Title: The Heart's True Essence
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Riku would be more than just a pawn. hehe
Summary: Zexion's about to discover a truth he forgot a long time ago. Yaoi. Lemon in later chapters. Aeleus x Ienzo (Lexaeus x Zexion).
A/N: :D Enjoy! This will be a multi-chapter love story between two ex-organization members. Don't like yaoi, don't read. :D New to the concept, feel free to learn here. Here's a good a place as any to begin your journey to the amazingness that is yaoi. Possible pain later... not really sure yet : \
xxx
The darkness evaporates around me, leaving me in a dimly lit room without only the sound of my own echoed steps. The world is spinning and the limping doesn't help as I make my way towards the wall, clinging to it for support and refusing to let go as if I'd disappear. He had been too strong for me… no… not too strong… too determined. And I, acknowledging my lack of a heart, would never be able to compete without the feelings the other possessed. Organization XIII was strong and powerful, but without emotions, doomed to failure. I now know this better than anyone.
"What is he," I breathe heavily, grasping at my empty bosom. What could he possibly possess, emotion-wise, that would cause such strength to burst forth. I, number 6, am far more superior than Vexen, Larxene and the others ever were… and yet he managed to defeat me with little to no effort… what emotion could give that much strength? Or perhaps it was a lack of emotion… but why would us, the Organization, who too lack emotion, not be able to keep up to par with the Keyblade bearer? "No one's ever wanted darkness the way he does," I try to process, smashing my fist into the wall as my body sways on its own accord. "It's.. impossible." Impossible… or un-comprehendible..?
The familiar sound of swirling darkness, like heavy winds, sounds to my right and my chest lurches… but why? My eyes avert to the new on-comers, spotting Riku, his outfit tight and hair shining against the darkness of the room, eyes full on contempt. Behind him, Axel stepped from the portal and my eyes narrow. Betrayal? My body pastes itself against the wall as I feign fear involuntarily, chest aching with what I could never understand… not in this life.
Neither of them move, watching me before I finally realize that what stood before me was not Riku. "Oh yes… the replica, of course," I all but smirk, self-assurance coursing through my blood. "We can use this Riku to defeat the real one." This is what they'd want to see, my mind continuing to process to best suit their needs. However, they remain without response and my brows furrow, confusion filling the empty cavity within me, not understanding what it is they want to hear from me now. "Axel?"
"Wouldn't you like to be real?" The fiery red head responds, his lips never flinching to show any signs, stiff and hard. It is the replica who nods his head in response, his cold, dead eyes never leaving my body. Axel's face breaks, a faint smirk rising as his voice continues to breach the echoing walls of this dark basement. "All you need is the kind of power that the real Riku doesn't have." What is the meaning of this? Why bring the puppet before me only to tempt it into empty desires? Why demonstrate his manipulative powers before me? Does he seek my assistance… or do other intentions lie beneath that monstrous exterior? "If you can get that, you can be a new person. Not Riku nor anybody else. You won't just be a copy of someone. You'll be unique. Your own self."
Once again, my chest lurches, realizing his plan behind these dangerous words. "Axel? What are you saying to him!" Promising a puppet co-created by my hands something that I couldn't provide… This truly is betrayal…
"You know. He's as good a place to start as any," the fire wielder crooned, a hand waving idly through the air. I have to escape, but my mind's racing, caught in the moment. It wasn't supposed to be this way… I wasn't some pathetic tool like the others. I was of use to the organization… I was irreplaceable. My power escapes me and only words and chaotic thoughts remain on my side.
"You can't do thi- ugh!" I groan, the mindless being's hand grasping at my cloak with an iron fist. I gasp, unable to break his grip, trying desperately to claw, kick… something to break free. It wouldn't end this way… it couldn't. The darkness lightened to a sickening purple, consuming me.. violating and infiltrating… my body shakes in desperation, eyes closing despite all plees from within.
"So sorry Zexion… you just found out way too much."
It's dark… so dark, I can't even see my own shadow… my own body… if I even have one…
Don't I even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?
Lexaeus…
Forgive me Zexion, this was a fight I should not have started…
He left… me…
Your hopes are nothing. Nothing but a mere illusion…
Wasn't everone's…?
Surely you must've known that this was going to happen…
My own words… turned against me… as I return to the darkness once again…
The air is still… quiet… It's bright and warm… the sun draped against my cheeks, kissing each one to wake me from what feels like an eternal slumber. Groaning faintly, I sit up, feeling lighter than before. A hand raises to my hair, brushing through it faintly, eyes sliding open to take in my surroundings. It's all strangely familiar…
The walls surrounding me are dark grey, light, hallow diamonds plastered against them. They're height nears my shoulders, several wide streams of water bellowing against them. Four paths expand through them, clearly distinguished with gardens separating each. I sit in the center, a mosaic beneath me, depicting what I can only remember thinking to be a midnight blossom, it's navy shades like that of the ocean's and deep, heavy skies.
"Radiant… Garden…" I mutter, staring around. Warmth fills my heart, full of familiarity and comfort and I'm… happy?
"Hey," comes a deep voice from nearby and I instinctively turn towards it, groping for the Lexicon no longer near me… nothing is near me… not darkness or emptiness… what's going on? "You're here."
His face is no different than before Axel had gotten his hands on him, still as tight and unwelcoming as ever. But his eyes tell a different story… a different light. "V-Vexen?" I mutter, slightly dazed.
He smiles… there's something wrong here. "Even… don't you remember your true name?"
I stare at him. Even? How long such a name has absorbed dust, eventually having collapsed under the weight and becoming enveloped into the darkness of my forgotten memories. And my own name… "What happened?"
He stares at me, no longer in that lab coat he once wore before the organization, but in more… comfortable (?) clothing. His figure is finally revealed to be thin and brittle, jeans tight against his tooth pick legs and a black turtle neck hugging itself close to him. His hair seems more natural, draping down his shoulders as he moves towards me, offering a hand. "We're not sure yet… "
"We're?" I parrot, watching him before accepting his offer, being lifted to my own, unsteady feet. How long was my body out of commission?
"Me and Aeleus," he offers, making sure I don't collapse back to the ground before finally letting go. The feel of skin is something I thought I'd never feel again.
"Aeleus," I mutter, staring down at the ground. While my heart flips, my mind continues to test my nerve, seeing how long it can push me until I become angry from the lack of certainty. Why did the name sound so familiar?
"Tell me you didn't forget him," Even smirks, watching me. There was definitely something there… something that was making my heart scream in desire. His smile is genuine while his actions are not, thumb and index finger pinching the bridge of his nose, face down cast as he shakes his head sympathetically. "Oh, won't he just be devastated to know you've forgotten him, little one," he acted, earning a vicious scowl from my end.
"Just tell me who he is!" I mutter desperately, grasping at my own shirt.
He smirks, watching me. "You're body knows who he is… you're blushing."
I stand there, mouth agape before suddenly crying out, "What are you talking about!" I can feel it now, the burning in my cheeks. Everything about my body is unstable, reacting to this simple name.
"I'll let you sort through your memories," he smirks, watching me. "All we know is that after we were terminated, we were reborn with hearts… we still have all of our memories from both our human and nobody lives. So it might just take a while for you to become accustom to them again."
I continue to stare at the ground, looking from piece to piece as if it will help jog my memory. No such luck. Even leads me towards the castle that I can remember, memories of long hallways filling my mind. I remember my hand in another's, moving slowly down one of the deep red halls, tasting the sweetness of the salty ice cream. I didn't say anything back then… not a word. After witnessing the death of my parents, there was nothing worth saying. Because to me, regardless of what one said in their lifetime, it wouldn't matter… it all ended in death.
"We were Ansem's apprentices," I finally mutter, taking my first step back into the long forgotten castle. Even's nod of approval encourages me to continue, my eyes consuming everything… these eyes are the same eyes of that child who once wondered the hall, seeing everything but never sharing. "There were six of us."
"Do you remember all of them?" Even asks, leading me towards what I remember to be Ansem's study.
"I was young," I mutter, looking down. "I don't remember much."
He looks towards me. "You grew up here… You've only been away from here for a few years… Can't you remember anything from your later years here?"
… nothing…
He looks away, muttering, "Perhaps that's why Aeleus isn't there…" We stop outside of the door and he mutters, "The Organization still exists… and so long as we exist, Nobody or not, we're in danger. Not all of have come back yet… some remain without feeling still… without heart… and they will not hesitate to get their hands on us for their experiments."
I stare at him silently, wondering just how long it had been since that Replica had gotten his hands on me, my heart burning with contempt and vengeance, but strangely calm and tranquil. "We're in danger?" I mutter softly, half way trying to figure out more details while also letting Even know my understanding of the situation.
He nods before muttering, "So just like when you were a child, I'm afraid we're going to have to keep you locked up in the castle…"
I look towards him silently before muttering. "I can fight…"
He shakes his head, watching me. "None of us can find our arms… we can not control the darkness… There is no hope for us if we were caught. And even if we can, we're not here today because we could fight successfully. Isn't that right?"
I turn away from his gaze, the feeling of the chilled darkness against my skin in a faint memory. He was right. "I understand."
"Good," he mutters, patting my head. Aeleus used to pat my head, I realize, able to feel him and remember everything… just not his face… who was this Aeleus to me? "Let's go in… Aeleus has been worried sick for you."
For me? He remembers me… and I… "Okay," I agree, stepping behind him as we enter the warm, lightly decorated, circular study. In the chair, a larger man sits, his brown hair wild and short. His features are tough but reveal a trait of humanity and caring. His outfit resembles that of the guard's outfit he once wore, probably simply because it was far too difficult to find normal clothing to cover the giant comfortably.
"Lexaeus," I greet softly, stepping forward, my cheeks burning again. No… "Aeleus."
He smiles, moving to stand. "It's been a while, Ienzo."
xxx
So this was the first chapter of a fanfic I was never supposed to write XD I need to be studying for a test that will determine the next five years of my life and here I am getting swooped off once again into a beautiful land of yaoi. See, this is how it went down:
Innocent little HoneyFlavoredPocky was struggling to study her Farsi, reading about bombings and hostilities and other unpleasanteries and suddenly her stomach went BLLLLAARRRGGGH! So she went and got the best bowl of instant ramen she's had since she left home about a year ago and was naamnaaming on it and decided to look up a good yaoi story. But she couldn't find one that had anything of that sort and when I was searching I found a Zexion story so I decided to read it and it was a disapointment v_v;. So I decided to write one and decided to write about after his Heartless and Nobody were destroyed, making him whole again and went to go watching his death so I could mimik it and I noticed Lexaeus' death and I didn't know how he went so I clicked it and he went 'I'm sorry, Zexion…' and it was like someone clicked the 'yaoi fangirl' button.
So here I am, writing a AeleusxIenzo fanfiction that will be a few chapters long instead of studying for my DLPT . I iz in trouble. :D Plus I will not lie… I'm stuck on Second Chance. I know the ending and the events leading to it. I just need to figure out the details between. Well then! I hope everyone will enjoy this fanfiction!