Title: Reflections
Author: happycrabmearii
Rating: PG (just for hints)
Warnings: OOC, in my opinion.
Characters: Saix, Clawed Bathtub
Pairings: Saix/Clawed Bathtub (omigawd)
Summery: Saix is gathering data on the undead in Halloween Town when he encounters something that leaves him wondering about his own existence.
Saix is owned by Disney or Squeenix. Whichever.
Footsteps echoed through the dimly illuminated Hinterlands as feet casually walked an unmarked course. The large moon shone through the trees, casting shadows in every direction and a slight breeze whistled through dried branches, long devoid of leaves, or much of any life to speak of.
Saix lifted his face to the over-sized moon with a wide and set gaze. His eyes unwavering, reflecting the light, he breathed deeply as he felt his power stretch and weave about him. Filling his body and mind with the comforting presence, while at the same time unleashing a fierce anxiety; a familiar restlessness.
'Such a world is this, that an astronomical irregularity almost makes me-' He stopped his thought there and looked down at his shadow, stretching far to his right. The darkness there wavered as a breeze stirred branches, pine needles, and long-dead leaves on the ground. A smirk settling on the side of his mouth, he watched the dead leaves come to life; they were certainly real enough, however long dead they had been, they were now animated by a basic element. Though they would never know they were truly dead.
'How Ironic.' Narrowing his eyes as he quickly drew the parallel between himself and a leaf, he began to walk again, leaving many crumbled leaves in his wake. He headed toward the edge of the forest.
He was here for a reason, after all: 'Gather data for IV and VI to research the possibility of the undead possessing their own hearts.' The thought made him almost want to feel angry. 'The dead possessing hearts,' he scowled, 'the very non-breathing, unliving entities that don't deserve them.'
A sound behind him made Saix halt his steps. Turning for a moment, he swiftly stepped into some nearby shadows and awaited his unexpected, and quite unwelcome, guest.
Through the trees came the last thing he could have expected: a medium-sized porcelain bathtub walked toward him on four clawed feet. Saix was dumbstruck for the first time in a very long time. He retreated further into the shadows, unsure whether or not he wanted to expose himself just yet to this washroom abnormality.
Watching it walk past him, he couldn't help but to notice the way the moonlight shone off the vessel's polished surface, reflecting his element fully without blemish. Shaking off a sudden, though slight, daze, Saix found himself stepping out of the shadows and walking toward the tub, now aware of his presence, though how that was possible he had not the slightest idea.
Stopping in front of it, he leaned down and stared.
It stared back. Somehow.
"And what is a bathing vessel, such a yourself, doing in this world of the undead?"
Of course it did not answer verbally, however it did do something. Saix watched as a small amount of water formed within the porcelain frame. The tub dipped it's front, to show the water more clearly. Saix watched as a scene began to unfold on the surface; as if it were a reflection. A filthy bathroom appeared, dirt crusting the walls, rust overcoming all metal surfaces, and trash overflowing, though you could clearly make out a medium-sized porcelain claw-footed tub, sitting in the corner amidst the filth.
A young woman entered the scene and, as Saix looked on, she became violently sick in the middle of the room. Crawling to the bathtub, she began to run the water, coughing and choking the entire time that it filled. Not bothering to strip, she lay in the water and closed her eyes, vomit continuing to spill into the water, though she hardly seemed conscious of it. As the scene continued to show her paling and, finally, fully slipping underwater, Saix noticed the vessel in front of him begin to shudder a bit as it fought to retain...'Composure?' quirking an eyebrow, he sat back and let the bathtub drain and recover from it's memory.
'A bathtub needing composure. Having memories...and feelings?' Instantly committing the entire event to his memory for his report, Saix leaned forward once again.
"You have come here in grievance, then."
The tub wriggled in a fashion that led the Nobody to assume he was correct.
"How is that you grieve?"
Frame sagging a bit, the tub shook itself a bit.
"...then you will also not realize the value of that which you posses."
It shrugged.
"You are confused. A feeling I cannot say I miss terribly."
Sensing an awkward doubt settling between them, he clarified, "I do not feel. At all. You, a washbasin, know more than I in the art of feeling. I am a shadow and a reflection." He looked to the moon, "I mirror the power of the night, and am a shadow of what life another possessed." Looking back to the porcelain tub, he quirked a half grin, "I am likely more dead than anything in this world of yours."
The tub instantly walked over to Saix and nudged him over, causing him to fall over into a half-sitting position from his kneeling posture. An irritated scowl did nothing to stop the tub as it slid between the Diviner's knees and toward his shoulders, effectively pinning his torso to the ground.
Leaning down, the tub began to rub its polished surface against the Nobody's taut coat, creating a sound he could only envision coming from a tortured mammal. The claws of the tub were surprisingly sharp and instantly dug through the leather coat and shirt beneath, effectively drawing blood, though neither realized it just then.
Not to be fully overpowered by a lavatory appliance, Saix caught the edges of the tub in his gloved hands and held it at bay for a moment as he again studied the way the moonlight reflected off a perfectly smooth, white glaze.
It was his element that this creature was reflecting, this creature that was brought to a world of darkness because of feelings. Seeing the moon stretch and shimmer across the surface of the tub gave the Nobody a sense of comfort; almost like a kinship, with this animated object. However...
"Feelings do not belong to shadows and mirrors." he spoke quietly. His eyes narrowed then, as he felt energy seep around his body, overcoming any 'feeling' he might have started to experience. The tub backed off hesitantly. The familiar feeling of primal tension rose in his chest as Saix stood and leaned into the moonlight.
Eying the tub once more, he released a swift attack, bringing his claymore dangerously close to destroying the now quite worried bathtub. A few times he let his mind surrender to the force burning the back of his mind, each time almost hitting the tub as it scooted away and, finally, left the area completely.
Calming himself, Saix let his weapon disappear as he watched the receding silhouette. He hadn't intended on destroying it, just scaring it. Being so close to something with a heart, even such an abnormality as this, was not boding well with his thoughts.
As he began to ready himself to leave, having enough information for at least a short report, Saix paused as he thought of the woman in the reflection. A somewhat complacent smirk found it's way to his lips.
"Perhaps, one day, I will be reflected, as well."