(Well, here it is. After that LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG overdue chapter 11, I now bring you the final chapter of Hearts of Vengeance. Marluxia isn't down yet! He's got one last trick up his sleeve… I don't own Marluxia, Roxas, or any of the Kingdom Hearts characters. Either Square-Enix or Disney own them.)

CHAPTER 12

Deep in the wilted dead petals of the Death Bloom, Marluxia arose from the center, a look of fury on his face. "Over? Is it over? Oh not by a long shot, fools…in fact…it's just beginning!" The symbol of the Organization suddenly flashed in the center of the giant rose, and dark energy suddenly began to spread out through the Death Bloom, as thorny vines encircled Marluxia, who began to merge with the deadly flower. Oh things were far from over…

"HEAL!" Roxas cast another Cure spell on Naminé, trying to heal her wounds.

"O-Ow!" Naminé yelped as her stinging wounds closed up and healed their selves, leaving only a few small dry scars and cuts on her arms, legs and belly. Also, the Cure spells seemed to be gradually returning Naminé's strength, allowing her to sit up on her own.

"One more spell, and those scars should disappear," Roxas said and held out his hand, "HEAL!"

Naminé was surrounded by yellow and green light and showered with glowing clovers of energy. She once again felt her strength return and the scars started to fade. "Ahhh…that's much better," she sighed as she started to stand up, when she nearly tumbled back down.

"Whoa!" Roxas caught Naminé before she bumped her rear.

Naminé giggled with embarrassment. "Sorry, Roxas," she blushed, "I guess I'm still a little light headed."

Roxas shook his head and chuckled. "Naminé, you're just so cute sometimes," he said aloud, then immediately realized what he just blurted out and mentally slapped his self.

"E-Eh!?" Naminé's blush went deeper at what Roxas had just said about her. 'C-Cute!? He thinks…I'm cute?' Her heart started to pound fiercely in her bosom.

Roxas blushed, himself, and tried to think of something to say as he helped Naminé to her feet. His mind, however, seemed to be drawing a blank on what to say. He didn't think the situation could get any more awkward than this.

WOOSH!

A strong breeze suddenly blew, lifting up the two ripped ends of Naminé's ruined dress and blow them back, and flashing her heart printed panties to Roxas and giving him a full view of her belly button. "AH!" Naminé tried desperately to cover her panties up, blushing the deepest shade of red possible as her blonde hair flowed about in the wind.

Roxas flushed madly and turned away immediately, trying to be a gentleman until the wind died down. That's when he noticed the Death Bloom, still wilted against the buildings behind it. Suddenly, the giant plant twitched once, catching Roxas' attention. "What the…" Suddenly it twitched for a second time…then a third, then a fourth, until it just started twitching spasmodically. "The hell!?" Roxas gawked in horror at what he was saying.

Axel and Larxene snapped to attention, hearing Roxas' shout, and soon sported the same look of horror as they watched the Death Bloom's revival scene unfold.

The Death Bloom's stalk and head rose up off of the buildings, the petals quickly regaining their color as the stalk began to strengthen up. The roots, on the other hand, did not burry themselves back in the ground. Instead they started to move about independently and stood the giant flower up like muscular spider legs. The rose head closed up tightly as it raised up and started to flail about wildly like a whip before freezing in place and opening up slowly once again, with something new inside besides blood red petals. The olive skinned, muscular toned upper body of a human-like figure began to emerge from the flower head. It had strong broad shoulders covered with rose thorns, but instead of arms, long thorny vines seemed to sprout from each shoulder into the shape of arms, growing up to two giant rose "hands." On its muscular chest, the Nobody symbol of Organization XIII shone brightly. On its head it had long flowing hair made up completely of green leafy vines, along with glowing red eyes on effeminate gentle looking face. The petals began to wilt and scatter away, making more room for the humanoid body to mount on the stalk perfectly, only for a second rose bud to arise from the creature's back and bloom out into a another giant red rose head, dripping with blood. The beast flicked its vine hair back as its mouth curled into a razor toothed snarl.

Roxas whipped out the Oath Keeper and Oblivion Keyblades once again, ready for a fight. "What IS that thing!?"

Axel looked all around, before turning back to the creature before them. "Not what… The question is WHO."

"Who?" Roxas shot Axel a confused look.

Axel drew out his chakrams and glared at the new Death Bloom. "Yeah, who. Roxas, that's not just the Death Bloom, anymore. That's actually Marluxia!"

"Are you serious!?" Roxas looked at the giant plant beast before him, looking at the face for a moment, suddenly recognizing the bone structure. "Damn it… So it looks like he wants one final showdown."

Larxene whipped out her Kunai and stood, ready for battle. "Number XI just doesn't know when to quit, does he?"

The Death Bloom studied the three opponents before it, a snarl curling its lips in hatred. Rearing its head up, the creature roared loudly before opening up its "flower hands," and spraying a rain of thorns at its targets.

"Stand back!" Axel pushed Roxas, Larxene and Naminé back and raised a hand up. A wall of fire columns shot up in front of the group, incinerating the thorns as they came into ash.

"Thunder!" Larxene stepped out after the fire wall dissipated and summoned a rain of thunderbolts upon Death Bloom, only to be given an unpleasant surprise. "Wh-What? It's…absorbing my magic!?"

As Larxene's thunder magic struck, Death Bloom's giant flower seemed to glow white with power, absorbing Larxene's thunder magic as it was struck.

"Fire!"

"Pearl!"

Axel and Roxas fired Fire and Holy spells at Death Bloom, only to have their magic attacks absorbed as well into the beast's giant flower, which glowed brightly with power as its "hands" did the same. Death Bloom hissed at the former Nobodies with a razor tooth smile it opened up its right flower hand, and shooting a large bolt of lighting at them

Axel, Larxene, Roxas, and Naminé all jumped out of the way, as the lightning bolt blasted by them, shattering the piece of ground that it struck, turning it into dust and gravel.

Death Bloom wasn't finished, however as it opened up its left rose hand as well, firing light energy from it while it shot out a stream of fire from the other, creating a beam of dual elements swirling on top of each other in a tight spiral, striking the ground in front of its prey.

BLAM!

The 4 former nobodies were blasted straight into the air by the impact of the blast, before being slapped straight back down into the pavement by a strike from Death Bloom's vine hair.

Roxas grunted as he lifted himself up off the ground, spitting out a cloud of dirt. "So, magic's out," he muttered out loud.

"That means we've got to use physical attacks," Axel finished as he too stood up, "any magic we throw, he'll just absorb it into that big flower on his back. I've heard of a monkey on your back, but a giant rose on your back? That's new to me."

"Save the jokes for later, Axel," Roxas chided, "once we've clipped this rose's petals." He twirled his Keyblades about before gripping the handles tightly. "It's time to pull up this weed!"

"A weed, am I?" Death Bloom suddenly bellowed in Marluxia's voice, "well this weed is making his home in your garden and he's not going anywhere! Go ahead and use your "weed killer" on me! See I if I fall!"

"GLADLY! Let's see how you like my Burst Edge!" Roxas fired both of his Keyblades at Death Bloom like a pair of boomerangs.

Death Bloom swung his flower hands at the incoming Keyblades, trying to knock them out of the air, but before his "fists" could make contact, the weapons darted off into separate directions, confusing the creature, before striking and cleaving through his upper body from both sides.

Roxas leapt forward, catching his Keyblades as they came back to him, before striking Death Bloom in the pectoral muscles with a double Keyblade combo flurry, beating Death Bloom's chest like a Japanese Drum with his weapons. As the creature stumbled backwards Roxas shot forward giving an X-shaped swipe with both Keyblades, striking the monster's chest once more, and causing rays of light to burst out of the creature's chest and engulf it in a blast of energy. When the light cleared, Death Bloom's legs had buckled underneath and its upper body slumped backwards in exhaustion, 3rd degree burn marks all over it.

"There!" Roxas shouted as he landed on the ground. "How do you like that!?"

Death Bloom suddenly rose up with a furious look, as it once again spoke in Marluxia's voice. "I didn't like it at all. And I'm going to make you pay for it!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Axel leapt forward, his chakrams blazing with angry red fire, before launching them at a confusing angle.

Death Bloom sported a confused look as it watched the chakrams scattering in a loopy confusing patter, before they shot up into the air and back down, cutting right through his stomach muscles and bursting out of his back. "HRAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Death Bloom roared and stumbled around again, its eyes narrowed in fury. "Alright, enough of this!" Its flower hands bloomed upon wide and released a blinding storm of pollen at the two former nobodies.

Roxas and Axel were suddenly bombarded with a pollen blizzard so thick, that they couldn't even see their hands in front of their face.

"Hahaha, you fools," Marluxia's voice echoed out, "You honestly think that magic was the only think my flower was absorbing? Don't you remember anything in Science/Botany class? Flowers absorb and store sunlight to grow strong and nourish themselves. My flower does the same, but it also stores the sunlight for another use; as a special attack!"

Death Bloom suddenly tucked its entire upper body underneath its giant rose, which it mounted like a cannon and aimed at Axel and Roxas, the petals glowing white bright white light and sparks of energy showing to be drawn into the massive flower, concentrating into a large ball of energy. "SOLAR CANNON!" The flower suddenly let loose a large stream of concentrated solar energy directly at Axel and Roxas, leaving the two fighters little time to get out of the way, before they were engulfed by the blast completely.

When the blast finally died down, Roxas and Axel were lying flat on their backs on the pavement right next to the girls, burned up all over, and barely breathing. The solar blast had hit them dead on, almost incinerating them, and it looked as though they were about to die.

"YES!! Now who has won you fools?!" Death Bloom once again spoke with Marluxia's voice, "Now, once I extract your power, Roxas, I can harness the power of the Keyblade and rule this world! Of course, I'll make sure to pay a visit to that brat Sora. Boy will HE be in for a surprise! HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!" Death bloom roared at the sky with laughter, raising its flower hands up in triumph.

"Ooooh," Naminé moaned softly as she woke up. She turned to over to her side, just in time to see Roxas, lying on his back, almost dead. "R-Roxas? No!" Naminé lifted herself up and crawled over to Roxas, tears spilling from her eyes as she looked at the Key of Destiny's badly scorched body. "Roxas, wake up! Please! Don't die! You CAN'T die!" Naminé started to scream hysterically, beating against Roxas' chest. "R-Roxas…" Naminé choked out, tears streaked down her blue eyes in sorrow as she laid her head down and sobbed into Roxas' chest. "Roxas…don't leave me again…please…" Her tears pitter-pattered against Roxas' chest as she gripped his shirt tightly.

Axel coughed weakly as he struggled to lift his head up. His blurry vision could make out Naminé over Roxas' body, and by the sounds of Naminé's tears…he could already assume that the worst had happened.

"Roxas! Axel!"

Axel looked over, to see Demyx and Olette running over to the scene, horrified not only at the sight of Death Bloom/Marluxia, but also at the state of those who were fighting against them.

Olette was particularly horrified at the state that Roxas was in; motionless, badly burned, and not breathing. Tears pricking her eyes, she walked forward to the weeping Naminé. "Roxas," she said quietly, "Naminé …is he…is he…?"

Naminé just looked back at Olette with tearful, bloodshot eyes, choking back sobs, her facial expression saying it all.

Demyx was shaking all over as he cried tears of rage for his fallen friend, before casting a hate filled glare at Death Bloom/Marluxia and whipping out his sitar. "MARLUXIA!!"

Death Bloom stared at Demyx before scoffing at him, "Oh look, it's the Melodious Nocturne," he jeered, "what are you going to do? Sprinkle my flowers? Don't waste your time."

Demyx growled defiantly and simply shouted, "Dance water, dance!" He strummed his sitar causing high pressure water geysers to erupt underneath Death Bloom one after another, before they dissipated, revealing an unimpressed creatures standing there, with nothing more than water droplets in its hair and its flowers.

"Heh, thanks for the bath, fool," Death Bloom sneered, shaking the water out of its hair, "but you need one too, so allow me." He opened up a flower hand and sprayed a high pressured water blast, knocking Demyx off of his feet and into a set of crates, smashing them into splinters. "Oh dear, got washed away?" Death Bloom cackled sarcastically.

Naminé glared at Marluxia tearfully as she held Roxas's head in her arms. "Marluxia…monster… I won't forgive you, ever! You took away everything from us…and everyone… I want it all back…especially Roxas…" She closed her eyes and shed a few more tears.

Naminé's last tears fell upon Roxas' face like rain, gleaming like diamonds in the sunlight. Suddenly, those teardrops began to shine brightly, before evaporating into vapor. A bright light began to trace itself on Roxas' chest through his black shirt, drawing what looked like the image of two Keyblades crossed together in an X. It was Roxas' Organization XIII emblem; the Key of Destiny. Roxas' eyes suddenly shot open, glowing with white light, before he suddenly rose from Naminé's arms into the air, where he slowly moved to an upright position, before touching the ground with both feet. Both the Oath Keeper and Oblivion Keyblades materialized in his hands before he closed his eyes, shutting out the light, and opening them up to reveal his determined crystal blue eyes. Suddenly his black shirt started to lengthen and flared out all over, fabric rustling, and transformed into his Organization XIII cloak.

Naminé's eyes widened and she gasped deeply as she witnessed Roxas' resurrection; amazed, but also relieved and overjoyed that he was alive. "Roxas…you're alive… You came back!" Naminé's started to smile as she cried with joy.

Roxas looked at Naminé and smiled warmly. "I had to," he said quietly, "I couldn't let my friends down; not when we finally get to live our own lives, instead of being just Nobodies."

"Oh Roxas!" Naminé fired out and hugged Roxas tightly, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. "Roxas…"

"It's ok Naminé," Roxas said as he hugged her gently, "I'm not dying anytime soon."

Death Bloom/Marluxia was in absolute disbelief at what it/he was witnessing, "What…IS this?! You're dead! You're supposed to be dead!" Death Bloom hissed in fury.

"Supposed to be, maybe," Roxas said calmly, as he turned towards Marluxia, "But as you can see, I've still got some fight left in me. And I'm gonna use that fight to rip through you!"

Death Bloom glowered at Roxas threateningly, even challengingly. "Oh really? Well, I think someone needs another thrashing from my Solar Cannon!" Death Bloom's upper body huddled up underneath as the rose covered it up and mounted on its spider legs like a cannon once again, and began to gather and focus solar energy from the sun, concentrating it into a tight beam. "Say goodbye! SOLAR CANNON!" The rose unleashed its intense blast of solar energy for the 2nd time.

"Not this time!" Roxas shouted; crossing his Keyblades in the shape of his emblem, as the solar ray struck.

BRRROW!

The solar beam was suddenly stopped in mid fire, looking as if it were striking an invisible wall. In front of Roxas, a light image of his Organization symbol had been produced and was keeping the ray of solar energy back.

Axel couldn't help but smile weakly at his revived comrade as a recently recovered Demyx helped him to his feet. "Go get him Roxas…"

Demyx smiled too as he stared administering Hi-Potions to Axel, "Looks like Roxas isn't one to let even death stop him," he said as he helped Axel drink down a Hi-Potion.

Olette was doing her part as well, as she slipped a Hi-Potion to Larxene, her face moist with tears of joy and relief as she watched Roxas fight back. "Show him what you're made of Roxas, we believe in you!"

Roxas kept his concentration as he kept the solar beam back, before he started to speak to his teammates. "Everyone, listen to me," he spoke, "I figured it all out. I know a way we can beat this thing. That giant rose on his back is what's giving him most of his power. So if we destroy that first, he won't be able to absorb anymore sunlight or magic. So here's what we're gonna do; I'm going to deflect his attack right back and that should damage the rose enough for it to lose its power. After that, all of you aim your magic directly at the rose before he gets the chance to recover, got it?"

Axel, Demyx, and Larxene all nodded in agreement.

Roxas faced Death Bloom with a hard look and gripped his Keyblades as he summoned up his Nobody element of light. "CLEAR LIGHT!" The Key of Destiny Symbol suddenly shone with a blinding flash of light that pushed the solar beam back towards what fired it. Roxas' ears were filled with a loud burning sound along with the scream of a human man. When the light cleared, Roxas saw Death Bloom struggling to stand as its rose looked severely burned with a few petals wilting off of it. "NOW!"

"FIRE WALL!" Axel spread his chakrams out and sent a wall of fire upon Death Bloom, setting the giant plant's flower ablaze.

"DANCE WATER DANCE!" Demyx strummed his sitar and showered Death Bloom with a shower of water blasts, extinguishing the flames, but also soaking and heavily drenching the plant. "This weed's nice and wet now," Demyx said, "and you know what that makes it vulnerable too."

Larxene giggled as she wiggled her kunai between her fingers, "Oh, you know I do. THUNDER!" A large thunderbolt shot from the sky and struck Death Bloom head on; being conducted by the electricity intensified the force of the shock until the giant rose suddenly burst apart, its petals crisping into ash immediately.

The upper body of Death Bloom reared up shrieking in agony and rage.

Roxas leapt up into the air and floated for a moment as he focused his sights on Death Bloom's exposed chest. Gripping his Keyblades, he started spinning around like a top, his Keyblades acting like saw blades, before shooting himself head first. Roxas span faster as he sailed through the air, before he plunged straight through Death Bloom's chest, piercing the flesh, sending plant matter and green blood everywhere, before plunging out through the other end, once more sending blood and plant matter about, but also knocking Marluxia straight out of the creature and grinding him straight into the ground.

Death Bloom shrieked bestially as it rose it's "hands" to the sky, before it turned brown all over with rot and crumbled into dry dirt, spilling onto the ground.

Roxas know stood over the fallen form of Marluxia, who lay motionless on the ground, breathing raggedly.

Marluxia weakly picked up his head to glare at Roxas. "My Death Bloom…you killed it…and now…you've killed me… First Sora, and now you… I still can not take the Keyblade's power for myself…" He moaned weakly as he felt his life slip away. "Is this…the…end?"

Roxas's face remained expressionless. "Goodbye, Marluxia…"

Marluxia closed his eyes for the final time, as his head laid back against the earth and he breathed his last breath. It was all over. The Graceful Assassin was dead.

Roxas exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Finally… He's gone."

"Roxas!"

"Huh?" Roxas turned around, only to be met with a tackle hug from Naminé, who wrapped her arm around Roxas' shoulders in a tight embrace.

"Roxas! You did it!" Naminé laughed cheerily as she hugged Roxas, "You beat him!"

Roxas blushed and smiled embarrassedly at Naminé's affections. "Eheh… Take it easy Naminé!" He laughed, "I just did wh-umph!" His words were cut off as Naminé pressed her lips against his in a kiss. 'Whoa,' he thought as he slowly melted into the kiss, 'I wonder…is this how Sora and Kairi feel when they kiss? No, I can't think about that anymore… We're not Nobodies anymore; no longer empty shells. We're real people now, and these are just the emotions we feel as them. Naminé…' Roxas' mind took a rest as he felt himself slowly kiss back.

From afar, Olette watched as Roxas and Naminé kissed, and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealously in her heart as a tear slid down her cheek.

Olette's tear did not go unnoticed, however, as Demyx turned to her with worry and concern. "Olette? Are you ok?" He knew all to well what Olette was crying about.

Olette shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'll be fine… It's just that…"

"I know, I know," Demyx said as he patted Olette's shoulder.

After he Naminé broke their kiss, Roxas looked over to see a less then happy Olette looking over. 'Olette,' Roxas thought, 'I'm sorry, but I've made my decision…' "Naminé, could you just excuse me for one second? I need to take care of one thing."

"Go ahead, Roxas," Naminé nodded in understanding.

Roxas made his way over to Olette, unsure of what he was going to say to her. 'What CAN I say? I've…probably crushed her…' He was now standing right in front of her. "Olette, I…"

Olette sniffled, but put on a smile, "I see you've made your choice, Roxas…"

"Olette I," Roxas was silenced with a finger to the lips.

"No it's ok Roxas," Olette said, "Somehow, deep in my heart, I had a feeling you'd choose Naminé. After all, there is more to you and her than just being Sora and Kairi's Nobodies."

She was right there, even Roxas himself knew that.

"It's just that…I was hoping, wishing against fate that it could've been me..." Olette wiped away a tear.

"Olette?"

Roxas and Olette turned to see Naminé right by them, looking at them worriedly.

Olette still kept up her smile, despite feeling pretty low. "Looks like Roxas chose you after all…the better girl one, huh?"

Naminé looked away guiltily, "Oh Naminé, I'm really sorry… I wish there was someway we could both have Roxas…"

"Now wait a minute!" Roxas suddenly interrupted. "Olette, just because I'm in love with Naminé doesn't mean I don't still care about you. Hell, I need both of you in my life, not just one over the other." He put an arm around each of them and hugged them close, kissing Naminé sweetly on the lips while giving a big kiss to Olette on her cheek.

This cheered Olette right up, drying her tears and allowing her to smile a genuine smile. "Oh Roxas… You're such a sweetheart," she said, feeling much better.

"That's why I love him," Naminé giggled.

Olette suddenly cast Naminé a sly look. "You know, if you don't take good care of him, I may be forced to scoop him up off your hands."

Naminé returned the sly look playfully. "Or we could always share him."

Roxas blushed at that thought. "Sh-Share me!?"

"Hey, you're too good to let go," they grinned in unison, before both girls kissed Roxas his cheeks.

Axel couldn't help but laugh at the look on his friend's face when he was kissed from both sides. "Ah, Roxas… You're such a Casanova. Got it memorized?" He was about to spell it out when a certain blonde nymph stole it from him.

"C-A-S-A-N-O-V-A." Larxene mocked Axel's line with a playful grin.

"Oh, hey! That's my line!" Axel mock scolded her. "Are you trying to copy me or something? Didn't know you thought that highly of me," he joked with a grin.

Larxene merely snorted and punched Axel affectionately in the ribs. "Big goof," she smiled and kissed him on the lips.

Demyx smiled as he looked at all the love going around. "Those guys are so lucky," He thought to himself with a little jealousy, "I hope I can get some love in my life some day…"

THE END