Woo! Chapter 11!

Sorry for randomly dissapearing. I went to Ireland for ten days, and just got back on the weekend. It was an awesome trip, and a nice break from work.

I'm trying my best to keep up with reviews. If I've missed you, I'm really sorry. I wish there was some way to see which ones you've replied to already. If there is, I'm freaking blind. XD

On a more random note: Characterizing Xemnas is really difficult. He's a little unpredictable, so I hope I'm doing a decent job.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.

p.s. Happy Canada Day to all my fellow crazy Canadians!


On the trek to Xemnas' room, Saix had not taken the initiative to think about what he was going to say. There was not even the slightest preparation, as his thoughts were too jumbled and his rage was too hot to allow anything to make sense. He was surprised that he actually found his way to the proper room without even giving it thought. It was likely sheer luck that his legs had brought him to the large door that donned a silver 'I' on it.

The berserker was also barely aware of the fact that his limbs, bruised and having been nearly crushed under the strength of the binds that had briefly held him, were extremely sore. Although only one arm and one ankle actually bled, his entire body would need long rest once he calmed down. Thanks to his powers and heightened amounts of adrenaline, pain was obsolete at the moment.

Despite the lingering shreds of Saix's common sense, he burst through the door without even a knock. A loud slam announced his uninvited entrance; one that the entire castle must have heard.

"Xemnas!" Saix barked into the dark room, unbridled anger continuing to cloud his better judgement. It had not sunk in yet that he was likely asking to be killed on the spot. Standing in the doorway, panting and growling under his breath, the Diviner glared into the room. There was no light except for the illumination given by Kingdom Hearts as the moonlight spilled through the massive windows and across the slick tile floor.

At first it seemed as if there was no-one in the chambers, until the tall glass doors leading out onto the balcony inched open. Stepping inside with a haunting sense of calm, the Superior stared at the dishevelled and half-berserk Nobody that had stormed into his room so rudely. It was only when those orange eyes pierced through him that Saix realised his mistake. Still, his animosity made it impossible to turn back now.

"Marluxia?" He demanded, lips curling. He gestured wildly with his uninjured arm as he shouted. "Of all the empty souls in this castle, you trust HIM the most? You would give him so much power, knowing he would abuse it at the first chance? Or are you really as blind as he thinks you are?"

The entire world of nonexistence could have heard him now. Saix was a caged beast that had been prodded too many times. It had been only a matter of time before he snapped. He roared at Xemnas, painfully aware that the edges of his vision were blurring and his hold on sanity was slipping.

Despite witnessing behaviour that was nothing less than shameful and out of line, Xemnas simply watched silently. If Saix was not so busy struggling to keep himself together, he might have seen the lightest tint of surprise on the Superior's face. The one who had always been silent and obedient was now attacking him with words that would have hurt deeply if such a thing was possible.

"I can't name a single Nobody who deserves such authority less than him. He is a traitor, Xemnas." Saix snarled, clutching his bleeding arm. "He's playing you. Like you're goddamn fool." It soon became very hard to construct full sentences.

No. Hold it together.

"I suggest you compose yourself." The Superior said, his authoritative tone dulled slightly. Still, it was enough to give Saix a miniscule dose of reality and fear before feral drives took over completely.

When his senses returned, it was like waking from unconsciousness. That was quite possible, as the first thing he realised was that every inch of his body ached. It was a sharp throbbing through his head, torso, and every limb. As he drifted back from the deep, silent sea of personal oblivion, he came to realise two more things; he was sitting with his back against a cold wall, and someone else was nearby.

Tightening the muscles of his face in a wince, the Diviner soon opened his eyes. At first his vision was blurred and distorted but it soon smoothed out. A bright orange light assaulted his sensitive pupils for a moment; a flame was burning cheerfully in a nearby fireplace. Despite that, the entire room felt cold to him.

Dragging his eyesight upwards, Saix caught sight of Xemnas stepping towards him. At once he recollected all that had happened in the minutes before losing consciousness, and the blue-haired Nobody tensed up. His muscles burned, begging to be relaxed again. How was he still alive? What had happened? Fear for his nonexistence swelled up in the neophyte's throat as he stared up at Xemnas, who was now stooping over him. Like so many times before, the Superior eyed him with an evaluating look, noting his expression and posture.

In the light Saix could see something different about the other Nobody's face. Two parallel cuts stretched across the right side of his lower jaw, both of them bleeding quite freely. It did not take long for him to realise how that had happened. In his berserk state, he had struck Xemnas with his claws. His eyes widened. If he had possessed a heart it would be racing.

Again, Xemnas had a distinct calmness as he watched the Diviner. There was no doubt that a struggle had taken place, and who now stood victorious. Saix kept his expression as blank as possible while bracing for whatever may come. If he had not been killed yet, he feared it may mean that Xemnas wanted him to really suffer.

All that came was a thin smile and four words spoken in that familiar, velvet voice.

"On your feet, Saix." Shockingly, there was no malice or anger lurking behind those words. Despite that, they were obeyed immediately and Saix stood up. It was slow and very pained, but the Diviner stood before Xemnas and looked him in the eye. He almost wished he could feel shame or guilt; the lack of such emotions was just as unsettling as the situation itself. There was a silence between the two, and the Superior was impossible to read. There was no guessing what the next few seconds would hold.

Realising the painful throb in his arm, Saix dared to glance away from Xemnas and down at his injured appendage. It was then he noticed that under his sleeve, the arm was wrapped in black cloth, tight enough to halt the bleeding. A cold weight sat in his stomach.

"You nearly bled to death." Xemnas said before turning and walking towards the fire. All Saix could do was watch him curiously. The silver-haired man's silhouette stood before the light, casting a long shadow that cloaked Saix completely. Another silence drifted through the room; one that VII was anxious to break.

"You didn't kill me." It was not a question, but a statement. He stared at the Superior's turned back, letting his arms rest at his sides. He had more than overstepped his boundaries, and yet he was alive. It made no sense. Considering the consequences that occurred last time he so much as rose his voice at Xemnas, it simply made no sense.

"No." Xemnas replied simply, still apparently staring into the flames. He brought up a gloved hand to wipe away the blood tricking down his neck. He was so deadpan, but the tension was enough to kill someone.

"Not yet, at least?" Saix pressed lightly. He had been toyed with enough for one day, and would rather die with a little dignity if that was how this evening was going to end for him. The other Nobody glanced back before taking a few more steps and sitting down in a large red armchair near the fireplace. Without a word, he motioned for Saix to sit in an identical one opposite to him. There was a slight hesitation, but VII did so. After only a minute of standing, his legs were relieved to have weight taken off of them. The chair was quite comfortable.

"I have no intention of ending your nonexistence, Saix." Xemnas began, setting his hands on the arms of the chair and leaning back. It was very bizarre to see him acting so, for a lack of a better term, normal in such a situation. "For I know that everything you do, trivial or outrageous, has a reason behind it." As he spoke, his fierce orange eyes never left Saix. "When you came charging at me, blind in your own rage, I nearly destroyed you. But I knew there had to be something wrong in order for you to do something so foolish."

Sitting straight in the chair, Saix let his usually blank expression fall a little. It was not as if he could feel regret or any sort, but there was still the faint memory of what it was like. "I did not enter the room intending to cause any harm." He said quietly, looking to the still-bleeding injury he had left on the Superior's face. "But I did. If I had the capacity to say it with sincerity, I would apologise."

Xemnas smiled the slightest bit. "You did, however, come in making quite the scene about Number XI."

Saix looked away, unable to hide the fact that the very mention of Marluxia made him grit his teeth. He locked his eyes on the flickering flames. They licked at the air and polished bricks in a mesmerizing dance. "The Assassin speaks of a better Organization." He spoke sourly, feeling the hairs on his neck raise again. "And he was happy to antagonize and wound a superior."

"What else about him makes you think he is undeserving of authority?" Xemnas encouraged Saix to continue, a thoughtful expression crossing his usually unreadable face. It was a question of curiosity and intrigue.

Saix pressed back into the chair a little, the entire situation making him a little uncomfortable. It was just so strange to be asked about his opinion. "There is a fine line between heartlessness and sadism." He said, eyes returning to the Superior. "Many members of this Organization enjoy healthy doses of both. They have a balance, and at least recognize that there was a time when they too could feel. At some point we've all loved, and we've all cried. Number XI seems eager to forget all that, and he is far beyond the balance. He takes joy out of our most unpleasant tasks, and thrives on power only because it gives him a wider spectrum of things he can get away with." The Diviner was lucky that his anger stayed at bay while he spoke, because to lose his temper again would be very, very bad.

Xemnas listened without interruption, seeming to take in and consider every word with undivided attention. However, at the mention of long lost emotion, he gained a fleeting expression that was unreadable. It faded as quickly as it became visible.

"Saix," the Superior began after a momentary silence. "Number XI is not a Nobody that I trust, for the reasons that you have spoken of. Apart from his fighting abilities and strategic thinking, there are very few reasons for him to have my respect." A pause was given for those words to sink in. "He has proven his worth, however, and he was given power over Castle Oblivion because I know he will keep the others on task. I have no doubts that the place will be well protected in his hands."

"But Xemnas," Saix cut in when there was an opening. There was a sense of exasperation in his voice. "The others will be at risk under his command. His words to me were nothing less than an invitation to join in with his mutiny."

The Superior only smiled. "The members I am sending to the new base are ones that I have utmost faith in. They are capable of taking care of themselves." He seemed to watch VII for a moment, this time in no critical or appraising manner. Instead, it was a look that was rather cryptic. "You seem rather concerned for others. Or is it something else that bothers you so greatly about the situation?"

They both knew that being worried about other members of the Organization was not in a Nobody's nature. Saix shifted in his seat a little. "Our goals will be much harder to reach if Marluxia plans to make things difficult. I know his ambitions will never be fulfilled, but that does not stop him from taking other members down with him."

"There is something else." Xemnas pressed, his voice carrying a heavy insinuation that he knew exactly what Saix was not telling him.

"There is nothing else." Saix insisted quietly, not taking his eyes away from the other Nobody.

"Because jealousy is something that we cannot truly feel?"

The arms of the chair were gripped tightly. "Exactly."

A look of amusement crossed the dark-skinned Nobody's face, and at the same time he brought up a hand to wipe blood from his jawline. "I assumed you would know by now that you, unlike XI, are trustworthy in my eyes. You have changed a lot from the beast that was such a struggle to tame, and I watched you hone yourself into both a powerful warrior and a critical thinker." Xemnas thought for a moment, while Saix absorbed the words in stunned silence. They were disturbingly similar to Marluxia's in some manner. "You have proven, even through lashing out at me, that your loyalty is unshakable. You hold our goals and the Organization's well-being as highest priorities." Again, he smiled. "So much that you feel compelled to let me know when you think I'm not making a good decision."

Again, Saix was a little uncomfortable. He was not proud of his violent actions again Xemnas. He was lucky to be alive. "As I told XI, I am not a blind follower. Perhaps my Somebody was well aware of what made a leader a capable one. Despite my careless actions tonight, you seem to know quite well where my loyalties lay, Xemnas." The seriousness of his tone was like stone, and it was made very clear that this was something that not even Xemnas could argue. Much to his relief, the Superior seemed pleased.

"Indeed I do know." He leaned forward in his chair a little, his intense orange eyes boring into Saix in a way that was somehow unthreatening. "And you should be aware that there is not a single person, Nobody or Somebody, that has earned my respect like you have. The fact that you stood up to me proves how much spine you possess."

Saix was a little surprised by this, and it showed in his expression. "But Marluxia-"

"-is Lord of Castle Oblivion because a bit of authority will be enough to satisfy his thirst for now and keep him out of my way. He can do little to sway the others, but because of the news you bring, I will have Number VIII there to keep an eye on him. I need you here more than they need you over there."

Saix allowed himself to smile a little bit, convinced that he was feeling some sense of pride. In reality, his problem had never been about not being given the power Marluxia had. It was the mere notion that such a wicked being like the Assassin was trusted more than he was. Saix had worked his very hardest from the minute he realised that only through Kingdom Hearts could he be whole again. After months of putting up with small taunts, frustrating missions and struggling with his own savage nature, his efforts were finally showing some results.

"And if Number XI feels bold enough to attack a Superior again?" The Diviner asked, taking on a serious tone again.

"You have my permission to destroy him."

Then, there was a sharp knock on the door, which was still wide open from the uninvited entrance. Xemnas looked past Saix towards the sound and stood up. "Come in, Zexion." He said with a gesture of his hand. Number VI stepped into the room, looking rather unimpressed. The moment he stood up and saw him, Saix suddenly remembered the task given to him before the unpleasant encounter that started this whole mess. In Zexion's hand was a messy pile of papers.

"I gave you one thing to do, VII." The smaller Nobody seethed the moment he spotted the berserker. "One simple-"

"There was an unfortunate incident, and Saix had more important matters to deal with." Xemnas cut in, walking over to the Schemer and taking the papers. Perhaps it was the smell of blood that must have assaulted his nose, or the visible injury on the Superior's face, but Zexion froze completely for a moment. Only his eyes moved, travelling to a rather weakened Saix, then back over to the Nobody in front of him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked hesitantly. Xemnas nodded.

"It has been taken care of. Thank you, Zexion." As he put the papers into a less messy pile to hang on to, Xemnas looks to Saix. "You are in dire need of rest. Get a decent night's sleep, then come find me in the morning for some mission briefing."

Knowing full well that it would be foolish to protest, Saix nodded and formed a dark corridor. He was grateful to not have to deal with Zexion right now, and his body was indeed extremely exhausted. He did not look back to the other Nobodies as he left the room, nor did he waste any time thinking before he went to sleep. There was nothing to truly dwell on, as Xemnas had done a wonderful job in reassuring the troubled Diviner. He should have never questioned the Superior's judgements, knowing full-well that doing so was only catering to Marluxia's goals.