Axel relaxed, but only slightly. He flashed a cool little smirk. "Larxene," he said. Elsa's eyes darted to him. So the two knew each other? "What an unpleasant surprise."
The blonde tilted her head to one side, her own grin unwavering. "Oh Axel. You always did say the sweetest things to me." She began to saunter closer to them.
"You know me. I'm all heart," he replied.
Her grin twitched a little wider. She'd caught his little joke, so she knew he was a Nobody. Could she… was she a Nobody as well? Larxene came to a stop in front of them, shifting her gaze to Elsa. "I see you've moved on." She took a step towards Elsa. Axel was abruptly standing between the two girls, bringing Larxene to a halt.
Larxene giggled, "Relax, Slim. I'm not going to break your new toy." Placing a finger on his chest, she pushed him to the side. She then eyed Elsa up and down and tsked, "Really? This bit of fluff? How very domestic of you. How very…" she paused in thought, taking the time to circle slowly around her. Elsa stood firm, fighting the urge to fidget under the other girl's scrutiny.
"...dull," Larxene finally stated when she finished her assessment, meandering closer to Axel with a chuckle. She reached out to stroke a finger down his cheek. "If you'd wanted meek and submissive, you only needed to ask, Firecracker."
He shifted his head away from her touch with a snort. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Larxene."
"Jealous?" She laughed. It came out forced. "You know that I can't feel that or any other pathetic emotions, not since I gave up my heart to become a Nobody."
A wicked little gleam flickered through his eyes. "Give yourself some credit. We both know you were a heartless hag long before you became a Nobody."
So Elsa had been right. This Larxene girl was a Nobody. Most likely also from Organization XIII. That was probably why her coat shared similarities with Axel's hoodie - maybe some kind of uniform?
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Larxene purred, still grinning.
"What are you doing here?" Axel asked as he crossed his arms.
She hummed a note of disappointment. "Straight to the point, then? How boring." When he remained silent and just fixed her with an even stare, she threw up her hands. "You're no fun anymore. Fine, if you must know, I'm here on business. You know, the usual... looking for strong potential candidates… stationing cleanup crews here and there…"
Elsa quirked an eyebrow. "Cleanup crews? What would you need clea-"
She was silenced as Larxene pressed a finger to Elsa's lips. "Hush, sweetie. The grownups are talking," Larxene said. Elsa glared at her. Larxene looked at Axel once more, continuing, "This city is about to go nuclear."
Batting the offending finger away from her face, Elsa asked, "Nuclear?"
His eyes remained trained on Larxene as he answered, "She means the Heartless are closing in on the heart of this city."
Elsa inhaled sharply. If the Heartless found this city's heart, then it would be devoured by darkness. There would be nothing left. Just like Destiny Islands, Sora's home.
As if she could read her mind, Larxene said, "All gone. Boom." She snapped her fingers. "Just like that. So anyway, here I am, doing my job like a good little soldier, when I come across a fire-breathing, attention whore of a clown. Imagine my surprise to discover that it's none other than you."
"And you were surprised?" Axel asked. "I'm always an attention whore of a clown."
"No argument there. But why, oh why, are you so far away from where you are supposed to be?"
"Like you know where I'm supposed to be."
"Arendelle," Larxene stated flatly. "Making a certain special…" her eyes fell on Elsa, "...acquisition."
"And you came by this information how?"
She rested one hand on her hip and lifted her chin. "Let's just say I make it a point to know where my possessions are at all times."
He shook his head. "Well, your intel was bad. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
She considered him for a moment before asking doubtfully, "So you haven't gone and done something idiotic, like turning on the Organization."
"Come on now. Would I do something like that?" he replied innocently.
Larxene narrowed her eyes. "Somehow, that's less than reassuring.." She then shoved a hand in her coat pocket and pulled out a phone. "And if I were to get in touch with headquarters about this…?"
"They'll ask why you're wasting their time with shit they already know."
She frowned, then said, "I think I'll take my chances."
Axel shrugged. "Your funeral."
"We'll see." She unlocked her phone with a couple swipes as she turned her back to the pair and took a couple steps away. Pressing a button that appeared to be a quick dial, she brought the phone up to her ear. It rang once.
Then it was engulfed in flames. Hissing through her teeth, she quickly dropped the phone, escaping with only a few hairs singed. The burning device clattered to the ground, sizzling and melting under the extreme heat. Larxene watched it for a second, then looked at Axel.
He gave her another shrug and murmured, "There was a bee. Wouldn't want it to sting you."
"Wrong move, Firecracker," she chided with a sneer. "Wrong move." She drew her hands down and back, splaying her fingers out. Her body began to spark and shimmer with tiny flashes here and there. As the effect grew in frequency and intensity, Elsa realized it was freaking electricity running up and down the other girl's body.
"Wild guess here," she muttered to Axel, not taking her eyes off Larxene. "Her power is lightning?"
"Gee," he deadpanned. "What was your first clue?"
Sora wasn't sure why he hadn't told the other two the real reason he had run off. Sure, he had not exactly lied - he was keeping an eye out for the Keyhole, and breaking into smaller groups really could help them find it faster. But he had not exactly told them the whole truth either.
Maybe he hadn't told them because he couldn't quite believe what he thought he had seen himself.
He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, doing his best not to trample anyone else on the bustling sidewalk. He skidded to a stop just before a crosswalk, panting and sweating, eyes scanning from one person to the next, getting more disappointed with every unfamiliar face he saw. That was until…
There! For a brief second, he saw it before it disappeared behind a group of obvious tourists. Sora practically fell over his own two feet as he charged in that direction.
He covered the entire length of the block in three seconds flat before coming to a halt again, trying to catch sight of his quarry once more. Come on… You gotta give me something… Anything… He turned his head just in time to see another glimpse of it as it vanished down a side street. HA! Got you now! His nostrils flared as a surge of triumph flooded his chest before he quickly pursued.
He turned the corner and his eyes bulged as he stumbled to a standstill once again. An empty dead end stood before him. One building to each side and a tall, boarded fence at the back. There was no door, no windows, not even so much as a grate or a gutter. No one and nothing was there. Sora was alone.
Frowning, he slowly walked forward. He glanced around, looking for any possible exits besides the one he had just come through. There were no fire escapes overhead and the walls themselves were smooth and unscalable. There's gotta be something, he couldn't have simply vanished into thin air!
He was beginning to think his mind had been playing tricks on him. Approaching the fence that formed the back wall, he studied it. It was made of wooden planks and wasn't really that high. Sora could easily climb over it. Which, more importantly, meant others could as well. Without hesitation, he crouched and hopped up, latching his fingers onto the top edge of the fence. His feet scrambled against the wood for a few seconds before friction managed to lift him enough so he could pull himself the rest of the way up and over it to the other side.
He landed in a squat, pausing to take in his surroundings. It was some sort of construction site, judging by all the bulldozers, excavators, giant mounds of dirt, and the incomplete building in the middle of it all. It seemed like it was the workers' day off, as the place was deserted.
Sora crept forward. It felt like something was waiting for him. Was that crazy? It had to be. This whole thing was crazy. He couldn't possibly be chasing who he thought he had been... right? There was just no possible way he could be here. And if he was, why not just walk right up to him instead of being all mysterious and playing this game and leading him on a wild goose chase. That wasn't him.
...actually, on second thought... that sounded exactly like him.
As Sora walked past a forklift, he heard a soft noise behind him. He spun around only to find nothing there. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Then he flexed his fingers before closing them around the Keyblade as it appeared in a glimmering show of radiance. Better to be on the safe side.
As he turned back around, his eyes widened and he raised his weapon just in time to block a black blur flying at him. The thing draped over his Keyblade, reaching for him with its clawed fingers and staring with ravenous yellow eyes. Flinging it away, he watched as it hit the dirt and scrabbled to its feet.
"Heartless," he snarled. He had been wondering when they'd show up. If there was a Keyhole somewhere, Heartless wouldn't be too far off. He raised an eyebrow as he eyed the lone monster. "Just one? Sucks to be you." He abruptly lunged at it, Keyblade aimed to impale it.
In the space of a heartbeat, the thing had flattened to nothing more than a shadow on the ground. Sora only managed to stab air and he hissed through his teeth as he watched the monster, a mere silhouette now, slip by beneath his feet. He spun on his heel, watching the thing dart about haphazardly before it melded into the shade beneath the nearby forklift. "Hey! Come back!" he called petulantly, running over to the giant vehicle and crouching down to look under it, Keyblade ready.
He failed to notice as the Heartless stealthily reappeared behind him. Without a sound, it slowly, cautiously crept towards Sora's back, the boy completely oblivious to its advance. It crouched low to the ground and went utterly still for a second, antennae twitching as it observed its prey.
Then it pounced.
A glyph on Sora's bracer suddenly blazed a fierce, brilliant green. A giant translucent shield of the same color materialized at his wrist and he felt his arm being violently jerked behind him to intercept the oncoming threat. He spun around, immediately on guard, only to discover it had all been unnecessary.
The Heartless had already been destroyed, and standing in the wispy black tendrils that were its remains was the person who had destroyed it. And that person was…
"Riku?!" Sora yelped in shock. "Is it really you?" He wasn't dreaming, right? A silly grin that went from ear to ear split his face. Keyblade vanishing in the blink of an eye, he tackled the person in bone crushing bear hug.
Every muscle in the other person's body instantly went tense as they staggered backwards and right away, Sora knew something was wrong. He released them and stepped back, eyeing them with confusion.
They were wearing dark, loose fitting jeans, sneakers, and a zipped-up jacket with the hood raised, obscuring their face from view. The jacket was a dark grassy green with vibrant yellow stripes ringing the sleeves. He'd recognize this jacket anywhere. It was what all the jocks at Destiny High, Sora's school, had worn. Sora would know since Riku had owned one just like it. It was this jacket that had caught his eye earlier from across the street, that had caused him to split up with Elsa and Axel, that he had been chasing through the crowded city for the past half hour. On its left breast was a little star, and the letters R.H. were embroidered inside of it. Riku's initials.
But this definitely wasn't Riku.
Riku was tall, a full head above Sora, whereas whoever this was was shorter than Sora by at least an inch. Riku was lean, but muscled. The individual standing before him now was scrawny, practically swimming in the jacket - he couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl. Riku had startlingly white hair. It was all but impossible to see inside the oversized hood, but if he looked hard, he could spot strands of jet black bangs dangling out from its depths.
The two of them stood there quietly, just staring at each other for a moment. When it became clear that the hooded figure wasn't going to be the first to break the silence, Sora frowned. Finally, he asked, "Who are you? Where did you get that hoodie?"
The person raised their hands, which were entirely engulfed by the sleeves, to look at the jacket in question and said nothing.
Sora narrowed his eyes. "It belongs to my friend. His name is Riku. Did you see him? Was he hurt? ...did you steal it?" The figure looked up from studying the sleeves and still did not utter a word. Sora grit his teeth. "Why do you have it?!"
The question came out harsher than he meant it due to his frustration at not getting answers. He immediately regretted it. The person jumped and took a nervous step back, looking ready to turn and bolt.
Shooting his hands up, he said more calmly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm just... I'm really worried about my friend is all. Maybe... did you just find that hoodie lying around?"
They hesitated for a few seconds before appearing to relax slightly and nodding slowly.
"So then that means... you haven't seen Riku?" he pressed. The figure shook their head. Sora's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. His vision blurred slightly. "Oh…"
After nearly two weeks of searching and coming up with nothing, he thought he had finally found his first clue as to where one of his friends might be. But it had only turned out to be a dead end. Were Riku and Kairi even out there? Or had they simply vanished along with the rest of Destiny Islands? Was he being foolish for even hoping? Maybe this all was just a waste of time...
He felt something on his shoulder and raised his eyes to see that the mysterious person had come to stand directly in front of him and place a hand on his arm. Though they remained silent, their intent was clear. They were trying to comfort him. He gave them a weak smile. "Heh. Thanks," he murmured.
The small gesture was just what he needed to squash his doubts. He couldn't give up on his friends. Not now, not ever. They wouldn't give up on him. He was going to find them, no matter what!
"I'm Sora, by the way," he told them. He politely waited a second to allow them to return the favor, but they didn't. Big surprise there. Eyeing the stranger up and down once more, he pursed his lips thoughtfully. Maybe there was still a clue to be found here. "So, could you maybe show me… where you found the jacket?"
There was another long pause. Then he could hear a slow intake of breath from within the hood, as if they were preparing to finally speak.
Then the fingers still on his shoulder suddenly squeezed tightly. Sora let loose a low hiss of surprise, but was unable to do anything else before the stranger had shifted their hand to his chest and gave him a rough shove to the ground.
"Hey! What the-?!" Sora began, but immediately stopped when he looked up. The figure had leapt backwards, landing knees bent and looking ready for a fight. They threw a hand out to one side. A black haziness started gathering around their fingers, convulsing and expanding. Streaks of purple sparked within its depths as it began to take a shape and solidified.
When it had fully hardened, it was sword, black with a red blade that was shaped like a bat wing and a reptilian eye adorning the hilt.
Sora's breath caught in his throat. It was unsettling that they had summoned a weapon that they were about to attack him with. What was even more unsettling was that they had summoned a weapon at all. But probably what was the most unsettling was the way they had summoned it… it was similar to the way he had seen someone else summon a weapon just a few days ago…
Who was this person?
Without warning, the figure charged towards him, sword raised. They were fast and he had no time to get back on his feet. Instead, he threw his arm up in front of him, waiting for his shield to burst into existence and protect him from the oncoming assault.
It never did.
Author's Note: AW SNAP SHIT IS GETTING REAL! Get ready for a rumble next chapter between Larxene, Elsa, and Axel! As for Sora… bet you're really curious what's going on with this mysterious person in Riku's hoodie, hm? xD Bet some of you have guesses as to who it is… and who knows, some of you might even be right… and some of you might be WAAAAY off! But I'm not gonna say one way or another until it is revealed in the story :3 Have fun pondering that one until then, kiddos ;D
Fun Fact - I actually did not write Split Ends in order at all. I just picked a character (or characterS, if they were grouped up) and wrote their storyline for a while, then picked another character and wrote their story for a while, etc. Then later I went back and weaved the different storylines together into one whole story and then broke it down into chapters. It was fun figuring out what was happening when and piecing everything together like a big puzzle xD
Special thanks and much love to everyone who reviewed, faved and followed this quirky little story! Thank you all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave a review and let me know what you think! Be back for next week's update! :3