Homebodies: Sunam City Tales

NOTICE: I do NOT own rights to Square-Enix, it's sister companies nor have any legal rights to any of the subjects mentioned in this story. I do NOT own rights to Buena Vista Studios or its sister companies, and I own no rights to any copyrighted content in the story below.

This is for entermainment of those who read it only. It is not for sale in part or in whole, and any selling and/or claiming of this story by another person was not allowed nor permitted by the writer.

Thank you, and enjoy the story. It is generally narrated through Axel's experiance. CAUTION TO READER: May contain spoilers to the following games:
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Re:Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts II
Read at your own spoiler risk.

Homebodies​

Soft shun the Less Lunar version Kingdom Hearts upon the Island that never was. It was a bright and sunny day in the always tropical and balmy region where the Nobodies and Heartless enjoyed the summer sun. The food was grand and the entertainment was constant for the denizens of the Island, Organization XIII. Skies were never bluer on any other world; no ocean was calmer, cooler, or less salty and painful to the senses, and Nobodies ever had to contend with the fact they couldn’t feel without having a heart.

On the shining, lukewarm to the sandaled foot, whites sand beaches, Axel was enjoying his four month long vacation from work, along with the other Organization Agents. It was another easy morning, fun afternoon and likely another relaxing evening this day, in beautiful sunshine. Wearing a red Hawaiian flame-print t-shirt, khaki shorts and brown sandals, Axel was just resting his head out on the soft sands, eyes guarded from harmful UV’s by stylish shades, when a familiar voice ran out to him.

“Axel! Hey Demyx, Xion, Luxord, I found Axel!†The voice of Jesse McCartney…err…Roxas joyously called out from somewhere on the hot sandy beach, the waves now lapping against Axel’s toes.

Axel sat up and removed his shades, a noticeable tan line making him look something similar to a tan raccoon. Unknowing and not caring of the eye-mask, Axel smiled and waved to a rag tag crew running up to him. There was Roxas, Axel’s Best Friend, Xion, Axel’s Other Best Friend, and Demyx and Luxord, other members of Organization XIII. Each one was dressed as he was.

Roxas was wearing black-and-white checkered swim shorts, barefooted, followed by Luxord, who wore a black and grey striped beach shirt and black Bermuda shorts, and Demyx, also wearing swim shorts, with an aquatic styling to them, followed closely by Xion, wearing a black one-piece bathing suit. They were all laughing as they raced each other on the beach, tackling one another until Demyx took out Roxas into a tumble into the sand, tripping Xion who tripped Luxord by mistake. Everyone on the beach had a good laugh, including Axel’s Tanning buddies Saïx, Zexion, and Larxene.

Roxas pulled himself out of the laughing dog pile and chuckled lightly. “What’s so funny?†He asked sarcastically, hardly masking the fact he knew. And everyone broke out into hard laughter, genuine laughter that was at one time looked down at and out of reach by Nobodies like them.

While Roxas lent a hand to the others fallen to get them back on their feet, Axel chortled and looked over at Saïx beside him, whose face was one Axel had not seen him wear in a long time. What Axel found funniest of all was how Saïx’s recent tan practically made the Luna Diviner’s “X†shaped scar disappear.

“Hey Saïx, it’s really good to see your having a good time, man. Been awhile since the last time you showed any sort of ghost of an emotion beside anger or hate.†Axel punched Saïx in the arm tenderly.

“Watch it, Axel. The tan.†Saïx rubbed his arm while still talking in an exuberant mood.

“Right, right, sorry man.†Axel apologized, running an ungloved, for once, hand through his red spiky locks.

“There is no need to be sorry, old friend.†Saïx said still in a joyful mood but no longer guffawing. “If you hadn’t suggested moving headquarters to this island, we would never have gotten such results! All the Organization Operatives are working harder than ever knowing they have this to come back to after work, Everyone’s happier, and Kingdom Hearts in nearly complete, even though we had to start over.†Saïx was absolutely thrilled to give the list.

“Stop, man, you’re making me blush.†Axel joked and slipped back on his shades and rested his head back onto the sand.

“No really Axel, thank you. Thank you for this wonderful idea and this wonderful paradise.†Saïx said almost seriously. “I only ask, though, that you leave your slumber and wake up.†Saïx said with the most definite tone of emptiness.

Axel’s eyes immediately shot open and unfortunately, he did not see the bright heart-shaped sun beating down on him through black lenses. All he saw was the white interior of his room, lying back on his uncomfortable bed. A window to left confirmed his presence back in the World that never was, surrounded by darkness and the same old gothic Nobodic architecture. He resealed his tired green eyes tightly, hoping that he might be able to travel back simply by doing so.

Eventually, very quickly, he forced himself to sit up, in full uniform, boots dangling a half an inch above the solid and cold floor. Axel gave a tired yawn and a stretch, the effects of fatigue lasting on his body though he lacked the capacity to feel the ecstasy of rejoining the world after a night’s rest. All he could feel was what his body and mind told him he felt, and that was tired. He just wanted to lie back in bed and sleep, but knowing the real Saïx, he wouldn’t be able to do that.

Standing up and doing one last stretch, touching his toes to help give the stiff board that was his spine a few bending points. Starting another tiresome and empty day, Axel left his room, performing the traditional gesture whenever he left his room, which was lifting his index finger and thumb on one hand, pointing the tip of his index finger to his temple, and then using his middle finger to pull the trigger, blew his brains out while uttering a firing sound.

Sometimes Axel really wished his pointer finger had the ability to truly end his misery so easily. But then what? Fade back into darkness and with a serious headache? Why make Roxas or Demyx have to clean up cranium bits on such an already bleak day?
*****

A heart does not control whether or not a body is hungry, or when it has to relax or even when it has to visit the little Nobody’s room. So before Axel had to turn in for work, it was the same microwave Shrimp Ramen cup for breakfast in the Mess hall kitchen. It was the same as the rest of the castle: white walls and floors, with little actual furniture. Only white counters, cupboards that erupted out of the floors and walls like mini plateaus, a white fridge, a small round table with four chairs empty around it, and a white box on a counter that barely resembled what someone may call a microwave.

Axel went through to usual steps, grabbing his Ramen cup out of the farthest left cupboard, bypassing Demyx’s Captain Hook sugar-coated sugar-based diabetic’s nightmare and Saïx’s box of imported coffee beans, his sustenance being the first one up every morning to make everyone else’s as painful as possible, Axel grabbed a the usual Styrofoam cup. He didn’t need to read the cooking instructions, he just cooked it the same way he did every morning. He lifted the plastic off the top of the cup, filled it up halfway and since Saïx made every Nobody’s existence a lecture whenever the microwave had one stain inside it, which was often very noticeable considering the common color scheme, Axel solved the problem by using a unique heating method.

Lighting up the palm of the hand opposite the one holding the Ramen cup with a fiery blaze, Axel simply held the cup over his own little handheld stove, and semi-delicious flash-dried fake vegetables and sodium-packed noodles in a steaming soup of shrimp-flavored chicken broth, Axel sipped his morning meal on his way out the archway exit, down the hall, and had finished with it by the time he had reached the Grey Area, where a few stragglers had refused to start their missions just yet, not that Axel could blame them. There was only him, Roxas, Xion, Xigbar, Saïx, Xemnas, Demyx, Xaldin and Luxord left in the whole Organization, after the catastrophe of Castle Oblivion.

Occasionally Axel thought back to his involvement in the whole matter, and almost felt guilty… or at least recalled a moment in his Somebody life when he had actually felt guilt and worked with that. It was Axel who pretty much caused the fallings of Marluxia, Zexion, Vexen, and Larxene. Lexeaus was handled by another force Axel had never found out the exact details of, just that the kid named Riku from C.O, but he set Marluxia’s and Larxene’s fate through taking the floor out from under their hostile takeover, killing Vexen in the process and getting rid of Zexion on a separate agenda. That was the Pre-Roxas-and-Xion Axel. Now the whole agenda that made I-VI obstacles was now a long gone idea.

Axel didn’t care Saïx hated him. Axel knew Saïx didn’t even have the thought of pretending to feel anything, including hatred, and while he appeared angry very often, it was only because Axel’s old friend Isa was a completely hollowed out shell of what he used to be. Unlike himself and the others, Axel knew Saïx saw emotions in general totally beyond their power, and a waste of time to even try to feign personality.

Not that Isa never had a personality just that he hated what he became so much, he currently was on a self-destructive meltdown. Giving a sigh for his dearly departed friend, Axel walked up to Roxas first, still holding the mostly empty Ramen cup.

“Good morning, Roxas. Know if we’re teamed up today? Or just if I’m teamed up with anyone?†Axel asked his much shorter comrade with spiky brownish-orange hair, looking down into the pair of bluer than blue eyes that looked back up at his. Axel really did regret killing Vexen and Zexion directly at least. With half of the Organization dead and quite literally gone, that left teaming up a rare occurrence in the current mission set-ups. The two-man teams made it easier work and by that, more time to eat ice cream with Roxas and Xion and more time to sleep until the next day.

“Saïx hasn’t said yet. But I heard Xigbar and Xaldin talking, and they say there’s something going on today that’s “Unheard of†and “A waste on effort.†Roxas replied changing his voice towards the end to his best version of Xigbar then Xaldin. Axel couldn’t help but give a laugh for the effort.

“Thanks anyway, man. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.†Axel responded, looking next over towards Saïx, standing in the same old boring spot right in the frame of the tall window smack-dab in the middle of the room at the opposite end of the door.

Saïx looked like he was in a mood today. Just like every day and only one thought came to mind: shell. Axel walked over and gave a mock salute.

“What’ve you got for me today, sir?†Axel thought he’d play with Xemnas’s right hand Nobody this morning, pushing a few buttons on the Berserker’s control panel.

Saïx gave a chilling glare in response to the jab, and then just shrugged the notion off, keeping eye contact with Axel as he did so. “You are teamed up today. It is an important mission the Superior says will finish Kingdom Hearts ahead of schedule.â€

“You don’t say.†Axel forced himself not to roll his eyes. Xemnas the Superior of the In-between was hell-bent on finished the giant Heart shaped moon Axel could see through the window over Saïx’s shoulder. But this was good news because if the mission was to Collect Hearts that meant his partner would be Roxas for the day. Possibly even Xion as well.

“Due to the bulk of your mission, you will be away from Headquarters for close to a year.†Saïx calmly and effortlessly dropped the bombshell that made Axel become alert.

“Whoa, so how big is this mission?†Axel gave almost genuine surprise and enthusiasm in his voice.

“Colossal. And it will not just be you and Roxas. We have also assigned Luxord and Demyx to accompany you both.â€

“What about Xion?†Axel figured he’d try to squeeze Xion in, since she’d probably be left alone with Roxas, Axel or even Luxord and Demyx around.

“That creature is not fit to be given rite to see the city where you will be going. It is almost a privilege for you four to be going, and as though I would let it have such a royalty.†Saïx said with the usual subtext he spoke whenever Xion was brought up. He despised Xion, though mostly no one knew exactly why.

“I dunno. Thinking only Four Organization Members and only one Keyblade will get such a colossal job done in a year? Sounds like a possible two year trip to me. That if Roxas doesn’t just fade away into darkness halfway through from the overload.†Axel set the bait. Saïx was the Bass and to Axel, a word that rhymed with the fishy metaphor.

Saïx appeared to give the notion some thought. “Fine then. If you must have it with you, I cannot complain if my eyes are not bothered by that waste of precious time.†Saïx gave a sweep of an arm motioning the end of the discussion and closed his eyes as though a migraine were coming up in the mind that remained of the original Isa.

“Saïx you’re a Saint.†Axel gave an encore mock salute and left the chatter box to sit on a nearby couch, in order to sort out what he’d need for a year-long trip. In the meantime, he’d also try to figure out what kind of city he’d be going to that needed the presence of four Organization Agents. He also thought of the times he Roxas and Xion could have in such a place, with company like Demyx and Luxord.

Out of the rest of the remaining Organization, Luxord and Demyx weren’t so bad. Demyx was lazy and not exactly a workaholic and Luxord spoke in Poker Jargon and rhetoric all the time, but at least they had well performed personalities. Xigbar was the only other that even came close to that point. Xaldin was half-empty, and Saïx and Xemnas were the like two peas in a pod as flash frozen as the single bean pod left at the bottom of the Ramen cup had been at the lid opening ceremony.

Axel gave the remaining contents a swirl and gulped them down before he got up to leave and get packing. He’d need quite a few things before going away from home for a whole year. The truth was he didn’t want a reason to come back to the Fun that never was even for a moment.
*****

Later, back in his room and Ramen-less, having disposed of the cup by placing it stomped and left in front of Vexen’s old room for Saïx to find, Axel was filling a bulky black duffel bag to the gills with multiple gears when Eternal Flames and Ashes wouldn’t help much, potions, Hi-potions, Mega-potions (He’d need them working with four others so he even spent quite a bit stocking up on more from the Moogle in the Grey area), Ethers, Elixirs, and the works, including a few extra cloaks and on a hunch, civilian clothing. Putting the revelry of rings into the side pockets, Axel finally zipped the whole kit and caboodle tightly up.

Then after only a few hours of gathering, Axel suddenly realized he had no way to kill time before the bus arrived. And by bus Axel mentally referred to the Corridor to Darkness that would be opened and closed for him, but held open only so long as it suited Saïx. If one were to force his Cosmic-ness to concentrate on the portal for too long, he had been known to close them while a Member had been stepping through simply because he had wasted Saïx’s time.

That episode had caused Axel to lose half his day looking for Demyx’s severed leg that could have been anywhere in Twilight Town. Luckily there was no blood, but the whole fact the leg was still moving because technically it was still connected to its owner (Vexen would later explain the specifics of Corridors to Darkness and teleportation dismemberment), and Zexion sure wasn’t happy to have to reconnect Demyx to his leg from the knee down.

Axel still couldn’t figure out Demyx’s position in that little happening. Axel guessed Demyx was either partially happy to have the day off, or was true to his drama by freaking out on everybody in the closest comparison to actual emotion Axel had ever seen since joining the Organization. Thank Lexeaus for his “Sedation method†which involved giving Demyx a good bonk to the scalp or else the Castle that never was would have been comparable to a Saw movie scene with Demyx’s screams and shouts almost being heard from Twilight Town through betwixt and between.

When having nothing to do but relax or go out and about before time, Axel usually picked sleeping over walking. So lying back on his sheet-less bed, Axel rested his head on the pillow and took a detour trip to Snoozeville. If he didn’t have to go just yet, he wouldn’t.
*****

“Axel, wake up.†A commanding and disdainful voice ordered Axel in slumber. In the midst of sleep, Axel could see the owner of the voice, whose yellow eyes stared him down, standing across the way, surrounded by darkness.

“If you will not heed my orders, I shall enforce them myself.†Saïx said coldly, his voice lowering to a hiss, and his yellow irises spread like a poison to fill out the rest of his eyes with the venomous shade. His normally neat long blue hair became ragged and messy while his facial scar deepened and his face became incredibly feral. The Lunatic had come out once more, Claymore summoned and ready to drive Axel into the ground.

Axel readied himself to fight, a ring of fire encircling them both, firewalls blazing and giving off heat, yet no light in the darkness. Axel summoned his own weapons, the two wheels formally known as Chakrams, and he prepped his inner-energy for the battle.
Saïx continued to hiss and spit in Axel’s general direction, barely even resembling Saïx at all, being in his berserker state. It would be a challenge to fight him, but Axel knew he would have to to survive. The battle began with a heavy blow from the Lunatic Claymore, Axel having to block the attack with his left Chakram wheel. But the Momentum was too great, and though he blocked himself from most of the fierce lunge, Axel was sent flying backwards and into the flame.

This was an advantage. Hiding in the flames, Axel confused his animalistic foe and just when he last expected it, Axel flew out from behind him and sent a deadly spike right into the empty space where a heart had once been housed. To a Somebody, this attack was an instant kill. To a Nobody, it was mortal.

Berserk Saïx gave a long mournful howl and Lunatic evaporated into nothing as a white stream of light. Reverting back into his normal form, Saïx clutched his chest, the spike removed from his back. He broke and fell to his knees, shaking and shivering, the beginnings of his fading back into darkness. Slowly, Saïx turned his head and yet again only his Iris’s were yellow, the two other colors returning to his now very sad, defeated looking eyes.

Axel felt no grief in the takedown. It had to be done, and nothing more about it. He de-summoned Eternal Flames and stood like a statue before the dying Saïx. Then the whole firewall collapsed in a quick dying of flames until nothing was left of the pyre ring, and as did the darkness surrounding the two.

Axel lost all thought he had from before as he looked around in shock of where they were: Radiant Gardens, Saïx and his own home world, before they were Nobodies… when they were Isa and Lea. Axel couldn’t take it, being back in such a familiar courtyard, he simply broke down and also dropped to his knees, dazed and at eye level with the defeated Saïx.

At eye level, Axel could see clearly as next Saïx’s irises changed coloration, becoming a familiar turquoise color instead. Blue locks receded until what was left was a shorter version on the hairstyle Saïx wore. Lastly, Saïx was no longer Number VII of the Organization, as years flew by in reverse, and Saïx became Isa in a black coat with a hole in the back. The look of sadness was stronger than ever as the teenager looked back at the current Axel.

The sadness and pain had reached the rest of the young face, making his lips tremble and his knees shake. All Isa did was stare back at Axel, confused and betrayed, emotions Axel could read were real.

“I’m sorry you know. I didn’t mean to become what I did. I don’t hate you. I hated me.†Isa was able to choke out in short sentences in his voice from ages before, a voice Axel hadn’t heard in a long time.

Axel’s jaw was hanging open, unsure of what to say to this dying friend. The worst confusing thing was Isa was wearing the black coat and wasn’t fading like Vexen or Zexion had. He was just still there.

“I was hoping as soon as Kingdom Hearts was finished, I’d go back to the way I was before. We could be friends again. We could have hearts again and maybe you me and Roxas could be friends together.†Isa admitted. He then bowed and shook his head. “I’m forgetting Xion. I’d be friends with Xion too. But I guess now it’s too late.†Tears were forming in Isa’s eyes and he fought to force them back and he sniffed and grunted in the overlapping of emotions and pain. “Tell her that I’m sorry for how I treated. Okay, Lea?†He finally couldn’t control the tears and began sobbing, gasping for breath that would not reach him, as if the air before him wasn’t there.

“Isa!†Axel finally gained the nerve to get up and dash to the dying boy’s side, catching him as he began to fall forward and cradling the much more human Saïx tenderly as if there was hope. “Don’t die, man! I’m sorry too! I didn’t give you a break, always hating the hollowed out shell you became. You just acted so different and it was like I didn’t know you anymore! Just don’t die Isa, please!†Axel yelled in a state of grief and sorrow he didn’t know he felt.

Isa was still staring back up to him, looking him dead in the eye though as weakly as he was. “Tell Xion I am sorry for the way I treated… her…, Lea…†Isa’s final word in the request had been one that was guttural and not a word of the English language at all. It had been the last breath from Isa’s lungs releasing itself from Isa’s body, as his entire body had shut down.

Axel shook the body and it wiggled like a ragdoll, the head hanging back like his neck lacked a functioning spine, and his feet and limbs lay and hung in odd positions. There was no mistaking it, that Isa had just died in Axel’s arms. Axel had killed his best friend for his own survival, and now the proof was dead in his hold. Axel laid the corpse on its back, fixing the arms and feet so that they didn’t just drop from an absence of nerve system control. Closing the hauntingly half-closed eyes fully, Axel simply sat on his knees, staring down at his fallen friend who he had murdered.

Now it was Axel who was the hollowed out shell, the one without a heart or any feeling. The tears Isa had fought back proved that he died feeling the pain and egression. And Axel couldn’t even serve up a single tear for his dead friend, asking himself what would be the point if he did. It was pointless. He didn’t have a heart, so why bother pretending like he did. Axel just bowed his head and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, blinding light filled his eyes. And he was no longer on his knees either, because he was looking up at the same familiar ceiling above his head. He awoke with a startled convulsion, hearing a voice speak to him that he had heard just before; convinced he had just murdered the maker of the voice. “Isa I’ll tell her for you!†Axel promised without thinking about his words.

“Tell who what? What are you babbling about, Axel?†A cold and demanding voice asked with a slight note of exasperation. “I have been ordering you to wake up for nearly thirty minutes. If it were anyone but you I would have already sent Roxas, Luxord, Demyx, and the abomination along without your pathetic hide.â€

Axel sat up and looked to his bedside. Indeed, there was the fully grown Saïx standing before him, a disappointed glare in his once again yellow eyes. Axel replied by sighing deeply, not sure which emotion would have gone with this situation. Relief that Saïx was alive? Embarrassment that what he had just seen was all a fake? Longing to see Isa again?

“Take your things and report to the Grey Area at once. If I do not see you there as soon as I take my usual position, I’m cancelling your mission altogether. Kingdom Hearts be damned until we can finish it in the way planned, taking longer but surer.†And Saïx left radiating Anger, Hate, and Disappointment.

Axel just stared blankly at the ceiling. “I could try stabbing him in the back again. If he doesn’t turn into Isa again then at least he’d be out of my hair…†Axel weighed the options out loud once Saïx was surely out of earshot.
*****

“It’s about time you got back. We were starting to worry we’d be forced to leave without you.†Roxas put his emotions on the table, forgetting once again that he lacked the ability to actually worry. Still Axel knew what his friend meant.

The other four were packed for the trip as well. Roxas and Xion were sharing the load of a black duffel bag the same size as Axel’s, Demyx was carrying a guitar case on his back holding onto a strap that went over and under his left shoulder while his right hand held a small navy blue bag that likely carried clothes, and Luxord had packed light, simply a metallic briefcase and a small bag like Demyx’s. They were the only ones in the Grey Area besides Saïx in the same old spot where he always stood, eyeing down Axel especially.

Axelored the sneering gaze and lifted his duffel bag higher onto his shoulder and walked up to the mission director. “I’m ready.†He affirmed.

“As it appears you all are, I am allowing you passage. Good luck in your mission, and try to keep to it.†It wasn’t a request, it was an order. “Keep an eye on that thing once your there.†Saïx gave a nod to Xion, who was thankfully too distracted by Demyx, Luxord and Roxas to have noticed the allusion. Then with a flourish, Saïx opened a dark, swirling portal of purple, black and periwinkle mixing in a dark vortex.

Axel called back to the others and they heard him, noticed the Corridor and followed in suite. As Axel was about to travel through to the other side, Saïx uttered one last notion, “Your mission is to Collect Hearts in Sunam City. Do not fail. That goes double for the puppet.â€

 

This is not bad. It seems like a decidedly simple premise: Take X members and stick them in X new location, but you make it work. I like where it's headed, and you've done a good job of laying the foundation. The dream sequences were interesting and compelling, especially the second; and I really enjoyed the contrast in Axel's attitude towards Saïx in the dream and in waking. I think you have a firm grasp of how the characters would behave in the situations you've presented.

That said, I do have some minor gripes. Your writing is just a tad stale; I don't have trouble getting through it, but I'm not really knocked out of my seat either. Your descriptors could use a little flourish, something to make it your own work and not just a point-A-to-point-B deal. It's a common problem of beginning-to-intermediate writers, and the best fix is to look up your words in the dictionary/thesaurus whenever you think a different word would work better; or, better yet, use a metaphor, simile, or analogy every now and then. (And do take note of the differences; one may be more effective than the others in certain situations.) Also, the dialogue is better than bad, but not as good as great. I see a few repeat phrases in there. You're on the right track describing how the characters look when they speak, but you tend to describe the same factors the same way: For instance, when it came to Saïx, you focused a lot on the eyes. Try describing the movement of his lips or eyebrows, or even some gestures during speaking. And don't forget about the tone of voice; you can say a lot about what people are trying to convey by noting the difference in their expressions and their tone, or make their emotions (or lack thereof) more powerful by describing the two as working in unison.

All in all, I'd say the pros outweigh the cons. Very solid, and I'd like to see more of this.

 

Thanks. I tried to do some editing on this last chapter, and I hope it doesn't kill my Alright begining. It's not much, but I'm also currently halfway through Chapter 3, so please, to Nouveau and anyone else reading, please enjoy the next chapter:

Chapter 2: Sunam City​

Well this looks quaint… Axel thought to himself as he crossed onto the other side of the Corridor, his booted foot meeting tar pavement. He stepped forward to allow the others behind him entryway and felt the hard turf beneath his feet make a distinctive sound when he went heel-to-toe, like a soft drum two-beat right below him. At the moment he was just taking in the scenery that surrounded him.

Impossibly tall skyscrapers, ebony black behemoth monoliths barricaded both sides of the street with no alleys visible from this way down the marked road. As far he could see, the two lanes forked off in the direction he was facing, and more tall building blocked his view. Most of the Buildings were constructed similarly, so Axel guessed whoever was the Company Chairman in charge of “Yoshio Enterprises” (Which Axel could read on a grey slab plaque by the double-wide doors of nearby office building) was some rich cat. This much was obvious, but still a good lead into the affairs of this world.

Also, with so many tall buildings in every direction, how was it still bright as day on the street? Axel looked and found this out very quickly as well. The Buildings were reflective in all the right places so that even if the sun was blocked in one position, light would still reach the otherwise ray-less two lanes.

It took those two discoveries for his comrades to finally join him in Sunam. One after another walked through until the last one was accounted for and Axel shut the portal off, the Corridor vanishing in a puff of black smoke.

Axel watched the others as they looked around in a state of natural curiosity of the mind. Luxord was the first to leave the group to calmly walk over to a nearby building, the one with the glass double-wide doors Axel had noticed first, and examined the same plaque.

“This Yoshio seems to be the veteran player with the consistent Aces, as it would appear he has won the jackpot in the land development here.” He hypothesized in his usual sophisticated British tone.

“Which means….?” Demyx didn’t follow, as usual, and Axel had to explain.

“He means one company owns pretty much all the buildings you can see down this street and very possibly even more. The Chairman, C-H-A-I-R-M-A-N, Got it memorized (?), is most likely the guy with the fattest wallet in this ‘burg.” Axel said slowly so that Demyx could hang on every word.

Losing his heart had made Demyx lose his emotions, but that obviously did not affect his limited smarts or natural intuition to sleep and be lazy all the time. He just nodded his head slowly and Axel shook his, rubbing his closed eyes to reduce the brain pain. “Just so long as you got the message, I guess.”

“Hey Axel?” Roxas said with a note of displacement. Axel turned around and he could see Roxas and Xion were both starting to strain under the weight of their large duffel bag. Axel didn’t even have to ask. His bag was starting to get a little heavy too. He gave an “Hmm?” just so Roxas wouldn’t think Axel was ignoring him.

“Me and Xion are starting to get tired. Is there anywhere we were supposed to go once we got here? This bag weighs a ton!” Roxas asked and alerted Axel of their situation. Maybe Roxas didn’t have to add that last part in though. After all, they were two and Axel was one, and he wasn’t complaining… much.

Demyx rubbed the shoulder that supported the Guitar case on his back. “Saïx never said anything about a place to rest while we’re here…”

“-And he never called for us to fold and continue with a lighter deck.” Luxord also noted.

“Maybe we were supposed to get settled ourselves. Be less conspicuous.” Axel suggested, giving the matter some thought.

“Sounds like Saïx…” Roxas added in saddened agreement.

“First though, let’s see if Yoshio builds restaurants, I’m starved.” Axel concluded, rubbing his now growling stomach. A look at the others and he could tell they were also very hungry, some of their stomachs growling in tune to his own.

“Agreed!” Everyone said in unison, and Roxas and Xion laughed to themselves.
*

It was quite a walk down roads stretching for miles inside the city, but eventually, the Organization crew found what they were looking for, and for some, just before they had collapsed and starved. Café Gray was written in Gray Palatino Font on a graphically designed sign out in the front window. It was true to its name for sure; walls on the outside, roof shingles, and even the welcome mat were colored Gray. To Nobodies who belonged to the twilight between Darkness and Light, this was just the place for them.

Luxord walked ahead of the pack and opened the glass door, bordered with a grayish silver metal. Holding the door for his comrades, each one including Axel entered the glum looking diner, followed by Luxord, letting the door close behind him. Inside the décor matched the outside, stormy gray walls and gray and black checked tiling flooring with gray counters, booths, black tables and chairs, and an assortment of abstract paintings that fit the color scheme could be seen inside, and all sorts of aromas entered through Axel’s nostrils, the steams from soups, appetizers, hamburgers frying and Hot Dogs grilling filling his head with delicious scents. His stomach was doing sideway flips inside of him, no longer just growling but instead barking up a storm.

Eager to eat his fill, Axel rushed up to the service counter with a hanging sign above it reading “Order”. The lady behind the counter was looking curiously back at Axel when Axel uttered like a speed boat,
“Twobaconcheeseburgers, Astrawberryshakeandalargesideoffries, please!” And Axel subsequently gasped for air.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but you’re going to have to repeat that.” The young lady somewhere in her mid-twenties responded, talking slowly, trying to ease the strange customer down. She wore a gray conservative cashier uniform, and was wearing her shoulder-length ginger hair in a ponytail.

Axel was still breathing heavily. After all, he had walked quite a distance, hadn’t eaten since morning and the gray-faced clock confirmed the time to be 3:55 “Two Bacon Cheeseburgers, a Strawberry milkshake and a large order of fries… please.” He said in more earthly tongue.

The service lady, when Axel stopped acting like a maniac he noticed she was wearing a name tag which read: “Sheila” in bolded print, pinned near her left shoulder, was still transfixed, watching Axel curiously as she did some typing onto the cash register in front of her. Green LED lights formed together an instant later on the tiny screen facing Axel and the others to form the numbers 300 followed by tiny letters that read: munny.
Not wanting to waste precious time he could spend eating, Axel dug deep into his pockets for munny he had gotten through his last mission. A small round gold dice-ball with gold and light-blue colors was quickly retrieved and put on the counter. Once out of his pocket, the munny returned to its value, at least twice its introductive size. Repeating this method until a nice collection of munny pieces of various sizes lined the counter, the young woman Sheila tallied it all up to be 3,000 munny. This amount was on purpose, as Axel stepped to the side to let his fellow Nobodies order as well. Lunch would be on him, and not because he wanted to be nice, he just didn’t want somebody like Demyx to come up short on the dough and it would take Axel’s longer to cook into fresh buns for his Bacon Cheeseburgers. They got munny by defeating Heartless and given the Melodious Nocturne’s track record…

Sheila totaled the whole order up once Xion had finished her order of a Cesar salad with plenty of Ranch dressing with side wedge fries and a medium Cocoa-Cola, which at least appeared to be one of the advertised beverages on the order board above Sheila’s ginger-haired head. The 3,000 covered the total cost and the bewildered Sheila handed the change to an all the more eager Axel and tapped one last button on the cash register before she ripped a paper slip from a whirring printer and stuck it to an order carousel which was fortunately housing only one other order slip.

The cook behind a window that sat behind the Order Sign ripped the other slip from its spot and grabbed Axel’s salvation with the other bulky hand, thick with blackish-gray hair on the back of his palm and five digits. From what any Nobody could see, the cook was large and beefy-looking, square jawed with a bulbous pug nose and a prickly black beard and a buzzed head on top, the model for a stereotypical tough guy. That included the hand that snatched the first order had one digit less than the one that grabbed the second sheet of paper. He had a blank and almost robotic look in his eyes as he turned around to return to his work at a stove with a frying pan resting on each of the four lighted black spirals.

“You’re order will be ready shortly.” Sheila finished formally, as much as she could muster at least, all while attempting to cloak a thick down under accent.
“Our thanks are to you, Madame.” Luxord the now Gentleman of Fate replied to the fetching young Australian and simply strafed off to the side, watching the cook with a poker veteran’s soul-reading look as if that would inspire the large man to cook faster.

Sheila was still perplexed and gawking at the rest of them. Just doing her job had prevented her from speaking out of protocol but seeing as that these black coated cuisine-chasers were the only ones waiting in line, the fair-faced girl couldn’t stop herself from asking one of the several thoughts that was running through her head.

“You five aren’t from Sunam, are you?” She questioned in the direction of the first customer she had to contend with, Axel, not sounding as casual as at first.

Also watching the cook intently, it took a moment for him to respond and looked back blankly when he did so. “What? Oh! We’re from out of town. Way out.” He replied nonchalantly, nodded his head and returned to watching the cook, who was starting to take notice of the audience he was gathering, raising a thick black eyebrow on his ape-like face.

“How could you tell?” Demyx asked in his usual carefree tone.

Sheila was silent for a moment, unsure of what to reply, but seeing as though she had started this; she might as well continue it. “Nothing… just you don’t look like you’re from here. Those black coats don’t look like any I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s a black coat and if you see one, you see them all, trust me.” Axel took himself out of his obsession with the preparing food to speak.

“Yeah, but you also carry at least 3,000 munny in your pockets with room to spare. Aren’t you worried? Don’t you use the bank?”

“Why should we? Nobody is going to mess with us, right?” Roxas added himself into the conversation.

Sheila just looked down at the teen and looked like someone had finally shed some light in the darkness. “I knew it. You’re definitely not from around here, or else you’d know about the Akinos.”

“The what?” Axel’s interest was finally fully in something other than food.
“The Akinos are a group of thugs that recently moved to Sunam city. Gratitude of the Baron running the City, they now control all incoming and outgoing travel and trade, and make themselves known to the rest of the city, using their power and numbers to ambush random by passers. If you don’t have much on you, they let you go… but if you have enough to carry around so willingly, it’s donated to their group.” Sheila explained in a hushed tone, as if speaking about the topic in public was a local taboo. “They’re lead by Toshiba Akino, a big crime boss who everybody knows, but nobody ever sees, they continue to run this distract as their favorite playground.”

The conversation had now grasped the attention of Luxord as well, who wore a thoughtful expression as a well-maintained component of his scholar-like persona. “Tell me, Sheila: has this city been attacked lately by large quantities of shadow-based creatures?”

“Yes, only just recently. Why? How did you know that? We’re the only nearby settlement yet who has to deal with the whatever-they-ares.”

“Heartless. They are known through many lands as Heartless. They are dark monsters that vary in strength and they are always hunting beings for the hearts they possess.” Luxord added to the information stew. “They are baited by the darkness in those hearts. The hearts with the most darkness of all tend to lure them to new lands.”

“So wait a second… those Heartless are here because of the Akinos, right? There’s nobody in the world as corrupted and evil as them.” Sheila figured much to the notice of the Organization Company.

“Wow, that’s pretty good for a Who-“ Demyx was on his way to congratulating, but Axel silenced him quickly with a black glove clamped over the water-controller’s big mouth.

Sheila replaced confusion and the almost friendly look on her face with one quite the opposite.

“What was he about to call me??”

“Trust me, not what you think. We should go now.” Keeping his guard over Demyx’s pie hole, Axel smiled that coy smile at Sheila, now almost fuming from the anger probably welling up, and was nudging his head in the direction of the tables off to the side. He figured time was best spent waiting for the food at a quieter spot.

Sheila attempted to speak to keep the group from departing with their bags, but they had already passed by the counter by the time she could utter even “But- Ack…“.

Axel breathed a sigh of relief, shoving Demyx into a booth, and then taking the seat beside him. Luxord Roxas and Xion took the opposite booth at the table, Luxord on the outer edge, away from the large window that gave a nice view of even more behemoth buildings.

“What was that for?!” Demyx demanded loudly when he was finally capable of speech again.

Axel simply crossed his arms and gave Demyx a ‘you idiot, isn’t it obvious?’ look that said it all. Demyx recoiled, much less angry and more willing to simply sit and wonder while twiddling his thumbs.

It wasn’t long before a pair of waiters carrying silver trays came bustling to the window-side table. The two waiters were almost identical males, having the exact same facial features and lean build, only one had brown hair where the other had jet-black hair. Both colors however were styled the same, being slicked back with a noticeable amount of grease, giving their locks a crusty but suave look. They walked in the same step, balancing the steaming hot orders in both hands that belonged to the both of them.

Axel could hardly control himself as a steaming hot plate of the two Bacon cheeseburgers, surrounded by a pile of fries was placed in front of him, followed by a glass bowl-like cup which contained a pink frothy mixture complete with a candy cane-striped bendy straw and a cherry on top of the swirly beverage.

In record timing, he began his work on the first one, not bothering to chew slowly. It also didn’t worry his mind about the grease-coated fatty acid-piñatas he was consuming. The terms “Heart attack” or even “Heart burn” were no longer in his medical dictionary. He could also eat whatever he wanted and not have to panic about losing his lanky form either, having one of the best metabolism at the Organization’s disposal… too bad they didn’t use it too often for important missions like performing recon on a world made of ice cream or something.

Speaking of Ice cream, Axel was in the set of mind, at least he knew how to pick a lunch. Demyx had ordered a banana split with the works, which if Axel knew Demyx, and he did, the lightweight wouldn’t finish it. Demyx could eat on someone else’s dime and not even allow his eyes to shrink to balanced proportion with his stomach. Maybe perhaps, if Demyx would later complain of brain freeze, it would be prudent and kind of Axel to light Demyx’s mullet like a rock star Roman candle. It was an option Axel considered, as he deftly finished the first Bacon Cheeseburger at his unbeatable pace.

Watching the others eat with a thoughtful look while setting up himself to chow down the next Cheeseburger with some crunchy French fries, Axel’s chewing slowed to a humane and healthy speed, choking the bit down in one gulp.

The thought remained in his mind as he looked around the generally empty diner, then outside. Lastly he looked at the bags which had been carelessly shoved underneath the table. They would need a place to stay, and a place that rested somewhere between a good headquarters and a better vacation spot. Put their pocket munny together, and they might just get a nice ritzy hotel room big enough for them all. Not penthouse material, but luxurious enough to at least make this mission a little bit more fun.

He elbowed Demyx in the shoulder and upon impact, Demyx lost hold of the metal spoon he had just placed in his mouth, dropping it and sending vanilla cream onto his chin and the front of his cloak. The spoon dropped back into the ice cream bowl, luckily enough, but scoop facing up instead of down into the icy treat.

“What?” Demyx sputtered, accidentally projecting speckles of light yellow to freckle Axel’s face.

Axel grunted, wiped off his face with a napkin from a nearby dispenser, and went to saying what he intended to say. “Once you’re done, go find us a place to stay. We’re going to be here a while, so it might as well be somewhere where roaches aren’t our roommates.”

“Eww…. Roaches are gross. Gross is not what I want to have to deal with. I’ll definitely help, even if it does mean walking around.” Demyx responded with a twitch of an eyebrow and nervous groan.

“I’m sorry, young man, but I couldn’t help but over hear. You need a place to stay and have the pockets deep enough for the lap of luxury?” Came a voice from behind Axel and he had do a quarter turn in his seat to see an old balding man in a brown trench coat facing him, also turning to face the back of his aged self. He wore black sunglasses that concealed his eyes and had a bushy pair of graying eyebrows that matched a full Castro-style beard on his broad chin. Axel eyed the older man curiously. He was broad in the face mostly, but had a skull-like quality in his features that made his cheeks look like tightly laid drums below high cheekbones that were plainly visible below the black shades.

“I am the proprietor of the Luck Rock hotel in Center City. It’s quite a walk, but puts you strapping young men in the real life of the city.” He pitched, adding real gusto and power in his booming, but raspy aged voice. Listening closer he almost had a slight Irish accent. “It’s not cheap, I won’t lie to you boys, but it’s listed as number 12 in the Sunam Sun’s top twenty hotels in Central City.”

The old man had drawn the attention of the others sitting opposite Demyx and Axel, who were all now listening to the old man’s advertisement intently.

“What’s central city?” Roxas asked, and Axel silently noted that was a stupid question given the circumstance.

The old tycoon’s bushy eyebrows rose far above the tops of his sunglasses, and created creases on his otherwise wrinkles face. “If you don’t know Central city boy, get out of the gutter and live a little!” He chortled and politely covered his mouth with one brown-gloved hand and coughed. “Central City is, as you can guess, at the very core of the city; a city within the city, as a matter of fact. It’s where you find all the major businesses, HQ’s, Magazine Publishers, and all the iconic people too. It’s where the rich doggies play, the place where the lucky work, and the place where to fortunate stay, at my own hotel.” He said a bit more informative. The Organization Troupe was still listening, but was especially considering the new information about the world that might just be very useful. Demyx and Luxord were looking vaguely excited just by the name of the hotel: “Luck Rock.” Chances were it had high-class gambling and plenty of modern entertainment.

“I don’t usually go out looking for tenants, believe me, I don’t need them urgently at the moment,” He laughed at his own wit and pulled out his wallet, black leather with a healthy amount of weight bulging like a square block that had an over-eating problem and held it at eye level with his viewers. “But you five look like the kind of residents I can see bringing in the cash to stay in a nice room furnished to the gills with only the finest that money can buy.” It was like the man was dreaming for them, painting a picture of an urban paradise. If Axel and his associates had hearts, they’d be aching to sign whatever deal or covenant that was needed to rent what this older gentlemen was offering.

Axel turned to the others, who looked obviously just as tired and restless as he thought he did. It was a done deal, just looking at the others, and Axel turned to the advertiser behind him.

“What are we talking?”

The man’s eyebrows lowered and creased close to each other, twisted in thought. “I’ll give you a room that over-looks Sunam Square. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and even an entrance that reads your names, which I’m afraid I have yet to ask. I am Dolton Stard McAlles, former screen actor and current owner of the Luck Rock, Stard Studios, and this very diner, among other places.” He introduced himself, removing his mirrored sunglasses with one hand while he rested the other arm on the barrier between the seats to offer the hand to Axel in the style of the stereotypical business man. Revealing his eyes now, Axel looked at them first before he even raised his own hand, looking and inspecting the two orbs which were doors to the man’s very soul. They were gray, just like a large percent of the hairs on what was left on his head and was mostly in his beard. They had that natural twinkle and bore no immediate tell-signs of possession by a hell-based force.

“And the price?” Axel asked an even more important question before totally giving to the deal-maker.

“500,000 money to purchase the room up front; that’s a discount ‘cause I like your style there, and then it’s half that per month. No additional charges, no hidden fees, just the rent, a meal bill every two days for whatever you order at my world-renowned restaurant inside the hotel, and a little something called a staff tax, which is a small percent taken from every resident which helps give the senior employees a little something extra for their dedication. That’s all you pay for besides what you do outside my hotel, and what you pay to have fixed or add anything extra in your room.” He seemed to be telling the straight truth, because Axel would be able to read it easily if he was, and Luxord did not seem deterred in the slightest, and he could tell if someone was bluffing even if the person actually wasn’t intending to hide their true intentions. He gave his shake-ready hand a small flourish, as if to remind Axel it was still there, and it took Axel only a moment of thought to settle it over in his mind.

He took the hand in his own and grasped firmly, shaking the now overjoyed middle-aged business tycoon by the hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal, man. This is Demyx, that’s Luxord over there, and those squirts are Roxas and Xion.” He pointed next in turn with his free hand to the others at his group. “And I’m Axel. That’s A-X-E-L, Got it memorized?” And the older of the two gave a hearty full-spirited laugh.

“I like your style there, m’boy.” He grasped more firmly and shook harder in his laughter. “Meet me outside the Luck Rock tonight at 8:00. I’m throwing a party tonight, and something tells me you five will be guests of honor. The Board of directors likes to see fresh blood running in the veins of my business, and that’s the blood that brings me munny and settles over those snakes in men’s clothing.” He said in a slight tone of contempt, but also in a light-hearted sarcastic manner. The two released their grip and Mr. Dolton McAlles nodded to the other members of Axel company in a casually polite way, before getting up to leave, headed straight out the door to a waiting stretch limo Axel hadn’t noticed being there before.

A general portion of their recent interest-stirrers gone and out the door, Axel looked to Demyx who in turn looked to Luxord, and Roxas looked from Axel to Xion in confusion. Each continued to devour their food hungrily, the food being very delectable for what they were each expecting, but now they had a warmer feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They now had room and board, and were going to kick off the year long mission in grand style.

As a celebration, the Nobodies raised their glasses into one close circle and glasses clinked while plastic cups made a hollow knocking noise and the lids on those plastic cups popped loose only so slightly. They took a self-congratulating drink from their nice cold drinks, and each finished up eating to grab their stuff from the below the table and direct themselves from the booth to the entrance door, passing by Sheila whose “Wait!” fell upon deaf ears as they walked out onto the wide and coarse sidewalk. Maybe this mission was going his and the other’s way pretty much all the way, Axel thought as he breathed in the heated air, temperature radiated from the nearby row of light reflecting skyscrapers.
*​