Chapter 9-Explanations
Wow. I can' t believe this. Here I am stuck in summer school and typing out this chapter. I've been away for more than a year, deep apologies, I was never really gone, I still read some stories here in FF.. My explanation was I got stuck with this chapter 9. Completely froze. Then I got busy with school, and reading, and art, lots of drawing-- rioxane12., and thanks to Lily and Ashleigh-Marie, I'm also now a participant of Maplestory. But the biggest reason was that I got depressed that my story seems to be so close to the Twilight series. I mean, I had written at least 5 chapters before I read the book, then came vampire knight and and all these vampire stories... But it doesn't matter, I want to finish this, and I'll be getting a slap from ValkyrieMissle if I don't continue. Solution: Don't follow the chapter that froze me, just restart and firing it up!! o
Disclaimer: Seriously doubting squeenix will sue me, but in case, character designs belong to squeenix, personalities and plot belong to me.
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Namine opened her eyes slowly and looked up.
"Well, I don't know wheter to say you took your sweet time or that you figured out fourteen years
of your life in a few hours is amazing, but you're finally awake."
Namine sat up and saw a girl perched on top of her table, with a mischievious eyes but a kind smile.
"Excuse me, but how did you get in?" Namine asked.
"Through the door behind me." She said bluntly.
"Oh." Namine said dully.
"I'm guessing this is all still a shock to you?" She asked. The girl had black hair with purple highlighs tied up in a ponytail.
"Sort of."
"Ah, okay. Well, I'll leave you to sleep then. It was nice seeing you Namine." She said in a
singsongy voice.
The girl sprang off the table and walked out the door and then Namine couldn't see her anymore through the curtains.
Namine reached over to her night stand and stuck the thermometer to her mouth. A few seconds later, the thermometer beeped and the screen read 99.5. She was still warm, but wasn't as worse.
It was time for school.
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"Saix... here's some water. How are you doing?" Tifa placed a bowl of water tentitively next to a
man shackled to the floor. His clothes were tattered and stretched to a bad shape, and his sweat fell to the dirty stone floor. His hair was matted, his breath in pants.
"Tifa..." the man growled. "Why do I have to be the outsider?"
Tifa bit her lip. "You're not an outsider Saix. You embody both bloods, you should be proud."
"Proud?! Why would I ever be proud?! I almost killed the old master's daughter!! The prince trusted me by not locking me up so early! I'm the monster of all monsters!" Saix spat out. His words rang around the cell, reverberating the spite and anger in his voice.
Tifa cringed and lowered her eyes. "You're wrong... You're not the worst of us. And Xigbar came back yesterday. Here's the medicine." Tifa said and handed Saix a small vial full of pulsating, sludgy brown liquid.
Saix took it and chugged it down in one gulp. His eyes dimmed down, as if he was calming down, and the veins in his arm settled back inside his skin. His panting slowed to a rhythm.
Tifa wordlessly took out a ring of keys and started to unlock the shackles and typing in passkeys to release the slumped man.
"C'mon Saix. She's okay, and Lexaeus thinks we'll hold a meeting today to explain everything to her. We'll get you cleaned up, and prepared, ok?" Tifa said quietly.
"Thank you. And how is your mother?" Saix replied.
"She's doing fine." Tifa smiled and helped Saix up.
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A teenager in a baseball cap, ripped jeans, and grass stained shoes stared outside the window in her aisle. The afternoon sun bounced off the stray locks of bangs poking out from under the cap, and her face was empty of emotions. Her heart was pounding as she thought of what she'll say to her new group of friends. She didn't know if she would yell madly or freeze and choke up. She did know that she was going to confront them no matter what. But this was the scariest thing she'd ever have to do. Recitals, singing in front of crowds, going on Kairi's antics... they were all nothing compared to what she was about to do. Face her friends who are now, in her world, vampires.
She has to think of her safety too. He said that they might one day kill her. She might have to stay away from Roxas... That thought itself. It made her grit her teeth together and her hand twinged with physical pain.
She has to say what she thinks. Then she'll listen.
What if they kill me because I know their secret?
Well, that didn't matter. At least she got to see her real mom.
Wonderful and kind... "What happened to them?!" she thought.
The girl put her head on her hands and waited quietly for the train to make it to her school.
xxxx
"Namine!" "You're here!" "Where were you?" "Where's your uniform?" "Nam--" students all over said as Namine jogged around the school trying to find a Regal anywhere.
Namine spotted Demyx strumming at the fountain's ledge.
"Demyx!!" Namine yelled. She could feel that she will scream. His serene face triggered her
anger.
"Why didn't you tell me?! Huh? Anytime I WAS AT YOUR HOUSE!! You could have told me!"
Namine yelled.
Demyx watched her fearfully and then yelped when he was backing so far away from Namine's rampage that he slipped off the ledge and into the fountain.
"I DEMAND that you explain everything to me!!" Namine screamed. "And where is Ro--mmf!!"
Namine was cut off as a hand covered her mouth muffling her words. She tried to glare at her captor but his hand kept her head from moving.
"Namine. Please calm down. Demyx didn't do anything. Please don't yell." Larxene whispered.
Kids started to surround the fountain, spectating.
Zexion helped Demyx out and Axel loosened his grip when Namine stood still. "Where's Roxas?" Namine hissed.
"He checked out early today." Larxene replied.
"Why?" hissed Namine.
"He had to check on Saix..." Axel said quietly.
"I want to see him." Namine demanded.
"Okay, but please don't fight. We'll have to check out, then we can go to the mansion." Zexion said.
Namine consented but still glared at Axel. Axel simply looked away. Demyx took out his sweater from his bag and wiped away any water off his sitar then himself while Larxene ran to the office to get the passes.
When Larxene sprinted back with pink slips, they made their way to the parking lot. Roxas was waiting there as well as a black-spiky haired teenager with orange highlights.
Namine started to get scared, they were so solemn, but her anger hasn't burned out yet. Answers, answers... was all she could think about as Zexion drove through the lonely forest to the mansion.
When they got to the front, the same girl from this morning was twirling a silver chain on her her fingertips connected to a sword, sitting on the great front steps. She traipsed to the car and reported, "Everyone's at the dining room except for Master. They're all suprised at the earliness of her recovery, oh, and Vexen's freezing your chairs since he's angry."
Axel rolled his eyes they they all marched to the dining room where Demyx had spun her and Xigbar offered Namine a drink of blood.
All seven went to a seat automatically, Mr. Lance pulled a chair at one end out for her. Roxas was sitting to the right of the other end of the long table.
She watched in amazement as her six car pals used their powers. Axel snapped his fingers to conjure fire and used his forefinger like a blowtorch. Larxene took out what looked like a cross between a dart and a knife and lightning pulsated through her frost. Demyx touched it and it turned to water, then he used his hands to conduct the water to a flower vase. Zexion just stared at it, concentrating. Then it chunked away to a black hole, Lexaeus's chair tipping over towards the black hole. The black-haired boy's fingers trailed fire as he chopped at the ice then wiped it away. The girl used her sword to slice and stab at the ice so that it fell off.
Then at unison, all heads turned to Namine, thirteen pairs of eyes staring except for Roxas looking down with his mouth a firm line. The young girl swallowed, she was suddenly thrown into the spotlight.
A pink-brown haired man sitting to Larxene's left stood up.
"Ahem. I think we should start off with the introductions. You know about eleven of us, right?" he asked Namine.
Namine nodded, as if she was at school. "So the only two you'll need to know are Darx," he pointed at the black-haired boy, "and Rioxane." Now to the sword-chain girl. Rioxane gave a little wave and Namine waved hesitantly back.
Zexion spoke. "His thoughts are getting nearer. Master's coming." All shifted about and straightened their backs like ramrods.
"Master? As in father's successor?" Namine wondered.
And through the double doors strode in a stern, muscled, tan-skinned, gray-haired man. He seemed to have just returned from a trip. A black, long, leathery coat with a zipper running from collar to knee length. Matching black boots and gloves. His eyes were red, literally, at the pupils. He sat down on the other head across the polished table of Namine.
"Namine? This is Master Xemnas. He was your father's friend and now our head leader." Xigbar said.
Master Xemnas looked like he was in his mid-30's, but he could certainly hold up his own in a wrestling riot.
"Miss Mirage?" he asked, surveing her with his austere stare. "This meeting is called in concern for your being. I trust that you are currently unlocking your first life remnants?" Another nod. "Then we well help you in your inquirys. In great expectations, the deepest mysteries witll be solved to aid your troubled mind. Shall we commence?"
Namine just blinked.
Axel leaned forward to the table and put his head on his palm. "Master translations: Since you cracked your brain, we'll do Q & A's to hurt your noggin some more!"
Demyx elbowed Axel and his mouth shutted with a clapm. Roxas appeared by her right shoulder, and touched her arm. His warm touch fortified her and she found her voice.
"I know what he said. I was trying to come up with the questions I want." She played with her hands nervously. "Why are my memories or these visions coming to me?"
Nope. It was still hesitating, her tone, the question was shaky.
Larxene spoke up. "Your life had been threatened. Remember the night Saix-" He gave a curt nod, "-went wild the other night? You're life was in danger, because he could have killed you for your blood. Human instincts, any instincts, are raise yourself to the best defense. You shredded your human weakness, and part of the weakness is no knowledge, or fake memories. It was as natural for your body to do as it was to scream or cover your head and duck. You can kill yourself if you suddenly turn out empty, so the real ones came flooding so that you won't go into shock."
"But they were like... trickling out before that." Namine said.
Vexen looked puzzled then spoke out. "It must have been the close proximity of the six vampires that are near you at school. You are attuned to our existance ever since your birth, so subconciously, your mind was trying to tell you to contact us. We thought that the six being near by to protect you wouldn't affect you, but it did."
Woah. That sounded weird.
"Okay. Um... next question... How did it disappear in the first place?"
This time Zexion spoke. "That would be mine to answer. As what you would call us a vampire, we're really more like gifted humans and our sustenance is blood. My gift is to detect presence through their scents. A super sensitive nose, and the other is pretty much anything mind-related.
Reading it, hear it, wipe it clean. So I was the one to hide your memory. And the only place was your own being, so you were able to snatch it back easily."
Namine's eyes crinkled as the information angered her. "But why do it?!"
Xaldin spoke sternly. "It was for you. You were in great danger, and almost died. As a young child, you can go insane or frightened senseless by the experience. We did it to preserve your sanity, and to protect you."
"As if finding it all out later isn't going to make me lose my sanity." Namine thought. She changed the subject.
"Who were my parents?"
Everyone's faces softened. "Katelyn and Darius Garnet." Lexaeus spoke on his deep voice. "The best and the kindest that there was of our species. Katelyn Trinity had the power to see the future at will and used the cosmos for assistance in combat. She'd make falling stars glitter the battle field." he said with a chuckle. "Darius Garnet was gallant and dedicate to helping our kind and the humans. His power was pure energy and chi directed by a crazy-humoungous sword. He passed it on to your brother. By the way, it looks like a giant kitchen-knife."
Smiles broke out in reminescense. And the daughter was already remembering the few times she witnessed her parents. She remembers now. They were wonderful. But she won't be able to see them again.
"They were the old Master and Mistress?" she inquired.
"Yes." Luxord says. "The Master and Mistress can only rule if they are the most powerful of our kind in their region. There's only two kingdom regions, the North East and South West. A real honor, and they must have a sense of leadership, direction, and as cliched as it sounds, justice, so that they are proper leaders. There aren't any ruling royal vampires, but that's as close as you can get."
"How do you rank in the vampire world?" Namine followed.
"Good question. It's quite barberic and crude," Marluxia said. "If you wish for the title and role, you must challenge the Master in a duel with your weapons, one on one. Fools won't dare to they'd be too weak in knowledge and be in complete mercy of the master. Usually, they only challenge the master of their region, but they could go to the other side. The disadvantage is that they won't know the surroundings, which can be a request for instant death, and if they don't know the rules of the region. The fight can take everywhere and anytime so both have to be prepared. Know your place and the rules."
"Rules...?"
"Yes. Customs. It's customary in our world to resist the human blood like how our bodies dictate us, we instead go for animal. We're what you'd say England, trying to be proper, but we fight when we need to. The South-West is more eager to fight, and are less careful with the secret. They enjoy the combat life, the more savage regioun. Each new master and mistress the North-east has, they get 7 more pairs than us." Xaldin said.
"Oh. Well, how does a vampire get stronger?"
"Ah. You see, that's how we can't insult them, and why we respect each other. When someone is still a human then turned 'vampire'" Larxene air-quoted, their strength increases the more 'good' someone is." She air-quoted again, almost sarcastic. Her face smoothened. "Though that's the tragic thing. It's because almost all of us are good people that we're strong. Most don't deserve to be cursed to live an eternity and leave their loved ones behind, not by distance, but in time. We are also very driven by thirst so staying with any humans make us fatal, and forces us to stay away from them. If any 'bad" people had been turned, well, they turn weak in this life. They also don't care if they drink the innocent, and if they wreak havoc, someone sensible has to kill them eventually."
"It wasn't the brightest future for anyone who was turned." Rioxane said.
"Especially in the 1600's to 1800's. A lot weren't as savage as humans. Humans were quite dangerous at the times with their austere or judgemental personalities and acted too harshly and quickly with executions and torture. At least we didin't make our victims suffer." Zexion said in a low volume.
Namine gasped and Roxas's hands held her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall over. She didn't faint.
"Sorry, that was too harsh." Zexion tried to save.
"No... it's okay, I understand. Like King Henry the fifth and all that."
"Hah. That man was ridiculous and deserved his death." Xemnas spoke for the first time after his questioning. "He just went through women like a pig. Then killed them just so he could get another. Any more questions?"
"Hm. That seems to be all. Wait, what are the differences with humans and vampires?"
Everybody grinned.
"It's a nice day. Let's go outside?" Roxas said as he offered his hand to Namine.
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When all of them were assembled outside, Demyx stepped forward into the middle of the huge circle.
"Ok. We're not exactly big bats that turn into humans during day. We're similar to humans. We have the same shapes and features after all. It's more like we are well prepared-- No." He shook his head at the wrong term. "We're more like beings created for hunting. We each are as strong as one hundred twenty men combined."
Axel walked to Larxene, lifted her to his arms, then threw her up in to the air. She was shot up. She reached the air two hundred feet up before curling her arms around her knees then springed out straight to land on her feet onto the ground in front of Axel. She sweeped into a bow and Marluxia clapped while saying "Perfect ten."
"We don't have natural armor like shells, spike, or stone skin, but we heal very quickly." Darx took out a small knife, walked over to Xigbar, then recklessly swiped it over his unpatched eye.
"GAHHH!! What was THAT for?!" Xigbar yelled.
Namine's eyes bulged in horror. Silvery-purple liquid began to trickle down his face. Xigbar wiped it off and his eye... the skin. It was pulling itself together. They started to crawl over the gash, began to meld together and then his eye was revolving again and he was okay.
Not super healing, just this creepy mending way of theirs lets them be injured.
"Oh, and we don't have red blood like humans. We have this poisonous purple goo that spurts. If humans try to drink our blood, then they die. If animals drink ours though, well, they can live a hundred years more if they were to die a natural death. It's our version of the life cycle." Rioxane explained.
"Of course, if you were already scarred a certain way, it stays with you." Demyx supplied.
"We pretty much do still look like humans, but we're so much more talented in fighting. It's like our first sense out of anything. Many were mercenaries before in the ancient times and became legends out of it. You know Perseus?"
"Yeah? The one of Greek mythology?"
"Well, he's not mythology. He really existed. Does exist, I mean. But with us, he's known as Percy. None of that Seus junk."
"That's pretty cool!" Namine gasped.
"He's part of the oldest community of vampires in Greece. Some are still around there, but we like to travel so they're spread out. Larxene came from Switzerland originally, but there's nothing neutral about her." Demyx joked.
"We can also create weapons with our life force." Cloud said as he jumped down next to Namine from out of nowhere.
"Cloud!" Namine cried out of delight. She eagerly threw her arms around her older brother's neck while he lifted and spun her around.
"Welcome back, dude. How was Dreesio?" Darx asked.
"Difficult." Cloud said as he placed down Namine. "You saying the country gets tough during the summer? That's an understatement!"
Darx laughed uneasily. "I warned you though."
Cloud nodded. "I know."
Namine looked at both in confusion. "Dreesio? You said you went to college!"
"That's my cover story. I actually left for Dreesio instead of going to California. Cali might be full of disasters, but they're pretty much nothing compared to Thrashlore." Cloud gave a palm-sized satchel to Darx. "Brought you back something."
Darx shook out the bag and into his palm was a marble carving of a dragon. "Thanks man!"
"Where's Dreesio?" Namine asked her brother.
"It's an undiscoverable place for most humans. Humans do live there, but they're on the know of all the immortal lives. They're tough guys and girls, they can co-exist with us without wanting to chop off our heads for trophies. Some are descendants of wizards, so they place wards around the country so no planes can land or remember seeing the place when they pass over it. Darx came from there when he was human, the area of Thrashlore, on the Servagon parts. It's the most aggresive area out of all of Dreesio, so Darx is a tough cookie."
"But vampires aren't the only ones in there. Centaurs, minotaurs, harpies, gigantic snakes and lions roam around too. Dragons as well, and the annoying harpies." Marluxia continued.
"Don't forget the lupines." Larxene said.
"Of course." Saix sulked.
"What were you doing there?!" Namine demanded.
"I had to help out. There were all these monsoons coming and the humans and centaurs needed some assistance. And here I am, suppose to be away. So I went." Cloud said bluntly. "Now, as I was saying before, we can make weapons out of our lifeforce. That's why we get tired after fighting, it's our own mental energy that we use."
Cloud closed his eyes and held out his palm. Barely-there light glittered in the air and then a massive sword materialized.
"There."
Namine stared wordlessly. Everyone around them began to call their weapons as well. Xigbar had guns, Larxene a series of kunai, Demyx was holding a sitar, Axel with wheel spokes, Darx with a spear, Rioxane with a sword, and Roxas with two weapons very similar to keys. The rest had just as intimidating objects.
"We all have our own elements, and can indicate our personality with it."
"Larxene is shocking bolts, Axel has a bad temper and flares, Demyx and Cloud are all mellow with their blue, and Lexaeus is down to earth." Marluxia punned.
Namine smiled. It made sense.
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"Hayner! Why did you yell at Rikku?!" Olette demanded
"She was being so annoying. I didn't even want her to tag along to our date." Hayner replied sulkily.
"But she's our friend! What's so wrong with her coming? We have plenty of dates alone, her coming isn't too big of a deal." Olette chatised.
"Whatever." Hayner muttered as he stuffed his hands into his pocket.
"Geez." Olette sighed.
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"Hm. What else did we leave?" Rioxane wondered. "We covered the super healing, weapons, element, skill?"
"She'd see it sometime probably. I'm in no mood to fight." Xaldin said.
"Then we covered everything." Rioxane shrugged.
"Two more details though." Cloud said to himself. He turned to Namine. "You know our diet consist of blood. Hence the title vampire. But we drink animal, or if we are tolerant enough, eat human food. The other is super slow aging. I have the body of a nineteen-year-old, but in truth, your brother is a hundred and twenty-three years old. Everyone's body ages differently, we don't know why. It might have been because of our human metabolism. The other thing is that we might have our own blood liquid, but we don't have a heart."
Namine's face froze.
"We're not dead, to be technical, we still breath if we wish. Air goes through our lungs, to an empty space, then back out again. We don't know what our inside's look like, because we can't perform surgery. We heal too fast to look through, and some end up with the knives protruding from their stomachs when the skin closes and we have to cut it out again. We don't need to really understand our bodies because it's so strong and capable. But the expression of a broken heart came from the wizard's terms. Their hearts were literally connected to their emotions. Ours is similar, except we don't have those hearts. Do you understand?"
Namine pursed her lips and shook her head.
"It's okay. You don't have to yet. For you, alright."
Cloud smiled and hugged his sister. "I was shocked when they told me you were finding out. I thought it'd be some years before you had to. I think Mom and Dad would think this is fine though. But I wanted to make sure I was here at the least. We'll answer any questions you have, we promise that."
A smile formed from Namine's lips. "None for now. I'm glad to see you again, Cloud."
"Roxas and the others would have been here."
"I know."
Namine's eyes fell and stayed on one person. He laughed as he dueled Demyx then spun a keyblade in one hand.
End of Chapter Nine, Explanations
So how was that? :D
I'm just happy I got to finish this chapter, what with how busy I am in school and how trappped I am inside my mind.
More to come!
P. S. Rioxane is more of a character to me than some alter ego. I use the name because I like it so much. x3
-Rioxane12
