Seek the Stars

XV

Axel stared up into the darkness, knowing he was being watched. He waited quietly and tried not to fidget because the gaze that would fall on him would pierce his soul and probably render him a babbling idiot. Somewhere, a door opened, closed, and opened again, and Axel finally heard footsteps on the obsidian floor. He angled his head down to stare at his black-framed reflection and prayed he wasn’t going to be here long.

“You’re aware of the current situation?”

Axel shivered at the deceptively sepulchral voice and nodded. “We have no answers.” He replied. “Only that things have changed from the norm.”

“So they have.” This voice was less sepulchral and more a quiet rumble of thunder, but it still sent a shiver down Axel’s spine nonetheless. “Axel, there is something you need to do for us.”

“And that would be?”

“The children.” The first voice said. “Bring the children here. However, do not tell them what for.”

Axel swallowed. “May I ask why?”

The silence that followed was all the answer Axel was going to get. He bowed low and hurried out of the chamber, pausing when he saw the Seekers heading in his direction. He could never get over the fact that Ventus looked like he could be Roxas’ twin, but the two were so different in personality it made it easy to differentiate them. Terra spotted Axel first and gave a short wave. Axel nodded his head and hurried on, if only because something in the back of his mind told him to get the hell out of there.

The Seekers entered the chamber Axel had vacated previously and stood on the obsidian floor, limned in the gentle white light. Ventus, Aqua, and Terra bowed to the shadows before Terra stepped forward, canting his head at the pair they couldn’t see.

“You asked for us?” The Seekers’ Leader asked.

“Yes.” That sepulchral whisper issued forth, trailing off as if in thought. “There’s been an… arrangement.”

“An arrangement?” Aqua asked, breaking code. Terra looked at the young woman, half startled, half amused. She blushed.

“More of a change.” The thunder-voice said. “The Rules have been disregarded. So we will enter this fight, but before we do, we need you to seek something for us.”

“And what is this something?”

“Someone, actually.”

One of the speakers came forward into the pale light, a thin hand offering Terra a photograph. Slowly, the Seeker took it, eyes going steadily wider as he recognized the face in the glossy paper. “This is…”

“A traitor. The Rules are in place for a reason, Terra. We are the Watchers. We aren’t allowed to do more. Since our own Rules have been disregarded by one of our own, we too must ignore out restraint and fight.”

“But you’re going after him?”

“If we were to take on every little fight, you’d be out of a job.”

Terra smirked and passed the photograph to Aqua and Ventus. “I guess we’ll just do our job then.”

The Nobody’s lips twitched. “I guess so.”

When the Seekers had left the chamber, the second Watcher came forward to join the first. A hand was set on the smaller’s shoulder and a golden eye flicked to that hand, and away again. “What?”

“Do you feel bad about doing this?”

“After what he’s done? No. I’ll kill him myself.”

“Xiko.”

“Xact.” The smaller Nobody replied in the same annoyed tone. “We let him do what he wanted for far too long. I wasn’t aware of what he was doing and I should have been. I’ve managed to lock him out of Kingdom Hearts, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds a way in.” Xiko heaved a sigh. At least, that’s what it sounded like to Xact. “He’s fucked with me one too many times. Fucked with what’s mind one too many times. Now I’m going to give it right back.”

Xact was silent. “Are you sure you won’t go easy?”

“Have your balls shriveled up so much that this is making you ill? I’m done playing, Xact.”

“My balls are just fine.” Xact snapped. “Yours seem to be fine as well. I’m your sheath, remember? If you go off the deep end, I have to bring you back. The more berserk you’ve gone, the harder it is for me.”

Xiko simply stared at Xact for a while. The two men were gauging, as if preparing for a fight. Finally, Xact was the one who backed down.

“He brought this on himself.” Xiko whispered. “If he didn’t want what I am brought against him he should have destroyed himself a long time ago.”


Cloud was staring again, and he knew it. Denzel was staring back, not openly challenging him, but standing in a way that would assure a fight if Cloud started one. Denzel was a name in the Other Cloud’s memories, part of the merged soul, but that Other Cloud remembered Denzel as a little boy, not as a young man. This Denzel stared at Cloud with a gaze of hurt, hate, and longing; it was a stare Cloud saw too often, especially when he looked in a mirror. He had no doubts Denzel could fight. When the young man had first arrived, it had been the very first thing he had done. He had attacked Cloud, showing a mastery of assorted skills in martial arts and magic. His strategy changed on the fly, always keeping Cloud guessing because the blonde read faces and body language, and Denzel was always a blank slate. Aerith and Vincent, the latter of which had simply stared Denzel down until the boy gave a whimper and bowed his head, had broken them apart. After that, Cloud hadn’t seen Denzel until now.

Keeping his hand away from the hilt of his sword, Cloud slowly, cautiously, approached Denzel. The dark blonde head tilted down in acceptance of the unspoken truce, but he didn’t drop his arms from the folded position over his chest. It was a position that radiated insecurity and Cloud had often held the same position himself. Cloud moved to stand beside Denzel and they shared silence for a while.

“You’re not Him.” Denzel whispered. “You look like Him, sound like Him, move like Him, but you’re not Him.”

“Him, who?”

“My Cloud.”

The way Denzel said it made Cloud think of a long lost lover. But Denzel had just been a child in the Before. Cloud frowned.

“Your Cloud?”

“He was a good person.” Denzel said. “A jerk and antisocial, but he always came when I needed him. But he didn’t come when the World went dark. No one came. A lot of people died.” He held up his left arm. “This came back and the pool was gone. It’s okay now. It stopped spreading years ago.”

Cloud studied the mottled skin of the young man’s forearm and frowned. It looked familiar; the name was on the tip of his tongue. Denzel looked at Cloud and gave sort of a half smile. “It’s Geostigma. A Mako disease.”

Cloud frowned a bit more. “Geostigma.”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Denzel said when Cloud reached out to touch it. “It used to, and then it stopped.”

Cloud’s Mako blue eyes narrowed and his hand went to his bicep. It was a memory, or a ghost of one, but he was certain he knew the pain of Geostigma too. “We fought against it.”

“We fought against the spread of it. You did. I was too little.” Denzel smiled. “Tried, though.”

Cloud’s eyes flicked to meet Denzel’s. He almost reached out to touch the Geostigma on the boy’s face, but stopped himself, holding his hand back. “I’m sorry.”

Denzel blinked and laughed quietly. “It’s okay. It is now. I’m not alone anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re here. And Elena and Reno. Aerith-not-Aeris is here, too. But she can’t remember.” Denzel smiled slightly as he toyed with his bracelet. “That’s okay if she can’t remember. Not a lot of people can.”

Cloud frowned deeper as he studied Denzel, finally reaching to touch the marred skin on the boy’s face. He said nothing, simply rubbed his thumb over the Geostigma. Somehow, Denzel knew the touch was more important than anything Cloud could ever say. It was enough for him.

“Cloud, Denzel!”

Cloud pulled away from Denzel at the sound of his name, and the pair turned to look at Elena as she jogged toward them. Denzel moved toward her faster than Cloud had anticipated the boy could move and followed him. The woman leaned against Denzel to catch her breath and swallowed as she straightened up. Denzel went rigid before Elena ever opened her mouth to speak.

His lips parted. “They’re here.”

“Who’s here?” Cloud asked.

His answer came in the form of a guttural snarl and a Firaga spell being launched from beside his head. He followed the fireball’s tail with his eyes and tilted his head at the frying Enigma.

“Oh.” Cloud smiled in answer to his own question. “Them.”

“Them.” Elena said. “They’re all over!”

Denzel unsheathed his Buster Sword with a smile. “Find the gate. Then, they all leave.”

“What gate?”

Denzel shrugged. Elena heaved a sigh. “Just great.”

Denzel just offered the woman a smile before he skewered the Enigma behind her.

“Yeah.” Cloud echoed. “Just great.”