Unrestrained [Vexen/Axel/Zexion/Lexaeus]

[Slash]

This Stupid Movie is Really Loud

Saïx always had to be careful in the Castle the Never Was.

Not because of his alliance with Axel, no. He could easily keep from revealing that. He had to keep on the watch for the Superior, that was all. Xemnas seemingly walked around these halls for the sole purpose of running into someone and delivering an incredibly drawn-out monologue about things that were general knowledge.

Usually, that someone was Saïx. Because of this, Saïx made sure to stick to the sections were Xemnas was least likely to show. Still, no matter where he had been, he would have been able to hear the terrible commotion coming from the Hall of Empty Melodies. A bunch of songs which were undoubtedly Luxord's doing floated in from the room. Under them were...Saïx listened closely. Were those sounds of weapons clashing?

As if to confirm this, he heard a terrible din as meteors hit the Hall. He wasn't scared or horribly surprised- he couldn't feel, of course, but even if he could his primary feeling would be one of intense irritation. Either Marluxia had come strolling in (unlikely) or Axel was doing something incredibly stupid.

He was 90 percent sure that it was the latter, and a quick trip down to the hall confirmed it.

Oh, yes, Axel, run straight into the castle instead of getting pretend-killed somewhere else and not running the risk of Xemnas strolling down and ending you. We're all supposed to go along, after all, since it's not time to kill the Superior yet. Idiot. The second Xemnas heard about this, Saïx knew that he would have to listen to a monologue. An extra-long one. The very thought of the neverending pointlessness made him recoil.

Well, I might as well swat you around. It would lessen the suspicion around me a tiny bit. Besides, you have to pay for what I'm going to go through when this is all over.

If he were to go in now, he would have to defend Vexen. Incredibly regrettable, but also somewhat necessary. He had to make it seem as if he was only focusing on getting Axel killed.

He moved quickly, landing midway between Vexen and Axel, straight into the chakram's path, and deflected the thing without much trouble. Saïx only gave the most cursory glance at Vexen, trying to ignore the fact that he had just defended the Academic, before turning straight towards the Flame.

"Axel," he said in an emotionless yet menacing tone. He wasn't a huge fan of drawn-out introductions. Simply acknowledging his presence was enough. Saïx charged and struck downward with his claymore. He didn't hold back- that would have been instantly suspicious. Saïx knew how fast Axel was, though, and went for powerful strikes instead of quick ones.

I know that you were never the smartest, Axel, but this is a new low.[/color]

[Axel]

Exit Stage Right
--------

One chakram actually hit its target. The other one...

Well, hello there, Saïx.

The Diviner must have been really into his role in all this if he was bothering to defend Vexen. If Saïx could have felt, Axel knew he would probably be feeling extreme disdain, perhaps even borderline revulsion. Neither of them held any pretend love for the Academic. But this was necessary. Just as Axel had to attack the Schemer, so did Saïx have to attack the Flame. Appearances had to be maintained. Although, in this case, Luxord was the one who knew this particular scene was an act, while Zexion would, with any luck, think this was real.

And Axel would make it as real as possible in the rapidly decreasing amount of time he had left.

"Saïx." He returned the greeting with contempt. Believability was of the utmost importance. So, he dug down into his memories, memories of the way the Diviner had treated Roxas. Plenty of almost-hatred existed there.

The claymore came at him, though not with the full power of a berserked Diviner behind it this time. Still, Axel remembered well Beast's Castle, and the need to pay Saïx back for that rose to the surface. It would be perfectly within his role to defend himself with everything he had.

Luckily, both halves of Eternal Flames came back to him in time to block the first strike from Saïx. For the one second that their weapons met, Axel grinned maliciously at his former friend, then pushed the claymore off just enough for him to duck to the side.

You wanted a show, Luxord? How's this?

Fire engulfed his weapons, and Axel wasted no time in unleashing the full fury of his signature attack against Saïx. Flames flew everywhere as the chakrams shot in quick succession toward the Diviner. Though, the moment after the pillars of fire exploded--hopefully, also getting a piece of Vexen--the ring of fire died into mere embers that eventually vanished.

Axel shot a look toward Lexaeus, who was now quite visible. "It seems it's time for me to go. This has been fun. We should do it again soon." He gave each of the others a passing glance, smirked, and then promptly summoned a Corridor, taking his leave.

[Summary:
Axel used Solar Flare.
Posts until next use: 5
Uses remaining: 3

Inferno has dissipated.
Posts until next use: None
Uses remaining: None]

[Slash]

Conflict Over, Begin Resolution

Saïx hadn't felt severe pain in a while. Axas hadn't hit him in their short fight, and he hadn't fought much outside of that.

Flames struck at him from all sides, seeking greedily to consume him. As if that wasn't enough, he was hit at random by Axel's chakrams before everything around him exploded. He was knocked back quite far, still burning slightly.

Good to see that you've recovered from the incident at the Castle, Saïx thought after the agony had abated just enough to allow him to think. He noticed that a small section of his hair was on fire, and snuffed it out with his finger and thumb.

So that's what being in the middle of his Solar Flare feels like.[/color] For a second, he doubted if he could stand. Then he remembered that Vexen was here. Showing weakness in front of Vexen was unthinkable.

He stood up evenly, doing a fine job of ignoring the resulting bolts of pain from his arms, legs, chest, and everywhere else. At least Axel had made his escape. And truthfully, his attack was only fair.

Someone was bound to go after him. Saïx was not going to be the first, though. He was sure Zexion was just dying to say something, and Saïx didn't feel like talking besides.

[Fate]

End Scene, Onto the Next Act

The show took a different turn once Saïx stepped in and deflected Axel's chakram. Neither of them looked pleased to see each other, as expected. Zexion didn't say a word or make any sort of motion while this interaction occurred, only watching as Axel performed one final attack on Saïx before leaving. The Diviner took it quite well too, continuing to stand through it despite the strength of the attack. It certainly said something about his fortitude, though it also did something else for the rest of the others watching. Axel was a clear threat to the Organization now. He had stormed into the Castle and attacked three of them. This would need to stop.

Axel made his exit quick and the fire dissipated. The Schemer surveyed the scene once more, waiting a moment or two before letting his senses completely take over. He concentrated purely on Axel's scent, waiting for it to stop moving and stay on a certain world. A minute or two passed while doing this, giving Zexion a decent headache while doing so, but he found the Flame. He looked straight to Lexaeus now, a serious look in his eyes.

"Axel has made himself a threat to the Organization," he said clearly, "We cannot allow for this to happen again. I have traced him to the Enchanted Dominion. Lexaeus, if you would, please rid us of this traitor." That was all he was going to say to Lexaeus, though he needed to make sure the rest were gone so he could make his own exit. He turned to Vexen now. "Vexen, I need you to report this to Superior immediately. Saïx..." He wasn't quite sure what to say to the Diviner to get him to leave. He didn't have to worry too much he surmised; he would leave of his own volition anyway.

"Stop being so burnt I suppose. Lexaeus, I will wait in my quarters when you return with the report of his death; I will file an official report of the happenings here in the meantime. I know you are more than capable of this." He disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness, though he was not truly going to his quarters. He needed to follow Axel and make his way there quickly before Lexaeus arrived.

[/size]

[Nothingness]

It Ends a Comedy

Well, this certainly wasn't how he expected it all to end. While the moment where Zexion rained hell down was certainly entertaining, and Saix's surprise entrance was quite fun, it all ended too soon. Just when things had started to get interesting, the Flame ran away, and that left a bitter taste in the Gambler's mouth. Twists were certainly welcomed in his plays, but this was unacceptable.

Zexion, acting as the director of this travesty, was ordering people where to go and what to do, though he had neglected to give Luxord any orders. Not that he particularly minded that; it gave him the freedom to tail any one of them and turn the tables in his favor. "Following the Hero feels like the best course. After all, I needn't worry about him noticing me. His mouth may be silent, but his footsteps shake the earth without the need of controlling it." With that merry thought in his mind, he opened a Corridor of Darkness beneath himself and fell into it.

[Matt]

Perhaps I'll Just Wait For the DVD

Much to the Academic's amusement, Axel was experiencing considerable difficulty attempting to avoid the barrage of meteors that fell on the Hall of Empty Melodies. Having to deal with the damage himself was possibly worth having the chance to watch that, though he was still displeased by the overall recklessness of the Schemer's attack. That would have to be reprimanded later of course, in the midst of such a brawl hardly being an ideal time for such a discussion.

With the meteors having ceased falling, the Flame immediately went back onto the offensive, hurling one flaming chakram at Zexion and the other at Vexen. Compared to the previous one, this obstacle was a rather minor threat; Frozen Pride was already in a place to deflect it, after all. However it turned out that he did not have to. Suddenly, something fell between them, stopping the spinning projectile with a loud clang of metal on metal. That something was none other than Number Seven: Saïx.

The Academic not particularly pleased to see the Diviner, even if he had just defended him. True, it was a relief have somebody (or Nobody, more accurately) down on the front lines to draw the enemy's attention away from the scientist, but the Diviner was not the ideal candidate for this. Aside from simply not liking him, Vexen did not trust him, a feeling shared by the Schemer, for good reasons. And considering that Axel had been his co-conspirator in all of this made this specific match-up an unsettling one. Who was to say that they were no longer in league?

The Flame must have at least been trying to send that message, for right as the Inferno began to fade he unleashed a string of blazing attacks with his Eternal Flames at Saïx, followed by an eruption of fire beneath him. The blue-haired Berserker was caught by the entirety of the assault, not seeming to have made any effort whatsoever to avoid it. He was sent backwards, wounded considerable, and by the time he had stood back up the Flurry was gone. He had fled, unfortunately.

Assuming the role of leader he just loved to play, Zexion wasted no time in starting to issue orders. He announced that Axel had officially proven himself a threat to the Organization, and must be eliminated. This task he assigned to Lexaeus, predictably, then requesting that Vexen report everything back to the Superior. Not the most worthy mission of his time, but perhaps a simple job was best at this point. "Very well." Once finished, he departed, the Gambler following in suit.

After staring scrutinously at Saïx for a moment, Vexen turned to Number Five. "I suggest you hurry." Having said this, he opened a corridor of darkness and left. He had a message to deliver.

[Slash]

Hopefully There Won't Be A Sequel

Saïx noticed Vexen staring at him, undoubtebly analyzing him or something along those lines. He stared straight back, his gaze one of cold contempt. Neither he nor the Academic had ever made an effort to hide their mutual dislike of each other. Saïx considered Vexen a constant, petty annoyance, not powerful enough to warrant being a threat but not exactly weak enough to the point where he could be completely ignored.

It didn't matter. He might not know it, but his existence would be coming to an end shortly. Not by Saïx's hand, though. To Saïx, Vexen was hardly worth the effort of a fight. Axel, however, would have a different opinion.

Wordlessly, Saïx created a Corridor and stepped through it. He would have to recover. At least it was Vexen who would have to report to the Superior. If there was one thing worse than listening to Xemnas's monologues, it was listening to them while in serious pain.

[Prythian]

Lexaeus compressed his lips and looked to the side. Something about this didn't feel right. Axel was not foolish enough to do this. He'd proven time and time again that if he was not intelligent, then he was certainly clever and did almost nothing without some ulterior motive. He could attempt to discern why Axel chose now to invade the Castle, but he knew that was futile. As he'd said once before... Who knows what that one is thinking.

He had his orders. They made sense; he was one of the few that could take on Axel without backup. And yet... Without knowing Axel's motivation behind the attack, he could very well be walking into a trap. But still. It was time to act.

Without saying a word, he opened a Corridor and walked through it.