"Read me a story?" Larxene asked, holding up the faded book. He hadn't heard her; she tried again. "Read it to me?" She pleaded. At five, Larxene was curious, but didn't have enough skill to read books to herself.
Xemnas was ten, but the look in his eyes was very old, and very grim. He was looking at something on the desk in front of him that Larxene couldn't see. "Go away!" he said angrily. "I don't have time!"
"But…I want the story!" Larxene protested.
"I said no!" Whatever it was on the desk was making Xemnas mad; his voice was loud and furious. Larxene's big blue eyes filled with tears; she hugged the book to her chest and turned away. Xemnas heard her sniffling, and his eyes softened. "I'll read the stupid story," he grunted, snatching it from her and dropping it on the desk. He scooped her up onto his lap. Larxene wound her hands around his neck.
"Thanks Xemmy!"
"Whatever. Let go." Xemnas picked up the book and looked at it. "Larxene!"
"What?" she cried in alarm.
Xemnas groaned. "This is a big kid book! Look-" he flipped through the hundreds of pages. "This'll take forever to read, and you won't understand it anyway.."
"But…you said you'd read it to me.." Larxene looked up pleadingly at him.
"Don't have time," he snapped, shoving the book away.
Larxene's eye caught a paper on Xemnas's desk. It had small writing, but it wasn't too long. She pointed. "Read that to me?" she asked.
"NO!" Xemnas grabbed the paper, crumpled it in one fist, threw it against the wall. It bounced off the wall and onto the floor. Larxene was still, terrified of Xemnas's anger. He slammed his hand down on the desk; the pencils jumped, bounced, rolled onto the floor. Larxene began to cry. "Larxene…I'm sorry.." Xemnas was cradling her against his t-shirt. "I'll…I'll tell you a story. Ok?" She tearfully nodded.
"About you and me?" Her little fist wiped away the tears.
"Sure…sure, why not." Xemnas was thoughtful for a moment. Then he looked down at her. "Once upon a time…there was a boy named Xemnas…..and he had a best friend named Larxene.." Larxene snuggled against his shirt, readying herself for the story. "And they….they lived in a big castle."
"This one?" Larxene asked.
"Sure! This one-" Xemnas agreed.
"Was she a princess?" Larxene asked.
"She definitely was! And every morning, they would go downstairs and have breakfast, and then go out to play," Xemnas continued.
"What kind of breakfast?" Larxene wanted to know.
"Oatmeal," Xemnas improvised, choosing Larxene's favorite. "And-"
"What did they play?" Larxene interrupted.
Xemnas gave her a smile. "Anything that Larxene wanted to! What do you want them to play today?"
Larxene's small face twisted as she thought. "Jump rope!" She finally said.
Xemnas nodded. "Alright, jump rope. So one day, they were out in the yard playing jump rope when suddenly….. a dragon swooped down and snatched up Princess Larxene!" She gasped, her little blue eyes wide with fear.
"It didn't!" she whispered.
Xemnas looked solemn. "Yes, it did. So then the dragon went flying away with Larxene, and they went up and up into the sky and disappeared for sight!"
"What did Xemnas do?" The Damsel in Distress wanted to know.
"He went inside and got a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig sword-" Xemnas spread out his hands to show how big it was. "And then he ran outside and began following the dragon to it's lair!"
"I thought you said that it was gone," Larxene said.
"No, it wasn't," Xemnas argued. "No shush. So Xemnas followed the dragon way up 'nto the mountains to its lair!" Larxene, wide eyed, snuggled closer into his T-Shirt in childish breathlessness. "The dragon set Larxene down in the lair and was going to eat her!" Xemnas told his wide-eyed listener, face very grave. "But Xemnas came up into the lair and-"
"-killed the dragon!" Larxene interrupted.
Xemnas shrugged. "Yup. You know how?" Larxene shook her head. "He cut off it's head," Xemnas whispered. "With the big sword!"
"Really?"
"Really!" Xemnas said, straight faced.
"What happened then?" Larxene asked.
"Xemnas took Princess Larxene's hand-" His big hand closed over her small one. "-and they went out of the lair and back down the mountain, and went home."
"And…" Larxene probed.
"And they lived Happily Ever After," Xemnas finished, releasing her hand.
"Happily….ever…after," Larxene repeated dreamily. There was silence for a moment. Then, "Xemnas?"
"Mmhhm?"
"Would you save me?" Larxene asked.
"What?" Xemnas looked down at her.
"If a dragon got me. Would you save me?" Her wide blue looked steadily into his orange ones.
"'course I would!" Xemnas kissed the top of her blonde head. "You're my princess, after all."
Larxene threw her arms around Xemnas's neck. "I love you Xemmy. We'll be best friends, won't we?"
Xemnas wound his arms around her little body. "Sure, Larxene. 'Course we will." He let go of her with a sigh, and passed her the big book. "Better get going," he said, some of the grumpiness coming back. "I'm busy." He lifted her off his lap and turned back to the desk. His head was in his hands.
"Xemmy?"
"What?" he asked angrily.
"I'm…I'm sorry." She put her hand on his knee, trying to cheer him up.
Xemnas shut his eyes. "It's not your fault. It really isn't. And you can't make it better."
Larxene's big blue eyes were full of tears. "Xemmy…smile? For me?" Xemnas lifted his head and gave her a halfhearted smile. Larxene pouted. "No! A real one, Xemmy!" He grinned all the way, and Larxene's face cleared. She hugged the book to her chest. "Will you read this to me one day?"
"One day, you'll read it all by yourself," Xemnas told her. He got up and held down one hand. "Come on, Princess Larxene, time for your nap."
"Ok…" Larxene said reluctantly, putting her hand in his. The two walked down the big white hall to her bedroom, and Xemnas opened the door. Larxene dropped the heavy book on the floor and dove onto the bed, giggling as she bounced on it.
"Come on, time for your beauty sleep." Xemnas folded back the covers and Larxene wriggled under the lightning-crossed comforter. Her blonde hair was splayed out all over the pillow.
"Buddy?" She asked, pointing to the old teddy bear sitting on the floor next to the bed. Xemnas sighed, picked it up, and pressed Buddy into her waiting arms. Larxene hugged him to her chest, and smelled him fondly. Xemnas pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and bent down, kissing the top of her head.
"Good night, Princess Larxene," he whispered, shutting her blue eyes with one finger. He turned softly, and went out of the room, shutting the door behind him….
YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE CUTE TOGETHER!