still tense and unsure of what to do. Finally, he sped up, now walking beside Sora and quickly getting his attention, leaving a deflated Axel behind.
It felt like hours before they finally reached the red queen's castle. Everyone, except Axel, were beyond tired from the long walk, but they still had to get through the garden maze.
"Ugh, I don't want to walk anymore!" Sora whinnied.
"You don't have to." Axel said as he moved forward. "Only Roxy and I are going in remember."
"What? How come?" Sora asked confusedly.
"Because they know you Sora, and they know your relationship with the hatter. They'll know something's up if they see you in there." Roxas explained.
"But I wanted to help save Riku!"
"You are, by staying out here."
Sora pouted slightly at this. "Fine, but what are we supposed to do now?"
"You stay here and wait for Axel to come back. Once I'm out of the maze he'll come back here and you can start on your part of the plan." Roxas explained once more. Sora nodded in agreement. Roxas smiled slightly, then turned back to the entrance of the maze, Axel standing before him.
"You ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be." Roxas answered with a slight nod.
Before they could even take a step into the maze, Vanitas grabbed Axel by the arm. Axel looked at him a bit irritably as Vanitas glared at the feline. He spoke very quietly, so neither Sora nor Roxas could hear him. Axel had though, even if it may not have seemed like it. Axel then disappeared, and Roxas looked around confusedly for a moment before he then noticed the cat form reappear in front of him.
"Follow me." He said, floating up to the top of the hedges and thus starting their journey into the castle.
They spent a while walking in silence. Though Roxas was trying to concentrate on the task at hand, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about Xion's warning or how no one really seemed to like Axel.
"Why does everyone seem to hate you?" Roxas asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Axel looked over curiously from his place on the hedge.
"What are you talking about?" He asked confusedly.
"Everyone keeps telling me to be careful around you and to keep an eye on you. What's the deal?" Roxas explained. Axel's brows furrowed slightly, then he shook his head dismissively.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Axel said, waving it off.
"Don't give me that!" Roxas snapped, stopping as he balled his hands into fists. "Just stop avoiding my questions and fess up!"
He hated it when people weren't straight with him. He didn't want people to spare his feelings or something, and he hated when people hid stuff from him. He just wanted them to come out right and tell him the fucking truth.
Axel looked at Roxas in surprise, then suddenly, he vanished again, reappearing in front of Roxas in human form.
"Look, it's nothing to worry about so just-"
"Roxas?" A familiar voice interrupted. Roxas immediately looked up as he heard his name, though Axel simply scowled. Before them in the maze stood the same blond rabbit that lead him to this bizarre world.
"Luxord!" Roxas said in surprise, smiling slightly as he was happy to see the man again. Though Luxord didn't seem all that happy to see him.
"Are you bloody mad?! What are you doing here?! The red queen could chop off your head if she were to see you!" Luxord snapped as he stepped forward, grabbing Roxas and trying to push him back in the direction they'd come from.
"But we're here to save Riku!" Roxas argued, digging his heels into the ground.
"And just what did you plan to do? March on in and demand she release him? No no young one, that'll never do. You're probably just playing right into her hands." Luxord said, pointedly looking at Axel at his final words.
"But this was my plan!" Roxas continued.
"And I'm sure Axel agreed to it right?" Luxord asked, nodding at Axel. Before Roxas could respond though, another voice joined the fray.
"What on earth is going on over here?!" The new voice barked. Roxas looked past Luxord to see a man with long blue hair and yellow eyes. He had a crisscross scar on his face and, mostly covered by his blue hair, was a pair of dark brown floppy ears. He was dressed in a a white button up with a black tie and a nice red blazer buttoned over it. He wore black slacks with this, nicely balancing out the bright red blazer, and his dress shoes were a rich brown color. Just behind the man he could see a tail, twitching about in irritation.
"Who is this?" He asked, gesturing to Roxas.
"I'm Roxas." The younger boy said. The blue haired man's eyes grew wide.
"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!" He said, quickly stepping forward.
"I'm here to save Riku!" Roxas said firmly, giving the blue haired man a look that told him he definitely wasn't leaving without the silveret he'd come for. The man looked over to Axel.
"Was this your plan?" He asked in a low threatening tone.
"It was mine." Roxas said as Axel shook his head.
He narrowed his eyes at the red head though. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to."
"I'm not up to anything Saix. I'm just helping a friend." Axel said, smiling smugly at the man. Saix continued to glare at the red head.
"Bring him inside." He told Luxord, his eyes not leaving the cat.
Luxord's eyes widened in surprise. "Inside? But the queen-!"
"I know what I'm doing now bring Ventus inside! I need to have a talk with the Cheshire!" Saix barked.
Luxord stared at him for a moment longer, processing what he'd said before nodding in understanding.
"Come along Ventus." Luxord said, gesturing for him to follow. Roxas looked at him in bewilderment. They were talking to him right? Just as he was about to correct Luxord the blond placed a finger to his lips and winked at him.
Oh.
Roxas nodded then started to follow Luxord, glancing back worriedly at the pair.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Saix barked when the two blonds were out of ear shot.
"I believe I was escorting Roxas." Axel said cooly as he leant against the hedge.
"That's not what I mean! What are you doing bringing him here?! He's our only chance of taking down the queen, and you're just leading him right into her clutches!" Saix growled.
"It was his plan Saix! The kid wanted to come rescue Riku!" Axel defended.
"Don't give me that bull shit! I know what goes on in that throne room! I know you told her of Riku's plan and I know you made a fucking deal with that bitch!" Saix growled, flinging his hands about as he spoke as if to help get his point across.
"Temper temper puppy. You wouldn't want the queen to know you called her such a foul word. You almost lost your head once, who's gonna save you the second time around?" Axel teased, though his usual mischievous smile wasn't in place as the cat looked all too serious right now.
"Axel I swear on my own fucking head if you fuck this up and rat that boy out, so help me god I will hunt you down and take your fucking head!"
Axel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Get in line"
"Cut the shit Axel!"
"Oh what the fuck do you care?! If it weren't for the fact that she killed Xemnas you wouldn't fucking care that she's in rule!" Axel snapped, finally fed up with Saix.
"At least Xemnas managed to keep some kind of peace around here when he was alive! He was the only one that could protect people from the havoc you wreaked! The only one that fucking tried!" Saix countered with tenfold the anger.
"Oh so now Xemnas' death is my fault?!" Axel stood straight and placed his hands on his hips. Saix was burning with rage at this point. He could feel his fangs and nails growing as his eyes glowed with a red aura.
"It's always been your fault! If you hadn't told Larxene I'd disobeyed her Xemnas would still be here today!"
"Hey, think of it this way! He'd still be here if you'd taken your proper place on the chopping block!" Axel said with a smug smirk. Saix snapped, whipping his arm at Axel to claw him, but the feline disappeared just in time. Saix growled as a hollow chuckle echoed through the air. He stood there seething for a moment, then took a deep breath to calm himself as he stood straight and brushed his hair back into place.
Roxas and Luxord walked quickly through the maze. They hadn't spoken at all since leaving Axel and Saix, though both could faintly hear the yelling as they continued on.
"Should we be worried?" Roxas asked as he glanced back at the path behind them. Luxord glanced at the shorter blond then shook his head.
"No, they'll be fine. Axel just riles everyone up." Luxord said. Roxas' brows pinched together as he remembered what he'd been talking to Axel about before Luxord showed up.
"Can I ask you about that?" Roxas asked. Luxord looked at him once more with a raised brow.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've noticed people don't really like Axel around here. And this morning, Xion told me to keep an eye on him because he plays by his own rules." Roxas explained, slightly exasperated as he ran a hand through his hair. "I was just wondering what that's all about."
Luxord nodded in understanding. "Well, Roxas, as much as I'd love to inform you of all that the feline has done in the past, I'm afraid it's not my place."
Roxas balled his hands into tight fists as he lowered his gaze in frustration. "Don't give me that bullshit! I've heard enough of it from Axel!"
"Look... Ventus, I'm sure everyone would love to tell you all about Axel, but we're all afraid." Luxord explained in a calm tone.
"Afraid of what?" Roxas asked confusedly. Luxord looked at him apologetically before continuing through the maze in silence.
Moments later, they finally exited the maze, Roxas sighing in relief. He was beyond tired at this point.
"White!" A shrill voice snapped, making both blonds jump and look over in surprise. Walking towards them was a woman with light green eyes and short slicked back blonde hair with two antenna like strands hovering over her head. Then atop her head was a lacy gold crown with red gems placed around the crown. For clothes she wore a red and black strapless dress with gold trimming and stitching. It was slimmer than Xion's, the intricate skirt flowing from her hips with a short trail that two guards carried so it wouldn't drag on the ground.
"Majesty!" Luxord said in surprise. "Taking a mid morning walk I see!"
She seemed to ignore this as her eyes narrowed at Roxas and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What is this?" She snapped.
Luxord blinked then glanced over to Roxas. "It's a who my lady. His name is Ventus."
"Boy! What business have you here?" She asked. Roxas blinked in surprise before slowly answering.
"I-I'm here b-because-"
"Speak clearly boy! And stand up straight! Shoulders back, feet together, hands by your sides, bow in the presence of royalty, open your mouth wider and always say 'Yes, your majesty!'" Larxene commanded, Roxas quickly obeying with Luxord's silent encouragement.
"Now! Why are you here?" She said in a falsely sweet tone.
Roxas nodded, taking a deep breath and quickly gathering his thoughts before responding. "Well you see your majesty, I come from a very small town, all the men there are fighters. But I'm not much of a fighter, and because of it all the other boys picked on me. I heard that your army was the strongest in Hearts and I thought maybe if I came to you, you might be able to help me become a better fighter." Roxas explained, praying the woman would buy it. She stared at him for a moment, thinking all this over, then a brilliant smile spread across her face.
"Finally, someone as intelligent as I that can see the greatness of my warriors! Of course I will take you under my wing!" She said happily, walking forward and looping her arm with Roxas' so she could lead him along. "In fact, I think you'll be my new favorite!"
Roxas blinked in surprise but smiled. "Thank you majesty! I am deeply honored!"
"How polite you are!" She said, slapping him lightly on the arm as she started to lead him towards the castle doors.
"White! Be a dear and go prepare a room for dear Ventus!" She called over her shoulder. Luxord's expression was that of worry, but he nodded regardless.
"Yes majesty." He responded before taking his leave.
"Don't you worry Ventus! We'll get you some better clothes and a nice sword, and this afternoon we'll have you out, training under Blood. I would have Marluxia train you, but I need him on some other tasks at the moment. But for now, you can join me in the throne room! I have a prisoner I must speak with!" She said upon entering the castle, her voice echoing through the large hall. Roxas looked at her warily for a moment, but when her eyes locked on him he smiled and nodded.
"Sounds like a sight to behold, it would be an honor to see you at work!"
Larxene placed a hand on her chest and smiled. "If only everyone in Hearts were as polite as you!"
Roxas smiled and nodded in turn as Larxene continued to chatter on as she lead him to the throne room.