A/N: Behold the sequel! Yeah, I hate the title, but I couldn't come up with anything else. Bite me.
-Revival-
"Hey mate. You trying to be a skydiver? 'Cuz you really ought to get a parachute, first."
"Ah, shut up, Jiin."
"Get out of it, Jynx!"
"Make me, stupide!"
Xemnas awoke to the sounds of a quarrel. He sat up and looked around. He was lying on a couch within a cave deep in the canyon walls. The place was lit by globes of witchlight, which gave off a dim glow suitable for anyone who lived within a cave. The room was sparsely furnished, though there were several stacks of books. Immediately, his hand flew to the vial around his neck, to make sure it was still intact. He breathed a sigh of relief. However, relief quickly turned to annoyance.
"Hey!" he yelled. The two quarrelers broke apart and looked at him. They were almost identical. The biggest difference was that one had deep black hair, and the other had white hair. Their eyes were both red, though they each were missing one. They both had cat ears, though the black-haired one's were orange-tipped and the other's was blue-tipped.
"Bonjour!" the white-haired one said. She wore a silver-studded black leather eyepatch over her right eye. "I'm Jynx, and that blockhead is Jiin."
"Hey, who you calling blockhead?" Jiin snapped, bristling. She had combed her bangs down over her left eye.
"Who else, stupide?" Jynx growled.
"Stop it!" Xemnas yelled. The two stared at him again. "Did you prevent me from dying?"
"Oui, oui, oui!" Jynx said cheerfully. Though her mouth was covered by tight black fabric, Xemnas could tell she was smiling.
"We always save someone who falls down this part of the canyon," Jiin said. Her mouth was completely hidden by the high collar of her jacket. "We get tired of scraping people's guts off the rocks."
Xemnas growled deep in his throat and hunched his shoulders, grip tightening on the vial. Hot tears of frustration sprang to his eyes. He had been so close… if he had died, he'd see Saïx again… he could be with his lover…
"What's wrong?" Jynx asked.
"I'll never see him again," Xemnas whispered, ignoring her.
Jynx and Jiin looked at each other.
"You mean the one whose ashes you carry in that vial?" Jiin asked. Xemnas looked up sharply.
"There's a considerable amount of residue in those ashes," Jynx said. "If you wanted to revive that person, it could be done. There's enough of their life force left over in it."
"We can revive him?" Xemnas asked, mouth dry. Jynx and Jiin nodded in unison.
"We're the Mage twins," Jynx said. "'Twins' being more of a title than an actual description. We're not even related by blood, really."
"We can do any sort of magic we wish, though I specialize in illusions and fire spells and Jynx there specializes in probability and ice magic," Jiin explained. "This way."
The two led Xemnas to another cave, this one going deep into the rock. Soon it grew so dark that Jiin almost completely disappeared, the orange tips of her ears and black tail the only signs she still existed. Jynx, who wore mostly white and possessed a white tail, was more visible, so she led the way with Jiin in the rear.
The tunnel exited into a massive cavern sparkling with gems. Light flooded in from a hole in the ceiling, refracting off the crystals and lighting the cavern like myriad lanterns. A pentacle was chalked onto the floor.
"We haven't done this in a while, but we always have this pentacle set up in case we need it," Jynx said as she and Jiin walked to the center. "Oh! Duh." She ran over to Xemnas. "We need the vial. Don't worry, this will work, we promise."
Xemnas reluctantly slipped the vial from around his neck and handed it to her. She darted back into the pentacle and set the vial in the center. She and Jiin faced each other and began to chant. Xemnas was unable to follow the words. The lines of the pentacle flashed and began to spin.
"Give it more go, Jiin!" Jynx yelled. A fierce wind set up in the cavern, blowing everything around. Xemnas saw that Jiin's left eye seemed to have been clawed out by something. Jiin's chanting grew louder, and the pentacle spun faster. Xemnas shielded his eyes from the glow. He heard Jynx cry out.
"Hang on Jynx, not much longer!" Jiin yelled. A howling commenced in the cavern, and Xemnas blacked out.
-
"Ow…"
Jynx moaned as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head. She had been blown into the tunnel. She shook her head and looked up at Jiin, who was bending over her.
"Did it work?" she asked. Face inscrutable, Jiin pointed to the cavern.
"See for yourself."
Jynx stood, winced, and made her way into the cavern. She stopped at the mouth and smiled.
Xemnas sat in the center of the room, the pentacle blurred beyond usefulness. He was sobbing softly, tears falling down his face to land in the hair of the naked man wrapped tightly in his arms. The other man was holding Xemnas tightly as well, arms secured around his waist. Jynx could see the end of a long scar on his chest.
Jiin walked up to stand next to Jynx. They looked at each other and smiled, absently twining their fingers together.
"Shall we tell them that was the first time we'd ever done that?" Jiin asked. Jynx shook her head.
"Nui, not a good idea," she replied. Jiin nodded.
-
"Saïx…" Xemnas murmured, hugging his lover close. "I'll never let you go again… I'll never leave your side…"
"Xemnas…" Saïx's fingers knotted themselves in Xemnas' shirt. He looked up at him and released his hold on his shirt to wipe away a tear. Then he put his head on his lover's shoulder.
"I missed you so much…" Xemnas whispered, voice breaking. "I never want to be apart from you again…"
Saïx didn't reply, merely tightened his grip again and nuzzled his face against Xemnas' neck. Slowly, Saïx fell asleep. Xemnas cradled him against him, occasionally brushing a stray hair from his lover's face. He gently kissed Saïx's forehead.
"He'll be asleep for a while," came Jynx's voice from behind him. Xemnas looked up at her. She shrugged off her jacket and wrapped it around Saïx's bare shoulders. Xemnas spied the numerous scars crossing her arms.
"Why?" he asked, meaning both Saïx and the scars.
"He's been revived from about an ounce of ash. It'll take a while for him to regain all of his energy," Jynx replied. Either she didn't know he included her scars or she wasn't going to answer. "What's his name?"
"Saïx," Xemnas replied, brushing his hand through his lover's hair.
Jynx smiled.
"You are one lucky son-of-a-bitch, my friend," she answered. With that, she and Jiin left Xemnas alone with his sleeping lover.
Saïx slept for the next three days, always enveloped in Xemnas' arms. Jiin and Jynx lurked somewhere nearby, eyeing the couple and snickering occasionally. Once or twice they took a few pictures, like when Xemnas was stretched out on the couch with Saïx laying on his chest. Or when Xemnas also fell asleep and hugged Saïx close, like a stuffed animal.
When he finally awakened, Saïx lost no time in drawing his lover into a deep, seemingly endless kiss. Jiin and Jynx watched as they seemed to grow closer every day.
Their initial curiosity to how Jiin and Jynx lived so far from anyone else didn't last long once they watched the two work a conjuring spell. They had needed a specific book, one not already in their possession, so they drew a small pentacle and summoned it from somewhere.
"Do you work all your spells with pentacles?" Saïx asked. An ice cube appeared in midair and landed on his head.
"That answer your question?" Jynx replied sweetly, her hand steaming as ice does in the heat.
Xemnas and Saïx could frequently be found sitting somewhere together, leaning on each other and arms around each other's waists. Other times they took to exploring the cliffs, despite Jynx's warnings of the eagles.
One evening, as the sun set and painted the walls of the canyon fantastic hues, Xemnas paused on a rock overlooking the floor of the canyon.
"Oh, wow," he breathed. The floor of the canyon was coloured pale blue in the half-light and faded slowly to the colours of the sunset. The reddish walls of the canyon were always transformed to various colours at sunset, but never before had they looked like this. They appeared as though an artist had drawn his brush across the rocks, painting them every variation on gold, red, and orange he could think of.
"Saïx, come look," Xemnas called to his lover. Saïx walked up to stand by his side, slipping his hand in Xemnas'. Saïx looked out over the walls.
"Wow…" he whispered. He and Xemnas sat down and watched the colours of the rock slowly fade to various shades of blue. Xemnas, reveling in Saïx's form leaning against his side, glanced upwards and saw a pair of eagles roosting together. He remembered something Jynx had said.
"You know, Jynx told me that the eagles mate for life," he remarked. Saïx looked up at him. "They find one mate, and they remain together until the end."
Saïx didn't reply for a moment. Then he looked up at Xemnas again.
"What are you trying to say?" he asked softly. Xemnas looked down at him. He didn't say anything at first, just gently kissed his forehead.
"Will we be like those eagles?" he asked in reply. "Together forever?"
In the rapidly fading light Xemnas watched Saïx's face. The little light left had limned the side of his face, accentuating his cheekbones while shadowing his eyes. Saïx smiled; then he leaned up and drew Xemnas into a kiss akin to the one they'd shared when Saïx reawakened. Saïx slowly fell back, pulling his lover atop him.
"Of course," Saïx replied as they parted, a few minutes later. He pulled Xemnas into another long kiss, hands idly moving over his back.
"Saïx…" Xemnas began.
"Xemnas… I want you to make love to me," Saïx murmured, pulling Xemnas close. "Please…"
Saïx allowed Xemnas to draw back a few inches. He gazed up at him with longing, their eyes locking. Another whispered "Please…" escaped Saïx's lips. Xemnas slowly bent forward and placed a light kiss on his lover's lips.
"Saïx… you're sure?" Xemnas asked.
"Yes… please…" Saïx whispered, intense longing resonating from his eyes and voice. He pulled Xemnas into another kiss, and this time they held nothing back. Xemnas parted Saïx's lips with his own and delved his tongue into his lover's mouth. Saïx moaned into his mouth, fingers twisting in Xemnas' hair. They parted for a brief moment; then they joined at the lips again, kissing harshly, fiercely, almost roughly. Gasping, they drew back.
Xemnas licked away the sheen of saliva on Saïx's swollen lips, and kissed him again. Saïx's fingers clawed at Xemnas' shirt, trying to tear it away. Xemnas sighed and slid his shoulders out of his shirt, exposing his chest and back to the night air. Saïx's hands raked over his back, nails scraping at Xemnas' skin. Xemnas pulled at Saïx's shirt, almost tearing it in his haste. He revealed Saïx's smooth chest and the scar crossing it, and bit gently on the skin over Saïx's collarbone.
Saïx moaned loudly, one hand suddenly gripping Xemnas' ass. Xemnas cried out as Saïx's hand tightened, causing him to bite down on Saïx's collarbone a little harder than he'd intended. Saïx gasped audibly, his other hand clawing at the small of Xemnas' back. Xemnas moaned as he licked at the dip in Saïx's collarbone, kissing Saïx's heaving chest.
On a rock above, Jynx and Jiin watched the two idly.
"You know, some people might consider us voyeurs," Jiin remarked.
"Oui, but we're watching for a reason. We have to make sure the spell worked," Jynx replied. "We've never done that spell before, and I can't help feeling like we goofed somewhere."
Jiin frowned, ears flattening against her head as someone moaned down below. "You too?" she asked.
"Oui. I hope we didn't, though. For their sakes." Jynx stood and brushed sand off her knees and front. She tugged off her jacket, revealing two long scars visible in the opening of her shirt on her back. She winced, and the scars tore like seams, allowing two large white dragon wings to tear from her back. With a clatter she flew away. Jiin remained where she was for a moment, then she too grew wings, feathery slate-grey ones. She flew off after Jynx, leaving Xemnas and Saïx alone with each other.
-
A few days later, Jynx and Jiin received a visitor. He looked young, though with the leering mask he wore it was difficult to tell. This mask had mere slits for eyes and a fanged grin painted on the front. He wore a jester's suit, with alternating brown and wine-red. His two long-furred tails matched his outfit, though the red one had a white scarf tied tight about it.
Xemnas and Saïx were lying on the couch when he came in, Saïx dozing on Xemnas' chest. Xemnas was also halfway asleep. He came fully awake when Jiin blew by, running as fast as she could to meet the visitor. Xemnas watched her idly as the two began conversing rapidly in some foreign language. Meanwhile, Jynx came up behind them.
"Sommeil," she murmured, waving her hand lightly at Xemnas. His eyelids drooped, and soon he too was fast asleep. She turned to Jiin and the visitor.
"((Jack, so glad you could make it,))" she said. Jack bowed.
"((Indeed.))" He turned to Xemnas and Saïx. "((They are the ones?))"
Jynx and Jiin each nodded once. He walked over to Xemnas and Saïx and bent to their level.
"((Sound spellwork… perfect pronunciations…))" he muttered, looking Saïx over. "((No technical mistakes…))" He turned to Jynx. "((I don't see anything wrong.))"
"((You're sure?))" Jiin replied anxiously. "((We've rather grown to like them. We don't want anything to happen to them.))" Jack shook his head.
"((I see nothing amiss,))" he said. Jynx and Jiin nodded.
"All right. Sorry we brought you all the way out here for nothing," Jiin said, no longer speaking in the other language.
"No trouble, my friends, no trouble," Jack said. He turned and left the cave. Once he was out of sight, he sighed and removed his mask. He was young, no older than seventeen. His left eye's iris was black and phased to white, while the other was sky blue with azure and gold flecks. A jagged scar traced its way from the corner of his left eye across his nose to the corner of his mouth. He grimly pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I pity them…" he murmured, gazing skyward. He remained for a moment more, then disappeared with a swirl of dust.
-
Jynx and Jiin continued their anxious vigil of Xemnas and Saïx over the nest week or so. Xemnas and Saïx grew ever closer, giving Jynx and Jiin more cause for worry. Despite what Jack had said, they still couldn't help feeling like something was wrong.
-
Saïx sighed, passing a hand over his eyes in exhaustion. He dropped into a chair, unknowing of Xemnas watching nearby. His lover frowned.
"Saïx? Are you okay?" Xemnas asked as he approached. Saïx looked up at him and gave him a smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all," he replied, rising. Xemnas wrapped his arms around him and drew him close. Saïx rested his head against Xemnas' shoulder, closing his eyes.
Just then Jynx raced into the cave, skidding to a halt, her lone eye alight.
"We caught some yaksen!" she cried gleefully. "Wait'll you see 'em!"
She dashed away again. Xemnas shook his head and looked at Saïx.
"Shall we go see what the hell a yaksen is?" he asked, grinning. Saïx nodded.
Hand in hand the two headed outside and stopped dead. Two massive beasts, resembling bison the approximate size of Jynx and Jiin's cave, shuffled around in the dust. Their shaggy bodies were covered in the dust from their shuffling, their hooves stamping up great clouds of dust. Occasionally one would shake its head around, flicking its long fur in front of its eyes. Xemnas blinked as he realized they had eight legs each.
"Up here!" At the sound of Jynx's voice, the two looked up at the nearest yaksen. Jynx and Jiin sat atop the hump on the creature's back. Jynx waved to them and secured her arms around Jiin's waist. "Just climb up, they don't feel much!"
Xemnas and Saïx climbed to the hump of the other yaksen, gripping its fur for handholds.
"They might look slow, but they're damn fast," Jiin said. "Just say something like… 'Yip, yip!' to them and they'll—whoa!"
Abruptly their yaksen bolted off down the canyon, Jynx's loud and long "Merde!" echoing back to them. Xemnas turned to Saïx, who was sitting behind him.
"Hang on," he said. "Yip, yip!" The yaksen suddenly took off after the other. Saïx clung tightly to Xemnas' back, keeping his eyes tightly shut as the rolling gait of the beast threatened to hurl him and Xemnas from its back.
"Not sure I like this…" he muttered, voice inaudible over the thundering of the beast's hooves. After a while, though, he became accustomed to it and relaxed against Xemnas' powerful back. His grip loosened slightly, and he dozed against his lover. Xemnas turned his head slightly and smiled.
The yaksen took them to a leafy oasis, where its companion waited. The oasis consisted of a small but deep pool of water, fed from an underground spring. Palm trees shaded the oasis, covering the grassy ground with dappled sunlight.
Jynx and Jiin had already left the yaksen's back and sat against each other on a log. Xemnas and Saïx stared at them for a moment and shrugged. They slid down from the yaksen's back, Saïx stumbling as he landed. Xemnas caught him and held him close against his chest.
The four spent the rest of the day at the oasis. Jiin, Xemnas, and Saïx plunged into the water, engaging each other in a splash battle. Jynx hissed loudly every time water was splashed near her. Eventually she gave up on remaining on the log and set about searching for possibly poisonous mushrooms to add to her mycological poisons collection. We forgot to mention Jynx was a toxicologist.
As night fell, Jynx and Jiin's yaksen sped back to the cave, though Xemnas and Saïx slowed theirs to a walk and returned slowly. This time Saïx sat in Xemnas' lap, head resting against his shoulder.
"I think I prefer this," he murmured, nuzzling Xemnas' neck. Xemnas smiled and turned his head to capture his lover's lips in a kiss.
"So do I," he whispered as they parted.
-
Saïx was dying.
He knew it. Jynx knew it. Jiin knew it.
Xemnas didn't.
Every day Saïx grew weaker. He was slowly fading away, soon to be nothing more than a body.
Jynx and Jiin gave him a week.
-
The fatal day came.
Xemnas awoke to find Saïx lying next to him, pale and still. His chest barely moved.
"Saïx!" Xemnas cried in alarm. Saïx opened his eyes with an effort.
"Xemnas…" he murmured. His voice was soft and very weak. Xemnas drew him close, holding him tight.
"Saïx… my love, what's wrong?" he choked, tears rising in his eyes.
"My lover… my beautiful, perfect lover…" Saïx whispered. "I'm dying."
"No…" Xemnas mouthed silently. "No… you can't be… no…" Saïx feebly shook his head.
"I am," he replied. "Xemnas… please… take me to the oasis… on the yaksen…"
Biting back a sob, Xemnas carried his lover to the beast. With one hand, he pulled himself and Saïx to the yaksen's back. He spurred the beast on, forcing it to go as fast as it could. Xemnas held Saïx close, never letting go for an instant. Saïx's head lolled occasionally, flopping limply against his lover's shoulder. Each time this happened, Xemnas would panic and check his lover's pulse; each time it was weaker than the last.
The leagues disappeared like inches under the beast's hooves; they had reached the oasis before they knew it. Holding his lover close, Xemnas slid from the creature's back.
"We're here, my love," he said. Saïx stirred feebly and opened his eyes.
"So I see," he said. Xemnas walked over to a log, the same one where they'd seen Jynx and Jiin sitting together.
The two watched Saïx's last sunrise together, Saïx wrapped in Xemnas' arms. Finally, the sun rose on the two. Xemnas felt Saïx shift slightly and looked down at him urgently. Saïx reached up and took his lover's face in his hands. Xemnas was horrified at how weak his grip was.
"Xemnas… my love… my one and only, my lover…" he whispered. "Please… kiss me… one last time…"
Xemnas cried silently as he complied. He was losing his lover all over again, and it was more than his heart could bear.
"Saïx… please don't leave me alone!" Xemnas sobbed, hugging his dying lover close. "My life, my love, my companion, my friend, please don't leave me! I need you here by my side, Saïx! Please… don't leave me…"
Saïx weakly lifted his hand and brushed his fingers over Xemnas' lips. Xemnas seized his hand, holding it tight. "Ever cheesy… aren't you, my love?" Saïx joked feebly. Xemnas tried to smile, but only succeeded in sobbing again. Saïx faintly kissed him. "Oh, my love… how I'll miss you…" He turned away, as though he was staring at the sunrise, but somehow his eyes seemed to be looking upon a different horizon.
Finally Saïx stiffened.
"Good-bye… Xemnas… I will… always love you…" he whispered. His hand went limp in Xemnas' grip; with one final sigh, he died.
Saïx's lifeless form blurred before his eyes; a tear slowly wove down his face to fall to Saïx's cheek.
"Saïx? Saïx? Sa…" Xemnas choked; a lump rose in his throat as his eyes widened. "No… no! No! Saïx, no!" He shook Saïx's body. "Please wake up! Please! You have to… you must… please… Saïx, no…" A sob escaped his lips, closely followed by another.
He cried then; he cried until the sun rose hotly over the oasis, he cried until it began to sink once more. Bent over Saïx's lifeless form, he sobbed until he thought his chest would burst, until he felt as though he would die from the loss.
"My love… no…" he moaned pitifully more than once.
By nightfall he had no more will to live. His chest felt constricted and his breath came in gasps. Still hugging Saïx close, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny vial. It was not the one he'd kept Saïx's ashes in previously; that one had been obliterated. This one was long and thin, full of a completely clear liquid. Xemnas bit down on the cork and pulled it free. He held it up to the dying sun.
"Cheers, my love," he croaked, voice hoarse from crying. He downed the vial's contents in one gulp.
-
"Jiin… have you seen Xemnas and Saïx?"
Jiin looked up from her book to see Jynx standing in the cave's entrance. She wore an agitated expression on her face. Jiin shook her head.
"Merde. One of my deadlier poisons was missing, and today was…" Jynx whipped around and raced out of the cave. Hastily Jiin rose to follow.
"There's a yaksen gone," Jynx muttered. With all the agility of a cat, Jynx leapt to the top of the remaining yaksen, closely followed by Jiin. "Yip, yip!"
The yaksen sped to the oasis, following its companion's trail. Once there, Jynx and Jiin leapt down, Jynx stumbling slightly in her haste. They raced to the log…
…And found Saïx wrapped in Xemnas' tight embrace. They were both dead. Jynx snorted softly.
"A lover's suicide, then," she muttered. "Stupid bastards…" She sniffed softly. Jiin put an arm around Jynx's shoulders and drew her close.
"At least… they're together now," Jiin murmured, hugging the other close. "And now nothing can drag them apart…" Their tails slowly twined together as they worked a spell. Magefire surged up around Xemnas and Saïx's bodies, engulfing them completely. Once it faded, not a trace of them remained. Jynx looked up at the night sky.
"Jiin… ma chérie, look up," she said softly. Jiin complied and smiled, though tears sprang to her eye.
A new constellation had been formed; made of the brightest stars in the sky, it was in the shape of two lovers in an eternal embrace. Jiin and Jynx, hand in hand and tails linked, slowly walked back to the yaksen. Jynx paused and stared at the log. She bowed low.
"Au revoir, mon ami," she murmured before wrapping her arms around Jiin's waist.
You were my compass starYou were my measure
You were a pirate's map
A buried treasure
If this is all correct
The last thing I'd expect
The prosecution rests
It's time that I confess: I must have loved you
-Ghost Story, Sting, "A Brand New Day"
-End-
A/N: Aww, how sad. Almost got me depressed towards the end, there. And I'm just as heartless as they come. So sad. I dunno, I sort of like writing angsty, tragic fics like these. I'm so cruel. Yeah, the only reason I had Saïx die again was so I could get the fic a bit longer than just two or three pages, cuz if I let him live, the fic would have gone absolutely NOWHERE. Blah.
Anyway… if anyone wants to see more of Jynx and Jiin or more of my depressing stories, go to my DeviantART account (link in me bio) and look for my story "Snow". It should be easy to find. It's all sad 'n stuff and explains Jynx and Jiin's relationship a bit more. In fact, all of my written works there except "Monochrome", "Something Wicked", and "What's in a Name?" are depressing… O.o;; I swear I don't have problems…
