Chapter 12
Yukina was carefully washing dishes, making sure that each dish was sparkling clean. 'To think that everyone had voted for it to be Saix-sama's turn again. It seems he's getting popular around the building! But maybe it's because they all want him to break half the dishes again…' She smiled at the thought and dried her current plate. 'Everyone seems happy, but there's still one more person that's supposed to be with everyone. I really hope that I get to meet him soon. Then there's that of my New Year's resolution…'
"Yuki-chan!" Demyx shouted as he hugged Yukina from behind. "Hey, you didn't jump straight out of your socks this time! I guess I'm either getting bland in my greetings, or you're getting used to them." Demyx took the plate out of Yukina's hand and grabbed an extra sponge. "I'll help you out! I have nothing better to do anyway!"
Yukina nodded. "Thanks for the help, Demi-kun!" She decided that she would be drying the dishes whenever Demyx was around. "It's kind of belated, but I don't think that I've actually seen—much less talk with—you ever since Christmas. So, I've actually wanted to ask you something." Yukina saw that Demyx looked her way, to show that he was awaiting her question. "Well, I've been wondering what your New Year's resolution is."
"My…New Year's Resolution?" Demyx repeated, eyes widening. "Well, I've thought about what I want to do this year. That would be enough, right?" Demyx received a nod in response. "I've decided that…I want to be less of a bother to everyone, and be of more help."
"Demi-kun…you're already being of help!" Yukina objected, but Demyx shook his head at her attempt. "Well…why did you think of that resolution?"
"I know I'm annoying to everyone whenever I open my big mouth," Demyx replied solemnly. "Everyone seems to be…I dunno, kind of different when I enter a room." He handed Yukina another plate before continuing, making sure that they were still washing the dishes while talking. "Maybe…I want to be noticed as someone that can help." Demyx chuckled, "Now that I think about it, I think I was being immature about these kinds of things when you weren't around. So, I have to say…" Demyx paused, and waited for Yukina to turn to him. "Well, I wanted to say 'Thank you.'"
"Demi-kun…" Yukina sighed. "Don't worry, you're starting here. Maybe your reason of being a little…immature in the first place is…that you wanted to be noticed. Period." Yukina looked down at the small lake of soapy water and Demyx did the same. "We all want to be noticed, and maybe you were denied something when you were…whole. But, I think that everyone's long journey will somehow end here. Not today, not tomorrow…but someday soon."
Demyx exhaled, out of an unknown reason. "Hey, Yuki-chan, we were talking about my resolution, so why don't we talk about yours?"
"My resolution? That's easy!" Yukina exclaimed, accidentally letting a dry plate slip out of her hands and splashing the both of them. "Ha ha…it'll dry. Okay…my resolution is to protect myself better. I guess my reasons are the same as yours. Except…I want to become less of a burden to everyone. I'm planning on joining the kendo club at school."
Demyx dropped his plate, but onto the floor instead of the sink. "It's—It's because of me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But…it wasn't my fault!"
"Demi-kun!" Yukina shouted. "That's exactly why I decided! I don't want you to be so guilty of what you did. You were forced to do it. I understand. Maybe you should stop being so immature about everything! It's bad to blame everything on everyone, but it's also bad to keep blaming yourself! It's been nearly two months—let it go already!"
They both stood silent after Yukina's sudden outburst. However, Yukina stood back and bowed. "I'm sorry. I just wanted you to…stop."
Demyx picked up the large pieces of the broken plate and answered, "Yukina, it's almost lunchtime, so you might as well go buy yourself something to eat. Don't worry, I won't break another dish."
Yukina was dumbstruck after that, but decided to follow Demyx's instructions and go out for lunch. It was a rather odd conversation compared to others. She quickly replaced her apron with a warm jacket and dashed down to the lobby. 'Demi-kun is being rather…odd. All week he seemed to be having fun with the others, but at the same time, he wouldn't show that spirited smile of his. Perhaps he's becoming more and more like Ienzo-kun.'
She looked around the area, and saw that the others were taking advantage of the drowsy—and somewhat gloomy—snow day by reading and curling up near the fireplace, or simply sleeping near the heater. Yukina made a mental note to be as quiet as possible. 'They're all as silent as Ienzo…' She thought. 'Speaking of which, ever since Christmas, I've been seeing him much less. Oh no! Ever since I had my mental breakdown, he's silent whenever I'm around! Maybe it's my fault! No, no…of course it's my fault! And he's not okay with it!'
Xigbar looked up from his magazine and observed Yukina. 'Why is she down here on such an ordinary day?' He wondered. Yukina walked outside and somehow jumped up in surprise. 'Okay, that's always like her. Always jumping up and being surprised about everything.' Then his eye widened as he saw Ienzo come into his line of view, talking to Yukina. 'This I gotta see…' Xigbar jumped up towards the ceiling and slowly made his way towards the door to listen in on the conversation.
"Ienzo-kun…I was just thinking that I should…be by myself for today." Yukina turned around, so as to hide her clearly apparent blush. "It's just lunch. I'll be back in…two hours tops."
"Umm…okay. Whatever you say, Sakuya-san…" Ienzo replied. "So…I'll see you later, then…"
'Oooohhh!!' Xigbar exclaimed mentally. 'Is this the part where the girl dumps the guy?'
Ienzo watched as Yukina walked away from his sight. Sighing, he picked up a clump of snow, and molded it into a snowball. He took a deep breath and threw it at Xigbar's face that was sticking out of the doorway. "Look, I knew you were there. Your scent is kind of hard to forget, what with your horrible account of hygiene."
"Hey, did she dump you?" Xigbar asked, not paying any mind to the snow dripping off of his face. After hearing silence, he jumped down to the floor and ruffled up Ienzo's hair.
"She didn't dump me, but…" Ienzo stared down at the snow, knowing that there was somehow a way that something was wrong. "…I get the feeling that—despite her saying so—she might not want to be alone."
Larxene watched carefully as Yukina had been conversing with Ienzo, and the latter then conversing with Xigbar. She sighed in depression, "This little soap opera needs some speed bumps."
"Do you really think that they need problems now that they've just solved one?" Axel inquired as he strode into the room. 'Gee, if looks could kill, I would've been dead ages ago with Larxene around.' Axel smiled sarcastically at the thought. "Do you think that they actually need speed bumps, or do you just want it to happen?"
"Like I need a lecture from a guy like you." Larxene glared angrily at the pyro. "It's not like you've done anything—good or bad—to their relationship. It's fun to watch and all, but I think that there needs to be something more added into the mix." 'Bastard. Coming into my room for no apparent reason and eavesdropping on me. Does that piece of crap red porcupine have any moral value whatsoever? He's more annoying than Demyx when given the chance. Heh. Good thing that chance rarely comes along.'
"Why are you interested in that relationship?" Axel asked, not caring if it was actually prying. "Is it because you're the white-haired maiden's 'big sister'? Or is it just for the hell of it? Either way, you've got crappy reasons."
"WHAT I DO IS MY OWN GODDAMN BUSINESS!!" Larxene shouted more than angrily.
Frustrated, she aimed a kick right at Axel's face, but he caught her foot with a firm grip before impact and aimed at the blonde's own with his spiked weapon while she was rendered helpless. "Look, you start bitching over the tiniest little things. Maybe you should actually do something instead of watching and waiting around for something to happen. I'm just not doing anything because I have my own agenda."
Axel took a step forward, but Larxene had a knife aimed at his face. Smirking, he let go of Larxene's leg and his weapon faded away from his hand, as a means of making temporary peace.
"Like I said before, I don't need you lecturing off to me!" Larxene shouted in a slightly triumphant manner. "You have ten seconds to get out of my room before I give you a static shock so powerful that you won't be able to feel anything in a week."
"I got it. I got it…" Axel sighed as he walked away. "I didn't want to start up a fight. But you were practically asking for it." Larxene growled in response, which made Axel turn his head to face Larxene. "You might want to think about what I said."
As soon as Axel closed the door, eight knives thrown by Larxene appeared on the door's surface. "Bastard…"
Yukina walked into the district, and stared at the café. 'I was using lunch as an excuse, but I ate before watching the dishes. Maybe an afternoon snack wouldn't hurt.' Then she stared at a paper that was taped onto the glass door. 'It says that they won't be back for fifteen minutes. I'll just kill time!' She raised her hands above her head, but put them back down. 'How would I do that?'
She sat down on a bench in the empty park nearby. 'It really is as quiet and empty as Saix-sama described it.' She looked around, seeing only at least ten other people in her sight. 'It's so…eerie! How did Saix-sama stand this?' She shook her head around, but in her frenzy, she saw a person on the bench a few yards away.
To her, the person seemed…'Lonely. Why is he just…sitting there? Maybe he's trying to kill time? But he seems different. I'll ask him!' Yukina stood up, but sat down again. 'But he's a stranger. The others constantly remind me not to talk to strangers, but with this person…It doesn't really count if I'm the one that talks to him, right?'
He sat there, not reacting in the slightest. He barely even blinked as he stared at the clean-slated ground. Meaningless to say, he barely noticed a certain white-haired girl sit beside him.
"Hello!" Yukina greeted, but to no avail. "I'm Yukina Sakuya, and you are…?" She continued, even without him responding. "It sure is cold out today, isn't it? I think that the snow is really pretty, but other people think otherwise." Yukina looked over to the man on her left, who turned his head the other way. Getting a flicker of hope, she decided to go on. "The color of white symbolizes the fact that there are a multitude of possibilities as there are different colors. With the snow appearing in the beginning of the year, it symbolizes how many different directions your year could go for you. How about you? Is your year going well for you so far?"
The man turned to face her, which made Yukina widen her eyes in anticipation for what he had to say. But the man was not satisfied with her attempts at starting a conversation. "Why the hell do you give a damn about me? What do you gain out of talking to me?"
"Why…?" Yukina repeated. 'I was half-expecting for him not to actually do anything at all! This is amazing! Maybe…getting him to open up wouldn't be such a bad idea…' She took a deep breath before answering his questions. "I just thought that maybe you were lonely…and I thought that you we would both benefit from having a new friend."
"What are you talking about?" The man asked angrily as he stood up from his seat. "I wasn't lonely. Just because someone looks lonely, you use that as an excuse to start up a conversation for no good reason. And I don't need any friends. They're just extra baggage that you don't need. In addition, they're never there for you when you need it. Even if they claim to be loyal…you know in the back of your head that they'll simply abandon you."
"Well…help comes in different forms, but they almost always come in the form of friends." Yukina explained.
"Wha—What kind of shit are you trying to pull? Are you talking to a pre-schooler? Those words don't mean a thing to someone like me. Anyone who thinks that helping a stranger would do any good for them is a fool." He stopped, feeling triumphant enough. He was expecting her to break down in tears, but he received a smile instead.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Yukina asked. "Maybe…things would change if we're friends. Because…what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? The painful experiences of both yesterday and today would become tomorrow's strength. And…while friends may let you down or even abandon you, there are those that would care about you. Solitude is a good place to visit, but…it's a bad place to stay."
He stood there, silent and in disbelief of what Yukina was saying to him.
"Tell you what, you can meet me here in…" Yukina thought about it, and then she scratched her head. "Well, I don't know when we should meet up. I know, how about in 28 hours? That's after school, so you don't have to worry about any schedule blocks. I guess…I'll see you then!"
She looked at her watch to make sure that the café was open and then dashed off. 'I think…that that could have gone better. But I'm okay with it.' She looked back towards the mysterious unnamed man, and she waved when he was looking at her. His eyes widened briefly before he turned his head away. 'Well, maybe our meetings will help improve on that…'
Ienzo was having his own lunch with three others at a small table, given that Yukina wasn't back yet. However, Ienzo felt something tugging at the back of his head, telling him something. "I…I have to find Sakuya-san," he told himself. He stood up from the table, only to have Demyx hold his wrist.
"Calm down, Ienzo-chan." Demyx advised him. "Me and Yuki-chan were washing dishes earlier, and then she left just to have some lunch. She's a good girl that can take care of herself." Demyx was rather calm about this, rather than being energetic as he usually was. Despite this he was smiling, which made for a rather…unnerving thought.
"It's people like you that she can't defend herself from." Ienzo explained, hitting Demyx's ego rather hard. "The scent I picked up is that of a nobody, and it's of someone I haven't met before. Think about it. You've said that there are twelve of you that don't have hearts, and I've met only eleven of you. Use logic."
Xigbar thought about it for a few seconds. 'There's me, dude with the lances, the smartass, the silent mountain, berserker, red porcupine, annoying blonde, cheating gambler, floral bastard, angry girl, and underheight blond. Anyone else I'm missing?' Xigbar then shouted, "It's someone that we don't know!"
Saix's eyes widened as he knew exactly who it was. "Ienzo, I'm coming with you."
"At least someone understands the situation." Ienzo scoffed before shook Demyx's hand away. "Let's go."
As soon as they disappeared, Demyx sighed in what people would usually take as relief. "Hey, Xig-tan, you think that I could be something bigger than an annoyance or bother?" Demyx then added in, "Let's be serious—without any sarcastic answers or anything like that."
"Well," Xigbar started. "It's going to take a long time for you to get there, because you seem to do practically nothing but be a hindrance to everyone." Xigbar smirked as he saw Demyx's blank expression. "Hey, you told me to be serious. This is as serious as I'm going to get."
"I see…" Demyx then laughed, "Look's like I'm not going to get there at all! I'm just going to be a hindrance to everyone including myself!"
Yukina stared in disbelief at the small number of customers actually in the café: one, which included herself. "Wow, Saix-sama wasn't kidding when he said that it was practically deserted…" Then she noticed a large basket of rabbit plushies placed on the counter. 'Oh yeah, he also said that this is where he got me the Kawaii Kawaii Fuwa-Fuwa Usa-chan plushie. I wonder what Onee-chan did with it…' She took a seat on the nearest table, only to have it suddenly pulled out from beneath her.
"Tidus! Why'd you have to do that!?" Yuna exclaimed as she gave him a good whack on the head. "I know we have to get our café going again, but we don't have to seat our customers!"
"I thought it would be good!" Tidus shouted as he rubbed the bruise on the back of his head. "It's just that I thought about it too late…"
Yukina seated herself just fine and looked at the menu. 'These two are just like Onee-chan and Axel-kun back home. Saix is so accurate about the descriptions on this place…' When she put down her menu, she saw a face that was a mere inches in front of her.
"Have any idea what you would like to order…?" Ingus asked lazily. He saw Yukina's petrified look and went back to standing up straight. "I'd been waiting for a customer to tell me that I'm a horrible waiter, so if you do that, I'll be able to have a good reason to quit, so Refia will get off my case."
"Umm…I don't think you're a bad waiter at all!" Yukina assumed, much to Ingus' annoyance.
"What did you do to make him listen…?" Ingus asked in the same manner.
"Make…who?" Yukina asked in response to Ingus' own question.
"That guy." Ingus pointed straight out the glass doors to where the unnamed man was sitting. Just as Yukina found him, he was sitting on the bench in the snow, not even caring how much snow was piling on top of his shoulders. "Could it be that you know him from somewhere?"
Yukina looked at the man outside, and shook her head. "I haven't met him from anywhere before. I'll admit, his hair would look like what you would see on a cosplayer, but I don't think I've seen him before in my life."
"Well, he's actually been there since New Year's. At night, he'd go somewhere but the next morning. The four of us: Refia, Tidus, Yuna, and me. We would all find him there the moment we open up the café." Yukina's eyed drifted between Ingus and the man on the bench while Ingus was explaining, trying to piece together what he was telling her. "I've made several attempts for him to just get a cup of coffee, but all of them failed. So how did you, an everyday high-schooler girl, end up getting through to him?"
"I-I don't—"
"Ingus! Straighten up! We've got more customers…" Refia shouted to get their attention, much to both Ingus' and Yukina's surprise. "And boy do they look hungry! Or is it more of tired…?"
Ingus made a look at Yukina, giving the feeling of saying, 'You should finish up this conversation with someone more important than me.'
Yukina turned around and saw that the customers were none other than Saix and Ienzo, to which Yukina was surprised of the latter. Yukina observed that they were both panting and a little tired as Refia described. 'I know that people like Saix-sama have the ability to make portals, so if Saix-sama could do that, then why are they both exhausted?' Able to easily piece together that they were looking for her, she waved at them to signal that she was alright. "Saix-sama! Ienzo-kun! I'm okay! You can relax and have some tea with me!" She grew embarrassed as they both collapsed onto the floor.
"It's…YOU!!" Ingus exclaimed as he pointed at Saix. "Why are you here again!? Do you want to mock me once more!?"
"No, no! They're my friends!" Yukina said as she waved her arms around frantically. She got out of her seat and sat on the floor while taking a closer look at the both of them.
"Yukina-sama's…alright…" Saix panted as he rolled on his back. "Are…you satisfied…?"
"More…than…that…" Ienzo did the same and rolled on his back, and saw Yukina leaning over him. He started to blush, to Yukina's surprise.
"Ienzo-kun…whenever you're around, you start getting a little red in the face. Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. "It's been cold, so I'd like it if you took better care of yourself."
"I'm…fine!" Ienzo shouted as he bolted upright. Then he stood up and fanned himself with his hand. "You…don't have to worry…about a thing!" He held an awkward smile upon his face, leading Yukina to awkwardly smile back at the gesture.
"Okay, you two…" Refia started, which made everyone turn to look at her. "The stupid manager is making us attire in skirts in the middle of winter! It would be nice if you actually closed the door to stop letting the cold in!"
"Gomenasaiiiiiii!!" Yukina shouted…nervously. She quickly dragged Saix's legs away from the doorway and quickly shut the glass doors. "Well, I apologize for being so inconsiderate about that. I thought that you were comfortable where you are…considering all the heaters."
"Yes, but the heaters can't exactly warm the room to the point where it's invincible against any cold wind." Yuna explained. "Now that I think about it, if we had a lot of customers, we'd be ice cubes by now!"
"That's nothing!" Tidus shouted as he raised a fist in the air. "I'm practically invincible against the cold! I've climbed Fuji and back, enduring blistering cold! You three are all sissies!"
"'Sissies' doesn't sound like a word someone of your age would use." Saix commented.
The three spent the next hour chatting with their waiters and waitresses, having a good time, something that felt…normal. To Ienzo, Saix, and Yukina it had felt everything but. The three of them were used to their own sort of agenda. Saix's was usually taking afternoon naps and waiting for the moon to come up, which was the time when he would think. He would just think about general topics, which most of the other's considered a waste of time. Ienzo's life up until now had consisted of reading, reading, and reading, along with the occasional conversation with the others during meals or the specific ones with Yukina in them, to which he seemed to act…differently. Yukina's simple daily schedule was that of doing most of the chores around the complex seeing as most of the rooms she went by were usually free of cleanliness. Now, they were doing something that seemed to be common or simple or at least regular interaction with others. Fortunately or not, Yukina was the only one that seemed to notice how things were going for them at this moment.
"Sakuya-san…" Ienzo said suddenly to catch her attention. Yukina's head bolted up at the mention of her name, and she looked curiously at Ienzo. "I've been wondering…how come you space out a lot?"
"Well…" Yukina scratched her head to think. 'Think! Think! How did your unsocial skills actually get you into this kind of situation? It was so sudden!' "Well, I have a lot on my mind." 'Great! Now think of a follow-up!' She looked at Saix, in one of those roundabout ways when you look around the room, hoping for an answer to show up on its own. "I was wondering why you and Saix-sama were here. Ienzo-kun, you don't seem like the person to have sweets on your favorite foods list."
"Maybe one of them would like to have a date with you!" Refia suggested sarcastically. "They're both kind of cool-looking 'specially the emo-looking one!"
'I've been called emo more than thrice since Sakuya-san's been back…' Ienzo thought to himself as he rubbed his temples. "I assure you, this isn't a date."
"To clarify, we've been sent here to make sure everything's alright." Saix added while he took a sip from his coffee cup, carefully eyeing Ingus who was glaring knives at him because of their last encounter. "We've heard…reports of someone that seemed to be after you. Have you met anyone today that seemed suspicious, Yukina-sama?"
"Well…" Yukina tried to think as calmly as she could, being that she was always overreacting with whatever was brought into her mind. 'Should I say yes? But if I do say yes, then those two will be hunting down my new friend, and we'd never have a normal conversation ever again!' Yukina gave a sheepish smile, and replied with, "Everyone I met today is normal, with nothing really worth being paranoid about."
"'After her' as in 'deranged psycho/killer/murderer' or 'after' as in someone that's stalking her?" Refia asked, not paying much mind to the real points in the conversation. "If it's the first case, then hire a bodyguard."
"No way! This town's always quiet! You never hear anything about arson or murder around here!" Tidus exclaimed, relieving the three seated altogether at one table. "You're reading way too much manga!"
"Hey! That stuff is awesome to read!" Refia argued.
"Well!" Ienzo shouted. Upon standing up, he slammed both hands on the table, silencing everyone else in the café. "It's been nice talking to you all, so I guess the three of us will be going!" He eyed Saix and Yukina, both of which hurried up with their desserts.
"I hoped this meeting would've been a little bit more eventful…" Saix commented as both he and Ingus seemed to glare at each other for a few moments, making the others a bit unnerved. "It seems we weren't really needed to come here after all!"
Yukina watched the two open up the glass doors and letting the cold air into the café again, which obviously annoyed Refia. However, when she was about to follow them, Yuna walked over to Yukina and blocked her way. "May I help you?"
"Have you and the other teenager really forgotten about this café?" Yuna asked. "You've been here before. Can't you remember? I remember the two of you almost perfectly; it was last year, during the spring."
"I've…been here before?" Yukina repeated. Then she walked past Yuna, with a bewildered expression. "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean, but maybe we could discuss this some other time!"
"Aren't those two the ones that Lulu was talking about?" Tidus asked Yuna after making sure that all three were gone.
"Yes…it seems…they really have forgotten."
All three of them were on their way back to apartment/hotel, with Ienzo and Saix walking back at the same pace, while Yukina walked slowly behind them.
"Ienzo, are you sure that the scent you picked up was that of the Superior's?" Saix asked, looking back at Yukina to make sure that she was blissfully unaware of the newly started conversation. "Maybe you got the scent wrong."
"I'm positive that the scent was—" Ienzo stopped himself as he realized how Saix referred to the presently unknown man. "The Superior…that's what you called him?"
"I guess I have to apologize. It's more or less a habit." Saix sighed. "If…Xemnas actually had the pleasure of meeting Yukina-sama, it's a surprise she's still unscathed."
"Is your former leader really that ruthless?" Ienzo asked as he turned to look at Yukina as Saix had done earlier. 'I can't let that happen to her again. It might be too much for her. What is this Xemnas planning?'
"Unfortunately, he certainly is ruthless, cold, and a few other adjectives I could name." Saix replied sadly. "He was willing to torture her—physically and mentally—for the sake of most of the Organization to stay within his extent of control. As for his true goals…"
"You don't really know do you?" Ienzo questioned, acknowledging Saix's silence. "It would be obvious he doesn't really want to 'exist' like you and the others want. Maybe he's planning something that's typical for the usual major villain of a Sentai story."
"You still remember what Roxas told you?" Saix replied as he formed a microscopic smile. "What color am I? Oh, navy. Supposedly, you're blue, the emo one."
'Again…' Ienzo thought to himself. Out of anger, he picked up a clump of snow and threw it at Saix's face. "There. We're even." Ienzo claimed. He walked ahead, while Saix simply stood there.
'What was that for?' Saix himself thought as the snow slowly slid off his face. 'If he actually wants to get into that…' He picked up some more snow, and prepared to throw it, but Yukina stepped forward and whacked him on the head, causing him to grumble a few "colorful" words before turning back to face Yukina.
"I don't think it's nice to just throw a snowball at him while he isn't looking." Yukina said as she wagged a finger in front of Saix's eyes. "He just said that you two were even. Don't you think it was mean to call him emo?"
"Well, he took it, right?" Saix replied as he dropped the snowball onto the ground. "Well, let me rephrase that. The only way he showed he was disapproving of the title was that of throwing the snowball, right? If he wanted to actually say something about it, he would've said it by now."
"If people kept saying you were a bad guy, but all you did was keep silent about it, that would make people want to keep saying things, right?" Yukina stated, making Saix look ahead and start walking while she followed. "Even if you don't say anything, you expect people to know that you want them to stop. That's how Ienzo-kun feels."
They kept walking in silence until they got to the house, with Ienzo feeling rather odd considering the fact that they were greeted with the same silence as they walked through the transparent glass doors. The only acknowledgement they seemed to get was that of Demyx waving with a smile glued to his face.
"Why does everyone sound like they're dead?" Yukina asked curiously. "It feels like a graveyard in this place…"
"But Yuki-chan, people don't make sounds when they're dead." Demyx pointed out.
"That's exactly my point."
Even with that little exchange of words, no one seemed to notice them come through the doors. Saix took a long stare into the room and decided to go upstairs to take a nap, however, Yukina tugged on his sleeve silently. Through a conversation only spoken through eye contact, Yukina led the way up through flights of stairs and onto the roof, where she struggled opening the door because of all the built up snow.
"Why is it that we need to continue the conversation up here?" Saix asked. "All I really want to do is take a nap…"
"Well…it was more than the conversation." Yukina answered as she sat on the snow. She looked back at Saix, who seemed puzzled. "I was wondering why you weren't using a portal when you came to the café. I can understand if you don't want other people to see, but the others seem to use it just fine without anyone noticing. Plus…there's the fact that you used the word 'sama' when referring to me. There are very few reasons that I can think of when it comes to regarding me so highly." Yukina fell on her back to stare at the sky. "Wait! But I don't think you need to answer any of them! I'm sorry! I just wasn't thinking straight!"
"Indeed. I don't think you can just order anyone to answer your questions simply like that." Saix stated as he walked to the edge of the building and sat with his legs hanging off the edge. "By all means, you've practically won everyone over, but that doesn't mean you could really expect your questions to be answered purely because you want them to." Saix stared down, but heard Yukina shriek.
"So that's it!" Yukina exclaimed as she bolted up. "You don't like anyone acting as if they're better than you!" She smiled as she saw Saix look at her with worry, and then she followed his example and sat with her legs dangling over the building's edge. "Well, I got an answer, but I still have more questions in need of some." After putting her hands on her head, she leaned back and found the sly once more.
"What did I just say?" Saix growled as he glared at a smiling Yukina. "Suddenly, you're a lot less innocent than what I would usually run into." He was flustered as he acknowledged the sudden change in character in Yukina. 'She's usually a straightforward person, despite her timid personality. Does the fact that she want answers really change so much?'
"The thing is…" Yukina started to snap Saix back to reality. "…I want answers for the sake of having no problems." Yukina scratched her head as she gave a weaker smile. "I'm not sure how to rephrase that."
"Just…continue normally." Saix suggested.
"Oh! Um! Okay…" Yukina raised her hands up to grasp a falling snowflake. "Secrets may or may not be good to tell, but eventually, they'll become a bit of a burden later. To have those kinds of burdens would be…sad. You don't have to answer, just…do what makes yourself feel comfortable here. Because—by all means…I really want you to be happy."
Saix, for unknown reasons…laughed after a few seconds worth of silence. Much to Yukina's surprise, he truly seemed like he was enjoying themselves simply because of the conversation, but after the most of it died down, he wiped away a tear. "Ha ha ha…I'm sorry! I'm terribly, terribly sorry for my outburst! Ha ha ha!" Saix's laughter was later reduced to simply smiling as his stomach began to hurt. "I really am sorry." Saix sighed as he apologized. "It's…the first time…anyone's said anything like that." Saix looked at Yukina, who had a mixed expression of both confusion and happiness. "Just for that…you'll get your answers."
"Really!?" Yukina bolted upwards once more. "That would be grea—I mean, it would be good for you to share." Saix laid his hand on her head and had her hair messed up in response to her happiness.
His smile diminishing, he took his hand back and rubbed his hands together, keeping them warm for the time being. "I wasn't able to use a portal because I'm not like the others anymore. I'm…someone again. And, to be honest…I really don't know if I should by happy."
"Why?" Yukina questioned. "You have your heart back, something the others would want so—"
"I know that they want their hearts back badly." Saix interrupted. "Everyone would hate me even more if they knew about this, so telling it to just you alone wouldn't be good enough to keep take away the burden I'll have to bear. Everyone wants their hearts back because they want to be accepted again."
"But…people can already accept—"
"Why do you think we have our own world filled with nothingness?" Saix asked to stop her from going any further. "Without hearts, nobodies are shunned by both light and darkness. Both the light and darkness that are within one's heart would actually give them a true existence. It's not the emotions that we need or even want." Saix took a deep breath as he laid his hand above his heart. "Nobodies wish to get rid of that feeling of emptiness. All nobodies display emotions even though they constantly deny the fact that they have them. It's that unbearable emptiness that we—they used to have."
"I'm…I'm sorry for asking…" Yukina said, deeply saddened by Saix's story. "To think that…that's what you've been going through, and the others—Demi-kun, Onee-chan, and the others. They've all been so empty! I would've felt that way too but…I don't remember a single bit of it!" She was about to cry if it weren't for Saix's intervention of giving a supposedly playful ruffle of her hair.
"In a way…I envy you." Saix exhaled. "It's because you don't remember that I envy you. You want be able to feel that empty…void if you try to reminisce about your own days as a nobody. Ienzo as well. I envy the both of you. And despite that…I regard you so highly, because it's reminded me of something."
"What did it really remind you of?" Yukina asked anxiously.
"Despite the fact that having a heart might not be what I had expected it to be…" Saix smiled and sighed with content. "Having a heart makes it much better for me to appreciate such a blessing like you I have in something I can finally call my own life."
((Cheesy or not? You can decide! I think I'm making Saix (more or less) a major character in all of this. I was thinking that Demyx might have a bigger part in this chapter, but I kind of lost the original document, making me type up the entire thing from scratch out of memory! (I'm sorry!) Even the spat between Larxene and Axel won't be important until later. Either way, I think that the Valentine's Day Chapter I have in mind will be belated, and it won't have a good impact on you guys. Perhaps I can use the time this weekend to hurry up and type it up. In the very high chance that I will submit it late, I wish you a great happy Valentine's Day with your loved ones! Ja ne! Onemorethingpleasereview!))
