Xigbar wasn't entirely sure how long he had been lying outside Zexion's house, crumpled against the wall in a heap of pain, self-pity, and a lack of desire to go crawling back to the Syndicate. He was already in trouble for failing one mission, and now he had managed to get his ass kicked by a twelve year old. It wasn't entirely his fault though; he hadn't expected the twelve year old to have what he assumed was a golem protecting him. Come to think of it, the other failed mission wasn't exactly his fault either, it seemed like his target had disappeared off the face of the Earth anyway.
But seriously, who was that giant anyway? Obviously another assassin, but was he already working with the kid? Where they both set on the same target when the other had a change of heart? Xigbar wished he had gotten a better look at him, he would never hear the end of it if the giant that had attacked him had been his other target that he failed to find earlier. Plus, if that was the case, then both of his targets had turned the tables on him, which was embarrassing to say the least, and most certainly infuriating.
He brought a hand up to his face to wipe away the blood that was still oozing out of a long but thankfully not very deep lesion. The kid had missed his other eye by centimeters, and Xigbar spat out a few curses. This wasn't going to gain him any points with the boss. Although it might earn him some sympathy. Heh. As if. Still, he pushed himself up off the wall, forcing his aching muscles to carry him across town towards the looming form of the Syndicate's headquarters.
"So what exactly happened?" Xehanort stood with his back turned to Xigbar, staring out a large glass window that overlooked all of Twilight and Traverse Towns, and even gave a glimpse of the sprawling, distant mess that was the rebuilding city of Hollow Bastion. Xehanort's voice sounded calm, as usual, but Xigbar had been working for him long enough to know that his boss was absolutely livid. Of course, Xigbar had been running the entire situation through his mind throughout the long, painful journey to Syndicate Headquarters, and he wasn't exactly thrilled with what had occurred either. Xehanort had promised easy kills, things that were sure to bring victory. Instead, both targets had escaped his grasp, and he had yet again been injured doing Syndicate work. Xigbar definitely wasn't bad at his job either, boasting one of the highest success rates. It was almost as if Xehanort was trying to make him fail.
"Look, you told me this was gonna be easy, how was I supposed to expect-"
"So you let your guard down. Didn't you learn anything from when you were sent to face the mayor's bratty kids?" Xehanort spat, turning to face him. Xigbar flinched back, touching a hand to his eyepatch, and then running it up through his grey streaked hair. Before that battle, he hadn't even known that wounds could cause permanent grey hair, and it hadn't really been a discovery he was pleased to make. Not to mention how much losing an eye had really put a damper on his depth perception. He was drawn out of his thoughts when he realized Xehanort had said something and he had missed it, adding to the bald man's anger.
"What was that, boss?" Xigbar smiled warily, more of a submissive grimace than anything.
"I said, you have failed me yet again Xigbar, and I am not pleased. What do you think I should do with you, then?" Xehanort waved an arm across his own coat, enough so that the deadly looking keyblade he kept on him was revealed. Xigbar gulped, recognizing the threat and the meaning behind it.
"Heeey, now let's not be so hasty, I'm still useful to you, right? Surely you still have something you need me to do?" Xigbar waved his arms nervously, backing up a little. He didn't like showing this much distress, but he was hoping it would appease Xehanort and that he wouldn't end up dumped in a river somewhere.
Xehanort was silent, turning to study the sprawling cityscape below him again. The silence was agonizing, and Xigbar shifted back and forth, wishing he could nervously fiddle with his rifle. Taking out his weapon in Xehanort's presence was sure to be an act of treason, and that wasn't something he could risk at this point. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Xehanort laughed harshly before crossing the room to his desk, and digging in the drawer where he kept all pending assassinations.
"Of course you are. In fact, I've got the perfect opportunity for you to redeem yourself right here." Xehanort pulled out an incredibly thick file, waving it in Xigbar's direction.
Xigbar eyed the file with a mixture of relief and anxiety. A file that thick usually meant someone dangerous, but this meant that Xehanort wasn't going to have him killed off just yet.
"I'm giving you the opportunity to rid the Syndicate of the problem giving me the biggest headache right now. Do you think you can handle that? Or are you going to fail me yet again?"
"As if. What do you take me for, boss? A few mistakes are nothing, I promise I'm still one of the best you've got." He crossed the room, reaching eagerly for the file. Xehanort smirked, which was unusual for him, but shoved the folder into Xigbar's hands before striding away, hands crossed behind his back.
The file was bigger than Xigbar had thought it was, and he filed through the ideas of who it could be. He knew the boss had a brother, and there was a good chance this was his file. He almost burst with pride. Of course he still had the boss' trust, and he'd be sure to carry out such an important mission with one hundred percent accuracy. He smirked, flipping open the file to confirm his target.
The smirk froze on his face, and he stared at the picture of his target without really comprehending it.
"This is… This is some kinda joke, isn't it? You really got me this time." Xigbar laughed nervously, flipping through the rest of the file with increasing panic, hoping to see a different target in there, to confirm that the front page was just a mistake.
"You have five hours. If your target is not dead in that time, I will find someone else more capable to complete your mission."
"Boss?" Xigbar said weakly, still waiting for the older man to turn away from that dumbass window and confirm that the file was a joke.
"You are dismissed, Xigbar." Xehanort reached over, pressing a button on the wall, and Xigbar heard the elevator doors slide open behind him.
Xigbar stayed frozen in place, still staring at the file he held in his now shaking hands. A voice in his head was screaming for him to pull out his rifle and go down in a blaze of glory but he wasn't exactly fond of the whole "going down" part of that. Besides, chances are the guards would be able to save Xehanort and the whole attack would be for nothing. Eventually he felt his legs begin to move and lead him to the waiting elevator.
The doors slid shut with a bang behind him, and he jumped, shakily making his wall over to the wall and sliding down. Xigbar spent the entire elevator ride staring down at the picture in the file, willing it to change.
It didn't.
Xigbar eventually stumbled out of the elevator, crossing through the lobby and studying the guards' faces to see if they had any idea. They seemed to be well aware, a few nervously turning the safety off on their pistols, not a single one saluting him as they usually did.
The sudden severity of the situation hit Xigbar harder than the other assassin had earlier, and he dashed out of the Syndicate Headquarters, running to try and find a location where it didn't seem to be ominously watching him. His body was screaming in pain, and his face had started oozing blood again, but those were the least of his worries.
A sudden dash of inspiration had him running towards the train station. He'd just leave, of course, he'd go somewhere where he wouldn't be found. Like Hallow Bastion; just because the boss could see it from his window doesn't mean he'd be able to find him there. Xigbar felt a wave of relief, before the realization that Xehanort more than likely had cameras around the train station hit him, and he realized that if he wanted to get out of here, it would have to be on foot, or he'd at least need to catch a bus.
Xigbar growled in frustration, and glared down at the file he was still holding. He then took one look at a rapidly oncoming train, gave the finger to the nearest security camera, and tossed what he hoped was the only remaining copy of his personal file onto the tracks.
The small amount of joy he got from watching his file get obliterated by the train was cut off by the arrival of a few security officers, and he forced his body to start running again. Xigbar eventually lost them and was able to find a bus, ignoring the worried looks he got from the other passengers as he collapsed into a seat. There was a good chance Xehanort also had eyes on the bus, or would at least hear the news of a bloody, bruised wannabe pirate-looking freak riding a crowded public bus, but at this point he couldn't care.
The bus ride was long, and Xigbar spent it drifting in and out of consciousness. He was barely functioning when it finally arrived in Hallow Bastion, and he stumbled off and away from the crowd with his only worry being the amount of internal bleeding he must have.
The last stable thoughts Xigbar had before passing out were that Xehanort had gotten his wish after all.