Seek the Stars

XVI

Kaoru roamed ahead of the group, his eyes more suited to the darkness the Corridors offered than he was the light that illumined the group. He felt far more comfortable alone as they wandered the Corridor, and he said, when asked, it was easier for him to locate a Door if he had no distractions. In reality, it was to stay away from Riku and that man with him, because being around the two made him feel strange, and it wasn’t a good kind of strange. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe, as if something was sucking him in and if he succumbed, he would never be free again. So he roamed farther away and hoped maybe he’d find a Door that would lead them out before someone tried to get him to talk.

Pi. Pi pirrup.

Kaoru froze, standing in rigid attention when he heard the Heartless call. He spared a glance backwards, and found the group in just as deep a conversation as they had been when he had begun to roam ahead. He called in Reaver and felt Roxas snap to attention, and because Roxas froze, so did everyone else.

Pi pi pi pir–

An animalistic snarl bubbled up from the darkness. The Heartless quieted almost immediately. Reaver lifted up and limned in a violet-black light, allowing Kaoru’s eyes to shift from the normal spectrum to the Heartless spectrum. The group was a large blob of pulsing light, so he ignored them. Approaching quickly from the east, however, was a flickering light, the kind that indicated a failing heart. A Corridor Stalker.

Kaoru’s eyes shifted spectrums immediately. “Roxas! Corridor Stalker!” he yelled.

The snarl came again, louder, as the group started to run. Except for Sephiroth, who moved at a more sedate pace compared to the teenagers. Kaoru rolled his eyes at Sephiroth and wondered if the man would get the picture when the Corridor Stalker bit his ass. In a group as large as theirs was, they could probably take the Stalker and it seemed like that was the plan. And then there was another rumble-roar from the left.

“Shit.” Roxas breathed as he reached Kaoru. “A Corridor Stalker and an Enigma Berserker? Pulling out all the stops aren’t they?”

“They didn’t have what they wanted until now.” Kaoru whispered lowly. Roxas gave him an odd look, but the smaller boy did not clarify. He looked at Roxas. “Run.”

Roxas’ lips drew into a frown but he grabbed Naminé’s arm and pulled her past Kaoru despite her protests. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” He told the Twilight Keyblade Master.

“Just get Riku and Naminé out.” Kaoru snapped.

Riku gave his double an odd look as he passed, but followed after Roxas and said nothing, just keeping up. Kaoru stood alone on the path, drawing the creatures’ attentions away from the pack to the loner. Reaver was ready to taste some blood, and Kaoru let that human, that moral, part of him slip away. Now he was a killer.

And he wasn’t alone. Sora stood beside him, the Kingdom Key transformed to the Ultima Keyblade, and those bright blue eyes hardened to sapphire.

“You should run.” Kaoru quipped as if he were joking.

Sora smirked. “You first.”

The Berserker roared in victory as it barreled down the Corridor path, knocking aside the Stalker. Kaoru dropped to one knee and placed his flat palm on the Corridor path. Almost immediately, the path began to shatter, forcing the Berserker to stop or fall. Kaoru looked to Sora.

“Now we run.”

“Well, that was a bit of a drama killer, wasn’t it?” Sora asked as they turn to run.

“You want drama or life?”

“Well, when you put it that way.”

The pair ran as fast as they could, panting by the time they caught up to Sephiroth, who had taken up the rear of the feeling party. Masamune was out in her fell glory, and already covered in Heartless blood. Tenkuu was lagging behind Roxas, also covered with Heartless goop, and everyone else seemed in good shape.

“Looks like we missed a party.” Sora quipped as he and Kaoru passed Sephiroth. The older man grunted.

Kaoru hurried up to the front of the group, eyes once more shifting spectrums. He breathed in a sigh of relief and grinned. “There’s a Door ahead. I don’t know where it leads to, but we can get out.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Kairi asked. She wiped sweat from her brow and sighed. “I’ve had enough of near-death experiences.”

“It’s not over yet. There’s about a hundred yards between us and the Door.” Kaoru said blandly.

“So we run fast.” Kairi said.

The Corridor Stalker howled behind them.

“Really fast.” She amended.

Kaoru shrugged slightly and turned to lead the group toward the Door, running as fast as he dared. He was the first to reach the Door and began to work it open, fighting down panic as the noises of pursuit closed in about them. The Door opened inch by inch, but it wasn’t fast enough. The group gathered behind him, their uneasiness increasing his own. The Door was wide enough for someone small to slip through and Kaoru told them this. But it was too late. The Stalker was upon them.


Xemnas sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide in a panic. Danger! Danger! His senses were screaming. But Zexion didn’t notice. Who would notice? Naminé would, but she wasn’t here. Who would listen to him? Xemnas rolled out of bed and pulled on the clothes Kairi had brought for him when they all had gone to the beach. He wondered briefly if he would get in trouble for leaving the infirmary, but this was far more important. Who would listen to him?

Xemnas snuck out of the infirmary when Zexion’s attention focused on something else and ran for someone he knew. Those he didn’t know ignored him when he tried to talk to them or brushed him aside. No one cared. No one cared that danger was coming! Xemnas shuddered and fought to keep from yelling in frustration because that wouldn’t get him anywhere. He had to find someone who would listen to him.

“Xemnas? What the hell are you doing out of the infirmary?”

If Xemnas hadn’t remembered Saïx would kill him if he did it, he would have kissed Axel. The redhead wasn’t alone, standing with Jenova behind him. Xemnas hugged Axel tight, making noises he was sure were words. Jenova looked at him if he was a babbling idiot, but Axel understood.

Axel always understood.

“Bring everyone up to the Palace.” Axel told Jenova. She gave him a questioning look.

“Why?”

“Because Xemnas is sensing Enigma.” Axel said without much inflection. “I can’t sense them yet, but he spent more time in the Corridors. Besides, better safe than sorry.”

“It’ll take time,” Jenova replied, “and I’m short-staffed as it is, but I’ll send out the alarm.”

Axel nodded and the woman jogged off, snapping and snarling at people so they would get the message. Axel looked at Xemnas who still clung to him like a child, and Axel closed his eyes. The Watchers hadn’t told him everything, but he had a good idea what was happening. He hoped that this wasn’t the end, because it would really suck if it were. Sighing, Axel pushed Xemnas back from him and smiled at the man-child.

“Let’s go help out, huh? I’m sure the Leader will let you help,”

The way Xemnas smiled hurt Axel, because that smile was so full of childlike trust. If there was anything Axel hated the most, it was implicit trust. As he led Xemnas up to the second floor of the Palace, he hoped that maybe this time, trust wouldn’t get them all killed.