A/N: Woohoo. Fast update. u.u

Encounter 10. Instinct


It was harder and harder to find time for their mutual research with Sora's approach at hand. Marluxia juggled his own plans with the preparations and his frequent brushes with Zexion. He knew Zexion was struggling on the underground end of things, and graciously continued to heap the tasks onto Lexaeus or Vexen. It was always best to keep Zexion satisfied… it usually turned out well for Marluxia also.

Aside from occasional snickering or too-knowing glances, Axel and Larxene had not mentioned anything about Marluxia's interactions with VI. The Assassin knew this surprisingly lenient behavior was too good to last.

"How goes it, fearless leader?" Axel asked from his relaxed position on the couch.

"Fine, fine," Marluxia replied absently, still savoring the memory of his recent encounter with Zexion. Axel grinned, glancing at Larxene. She stretched, smirking.

"And how is sexy Zexy today?" she asked. "Still tight?"

Marluxia rounded on her, eyes flashing.

"Listen, you—"

"Hey, no need to get all defensive," Axel said, rising slowly and patting his hands in the air.

"Of course he gets defensive," Larxene crowed. "He gets jealous whenever anyone else mentions his little boy-toy…"

"He's not my…!"

"Oh, of course, he's not only yours," Larxene cried maliciously. "I wouldn't put it past him; he can't evenfight, so he's probably screwing everyone he thinks could protect him, the little slut!"

"Take that back," Marluxia snapped, his scythe materializing in his hands.

"Are you mad 'cause it's true?" Larxene answered, shrieking with laughter. "Are you jealous that you're after Lexaeus? Probably even Xemnas?

"Oh, leave him alone, Larxene," Axel drawled. "He doesn't need to know that Zexy's been sleeping around since long before he came along."

"You stay out of this," Marluxia hissed, glaring at him.

"Don't get mad at us, just because your Zexy's fu—"

"Shut up!" Marluxia bellowed, losing his temper. Axel held up his hands placatingly.

"Hey," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't feel too bad. It's a hard truth, but face it: We don't have hearts. We can't love. Faithful, unfaithful, it doesn't mean anything to us. Sex is the only way we can really communicate, you know? No one takes it seriously."

Marluxia scowled, but his scythe vanished from his hands.

"Stop wasting time," he ordered. "The Key-bearer is approaching."

"The Superior requests your presence," Lexaeus said immediately upon Zexion's appearance. His gaze was faintly reproving, and VI self-consciously straightened his coat and ran his fingers through his mussed hair.

"When was this?"

"A Dusk appeared shortly after you left. You weren't in your office, nor your room. I thought it might save you some trouble if I searched no further."

Zexion again felt a pang of almost-guilt.

"I should report to him right away," he said desperately, wanting to escape the situation unscathed. He was not to be so lucky, for Lexaeus' gravelly voice halted him as he opened a portal.

"Zexion."

He looked over his shoulder. V had an odd look on his face, a combination of almost-concern and almost-disapproval.

"Be careful. You play a dangerous game," the Hero told him. Zexion put on his best innocent face.

"I don't know what you mean," he said. "I should go…"

"You know as well as I that XI and the others upstairs are plotting something," Lexaeus reminded him. "It makes me… nervous to have you… in such close contact with Marluxia."

Zexion bit his lip. Lexaeus knew more than he'd thought the large man would.

"I am aware of that," he said, choosing his words with care. "I… This is nothing more than an attempt to blind me to their plans."

"Why play along?"

Zexion hesitated.

"Two can play at such a game as this," he said finally. "Our… Whatever is going on between XI and I is simply another method of gaining information. Mere manipulation… nothing more."

There was a long silence. Then Lexaeus shook his head, but said nothing more. His eyes said enough. Zexion took the opportunity to escape through the portal he had opened.

If he had thought the confrontation with Lexaeus uncomfortable, it was nothing to how he felt now.

Xemnas had a way of making him feel lost, even though he knew exactly where he was: the Superior's office, the castle, Never Was, it just went back and back until he eventually got to "the cosmos." But in Xemnas' presence, he was disoriented The gap in his chest seemed to yawn wider, aching sharply. The man's power tugged at all Nobodies in the same way.

"Number VI. You're late."

"Forgive me, Superior," Zexion said, bowing low. "I had a previous engagement."

"One more important than your report to me, evidently."

There was no trace of a reprimand in Xemnas' tone, yet Zexion flinched anyway as though the man had snapped at him. He straightened, but kept his eyes averted. He often had the oddest feeling that Xemnas could reach into him and find every little secret he was hiding.

"How is the situation at Castle Oblivion?" Xemnas asked. Zexion knew better than to assume he was talking about the Key-bearer; he had Marluxia's written reports for that.

"I have found no reason to be suspicious," he answered. "Admittedly, I am not in XI's inner circle and so cannot—"

The Superior's laugh was rich and unexpected. Zexion looked up, startled. Xemnas' red-gold eyes glowed with near-amusement.

"Come now, Zexion. You are closer to him than Axel or Larxene."

Zexion's breath caught. Could he know…?

"You are in his mind every day. If that isn't an 'inner circle,' what is?"

The Schemer relaxed momentarily, but didn't let his guard down as Xemnas drew near. It was hard to keep from flinching as one dark hand reached out for him.

"I want you to go into his mind," Xemnas murmured, twining some of Zexion's silvery hair around his fingers. He tugged gently, just enough to make the smaller Nobody look at him. "I want you to find out just what he's up to. And once you're through with him, if you find anything that goes against the Organization… I want you to tear him apart." He leaned down to continue so that his warm breath tickled Zexion's ear. "I want you to take his mind and turn it inside out, make him scream, make him beg. I want you to drive him to insanity, a waling heap of wretched nothingness… and then I want you to destroy him."

His fingers tightened in the Schemer's hair.

"Can you do that for me, Zexion?" he asked, his voice a low, silky-smooth purr. "Can you follow my orders?"

Zexion swallowed hard, unable to keep his eyes open or suppress a shiver as Xemnas stroked his hair.

"Yes, Superior," he whispered, unable to put any real feeling into his voice. Xemnas was apparently satisfied, but he didn't move away.

"That's right," he purred, petting VI with a gentle hand. "Your power is a useful tool, Zexion."

"I live only to serve you, Superior," Zexion replied, still failing to raise his voice above a whisper.

"Very good," Xemnas murmured, smiling against the Schemer's ear. "I am most pleased."

"I perform my best for you, Superior."

"Excellent."

Xemnas let go of him and paced a few steps backwards.

"I expect a full report upon your return," he instructed, "whether you find the need to destroy XI or not. You may go, Number Six… and don't fail me."

"Yes, Superior," Zexion intoned, bowing deeply before opening a portal and slipping through as rapidly as he could without appearing rushed.

Zexion was sure that if he had a heart, it would be breaking.

He paced restlessly, waiting with a growing memory of dread for Marluxia's arrival. Xemnas' orders rang in his ears.

"I want you to tear him apart."

He, Lexaeus, and Vexen had known for almost as long as they had been at Oblivion that Marluxia and his cronies were cooking up something. Now Xemnas, too, had caught on, and the Superior had no mercy when it came to traitors.

"Zexion?"

The small Nobody gasped and whirled to face a newly-arrived Marluxia. So distracted had he been that he hadn't even heard the portal open. The Assassin moved closer, concern (or the memory of it, rather) etched into his features.

"Are you all right? You look pale. Paler than usual, that is."

Zexion jerked away from the hands which reached out to touch him. Marluxia blinked, then lowered his arms.

"I'm fine," the Schemer said, keeping his words short and to the point. He couldn't afford to show any weakness, couldn't let Marluxia know what he was about to do. This was his chance to prove his loyalty to Xemnas, to ensure that he would never be on the wrong end of the Superior's frequent rages again.

"We'll be doing something… different today," he said, gesturing tightly for the other to sit. Marluxia did so, looking intrigued, and Zexion sat across from him, reaching over to gently stroke the other's bangs away from his temples. He closed his eyes and sank into Marluxia's consciousness. Something gave a sudden pang in his chest as the other man let him in, closing his eyes, completely surrendering himself. He was so utterly trusting by now, knowing beyond a doubt that Zexion would not harm him. A lump rose in Zexion's throat, but he mercilessly blinked away the stinging sensation in his eyes as he worked. He spread himself out through Marluxia's mind, gently brushing against it, using the pleasure to disguise what he was really doing.

The plot to use Sora to overthrow the Organization was engraved with painful clarity into the Assassin's mind. Zexion forced himself to be impartial, to look on all of Marluxia's conversations with the other two aboveground members as he would anyone else's. He listened in with a detached sort of horror as he relived the memory of a conversation about his own death, about Lexaeus', about Vexen's. All of this was incriminating enough evidence for Xemnas. He vaguely felt Marluxia shudder under his fingers—he was doing his best to make this feel good—and heard his name rustle through familiar lips.

"Zexion… that's good…" the Assassin moaned, and he raised his hands to draw Zexion closer. Zexion couldn't stop the tears when they came, but he let Marluxia kiss him even as he pressed harder on the other's mind, preparing to dig in. The heart he didn't have was pounding in his chest and he screamed inwardly as he took Marluxia's mind in a painfully strong grip. Marluxia gasped, sliding closer to him and arching, moaning, but now in pain.

"Z… Zex… what… are you…"

He broke off with a cry. Zexion buried his face in Marluxia's shoulder, breathing in the scent of his hair, trying not to hear as the Assassin began to scream. Nothing could keep him from hearing the agony inside of Marluxia as he dragged spiritual fingers through the other's mind, ready to tear it as easily as a piece of rice paper.

Why why Zexion why no please Zexion oh gods why are you doing this Ienzo please help me Zexion no why why why why why…

Zexion let go.

He did so both physically and mentally, wrenching away and falling hard to his knees. Marluxia was reduced to trembling spasmodically, gasping, wetness evident on his face.

"Zexion?" he whispered, once he had recovered enough. "What was that?"

"We're done for today," Zexion responded, his voice rough.

"Zex…"

"I said we're done!" the Schemer cried, flinging out a hand and opening a portal to Marluxia's rooms. "Go!"

Again, the Assassin hesitated. Ready to forgive, even now.

"Please," Zexion whispered. "Just go."

A moment later, he heard the portal close, taking Marluxia with it. Grateful for the privacy, Zexion rolled over and was violently sick. As soon as he was done, he rested his cheek on the cold stone of the floor.

He hadn't reacted like that since the very first time he had torn apart someone's mind on Xemnas' orders. He had never had to do such a thing to a fellow Nobody, let alone someone he knew, let alone someone he…

He still balked from the impossible verb.

Loved.

Xemnas would destroy him for certain if he found out. Zexion knew this.

He wiped his mouth with the back of a shaky hand, pushing himself up onto his feet and going to the sink to rinse. Once he was clean, he stared at his reflection, shocked at how strange he looked, how little like Ienzo. The hair was silvery-blue, not black, and longer. His eyes, too, had changed from black to blue. Gone was what little baby fat Ienzo had still had. Zexion was all sharp angles, all ivory skin stretched over bones.

He'd thought he'd known what Zexion looked like. Now, he wasn't so sure. He reached out and his fingers bushed those of his reflection, stopped only by the mirror's cold surface,

"You're not him," he said out loud. His soft statement seemed to echo too loudly in the empty room. "You're not Ienzo, and you never can be. You can't feel. You can't hate yourself. You can't l… you can't love Marluxia. Ienzo could have." His hands clenched. "But you're not Ienzo."

A moment later he couldn't stand the sight of the monster in the glass, and the mirror shattered into dozens of pieces under his power. He didn't flinch as one or two cut through his uniform and into his skin. Once everything had settled, he looked down at the shards, seeing countless blue eyes looking back up at him.

"Xemnas doesn't have to know," he murmured to himself.

Heartless he may be, but base instincts remained, didn't they? That was the definition of a Nobody: a creature held together by habit and instinct. And any creature would protect its mate.

He tried not to think about the conversations he had heard in Marluxia's mind.

It was a ploy. A diversion, so Axel and Larxene wouldn't bother us. He won't kill me. He wouldn't kill me.

He was so afraid of the Superior… that man who Lexaeus had warned him about needlessly, for he knew better than V what Xemnas did… but Marluxia meant more. If Xemnas didn't find out about the wayward XI's plans, perhaps he would survive. Perhaps they both would.

A/N: Whee.

Review or Larxene will sacrifice a small woodland creature.