Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts
Ch 1: Broken Silence
Luxord smiled, revealing his winning hand for the 15th time in a row. Angrily, Xigbar threw down his hand, scratching his head in annoyance.
"You're cheating!" He growled, pointing an accusing finger at Luxord. "No one has that good a luck!" Luxord shrugged at his statement, picking up the cards and putting them back into the stack that lay at his side. He then proceeded to shuffle them.
"Maybe I'm just good at it..." he replied, obviously humored by the flustered Xigbar. "You should practice your strategy more often. You know, plan your moves more precisely..." He pulled out the Ace of Spades, holding it in front of Xigbar.
"Think of it as a battle." he said quietly, waiting for Xigbar to show that he understood. Instead he got a question. An almost rhetorical question.
"A battle for what?"
"For a heart." Xigbar looked down, his whole body relaxing. Luxord understood it was a touchy subject for Xigbar, but it was the only way for him to cooperate without destroying something. He gave him the Ace, dealing 4 more to him and 5 to himself. Quietly, Xigbar picked up his hand, examining it with more concentration than before. Luxord watched him shift his cards until he was satisfied with their placement. He then pulled out two of them, handing them to Luxord. In turn, Luxord gave him two new ones. Xigbar waited for him to replace his own cards, but he made no move. This somewhat alarmed him.
"What do you have?" Luxord asked. Xigbar replaced his worry with a smirk, revealing his hand. He was sure he was going to win this time.
"A pair of Six's. You?"
"A Royal Flush..."
"GOD DAMNIT!"
.:A2345678910JQK:.
"I guess Xigbar won't be playing cards with me for a while..."
He sighed, his boots clicking loudly against the cement. After losing yet another round of Poker, Xigbar felt the need to keep Luxord as far away from him as possible. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it gave Luxord some time to explore his environment. Though, it wasn't like something new came up every once in a while to change the scenery. The city was always dark, the only light coming from blinking signs that read gibberish. It was unbelievably clean, and the air was always still. The only inhabitants, besides the Organization, were the Heartless and lower Nobodies. Luxord took note of this, his mood dropping ever so slightly. Subconsciously he rubbed his chest, the area where his heart had been. It was a very subtle move, so subtle in fact that he didn't notice. It was until he turned a corner that his chest released a painful twinge. He stopped, the sudden pain startling him. He was unable to pinpoint the cause however, because as soon as it came, it left.
What the...?
He blinked, massaging his chest. Feeling pain without a clear cause was something he didn't experience on a day to day basis. In fact, it never ever happened. Dropping his arm to his side he continued walking, still pondering the event.
I shouldn't worry, the pain is gone now. It means nothing.
Moments later, he stood before the city limit. It wasn't that much to look at, just a simple brick wall with a trashcan for decoration. Decoration because no one was ever around to use it for disposal purposes. Slowly he approached the wall, his arm outstretched. Stopping a few inches away, he grazed his fingers over the bricks as if looking for something.
I wonder...how much longer...
He lowered his head, his mood dropping considerably. Silence accompanied him shortly after. He accepted it with no protest. He didn't know how long he stood like that for, but it was comforting.
"Luxord..."
Snapping out of his trance, he spun around. Something, or someone, had just called his name. Clenching his fists, he called back.
"Who's there?" his voice was steady, but quiet. He grimaced at his sudden inability to conceal his insecurity. That wasn't like him.
"Luxord..." the voice said again, monotone but strong. In fact, the voice sounded almost familiar. Because of this factor, he let his guard down enough to feel almost relaxed again.
"What do you want?" he asked flatly.
"Help me..." the voice responded.
"Help...?" he repeated. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Please, help...I need help..." the voice was becoming more feminine, more emotionally inclined. Luxord quickened his search, somehow feeling the need to locate the now distraught little girl. He kept asking where she was, but she would ignore his questions, drowning out his voice with her own shrill one. This caused him to become more stressed, and his only goal from that point became to find that little girl.
"Please help me! It hurts!! It hurts!! Help me please!!" The little girl's voice had become so frantic, so desperate, that it made Luxord feel almost helpless himself. All the while he wondered why he was responding to something like this. Why would he bother trying to help someone that only sounded familiar? Why was he acting like he had a heart?
"Help me daddy! Help-"
Suddenly, the voice stopped. The air became still again. Silence returned once more. Luxord found himself in another section of the City, a place he didn't know was there. He held his breath, almost wishing for the voice to come back. He wanted to help that little girl, and her voice becoming silent was not improving the situation.
"Hey!" he called out, louder than intended.
"Hey..." came another familiar voice. This time it was someone tangible.
"Oh...hello Xaldin." Luxord said, still slightly edgy from his recent events. Xaldin approached him slowly, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I heard Xigbar kicked you out of the castle, so I came to accompany you." he paused. "Though, it seems you're a little distressed so maybe I should leave you to vent...whatever there is to vent." Luxord ran his fingers through his short platinum blonde hair. He sighed heavily.
"I'd rather you stay...I need someone real to talk to..."
"What?"
"It's just this girl..." Luxord trailed off, trying to find the right words to describe what was making him so tense. Xaldin simply stood, patiently waiting for Luxord to explain what he wanted to explain.
"Did you hear anyone...different just now? Like a child of sorts?" he asked. Xaldin thought for a couple of seconds before shaking his head.
"I heard yelling but it turned out to be you. I probably wouldn't have found you without it..."
"So...you didn't hear her screaming?"
"No I didn't hear a child scream..." Xaldin peered at his comrade, confused at his sudden irrational questions. So he decided to ask him his own confused ones.
"Luxord...are you feeling ok?"
"Yeah but the girl..."
"I assure you, we and the Heartless are the only inhabitants of this asunder world. A child cannot exist here. The only answer I can come up with to help you is you're simply hallucinating, probably from the weather tonight."
"The weather...?" Luxord said quietly.
"Yes." It was then that Luxord realized he and Xaldin were standing in rain and wind. During their slightly skewed conversation, Xaldin had casted Areo, a small bubble of protective wind surrounding them. Luxord lifted his arms slowly, noting their slightly drenched state. Xaldin lightly patted his shoulder, a mock concerned look in his otherwise blank eyes.
"Maybe we should get you back into the castle...we may not have hearts, but we aren't immune to human sickness." Luxord solemnly nodded, falling in step with Xaldin as he led them both back to the castle through a portal. The short walk was quiet, a hint of uneasiness lingering within it, and Xaldin didn't like that. Reappearing in the Library, Luxord timidly sat down in one of the reading areas, his eyes looking down in thought. Xaldin didn't leave right away, and stood waiting for him to say something that made some sense. Instead, it seemed that Luxord had completely disregarded his presence and began to aimlessly wander around the library. Sighing heavily, Xaldin took his leave. Knowing he was finally alone, Luxord strode over to one of the overly large windows, staring out into the depressing weather.
Who...was that?
His earlier events lead him to believe something was important about that voice. It was only audible to him, it was scared, and it was familiar. Something that bothered him that much just couldn't be tossed aside. Thinking quietly to himself for a couple of minutes, he finally concluded on seeking help from number IV, Vexen.
It wasn't everyday that Luxord spoke with Vexen, nor was it everyday that he actually saw the slightly off scientist, save for meetings; even then the scientist would have his hood up. It was certain though, that Luxord was constantly updated on his experiments, courtesy of Lexaeus and Zexion. At one point or another, Luxord felt like he was watching all of the experiments go from paper to test tubes and ultimately a large mess that involved shutting off certain parts of the castle for weeks on end. The latter was usually caused by Xigbar's meddling in Vexen's laboratory. Luxord almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
All in all, Luxord felt some need to keep what conversation he was about to have with the scientist to a bare minimum. It wasn't that he disapproved of Vexen's nonexistence, he just didn't think he was required to make friends.
With that thought, Luxord opened a portal, walking through with the slightest hesitation. A few dark seconds later, Luxord found himself standing in front of the Laboratory door. Because he hadn't made his presence known yet, he decided to examine the area. It was dark like any basement should be, and like the City, was very clean. The walls were bare, and the floor was marble. It was just like the rest of the castle, except in constant darkness.
Sighing at his own ability to point out the obvious, Luxord tapped lightly on the metal door. Inside he could hear the clinking of glass stop abruptly, and the shuffling of feet become prominent. The door was then opened, but just enough for Vexen to stick his head through. At first he said nothing, due to the fact that he could scarcely remember who Luxord was, but eventually drawled out a word.
"Yes?" Luxord could tell there was some annoyance in his tone, not to mention Vexen was struggling to keep himself from glaring at his visitor. Trying to follow up on his previous plan, Luxord replied.
"I need your help."
"With?"
"My psychology."
"Your psychology...?" Vexen opened the door all the way, his eyes questioning. This gave Luxord a reason to continue.
"Yes...it seems I've been hearing a voice as of 20 minutes ago..."
"What kind of voice?"
"A little girl..."
"I see..." Vexen walked back into the lab at to his desk, searching through his drawers for something. He glanced back at Luxord, motioning him to come inside. Luxord took the invitation and sat on a small stool that stood alone at one corner of the room. While Vexen dug through his things, Luxord took in the new and very unfamiliar environment. The room was extremely cluttered, most if not all of the table tops covered in books, loose pages and structures. The far end desk, where Vexen was, was the largest and least cluttered. It was also the area where Vexen seemed to be in the middle of experimenting before Luxord came around. Right in the middle of the entire room sat a very sterilized operating table. He winced, remembering the very stories his comrades had told him about that table. It was where Xigbar had lost his eye. Where Saïx received his X scar. He was content with the fact that he wasn't physically there to witness these almost horrific events. But in the words of Xemnas, it was in the name of science.
After a few more minutes, Vexen finally found what he was looking for: a pen and a notebook stuffed with loose papers. Finding another stool, he sat across from Luxord, opened up his book, and began the interrogation. So much for light conversation.
"When did you say this voice began speaking?"
"About 20 minutes ago."
"Where were you?"
"In the Dark City."
"Are you still hearing the voice?"
"No, they stopped a few minutes after they began."
"Can you describe the voice?"
"It was a little girl...she sounded like she was in trouble...and then she started screaming and begging for me to find her and help her. She was in pain, excruciating pain...it made me feel like I was helpless..." Luxord drifted off, his eyes mocking sadness. Vexen noted this, just like everything else Luxord had said, and soon he had filled 3 pages full of notes. He closed his notebook sharply, making Luxord jump. He cleared his throat before beginning, ignoring the Nobody's annoyed expression.
"Well I'm sorry to say this Number X, but I cannot find a reason to explain your predicament. That is, of course unless you're willing to have me experiment on you..."
"What do you mean?" Luxord asked, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. Vexen stood up, waving his hand lazily.
"Exactly what I said. Experiment. Take samples. All the elements that make up science and the laws of life itself. I would actually be quite flattered. Something like this has never ever occurred in our faux world and so it must be explored with great interest and possibly precaution. This my friend, I can supply to you."
Luxord scratched the side of his small beard, thinking. Vexen seemed friendly, but he wouldn't trust him with his own non life.
"I'm not sure...don't you think we're jumping ahead a little bit...? I mean, I could have just been hallucinating from the weather..." he said timidly. Vexen folded his arms across his chest, looking ever so slightly offended.
"Jumping ahead? We're not jumping, we're crawling."
"But I could have just...imagined it..."
"We Nobodies don't imagine things. We are much more put together than that and yet we do not have the simple pleasures of having a heart."
"But..."
"If you're bent on proving me wrong then there was no point in you seeking help from me. I do not want to waste my time with something that you won't follow up with, Number X." Vexen said that last part with venom in his tone. It was clear that he was done with his part, and turned back to his previously abandoned experiment. Luxord remained seated, staring at the scientists back. After he knew for sure Vexen wasn't going to tend to him anymore, he opened a portal and left.
Well that didn't go as planned...
The portal reopened and Luxord stepped into his room. He sat on the edge of his bed, his legs crossed. After having an unsuccessful encounter with Vexen, he wasn't sure if he should let anyone else know of his predicament. Neither of the comrades he encountered brought him closer to an answer, and the more he thought about it, the more illogical the event became.
"Maybe I'm not sleeping like I should" he wondered aloud. As a response, he let himself fall backwards onto the soft bed. However, to his dismay, the lump he fell on was anything but soft. Or quiet.
What the?
As if on cue, the lump under him began to scream. He scrambled off, backing away from the bed as the lump continued wailing as if it were in pain. Out of instinct and a lack for a better solution, Luxord casted Stop, hoping it would work on whatever was on his bed. Thankfully, the noise died, and the air became still. He was careful not to stop everything, the inside of his room being the only thing affected. Slowly, Luxord approached the lump, tensing himself for when the spell wore off. At this point, he still had 50 seconds. Because the thing was under his covers, he grabbed a handful of the fabric.
40 seconds.
He hesitated, not wanted to reveal the intruder. However, it did seem defenseless and utterly weak. It had not once made an attempt to harm him.
30 seconds.
Taking a not so deep breath, he pulled the covers off, letting them fall silently to the ground. With the intruder now in full view, Luxord was forced to do a double take.
20 seconds.
It was small, about the length of Luxords forearm, and was completely bald. It had two large eyes, the color of the ocean. It had two chubby arms and legs, all of which were somewhat flailing moments before. It's skin was milky white, and its open mouth took up half of its face. Luxord couldn't help but feel intimidated.
10 seconds.
Now looming over it, Luxord couldn't refrain himself from reaching out and touching one of its bulging cheeks. It felt soft and squishy. Pulling back his hand, he had finally identified the stranger.
"A...baby?"
0 seconds.
He was answered with a scream.
Whee!! Done with chapter one. I feel the need to improve, so please review and maybe help me out with stuff. Constructive Criticism is my friend. Anyway, CH 2 will come soon. Byes for now.