Here is Chapter 14, FINALLY! Sorry it took so long, guys; I was really busy last week, and then a friend of mine wanted me to work on a story with them (not fanfiction), and then I got writer's block. But I'm back, and I've got LOTS of ideas! So, enjoy the chapter! This is dedicated to all the people who have reviewed this so far! This is also dedicated to weird dreams, broken PS2 controllers (and suddenly remembering after a week you have an extra controller) and saving the world. And ice cream and chamomile tea. This chapter was fun to write. xD And it was written at 3am.
I don't own anything KH2, or the song lyrics at the end (you'll see). I do own Rianxan, though.
The Spirited Reverie
By
LadyDarkDreamer
Chapter 14:
"Zexion!"
At hearing his name, Zexion halted in the middle of the hallway and turned. Hurried footsteps echoed off the marble walls, coming closer, and he caught the scent of lilies in the air.
Before he could answer, Ria came walking up. Her weapons were closed in her hands, half of her uniform was soaking wet, and her wavy hair was messy and sticking to her skull.
She offered him a smile, and then it vanished as she shivered.
"Are you okay?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Not only did she seem cold, but she looked fairly tired. Her teeth chattered a bit and her weapons disappeared, and she rubbed her arms with her hands. Zexion seriously considered taking off his coat and giving it to her at that moment. The cold couldn't kill a Nobody, but it still made one feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Sorry," she said, her arms falling to her sides. "I j-just got back from a mission."
She shivered again, and Zexion made up his mind. She looked confused as he started to unzip his cloak.
"You're freezing," he said, "Take off your coat, and I'll let you borrow mine for now."
Ria shook her head, and held up her hands in protest. "N-no, it's okay, I'm fine. Demyx and I just h-had to fight a bunch of Heartless in the snow, and then it, it rained…" she broke off as Zexion unzipped his cloak all the way, and proceeded to take it off. She didn't protest though, as her attention was focused elsewhere. Zexion was wearing a tight black shirt, tucked into black jeans and were a bit loose on his frame. Black boots completed the outfit. He looked quite…
"Ria?"
Her head jerked up as she was pulled away from her thoughts. She blushed a little as she realized what she had been thinking, and knew very well that her light complexion—made even paler by the cold in the Land of Dragons—made the reaction evident.
Zexion paused only a second, and then didn't seem to notice as he handed Ria her cloak.
Hoping with all her soul that he hadn't seen her blush, Ria took off her wet cloak. Once she had it off, she stood there a moment, unsure of what to do with it. Zexion quickly took it from her, and she took his offered one. She put it on swiftly, and was happy to find it was warm.
Of course it's warm, you idiot, she thought, he's been wearing it for the last several hours.
Zexion was a good four or inches taller that she was, so the cloak dragged on the floor a bit. She wrapped it around herself as closely as she could.
"Thank you," she said gratefully, giving him a smile.
Zexion nodded, and folded her soaked cloak over his right arm. Biting her lip, Ria said, "Here. I'll take it."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'll give it to one of the Dusks and they'll clean it. You should go take a hot shower and get some sleep," he said, "You look like you're about to fall over."
Smiling despite herself, Ria shivered again and fought to keep her eyes open. He was right, she needed sleep, but she still had her mission report to write…
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and looked up to find Zexion passing her cloak to a Dusk. He must have called the Nobody while she was preoccupied.
Telling him thanks again, she picked up the cloak so the edges wouldn't drag on the ground, and turned to leave. She stumbled, and decided she was better off opening a dark portal. When she attempted this, though, all she got was a flurry of black sparks.
"Here, I'll help," Zexion offered, coming to stand beside her. Her mind was getting fuzzy with lack of sleep—she'd been too hyped up, and then bored, and then hungry to nap during the mission—so when she felt Zexion stand next to her, she leaned towards him. Consciously, she knew what she was doing, but she didn't care. She felt Zexion tense for a moment, and then he relaxed, wrapping in arm around her waist to help her stand.
Half-smiling, Ria slid an arm around his back, just underneath his shoulders, to help her stand. She rested her hand on his left shoulder, and used her other hand to keep the cloak up.
"Thank, Zexion."
She lost track of time, and vaguely remembered Zexion opening a dark portal to her room. She thanked him for a fourth time, and leaned against the doorframe of her bathroom as he nodded.
"No problem," he replied.
He turned to leave, but Ria called his name.
"Yes?"
"Over the next few days I'm, well, going to paint everything," she said a little shyly, "I was wondering if maybe you would help out?"
Zexion looked surprised at the request, but he nodded.
She watched him as he left a moment later, her eyes on his back and lower as he moved. She felt her face growing hot as the portal closed, and cursed under her breath a she reluctantly shed his cloak.
Tossing it on her bed, she stepped into her bathroom and turned on the water as hot as she could bear. Why in the name of Kingdom Hearts and all the worlds, was she watching Zexion? And why the hell did her stomach feel as though it was full of wings?
It could have just been the cold, causing her to shiver.
Then again, maybe not.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Xemnas heard shuffling, and raised one eyebrow as he looked up from his desk.
A Dusk stood in front of the desk, only its head visible over the edge. Xemnas tapped his pen, and waited.
The Nobody set a mug of coffee on the desk, and disappeared in a flourish of white.
More shuffling filled his ears, and Xemnas chose to ignore it. Only when he heard the sound of a small cough did he look up, and found Rianxan standing near the door. Her hair was damp and brushed, and the cloak she was wearing was too long for her. Pajamas pants, paired with boots, peeked out from under the cloak.
"Yes, Number Fourteen?"
As Xemnas watched, she came over quickly and set a folder on the corner of his desk.
"I was just bringing my mission report, Superior," she explained, nodding once as she turned to leave.
"I am assuming your first mission went well, Number Fourteen?"
She replied with a quiet 'yes', and disappeared out the door.
Sighing, Xemnas drank coffee from the mug the Dusk had brought him, and scribbled something on the paper in front of him.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
She slept for most of the day, getting up around evening only to grab something to eat. Zexion was in the kitchen, having a conversation with a rather tall, muscular man with funny hair. Zexion introduced his quiet colleage as Lexaeus, and she joined the two for dinner. She didn't follow have half the conversation that occurred, but she realized she enjoyed listening to Zexion talk. The sound of his voice was pleasant, so much that she had closed her eyes at one point just to hear him speak.
Ria had rolled her eyes as she left, wondering what her subconscious was trying to tell her. She had then climbed back into bed, and slept for the entire night.
Come morning, she woke up feeling much better than before. She showered again, dried her hair, went about the rest of her morning routine, and got dressed.
Today's outfit consisted of what she demeaned 'painting clothes': dark blue jeans, sneakers, and a black T-shirt with the words "Rock My World" written in silver across the front. Demyx was coming over sometime that day, and they would attempt to get the front room finished. Only as she finished double-knotting the laces of her shoes did she realize Demyx seemed to be a music-oriented person. He would probably find the shirt amusing.
"Oh well," she muttered, standing up and walking into the living room. She had already dragged and pushed the white couch out into the hallway, intent on asking Demyx how to call the lesser Nobodies. The useful creatures could find a better place for the furniture, because she refused to have anything more to do with it. The mini fridge, though, was staying. She had unplugged it, pushing it into the center of the room to avoid getting paint on it. The coffee table had migrated to the hallway as well.
The actual cans of paint were near the far wall, along with blue painter's tape, brushes, and everything else they would need. Ria had chosen a warm red, almost burgundy, for this room. Her bedroom would eventually be a pale yellow, and the bathroom a light blue.
A loud knock came from her door, and it opened before she could even move. Demyx walked in, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, and carrying two clear plastic cups and…a plate of muffins.
Realizing she hadn't eaten since the night before, Ria rushed over and took the paper plate from him. She set it on her tiny fridge, and took the cup he offered her.
"You are a genius, Demyx," she said, sipping the red liquid in the cup. It tasted like fruit punch.
"Of course I am," he said, grabbing a muffin and taking a large bite out of it. "Now, where's your stereo?"
Picking up a muffin for herself, she was happy to find it was blueberry. "Stereo?" she asked, after swallowing.
"Well, yeah," he replied, disappearing into her bedroom. "We'll get bored pretty quickly without some music to keep things lively."
Ria frowned, and shook her head. She walked to the door, and looked in. "Okay, first of all, why are you in my closet? Get your ass out. And I don't have a stereo," she said.
"How can you not have a stero?" he asked, sounding shocked as he slid the door to her closet closed. He looked at her with wide eyes.
"What?" she asked. "I've been here a little over two weeks; I haven't had time to go shopping."
"Please tell me you like music, at least?"
She gave him a look. Putting her hands on her hip, she said, "Of course I do, Demyx. Do I look crazy?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment, rubbing his chin with a hand and turning his head and he looked her over.
"I don't know," he finally said, "After that stunt you pulled on your first mission…"
"Oh, my…will you stop already? We've got a whole room to paint, so remove yourself from here. Come on, into the living room with you!"
"What about the stereo problem?" Demyx asked, clearly amused as she shoved his towards the door with her elbow.
"If you want music, bring your own stero. But hurry up," she replied.
Laughing, Demyx walked into the living room and disappeared into a portal. Ria finished her breakfast and waited, and he returned a few minutes later with a small black stero and a handful of CDs. He plugged in the machine, and contemplated the layout of music before him. Another minute, and he finally decided, sticking the CD in the player and pressing the button.
"What are we listening too?" she asked. Grabbing one of the plastic containers the paint was supposed to be poored into, she did just that. As Demyx walked over, she tossed him the painter's tape, and then filled another container.
"A mix CD," was his reply.
So, they taped off all the edges they didn't want paint on, and Ria grabbed a brush to start painting along the borders. Demyx chose a long-handled rolling brush, and set about covering one wall in a rich red. Ria didn't recognize the first song as it started to play, but set half of her attention to listening to it. It was good music, a mix of guitar, bass, drums and piano; it was a combination of instruments she liked.
Two hours later, she laughed as Demyx ate nearly half of the last muffin in one bite. They were both spotted in paint, and Demyx had made a blue armband out of the tape. Ria had gotten bored halfway through, and used strips of tape to write her name on her jeans.
"So, what's your nickname?" Demyx asked, putting the last touches on the wall he'd been working on.
"Nickname?"
"Yeah. You know, the kind of defining title you get when you join the Organization."
Ria stood there a moment, then finally realized what he was talking about. "Oh! You mean, like Axel is called the Flurry of Dancing Flames?"
"That's right," Demyx said. "What's yours?"
Ria stopped, the rolling brush she held pressing against the wall she was working on. "I, um….I don't know mine," she admitted. She looked at the floor, and then glanced towards Demyx.
"You don't know yours yet? Xemnas didn't tell you?"
"No," she continued quietly, "There's a lot he neglected to tell me, actually."
There was a pause, the Demyx said, "After we're done here, you should go to a room called Proof of Existence. There are small pillars there, one for each of us. There's a picture of our weapons on each, and our nickname."
"Alright," she replied, nodding. The cheerful mood seemed to have disappeared, so when Ria realized the music had stopped, she set down her brush and went over to the stero. Looking through all of Demyx's CDs, she smiled at she found one that she recognized. She traded the CD in the player for the one in her hand, and pressed play.
The familiar beginning to a song she liked started, and Demyx gave her a thumbs-up. She started to paint again as she lyrics started.
Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
Take our tears, put them on ice
Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light
Ria grinned, and felt compelled to sing along. Before she had become a Nobody, the band that had written this song had been very popular in her world. Had Demyx visited her world at some point, and gotten the CD? Or did the Organization have a music library hidden somewhere in this monstrous castle?
Cause I'll keep singing this lie if you'll keep believing it
I'll keep singing this lie
I'll keep singing this lie
She heard Demyx humming the tune, and turned to watch. Ria found him painting the wall in beat with the music. Finally, she decided to sing the lyrics."Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light."
At this, Demyx quickly looked over at her. They both smiled, and he jumped in to sing it with her.
"We're traveled like gypsies Cause I'll keep singing this lie
Only with worse luck and far less gold
We're the kids you used to love
But then we grew old
We're the lifers here till the bitter end
Condemned from the start
Ashamed of the way
The songs and the words own the beating of our hearts
I'll keep singing this lie."
Dropping his brush, Demyx rushed over and pulled Ria towards an empty corner of the room. Even though this song wasn't really made for dancing, he spun her around.
"The best part of 'Believe' is the 'Lie',
I hope you sing along and you steal a line
I need to keep you like this in my mind
So give in or just give up."
Ria laughed, and then suddenly thought about the lyrics in relation to herself, and to the Organization. Xemnas strived to make them believe they couldn't feel at all, which was a lie. But she believe they could feel, as least a bit, with their souls. Surely that couldn't be a lie as well?
No, the two words contradicted each other too much. They made for good song lyrics, but not for applying things to real life. But still, the truth in believing depended on what you believed in, right?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
Take our tears, put them on ice
Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light
She didn't sing the last part, letting Demyx have the spotlight. Laughing as he struck a pose, Ria bowed dramatically and went back to painting as the next song started.
The lyrics belong to Fall Out Boy, of course. And I have no idea what the entire task of painting involves, so...yeah. :P
NO, Ria is not falling for Demyx, I swear. They're just friends, and will remain friends. Doesn't everyone sing and dance with their friends on occasion? If not, you should. :)
Zexion is the one Ria is falling for, and the NEXT chapter—which I will have up soon—is going to contain some MUCH waited for ZexionxRia. I promise. The time has come to get the romance of this story started. I can't believe it took this long…I imagined this story would be about 20 chapters when I first wrote it. Looks like it's going to be longer!
Reviews?
We also get to find out what Ria's Somebody name was! Anyone have a guess?