A/N: Okay, so some of you are wondering what took me so long to update. Well, newsflash: For me, this is quick.
Happy New Year, Auld Lang Syne, yadda, yadda, yadda. You get the point.
Besides, this was just in time for my birthday. Which is this coming Sunday, January fourteenth.
For those of you that care (Not many, I'm guessing.) I'll be fourteen. Wheee.
Anyways. Yes. I've got a new chapter out. Don't worry, he'll meet Ariel soon enough, so hold your horses.
I thank all of you who reviewed, and do not fear, I'll respond to each of you individually at the second author's note that I always leave at the end of each chapter.
I'm not putting a disclaimer on any more chapters since there's already one on the first chapter.
Punishment
Xemnas makes a good leader of our Organization. No, really, he does.
I mean, if you discount his psychotic dreams of achieving godhood and his unusual obsession with anger and rage, he's a great leader. He tries hard at his job at the very least, which is more than I can say for Luxord, who'd rather play poker on the job and drink rum with pirates than remember to collect hearts for our cause.
However, I could not get over Xemnas' office. Oh. Excuse me. I meant the 'Room of Decidable Fates', of course.
It would be my guess that each and every object in the room was meant to symbolize how we Nobodies were only half a person.
How did I know this? Well, gee. It might have had something to do with the fact that every object in there was sliced in half in some manner, whether it was diagonal, horizontal, or vertical.
The brilliant color coordination scheme consisted of the oh-so-surprising grays, blacks, and whites.
I swear, even the Snickers bar located on the desk was divided in half. Of course, that could have just been because our Superior got hungry. Oh well.
Perhaps the room was supposed to cause a serious effect of some sort. More than likely it was made to constantly remind our non-existent subconscious of what we were.
But all I could think of right now as I awkwardly balanced on my half-a-seat was that the room was ridiculously similar to Willy Wonka's own office.
Hmm. Maybe there are quite a few similarities between that insane owner of a chocolate factory and our own dear Xemmy, now that I think about it. I'll have to ponder this rather profound realization later.
In any case, as I sat twiddling my thumbs, picking at a few loose strings that popped up every so often on my uniform black gloves, I must say that I was quite lucky that as a Nobody, I'm unable to sweat.
No water in this empty shell that is my body equals no profuse perspiring.
Memories of my other, from back quite a long time ago, possibly even to say when the world was new, seeing as Xemnas slapped together the World That Never Was not too terribly long ago, are quite fuzzy. However, I do remember sweating…a lot. It usually occurred when I was nervous about something.
And sitting here, I was definitely nervous for what precious sliver of not-quite life I had. Good thing that dying had kicked that sweaty habit of mine to the curb.
I doubt Xemnas would enjoy having a nice big stain of perspiration on his half-stool.
It took a few more minutes of almost unbearable, awkward silence, but finally, our silver-haired dictator took note of my presence once more, when he was done with shuffling through a few half-sheets of paper on which was written some illegible scrawl.
Wow. And I thought my handwriting was bad.
"Number IX. Please state to me your reasoning for behaving in an immature, childish way to your superiors and to your fellow Organization members on a daily basis, so that we may sort out this matter and come up with a suitable method of ensuring that everyone is pleased in the future," he recited to me.
Holy mother of fish paste (And don't you make fun of my surprised exclamations.). He really did just say all of that to me in one breath.
When my brain finally managed to process what exactly the Superior had just said to me—seriously, who really talks like that anymore—I winced slightly, though went on to answer so as to not annoy him further.
"Sir, I'm just…"
Here I paused. Why exactly did I feel the need to annoy people so much?
It wasn't as though I purposely tried to startle Xaldin into dropping his spear so it hit Zexion's shin, or distract Vexen to the point where one of his nasty little experiments blew the whole of his laboratory wall into oblivion.
I only carried out such eccentric behavior as acting like a complete idiot with good purposes in mind. Even if the results were never quite as good as I pictured when I started out. I blame my incredibly naïve and way-too-optimistic manner for my trying again and again.
"Sir, I suppose I just want to…liven the place up a bit." Okay. So that wasn't the best word usage. "Excuse me. I just would like to cheer everyone up once in a while," I corrected myself.
"It did not cross your mind that perhaps not everyone here desires cheering up? More specifically, your methods of…'cheering them up'?"
Though I did keep my mouth clamped shut tight, I felt the sting of his remark and desperately wanted to respond. Why was it that none of my fellow Organization members seemed to understand that it was practically my unofficially designated job to try everything I knew in the book to yank them out of their depths of despair?
We each had our coined statuses. Saïx was a bringer of fear. Please take my word for it—you don't want to get on the bad side of an angry berserker. The only one who has ever managed to taunt Saïx and live to tell the tale is Axel. And that's only because he practices by teasing Larxene first.
Marluxia was our bringer of cannibalistic plants and herbal fragrances.
Okay…so yes, he'd probably impale me with his frightening pink scythe (Or worse by far, feed me to those wretched plants he treats as pets. I shudder at the thought) was I to say that to his face.
One could probably say, truthfully speaking, that he was our bringer of suspicion. Before he joined our humble Organization, we never hesitated to speak out about anything that crossed our minds, and we always expected that the rest of our members did the same.
And then the Graceful Assassin came, and with his haughty, superior attitude, and ability to say the most appalling things in the most gracious manner, the rest of us slowly began to lose what little trust we had built up between each other. Even still we always stare at others in a slight apprehension that never fades, wondering what secrets they might be keeping from us.
So yes, I was definitely a bringer of something to the Thirteenth Order—more than likely, everyone else would classify it as annoyance, but I'd like to think of it as cheerfulness.
When I failed to answer, Xemnas exhaled heavily, which only served to remind me of what a problem I was thought of by my so-called-friends.
"Number IX, no matter what punishments have been thrust upon you in the past, you still insist upon behaving…childishly. You simply refuse to learn any valuable lesson that we try to teach to you."
I drummed the gloved fingers of one hand along one sleeve of my cloak. I didn't dare drum them along the wood of the desk, for fear I would only succeed in annoying the Superior even further, which would definitely not be a good thing considering the amount of trouble I was certain that I'd already landed myself in.
I waited for him to continue.
"It has come to my attention that perhaps the best method of teaching you such lessons that will assist in making you the best member of Organization XIII (Which is, of course, Xemmy-speak for that he thought I had a childish attitude and being punished in cruel and unimaginable ways were sure to drain me of all originality so I ceased to annoy my fellow members.) is to let you…learn on your own," the gray-haired Nobody before me sighed.
I paused momentarily, blinking. Learn on my own? "…Did you have anything in mind, Sir?"
Xemnas nodded slowly. "Indeed I did. It is my belief if you were to take some time to go visit a world of your choosing by yourself, and fend for yourself there, you might return to us, ready to quit being such a…nuisance." And there was the word I'd been waiting for. He'd said it for lack of anything better to call me.
Still, his words grasped my rather short attention span immediately.
"You mean like a vacation?"
"I prefer to think of it as a lesson-learning experience for you."
Trying not to grin, as I figured that might provoke Xemnas into changing his mind, I gave a nod to Number I, standing up from my chair and exiting the room.
---
"I hate you."
"I know."
"No. I seriously loathe you with every non-existent cell in my body."
I was conversing with Number II, who would be Xigbar for those deprived souls of you that don't already know that small tidbit of information.
In the past, and even still today, I've counted one of the questions to consider as one of life's little mysteries as: How in all the worlds did Xigbar ever achieve the second rank of the Organization?
The Freeshooter was every bit as lazy as I was, and he had a frightful tendency to act before he thought anything out.
I'm not saying he's a bad fighter, because he really knows how to kick ass in just about any situation.
But come on? For him to be the leading rank, other than Xemmy himself?
If Xemnas sent Saïx, for instance, on a mission, the berserker's reply would more than likely end up being "Yes, my liege."
Now, on the other hand, say you want to assign Xigbar a mission. The sort of reply common for him was something along the lines of "If you weren't superior, I'd shoot you."
My point here is, you wouldn't expect Xemnas' second-in-command to make for a great friend—if you could really consider Nobodies capable of befriending each other, that was. But hey, if Roxas and Axel considered themselves best friends, Xigbar was probably about as close a friend as I could consider.
Now, if he's such a great friend, you're all probably wondering just why he stated he hated me.
Please. That was sarcasm…well, mostly sarcasm, I hope.
I'd just finished explaining in detail to him the morning's events and my so-called punishment from our Superior.
The terms of the agreement that Xemnas and I had come to were that I was allowed to leave the World That Never Was. In fact, I was required to leave it. I could choose any world on the map that I saw fit to visit. There were no missions expected of me, no killing requirements in order to add hearts to our Kingdom Hearts—nothing of that sort.
I didn't even have to have any of my superior fellow Nobodies there to keep an eye on me. The only other thing Xemnas demanded was that I not come back until I felt that a valuable lesson had been practically branded onto my brain.
It was like being condemned to heaven. I'd just scored a vacation, free of nagging, missions, and carnivorous plants.
"I work my ass off on missions twenty-four hours, seven days a week," Xigbar grumbled. "You go around soaking members of a higher rank than yourself, and waking up cannibalistic freaks like Saïx with your inconsistent screaming, and you get a vacation."
He had his arms crossed as he hung upside down to talk to me, a habit he'd once confessed to me that he suspected he'd had as a child and a Somebody. He said he vaguely remembered hanging upside down on monkey bars on a playground.
Old habits die hard, I guess. I myself still remember running out of a bathroom stark naked, my wet and bubble-bath covered hair fashioned into a mockery of the style it now has at this moment, as I declared to the house and everyone inside it that I was a rockstar.
…I've still not mentioned that to Xigbar, and have no desire to do so any time in this lifetime.
Xigbar studied me for a moment, before a wry grin twisted its way onto his face. As dismayed as he was to find out that I was getting time off and he wasn't, he still had a liking for every devious misdeed I committed on a daily basis. I suppose my face must shown that I was, in fact, just pondering another devious act, because it was what he inquired to next.
"You're not even planning to take your own Gummi ship, are you?"
"Nope," I answered, nonrepentant.
"Then whose are you taking?"
"Oh, I think I've got a good idea…"
A/N: For me, Demyx and Xigbar would so obviously be best friends. Like Cyborg and Beast Boy on Teen Titans.
Of course, I also once declared that Sebastian, yes, the same Disney Sebastian-the-Crab you're all thinking about, was my 'Wakka-in-a-shell'. Don't ask.
I have one little thing to say to those of you who aren't reviewing simply because of the fact that I said I wanted reviews before I updated: Get over it. In life, you have things demanded of you. If you don't want to review my story, that's fine, but I've got better things to do than listen to you get in my face because I said I wanted five little reviews.
Oh, and by the way--the reviews are to help me, not torture you. If I see I'm getting reviews on a fic I haven't updated in awhile, it helps remind me to cut a slice of time out of my tedious schedule to please all my readers. Yes, I usually have more than the amount I asked for before I update, but I start working on the update once I see I've got my necessary amount. I'm slow. You don't get onto turtles because they're slow. Don't get onto me.
So for all of you who're wondering, I'm still doing my usual five review requirement. If you don't like it, I don't really care. I just want a little positive reinforcement to help me keep my writing in gear.
And now, thank you to all of you who did review! Yes, it's finally time for the review responses.
(In response to Skydra and Crystal: o:
Thank you. Oh thank you so very much. Of course, don't think I want you to die and have me be the cause, but I'm exceedingly glad you enjoyed my story. And oh dear sweet Lord, THANK you for giving this story its first review! Don't worry, I do plan to continue!)
(In response to Reading Chick: xD
Ha. I'm glad you didn't run and scream. Because if you had, then you wouldn't have read my story. I hope chapters to come continue to keep you interested in this story!)
(In response to Xaldin's Girlfriend: .o.
-bows to the applause- You flatter me. And oh goodness. I do look forward to reading whatever XaldinXBelle fic you come up with. The pairing simply strikes my interest...I've no idea why, but it does. Not only will I read it, but I'll review it too of course. NobodyXPrincess pairings are always the best...save for Larxel, which I'm afraid I love almost more than I love chocolate, which is seriously saying something.)
(In response to odi8200: 8D
Why thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it.)
(In response to organization-mischeif15: B3
I'm afraid I enjoy tormenting poor Demywemy a bit too much than is healthy. I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter! And who doesn't like Vixen's stories? It's like saying you don't like breathing, which would be preposterous...unless you were someone with an odd phobia of air or something of the sort.)
(In response to mynameisriku: xD
Lawl. I'm glad you think my story kicks ass. I haven't had much free time recently, but I'll certainly read your story whenever opportunity allows!)
(In response to Constance Greene: x3
Your review about made my heart leap. Long reviews tend to do that to me of course. It pleases me to know that I'm keeping dear little Number IX in-character, and that the characters randomly thrown in there weren't terribly out of place either. Parts of my story might have made you laugh, but your responses to the parts you put in your 'Neat-o Quotes Time' made me nearly spit water out all over my poor cat. Rambling is fine by me, as I'm prone to do it at an average of ninety-six times per day.)
(In response to Tomkitty13, a.k.a. Malleh-wa: xDDD
Thanks for reviewing Mal. And yes, I use big words because I like big words. You should know that by now. -snickersnort- And now I've updated. So now YOU need to update.)
(In response to goddess of trix: .
I can understand your loving of Demyx. He's so adorkable, it's like he's one big love-magnet. I'm so glad you liked the chapter. And yes, I'm afraid it is my first time in first person, unless you count a few random school essays I had to write.)
(In response to Bishieluver01: BD
By all means, you can feel free to use whatever parts of my story you'd like! You don't have to give me credit if you don't want to. I don't freak out much about that kind of thing. I do hope to go far in this fanfic. I've roleplayed the plot with a friend of mine recently, and even if I don't stick to precisely what happened in that roleplay, at least I've got ideas to assist me, should I ever get stuck.)
(In response to O o: Dx
First off, I have no plans at all for an argument with you. I'm not going to start up a 'bitch-fest', as you so poetically put it, because I'm lazy and you're stupid. No questions asked. I've already shared my ideas on this issue you've brought up. Don't call me a hypocrite, dear. Call me a child if you will, because--OHMYGAWSH--I AM a child. But don't insult me by saying I'm hypocritical. I always hold up my end of the bargain, even if it's somewhat later than promised. I do my story as I go, and I have plans to finish it. I have ideas saved from a roleplay to help me. Oh, and by the way. Next time you decide to insult me, you might keep in mind your own spelling. It's 'I've got', not 'I got'. But hey, I'm only a child, so what would I know? Thank you for your wishes of good luck, in any case.)
(In response to Viktor Mayrin: .3.
EEEEE, VIKTOR. It's been AGES since I've last been in touch with you! Mwaha. I'm ecstatic that I've hooked you. Yay me. Crackalicious? Oh dear. I think my chair's about to break, I'm laughing so hard.)
(In response to Kyllex of Darkness: 8D
Omgsh, Kyellex! I haven't talked with you in about forever and a day! And heck yes. Marluxia rules ALL with his carnivorous plants of DOOM. Aheh...I probably shouldn't have eaten those brownies. By golly, I'm hyper. But oh yes, I'm glad to hear you like it!)
Phew. That was a lot of responding to do while sneaking on the compouter at almost four in the morning.
Yes, I still want five reviews before I update. If you don't want to contribute to those, that's fine, honestly. I only ask for them to keep me going. Anyways, Happy belated New Year to all of you!
