Hollow Bastion, Third Visit:
In Which There Is A War Council
The door to the kitchen practically slammed open, and Roxas entered to stares from Leon and Aerith, throwing out a hand to catch the door on the rebound so that his friends could follow. It was such a picturesque scene to burst in on; Aerith standing by the sink, watering the plants on the windowsill, and Leon seated at the table with tea, and crackers and little sliced pieces of cheese on a platter. The light was bright and clear filtering in the sun, just like there was no shadow looming over them.
"We have a problem," he said, calmly. "And by we, I mean--" He didn't know how to express the sheer magnitude of the threat that loomed ahead of them. He waved, a frustrated gesture to encompass the whole world. "--all of us."
Leon's eyes narrowed, and Aerith turned, slow. It seemed random, but they had already decided that this was the best place for this conversation; Xigbar had told Axel that this room of Merlin's house had no cameras, no surveillance devices, and for the moment, that was all the privacy they could ask for.
Aerith said mildly, "I see. ...Should we get the others?"
"I'll do it," Leon said, getting to his feet. "Yuffie should be on her way back already, and I think Cid is in the basement--"
"Oh, really?" Aerith smiled at him. It was a thoroughly pleasant and somehow forbidding smile. "By yourself?" Leon froze. She continued blithely, "I think all of us here would rest easier if you took someone with you. Maybe Namine could go?"
Namine looked startled to be mentioned, and Leon himself was no less startled. "Um, I don't mind--" she started, and Axel said over her, "Wow. You did not just basically tell him to bring a preteen girl along for protection, did you?"
Both Namine and Leon turned to level him with flat stares, but Aerith only smiled. "If Leon has to endure a little embarrassment in order to make sure he comes home safely, I'm wiling to pay that price."
Leon made a small sound that might have been something like laughter, although when Roxas glanced at him suspiciously, his expression was as neutral as ever. He got to his feet, nodding to Namine. "It shouldn't take too long. But if a day passes, send a search party?"
Aerith turned to face the window again as he and Namine headed out towards the street. "Do you boys want anything to drink? Tea?"
Roxas let out a slow breath. He didn't want to sip tea and relax; he wanted to talk about this, get his knowledge and opinions out on the table so that the people whose lives were in danger, whose home was in danger, could make their own decisions. But there was no point in scaring Aerith and then repeating himself later to scare others as well.
"Yeah, sure," he said finally, sliding into the seat Leon had vacated. Axel slumped down next to him, looking thoroughly exhausted. Roxas felt a brief, intense surge of something that he was coming to think was sympathy for him; after everything that had already happened, it seemed unfair to put him through anything else. When he explained what had happened, Roxas's first thought had been, And you're still alive? And the house is still standing? Xigbar was a tough person to encounter even at the peak of strength -- physical and... emotional. Axel was the one who should've taken a nap.
Axel seemed not to notice his regard, or at least not to be interested in it. He was gazing blankly at the table, and when he finally lifted his eyes, it was to look at Aerith, fussing with the teapot with her back to them. "You guys want to save this place, right? It's not going to be easy," he said slowly.
"That's okay," she murmured. "It doesn't have to be easy. It just has to be worth it." The brunette woman turned, a steaming mug in each hand, and her smile equally warm. "And it is."
Roxas felt himself starting to smile in kind, and reined it in. He had admired that determination before, and he admired it now, but he wasn't sure she really understood the incredible scope of the danger mounted against her now. "Aerith," he started thoughtfully, "do you know how to fight?"
She tilted her head quizzically, taken aback. "Yes... I'm no professional, but I'm capable with some kinds of magic, and with healing. Is that what you wanted to know?"
Axel drummed his fingers restlessly against the table, and then rubbed his face lightly. Tired. "Who else? Be broad. Think -- everybody."
Aerith's smile faded somewhat. "This again," she said, and then took the chair across from Roxas. It took her a long beat to organize her thoughts, before she could answer the question. "Most of the survivors from the first disaster here, nine years ago, were either veterans or rescued orphans. I don't think there's even one of us who didn't learn how to defend ourselves."
"So there aren't many noncombatants," Roxas mused. Good news. It meant their forces would be as large as they could ask for. "How would you rank most of them with your skill?"
"I would say a majority of the people here are as skilled as I am," she said, confidently.
"Right, but we don't know how good you actually are," Axel argued. "How about compared to Leon?"
Her lips curved up slightly, and she admitted, "To be honest with you -- almost no one here is anywhere near Leon's skill. Yuffie can keep up with him on a good day, and I imagine Merlin is better in his own way." She tilted her head back. "There are some others who come around here who are near his level... Cloud, and Tifa, for example."
"Would they help?" Roxas pressed immediately.
"As much as they're able to," Aerith murmured.
Axel ticked off fingers: one for Leon, Cloud and Tifa, Yuffie, Merlin... "Not bad," he allowed. "We'd be better off if not for all the Heartless and Dusks they can throw at us."
Roxas shook his head. "I'm not worried about them. Everyone here is familiar with fighting Heartless, and Dusks are easy to handle." He was more concerned with the higher-level Nobodies. He had observed the weaknesses in Hollow Bastion's defenses on his very first arrival, and he knew with painful clarity just how he would storm the place with a brigade of Samurai. A hundred Sorcerers and Berserkers would be the end of this world -- even without their masters following behind.
Axel made a noncommittal sound into his tea, and Aerith tangled her fingers together, looking almost sick. But she said, "You two... you're really serious about defending our town, aren't you? If it's this bad, you would be better off -- just leaving."
It was what Xigbar had suggested. What Roxas suspected Axel privately wanted; he could feel his friend's piercing green regard. Roxas shook his head. He didn't want to leave. He... liked this place, and the people in it, and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight.
Before he could think of anything to say, Aerith shot to her feet. "That reminds me," she said. "I have a little something for you." She crossed the room and reached into a drawer.
Axel asked quietly into his tea, "Too much to hope it's, like, a giant laser cannon we could aim at approaching enemies, huh?"
Roxas felt his lips twitching up, and lifted his own tea. "She said little. It would have to be a very powerful miniature cannon to be any good."
"Very funny, boys," she said, returning to the table. Her hands were clasped around something. "Leon thought you should have these. Just a small symbol of our gratitude for your help. And to let you know... that you can always come back here."
She extended a hand to each of them, and nestled in her palms were two small, laminated cards, decorated with their names, and the printed words, Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee: Honorary Member.
"Oh," Roxas said, lamely, slowly reaching out and taking his. He turned it back and forth in his hands, trying to get it to catch the light just so. A membership card. He was a member of something -- a good thing; a wonderful, helpful organization. He belonged somewhere.
For the first time, ever.
The door burst open further inside the house, and quick footsteps darted upstairs, Yuffie's voice calling out for Cid. Self-conscious, Roxas tucked the card into his pocket, and saw Axel put his on the table and cover it with his hand.
A beat later, Namine and Leon entered the kitchen. "It took us a little longer than we expected," Leon said, half an apology. "Yuffie had... a guest. It wasn't easy to talk him into coming."
The door opened again behind him, allowing another man to enter the room. He was shorter and younger than Leon, with wild yellow hair and an immense broadsword strapped to his back. He didn't look at anyone, but he seemed indescribably irritated; he simply shrugged his sword loose and leaned its massive weight against a wall.
"Well, hello there, Cloud," Aerith said, her usual smile brightening slightly. She crossed the room to Namine and pressed another little laminated card into her hand. "I see you've come to visit us without actually seeing any of us again."
"Yeah!" said Yuffie, swinging into the room with endless energy. "He was looking for a person at the weapons shop, but Louie didn't have any in stock!"
Cloud ignored them both; he glanced straight at Roxas, sizing him up in a swift glance, and then looked away. "I'm only here to learn about this threat to Hollow Bastion," he said, leaning back against the wall. "If he's involved."
"He?" Roxas asked Yuffie, who shoved him a little and tried to wiggle her way onto the chair with him. It was a big enough chair; bemused, Roxas allowed it, even though there were still other, empty chairs around the table. People with hearts are strange, he thought.
"Sephiroth," she said.
"Shit." It was Axel; he was briefly wide-eyed. "That guy? Nah, this world isn't in that much trouble."
Roxas frowned at him. Who the hell was Sephiroth, to make Axel say something stupid like that? He couldn't imagine anyone more capable of destroying a world than the Organization. "The Organization is a threat to everyone on this world right now," he said. "That's why we need to talk about this before they make their move."
Cloud had been pushing himself away from the wall, but he stopped in his tracks. The door opened again and Cid shuffled in, looking bleary and running fingers through his mussed hair.
"What are they? The Organization. Nobodies." Leon placed his hands on his hips. "We need to know."
It took a moment for Roxas to collect the words, and it was Namine who simply said, "When a person loses their heart, the darkness that was in their heart becomes a Heartless. But... when a strong person loses their heart, their willpower keeps the body -- the soul -- living without it." She smiled, a rueful smile, clinging to her membership card. "That's a Nobody."
"So they're monsters, like Heartless," Yuffie started, but she cut off as she felt Roxas tense next to her.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "If the Somebody's willpower is very strong, then the Nobody retains a human shape and the memories of his past life. Organization XIII is made up of human-formed Nobodies. They're people. Like you are."
"Like we are," Axel said coolly. He was drumming his fingers on the table and not looking at anyone. "We, she and I--" He jerked his head in Namine's direction. "...We're Nobodies."
There was a long, stiff silence, and Roxas kept his head down. He didn't want to see horror, rejection in their faces. Part of him wished he could have somehow sent them out of the room until everyone had gotten accustomed to the idea.
Leon asked, "And Roxas?" When he looked up, the tall man was unfazed, unsurprised.
It helped, a little. So he'd already figured that much out. "I'm not, anymore," Roxas said slowly. "I was able to -- become whole. But I was different from the beginning. It's not an option for the Organization."
That's right -- talk about the Organization. Keep up the momentum. Don't let this get bogged down in the inconsequential stuff. Roxas shook his head and continued, "The Organization believes that in order to get back their hearts, they have to fill up Kingdom Hearts and take them back. Which means... destroying worlds, turning more people into Heartless." He set his jaw. "And they have a permanent grudge against Hollow Bastion. The founding six members of the Organization -- they're all natives of this world. They probably became Nobodies when this world fell into darkness."
Aerith mumured, "From here?" and glanced at Cid and Leon. Roxas remembered hearing that Hollow Bastion had been destroyed ten years ago; if that were the case, they were probably the only ones old enough to remember.
"So, they're out for revenge," Yuffie tried. "They're bitter."
"Nice guess, but if you believe Xigbar?" Axel shrugged. "They're possessive."
Roxas nodded, slowly. The seniors of the Organization were nothing if not constantly seeking control over their surroundings. To lose the first world they brought to ruin implied... a weakness they wouldn't like. He explained, "It wouldn't make a lot of sense for them to be bitter. As far as I know, their research was the reason the world fell into darkness."
Cid swore abruptly, drawing attention to the back of the room where he'd settled. "Fuck! Six of them -- Ansem's goddamn disciples. Those sons of bitches." The rest of the room tensed unhappily at the name.
"You knew them?" Roxas asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Cid muttered, chewing on his unlit cigarette. "Braig and Dilan, Xehanort, Aeleus, and -- some other guy whose name I can't remember, kept to himself. I worked with them for a while on some engineering shit. Ienzo, too. Everyone knew him" He jabbed a finger at Aerith, and her eyes went wide. "You remember? He used to make you cry when you were little kids, the vicious brat."
Axel nodded, a tiny smirk on his lips that probably wasn't at the idea of Zexion the bratty little kid. "Yeah, most of them are dead now -- their Nobodies, that is. Xemnas, Xigbar, and Xaldin are the survivors."
Cid muttered something under his breath, and tossed the cigarette into the sink and threw himself into the nearest chair, inexplicably an armchair. Roxas felt his gaze linger on the older man: he looked tired, a little gray. He wondered how well Cid had known them.
Cloud stepped away from the wall, his expression unmoving. "This is all good information, but we're not here to reminisce. What are you expecting them to do?"
Right to the point. At least that was a good thing. Roxas said grimly, "Xigbar was here, earlier. In this house." That drew a few gasps and startled movements from his audience, but he pressed on. "He told Axel they were planning a major attack on Hollow Bastion. They want it destroyed -- for good, this time."
"What?!" Yuffie demanded, and almost drowning out the beginning of Leon's flat, "Then we'll stop them. We won't let them take all that we've worked for away."
Although she was white, Aerith nodded as well. She murmured, "We're not going to fail again."
Cloud glanced away, not looking at any of them. "What kind of an attack can we expect?" he said coolly, as if he hadn't heard.
"The Organization has a lot of different ways to destroy worlds, but most of them are too slow, and too obvious, to use in this situation," Roxas assured them. "This will be a direct attack -- with an army of Heartless and Nobodies."
"That's nothing," Yuffie said, slamming her fist down on the table and glowering briefly at Cloud. "We can take 'em. Right?"
Cid nodded to himself, thoughtful, but his voice was confident when he agreed, "If they can die, we can kill 'em."
Roxas leaned forward around Yuffie's arm. "Most of the enemies will probably be Dusks -- the ones that you fought, Leon -- and mid-level Heartless. But there will be higher-level Nobodies, depending on which of the Organization members are leading the attack."
"What are they like?" Leon asked, with a slow nod.
For a brief moment, Roxas felt another strange pang, thinking of his Samurai. It was somehow stronger, now, after what had happened to the Assassins. He murmured, "Like I said, they're different, depending on who their master is. The Samurai you saw at the bailey -- those were my servants. Axel's servants..."
He darted a glance at Axel, and caught Axel looking at him in return. They were both thinking the same thing. Roxas nodded slightly, and then the redhead sat up, sighing. "Well, they look a little something like this."
A beat passed, and then an Assassin rippled through the ceiling, all curving elegance and sleek silver blades. It settled lightly on the kitchen table, and nearly everyone in the room threw themselves backwards, flinging out of chairs and reaching for weapons handy.
But the Assassin didn't move, just standing there breathing, and slowly there were some signs of relaxing. Roxas possessed the remainder of his chair again, and Yuffie dared to smack his arm before moving forward a little to eye it.
"This is the kind of Nobody we can expect to face...?" Cloud said, finally displaying some genuine interest in the conversation.
"Most are around this size," Axel said idly. "Or a little bit bigger. And most aren't as spiny." He added helpfully to Yuffie, "You can touch him if you want."
The Assassin gave him a reproachful stare, but it seemed to deflate as Yuffie reached up to stroke the edge of one 'wing'. "It's kind of -- smooth," she said, hushed. Roxas was familiar with the sensation; the glossy, frictionless non-skin, like cool oiled metal. It seemed to disconcert her.
"Nobodies aren't like Heartless," Roxas murmured. "They all have personalities, and intelligence. They're people."
Yuffie looked startled, and drew her hand back. The Assassin reached out and patted her very lightly on the head, condescendingly like it might a small child. That drew a snicker from Axel. And Cid.
Roxas smiled to himself faintly, relaxing a little -- the discovery of who and what they were seemed to have faded into the background slightly, and the others were becoming more comfortable with the Assassin. He was actually almost proud of the Assassin, who seemed at ease being the center of all that wary human attention.
He shook his head to clear it and returned to the point: "So, Nobodies on par with him are probably the worst-case scenario." The odds that Xemnas's Sorcerers would take part in the attack were almost insignificant. To his knowledge, the Sorcerers never left the World That Never Was; they seemed to have some unexplained duty that kept them there.
"If it's Xigbar leading the attack, you'll see Snipers. They can be on any surface, and will try to take you down from a distance, so you'll have to look out for laser sights," Axel said, running a hand through his hair. "If it's Demyx, you'll have Dancers, they're curvy and pink. Don't let them anywhere near you. They're strong as hell. Xaldin's Dragoons aren't so bad, but if they jump up and you lose sight of them, don't stop running. I don't know if we're lucky enough to get Luxord, but his Gamblers aren't very tough, they'll try to distract you more than engage you. Just don't play games with them."
Then he stopped talking, apparently done. Roxas eyed him briefly, and then said, "There's one other, Saix, who might be in charge. His servants are Berserkers -- they're very big, and they have very big broadswords, but they shrink down to use them, giving you a chance to get the swords away from them."
When he really gave the matter consideration, it seemed likely that Saix would be the one that Xemnas assigned to take it down. Demyx and Luxord were neophytes: without any personal motivation to see Hollow Bastion fall, unmotivated and frankly not as trustworthy in the eyes of the seniors. Saix was a loyal servant to the seniors and he had never failed in a mission, and what was more, he would have a personal vendetta against the place that had sheltered Axel -- and would be eager to take the risk if there was a possibility Axel might be there in person.
As much as Roxas would happily meet him on the field of battle... Saix was dangerous. His servants were dangerous. And ignoring his presence was foolish -- no matter how much Axel might want to avoid thinking about him.
"So how do we fight them?" Yuffie asked, slightly deflated. "Just in general. 'cause I'm gonna forget all of that in about ten minutes."
"I'll remember," Leon said. His expression was tight. "The -- 'Dusks' didn't like fire that much. Magic will work."
"Hitting them will also work." Roxas always recommended that option. "Most of them aren't hard to hit."
Cloud asked flatly, "When will the attack come?"
Roxas glanced at Axel, and then murmured, "We don't -- know. But... We can know the moment they arrive."
"I can have an Assassin set up camp here to keep watch," Axel allowed. He waved at the Assassin. "He doesn't mind, at least."
"How do you know? It-- he didn't say anything."
Roxas rolled his eyes. "He doesn't have a mouth, Yuffie. That's not how they communicate."
She glanced away, uncomfortable. Leon asked, "Then how will they notify the townsfolk?"
Axel smirked slightly. "They have ways."
No one looked entirely comfortable to hear that. Aerith suggested uneasily, "Maybe something nonverbal, like -- he cold ring a bell, like the one on the clocktower."
Roxas nodded. "As long as they also tell us. They can let you know, and then use a corridor to get to us if we're not available." They looked at him curiously, so he elaborated, "It's a Nobody thing. Higher-level Nobodies can create these dark corridors that shortcut through the realm of darkness to get to somewhere in the world of light. Instant travel between worlds -- even locked ones."
"Fuck. Even locking the world wouln't keep it safe," Cid muttered, crossing his arms and shaking his head.
They were getting off-track. Roxas waved a little and said, "There are a few major things that need to be organized, just, off the top of my head. First of all, the security system might be your best asset. What do we know about it?"
Cid straightened slightly as all attention turned to him; he cleared his throat and said, "Well. We know the computers powering it are in Ansem's castle -- but we haven't cleared that far into the ruins, so we haven't found it yet. It extends about two hundred yards from the walls of the city on all sides, except an area on the north side where the sensors might be dead, who knows. We're not sure of the mechanics yet, but it only seems to target Heartless."
"No, it targets Nobodies, too," Axel said, shrugging. "But it's only active when there are Heartless around. The Organization's usual tactics are going to come in handy here -- there's a lot more Heartless than Nobodies, so they use Heartless as their storm troops. The security system should respond, although I'd have to get a closer look at the computers to be sure."
Cid gave him a long, thoughtful glance, and then he shrugged. "Well, in that case I'd say we can definitely count on it to bolster defense inside the city and as far out as the walls. You guys better watch out, though."
"Thanks for the warning," Axel said dryly.
"If we can find the computers in time, can we -- kick the defenses up a notch? Make them stronger?" Roxas asked, slow. He didn't understand how any of this worked, and honestly he didn't want to be anywhere near those computers, but...
"Yes," Axel said, not looking at him.
He hadn't really expected Axel to answer. Roxas said after a beat, "If we can't make it distinguish between the other Nobodies, and Axel, Namine, and the Assassins -- then we can all stay outside the perimeter once the battle begins." He rubbed his fingers, restless. "Civilians should gather inside one building, so there's fewer targets if there are Snipers in the attack. The security system will keep them from exploring too much."
Leon pushed himself upright, nodding. He seemed almost energized. "We should get started. Cid, can you go out into the town, and spread the word? Make sure Merlin hears. I'll go to the castle--" Aerith cleared her throat; he said, "--with Aerith, to clear the place out some more."
"Ooh, I vote for castle duty," Yuffie said enthusiastically.
"Then is everyone clear on what they're doing?" Leon asked, his gaze flickering briefly to Roxas.
He hadn't said anything about what they should do. Roxas started to protest, cut off by an idle question from Axel. "What's Cloud doing?"
Cloud was standing still, listening in on the conversation without participating. He only shrugged when his name came up, obviously not inclined to answer. Aerith was the one who spoke up, saying with a small smile, "We're very lucky that he's here at a time like this. If he's willing to help us fight, then we'd be ungrateful to ask anything more from him." Gentler, she added, "As with you."
It's not ungrateful, Roxas thought, starting to get to his feet, to protest. We want to help. But of course he hadn't asked if we wanted to help; Namine had been silent throughout the whole meeting, and Axel's reservations were fairly clear.
"Then we're all decided," Leon said, not waiting for a response. "Let's move out. We need to start preparations now if we're going to be ready."
Roxas watched them all start to file out, even the Assassin hopping up and spiraling lazily through the ceiling. His attention caught on Yuffie, who was headed for him instead of the door. She wrapped an arm around him and squeezed a little, despite his confused stiffening. "...you're a good kid, Roxas," she said. "Thanks."
He wasn't sure what to do with himself, and managed faintly, "I'm hardly younger than you are."
She drew back and then ruffled his hair. Her eyes were a little wet before she whirled and hopped away, tossing over her shoulder, "Younger is younger!"
Roxas watched her go, and then the three of them were the only ones left in the room. Slowly he sat back down. He should have felt left out -- the only one who didn't have anything to take care of, the only one who didn't have a job to do. But instead he felt like he was part of something great. It was hard even to think about how much the odds were stacked against them.
It was hard even to worry that someday, now that they knew, they might find out about Sora.
"What now?" Namine murmured, drawing closer.
For a moment, he couldn't think of how to react to that. And then he looked up at her and smiled. "...anyone want to get in some sparring practice?"
NEXT >>> Hollow Bastion, Third Visit (Part 3)