Ugh, I've dreaded this chapter, and here we are…Now, I will say this: Every four chapters, there will be some Marluxia/Namine interaction. Get it? I hope you do. I can explain it more in a review reply or something. I want to thank my reviewers, and I hope you guys like this story, despite its cheesiness. In this chapter, Marluxia tries to hit on Namine. There, I summed it up in a sentence. Zexion's too nice to her, I think…but oh well. We'll see. Zexion may be out of character. There's a bit of Zexion/Namine fluffiness, but not too much.
Note: I went over the first couple of chapters and noticed Zexion being out of character. Like, a lot. He's supposed to be like...a schemer. Thus, the name 'Cloaked Schemer'. So I tried making him more in character in later on chapters. If you notice a change, then I guess that's good? I dunno...but still. And this isn't a 'fluffy' story, because that's the last word I'd label Zexion with. 'Fluffy'...'romantic'...but there are some chapters where Zexion and Namine spend a lot of time with each other. Well, just tell me what you think. XD
Pairings: Zexion/Namine, One-sided: Marluxia/Namine.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. All rights to Squeenix and Disney.
Rating of chapter: T
Warnings: Moderate sexual content and language.
Skim ahead if you don't like Marluxia/Namine implied stuff. You won't miss anything. XD
T e L L - M e - A - S t oR y
-x-x-x-
Chapter Four: I Can Feel
Huffing out loud, Zexion paced down the long corridor towards the castle's large kitchen. But food wasn't on his mind, yet he would look for a ham sandwich for the prisoner. She sounded as if she was hungry, despite her meal of half of a doughnut. But why would he care? She was just a prisoner. She was nothing to him. But why did he feel as if he should make her a sandwich? That was too nice of him, no, of course he shouldn't succeed in the act of kindness. That wasn't like him. But then…that fear he saw. The one main thing on his mind now was the fear in her glistening crystal blue eyes.
She seemed…afraid of Marluxia. And then there was Axel's plead to stay with her because she was afraid of being alone. Zexion wasn't stupid; there was something mysterious about the whole ordeal. Marluxia smelled suspicious to him, but he always did, even before little Naminè came. Maybe it was that Larxene was not satisfying his needs recently and he wanted to…no, that was too horrible to even imagine. Zexion scowled at himself.
Zexion opened his book to the page that he bookmarked with a black ribbon. Stopping in the middle of the hall, he leaned against the wall with one of his feet propped up against it. He had to get his mind off of Naminè, not worry about her. But why would he worry about her? Why did he care? Zexion began to shake the thoughts out of his mind back to the kitchen. He would possibly go to the kitchen a little later, once the other members were out of it. He hated crowds. Ah, speaking of which…
Axel was happily munching on a blueberry muffin, and in his other hand was a cookies and crème caramel chocolate chip milkshake with whipped chocolate cream and cherries that he managed to create in the midst of the busy members. He didn't notice his short friend leaning against the wall with his nose stuck in a book, sneakily watching him as he walked. It was until he passed him when he finally acknowledged him.
"Tsk, you're horrible at saying greetings," Zexion murmured softly as he flipped a page to a diagram of an atom. Axel immediately halted and choked on the remains of the muffin and clutched at his throat. Zexion arched an eyebrow as he watched the fiery man trying to breathe with slight amusement. With a punch on his chest, Axel whirled toward the other Nobody.
"Why the hell are you out here?! Aren't you supposed to be watching Nami?" Axel cried out in a hoarse voice which he resolved by taking a swig of his milkshake. Amazingly, he managed to gulp down the contents of the milky drink. Zexion simply shrugged.
"Marluxia told me that he would watch her."
Zexion wasn't absolutely sure what happened next. The next thing he was experiencing was being pinned against the wall with Axel grabbing onto the front of his cloak and his precious book was lying helplessly open on the pure white floor. The remains of the once-perfect milkshake were splattered across the marble. Glistening in the bright light of the hallway with the fashion of pure glory, the mushy remnants of ice cream and sugary treats were ruined forever.
"What?!" Axel growled ferociously with flames dancing in his jaded eyes. Containing a mordant remark that so longed to escape his lips, Zexion retained himself and let out a sigh.
"I said that Marluxia is watching her now," he repeated his words more simply. Axel gritted his teeth before yanking Zexion along with him, dragging him across the floor as he paced quickly down the corridor. This was when he thought: maybe it was best if he stayed with the witch after all. Perhaps his suspicions about the Graceful Assassin were correct. That would mean, though, that Naminè was in danger. But what would he do to her?
"I swear, I am going to burn all of your books, chop you up with my chakras, and then burn those pieces after I cut off your manhood and boil it in gasoline and feed it to Xaldin! If you're alive after that, I'll cage you up with Larxene and Xemnas and have them gang rape you!" Axel boomed, interrupting Zexion's thoughts as he threw him on the floor in front of him. Zexion landed with a 'thud', balancing himself on his hands and knees and rubbing his sprained wrist.
"Wh-what ever is the trouble?" the victim of Axel's outrage blinked rapidly, trying to gather his shaken thoughts. Axel made fists and summoned fire to engulf his hands as he glared at the fellow Nobody.
"You. How dare you leave Nami to that bastard? When I said don't leave her alone, I meant it! Now, if you don't move your ass, I will burn down the whole library in this castle, and back at the World That Never Was!" Axel glowered at him with piercing orbs and growled viciously. Taking that sign as a warning, Zexion scrambled back on his feet and wiped the front of his leather cloak.
"I just don't completely comprehend the idea of this. What is the matter?" Zexion demanded with a short scoff as he crossed his arms.
"You're an idiot, aren't you? Aren't you aware? Isn't it obvious enough for a smart genius such as yourself?" Axel scornfully replied with the bitterness weaved in his voice.
Obvious for Zexion? Well, that was a first…usually Zexion was the first to smell something, first to know something, and the first…well, always. Taken aback momentarily, the blue haired man broke eye contact with the inferno and thought hard. Could it be that Marluxia was truly stalking the young witch? If that was so, well, then they would have to try to stop it, of course. But Marluxia was the head of the castle, so whatever he says goes, right? Axel's behavior was suspicious…he seemed eager ruining Marluxia's chances, and Zexion could see clearly that it was probably for a good cause, but still…Did Axel truly want to help Naminè? Why should Zexion care about the girl's honor? There was something that told him to help. He drew in an intake of a breath and nodded once.
"Good. You're coming with me," Axel let the fire on his fists die down as he grabbed Zexion by the drawstrings of his cloak and pulled him along with him.
-x-x-x-
Naminè was trembling.
She always frightened when the Graceful Assassin entered her white room. She didn't mind it so much when there were others in the room with her, but when she was alone…it was a nightmare; the nightmare most girls feared what would happened to them if such a situation like this ever occurred to him. Unintentionally, Naminè stiffened, her fingers clenched around the edges of her sketchpad, her knuckles whiter than her pale skin.
Marluxia had been watching the portal evaporate ever since Zexion had sauntered into the portal of darkness. Once the last threads of the dark gateway vanished, Marluxia pivoted on his heel and glowered at Naminè with a look of hunger etched in his icy blue eyes which had seem to darken a shade. As he began to approach, Naminè shrank in her chair, holding up her sketchpad taut to her chest, so least of her was being feasted on by his cold eyes.
"Now, now, my pet," the Graceful Assassin crooned, briskly and fluidly walking over to her, until he towered over her.
"No need for shyness." He wrenched the sketchpad from her hands and threw it to the ground. Swiftly, he grabbed her wrists when she dove to retrieve her beloved sketchbook. Forcibly, and without much effort, Marluxia yanked her upwards and she collided into his chest.
"Now, we left off somewhere the day before yesterday and I had not the time to come back to visit you." Naminè let out a soft whimper as Marluxia shifted a bit and sat himself down in her chair and pulled her to him. She was now sitting in his lap and Marluxia had her very close to him, burying his face in her blond hair. The hand wrapped around her waist was roaming around her stomach, and Naminè squirmed, trying to give him the hint to stop. Unfortunate for her, Marluxia did not stop, rather started moving his hand in a further radius, which caused Naminè to gasp and squirm even more.
"Stop struggling," Marluxia growled softly, his lips upon the nape of her neck now. "You'll enjoy this sooner or later. I promise you that." Then, he bit down where her neck met her shoulder and Naminè let out a small cry. Marluxia began to suck upon her skin, slightly moaning from the taste of it. He was really enjoying himself, for he wasn't able to get this far the last time.
"Let…go!" Naminè shouted, finally breaking free from Marluxia's grasp and ran into a corner. It was not the best place to go for he just promptly rose from the chair and, again, approached her. Naminè whimpered, pressing herself further into the corner. Marluxia chuckled slightly, propping his hands against the wall, securing her in and bent down low to her level.
"That was not a wise thing to do," he teased, drawing more closely to the little artist until there was hardly any space between them.
"No place to run," he simpered and was just about to ravish her mouth and neck when suddenly…
"Hey, have you seen my underwear?" Axel's voice carried across the room as he appeared in the room with Zexion standing beside him, probably because Axel was still clutching onto the shorter Nobody's drawstrings. The black mist evaporated quickly and Marluxia craned his neck toward them, groaning silently to himself. Naminè sprinted under his arm and rushed over to Zexion, hiding behind him as Axel stepped forward. The confusion was clear in the Cloaked Schemer's face as he watched Axel scratch the back of his neck as he walked towards Marluxia, who backed away from the wall.
"Excuse me?" Marluxia asked, equally confused. Axel sniffed and wrapped his arms around his own waist.
"Somebody stole my favorite pair of underwear, you know, the flaming hearts one? Ever since last night, the rest of the members have been grabbing me. Now my boxers are gone. Can you help me look for them?" Axel begged with fake sadness plastered across his face. Marluxia rolled his eyes.
Naminè grabbed onto the back of Zexion's leather cloak, remaining ever so close to him and shaking in fear. Zexion frowned, for this confirmed his theory. The girl was trembling so violently, he could feel her shaking. He turned around to face the little witch and felt a pang of pity when he noticed her crying silently. As the two other men argued over random things, which was Axel's intention, Zexion crouched down to eye level with the girl. She seemed to feel his eyes on her.
She met his gaze and caught her breath in her throat, causing her to break into a sob. Biting his lip, Zexion never really had been in a situation like this, trying to calm a crying girl. So he did the best thing he thought possible.
"Do you want that ham sandwich?" he inquired monotone as ever. Naminè quickly nodded her head. Zexion let a sigh escape.
"All right. Let's go," he opened a portal and held her hand as they both disappeared, leaving the two men continuing to bicker amongst themselves. The next thing Naminè knew was appearing in the kitchen, hanging onto the front of Zexion's cloak. Her tears were beginning to dry on her blushed cheeks as she stepped away from Number Six. Naminè sniffed and then let out a shuddering breath as she glanced around the large white kitchen.
She had been there once with Axel when he was giving her a tour of the castle, but she couldn't remember it that well. It was huge, that was for sure. Bordering the walls were countertops, pantries and cabinets. Everything was the same color, even the refrigerator and the stove and oven. Whirling around, she found Zexion already making a sandwich at the white countertop/island in the middle of the room. Fluttering her long eyelashes, Naminè made her way to stand beside his right elbow and watch him putting the pieces of the sandwich together.
"Do you like mayonnaise or mustard with your sandwich?" Zexion asked patiently, having the knife at ready with the two open jars of the latter. Smiling despite her sadness, Naminè pointed at the yellow container of mustard. Bobbing his head, Zexion stuck the knife in the container and scooped out a good amount of the spicy sauce. Finishing it up, he handed her the sandwich wrapped in a napkin.
Gladly, Naminè accepted the food and sat down on a nearby bar stool. As she ate in silence, she watched meaningfully at Zexion, who was leaning against his elbow, which was propped on the counter. Apparently, he was deep in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" she dared to inquire after she swallowed her second bite of her sandwich. Shaking himself out of his deep thoughts, Zexion straightened himself and cleared his throat.
"Your story I am to tell you. I need to write it soon," he assured with a blink of his eyes. Beaming at his response, Naminè felt herself overwhelm with happiness.
"That's good! What's the story about?"
"It's a secret that I must contain to myself until the time is right." Naminè furrowed her eyebrows, but smiled, agreeing with the plan.
"What's your favorite thing to read?" she asked suddenly. Zexion tilted his head to the side and tapped the tip of his nose. He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He scratched his chin before shrugging.
"I am not entirely positive about that conclusion," he explained casually. Smirking, Naminè finished her meal and leaped off of the bar stool, landing right in front of the nineteen year old and gazing up at him with wide eyes.
"Well, my story better be interesting. Nothing about the makeup of our world or any of that stuff," she announced, placing her small white hands on her hips and grinning brightly. Zexion paused for a moment, taking in her sight. She was small and fragile, like a doll. And Marluxia treated her like a doll. And it was his fault that she was molested this time. True, he had come to that conclusion as he pondered while the girl had eaten her sandwich. He left her alone with Marluxia; surely, he could have stopped this from happening. He decided that Naminè…wasn't so bad after all. In fact, she was rather nice to talk to. Guilt proceeded to creep through his chest as he hesitated and glanced at the floor.
"What's wrong, Zexion?" she questioned with worry edging her soft voice. He shook his head.
"Nothing of the sorts. Would you like your story to be romance, tragedy, or suspense?" he switched the subject hurriedly, trying to avoid the guilt. Obviously, the girl bought it and made a 'hmm' sound with her throat.
"I like all of those! But…not so much on romance," she whispered and scuffed the floor with her blue sandal. His eyebrows were kitted together now as he stared at her.
"Why not? Earlier you've inform me that romance was your favorite genre."
"True…But I think love is overrated these days. I know I've never loved, but I don't think true love is anything…well, I dunno. True love is sacrificial, selfless and honorable. Loving someone for them, not their personality, not for their likes or dislikes, but for them. The fact that they are. You don't hear that these days," Naminè winced as she explained slowly and gradually about her opinion. Zexion was surprised by her reaction and reply that he found himself quite speechless. He drew in a deep breath and let his gaze drop.
"I would not know, for I have never experience the feeling. I cannot feel," he muttered almost bitterly. Naminè let out a dry laugh and shook her head.
"Silly, love isn't a feeling. Not true love, at least. I don't think so. But yet, I've never experienced it, either. But I do know that I can feel," she let her soft voice trail off as Zexion sent her a sharp glare. She continued.
"I felt fear. That's an emotion, right?"
(A/N): Fear the Flaming Hearts boxers! Mwah ha ha!
Agh, it's okay, right? Not the best chapter, but we're seeing some Zexion/Namine fluff, right? I mean, c'mon, what's more fluffy than making a lady in distress a sandwich? Thanks to my sister, forgiven4ever, for co-writing this chapter. I had writer's block at this time and she helped me. Huzzah. I was random when I wrote the part with Axel and Zexion. Also, Axel's milkshake is just…a joke. His rant…was random. Marluxia is supposed to be a sick, sex-driven bastard in this story, even though he's one of my favorite members. –Cough- Besides, I'm a sucker for one-sided Marluxia/Namine. And the 'true love' thing. I've recently read 'Beauty and the Beast' in my writing and grammar class, and that's how my teacher described true love. If you disagree, that's okay. XD
Again, long author's note. Please review! –hugs you-
P.s. If you wondering how Namine 'broke from his grasp', she just did...once again, I was too lazy to explain it.