Stuck
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I solely own Selene Bromine and Lio Brighton.
A/N: ...can anybody tell me why Xaldin is always portrayed as the cook?
Chapter 3: Day One in the World that Never Was
The trio proceeded to the kitchens, where they found Xaldin cooking something. With his superior sense of smell, Zexion was able to deduce that what Xaldin was cooking was edible, and strolled in to talk with his colleague. After a few minutes of persuasion, Xaldin finally agreed to make something for them as well. He had nothing else to do at that moment, anyway.
"..."
The three ate in silence, contemplating on what to say next or they simply thought of their current situation. Zexion was trying to think of a way to make the tour as short and concise as possible, and possibly drag somebody along with them so he wouldn't have to endure hours on end with two new nobodies by himself. Then, all he would need to do was wait for orders from Xemnas, and hopefully, it wouldn't take long.
"...where are we staying?" The voice snapped Zexion out of his thoughts and he looked up at the girl, who was looking at him nonchalantly, to his slight surprise. The Schemer didn't expect her to adjust so quickly to the environment, as she didn't even pretend to have emotions for the time being. That couldn't be said for her friend... no, 'rival', though. He looked at him with curiosity in his eyes and he was clearly anticipating an answer (but that'd be obvious).
"I do not know," answered Zexion curtly as he flipped through his lexicon (which Lio was looking at warily, having been knocked out by it once already) since he finished his food. "I imagine that it would be something that the Superior would tell us when he gives me further instructions on what to do with you two. Most likely, you will get the rooms beside Roxas."
"Ah." The girl returned to her food, satisfied with his answer.
They were silent for the next ten minutes, where Zexion waited for the two neophytes to stop eating. Selene was the first to finish, and was a bit more impatient with Lio. The three left the kitchens shortly afterwards. Lio was grumbling how Selene was a restless little brat, which earned him a firm fist to the head. Zexion simply ignored them.
"This is the lounge," he stated emotionlessly, gesturing towards the room where Luxord was playing a game of poker with Xigbar. The two older men looked up and waved before returning to their game. Lio and Selene exchanged glances, but shrugged; well, Luxord shouldn't be disturbed when he was gambling, and Xigbar was probably intent on beating him in his own game. From what the two glanced before they exited the room, however, Xigbar was failing miserably. Well, Luxord was the Gambler of Fate.
The trio went through a few more areas after that, and met two more members. Lexaeus was in the gym lifting a humongous dumbbell that seemed physically impossible to carry. Apparently, it wasn't, since Lexaeus was doing so right now. On the bench beside him was a Rubik's Cube (solved) and a few assorted mangas, no doubt for when he takes a break. When Zexion introduced them, Lexaeus gave them a curt greeting before returning to his workout. The two didn't mind, of course; he wasn't called the Silent Hero for nothing. Zexion mentioned something about a broken headboard to him, and then they went on their way.
Vexen was in the lab, as expected, and was concocting some sort of potion that Zexion stated was the reason the two were even in the World that Never Was. Vexen gave a lecture on how the thing was supposed to make artificial portals, and then turned back to his work. Apparently, he had already analyzed the reactions that Lio and Selene gave when they found out that they were Nobodies and there was nothing too strange, except they showed a bit more emotion than usual.
Currently, the three nobodies were at the library. Zexion heard Lio groan as Selene displayed the most emotions that she had that evening and was skimming happily through the shelves. She was lingering at the Greek Myth, Astrology, Numerology, and Manga sections, and even pulled out the 20th Naruto book to read the back cover. Zexion didn't mind; he himself considered the library his second-favorite part of the castle, after his room. Lio, on the other hand, looked impatient and seemed to want to go to the next area. When he voiced his thoughts, however, Selene simply glared at him.
"If you're so impatient, then go check out a manga book or something," she stated, and then returned to reading Ibsen's A Doll's House. The two males noted that her facial expression changed from interest to disgust after a minute or so, and put the book back after a while growling, "Torvald Helmer is a sexist pig."
"Is that so?" asked Lio in a bored tone, skimming through the action novels that were on the shelf next to her. "I'm really not in a mood for reading right now, you guys..."
"Restless as ever, I see," sighed Selene, standing up. "I guess that means we're ready for the next area... hey, who's that?" she asked, looking at one of the far tables. Well, she did know who the blond female was, but she had to fake ignorance.
"Larxene, Number XII. I advise that we don't talk to her right now," said Zexion, already at the door. "It's a bad idea to disturb her while she's reading Marquis de Sade." Indeed, she was reading a book by the man whom 'sadism' was named after, and frankly, Larxene herself was quite sadistic. The neophytes quietly snuck out, careful not to disturb the woman.
The three walked a short distance before Zexion stopped again, his nose slightly scrunched up. "And this is the greenhouse, frequently tended to by Marluxia, Number XI. But I get the feeling that he's not the only person in there right now, as I smell something bur—"
"AXEL!!" yelled a voice from within the depths of the plants, which caused Lio to be startled and Selene to raise an eyebrow. "THAT IS THE LAST STRAW, YOU NUMBSKULL! IT TOOK ME MONTHS TO RAISE THAT ROSE BUSH, AND NOW IT'S INCINERATED NO THANKS TO YOU! I'LL NEED TO TEND TO IT FOR ANOTHER YEAR BEFORE IT GOES BACK TO ITS PREVIOUS STATE! GET BACK HERE!"
As if on cue, a grinning redhead came running out of there right at that moment, nearly running into the three others. "Ah, hey, Zexy!" he greeted, before disappearing into a portal. Zexion glared at the spot that Axel was a few seconds before because he had called him 'Zexy'. He didn't get to explain to Lio and Selene what that was all about, as another nobody stormed out of the greenhouse, fuming with a murderous aura about him.
"Zexion!" he growled, summoning his scythe menacingly. "Where is Axel?!" Zexion held in the urge to roll his eyes and simply sniffed the air once.
"The Proof of Existence, but don't count on him staying there for long," the Schemer replied, considering the leak of information payback for the 'Zexy' comment. Marluxia didn't bother thanking him and made a portal out of there that instant, his murderous aura growing by the second. Zexion turned to the two younger ones. Lio was gaping at the previous scene while Selene was shaking her head with a hand on her forehead in pity. "That was Axel," explained Zexion. "Number VIII. He consistently burns Marluxia's plants just to annoy the man, and is best friends with Number XIII."
"I feel sorry for Marluxia," grumbled Selene, before looking up. "Do you think that he'd mind if we take a look inside of the greenhouse?"
Zexion shrugged. "As long as you don't mess with anything, it should be fine. He hates it when people mess with his plants; take the previous scene for example." Selene nodded and entered, a grumbling Lio behind him. Zexion settled himself in a corner of the greenhouse. It had always been a wonder for him how Marluxia could keep plants alive in this world where almost nothing is able to live. Nobodies don't really count, since they are just half of a whole; an imprint that exists, but was not supposed to exist in the first place. Well, if they were nonexistent, then they couldn't be able to hear, talk, smell, see, etc... but they were close to it.
Zexion watched as the girl examined the burnt rose bush critically from different angles, as if trying to figure out a faster way to make it grow. He knew it was useless, however; Marluxia was the flower and plant expert of the organization, and if he decided that it would take about a year to make it grow, it probably will. He heard the boy mutter something about them being there was a waste of time, but Selene whacked him in the head. The Schemer wondered how it was possible for them to show so much emotion; perhaps he had made a mistake in diagnosing them with loss of heart? But that was impossible... they were clearly incomplete, and the imprints of their bodies were present, so they must be missing their hearts. Also, unless their hearts absorbed a lot of darkness beforehand, them being heartless would be impossible, as they were clearly intelligent. Their scents didn't explode with darkness, either.
Whatever it was, those two were not normal. Even if they had the scent of the incomplete, they were not average nobodies.
A portal opened behind him. "What is it, Demyx?" asked Zexion while he turned around, fixing his visible eye at the sitarist emotionlessly.
"Xemnas sent me to give you this," answered the lower-ranked one, grinning as he handed Zexion a few pieces of paper. Demyx was also a mystery to him. He had consistently been able to put up a facade of emotions, and Zexion was quite positive that he was a nobody. Perhaps Nobodies still had traces of emotions within them, or some had more shadows of feelings than others.
Zexion nodded curtly in return without saying anything, and began skimming through the instructions. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Demyx had already made a portal and was out of there, already used to his higher-up's quietness. As Zexion read through the directions, he blinked and raised an eyebrow, especially at the last item. "They are sure to throw a fit," he breathed.
"Who are?" asked a voice behind him. The Schemer turned and found that Selene and Lio were right behind him. Lio had a curious expression on his face while Selene was fuming slightly, most likely at Lio for commenting earlier.
"Nothing," muttered Zexion, straightening up and tucking the papers inside of his pocket (assume that the cloaks have pockets). "Are you two ready to go to the next area?" Both nodded and followed him out the greenhouse. Under his breath, so that the two he was supposed to be taking care of couldn't hear, he mumbled, "I hope nothing disturbing happens today..."
¤-¤-¤-¤
"DEMYX!!"
"And again, I was wrong," sighed Zexion as he watched Selene chase her higher-up around the swimming pool, waving her fists dangerously around. Lio was cowering behind the diving board, not ready to die at Selene's hands should he get in her way of revenge.
¤-¤Very General Recap¤-¤
Half an hour had already passed since the greenhouse incident, and the group had been careful to avoid the still-angry Marluxia who was hunting down Axel (who had escaped the scythe-wielder's clutches again). Their final destination was the pool, which was usually only used by the water-user Demyx, whether it was to pass the time or practice his attacks. Apparently, he had gotten bored and decided to squirt whoever went through the door next with water. When we mean 'squirt', we mean use 'Dance, Water, Dance!' to control the pool water and cause it to crash full-force into the unfortunate soul.
As it turned out, Lio and Selene had gotten into another argument and they refused to be within ten feet of each other. So, Selene was in front of the group, Zexion was giving directions from the middle, and Lio was sulking in the back. As a result, Demyx had played the trick on a not-so-happy Selene, who became covered in chlorine-filled water that stung her eyes a bit. Thankfully, she was able to close her eyes only a millisecond too late. Still, her eyes hurt...
"That is Demyx, Number IX, and the water-controller," stated Zexion in a deadpan tone, cutting into the intimidating silence that was surrounding Selene. Demyx was smart enough to realize that Selene was someone he did not know and was more short-tempered than she looked. Slowly, he backed up but was clumsy enough to trip over a stray kick-board stuck to the ground.
"DEMYX!!"
¤-¤End of Very General Flashback¤-¤
And that brings us to the present. Zexion rolled his eyes in annoyance but he simply sat down on one of the bleachers. Demyx should've known better than to do tricks like that; he would've been in even more trouble if somebody else was there. Sure, Selene could be scary when she was mad (how she was able to be mad, he didn't know), but if the person was say, Saix, Demyx would probably he mutilated by now. And Larxene... Zexion shuddered. He did NOT want to think about what Larxene, the electric sadist who wields ten pointy knives (a.k.a. Kunai) would do to Demyx, the watery loafer who wields a guitar-like weapon (a.k.a. Sitar). Everybody knows that water conducts electricity.
"I swear, that was an accident!" yelled Demyx frantically, diving into the pool in hopes that Selene would be afraid to get her clothes wet. No such luck. Without hesitation, she jumped right into the water and swam after him in a way that reminded Zexion of a shark going after its prey. He may as well say goodbye to Demyx right here.
Lio slowly came out of his hiding spot and joined Zexion, his fear fading into amusement and slight worry for the blonde. Zexion turned to him. "Does she usually do this?"
"When she's mad, yeah," answered Lio, sweat dropping as Selene picked up the pace and Demyx started panicking. "I haven't seen her behave this way for a long time, though, even when she's mad at me. Her murderous auras are usually reserved for the times that she snap."
Zexion turned back to the water scene, and watched as Selene, purely by anger, caught up with Demyx and tried to pound him to a bloody pulp. Seeing that she had no weapon nor element yet, that was near impossible, but those bruises that were forming on Demyx's skin did look like they hurt. Furthermore, she headbutted him. And to think, just fifteen minutes ago, she was calmer than the sea.
"Should we help him?" suggested Lio timidly when he felt the pulsing aura around her not cease. "If this keeps up, I think that there will be few outcomes, and none of them will make any of us happy." Zexion had to agree. Either Selene hits him until he falls unconscious or Demyx loses it, summons his sitar again and floods the whole area.
"I suggest that we should," agreed Zexion, and walked over to the side of the pool closest to their one-sided fight. When Lio realized what Zexion was about to do, it was already too late; the man had summoned his lexicon and hit Selene over the head with it. Ignoring the scandalized looks that Lio was giving him, he lifted up the now-unconscious girl and walked over to her rival. Demyx had gotten safely to the edge as well before he realized that he could have teleported out of the fight and avoided the deal altogether.
"Stop knocking us unconscious with that book of yours, will you?" complained Lio, which earned him a cold glare from the silver-blue-haired man. That shut him up.
"Since Selene here is already unconscious, I may as well show you to your room," stated the older one, and promptly made a portal around himself and the girl he was carrying. Lio hastily followed him through the corridor.
They arrived in front of a normal door with the nobody insignia painted on it. The number "XV" was crossed out and instead, the words "Extra Room" were there. Zexion opened the door. There was a queen-sized bed in the corner (to Lio's surprise), a closet, a shelf, another door that Lio assumed led to the restroom, two desks, a computer on each desk, and a window. "This," stated Zexion, "is your room."
"Kind of plain in here, isn't it?" observed Lio, raising an eyebrow at the lack of color and decorations. "We can buy things to put in here, can't we?"
"Yes; the Superior could care less about those things," answered Zexion with a nod. Lio began to explore the room just for the heck of it, and realized that there wasn't much to explore. There really was nothing there other than the things previously stated; he found a few uniforms in the closet, of course, but the shelves were bare, as were the desks and the restroom. He turned away from the view at the window to find that Zexion was still standing there, but Selene was on his bed.
"Oh yeah, where is Selene going to sleep? I mean, where's her room?" he asked, observing her steady breathing. Zexion sighed and wondered how he should put what the Superior had told him to do in words that wouldn't disturb the boy too much.
"Here," he replied bluntly. Better to get it over with now...
Lio blinked, and Zexion imagined that his simple answer had stimulated a lot of questions in his head. After all, that was probably the last thing that the boy expected... "Wait, I think I heard you wrong. What did you say?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I said that she's sleeping here. You two are sharing a room," replied the man curtly, his mouth twitching. He couldn't help but enjoy this a bit, but he also discreetly moved farther away from Lio, because he was sure that his reaction would be...
"WHAT?!"
Rolling his eyes at Lio's gaping mouth, Zexion simply took out the piece of paper that Demyx had handed him earlier and tossed it to the neophyte, who caught it immediately. With shaking hands, he opened the piece of paper and nearly yelled out in agony when he saw the bottom.
17.) The two new 'recruits' will have to share a room. Because they are not full members, they have to get half the privileges as well, and thus have to both use Number XV's room.
Ignoring Lio's splutters of protest, Zexion straightened up. "I will wake you two up in the morning tomorrow to help you go through your rounds; your duties start in two days. In the afternoon, we will try and determine your elements and weapons through training and danger simulation. Bye." With that, he created a portal and left a dumbfounded Lio standing there, who was not sure whether he should be indifferent about this or cringe in fear.
Zexion arrived in his own room and sighed; this was a lot more tiresome than he expected. With that, he grabbed a psychology book from his own bookshelf (already filled) and read about the normal teenage mind in order to try and figure out how tomorrow will turn out.
...he should've known to expect the unexpected.
¤-¤-¤-¤
And that's another chapter. This writing style is bothering me... Ah, well, I just needed to get this story out of my head anyway. I would appreciate reviews, though, especially if they could help me improve my writing. Again, alert me of any ooc-ness and if you will, tell me what you think of this fanfic...
I guess I might as well include a preview.
--
Slowly, Zexion straightened up, his eyebrow twitching. A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth, but he was only vaguely aware of it. Selene stared at him and blinked, as if she was still half-asleep... and she probably was.
Then, without warning, she shouted, "VAMPIRE!" and punched him in the face.
She was asleep again.
Zexion made a mental note to never wake her up by himself again and to make her buy an alarm clock that could not be destroyed and would not stop ringing until the person is fully awake.
--
In case you didn't get it, that section was all from the same scene, but it skips some of the information in-between.
