Escape [Zexion]

Dropping By For a Visit
Missing You ~ Namine by Hiroyuki Nakayama.

After giving it some thought, Zexion decided against sending Axas to Destiny Islands and instead went himself; he wasn't sure what he could trust the newest member of the Organization with, but it certainly wasn't something that was important. After all, anything regarding the Champion was his responsibility and if he were here, then it would look better if Zexion went instead of Axas. Though, as soon as he came into the world, he knew that the Champion was not; the world was moving as it typically did and had no overwhelming scent of darkness almost encapsulating it. It also looked untouched, not sharing in Radiant Garden's look of destruction.

"How unusual..." he mused to himself. What exactly happened here then if the Champion did not wreak havoc on it? He supposed he would have to look around more carefully to find the answer to that question, though it would certainly take a while. Zexion was not about to linger here for too long anyhow, not wanting to risk 'accidentally' bumping into Sora; the boy would most likely just kill him first and ask questions later.

Before he chose to make his trek into town to spy, something else caught his attention. Down a ways on the beach stood someone who he had to turn his head toward to get a good look at. He didn't sense her there before, though there was a good reason for that; he could only sense the darkness within people, not the light. This person had not one hint of darkness within her, which made her identification all the more easier: Kairi. Now, Zexion had a choice to make: he could approach her, or he could leave her. She would never know he was there if he did the latter.

Though, the former was certainly more intriguing. He had never met Kairi himself just as he had never met Sora before Castle Oblivion, yet he knew of her. Different ideas started to come into his head as he made the decision, walking the short distance down the beach to near where she stood. He brought his hood down as well, not wanting to look more ominous than he needed to look. He stopped about ten feet away from her, not wanting to get too close; this encounter had to be treated with care.

"What a lovely sunset," he said somewhat quietly, attempting to not completely startle her. There was no emotion behind his words naturally, the words themselves trivial and only to draw her attention. After that, who knew what would happen?

Something is Missing Here

It was sort of interesting to hear her reply to his trivial question before she turned around and look at him. She didn't hide the longing in her voice either, which was at least a little bit of a clue as to why she was here at the beach. There could only be one reason why she was wistful and that was Sora, who was not on the island. Though, his location was easy enough to find, even in the vast universe they existed in. That thought alone got the wheels turning in Zexion's head, though he kept that behind his signature blank face.

Kairi, thankfully, did not try to attack him on sight and instead tried to shield herself. She asked him who he was and why he was here, both good questions and straight to the point. He decided to answer both of them. "I am Zexion," he replied simply of first, "I am from Organization XIII. However, I did not come here to attack, nor can I say I expected to find you Kairi." That part was truthful at the very least.

"I came looking for something else, something both Sora and the Organization is currently after." He might as well continue to be honest for the moment to gain her trust. "There is currently a very powerful force of darkness that exists in the universe, one that poses a very serious threat. I was able to track it back here, though it seems to have vanished a few days ago." He let some disappointment come out of his voice when he said that, thinking of what to say next.

"Now may I ask why you are here? I would have thought you would be traveling with Sora." Mild curiosity seeped into his tone. He already thought he knew the answer and, if he proved to be right, he could use it. It would not help him with the current state of the Organization, but it could certainly help with his deal with Axel.

Assurance and an Offering

Zexion nodded in acknowledgement as he listened. Sora and Riku did as they had done before, which was leave the Princess behind while they go off through the universe to fight evil. One could say that there was chivalry behind that, but Zexion truly did not care enough to put meaning behind their actions. The point was they left Kairi behind yet again, something she didn't seem too happy about. Though, it wasn't quite anger that was present, but something else the Nobody couldn't place.

She then said something rather odd to him, making him raise an eyebrow. He didn't remember anyone going to capture Kairi both recently and before Castle Oblivion. It most likely happened after Castle Oblivion, which he would figure out the circumstances behind later. "I don't intend to capture you, nor does the rest of the Organization," he told her quite blankly, "I can assure you of that." He couldn't see why they would want to anyhow; it would be rather pointless aside from getting Sora further enraged with them.

"I only came looking for what Sora and Riku are seemingly after." He cast his gaze out to the sea as well; it wasn't something a Nobody saw everyday when he lived in the World That Never Was. "Though, perhaps now that I am here, I can offer you something else," he said, looking back to her, "I do not normally offer this, but I have the ability to sense others no matter where they are so long as they have darkness within their hearts. I can find Sora for you if you wish."

It was only an offer at this point, not something he was going to force upon her; whichever Nobody had captured her before had most likely not shown her the same "kindness" he had. He had a very specific motive here and it involved getting Kairi's trust. If he could get her trust, then that could work in his favor for getting Sora's trust. Once he was able to gain that, possibilities would open up for him to obtain Roxas.

One step at a time though; he couldn't get too carried away in his plans. "I can understand if you do not wish to take this offer. It is your decision." He crossed his arms and waited.

Some Oddities Here and There

He let her think some, keeping his eyes on her as she did so. He watched as she randomly looked over her shoulder and flicked his eyes in the same direction; there wasn't anything there, making the action rather peculiar. It would be pointless to understand every little nuance and she was back to looking at him anyhow. She had every reason not to trust him on this; the Organization did not exactly have a good name amongst the heroes, particularly the Keyblade Masters. If Kairi had indeed gotten captured by them, then she would have even more of a reason not to trust anyone who wore the cloak.

She asked a rather odd question again, stating that she thought the Organization was gone. He shook his head to this. "Sora and Riku did indeed defeat all of the Organization, but we have still returned. I cannot tell you why for certain, unfortunately. I suspect that even nothingness rejected us." There was a slight bit of sarcasm as he gave his bit of conjecture; it would be tragically ironic if that were the case, though Zexion couldn't say he truly had any idea why he, or the rest of the Organization, was brought back.

She then asked if he was only going to tell her the information. Indeed, how would she get off of this island even with that information? If she had a way off, she would not be here; simple as that. Right now, Zexion was her only way of getting away from Destiny Islands. He hid his smirk as he answered. "I will tell you where he is and, if you wish, bring you to him. The Corridor of Darkness should not affect you due to your infrequent use of them. I can assure you safe travel."

Key of Destiny

"As you wish." He sighed before he closed his eyes, concentrating just as he did before when he was looking for the Champion. He had to sift through far too many scents to count, going through world after world. He stood still the entire time, not moving an inch. Sora's scent was not quite as pungent as the Champion's, therefore it was a little more difficult to find. Thankfully, he had sensed it before when in Castle Oblivion, giving him at least a little familiarity with it. It wasn't much, but it was something to work with at the very least.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes with a slight gasp and a bit of a headache. He ignored that for now and looked straight to Kairi. "He is currently in the Land of Dragons. We should be able to find him in time for you to meet with him." He summoned a Corridor of Darkness in front of the two of them just before the ocean met the sand, gesturing for her to go first. "After you."

Albeit, he was a little surprised that Kairi went along with this and was trusting him up to this point. She was either naïve, desperate, or a combination of the two. Zexion was of course mostly oblivious to the strong bond Kairi and Sora shared, only able to touch upon it slightly when he was in Castle Oblivion. He had been dabbling then, only guessing that Sora had incredibly strong feelings for this girl now standing in front of him. It was definitely a tool for manipulation on both sides, but Kairi wasn't the one he needed to manipulate all of the way. Once he had the opportunity, he would get Sora.

He wouldn't underestimate him next time either.