Uhm. I apologise. I promised this chapter like... two weeks ago? XD Sorry guys, I've been insanely busy between full-time work and a newfound social life.
Anyways, I had too much fun with this chapter. Have I mentioned yet that I love Marluxia? 8D
I should give a slight violence warning, but it's really not that bad.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Disney and Square-Enix.
"And where is the girl now?" Xemnas asked, glancing over his shoulder. The Superior walked down the stark-white corridor leading towards the lab with Lexeaus, Marluxia, and Saix in tow. Ever since Namine had been brought back to the World That Never Was, the castle had become a lot busier. Those who were not responsible for her well-being soon found themselves occupied with snooping around and asking questions about the strange female. Luckily for her, Xemnas was interested in keeping her around long enough to find out what she was.
"Number IX is keeping her occupied for the moment." Saix was the one to reply. It seemed that the girl had taken a liking to both Demyx and Zexion; she barely said a word to anyone else unless pressed. She outright avoided Saix, but that was much to his relief. Apparently he was only capable of giving children nightmares. Vexen was having a hard time running tests on her, as she made quite a fuss about it. For the sake of their own dwindling patience, her captors had given her a short break from it all for the past two days.
"At least we've found a use for him." Marluxia muttered under his breath, obviously referring to Demyx. Very few members of the Organization were fond of the musician, and wondered why he was still around. No-one replied, but Lexeaus narrowed his eyes at XI in silent warning.
"I suppose the sooner Vexen gets the results we need, the sooner we will know whether she is worth dealing with." Xemnas continued, ignoring the remark. "Saix, please go fetch the girl and take her back to the lab."
"Yes Superior." The berserker hid his disappointment quite well. He knew Namine would outright refuse to go anywhere with him. He broke from the group and went in the opposite direction, towards the room where the girl was being kept. Saix walked down the hallways rather than through a portal, preferring to take his time. His sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps following after him, despite how light and quiet they were. The distinct flowery scent that trailed as well gave away who his stalker was.
"He doesn't have a clue, does he?" Marluxia spoke before he could be called out. Apparently he had slipped away from the others as well. By now the Graceful Assassin was in-step with Saix, slinking up on the berserker's right side. There was bittersweetness in his voice.
"And who would 'he' be?" Saix asked in monotone, glancing at the pink-haired neophyte. He was quite irked that Marluxia had followed him, as their unspoken rivalry was quite bothersome at times. Those eyes watched him even more critically than those of his superiors.
"I believe you know." Marluxia almost purred, smiling as he kept his devious blue eyes on Saix. "For calling himself the 'Superior', Xemnas is not a very capable leader. I'm sure there have been times when even you have thought the same."
"You are talking to the wrong person about this, XI." Saix's voice rumbled as well, but his was more of a growl. "Loyalty isn't something I throw around lightly."
"Loyalty." His companion repeated, rolling it off his tongue as if tasting the essence of the word. "Loyalty as in how you 'fetch' when commanded?" With a light laugh Marluxia shook his head. "Or loyalty as in how you have never let yourself realise the fact that this 'Organization' is living for a pipe dream?"
Saix stopped walking. He could feel the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and his upper lip tug upwards. "I am not a blind follower." He stepped up the intensity of his growl and sneered at the other Nobody. "I have faith in Xemnas, and I am well aware of the value of respect." His expression darkened. "Perhaps you should give it some consideration."
Marluxia seemed quite pleased by the reaction, and gave a smirk that was nothing less than sinister. "No, I believe I am quite aware of the worth of respect. I simply hold it for very few people." At this point he moved to circle around the Luna Diviner; his movements had a ghostly feline grace. "You, for one, deserve respect as a warrior and an intellect." The Assassin was dangerously close as he nearly loomed over Saix from behind. His face hovered just over the Diviner's shoulder. The scarred Nobody stood completely still and offered no further reaction. Despite Marluxia's words, it was obvious that an attempt at intimidation was being played. The feeling of the other's stare on him was enough to make his skin crawl.
"And yet," he continued. His voice was hushed and silken, thinly veiling a dark maliciousness. "You are the loyal hound at his heels. You accept inferiority before lesser beings, simply because they entered the picture before you."
The scent of roses in the air was almost enough to choke Saix's sensitive nostrils. His instincts tugged at him, telling VII to whirl around and put this to an end. However, he simply stared ahead at the endlessly white corridor and smiled to himself. As he was trained to be, he was eerily calm. "I assume that's not how you would run things?"
"Of course not." Marluxia replied, his voice lightening significantly. "Ranking should be assigned by strength. By cunning." He stepped up at Saix's left side, hollow passion flaring in those haunting cobalt eyes. "Number VII is a rank more fitting for a high-strung scientist, I believe." He gave a shrewd grin. "Wouldn't II or III suit you a little more nicely, Saix?"
The Luna Diviner gave a glare that would have killed a weaker man and continued walking. He was not just being toyed with; he was being tested. It was something he wanted no part of.
"If Xemnas was half the leader he claimed to be, he would realise that." XI called after him, following easily. Luckily, they would soon reach Saix's destination. Hopefully then this would all be over.
"You know nothing about what it takes to be a leader." The blue-haired neophyte quipped, allowing himself to smirk a little. "If you led this Organization, there would just be another bitter soul ready to take your place."
"Oh? Are you insinuating mutiny?" His companion chuckled somewhat darkly.
"Just as strongly as you are."
Before the exchange could go on any further, they reached the room where Namine was being kept. Both Demyx and Zexion were there, sitting at a table with her to the far left. Assorted papers with sketches and doodles covered the table and littered the floor around them. Apparently she had found comfort in drawing. They all looked up as VII and XI entered, and the girl shrunk back a little upon seeing Saix. Zexion patted her shoulder, still keeping up the 'nice guy' act quite well.
"Vexen would like to finish the tests." Saix spoke to the other Nobodies rather than the girl. Namine protested quietly, but Demyx took her hand and reassured her as they walked out of the room. As they passed, the blonde female eyed both of the newcomers warily and held on to her escort's arm for security.
Once they were gone, Zexion began picking up the drawings off the floor, a rather puzzled look on his face. As if shuffling through reports, he looked at every one of them with astounded curiosity. After a moment of watching from the door, Saix stepped over and took a glance at them himself.
"What is it?"
"These drawings." Zexion muttered as he began to sort them. A rather large pile was made of pictures centered around a boy with strange spiky brown hair. Almost every paper had him somewhere on it. "It's no way a coincidence." The Schemer continued shuffling until her found one that he was looking for. He placed down a drawing of the same young man holding something resembling a massive key.
"What's that?" Marluxia asked, peering over their shoulders. It was crudely drawn, but Zexion seemed to recognise it perfectly.
"A keyblade. The ultimate weapon to defeat the Heartless, and the key to opening the gateways between worlds."
"That sounds rather futile to me." the Graceful Assassin snorted. "A keyblade?"
Zexion seemed happy to ignore him. "She must have a connection with the keybearer." He looked to Saix. "Where is the Superior?"
"He retired to his chambers, I believe." The Diviner was slightly surprised to see such an expression of urgency on Zexion's face. On top of that, he had no idea what he was talking about. The papers were collected, straightened, and handed off to him hurriedly.
"Could you take these to him? He will want to know about this first. I have to go tell Vexen." With that, the shorter Nobody was gone; having slipped through a dark corridor and left the two neophytes to wonder what the hell had just happened. With a sigh, Saix tucked the small stack of drawings under his arm and walked out of the room. Again, Marluxia was quick to follow suit.
"Do you enjoy playing fetch?" There was a laugh so quiet and so wicked that it even disturbed a being without the capacity for fear.
"Do you enjoy harassing me, or are all the others too busy for you today?" Was all Saix could say in return as he walked.
"I simply think it's a pity that someone so impressive has been turned into nothing but the Superior's lap dog."
That was more than the berserker could handle. Turning on his heel, he struck out at Marluxia with his free hand. Despite the frightening speed of his movements, the other Nobody was just a tad faster. A slender yet strong hand gripped his wrist, stopping him entirely. Before Saix could pull away, a dark rose vine circled and tightened around his forearm. The durable leather of his sleeve was torn through like wet paper was the thorns hungrily sought flesh. The papers were dropped and another swing was made, this one hitting its target. Three slashes ripped into the skin of Marluxia's chest as Saix's sharp nails dug through just as effectively as the thorns.
They broke away, suffering injuries that were enough to require a moment to regroup. The vine still tightened around Saix's arm, and blood was oozing from the wound. It dripped onto the ground and several of the scattered papers. For a moment they growled at each other, a seething hatred bubbling between them that could easily result in a bloodier end.
At the feeling of a vine snaking its way around his ankle, Saix grinned savagely. "I should warn you not to strike out at your Superior," He winced a little as pain shot up his leg. "Number XI."
Within a second his limbs were being tangled in deadly vines, but a quick summoning and slash of his claymore remedied that temporarily. Marluxia simply watched the struggle take place with a snide smirk. They were equals in terms of strength, but the Assassin knew how to fight dirty. Once free, Saix
swung his weapon at his opponent, who only blocked it with a lethal scythe that materialized in his hands instantly. The blades clashed, the sound echoing down the hallway. The singing of vibrating metal faded slowly from their ears.
"You'd better use a nicer tone when you're in my castle, VII." Marluxia said in an almost sing-song voice. Saix snarled and pushed him back with a burst of strength. The vines were slowly catching up and attempting to capture him again. Marluxia landed on his feet a safe distance away and watched the other Nobody hack his way out of the tangled mess. For some reason the thorns did not dig in as mercilessly as before; possibly to avoid leaving too many wounds to be used as evidence against him. "As Lord of Castle Oblivion, I'll make sure everyone knows their place." With a flick of his finger, the vines tightened around Saix's legs like starving constrictors. "Their proper place."
Panting in both pain and an attempt to keep his mind clear, Saix could feel his strength wavering. His legs felt as if they might snap at any moment from the pressure. To lose himself to a berserk state would not end well for anyone, as much as he would love to tear Marluxia to pieces. Again he freed himself with a graceful slash of his weapon, but there was no telling how long he would be able to keep this up.
"The new castle?" The Diviner choked a laugh and leaped at the other with another swing, but in his weakness he was slow. The attack was avoided with a quick dodge. "What makes you think Xemnas would give you authority over something so important?"
"Well, I must give the Superior credit. He sometimes knows great power when he sees it." Marluxia replied with a laugh and pure smugness on his face. His expression foreshadowed much suffering for those against him. "Because he already gave me the title. This morning, in fact."
In his shock, Saix was lucky that Marluxia was finished toying with him. The vines shrivelled away before they could reach him again, and a dark portal bloomed behind the pink-haired neophyte. With a grin and wave of the fingers, he stepped back into it and vanished, leaving behind only a flurry of rose petals.
Watching each one fall to the ground, Saix struggled to collect himself. He dismissed his claymore, but immediately after realised that he had been using it to support himself. He staggered a bit on throbbing legs, and gripped his bleeding arm. His loud curse bounced off the walls and came back in a deep echo.
Marluxia had been named Lord of the Organization's new castle? For the first time in months, Saix questioned Xemnas' judgement. This was fated to end badly, no matter what circumstances would arise. Up until several minutes ago the Diviner have believed that XI was simply well adjusted to his lack of emotion. Now, however, he knew all too well the cruelty and sadism that lingered below the surface.
Forgetting both the pictures on the ground and the convenience of a dark corridor, Saix took off running towards the Superior's chambers.