Heeeey, everyone! ^^; Eheheh. Well, I'd meant to submit this like THREE WEEKS AGO, but the stupid open office saved it as a corrupt file. D : So I had to RE-TYPE the WHOLE darn thing and I was really too lazy for a while, and I kept putting it off. But, I FINALLY got off my lazy BUTT and re-typed it! :D YAYZ! So, here it is. Chapter 3. This one is more focused on Zexion's background, his thoughts, and his family. I hope it's good, because the first time I wrote it, it was REALLY emotionless and purely analytical, so I changed it. Hope it's better! : ) Let's see another 5 reviews for this one, huh? ; ) Tell me what you think! BTW, Zexion's father is NOT a character from KH, he was made up. : )
I forgot to do these! D: DISCLAIMER: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Zemyx and AkuRoku would be real, Kairi would be dead, Riku would be mine, and no orgy members would ever die. :D But, alas, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. T-T But I do own the plot! YAYZ! XD
As soon as Zexion got home, he briefly checked on his mother - she had enough strength to sit up and listen to him lie easily about his first day of school - and then shut himself in his room with a nice stack of good, thick books. Books were his only escape from this nightmare of a life - except for the meth, of course. He loved getting lost in the words, losing himself and his troubles inside tales of deceit, action, romance, and adventure. With all of the books he read, he might've been considered a genius. But, he lacked the incentive to actually do well in school, so a lot of people just thought he incompetent. But, he didn't mind; it was better this way. It kept attention away from him. He was halfway through his first - and favorite - book, when suddenly his father barged in his room.
Zexion's father was a big man. He was tall and also slightly muscular, with short blue hair and penetrating icy blue eyes; the same eyes as Zexion's eyes except harder, sharper. He always wore a suit and tie, and was away at work - as the head Oblivion Inc, the largest business in all of Radiant Garden - for 15 to 16 hours a day. He always talked in a professional, business-like voice, even at times like this, when speaking to his youngest son.
" Zexion." he greeted the blue-haired teenager. Zexion noted his page number and then set his book aside. " Hello, Father." he responded obediently. His father was a very serious man, and he demanded that Zexion show him the utmost politeness and respect at all times. Zexion waited patiently for him to say what he wanted to say. He cleared his throat and self-consciously adjusted his tie - an extremely rare indication of being unsure. " ...How was your first day of 11th grade?" he finally asked nervously. This surprised Zexion - he'd only cared about his son's grade if Zexion was failing something - but his face gave away nothing. " It went well, Father." he lied calmly. " Why do you ask?" His father seemed to be struggling to find the right words. " Well.... it's just that.... I....." he sighed, and sat down in a chair facing Zexion. Suddenly his normally professional voice sounded uncharacteristically parental. " It's just.... well, I know I'm almost never around to take care of you and your mother - and believe me I wish that didn't have to be so - but this past year and a half or so, I've noticed that you've.... changed, I guess it is. You still take care of your mother very carefully, thank goodness for that, but the rest of the time you're holed up in here, more inside the world of books than out in the real world. You're always wearing all black, you changed your hairstyle, and you seem totally anti-social. At first, I thought, or hoped rather, that it was just a phase. But... it's lasted so long.... I don't know if it'll end or not. Zexion.... are you ok? Are you really, truly ok? Or did something.... serious happen?"
Zexion stared wide-eyed at him for a moment, completely shocked. The druggie side of him was thinking oh, fuck, he suspects something, but the only thing that could run through the normal side of his was holy crap, he really DOES care... When did this happen? His father watched him anxiously, waiting. After a moment, Zexion regained control and held up one pointer finger. " It's.... hard to explain. Give me a minute to think, Father." he requested calmly. His father nodded, relieved. Zexion sat there for a long moment, just marveling. He does care. He really does. Zexion wasn't sure whether to curse him out or hug him. He suddenly felt like crying and confessing to everything. But that would be a bad idea. Focus! Think about that later! He reminded himself.
Zexion racked his brain, trying to decide what he could say and what he couldn't. Well, I can't tell him about the drugs, obviously. Besides, I don't think he would be able to handle that. With a jolt, he realized that he cared about his father, too. He used to not care. He used to love the times when his father was away, because then he could be alone, be sad and depressed all alone. But... he cares about me. He's been watching, worrying about me. He sounds like a normal parent. Like... how I'd always wanted it. He'd never cared to admit, but he'd lost count of how many times he'd wished his father would pay more attention to him, especially when he was younger. All this time... He felt choked up, like he couldn't breathe right. He had to fight to keep from crying. He swallowed hard, but the choked up feeling was still there. He took a deep breath, fighting. After a moment, he managed to regain control, and go back to thinking. I can't tell him I'm worried about Mom. That.... would be bad. What else has happened in the last few years? He thought hard, trying to remember. Suddenly, an image came to him. Two boys, one with blue hair and one with brown. That's it! My brothers!
Zexion had two older brothers. Saix and Lexaeus. Saix was the oldest, with long blue hair. He was 20, and he'd left for college about 2 and a half years ago. He and Zexion hadn't been the closest of brothers, but they never fought, and Saix looked out for him when he needed it. Lexaeus was a year younger than Saix, with brown hair. He was tall and muscular, even more so than their father. He was tough, but quiet and smart like Zexion. They'd been very close. They'd often be together, talking or reading, or just hanging out. Zexion had never really been good at making friends, so he'd clung to Lexaeus for company. But he, too, left for college, about a year and a half ago. That's at about the right time. And I do miss him, a lot. He was like a best friend that moved away. ....Well, that settles that. How to say it, though? I have to sound normal.
The whole thought process had taken only a moment for Zexion's highly advanced - and highly underused - brain. He locked gazes with his father and took a deep breath before beginning. He was extremely careful to sound like a normal kid who missed his wonderful brothers he'd looked up to so much. " Well, Father, you see the thing is.... well, you know how Saix and Lexaeus left for college?" His father blinked, confused. This obviously wasn't along the lines he was thinking. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. Zexion went through the best way to say it in his head, while he waited for his father to speak. It took only a few moments. " Yes, I remember. You were close to both of them, but more so to Lexaeus, right?" Zexion nodded, smiling as if at good memories. " That's right. Well, they haven't really stayed in touch, have they? Not even by phone. They never visit, or anything. I miss them, that's all. It's lonely here without them, I guess. I've never been very good at making new friends, you know that. I never meant to be anti-social, but I just don't have anyone to talk to anymore." He looked down at the floor, blinking back a tear. It was all true, he realized. None of it was a lie. He'd never admitted it, even to himself, but now he saw it was true. How many times had he wished he could confide in someone? Have someone to talk to?
When his father didn't respond immediately, Zexion lifted his gaze match his father's own blue eyes. After a minute, his father sighed and frowned almost sourly. " Of course it was something so simple. I should've guessed. I'm sorry if I overreacted, son." Zexion's eyes widened and he shook his head. " You didn't overreact, Father. Any parent would be worried, I'm sure." he said. That one wasn't a lie either. His father smiled, glad to know Zexion thought he was a good father. He'd probably been doubting that a lot recently. " Well, I'm glad you told me, Zexion. Maybe we can get them to visit." he offered. Zexion smiled. " That would be great." he said softly. He wanted so badly to see them again, to hear their voices. Especially Lexaeus. But suddenly he saw a huge flaw in that plan. " But maybe we should wait until Christmas, that way none of us have to miss school or work." he said hastily. His father nodded. " Good point." He suddenly checked his watch urgently. " I gotta go now. We'll talk more later, ok? Bye!" Zexion just managed to respond before he was suddenly alone in his room. He heard the front door open and close, and then breathed a sigh of relief and let himself fall backwards onto his pillow with a frustrated groan. " Well, Zexion," he mumbled to himself, " you needed a good reason to quit the meth. Here it is. You've got three months. Good luck."
