21. Of Books and Talks

Hawks must have orange eyes.

Of all the thoughts going through her mind as she sat opposite Xemnas in his office on the thirteenth floor of the Castle That Never Was, this had to be the most prominent. Not the best observation to make in order to break the cold silence between them under the present circumstances but Risk knew she wouldn't be able to speak the first words anyway. Except to dismiss Lexaeus, the Superior hadn't uttered a sound since she'd come in. He had just indicated the chair on the other side of his desk and watched her with those piercing orange eyes, eerily managing not to blink for long periods. His hands were folded neatly atop the desk's broad surface and though his gaze was intent there was also a very relaxed quality to him while he leaned forward slightly. Given the furniture's width there was still a comfortable distance separating them but Risk pressed against her chair's back regardless.

After an almost unbearable length of time, Xemnas settled back a bit more and averted his eyes onto a lone sheet of paper for the moment. Her gaze followed even though she has on interest in whatever was written there with precise black letters. Lost in her own tentative recollections, she was startled when he finally spoke and being unprepared to pay much attention Risk realized with a touch of embarrassment that she hadn't really heard what her superior had said. It must have shown on her face though because now a noticeable frown tugged at the corners of Xemnas's firm mouth.

"Er…sorry?" Thirteen begged.

"Where is it?" he repeated, meeting her eyes purposefully and holding them. She stared blankly back at him, not able to hide her clueless ness and thus making it quite obvious. Sliding down further in the chair, Risk murmured as if she were afraid, though making no real words come from it.

"I…I don't know what you mean," she managed to admit. Why she always felt so helpless and vulnerable in front of him would perhaps never have a satisfying amount of sense but it didn't matter enough to make a difference. The universe on its own worked in strange ways and being a Nobody in itself was already rather confusing. Nothing seemed to have a definite answer and whatever did lead to more questions.

They sat again in silence for awhile longer with his simple look at her able to challenge the truthfulness of such innocent-sounding statements. She continued to tremble under the Superior's gaze however hard she tried to keep herself still. But soon she was granted a small mercy as Xemnas rose from his seat releasing a small, mildly agitated sigh. He moved out from behind the desk with a bit of awkwardness given the proximity of the chair to the wall. Freeing himself from the tight space with authority nonetheless, he straightened his coat by giving it a quick tug before turning his back on Risk in favour of the metal filing cabinet that rested against the white wall. Then he just stood there a moment, silent, perhaps mulling over something. From behind his back Xemnas reached a hand out to one of the drawers in it and not the only with a small keyhole above the handle. With a hint of irony as he tried the handle to find it unlocked he realized that if he had waited but another restless night to study those mysterious passages again this whole rather unfortunate circumstance would have been averted.

"The book," he said, eyes still scanning the empty metal drawer though he was expecting to find just that; nothing. Amazing how one small, seemingly unimportant decision could lead to such unfavourable repercussions. If he had not happened to pull out the book on that particular night it would have been locked out of sight when Risk was last called in here. Thus he would still have it and Number XIII would have been none the wiser. And, of course, he wouldn't be in need of a new Number VI.

The drawer made a sad-sounding squeak when he pushed it shut again. He turned back to Risk who remained silent though the expression of sincere ignorance had long since disappeared.

"I will ask one more time," he said, more to himself than her. "Where is the book which just so happened to vanish into thin air after you were here?" If it were possible, she would have sunk even farther down in hopes of somehow extracting herself from this painful confrontation. Her bottom lip quivered slightly when the Superior took a step forward and planted his palm on the desk. Being immune to all effects of helpless gestures, and thus lacking the devices for showing mercy, he locked her there with such an expectant, even knowing gaze that it was only a few moments before her fragile resistance cracked.

"I took it," she admitted in an unsteady voice, "and I read it a little…but I didn't really understand it…" Which was the truth however far from all, but the Superior didn't question her any further on it. At any rate he was more acceptant of this than a lot of things. Regardless he was quiet in absorbing what she said because was information really mattered was about to come. "So I thought that maybe it would make more sense if I read it somewhere quiet."

"Without the regular interruptions of this castle," Xemnas mused aloud. Now that was a topic he could relate to. He could recall countless such occasions just in the short time it took him to pace back to his chair.

"Hm?"

"Nothing of relevance." He brushed it off while settling once more into the familiar black desk chair as he'd done so many times before. "Continue," prompted the Superior, gesturing to Thirteen in accordance.

"Um, well," she began again with an air of uncertainty. "Then I went, er…uh-um…to that place," Risk said, which admittedly wasn't very articulate. Now it seemed that a sense of both reluctance and distrust had recovered their ground within her mind and thus applied themselves against Xemnas. They had a simple motive; avoid, in any way possible, serious trouble. Perhaps telling him something a little more favourable than the truth would serve her better.

But when the Superior very slowly arched his right eyebrow in suspicion to her previous statement all her child-like logic was dispelled. For lack of a better option, perhaps, she blurted the answer he'd pressed for, the simple location he'd awaited.

"Wind City." She grimaced as the words left her mouth, though not quite sure why they seemed to sting. Looking almost right through her large round pupils, or maybe just past them and into space, Xemnas made an affirming nod as if Risk hadn't said anything more intriguing than a fairly obvious observation about the weather.

"Wind City," he repeated.

"Wind City," she said again. Suddenly anxious, she bounced up and down in her seat a few times. Xemnas refocused his gaze on her long enough for his mouth to twitch into an unfathomable little frown before another thought came to him. And with it a long abandoned side mission seemed somehow attainable once more.

"You know," he began, folding his hands atop the desk and, for some reason, dropping his voice enough so that Risk found herself leaning closer to hear. This effect certainly did well to build anticipation. "Leaving the world without requesting permission for your temporary absence is not only a dangerous and foolish act in itself but also… not allowed." The sentence was left hanging a bit lame in the air between them. Xemnas drew back, orange eyes emptying again to their uncaring dullness while she stared back at them. Flat, impenetrable. The man was like a locked door someone had lost the key for. Caged up within himself, a soulless machine even among Nobodies, but perhaps that is what they'd all be like were they robbed of their subconscious emotion masks. And Risk still didn't know what to say in response to her superior. So the seconds drew out longer in more silence.

Picking up again some moments later, he spoke as if there had been no pause, or at least with the composure to suggest so.

"But perhaps on this one occasion the usual punishment I reserve for these infractions could be substituted." Her head came up, curious at this somewhat suspicious proposition. Such an offer sounded good to Thirteen, though she wasn't quite sure of his meaning.

"Um…substituted?" she inquired to which Superior Xemnas nodded. "How…so?" For just a second something flashed in his eyes but it was overshadowed into a possible trick of the light when two quick knocks were followed by the door flying open.

Both heads swiveled to the Organizer framed in the doorway who looked purposefully at the office's main occupant before giving a less flattering regard to Risk. She raised her hand a little above the desk in an unsure greeting for him who gave no notice other than a slight hesitation, due mostly to her presence there in general.

"Excuse my intrusion, Superior, but I have good news to report of on the Heartless situation," Number VII said. Xemnas nodded once and he continued. "After ensuring that the Brink of Despair had been fully cleared of the threat I went down and dismissed Numbers III, VIII, IX and XII from their defensive positions," he re-accounted with more enthusiasm than Risk had ever seen come from him before. It seemed as though these moments were what he lived for. "Then I-"

"Mm, yes, I see. Very good of you," the Superior cut in. He fidgeted a bit restlessly around out of displeasure. But then he stopped, a new idea to strengthen his initial plan presenting itself from this change of circumstance. "Saix," he said suddenly.

"Xemnas," Seven answered, still looking a bit deflated in the most solemn way one could.

"It is good that the Brink of Despair is once again under control, but wouldn't you both agree that knowledge of why there was this problem to begin with would be useful?"

"…Well, yes," he said. After hearing his answer, Risk also concurred to the Superior with a slow nod that showed she didn't actually know what the adults were talking about and was just going along with them.

"Then I am sure you won't object to trying to find out what happened to the castle's defense shield," he went on.

"No, of course not, Superior." Here Xemnas stood while Number XIII looked back and forth between them curiously.

"Well, as it appears we have several individuals who may know more about this at our disposal, I suggest a meeting."

"Indeed. I will gather the rest of the Organization…shall I direct them to the meeting room?"

"No, the kitchen will do. This needn't be too formal," Xemnas said as he paced a little out from his desk. With a final nod Saix stepped back towards the door. "I trust you will take care of things in my absence."

As only to be expected, the Luna Diviner faltered somewhat upon realizing the meaning of his words, in turn missing the doorknob his hand had started reaching for. He failed to sense the pain when his knuckles collided with the wood with this distraction pulling his mind in another direction.

"…Ow," came his delayed reaction, sparing a rather blank look at the offending door. After a moment Saix seemed to come to terms with it and snapped his eyes back to the Superior. "Superior, what-how-why-where…I don't understand."

"Well, I believe that is obvious." Something about his matter-of-fact tone triggered Thirteen to snicker which she quickly silenced under her gloved palm. Saix regarded her a second, who was turned around in the chair on her knees to see them standing by the door. His narrowed eyes quieted her while the Superior continued talking opposite him. "There is nothing complicated about what I am asking you to do, Seven."

"But Superior, while I direct all this, where will you be?" Careful not to glance sideways at Risk, as yet again the Luna Diviner had occupied himself in doing, he shifted so that his figure stood more firmly. After a bit of a pause Xemnas answered as simply as he could at this point.

"That," he began in a deep, purposeful tone, "is of no concern to you right now."

For a short time after he'd spoken, Number VII hesitated as if wanting to say something more, but the look on his face made it clear that the discussion was over. So Saix swept an arm across his midriff, respectfully tilting his head towards the room as his bowed frame moved back through the door opened now by his other hand. Once it closed with a silence-inflicting click, Xemnas stood for awhile, eyes still staring empty into space, as breath filled his chest. He let it out again in a way that wouldn't disturb a butterfly. Then he stepped away more from his desk and Number XIII before turning and facing her, still sitting backward in that little black office chair. She watched him reach out with his right arm and elegantly summon a portal in the middle of the room. Only when it stabilized there did the Superior lower his outstretched arm and regard her again. Tentatively, Risk slid off her seat and walked over to stand in front of the dark corridor. For awhile she stared into its depths, feeling the tempting pull of it through her body but also enduring a twisted sickness in her gut.

Xemnas didn't tell her where the portal lead or even that he would follow once she preceded. But then again there was no need to explain. Thirteen looked back at him, receiving a nod, then stepped from white carpet to black void to almost dead golden soil.

Sorry if this chapter seemed a little slow...ironically, it's among the shortest so far and took a painfully long time to write. The next one will undoubtedly be longer and I plan to have things pick up more. Fingers crossed that it won't take over a month again.

Thanks again to all my readers and reviewers and especially those who do both. Oh yeah, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I believe that has been established...

And to Xakane: I sort of have a YouTube account under the same name as my pen name, sans the space, and you're welcome ;P