It was all quiet for once. That in and of itself was a minor miracle, as the Heartless had been rather relentless lately. It seemed that not an hour passed without another assault by the loathsome shadow-beasts. The rose, endless in rank and boundless in savagery, from the very darkness that made up the World That Never was.
Lexaeus had never particularly liked that name. It served only to remind him of that fact that he was an abomination, a fluke in reality that was never meant to possess form and flesh. He had become the very thing that he and his companions had sought to guard against, turned from a hero into a monster. Aeleus would have wept.
The giant stood on the rooftop, staring out across the vast expanse that was the Dark City. The power lines had been cut in the last attack, and Xaldin was still working to get the lights back on. So, for the moment, the entire world was bathed in the radiance of the stars and the miniscule moon that floated high above. Lexaeus's eyes had adjusted to the darkness long ago, and it was still hard to make things out. Everything was quiet, dark, and empty, as though the city was sleeping.
Yes, that was it. The city was asleep. This entire world was in a constant state of slumber, ruffled only by the occasional nightmare that was the Heartless. The lack of power made him think back to when the six of them had first arrived there, alone, confused… afraid. The last one had been nothing more than the lingering remnants of emotion, but it had been real at the time. He remembered trying to cling to the memory of fear, trying desperately to fend off the realization of their grave mistake. Back then, they had been pilgrims, alone in strange territory, fighting for their very survival against terrible denizens of darkness. They were still nothing more than a footloose band of emotionless mages, but they were growing. The arrival of Sïax had bolstered their ranks, reminded them of that evil emotion hope. Even as he sat there, Lexaeus knew that Xigbar was off in another doomed world, watching a young fire mage who he had deemed 'ripe for the picking'.
Something moved in the darkness, stirring the giant from his musings. His hand immediately went to his tomahawk, lying idle by his side. Three of his original seventeen flares still remained, waiting for him to set them off if the Heartless proved too much for him to handle. Lexaeus tensed, his eyes scanning for a potential threat.
There. He could make out a figure in the shadows, moving out from behind a heating duct. His eyes narrowed as he stood, never allowing his gaze to stray from the unseen silhouette.
"Friend or foe?" He growled, knowing it to be a meaningless statement. Heartless had no capacity to form speech, and no one else came here. Still, it was nice to pretend that the enemy that he was standing vigil against was vaguely human.
"Friend you idiot." The figure replied irritably. There was a rustling sound as the being stepped into the faint light, grimacing as he removed his hood. "I honestly don't see why that was necessary. Next you'll be asking for a password to enter the Safehouse."
Lexaeus relaxed, leaning on his weapon as his friend and colleague appeared. "Vexen." He said, nodding to the older man.
The aforementioned Nobody rolled his eyes. "Yes, it's me. Xaldin ousted me from the lab, saying that he needed to perform an experiment of some kind. He claims that he and Xigbar are working on a 'pocket dimension' to store our weapons in." Vexen shook his head in obvious disgust. "It's a pipedream I tell you. Still, we only have one lab and he insisted." The irate scientist sighed as he took a seat next to Lexaeus. "I brought you some coffee." He said after a moment, handing a cup of the warm beverage to his large companion.
Lexaeus nodded his thanks, accepting the caffeinated drink gratefully. He sipped it quietly as Vexen continued to talk and complain about the various pitfalls and inherent problems with miniature holes in reality. He nodded at the appropriate times, grunted the occasional negative, and shrugged his massive shoulders when he wasn't sure how to answer. Whether or not Vexen noticed or cared about Lexaeus's lack of verbal input was impossible to tell, as the ice mage seemed to be speaking more to himself than anyone else.
The two eventually lapsed into silence, broken occasionally by a quiet, accidental slurp from Lexaeus. Vexen shifted slightly, undoing the strap that held his heavy shield to his back and letting the weapon slide to the ground alongside Lexaeus's tomahawk. The companions sat, each lost in his own thoughts or musings.
Surprisingly, it was Lexaeus that broke the silence. "Is it possible for a Nobody to be insane?" The question seemed passive enough, thought anyone who actually knew Lexaeus would realize that he never asked a question unless it was important.
There was a momentary silence. Then, "Yes, I suppose. If by 'insane', you mean unstable of psyche. It is possible for one with no heart to be capable of irrational thought. It simply wouldn't be the same kind of insanity that Even and Aeleus knew." Vexen cut himself off then, wincing. Over their three years as Nobodies, the six of them had developed a kind of etiquette. One was never to mention the Other of a companion unless asked to.
Lexaeus pondered this a moment before speaking again. "Do you believe Xemnas to be insane?"
Vexen was taken aback by the question. Still, he rolled the idea around his brain, taking the problem from every angle before answering.
"Yes. I believe he is quite insane." Vexen looked at his large companion, trying to figure out where the conversation was going.
Lexaeus nodded slowly, mulling over his answer. He usually wasn't this coy with ideas, preferring to 'cut to the chase' and not waste time with idle words. Yet, for some reason, he was avoiding the point, as though he was… afraid.
Finally, he spoke. "What are we going to do about it?"
Vexen shrugged lightly, turning his gaze elsewhere. "Follow him, I suppose. After all, it does take a level of madness to attempt what we are attempting. Besides, I don't believe any of us qualify as sane anymore." As he spoke, Vexen felt his gaze move upward, with Lexaeus following suit. Soon, both Nobodies had their gazes locked on the heavens, staring at their minute excuse for a moon.
"Do you think it will ever be complete?" Lexaeus asked.
"Perhaps." Vexen replied. "We need a Keybearer. Someone to unlock the hearts held captive by the Heartless. If we could somehow orchestrate a way…" The scientist trailed off, continuing his musings in silence.
"Is this really what we want?" Lexaeus asked. For once, Vexen didn't reply. It wasn't a rhetorical question, but neither was it one that needed to be answered. Both of them knew the facts. Even and Aeleus were dead. Vexen and Lexaeus were alive. If they took back their hearts, one of two things would happen. Either Lexaeus and Vexen would cease to exist, reverting back to Even and Aeleus, or they would become something new.
Both men stared at the moon, pondering.
Vexen stood slowly, buckling his shield to his back as he turned to go. "I should check in on Xaldin." He said. "After all, it would be nice to have a place to store the damnable weapons." Lexaeus gave a habitual smirk, abiding by their code of etiquette.
Vexen glance back. "Do you want me to report back to Xemnas for you?"
Lexaeus nodded. "I'd like that."
"What should I tell him?"
Lexaeus was quiet for a moment, thinking. When he did speak, Vexen had to strain to hear.
"Tell him all's quiet on the western front."
Vexen frowned, the shrugged his shoulders and turned away, leaving Lexaeus to the quiet of the sleeping world.