{DISCONTINUED} Fire In The Streets ~ Axel x Reader (Kingdom Hearts)

Fire In The Streets ~ Chapter 19

Down the stairs we went, passing through a doorway to cross through a completely empty basement, and then into a smaller room so packed with technology that I almost felt claustrophobic. Enormous, bulky computers took up a whole quarter of the room with their protruding keyboards and their seemingly endless amount of screens. The harsh light that they emitted was painful to the eyes in the dark room, but Kagami barely even blinked as we stepped in. Riku, of course, wasn't affected.

A man was seated in front of the computers, his posture stiff as he peered at a complicated algorithm flashing on a monitor. The sight of him stirred a memory from a few months ago – the fitted black gown laden with brown pouches, the draped maroon cape, and the matching dark cloth that was wrapped intricately around his face, concealing everything but a single amber eye. Yes, this was the man that I'd stolen from when I was desperate for munny.

'So much has changed since then.'

The thought flickered in my mind as the man – DiZ, I think Riku had said earlier – tore his gaze away from the whirl of electronic numbers at the sound of our footsteps. His single visible eye widened almost imperceptibly when we saw me standing between Riku and Kagami. If escape had been far-fetched before, it was definitely impossible now, with the two identical boys on either side of me bracing me from moving and this grown man staring at me as if I were an odd specimen.

"Surprise, boss," Kagami sang.

DiZ stood up. His commanding height and unrelenting gaze made me want to cower behind my captors. "Did I not say to wait until she has mastered her skill?"

"She has," Riku answered, a smirk on his lips. "Kagami here just didn't notice."

Kagami held up his hand in protest. "Don't take it the wrong way, I only left a little early yesterday and she somehow –" he glared at me here, as if displeased by my progress – "managed to forge a Keyblade on her own."

Not taking Riku's bait to interrogate the replica, DiZ looked over me once again before abruptly turning away. "Follow me, Ms. Taylor," he ordered, his voice deep and articulate. Without waiting for my response, he strode out of the room through a passage opposite us.

Of course, I hesitated, but Riku gave me a gentle push on my shoulder. "Go on, it's okay," he said.

"In what universe is this okay?" I asked incredulously.

Kagami rolled his eyes dramatically. "For fuck's sake, move your ass before that old bastard makes me drag you down there."

What other choice did I have? The two of them were blocking the only exit I knew of. I stepped away from them and slunk out of the room, slipping through a narrow passage. Just as I was thinking of turning back from the tight fit, the corridor gave away into a wider route, becoming almost the size of a small room. Again, the area was blindingly bright, making me squint. 'Can't they make up their minds about the lighting in this place?'

When my eyes adjusted, I instinctively shied away at what I saw. Alien-like pods lined the entire length of the wide passage. They were so taller than I had to crane my neck to see the tops of them, and they had petal-shaped layers that gleamed impeccably white. They were empty, although they appeared to be translucent, as though you were supposed to be able to see into them. Regretting my decision to not make a das for the exit before entering the library, I slowly shuffled forward, eyeing each pod carefully.

I had to stifle my gasp when I passed by the last two in the corner. There were creatures inside of them, suspending in mid-air. A dog, upright as if he walked on two legs instead of four, and a duck, short in height. What was most disturbing was they appeared to be dead. Repulsion coursed through me, yet I leaned forward for a closer look. What kind of creep was this DiZ man to line this corridor with tombs? But then I realized that the two creatures' were not entirely immobile – their chests were rising and falling. So they were sleeping, but why sleep in these pods? "Crazy place for a nap," I said to myself, trying to shake off the eeriness of the situation.