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 TWO –-

1 – 2 Years Old

Marluxia sighed softly as he walked into the kitchen at a sluggish pace. He didn't have to look behind him to know that Zexion was following his lead. It was slightly amazing that Zexion had mastered the ability to walk without falling, considering the fact that said child could not stand two hours ago. Marluxia did wonder whether this had anything to do with what he had observed previously in regards to Zexion's dramatic aging. That idea did nag in the back of his mind; however, he was more willing to put it down to his great teachings rather than anything else. It wasn't that he was bigheaded or anything, despite the fact that perhaps his ego was growing larger with each passing second. No, if he wished to be Superior then it would work in his favour if he was fully capable of teaching others things they needed to know. Walking, he decided, was an essential skill to learn. Yes, that and spinning plates.

The first thing that he noticed when he entered the kitchen was Larxene, who had her backed turned to him, was completely oblivious to his presence. He had to bite down hard on his lip to stop himself from making a comment about being bested by a year old child, which would inevitably result in her doing one of two things: 1) she would throw one of the many pints of milk, in a glass bottle, at his head, or 2) she would throw the bottle at his head, followed by three plates, followed by a small saucepan, then again by five forks and one spoon, finally, she would storm over to him, slap him hard across the face, smirk and then deliver a swift kick to the groin. This, of course, was not speaking from experience.

It would possibly do well to attempt to ignore the blonde woman until she deemed it fit to speak again. He was more than aware that it was utterly pathetic to quiver to a mere woman's whims, but it was too early and Larxene was a psychotic maniac. Plus, she was the one handling his food. Was it really wise to annoy her? She would more than likely put a spoon of potassium cyanide in his coffee, in place of the usual small spoon of sugar, and smiling a sickly sweet smile as he drank the coffee, commenting that it was particularly sweeter than usual.

He shook his head. It was then that he remembered Xigbar telling him that there was a meeting. He tried to recall whether or not any meetings were scheduled for today. Today was a Wednesday, which was unusual for a meeting, as Xemnas, for some peculiar reason, preferred meetings to be held every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. So why would there be a meeting on Wednesday, and more importantly, why was he not informed of it? It seemed almost unfair to attend a meeting that he had not been told of.

"Well lookie here – Sleeping Beauty finally woke up," Xigbar laughed loudly, leaning as far back on his chair with his legs propped on the table.

Well, there goes my chances of remaining semi invisible, Marluxia grumbled to himself. He stifled a yawn as he walked further into the kitchen and discretely kicked the chair from underneath Xigbar, smirking as he walked by, innocently whistling a tune he created only moments ago, which he unofficially dubbed: Scythe of Petals. It was at that moment that he decided if being Superior failed, he would no doubt excel in the entertainment industry.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Xigbar lay on the ground in a most undignified manner. The one-eyed man rubbed his head and spat a few colourful words before pushing himself up, only to hit his head on the corner of the table. By the way that Xigbar was glaring at the white table; Marluxia was almost certain that the other would soon pull out his weapon and decorate the table with bullet holes. Alas, this did not happen. No, Xigbar pushed himself up and kicked the knocked over chair at the table, laughing snidely and grinning ear to ear as he cracked every finger on his right hand.

Xigbar 1 – Table 0.

Hats obviously need to go off to Xigbar, Marluxia sniggered to himself. He was half expecting the dark-haired man to turn and pick a fight with him, however, that did not happen. Xigbar merely pulled the next chair out and sat down, taking up the position he had before he fell. It was as if the incident never happened. He was half tempted to kick the chair again, just to get a more satisfying response from Xigbar. I really have to stop tormenting others for my own amassment – I'm becoming as bad as Axel, he decided, crossing his arms as he stole a quick glance behind him. Zexion had managed to make it into the kitchen at last.

"Funny man!" the child squealed happily, pointing at Xigbar.

Xigbar looked at Zexion and smirked, showing off a row of white teeth as he gave the Schemer the thumbs up sign. "There ain't nothing funny about me, kid," he sniggered.

That's what he thinks, Marluxia sneered, keeping his judgemental opinions to himself for once. While it was true that he preferred to tell the others where he thought they were going wrong, which resulted in serious repercussions on numerous occasions, he finally decided that it was not worth his time and effort if the outcome was not to be appreciated. The leach that Xemnas was keeping around each of their necks was slacking with each day and, unfortunately for the so-called Superior of Organisation XIII, it was proving to be more than difficult to pull the chain back again. It was a grave mistake that Xemnas would not get the opportunity to learn from.

"That brat is banned from this kitchen!" Larxene spat, abruptly turning on her heel.

"Larxene, you don't have the right to ban anyone from any room in this castle," Marluxia replied, matter-of-factly.

Luxord rolled his eyes as he shuffled his cards for the tenth time. Here we go - another speech on how he is king of the castle and all the less than worthy scum that resides in the walls should fall to his feet, he sniggered, as he removed six cards from the deck. He looked at the cards in his hand: Ace of Spades, King of Hearts, King of Spades, the Joker, Ace of Clubs and the 3 of Hearts. He placed the King of Hearts on the table, leaving a space next to it before placing the King of Spades down too. He looked at the remaining cards and placed the Joker in between the two Kings. Left now with three cards in his hand, Luxord laid the 3 of Hearts directly under the Joker and then lay the Ace of Clubs sideways on top of the Joker. Finally, with one card remaining, he placed it higher than the others and stared down to observe the cards. The layout that had been created looked similar to that of a cross; however, there was more to everything than meets the eye.

"As long as I am working in here, the brat is out!" she shouted, waving the knife she was using, a large glob of butter falling to the ground.

"Why don't we put it down to chance?" Luxord said, gathering all his cards together. "Whoever picks the highest card wins."

He fanned the cards and held them out. Larxene said nothing as she threw the knife down and strode over to Luxord, quickly snatching a card from the fan. Before she had a chance to see which card she had chosen, Luxord quickly said, "Don't look at the card just yet." He turned away and held the fan in Marluxia's direction. "Your turn," he told him.

Marluxia crossed his arms and perched himself on the table. "It's not my fate to chance," he replied calmly.

The bearded man nodded once and pushed himself from his seat, kneeling in front of Zexion. He had no hesitations that his cards would be in jeopardy in the hands of a small child. They were in more danger in Larxene's hands then in Zexion's.

He watched carefully as Zexion took a small step forward and stared at the cards, looking them over. Luxord was certain that he could see the cogs turning in the child's head as he decided which card to pick. Even as a young child, Luxord knew that Zexion was still able to fully process things inside his mind, taking his time to make sure his decision was the correct one before proceeding. There was just something about the way Zexion reached for a middle card but stopped himself, deciding to choose a card nearer to the edge instead, that confirmed this for Luxord.

Luxord stood up and walked back to his seat. "Right, place the cards on the table – face up," he instructed, sub-consciously shuffling the cards.

Larxene smiled widely as she threw the card down as if it were nothing more than a dusty old rag. "King of Clubs – beat that, brat!" she beamed.

Zexion looked up at her and slowly walked to the table. He stopped when he reached Luxord and looked up at the table. It was too high for him to place his card on top, so he passed the card to Luxord, still face down.

Luxord smiled, silently grateful that Zexion was taking precautions with his beloved cards. He turned the card over. "Lady Luck must be shinning down on the little munchkin," he laughed. "Ace of Spades."

"Ace beats a King," Xigbar said aloud with a condescending edge to his voice. "Better luck next time, Larxene."

The woman narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she slammed her fist on the table. "Fine!" she snarled, turning away from the others.

Xigbar laughed loudly at Larxene's behaviour, whereas Luxord only sniggered softly, shaking his head. "So how did this misfortune befall Zexion?"

"Vexen," Marluxia merely said, sneaking a quick glance at the clock. When was this meeting supposed to begin anyway?

"The meeting will commence when the others decide to grace us with their presence," Xemnas said suddenly, as if he was reading Marluxia's mind.

The comment caused Marluxia to turn to Xemnas. To be honest, he had not noticed the higher-up sitting at the end of the table. "Superior, I didn't see you there," he said.

Xemnas sighed. "Why does that not surprise me?" he muttered to himself, which was loud enough for the whole kitchen to hear.

Marluxia arched a fine brow. While he did go to some lengths to annoy and let it be known how much he despised the Superior, this time was unintentional. He had not seen the man walk into the kitchen. In fact, he had no recognition of seeing Xemnas at all today. Perhaps it had been when he was resting his eyes - not sleeping.

Marluxia shrugged his shoulders. He was not going to let Xemnas' childish behaviour deter him.

Xemnas crossed his arms as he leaned back on his chair. This really was getting ridiculous now. He had made sure that each member had received a memo informing them of the meeting. If things continued this way, then drastic measures would be taken. He would have to install a PA system in the castle, where 6am wake-ups were routine.

Xemnas turned his head when he heard voices coming from the other room. Perhaps there is hope for this lot after all? he wondered.

"Ah breakfast! The most important meal of the day," Demyx exclaimed loudly, possibly with a large grin plastered across his face.

"I feel like a big, greasy breakfast with bacon, sausages, eggs, hash browns, fried tomatoes, and mushrooms with a large side order of fried bread," Axel replied, walking through the door with his arms flung over his head. He stopped walking and took one glance at the woman standing in front of the sink before turning to Demyx. "Cereal is good too," he said, his voice taking on a serious tone that was not usually associated with the red-head.

Xemnas decided to take this moment before someone else chose to interrupt. "Why are you late for the meeting?" he asked, crossing his arms as he looked at Demyx and Axel.

Demyx turned quickly and stared at Xemnas, his only movements being the constant blink of his eyes. He turned his head to Axel, who had his arms crossed tightly. The growing smile on Axel's face caused Demyx to swallow hard and slowly look back to Xemnas. He rubbed his hands together, taking a small step forward before taking two steps back. To most, the sight of a slightly nervous Demyx would be more than adorable and cause nothing more than the need to throw ones arms around the nobody and tell him that there was nothing to worry about. However, in the real world that does not happen. In the real world, one has to face their own problems and find their own individual solution.

That was how Demyx decided to look at it. He would, indeed, look the problem in the eye and talk his way out of it. He had done nothing wrong. He was a nobody. A member of the elite Organisation XIII. A powerful and strong fighter. He was brave. Handsome. Adored by millions of fans...

"Well?" Xemnas asked, growing impatient with the lack of response.

He was a coward and wanted nothing more than to find a rock and hide under it. He felt like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Maybe he could just move away to Atlantis and take Neptune with him?

"Well you see," he began, quietly. "Axel said that it was a joke ... that there really was no meeting..."

"If VIII told you that the world is going to end today and that the only way to survive is to stand on your head whilst drinking camomile tea – would you believe him?" Xemnas asked, completely serious.

Demyx opened his mouth to defend himself; however, no words were heard. He sighed softly and shook his head. "I guess," he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he walked forward. "Good morning, Zexion – hey, you're walking!"

The Superior groaned, lightly massaging his temples as he let his head drop slightly. With both his elbows resting on the table, Xemnas closed his eyes, taking the time to fully comprehend the situation. Sometimes it really was frustrating being the Superior. There were days where his job was less tiresome and orders were directly followed, however, the other times, times like right now, his authority was not respected and rules not adhered to. Did they not realise that without his command, they would never gain Kingdom Hearts.

"What is the reasoning behind your lateness, Saix?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes. He did not need to waste precious energy in such trivial things because hearing the nearly soundless scuffle of shoes on a white, impeccable floor gave away the fact that a member of the organisation was trying to sneak into the kitchen. There was only one member thoughtful enough to go to such extremes. Besides, Xemnas thought, considering the fact that I was first to enter the room, I think I know who is here and who isn't.

The Superior sighed listlessly as he opened his eyes and looked at Saix, who had a firm hold of the chair as he tried to pull it out silently.

"I would have assumed, considering the fact that you were the one to hand write all the memos and slide them under everyone's door, that you'd be on time," he said seriously.

The azure-haired man almost shuddered at the mere nightmare of having to write those blasted memos – four times over. He never realised that Xemnas was so indecisive when it came to memos. Did it really matter if the word urgently needed to be replaced with immediately? Finally when he had written all the memos, Xemnas decided that black ink would convey the importance better than blue.

"I overslept, Superior," he admitted, looking away as if the act of oversleeping was a most heinous crime.

Xemnas slowly nodded his head, which indicated that the conversation was over and that Saix could return to his seat. The other man nodded as he did so, shuddering slightly as he stole a quick glance at Zexion.

"The meeting is about to commence," he announced aloud, noticing that three other members had now made an appearance. Next time, I shall arrange the meetings for the afternoon, he decided, looking at the clock. While it was not early for him, others may disagree. Right, everyone is here minus Vexen. I am not prepared to wait any longer.

Everyone slowly began to work their way around the kitchen so they could sit in the seats that Xemnas had so kindly allocated them. Xemnas, being the highly-appreciated Superior that he is, sat at the head of the table. The others sat in order of their rank. Using this small dot diagram would make explaining seating arrangements much simpler (: : : : : : -). Xemnas is the dash (-) – note how he is significantly different to the others. To his right sits Xigbar and to his left is Xaldin. In order of who sits next to Xigbar is: Vexen, Zexion, Axel, Luxord and Larxene. In order of who sits next to Xaldin is: Lexaeus, Saix, Demyx, Marluxia and Roxas.

So, see below for diagrams:

. . . . . .
- - - - - -x
. . . . . .

-OR-

12 - 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 - 2

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1

13 – 11 – 9 – 7 – 5 - 3

-OR-

Larxene – Luxord – Axel – Zexion – Vexen - Xigbar

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Xemnas

Roxas – Marluxia – Demyx – Saix – Lexaeus – Xaldin

Xemnas waited until everyone was sitting down before he spoke. This proved to be a longer wait than expected because Zexion did not want to sit in his place. Whenever Marluxia sat the child down, Zexion would wriggle and shuffle off the chair. Had Marluxia not kept a constant hold on Zexion, the child would have fallen to the ground.

"Sit down," Marluxia growled in an authoritarian voice. Zexion was acting worse than a puppy that had not yet been fully trained. This really was humiliating. Being scrutinised by eleven nobodies was causing his anger to grow and he was more than aware that if he did not get away from Zexion, he would do something that would give off the impression that he was not as mature as he would like everyone to believe. In addition, he was unsure whether to laugh or not at the fact that everyone remained seated when it was plainly obvious that he was struggling. Not one offered assistance. If I ever decide to create a list of those that I wish to kill in an extremely painful manner – everyone here is on it by default! he decided, sighing lightly.

"It's clearly obvious that Zexion adores you, Marluxia," Axel sneered, leaning forward with both his elbows resting on the table.

If looks could kill, Axel would have joined Roxas as a colourful smear on the wall. They could be wall buddies.

"Well what would you suggest then, genius?" Marluxia spat, legging go of Zexion.

Axel sat up and waved his index finger in the air. "Now, now, Marluxia," he mocked. "I'm sure you're smart enough to figure this out – it's simple..."

"Don't you ever tire of your own voice?" Marluxia asked, concealing a deep sigh

Axel smirked as he shook his head. "No," he exclaimed loudly.

Marluxia narrowed his eyes, slowly learning over to grab a hold on the fork nearest to him.

"If I may add a suggestion," said a deep voice, instantly causing the others to look over. Lexaeus stirred the sugar into his tea before slowly setting the spoon down. He picked the cup up using both hands and looked up at Marluxia and Axel. It was a known fact in Castle Oblivion – listen to what Lexaeus says because, despite what one might think, his down to earth logic does make sense. "Why not, for a short time of course, rearrange the table to suit the needs of Zexion." He blew gently on the drink before taking a small sip.

"I agree," Xemnas replied, pouring the piping tea into his own cup. Why Xemnas insisted on using a teapot was beyond anyone's knowledge. He claimed that the tea tasted more refined when poured directly from the pot. "Saix, you shall sit where Zexion usually sits. Axel, you will move into Saix's place. Demyx, move into Axel's seat. That leaves the seat next you, Marluxia, empty for Zexion to sit at."

"Why don't I move to where IV sits and he can eat out in the garden," Marluxia suggested darkly, picking Zexion up to save time in waiting for the child to walk around the room. While those chosen to move scurried around the kitchen, Marluxia glared darkly at the chair that was now reserved for Zexion. Why had he not noticed before that Zexion was now too small to sit in it? Would Zexion even sit still if he somehow managed to add height to the chair? Only one way to find out, he decided, looking around. A small smile crossed his features when his eyes lay upon a neat stack of cookery books. They'll do.

While the commotion of moving arrangements stole the attention of the other members, Xaldin slowly leaned over to his left, dark eyes never leaving the moving nobodies.

"Do you have any idea what is going on here?" he whispered, confusion filling his voice.

Lexaeus closed his eyes as he took a small sip of tea. "I am as stumped as you," he admitted, though his voice gave no indications that this bothered him. "However, if you nod, smile and go with the flow, everything will become clear."

Xaldin arched a brow and turned his head fully so he was able to observe Lexaeus. The auburn-haired man emitted the air of tranquillity as he sat with his eyes closed, sipping his tea. He had just admitted to being confused by the perplexing events that passed, however, somehow he managed to come out more knowledgeable than before.

The long-haired nobody shook his head as he shifted in his seat, breaking his gaze from Lexaeus. He was unsure whether he could simply follow Lexaeus' lead because he was used to knowing what was happening. He was of a high rank, which had its advantages in regards to the goings on of the other members. So to have everyone know ahead of him was almost like a large elephant stamping on all he had known and believed in regards to the Organisation. Then again, he wondered, perhaps small changes are ... somewhat good for the mind.

Sighing, he begrudgingly decided to follow the lead of the ever knowing Lexaeus. Observation was a critical key factor. Observation had told him that Zexion was a baby and Marluxia was somehow roped into looking after him. He came to this conclusion quickly, as he could not picture Marluxia as being the type of anything that would put himself out for someone who wasn't himself. With this now fresh in his mind, all Xaldin would have to do is watch and wait. And hope I don't become involved because ... I don't actually believe that I even need to finish my train of thought in regards to the situation here...

Once everyone was seated in their new places, no one waited for Xemnas to declare that the meeting was officially in order. No, it was breakfast and nothing could deny hungry nobodies the most important meal of the day. Chaos was the perfect word to describe what occurred at the table. Axel shouted across to Roxas. Demyx was annoying Saix about meaningless nonsense. Xigbar was discussing loudly with Luxord about their plans for a poker game later on tonight. Marluxia was staring deep into his coffee as he looked up and saw Larxene smiling at him. He immediate stood up and poured the drink down the sink and made another. Nobody (no pun intended) managed to make the coffee how he preferred anyway.

"Someone seems rather paranoid today," Larxene sneered, taking a bite out of her toast and brushing any stray crumbs that had fallen on her coat.

"With all good reason," Marluxia replied, remaking the coffee his way: strong, two sugars and a small splash of milk. "I wouldn't wish you on my worst enemy," he told her, hoping to wipe that growing smile on her face. She really was insufferable at times.

"Moving onto the meeting," Xemnas said loudly, tapping his plate with a silver butter knife, pausing only for a moment to see where the butter from the appliance had landed.

"I've heard of cream tea but this is ridiculous," Xigbar laughed, staring at the knob of butter that floated in his drink.

"Moving on," the superior continued.

"Dare me to drink it?" Xigbar grinned, holding his mug high, as if it were a priceless artefact.

"Meeting?"

"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Xigbar laughed before putting the drink to his lips and instantly downing the contents. The cheers of the others only caused his ego to grow larger, which prompted him to drink faster. All in all, the tea tasted normal, except when the un-melted butter touched his lips. He pulled a face and held the cup high; tilting it so that everyone could see the contents had been devoured.

Xemnas silently grit his teeth as he observed the members of his organisation act like mere children. There should only be one member acting like a child, which was currently the only child member. No, Zexion was too engrossed watching Marluxia pouring milk over a small bowl of cheerios and putting a silver spoon in his hand. The slate-haired child turned the spoon over in his hand, carefully looking into the shinning metal before putting it into his mouth. Marluxia hid a smile as he took the spoon from Zexion's mouth and put it in the cereal.

"Like this," he said quietly, demonstrating the simple procedure of putting cereal on a spoon. Slowly, he placed the spoon to Zexion's mouth and waited until he opened his mouth before pushing the spoon inside. Once Zexion had finished eating the first spoon, Marluxia handed the silver appliance back. "Now you try."

Zexion stared at the small wholegrain loops floating on his spoon. Slowly, he lifted the spoon higher, trying as hard as he could to keep a firm grip on it. This didn't last too long as he dropped the spoon in the cereal, milk spilling onto the table.

Marluxia shook his head as he sniggered softly, picking up his still steaming drink.

"Way to go, Zexion!" Demyx grinned excitedly, giving the child the thumbs up as a small reward for trying.

Roxas, having remained relatively quiet through the display, cringed inwardly whenever he saw Zexion spilling the milk on himself. True, he was ecstatically pleased that Zexion was wearing his beloved top. How when only last night the top had been too big? It matter very little. All Roxas knew was that Zexion was spilling more and more milk on the top and no one had even bothered to put a bib on the child. He shook his head. Maybe next time...

Xemnas had had enough and decided that the only way for everyone to acknowledge that the meeting had started ten minutes ago, was to shout. Whether that would actually work was a mystery to him, however, anything was worth a try.

"The meeting has started!" he bellowed, slamming his fist hard on the table.

Everyone looked up.

Well what do you know – they listened!

"As many of you will have noticed, Zexion is now a baby, which is the main reason I called this meeting on such short notice. Now, certain arrangements have already been made, however, I would like to know how this incident came about. Marluxia..."

Marluxia blew the coffee to cool it down before taking a drink. It really was the best coffee he had ever tasted in his non-existence, if that comment wasn't being too big-headed. The full-bodied aroma of the coffee caused him to exhale a sigh relaxation. It was a shame that the rich coffee was being tainted by the annoying sound of Xemnas' voice. Why couldn't the man just be quiet? He knew that it was Vexen that caused Zexion's 'minor' problem so why ask him?

"I'm afraid you will have to seek out Vexen to find your answer as to what happened to Zexion," he said in a clear voice with a large hint of indifference to it.

Vexen, hearing his name being mentioned followed by some form of fault, stopped mid step and slowly backed away from the door as he tried in vain to sneak away the kitchen that he tried so hard to sneak into. It was bad enough that he was late for the meeting, he grumbled. Now he was going to be reprimanded too!

"Vexen, I'm glad you could make it," Xemnas said, arms crossed as he sat up straight. He did not have to turn around to know that IV was attempting to sneak into the meeting. However, it was usually IX's job to sneak into the meeting late. Never mind, he decided.

The Academic groaned, rubbing his head to rid himself of the headache he knew he was going to endure later on. Well, it's now or never, he groaned to himself, taking a step forward. Funnily enough, taking that one step was proving to be more difficult that he had originally anticipated. Maybe it was due to the fact that everyone was staring at him; if was as if this was a class and he ran in late, only to be reprimanded by the strict teacher that preached the word of God to everyone who breathed.

"Sorry I am late, Superior," he muttered his apology, finishing the final few strides to his seat, however, stopping when he noticed something amiss. "Why have the seating arrangements changed?" he asked, noticing that Saix was currently occupying Zexion's seat.

"Had you been on time, you'd know the answer," Xemnas replied dryly.

Vexen nodded his head as he pulled his chair out; the shrill screech of the legs scrapping on the ground penetrated his ears, causing him to recoil slightly. Nevertheless, the blond-haired man sat down, turning his full attention to Xemnas. "Sorry I am late," he repeated. "I was doing some last minute research on Kingdom Hearts, which has led me to discover something I believe you'll find relatively interesting."

At the mere mention of Kingdom Hearts, Xemnas' head perked up. Kingdom Hearts to him was like Catnip to a cat. A smile graced his features. He was just that much closer to regaining his heart. They all were.

Vexen smiled inwardly. All he needed to mention was Kingdom Hearts and Xemnas would automatically forget about what was preoccupying his mind and concentrate, or was that day dream, on the infamous Kingdom Hearts. True, he had lied to his superior just to avoid trouble; however, this was a sacrifice he was willing to take.

"What is this situation that regards Zexion that, according Marluxia, is my fault?" he asked, stirring a spoon of honey into his camomile tea. He lifted the cup to his lips, inhaling the sweet fruity aroma. He could already feel the tension being released from his body, which helped clear his mind, especially when two cheerioes were being thrown in his direction. The stranger thing being that when he turned his head, Saix was the one brushing the cereal off his coat and onto Vexen.

"Perhaps if you looked up, that genius mind of yours might be able to find the fault without being informed first," Marluxia sneered. He seems more irritable than usual, Vexen noted.

Vexen looked up, carefully placing his cup down on one of the white mats, and what he saw caused his mind to momentarily close down. With his mouth open ajar and emerald eyes wide with shock, Vexen looked positively comical. However, this was not the time for amusements. Zexion was a baby. The cogs spun frantically inside his brain, quickly attempting to create an explanation as to why this was not a fault on his behalf. Surely there had to be another reason that could explain the situation. Perhaps Zexion travelled to another world and consumed a magical apple that cursed him with the form of a baby? he wondered, mentally envisioning the wicked witch who had put blood, sweat and possibly everything else into creating the evil fruit. Yes, she was an evil looking hag: dark straggly hair that fell past her shoulders, small beady eyes that gleamed with an evil glimmer, a large hooked nose that was unnatural on a face so wrinkled, and finally a large mole with four grey hairs poking through. She truly was the embodiment of everything that was pure evil. The Bogeyman who stands outside and scratches on the window with razor-sharp nails in the dead of the night, hunting for children fending off sleep. The pair of big gleaming yellow eyes that stare at you from underneath the bed. The scaly red hand that slowly creeps out of the wardrobe, the long yellow nails scraping the paint and wood. Yeah, she's a figment of my imagination – I'm doomed!

"I'm assuming this is a direct result of that potion that was spilt on him?" he asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

Marluxia didn't reply to Vexen but, to be honest, the academic wasn't expecting one. "Well, this is unexpected," he muttered.

"Can you undo this abomination?" Xemnas asked.

Vexen interlinked his fingers in his hair as he lightly tugged on the strands. "Well, I'd have to examine Zexion and take a blood sample. Once I've gotten the results I will be able to tell you fully what going to happen and how I can reverse it."

Xemnas nodded. That was probably for the best...

"Stop throwing cheerios at me!" Saix growled suddenly, bearing his teeth like a rabid dog.

Zexion had rid himself of his spoon once he realised that it was too much of an inconvenience to hold, making sure that the food did not fall, and putting it into his mouth. He found it was much easier to put his hand in the milk and grab a handful of cheerios. On the odd occasion a cheerio would fall onto Marluxia's sleeve, where the mauve-haired man would subconsciously flick it away as he took a drink of his coffee. Other than that, Zexion was managing to feed himself perfectly well.

Everyone ignored Saix's outburst.

"If you pass Zexion over here I can get to work right away," Vexen said, drinking the rest of his tea before putting the cup down less than gentle.

Axel, having been quiet longer than usual, had been observing everything that had been happening and, once he had finished his sweet tea, decided to put his plan into action.

"Marluxia, I've had an epiphany and it requires a sacrifice on your behalf," he declared, grinning widely.

The assassin arched a fine brow, turning his attention to Axel, who he could see clearly over the top of Zexion. "What make you believe that I would even consider doing anything that would assist you?" he asked.

The redhead showed a row of pearly teeth, leaning back on his chair. "Because the results will be worthwhile."

"I very much doubt that."

"Marluxia, hug me."

If Marluxia was drinking at that moment, he would have either spat it out or started choking. If was a good thing he had finished drinking beforehand. What the hell is Axel on?

Axel leaned closer, the grin still plastered on his face.

"If you touch me Axel, I will have you put down," Marluxia muttered darkly, bright eyes narrowing as he shot a glare at the insane nobody.

"I need you to hug me," he said again. "When Zexion sees you hugging me, he'll think that it's a relatively normal thing to do." If possible, Axel's grin became wider, the glint in his eyes similar to that of sheer insanity, or mischief. "All we have to do when handing him over to Vexen is tell him to hug Saix. After his display yesterday he won't know what hit him – providing us with breakfast entertainment."

Marluxia rolled his eyes, shaking his head lightly. "For future reference, if you plan on doing something like this: don't tell everyone beforehand, especially the one who you plan on humiliating."

Axel shook his head, able to see Saix visibly shaking out of the corner of his eye. What from, he didn't know. "Yes, but now that he knows, he'll be constantly on edge all day. It's a brilliant plan, if I do say so myself."

Marluxia turned away from Axel. His coffee was gone, he noticed. It was disappointing, especially if he was to endure any more stupidity from certain nobodies. This meeting is a waste of time, he complained to himself, a mental imagine of himself making another cup of delicious coffee popped into his head. Maybe this was a sign that he needed more coffee to endure the meeting. No, there is only one more thing to do here.

He pushed himself from his chair and grabbed a hold of Zexion, not caring if the child had finished breakfast or not. He was perfectly aware that everyone was watching him; however, he frankly did not care. They could watch. If only proved how much time they had on their hands. He stopped walking when he reached Vexen and Saix. He stifled a grin when he saw the look that crossed Saix's face. This was not the time for personal amusements, he decided.

"Here," he said, dropping Zexion onto Vexen's lap. "A gift from me to you – no returns."

With that said, Marluxia decided that he was going to retreat to his room where he did not have to worry about sharing his time with a child. Let that idiot, Vexen, deal with him...

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TO BE CONTINUED

NEXT CHAPTER: DAY TWO pt THREE

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Author's Notes: Right ... well it's been quite some time, hasn't it? Well over a month. This chapter has been a complete bitch and I think it's more of the more serious chapter, considering there is still humour in it. Ah, who cares? Anywho: it was late because I'm having slight problems at work. 1st) I was told that there was a chance that I was going to be made redundant 2nd) 1 week after that I found out that I was being disciplined because I made a cock up that could cost me my job. I'm still trying to figure of HOW I made such a mistake. Anyway ... just thought I'd inform you. Oh yeah ... another reason is that I've entered a writing contest ... so yeah.

Right - Onto the fic. What I wanted to do in this chapter was give a little more into Luxord's character, because I believe I didn't do his character justice in the last chap. I also want to frequently have them use their powers and I'm still trying to get Luxord's into my head. I wanted him to do more with the cards other than trapping people inside. That's where I came up with the whole using his cards for cartomancy (fortune telling with playing cards). I honestly think that Luxord prob knows more than he lets on ... so I decided to have him make a small fortune telling with the cards. If none of you understood just tell me and I'll add a note with information, because I kinda ripped bits here and there - ya know, cartomancy and tarot reading.

This is the chap where Xaldin and Lexaeus make an appearance. A small one but they have been introduced. Everyone is now informed of the situation, even though the meeting didn't actually tell them anything. lol. They'll find out on their own ... everyone is going to have to contribute in looking after Zexion, whether they like it or not :D

Lastly, Susumi has done a fanart for me to go along with my fic. I'm so happy I could cry lol. So if any of you are on Deviant Art please go and check it out: http : // susumi-chan . deviantart . com / art / please-fall-again - 100418136

Sorry if the ending seems rushed ... I was just anxious to get it up tonight. I might revamp it later.

Right, lastly: personal thank yous:

To those who are new to the fic: welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying it:D Thanx for the reviews, they're all so nice.

Totschafe - Wow! You've read and reviewed my fic. This is an honor because I'm such a fan of your story. I'm glad that you appreciate the reviews I give. I'm constantly wary of what I put in reviews because one time someone asked me to give them a critical review: I did, they took offense, left the site. Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy the fic:D

GetYerZexiOn - A new fan to my deranged fic about baby Zexion. I'm so pleased you liked it so far. The fish thing in the last chapter was a spur of the moment thing and had me in stitches when I wrote it. It's always a good sigh lol. Thanks for the reviews.

QuarantineVirus - Thank you for the review. It's greatly appreciated and it made my day when you said that I was keeping the characters in characters. I'm constantly paranoid about that. I've read your fic but I havn't gotten around to reviewing yet: I will so keep watching :D

Katherine-The-Crowned - I'm glad you liked the last chap. The fish part was my fave. Honestly, I've had experiences with fish and I can't keep them alive. This is from REAL experiences lol. Thanks for the review :)

Susumi - My stalking buddy!! Yay! I'm glad that you enjoyed the chap ... I was my personal fave TBH. The fish part :D You like how I portrayed Larxene? Yay. I was wary with her because she is a bitch, and we all know it. But I couldn't bare myself to write anything that could be classified as child abuse lol. I blame the fact that I've worked with kiddies and did a uni course on it. Thank you once again for my fanart!! Hope you enjoyed the chap.

One-Winged-Chaos - Lol. Larxene is evil without being evil :D If you stab her, she'll stab you back - choice is yours, my friend.

Valitiel - There really should be different requirements to join Org XIII - other than the obvious ones lol. I think they should all sign a contract stating that from now on they will honor and obey Xemnas :D Thanks for the review!

LupinandHarry - Larxene would admit to killing poor Tim. She's mean. Thanx for the reviews, they made my day :)

Sadist-Schemer - Yay ... no hard feelings for me messing up your name? That's good lol. The fish thing was actually the highlight of that chap for me - so much fun to write too. I agree though: baby Zexion is so cute!!

MuffinPirate - I'd die of fright too if I were a human ball for Xigbar and Luxord to play with, but Zexion is a tough little cookie lol.

KH and SN Fangirl - Squee!! Thank you so so much. I'm glad you've enjoyed the fic so far and I hope this chap doesn't disappoint.

thegreatwhitewolf - I wholeheartedly agree with you. I actually do think that Marluxia would make a good leader. I was looking on the net at one of his profiles, so I had a bit more to go on, and while it said that Marluxia didn't have too many good qualities lol those that he does have are. This was taken directly from the site: Even though most of Marluxia's personality traits are negative, he does have a few positive aspects. Some of these include his devotion and persistence to succeed in his goals. He's a very adamant member of Organization XIII, and in his eyes he probably deserves much more respect than he's given. All in all, Marluxia is a very egotistical, and manipulative member of the organization who would stop at nothing to overthrow the organization and become superior. So yeah ... I think he'd make a good leader. Thanks for the reviews, they really do make my day (im not just saying that lol). I'm happy that you don't hate Larxene in my fic ... I'm trying to have her acting like a bitch, but in a better way I guess. I'm still experimenting with characters though, due to this being my 1st KH fic.

Wow, that was seriously long winded. If I have failed to mention any other names: Sorry. I do appreciate you all :D

Thank you once again and hope to see you for the next chap

Bye-de-bye

Bexii xx