Intro: Matron Malis here! I'm excited to be starting my newest fanfiction about a character I'm quite passionate about. I hope you enjoy my story. Reviews and comments are appreciated, and any flamers will be DEVOURED. Have a lovely day.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix and Disney do, and they're making tons of cash off it. Woe is me to be quite poor. lol
Even is Odd
The figure on the lab table jolted to life in a frenzy of motion. His head snapped back as he drew a jagged breath, blessing himself with the pain of existence. His back arched exquisitely and the sheet draped over his pale skin fluttered in the blur of motion, revealing a pale and thin body. The muscles streamlined to the figure, making his pain seem otherworldly, less human and more animalistic. Long blond hair was blanched to white by the light above his make-shift womb, matching in an eerie perfection the color of his skin.
Gradually, the figure gained a voice, a small whimper following every dry, panting breath made, like a primal cry, begging for aid in the first moments of life. He seemed to find his hands first, with their longer slender fingers. In the glare of the overhead light, they looked thin to the point of becoming claw-like. He moved them slowly and then faster as if testing his new limits. Planting his hands on the table, he lifted himself inch by inch to finally sitting up, giving the lamp overhead a rather personal greeting with his forehead. Now for the legs…he slid from the table, his legs giving out under him instantly, as if in anger that he should try something so complicated so very soon after waking. He sat crumpled on the floor until he managed to sit up once more for a second time, his back screaming from the strain, pain spreading like a spider web across his figure, rendering his absolutely paralyzed for what felt like an eternity.
He looked over at the sheet which had fallen beside him; the folds of the cloth seemed as jumbled as his mind was currently. Even before he would bother to remember his name, it seemed to dawn on him that he was rather blissfully clothing-less. He snatched clumsily at the sheet and covered the area in question before gathering up his strength to try getting up a second time. With a bit of mental concentration, a great deal of effort, and even a bit of luck, he finally managed to stand on shaking legs, his entire body aching as he had never ached before. He stumbled forward, screeching in pain at first at the sheer horror and paralyzing agony coursing through all of these uncooperative limbs, but then settling into a loud stream of rambling in a language he didn't recognize at first, but then it seemed to dawn that it was simply common speech.
"You'll become a pawn. The hero of darkness, yields far better results. Science science science science, your heart, chained by false memories. No, Axel, please!" He groaned, his mind trying to play catch-up while his mouth ran by instinct. Everything which he saw, his eyes recognized easily, except this new body. Who…?
He finally reached the only glowing screen monitor, like the light at the end of the wrathful tunnel. Before he even bothered to read the text before him, he saw his face reflected in the glass of the screen. Glowingly green eyes stared blankly back at him, hovering above high and prominent cheekbones. His cheeks seemed a bit hallowed out as if he hadn't eaten in a long while, but strangely this didn't unnerve him; it was inherently normal for him he sensed. His jaw line was well defined without having to be framed by a beard. Right above a heavy brow, his blond hair seemed to glow an iridescent blue in the light of the screen. A name occurred to him as naturally as if he had known it all along. His heart throbbed painfully, making itself known.
Even…He was Even.
And with the realization, finally came a flood of memories, some in fragments, and some in full blown vibrancy, in colors he didn't even know existed. He swayed dangerously on spot, as if the mental capacity was simply so overflowing with emotions at this point that his legs could no longer hold him up. He slammed into the ground for a second time, his arm bashing the keyboard on the way down and turning the screen to an abysmal black, its comforting thrum silenced. He lay there, his mind heavy, his body light and waited helplessly in the dark, his voice now too raw to even scream. There was something so unimaginably terrifying about being absolutely mute in the face of danger, of darkness. Even was always talking, always complaining, always making noise. This silence, it would be the death of him and he knew it.
Above him, he sensed motion instinctively before he even though to look for it. Someone hovered above him, reminiscent and piercing green eyes glaring down at his broken figure barely covered with his precious security blanket. He heard a door open in the distance and in a heartbeat, the figured fled in a heartbeat.
"Hello?" A bodiless voice chirped. She seemed so far away to Even, whoever this newcomer was. His vision was quickly fading when he looked for the source, spotting the silhouette of a petite woman with rather short hair in the doorway. That was before darkness overtook him.
****
"And you said you just woke up? You don't remember how you got there?" Leon cut in, making it painfully obvious that he didn't believe a word of it. Even didn't bother to answer, he was far too busy with a clear glass of water, downing its contents sloppily and greedily. Had he always been this rude, always had this lack of manners? No, his memories told him staunchly. He was a man of class, but when necessity called…
He continued his guzzling, stopping only for breath until the glass was empty, dry as his insides still felt. "More." He croaked, still trying to catch his breath. He knew that even if he did explain himself for the fourth time, Leon would still glare down at him from above his bed and demand the story again. At least he was dressed now though, he though sullenly, not even bothering to look down at his too-large pinstriped pajamas, lent by the rather well built Cid.
"Slow down, tiger, you'll give yourself a cramp." Cid quipped in his usual drawl, running a frustrated hand through his straw textured hair. The small cottage seemed all too small at times like this, when everyone was on edge. Tension lined the air, thick as country butter. It had only been a few short hours since Yuffie had dragged the thin and rather sparsely clothed scientist-turned-traitor from what would have been the abyss of his own death, unknowing of even who this man was or how he fit into the grand scheme of things. She was too young to even try to remember Ansem's studies or his 'faithful' apprentices. As untrusting as Cid was of this newcomer, he was smart enough to think past Leon's poorly cloaked anger. Even had simply reappeared to them, crumpled on the floor of the old labs under Hollow Bastion. Yuffie had been the scout for the area that day, doing her utmost to keep their home safe when she said she had heard screams coming from the labs below, where the computer which was the Radiant Garden's savior so many times before, was dutifully located. At first, she thought it had been coming from the computer system, but from what Cid could garner, her keen ears told her differently. He shot the young girl a worried glance. "How did you find 'um again?" He jerked a thumb at a rather disgruntled looking Even.
Yuffie jumped back into her story for what felt like the twentieth time, yet she still seemed to have the same youthful vigor, the story growing grander each time around. "Well, it sounded like it was coming from the walls! It was terrible, I though whoever was screaming was gonna die!" She gestured widely with her arms to her rather limited audience. "I figured I didn't have time to call for help from you guys, so I just started kicking and punching at the walls like crazy. I was like a crazy person! It was all just so…CRAZY!" It almost seemed as though the huge personality she had couldn't be contained in that petite body of hers. "And one wall finally gave out, like a bookshelf door or something. It had been hidden so well, I walked right by it all this time until now!" She continued in a hugely contrasting and equally amazed whisper. "And that's where this guy was." She finished lamely with a huff, giving him a piercing glare, jarring him a bit and reminding him rather vaguely of the mysterious figure in the lab just a few short hours ago.
"Ansem's Laboratory." Even hummed, finally his usual pensive rather than the alien sensation of thirst. A lovely distraction, indeed. His entire audience leaned in, confused.
"What?" A chorus out of a word, all musically different voices.
"Ansem's Laboratory." He repeated, a bit too loud this time as if to overcompensate. He felt the usual cadence of his old voice slowly returning to him. Much better…he was almost feeling like himself again. "It was where we used to study, to experiment. The old apprentices, I mean of course." He rattled off facts like throwing down pieces of a vast unfinished puzzle. There was an affirmative hum throughout the room, though Aeris stayed silent and chose her words with a care.
"…I believe you." She said smoothly, gently. The entire congregation looked absolutely incredulous. Even was flabbergasted. "I mean it. Would you like more water?" She continued, refilling his glass.
"To be completely honest, even I wouldn't believe myself right now. But I do not care! It's the truth! I woke up in a dark room, I tried to move and it caused me great pain. There was another person there, but they ran before they could be discovered." Even snapped bitterly, hating her for what he thought was ridicule, disrespect. His cheeks burned uncomfortably as he snatched the glass from her and, again, began to down its contents. Aeris didn't seem insulted by the gesture, if not a bit disappointed, though Squall was (of course) affronted.
"Apologize!" He demanded in a deep growl, though Even didn't even bat an eye and continued to drink until the glass was utterly empty once again. This seemed to anger him even further. "Did you hear me? I said, apologize, Vexen!" The room fell silent as Leon was to the point of anger in which he may do something he might regret. Cid was shocked. These sorts of displays of outright anger were unlike Leon, and yet, none of the congregated approved of an attack on a lil' sweetie like Aeris. Not only that, but the question had been hovering in each and every mind since the former apprentice awoke, the only way to really address the question the situation was to address the 'nobody' as it were. He could certainly understand where the young gunbladesman was coming from, and yet what came next shocked him even more.
"I AM SORRY!" Even shrieked with a force that seemed to lift him from his bed on to his weak legs, his frame trembling from the action itself, and the raw emotion he seemed to be emitting. "If it would change anything, I would say it again, and again, but it will not! I was mislead, by my peers, by my own ambitions and sheer recklessness, and I was willing to pay the price for my cowardice even in death, but now it seems that even that has rejected me," It was jarring, how much noise one broken man could make when he put his mind to it. His chest heaved from the effort as he seemed on the verge of a second collapse. While he seemed rather fragile to the eye, draped in those oversized garments, every occupant had already taken a generous step back, including the man in question; Leon, "So all that I now ask is that you use my name; my real name, Even. I am not that half-being any longer." He put a trembling hand to his beating heart, as if to add emphasis for his own sake. "Now, leave me. Please, leave me."
Even collapsed back on to the one lonely bed in a fit of coughs. The occupants of the room exchanged incredulous glances, shocked expressions and unuttered questions before stepping towards the door. It was probably for the best to leave him to rest anyway, Cid pondered. Better for all of us to try to piece together this absolute mess of a puzzle without anger flying around their minds like gnats. He ushered a worried looking Aeris from the room, murmuring a comforting, "We'll check on 'em later," as he headed for the exit himself. Before he could close the door behind him, Even made a small noise and reached out, as if to stop him.
"Wait just a moment." He called in an uncharacteristically small voice, seemingly glad Leon was out of range.
"Hm?"
Even bit his lip nervously and suddenly seemed to find the wall quite interesting, rather than look Cid in the eye at this moment. "Where is the restroom…?"