Vital Words [Riku]

[Axel]

Let's Play a Game Called Hide and Seek
The Result is Always Death remixed by Another Soundscape; original tracks from Shadow Hearts: Covenant

A Corridor of Darkness opened in a secluded corner of the courtyard of Disney Castle. Luckily enough for Axel, no one seemed to be currently present nearby, leaving him free to wander about the grounds. From what he had gathered on Destiny Islands, Riku had left to wander the worlds. As a Keyblade master, he felt the obligation to continue fighting the darkness as long as it continued to threaten lives, or so that's what the Flame had deduced from the information gathered. From what he recalled of Castle Oblivion, Riku had established somewhat of a close relationship with the mouse king, Mickey. That relationship and the possibility that Riku would first seek Mickey out was what had finally lead him here.

The grounds were incredibly quiet for the time being, which struck Axel as odd. The rumors flying around the worlds placed Mickey in Radiant Garden at this point in time, so there was a high chance that he wasn't here right now. That would make Axel's job much easier. Even if Sora had ended up having a soft spot for him, the Flame wasn't about to assume that Mickey did, as well.

The silence was abruptly broken by the recognizable sounds of Donald and Goofy. Staying hidden in the shadows of the rather elaborate shrubbery, Axel waited until the two had passed on to other parts of the castle. Then he, too, began making his way into the castle proper. All of his senses were on high alert, as he was unwilling to encounter anyone other than Riku if the Keyblade master was here. When he reached a long, carpeted hallway, he paused for a moment to think. He had to carefully choose which rooms to enter, unless he wanted to bump into someone he would rather not see.

[Administrator]

Coming here was a waste of...wait, Axel? What?

Riku sighed. He had half-hoped coming here would be right where he would find Sora, since the oh-so-wise friend of his was so very predictable. But no, he hadn't come for his friends yet. Was he really that slow, that he hadn't found the note yet? Did I really overestimate him? Riku didn't find the thought of that appealing. He had thought he had a good idea of where Sora's intelligence lay...

But now, walking through the castle, Riku turned a corner and...there was Axel. What the hell was he doing in Disney Castle? "Axel? What are you doing here?" He almost summoned the Way to the Dawn, but he would prefer that things stayed civil...for now. He knew that Axel had left the Organization, and he remembered hearing from Sora that he had saved Sora's life and lost his own in the process.

"I thought you were dead."

[Axel]

So Nice to See You, Too

Patience, it seemed, always paid off in the end. Axel had not needed to go searching for Riku. Instead, the Keyblade master had found him. Though, when Riku had first seen him, he looked like he wanted to attack first and ask questions later. The Flame would have been prepared for that eventuality, anyway, but Riku asked him a question rather than resorting to immediate violence.

Crossing his arms casually over his chest, Axel kept a semi-serious expression on his face. He wasn't sure how trigger-happy Riku was, given his history with the darkness, but anything he could do to avoid setting the kid off was preferable. "I came here looking for you, actually. Got a few questions that only the Keyblade masters can answer. And, congratulations, you were my first choice."

He closed his eyes and smirked a little. "As for me being dead, that's a moot point, isn't it? I'm here right now, so it really shouldn't matter what happened to me. Let's not dwell on the past."

[Administrator]

I'm...flattered? And still a little shocked.

Riku relaxed. So, Axel was here to talk, not to fight. Good. "Okay, I'm all ears," the keybearer said, keeping himself composed. He was rather surprised to see Axel, alive or otherwise. It was still more than a shock seeing the Nobody, but he remained composed for the most part.

"Dwelling on the past is what I do, though, Axel," Riku said, letting it drop anyways. It wasn't that much worth it to find out how Axel was back. He was more interested in why he was seeking out a keyblade master, and himself in particular. Now, all there was to do was wait until the inevitable delivery of the questions that he was so avidly waiting for.

[Axel]

Brushing Up Against the Truth to Get Some Answers

Now that it had been established that he wasn't interested in picking a fight, Axel tilted his head to the side in thought. He had not forgotten what Zexion wanted him to find out, but he just needed to decide how to word the questions properly. The more details he could get from Riku, the better. Then, he could get on with trying to get Roxas back. This, of course, would not reach the ears of the Keyblade master in front of him. Riku probably wouldn't take kindly to Axel and Zexion messing with Sora.

"Having just recently come back from the dead, I find myself in need of a few answers to questions that have been bugging me." There was also no need to mention Zexion at all. "Sora probably told you that I died in the process of helping him make it to The World That Never Was. So, I have no idea what happened after that."

Here was where he'd have to sing a little song and dance. "But soon after I came back, I found out that Xemmy is looking for loyal members of the Organization." This would, he knew, discreetly let Riku know that Xemnas was lurking around somewhere, still very much a threat. "I don't know if any of the others are still around, though. Haven't run into any of them, and I don't plan on it." Partially true. "I didn't know if that meant you guys had beaten him, and he had come back or if something else had happened. But since you're here...he obviously didn't kill you." He looked Riku over, as if to assure himself that the silver-haired kid was in fact alive. "So, my main question is...what happened between you guys and Xemmy with Kingdom Hearts?"

[Administrator]

Should I make a long story sort or a short story long?

Riku nodded. Of course, Axel would be interested in discovering what had occurred during the time he was...incapacitated. that was obvious. It was what would follow that left Riku off-balance. "Well, we defeated most of the Organization, and then reached Xemnas. He had collected enough Hearts to form Kingdom Hearts, and claimed it for himself, using all of the bad emotions to fuel his power. Rage, jealousy..." The list went on a good bit, so Riku made sure to skip it.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy and I went through the door and attacked him. In the end, Sora and I defeated him and sealed the door, with Mickey's help." That was the concise version of the events, all of it brief enough that Riku felt he didn't need to go into detail. If detail was needed, he'd figure out a way to get some more, but, for now, that was all he had. "Now that you're back...whose side are you going to be on?" He figured answering Axel's questions entitled him to his own.

[Axel]

Allegiance to One

Riku wasn't the type to lie about something like this. Xemnas really had claimed all of Kingdom Hearts for himself and had intended to use its power to augment his own. Once again, the desire for power reared its ugly head. Honestly, who cares if you have enough power in your little finger to destroy whole worlds? The idea was stupid to Axel. After all, once you destroyed the worlds, what was left? You and...nothing. What a boring existence.

While he was sparse on the details, Riku had provided him with enough information for Zexion. What else could the Schemer think about Xemmy now that Riku had confirmed that the deranged psycho was using Kingdom Hearts for his own personal gain? If this didn't convince Zexion that he shouldn't be trusting Xemnas with his mail, much less his life, then the Schemer was not nearly as intelligent as Axel had thought.

Ah, I was expecting this question at some point. Hmm...how to answer it? Riku was looking at him expectantly. Axel spread his arms. "I have to pick a side? Why does everything always have to be so black-and-white with you people?" Truth be told, Axel didn't care for either "side" here. He had already left the Organization and felt no attachment to it whatsoever, but he wasn't about to turn happy-go-lucky and join up with the "We're Fond of Giving Sappy Speeches about Friendship and Rainbows" Club. He much preferred siding with himself. "It should be enough that I'm not out to take over the universe or something. That's Xemmy's department."

[Administrator]

What happened to "All for one and one for all"?

The boy nodded. He hadn't expected Axel to go running back to the Organization, but he wasn't sure if he was going to present himself as an obstacle for the keybearers to overcome or not. Riku listened to the rest of Axel's speech and nodded. It all made enough sense. But, there was no way this was the only reason he sought Riku out.

"Axel...what other questions do you have? That can't be the only one you've got. That's no reason to look for me, just for one answer. You have to have more than just that." Otherwise, Axel suddenly showing up and seeking him out made no sense whatsoever. And, in Riku's experience, if it didn't make sense, it probably wasn't good.

[Axel]

I've Never Liked That Teamwork Stuff

Uh-oh. It looked like the Keyblade master was getting suspicious. And that meant it was time for Axel to take his leave. He had what he came for, after all. The Schemer was waiting. Somewhere. Now that Axel thought about it, he wasn't sure exactly where the Schemer wanted to meet up for this little information exchange. They hadn't really discussed it. Where were those annoying Dusks when you actually needed one?

Tapping an index finger against the side of his head, Axel grinned at Riku. "I'm sure you'd like to know what's in here, wouldn't you?" Far too many people wanted to know what he was thinking, and no one had ever managed to learn what went on inside his head. Even Roxas had only been allowed to catch glimpses of Axel's true thoughts on occasion. The Flame preferred to keep the important things carefully locked away. Otherwise, he never would have been able to carry out his mission in Castle Oblivion. People who wore their hearts on their sleeves were too easily manipulated. Luckily, Axel didn't have that problem for more than one reason.

He summoned up a Corridor of Darkness directly behind him and waved a hand at Riku. "I'm sure we'll see each other again. You always did like getting involved in things." With that, he stepped backward and vanished into the darkness.

[Administrator]

"Wait-"

Riku said, extending an arm out towards Axel, his palm out in a halting gesture. But it was too late. The Nobody had backed through a Corridor of Darkness. The boy sighed. He hadn't gotten as much information out of the former member of Organization XIII as he would have liked, but it was better than nothing. Since Axel was back, that meant the rest probably were, too. So, he had fighting Organization XIII again to look forward to, which was just great.

What was better was that that thought process didn't stop there. What if all of them are back? All of the villains we conquered throughout our adventures? Of course, that was completely unfounded. It was just fear, that was all. Riku knew that it was probably just some trait of the Nobodies or something, but he still couldn't stop his mind from thinking.

He walked through the halls for a little while before going to say goodbye to Donald and Goofy. Riku walked to the hangar, heading out. He didn't know where he was going, but wherever it was, he hoped there wasn't more Organization members waiting for him.