Upstairs

Chapter 13

"Naminé? Naminé!" Zexion searched for her, desperately, Axel following close behind. "Where can she be?"

Axel stopped to catch his breath. "We're gonna have to keep going up, in the same direction as Sora has been going-"

"Sora!" Zexion exclaimed. "Sora won't let anything happen to her! If Marluxia has her, Sora will protect her until we get up there!"

Axel grinned. "I like your optimism. I thought we'd all lost it along with our hearts."

"C'mon!" Zexion growled, running for the stairs. "Marluxia is NOT getting her!"

Naminé watched Marluxia's pacing, fearfully. Her eyes didn't move from him as he took each careful step, planning, plotting. She didn't want to know what he was thinking. All she knew was that she couldn't let her guard down.

She knew now that Marluxia had totally cast off the Organization's orders. He was no longer even trying to hide his plotting, as he was so convinced he would succeed. He had blocked any of the Organization members outside of Castle Oblivion from getting inside but not the other way around, as he thought all other Nobodies except from himself and Naminé were now dead. Naminé hoped and prayed that Zexion and Axel were still alive... they were her only hope. The irony made her laugh: now she really felt like a damsel in distress. She wondered if this was how Kairi had felt when Maleficent had her as a prisoner. Or maybe Kairi had been lucky enough to be unconscious for the whole of it. She wouldn't have felt this helplessness, this fear, this nausea caused by the feeling that the world was about to shatter.

"You've disappointed me, Naminé. I thought you were a good Nobody, one who followed orders, did as she was told-"

"The complete opposite of YOU then!" Naminé hissed. "The Organization's goal seemed almost innocent to me at first- what harm is there in wanting to find your heart, something you've lost? But you abused me! You USED me! Marluxia, you've taken away my dignity by keeping me locked up here and taken away your own because of all your stupid plans. Well you need ME to help you take advantage of the Keyblade's powers and I'm not complying!"

"Is that so? Well, are you just going to sit there like a sullen child? Because there are only two options here, Naminé: either you do as I say, or I kill you. This conversation is wasting my time, and I don't have that many uses for you anymore. So what's it to be?"

She turned her back of him. "Neither. I am getting out of here."

Marluxia smirked. "And who exactly is going to help you, hmm? Everyone is now dead, and I think Axel's as good as. And Sora? Well, he knows the truth now. He knows you messed with his mind, stole the things most precious to him-"

"But she didn't do that!" Sora yelled. "You all made her- and I'm not letting you use Naminé anymore!"

Both Marluxia and Naminé turned to face the doorway, stunned. Sora, Donald and Goofy had finally reached their destination- a final battle was imminent.

"I want out of this place and the only way that's going to happen is if I beat YOU!" Sora growled. The adolescent looked exhausted and furious. "So I'm not going to stand around talking here. We're not going to have some big long conversation about the battle between light and dark, or what I cherish most. We're just going to END this!" He drew his keyblade, Donald and Goofy standing ready to fight behind him.

Marluxia laughed. "You want a quick ending? Then that's exactly what you'll get!" He summoned his scythe. "Ready when you are, keyblade master!"

Sora charged at him, swinging his keyblade down in one swift movement-

But Marluxia dodged, smoothly, placing Naminé in his place so Sora knocked her to the ground. The boy dropped his keyblade in surprise as Naminé crumpled and whimpered in pain.

"I-I'm sorry!" he said in shock, kneeling beside her. "Naminé?"

Marluxia held his scythe over Sora, preparing to bring it down while the boy was distracted- but a flaming chakram stopped him in his tracks.

"That was a cold move, Marluxia," Axel said. "But you can't trick US!"

"Is that so? You're now taking the side of the keyblader, Axel?" Marluxia scoffed. "You're such a traitor!"

"I'm on my own side," Axel replied. "And on my side, we just take out the bad guy!" He pelted Marluxia with his chakrams, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

Marluxia laughed, darkly, trying to breathe normally. "We? You're...on your...own, Axel!"

Axel's smirk dissolved into Zexion's glare. "Don't be so sure of that, Marluxia."

Marluxia backed away from him, eyes wide. "Y-You...you died!"

"You can't trust the things you see here. A simple boy with an oversized key could turn out to be a hero. A beautiful girl being held captive could be saved by who she thought were the bad guys-"

"And," Axel said, placing his hand on Marluxia's shoulder, standing behind him. "The strangest of alliances can be formed, all in the name of what's right."

Marluxia stared back and forth between the two of them. His startled stare turned into a glare as he rounded on Zexion. "What's the meaning of this? You've been down in the basement; you've been out of sight! How could you know what's been going on... upstairs?!"

"I told you. You can't trust things here- who knows what's been happening while you've been scheming away?" Zexion crossed his arms.

While Marluxia's attention was turned on the Cloaked Schemer, Sora helped a shaky Naminé to her feet. Axel looked over his shoulder at them and his eyes darted between them and the door. His expression said: Go!

"You think you're clever, Zexion? Do you think you're better than me? Do you think your little illusions are going to have me fooled?! As far as I'm concerned, you're another annoyance. And I know exactly what to do with you!" Marluxia shoved his scythe into Zexion's chest with such a force that he was knocked back against the wall.

Naminé screamed. She was almost at the door, her pale hand in Sora's. She pulled away from him and marched straight back to Marluxia. "Don't. You. Dare. Hurt. Him."

Marluxia began to laugh then, finding the whole situation hilarious. "Are you serious? You're defending him? What is this?!"

"It's beyond your conception, Marluxia. You can't take this away from Naminé," Axel snarled.

"Take away what exactly? An attachment to Zexion? Are you for real?! AHH!" Marluxia crumpled to the ground as Zexion's fist collided with the back of his head.

"Naminé, you have to go!" He said, urgently. "Go with Sora and-"

"I'm not leaving you!" She cried, determined. "I can't leave you!"

He knelt to her height and grabbed her shoulders. "Please... I need to know you're safe. I'll find you again, I promise. I need you to exist!"

Tears rolled down Naminé's cheeks. She shook her head, she couldn't take this. "I need to know that you're safe!" She choked.

Behind them, Marluxia had got to his feet again and Axel had begun to duel him. But he couldn't hold him off for long-

"I will be, I promise. I'll find you again." He kissed her. "Please... please go and be safe!"

Naminé hesitated but turned and followed Sora out the room. Zexion breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Sora would keep her safe. Now it was himself he had to worry about...

He took on the appearance of Axel again and created seven copies of himself. All of them circled Marluxia, with the real Axel backing into the circle too. Marluxia's eyes darted at them, trying to find one that was flawed, determining which the real Axel was. He slashed at one of them and it fizzled away. He slashed at another, and another and the same thing happened. Frustrated, he turned to face the one that happened to be the real Axel- but Axel attacked him first. Zexion changed back to himself and the remaining copies disappeared as he shadowed Axel. Marluxia shot a barrage of flower petals at Axel, who was slow to react. Zexion changed them into a stream of fire, which The Flurry of Dancing Flames absorbed, easily, then used his chakrams as a shield as Marluxia attempted to beat him with his scythe. Zexion could see Axel getting weary- he knew he hadn't recovered from his earlier battle with Sora. It was time for him to take centre stage.

As Marluxia prepared to lash at Axel again, Zexion stepped in front of him and blocked the attack with his lexicon.

"Zexion! What are you-" Axel yelled.

"You go find Naminé, make sure she's safe until I catch up with you. You can't keep-" He sent a hurricane of pages at Marluxia, throwing him back against the wall. "- keep going on. You're getting weaker. I'll finish this," he growled, with a determination that was alien to him. "Just promise me you'll keep her safe!"

Axel could sense the determination. Zexion was going to win this battle. "Right. See you on the outside, buddy." He sent one last ball of fire hurtling into Marluxia, then portalled out.

Marluxia was severely weakened. "And then... there were two," he laughed. "I can't believe it's came to this." He was crouched on the floor, his energy drained.

Zexion stood over him. "You're a disgrace, Number XI. I'm finishing this, for Naminé's sake. You're going to rot for the way you've treated her." He held his lexicon high above his head, preparing to dish out a final trick.

But Marluxia swung his leg around and tripped him. Unprepared, Zexion crashed to the ground, his lexicon skidding across the floor. He reached to summon it back, but Marluxia stepped on his hand.

"Don't trust everything you see here, Zexion," Marluxia sneered as Zexion cried out in pain. Rose petals lifted the wounded Nobody up off the ground and hurled him into the wall. Dazed, Zexion tried to plan a move, but Marluxia began to slash at him relentlessly with his scythe. Zexion was in agony and completely disoriented. But his thoughts concentrated on only one thing. Naminé was the last thing to fill his mind as he smiled and fell into the black.

Naminé stopped dead in her tracks. She and Axel, along with Sora and his friends were descending the white floors of Castle Oblivion. Everything had just turned colder.

"Zexion..." she breathed. "Zexion! Zexion! Axel, we have to go back up!" She turned around and began to run back the way they came.

Axel grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him to stop her. "No, Naminé. I'm to make sure you're safe. You can't go back there!"

"But Zexion! Axel, I don't think he's alright! Axel we have to help him- Axel! Axel let me go!" Naminé struggled.

Axel loosened his grip on her slightly, but still wouldn't let her go. He frowned. "No... No, Naminé. Zexion will catch up with us... he's fine... he has to be fine..."

Naminé stared at him. "You think so?"

Axel shook his head. "Jeez, I don't know. Things feel... weird. But, I promised him I'd get you out of here safely. You can't go back!"

"But-"

"I'll go back," said Sora. "You guys go with Donald and Goofy. I'll make sure everything's okay. I'll finish this."

Axel saw the same determination in the boy's eyes that Zexion had before. "Good luck, kid."

Sora nodded and ran back up to the top floor. He listened carefully, trying to figure out if a battle was still in process. All was silent. He arrived at the top floor...

Marluxia was looking around him, not convinced that he had destroyed Zexion. He was sure of it, but he knew that with the Schemer, anything was possible. Every bone in his body ached, and his mind was having trouble focussing on anything. The final battle with Zexion had wearied him more than he had let on. He'd fooled Zexion into thinking he was still strong, but he couldn't fool himself. He fell to his knees, and noticed a shadow falling over him. With great effort he lifted his head and saw the keyblade master deliver a final blow with his weapon. As he fell onto his side, his face meeting the ground, he was almost certain that there were two keyblade wielders walking out the room. But, he knew that was the foolishness of a doomed man and he closed his eyes, letting a final, total darkness claim him.

Starrydust aka CatrionaHearts: I was going to leave this story completely because I'm so sick of it. But then I'd have felt bad. There's a small epilogue, and then I'm done. Sorry it's taken so long. I think I've outgrown Kingdom Hearts and life has sort of taken over. I had another ending I scribbled down a plan for, but I lost it. If I ever find it I'll let you know. Hope you enjoy this one.