Hey, now, Sora had already mostly taken care of Vexen, and Marluxia... Well, fine, Axel would have gone after Marluxia alone if Sora hadn't gotten in the way. But Sora had had Donald and Goofy, and Axel wasn't seventeen. Riku might not have been as bitty as the others, but something about him facing down Xigbar alone just didn't sit right. But it wasn't a subject he was inclined to press: what was done was done and Riku was safe for now, so harping on it wouldn't change anything.
Axel glanced at Riku as the boy spoke, then leaned back with a hand on his chin in thought. Xehanort was a name he knew, even if only vaguely. So far as he knew he was Xemnas' Other, but the 'master' part wasn't something he'd heard about in the Organization. So why did it sound familiar...?
"Ah!" He slapped his palm with his fist as a puzzle piece fell back into place. "No, yeah, Sora told me about him! Like the day I got here... He said you guys had taken care of him and the Seeker of Darkness had vanished too, so I guess I just sort of filed it away under Not Relevant Anymore..." He blew out a sigh and raked a hand back through his hair. "I keep forgetting that time doesn't play by the rules around here."
Wait. Last summer...?
'The guy who was behind it—- He's finished; it's a long story, but we took care of him. It doesn't matter. I was okay, but you weren't.'
Something fell into place then, echoes of a conversation he'd had the first day he'd arrived here in Port. He hadn't been able to connect the dots then, but now, looking at them more objectively from a higher vantage point... Was that what Roxas had been talking about? He turned his gaze back to Riku then, something fierce and curious in his eyes.
"Last summer. The summer... before I got here," he said, pressing a few more puzzle pieces together in his head. "Roxas mentioned something had happened, but he didn't want to talk about it. He seemed really nervous, he absolutely didn't want to give me any details." He hesitated, then shifted to plant his feet back on the floor, leaning forward. "Riku, what did he do?"
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Axel glanced at Riku as the boy spoke, then leaned back with a hand on his chin in thought. Xehanort was a name he knew, even if only vaguely. So far as he knew he was Xemnas' Other, but the 'master' part wasn't something he'd heard about in the Organization. So why did it sound familiar...?
"Ah!" He slapped his palm with his fist as a puzzle piece fell back into place. "No, yeah, Sora told me about him! Like the day I got here... He said you guys had taken care of him and the Seeker of Darkness had vanished too, so I guess I just sort of filed it away under Not Relevant Anymore..." He blew out a sigh and raked a hand back through his hair. "I keep forgetting that time doesn't play by the rules around here."
Wait. Last summer...?
'The guy who was behind it—- He's finished; it's a long story, but we took care of him. It doesn't matter. I was okay, but you weren't.'
Something fell into place then, echoes of a conversation he'd had the first day he'd arrived here in Port. He hadn't been able to connect the dots then, but now, looking at them more objectively from a higher vantage point... Was that what Roxas had been talking about? He turned his gaze back to Riku then, something fierce and curious in his eyes.
"Last summer. The summer... before I got here," he said, pressing a few more puzzle pieces together in his head. "Roxas mentioned something had happened, but he didn't want to talk about it. He seemed really nervous, he absolutely didn't want to give me any details." He hesitated, then shifted to plant his feet back on the floor, leaning forward. "Riku, what did he do?"
And what would happen if he tried to do it again?