17 DAYS OF HELL
A Kingdom Hearts fanfiction
Kingdom Hearts is property of Square Enix and Disney
This fanfiction is purely for entertainment – please do not get offended
Enjoy…
-- DAY ONE –-
6-12 months
Axel heaved a sigh as he stepped through the kitchen and entered the lavish sitting room. The ridiculously high ceiling gave the impression that the room was larger than it actually was, however, considering the fact that room contained three pristine sofa's, four matching chairs, one exceptionally large television and a glass coffee table in the centre of it all, the room was spacious enough. Emerald eyes scanned the room in hopes of finding something – anything – that could occupy the child in his arms until Roxas returned. Unfortunately, when your home happens to be Castle Oblivion, entertainment does not come in forms of physical items. Either way, Axel's idea of fun was every different to Zexion's.
The crimson-haired nobody sighed dramatically, sat down on the floor and exclaimed, "Inspiration – come fourth!"
He sat Zexion on the floor directly in front of him. Maybe the baby could do tricks and would reward Axel with an entertaining performance?
He waited…
And waited…
And waited…
The only thing Zexion had managed to do was to remove his towel 'clothes' and was currently in the process of feebly crawling away from him. Axel decided to let the baby believe that he was actually progressing in his escape … until he got bored of watching and gently grabbed Zexion by the foot, carefully pulling him back where he started.
"You can't just wander around the castle naked, Zexion," he sniggered. "What would the Superior think, hm?"
Having absolutely no idea what he was doing, Axel laid the towel flat on the floor and placed Zexion on top. He grabbed the ends of the towel, holding the baby's struggling arms down, and tied the ends together. He sat back and took a moment to admire his handy work. Holding his hand to his mouth; the nobody decided that something did not look quite right. The baby's feet were not restricted, so he could crawl away. His arms were – that's where the problem is, he laughed to himself. He had become so engrossed in his attempt at clothing Zexion and his struggle with the baby that he had accidentally tied the towel over his arms.
A smirk spread across Axel's face as he envisioned Zexion crawling away from him, the same way as a caterpillar would, and falling flat on his face. He really would have to stop laughing at other people's expense. It was just too much of an addiction to give up though. He got a thrill whenever any of the others would make a mistake. He never let Vexen forget that time he turned into a squirrel. Axel recalled the exact date: November 9th. He had officially dubbed that day "Squirrel Day". He would write it on every calendar in red ink and as soon as October 28th arrived, he began to count down the days. Each year, Axel would give Vexen a small gift as a remembrance of that wonderful time. Last year's gift was a real squirrel, trapped inside a golden cage, with a plate around its neck, which read: I am Vexen.
An angry cry broke Axel from his reverie. He looked down and smirked once more before loosening the knots, pulling Zexion's arms free and retying the knots.
"There," Axel sneered. "No need to throw a hissy fit, Zexion. Such behaviour is not befitting of a member of Organisation XIII … especially the enigmatic Cloaked Schemer."
Throughout his taunts, Axel did wonder, briefly, whether Zexion could understand what was being said. He highly doubted it but the thought was constantly creeping around inside his head. The last thing he needed was an angry Zexion after his blood. It was possibly worse than a woman scorned, and after living with Larxene for so long, he had had his fair share of … not so nice things happen to him from her hands – and knives. How can one woman's punch hurt so much? he wondered, slightly amazed still.
Axel gathered Zexion in his arms and stood up, walking to the sofa before heavily throwing himself down. "Now… what shall we do then?" he pondered, absently sitting Zexion on his knee and bouncing him softly. He looked around. He knew that he would be able to occupy himself fully … just the thought of Zexion as a baby made him inwardly (and outwardly) smirk, however, he knew it was only a matter of time before Zexion decided that Axel was not entertainment enough. Just who is supposed to entertaining who here?
He sighed softly and let a smirk cross his face when Zexion let out a slight cry. It reminded him of when a dog was sprawled in front of the fire and could hear someone they were unfamiliar with; however, they were just too comfortable to actually lift their head and bark. The sound usually resulted in a feeble yelp that needed no explanation into how meagre it really was.
Another cry, slightly louder than the last one, was emitted from Zexion's mouth, followed by a series of soft kicks. This caused Axel to laugh at Zexion. Such behaviour was not befitting, as he had stated earlier, however, said behaviour was amusing. If Zexion could cry as long as he could speak … it would be a long night.
Obviously unamused by Axel's laugher, Zexion released a shrill cry. Tears rolled down his face as he tightly closed his eyes, stamping his legs against Axel and throwing his arms around left and right.
The smirk on Axel's face was wiped off immediately once Zexion began to cry. It was not like the soft murmurs that he had heard the baby emit prior. Those soft cries ended after a few short seconds but this – this was nothing that Axel had ever witnessed before. The shrieking did not stop after a moment. If anything, the noise progressed and became worse.
"H-Hey now," Axel said, uncertain of how and why the situation had suddenly wondered into uncharted territory. He sat up, ridged with alarm, watching as Zexion struggled against him. He pulled the baby close to him, however, the struggled caused there to be slight distance between them. He was, to be honest, half considering leaving the baby on the sofa to cry his problems away. That would solve his problems and save his ear drums, which were certain to bleed with this noise. The crimson-haired nobody shook his head. I promised Roxas, he remembered. If there was one thing he would not do was break a promise to the youngest member of Organisation XIII.
Axel cringed at the shrill cries and stood up. He decided to hold the baby close to him in hopes of calming him down and putting an end to the tears. This notion seemed like it was nothing more than an unattainable dream as his attempts did nothing for the baby. He was at a loss of what to do. Everything he had seen on the television was not working. He had tried holding Zexion close to him – nothing. Walking around the room – nothing. He was certain that he had tried talking softly to Zexion, though he could not remember as the strident cries was causing his brain to melt-down.
"Erm… Oh look!" he said suddenly. "It's a television guide – you like books."
He swiftly grabbed the flimsy magazine and opened it to the current date. "Ok … well we have a lot on today – Barney the Dinosaur, some film that, from the title, seems very boring, a documentary – yeah, me too…" he sighed, throwing the magazine over his shoulder.
So far, Axel had accomplished the task of causing Zexion to cry even more. He was actually rather surprised that none of the other members had come to see what the entire ruckus was all about. If the sounds that came from Zexion were causing his ears to bleed, surely the others must be beating their heads against the walls in hopes that the sounds would disappear soon.
"Please don't cry, Zexion," Axel pleaded, holding the baby at arm's length. Was he being punished for something he had not done? It was the only logical explanation he could create. Why else would he be cursed with this … and where the hell is Roxas! Why was the younger nobody not back yet? How long did it take to pick up things for a baby?
-
Roxas bit the inside of his lip as he looked to the left and again to the right. He just couldn't stand this anymore. He had been looking at the same thing for the past ten minutes but the answer just would not come to him. Black top … or white top. Both were exactly the same but he just could not decide between the two. He knew that as a member of Organisation XIII, everyone wore black; however, Castle Oblivion was white. Both colours were suitable in his opinion. He sighed as he grabbed both the tops and stormed over to where Demyx was.
"Demyx … I can't decide which one would look best on Zexion. Black," he said, holding the black top for the blond to see. "Or the white," he concluded, holding the white top.
Demyx stood up and looked carefully at both the articles of clothing. No wonder Roxas was unable to decide. Both tops were perfect, especially the emblem on the top, which coincidently resembled the emblem Organisation XIII, was renowned for.
Demyx nodded his head and smiled widely at Roxas. "Why not get both?" he exclaimed, gleefully.
Roxas pondered this for a moment. "Get them both?" he said slowly. "Get … them both?"
Demyx watched, the smile still plastered on his face. He was glad that Roxas had brought him to go shopping for Zexion. It was so much fun to play with all the toys that he believed the baby would like. At first, both nobodies were a little intimidated by the looks they received from other customers, however, after five minutes of looking at baby things, Roxas and Demyx overlooked this and grabbed a trolly, throwing things in it at random.
"Okay," Roxas said, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Both it is." He threw both the top into the trolly and walked away, muttering to himself. "Now which pants would go with the tops…"
-
Axel looked around him quickly, picking up whatever the nearest object was and handing it to Zexion, only to have said object thrown in his face as the baby cried harder. He was at a loss of what to do. This was not the way he had expected to handle this situation. He had expected to laugh at Zexion's misery until he changed back into … well … Zexion. He had certainly not expected to be frantically running around, attempting to calm the baby down.
Roxas better be bloody grateful, he scoffed. In one last attempt, Axel decided to try and distract Zexion from his distraught mood. He only hoped this would work and he would never have to deal with a tantrum this big ever again.
"Zexion, look!" he said, pointing at a large plant in the corner of the room. Axel momentarily eyed the plant: strong stem, lush green leaves and abundant, beautiful blossoms. He moved Zexion so that he was able to hold the baby in one arm. Once Zexion's attention was on him fleetingly, albeit still crying, he raised his hand a produced a small flurry of flames. He glanced at the plant with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. When Zexion was looking at the flame, he knelt down and laid his hand flat in front of the blossoming plant. Axel grinned; revealing a row of pearly teeth, as he softly blew the flame, watching excitedly as the flames licked the plant and began to creep their way upwards.
Axel heaved a sigh as he inhaled the scent of burning flora and listened to the hissing and crackling of the flames. It was music to his ears. "See, Zexion," he said suddenly, holding the baby close to the flames. "It's the burning plant…"
If Axel had believed his fire display would cause Zexion to laugh and throw his tiny arms around his neck, then the Flurry of Dancing Flames was sadly mistaken. If anything, the display had the adverse effect on the baby. He struggled even more, nearly falling from Axel's arms, and released a harsh cry.
Axel blinked as he brought Zexion to face him. "What's up now? Don't cry … please…"
He was at a loss. He had genuinely believed that his fire show would entertain Zexion, as it would him. He shook his head. If he could not make the child stop crying this time then there really was no point. Maybe if he left Zexion, the baby would tire himself out and stop crying.
"Axel!"
The crimson-haired nobody turned to the direction of the deep voice and widened his eyes. He was uncertain which nobody to take more notice of: the tall, pale-haired nobody, also known as his Superior, or the mauve-haired nobody with a strangely murderous glint in his eyes. He felt the baby in his arms struggle more fiercely than before, trying desperately to escape. He decided to place the baby on the floor – someone else could take care of this problem.
"What is the meaning of this entire ruckus?" said a deep, smooth voice, easily recognised as belonging to Xemnas.
Axel scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. Zexion still had not stopped crying, however, he had quietened down at little, looking curiously at the new people who had entered the room.
"Well … something came up and … well you see-"
"There had better be a good explanation as to why you have desecrated my belongings, you half-brained imbecile," Marluxia interrupted in a low, growling voice. He strode towards Axel, eyes narrowed, weapon already in hand.
Axel crossed his arms and smirked. "Oh this," he said, using his hand to indicate the burning plant. "I thought I would add a bit of colour to it … it lacked the bright shade of orange and red."
"A sharp tongue is no indication to a keen mind," the Graceful Assassin pointed out.
"Oh my," Axel laughed. "Sounds like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the cage this morning."
Xemnas watched, unamused, as the Flurry of Dancing Flames and the Graceful Assassin threw insult after insult at each other, all the while leaving the plant to burn furthermore. He sighed softly; sometimes even he forgot that he, i.e. Xemnas, was Superior inside this castle. The respect that some of the newer members gave was nearing on invisible. He crossed his arms and watched … waiting. Sooner they would realise that they had just disrespected THEIR Superior.
Any moment now…
"It really is ridiculous the way some of the newer members behave," said Saix, who had been standing next to Xemnas the whole time. "I do wonder, Superior, what possessed you to allow some of the riffraff to join the Organisation."
"I wonder that myself, Saix," he sighed.
He let his eyes wander down to the small baby, who was looking Marluxia, before briefly turning his attention to Axel. He arched a fine brow. It was obvious what had occurred here and he would have to have a stern word with Vexen. He did not believe he could handle another "squirrel" incident. There was only so much time he could spend monitoring Axel and Marluxia before they somehow managed to escape his ever watchful eyes.
"Must they constantly blemish the Organisation?" Saix said with a hint of disgust evident in his voice.
Xemnas had seen enough. Both nobodies were doing nothing but throwing insults and pointing weapons at one another. He knew, give another minute, a fight would break out and he did not want that. He walked forward, prepared to draw both his weapons at any moment; however, he did not expect the fight to end as it did.
"Holy, bloody…" Axel growled, bending down and snatching the remote control from the baby. He threw the control at the wall, a satisfied smile crossing his lips as the thing shattered. There was only one thing left to take care of. He raised his chakram and charged forward, only to be stopped by a curved cerise blade blocking the path between himself and Zexion.
"Now, this is immature – even for you, Axel," Marluxia mocked.
Axel slowly stood up, reluctantly removing his weapon. He glared at Zexion before storming across the other side of the room and heavily throwing himself down on the sofa, picking up the abandoned television guide.
Marluxia watched Axel walk away and knelt down to Zexion, light-heartedly ruffling his fine hair. "Look at him," he laughed, using his eyes to point in Axel's direction. "He's sulking more than you – who is supposed to be the baby here?"
During the commotion, everyone had failed to see Roxas and Demyx step out of a clouded portal, arms full of boxes and bags. They carefully placed the items on the floor. Demyx smiled as he began to unpack one of the bags, which contained various toys. He kept four toys in his arms and walked over to where Zexion was. He threw himself on the floor and passed the toys to the baby, watching as he took the squeaky hammer and placed it in his mouth.
"Well, it looks like Zexion likes his toys," he smiled. They had picked up various things that they believed Zexion would like, which included several books, many cuddly toys and different things that made funny noises. The toy that Demyx had insisted on getting was an animal set that made noises. Seeing the baby playing with the toys, Demyx knew that he and Roxas had made the correct decision.
A loud cough caused all the others to look up. Xemnas stood, arms crossed, looking less than impressed. "Now," he said slowly. "Could somebody please explain what is going on here?"
Xemnas waited for an answer, hoping that the others would immediately drop everything to answer his demand. Perhaps he had not used his demanding voice? He really would need to put more thought and consideration into his speech.
He coughed again. "Maybe I did not make myself clear the first time. I demand an explanation as to what is going on here."
He smiled. That was better.
Roxas looked up from his position on the sofa. He had seen Axel sprawled on the sofa and tried to get a response from the nobody, however, the redhead was giving everyone the silent treatment. When he saw that nobody was going to answer the superior he decided that it must be his job.
"I'm not too certain myself, Superior, but I'm almost one hundred percent convinced that it has something to do with Vexen. You would have to clear that up with Marluxia though because he was there when it happened (I think)," he said.
Xemnas nodded his head, understanding. He looked around for the mauve-haired man, only seeing his back as he stood over the burning plant with a watering can in hand. If there was one thing Xemnas knew, it was that the chances of getting respect of Marluxia were virtually impossible.
"XI, care to explain?" he said, staring at the other's back.
Marluxia waited until all the flames had been put out before putting the watering can on the table. He bent down, carefully taking the charred plant in his hands, gently caressing the delicate leaves. A smile slowly crept on his face as the darkened leaves changed colour to a deep, healthy green, small flowers opening up, which gave off a sweet smell. Once he was fully satisfied that the plant was at full health, Marluxia answered Xemnas' question, though refusing to turn his attention away from the plant.
"IV created some sort of potion that turned Zexion here into the crying, little ball of baby that you see. IV hasn't been back since."
"So it's true then," Xemnas said. He took a moment to think about what was required. Despite everything that had happened so far, this was a very serious situation. A baby desired a lot of attention also love; however, the latter would have to be avoided, as nobodies were incapable of love. He stole a quick glance to Demyx, who was playing on the floor with Zexion, and shook his head when he finally saw all the bags on the floor. How had they managed to get all of that back to the castle with just the two of them? he wondered, amazed. A soft sigh escaped his lips, at least Zexion had things that all babies would need. The main question, however, was who would be the one to look after Zexion. Obliviously whoever it was would be exempt from all missions, as this would be a fulltime job in itself.
Roxas heaved a sigh, he had had enough of Axel's childish behaviour and pushed himself from the sofa, walking over to where Demyx way playing with Zexion. Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground and picked up one of the rattles that he had chosen. He wondered, looking at the bags, whether they had gone a little over board. They had originally wanted to get only a few things, however, they soon realised that different children had different preferences in toys. They decided that, instead of risking getting Zexion something he would not like, they got him everything. The shop clerks were delighted when the young nobodies came to the checkout and were able to pay the full amount.
He looked at the rattle, which resembled a multicoloured flower with a large smile in the centre, and shook it slowly, listening to the beads rattle inside. The sound, though strangely pleasant at first, would easily get on everyone's nerves – perhaps he had made a mistake in picking something that made such a noise? A small sound caught his attention and he looked up to see Zexion sitting in front of him, holding his hand out. Roxas blinked for a second before realising that the baby wanted the rattle that he was holding.
"Here you go, Zexion," he smiled, handing the rattle over to the baby. The baby began to frantically shake the rattle, laughing at the noise. This was happiest that Roxas had ever seen the schemer. Maybe what Vexen had messed up on had not been such a mistake after all. Everyone was entitled to a little bit of happiness, even if it was fake. He, himself, felt a smile creep onto his face when he saw Zexion playing with the toys. Maybe it was because this was all new to him and he was experimenting with his non-existence still. Whatever it was, he would play it by ear, living each day by day.
He continued to watch Zexion, seeing the baby put the rattle in his mouth and crawling, occasionally falling, over to the other side of the room. Roxas wondered what the baby was doing, whether there was any actually reasoning behind his behaviour. When Zexion stopped crawling, he took the rattle from his mouth and began to shake it once more. Roxas sniggered. Zexion was a strange baby. It was only when Roxas looked up a little that he noticed Marluxia was standing within close proximity, back to Zexion, watering the plant that Axel had set a light. He personally thought that the plant looked as good as before, the leaves were green and the small flowers were fully bloomed. Marluxia, on the other hand, must have assumed that there was still a fault with the plant, which explained why he was still concentrating and tending to the shrub.
Zexion shook the rattle harder, hitting it on the floor a few times before stopping to look up at Marluxia. The older man continued to ignore the baby, possibly too engrossed in his task that he just failed to hear the various attempts used to gain his attention. Zexion hit the rattle on the floor once more before stopping and letting out a feeble cry. It was only due to Demyx's loud announcement that Marluxia turned around, not noticing Zexion near his feet and almost falling over said baby. Luckily, Marluxia had more grace and balance and used the table as support to stop himself from falling. It would not do well to fall in front of all these people. Roxas was renowned for his clumsiness, not him.
Marluxia looked down and saw Zexion holding a rattle up, shaking it a few times. The mauve-haired nobody stared at the baby. What was he supposed to do, congratulate Zexion for holding a rattle?
"See, I told you he wanted your attention," Demyx said loudly, grinning ear from ear.
Marluxia waited. He was looking at Zexion but now what? What did the baby want?
As if sense Marluxia's confusion, Zexion held the rattle higher, squealing, "Ma!"
Roxas watched the whole ordeal as the cogs inside his head began to turn. "That's what it meant!" he exclaimed. The others looked at him, confusion clearly written inside their eyes. "Zexion was saying 'ma' all the while he was with me. I didn't have a clue what it meant but now, I believe, it was his way of saying that he wanted Marluxia."
Marluxia crossed his arms and arched a brow, the expression of unbelief clearly evident on his face. Roxas had obviously been eating one too many Sea-Salt ice-creams, Marluxia decided. The baby shouted "Ma" again and Marluxia decided to see whether anything that Roxas had said was true. He did not care, nor de he believe it, however, the curious side to his brain was shouting at him. Slowly, he crouched down and watched Zexion. The slate-haired child shook the rattle, his hand still in the air. It's almost as if- Marluxia cut his train of thought off as he held out his hand and watched as Zexion dropped the rattle in it, smiling and laughing. It was hard to believe that only minutes prior the baby had been in the middle of a full on temper tantrum. Babies really were strange creatures.
"See," Roxas stated. "Ma must equal Marluxia – or something along those lines."
XI stared at the rattle. "Erm … thank you?" he said in an uncertain tone. What was one supposed to do when a baby handed them a toy? This really was all too confusing…
Xemnas, unknown to almost everyone, had been carefully watching the ordeal. He had even heard Axel sulking on the sofa when Roxas had stated that Zexion had wanted Marluxia. "Oh, so he'll give Marluxia things but he throws things at me," Axel mumbled to himself, not tearing his attention from the article he was 'reading'. Axel's behaviour was almost laughable as he was acting more like a child than Zexion. It was almost as if the prospect of Zexion not liking him, or maybe it was the prospect of having another preferring Marluxia over him, offended him. What a laughable notion. Nevertheless, Xemnas had watched the scene and decided that now was the time to decide who would cater for the child's needs.
"Everybody," he said suddenly, looking at each member to make sure they acknowledged him. "We need to decide who will be the one to care for Zexion. Whoever is chosen will have the baby stay with them and all their current missions will be put on hold."
The Superior observed the expression that each member displayed. Demyx looked positively enthralled with the idea. Roxas remained emotionless. Marluxia continued to look at the rattle, holding it up and examining each angle. Xemnas sighed; Marluxia had obviously not listened to him – yet again. Axel muttered under his breath and arched a brow. Finally, Saix remained as passive as always.
"I will not make the decision," he stated. This caused everyone to look at him, even Marluxia. Maybe he does listen after all, Xemnas sniggered to himself. This would be interesting. "Everyone will sit in a circle and Zexion will decide who his carer will be. Whomever HE decides – the decision is final. If Zexion picks me – I shall care for him. If Zexion chooses Axel – Axel shall watch him. If Zexion should pick Marluxia – Marluxia will be the one to cater for him, and so fourth. This will be as fair as possible."
Saix turned to his Superior, his expression neutral but there was a hint of something in his eyes. "But, Sir-"
"Even you, Saix," Xemnas exclaimed. "It would be unfair if you were exempt. If Zexion chooses you – you will look after him."
Saix widened his eyes. "But-"
"You are a member of this organisation and will be treated as the others, Saix. My word is final."
Saix looked almost appalled at what had just occurred. He knew the likelihood of being chosen to care for Zexion was slim; however, luck was not on his side today. He had woken up and taken a shower – slipped on the soap. He looked for his towel – couldn't find it. He went to put his coat on – the zipper broke. Attempted to make himself a drink – all the milk had been used. Went to read his magazine – someone had used the pages to make a paper chain. So far he believed he was cursed. The last thing he needed was to be told that he would have to look after a baby. He did not like children. He hadn't the patience for them.
"Everyone will sit in a circle and Zexion will be in the middle – whoever he crawls to is the one to look after him," the Superior said in a deep voice, being the first to take a seat on the floor. He watched as the others followed his lead, however some not as enthused as others.
Saix swallowed and crossed his fingers and toes, also mentally crossing them too, as he sat down.
Axel grumbled as he pushed himself from his comfy seat and threw himself heavily on the floor, making it perfectly clear how annoyed he was.
Demyx smiled as he looked around. He was already seated on the floor, so he scooted back a few paces, smiling continually.
Roxas stood up and walked slowly to where he decided to sit. When he arrived at his destination, between Axel and where he assumed Marluxia was going to sit, Roxas lowered himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged.
Marluxia, seeing as no else had even bothered, picked Zexion up and placed him in the centre of the circle, handing the rattle back to the baby. He decided to take his time in walking to his spot and voiced a question. "So if Zexion chooses, let's say Saix, he has no choice but to accept?" he asked, turning and swiftly sitting on the ground.
"That is correct," Xemnas answered.
Marluxia nodded his head, a small smile crossing his lips. This certainly would be interesting, he decided. He looked around, seeing all the other in the same situation as him. Xemnas has told Zexion to choose a person but he, to be honest, believed that the baby had no idea what the Superior was talking about. The baby just looked around, wary, as everyone stared at him. Nearly everyone gasped when Zexion began to move at a steady pace. It would seem that the baby had made his decision as to which member of the organisation would be his new carer.
Saix stared, horrified, as Zexion crawled over to him. "Get away from me!" he yelled, moving back a few feet in hopes that the baby would not follow. However, said baby continued to crawl to the Lunar Diviner, smiling and giggling as he sat and stared at the older nobody. Saix swallowed. How could this be?
Almost as quick as lightening, Marluxia stood up and rushed over to where Saix and Zexion where. He picked up the baby and thrust him forward, watching as Saix continued to watch horrified.
"Looks like Zexion wants you now, Saix," he sneered, small smile on his face. He slowly handed Zexion over to Saix, placing the baby in his arms. He inwardly laughed. Never in his non-existence had he seen Saix so scared.
Saix looked around frantically, seeing the looks of disbelief cross everyone's face. Axel, it would seem, had cheered up, as a smirk was planted across his face. What I wouldn't give to wipe that smirk off, Saix growled.
Xemnas took this opportunity to stand up, carefully take Zexion from Saix's shaking arms, and handing the baby back to Marluxia. "It would seem," he said slowly, "that this was not a fair decision - was it Marluxia?" he said, looking darkly at the Graceful Assassin. He did not give XI the chance to respond and decided that he would inform the others of his decision and his earlier ideas. "The dancing flower behind Saix was a dirty trick," he said, hearing the loud laugher of Axel. "Zexion will stay with you, Marluxia. This is what I had decided before … my mind is made."
Marluxia shook his head, holding Zexion in front of Xemnas. "This is not fair," he exclaimed loudly. "Vexen is at fault – he should be forced to watch this thing."
Xemnas nodded slowly, crossing his arms. "While I do agree that Vexen is possibly to blame for this situation … I also believe that it is for the best that Zexion stays with you. This was my initial decision and nothing was going to change it. As I said before: the decision is final!"
The mauve-haired nobody drew his arms back, holding Zexion closer to him. He narrowed his cobalt eyes, ire darkening his cheeks. He stared hard at the Superior, almost hoping that his glare would cause the man to change his decision. He was fully aware that Xemnas was the Superior but he would never truly respect the man … especially after this heinous crime!
Marluxia sighed softly and stole a quick glance to Zexion, who was happily pulling the strands of mauve hair, shouting "Ma" with each tug. The Graceful Assassin wasted no time in creating a dark cloud and stepping through it, cursing as he left, making it obvious of his detest for the decision.
Xemnas shook his head. He swore than nearly everyone in the organisation had a slight attitude problem. "Calm yourself, Saix," he said in a firm voice. "I had no intention of sending Zexion with anyone other than Marluxia."
The azure-haired man stood up and took a deep breath, composing himself, trying to forget his little display earlier. "Then why give Zexion the decision if you had no intentions of falling through?" he asked, his voice once again calm.
Xemnas laughed softly. "Once I saw how Zexion reacted around Marluxia I knew that my decision was right. However, I felt it would be best to lead XI into a false sense of security … to distract him from the main objective."
"But why XI, Superior?" Saix asked, curious.
Xemnas shook his head, turning to create a portal. "I have my reasons, Saix," he said, walking into the darkness.
-
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT CHAPTER: DAY TWO - PART ONE
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AN:
Okay, I apologies for the time taken for me to upload this chapter. I was late for many reasons (A) I was forced to work ALL weekend - so no writing done there (B) This happens to be the longest chapter yet, and still I had to cut things from it and (C) I struggled to write Axel because, quite frankly, I don't like him. Hate me all you like because it will not change anything ... I just don't like him. I find it strange because I love Reno and Axel is like the Kingdom Hearts version. Maybe it was because of him that poor Zexion didn't even make it into Kingdom Hearts II - even Marluxia made more of an appearance in the opening credits. I love Marluxia in CGI swoons. Anywho ... I hope I haven't done too bad a job with Axel. I like to believe that ... well at least I haven't bashed him like a lot of authors do. You know ... "I don't like so-and-so so I'm gonna bash them to be funny"
Yeah. I said before that I had to cut several sections from this chap. I was originally going to have Vexen make an appearance and explain what was going on ... but I'll leave that till the next chapter. I also cut small things, like feeding Zexion. He does get fed, but we just don't see it. Besides, I have something along those lines in store for Day Two.
Right. I decided to make Xemnas and Saix appear in this chap ... despite Saix not actually doing much. To be honest I'm not too sure what his personality is like. When I played KH2 I think it must have just ignored Saix because he didn't interest me. Sorry if I bash him. Xemnas ... I think I've done okay with his character - he's cool, over dramatic, but cool. I could also see him leading the others into a false sense of security ... he IS the Superior for a reason.
Lastly, thank you all for the reviews ... they are greatly appreciated. I think someone mentioned that incentive was - it's motivation/reasoning. So reading all your reviews gives me to incentive to write. Plus I love this fic - I can see it being long. Consider this ... I'm just finishing Day One and I can guarantee that there will be at least 16 more days. My god, what have I started? Lol.
Thank you and hope you enjoy.
-Bexii
