It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Yeah, sorry about the lack of updates, but I’ve been rather busy reading Eldest for school. Anyway, here’s the next update! Lotsa scenes covered in this chapter, including a rather pointless Destiny Islands one.

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Chapter 14: The Shadow of Doubt

A warm breeze blew across the tropical paradise known as Destiny Islands. The sun, shone bright like an omen of joy, bringing happiness wherever its rays touched. Palm trees danced in the wind, waving in an ongoing procession. Cool, shimmering waves of blue met the sheltered sands of the shore, warm to the touch, while the sound of children laughing, playing, and telling each other about their day resonated in the area. It seemed as if things truly were perfect today on the islands. It had been a long time since the heartless had first arrived, and conflict broke lose, starting an adventure for Sora, Riku, and even Kairi Yes, things had indeed changed.

Staring into the vast sea was an all too familiar young lady. From her long, wavy locks, yellow like the light from the sun, to her gleaming eyes of blue, all the way to her simple, white dress, it was obvious that Naminé had arrived on Destiny Islands for whatever reason. So there she sat, sketchbook in hand, etching away an image. Using a goldenrod crayon, she created the image of spiky, unruly hair. A peach colored stick of wax created a skin tone, while a cerulean crayon was used to create the image of two curious eyes. For a moment, she paused, realizing that replicating his eyes was a difficult task. Her mind dwelled on Roxas. Despite barely knowing him, she had this strong fascination in the teenage boy. Everything from his naivety to his carefree personality were just appealing. Plus, besides the Riku Replica and Sora, he was the only person, or should I say, nobody who treated her in a friendly manner.

Frowning, she pulled out a few other crayons in various shades of view. It seemed that a single shade would not suffice in replicating the vibrancy of those eyes. She tried her very best to create a believable image, blending each shade the best that she could, but each time, there was no avail. Eventually, she gave up and went to shading the rest of her piece. The picture itself obviously showed a great effort. In the image, Roxas simply was smiling, looking as if he had not a care in the world…quite the opposite of how he was currently feeling. All the same, it was indeed a work of effort, and, even if it wasn’t perfect, to Naminé it was still good.

Upon finishing her drawing, she could hear footsteps in the distance. Someone was heading her way. In a split second, her calm, content behavior halted, as she hurryingly tucked away her sketchbook and opened a portal. She couldn’t afford being spotted, at least, not now. If anyone, especially Kairi, saw her, things would surely lead to utter bafflement, let alone confusion. So, right then, as the dark tendrils greeted her, the young lass couldn’t help but dive in and disappear in a flash. The only sign of her that was left was a single blue crayon which she happened to drop in her rush.

Kairi was, as usual, having her daily visit to the island shore. This had become routine ever since she and Sora were separated a year ago. Despite all the times Selphie, Tidus, and even Wakka had told her to move on, she simply would not. Sora, Riku too, were simply too important for the cherry haired teenager to forget. They had always been there for her no matter what the situation. To be blunt, they were her closest friends, who she had known ever since she had arrived on the Island so many years before. Today, she was dressed in her casual clothes, a pink dress with zippers and black straps. Beneath it was another garb, a lighter, whiter piece. She fore tall boots which nearly reached her knees and in her hand was a large bag.

“Maybe he’ll come…” she said to herself, as she approached the shoreline. “He said he’d come back. He has to!” A frown was plastered upon her mug, as she reminisced that fateful moment a year ago when she had been separated from Sora right after being reunited. It was at that moment that she had vowed to wait for him every day until he returned. Doing so had been relatively tough for the Princess of Heart, as there was interference, such as school, not to mention Selphie had often interrupted her. Plus, it seemed that each day Kairi began to worry even more. A year was a long time to be away.

Upon reaching the shoreline, the strawberry haired princess eyed a peculiar object. Sitting there for no apparent reason was a small, indigo colored crayon. Judging by the size and shape, it had been used several times. Kairi eyed this in bafflement, cocking her head to the side before reaching down and picking up the stick of wax. There was no brand name on this little tool of art, just a strange symbol that looked like an upside down heart with splinters. The thing that bothered her, though, was the fact that this little object had been sitting there with no real purpose. Plus, there weren’t that many artists around, let alone ones who used crayons. Something wasn’t right.

I don’t understand, thought the seventh Princess of Heart, examining the crayon in curiosity. This couldn’t belong to Selphie, Tidus, or Wakka… but, they’re the only others around the island. It makes no sense. Passively, she tucked the little wax stick into her pocket. It was, more or less, impulse, but one also had to bear in mind her inquisitiveness in the matter. Once the little crayon was well hidden, she put down her bag and took a seat on the warm, welcoming sand, closing her eyes. The wind gently brushed against her peach colored skin, as she simply relaxed.

--

Beast’s Castle: Library

“You know, Larxene… I had to go through the trouble of rounding up all of those prisoners… It wasn’t exactly my choice of an evening activity.”

Zexion entered the library with a rather flustered air in his presence. As he had told his ally, upon finding that the prisoners had escaped, he ended up dealing with each and every one. Such as task took quite some time, as there were several inhabitants within the castle, and even with portals, things like this took time. In his hand, as he made his way closer to the Savage Nymph, VI carried a glass container with a gleaming rose inside. An aura of power shone from within, as the Cloaked Schemer placed this plant atop the table. Seeing this, Larxene put down a large novel she was reading and leaned forward inquisitively.

“What’s with the plant?” she snapped in disgust. “I thought that Flower Boy was the only one here who liked those stupid things.” She tapped her gloved fingers against the wooden surface of the table as she observed her fellow Organization member adjusting this peculiar blossom as if he actually cared about it. But, that didn’t make sense, since Zexion wasn’t the type to go all florist on anyone. If anything, he was, more or less, the quiet, manipulative type. Now, his response to Larxene’s question would come soon enough, as he turned his gaze towards the electric sadist.

Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he retorted, “For your information…this flower contains a mass amount of energy…In fact, it has been able to last ten years without losing a single petal. This could prove useful; as a great amount of power is suppressed within it…I’m going to bring this to Vexen to see if he can study it.” Even with Zexion being utterly serious, however, the Savage Nymph wasn’t interested in the least. Technical stuff wasn’t her style, so, instead of being fascinated, she just shrugged and continued reading her book. Yes, she was indeed totally oblivious to any knowledge in which VI had to offer. Though, without true emotions, that made sense.

Zexion shook his head at Larxene’s rather bland behavior. For whatever reason, it somewhat bothered him when she shrugged off things of importance as if they were pointless theories. If she were to be his ally, XII would have to learn how to appreciate the little things. On the other hand, trying to convince her now, of all times, wasn’t exactly a bright idea. Sometimes I wonder how I ever got by…in her state… he pondered to himself, turning away from the wooden table. She’ll understand soon enough. Unruffled, the Cloaked Schemer decided to pick up a book as well. At least it would give him something to do, while he waited for Marluxia to finish tormenting the Beast. It didn’t really matter what he read, so much as if it was intelligent, and thus, he grabbed the first novel he could find, namely, a collection of poetry by Edgar Alan Poe. I suppose this shall suffice…

For the next few minutes, the two nobodies kept to themselves and their books. Each of them was fully absorbed in this simple activity. In reality, time passed rather slowly, and neither Organization member paid attention to the world passing by. Yes, reading was a pleasant activity, even for those who were mere fragments of their former selves. Only when the sound of boots clicking on the floor resonated within the walls of the library did the two turn away from their reading. As predicted, there stood Marluxia, a bushel of roses in his clutch for no apparent reason. The first thing he noticed, upon coming closes to his comrades, was the gleaming, enchanted rose in its glass dome. Seeing this brought a falsetto smile upon his visage.

“Why, Zexion…I’m impressed,” purred number eleven putting his own collection of flowers down atop the table. For whatever reason, he just wanted to reach out and touch that precious rose. It was like an ongoing instinct. “How did you manage to swipe that rose with that horrid Beast guarding it like a life source?” Slowly, his hand continued to inch towards the glass, he just wanted to touch the flower. But, of course, before he could remove the glass top, his appendage was met by the hard cover of a certain book of poems along with a somewhat agitated Zexion. Instantly, he threw back his hand, surprised by the sudden response from the Cloaked Schemer.

Snarling, Zexion exclaimed, “Only I am to touch the rose, you imbecile! I need it…for my own reasons, mind you. An object of such power could indeed help in my own scheming, a scheme which neither you nor Larxene will hear a single word of until I am certain that you can be trusted…” With that, he swiftly jerked the rose away from the Graceful Assassin’s reach, shaking his head in annoyance. “You really are starting to irritate me, Marluxia. Surely you can do something more productive than spending time out in the frozen forest, gathering roses? I should think you would use your bloody head!” Of course, XI wasn’t phased. As opposed to really taking a consent in Zexion’s advice, he quietly sat himself near Larxene, yawning.

“It’s impossible for you to be irritated, Zexion, you know that…” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. “I long for genuine emotions as much as the next nobody, but sometimes I think you put a little too much integrity into this little rouse. Though, I admit that your actions almost seem genuine. Congrats on the valiant effort.” Sighing, Marluxia then turned his attention to Larxene, who was still incredibly focused on her reading. It seemed as if this library was utterly dull, with the lack of Sora among other things. All the same, it was best not to bother with meager things.

WHAM! Out of nowhere, Zexion tossed his novel flat on the table. To say the least, he was not exactly entertained by all this silence. Rather than continuing to read, he had decided to leave this dull environment, but, of course, he didn’t do so without knocking XI’s precious flowers onto the ground. Marluxia’s reaction was an immediate on of shock, as his little roses were stomped upon by a certain Cloaked Schemer. Why he had done this was unknown, but, it appeared that he was rather bothered by the pesky flower loving nobody. As for Larxene, who didn’t exactly find Zexion’s little act wrong in the least. If anything, it was amusing to see the pink haired traitor gawk at this sight.

“This is to show you that I am no fool, Marluxia!” Zexion snapped viciously. “I know well that nobodies cannot feel emotions, you docile imbecile! It’s deplorable…these feelings…they’re…they’re all a rouse… It’s true that I am not angry in the least, as I am unable to be!” STOMP! Down went another rose as the rather vicious nobody continued his little ranting. “No need to blurt out what is commonly known… You are not as intelligent as you claim to be. Why, instead of being productive, here you are picking BLOODY WORTHLESS FLOWERS!” Panting, he ceased this smashing and slowly walked away from his allies, muttering to himself.

Staring, rather confused, Larxene grumbled, “Gee, I wonder what his problem is. I swear Zex has some serious issues…more than you, Flower Boy.” Despite being slightly appalled by Larxene’s nature, the Graceful Assassin couldn’t help but nod. Really, Zexion’s ethics were a tad on the farfetched side. Why was he so fascinated in flowers, and why did he have that outburst? What was the point he was trying to prove through this?

“Sometimes, I wonder, Larxene…” resounded the flower-freak, shaking his head. “I have a feeling that there’s more to that little schemer than we think. Go investigate. It may help us in our conquest of the Organization after all.” An evil grin spread across his features at the thought of a successful conquest. Finally, revenge on Organization would ensue…that is, if Zexion’s plans were that worthwhile. “Remember, my dear, we mustn’t be too suspicious. Therefore, I suggest you act casual when approaching the little pest.” Putting down her book, XII huffed, rolling her eyes at the pink haired traitor.

“Yeah, sure…” she mumbled, pushing herself away from the table. “I’ll go check up on the shorty.”

--

Twilight Town: Station

Sora’s gaze was filled with insanity. Here he was, corrupt as ever, pinning one of his closest friends to the ground, without the slightest consent. His unwelcoming, amber eyes dug deep into Donald’s very soul, and, for once, the fowl was actually afraid…not just for himself, but Sora as well. Axel was right after all…The Keybearer really HAD lost it! Deep, horrid laughter resonated from within Sora, as he slowly was surrounded by an all too familiar dark aura. “Tell me…Where is Roxas?! I know he’s here! I can sssssense him….” Sora’s gloved hands pressed, with great force, against Donald’s chest as he pushed his head closer, intending to send fear through his ally.

“He’s...he’s…” began the frightened fowl, attempting to break free of the Keybearer’s grasp with no avail, “he’s…with s-someone…from…f-from…” While his comrade shook in Sora’s clutches, Goofy could only watch from a distance, as some sort of barrier kept him from coming anywhere near the others. All the while, Donald could not do a single thing about his present situation. Sora, now almost in anti form, was too strong.

“Someone from WHAT?” demanded the psychotic teenager, smashing the poultry mage into the cement. “What did he look like?! When was this?! Darn it, Donald, I need to knoooooooooow!” By now, the only thing that distinguished Sora from his Anti state was the fact that his face was still being enveloped by the darkness. Due to the pressure he was using on Donald, he was nearly choking the feathery time bomb. “You will tell me…or I will take your heart, Donald. Do you think I WANT to do that? I think you know…You know what to do. So, DO IT!”

Weakly, Donald choked, “Red hair…Organization cloak…not long…ago…should be…near the S-sandlot…” Face almost blue due to the lack of oxygen, it was rather obvious that the magician had endured enough. Besides, Sora had gotten the necessary info that he so desired. As much as he wanted another heart, he still managed to kick Donald away. Instantly, the barrier dropped, and Goofy charged towards his companion, as Sora stood, Keyblade in hand, glaring down at the duo. An essence of terror was emitted from his very being.

“I’ll be back for you later…” he spat, ambling down towards the Station Heights. “You’re lucky I pity you two, or I’d have taken your hearts by now… Heheh…Roxas should have a very tasty heart. I look forward to savoring his precious treasure. Soon, so very soon…” While he left, his two comrades both exchanged worrisome glances. Really, were they just going to let him slip by without any objections? In his current state, there was no way that Sora could just be abandoned like that! The only problem was that Donald was rather weak in his current state. But, that aside, there was no reason to just sit and do nothing.

Shaky, Donald managed to push himself up onto his feet, snarling slightly. In truth, he was incredibly upset about what had happened to Sora. Why, it was as if he were totally insane! There had to be a way to stop it, but the only problem was detaining the fifteen year old. Either way, the poultry mage weakly rumbled, “Give me a sec, Goofy. I need to breathe here. THEN, we have to help Sora…AND Roxas!” He stumbled to the ground shortly after, leaving Goofy to catch him. Yes, Donald definitely wasn’t in good shape.

--

The Sandlot

Heartless seemed to be spawning like mad within the usually peaceful sandlot. Several shadows, antennae twitching, pranced about, attempting to steal the hearts of the disciplinary committee. Luckily, Seifer had knowledge of fighting, or else he and his lackeys would have been toast by now. Regardless, the leader of the pack, so to speak, continued to wham his gunblade straight into his foes, causing them to vanish in a puff of shadowy smoke.

Just a few yards away, Axel and Roxas appeared, not expecting the sight before them. Rather, they were simply planning on a casual stroll, but upon spying the countless shadows, both of their faces shifted into rather frustrated glares. Why was it that everything had to be so difficult? All the duo wanted was a leisurely stroll, yet here was another horrid mess to clean up. At least, though, they were at a bit of an advantage with their combined power.

Hastily, the two passed glances, all before summoning their weapons. A gleaming aura surrounded Roxas’ right hand, extending to form the shape of the Keyblade, becoming more and more visible by the second. Soon, the silver blade, gleaming in the sunlight along with the golden handle were fully visible. At the same time, Axel thrust both of his arms to the side, as a sudden burst of flames enveloped his hands, forming the shape of two disks. Soon, spiked edges and the red and silver details became apparent. Now with their weapons ready, the two friends leapt forward ready to take on the heartless hordes.

Right as the two companions dove into the masses of shadows, said dark denizens began to strike back, blissfully unaware of their foes’ lack of hearts. Their dark physiques met with the end of the Keyblade, along with Axel’s twin chakrams within a matter of moments. But, of course, this was not the end of the onslaught. Despite the first few heartless being eliminated by an instant blow, another group lunged themselves straight at Roxas’ chest, sending him flying towards the ground as the little buggers dug their claws into his gut. However, this time, as he had experienced heartless more than enough times already, he was well prepared.

SLASH! SWIPE! Four shadow heartless made a futile attempt to snatch a heart which the nobody of Sora lacked. At this, Axel instantly turned tail in order to assist his friend. His brow furrowed at the sight of weak little heartless being foolish enough to snatch a nonexistent heart, but, before he could unleash his chakrams, VIII was surprised to see that his bud had already taken care of things. You see, instead of sitting there, waiting for the heartless to move away, he made a simple maneuver involving thrusting the Keyblade straight in an upward direction, breaking though the center of the heartless. Once those pests were taken care of, number XIII was back in the game.

While the duo of nobodies continued their retaliation through the heartless hordes, Seifer was also taking the liberty to defend himself. Of course, being rather headstrong, he took a more direct action, rushing through the crowd, gunblade at the ready. HACK! GNASH! With every swing, more and more shadows disintegrated into nothingness. Seifer was seemingly outdoing himself, but the fact remained that he was failing to look behind himself. All the while, Roxas and Axel ganged up on their mindless enemies, using their combined strength to wipe out the little ant-like creatures. First, Axel would thrust his arms forward, sending a barrage of vibrantly colored embers at the heartless. This would ignite several of the shadows, and quite a few were beaten just like that, but those that were left were taken down by Roxas’ Kingdom Key soon after.

Watching this impressive display, Seifer shouted, digging his weapon into another shadow, “Heh, not bad, outsiders. And here I thought I was the only one who isn’t a chicken wuss.” Snickering, he managed to land another blow to a mere shadow that stood before him. Yes indeed, Seifer was on a roll, as were the other two fighters. Roxas himself was actually surprised that he had been given a compliment from someone like the leader of the Disciplinary Committee. Still, at the present time, defeating the heartless was the most important thing, so he continued bursting through the masses with Axel.

Up above, leering down at the group from a distant height, was Sora, still in his Anti Form. His amber eyes, gleaming with enthrallment were fixed upon Roxas’ appearance. His anti side wished to tear through and steal the so called treasure within, savoring every bite. Oh how he longed to dig his claws into his chest and rip out what was bound to be a powerful heart. He couldn’t help but cackle at the mere notion. However, his true self, buried deep within frowned upon this situation. Sure, he was able to see Roxas in person, but the fact remained that he didn’t want to endanger the strange boy from his dreams.

“It’s funny how a part of me wishes to spare you, Roxas,” he inquired to himself malevolently, claws digging into the roof in which he perched. “No matter…I will see to it that you become my little prey. It’s part of my nature. Hehheh…” Still eyeing Roxas with keen eyes, the corrupt Keybearer decided to make his move. So, flexing his limbs, he leapt downward, claws at the ready, preparing for what he had hoped to be a very delicious meal. However, it was not Roxas in which he had used to broke his fall. No, on the contrary, Sora ended up landing face first on Seifer’s back, causing the gunblade wielder to hit the ground with a great impact.

BANG! All at once, the fighting ceased as the Anti Sora made his impact. All that was left of the mere heartless subsided; those creatures, though mindless, knew better than to arouse the anger of such a powerful being. Axel and Roxas, however, did not move an inch. It was just too much to bear, especially for Roxas. In truth, his worst fear had come to pass; Sora was here, just a few inches…and that wasn’t the worst of it. No, he was in a corrupt state, meaning things were bound to be dangerous.

“Roxasssssss….”

--

Traverse Town

Riku heaved a bothered sigh as he paced around in the third district. After his conversation with Mickey, he had decided that, somehow, he was going to help Sora. The only problem was the mere fact that he had no idea what he was going to do to assist his best friend. From what his highness had told him, the Keybearer had become insane and filled with dark energy, making him incredibly dangerous. This concept made him clench his fist ever-so-tightly, as he peered into the distance. Organization XIII, after this little stunt, had passed from his so-so side to his critical zone of infernal hatred. It was bad enough that he had been altered by the shadows.

“Darn it!” he shouted openly, waving his Soul Eater in the air in frustration. He had been pondering rather hard for the last few minutes, and still nothing came to his mind, despite the deep pools of thought in which he had dove straight into. “Why does everything have to be so difficult?!” Oh how irritated he had become. From the looks of things, he was about to blow, metaphorically, of course. Luckily, there was nobody in the immediate area to trigger any unseen aggression.

With nothing to attack, or to take out his rage, all the sixteen year old could do was use the walls within this small area for target practice. First and foremost, he would unleash his dark firaga, sending a purplish blast of flames straight at one of the buildings. Upon making impact, the dark flames vanished, not leaving a single scorch mark. All the same, it proved a useful way for Riku to let go of some steam. For the next few minutes, he kept himself occupied with this little routine, that is, until he heard the sound of footsteps meeting the pavement from behind.

Hearing this sudden resonance, Riku slowly turned around, only to be somewhat awestruck. Standing, just a little over a yard from him, was none other than the Organization’s seventh member, namely, Saïx. In his hand was his claymore, spiked and at the ready, showing that the sapphire haired shell of a person wished for violence. Luckily, the moonlight was very scarce, as clouds prevented head on energy, but that did not change the situation. Even if he was unable to go berserk, VII was a formidable opponent. “Riku, oh how the mighty have fallen,” he mused, approaching the teen with a smirk. “I had no idea you had become so reliant on the darkness. Oh how more interesting things will be. If only I had a heart…then I could truly enjoy this momentous occasion.”

More and more frustration emerged from within Riku’s being. His gleaming, yellow eyes narrowed, and he was scarcely able to detain himself from striking head on. In truth, the more time he spent in his darkened state, the less he was able to control his emotions at times. Using moves like dark aura and dark firaga only worsened his condition. Regardless, he spat angrily, “Saïx… just what do you want?!” Obviously, VII wasn’t taken aback by Riku’s arrogance. Rather, he merely forced pseudo laughter at his ‘insolence’.

“Why Riku,” replied the Lunar Diviner in a falsely offended tone, “you’re simply breaking my heart.” With this, number seven shifted his expression to a seemingly upset gaze, complete with quivering lip and wide eyes. However, Riku was much more intelligent than that. As opposed to falling for this rouse, he lifted up his soul eater and prepared to take on his foe’s challenge with much integrity.

“Liar!” he exclaimed, taking a few steps backwards, gleaming with sternness, “you don’t even have a heart!” At any given moment, he would unleash his gathered anger, giving the moon loving nobody something to fear, with or without a heart. Saïx too was prepared, as he had been for several minutes. Upon seeing Riku move backwards, sword drawn, he knew well that it was time to strike, and now, the crescent of the moon was no longer hidden behind the pillows above known as clouds. And so, a battle was due to begin, one using the power of the moon, and the other, darkness. Both figures charged forth.

WHAM! Saïx was first to strike, slamming his claymore straight onto the pavement with a howl of fury. The resulting was a huge, silvery wave of energy, spreading throughout the district. Riku barely managed to dodge this little onslaught by dodge-rolling to the side. However, the Diviner did not quit there. On the contrary, he rapidly swung his weapon straight into the ground, causing more and more shock waves, many of which Riku was unable to evade. ZING! The teenager was sent flying towards a brick wall, an immense amount of agony spreading through his veins. KAWHOOSH! Even more shock waves were sent forth, making the splintering torture reach an all time high.

For a split second the pain subsided, as Saïx stopped to gather his lunar energy. His claymore lie on the ground, while the lunar being himself panted with much exhaustion. Although considerably weak, Riku took this time to rush straight at Saïx, thrusting his wing-shaped weapon straight into his chest. Unable to defend himself, VII took each blow head on, growling at the sting of the shadowed blade. CHING! CHANG! About five blows were delivered before Saïx abruptly shoved Riku forward, as the pale moonlight up above sunk into his very skin. The silver haired teenager instantly knew that this meant more berserk action, which certainly wouldn’t be pretty. Nonetheless, he decided to take a more evasive approach.

SLAM! WHOOSH! Again and again, shock waves formed, as the now berserk Lunar Diviner did his dance of death. The sheer fury being released within made it seem that the concept of nobodies lacking feelings was mere myth. Regardless, the power which was released was simply incredible, to say the least. However, this time, Riku was alert. With each impact, he either dodge-rolled to the side, making sure to avoid being blasted by another dangerous wave, or to simply leap out of the way. All the while, the sixteen year old was gathering power at an extreme rate, especially due to his darkened status.

After another while, VII came to another pause, as his energy became low in concentration. He clutched onto his weapon as tight as he could, but that did not change the fact that he was unable to unleash his incredible strength without a cost. Regardless, Riku once again prepared to unleash his wrath, darting forth, hands glowing with a purplish white gleam. When he came close enough, dark firaga was unleashed, finally able to scorch a living target. Shadowed flames seared the seventh member’s cloak, causing him to wince, longing for the energy of the moon to quench his thirst for strength. Oh, but Riku wasn’t even done yet. STAB!!!! Again, Sora’s closest friend impaled Saïx right in the gut, this time knocking him backwards…only, by doing so, he allowed the nobody to soak in some more moonlit energy.

“RAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!” This wasn’t good…Saïx seemed to be gaining more power than usual. As the light from above shone into his being, his form contorted; back arching, pupils increasing in size; he clearly looked like a maniacal beast! His yellowed eyes looked like mere slits, and his face was twisted into a vicious grimace as he leapt upwards, claymore clenched tightly within his clutches. Riku had to react fast in order to avoid being mauled from above by a very overpowered Lunar Diviner. WHISH! VII dove towards the pavement, his weapon smashing against the ground with far more integrity than before! Even though Riku had rolled to the side, he could still feel the immense quivering from below.

With each shake, each blow, he too had a secret power from within rising. Despite his constant dodging, there were still times where the spiked end of the claymore would meet his own being, sending sharp, stinging sensations through his body, while his strength began to grow. Riku could feel the pulsing from his own heart, the temptation of the dark growing with each passing second, as he continued to fight off Saïx’s wrath. Even upon letting out some steam, so to speak, from piercing him in the gut, he could not stop it. Soon, he would have to unleash this power, for his own sake.

A few more minutes of fighting passed before Riku could no longer detain himself. Once more, Saïx was using his berserk moves when the silver haired teenager unleashed the true potential which was once suppressed deep in the bowels of his darkened heart. His cloaked form began to illuminate with an eerie presence, as an expression of rage overtook him. He pulled out his weapon, and prepare to strike. It was when VII came rushing straight at him that the true Keyblade master rose up into the air, only to dive down at him from behind, Soul Eater aimed straight forward. With a rapid thrust, the Lunar Diviner was flung forwards, crashing straight into a wall, but this retaliation did not end there. No, he struck back a second, time, knocking him up into the air, while his blade cut against his chest a third, and then a fourth time. This rapid technique came to a close when the teenager shot vibrant, bluish blasts from beneath the pavement.

Saïx fell right to his knees, that is, once he had safely made it to the ground. His very breathing was rash and uneven, and even his complexion showed defeated, as it was pale in tone, sweat beads trickling down like raindrops reaching down from the sky. Weakly, he dismissed his weapon, knowing that any more violence would surely lead to his demise. At this, Riku merely smirked, watching the so called second hand man of Xemnas disappear within the corridor of darkness in which all nobodies used to get about. Before totally vanishing, though, he bellowed, “I’d watch yourself, Riku…even you cannot escape your inner darkness.”

With that, number seven of the Organization vanished from sight, leaving Riku all on his own once more. It was only a few seconds after that he felt an intense pressure from his heart. It was as if hundreds of daggers were piercing him on the inside, each going deeper and deeper, unleashing a massive amount of agony. He could barely keep his yellowed eyes open; the stinging felt like a wave of torment tearing him up from the inside out. It was while the twinge, he began to choke, a strange dark liquid dripping from his mouth. During all this madness, though, he failed to see a certain three-foot tall rodent heading his way. No, what caught his attention was an all too familiar voice echoing in the bowels of his heart.

That’s right, Riku, it snarled, become one with the darkness. Surrender yourself to me, become my vessel!

Upon reaching Riku, the mouse king instantly shouted, “Riku! Control yourself!” Still, the boy was too absorbed in this sharp stinging in his core. He was just barely clinging onto consciousness, as after using the Dark Aura, he didn’t have much strength. Regardless, Mickey remained by his side placating him. “Gosh, Riku…you gotta be careful.” Fortunately, he was able to force a nod, all before spitting out more of the strange, bubbling purple ooze.

“Y-yeah…” he muttered in between gags. “But I’ll be…erp… fine…”

--

Beast’s Castle

Zexion wore a content grin, as he looked over his slip of paper once more. His keen, sharp eyes observed every last word he had penned, making sure he did not miss a single detail. Whatever it was he had up his sleeves, it was certain to be cunning and a big surprise, to say the least. Regardless, here he was, enjoying the silence in which the halls offered. With Larxene supposedly handling the Beast, and Marluxia dealing with torture for the once escaped prisoners, the Cloaked Schemer had plenty of time on his own, or rather, it seemed that way. However, VI was blissfully unaware that he was being watched…

What’s with him? Larxene thought, peering around the corner at her ally. Ever since the mission had started, Zexion had always been rather unusual. It was almost as if he had totally changed from his once loyal, rather dull self. As of now, he was far more sinister than ever before, not to mention that he seemed to react more to situations in which the average nobody did not. As of now, the Savage Nymph was just as curious as her traitorous comrade, Marluxia, when it came to VI and his plotting.

Finally, she stepped out from her hiding place, bearing a stern grimace, as she stepped towards Zexion, kunai in hands. She was going to get some straight answers from him, whether he liked it or not. Even if it meant resorting to harsh torture, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t really feel pity or mercy, as it was. Of course, right as she stepped forward, VI about-faced, rather unsurprised of the sadist’s presence. As of late, she was rather nosy, not to mention that he could sense things via scent. So, sniggering slightly, he mused, “Why, Larxene, what brings you here? Should you not be tampering with the Beast’s emotions?”

“Yeah, well,” she spat in response, “I already took care of that oversized carpet, FYI.” It was plain to see that Larxene was far from entertained by this whole situation. You could say that her curiosity had gotten the best of her, not to mention that her loyalties with the “Flower Boy” also had pushed her forward in her interrogation. Not that Zexion was surprised. He merely kept his broad grin at XII as she continued, “Now, look, shorty, I’m just about fed up with this. You will tell me what’s wrong with you, not to mention your plan, or I will chain you to the wall and give you the worst experience in your worthless little life. Don’t underestimate me, Zexion. I mean it.”

Tossing aside his rather lengthy bangs, the Cloak Schemer merely retorted, “Why, Larxene, I’m simply appalled by your lack of faith in me. You know very well that you must earn my trust…and yet, you still question my motives?” He then took a moment to push back his sleeves before continuing, “As for what’s ‘wrong’ with me, it’s nothing. I fail to see where you are getting all these assumptions. Perhaps Marluxia has proven a rather poor influence on your part.”

This constant denial was rather bothersome, even to a nobody such as Larxene. It was blatantly obvious that Zexion was hiding something, otherwise he would have admitted things already. Oh yes, the Cloaked Schemer had a bunch of juicy secrets concealed; ones which kept on pulling Larxene and Marluxia more into his clutches. The sheer fact that XII’s next movement was nothing short of a sudden jump towards Zex proved that she was serious about this fascination. Yes, here she stood, pressing the Cloaked Schemer to the wall, peering straight into his eyes. “Look,” she hissed, increasing the pressure against his being, “I’m not playing games. You’d better talk, or I’ll stick every last kunai of mine into your midgety self until you squeal. I may not have real emotions, but that won’t stop me from enjoying every minute of this. You got that?”

Rolling his eyes in discontent, Zexion replied, “Try as you might, I am not intimidated by your reckless actions…Regardless, go ahead and humor me. I’m eager to know what is ‘wrong’ with my current behavior…”

End of Chapter

--

AN: Woo, so I know the fight with Saïx isn’t totally like the one in the game, but that’s because he was holding back on Riku. Wait til the NEXT time he gets into battle. THAT will be very…actiony. Also, there’s a reason why Zexion is scheming and using the Organization as pawns. All that will be revealed as this plot goes on, but there are some surprises planned with him. ;) Anyway, please read and review, as I love opinions!