PUBLISHED: November 16, 2015
EDITED: January 19, 2017
A/N: This is the first half of the chapter that I started working on! I decided to make the two halves as separate chapters because the second half isn't finished, and it has been so long since I last posted. (2017 EDIT: So very very long)
Quick reminder that here and there I will use events from 358/2 Days, but they won't follow the timeline of the game.
RECAP:
- Raxmi and Axel visited Raxmi's mother, Sukara, in hospital. Sukara says that 12 years ago she was visited by a man named Xehanort who warned her about an upcoming war and Organization XIII. Raxmi convinced her that Axel was on their side.
- Sukara told Raxmi and Axel about Raxmi's abilities and the succession of Kouta and Kurai. They realize that that is why the Organization is after Raxmi. Axel feels guilty for putting Raxmi in danger. Raxmi convinces him not to stay away from her.
- Sukara shows Raxmi how to forge Keyblades.
- A mystery person eavesdropped on the conversation in Sukara's room. The person decided to kidnap Raxmi once she had learned her abilities.
STORY STARTS:
*2 weeks later*
??? P.O.V.
"DiZ, Raxmi's taken a break from her routine."
He swiveled around in his chair to greet my words with a questioning gaze. "So she is not undergoing her lessons with Sukara today?" he queried.
I nodded my head in confirmation. "I saw her leave with Axel and Demyx in a Corridor of Darkness."
He frowned. "Normally her magic training is conducted in the evening."
"Maybe Axel has the day off or something. Must've decided to dedicate the whole day to her magic training. Problem is I don't know where they went." DiZ hummed in disapproval at my lack of knowledge, so I quickly added, "Considering how terrible her skills are, they would have gone somewhere where she could practice without causing damage. Somewhere with a lot of space."
"Hmm. That narrows it down." He clasped his hands together quietly as he pondered on the information. The sounds of footsteps reached my ears while I waited for him to finish thinking. "And this was just a few minutes ago, I take it?" Again, I nodded. "Very well. Search the usual worlds that they to go for her training, as well as any world you can think of that has room for what you suggested."
"But that will take all of today!"
"I suggest Pride Lands first, it is the farthest away. That way, you can work your way back to here."
I scoffed, merely crossing my arms as a sign of my irritation. No point in arguing with this guy.
DiZ's other aide entered the computer room. "What should I do in the meantime?" he asked, flicking strands of his shoulder-length hair out of his face.
"Riku, continue to observe Roxas and Xion," DiZ instructed him, and turned back abruptly to face his computers. "Unlike your friend here, you can be spared from aimlessly hunting throughout the worlds if you uncover their destination before they leave for their missions."
Riku smirked. "Isn't 'comrade' a more suitable word than friend?"
"Is it my fault that they didn't say where they were going?" I said defensively, ignoring the blindfolded male next to me.
"Perhaps you would've head more if you didn't sleep in and miss half their conversation," Riku suggested 'helpfully'.
"Shut your mouth, dickhead."
"Takes one to know one."
"What is this, 3rd Grade?"
"Perfect for your IQ level."
"You fucking -"
Accustomed to our banter, DiZ merely waved a hand at us in dismissal. "Both of you, leave. Immediately."
"Hmph." I strode out of the room, intentionally bumping into Riku's shoulder on the way. He let out a sigh of irritation as he followed me out. "Problem, comrade?" I asked scornfully.
"Just thinking, maybe we could become friends in time. But I guess that's too much to ask of you."
I stretched out my arm and summoned two Corridors of Darkness: one for Blindy McBlindson to The World That Never Was, and one for myself to Raxmi's house. It was about time her dear father learned something about his precious daughter. "We get along just fine. In fact, I'd go as far as to say you're like a really annoying brother."
Sensing the darkness from the Corridor I'd made for him, he nodded his thanks. "But does that mean we've upgraded to friendship, then?" he suggested, smiling cockily.
Letting out a condescending laugh, I clapped him on his cloaked shoulder. "Oh, Riku. I could never be friends with someone who's so scared of the darkness."
Raxmi's P.O.V.
"Now just keep your arm steady, and gently flick your wrist."
"Like this?"
"No, that's not – fuck!"
I cringed as Axel and Demyx flung themselves out of the way. What was supposed to be a fireball blasting flawlessly from my palm ended up being an uncontrollable, spluttering flare. Quick to recover, Demyx bounced up and doused the remaining fire with water droplets that were larger than my body.
An awkward silence filled the air as we processed what had just happened. Hesitantly brushing the sand off his cloak, Demyx flashed me a sheepish grin. "Heh...maybe a little less strongly than that?" he suggested.
"A little? That's a damn understatement," Axel scoffed. Then he saw the hurt look on my face and smiled apologetically. "Aw, c'mon, Raxmi. You gotta admit that one was way too strong."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I mumbled sadly, flexing my wrist. "And all the ones before that were too weak..."
I had visited my mother every day for the past two weeks, practicing Keyblade crafting and learning more information from her about Keyblades, my ancestry, the Keyblade War. Slowly but surely, I had managed to memorize the mass of information that I needed to know about the different Keyblades, detailed in ancient documents that she'd hidden in the house. Having planned for him and Demyx to finish their mission later in the day, Axel had requested that I be excused from her 'classes' today in order to work more on combat magic, although I assume he used that as an excuse to spend time with me, too. We were now in a sprawling, expansive desert called Agrabah. Demyx had been dragged along in order to have someone more capable of using water to extinguish haywire magic. The two of them had left The World That Never Was extremely early in the morning, so as to avoid confrontation with the other members.
It was exciting being in a new place, considering that I had only recently learned that there were other worlds. However, unlike the other worlds that we'd trained in, I hadn't had the chance to explore this one yet. As soon as we had arrived through a Corridor of Darkness, with the heat of the ending day hitting us like a smack in the face, Axel had half-heartedly waved his hand in various directions stating, "This is Agrabah. Oh, by the way, it's already evening. The town is over here. The cave of death-trap security challenges is over there. The ruins that everyone hates are there. There is sand everywhere and it'll get in your clothes and your hair and it's the most annoying shit you'll ever have to deal with. I'll give you a full-fledged tour another day, promise. Let's get training."
Demyx clapped his hands together. "Well, I think that you're improving!" he declared encouragingly. Even though we had begun training several hours ago with little progress, he was still determined that I could achieve anything. "Perhaps just a little less death inferno and a little more...elegance!"
"Since when is controlling fire elegant?" I asked, frowning.
Axel crossed him arms. "Ah, the young grasshopper has much yet to learn."
"I'm not an insect!"
He ignored my complaint, looking thoughtful. "How can I put this..." he mumbled. Then he snapped his fingers. "I know you were impressed when you've seen me fight, weren't you? Since you stared at me so adoringly." I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks. "And why as that? I didn't just look good myself, I made the fire look good, didn't I?"
Recalling the times that I'd witnessed Axel in battle, I realized he was right. The way he had manipulated the seemingly uncontrollable fire had been enchanting. "You see, Raxmi," he continued, "if you view your magic powers as an uncontrollable force to be controlled, you're never going to get far. Even numbskulls like Vexen didn't learn with that mindset. Whether you plan to use them for good or for bad, you have to master your powers by acknowledging them as part of your being. Let the magic have a free reign. Guide it, don't control it." Satisfied with himself for finally conveying what he'd been trying to teach for a fortnight, he waited in silence with a smirk on his face.
"...What are you waiting for, dude?"" Demyx asked.
"What, no applause? After that fantastic speech?" Axel shook his head in mock dismay, making me laugh. "Try it again, Raxmi. Remember: guide it, don't control it."
I took a deep breath and held my arm up sturdily. 'Guide it, guide it, guide it,' I chanted in my mind. The steady flow of magic begin to course through my veins. Instead of clenching my muscles and holding it back, I fought against the instinct and willed myself to relax. I imagined the fire naturally shooting from my palm. And my eyes widened as I witnessed my imagination come to life in front of me. A perfectly formed fireball shot out from my hand, propelling forward for a few metres before arching with ease to land in the sand.
A bright smile spread across my lips and I spun around to the two Nobodies. "I did! I actually did it!" I exclaimed.
"Wow!" Demyx said in surprise. "That was amazing! Perfect! Flawless!"
Axel shoved him abruptly. "Quit exaggerating, idiot," he scolded, but I could see the satisfied look on his face too.
After that, I was able to stop straining so much. Who knew all I'd had to all this time was simply to stop controlling myself? Shooting fireballs in all directions, encircling myself in a ring of fire, summoning a wall of flames in front of me; I picked up these abilities with minimal damage to Axel and Demyx in the process. It was like a switch had been flicked on inside me, unlocking any restraints that I had on myself. It was crazy to think of, really. Just short time ago, I wouldn't have even be able to trust myself with a matchbox. And now, here I was, attack and defending myself with fire that had the power to kill a man. Or at least damage them fairly well.
I shared these thoughts with Axel and Demyx, which made them laugh. "What's so funny?" I demanded.
"Sorry to kill your buzz, babe, but you're still a newbie to this stuff," Axel informed me with just a hint on condescension. "It'll take a lot more than a few hits to make a dent in me."
Demyx casually slung his arms behind his head. "See, your attacks would easily damage a normal person. But us? And other people who use these kind of powers? No way! Sorry, Raxmi, Axel's right. You're gonna have to keep training to get up to our level."
"Don't worry, though," Axel added, grinning mockingly at his companion. "Dem's so pathetic that you'll surpass him in no time."
"Hey!" he protested. "I survived a mission here, in Agrabah yesterday. Me! In a desert! With those damn red fire Heartless that don't leave me alone!"
"And did you actually do any fighting?"
"...Okay, that's enough about me. Raxmi, now that you've gotten the hang of fire, it's time for you to learn the best element of them all: water!"
Roxas's P.O.V.
Even though I was keeping track of the days, they seemed to blur together into an incomprehensible haze of completing missions. Xion was assigned alongside me on many on them, finishing off with ice cream at the Clock Tower in Twilight Town's Central Station. Having a best friend with you can somehow make any mundane task enjoyable. However, the comfort of my best friend's presence couldn't help shake off the little nagging voice in my mind questioning were my other best friend was. The last time he hadn't returned on time, Saix and Zexion were trying to find him and Raxmi. I had assumed that he was at the Clock Tower with her, but neither of them were there when I'd left to warn them. He returned much later that night, giving a half-hearted excuse to Saix about how he couldn't possibly be the one who let her out of the prison cell.
This morning, Xion and I woke up to find that Axel was nowhere to be seen. He would never get up earlier than he had to, so I had assumed that it was something involving Raxmi. This worried me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but think that both he and Raxmi would end up returning here. In the dungeons.
I was now lounging on one of the couches in the Grey Area, waiting for Saix to present us with today's mission. Xion, seated delicately next to me, laid her small hand on my shoulder. "Are you still worrying about Axel?"
Kingdom Hearts glowed almost mockingly at me through the Grey Area's curved glass wall. "'Worrying'?" I repeated, tilting my chin towards the spectacular view in front of us. "We're not capable of worrying, remember?"
Axel would've rolled his eyes at my constant reminding of our emotional status, but Xion was far more patient. "Well, Axel's our best friend, he's missing, and we don't want him to be in danger. I guess that's a kind of worrying, isn't it?" She did this a lot. Tried to make us more human than we actually are.
"If you say so," I sighed.
"Cheer up, Roxas!"
"We can't –"
"Pretend for a while, then," she smiled.
Saix strode into the room as soon I gave Xion the silliest, most over-done grin possible. "Better?" I asked her through my teeth.
"We do not need another Demyx on our hands, Roxas," Saix said, unamused. We stood up awkwardly as he carried on speaking. "You two are to go to Agrabah and eliminate the Heartless near the Cave of Wonders. The task might be strenuous, so take healing items with you. Do not return until the area has been cleared."
Nodding, I started to leave, with Xion at my heels. Just as I thought we'd gotten off the hook, Saix stopped us in our tracks with the question that we'd been eager to avoid. "Do either of you know of Axel's whereabouts?"
"Uh...I think he stayed up late...maybe he hasn't woken up yet?" I replied, hoping that he didn't notice my small gulp before answering.
"Or maybe he went to buy supplies?" Xion offered weakly.
Saix narrowed his eyes in suspicion, yet he decided to let the matter drop and sighed again, clearly annoyed. "Upon Axel's request, I already gave him and Demyx a briefing of today's mission last night. Perhaps they have already left – even though I specifically told them to see me first in the morning to recap."
"Oh..." Unsure of how to respond, Xion and I took Saix's turning away to instruct Zexion, who had just entered, as our cue to leave. Feeling too numb to walk all around the city, I hastily made a Corridor of Darkness to my favourite moogle outside the castle. "Demyx is gone, too?" I repeated, as we landed at our destination.
"Maybe he and Axel went together to go somewhere with Raxmi," Xion said.
That sounded more interesting than fighting Heartless, even if Xion was with me. "I'm kinda thinking of dumping our mission to go search for them in Twilight Town..."
"That would only end up in Saix thinking all four of us were missing. Besides, maybe they really did just leave for their mission without checking in with Saix." I hummed unsurely at her reasoning, accepting handful of hi-potions that the moogle held out to me. A silhouette shifted quietly in the corner of my eye while Xion handed over some munny, most likely just a pesky Shadow Heartless. I tried to ignore it; those creatures weren't worth our time. "If you're still worried, we can go search for Axel and Demyx after we've finished in Agrabah," she suggested. "At least that won't look suspicious to Saix, right?"
"Yeah, sound good..." Glancing over at the patch of shadows that had moved, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with the sense that someone else was here. However, I shook off the phantom feeling and made a Corridor of Darkness to the Cave of Wonders for me and Xion. There were more important things to 'worry' about than silly paranoia.
2017 EDIT: FINALLY DONE EDITING YASSSSSSS this took so much longer than I thought it would holy shit