Correspondence with a Demon
Chapter 7 – Midnight Visit
Naminé kept a safe distance between her and the blue haired maid as they neared towards the door that was labeled with the Roman numeral 13. She saw the maid quietly open the door and gestured for her to go inside. When Naminé stepped through, the door closed, and she heard the click from the lock turning. She let out a big breath that she didn't know she was holding and felt the tension in her shoulders relax.
She instantly noticed that the mess from what was supposed to be her breakfast had been cleaned up and replaced with a fresher one. There was also a clean set of clothes folded on the bed, making her remember her current state of dress. She looked down at her porridge-stained nightgown. Her face became red as she realized that she presented herself in such a state before the leader and before an entire crowd, in a nightgown nonetheless. But since there wasn't any time to change clothes, it should be overlooked, right? Perhaps that was what the residents were whispering about…She felt ashamed for not noticing it sooner.
To make her feel better about the whole thing, she took a quick shower and changed into the new nightgown quickly, noticing how soft and flowy it was. It was a mint green in color, a sort of pleasant color that made Naminé feel relaxed. It also smelled like it came straight from the wash. She wondered if this nightgown was also Olette's but then thought that it couldn't be since the size was a little bigger than the one she wore before. After changing, Naminé chucked her other nightgown into the hamper near the bathroom.
When she walked back and sat on the bed, she slowly drew the tray closer and started to pick at the food. She wasn't all that hungry after this morning's events, but she still managed to at least finish the castle's famous porridge. After a while, her mind began to drift off, thinking about various things.
So now she had a general sense of what those monsters were, what this organization is and what it does. But there was something a little off from Xemnas' explanation. If humans are not allowed in this castle and that she is the exception, what happened to the others that disappeared before her? What happened to Ms. Gainsborough? Did they also get swallowed up like Anya?
Naminé shuddered. At the same time, she became saddened over her former bodyguard.
On top of that, why was it that they, the demons residing in the castle, sometimes get a thirst for human blood? Was it because they were also beings of darkness, like Xemnas said? There seemed to be a deeper connection between them and the creatures of pure darkness, but Naminé felt like that was also something strictly confidential and just as complicated.
But still, she was anxious to know.
And what was it with Roxas' attitude and method of questioning her right after her interrogation with the leader? She stabbed her fork at a sausage. He seemed too demanding of that information, and Naminé was proud of herself for making that backfire at him. But it was still suspicious that he was expecting some sort of answer from her.
She knew that he would come barging in again, wanting to further question her. But she felt determined to be just as demanding as he was. If he wanted information from her, he will just have to give her information in return. Confidential or not, she had to know.
So she relocated from the bed to the armchair, deciding to wait for his return and to prepare herself on how she would question him as well as give him an answer. She also took her sketchbook and crayons with her to keep her occupied for the time being. But she kept waiting throughout the day without a sign or a noise of his footsteps or even anyone else's for that matter. The only person going in and out was the blue haired maid from before, fetching the tray or giving her the next meal.
She kept waiting for him well into the night and felt her eyes droop from her unchanged position at the armchair. Finally, she set her sketchbook on the coffee table, drew her legs closer, and laid her head on top of her crossed arms on the armrest, thinking about taking a 5 minute nap. Her mind drifted off, wondering what kind of answers she would get from him.
By the time she woke up, her five minute nap turned into a full eight hour sleep. She even woke up under the covers of the bed and became confused as to the change of location. Finally, she decided that she must have slept walked over to the bed since everything was left unchanged before she shut her eyes.
She scanned the room in hopes of finding the blond boy, but she didn't find any trace of him. She huffed, a little in disappointment.
A while after, Olette came by to give her the meal. Naminé was glad that it was her and not her sister.
Even though she looked a little feverish, she was still a little cheerful. She apologized to Naminé for her sister's actions.
"I heard about my sister, and I'm really sorry about that," Olette said, looking really guilty. "I intended for someone else to attend to you, but Selphie insisted, saying that she wanted to meet you. I thought she was going to be all right since she was only supposed to give you the meals, but I was wrong. I promise you that she was punished for treating our guest in such a manner. Honestly, she should have more control over herself like Fuu."
"Fuu?" Naminé asked.
"Oh, you should have met her yesterday. After the fiasco with Selphie, I heard that she was placed in charge of you. She's the girl with the blue hair. She's a little quiet and only says one worded sentences."
So that was her name.
"But anyway, I also came to tell you that you won't be seeing Roxas today," Naminé was a little disappointed with that. "Something came up with the area he's overseeing, and Master Xemnas told him that he had to take care of it. I wish he would have done that later since he's still recovering, but I guess it has to be done."
Naminé nodded, a little annoyed that he couldn't tell her that himself. At the same time, she wondered what kind of injuries he incurred for him to take many days off.
"It's all right though. It must be something like one of their usual weird fluctuations in the system's data. It only takes a day to find out what's happened. Zexion's already working on it in his lab, and I'm sure that Roxas will get it done quickly. You'll probably even see him tonight when he comes back," she explained.
"Who says that I want to see him when he gets back?" Naminé asked with her arms crossed.
Olette gave a little knowing smile, which made Naminé a little annoyed.
But he didn't come that night either, which frustrated Naminé to no end.
She knew because she even tried to wait up for him again but instead fell asleep once again in the armchair. The only difference was that she actually woke up in the armchair the next morning. She felt very sore from sleeping in such a cramped position and wished that she had slept walked over to the bed like the night before. It would have made her feel a lot more rested and a lot less stiff. She felt her tight muscles stretch and winced as she heard her joints crack. Later on, she felt a cramp in her calf.
By the time Olette came around, Naminé noticed the look on her face that said that something was going to be different today or that something was going on. It wasn't that Olette had the same trance-like state as Selphie did when she approached Naminé two days ago, but it was more like she entered the room less cheerful and more exhausted than before. Granted, she was still recovering from a cold, but she looked more exhausted from whatever physical labor she did.
When Naminé questioned her, Olette tried to downsize it.
"It's nothing," she mumbled. "It's only that most of the staff and maids here have come down with a cold and can't get out of bed, so work has been piling up rather quickly…"
"Would you like an extra set of hands?" Naminé blurted out before realizing the gravity of what she just said. She only said what came natural to her. When she saw a friend in need, she offered her help.
Olette's head snapped up with her eyes wide as if Naminé said something utterly ridiculous. But for a second there was a twinkle of relief in her eyes.
"I can't do that," she said hastily, shaking her head. The twinkle vanished. "I can't. I can't endanger you, Naminé. It's like I'm throwing an injured fish into a tank full of sharks! You forget that we are demons, Naminé. There are even others in this castle that don't have as much control over themselves."
"I'm not saying that I'll be doing it by myself," Naminé interjected. "I was just wondering if you need me to walk with you and help you with your chores. I mean, I'm already healed, and my foot is feeling much better now." She showed Olette her still bandaged foot. It was healing slowly, and Naminé knew that it was most likely going to turn into a scar. The other wounds on her feet had already healed.
"It makes me feel bad when there are things I could do, but I'm only sitting here waiting for my next meal." She really wanted to help her. Doing chores would be better than just sitting around and sketching all day. She loved drawing and sketching dearly, but she felt as if she was doing too much of it.
Olette still shook her head. "I can't. If Roxas finds out –"
"He won't have to since he's gone at the moment," Naminé inserted.
"No," she replied, "You don't understand. He'll already know you've been out when he steps through the castle doors."
"You mean through scent?" Naminé guessed. She figured that was how he found out that Yuna was in the room even though she spent so much time helping Yuna cover her tracks through scent. Yuna's frightened expression the other day told her all she needed to know. But of course, she forgot that it was supposed to be a secret between them.
Olette's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"How do you know about that? I thought Roxas didn't tell you anything about our kind."
Naminé tried to cover her own tracks. "Oh, you know," she darted her eyes. "I thought that must have been the case since that time when Roxas and Selphie transformed."
Olette nodded slowly, still a little wary.
"Yes…" she said hesitantly. "But I'm sorry, Naminé. I appreciate it, but I can't risk it. I know you're only trying to help and that you have good intentions, but it's just as dangerous around the castle as it is out there."
"Yes. I know," Naminé replied, briefly remembering the hungry look on Selphie's face as she lunged at her. "But if there's anything I could do, please let me know. It's just that there's not much to do here." She smiled shyly, which made Olette chuckle.
Olette stood up and patted Naminé on the head. "Thanks," she said. "I'll be fine. Sorry to worry you."
When Olette left, she looked a little more cheerful than when she entered.
Naminé didn't bother staying up that night. She was still a little sore from the night before and intended to sleep in the bed this time. She also wasn't going to assume that Roxas will return anytime soon. She will get her answers eventually, but it doesn't mean that she should try to wait up for him every night until he got back. She felt a little like an impatient wife, but she quickly beat that thought down, not wanting to think about herself in that way.
She slept quite early and enjoyed the feeling of sleeping on a soft mattress under the warm, thick covers. It was quite a contrast to the firm armchair that she fell asleep on for the past two nights. She was almost drifting off into the darkness when she heard a click and the creaking of the door.
Naminé opened her eyes and sat up as she groggily stared at the dark figure stooped over in the open doorway. She squinted as she tried to make out the features and then suddenly became very attentive and frightened at the thought that she might be attacked again.
"Who are you?" she asked. Her question was met with silence.
But then she saw a little of the blond hair where the light hit, and she instantly recognized the mysterious figure as the boy whom she stayed up to wait for.
"R-Roxas?" Again, he didn't reply.
She immediately noticed that there was something off about him. He didn't have that proud and confident aura that he always exudes, and she felt as if the room had become still and silent in his presence. It felt almost as if it was the calm before the storm.
Naminé rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light. She couldn't see his eyes, but she saw that part of his black coat was torn in places and that he held his left hand to his right shoulder. He was also breathing heavily and swayed from side to side. He reached his left hand over to the door and closed it, making the room dark once more. She heard him hiss in pain in the darkness.
When her eyes readjusted to the darkness and could make out the outline of his form, Naminé swung her legs over to the side of the bed and stood to face him.
"Are…you okay?" she asked quietly, keeping a safe distance from him. There was definitely something wrong with him, and after seeing him in such a state, she was worried.
Through the darkness, she saw his form quickly rush at her.
With a squeak, she stumbled backwards until she felt the wall on her back.
With a loud thump, she felt the heat radiating from his arms that were on either side of her head. His long breaths fanned her face. She was stunned. Could he have been affected? Was he going to attack her like Selphie?
She brought her arms before her, instinctively trying to defend herself. Her heart beat faster, thumping against her chest.
"S-stop it," she stammered, casting her gaze downwards. "Roxas, whatever you're doing, stop it. You're-you're acting really strange."
The smell of blood reached her nose.
"I-is that blood? What happened?"
She took a chance and looked up at his face. She was surprised to find that she could see his sea-colored eyes as plain as day. She held her breath as she stared through the depths of his eyes and the strength they carried.
They smothered her, capturing her soul and leaving her petrified. She couldn't move and felt the familiar, tantalizing tingle up her spine.
Brief pictures flashed through her mind.
The road.
The streetlights.
The growl.
The same eyes that petrified her the night she walked home alone.
The same ones she's staring at right now.
Her mind barely registered the fact that his eyes were getting bigger, his face looming closer. The warmth from his body started to mix with hers, raising the temperature in the room. A bead of sweat trailed down the side of Naminé's face, but she didn't notice since her mind was currently preoccupied.
She felt something soft land on her lips, brushing it with such gentleness.
Then it left just as it had began.
She felt a weight on her right shoulder and realized that he was resting his head on it. His warm breaths gave her shivers as she felt it through her thin nightgown. His arms started to lower, but Naminé kept her gaze in front of her, still petrified.
"Your…payment…," he whispered in ragged breaths. It was so low that Naminé wasn't sure she heard him. It was barely a whisper.
Then all of a sudden, the weight on her shoulder disappeared, and she soon heard a thump on the carpet in front of her. She could still hear his ragged breathing.
Naminé brought her hand to her mouth and lightly touched her fingertips to her mouth. Then her breath hitched as her legs crumpled before her. Her hand covered her mouth as she realized that she had just been kissed.
She had just been kissed.
He had just kissed her.
Naminé buried her face in her arms in confusion from everything.
Her heart kept thumping against the walls of her chest.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
For some reason, I feel that every chapter is getting shorter and shorter...I think I'll make the next one longer to make up for it. But anyways, hello hello! How are you guys doing? I hope everything's going well! I'm tired, but I'm happy that I still managed to update. Coming from me, I think this is a major improvement! Haha. I'm looking forward to getting up to chapter 10! Hope I'll even make it to chapter 20. XD Things have gotten really busy over here. I'm busy every day at my internship white balancing my schoolwork and my social life. I can tell you that it's really exhausting, and the highlight of my day now is going back home and sleeping in my bed. Haha.
Hm. I wonder what kind of development this is? I think I'm slowly losing how I'm portraying Naminé...but I rather do like how Roxas is playing out. :) Perhaps there will be more in the next chapter...
Before I go, I'd like to thank everyone for reading this. Especially TheDormantOne, AkemiTheBazookaGirl, Pink Star Art, NoWorriesInTheWorld, Hegodart, Kutlessrocker, Emi Izumi,and midnight-heart. You guys make it worthwhile. :D
Please review! I'm open to suggestions, questions, and even fanfic recommendations!
