Alone Forever

Chapter Six

Here's the sixth chapter! Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

--------

"Axel…?" Xembré's voice broke uninvited into Axel's dream. "Axel, are you awake?" Poking him in the back, Xembré woke Axel fully.

The girl was still dressed in her cloak, but she had taken off her boots, and was wearing pale pink socks. Her hair was pulled back in a loose pony tail to keep it out of her face. Her hands were ungloved, and she was fingering the zipper on her cloak distractedly.

"What the hell do you want?" Axel snapped, rolling over and glaring up at the girl. "It's freaking," he paused as he glanced at his clock. "Two in the morning!" He took no notice of the upset expression on Xembré's face. Waking Axel at two o'clock in the morning was not wise, and one couldn't often expect good results.

"Axel, I'm… lonely." Xembré said, forcing the words out with some difficulty. She looked as close to tears as a Nobody could be, and as Axel groaned, she perched on the side of his bed.

"Xembré, you're a Nobody, you can't be lonely!" He snapped, ignoring the pitiful look she gave him.

Sniffing, she ran a hand through her hair, avoiding Axel's gaze. "I know, but can't I want company?" She asked, her bottom lip trembling.

"Sure, you can want company. But want it some other time!" With that, Axel turned over, pulling the covers over his head. He paid no attention to the weight resting on the bed beside him, and soon he had fallen asleep again.

Sighing, Xembré stood and wandered to Axel's door. Just as she opened it, Axel rolled over in his sleep, mumbling: "Got it memorized…?" Sending one last glare at Axel, she closed his door with a snap. Once out in the hall, she paused, wondering where to go next. Nervously gnawing her lip, she stood perfectly still, peering about in the darkness. Then, her mind made up, she strode carefully down the hall, letting her hand brush lightly against the wall so she knew where she was.

When she reached the door of her choice, she knocked lightly. But there was no answer, so she opened it slowly. Glancing around the room, she spotted Demyx lying in bed, obviously asleep.

"Demyx…?" She whispered, hoping to wake him easier than Axel. Demyx stirred, rolling over in his sleep. "Demyx, are you awake?" It seemed silly to ask that, seeing as she already knew the answer, but she figured she might as well anyway.

The darkness made it difficult to maneuver around everything that was scattered on the floor of Demyx's room. A sharp pain lanced through her foot as she kicked something, nearly tripping and falling. She just barely got her balance in time to avoid it, and had to clap a hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying out. Reaching the side of Demyx's bed safely, minus the ache in her foot, she stared down at him. He looked so innocent when he was asleep, Xembré couldn't keep a smile from crossing her face.

He let out a mumbled: "Not now, I'm busy." and rolled over again. Deciding that Demyx wasn't going to wake up, Xembré left the room, again nearly tripping and falling.

Once again outside in the hall, Xembré continued to gnaw her lip. The only other option she had was to go see Zexion. She wasn't sure how Zexion would react to being woken so late at night. But, if she wanted company, she had no other choice.

So, very hesitantly, she started toward Zexion's room. She paused outside, hesitating. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a moment, and then let it out before lifting her hand to rap on the door.

Unexpectedly, an irritated voice answered her knock. "What?"

"Zexion…?" Xembré called quietly, her voice shaking. "It's Xembré…"

There was silence from the other side of the door, and then, quite suddenly, the door opened. Zexion stood in his door way, looking both grumpy and a little bit curious. "What do you want?" He snapped. He was clad in a pair of black pants and wasn't wearing a shirt, but Xembré took no notice of that.

Gazing up at him, she forced words out of her mouth. "I'm lonely…" She said, with just the tiniest hint of a whimper in her voice.

Zexion rolled his eyes, and stepped back to close his door. "Then go see Axel or Demyx." He snarled. His door was almost closed when Xembré threw herself at it, preventing him from closing it all the way.

"I already did!" She said, staring reproachfully up at him. Her eyes glistened and Zexion paused, staring down at her. "But Axel got mad at me for waking him up, and Demyx wouldn't wake up at all. Please, can I come in…?" Her question was hesitant and her voice was shaking.

A frustrated sigh escaped Zexion, and he closed his eyes to avoid Xembré's gaze. He could feel her trembling, and when he opened his eyes again, she was still watching him.

"Fine." Zexion snapped, opening his door all the way again. "But don't expect to stay here all night." When Xembré stepped into his room, he closed the door behind her, and, taking no further notice of her, crossed the room to his bed and climbed in. He had apparently been reading in bed when Xembré had arrived, and he planned on doing that now.

Xembré stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking around. It was furnished in black; even the floor was black tile, but white rugs were scattered across the floor. Staring around, Xembré wandered casually closer to Zexion.

The book in Zexion's hands was one of Xembré's favorites. She couldn't resist leaning in for a closer look, to see what part Zexion was at. "Oh, you're there?" She asked, glancing sideways at Zexion. His lips were pursed, and it looked as though he was trying to ignore the girl whose cheek was nearly touching his own, and failing miserably.

"Yes." He said shortly. "Why, have you read this book?" His eyes flicked from the page onto Xembré for a brief moment, and then back to the book.

Nodding, Xembré seated herself on the edge of the bed. "Several times." She said, smiling. A comfortable silence followed, and Xembré shifted into a more comfortable position, her eyes still on the book in Zexion's hands. She had become absorbed in her favorite book, and took little notice of what was going on around her. Her legs curled underneath her, she leaned closer to Zexion as one of her favorite parts started in the book. She was holding her breath, and her eyes were wide as she became more and more absorbed. The only time the silence was broken was when Zexion inquired whether or not she was ready to turn the page.

When the door suddenly burst open, Xembré jumped, nearly falling off the bed. She realized, with a start of surprise and embarrassment, that her fingers had laced with Zexion's. The sight of Axel, looking shocked and surprised, didn't make her feel any better.

"AGH!" Axel yelped, clapping a hand over his eyes. "My young innocent eyes!" His yell was so loud that Xembré was surprised he hadn't woken the whole castle. Hastily letting go of Zexion's hand, she leapt up off the bed, panicking slightly.

"Axel, you're older than I am." Zexion commented dryly. He remained in his bed, but his eyes flicked onto Xembré where she stood in the middle of his room, trembling and blushing. Though he was inwardly looking for any possible escape route, on the outside he was as calm and apathetic as usual.

Peeking through a gap in his fingers, Axel glared at Zexion. "Fine. My old innocent eyes." He paused, looking confused. "But, I'm not old either!" He howled in frustration. "I mean, if I'm old, then Xigbar must be ancient!" Slowly regaining his composure, he fixed his emerald gaze on Xembré. He looked ready to start telling her off, but he never got the chance.

"Who says I'm old!" A voice shouted from the hall. "I'm only twenty nine!" Xigbar stood framed in the doorway, his arms crossed and an angry scowl on his face. The darkness in the hall only added to the intimidation that radiated from him.

Xembré sank onto Zexion's bed, letting out a faint whimper. No one took any notice of the frightened girl though, because both Zexion and Axel were looking at Xigbar. Letting a smirk cross his face, Axel shook his head at Xigbar.

"Dude, I'm eighteen. You're old." He said bluntly. Xembré was still trembling, and she looked from Axel to Xigbar, her eyes wide. The feel of a hand resting on her shoulder made her start and look around. Zexion gave her a gentle smile and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before slipping out of the bed and planting himself firmly between Axel and Xigbar.

"Well, if I'm old, then that makes Saix really old!" Xigbar was saying. Zexion rolled his eyes. He would never get into such a childish argument.

Xembré flinched as another, harsher voice entered the fray. She had only heard that voice once before, and after that experience she always tried to avoid the man. "Excuse me?" Saix snapped, entering the room. "I am not old. I'm only thirty-three." The blue-haired man crossed his arms, glaring around at the other three men.

An angry argument broke out, and Xembré, still trembling, tried to make herself as small as possible. But, as the voices grew louder and she realized that they were really fighting about nothing, and weren't going to start killing each other, she relaxed, watching with slight interest.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Axel said suddenly, raising a hand to stop the argument. "Where's Xembré? She's the whole reason I was here in the first place!" A quick glance around the room was all that was needed to locate the girl. She was fast asleep in Zexion's bed; sleeping as peacefully as though there weren't four men arguing right next to her.

Axel raised a finger to his lips, shushing the three higher ranks. "She'll have to stay here tonight." He whispered. The fight seemed to be forgotten, seeing as Xigbar nodded. Saix was already gone. "If we wake her, this whole thing will start all over again!" His logic was greeted with another approving nod from Xigbar.

But Zexion stepped up then. "She is not going to sleep in my bed!" He said in a loud whisper. "I won't—" He stopped abruptly as Xigbar raised a hand.

"She's got to." Xigbar said firmly. "And I, as number two, order you to let her sleep here tonight, and not disturb her." He left as soon as the words had passed his lips, leaving Zexion with his mouth open in silent fury.

Axel gave Zexion a smirk, and then slipped away back to his own room. "Good night!" He called sarcastically back over his shoulder. He left Zexion standing with his mouth hanging open and looking, for the first time in Axel's memory, completely speechless.

In the silence that followed Axel's departure, Zexion closed his door. Then he turned to face, from his expression, his imminent doom. Xembré was still sleeping peacefully, small traces of a smile on her face. As Zexion approached the bed, she sighed in her sleep, stirring restlessly. She looked so sweet and innocently childish when she was asleep, that Zexion couldn't keep a half-smile from crossing his face briefly.

His fingers traced the soft curve of her cheek, and she stirred again, shifting position so she was lying flat on her back. Moving his fingers lightly from her cheek to her forehead, he brushed some stray strands of hair out of her face. Then, moving as though he were in a trance, he bent over her and pressed his lips gently against hers before sliding into the queen-size bed beside her.

Finding her hand under the silk sheets, he grasped it, squeezing gently. "Good night." He murmured, his eyes already half-closed as sleep over took him.

---

A sleepy sigh escaped Xembré as she woke the next morning. It's too warm and comfortable to get up… She thought, and she snuggled closer to the source of the warmth, eyes shut tight. I'll just lay here for a while. The decision seemed like a good one, until someone began stroking her hair. She barely registered the fact that the something warm lying in bed beside her was a person. But as she slowly woke all the way, the events of the night before rushed into her head.

Her eyes flickered open, and she squinted blearily up at whoever was lying next to her. Blue-black hair; dark indigo eyes; a satisfied smirk; she was lying in bed with Zexion! Her eyes snapped all the way open, and with a yelp like an injured dog, she rolled away from Zexion and fell to the floor with a thump.

There she sat on the floor, rubbing her head and staring at Zexion over the edge of the bed. He was sitting propped up on pillows and was watching her with a calculating expression on his face. The silence that reigned in the room was filled with awkward embarrassment and also confusion. Looking around the room, Xembré ran a hand through her hair, looking sleepy and confused. She made no effort to rise from her position on the floor, but she did shift her position so her legs were underneath her.

"I was wondering when you would wake up." Zexion said, almost playfully. He smirked, but Xembré wouldn't look at him. She was gnawing her lip nervously, and determinedly avoiding his gaze.

Seeing that she was in no mood to joke, Zexion rose and crossed the room to his dresser, which was black just like everything else in the room. He pulled out a black T-shirt and pulled it on over his head. Then he slipped into his cloak. Xembré was still sitting motionless on the floor, and took no notice when Zexion sat on the edge of the bed to put on his boots, so close to her that he could feel her trembling.

"Come on," He said softly, standing. "Let's go down to breakfast." He offered her his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, she grasped it, letting him help her to her feet. When she was standing they were so close that they were nearly touching. She looked deep into Zexion's indigo eyes, and he returned her gaze, examining her face. After a few minutes, Zexion stepped back a pace.

No words were spoken as the two teens stared toward the door. Catching sight of a glint of silver, Zexion stood to pick of the shining object.

"Is this yours?" He asked, examining the object. The thing was a necklace, and a pretty one, too. The chain was heavy, and more a bronze color rather than silver like Zexion had thought at first. The pendant hanging from it was a small bottle containing blue glitter and encased in the same material that the chain was made from. The metal was twisted and molded into intricate shapes, which resembled, as far as Zexion could tell, fairies and flowers. The glitter was almost as blue as Xembré's eyes.

"Yes!" Xembré's voice, much harsher than Zexion had ever heard it before, broke the silence. "Yes, it's mine. Give it to me, please." Her voice now sounded strained, and a strange expression came onto her face as she held her hand out for the necklace.

"It must have fallen off sometime last night." Zexion commented calmly, moving around behind Xembré. She shivered as his fingers brushed lightly over the back of her neck, shifting her hair out of his way. Feeling him so close behind her made her feel nervous and uncomfortable. He slowly slipped the chain around her neck and clasped it, but didn't move from his position behind her. His warm breath tickled her ear as he whispered to her: "This necklace is very special to you."

Stiffening, Xembré took a deep breath. The feel of Zexion nuzzling her neck failed to send the shivers of pleasure down her spine that she usually felt when he was near her. "Yes. It is." She said shortly.

She turned, shoving Zexion away from her, a closely guarded expression on her face. "Stay out of my head!" She snapped, and then stomped away.

The halls of the castle were noisier than usual, and Xembré met several people on the way to her room. But she ignored them, and they her, so everyone was happy. Xembré only stopped her relentless march through the castle when she ran smack-dab into something very solid.

"Sorry!" Demyx cried, looking as though he were trying to stifle a laugh. Xembré didn't reply, and he couldn't see her face because her head was bent and her hair was hiding her face. He grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet, but instead of the expected smile and cheerful greeting, the girl threw her arms around Demyx, burying her face in his chest.

Startled and concerned, Demyx wrapped his arms around Xembré, holding her close. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice muffled by her hair. She was trembling and her breath came in ragged gasps.

Xembré didn't answer right away. She let her heart rate slow and took a deep breath before she trusted herself enough to speak. "I-I'm fine…" She said, with something close to a sob in her voice. Despite all her efforts to sound nonchalant and cheerful, her voice still trembled. She clutched Demyx's sleeve, the desire to be close to a loved one overpowering.

They stood that way for a few more minutes, and Xembré's breathing slowly became steadier. Demyx stroked his friends hair, silently letting her know that he was there for her. When Xembré had calmed considerably, she pushed herself out of Demyx's arms to look up at him, shaking her hair out of her eyes.

The question in Demyx's eyes was obvious, but before he could voice the question, Xembré answered it. "I'm okay." She said quietly, passing a hand over her face as though trying to wipe away her grief. "I just, really needed a hug right now." A tiny smile came onto her face, but Demyx could see in her eyes that she was still very unhappy. He grasped her hand, and giving it a light squeeze, he started pulling her down the hall.

"Come on," He said cheerfully. "Let's go get some breakfast. I'm starved!"

What would have turned into a head-long rush to the kitchen was stopped short when Xembré pulled on Demyx's arm, bringing him to a halt. "We need to stop at my room first." She grinned up at him, trying her best to look and sound happy. "I need to get my boots and gloves."

Reluctantly, Demyx followed Xembré to her room, pouting. He hesitated in her doorway, watching as she dashed around the room, searching frantically for her boots and gloves. "You can come in, you know." She told him, pausing her search long enough to give him a smile. "My room isn't booby-trapped." So Demyx stepped into the room, looking around. He'd never been in Xembré's room before. The walls were covered in drawings; most of them were of the Organization. But some of the drawings were of people Demyx didn't know.

"Who's that?" Demyx asked while staring with interest at a drawing of a boy he didn't know. It was one of the few colored drawings on the walls. The boy had blonde hair that was kind of long and shaggy. His eyes were blue, and a small smile was hovering around his mouth. He looked like someone who would laugh readily, but was generally very quiet.

Emerging from under her bed, where she had finally succeeded in finding both her boots and her gloves, Xembré glanced at the picture that Demyx was still examining. "His name's Trevor." She said, and Demyx noted the strange tone she used. "He was my… friend. Before I was attacked by the heartless."

She sat on the edge of her bed, a far away look in her eyes as she pulled on her boots. When she noticed that Demyx was still looking at the pictures, she smiled softly to herself and stood. She moved to stand beside him and indicated a few more pictures.

"Those are my other friends." She said, the same far away look in her eyes. "Nick: my best friend." She pointed at a drawing of a boy who had dark brown curls and laughing brown eyes. "Olivia: my other best friend." She pointed to a girl with brown hair and brown eyes who looked like some sort of crazy fan girl. "Tim: A really good friend of mine." Pointing to a drawing of a boy with dark hair and eyes almost as blue as her own, Xembré laughed. "You remind me of Tim." She said, looking up at Demyx.

She fell silent then, still looking at the drawings of the friends she had left behind.

"You miss them, don't you?" Demyx asked Xembré timidly. He received a nod in reply, but nothing more. He turned his eyes on the drawings again, and smiled as he caught sight of a drawing of himself. Starting, he felt Xembré's fingers lace with his own, and he glanced sideways at Xembré. She staring at the floor, her shoulders sagged and she looked thoroughly depressed.

Casting around in his mind for any way to comfort his friend, Demyx began gnawing his lip. Fortunately, he was saved from the task of cheering up Xembré when she looked up at him and smiled. "Come on," She said, pulling him toward the door. "What about that breakfast?"

---

Breakfast was a simple affair. It consisted of cereal, but something didn't seem right. The few members of the Organization who were in the kitchen, kept glancing at Xembré, or snickering unpleasantly when they thought she wasn't paying attention. The thing that made Xembré most uncomfortable was the fact that when she and Demyx had entered the kitchen, Axel had been surrounded by some other members of the Organization and was whispering excitedly to them.

Zexion stood at the counter, making himself a cup of tea, but Xembré averted her gaze from him, tossing her hair. Zexion took no notice of her anger, however, and began stirring his tea lazily.

Seating herself beside Axel, Xembré rested her head on the table. Her eyes closed, and she sighed heavily. "Zexion's such a jerk." She said suddenly, lifting her head. "He thinks he can get away with anything, even though I've never even expressed the wish to get together with him…" Axel fidgeted beside her, but she didn't notice because she was too busy glaring at Zexion, who was still stirring his tea, staring distractedly into his mug.

"Wait, what?!" Demyx exclaimed indignantly, realizing what Xembré had just said.

"Nothing, Demyx." Xembré snapped, sighing impatiently. "God, you remind me of my brother." She glared fixedly at the table top, avoiding Demyx's gaze. She didn't need someone worrying about her. That was one of the only things she didn't miss about her former life. Someone was always nagging her, telling her what to do, who to be friends with, who not to see, and everything.

It took Xembré only a few minutes to eat, and as soon as she was done, she leapt up from her chair. "I'll see you guys later!" She called over her shoulder as she dashed out of the kitchen.

Unknown to anyone but himself, Zexion watched Xembré until she was out of sight, his arms folded and a scowl on his face. If anyone had looked at him then, they would have known that he was thinking hard, every single ounce of his attention focused on whatever he was thinking about.

--------

Hmmm… Well, here's chapter six. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible!