Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts II (Lost Chapters) ❯ Chapter 32 ( Chapter 32 )

 

 

Kingdom Hearts II (Lost Chapters):

 

The World That Never Will Be-

Forest of Antiquity

 

Once Roxas had settled down, Axel had started reading the book as soon as he'd gotten his hands on it. His primary interest had been on the memory loss Roxas had spoken about, but instantly upon flipping through the pages he'd been captivated by the elaborate illustrations and fascinating details of the world. Because he'd been forced here and his eyes had been set only on finding what his spirit was pulling him toward, he'd not noticed the full extent of the beauty around him. The world was a complex structure designed perfectly to test and awe its inhabitants. Each creature he'd encountered was named and described in detail, and he realized there were so many other things he hadn't seen, the different types of flowers and trees, the tiny insects that hummed quietly in the background. Closer to the mountain top, there were even sounds of birds and other small animals. Their absence had been dutifully noted in the beginning, but their reintroduction had been so subtle, he'd not noticed.

Whatever he once saw that had frightened him from the forest had died on the pages of the book on his lap.

“Would you pull your nose out of that book, you asshole?” Snarled Luxord. Axel slowly raised his emerald eyes to glare at the gambler. It was fairly rude of him to keep on interrupting him like that, “In case you haven't noticed, it's been at least an hour since you started ignoring everyone. Why don't you try to cheer someone up, selfish prick?”

“Roxas is fine.” Axel muttered before looking back down at the page he was on. Currently he was skimming through the explanation of the colorful map that had been on the page before. According to the book, the mountain they were headed up was one of the tallest, but it should only be a twenty hour hike. They'd been stopping a lot but if they started walking again, it should be long till they reached the peak.

“I wasn't talking about Roxas.” Luxord snapped angrily, “Look at these two, neither looks like they're ever gonna smile again.”

Axel looked up again, gazed silently at Demyx and Zenith, “I don't think the dog counts... It can't smile.” Stated Axel irritably, before frowning a little in concern. The same could not be said for Demyx, the Nobody had been absolutely devastated by the news. That had been Axel's initial reaction, but he was over that now. It sucked that he wouldn't be able to remember, but if he just dwelled on it, what good would that do? Reading this book was hopefully going to lead him to some sort of answer, so that he could save their memories.

Slowly, Axel closed the book with his free hand. His other arm was currently around Roxas, who was currently sulking and being fairly miserable. Figment was on the blonde's lap, curled up and humming a soft tune.

“Demyx.” The musician slowly looked up, pulling back Luxord's coat to cast a distraught look Axel's way. It made Axel want to cringe, Demyx's normally happy face wet with tear and red from sobbing, “You… want to come sit over here with Roxas and me? I…” He paused looking down at Roxas, then back at Aether who stood solemnly beside them, “I think Figment could use a singing partner.” He finally said gesturing at the small winged reptile.

Demyx stared at him a moment longer, before turning his head away. Axel's spirits dropped.

Letting out a soft bark, Zenith slipped out away from Demyx and Luxord. Tail and head high, the wolf padded over to Roxas and Figment. Ears perked, he let out a soft chuff blowing a light breath on Figment instantly waking the dragon completely. Figment looked at Zenith in confusion before the canine pranced over to a small upraised mound of earth, which he centered himself on.

His ears swiveled a bit, as he waited. Then Figment began to hum louder and Zenith threw his head back, raising himself up on his hind legs, and he breathed out a long melodious howl. When his paws thudded against the ground, the wolf started a second howl starting out deep and resonating before rising in pitch and intensity.

Zenith let out a short bark ending the howl, before jumping into the center of the group. Picking up his paws, he pounded a beat out of the ground before raising his head in another throaty howl.

“Hey, Demyx. Check that out, lover-boy's singing for you.” Luxord grinned giving Demyx an encouraging nudge, “For someone who barely speaks, I'm surprised he even knows what a beat is.” Zenith snapped at Luxord's face with a soft snarl, before turning and singing out another long howl. In return, Figment hummed louder and a small smile crept onto Demyx's face.

Axel was relieved that, even if he couldn't, someone could make the boy smile. Under his arm Roxas shifted, raising his head to rest it on Axel's chest. Looking down, Axel spied a smile on Roxas's face too. The amusement must have been contagious, because Axel soon found himself smiling at the wolf's antics as well.

When Roxas suddenly burst into laughter, Zenith instantly stopped howling and flattened his ears back. As far as animals went, the wolf looked pretty embarrassed as he lowered his head and glanced around the group. Everyone was smiling, and despite the fact only Roxas was laughing at him, Zenith seemed to believe all of them thought he looked like a fool, which he sort of did. Letting out a sad whine, he tucked his tail between his legs and slunk back over to Demyx, who greeted him with a kiss on the nose and a happy hug.

“I love you.” Demyx hummed quietly as the wolf licked Demyx's face, then his frown returned, “I don't think anything is worth forgetting all this…” Zenith's head dropped again. His efforts had gone in vain.

“Hey… Stop saying things like that.” Axel spoke up, this time he was going to fix this, “I know that it doesn't sound good… And hell, I don't want to forget our journey here, but we're not the one's who decided how this thing was going to be. We're not the only ones here to get hearts. All the other Nobodies, the dusks and berserkers… They've come here too and, with what they've become, I don't think that's something they would like to remember once they got their hearts… Forgetting… Well, it's not forgetting. We're going to be reborn.” He said, lifting the book slightly he tapped the open page, “This book's told me a lot and I think I'm coming to understand how this all works. It's like when someone's body dies they live on somewhere else… That's what's going to happen to us. This life is ending but we'll be back and we'll get to fall in love all over again. We'll make new memories and grow up, have all the choices we didn't get in becoming Nobodies… Who we are won't change; we just get to start over again.”

“But I like who I am now, I like who we all are! I don't want to forget anything that's happened.” Demyx objected selfishly.

“Demyx… You don't have to change if you don't want to… If you turn back now, you can stay a Nobody for the rest of your life, but I'm going on ahead. I've come this far and I'm not going back now… Besides, I know if I make it... I'm going to fall in love all over again,” He paused to smile and think about what he had said, “And we'll be happy because I'll never let him go again… I learned my lesson once, and I won't be making the same mistakes.”

“But… What if- What if something happens?! What about those things? They became Nobodies when they gave up those hearts… What if something happens and we're turned into one of those monsters?” Asked Demyx frightfully. That was right; Roxas hadn't told them about the Burdened, their other option. In reading the book, Axel knew about them and how they'd come to be.

“Don't you worry about that… You'll only become one of those things if you break the laws of this world and take the heart through the wrong means.” Axel told him with a reassuring smile, “And of all of us, I'd put my faith in you being the least selfish of us all. There's no way something like that would happen to you.”

“Fucker.” Luxord grumbled folding his arms, “Guess that singles me out, now doesn't it?”

“Gee, I wonder... How could you possibly have come to such an outrageous conclusion about yourself?” Growled Axel sadistically, “I can't possibly imagine one thing that would make you think that.”

“No need to be sarcastic, whore-monger.” Luxord sneered.

“Sarcastic? Me? How ru-“ Aether shoved his face in front of Axel's face letting out an angry bellow. Axel kept quiet now, so did Luxord. Again, a heavy silence reigned and everyone could feel the unease in the air.

Demyx was the first to break the silence, “I'll come...” He murmured quietly, sadly as if a part of him might have been just ripped out of his soul. At his side Zenith lowered himself to the ground, setting his head on his paws moodily, “If… It means we'll always be together… All of us.” The young blonde cast a look over his should at Luxord. This made the gambler look away and slouch his shoulders a little.

“Hey, if I can I'll be there for you… Just don't get your hopes too high; I'm not that great of a guy.” He said seriously.

“You're great to me and I want you to be there.” Replied Demyx looking back down at the ground, his hand absent-mindedly stroking Zenith's neck. The musician was too trusting, Axel decided. It must have been a teenage thing to get attached to so many people; Roxas did it too. As far as Axel was concerned, at least he told himself this, everyone but himself, Roxas, and Demyx could just go rot. However, it was far from the truth, there were a lot of people Axel'd grown attached too; he just refused to accept this fact for the time being for his own argument's sake.

“I know, I know!” Cheered Figment, jumping onto Aether's leg and climbing up the large stallion, “I've got something that will make you guys happy! Everyone, up on your feet! Line up in a row!” Said the dragon.

Roxas was the first on his feet. Then Axel was up to follow him, the others came soon after. Though Roxas was the first in the line, the dragon didn't go to him. First, Figment fluttered back and forth, looking at everyone before stopping in front of Luxord. The gambler gave him a strange look, no doubt trying to make sense of why he was standing there being looked over by a tiny purple and yellow dragon.

“Mmhm, you like cards and gambling right?” Inquired Figment, Luxord gave a short nod, “Okay, time for a little imagination magic!” Whooped Figment before closing his eyes tight. Axel's gaze wandered from the dragon to Luxord multiple times until, while he was looking at the Gambler of Fate, the black coat shimmered away in gold dust and was replaced by a completely new look. Luxord's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open, gazing at the new clothes on his body and the large weapon in his right hand.

Black boots with red lining and lace stretched up his calves, pointing up in the front with a spade pattern stitched into it. The trousers it reached over came in smooth with it, they were black as well with the red trimming; however, the black was broken up by the various white cards inked into the fabric. At the top of the sleek pants was a white belt, with a buckle made up in the shape of snake-eye die. The silky shirt, though black at the bottom to emphasize the belt, was mostly white with reverse colored cards to spot it. This shirt was a dress shirt, with buttons going up the center. The top three buttons were left undone, a red sash hanging around his neck casually. However, the highlight of the outfit was the long trench coat. This black velvet fabric had a white silk inline, decorated in red and black spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds. Because the cuffs were folded back, the white insides contrasted vibrantly at his wrists. On the center of the back, was a design: two cards (the Ace of Spades and the Jack of Diamonds), two dice rolled on ones, with two vipers wrapped in the items. Even minor details had shifted, like his earing was now a dangling dice and one the back of both gloves that cover his hands were red spade outlines.

The weapon he held in his hand was a large staff, blades weighing each ends. At the very top was a spade design that branched out shoulders before slimming down for a waist and widening again for hips, giving it a strange hour glass appearance. Tied at the base of the red, black, and silver blade was a red twine that was tied to reinforce the connection of the blade to the staff. The ends of the twine were a spade and heart. At the bottom was a distinct club shape, cradled by a crescent. This blade too was red and black and tied with the red twine, only the ends had a club and diamond. The pole itself was white with two black marks to indicate the center of the staff.

A grin broke onto Luxords face and he twirled in the clothes raising the staff and spinning that in both hands when he stopped.

“Hot damn!” Luxord grinned.

“Look at your belt again!” Urged Figment.

Looking down, Luxord ran his left hand over one side of his belt. His fingers stopped over what looked like a metal tin box and opened it. Pulling out the contents he held up a deck of sharp metal card, shuriken weighted cards.

“And on the other side!”

Putting the cards away he reached to his right with his left hand and found another box and pulled out some dice and chips, “What do I do with these?” He asked. To Axel they looked like normal items, so that was his question as well.

“Throw them! They explode on contact with the ground or the enemy!” Chimed Figment happily.

“Awesome!” Demyx piped up, a smile on his own face.

“Indubitably!” Luxord concurred before placing the items back in their box.

“You'll never run out of them, so use them to protect your friends!” Figment told him, “Like your old deck of card, your shuriken cards, dice, and chips can also change in size according to your will, but there's a limit to size on all three, so learn quickly! But be careful with them, depending on the type of chip or the number of your roll the explosion size will change. If you throw them too close to a friend, they may get injured! Demyx, now it's your turn! You like music and water!” The dragon closed his eyes tight again. Axel leaned over putting a hand on Roxas's shoulder as he gaze on in curiosity, this dragon was amazing! Just like before the black clothes dissolved into golden shimmers, unveiling a new wardrobe and weaponry.

Demyx's sorry excuse for coat and shirt had been replaced with a white tank-top and blue vest hoodie. The tank was cut short to expose his smooth creamy stomach, and had the words in bubbly bold letters `Dance to MY Beat' down the center. His vest, fully unzipped, came down to his waist, brushing the bare skin exposed by his short shirt. On each breast of the thin denim-like vest were large black music notes. It had an excessive amount of straps and pockets, some false, giving it a more `punk' appearance; the fact that it also had a hood helped out too. At the bottom was a wave pattern in white. This style was extended down to his large blaggy, blue and white pants. The pants were a nice pacific blue, darkening at the waist and feet and also around the many pockets. Each pocket, strap, and attachment had thick white trimming to exaggerate the extras. To replace his black boots were dark blue sneakers, with white foaming wave patterns along the side.

His wrists were adorned with blue and ocean themed bracelets. On his hands were fingerless blue gloves with black grips on the palm. What was in his hands was far more interesting though.

In his left hand he held a large blade that curved back and stretched past his elbow. It was the shape of a harp and had the strings to make it a playable instrument. The actual blade formed the backbone of the instrument. Where the support ran up along his arm, two upraised crests came up to guard the strings. As with the rest of his attire, this blade was blue with the silver of the buffed metal. It too was decorated with the music notes.

In his right hand was a far smaller weapon, a crescent dagger that would curve around the front of the hand so you could slice either way or even punch with the blade. It was small enough that he could handle it and play the harp in his other hand as well.

“This is so cool!” Demyx exclaimed happily raising his right arm to display the large harp blade.

“You can play music and fight at the same time. This weapon will increase your water magic potential and cause some serious damage with just being a normal blade!” Figment informed, “I hope you'll find it useful in your journey.” The dragon fluttered down and landed on Zenith's nose, before leaning over and whispering something to the wolf. Axel had no idea was he would be telling the canine but paid it no mind as Figment came to him next. Before he could speak though Axel cut in.

“I've got my weapons back and they do just fine, so you don't need to make up anything to replace them.” He said defensively. Over time he'd become quite attached to his chakrams, and though it was mostly sentimental value he didn't care. In his defense, he was used to how they worked and how to fight with them; he didn't care to learn something new when he already had a good system going.

“All righty then, I'll give you something else!” Figment closed his eyes and Axel flinched. At his clothes dissolved over his flesh, chills ran up his spine and goose bumps prickled his skin. He'd not expected to feel so strange, but then again, how was it really supposed to feel? It's not like clothes just writhed and recreated themselves everyday.

When the sensation ceased, Axel quickly looked down to see the new clothes that covered him. He liked what he saw.

Steel toe, sleek black boats replaced the plain ones from before, flame designs danced up from the soles. The lips of the boots had sharp celtic knots decorating it, chopped up into segments by the black laces. His pants were similar to Demyx, only less of all the strange straps and pockets. Instead of wave patterning, all the trimmings were laced in red flames. From the look and feel of the pants, they seemed to be leather on the outside and lined with some sort of insulating fabric beneath it similar to wool but softer. Then he wore a black sweater, though it was hidden, and a black leather jacket. The leather jacket was adorned in celtic knots and flame designs. It was double zippered like the organization coat, so if he pleased, he could unzip it from the top or bottom. The collar of the jacket was turned up and framed his jaw. And, of course, he had some warm leather black gloves. This get-up was hot, literally, and he was thriving on the heat that it was already storing close to his skin.

“In your pockets you'll find I've equipped you with some potions and power-up items! Use the however you please, but do it wisely!” Figment warned, though still smiling, “Your clothes will boost you fire magic and keep you warm in the cold night! Now it's time for you Roxas!” Again the dragon closed his eyes and Axel watched intently, eager to see Roxas in his new clothes. As his lover's clothes shifted a smile formed on Axel's face, the clothes matched Roxas more than a gloomy coat. These were the kind of clothes Roxas would have worn in Twilight Town, where he was just being himself.

A black half-sleeve shirt lay underneath a vest with a strange pair of jeans was the attire. However, it was fair more complicated then that. The vest was a vibrant mixture of orange and yellow, the color of the sunset and had multiple layers to it. The collar was the brightest yellow, the layer supporting the zipper a deep orange mixture, and the inside red. The outside was a mixture of all of them and transcending into a blue/black near his shoulders. His pants were held up with two belts that crossed at the center, they were both a sunset orange. Blue-black, the color from the shoulders was the basic color of his pants, but at the knee there was a zipper that broke it out of the ordinary. A golden color lined the zipper; several supporting straps that went as high as the waist had to come down and break up the dark coloring of his jeans to merge the gold with the rest of the outfit. The color of the straps varied, but was always a warm sunset color. His black shoes were as simple as the half-sleeve shirt; they only required a soft orange highlight here and there to keep it from standing out.

“And now for a keyblade! Hands out!” Roxas held out his hands under the dragon's orders and a keyblade appeared in his palms.

At the tip of the keyblade was a pastel colored castle, with heavily exaggerated shadows. Its small door was gaping wide for a path to enter. This path, gold in color, started at the handle and grew smaller before disappearing in this door. On the path were many small symbols like a flame, water droplets, and wings. To give the blade more support a black weave surrounded the bright path. The handle-guard was in the shape of a sharp gothic-style M and was linked to a golden paopu fruit with an infinity sign. The M was black with a mixture of purples, pinks, and reds for the highlights, while the actual grip was a strong silver and blue. At the very end, yellow glowing orbs dangled off four tips of the star shaped fruit.

“With this, no matter how far away any of your friends are, you may feel their strength within you. You're never alone Roxas.” Figment smiled sweetly, “We have to go now. Good luck.” Then the dragon paused staring at Zenith before smiling brightly and turning.

Aether threw his head happily, `Good luck, Nobodies.' The steed brayed softly, stamping a hoof lightly.

“You spoke!” Roxas exclaimed beside him. Axel glanced down at him. It wasn't all that surprising that the Pegasus had spoken. Of course, he would say anything about it to Roxas so he just patted the stunned boy on the shoulder.

`I've always spoken; you've only just now learned to listen. Take care.' Voiced Aether in his deep melodic voice before turning to look toward Figment. A door appeared in front of them, white with pale pink lining.

“This'll take us back home. Now you're sure you're all staying?” Figment asked, double checking to make sure none of them had changed their minds. All of them, almost simultaneously shook their heads, “All right then. Good bye!” The dragon waved his arm dramatically before flying over and pulling the door open, a flood of light rushing over the area. Then they were gone, door and all.

“Roxas… You all right?” Axel asked quietly looking back down at him.

“Yeah, fine.” Roxas smiled up at him, “It was going to happen eventually… Hey, Demyx!”

“Hm?” The musician turned from Luxord, who it appeared he'd been talking too.

“How about we get going? We've lost a lot of time just standing around.” Roxas stated.

“Yeah! Then maybe later we can see if I can get some practice using my new weapons!” Demyx voiced excitedly.

“Only if Axel's up to it.”

“Of course I'm up to it!” Axel assured, “After all, last time I checked it wasn't me who was getting the crap beat out of himself.” He grinned, “I won't be going any easier on you Demyx, got it memorized?”

“You never are.” Demyx rolled his eyes, “Come one, let's get the hell out of here already.”

 

The World That Never Will Be-

Valley of the Fallen

 

Their spirits had been restored once again. Demyx and Luxord had been talking happily for a long while now, allowing both Axel and Roxas enjoy some time together near the end of the group. With Demyx having his back turned, Axel had his arm around Roxas's waist and was talking about their new clothes, trying to avoid the subject of Figment and Aether being gone and the whole memory loss thing. So far he'd been successful, and Roxas was in a fair mood considering the whole situation.

The forest was breaking up now, large white boulders smothering out most plant growth. Light was pouring in through the gaps, which probably had a great affect on how happy everyone was. Being out of the forest was a fine prospect, no high temperature fluctuations and creepy crawlers lurking in the dark.

A soft crackle disrupted the pleasantries. Instantly, the group fell silent to listen to the soft crunching and sharp clacking that was beginning to fill the air faintly. Axel's eyes flashed around them, trying to gather what was going on. What his eyes found wasn't pleasant, but not the cause of the sound.

To each side and behind them, a group of Shifters lurked a good deal away, but it was obvious they were stalking them. However, their jaws were clamped shut and their creeping was silent, so they couldn't be making the sounds. The sound seemed to be coming from ahead anyway.

Zenith's head came up in a shot. Hesitating, he stepped back before turning and rushing back behind Axel and Roxas. The pair fell apart from one another and turned to watch as Zenith paced over their tracks. From what Axel could gather, he was probably looking for someway to go back and around whatever the sound was. However, as he got a few yards from the group, a pair of Shifters leapt in front of him and blocked his path. Snapping their jaws they ushered him back, herding him on the path they'd been taking.

Reluctantly Zenith stepped back on secure ground, ceasing the threats. Again he stepped forward, the threats started up again, and he stepped back.

“Zenith, just come on. They're obviously not going to let us go back.” Luxord voiced, “Unless you think you want to take on all of them?” The wolf lowered his head and returned to Demyx's side, “Let's get going then.” Luxord added giving Demyx a small push to get him to continue walking.

“I don't have a good feeling about this.” Demyx murmured.

“Neither do I but we don't really have a choice, so we might as well get it over with right now.” Said Luxord.

Axel looked back at the Shifters once more before turning away from them completely again and they walked on, “How long do you think they've been following us, Roxas?” He asked quietly, unable to think of anything else to say.

“A while, at least before they attacked us the other day… Maybe when we first arrived in the woods… It would explain why we haven't seen any other Nobodies or Burdened.” Replied Roxas, “Before I met up with you, I saw a lot of Burdened; luckily I was in the air so I didn't have to fight with too many, and there were quite a few Nobodies headed in this direction. They got more and more concentrated as we neared the mountains. Their numbers dropped around you guys, but you were dealing with a large Burdened so it wasn't all that peculiar.”

“Did you see anything else strange while you were flying?”

“Nothing-“

“Axel! Roxas!” Demyx called and the two quickly ran to the peak of the incline they'd been walking up to meet with Demyx and Luxord at the top. When they reached the top they stopped dead in their tracks, a few feet short of the others. The sparse trees had completely opened up to a large valley of white rock that split the forest in two halves. In the mountain steppe, a group of dark purple Shifters painted the white stone, heading diagonally across the emptiness. They had passed through most of the opening but their presence seemed to have caused a block. Nobodies of all varieties had been trapped and slowed in their journey across due to the incessant attacks from the Shifters and just beyond the large pack, a line of other Burdened waited for them to pass through, guarding the entrance to the forest on the other side.

As the Shifters came closer, Axel's eyes caught a glimpse of someone in the center of the group, a Nobody he knew all too well. Saix, eyes dull and form slouched, walked along a predetermined path like a dead man walking. Then his bright yellow eyes flashed towards the group and a wild scowl distorted his features. Leaping over his escort, Saix ran to attack but stumbled short a few yards of them and fell to his knees. Hands over his stomach he doubled over snarling and frothing at the mouth.

“Shit… What the hell's wrong with him?” Luxord voiced in revulsion, stepping back away from the Nobody.

The animals that had surrounded him cautiously followed, pausing a few feet from Saix's writhing form. When his eyes, consumed in yellow madness, came up to meet them they began to scatter. Throwing his hands to his head, Saix arched his back and let out a bone-chilling scream before pulling himself to his feet and locking his gaze on the group. On his chest, the symbol of the Burdened burned and bled black ooze. The ground surrounding him began to rumble, the large pieces of rock beginning to crumble while the smaller stones began to rise.

Around them, the Shifters had gone wild with blind rage and were at the throat of anything within jaw's reach.

Zenith was before them in a flash, blocking Saix's path to Demyx and the others. A flurry of black picked up and whirled around his form and suddenly in the place of a wolf stood Zexion. Unzipping the black organization coat, he threw it aside to reveal a new ensemble of clothing and weapons.

From how he stood, all Axel could make out was the large black and silver blades in his leather gloved hands. He also wore a long black lab coat that billowed in the wind. His pants were loose fitting black dress pants; the rest of his attire was shrouded in mystery, hidden in the confines of the coat.

For a moment, Axel could do nothing but stare in shock, then his mind kicked in and he was infuriated. The Cloaked Schemer had been lurking right under his nose and he'd not known about it. He'd been there, guiding them and pretending to be an animal for the sake of getting close to them for his plans. This was something Axel could not allow, but before he could do anything in retaliation, Zexion spoke.

“Demyx, stay back. I don't want you getting hurt; just protect yourself from the other creatures.” Zexion called back, “Luxord, protect hi-“ His voice was cut off as he was forced to his knees, cracking the stones beneath him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up and staggered back until the pull on his body ceased. Then he pulled out a vile from his coat and threw it high into the air. As it passed through the field around Saix, its weight seemed to quadruple, causing it to fall faster. His throw had calculated this and it shattered at Saix's feet. A puff of green smoke burst forth and Saix recoiled covering his eyes with his hands.

Given the opening, Zexion rushed forth, blades at the ready, and attacked. When the blade came in contact with Saix, the deranged creature recoiled and retreated. Letting out a pitiful cry, a Shifter rushed to his aid, while two other blocked Zexion from getting to him.

The Shifter lay down before Saix and the Luna Diviner crushed the beast into the earth, using the tactic he'd used to manipulate gravitational pulls. As the tiny heart emerged from the darkness, Saix swiped it up and forced it against his chest. The heart was absorbed into his body and the Burdened symbol disappeared from his body. Standing, cool and composed, he looked to them.

“You'll regret your betrayal on the Superior, we will crush you.” He snarled, “Until that time comes… Play with some of my friends.” A wicked grin came onto his face and the Shifters regrouped around them to trap them in a bubble. Then the earth began to groan and the white stone behind Saix began to rise unveiling a monster of a Burdened. A second Battler emerged, and climbed onto solid ground, “I hope you enjoy their company as much as I do.” Saix bade farewell before disappearing into the trees.

Zexion scowled, “We'll have to deal with him later.” He growled regretfully before slamming the hilt of the blades together and merging the two weapons into a single blade.

Luxord ran to his side, “Nice clothes, not much of a change though.” He grinned summoning his staff.

“Yeah, cool blades.” Grinned Demyx also rushing to Zexion's side, “Know how to use `em?”

Zexion smirked, “Funny, I could ask you the same thing about yours.” He voiced gesturing to Demyx's harp blade and crescent dagger, “Stay with me, I'll keep you safe.” He added, Demyx laughed.

“Oh, my hero.” Voiced the musician sarcastically.

“Shut up you two, we've got a battle to win!” Roxas yelled at them, suddenly dashing from Axel's side with the Bond of Flames and The Way in his hands. Axel suddenly felt very betrayed, somehow he knew Roxas had known, and so had everyone else. He was the only one who'd not known of this scheme and they'd kept him out of it on purpose. The reason for it, he was unsure, but the result was certain. Axel's blood was boiling with rage and they were going to pay for it when this battle was done.

“Out of my way.” He snapped, furiously at them, shoving past them and into the heat of battle without them. They didn't deserve his help and he certainly didn't need theirs.

 

 

NEW Journal-

 

Characters-

Saix: Plagued with a tainted heart, Saix's mind is dangerously unstable. To keep his sanity in check, he must consume the hearts of his follows and constantly fight the wars raging within him. On one side of the conflict, his loyalty towards Xemnas fights to keep his sanity so that he may continue to act on Xemnas's biddings. While on the other side, his tortured heart yearns for the freedom to act of its own accord and punish all for the pain that he suffers.

 

Weapons-

Siren's Voice: This harp blade increases Demyx's effectiveness in battle by giving him a large, powerful weapon with which to deal damage. As well as increasing physical defense and offense it drastically increases his water magic potential. Like his sitar, he may play this weapon in battle to boost MP.

Strummer's Crest: A smaller weapon than Siren's Voice, this weapon is used when an enemy sneaks in too close to strike with the larger blade. Its size is also to give him the ability to play his harp blade and keep the blade out for quick reaction to attacks while he is playing.

Royal Flush: A pole arm weapon this staff is double-bladed and wielded with both hands due to its size and weight. Long solid strokes that pick up momentum optimize the potential of this weapon. This weapon increases Luxord's effectiveness in battle to an extent; however this weapon cannot be used well in the event of close contact fighting.

Shuriken Cards: Weighted, metal throwing cards, this deck is excellent for long rang attacks. Though they do little damage, they are a replenish-able weapon and can be used over and over again while keeping a safe distance from the enemy. They may also change size like Luxord's original deck, however there is a limit.

Risk Grenades: These risk items can be very effective weapons, but at the same time they can also damage the party. Snake eyes is the strongest explosion for the dice roll; the explosion may take out several enemies and deal a great amount of damage on bosses. In any other case but Snake Eyes, the explosion grows stronger with the numbers on the face of each dice. If a member of the party is standing too close, damage may be inflicted on them. Chip throwing is less risky and good for close combat use. The size of explosion depends on the worth of the chip, which can be determined by color and number. In the event of a size change, the blast power is not affected; instead the range of the explosion is changed. The larger the item the more ground that will be covered in a blast. If Snake Eyes or Two Sixes are rolled and size is maximized, the explosion can be devastating to both sides in the battle.

The Way: A keyblade forged from Figment's imagination it represents Roxas's journey and the bond he shares with all those he's met along the way. It increases magic and strength drastically and gives way to a new set of specialized attack Roxas can perform. In combination with Bond of Flames, Oathkeeper, or any other keyblade that represents a bond with another character, attack potential can almost be doubled.

Dual Reality: A weapon created with the intent of deception and darkness, this weapon controls and manipulates its surroundings to the wielder's benefit. When used as a single weapon, dark energy collects in the central points, these pits of darkness can be unleashed like a gun bullet, a ray, stored to increase damage potential, or built up for a special split blade attack. Used as a pair of weapons, one in each hand, the weapon can be managed much easier allowing for stealth and agility which cannot be used with the singular form. This double weapon form, though not as powerful, can be used for getting in more fervent and quick attacks that allow for ample evading time.

Chemical Flasks: Depending on color these hidden vials and flasks contain various harmful substances. Some are poisonous substances that form painful gases that burn the lungs and eyes, other contain liquids that boil the skin. In some cases, the vials contain explosive substances and react when they come into contact with the air.

 

 

Save Game: to be continued…