Misery Loves Company
A/N: Well, ladies and gents, I'm momentarily back for more. I've tossed plots around in my head and decided it's time to do another XemSai pairing, this one with bitchiness galore. I've gotten tired of reading about obedience and loyalty, or mushiness. It's time to get some ass kicking and fighting in their relationship before it turns to love.
Thus I'm giving you this fic in hopes of following that guideline. I hope to do my best.
I do not own the characters, Square Enix does.
Now enjoy.
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Saïx didn't remember anything. Perhaps some memories of really subpar events in his life and a few faces, but the rest he drew a blank on. It wasn't like he honestly cared to remember anyone, in fact he was saying a nice 'good riddance' to whatever he had forgotten, and perhaps was prepared to move on with his life. Or after life. Or whatever this was called.
But he couldn't help feeling familiar around these people. Like that nagging situation where the answer is right on the tip of your tongue, but your brain decides to be an asshole and not tell you what it is you're trying to say.
He had spent, for the most part, his first few days with the Organization in an extremely terrible mood. Anything he was asked to do he did it with such an attitude that it had, thankfully, veered away any more potential people from begging him to do their work for them.
Unfortunately, Saïx forgot to remember to filter himself when around Xemnas.
The Superior had neatly arrived into the briefing room with some folders in hand. Since yesterday he had been handing them out once in awhile to the other members, mentioning they withheld necessary information to help them on their missions. Most of it had been tasks around the very world they were in, simply trying to get a grasp of what was out there, but none of it had been particularly interesting to Saïx. Twice Vexen had tried to coerce him into taking his mission for him, which wound in quite the heated battle of words, and leaving Vexen to blow off steam alone on his mission. Zexion had only approached him once to see if he wanted to pair up to try something called 'teamwork' which Saïx vehemently refused to do. The others had given up on him after he said 'no.'
Thus it was annoying to Saïx that he could see a shadow looming over him as he pawed through a notebook of Zexion's outlining what they understood so far at being a Nobody.
"Go away," Saïx neatly remarked to the person beside him, not even giving them the opportunity to have a conversation. "If it's anything to do with a mission and needing help, you can ask someone else to hold your hand, mine are full." He flipped to the next page, half-assed reading as it was to make it seem as if he was 'extremely busy.'
"I don't need help in any missions, Saïx, but I seem to think that you might."
Saïx felt his whole body stiffen. Slowly his eyes twisted to find the owner of the shadow was no other than Xemnas.
"What." His answer being short and quipped as his recovery to finding Xemnas on the receiving end of his snarky words.
"I brought you a mission…one that I wish to accompany you on." Xemnas's eyes bore into him. "Which you will accept." It sounded as if he was daring Saïx to disobey.
"Ah…yes, Superior," Saïx stated, learning early on that Xemnas didn't take lightly to back talk. He had already gotten a knock in the head by the man, and though he had a pissy attitude, he did his best to leash it around the one man who could probably break his skull open. Saïx stood up then and held his hand out to receive the folder. "What's the mission?"
"These aren't for you. And I'll brief you as we get there. Xigbar, Lexaeus, take these." He handed off the folders to them before he opened a portal and turned his attention to Saïx. "Shall we?"
Behind Xemnas Saïx could see Xigbar grinning ear to ear about his horrid situation. A mission with the Superior was bound to be the worst of all. He was picky and overcritical and extremely sensitive to anything a person could say.
Saïx was much the opposite. He was merely negative, sarcastic, and tended to play on words rather than get angry about them.
Together he imagined that he would lose his tongue at the end of this mission, and Xemnas would probably be glad to be down one number in their group.
"Superior," Saïx spoke up, his voice hardly sounding as if he had any respect for the man before him. "May I ask for the details of our mission now?"
"We're taking a trip back to Radiant Garden…at least…if it's still accessible. I am ever curious what happened to the place after our experimentation caused such a change…even a world that's not meant to exist has appeared."
Oh great, Saïx wasn't even on a mission meant for him, it was meant for Xemnas. Then why did he ask him to take it on? What was the point? He was irritated at the prospect that his time was being wasted just to hear Xemnas gab about the details of what their former world had been turned into.
"I hardly remember Radient Garden," Saïx spat out. Then he realized his mistake.
"You…do not remember?"
Oh no. Why did he say that?
Xemnas's orange eyes pulverized his soul the instant they set on him. "Certainly you remember something, Saïx. Everyone has a little bit of memory of Radiant Garden. Even I, though…not of the place itself, but of things we have done. I, the very person who has suffered through amnesia before, still remember many things that we learned here. You cannot proclaim you remember nothing."
"I said hardly, I didn't say 'nothing,'" Saïx snarled. Then bit his tongue immediately afterward.
"Then what do you remember," Xemnas icily spoke back. It was quite the struggle behind that cool façade of his to not slap Saïx. They had only gotten through the corridors of darkness and already they were at each other's throats with contempt. Xemnas reminded himself to never pair himself with VII ever again.
"I remember Lea. Or Axel, I should say. And…seeing you. That's all, for now."
"For now," Xemnas repeated, almost mocking him. Saïx would have snarked a thing or two at him if they hadn't arrived at their destination, and in one piece.
Radiant Garden looked rather bleak, more so than what he had expected, and the area they were in didn't have any residents.
"Where did you land us?" Saïx complained. "The town is that way," he nodded in the direction that he had expected them to be in.
"I know where the town is, Saix," Xemnas snidely remarked. "I chose here for a reason."
"Of course, Superior."
"Am I hearing attitude from you, VII? Remember what happened last time you spoke out of line?"
Saïx grumbled but chose to ignore the threat. He instead focused on their surrounding area. Rocks. Rocky walls. A pathway of…rocks. "Let's just get this over with," Saïx growled and started to walk whether Xemnas would follow him or not. "If you ask me, it looks like this place has changed."
"No one asked you," Xemnas neatly shot back. Two could play this game.
"Really, then why did you bother taking me here?" Saïx argued back. "Is this some kind of stupid—" Saïx stopped and held his hand out to stop Xemnas from walking forward.
"Did I give you permission to—"
"Shut up," Saïx hissed. He nodded toward the front of them. "Someone's there."
Xemnas would have cracked Saïx in the head for telling him to shut up, but looking out he could see Saïx was right. A person was standing there, facing away from them, looking out over the castle area. Or sort of…what it used to be. Right now it looked rather beat up. Hmm…
"Shall we continue past him?" Saïx asked Xemnas for direction, for once not being an asshole about it.
"Yes, I don't think he'll notice us. If he does, it's not like he has any reason to follow us. Continue," Xemnas waved his hand and Saïx grudgingly walked onward.
They had just hit the opening point of the area when the mysterious man turned to face them. He had long silver hair, a smug expression on his face, and catty green eyes that could kill. In his hand was a very, very long sword that Saïx took a cautious note of.
"Is this the part where you say 'none shall pass'?" Saïx joked to their newest encounter.
"This is the part where I ask if you're ready to beg for mercy," he replied, sword lifting upward to arch itself in a gleaming stream of unimaginable beauty. And death. Saïx reminded himself of that, too.
"Stand back, Superior," Saïx muttered, "I'll get rid of him and we can move on."
"Saïx, I don't think—"
"I said stand back," Saïx growled.
Xemnas lifted his hands up in defeat, "Fine." He stepped back to see what Saïx was going to do. He was going to explain who that was…and the depths of his power, but his lesser companion seemed determined to get his ass kicked. Well…he wouldn't mind some entertainment!
Saïx allowed his claymore to form in his hands, a weapon large and sturdy to handle. He hadn't completely familiarized himself with it yet. Actually, he probably only fought a few times in his current living situation, so this could prove laughable at best. But he couldn't imagine his opponent being that hard to beat. Either that or he was assuming that only weak people would be so cocky to stop them.
And the minute their battle started, Saïx realized that he was indeed wrong.
His opponent was kind enough to beat him around with the backside of his sword, only causing horrible welts wherever they hit. Saïx couldn't even move to defend himself he was so fast.
He didn't particularly remember falling onto his hands on knees, but he must have given the fact he was now facing the dirt like it was his gracious bed.
"I expect a real fight next time, and for that I'll give you one last punishing blow. Your humiliation will stem some motivation in you."
And before Saïx could turn to ask what that could be, he felt a powerful strike hit right under his ass, bursting forth all kinds of pain to the sensitive flesh there. He probably screamed. He wasn't entirely sure if he was screaming, but he assumed that his reaction was that of someone who was dying a horrible, horrible death.
Xemnas finally came over, doing his best to stifle laughter. "Well that was quite the show! You really gave him one to think about, hmm?"
"JUST SHUT UP AND HELP ME!" Saïx snarled so violently at Xemnas it had wiped his smile off his face.
"Are you all right? He didn't strike you that hard, I thought. Or at least it didn't look like—"
"MY ASS IS BLEEDING, MORON!"
Xemnas shook his head and helped Saïx up, "I'm pretty certain he hit your thighs—"
"I'm pretty certain you're a fucking idiot for wanting to come here. 'Oh Saïx, here's a really great mission to go on! Why not come along and get beaten to death by some silver-haired pansy!' Yeah, fucking wonderful!" Saïx snapped at him more. "URGH it hurts so bad I could just strangle that bastard—"
Xemnas had seen many moods from Saïx, most ranging from negative to extremely negative, but this was a new one. It seemed he was so caught up in his frustration he didn't seem to care who he was riling at. And, as far as Xemnas could tell, it was tapping into Saïx's powers and making him look all the more dangerous.
"Calm down and I'll get you back home." Xemnas opened a portal, supposing this was quite the dramatic ending to his mission, and helped Saïx through the corridors. "Try to move quickly, your torn cloak won't cover you for long amongst the masses in here."
"Just keep walking," Saïx snarled.
"I could just leave you here—"
"I would hunt you down, Xemnas, and so help me God I'd make you regret every millisecond that you abandoned me."
"I'm rather certain every second away from you is actually extremely blissful."
"If I'm such a pain why do you insist on taking me on your stupid mission?!"
"Perhaps because I wanted to see if you were improving at all with the others, Saïx. My God, you make it sound as if this was such a horrible thing to have happen to you."
"MY ASS."
"I know about your ass—"
"NO. I mean slow down, you're making it hurt more!"
Xemnas rolled his eyes and tried to accommodate for the whiny Nobody, getting quite fed up with his antics. Luckily they got back to The World That Never Was, and Xemnas promptly dumped him at the bathroom.
"Where are you going?!"
Xemnas turned to face Saïx, almost out of the doorway when he noticed Saïx's expression. "What do you expect me to do? You have wounds…you can cover them."
"Oh yes, let me just disembody myself so I can cover the ones on my backside! EXCELLENT SUGGESTION, SUPERIOR," Saïx snapped at him again. "Get back over here and help me! This is entirely your fault!"
Not being able to handle his rude behavior any longer, Xemnas shot back a snappy response to him. "Maybe if you had listened to me instead of jumping to play the hero you would have realized he was far more powerful than you! Instead you have your head so far crammed up your ass I'm surprised that's not the reason you're complaining you're in so much pain! You deserve every mark he landed on you, and most certainly that last one. Perhaps next time you will listen to me?"
"Now isn't the time to be lecturing me, Superior, I am still bleeding all over your damn floor. So if you want the mess to be cleaned by my conscious self, you might want to, oh I don't know—fucking help me for once."
Xemnas was so close to strangling him, or something worse. Maybe smacking his rear wounds just to give him something to cry and bitch more about. He would have loved to render Saïx speechless right then, to exert his power and give him some real wounds to balk at.
But a toilet had flushed thus seizing both of them from their current battling. In fact, both looked a little frazzled. Why hadn't he checked to see if anyone was in there? Lord, he probably sounded ridiculous fighting with Saïx, of all people, in a bathroom.
Axel exited the stall and awkwardly washed his hands, nervously whistling to himself before grabbing some paper towels and leaving.
Once he was gone Xemnas sighed. Stay calm. "I'll help you, but only if you quit fighting me tooth and nail about every little thing, all right? Otherwise I'm leaving you here to fix up your own problem."
Saïx looked like someone had poured water on him, but his mumbled, "Fine," was audible enough for Xemnas to see he was going to cool it. For now.
Taking the medical kit off the wall, Xemnas came back over to the sink counter and began to dig through it. Ointments, bandages, and tape were pulled out quickly when he turned to face Saïx, who was still gripping onto the sink like he might lose his breakfast. "Take your cloak off."
Saïx tossed it off, angered that the split in the back was very obvious to see, and looked back at Xemnas for further instruction.
"Lower your pants." Xemnas could see the expression on Saïx's face and he immediately smirked. "I promise this will be the only time I ever say that to you."
"Knock on wood," Saïx spluttered while struggling to lower them. He didn't get very far when he snarled. Momentarily he just stood there, somewhere between contemplating if it was worth going further or not, before he pathetically looked at Xemnas. "Okay. I think. It's stuck."
"Like your pants are too tight?"
"No, dumbass, they cloth is stuck on my wound!"
Xemnas glared.
After a moment Saïx muttered an apology.
"Right, well, okay. Then we'll just have to do it the harder way." Xemnas moved behind Saïx and scooped his hand down the man's pants, cupping one cheek while the other pulled the fabric gently away.
Saïx had immediately made quite the amount of noise. It wasn't certain whether it was from Xemnas's invasive actions or because of the pulling fabric on his flesh. It was simply loud and sounded uncomfortable.
"Good God, Xemnas! That HURTS!"
He glanced up to see Saïx's expression in the mirror. If he didn't know any better, he'd say VII was going to cry. He continued anyway, not at all caring if waterworks happened or not. Then again, he did find crying to be extremely uncomfortable to be around. He wasn't very good at comforting people. In fact he did perhaps the opposite of that.
Another holler from Saïx had cued that the other wound was free. Xemnas lowered the rest of Saïx's pants and glimpsed at the mess. "Well, you're right, he did make you bleed. Still not your ass, though, I'd say thigh."
"It's right under my cheeks, it's close enough!"
The Superior grabbed a towel and got it wet before going back over, analyzing the two slash marks. A perfect line, really. Uncanny how good Sephiroth was at rendering his foes into blubbering morons. "Actually, I might have to remove your underwear, too."
"Why!"
Xemnas hooked his finger into the elastic of the leg and snapped it, making Saïx nearly scream at the feeling. "It's so close to the wound."
"Do that again and you won't have any fingers!" Saïx growled, prepared to break every single digit the Superior had on his body.
But he ignored him, neatly undressing Saïx further to wipe up the mess properly, patting at the area quite cautiously. Though maybe he was just being slow about it because it was, in fact, humiliating Saïx. He hadn't thought that it would, but the tense behavior and twitchiness gave rise to suspicion that Saïx wasn't too fond of being so vulnerable around him. Good, maybe he'd keep that in mind!
He wetted the towel again, wringing out some of the blood, and cupped it against Saïx's inner thigh, patted outward and soon starting back again at the same spot. Each time he did he could see Saïx shifting in discomfort. Ha! He could do this all day.
Well not really, he didn't particularly enjoy having someone's ass in his face.
Still, it was amusing.
He finally finished and grabbed the ointment, neatly smearing it onto the wounds before fixing them up with bandages. Once finished, he started to wash his hands. Gingerly he watched Saïx struggle to get his clothing back on.
"Interesting how the carpet matches the drapes."
Saïx froze and refused to look at him. He then scrambled up the last of his items and left, making Xemnas chuckle to himself. Ha! That should show him.
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The Superior commented on his pubic hair.
The Superior had looked at him. Down there.
Why. WHY.
Saïx wasn't much for obsessing over the little things, but this had disturbed him in a way he didn't think was possible. Like it brought back a strange memory of a feeling he once had. Oh what would he call it? Embarrassment? Something of that sort.
Okay, so perhaps he had been naked long enough that Xemnas had noticed and wanted to just…strike up a conversation. No, that didn't even make sense, nor was that conversation material. It was just wrong.
The Superior had silvery white hair, should he comment that maybe his carpet matched his drapes as well?
Saïx sighed and stuffed his face further under his pillow, hoping that death would come sooner rather than later.
The man even cupped his cheeks. Individually! And pulled his underwear off of him!
Saïx gave another sigh. No. Don't obsess over it. Whatever Xemnas did it was clearly to be an ass. And it worked.
He closed his eyes and eventually got some sleep.
When Saïx awoke it was with a start, not quite having the most peaceful of dreams. Immediately his senses honed in on the fact that someone was in his room. Someone that wasn't supposed to be there.
Removing himself from his prison under the pillow, he found Xemnas there.
"What are you doing?"
Xemnas looked over at him profoundly surprised. "I thought you were sleeping."
"I was until I felt someone in my room."
The Superior smiled at that, "Ah, good to know you're very alert of your surroundings. I was simply leaving a new cloak for you to replace your damaged one. We're going to need to be more careful with our attire, it comes at a hefty price." Xemnas settled the new cloak on a chair. "Feeling any better?"
"No," Saïx grumbled irritably. Although he was probably just saying that to be negative.
"Would you like some medicine?"
"Are you being nice to me?" Saïx wasn't particularly certain why this was. Images of his ass being held came floating back into his mind. He honestly hoped it wasn't anything related to that.
"I'm particularly concerned for the well-being of all my Organization members."
"Didn't seem like that earlier," Saïx complained. He moved cautiously, finding that his wounds still smarted. "I think I'm going to just sleep this off."
Xemnas sighed, sounding almost irritated at that, and he went to the door. "Then be quick in recovery." He left. Saïx wasn't certain if he had slammed the door or if it was his imagination. Not like he cared, Xemnas could throw a fit all he wanted.
He lied back and covered himself up once more. What an annoying leader he turned out to be.
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Xemnas ran his fingers through his hair, obviously irate with how that turned out. "What an annoying follower he turned out to be! I can hardly stand to do one good thing for him without wanting to make it ten times worse." He sighed. "Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this?"
The Superior was sitting with Xigbar, perhaps the last person he would typically be around, but everyone else was out, thus this untimely and strange conversation began to unfold.
"Well now, I do think Saïx has a bit of a bite to him. He's definitely not the type you'd expect civility from, and he tends to bitch more than anyone else I've known. But if you want him to smarten up and be nicer to you, you have to keep up the good charms!"
Xemnas looked over at Xigbar with much irritation. "I cupped his ass for him. I deserve utmost respect from that dog."
Xigbar tried not to laugh, but his smile was unable to be hidden. "Maybe you should tell that to him."
"Because he'd find some way to blame it all back on me, and it'd cause another fight. I don't need everyone in the Organization to think I'm crazy for picking fights with him. Axel has already witnessed enough."
"Ah, yeah, I think I heard some mention about a fight breaking out in the bathroom…"
"It was only verbal," Xemnas stated apprehensively. "And anyway, if Saïx knew how to ask for things nicely rather than shout, I wouldn't have gotten so worked up." He felt he had to justify his behavior, even though no one probably cared how he acted, just as long as he did his job right. "I'm trying to think of ways to…stop his behavior without me actually having to bend over backward."
Xigbar, while the conversation continued, had started to clean his guns. He wasn't particularly that interested in curing Xemnas's current fate with Saïx. In fact, he was more interested in getting it to be worse, but he wanted to find a way to smoothly go about doing that without Xemnas realizing his true intentions.
"Hmmm. Sounds like he needs a good talkin' to."
"If by talking you mean 'a slap upside the head' then I would most definitely agree with you."
"Nah, I mean you need to go in there, grab him by the scruff of his neck, and tell him like you told me. That he's being a good for nothin' snot and he needs to saddle up! Get with the program, duh."
Xemnas wondered if that would work. He imagined Saïx blowing a circuit. Then again, it'd only prove his point. "You're right." Xemnas rose. "Perhaps I should go back in there and give him what's coming to him."
Xigbar nodded enthusiastically, "I'm rooting for you, Superior!"
As soon as he had left, though, the Freeshooter chuckled to himself. "That's going to turn out ugly."
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Saïx opened his eyes once more as a presence was disturbing his slumber again. Turning to find who it was, he grumbled when it happened to be Xemnas. It was as if the guy couldn't take a hint.
"I'm not healed yet, if that's why you're in here. I probably won't ever heal if you keep this up."
Xemnas glared at that and flicked the lights on, successfully getting a groan of agony from his lesser companion. "I'm back in here because I'm getting very tired of your self-serving attitude, Saïx. I originally came in here trying to help your pitiful situation be less painful and humiliating, but instead you had to go and run your mouth without so much as thinking. And now I'm here to tell you to drop the sass or you're going to wind up permanently dead. I am a figure you are supposed to respect, not snap at through every twist and turn!"
Saïx interrupted him before Xemnas could get much further in his speech, mostly because was tired of hearing the same old thing over and over. "You know, Xemnas, I'm just sick and tired of all the bitching you do about me and the others. You're nitpicky and annoying. No one wants to be around you because you're an ass. And you might say I'm an ass, but that's because I want everyone to leave me alone. For some reason you're not getting the picture. If you want me to respect you, do it at a distance. You know, far away from me."
"That isn't how this Organization works," Xemnas fought back, fury overflowing within him. "I nitpick because you are supposed to be helpful, not dimwitted and undertalented! In the event that anyone else is to join us in the Organization, I need you to be an example of what they should strive to be. Instead I am being met with the world's greatest disappointment—"
"Maybe if you had normal standards, you wouldn't have such ridiculous high hopes for us! You'd realize how futile it is to put your faith in so many to get so much done."
"None of the others have proved as useless as you," Xemnas sniped.
"Then why don't you go to them and praise them at being so damn wonderful!? I am so sick of hearing you talk to me. Just leave."
"I am your Superior and you will not talk to me like that—"
"Such a pity I already did," Saïx snarked.
Xemnas finally couldn't take it any longer and he backhanded Saïx hard across the face. "Consider yourself under surveillance from now on, and I expect you up tomorrow, early, for your onslaught of missions that I will be taking you on personally. From this day forth, you will be treated like the dirt on my shoe until I see a drastic improvement in your behavior. And if I get fed up with your attitude, I will do everything within me to punish you within the last inch of your hardly existing life!"
With that said he moved back toward the door, glaring back at Saïx with such venomous hate. "Early. Remember that." He then left.
Saïx felt so…angered but content. Two could play this game. He gently rubbed his cheek where he had been slapped. Yes…he was just getting started.
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End of first chapter.
A/N: Hope this was enjoyable, more to come soon! Please read and review, it helps motivate the ol' brain to make more goodies.